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Ken Starr, a former U.S. solicitor general who headed the Whitewater investigation into former President Clinton that ultimately led to his impeachment, died on Tuesday at the age of 76, his family announced.
Starr’s family said in a statement that he died at a hospital in Houston following complications from surgery. Starr’s wife said he had been in the hospital for the last 17 weeks fighting an undisclosed illness, The New York Times reported.
Starr has been a prominent figure in national politics and the legal field stretching back decades, serving as chief of staff to former Attorney General William Smith for roughly two years beginning in 1981 after a clerkship at the Supreme Court.
Former President Reagan nominated Starr in 1983 as a federal appeals judge for the D.C. Circuit, where he served until becoming the U.S. solicitor general in the first Bush administration.
Starr argued 36 cases before the Supreme Court, including 25 during his time as solicitor general, his family said.
He is best known for leading the Whitewater investigation during the Clinton presidency. The investigation began with a probe of the Clintons’ real estate investments but eventually expanded to include the former president’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
The Starr Report, which he gave to Congress in September 1998, asserted that Clinton lied to the public and Congress about the relationship. Clinton was later impeached, though was ultimately acquitted in the Senate.
“We are deeply saddened with the loss of our dear and loving father and grandfather, whom we admired for his prodigious work ethic, but who always put his family first,” Starr’s son, Randall Starr, said in the family’s statement.
“The love, energy, endearing sense of humor and fun-loving interest dad exhibited to each of us was truly special, and we cherish the many wonderful memories we were able to experience with him. He is now with his Lord and Savior,” he said.
Starr later served as the dean of Pepperdine University’s law school between 2004 and 2010 before becoming president of Baylor University, where he also served as chancellor beginning part way through his presidency.
After an external investigation found the school mishandled allegations of sexual assault involving its football team players, the school removed Starr as its president in May 2016. He soon after resigned as chancellor and chair of the school’s constitutional law department.
“Judge Starr was a dedicated public servant and ardent supporter of religious freedom that allows faith-based institutions such as Baylor to flourish,” Baylor University President Linda Livingstone said in a statement Tuesday.
Starr later found a welcoming home on Fox News as a contributor, making regular appearances on the cable giant.
In 2020, he joined former President Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial.
The House impeached Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in connection to accusations he withheld U.S. military aid to Ukraine to pressure President Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. The Senate later acquitted Trump on both charges.
Starr is survived by his wife Alice Starr, his three children and nine grandchildren, his family said.
This story was updated at 6:26 p.m. | https://www.wpri.com/news/ken-starr-investigator-behind-clinton-impeachment-dies-at-76/ | 2022-09-14T15:16:11Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/ken-starr-investigator-behind-clinton-impeachment-dies-at-76/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The tragic truth of suicides among college students is that family or friends often don’t understand how much their loved one is hurting.
“(Henry) was the person who’s always looking after everyone. … He was always made sure everyone was OK,” said Christophe Armero, whose son, Henry Armero, died while a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University. “Sometimes I wonder whether these people just want others to do for them what they do for others.”
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, who often face financial, social and academic pressure that can lead to feelings of overwhelm and shame. Suicide is always a result of multiple, complicated factors that can be hard to disentangle.
“When you add in perhaps a mental health condition, add in access to lethal means, impulsivity, you could see suicide,” said Steve Moore, who has been an active suicide prevention advocate since his 19-year-old son Paul died by suicide in 2006. “These are all things that could be the final straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
Yet there are concrete steps colleges, teachers and fellow students can take to reduce the risk. After Henry Armero’s death, students began to talk more openly about stress and mental illness, resulting in the university publishing an investigative report. And while the pandemic has exacerbated mental illness symptoms, experts say, people are also more open to being honest about it.
Eliminating opportunity
Research shows that there is often just 5 to 10 minutes between a person deciding and then attempting to die by suicide. Data shows when schools reduce access to lethal means, those precious extra minutes can give someone the time needed to reconsider.
For example, Carnell University made bridges inaccessible after three students died within a month in 2010. Still, university advisors and Ithaca city officials said it was one step of a comprehensive mental health plan.
“One of the phrases we use: Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem,” Moore said, who is also a member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s national Public Policy Council. “If there’s no firearm laying around, or if it takes (the student) 10 minutes to get the firearm, get the ammunition … they can change their mind during that 10 minutes.”
Other efforts include installing signs and telephones near these areas to encourage someone considering suicide to reach out for help, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Culture change
When working to prevent suicide on campus, you can’t just look at the individual, says Beth Morrison, Director of Wellness and Health Promotion Services at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
“We have to look at their environment,” she said. “And are these policies fair for students? Are they contributing to their mental health positively or negatively? And what can we put into place that will help these students be successful?”
At SIU Carbondale, they train resident assistants, professors, coaches and academic counselors in mental health first aid, a quick approach to keep one safe until they can access professional help.
One national study of a program implementing this “gatekeeper” training found it may have prevented more than 79,000 suicide attempts among 16- to 23-year-olds between 2007 and 2010.
These efforts are particularly effective when students are trained to recognize risk factors. A study of a similar program in 18 American high schools found students were more likely to refer a suicidal friend to an adult.
The school has also created sensory calming rooms for students to decompress, as well as freshman orientation events targeted specifically toward suicide awareness. They’ve also made counseling affordable; it tends to cost about $10 a session, Morrison said.
A plan for what happens next
When a young person on campus dies, it’s essential that campus workers take action, experts say. This includes accidental or overdose deaths — but is especially important when a person dies by suicide.
“The dynamic is, all this pain that the person who killed themselves (had), the suffering essentially gets dumped on their loved ones,” said Armero, who runs a support group for survivors of suicide with his wife. “And so all that pain becomes grief.”
A plan needs to be made in advance to reduce the risk of copycats, according to the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance. That includes a team that understands best practices in communicating what happened and resources available to the student body, over social media and to the family.
But it also requires empowering all people within a campus to understand what they can do to prevent a tragedy — whether that’s therapists offering grief groups to classmates and staff, or a student checking in on their friends.
“Don’t be afraid of asking someone if they are thinking of hurting themselves,” Armero said. “If you’ve been thinking about (suicide) in your head and somebody asks you … the act of actually having to say it out loud transforms (the words) for them.” | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/how-colleges-can-prevent-student-suicides/ | 2022-09-14T15:16:17Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/how-colleges-can-prevent-student-suicides/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK (NewsNation) — Skyrocketing tuition and crippling student loan debt have millions of parents and students wondering whether college is even worth it anymore as companies reconsider hiring requirements.
Major companies like Google, Tesla, and IBM have dropped the requirement for college degrees as college enrollment continues to drop.
According to a recent study from Harvard Business Review and Emsi Burning Glass, a leading labor market data company, companies are dropping the requirements for many middle-skill and even higher-skill roles. More than 51 million jobs posted between 2017 and 2020 were analyzed for the study.
This move by companies reverses the so-called “degree inflation” trend that picked up steam after the Great Recession in which many employers began adding degree requirements to job descriptions that hadn’t previously needed them — even though the actual jobs hadn’t changed.
In place of four-year-degree requirements, many companies are instead focusing on skills-based hiring to widen the talent pool.
Nationwide, enrollment at higher education institutions continues to decline, but the number of prospective student applications is surging at many colleges.
“Seventy percent of high school graduates at peak, about 2017, went straight to college. Now, we’re about down to 63%, and the decline is even sharper in many states,” said Jon Marcus, a senior editor at Hechinger Report, a nonprofit publication covering inequality and innovation in education.
From 2010 to 2020, annual enrollment at postsecondary institutions has fallen more than 14% nationally, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In real terms, that’s 4 million fewer students compared to 10 years ago.
Marcus said the greatest decline is in the Northeast and Midwest, where birth rates are flat — meaning fewer students are coming out of high school. But the biggest reason why admission numbers are declining is the soaring tuition cost.
“It’s not a secret that for decades the cost of college has been increasing and people have struggled to pay,” Marcus said. “They’ve often borrowed to pay it, which has resulted in the student loan crisis which we’ve been hearing quite a lot about.”
Today, more than 40 million Americans have college debt.
Meghan McGrody is a first-year student at Boston University and an aspiring attorney who will undergo four years of undergrad and three years of law school, costing her family into the six figures.
“I applied for financial aid. B.U. is 100% need-based, so that helped, too,” McGrody said.
Many universities are taking notice and launching programs to lure kids to college. Princeton University announced it would cover the college costs for those whose families make less than $100,000 annually.
About 83% of Princeton’s recent graduating seniors are debt-free, according to the university. They also note that 62% of its undergraduate students already receive some financial aid.
So, what’s the return on investment for everyone else paying sky-high prices? It depends on the student’s major.
We’re seeing a big decline in the number of people enrolling in majors with the lowest ROI, so humanities, history, English,” said Michael Hicks, a professor at Ball State University.
On average, college graduates make 67% more than non-college graduates. But, of course, some professions require a degree.
“This is a very vast and wide world. I mean we need someone for everything — like there needs to be someone with a college degree to be a doctor,” said Anna Tillisch, a college sophomore.
So, if you don’t want to be a doctor or lawyer, do you need a degree?
“In a knowledge economy like ours, based largely on things like tech, you need some people to continue to go to college. You don’t need everybody to go to college,” Marcus said.
As college tuition continues to rise, about 45% of incoming freshmen are expected to graduate in four years, but six years has become more common. | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/major-companies-dropping-college-requirements-for-new-hires/ | 2022-09-14T15:16:29Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/major-companies-dropping-college-requirements-for-new-hires/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The CW’s Gotham Knights Series Officially Starts Production
As gamers all over the world prepare for the release of Gotham Knights on next-gen consoles next month, there’s still the matter of that other upcoming DC project that shares the same name. Last year, The CW greenlit a new TV series with a similar premise of having Batman’s surrogate children become Gotham City’s defenders in the wake of the Dark Knight’s death. However, the heroes gracing the small screen look very different from their video game counterparts. And now that the show has moved past the pilot stage, it’s time for their story begin in earnest.
Some of the filmmakers behind the Gotham Knights recently took to social media to announce that yesterday marked the official start of production on the first season’s remaining episodes. Co-creator Natalie Abrams, co-executive producer Jeffrey Hunt, and star Tyler DiChiara are among those who shared new posts on Twitter and Instagram to celebrate. You can check out Abrams’ post below.
Day 1 of production on #GothamKnights. Let’s do this! pic.twitter.com/FdhLV0BvfD
— Natalie Abrams (@NatalieAbrams) September 13, 2022
RELATED: The CW’s Gotham Knights Trailer Introduces a New Generation of Heroes
Oscar Morgan headlines Gotham Knights as Turner Hayes, the adopted son of Bruce Wayne. When his father is suddenly killed and his secret identity is exposed to the world, Gotham erupts into chaos. The GCPD soon brings in three suspects in Bruce’s murder case, all of whom proclaim their innocence. But when Turner becomes a person of interest himself, he goes on the run with the others in an attempt to clear their names.
The first trailer for Gotham Knights premiered online in May, mere weeks after filming wrapped on its pilot episode. Unfortunately, most fans weren’t impressed by what they saw. Many viewers decried the series’ overtly teen-centric tone, along with the changes to familiar Batman characters like Carrie Kelley (Navia Robinson) and Harvey Dent (Misha Collins). But this didn’t stop The CW from ordering the project to series earlier this year. It’s also worth pointing out that cameras are beginning to role just one month after Nexstar Media Group acquired a majority stake in the network, which might put the future of its DC programming in question. For now, however, things are moving forward as planned.
Gotham Knights will premiere on The CW sometime in 2023.
Will you be giving the series a chance when it airs next year? Let us know in the comments below!
Recommended Reading: Batman Incorporated
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. | https://www.superherohype.com/tv/519123-the-cws-gotham-knights-series-officially-starts-production | 2022-09-14T15:17:56Z | superherohype.com | control | https://www.superherohype.com/tv/519123-the-cws-gotham-knights-series-officially-starts-production | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Walking Dead Finale Could Include a Post-Credits Scene
The end is near for The Walking Dead as the show will soon air the final eight episodes of Season 11. Although the production is nearly complete, there are ongoing conversations about the last scene. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, The Walking Dead chief content officer Scott Gimple mentioned the possibility of a post-credits scene. “Will there be a tag scene? I just got to say, maybe. We’re up to some things, so maybe,” Gimple said. “Honestly, we’re literally just working right now on a couple of things. So there are a couple of ways it could go.”
A post-credits scene would not be unheard of in the zombie universe. In the series finale of The Walking Dead: World Beyond, a mid-credits scene revealed video journals from Dr. Edwin Jenner in which he inquired about variants to a French scientist in Paris. As a female scientist watches the video, a man shoots her, claiming the outbreak was her fault. According to Gimple, this scene sets up Daryl Dixon’s spinoff series, which will take place in France.
RELATED: The Walking Dead’s Maggie and Negan Spinoff Gets a New Title
Could the final scene tease another spin-off? With two more spinoffs in development, The Walking Dead: Dead City and the Untiled Rick & Michonne Spin-off, a post-credits scene from either series might be the perfect way to set up a new story. Either way, the flagship series will end on November 20, and fans will have to wait until then to see what happens.
The Walking Dead season 11 part 3 premieres on October 2 on AMC.
What are your predictions for the final batch of episodes? Leave your predictions in the comments below!
Recommended Reading: The Walking Dead: Compendium One | https://www.superherohype.com/tv/519129-the-walking-dead-finale-could-include-a-post-credits-scene | 2022-09-14T15:17:58Z | superherohype.com | control | https://www.superherohype.com/tv/519129-the-walking-dead-finale-could-include-a-post-credits-scene | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Werewolf by Night Director Shoots Down Moon Knight Rumors
At the D23 Expo, Marvel unveiled the first footage for its new special, Werewolf by Night. When the series was first announced, many fans speculated that Moon Knight could make an appearance due to the character’s debut in the same comic series. While speaking with ET Canada, Werewolf by Night director, Michael Giacchino, provided clarification on the crossover potential, saying, “Moon Knight first appeared in Werewolf by Night in the comics years ago. That’s what everyone is thinking. Yeah, there’s no immediate plans for anything like that.”
However, fans will notice that Giacchino didn’t dismiss the crossover entirely. Instead, he only shot down the idea for the near future. Gael García Bernal, who plays Jack Russell and the titular werewolf, stuttered during his answer when asked the same question. Bernal laughed and said, “I have no idea.”
RELATED: Marvel’s Werewolf by Night Trailer Brings Halloween Horror To the MCU
As part of Phase 4, Werewolf by Night is billed as a Marvel Studios’ Special Presentation, the first of its kind in the MCU. The show is an homage to the classic Universal monster movies from the ’30s to ’50s. Costarring with Bernal is Laura Donnelly, who plays the monster hunter known as Elsa Bloodstone. Although most of the plot is under wraps, the special will revolve around a group of monster hunters searching for a powerful relic, as Russell’s monstrous persona wreaks havoc upon them.
Werewolf by Night streams to Disney+ on October 7.
Recommended Reading: Werewolf By Night: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 | https://www.superherohype.com/tv/519136-werewolf-by-night-director-shoots-down-moon-knight-rumors | 2022-09-14T15:18:05Z | superherohype.com | control | https://www.superherohype.com/tv/519136-werewolf-by-night-director-shoots-down-moon-knight-rumors | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Trey Lance takes have come in hot and heavy from the moment he was drafted in 2021. Now that Trey is officially the starter, some that doubted him have been waiting for their chance to confirm their priors. After last week’s loss to the Bears, former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz entered the chat.
“I’ve never seen anything about this kid that was encouraging at all. He really has to plant himself to make a good throw. He’s not a quick decision guy. [Everything] about him being a mobile guy and making plays with his feet, he looked like a fullback stumbling around trying to run the ball to me. He’s not Lamar. I don’t know what he is. He’s not particularly good guy running with the football.
Based on what I saw today he missed two guys completely by themselves. I know it was in the rain but quarterbacks do that, you make those throws. I know this, he can only go up, he can only get better, because you can’t get any worse that what he did [Sunday]. I’ve never liked him, I still don’t like him, I’d like to know what he does so well. Because he’s not a great passer, doesn’t have great skills, takes him a long time to set himself and throw the football, misses easy throws and he’s not a particularly good runner. Other than that he’s a hell of a player.”
I think even the most fervent Lance stans would admit that there were some things to question after 10 quarters of football last year. Four more quarters in a monsoon is hardly enough to answer those questions, however. Particularly from a guy that once said JT O’Sullivan could be the best quarterback he’s ever coached.
Speaking of O’Sullivan, even he thought Martz went overboard (from one of his two Twitter accounts).
lol. I wanna make sure it's clear that I'm on the opposite side of these takes. We can circle back in half a decade and find out who's right.
— The QB School (@theqbschool) September 13, 2022
I love and appreciate MM but this ain't it—wow. This is borderline just weird af. https://t.co/XVc5AoHiBq
Regardless of where you came down on Lance coming into the league, there was plenty of evidence on Sunday to support your opinion. The truth of the matter is that it’s going to take far more than one game for any of us to have a good idea of where Lance is right now, and ultimately where he can go as a starting quarterback.
Hear more about this and other stories in today’s 49ers in Five podcast. Our five minute daily update gives you the latest news, best audio clips, and everything else you need to know about the team. Subscribe to the Niners Nation Podcast Network today so you don’t miss an episode! | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/9/14/23351341/49ers-news-mike-martz-is-not-a-fan-of-trey-lance | 2022-09-14T15:19:00Z | ninersnation.com | control | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/9/14/23351341/49ers-news-mike-martz-is-not-a-fan-of-trey-lance | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
49ers'In a surprise to nobody, the discourse about the offense has taken a turn for the worse. Everyone wants to point fingers, and nobody wants to talk about what happened in the context of the game. When you reach the red area three times and only come away with ten points, it's easy to understand why coaches, players, and fans are frustrated.
Now that we've had a couple of days to take a step back, breathe, and assess what happened, let's look at the big picture. Because if you look at the results from Week 1 in a vacuum, you'll pull your hair out.
The offense is 28th in DVOA and EPA per play with a slightly higher ranking of 23rd in success rate at 40.6%. Not great!
This comes with an asterisk the size of Chicago, as the total rainfall at Soldier Field was up to 5" and fell so fast that the National Weather Service said the downpour rates were similar to those of a tropical storm.
It should go without saying that the ball will be more difficult to hold onto, or, for quarterbacks, it'll be heavier, thus, making passes less accurate. But, then, for blockers, having the proper footing or being able to play at the speed you want is borderline impossible. These are not excuses.
Offensive line
If you look at PFF's grades, the offensive line allowed nine total pressures. There's a weird narrative that the protection was superb all day for Trey Lance based on the individual grades.
Per ESPN's Nick Wagoner, here is how each player upfront fared individually, via pass-block win rate:
G Spencer Burford — 96.2% (15th best among guards)
G Aaron Banks — 80.8% (55th of 61 guards)
C Jake Brendel — 92% (20th of 30 centers)
T Trent Williams — 88.5% (36th of 61 tackles)
T Mike McGlinchey — 84.6% (41st of 61 tackles)
The four other starters finished in the 50th percentile or worse outside Burford. Bears edge rusher Robert Quinn had the second-highest pass-rush win rate at his position.
What's even more telling about the line is how they performed in actual dropback situations. Lance dropped back to throw 35 times. He threw the ball away once. If you take away the quick game (think 1 or 3-step drops, where the ball is coming out, you guessed it, quick) and screen passes, we get down to 16 dropbacks for the offense.
That also includes play-action, where Kyle Shanahan often uses max protection (seven blockers) to allow time for the longer developing routes to get down the field.
So, despite Shanahan doing everything he could to protect his line, whether it meant Lance was playing hot potato with the ball and getting rid of it ASAP or leaving extra blockers in, Lance was pressured on 25% of his true dropbacks.
The part that stung the most was the blown blocks that happened on third down. Jake Brendel was a culprit of a couple, while Mike McGlinchey's sack allowed took the offense out of field goal range.
And it wasn't just the line that was at fault. After the explosive pass to Jauan Jennings and the team was near the goal-line, Aaron Banks and Jennings missed blocks on back-to-back plays that likely were touchdowns.
It's not fair to say the line played poorly but to pretend like Lance had all day in the pocket or the ball-carriers had room to run without Shanahan window dressing couldn't be further from the truth.
Again, the weather played a factor, but for this offense to excel, there can't be breakdowns in high-leverage situations.
Running with Trey isn't risky
Lance had nine attempts for 54 yards, with five coming on designed runs and the other four being quarterback scrambles. Some are concerned that Lance won't hold up for the season as he's running into the teeth of the defense. I could not disagree more.
Lance's legs are a weapon, and ignoring them would be negligent. It's more about when the runs took place. Third and 13? No problem, QB draw. You give the ball to Deebo, then give it to him again, and you have Lance pull it the third time for a first down. How in the world are we complaining when six of Lance's nine attempts went for first downs?
What stood out to me was no defender got square shots on him, even on carries up the middle. Also, a significant part that's being ignored is Lance making defenders miss. He forced three missed tackles Sunday.
The threat of Lance running will be a primary reason San Francisco is among the league leaders in rushing. It'll open up space for the other runners, as defenders must respect the quarterback as a ball carrier. Lance will be a staple of the running game this year.
Lance will learn
Lance missed Tyler Kroft on a "leak" play for a touchdown, threw a jump pass to Jennings that was errant on third down, and was hesitant to pull the trigger to Brandon Aiyuk late in the second quarter. Three mistakes in the grand scheme of a start should not be viewed as a poor start. There were three drops, an interception where the safety made a spectacular play, and just as the Niners needed to throw to win at the end, it began raining cats and dogs.
Peyton Manning had a sharp point when talking about quarterbacks on Monday Night Football. He said quarterbacks need to feel the rush and not see the rush.
On a miss to Jennings, Lance dropped his eyes and overreacted to the opposite color, which had him frazzled in the pocket. The same happened on a would-be throw to Aiyuk, where Lance failed to pull the trigger as a Bears defender flashed in his face.
Lance will learn. I thought the 49ers have the right guy under center because Lance showcased he can win in the pocket. Later in the game, there wasn't a dramatic reaction to pressure on a third-down conversion to Ross Dwelley, where Lance sandwiched a pass between two defenders for the first time.
So, in a quarter, he is already progressing as a quarterback. And speaking of progressing, getting from the first to the second read wasn't an issue. I'd be concerned if Lance looked at his initial read, and if it wasn't there, he tucked the ball to run. That wasn't an issue.
The bigger takeaway than a couple of inaccurate passes due to pressure was where he was throwing the ball. Lance had three attempts over 20 yards and seven attempts from 10-19 yards.
His PFF grade was 78 on throws in the intermediate portion. Quick game is the most difficult part of the offense to pick up in the NFL. Everything happens so much faster than these younger players are used to, so it's no surprise that's where Lance had most of his struggles.
His rhythm throw to Brandon Aiyuk on third down that was an out route outside of the numbers seemed like the throw that would get Lance in a groove but was called back for offensive pass interference. Those play-calls haven't been a part of the offense in recent years.
The video below is over 35 minutes detailing Lance, the running game, and everything you need to know, both good and bad, about the offense in Week 1. Check it out and let me know what you think. | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/9/14/23351577/49ers-offense-narrative-week-1 | 2022-09-14T15:19:06Z | ninersnation.com | control | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/9/14/23351577/49ers-offense-narrative-week-1 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Fort Dix hosted a Water Survival course for up to 22 aircrew members from the 514 AMW during their upcoming UTA weekend. This training includes water survival orientation and in water training. The training equipment included 1 life raft anchored in the water and 1 blown up on the shore. Students will get outfitted with a life preserver, and will swim from the shore to the life raft and then enter it. Once all members are in the raft, we will discuss the raft maintenance and equipment to help them survive during whatever the environmental conditions give them. Throughout the time, they have instructors in a safety raft (small oar paddled inflatable raft) and up to two PWCs (jet skis) with rescue sleds equipped on the back. During this training if there is an emergency, the PWCs will approach the scene and their safety team will load personnel onto the rescue sled to quickly move them to shore. There was also a medical team on-site if needed, and up to 8 instructor/support staff.
(Video provided by the Fort Dix (TSC) Training Support Center / Stephen Pindyski)
This work, Fort Dix – 514 AMW Amphibious Lake Survival TAC 03B Training 9 Sept 2022, by Kevin C Mcdevitt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/video/857280/fort-dix-514-amw-amphibious-lake-survival-tac-03b-training-9-sept-2022 | 2022-09-14T15:20:22Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/video/857280/fort-dix-514-amw-amphibious-lake-survival-tac-03b-training-9-sept-2022 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Army Col Richard McNorton, commandant, Defense Information School provides welcome remarks. Directly following, Kuande Hall, program manager for the Social Media Training office, DINFOS, provides an overview of the digital communication landscape for military practitioners during the 2022 DINFOS Media Forum, Sept 14, 2022.
This work, DAY 1: 2022 DINFOS Social Media Forum - Welcome to the 2022 DINFOS Social Media Forum, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/video/857283/day-1-2022-dinfos-social-media-forum-welcome-2022-dinfos-social-media-forum | 2022-09-14T15:20:35Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/video/857283/day-1-2022-dinfos-social-media-forum-welcome-2022-dinfos-social-media-forum | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Lathon Ferguson is the new area executive director for ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Missouri. Ferguson and his team help donors and volunteers in Missouri, fulfill their philanthropic goals through individual gifts, corporate activation and event-based fundraising, all in support of the world’s largest healthcare charity. He has been in his current role for six months, but credits his career in corporate America, higher education and non-profit as the catalyst to a truly fulfilling career, supporting an incredible mission.
Ferguson holds a master of arts degree in management and leadership from the George Herbert Walker School of Business at Webster University and a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. | https://www.stlamerican.com/business/people_on_the_move/ferguson-named-executive-director-at-alsac-st-jude/article_b8e2e0ae-3420-11ed-898f-b30f6dc0c4f3.html | 2022-09-14T15:21:51Z | stlamerican.com | control | https://www.stlamerican.com/business/people_on_the_move/ferguson-named-executive-director-at-alsac-st-jude/article_b8e2e0ae-3420-11ed-898f-b30f6dc0c4f3.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
On Monday (September 19) lots of businesses are now announcing that they will close as a mark of respect on the day of the Queen's funeral. The day has been declared a bank holiday.
Banks and Post Offices will shut as they usually would, however other retailers will also be closing their doors, that would usually stay open. Lidl, Aldi, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, M&S, Asda and Tesco have all confirmed that most of their stores will close. There will be some exceptions, with smaller stores along the funeral route being available to well-wishers and others being open in the evening.
Kent retailer Macnade, who's flagship food hall is in Faversham, will close their stores. An announcement on their Facebook page said: "To show our respects, we will be closing both our Faversham and Ashford stores on the day of Her Majesty's funeral - Monday 19th September.
Read more: Herne Bay single mum ‘heartbroken’ amid fears of losing ‘dream shop’ as utility crisis tightens
"We will be open as usual on Sunday 18th September and from the 20th September onwards."
Odeon Cinemas have announced that they will also be closing all of their venues on the day. Statement on their website reads: "As a mark of respect for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, our cinemas in the UK will be closed on Monday 19 September. Any tickets booked for this day will be automatically refunded. We will reopen on Tuesday 20 September."
Some cinemas around the UK will open to allow people to watch the Queen's funeral - these include Vue in Thanet and Thurrock.
Bluewater Shopping centre will remain open on Monday, a statement on their website said: "We will be operating bank holiday hours on the day of the State Funeral for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to support out brand partners who are remaining open. Some of our brand partners may be closed or operating at different times than usual so please check with them directly before you travel."
Homebase, WH Smith, B&Q, Primark, Argos, Poundland and John Lewis have all said they will be shutting on the day of the late monarch's funeral.
A statement on the website of DIY retailer B&Q says it will close "as a mark of respect" and "to offer our colleagues the opportunity to pay their respects." Click and Collect and Home Delivery services will also be temporarily suspended on the day.
More than 2,000 Costa coffee shops, and cafes will be closed during the bank holiday, with some exceptions. For example, stores that are located inside a hospital will remain open. The Express machines will also remain open in those stores that will be open on the day.
Food outlets such as Greggs, McDonald's UK will also close their branches across the UK. No pub chains have confirmed any closures up to now. Fullers Group, which has over 400 pubs across the country, said: "Pubs are an integral part of the community and we expect the majority of our pubs to be open to join with their communities and celebrate the life of an amazing and inspirational leader."
The National Trust has also announced that houses, gardens, cafes and shops will all be closed on Monday, September 19. However, the organisation said coast and countryside car parks, along with holiday cottages and campsites that are already booked, will remain open for visitors.
The National Trust said: "National Trust places will remain open during the mourning period to provide a place of reflection for members and visitors."
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Read next: | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/supermarkets-retailers-cinemas-attractions-close-7586433 | 2022-09-14T15:27:42Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/supermarkets-retailers-cinemas-attractions-close-7586433 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Edo State Police Command, on Wednesday, announced that its personnel neutralised three suspected kidnappers out of a six-man kidnapping gang, who abducted a 13-month-old baby in Achigbor Community along the Benin-Auchi road in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of the state.
A statement endorsed by the Command’s deputy Spokesperson, Jennifer Iwegbu, hinted that the police got a tip-off from the mother of the baby before going after the kidnappers.
The text of the statement reads: “In its continuous bid to tackle kidnapping, the Edo State Police Command has neutralised three kidnappers.
“A distraught resident, Elizabeth Ojo (42 years) of Achigbor Community along Benin-Auchi Road, in Uhunmwonde LGA of Edo State at about 19:30hrs on 13/09/2022 raised an alarm that kidnappers came to her compound on in Achigbor Community along Benin-Auchi road in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of the state.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
“The Police operatives working along that axis immediately mobilized and moved to the scene, where they came to an empty compound that had been vandalized. On enquiry, Ojo said some hoodlums suspected to be kidnappers vandalized her property and took her 13-month-old baby into the bush.
“The operatives immediately moved into the bush for possible rescue of the baby. The kidnappers on sighting the police threw the baby into the bush and opened fire on them. In the firefight with the Police operatives, three of the six kidnappers succumbed to our superior firepower. The other three are still on the run while bush combing of that area is still ongoing.
“The baby was rescued unhurt and handed over to the mother, while one cut-to-size double barrel gun, one cutlass and one battle axe were recovered at the scene.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Abutu Yaro, commend the operatives for their timely intervention and urged the good people of Edo State to be more security conscious and vigilant even as the year is coming to a close,” the statement added.
Amid Internal Crisis, Iyorchia Ayu Goes To Europe For Two Weeks
Police kill three neutralised kidnappers, rescue 13-month-old baby in Edo
EDITORIAL: The Collapse Of Two Million SMEs
Police kill three neutralised kidnappers, rescue 13-month-old baby in Edo | https://tribuneonlineng.com/police-kill-three-neutralised-kidnappers-rescue-13-month-old-baby-in-edo/ | 2022-09-14T15:30:09Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/police-kill-three-neutralised-kidnappers-rescue-13-month-old-baby-in-edo/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
China’s leader Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin will discuss the war in Ukraine and other “international and regional topics” at their meeting later this week, the Kremlin says. (BBC)
The two will meet in Uzbekistan at a summit that will show an “alternative” to the Western world, the Kremlin said.
Mr Xi is making his first trip overseas since the start of the pandemic.
He is seeking a historic third term while Mr Putin’s relations with the West are at rock bottom over Ukraine.
Mr Xi is beginning his three-day trip in Kazakhstan, where he landed in the capital Nursultan for the first leg of his trip on Wednesday.
He will then meet Mr Putin on Thursday at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, which will run from 15-16 September.
Mr Putin will also meet other leaders including those of India, Pakistan, Turkey and Iran – but his meeting with China’s leader “is of particular importance”, said Kremlin foreign policy spokesman Yuri Ushakov.
He said the summit was taking place “against the background of large-scale political changes”.
China and Russia have long sought to position the SCO, founded in 2001 with four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations, as an alternative to Western multilateral groups.
The SCO meeting comes amid fresh clashes on the border between two of its members, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Reports say at least one border guard was killed and two injured – their nationalities are not known.
Sporadic clashes between the two countries, over a water dispute and other issues, broke out last year.
Mr Xi’s visit comes amid a fresh set of lockdowns in China, where his zero Covid policy is still in place. While the rest of the world has opened up, Beijing continues to shut down entire cities and provinces every time there is a rise in cases.
Mr Xi last left China in January 2020 to visit Myanmar – just days before the first lockdown came into effect in Wuhan.
He has remained in China since then, leaving the mainland only once – in July this year to visit Hong Kong.
Mr Putin is also making a rare foray abroad. His meeting with Turkish and Iranian leaders in Tehran in July was only his second foreign trip since Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
This is the two leaders’ second meeting this year – they last met at the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February.
Following that meeting, the two leaders issued a joint statement saying the friendship between their countries had “no limits”. Russia invaded Ukraine days later – an action China has neither condemned nor voiced support for. Beijing, in fact, has said both sides are to blame.
China is not part of the international sanctions against Russia and trade between the two countries has continued to grow. Indian and Chinese imports of Russian oil have soared since the Ukraine invasion.
China too has seen its relations with the West and especially the US sour in recent months following tensions over self-ruled Taiwan. China claims the island as part of its territory.
Last month, Beijing staged a five-day military blockade around the island in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit.
China watchers say Mr Xi’s decision to leave China after more than two years, despite significant domestic challenges – crippling lockdowns and a faltering economy – shows his confidence in his leadership.
Analysts expect him to be re-elected for an unprecedented third term at the upcoming Chinese Communist Party Congress in October.
China’s leader significantly reduced the risk that he would catch the coronavirus by not travelling internationally for more than two years (assuming, of course, that he has not already been infected and we don’t know about it).
Keeping Xi Jinping at home also served a propaganda purpose – it got the message out to Chinese people that they too should not travel abroad during this time of crisis.
Now that Mr Xi has decided to start travelling again, does it mean the Party considers it safer for him to do so?
Another question: if it wasn’t safe a year ago, why is it safe now?
Also, will images of Mr Xi in other countries lead to expectations that travel restrictions should be eased further to smooth the path for Chinese people to go overseas again?
In China, the government doesn’t feel the need to spell out its reasoning when making such decisions, so we never know exactly what the thinking is behind them.
However, this trip will be seen in China as a small indication that the country may soon see a reduction in its “zero Covid” measures.
I say “may” because, if the government has a plan to eventually bring an end to its strict coronavirus strategies, it’s certainly not sharing it with the public.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE | https://tribuneonlineng.com/xi-and-putin-to-discuss-ukraine-war-at-meeting-%E2%80%95-kremlin/ | 2022-09-14T15:30:42Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/xi-and-putin-to-discuss-ukraine-war-at-meeting-%E2%80%95-kremlin/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
- Too early to say what the final interest rate will be
- Estiamtes of neutral rate at below or close to 2%, we could be there by year-end
- We have to act in a determined but orderly way
- Only beyond the neutral rate would tightening begin if needed
- Not having a forward guidance does not mean we don't have a narrative and strategy
This is a good view of where the ECB is but this is nothing new. | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/ecbs-villeroy-monetary-normalization-is-fully-warranted-in-the-eurozone-20220914/ | 2022-09-14T15:34:24Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/ecbs-villeroy-monetary-normalization-is-fully-warranted-in-the-eurozone-20220914/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Tom Brady suggests he may retire…again
Published: Sep. 14, 2022 at 9:54 AM CDT|Updated: 47 minutes ago
(CNN) - Tom Brady is suggesting he may retire soon – again.
The 45-year-old quarterback retired after the 2021 season, only to reverse the decision six weeks later.
Maybe this time it would be for real.
Speaking on his “Let’s Go” podcast, Brady said he’s got more responsibilities now with kids who are growing up.
He also pointed out that for the past 23 years he hasn’t been able to celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving with his family.
Brady may also be eager to move on to easy money. He’s inked a 10-year deal with Fox to work as an NFL analyst.
The role is reportedly worth $375 million and starts whenever he retires.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbko.com/2022/09/14/tom-brady-suggests-he-may-retireagain/ | 2022-09-14T15:41:24Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/2022/09/14/tom-brady-suggests-he-may-retireagain/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Tom Brady suggests he may retire…again
Published: Sep. 14, 2022 at 10:54 AM EDT|Updated: 54 minutes ago
(CNN) - Tom Brady is suggesting he may retire soon – again.
The 45-year-old quarterback retired after the 2021 season, only to reverse the decision six weeks later.
Maybe this time it would be for real.
Speaking on his “Let’s Go” podcast, Brady said he’s got more responsibilities now with kids who are growing up.
He also pointed out that for the past 23 years he hasn’t been able to celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving with his family.
Brady may also be eager to move on to easy money. He’s inked a 10-year deal with Fox to work as an NFL analyst.
The role is reportedly worth $375 million and starts whenever he retires.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wave3.com/2022/09/14/tom-brady-suggests-he-may-retireagain/ | 2022-09-14T15:48:46Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/2022/09/14/tom-brady-suggests-he-may-retireagain/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
USPA members participated in over 100 meetings with members of Congress and their staff to stop the ongoing clinical labor and EM cuts to office-based specialists in the 2023 MPFS
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, the United Specialists for Patient Access (USPA) organized a virtual lobby day to meet with over 100 members of Congress and staff to discuss the proposed cuts to clinical labor and EM in the 2023 Physician Fee Schedule (CMS-1770-P).
USPA members shared with lawmakers and their staff the vital role office-based specialists play in our healthcare system and the patients who rely on their care. If the cuts proposed in the 2023 PFS are finalized as written, office-based specialists would have no choice but to close their doors or reduce services. This round of closures would further accelerate widespread health system consolidation, limit patient options, and, as a result, undermine the Biden administration's efforts to address health equity issues.
Click here to read USPA's comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Dr. Mark Garcia, USPA board member and CMO for American Vascular Associates, said, "Right now, our priority is to do all we can to stop the proposed cuts to office-based specialists in the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. We need lawmakers to see that our nation's specialists cannot endure another round of drastic cuts. It's not sustainable and the outlook is bleak if nothing is done. Office-based centers are already closing in record numbers. Further Medicare cuts will only accelerate this trend, limit patient access to care, worsen health equity issues nationwide, and ironically lead to higher healthcare costs, negating the purpose of the proposed legislation."
Dr. Garcia continued, "Congress and CMS must stop these cuts to office-based specialists!"
Click here to watch USPA's explainer video on the ongoing clinical labor and EM cuts to office-based specialists.
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SOURCE United Specialists for Patient Access (USPA) | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/day-action-uspa-members-discuss-clinical-labor-em-cuts-with-congress/ | 2022-09-14T15:51:02Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/day-action-uspa-members-discuss-clinical-labor-em-cuts-with-congress/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Life Science Proves a Powerful Answer to Vacant Office Space
PASADENA, Calif., Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The new headquarters for Doheny Eye Institute, affiliated with UCLA Stein Eye Institute, are now open. Located at the former Avery Dennison campus on North Orange Grove Boulevard, the new life science research center is dedicated to the conservation, improvement, and restoration of human eyesight. It also fulfills the community's hopes for the cherished 7-acre campus, which had sat vacant for several years.
Life sciences are quickly becoming a powerful solution for empty workspaces across the US. However, offices aren't built for the intricate needs of laboratories -- highly sensitive to temperature, vibration, and light, and often requiring special features like air balancing, biosafety cabinets, lasers, and cold storage.
To solve this puzzle for the 40-year-old building, Doheny Eye Institute brought on Abbott Construction early in the design process to innovate alongside Doheny's researchers and leadership staff, construction manager CMPG, and designer SWA Architects. Together they found solutions to create a best-in-class vision research center.
"An outcome like this was only possible through great collaboration," says Abbott Vice President Michael Sloane. "We were honored to be part of it, because Doheny Eye Institute will make a significant impact in our community."
The facility currently features several floors of dedicated research and laboratory space, plus an executive wing with c-suite conference room, reading library, and a 220-seat conference center. Like an expression of its mission to improve sight, the building offers unparalleled 360 degree views of the outside world. Plans are also underway to build out the first floor for the Doheny Eye Center UCLA, the patient care enterprise, to create a full vision sciences campus.
"Doheny, Stein, and UCLA have one of the nation's best teams to do this work," said Marissa Goldberg, Chief Executive Officer of Doheny Eye Institute at its grand opening in June. "We celebrate this building's promise for the next generation of researchers and clinician scientists."
To learn more, visit https://www.abbottconstruction.com/projects/doheny-eye-institute/
Founded in 1983, Abbott Construction is a West Coast construction group known for superior management and field team, best-in-class standards and craftsmanship. Abbott's expertise runs deep in pre-construction, project planning, and the professional execution of construction in a variety of market sectors including healthcare, retail, office, non-profit, mixed-use, education, and seismic improvements. Abbott is a member of STO Building Group, and is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Tacoma and Los Angeles. Learn more at abbottconstruction.com.
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SOURCE Abbott Construction | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/doheny-eye-institute-opens-its-headquarters-pasadena/ | 2022-09-14T15:51:28Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/doheny-eye-institute-opens-its-headquarters-pasadena/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Southern California's Fastest-Growing Urgent Care Provider Continues to Enhance Patient Experience, Now Providing Porter Ranch with Convenient and Affordable Medical Care
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Exer Urgent Care opened its 29th Southern California location, expanding into Porter Ranch. Located at The Vineyards at Porter Ranch, conveniently next to Whole Foods, the new Exer location will provide the community with convenient, affordable and high-quality medical care. Offering more comprehensive medical services than traditional walk-in clinics, Exer helps reduce the strain on local emergency rooms at a fraction of the cost.
"We are so excited to further our expansion throughout Southern California and offer unparalleled services, helping the local community avoid inconvenient and expensive trips to the emergency room," said Rob Mahan, CEO, Exer Urgent Care. "Our team is thrilled to bring Porter Ranch a reliable healthcare solution that is more comprehensive than your typical walk-in clinic, providing high-quality, convenient and affordable care, because the needs of our patients come first."
Exer Urgent Care is Southern California's fastest-growing urgent care company servicing a whole range of minor-to-major healthcare needs. Exer offers an in-house PCR lab and COVID-19 rapid test (antigen) results available by end of day and PCR test results available by end of next day. With on-site x-ray and pharmacy, IV, laceration treatment, and diagnostics, Exer can treat many everyday emergencies seen in an ER for a fraction of the cost. Exer's patient portal offers access to test results as well as discharge and other health information.
Exer Porter Ranch is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the last patient registered at 8:30 p.m. Exer accepts most PPO, HMO and Medicare, and offers affordable monetary compensation options for those with minimal or no health insurance.
For more information about Exer Urgent Care visit ExerUrgentCare.com and follow @ExerUrgentCare on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Exer serves the greater Los Angeles regions, Orange and Ventura counties. Their current facilities reside in: San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, Santa Clarita, South Bay, Ventura, Central Los Angeles, Orange County and the Westside.
ABOUT EXER URGENT CARE
With 29 Southern California locations, Exer Urgent Care is designed to get you better. With the peace of mind that comes from easy access to highly-trained doctors and other medical professionals, Exer services a whole range of minor-to-major healthcare needs in a convenient, high-quality and affordable environment. With an in-house PRC lab, on-site x-ray and pharmacy, IV, laceration treatment, diagnostics and more, Exer can treat many of the everyday emergencies seen in an ER for a fraction of the cost. Exer is here to make healthcare work better, feel better—and deliver better results—for everyone. Now let's get you better. For more information on Exer Urgent Care, visit ExerUrgentCare.com.
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SOURCE Exer Urgent Care | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/exer-urgent-care-opens-29th-location-southern-california-expanding-serve-porter-ranch-community/ | 2022-09-14T15:52:08Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/exer-urgent-care-opens-29th-location-southern-california-expanding-serve-porter-ranch-community/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Humu Coach for Managers transforms every manager into a great one by making the day-to-day job of managing a team easier.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Humu, the HR technology company that pioneered science-backed nudges that make it easy for employees to develop new habits, today launched Humu Coach for Managers. This new suite of features gives managers the insights and guidance they need to unlock their teams' greatest potential. It's the latest example of Humu's industry leadership in shaping the future of work.
Managers have always played a critical role in driving team success, but the seismic shifts of the past two years have made them even more important. Managers serve as change agents and the connection point between strategy and employee action, often single handedly impacting an employee's experience. The challenge is that managers are under more pressure than ever—from both senior leadership and their employees—and are too overwhelmed to lead their teams effectively. And the stakes are high: according to Humu's data, a single bad manager costs an organization an average of $70,000 annually. Humu found, however, that when managers are effective, they are up to 2x more likely to retain employees over the course of a year and their teams have 22% higher engagement.
With Coach for Managers, Humu is helping organizations improve retention, performance, and the employee experience by transforming every manager into a great manager. The suite helps managers and their teams build behaviors that support organization-wide goals, gives them insight into where their teams can improve, helps them effectively coach each person based on their unique needs, and guides managers through a variety of new or challenging situations.
"We've all heard that people quit managers, not jobs. This is more true than ever against the backdrop of hybrid work experimentation and an ongoing talent shortage," said Laszlo Bock, co-founder and Executive Chairperson at Humu. "A great manager is the best retention strategy an organization has, but many companies struggle to provide managers with the tools, support, and training they need to reach their full potential as leaders. Humu will empower managers who are under pressure from leadership and their teams alike, to deliver on their biggest goals and drive organization-wide success."
Available today, with additional new features to be rolled out in the months ahead, Humu Coach for Managers will consist of a unique set of capabilities to create better experiences for managers and their teams, including:
- Smart Agendas: Make 1:1s—the most valuable interactions between managers and their reports—more effective by collaborating on a shared Smart Agenda, complete with intelligent topic recommendations based on team and employee insights. Managers will:
- Team Insights: Understand where improvement is needed with team and employee Focus Areas, and expertly coach each team member by leveraging Coaching Guides, Work Style Assessments, and detailed Employee Profiles.
- (Coming soon) Workflows: Guide managers through crucial moments in the employee lifecycle—like new hire onboarding, work anniversaries, employee offboarding, and more—with automated Workflows.
"We have seen how effective Humu's science-backed approach is in uniting and engaging employees and teams in large organizations," said Scott Chancellor, Chief Executive Officer at Humu, who assumed his role in August 2022 to lead a new chapter of product innovation and growth. "Now, with Humu Coach for Managers, we are thrilled to introduce a suite of features specifically designed to help anticipate what managers need and automatically deliver personalized, proven guidance right within their flow of daily work. And there's a lot more to come."
As managers continue to bear the responsibility of making or breaking an employee's experience, they'll need more personalized, targeted support than ever. Humu has already helped Fortune 500 companies unlock important goals to improve retention, performance and overall employee experience. To learn more about Humu visit humu.com.
Humu is an HR technology platform that makes it easy for every manager to be effective. Humu helps managers effortlessly build new habits and unlock the potential of their teams at some of the world's largest companies by delivering timely, personalized guidance. For more information or to view open positions, visit humu.com.
Media Contact
Megan Day
Mission North for Humu
humu@missionnorth.com
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SOURCE Humu | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/humu-launches-coach-managers-help-leaders-build-engaged-effective-teams/ | 2022-09-14T15:53:26Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/humu-launches-coach-managers-help-leaders-build-engaged-effective-teams/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Struck with curiosity, I find myself wondering why “pillage and plunder” are often used in conjunction when they mean the same thing — to rob or steal, specifically during times of war.
I am a fan of the Renaissance period — Arthurian tales, vikings, pirates ... I also tend to lean toward magical fantasy lands and creatures in my fictitious preferences. Naturally, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival is a wondrous place for the likes of me.
This year, I got to experience RenFest with my entire household and we had a blast! We, the uncostumed, watched as centaurs trotted past, fairies flitted in and out of the crowds and mushroom princesses seemed to glide past. We chortled loudly at Puke & Snot, a comedy act and got to work creating real metal medallions after cheering loudly for the king’s chosen knight at a jousting tournament.
More than half of my family had never attended a Renaissance festival before, so it was a new experience — almost as magical for me to watch as it was for them to experience.
The oldest kiddo attended an abbreviated version of the festival last year, but it was enough to spark the fire that has turned into many pieces of an appropriate costume — plague doctor. While he doesn’t have every part of the costume he would like, he is well on his way with a mask, jacket, cane and various accessories. He also has another costume started with a steampunk top hat and mask.
Initially, the other two kids thought that requesting pieces of his costumes was a little silly; but now that they have attended themselves, their stories have altered drastically and I now find myself with an entire house full of costume-dreamers.
My plague doctor (or steampunk something-or-another) is now preparing to be joined by a clan of vikings!
The kids have decided that since Halloween is nearly upon us, it is a natural time to start building their costumes so they can be worn on Oct. 31. This years build into fully decked out Viking costumes by the time next year’s festival rolls around — complete with braided hair, of course!
Even my husband is jumping on board and, if you’ve met him, he already has some serious viking vibes going on, so it will likely come easily for him!
The jury is still out on if I shall decide to join the vikings or stick with my initial plan to embrace my inkling to don the attire of an elven warrior. (Really, with a few changes to accessories, I may be able to knock both out with the same core costuming pieces. Now there’s a thought ...)
Elf or viking or something entirely different that I have yet to determine, what’s most important to me has already been established — my family is having a blast making memories together that they can carry forward into the future.
Renaissance festivals are magically inspiring and creative places that awaken new interests and traditions that can last throughout lifetimes far beyond just your own.
If you have a chance to RenFest, I would highly recommend that you do. In the meantime, I will help my kiddos “pillage and plunder” the craft supplies to help create some fun viking accessories for their costumes! | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/opinion/pillage-and-plunder-ahead/article_ae6494b6-32cb-11ed-adcf-f3b4f45726de.html | 2022-09-14T15:54:06Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/opinion/pillage-and-plunder-ahead/article_ae6494b6-32cb-11ed-adcf-f3b4f45726de.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New Fayette County location to offer grand opening specials and giveaways, including FREE chicken salad for a year!
ATLANTA, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Salad Chick, the nation's only fast-casual chicken salad restaurant, continues to expand its presence in the metro-Atlanta area with its 25th location in the market. This also marks the opening of Chicken Salad Chick's 39th location in Georgia. The company brings more of its famed, made-from-scratch chicken salad to south Atlanta with its latest opening in Fayetteville. Located at 1175 N. Glynn Street in Suite C, the restaurant will celebrate its grand opening on Wednesday, Sept. 21 with a ribbon cutting at 9:30 a.m. and doors opening at 10 a.m. The first 100 guests will receive free chicken salad for a year.
"As Chicken Salad Chick continues to expand in the region, the Fayetteville location illustrates that our commitment to the Atlanta community extends across the entire metro area," said Chicken Salad Chick President and CEO Scott Deviney. "We're excited to welcome and serve Fayetteville's residents as well as complement our other south Atlanta locations in Stockbridge, McDonough and Peachtree City."
Now through opening week, guests can enter to win free chicken salad for a year by liking the restaurant's page at Facebook.com/ChickenSaladChickFayettevilleGA. To celebrate the opening, locals are invited to experience Chicken Salad Chick's Southern hospitality through additional giveaways and specials:
- Wednesday, Sept. 21 – Free Chicken Salad for a Year: The first 100 guests to arrive to the new Fayetteville location and purchase The Chick will receive one free large Quick Chick every month for 12 months. From this initial group, one lucky guest will also be randomly selected to receive one free large Quick Chick every week for 52 weeks. *
- Thursday, Sept. 22 – Free Chick Tumbler: The first 50 guests at 10 a.m. and at 6 p.m. who purchase the Chick Trio will receive a free 24 oz. Chicken Salad Chick tumbler. ***
- Friday, Sept. 23 – Free Chick Cutting Board: The first 50 guests at 10 a.m. and at 6 p.m. who purchase the Chick Trio will receive a free Chicken Salad Chick cutting board. *
- Saturday, Sept. 24 – Free Chick Tote: The first 50 guests to arrive at 10 a.m. and purchase two large Quick Chicks will receive a free Chicken Salad Chick tote! *
The first 50 guests to arrive at 10 a.m. and at 6 p.m. Thursday and Saturday to order the "Chick Trio" or a menu item of greater value can claim their prize. One prize per person present.
Chicken Salad Chick offers over a dozen delicious specialty chicken salad recipes served from the heart. In addition to the restaurant's signature chicken salad flavors, other menu items include fresh salads, sides, soups and full-service catering, all available from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
*The first 100 guests participating in the Free Chicken Salad for a Year on Grand Opening Day will line up in a 'first come, first counted' order at Chicken Salad Chick. It is required to remain on site until the store opens at 10 a.m. An early arrival is recommend for those seeking to be in the first 100 guests, and each guest will be assigned a number corresponding to their place in line by a member of the Chicken Salad Chick team, beginning at approximately 7 a.m. Then at 10 a.m., guests may make a purchase of "The Chick" (or greater value) and enter a code on the Chicken Salad Chick app to officially secure their reward. Guests who leave before the 10 a.m. start will lose their spot to the next guest in line. Guests will receive their first free Large Quick Chick electronically in their Chicken Salad Chick App the Monday following Grand Opening Day.
**Must download the Chicken Salad Chick App and be 16 years or older to purchase. Not valid with any other offers. Limit 1 reward per guest present.
***Does not include drink or unlimited refills on initial or future visits.
Chicken Salad Chick serves full-flavored, Southern-style chicken salad made from scratch and served from the heart. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu offers something for everyone. Founded in Auburn, Alabama in 2008 by Stacy and Kevin Brown, Chicken Salad Chick has grown to more than 200 restaurants in 17 states. Today, under the leadership of Scott Deviney and the Chicken Salad Chick team, the brand continues its rapid expansion with both franchise and company locations. Chicken Salad Chick accolades include rankings in Franchise Times' Fast & Serious for four consecutive years and placing in the top 10 for 2021, #3 on Fast Casual's 2021 Top 100 Movers & Shakers, QSR's Best Franchise Deals, Nation's Restaurant News' Next 15 in 2019 and Franchise Business Review's Top Food Franchises in 2020.
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SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/new-chicken-salad-chick-restaurant-open-fayetteville-sept-21/ | 2022-09-14T15:55:50Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/new-chicken-salad-chick-restaurant-open-fayetteville-sept-21/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
42% of the most bingeable streaming programs of 2021 were directly influenced by Hispanics
NEW YORK , Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Inclusion of Hispanic talent in front and behind the camera in streaming programs has a direct correlation on the bingeability and cultural watchability i.e. Hispanic share of the audience* of content for Latinos and all audiences, according to Nielsen's latest Diverse Intelligence Series (DIS) report: Latino Led Content and Viewers: The Building Blocks for Streaming Success.
In this first-of-its-kind analysis, the report looked at the 530 most-streamed programs in the U.S. from 2021 through first-quarter 2022 to better understand what drives bingeability and cultural watchability.
For shows with behind-the-camera Hispanic representation, cultural watchability averaged 25.2%, irrespective of on-camera representation. When a show includes Hispanic representation both behind- and in-front of the-camera, cultural watchability increases to 34.2%.
The report's data also found that Hispanic representation correlates with bingeability i.e. how many TV show episodes audiences watch per day to quantify viewer propensity to consume multiple episodes in a row.
For shows that included in-front of the camera Hispanic representation, bingeability scores increased. When looking at top bingeable content (a score of 3 or more), Hispanic talent has a significant contribution. 56 of the 134 programs with a score of 3 or higher featured Hispanic representation. Of all the most bingeable streaming programs of 2021, half included Hispanic talent.
"It's clear that inclusion plays a significant role in bingeability and cultural watchability in content for Latinos," said Stacie de Armas Nielsen's SVP of Diverse Insights and Initiatives. "Also significant is that Latino-led content not only serves Latino audiences but attracts new viewers and subscribers to platforms, who stay longer and consume more content, which goes to show the power of Latino-led content."
The report also found that Latino-led content amplified the value of the streaming platforms because new audiences came to watch those programs, then stayed to watch more than the program that originally drew them in. In fact, 58% of the new audiences attracted to these Latino-inclusive casts and productions were not Hispanic.
The Latino Led Content and Viewers: The Building Blocks for Streaming Success report includes additional data about the following:
Many Americans have leaned into streaming content, as annual impressions through July 2022 increased by 23%. Among Hispanics, however, impressions increased 22% in the same period, while they increased just 20% for non-Hispanic White audiences. Time spent streaming among Hispanics is up more than 19% from last year, as this audience streamed 33.5 billion minutes of video each week as of July 2022. Netflix and YouTube are among the most popular platforms among Hispanics, as this audience spent 24% and 57% more time with these platforms, respectively, than non-Hispanic Whites during the same period.
This year, weekly AVOD viewing among Hispanics has increased by 23% presenting a significant marketing opportunity. Additionally, according to Nielsen's 2022 Attitudes on Representation TV study, 49% of Hispanic viewers say they're more likely to buy from brands that advertise in inclusive content, especially when the ads themselves feature someone from their identity group.
Despite the increase in available content and the migration to streaming services, many Hispanics still do not find enough meaningful content with on-screen representation of the community. In fact, Hispanic audiences believe representation has actually declined over the past year. Additionally, 41% of Hispanics believe representation is inaccurate, which is a 1 percentage point increase from 2021.
Top streamed content that originates in Spanish language has an average bingeability score of 2.5, and nearly half are in the drama genre, followed by thriller/action adventure.
For more details and insights, download Latino Led Content and Viewers: The Building Blocks for Streaming Success. Join the discussion on LinkedIn (@Nielsen Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), Facebook (@NielsenDiversityEquityAndInclusion) and follow us on Twitter (@Nielsen_DEI).
Nielsen shapes the world's media and content as a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their audiences—now and into the future. An S&P 500 company, Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN) operates around the world in more than 55 countries. Learn more at www.nielsen.com or www.nielsen.com/investors and connect with us on social media.
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SOURCE Nielsen | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/nielsen-study-finds-hispanic-representation-both-sides-camera-drives-bingeability-cultural-watchability-latinos-new-audiences/ | 2022-09-14T15:55:57Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/nielsen-study-finds-hispanic-representation-both-sides-camera-drives-bingeability-cultural-watchability-latinos-new-audiences/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Increasing Service Capabilities for Rail Shippers Across the Country
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Patriot Rail Company LLC today completed the acquisition from BRX Transportation Holdings of Denver-based Pioneer Lines, Inc., a railroad holding company including 15 short line railroads. The transaction closed following regulatory authorization.
The acquisition advances Patriot Rail's growth strategy, increasing the Jacksonville, Florida, company's short line operations from 16 to 31 railroads. Patriot now serves customers with operations in 23 states.
"We are pleased to bring Pioneer Lines railroads into Patriot Rail," said John E. Fenton, Patriot Rail's chief executive officer. "Doubling our footprint across the U.S. furthers our commitment to exceed customer expectations as a best-in-class rail partner. Patriot Rail takes great pride in delivering value to our customers with safety always as our core foundation, and our expansion will drive deeper commercial and logistics relationships."
"Patriot Rail's accelerating growth opens more opportunities for innovative and sustainable freight transport solutions," said John Ma, Patriot board member and co-head of North America for Igneo Infrastructure Partners, Patriot's majority investor. "Igneo continues to see strong potential for long-term returns through our investment in the Patriot Rail platform."
Patriot Rail board chair Deb Butler added, "Patriot Rail has the growth mindset and financial capacity to invest in profitable initiatives benefitting rail shippers and our long-term investors. We welcome our new Patriot team members to our employee-first leadership culture, and the future is bright for the customers, stakeholders, and communities we serve."
About Patriot Rail
Patriot Rail operates 31 regional and freight short line railroads, a scenic rail excursion train, and rail-related services companies with operations in 23 states. Service capabilities include railcar storage, contract switching, transloading, railcar cleaning, engineering services, excursion railroads, real estate, and track access. Patriot Rail is also a direct partner in providing railcar repair and maintenance, railcar dismantling, and environmental services including centralized wastewater treatment. For more information, visit patriotrail.com.
About Igneo Infrastructure Partners
Igneo Infrastructure Partners is an autonomous investment team in the First Sentier Investors Group. It invests in high-quality, mature, mid-market infrastructure companies in the utilities and transport sectors in the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Operating since 1994, the team works closely with portfolio companies to create long-term sustainable value through innovation and proactive asset management. Igneo manages more than US$15 billion in assets as of June 30, 2022 on behalf of more than 120 institutional investors around the world. For more information, visit igneoip.com.
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SOURCE Patriot Rail | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/patriot-rail-completes-acquisition-pioneer-lines/ | 2022-09-14T15:56:29Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/patriot-rail-completes-acquisition-pioneer-lines/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
California is the largest state by population in the United States.
It boasts one of the most powerful economies in the world.
Is it too much to ask for candidates seeking statewide office to debate their challengers ahead of the upcoming elections?
With ballots set to go out just one months from now, debates have failed to materialize.
News anchor Elex Michaelson of Fox 11 Los Angeles said via Twitter that he’s offered to host a debate between Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Sen. Brian Dahle, but the governor’s team has rejected all such offers.
Obviously, Gov. Newsom is widely expected to win by a comfortable margin in November. But Californians deserve an opportunity to see for themselves a contrast in leadership styles and ideas. If the governor is confident his ideas are sound, he should have the confidence to contrast them on a stage with his opponent.
After all, it’s not like they’re running for some trivial office. The governor of California is a powerful position, especially when armed with emergency powers as Newsom has wielded for the last two and a half years.
Likewise, in the state controller’s race, Republican Lanhee Chen has called for a debate with Democrat Malia Cohen. “Perhaps she is more concerned about catering to Sacramento insiders than answering questions from California voters?” wondered Chen on Twitter about her refusal to debate.
In response to Chen’s calls for a debate, Cohen has preferred to bizarrely focus on abortion rights.
“We need a Controller who will uphold our state’s commitment to protecting access to reproductive health care,” she tweeted in response to Chen.
Nevermind, of course, that the office of the controller has essentially nothing to do with abortion policy, or that Chen is in fact pro-choice, or that abortion rights are already fully protected in the state of California.
Malia Cohen’s non-sequitur of response just shows she is your standard issue partisan, precisely the wrong profile for a fiscal watchdog position. It’s no wonder she doesn’t want to debate. Californians deserve better from candidates running for statewide office.
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Fred Franzia, the man behind “Two Buck Chuck” and other value-priced wines that revolutionized the industry, has died. He was 79.
Bronco Wine Company, the 49-year-old company he helped create with his brother and cousin, announced his death on Facebook, writing that it’s “truly saddened by the passing of its founder and CEO, Fred Franzia.” He passed away early Tuesday morning with his family by his side at his home in Denair, California, the company said.
Franzia championed affordable wine for the masses and frequently criticized his higher-priced competitors. “Who says we’re lower priced? We’re the best price. The others, I think, are overpriced,” Franzia told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2009.
Perhaps his most notable contribution to American culture is Charles Shaw, a.k.a. “Two Buck Chuck.” The wine, sold exclusively at Trader Joe’s since 2002, earned that nickname for its affordable price that undercuts its higher-priced competitors. “Take that and shove it, Napa,” he once said in an interview.
“Core to his vision was a belief that wine should be enjoyed and consumed on every American table,” Bronco’s statement said. “When asked how Bronco Wine Company can sell wine less expensive than a bottle of water, Fred T. Franzia famously countered, ‘They’re overcharging for the water — don’t you get it?’”
Bronco Wine is one of Ameria’s biggest wine companies, with a portfolio of more than 100 brands spanning from wine, spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails. Wine Spectator estimates that it’s the 13th largest wine marketer in the US, moving more than 3.4 million cases last year.
Notably, he never owned the boxed-wine brand that bares his family’s name. His parents sold the label in 1973 to Coca-Cola prompting him to start Bronco Wine. “My dad, he was not a fighter,” Franzia told the New Yorker in 2009. “He just folded. And he and I went through a period of no communication, I think for five years. I just was pissed.” (Franzia boxed wine is currently owned by the Wine Group.)
He’s survived by his five children, fourteen grandchildren and two sisters. In the statement, Bronco said that his “entrepreneurial spirit, tireless dedication, and his commitment to both his family and to the Bronco family will forever be remembered. His legacy will endure for generations to come.”
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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Disasters often reveal underlying structural weaknesses. That certainly happened during the COVID-19 pandemic with the Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest school district in the state.
Test scores released Sept. 9 showed 72% of students failed to meet California math standards, worse by 5 percentage points from the pre-pandemic school year of 2018-19. For English standards, 58% failed to meet state standards, worse by 2 points.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho lamented at a news conference, “The pandemic deeply impacted the performance of our students. Particularly kids who were at risk, in a fragile condition, prior to the pandemic, as we expected, were the ones who have lost the most ground.”
True, the pandemic was bad for everybody. However, “Los Angeles Unified stayed closed much longer than other districts in California and the United States,” Lance Izumi told us; he’s senior director of the Center for Education at the Pacific Research Institute. “The United Teachers of Los Angeles was one of the biggest boosters of keeping the schools closed. If they had put the children first, the schools would have opened much sooner.”
He added that, even if the schools had opened sooner, they were “not exactly lighting the world on fire before COVID. They started from a really low bar, then went through the floor after that.”
Now the union is resisting staffing four extra school days the kids can attend, if they choose, to make up for the lost learning days. Even though the teachers would receive extra pay.
“It just shows how the teachers unions put their own self-interest above the children,” Izumi said. “The union is unwilling to add a couple more days to bridge these gaps. Even so, how much help will a couple school days do for the kids? The district was doing such a miserable job prior to the pandemic. The same people doing the same old thing in the same old system won’t improve the learning of these kids.”
Indeed, consider this bleak reality in relation to what the district’s teachers union president said last year about learning loss. “There is no such thing as learning loss,” United Teachers Los Angeles president Cecily Myart-Cruz told Los Angeles magazine last year. “Our kids didn’t lose anything. It’s OK that our babies may not have learned all their times tables. They learned resilience…. They know the difference between a riot and a protest. They know the words insurrection and coup.”
Clearly, California needs more choice in education. This was apparent long before the pandemic, but it’s even more apparent now.
The teachers unions which dominate education policy in California have only their best interests in mind, and couldn’t care less about the interests of students.
Let the parents decide what school their kids attend — and how long the school doors are kept open.
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By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ | Associated Press
A rape victim whose DNA from her sexual assault case was used by San Francisco police to arrest her in an unrelated property crime on Monday filed a lawsuit against the city.
During a search of a San Francisco Police Department crime lab database, the woman’s DNA was tied to a burglary in late 2021. Her DNA had been collected and stored in the system as part of a 2016 domestic violence and sexual assault case, then-District Attorney Chesa Boudin said in February in a shocking revelation that raised privacy concerns.
“This is government overreach of the highest order, using the most unique and personal thing we have – our genetic code – without our knowledge to try and connect us to crime,” the woman’s attorney, Adante Pointer, said in a statement.
The revelation prompted a national outcry from advocates, law enforcement, legal experts and lawmakers. Advocates said the practice could affect victims’ willingness to come forward to law enforcement authorities.
Federal law already prohibits the inclusion of victims’ DNA in the national Combined DNA Index System. There is no corresponding law in California to prohibit local law enforcement databases from retaining victims’ profiles and searching them years later for entirely different purposes.
California lawmakers last month approved a bill that would prohibit using the DNA profiles collected by police from sexual assault survivors and other victims for any purpose other than aiding in identifying the perpetrator. Local law enforcement agencies would also be prohibited from retaining and then searching victim DNA to incriminate them in unrelated crimes under the legislation, which is pending before Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Boudin said the report was found among hundreds of pages of evidence against a woman who had been recently charged with a felony property crime. After learning the source of the DNA evidence, Boudin dropped the felony property crime charges against the woman.
The police department’s crime lab stopped the practice shortly after receiving a complaint from the district attorney’s office and formally changed its operating procedure to prevent the misuse of DNA collected from sexual assault victims, Police Chief Bill Scott said.
Scott said at a police commission meeting in March that he had discovered 17 crime victim profiles, 11 of them from rape kits, that were matched as potential suspects using a crime victims database during unrelated investigations. Scott said he believes the only person arrested was the woman who filed the lawsuit Monday.
The woman filed the lawsuit under the alias of Jane Doe to protect her privacy, Pointer said The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they choose to be named.
California allows local law enforcement crime labs to operate their own forensic databases that are separate from federal and state databases. The law also lets municipal labs perform forensic analysis, including DNA profiling, and use those databases — without regulation by the state or others.
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LINCOLN, Neb. , Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Workforce Science Associates (WSA) today launched a new array of assessments that will help organizations better select and develop leaders in addition to other key roles and measure an applicant's alignment with the company culture.
Frontline managers are vital to the success of companies. WSAdata reveals that employee motivation, commitment, and conscientiousness is directly tied to the front-line manager's ability to foster an environment of two-way communication, recognition, and growth and development. WSA assessments help organizations address gaps in their bench strength and provide individualized development plans to enhance the areas that are proven to drive higher employee engagement.
"Insights provided by the WSA leadership assessments make sure managers address the root cause of lower engagement and manager effectiveness scores rather than just merely treating the symptoms," said Lisa Wager, executive consultant of WSA. "In addition, our new assessments along with our consulting services provide a targeted and scientifically proven approach to high-performance leadership."
A culture assessment is also a part of the WSA suite and helps identify candidates, if hired, feel a greater sense of belonging, be more motivated, be more committed, and will stay longer. By identifying a candidate's values and comparing them with the overarching company values, WSA can predict an employee's likelihood of engagement and long-term retention.
"This is powerful because employers are able to recruit and hire candidates from diverse backgrounds and skillsets while building a cohesive, high-performing workforce," said Kris Erickson, co-founder of WSA.
While selection and development instruments are common in most industries, WSA assessments are unique. Differentiators include:
- WSA's experience. In designing effective assessments, experience goes back decades and is led by Dr. Jeff Weekley, one of the industry's foremost experts who has worked with many of the world's largest employers, designing assessments that have been administered to hundreds of millions of candidates around the world.
- WSA's methodology. It provides a short, fake-resistant assessment that delivers accurate results.
- WSA's validation. WSA assessments are aligned to its validated engagement model, which has been developed through research over the past 40 years.
For more information about the WSA suite of assessments, visit www.workforcescience.com.
Formed by members of Kenexa's legacy management team and consisting of employee engagement subject matter experts, Workforce Science Associates (WSA) offers expertise in optimizing talent and team performance that has been proven to transform companies and communities. For more information, visit www.workforcescience.com.
Contact Information: To arrange an interview, contact Mary Lafferty at (402) 202-9015 or mary.lafferty@workforcescience.com
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SOURCE Workforce Science Associates | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/workforce-science-associates-launches-suite-assessments-focused-leadership-culture/ | 2022-09-14T15:58:47Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/workforce-science-associates-launches-suite-assessments-focused-leadership-culture/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Industry leader to spearhead training for HVAC, plumbing and electrical technicians
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leap Partners, a home services company with businesses across the Southeast, has hired Mitch Mobley as vice president of Operational Support. In this new role, Mobley will lead the HVAC, plumbing and electrical technician training and development program for all of Leap Partners' companies. His responsibilities will include training technicians on improving efficiencies and customer service.
"In addition to having industry expertise, Mitch is an excellent training and development leader," said John Cerasuolo, Leap Partners CEO. "We're confident that, with him leading our technician training program, Leap Partners' companies will have the best team of technicians in the industry."
Mobley joins Leap Partners with more than a decade of experience. Prior to his new role, at Leap Partners, he was general manager of the northern middle Tennessee territory for Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical. Before that role, he led Hiller's efforts in developing and implementing the company's training programs.
"The Leap Partners team is full of home service industry veterans, and I'm excited to join them," Mobley said. "I'm energized by the big ambitions to set up a program that trains technicians to deliver the best customer service with the highest level of professionalism and expertise."
Mobley is a Nashville, Tenn., native and in his spare time enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons. He is an avid sports fan who enjoys watching his boys learn and play the sports he grew up playing.
Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Leap Partners is working to connect the best small and medium-sized HVAC, plumbing and electrical service businesses in the Southeast to build a world-class service provider. The company's family of service businesses currently includes Conditioned Air Solutions (Huntsville, Ala.), Scenic City Heating & AC (Chattanooga, Tenn.), George Plumbing (Hartselle, Ala.), and Drain Werks (Birmingham, Ala.). Under Leap Partners' ownership, these businesses are committed to providing industry-leading customer satisfaction and employee engagement. For more information and to read partner testimonials, visit theleappartners.com and theleappartners.com/testimonials.
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SOURCE Leap Partners | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/leap-partners-hires-home-service-expert-lead-technician-training-program/ | 2022-09-14T16:01:33Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/leap-partners-hires-home-service-expert-lead-technician-training-program/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
System designed to enhance procedural safety in abdominal cavity during gynecological procedures; Integrated guard provides greater protection around surgical incision¹
CENTER VALLEY, Pa., Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Olympus, a global technology leader in designing and delivering innovative solutions for medical and surgical procedures, announced today the market launch of the Guardenia™ Contained Extraction System. Guardenia is the latest innovation in their contained tissue extraction product portfolio for gynecological procedures and is manufactured by Advanced Surgical Concepts (ASC) Ltd. of Bray, Ireland. Olympus America Inc. is the exclusive U.S. distributor of the system, which is indicated to contain and isolate tissue during, or prior to, surgical removal and/or extracorporeal manual morcellation.
The Guardenia system is designed to prevent the escape of cells into the abdominal cavity during extracorporeal manual morcellation, and its integrated guard provides protection against inadvertent damage from sharp surgical instruments around the incision. The guard offers superior incision retraction and protects a greater area of the containment element when compared to currently marketed devices.1
"Olympus is very pleased to continue its successful partnership with Advanced Surgical Concepts to provide innovative gynecological products for women's health care in the U.S.," said Richard Reynolds, President, Medical Systems Group, Olympus Corporation of the Americas. "Advancements in treatments such as contained tissue extraction help keep patients safe and can improve surgical outcomes, both of which are important aims of healthcare, while allowing surgeons to approach procedures with as minimally invasive an approach as possible."
"The Guardenia device offers a new standard of care for the patient through its novel technology," states Frank Bonadio CEO of ASC. "We're pleased to work with Olympus to launch the device."
Guardenia™ maximizes the amount of available space in the incision during a procedure by encroaching less into the incision and maintaining a stable protective area to complete manual tissue morcellation. Once in place, the design of the containment bag and guard ensures more durable protection of the specimen bag and the incision as compared to other marketed devices.¹
Protection of the integrity of the specimen bag is one of the critical design features of the Guardenia device. Guardenia's design securely anchors the guard and prevents bag dislodgement.¹
Other features of Guardenia include:
- Can be deployed through a standard 12mm trocar, under pneumoperitoneum and with or without vision;¹
- Guardenia is universal, and one size fits all;¹
- The guard automatically conforms to the shape and size of the incision to provide maximal protection of the containment bag;¹
- The guard is securely anchored in the incision and cannot become dislodged during tissue extraction;¹
- Employs "Set and forget" technology, allowing the surgeon to focus on the process of morcellation;¹
- Superior retraction of the incision, maximizing the working area for more ergonomic morcellation;1
- Maximizes the ratio of incision size to extraction opening;¹
- Bag material is designed to be impermeable to the passage of liquid or tissue, measured down to the cellular level;¹
- The device works across multiport, robotic and single-port surgery;¹
- No additional training is necessary.¹
Potential complications associated with the use of the Guardenia device are the same as those associated with the use of tissue or specimen bags, morcellation and laparoscopic surgery in general and include but are not limited to superficial lesions, injury to internal vessels, bleeding, hematoma, injury to the abdominal wall, injury to bowel, infection, peritonitis and spread of benign or malignant tissue.
For more information, visit the Guardenia™ Contained Extraction System product page.
Olympus' Medical business uses innovative capabilities in medical technology, therapeutic intervention, and precision manufacturing to help healthcare professionals deliver diagnostic, therapeutic, and minimally invasive procedures to improve clinical outcomes, reduce overall costs, and enhance the quality of life for patients. Olympus' Medical portfolio includes endoscopes, laparoscopes, and video imaging systems, as well as surgical energy devices, system integration solutions, medical services, and a wide range of endotherapy instruments. For more information, visit medical.olympusamerica.com.
Advanced Surgical Concepts (ASC) works closely with surgeons and specialist clinicians to conceive of new approaches to performing surgeries. In so doing, ASC designs and develops new medical devices to standardize the methods by which particular surgeries or diagnostic procedures will be performed. For more information, visit ASC at advancedsurgical.ie.
1 Data on file with ASC and Olympus 9/17/2021
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Increasing Service Capabilities for Rail Shippers Across the Country
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Patriot Rail Company LLC today completed the acquisition from BRX Transportation Holdings of Denver-based Pioneer Lines, Inc., a railroad holding company including 15 short line railroads. The transaction closed following regulatory authorization.
The acquisition advances Patriot Rail's growth strategy, increasing the Jacksonville, Florida, company's short line operations from 16 to 31 railroads. Patriot now serves customers with operations in 23 states.
"We are pleased to bring Pioneer Lines railroads into Patriot Rail," said John E. Fenton, Patriot Rail's chief executive officer. "Doubling our footprint across the U.S. furthers our commitment to exceed customer expectations as a best-in-class rail partner. Patriot Rail takes great pride in delivering value to our customers with safety always as our core foundation, and our expansion will drive deeper commercial and logistics relationships."
"Patriot Rail's accelerating growth opens more opportunities for innovative and sustainable freight transport solutions," said John Ma, Patriot board member and co-head of North America for Igneo Infrastructure Partners, Patriot's majority investor. "Igneo continues to see strong potential for long-term returns through our investment in the Patriot Rail platform."
Patriot Rail board chair Deb Butler added, "Patriot Rail has the growth mindset and financial capacity to invest in profitable initiatives benefitting rail shippers and our long-term investors. We welcome our new Patriot team members to our employee-first leadership culture, and the future is bright for the customers, stakeholders, and communities we serve."
About Patriot Rail
Patriot Rail operates 31 regional and freight short line railroads, a scenic rail excursion train, and rail-related services companies with operations in 23 states. Service capabilities include railcar storage, contract switching, transloading, railcar cleaning, engineering services, excursion railroads, real estate, and track access. Patriot Rail is also a direct partner in providing railcar repair and maintenance, railcar dismantling, and environmental services including centralized wastewater treatment. For more information, visit patriotrail.com.
About Igneo Infrastructure Partners
Igneo Infrastructure Partners is an autonomous investment team in the First Sentier Investors Group. It invests in high-quality, mature, mid-market infrastructure companies in the utilities and transport sectors in the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Operating since 1994, the team works closely with portfolio companies to create long-term sustainable value through innovation and proactive asset management. Igneo manages more than US$15 billion in assets as of June 30, 2022 on behalf of more than 120 institutional investors around the world. For more information, visit igneoip.com.
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OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - A new book being published by Replica Analytics, an Aetion company, offers a complete and contemporary risk assessment methodology for accurately measuring and effectively managing the risks associated with sharing health data for secondary purposes.
To innovate and improve healthcare, organizations need to leverage data, but they can face challenges sharing data while preserving privacy and complying with data protection laws. The Cardinal Methodology for Evaluating Identity Disclosure Risk for Non-Public Data is a new publication that brings together a suite of thoroughly researched, tested and applied practices for quantitatively assessing the identifiability of real-world data and clinical trial data. The risks can then be managed with the right safeguards, usually a combination of data transformations and controls, to enable responsible use and sharing of data for secondary purposes, such as different types of analytics and machine learning projects.
The new book, which details a methodology developed through real-world applications, is co-authored by Dr. Khaled El Emam, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Replica Analytics, an Aetion Company, and Lucy Mosquera, Replica's Director of Data Science. It illustrates how applying the Cardinal Methodology can help organizations maintain a high level of data utility while at the same time protecting privacy.
"Our Cardinal Methodology is highly operational, going beyond simply a principles-based approach," says Dr. El Emam, who has spent two decades developing and deploying data analytics and privacy enhancing technologies. "With it, we help our partners and clients implement successful re-identification risk management programs and offer the supporting documentation for the risk reports they need on specific datasets. Synthetic data generation is one tool that can be leveraged to manage the risk of re-identification."
The book is being launched in conjunction with a training course, Practical De-identification Methods for Health Data, taking place October 24 and 25, 2022 at the Aetion office in New York City. The book will be made available to Replica clients and partners, as well as participants of its training and education sessions. The authors will update the methodology as the evidence continues to accumulate and the science evolves.
Replica Analytics is the premier science-based SDG technology provider to the healthcare industry. The company is a pioneer in the development of unique technologies for generating privacy-protective synthetic data that maintain the statistical properties of real-world data (RWD). The company was acquired in late 2021 by Aetion, the leading regulatory-grade real-world evidence (RWE) technology provider. Replica Synthesis software provides a full suite of synthetic data generation and evaluation capabilities that can solve multiple grand challenges facing the life sciences industry, and health research in general. For more information, visit: https://replica-analytics.com/.
Aetion is a healthcare analytics company that delivers real-world evidence for the manufacturers, purchasers, and regulators of medical treatments and technologies. The Aetion Evidence Platform ® analyzes data from the real world to produce transparent, rapid, and scientifically validated answers on safety, effectiveness, and value. Founded by Harvard Medical School faculty members with decades of experience in epidemiology and health outcomes research, Aetion informs healthcare's most critical decisions—what works best, for whom, and when—to guide product development, commercialization, and payment innovation. Learn more at aetion.com and follow us at @aetioninc.
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Over the last 20+ years, the Americana Honors & Awards have celebrated pioneering veteran artists and trailblazing newcomers while highlighting core moments of music history.
The ceremony is the hallmark event of the annual AMERICANAFEST, which returns to Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday.
The critically acclaimed ceremony has confirmed performances by the likes of Adia Victoria, Allison Russell, Brandi Carlile, Buddy Miller, Chris Isaak, The Fairfield Four, Indigo Girls, James McMurtry, Lucinda Williams, Lukas Nelson, The McCrary Sisters, Morgan Wade, Neal Francis, Phosphorescent, Sierra Ferrell and The War And Treaty.
Presenters include Allison Moorer, Dom Flemons, Hayes Carll, Jerry Douglas, Lucius, Lyle Lovett, The Milk Carton Kids and Molly Tuttle.
Watch the Americana Honors & Awards via the YouTube video stream above. To listen to a live audio simulcast of the show, tune into Nashville-area terrestrial radio station WMOT (89.5 FM). The show begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Copyright 2022 XPN | https://www.klcc.org/npr-music/npr-music/2022-09-14/watch-the-2022-americana-honors-awards-featuring-brandi-carlile-lucius-and-more | 2022-09-14T16:08:56Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-music/npr-music/2022-09-14/watch-the-2022-americana-honors-awards-featuring-brandi-carlile-lucius-and-more | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
HOUSTON — On a summer day in a quiet neighborhood outside Houston, Pam Whitehead is sitting at the kitchen table of a split-level home, taking calls from women who are pregnant and need help.
"We were preparing for this in advance," Whitehead says. "We knew this was coming, we anticipated it, and we knew that we needed to prepare to be able to serve women."
Whitehead is the executive director of ProLove Ministries, a group that opposes abortion and tries to persuade women not to have them. She says calls to her group's hotline have been increasing – first, starting about a year ago, after the law known as S.B. 8 banned most abortions in Texas after about six weeks. They've continued – and come from across the country – since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
A rising need
With abortion now illegal or severely restricted in a growing number of states, groups that help patients travel for the procedure as well as those who oppose abortion and offer assistance with unintended pregnancies, are reporting more calls for help.
For those who continue their pregnancies, Whitehead's group runs a hotline that connects the women with a variety of support services. On this day, she takes down information from a woman who already has young children and is looking for help with transportation. Others need help with diapers, formula, or housing.
Whitehead is taking hotline calls from the kitchen of a maternity home outside Houston, where several women, mostly in their 20s and 30s, were washing dishes, cooking, and hanging out in the adjacent living room.
Near the front door, several strollers stand in a neat row — what Whitehead jokingly calls the "parking garage" — while their tiny occupants sleep down the hall.
Women typically come here – sometimes for months at a time — after struggling to find stable housing for themselves and their children.
An overwhelming decision
Samantha, 31, asked NPR not to use her last name out of concern for blowback from her boyfriend back home in the Midwest, who she says pressured her to have an abortion she didn't want. She said she came to Texas while still pregnant, initially planning to place her baby for adoption.
"And then I started feeling Benjy move," she said. "And I'm just like, 'Do I really want to give him up? Do I really want to give my little boy up?' "
Samantha said she would sit in the Texas hotel room provided by an adoption agency, praying, alone and without a support network, asking God for direction.
"I would just cry and scream, 'Tell me what you want me to do?' "
Determined to keep her baby and desperate for a place to stay, Samantha called the ProLove Ministries hotline, which placed her in the maternity home. She arrived around Memorial Day – just days before she unexpectedly delivered her baby several weeks early via C-section, due to a life-threatening condition for mother and baby called preeclampsia.
"Pam was in the room with me and she was holding my hand," Samantha says. "And it was the scariest, because he was little – so little, he was way too early. But he's doing amazing now."
A complicated place of refuge
Pam Whitehead's group is one of many around the country – including hundreds of anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers that they work with that offer parenting classes and supplies, often donated by church groups.
The organization's founder, Abby Johnson, is a vocal, and often controversial, activist who opposes abortion rights in virtually all cases — even in situations like the 10-year-old Ohio girl who was raped and denied an abortion in her home state, soon after the Supreme Court released the decision overturning Roe this summer.
Whitehead agrees with that position – and said she's motivated by her own experiences.
"I can't imagine being in that situation," Whitehead says. "I know what it's like to be raped, though. I also know what it's like to have an abortion. And I'll tell you this – that abortion impacted me, greatly."
For Samantha, who describes herself as pro-choice, the maternity home has been a rare, if complicated, place of refuge and support.
In her small bedroom near the front of the house, filled with baby clothes and toys, Samantha says she's grateful for the help and especially the housing — which she'd struggled to find because of a criminal conviction in her past.
But she's concerned about the consequences of Roe v Wade being overturned –particularly for women who are victims of rape or experience medical complications with their pregnancies.
"There's going to be a lot of women who are going to go through hell because of this – emotionally and physically," she said.
In that aftermath of new abortion laws in Texas – and now nationwide – calls to the hotline so far this year have nearly quadrupled compared to a year ago, Whitehead said. Other anti-abortion groups tell NPR they're also working to expand similar services for new and expectant mothers.
Inadequate support, few options
Sonya Borrero, a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, says that help often comes alongside inaccurate information and pressure to continue a pregnancy. Borrero has researched crisis pregnancy centers, known as CPCs.
"CPCs definitely take advantage of people's economic insecurity and just the societal inadequate support we have for pregnant people," she says.
She notes that these anti-abortion centers far outnumber abortion clinics nationwide, and typically don't provide a full range of reproductive healthcare such as contraception. Borrero says many of the ones she's encountered in her research also promote false information about the safety of abortion procedures and pills.
"I think these centers do speak to the significant need we have to support pregnant people — and especially those who choose to parent," Borrero says. "It really is filling that gap that our society has not filled. But it does come at a cost because there is an ideologically-driven mission."
As the need grows in a post-Roe environment, it's unclear how much of the gap these groups will be able to fill. When NPR visited this summer, the maternity home outside Houston was full – with one woman sleeping temporarily in an open loft area while several more slept in the upstairs and downstairs bedrooms.
Meanwhile, Democrats in some red states, including Mississippi, are pushing their Republican colleagues to vote for more public funding for maternity care and postpartum support – as abortion becomes increasingly out of reach.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-09-14/anti-abortion-groups-are-getting-more-calls-for-help-with-unplanned-pregnancies | 2022-09-14T16:09:02Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-09-14/anti-abortion-groups-are-getting-more-calls-for-help-with-unplanned-pregnancies | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kochi: The Kerala High Court has sought a report from the state government on the stray dog menace. The court directed the government to submit a report detailing the steps taken to implement previous orders regarding the sterilisation of stray dogs and its measures to deal with growing dog attacks in the state. The report is to be submitted by Friday.
The court also advised the public against taking the law into their hands and to refrain from harming stray dogs. The state police chief was directed to issue a circular in this regard as well.
The Kerala government on Tuesday had said that all stray dogs in the state would be vaccinated and steps had been initiated to identify hotspots of dog bites.
The Health Department has also launched a campaign to create awareness among the people on the steps to be taken in case of stray dog bites.
Recently, the Supreme Court, while hearing a batch of petitions on issues relating to orders passed by various civic bodies on the culling of stray dogs which have become a menace, especially in Kerala and Mumbai, said a balance has to be maintained between the safety of people and animal rights while suggesting that people who feed stray dogs could be made responsible for vaccinating them and bearing costs if somebody is attacked by the animal.
Over the past couple of weeks, stray dog attacks have been the biggest issue bugging Kerala. On Tuesday, 78 people sought treatment for stray dog bites in Ernakulam alone. In just four-and-a-half hours, 24 people sought treatment for dog bites in the Palakkad district. A total of 33 people in Kozhikode, 28 in Kannur, 20 in Kollam, 18 in Kasaragod, five in Pathanamthitta, and two in Thiruvananthapuram districts sought treatment after dog bites. In Pathanamthitta, it was pet dogs that mauled the victims.
(With PTI inputs) | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/09/14/stray-dog-menace-hc-asks-govt-for-report-on-action-taken.html | 2022-09-14T16:09:04Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/09/14/stray-dog-menace-hc-asks-govt-for-report-on-action-taken.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Arlington and Alexandria are seeing the strongest home-buyer interest in the cooling regional real-estate market, but even they are generating less heat in the market than earlier in the year.
The regional T3 Home Demand Index, which uses a number of factors to track buyer interest, fell from 110 in July to 101 in August and 122 a year before. That moves the regional market from the bottom of the “Moderate” level of activity down one rung into the “Steady” grouping.
The index, created by the Mid-Atlantic multiple-listing service Bright MLS, attempts to provide a forward-looking inkling of the state of the market, based on activity such as home showings, settling on monthly scores for the Washington region’s overall homes market all the way down to the ZIP-code level.
After peaking in April, the T3 score has declined owing to affordability, interest-rate and broader economic fears. It had been in the Moderate range (110 to 129) for five months after having dropped out of High (130 and above).
Arlington retained its place at top of the heap, with a score of 168, well into the High tier. But Arlington dropped 30 points in a month, part of a general decline throughout the region.
Alexandria was second on the list, but its 136 score was down from 150. Fairfax County, which ranked third, stood at 118, down from 130.
Among other jurisdictions: Falls Church scored 117, Loudoun County 113, Prince George’s County 101, Montgomery County 90, the District of Columbia 84, the city of Fairfax 80 and Frederick County, Md., 77.
(Full details are found at homedemandindex.com.)
Across the Washington metropolitan area, 40 percent of ZIP codes were in the High or Moderate levels of buyer activity, a figure down from 46 percent a year before.
Among individual ZIP codes in the Arlington area, 22206 again led the pack are 296, followed by 22202 (239), 22204 (202), 22205 (198), 22201 (189), 22203 (143), 22213 (132), all in the High category. 22209 (127) was in the Moderate category, while 22207 (90) was Steady.
In Sun Gazette coverage areas of Fairfax County, Dunn Loring’s ZIP 22027 led the pack (179) and along with Vienna’s 22181 (134) were the only areas that reached High buyer interest.
Vienna’s 22180 (108) was in Steady Category, while neighboring 22182 (81) was Slow, as was Oakton’s 22124 (71).
The two McLean ZIP codes of 22101 and 22102 and Great Falls’ 22066 were each in Limited territory, owing to the dearth of inventory.
[https://sungazette.news provides content to, but otherwise is unaffiliated with, InsideNoVa or Rappahannock Media LLC.] | https://www.insidenova.com/news/arlington/arlington-alexandria-seeing-most-home-buyer-interest-in-region/article_b1ebff6c-3437-11ed-8464-4f1126a403f0.html | 2022-09-14T16:14:02Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/news/arlington/arlington-alexandria-seeing-most-home-buyer-interest-in-region/article_b1ebff6c-3437-11ed-8464-4f1126a403f0.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
U.S. women have achieved greater autonomy since suffragists began agitating for the right to vote in the mid-1800s, but more hurdles remain, said author Elisabeth Griffith.
Griffith, who led the private all-girls Madeira School in McLean from 1988 to 2010, recently published a book showing how far women have come and what obstacles remain for them.
“Formidable: American Women and the Fight for Equality, 1920-2020” covers not only that century, but goes as far back as colonial times and forward to the early Biden administration. The book also details the parallel history of the civil-rights movement and brims with statistics on women’s advances – and sometimes setbacks – in the professional and political realms.
A resident of Chevy Chase, Griffith teaches courses in women’s history through Smithsonian Associates and Politics & Prose bookstore. Griffith previously authored “In Her Own Right: The Life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton” and discussed her latest book in this edited conversation.
How has life been post-Madeira?
I loved my Madeira job. It was the best job that anybody could ever have, especially if you enjoy the company of quirky adolescents and fabulous faculty in a stunning setting. It was a wonderful community to be in. But I’m glad to have returned to being a historian. It’s really my life passion to teach and write and think about history.
What sparked your historical interest?
My mom was a social-studies teacher in junior high. She was one of the most curious people I knew. She told me lots of stories about history growing up . . . I really think that part of it comes down to basic patriotism. I love this country and I think that if you don’t have a better sense of our history, our past, how our government was intended to work, we’re in trouble as a democracy.
Why did you write the book?
The title “Formidable” had a lot to do with the centennial of the 19th Amendment and women winning the right to vote. A lot of has been written about the long fight to get suffrage. I wanted to know what happened next.
Did women vote? Did they run for office? Were they able to pass legislation? Were they effective? And the short answer is no. They really did not have immediate success – white women not much success and black women no success, because of the ongoing discrimination that wasn’t resolved until passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
What surprised you most when researching the book?
The surprise was probably my humility because I am a Ph.D. in American history, I’ve been teaching American history for 40 years and I’m still learning so much, especially the death of segregation, the roles of black women in changing our country for the better, how risky it was for them. Is the women’s movement too big to accommodate everyone?
I think it requires a big tent because women themselves are very diverse . . . Women differ not only by obvious things like race or geography or ethnicity or religion or class, but whether you’ve been married or had children or not. Your political perspectives are what your life experience might have been. Women are a very diverse cohort. It’s risky to make generalizations.
How have those various feminist cohorts differed in their objectives?
White-women change agents mostly focused on political goals – they wanted to vote, they wanted to change laws, they wanted to have rights similar to those of white men. Black women had a much wider, broader agenda.
Primarily, from the 1920s until today, it was to protect their communities from racial violence, initially from lynchings and now from police shootings. Most black women would say that the women’s movement needs to include things like unemployment, educational disparities, food deserts, rent discrimination – issues that really have to do with how less-privileged communities advance.
What are the book’s key takeaways?
The first is how important it is to be politically engaged, to register to vote, to show up and do whatever you can through the political system to advance your own agenda. Too many people went to jail, got beaten up and died for our right to vote, and it should not be disrespected . . . I hope the book inspires people to take their citizenship responsibilities seriously.
Any other key points?
It is incumbent upon the majority of our population, the white population, to learn more about the history of African-Americans in our country. It’s not up to them to teach us. We need to teach ourselves and not only about blacks, but about everybody we might not know so much about. We’re all in this together and sometimes we make assumptions that are ill-informed.
Will updates to your book discuss the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision that overturned Roe v. Wade?
The paperback will come out in the new year and I’ve asked if I could revise the epilogue . . . When one is a historian, you do understand that this arc of history is like a roller coaster. There are good peaks in American history where we’re all proud of ourselves and we’re dancing, and there are times when it feels like we’re rolling backward. We may be on a downhill period for women’s rights at the moment.
How much progress have women made in the workplace?
Women have made so many visible advances. We’re in many positions where no one would have dreamed of having women, from airplane pilots to coal miners, CEOs, surgeons. But it’s still not enough . . . We are not a large number of anything that is not a traditional role. Women are 98 percent of kindergarten teachers and 3 percent of plumbers. So it’s very uneven how we have progressed.
What are the next frontiers for the women’s movement?
I think, sadly, that we’re going back to ground zero on some of these issues. From my perspective, the right to have control over your most intimate choices about whether or not to have children is an essential right. That right has now been taken away and other similar rights relating to personal autonomy are being threatened by this conservative court. So I think that no matter how many other things may have changed, if women don’t have those rights, then we need to start over again. We’re at risk.
[https://sungazette.news provides content to, but otherwise is unaffiliated with, InsideNoVa or Rappahannock Media LLC.] | https://www.insidenova.com/news/fairfax/q-a-former-madeira-school-head-writes-about-fight-for-equality/article_ac93dc0c-3436-11ed-b079-573bfaf96e9f.html | 2022-09-14T16:14:03Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/news/fairfax/q-a-former-madeira-school-head-writes-about-fight-for-equality/article_ac93dc0c-3436-11ed-b079-573bfaf96e9f.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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Coast Guard crews stop a suspected smuggling vessel off Rodriguez Key, Florida, Sept. 13, 2022. Homeland Security Investigations has opened an investigation. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ronald Hodges.)
This work, Coast Guard crews stop suspected smuggling vessel [Image 3 of 3], by PO2 Ronald Hodges, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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The Manassas City Council voted Monday to slash property tax bills on motor vehicles by 15% and extended the deadline for payment by three weeks to Oct. 26.
Taxpayers will receive updated bills reflecting the new amount and due date. Those who have already paid their personal property tax bills will receive a credit on their account.
After Oct. 26, those with an account credit greater than $5 will automatically be refunded. Amounts of $5 or less will remain as account credits to be applied to next year’s bill unless a refund is requested of the Treasurer’s Office.
The push to reduce tax bills came after city officials estimated a significant increase in the assessed value of used vehicles — which is used to determine a taxpayers’ bill — amid surging used car prices due to supply chain problems and computer chip shortages.
During budget discussions in the spring, city officials initially recommended against changing the the tax rates for motor vehicles since the increases were viewed as a temporary anomaly. Instead the initial predicted windfall of $1.8 million was offset by taking three cents off the real estate tax.
However, when the city sent out the first tax bills to vehicle owners on Aug. 18, the bills reflected an even higher assessment than was estimated in the spring — about 15% higher — which would have resulted in about $2 million more for the city’s coffers than had been approved in the city’s budget.
The city council approved the 15% decrease in personal property taxes during the meeting Monday night. The personal property tax on motor vehicles also applies to boats and trailers.
Tax payments can be made online or by visiting 9800 Godwin Drive between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Vivian Medithi is digital writer/editor. Vivian has been with WTOP since 2019. | https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/manassas-city-council-votes-to-slash-motor-vehicle-tax-bills-extend-payment-deadline/article_c7dff1ac-3441-11ed-8b9a-c3313942e1b6.html | 2022-09-14T16:18:23Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/manassas-city-council-votes-to-slash-motor-vehicle-tax-bills-extend-payment-deadline/article_c7dff1ac-3441-11ed-8b9a-c3313942e1b6.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Entomology meets musician meets family man meets cereal at the intersections of Chris and Nobbs.
Christopher Nobbs was born in Memorial Hospital in 1971. The Yakima Valley has always been home to the Yakima resident, who attended grade school in Zillah and high school in Toppenish.
“I grew up in the Valley. I kind of grew up half on the reservation and half off the reservation. It was a really cool place to live and grow up,” Nobbs said.
Nobbs attended Washington State University, earning a master’s degree in entomology, the study of insects. He works for FMC Corp. as a representative and entomologist. Nobbs does field work, studying pests to help customers handle infestations.
Nobbs works with pests but also has a deep fascination with insects, especially beetles.
“This is a fun fact: One of every five living creatures, and that includes all mammals, any animal in the animal kingdom, is a beetle. It’s beautiful. There are so many types of beetles. The diversity is crazy,” Nobbs said.
Given the opportunity, Nobbs would love to teach a hands-on children’s class about insects. He recently put up an exhibit about the Northern giant hornet — known informally as the murder hornet — at the Yakima Area Arboretum.
Not a hobby and not a side job, part of Nobbs’ life involves performing as part of Cockaphonix, whose shows are described as a cacophony of sight and sound. Nobbs plays superbone, a hybrid tenor trombone.
“The things outside of work are so much more important. And those are my family. Those are my garden. Those are Cockaphonix,” Nobbs said. “When I joined this band, it was just for fun and just hanging out with some friends, and the last year has been so wild.”
A family man, Nobbs proudly talks about his blended family that includes six kids and his wife of five years, Megan Nobbs. Nobbs has two biological children, two adopted children and two stepchildren.
“It’s crazy. I love having people around. And honestly, I don’t feel any different, it’s just nice having them around and being part of their life,” Nobbs said.
Here’s a Q&A with Nobbs:
What do you love about Yakima?
Well, I guess I always looked at it this way: Maybe it’s just because it’s in my DNA and it’s like salmon going upstream. I feel like we kind of have a home and I came back here. I kind of feel like that sense, this is my stream, maybe just because I grew up here and love it because of nostalgia.
We couldn’t have better weather. We couldn’t have better access to Seattle, and water, recreation and everything we want to do is right here. We live in 300 days of sun. And we don’t have bugs. We don’t have tornadoes, hurricanes. The only thing we really have to worry about is mountains blowing up and that’s really rare.
I think we’re like a little Austin, Texas, right here, except I think we can be better. You know, we have wineries, we have breweries, we have all these things. We have amazing music, local music. I just want that to happen here and that’s something I’m willing to fight for. I just want to see people get along and get together on making this place better.
Areas of interest in the Yakima Valley?
I would like to read a bit about how we’ve erased some of the local history and look back to learn from it, because there’s a lot of things that happened that are amazing in this Valley but there’s also things that we can learn from.
I think I’d like to know a little bit more about some of the people who can tell those stories or know those stories of what we were before and how we can move forward. I think it would be really cool to highlight some people … that have such a unique perspective.
Japanese internment stuff, the Filipino community that actually came over during the internment and what they had to deal with. That was all here, but we don’t talk about it and we really don’t know that history.
What’s something not many know about you?For about a year and a half now, I’ve been doing pottery. Since I joined the board and joined Yakima Maker Space, I started just doing a little bit of pottery at home because I was interested in it after what I saw at Maker Space. I thought, “Well, I’ll try it at home before I take it there because I’m nervous about wanting to get it right before everyone down there,” which is dumb. I have never taken a wheel class and that’s what they teach at Maker Space.
I do what’s called flip molds, which is where you pour liquid clay into a mold that is already preformed, and they come out and then you clean them up. I’ve made small and large, a lot of little things like tchotchke horses, mugs — you know, just kind of learning it.
I can’t say I’ve sold anything, but it’s mostly just been for gifts and things. I really love that part of pottery.
Friends/family from out of town are visiting. What do you suggest they see,
do, eat in the Yakima Valley?
Well, I think I am a junk-food junkie, so I think they need Stop & Go Drive Inn on Fruitvale, that’s my favorite burger place.
When I have friends coming into town, one of the things that most of them like to do is take a drive up in the mountains, so we usually run around, take a quick drive to the mountains.
I would say one of my favorite things is just taking a Sunday and traveling around the Valley and smelling all the different smells and going to some wineries. I love the cultural side of things, too, and if they’re down in the Valley, driving through Toppenish for murals. It does feel like the Old West. It’s a different experience.
What item can’t you live without?
Wow. One item. It’s kind of a selfish thing and I’m gonna say one item I can’t live without — you know, I lived a long time without this, but now I don’t know if I can, and that’s cereal. I love cereal. And it’s usually something like Cap’n Crunch because it’s gotta be the worst cereal, too.
5 favorite things
My family.
Art in general, like any way shape or form.
I love the fandom and the people that are in it.
The friends I’ve met, honestly, since COVID-19 (restrictions) opened up and the new community of people that I didn’t even know were in Yakima.
My mom, because I wouldn’t be doing any of the music or art and creativity if it weren’t for her. I would sit on her knee in church and learn all the harmonies, and music-wise, she could pretty much play everything. That’s why I appreciate her in that whole creativity part of my life. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/explore_yakima/get-to-know-your-neighbor-chris-nobbs-entomologist-and-musician/article_149a479a-2fb0-11ed-8888-b78fc0806010.html | 2022-09-14T16:18:48Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/explore_yakima/get-to-know-your-neighbor-chris-nobbs-entomologist-and-musician/article_149a479a-2fb0-11ed-8888-b78fc0806010.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DOJ charges Iranian hackers in data-stealing scheme
The Department of Justice unsealed an indictment on Wednesday against three Iranian nationals charged with malicious computer activity between October 2020 and August 2022.
Why it matters: U.S. indictments of international cybercriminals send a clear message that law enforcement knows who is a part of a flourishing overseas hacking groups and make it difficult for defendants to leave their home countries without risking arrest.
Driving the news: The defendants are accused of "exploiting known or publicly disclosed vulnerabilities in commonly used network devices and software programs to get access to victims' computer networks," per a senior DOJ official.
- An indictment unsealed Wednesday alleges the defendants targeted hundreds of victims — including small businesses, nonprofits, local governments and "critical infrastructure," like healthcare organizations — in the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, Russia and Iran.
- "The indictment does not allege that these actors undertook these actions on behalf of the Government of Iran. Instead, the indictment alleges the actors were demanding to be paid themselves," the official said.
- The individuals face four charges, including conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with computers and intentional damage to a protected computer.
- The DOJ also said Wednesday that it will release a joint cybersecurity advisory later today with the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Australian, Canadian and U.K. governments.
- The Treasury Department also unveiled new sanctions on Wednesday against the three defendants and the technology companies they're affiliated with.
Between the lines: While the three defendants are being charged for engaging in criminal cyber activities, the senior DOJ official told reporters that cybercrime flourishes in nations that “do not adhere to widely accepted norms.”
- In the absence of updated, agreed upon cyber diplomacy norms at the United Nations, the White House has been handing down sanctions and indictments to send a clear message of what they think the norms should be.
The big picture: The new indictments and cybersecurity advisory is a part the Biden administration’s continuing efforts to crackdown on both Iranian cybercriminal and nation-state hacking groups.
- Last week, the U.S. government attributed a series of destructive data exfiltration attacks against Albanian government networks to Iran.
- The Treasury Department sanctioned the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and its minister on Friday.
Go deeper... Why Albania’s cyberattacks matter to the U.S. | https://www.axios.com/2022/09/14/doj-cybersecurity-iranian-nationals-indictment | 2022-09-14T16:21:25Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/09/14/doj-cybersecurity-iranian-nationals-indictment | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Overheard: Goldman Sachs conference 2022
Investor conference season continues. Media and tech executives are among the participants at Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology conference in San Francisco. Axios' Hope King and Lucinda Shen are in attendance.
Here are some of the media insights from Tuesday's talks:
iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman on consolidation
- "I think we're in the consolidation phase. The top podcasters get bigger and it becomes harder and more fragmented for the smaller players to catch up, and I think that's exactly what you've seen as a trend line," per InsiderRadio.
Cinemark CEO Sean Gamble on theatrical window
- "If they're not working, that actually creates a better risk proposition for the studios and that will lead to more of those movies getting released because it's easier to take a risk and manage the outcomes than before," per The Hollywood Reporter.
Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels on subscribers
- "[W]e're not optimizing for subscribers. We're optimizing for a long-term sustainable business for one additional distribution platform ... [O]ne specific trade-off is going to be maybe, we're going to come to the conclusion that in a certain market, the licensing model might be better from a shareholder value perspective than launching our own service," per Seeking Alpha. | https://www.axios.com/pro/media-deals/2022/09/14/goldman-sachs-conference-2022 | 2022-09-14T16:22:02Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/pro/media-deals/2022/09/14/goldman-sachs-conference-2022 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A long-awaited sequel to Disney’s Halloween classic Hocus Pocus is mere weeks away, reuniting cast members Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as the bewitching Sanderson sisters. But given the nearly three-decade timeline it took to get a second film, one could forgive the premature speculation about a third installment.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the franchise’s stars addressed the idea of Hocus Pocus 3—to varying degrees of coyness. Midler, who reprises her role of Winnie, wouldn’t confirm speculation about a future follow-up, but said she’s disappointed that her filmography hasn’t yielded more sequels. “I’m envious of other actors who have franchises, and I was hoping for a sequel to First Wives Club, but we never got that,” Midler began, breaking hearts everywhere. “After 30 years with no sequel to Hocus Pocus, I’ve always been envious of people who get to do their favorite character more than once.” She added, “I’d love to have a franchise—especially a character I love playing. If there was a third one, of course I’d sign on, but I don’t know how.”
Parker, who admitted she’d only seen the original 1993 film once before shooting its sequel, said that an animated concept had been discussed. “Kathy had a good idea that the third one should be animated,” she said. “That would be cool and a smart idea. It’s fun, funny, and could be interesting and innovative, like old-fashioned or new [animation]. Of course I’d be happy to have a conversation, it just depends on what Kathy and Bette want!”
Najimy, who plays Mary, quelled expectations a bit. “I feel like we’re done,” she said. “We’ve pulled every story you could pull out of this. I guess, never say never, but I feel grateful that we got to do it again. I don’t know that there are plans for a third one, but I know fans are dedicated to this film.”
For what it’s worth, sequel director Anne Fletcher also told SFX magazine that she “definitely kept it wide open for any sequel.” Producer Lynn Harris added that “there’s always potential. It’s a movie about magic and witches. Those things are timeless, aren’t they? A multiverse of witches!”
The cast did confirm that there will be two “I Put a Spell on You”–esque musical numbers in the upcoming sequel. “We suggested that there be songs,” Midler told EW. “That was our big contribution. We said, ‘They have to sing.’” Parker revealed that the performances will be covers “that are familiar to a variety of age groups.” Meanwhile, Najimy said that at least one performance will take place at—where else—a Halloween party, alongside three RuPaul’s Drag Race queens: Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté, Kahmora Hall, and Ginger Minj.
Hocus Pocus 2 streams on Disney+ on September 30. | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/hocus-pocus-3-sequel-rumors | 2022-09-14T16:24:15Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/hocus-pocus-3-sequel-rumors | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
“I was around when August would come and lay out eight pages of a new speech that we had to put in that night because we were doing previews—and you run and you do it,” says Samuel L. Jackson. He’s thinking back to 1987, when he originated the role of Boy Willie in August Wilson’s play The Piano Lesson at the Yale Repertory Theatre. He regards the late playwright as “the Black Shakespeare” but says, “Man, it was a lot of words. It was grueling.”
This fall, John David Washington plays Boy Willie in a Broadway revival directed by Jackson’s wife of 42 years, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, and—because Jackson himself will appear as Boy Willie’s uncle, Doaker Charles—he’ll do it while standing onstage with the man who first gave the character flesh and blood. “I’m coming in as a student,” Washington says in a dual interview with his costar. “I’m coming in to learn as much as I can from our director, LaTanya, and this man here.” Washington has known Jackson since the former was a toddler, thanks to Jackson’s friendship with his father, Denzel. Still, it sounds like it’d be intimidating to re-create the role right in front of him. Jackson waves the idea away. “He didn’t see me do it,” he says, then adds playfully, “but I killed that shit.” Washington laughs: “And the ghosts, like in the theme of the play, will forever haunt us.”
The Piano Lesson, which won Wilson his second Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1990, takes place in the Charles household in Pittsburgh in 1936, as Boy Willie and his sister, Berniece (Danielle Brooks), battle over the fate of the family’s prized piano and contend with the good and evil spirits it conjures. Boy Willie is an impetuous striver eager to grab his piece of the American dream even if it means aggravating an already tempestuous relationship with his sister. He wants to sell the piano to buy land in Mississippi that their family toiled on for decades as sharecroppers, and to start building some generational wealth. Berniece wants to keep the piano as a testament to their tragic history; it is, after all, carved with images of their ancestors. Doaker, who makes several of the play’s key speeches, wants the most elusive thing of all: peace.
Boy Willie and Berniece’s struggle over the piano summons the ghost of a dead landowner named Sutter, who terrorized the family in the South. The malevolent spirit could be a stand-in for slavery, Jim Crow, white supremacy, or all of the above—and it’s this force that Richardson Jackson is most interested in wrangling with on Broadway. “Let’s amplify this part of it,” she tells me, flashing the most contagious smile you’ll ever see. “Let’s look at this effin’ ghost. Why is Sutter there? What does Sutter want? Why we still talking about Sutter? We keep conjuring the ghost—but we don’t deal with it. We gonna have to deal with it, and we’re gonna deal with it in this one.”
Richardson Jackson has revered The Piano Lesson ever since she saw her husband play Boy Willie at Yale Rep. “You can mess around and put different clothes on it, but you have to leave that language alone, because what he’s written is sacrosanct to me,” says the director, who was nominated for a 2014 Tony for best actress for Lorraine Hansberry’s Raisin in the Sun and later played Calpurnia in Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. “I’m quick to tell everyone: August Wilson didn’t create the language, but he was able to capture it better than anyone that I have ever read or seen. He writes it and I hear my grandparents.” Wilson’s dialogue, she says, reminds her of her grandfather going off to play checkers and “talk smack.”
Wilson’s monumental 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle, of which The Piano Lesson is a part, captures the joys and undeniable challenges of Black life in earthy, colloquial, poetic, mysterious language that both reveals and obscures the intentions of the main characters. When I ask Richardson Jackson if she plans to reimagine any of the parts in The Piano Lesson—as Sorkin did when he amped up Calpurnia’s role in Mockingbird—she says, “The way August wrote Berniece, she’s dynamic already. She’s already ahead of the game. And with the embodiment of Danielle Brooks, it’s going to the next level.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/samuel-l-jackson-john-david-washington-the-piano-lesson | 2022-09-14T16:24:21Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/samuel-l-jackson-john-david-washington-the-piano-lesson | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
What does Sarah Niles know about performance anxiety? The British actor, who plays the unflappable sports psychologist Dr. Sharon Fieldstone in the second season of Ted Lasso, did her homework for the role. She listened to LeBron James talk about mental preparedness; the immersive miniseries The Last Dance, about the rise of the Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan, was fresh in mind when she joined the cast. “I read a few books on sports psychology, but obviously I wouldn’t assume I could learn what takes years to know,” explains Niles, who garnered a “surprise” supporting actress nomination for the part—one of 20 nods for Ted Lasso, which once again took home the top prize for a comedy series at the 2022 Emmys on Monday night. When asked if she relates to such pre-game nerves, her reply is emphatic: “Absolutely 100%!” It’s an email interview, but Niles’s warmth is palpable—quite unlike the inscrutable therapist who arrives at AFC Richmond’s HQ. “I’m still learning to accept being vulnerable and doubting myself. I have also learnt that vulnerability is my superpower,” she says of the “real human touch” that manifests onscreen. It’s a worthwhile exercise, endeavoring to figure out which internal narratives have outstayed their welcome. “I talk to myself about slaying dragons—my challenges,” she says. “Not all dragons need to be slayed.”
The metaphor made all the more sense when Niles turned up on the Emmys red carpet, looking like a benevolent queen from a kingdom blessed with deep gold reserves. “I thought about existence and royalty,” she explains of her initial inspirations—ancient Egypt, Cleopatra—which played out in an opulent dress by Gaurav Gupta and Boucheron earrings that radiated like sunbeams. “I have never been on the red carpet at the Emmys before, and I know here in the US you know and do glamour so, so well. I wanted to step out that way.” A wash of metallic shadow illuminated her eyelids, with glowing skin finessed by makeup artist Jessica Smalls; nail artist Temeka Jackson continued the theme with honey-gold tips. In lieu of a monarch’s crown, the look was finished with a show-stopping swirl of box braids, accented with delicate gold wire. As hairstylist Dionne Smith explains, pharaonic rule was just the start of the discussion. “Then we were thinking, ‘How can we incorporate some culture into it?’”
Niles’s press appearances leading up to the Emmys offered an opportunity for creative play. “These last four or five days, it’s all been about textured hair,” Smith says, from a voluminous Afro to sleek, center-parted curls. The two women have been working together for the past year. “She’s more than a client—we hang out, we go for breakfast, we chat,” the hairstylist says. That kind of camaraderie feels especially fitting for a Ted Lasso star heading out for a career-high evening. As hair and makeup got underway in the hotel room, a soundtrack of Studio One songs (what some have termed the Motown of Jamaica) set the mood. “We grew up to that kind of music. I think, for Sarah, it was her way of calming herself down,” says Smith. The hairstylist recalls seeing a Ted Lasso promo item on the bed, with ”BELIEVE” in big letters—an homage to the sign that the goofily optimistic coach (Emmy winner Jason Sudeikis) tapes above the locker-room door. For Lasso, winning every game isn’t the point; ditto the statue for Niles this time around. Instead, the actor shares the folk wisdom from the series that has stuck with her: “The truth will set you free. To be unashamedly yourself, stand in your truth.”
Niles dispenses clear-headed advice as readily as her therapist counterpart. The public-facing careers so many of us have (the actor’s back catalog includes roles in I May Destroy You and Catastrophe, along with a raft of theater credits) have a way of needling at a person’s insecurities. “The anxiety can often chokehold you and take all the beauty and joy out of what we do. If we name it and accept it, I feel it gets a little easier,” she says. “That’s not to say it’s an easy task. But so far it’s working for me.” Staying busy with work and rooted in family life acted as twin ballasts in the lead-up to this awards show—a bundle of emotions that had her “thrilled and nervous and excited and ever so grateful.”
Next, for the upcoming series Riches (a joint effort from Amazon Studio and ITV), Niles changes gears, playing a “lovable villain” who is married to a cosmetics magnate. “It is the first story of a rich Black family in the UK, and we’ve had some challenges with it,” she says. It’s hard to imagine Niles on the morally flawed end of the spectrum; she found her way by leaning into the humanity of this character—“what’s at stake and what is she fighting to hold on to.” That fictional beauty world, in all its messiness, abuts her own experience on the step-and-repeat. “Riches really taught me a lot about advocating how you are seen on the red carpet,” Niles says, reflecting on the evening’s team effort. “The glam to me is both an enjoyable and political act of taking ownership of Black beauty. The beauty of women. To be seen.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/09/emmys-2022-sarah-niles-getting-ready-ted-lasso | 2022-09-14T16:24:27Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/09/emmys-2022-sarah-niles-getting-ready-ted-lasso | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Michelle Branch and Patrick Carney are rethinking getting a divorce one month after first announcing their split.
On Tuesday, a judge signed off on the couple's request to suspend their divorce proceedings for six months. During that time, Branch and Carney may undergo counseling to address any ongoing issues in their marriage. And, at the end of that time period, they will decide whether or not they want to go through with the divorce. The court documents filed in Tennessee and obtained by People state, “As evidenced by the signatures below, that the parties, Michelle Jacquet Branch and Patrick James Carney, are seeking a suspension of the divorce proceedings in this cause to effect reconciliation. The parties may participate in counseling services to effectuate reconciliation and/or may resume living together as husband and wife and their acts and conduct in doing so shall not be determined condonation of any prior misconduct and all acts or actions by the parties prior to the entry of this order shall remain and constitute grounds for divorce.”
Branch first announced that she and her husband of three years had decided to go their separate ways in August, confirming the news in a statement to TMZ. “To say that I am totally devastated doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family,” she said at the time. “The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward. With such small children, I ask for privacy and kindness.” Her statement came shortly after the outlet reported that Branch had accused the Black Keys member of cheating on her while she was home with their six-month-old in a since-deleted tweet. The couple are parents to two children, a four-year-old son, Rhys James, and a daughter named Willie who was born earlier this year. Branch also shares a 17-year-old, Owen Isabelle, who goes by they/them pronouns, with her ex-husband, Teddy Landau. The morning after that statement was made, Branch was taken into custody and booked for domestic assault before being released on a $1,000 bond.
While the past month has been a chaotic one in her personal life, Branch recently revealed to People that she has found solace in both therapy and music. She told the outlet, “I definitely shouldn't have taken to Twitter to say anything. Here I am saying, ‘Please respect our privacy,’ but I'm the one who said it to the world. Where was patron saint Stevie [Nicks] in the ether during that to be like, 'You don't need to share this?'” She added that seeing a professional has been a huge help, saying, “I can't speak more highly about reaching out and talking to somebody if you need to. That—and my girlfriends—have helped me immensely. Especially given that I'm a mom and have so many things going on, making the time to talk to somebody is really important.” Branch also said that her close friend Kacey Musgraves, who went through her own very public divorce in 2020, advised her to pour it all into her work. “I feel like it's going to be exactly what my heart needs right now,” she said of her upcoming shows. “It will be very, very cathartic. I don't know what I would be doing if I didn't have that distraction.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/09/michelle-branch-patrick-carney-suspend-divorce-six-months-work-on-marriage-new-music | 2022-09-14T16:24:33Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/09/michelle-branch-patrick-carney-suspend-divorce-six-months-work-on-marriage-new-music | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
On Friday, King Charles III announced that Prince William and Kate Middleton would officially become the Prince and Princess of Wales. William would take on the title that his father had held for more than 60 years, and Kate would take on the title that Queen Consort Camilla had eschewed out of respect for the late Princess Diana. For his first official action after the announcement, William released a straightforward yet emotional statement about his sadness over the loss of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
“I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real,” he said. “I thank her for the kindness she showed my family and me. And I thank her on behalf of my generation for providing an example of service and dignity in public life that was from a different age, but always relevant to us all.”
His second official action was much more surprising. On Saturday afternoon, a spokesperson told Reuters that William had invited Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to join him and Kate on a previously scheduled walkabout. The two couples spoke to well-wishers who were leaving tributes to the queen near the gates of Windsor Castle. It was the first time the couples had been seen together outside of a larger family event since a polo match in July 2019, and a far cry from the Platinum Jubilee service of thanksgiving in June, where they were seated on opposite sides of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
On Wednesday morning, Harry and William walked side-by-side behind their father and his siblings as the late queen’s coffin made its final journey from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster. Later, the two couples stood next to each other in the procession as her casket was carried inside.
We’ve gotten so used to needing body language experts to decode what is going on between these two very different couples that to simply see them together, though in mourning garb, has felt like a breakthrough. That such a simple tribute to the grandmother they both adored could feel like such a surprise speaks to exactly how fraught the brothers’ relationship had become. In fall 2018, Vanity Fair first reported that there was “tension” in the brothers’ relationship, but it wasn’t until after Meghan and Harry announced their royal exit in January 2020 that the extent of the rift became clear. With all this history, is it realistic to think that a single walk through Windsor could fix it all?
It’s too soon to tell if the brothers are permanently mending their rift. In a Sunday report for the Telegraph, a royal insider revealed that the Saturday meeting was impromptu and “time-limited.” The beginning of the planned walkabout was even delayed by 45 minutes because Harry and Meghan needed time to change after receiving the invitation. Another royal source explained their reasoning. “Both he and the Princess of Wales felt that the focus should solely be on this period of deep mourning and nothing else,” said the source. “That the focus should only be on his late grandmother.”
Time has revealed that the Fab Four idea floated when Meghan joined the family—a team of royal superheroes working together on charity projects to improve the world—was likely a media creation. But that doesn’t mean that both couples don’t have a role to play in supporting the monarchy as Charles takes the throne. All four might see a shift in their roles and titles as time goes on. For William and Kate, these shifts have long been in the works, but for Meghan and Harry, how welcome in the royal fold they will be in the future is still up in the air. But a reunion could go a long way in easing Charles’s transition onto the throne.
It wasn’t inevitable that Charles would announce William and Kate as the Prince and Princess of Wales last Friday. Though some titles, like the Duke of Cornwall or the Duke of Rothesay, are automatic, the heir apparent’s traditional appellation comes at the discretion of the monarch. But during his brief message to the grieving nation, the king announced that his longtime title would be going to his son, emphasizing Will’s and Kate’s shifting roles in the reign.
Though Charles himself was heir apparent from the age of three, he was not given the title until he turned 10. In 1969, after he took a summer course in the Welsh language, he was fêted in a lavish ceremony. Earlier this year, a source told Vanity Fair’s DYNASTY podcast that William’s investiture would likely be scaled back and less antiquated. (Though William and Kate used to live in Wales back in 2013, William’s command of the language is probably rusty, so let’s hope that he does not have to deliver a speech like his father did.)
On Friday, Charles also announced that William would now take the reins at the Duchy of Cornwall. The Duchy of Cornwall is a hundreds-of-years-old trust that is held in perpetuity for the heir to the throne, providing an income to support them in their work. With the knowledge that he would spend the lion’s share of his life as the Prince of Wales, King Charles transformed the duchy into a multimillion-pound business that does licensing deals, organic farming, and real estate development. For the financial year that ended in March, Charles took home 23 million British pounds in income from the trust, though it’s not clear how the current economic situation might affect William’s income in the future.
Another effect of the announcement is that Princess Diana’s title will be given to a new person for the first time since her death in 1997. For Kate, this is the culmination of a process that began more than a decade ago, when William proposed with the sapphire engagement ring that adorned his mother’s finger for part of her life. Since the beginning of her marriage to William, Kate has pursued charitable causes that have an impact on British society, such as reducing stigma around mental illness and promoting the importance of early childhood education. They aren’t exactly the issues Diana pursued, but they have similarly altruistic motivations. | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/09/queens-death-relationship-between-william-and-harry | 2022-09-14T16:24:39Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/09/queens-death-relationship-between-william-and-harry | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Ryan Reynolds took his fans along with him while getting a medical procedure done in hopes of raising awareness about colon cancer, especially in men.
The actor released a video on his YouTube channel on Tuesday in which he undergoes his first ever colonoscopy and discovers that he had a small polyp on his colon. To shed light on this illness and it's preventability, Reynolds teamed up with Lead From Behind, a colon cancer awareness organization that works in association with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance to encourage people to get the procedure done regularly, as well as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney.
In the video, the two actors explain that they made a bet that if McElhenney learned to speak Welsh, Reynolds would allow the cameras to trail him for the procedure. “He was so sure he said he'd publicly broadcast his colonoscopy if I could do it,” McElhenney announced in Welsh via subtitles. But the Deadpool star added that he also wanted to do this to show how one “simple step” can “literally save your life.” Reynolds continued, “I would never normally have any medical procedure put on camera and then shared. But it’s not every day that you can raise awareness about something that will most definitely save lives. That’s enough motivation for me to let you in on a camera being shoved up my ass.”
During the colonoscopy, the doctor found an “extremely subtle polyp” on the right side of his colon which was immediately removed. As the doctor showed Reynolds the images of the tissue in his colon, he said, “This was potentially life-saving for you—I’m not kidding, I’m not being overly dramatic. This is exactly why you do this. You had no symptoms.” He added, “You are interrupting the natural history of a disease of something of a process that could have ended up developing into cancer and causing all sorts of problems.”
When McElhenney underwent the procedure, they found three polyps in his colon, which the doctor said “were not a big deal, but certainly a good thing that we found them early and removed them.” Going into the procedure, the actor joked, “I figure I can't go wrong in terms of comparing myself to Ryan. They either find nothing and that means my colon was cleaner than his, or they find a polyp and it's either bigger than his, which is awesome, or it's smaller than his, which means I had less of an opportunity to have cancer—either way, I win.” The pair then concluded the video by sharing a message written across a black screen that read, “Colon cancer is preventable. If you’re 45 years or older, ask your doctor about getting a colonoscopy. And help Rob and Ryan kick cancer’s ass.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/09/ryan-reynolds-colonoscopy-video-rob-mcelhenney-lead-from-behind-colon-cancer-awareness | 2022-09-14T16:24:45Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/09/ryan-reynolds-colonoscopy-video-rob-mcelhenney-lead-from-behind-colon-cancer-awareness | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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Confessions of a Community College Dean
In which a veteran of cultural studies seminars in the 1990s moves into academic administration and finds himself a married suburban father of two. Foucault, plus lawn care.
Title
‘1 Flat Tire Away’
Public transportation and college access.
“Students are one flat tire away from dropping out of school.” —Abigail Seldin
Yes, they are. It’s a complicated issue.
When I TAed at Rutgers, I didn’t worry much about how students got to class. Since I mostly taught first-year students, they generally lived on campus or close to it, and Rutgers has a large internal bus system. The major transportation issue was parking. For the most part, I could give quizzes in the first few minutes of class and not have to worry about folks showing up late.
When I got to DeVry, that changed. The campus was on a congested highway—what some urban planners call a “stroad”—and traffic could be a nightmare. Even with the best of intentions, some students couldn’t make it on time. More annoyingly, I had classes that ran until 1:50, but the last bus for the afternoon left campus at 1:30, so a few students would slink out early. I hadn’t seen that before, and it forced some adjustments to how I used class time. Other students drove, but their cars (or their rides) were often unreliable. The rigorous attendance policies that faculty were encouraged to use often flew in the face of student circumstances.
The “student basic needs” movement has made great strides since then. Community colleges in particular have been more intentional about addressing nonacademic barriers to student success like food, housing and transportation. The ASAP program at CUNY got the results it did in part because it provided students with subway passes. When a college in Ohio decided to replicate ASAP there, it used gas cards instead. It got good results—until the money ran out.
For those of us who don’t have local subways at our disposal, buses are typically the most relevant public transit option. Working with them can be more complicated than one might guess.
For example, buses usually keep two schedules: one for weekdays and the other for weekends and holidays. If student demand were consistent across weekdays, that wouldn’t be a problem. But student demand tends to fluctuate during the week, often peaking in the first part of the week and tailing off as the week goes on. That makes it hard to hit the levels of overall ridership needed to sustain a route. Summers compound the issue, due both to reduced demand and (often) to changed class schedules. Reaching a critical mass of riders may be easy on a Tuesday in October but much harder on a Thursday in July.
Even allowing for the issues around critical mass of ridership, access to stops can be an issue. A few years ago, I decided to see how long it would take me to get to campus without driving. Getting to the first stop would be the hardest part, but even after that, we’re looking at hours in each direction. Most suburbs simply weren’t built with public transportation in mind. Even with a willingness to look at buses, putting enough stops in enough places (and generating enough ridership at each to justify it) can be a problem. People live too far apart.
Perversely, COVID may have mitigated the issue somewhat. Colleges were forced to develop remote capabilities, whether they wanted to or not. The smarter ones have made a point of learning lessons from quarantine that they can carry forward as (I hope) COVID fades away. Expanded online and remote options can mitigate short-term transportation issues, particularly when colleges have HyFlex capability at scale. But that doesn’t work for hands-on programs or clinicals, and the students who are relegated to remote delivery may feel like they’re being treated as second-class. If we want a fully inclusive campus environment, we need to ensure that students can actually get to campus.
For a while, colleges mitigated transportation issues by opening branch campuses and off-campus locations, but that trend has largely stalled or even reversed. With enrollment drops and the growth of online and remote options, it’s harder to get critical mass at multiple locations than it once was, making the overhead harder to justify.
The key point about transportation is just how local it is. Bicycles work well in some settings, but they aren’t great in the Northeast in February. I’ve had the experience of seeing public bus access to a location get delayed because the building was on a private road, and the other tenants were concerned that buses would accelerate the aging of the pavement. You can’t make this stuff up.
Still, I’m glad to see the issue of public transportation as a student success issue get some attention. Public transportation is much more than that, of course, but to the extent that new visibility helps agreements gain momentum, I’m all for it. Education is too important to sacrifice to car trouble.
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- Students largely don't mind remote work for campus employees | https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/%E2%80%981-flat-tire-away%E2%80%99 | 2022-09-14T16:26:08Z | insidehighered.com | control | https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/%E2%80%981-flat-tire-away%E2%80%99 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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Higher Ed Gamma
MOOCs and beyond.
Title
The Path Not Taken
A holistic program of financial, academic and personal supports targeting community college students would provide a bigger payoff than one-time debt relief.
What if instead of debt relief the White House had instead decided to scale a holistic approach to student success for low-income students at community colleges? The political payoff would be less, but the impact would be far greater.
The single biggest problem facing students from low-income backgrounds is that the return on investment from higher education is too uncertain.
A number of recent Inside Higher Ed pieces detail the ROI crisis. While over all the payoff from a college degree far exceeds the cost, for undergraduates from low-income backgrounds, the benefits are far less certain.
We’re all familiar with the facts:
- Fewer than 20 percent of those who attend a community college earn an associate degree or a certificate.
- Fewer than half of those students who successfully transfer from a two-year to a four-year institution complete a bachelor’s degree within six years.
- A substantial proportion (as much as 40 percent) of those who do earn a degree wind up making no more than those who only received a high school diploma 10 years after enrollment.
- A very substantial minority of college graduates (41 percent in 2020) don’t work in a field related to their degree.
- The top quarter of high school graduates outearn those in the bottom quarter, and the top half of high school–only graduates earn about the same as the bottom half of those who attended or graduated from college.
The results: wasted time, effort and money. Sunk opportunity costs. And, in many instances, demoralization, disappointment and disillusionment.
As Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce reported:
“Thirty-one percent of workers with no more than a high school diploma earn more than half of workers with an associate’s degree. Likewise, 28 percent of workers with an associate’s degree earn more than half of workers with a bachelor’s degree and 36 percent of workers with a bachelor’s degree earn more than half of workers with a master’s degree.”
Completion and postgraduation earnings outcomes hinge to a very high degree on a student’s major and the institution attended—and correlate closely with high school GPA, standardized test scores, parental income, remediation requirements, declared major and college credits attempted in the first semester.
Yet we know what to do. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.
The solution involves:
- Financial supports: Need-based financial aid including tuition waivers, free use of textbooks and free public transportation.
- Academic supports: Bridge programs to prepare entering students for success in writing, mathematics and science courses and that include cultural events, team-building exercises and skills-building workshops; ready access to professional academic advisers, tutors, mentors, supplemental instruction and math, science and writing learning-support centers; and enrollment in seminars and linked courses that involve active, experiential and project-based learning and provide regular, substantive feedback from instructors.
- Personal supports: Personal, career and financial counseling, skills-building and career development workshops, ready access to professional advisers, transfer and career specialists, counselors and academic coaches.
It’s not rocket science.
Independent, external evaluations of the City University of New York’s ASAP program by MDRC using randomized controlled trials found that ASAP almost doubled graduation rates, from 22 percent to 40 percent, after three years. Replication at community colleges in Ohio showed similar results
The secrets of academic success aren’t an enigma. The 10 pillars of student success are straightforward:
- Remove barriers to full-time attendance
- Enhance onboarding
- Provide a robust first-year experience
- Implement data-informed proactive advising
- Institute early exposure to career planning
- Guarantee access to required courses
- Offer comprehensive, coordinated academic, financial, disability, personal and career services
- Expand access to classes aligned with students’ career goals that offer active and experiential learning opportunities
- Foster a success-oriented mind-set and sense of belonging
- Remove institutional obstacles to success (for example, policies that impede credit transfer and course schedules that conflict with students’ work and caregiving responsibilities).
Other steps that can raise graduation rates and promote postcollege success include completion grants, access to graduation concierges (to expedite completion), mandatory advising, tutoring and career counseling, scholarships to cover the cost of enrolling in courses offered during the summer or semester breaks, seamless credit transfer, co-enrollment in two- and four-year institutions, and expanded access to workforce credentialing programs.
What works successfully at community colleges can also work at broad-access four-year institutions.
Currently, much of the discussion of innovation focuses on faster, cheaper alternatives to traditional degrees, including apprenticeships, stackable nondegree certificates and competency-based and individualized, self-paced, self-directed programs.
For some students, these may well be desirable options. But lower cost, in and of itself, ought not be our goal. Most students, I am convinced, need something more:
- Intensive interaction with a scholar-teacher and classmates.
- Regular, substantive feedback from a subject area specialist and peers.
- Active, project- and team-based learning, including discussion and debate and peer critique.
- Skills development in the areas of written and oral communication, numeracy and critical thinking.
- Three-hundred-and-sixty-degree support, including intensive academic, financial, personal and career advising.
A recent report by the Community College Resource Center sums up its most recent findings. It recommends:
- Helping every entering student identify a pathway of interest.
- Providing every new student with an individualized degree map.
- Making sure that all students have access to a clearly and intentionally designed program of study aligned with their interests and career aspirations.
- Better preparing students to be effective learners in all their courses, not just math and composition.
- Scheduling courses and revising traditional academic calendars to better accommodate students’ work and family responsibilities.
- Giving all students the opportunity to take courses on topics of interest from the start.
- Embedding active and experiential learning in all degree pathways.
- Ensuring that every student receive an individualized degree map.
- Connecting to an academic and career community for example, through a meta-major or learning community that cuts across department divides.
- Monitoring student progress and intervening proactively when students are off-track.
Expensive? Yes. But the cost is much lower than the perhaps $1 trillion of one-time debt relief that the Biden administration recently proposed. It’s also forward-facing: ensuring that future students will be more likely to achieve the benefits of a college degree.
Programs like ASAP offer evidence-based, cost-efficient solutions to a host of challenges: the completion challenge, the time-to-degree challenge, the transfer challenge and the postgraduation ROI challenge. These programs should serve as our lodestar.
If we are truly serious about equity and closing attainment gaps, we know what to do. Let’s just do it.
Steven Mintz is professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin.
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- Students largely don't mind remote work for campus employees | https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/path-not-taken | 2022-09-14T16:26:18Z | insidehighered.com | control | https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/path-not-taken | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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Higher Ed Policy
Observations and discussion on the most current and compelling issues in higher education policy.
Title
We’re in a Moment: Making Community College Tuition-Free
In conversation with Chris Geary, Senior Policy Analyst, Center on Education & Labor, New America.
Chris, I reached out to you after reading your blog post, Free Tuition Could Solve Community College Enrollment Woes, at the New America blog. Why do you think that free tuition is a solution?
The skyrocketing cost of college is one of the most significant barriers to college access and completion. All efforts to make college affordable–especially those that involve free tuition plans–will help increase enrollment. But let’s back up and contextualize this current moment.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, community college enrollments have plummeted by nearly 17 percent. These enrollment declines have been particularly pronounced for Black male and Native American male students. Given this, and that community colleges serve more than half of all undergraduate students from low-income families, community college enrollment declines threaten to worsen pre-existing educational inequities.
Despite these national trends, recent enrollment data from Maine suggest that making community college tuition-free can stabilize community college enrollment. Only four months after announcing the Free College Scholarship–which covers 100% of tuition and fees for recent Maine high school graduates to attend any of the state’s seven community colleges–Maine’s community college enrollment increased by 12% from the year before. This increase reflects findings from prior research that found colleges with free tuition had significant enrollment increases when compared to nearby colleges without free tuition. Importantly, free tuition plans are associated with particularly large enrollment gains for Black and Latino students, which makes free community college a promising strategy to both increase enrollment and advance racial equity in higher education.
Making community college tuition-free would positively impact many students, but by itself, will not prevent students from accumulating debt, nor will it fully offset the racial and economic inequities inherent in higher education. But, there is incredible power in the simplicity of the free college message that can motivate students to enroll, or re-enroll, in college. The value in this can’t be ignored. Even though free community college won’t solve the affordability crisis in higher education, it is a powerful, relatable strategy to ensure more people can access college. Because of this, higher education leaders and advocates need to work to make community college tuition-free as a first step towards ensuring all Americans can afford higher education.
The readership at Inside Higher Ed is largely from the higher ed sector. What role can college and university leaders play in moving the needle on policy issues related to making college more affordable?
College and university leaders can play a significant role in making higher education more affordable by advocating for policy change at the state and federal level. Higher education leaders are uniquely positioned to advocate for change, given that they can translate the experiences of their students into meaningful examples of what’s working–and what’s not–across college and university campuses. By leveraging student experiences, sharing data that captures relevant trends on their campuses, and by translating academic research into concrete action steps, higher education leaders can move policymakers to craft legislation that makes college affordable.
To make community college tuition-free, it would be particularly impactful if higher education leaders and scholars from different disciplines worked together to craft comprehensive arguments that support free-tuition plans. Economists, sociologists, education policy researchers, and historians may all have different reasons for why community college should be tuition-free and the different perspectives on this issue may influence relevant policymakers to take action.
What are some best practice examples of ways that higher ed leaders have engaged with state and federal elected officials in making community college tuition-free?
Higher education leaders can most effectively advocate for tuition-free community college if they link the importance of free tuition with the current moment we face. When we look towards New Mexico to see how they recently passed free in-state tuition at all two-and four-year institutions statewide, we see evidence of advocates–including higher ed leaders–connecting the need to make college tuition-free with the hyper relevant debate regarding COVID-19 induced labor shortages. In doing so, advocates in New Mexico were able to build a broad base of support for free tuition, as residents statewide understood the need to increase the labor supply, and saw how free tuition at colleges and universities could help prepare more people to enter the workforce.
If higher education leaders can connect the research on the benefits of free community college with topical debates–like economic recovery from COVID-19, addressing labor shortages, and enhancing economic mobility for people with low incomes–they will be well suited to help make free community college a reality across the country.
Mary Churchill is professor of the practice and director of the higher education administration program at Boston University where she also serves as associate dean. She is co-author of When Colleges Close: Leading in a Time of Crisis.
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Bomb Explodes at Northeastern, Injuring 1
A bomb exploded in a package that had been delivered to Northeastern University Tuesday night, The New York Times reported. One employee, a 45-year-old man, was hospitalized with a minor hand injury.
The incident took place in Holmes Hall, which houses the university’s writing center.
The university canceled classes in six buildings near the explosion last night.
At 11:28 Tuesday night, the university said, “The Boston Police Department’s Bomb Squad, Boston Emergency Management Services, and other law enforcement agencies are at the scene investigating. The building was evacuated and evening classes in nearby buildings were canceled on the Boston campus. Several notifications were sent to the campus community urging people to avoid the area. The scene is currently contained and the campus is secured. NUPD is increasing patrols and security across the campus. At this time, we expect the campus to be open and fully operational tomorrow.”
Other universities in the area, including Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told students about the bomb and asked to be told of anything out of the ordinary.
This year has seen numerous bomb threats against historically Black colleges and other institutions.
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Jewelry customers can shop digital fashion, try-on using augmented reality technology and purchase physical product
DALLAS, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Banter by Piercing Pagoda is redefining and expanding the idea of jewelry for self-expression, while offering an exciting new way to shop virtual and phygital jewelry styles. The brand enters the Metaverse with the launch of a six-piece collection in partnership with DRESSX, the leading global platform for digital fashion. Combining Banter by Piercing Pagoda's innovative jewelry styles with DRESSX's metaverse leadership, this partnership will push the boundaries of self-expression and personal style with a new, fun way to shop; share looks on social; and build your Metacloset.
The Banter by Piercing Pagoda x DRESSX partnership consists of six jewelry styles offered exclusively on DRESSX. Three of the styles are digital-only, featuring elements that play outside the world of physics, creating a stylish and unique digital identity. These pieces reimagine what jewelry can be in the digital world, featuring styles with gems that change colors, an astrology necklace that writes the stars on your cheek, and even a gold tattoo. There will also be three 'phygital' styles, inspired by In Real Life (IRL) Banter product. These three pieces will be available for purchase as a digital product via DRESSX and the IRL inspiration styles can be purchased at Banter's stores and online.
The Banter by Piercing Pagoda x DRESSX collaboration is a fully integrated, cross-platform user experience connecting physical, digital, and experiential elements, accessed on the DressX app, DRESSX.com, Banter.com, Banter stores, and Snapchat. Using these platforms, customers can shop digital fashion, try-on jewelry using Augmented Reality (AR) technology, purchase styles to add to their virtual closets, and purchase the physical item for three phygital styles.
Using AR technology, users can shop the collection by trying-on each piece and exploring how 3D jewelry and animated styles augment their real-world look. While shopping, customers can take videos or images of their digital looks to share on their social media accounts free of charge. Users are also able to purchase select digital fashion accessories for $1.99 in the DRESSX app, which automatically adds the item to their Metacloset to style their look anytime, anywhere. For customers who want a custom fitted digital look, they can upload a photo of themselves to have a digital jewelry piece of their choice fitted to their image for $40.
Banter by Piercing Pagoda is the first brand in Signet Jewelers' portfolio to enter the Metaverse, and the collaboration is DRESSX's first-ever partnership with a major jewelry brand.
"We are thrilled to partner with DRESSX to create our first-ever virtual and phygital jewelry collection," said Kecia Caffie, President, Banter by Piercing Pagoda. "This partnership is one more way we're meeting our customers where they are and promoting self-expression through fashion. Collaborating with DRESSX will help Banter by Piercing Pagoda, and our parent, Signet Jewelers, start our journey to be the brand consumers look to for expressing their unapologetic and daring personal style in the virtual and real worlds."
"DRESSX is proud to partner with Banter by Piercing Pagoda, bringing the brand's new fine jewelry collection to the Metaverse. United in our mission to celebrate creativity and self-expression, the fine jewelry collection is available in augmented reality on the DRESSX app and will allow the brand's fans to try on the new styles in just a couple of clicks anytime and anywhere around the world. We are excited to see Banter exploring the digital realm, and we truly believe that the new virtual layer will only strengthen the brand's reputation as the innovator in the world of fine jewelry," said Daria Shapovalova and Natalia Modenova, co-founders at DRESSX.
The Banter by Piercing Pagoda x DRESSX collection will be available from September 14 to November 13 and will be available on the DRESSX app and DRESSX.com.
Banter by Piercing Pagoda remains the leader in ear and other piercings. As the nation's largest specialty kiosk retailer, Banter by Piercing Pagoda's history is one of serving and satisfying customers with an extensive selection of popularly priced 10K and 14K gold chains, charms, bracelets, rings, and earrings, as well as a variety of silver and diamond jewelry. Visit www.banter.com to view Banter by Piercing Pagoda's latest styles or to find a location near you. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram, Pinterest , and YouTube. Banter by Piercing Pagoda, is part of the Signet Jewelers Limited, the world's largest retailer of diamond jewelry.
DRESSX is a Metacloset of digital-only clothes, NFT fashion items and AR looks. A year after its launch, DRESSX became the world's largest digital fashion store targeting Gen Z and Millennials who demand a new shopping solution - digital, sustainable, and affordable. The company was named one of the finalists of LVMH Innovation Award 2022 in the category 3D/Virtual Product Experience & Metaverse. DRESSX is a female-led, female founded metafashion company. DRESSX products are: website, NFT marketplace, and iOS app.
Media Contact:
Nike Communications Contact: Cali Lehr
Email: Banter@nikecomm.com
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SOURCE Banter by Piercing Pagoda | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/banter-by-piercing-pagoda-partners-with-dressx-launch-first-ever-virtual-phygital-fine-jewelry-collection-augmented-reality/ | 2022-09-14T16:27:39Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/banter-by-piercing-pagoda-partners-with-dressx-launch-first-ever-virtual-phygital-fine-jewelry-collection-augmented-reality/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Critical Path Institute (C-Path) has announced it will serve as the convener of the Critical Path for Rare Neurodegenerative Diseases (CP-RND), a new public-private partnership (PPP) to benefit people across multiple rare neurodegenerative diseases, supported by a grant from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Agency announced the PPP today in a press release.
"These innovative and collaborative approaches are needed to accelerate medical product development for the benefit of individuals living with these rare diseases, and their families," said Wainwright Fishburn, C-Path Board Chair. "I am thrilled about this partnership that will strengthen collaborations between C-Path, FDA and NIH, and bring together a diverse group of stakeholders."
C-Path's proven proficiencies will be leveraged to ensure the success of this effort, specifically the organization's track record in generating tangible solutions that have accelerated drug development in numerous diseases. This, together with the capabilities of its Rare Disease Cures Accelerator-Data and Analytics Platform (RDCA-DAP®) to integrate multiple patient-level data sources across rare diseases, will provide the foundation for leveraging advances in basic and clinical sciences, supported by NIH, and innovative regulatory science, supported by FDA.
In June, the FDA unveiled its Action Plan for Rare Neurodegenerative Diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) — a five-year strategy for improving and extending the lives of people with rare neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS, by advancing the development of safe and effective medical products and facilitating patient access to novel treatments. The plan was developed in accordance with the provisions of the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act, including the requirement to establish a public-private partnership this fiscal year.
"It is an honor for C-Path to be part of this transformative partnership with FDA and NIH. CP-RND will leverage all five of C-Path's core competencies — data management and standards, quantitative analytics and modeling, biomarkers, clinical outcome assessments and regulatory science — as well as C-Path's concentration areas from its neuroscience/neurology, pediatrics, and rare disease programs," explained Klaus Romero, M.D., M.S., F.C.P., C-Path's Chief Science Officer and Executive Director of Clinical Pharmacology. "This partnership with FDA and NIH will positively transform medical product development and make CP-RND a template for comprehensive and meaningful collaborative science."
As with previous PPPs at C-Path, CP-RND will provide a neutral environment for pre-competitive collaboration including, but not limited to industry, patients, advocacy groups, academia, non-profit organizations, and others, to come together and actively contribute to advance promising solutions for the benefit of these communities.
To learn more about C-Path's CP-RND, visit c-path.org/cp-rnd or contact the team at CP-RND@c-path.org.
Critical Path Institute (C-Path) is an independent, nonprofit organization established in 2005 as a public and private partnership. C-Path's mission is to catalyze the development of new approaches that advance medical innovation and regulatory science, accelerating the path to a healthier world. An international leader in forming collaborations, C-Path has established numerous global consortia that currently include more than 1,600 scientists from government and regulatory agencies, academia, patient organizations, disease foundations, and hundreds of pharmaceutical and biotech companies. C-Path U.S. is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, C-Path in Europe is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands and C-Path Ltd. operates from Dublin, Ireland with additional staff in multiple other locations. For more information, visit c-path.org.
Critical Path Institute is supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and is 54.2% funded by the FDA/HHS, totaling $13,239,950, and 45.8% funded by non-government source(s), totaling $11,196,634. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, FDA/HHS or the U.S. Government.
Contact:
Kissy Black
C-Path
615.310.1894
kblack@c-path.org
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SOURCE Critical Path Institute | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/c-path-awarded-fda-grant-establish-public-private-partnership-advance-treatments-rare-neurodegenerative-diseases/ | 2022-09-14T16:27:53Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/c-path-awarded-fda-grant-establish-public-private-partnership-advance-treatments-rare-neurodegenerative-diseases/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Frisco Business & Innovation Hub set to make debut at The Star in late 2023
DALLAS, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) today announced corporate expansion plans in North Texas with development underway for its new Business & Innovation Hub in Frisco.
To meet the evolving needs of its colleagues and customers, Comerica Bank will open the hub in a new office tower at 17 Cowboys Way at The Star development between late 2023 and early 2024. The building is currently under construction, with Comerica's tenant construction beginning later this year.
"This represents a significant investment in Comerica's strategic vision that will benefit all Comerica colleagues and customers," said Megan Crespi, Executive Vice President and Chief Enterprise Technology & Operations Services Officer. "Expanding our corporate headquarters footprint to one of the most desirable locations for business and innovation in the U.S. is positioning our bank for future success."
The new space will prioritize collaboration for our colleagues and feature enhanced technology to support mobility, while also supporting individual focus and productivity. Additionally, colleagues will have access to an innovation center to test new concepts and a tech genius bar.
The Frisco Business & Innovation Hub will house about 300 Comerica colleagues from a variety of teams, including technology and product management to front-line business units. The enhanced opportunities for cross-functional collaboration will allow Comerica to further promote digital and business innovation, as well as better meet the changing needs of its customer base. The company's Human Resources department will also be standing up new Learning and Interview Centers at the new office. Comerica will occupy retail space on the first floor of the multi-tenant building to support a banking center, customer entertainment and a community resource center.
"Frisco is known for cultivating an exceptional environment for businesses to thrive," added Brian Foley, Comerica's Texas Market President. "The hub's on-site amenities and prominent location will help to support our company's vision for future growth, including our ability to attract and retain top talent."
Comerica will have external signage at the top of the building and occupy floors nine through 11 of the Class A+ tower, with a balcony overlooking the surrounding facilities. The Star's mixed-use campus approach offers colleagues ample entertainment, sports, retail, residential, and educational opportunities, along with more beneficial amenities that will further enhance our colleagues' experience and attract new talent. The development is also conveniently accessible to major freeways.
Comerica's Business & Innovation Hub will be complementary to the company's headquarters in downtown Dallas. Executive offices, Commercial Bank, Wealth Management, Credit, and several other business units will continue to operate from the Comerica Bank Tower at 1717 Main Street.
Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank and Wealth Management. Comerica focuses on relationships, and helping people and businesses be successful. In addition to Texas, Comerica Bank locations can be found in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, with select businesses operating in several other states, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $86.9 billion as of June 30, 2022.
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SOURCE Comerica Incorporated | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/comerica-bank-unveils-plans-business-amp-innovation-hub-frisco-texas/ | 2022-09-14T16:28:05Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/comerica-bank-unveils-plans-business-amp-innovation-hub-frisco-texas/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Jamul Welcomes LGBTQ2S+ Community with Drag Performance
JAMUL, Calif., Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bringing a new level of glitz and glam to its live entertainment lineup, Jamul Casino will host its first ever drag show, Drag it Out on Saturday, September 17, 2022. The 8pm event will be at Jamul Casino's star-lit, open-air venue, The Rooftop. Featuring San Diego's top drag entertainers, the event promises to be a dazzling showcase of larger-than-life performances and celebrity impersonations. Located at 14145 Campo Road, Jamul Casino is San Diego's newest and closest casino offering fun for everyone with award-winning dining, thousands of gaming options, and live entertainment.
The Drag it Out show will bring together numerous renowned drag queens, including Paris Sukomi Max, Lala Too, Michele Ada, Disco Dollie, Keex Rose, Naomi Daniels, and the legendary Chad Michaels, one of the world's premier Cher impersonators.
Erica M. Pinto, Chairwoman of the Jamul Indian Village, states, says, "Drag it Out is a small way for us to embrace the LGBTQ2S+ community and express our desire to welcome people from all walks of life to our home and our nation. The event should be a blast—I can't wait to see what the divas have planned!"
Jamul Casino has a robust entertainment program, with a packed September schedule. In addition to Drag it Out, Jamul Casino will host a ladies night called Magic Mike XXL on September 24, 2022 with music, muscles, and dancing. Additional live entertainers throughout September include electric violinist Amy Serrano, bass singer Floyd Armstrong, Latin band Melodia Versatil, reggae band SM Familia, musician and composer Michael Raye, 80s hits cover band 80z All Starz, Cuban band Son y Clave, and many more, along with some of San Diego's most popular DJs. Also in September, Jamul Casino is promoting Monday Night LIVE $100,000 Punchout, offering one winner each hour on Mondays a $500 prize, and a chance to win up to $100,000. In celebration of Native American Day, Jamul Casino will be offering numerous promotions on September 23 and 24, 2022. The Casino is equipped with several venues for its live entertainment and promotions, including The Rooftop, JIVe Lounge, and the Casino Floor.
Opened in 2016, the Jamul Casino is located in Jamul, California, San Diego County, and is owned and operated by Jamul Indian Village Development Corporation (JIVDC), a wholly owned enterprise of the Tribe. The $430 million, award-winning casino features nearly 1,700 slot machines, 46 live table games, a dedicated poker room, and various restaurants, bars and lounges. Jamul Casino supports more than 1,000 permanent jobs in the region and is the closest casino to downtown San Diego, which is the eighth-largest city in the United States by population. For more information about Jamul Casino, please visit www.jamulcasinosd.com.
Media Contact: Beth Binger
BCIpr
619-987-6658
beth.binger@BCIpr.com
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SOURCE Jamul Casino | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/jamul-casino-hosts-first-drag-show-drag-it-out/ | 2022-09-14T16:30:03Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/jamul-casino-hosts-first-drag-show-drag-it-out/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Workers Triumph Over Attempted Union Busting
MADERA, Calif., Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Workers at Nutrablend, a subsidiary of Land of Lakes, have voted by more than a two-to-one margin to join Teamsters Local 517. The 67 workers are responsible for the production of animal feed.
"These workers stood strong in the face of a nasty anti-union campaign because they knew that Land of Lakes was making promises that they weren't going to fulfill," said Greg Landers, Local 517 Secretary-Treasurer. "We're looking forward to negotiating a contract that addresses the issues that they care about the most – ending favoritism, annual wage increases, improved health care and retirement benefits, protection against unjust retaliation, and more."
"This is an important victory in the ongoing fight to bring strong wages, a voice on the job and the benefits on middle class prosperity to all workers in the food supply chain," said Peter Finn, Teamsters Food Processing Division Director. "We're looking forward to negotiating a contract that reflects how valuable these men and women are to both their industry and their communities."
Teamsters Local 517 represents workers in a wide variety of industries throughout California's Central Valley. For more information go to https://www.teamsterslocal517.com/.
Contact:
Matt McQuaid, (202) 624-6877
mmcquaid@teamster.org
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SOURCE Teamsters Local 517 | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/nutrablend-workers-join-teamsters-local-517/ | 2022-09-14T16:30:56Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/nutrablend-workers-join-teamsters-local-517/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE), has commenced a five-day capacity training for 50 unemployed youths and women on sustainable agriculture in Kogi State.
The training is under the Post Sustainable Agricultural Development scheme of the NDE.
The Director General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, represented by the Kogi State Coordinator, Abubakar Zakari while declaring the training open on Wednesday in Lokoja, said that the empowerment scheme is aimed at equipping participants with advanced technological know-how on rural employment promotion.
He said that the Post Sustainable Agricultural Development initiative is an intervention policy of the federal government that has to do with Livestock Production, Food Processing and Packaging as well as digital marketing of agricultural products.
The facilitator of the training programme, Joshua Fagbemi representing the Director of Rural Employment Promotion Department at the NDE headquarters, Abuja, Duke Edem, said that the gesture is an intervention policy to assist unemployed persons with the modern knowledge of agriculture practices.
In his welcome address, the Head of Rural Employment Promotion Department of Kogi NDE Office, Shaibu Omeiza, urged the participants to take the training very seriously.
According to him, “This Programme is geared towards creating wealth and employment for the downtrodden youths and women in Kogi state”
He also enjoined the beneficiaries to see the opportunity as an advantage to ensure food security for all and self-reliance.
Responding on behalf of other participants, Jacob Abiodun commended the federal government for its numerous social investment programmes since the assumption of office.
He assured that the training will promote attitudinal change in their lives with a view for them to contribute their quota to end the menace of unemployment in Nigeria.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
- Insecurity: Northern Governors Endorse State Police
- NDE trains 50 unemployed youths, women on sustainable agriculture in Kogi | https://tribuneonlineng.com/nde-trains-50-unemployed-youths-women-on-sustainable-agriculture-in-kogi/ | 2022-09-14T16:31:06Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/nde-trains-50-unemployed-youths-women-on-sustainable-agriculture-in-kogi/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Steinberg is best known for his work building athletes into stand-alone brands. He is the real-life inspiration for the Oscar-winning film Jerry Maguire.
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif., Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leigh Steinberg has represented many of the most successful athletes and coaches in sports including the number one overall pick in the NFL draft for an unprecedented eight times. In 1996, the famous catchphrase "Show me the money" from the Cameron Crow film Jerry Maguire took on a painful meaning when Steinberg was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2012. His downward spiral was fueled by alcoholism, bad investments, and unethical actions by one of his partners.
Leigh Steinberg
"Well, when you've had Tom Cruise play you, anything else is a comedown."
Steinberg shares his comeback and his most recent book, The Agent: My 40-Year Career of Making Deals and Changing the Game. He details his decades of dominance in the sports industry and sheds light on overcoming his personal struggles.
https://steinbergsports.com/en/
Post-Traumatic Thriving is a podcast that addresses the toughest issues around trauma and recovery. Unresolved trauma is the #1 problem facing humanity, with 66% to 85% of all college-age people having experienced at least one traumatic event.
Unresolved trauma fuels self-medication, depression, and violent crime. Unprocessed, trauma can lead to suicide, the leading cause of death in the United States according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Post-Traumatic Thriving host, Dr. Randall Bell is a sociologist specializing in disaster recovery projects. "We can tap into trauma and make it the fuel to thrive," says Dr. Randall Bell, author of the bestselling book, POST-TRAUMATIC THRIVING.
Post-Traumatic Thriving co-host, Ms. Tanya Brown, MA, author of FINDING PEACE AMID THE CHAOS. The 1994 death of Tanya's sister Nicole Brown Simpson generated a media frenzy around O.J. Simpson. Today, she is a celebrity author, and a motivational speaker and life coach. When facing trauma Tanya said, "You need to ask for help."
Core IQ https://www.coreiq.com/ is a non-profit organization that produces the podcast.
Post-Traumatic Thriving is available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Links:
https://www.tiktok.com/@posttraumaticthrivingpod
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8ZeUuGqzsYdJmhr2JHD2ag
https://www.instagram.com/coreiq/
https://www.facebook.com/coreiqskills
https://www.linkedin.com/company/coreiqinc/about/?viewAsMember=true
https://twitter.com/coreiq
Mel Levy mel@coreiq.com 949-497-7600
Reviews, photos, and interviews available upon request.
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SOURCE Core IQ, Inc. | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/post-traumatic-thriving-podcast-hosts-leigh-steinberg-sports-agent-inspiration-jerry-maguire/ | 2022-09-14T16:31:30Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/post-traumatic-thriving-podcast-hosts-leigh-steinberg-sports-agent-inspiration-jerry-maguire/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
How The Cash Meows: Dust Up Over Vision Bank & Salem\nDave Portzline says they would “put any other” of your business out to sea with a better solution- but it’s one step ata time at 128 Cox, right at Briar Cliff. If one wal... MORE » Be the Fat... More Info >Add BIO\nSusan Roosa says this is such \"excelle Soaring Eagle always has something fun happening at their water park, hotel, and casino.
Country Weekend is September 16 and 17. Create country magnets and get moving with hopscotch and try your hand at the country word scramble. Remember to book a stay just by heading to soaringeaglewaterpark.com.
On September 23 and 24, it's Take Me Out to the Ball Game Weekend. Kids will be able to make jerseys and baseball magnets. A Couple of activities include a baseball pitching game and a baseball word search.
Join Soaring Eagle Waterpark if you dare for the Spooktacular Buffet every Friday and Saturday at the Family Restaurant starting September 30. Not only will there be food, but get ready for crystal engravings, face painting, balloon twisting, Baffling Bill the magician, trick-or-treating, and so much more.
Moving from Halloween to Christmas! A Johnny Mathis Christmas is coming to the Entertainment Hall on December 3. Celebrating his 66th year in the music industry, legendary singer Johnny Mathis has performed songs in an incredible variety of styles and categories from music composed for stage and film to golden era jazz standards. He'll be performing some of his greatest Christmas hits and personal favorites.
Switching to a different genre, Loverboy with special guest Night Ranger will be coming to the casino and resort on December 9. For more than 40 years, Loverboy has been "Working For The Weekend," delighting audiences around the world. With their trademark red leather pants, bandanas, big rock round and high-energy live shows, Loverboy has sold more than 10 million albums.
Alice in Chains, Breaking Benjamin, Bush, and Plush come to Soaring Eagle's outdoor stage on September 23. Alice in Chains is an American rock band from Seattle, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and Drummer Sean Kinney. They rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 90s and have sold over 30 million records worldwide. Tickets are still available to purchase.
Get ready for Bourbon and Bacon on September 24. Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort will transform its Entertainment Hall into a delicious sampling fest! Try tastes of bacon-themed food from the area's top restaurants along with a drink pack of top spirits and mixers. For VIPs, it's $125 at the door, which opens at 6 p.m. General admission
is $75 at the door, and doors open at 6:30.
To get tickets to these shows and to check out others, go to etix.com or the Soaring Eagle Box Office.
This segment is sponsored by Soaring Eagle Waterpark and Hotel. | https://www.fox17online.com/morning-mix/head-up-north-for-some-family-fun-at-soaring-eagle-properties | 2022-09-14T16:31:56Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/morning-mix/head-up-north-for-some-family-fun-at-soaring-eagle-properties | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — If it's time to plan your big day, it's time to get to the 18th annual Fall Bridal Show of West Michigan.
Brides and grooms to-be can start planning their happy day September 24th at DeVos Place.
This year's show promises dozens of photographer, music, gown, suit and decorating options— as well as venues, rides to and from for the day, and advice from experts.
The Fall Bridal Show runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
And if you miss this one— the 2023 Winter Bridal Show is already in the books for January 28th at DeVos Place. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/kent/fall-bridal-show-of-west-michigan-returns-for-18th-year | 2022-09-14T16:32:00Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/kent/fall-bridal-show-of-west-michigan-returns-for-18th-year | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LEBANON, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tracy Parsons is always on the lookout for a worthy opponent in chess.
"You gettin' pretty good," he said while playing a game with his 11-year-old grandson, Corbin Smith. "I see some thinking going on in that head."
"Ever since he was a one-year-old, he's been my best buddy," Parsons said. "When he was three, I think it was, I thought it'd be great for him to learn how to play chess. He took to it very well."
"He'd teach me how to play," Corbin remembered. "He'd teach me new moves every morning."
Corbin has never beaten his grandfather.
"I've gotten close, but I haven't done it," he said.
"The past couple weeks, he's pushed me to play a game, and I've kinda pushed him off 'cause I'm afraid he's gonna beat me," Parsons added.
The truth is, it's gotten harder for Parsons to play ever since his diagnosis in 2020.
"It's ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis," he said. "I've lost the ability to walk. Losing my hands — it's hard to talk about."
Two of Parsons' brothers died from ALS, and he doesn't know how long he has left. It's been hard for Corbin.
"I was scared," he said.
Parsons has some work he wants to see get done before he dies.
"It's a 1973 Ford F-100," he said.
Several years ago, Parsons bought the truck. He planned on restoring it and giving it to Corbin when he turned 16.
"When Corbin gets his license, I'm not going to be here," Tracy said. "I'm not gonna be here to see that. I'd like to be able to see him and his face and his reaction to the truck before I die. That's what I'd like to see."
"I can tell he's putting all of his power into it," Corbin said.
The staff at VZ Customs heard about the truck and wanted to help out.
"
It was just one of those things that we felt led that we had to do," said Seth Penhollow.
The staff restored the truck. A crowd of dozens of friends and family members gathered at Parson'shome to watch Corbin's truck be revealed.
"I love you, buddy," Parsons told his grandson.
"I love you too," Corbin said after seeing his new truck.
This story was originally reported by Forrest Sanders on newschannel5.com. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/shop-restores-classic-truck-for-grandfather-with-als | 2022-09-14T16:32:33Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/shop-restores-classic-truck-for-grandfather-with-als | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Veterinarians in several states are warning owners about canine influenza.
Flu cases have reportedly been on the rise in several states, including Tennessee and Alabama.
At Harding Animal Hospital in Nashville, veterinarians reported seeing a spike in cases over the last three months. Officials say that's likely due to more dogs spending time in boarding or daycare facilities while their owners travel.
Canine influenza is tends to spread between dogs housed in kennels and shelters, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Symptoms of the dog flu include coughing, sneezing, fever and difficulty breathing.
Doctors may prescribe medication for a dog that is diagnosed with the flu. Owners can also get their pets vaccinated to protect against the virus. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/veterinarians-warn-about-canine-flu | 2022-09-14T16:32:39Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/veterinarians-warn-about-canine-flu | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Out of the Darkness Chicagoland Walk Brings People Together to Save Lives And Bring Hope to Survivors This Saturday
Published: Sep. 14, 2022 at 10:58 AM EDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Largest Walk in the US
CHICAGO, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
Suicide Prevention Resources: www.afsp.org/suicide-prevention-resources
Suicide Warning Signs: www.afsp.org/signs
Media: Reporting on Suicide Prevention: www.afsp.org/reporting-on-suicide-prevention
Media Contacts:
View original content:
SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc. | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/out-darkness-chicagoland-walk-brings-people-together-save-lives-bring-hope-survivors-this-saturday/ | 2022-09-14T16:34:01Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/out-darkness-chicagoland-walk-brings-people-together-save-lives-bring-hope-survivors-this-saturday/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- River (river.com) is a leading Bitcoin technology and financial services company that offers brokerage accounts, Lightning Network access, and full-service Bitcoin mining. Earlier this month, River brought another 3,000 miners online powered primarily by a West Texas wind farm. River has thousands more Bitcoin mining machines scheduled to launch this year on behalf of clients.
"While other companies are closing down mining operations, we are expanding and rapidly growing our Bitcoin mining segment," says Alex Leishman, River CEO. "Our clients range from individuals with one miner to family offices and investment funds building mining fleets."
Clients can easily purchase Bitcoin mining machines on the River iOS app or desktop to get started. Additionally, Bitcoin mining payouts are deposited daily to clients' River accounts, which also show mining portfolio performance and individual miner output.
River simplifies the full mining operation, including procuring the newest hardware and securing space to host miners in the top data centers in the U.S. These features are coupled with some of the lowest hosting energy costs in the industry.
"River is perfect for anyone who wants exposure to Bitcoin mining without the operational complexities," says Leishman. "Our mining product is an important step towards our vision of making Bitcoin accessible for everyone."
River Financial is a Bitcoin technology and financial services company. River offers the full suite of Bitcoin brokerage, custody, Lightning, and mining services in one easy-to-use mobile app and on river.com. River serves individuals, businesses, family offices, and investment funds looking to grow Bitcoin wealth.
To learn more, please visit river.com or follow us on Twitter @River.
Reid Paulson
reid.paulson@river.com
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SOURCE River Financial Inc. | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/river-brings-3000-bitcoin-miners-online-powered-by-renewable-energy/ | 2022-09-14T16:34:08Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/14/river-brings-3000-bitcoin-miners-online-powered-by-renewable-energy/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Ken Starr, a former U.S. solicitor general who headed the Whitewater investigation into former President Clinton that ultimately led to his impeachment, died on Tuesday at the age of 76, his family announced.
Starr’s family said in a statement that he died at a hospital in Houston following complications from surgery. Starr’s wife said he had been in the hospital for the last 17 weeks fighting an undisclosed illness, The New York Times reported.
Starr has been a prominent figure in national politics and the legal field stretching back decades, serving as chief of staff to former Attorney General William Smith for roughly two years beginning in 1981 after a clerkship at the Supreme Court.
Former President Reagan nominated Starr in 1983 as a federal appeals judge for the D.C. Circuit, where he served until becoming the U.S. solicitor general in the first Bush administration.
Starr argued 36 cases before the Supreme Court, including 25 during his time as solicitor general, his family said.
He is best known for leading the Whitewater investigation during the Clinton presidency. The investigation began with a probe of the Clintons’ real estate investments but eventually expanded to include the former president’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
The Starr Report, which he gave to Congress in September 1998, asserted that Clinton lied to the public and Congress about the relationship. Clinton was later impeached, though was ultimately acquitted in the Senate.
“We are deeply saddened with the loss of our dear and loving father and grandfather, whom we admired for his prodigious work ethic, but who always put his family first,” Starr’s son, Randall Starr, said in the family’s statement.
“The love, energy, endearing sense of humor and fun-loving interest dad exhibited to each of us was truly special, and we cherish the many wonderful memories we were able to experience with him. He is now with his Lord and Savior,” he said.
Starr later served as the dean of Pepperdine University’s law school between 2004 and 2010 before becoming president of Baylor University, where he also served as chancellor beginning part way through his presidency.
After an external investigation found the school mishandled allegations of sexual assault involving its football team players, the school removed Starr as its president in May 2016. He soon after resigned as chancellor and chair of the school’s constitutional law department.
“Judge Starr was a dedicated public servant and ardent supporter of religious freedom that allows faith-based institutions such as Baylor to flourish,” Baylor University President Linda Livingstone said in a statement Tuesday.
Starr later found a welcoming home on Fox News as a contributor, making regular appearances on the cable giant.
In 2020, he joined former President Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial.
The House impeached Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in connection to accusations he withheld U.S. military aid to Ukraine to pressure President Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. The Senate later acquitted Trump on both charges.
Starr is survived by his wife Alice Starr, his three children and nine grandchildren, his family said.
This story was updated at 6:26 p.m. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/ken-starr-investigator-behind-clinton-impeachment-dies-at-76/ | 2022-09-14T16:36:40Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/ken-starr-investigator-behind-clinton-impeachment-dies-at-76/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has scheduled a joint meeting to discuss pharmaceutical company Perrigo’s application for what could be the first over-the-counter (OTC) daily birth control pill available in the U.S., the company announced Monday.
The joint meeting will be held on Nov. 18 with the FDA’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Obstetrics, Reproductive, and Urologic Drugs Advisory Committee, according to Perrigo.
If approved by the FDA, Perrigo’s progestin-only daily pill would be the first non-prescription birth control pill available in the U.S. Perrigo filed its application to move its birth control pill from prescription to OTC in July.
The FDA declined to provide further comment on the meeting when reached by The Hill.
Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), a U.S. healthcare trade association, welcomed news of the FDA’s scheduled meeting.
“Pathways like Rx-to-OTC switch are instrumental in carrying out that mission on behalf of our member companies and American consumers,” said CHPA’s CEO Scott Melville. “We are pleased to see FDA evaluating broadened access to oral contraception and we look forward to sharing industry perspectives at this joint Committee meeting in November.”
Many countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa already allow for OTC birth control pills to be sold.
Perrigo filed its application just weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leading to several states in the U.S. enacting total or near-total abortion bans. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion sparked concerns that protected access to contraceptives could also be overturned.
The House in July passed the Right to Contraception Act, with eight Republicans joining Democrats in voting yes. The bill would codify access to contraception — including oral birth control, condoms and intrauterine devices — on the federal level.
Senate Democrats Ed Markey (Mass.), Patty Murray (Wash.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) and Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) sought unanimous consent to quickly pass the bill in July, but were blocked by Republican Sen. Joni Ernst (Iowa), though she herself has expressed support for expanded birth control access. Ernst argued that the bill went beyond just guaranteeing access to contraception. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/fda-schedules-meeting-on-otc-birth-control-pill-application/ | 2022-09-14T16:36:48Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/fda-schedules-meeting-on-otc-birth-control-pill-application/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO) – A teenage human trafficking victim who was initially charged with first-degree murder after she stabbed her accused rapist to death was sentenced Tuesday in an Iowa court to five years of closely supervised probation and ordered to pay $150,000 restitution to the man’s family.
Pieper Lewis was originally charged with first-degree murder for the stabbing death of Zachary Brooks in 2020. The 17-year-old was charged in the death of 37-year-old Brooks, who she claims raped her multiple times in the weeks before his death. She had faced the possibility of 20 years in prison.
Lewis pleaded last year to involuntary manslaughter and willful injury. Both charges were punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Polk County District judge David M. Porter on Tuesday deferred those prison sentences, meaning that if Lewis violates any portion of her probation, she could be sent to prison to serve that 20-year term.
As for being required to pay the estate of her rapist, “this court is presented with no other option,” Porter said, noting the restitution is mandatory under Iowa law that has been upheld by the Iowa Supreme Court.
Lewis was 15 when she stabbed Brooks more than 30 times in a Des Moines apartment. Officials have said Lewis was a runaway who was seeking to escape an abusive life with her adopted mother and was sleeping in the hallways of a Des Moines apartment building when a 28-year-old man took her in before forcibly trafficking her to other men for sex.
Lewis said one of those men was Brooks and that he had raped her multiple times in the weeks before his death. She recounted being forced at knifepoint by the 28-year-old man to go with Brooks to his apartment for sex. She told officials that after Brooks had raped her yet again, she grabbed a knife from a bedside table and stabbed Brooks in a fit of rage.
Police and prosecutors have not disputed that Lewis was sexually assaulted and trafficked. But prosecutors have argued that Brooks was asleep at the time he was stabbed and not an immediate danger to Lewis.
Iowa is not among the dozens of states that have a so-called safe harbor law that gives trafficking victims at least some level of criminal immunity.
Lewis, who earned her GED while being held in juvenile detention, acknowledged in a statement prior to her sentencing that she struggled with the structure of her detention, including “why I was treated like fragile glass” or wasn’t allowed to communicate with her friends or family.
“My spirit has been burned, but still glows through the flames,” she read from a statement she had prepared. “Hear me roar, see me glow, and watch me grow.”
“I am a survivor,” she added.
The judge peppered Lewis with repeated requests to explain what poor choices she made that led up to Brooks’ stabbing and expressed concern that she sometimes did not want to follow rules set for her in juvenile lockup.
“The next five years of your life will be full of rules you disagree with, I’m sure of it,” Porter said. He later added, “This is the second chance that you’ve asked for. You don’t get a third.”
Her attorney said after the sentencing that they were extremely happy with the outcome.
“Very pleased at the court decision. Going into this case we assumed the worst she was initially charged with first-degree murder,” said Matt Sheeley.
Lewis’ attorney argued in court that requiring her to pay restitution to the family of the man who raped her was cruel and unusual punishment. Her attorney said that there may be action taken down the line, aimed at the current restitution precedent set at the Iowa Supreme Court. But added that this was a win.
“That is not the most important pressing concern that she has. She wants to move on with her life. She has got her entire life ahead of her. She has all these opportunities ahead of her. So the restitution is not really something she is bothered by at this point,” said Sheeley.
Lewis will be required to undergo mental health and substance abuse evaluation as well as GPS tracking and monitoring. She will not be eligible for early release from probation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/iowa-teen-who-killed-rapist-avoids-prison-ordered-to-pay-150000/ | 2022-09-14T16:37:01Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/iowa-teen-who-killed-rapist-avoids-prison-ordered-to-pay-150000/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Police are investigating a deadly stabbing at an apartment building near downtown.
Police report just before midnight on Sept. 13, they received a call about a stabbing at an apartment near East 1st Avenue and South Division Street.
When officers arrived at the apartment building, they found an adult woman with a stab wound. Officers tried to save the woman but she died at the scene.
The Spokane Police Department (SPD) reports that preliminary information indicates the stabbing attack was not random. Police did not share details about a suspect or what led to the stabbing.
SPD’s Major Crimes Unit is investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call crime check at 509-456-2233.
This is a developing story. KREM 2 News will update this story with more details as they become available.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/crime/woman-stabbed-killed-spokane-apartment/293-1da9aa75-e3d9-4973-bf65-3d6a0bdb866d | 2022-09-14T16:37:05Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/crime/woman-stabbed-killed-spokane-apartment/293-1da9aa75-e3d9-4973-bf65-3d6a0bdb866d | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
HART COUNTY, Ga. (WSPA) – Recovery crews have been unable to retrieve the body of the pilot who crashed into a lake in Georgia on Saturday, despite knowing exactly where the plane is located.
“We have exhausted all of our local resources within the area,” said Capt. Chris Carroll of the Hart County Sheriff’s Office.
The pilot and the plane, a Beech BEFF aircraft, were “on an IFR flight plan,” according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), meaning the pilot was operating the small plane under instrument flight rules — commonly used when conditions are less than ideal for operating a plane using visual cues.
The plane had departed from Punta Gorda, Florida, on Saturday morning before crashing into Lake Hartwell, on the border of Georgia and South Carolina.
Divers located the plane Saturday afternoon tangled in tree branches 120 feet underwater.
“It just so happened it’s in one of the deepest parts of the lake,” said Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland. “The plane is in the trees. I’ve been told the plane flipped over. The top is on the bottom. The doors to the plane are jammed so we’re not able to retrieve the body out of the plane.”
“Divers were able to go down and sent the ROV [remote-operated vehicle] back down,” added Carroll. “They were able to push the ROV into the rear window of the plane where it can be driven through the front to try to look around in the cockpit area. At that time was when we were able to determine there was a person in the plane.”
Cleveland said the NTSB has given the county permission to lift the plane so they can remove the pilot’s body.
Carroll said the sheriff’s office is considering bringing a crane or air bags to move the aircraft to a more accessible location.
“Once it’s lifted, we’ll have to move it to a shallow area to get the body out of it,” he said.
The NTSB told Nexstar’s WSPA that there is no time frame for the recovery of the aircraft. A spokesperson said the agency “is working with a salvage company and the insurance company on recovery efforts.”
Right now, the investigation is still in the “fact-gathering stage,” the NTSB said. A spokesperson said the typical investigation could take anywhere from 12-24 months to “complete and determine cause.”
A preliminary report will be released in the coming weeks. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/plane-pilots-body-stuck-in-tree-branches-120-feet-underwater-after-crash-at-lake-recovery-crews-say/ | 2022-09-14T16:37:15Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/plane-pilots-body-stuck-in-tree-branches-120-feet-underwater-after-crash-at-lake-recovery-crews-say/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A professional dancer from Florida has lost both his legs and narrowly escaped death after contracting a severe case of meningitis.
Rafael Castellano, 32, spent nearly three months in the hospital, where doctors had placed him in a medically induced coma as they fought to save his life.
After emerging from the coma, Castellano said he did not remember what had happened to him.
“Every three days, I’d ask the same question, the same thing, asking what happened, and it took time to understand what was going on,” Castellano told News 6 after his recent discharge from the hospital.
Castellano’s harrowing ordeal began on June 1, when the dance instructor was taken to AdventHealth Hospital in Orlando, where he was diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis — a disease he said he knew little about before contracting it, reported the station WESH2.
Meningococcal meningitis is a rare but serious bacterial infection spread by close contact with an infected person’s saliva, which causes the lining of the brain and spinal cord to swell, often resulting in death.
Symptoms of the life-threatening illness include fever, headache, stiff neck, vomiting and sensitivity to light, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Castellano said that as he was clinging to life, his family was told to prepare for the worst outcome.
“This bacteria that’s in your body (is) to the point where your body becomes like a poison to itself,” Castellano said.
Castellano underwent eight surgeries during the summer and had both his legs amputated below the knee.
But he said he is grateful to be alive — and is determined to walk and dance again with the help of prosthetics.
“I feel like this is a miracle, that’s the only way to explain it,” he said. “And now I have the drive to keep fighting and showing everybody what I’m capable of.”
Castellano was released from the hospital in late August and has been accepted into an inpatient physical therapy facility to begin his long recovery.
While waiting for his wounds from the surgeries to heal, Castellano has been sharing his story to raise awareness of the rare infection that nearly ended his life — and the vaccine that has been developed to protect the public from it.
“If I would have known about it prior to all of it, maybe my story would be completely different. It’s not that I’m regretting things. It’s more like the awareness,” Castellano said.
The dancer does not have health insurance and has been raising money to help cover his growing medical expenses through a GoFundMe campaign, which so far has drawn more than $56,000. | https://nypost.com/2022/09/14/ballroom-dancer-loses-legs-after-contracting-meningitis/ | 2022-09-14T16:40:36Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/09/14/ballroom-dancer-loses-legs-after-contracting-meningitis/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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Is it ever too soon to start thinking about the holiday season? Sure, we know that the classic Pumpkin Spice Latte just returned to the Starbucks menu. But when it comes to saving money on holiday gifts and decorations, Santa doesn’t mind a little early attention. After all, he and his elves work year-round to prepare for the big day, right?
If you’re a fan of the movie “Elf” you know that Christmas cheer isn’t just a one-day-a-year celebration. Buddy the Elf, the loveable character from the iconic holiday movie, couldn’t contain his Christmas spirit. If you’re a fan of the movie, you can now snag a deal on an adorable plush doll of Buddy the Elf with an early holiday deal!
This Buddy the Elf 12-inch talking doll is on sale right now, for a limited time, at Walmart.com for only $13.99. This is marked down almost 50% of its regular retail price of $26.33. We’re not sure how long this special deal will last, so you may want to pick Buddy the Elf up while you can.
If you or someone on your holiday shopping list can’t get enough of watching “Elf,” then this just might be a must-have gift this year. The Buddy the Elf Doll is dressed in his signature costume from the North Pole as he goes on his quest to find his real father in New York City. Plus, this miniature version of this larger-than-life elf has 15 different phrases from the film that everyone loves quoting.
Just pull the string on Buddy’s back and you can hear Buddy say memorable lines such as, “I’m a cotton-headed ninnymuggins” and “I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite!”
Of course, Buddy the Elf makes everyone smile!
The talking Buddy the Elf doll might make an entertaining holiday companion for a young fan of the film. Or, it can be a fun addition to your festive decorations for the season.
Visit Walmart.com now to snag this deal before Buddy the Elf flies away to help Santa get ready for Christmas!
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.wtxl.com/buddy-the-elf-talking-plush-doll-on-sale-for-only-13-99-on-walmart-com | 2022-09-14T16:49:41Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/buddy-the-elf-talking-plush-doll-on-sale-for-only-13-99-on-walmart-com | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LEON COUNTY, FLa. — Leon County Commissioners approved new funding that will help those experiencing homelessness in our community.
“I’m thankful for them supporting me and my kids because we could’ve been anywhere," said Janie Mcaffee, who has been at Big Bend Homeless Coalition's Hope Community for 2 ½ months now with her kids.
Mcaffee's story is one that's being heard a lot more these days from the hundreds of people without a place to call home in Leon County.
Marie Vandenberg is the program director for Big Bend Homeless Coalition’s HOPE Community, an emergency shelter for families who are experiencing homelessness.
Right now, they're seeing an increase in the number of people in need of a place to stay.
“What I’ve seen in the past 3 to 6 months is nothing that I’ve seen before. I’ve been here about 10 years, and we’ve never had walk-ins, we’ve never had the number of people on our waiting list,” said Vandenberg.
Vandenberg said that in the last 3 months they've had 311 people request assistance, up 45% from last year. She said it’s difficult on her and her staff to not have the resources to help everyone who come through their door. “It is an emotional strain on staff who are dealing with this overwhelming need and really not being able to do anything about it,” said Vandenberg.
A $2 million Community Human Services Partnership Grant could help alleviate some of that strain.
Executive Director of the Big Bend Continuum of Care Johanna Coleman said that money will help offer services to people who are at risk for homelessness, rapid rehousing, and emergency shelters.
She said over $848,000 of the grant will help organizations like Hope Community have funding to keep serve those facing housing insecurity. “Without assistance, we don’t have any other resources. So this helps us pad our resources,” said Coleman.
These same resources have been able to help people like Mcaffee.
Mcaffee doesn’t know where she would be without this help. "We could’ve been in our car and everything," said Mcaffee. "Thanks to HOPE for them opening up their doors to us.”
The funding for this grant will begin October 1. | https://www.wtxl.com/community/new-funding-to-help-address-homelessness-in-leon-county | 2022-09-14T16:49:47Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/community/new-funding-to-help-address-homelessness-in-leon-county | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida A&M will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, for a game against the Wildcats on December 21, 2022, as part of the Unity Series. The Unity Series is a five-year partnership with the Southwestern Athletic Conference to play an annual game between Kentucky and one of the SWAC member institutions inside Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
"I'm excited about both the opportunity and challenge of playing the University of Kentucky during the upcoming 2022-23 season as part of the Unity Series," said men's basketball head coach Robert McCullum. "I'm appreciative of Coach Cal for the opportunity provided to our players to participate in one of the most storied venues in college basketball Rupp Arena - versus one of the "Blue Bloods" of college basketball, the University of Kentucky. While I know all too well about the challenges of competing against Kentucky in Rupp Arena (1990 - 96 as a member of Florida's staff), challenges are what makes life and college athletics so exciting.
"The Unity Series, along with the Pac-12 - SWAC Challenge, speaks boldly about Commissioner Charles McClelland's vision of the conference. The educational field trip to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Museum in Cincinnati aligns perfectly with our approach to scheduling non-conference games annually as we factor in the educational benefits of playing in various locations. We strongly believe that so much of the teaching and learning process takes place outside the classroom.
"I'm also elated about the 2022 Unity Series Legends Clemon Johnson and the late Reggie Warford. I knew Reggie well, and our basketball program continues to benefit from Clemon's love for his alma mater."
The game between the Cats and Florida A&M in 2022 will once again be one piece of the annual meetings.
The Wildcats and Rattlers will participate in an educational field trip to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Museum in Cincinnati, will receive resources to better brand themselves in the new name-image-likeness space, will be provided career center resources, and participate in a joint dinner at John Calipari's radio show.
Also, Kentucky and the SWAC will honor Unity Series Legends, honoring a representative of each school with a history as a trailblazer in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The 2022 Unity Series Legends are Clemon Johnson from Florida A&M and Reggie Warford from the University of Kentucky.
Johnson played at Florida A&M from 1974-78, earning a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in sports management. He was selected with the 44th pick of the 1978 NBA Draft to the Portland Trail Blazers and played for ten seasons. Johnson won an NBA title with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983. Following his playing career, Johnson became an economics teacher and high school basketball coach in Tallahassee, Florida, before becoming a collegiate head coach. Johnson coached at Alaska Fairbanks (2007-11) and Florida A&M (2011-14). He was his alma mater's head coach from 2007-11.
Johnson helped establish a Boys and Girls Club in his hometown of Monticello, Florida, and is currently creating interest in refurbishing the old high school gymnasium in Monticello with intentions of establishing an after-school program concentrating on reading and writing, sports training, and creating a community center in the area.
Warford was the first Black Kentucky men's basketball player to graduate from the University of Kentucky. He played for the Wildcats from 1973-76 and was a member of the NIT Championship squad in 1976 and the 1975 NCAA Tournament's runner-up team. Warford was inducted into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2019. He played for Drakesboro High School in Muhlenburg County where he was a second-team All-State selection after averaging 27 points per game his senior season. Warford passed away in May of 2022. | https://www.wtxl.com/sports/college-sports/florida-a-m-to-play-kentucky-in-2022-unity-series | 2022-09-14T16:50:42Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/sports/college-sports/florida-a-m-to-play-kentucky-in-2022-unity-series | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida State volleyball team (7-3) fell in straight sets (19-25, 27-29, 22-25) to No. 15 Florida (7-2) Tuesday night at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Fla.
The Noles got off to a great start to the match, jumping out to an 8-3 lead. The Gators fought back, but the Noles were still the first team to 15 with the 15-13 lead. The Gators then went on a 12-4 run to take the first set 25-19.
The second set was tight from start to finish, but the Noles were able to get to set point at 24-23. The Noles would have three total set points, but the Gators came back to take set two 29-27.
The Noles controlled set three for the first 20 points, but the Gators went on a 5-0 run after a Florida State timeout to take the match-clinching set.
Emily Ryan led the Noles with 11 kills with an impressive .429 hitting percentage. Audrey Koenig added nine kills while Skye Ekes tallied a season-high eight kills.
The Noles will return to Tully Gym on Saturday when they face UAB. First serve is set for 2 p.m. with ACC Network Extra on the coverage.
For updates and exclusive content, follow the Noles on Twitter (FSU_Volleyball), Instagram (fsuvolleyball) and Facebook (Florida State Seminoles Volleyball). | https://www.wtxl.com/sports/college-sports/fsu-volleyball-noles-fall-to-gators-in-gainesville | 2022-09-14T16:50:54Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/sports/college-sports/fsu-volleyball-noles-fall-to-gators-in-gainesville | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has scheduled a joint meeting to discuss pharmaceutical company Perrigo’s application for what could be the first over-the-counter (OTC) daily birth control pill available in the U.S., the company announced Monday.
The joint meeting will be held on Nov. 18 with the FDA’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Obstetrics, Reproductive, and Urologic Drugs Advisory Committee, according to Perrigo.
If approved by the FDA, Perrigo’s progestin-only daily pill would be the first non-prescription birth control pill available in the U.S. Perrigo filed its application to move its birth control pill from prescription to OTC in July.
The FDA declined to provide further comment on the meeting when reached by The Hill.
Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), a U.S. healthcare trade association, welcomed news of the FDA’s scheduled meeting.
“Pathways like Rx-to-OTC switch are instrumental in carrying out that mission on behalf of our member companies and American consumers,” said CHPA’s CEO Scott Melville. “We are pleased to see FDA evaluating broadened access to oral contraception and we look forward to sharing industry perspectives at this joint Committee meeting in November.”
Many countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa already allow for OTC birth control pills to be sold.
Perrigo filed its application just weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leading to several states in the U.S. enacting total or near-total abortion bans. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion sparked concerns that protected access to contraceptives could also be overturned.
The House in July passed the Right to Contraception Act, with eight Republicans joining Democrats in voting yes. The bill would codify access to contraception — including oral birth control, condoms and intrauterine devices — on the federal level.
Senate Democrats Ed Markey (Mass.), Patty Murray (Wash.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) and Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) sought unanimous consent to quickly pass the bill in July, but were blocked by Republican Sen. Joni Ernst (Iowa), though she herself has expressed support for expanded birth control access. Ernst argued that the bill went beyond just guaranteeing access to contraception. | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/fda-schedules-meeting-on-otc-birth-control-pill-application/ | 2022-09-14T16:51:39Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/fda-schedules-meeting-on-otc-birth-control-pill-application/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LEBANON, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tracy Parsons is always on the lookout for a worthy opponent in chess.
"You gettin' pretty good," he said while playing a game with his 11-year-old grandson, Corbin Smith. "I see some thinking going on in that head."
"Ever since he was a one-year-old, he's been my best buddy," Parsons said. "When he was three, I think it was, I thought it'd be great for him to learn how to play chess. He took to it very well."
"He'd teach me how to play," Corbin remembered. "He'd teach me new moves every morning."
Corbin has never beaten his grandfather.
"I've gotten close, but I haven't done it," he said.
"The past couple weeks, he's pushed me to play a game, and I've kinda pushed him off 'cause I'm afraid he's gonna beat me," Parsons added.
The truth is, it's gotten harder for Parsons to play ever since his diagnosis in 2020.
"It's ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis," he said. "I've lost the ability to walk. Losing my hands — it's hard to talk about."
Two of Parsons' brothers died from ALS, and he doesn't know how long he has left. It's been hard for Corbin.
"I was scared," he said.
Parsons has some work he wants to see get done before he dies.
"It's a 1973 Ford F-100," he said.
Several years ago, Parsons bought the truck. He planned on restoring it and giving it to Corbin when he turned 16.
"When Corbin gets his license, I'm not going to be here," Tracy said. "I'm not gonna be here to see that. I'd like to be able to see him and his face and his reaction to the truck before I die. That's what I'd like to see."
"I can tell he's putting all of his power into it," Corbin said.
The staff at VZ Customs heard about the truck and wanted to help out.
"
It was just one of those things that we felt led that we had to do," said Seth Penhollow.
The staff restored the truck. A crowd of dozens of friends and family members gathered at Parson'shome to watch Corbin's truck be revealed.
"I love you, buddy," Parsons told his grandson.
"I love you too," Corbin said after seeing his new truck.
This story was originally reported by Forrest Sanders on newschannel5.com. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/shop-restores-classic-truck-for-grandfather-with-als | 2022-09-14T16:58:52Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/shop-restores-classic-truck-for-grandfather-with-als | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Veterinarians in several states are warning owners about canine influenza.
Flu cases have reportedly been on the rise in several states, including Tennessee and Alabama.
At Harding Animal Hospital in Nashville, veterinarians reported seeing a spike in cases over the last three months. Officials say that's likely due to more dogs spending time in boarding or daycare facilities while their owners travel.
Canine influenza tends to spread between dogs housed in kennels and shelters, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Symptoms of the dog flu include coughing, sneezing, fever and difficulty breathing.
Doctors may prescribe medication for a dog that is diagnosed with the flu. Owners can also get their pets vaccinated to protect against the virus. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/veterinarians-warn-about-canine-flu | 2022-09-14T16:58:53Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/veterinarians-warn-about-canine-flu | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Closing changes from the main markets
- Stoxx 600 -0.6%
- UK FTSE 100 -1.4%
- German DAX -1.2%
- French CAC -0.4%
- Spain IBEX +0.1%
- Italy MIB +0.6%
The outperformance in the periphery is something to watch. Energy isn't in such short supply in Italy and Spain. Italy shrugged off the CPI rout impressively. | https://www.forexlive.com/news/european-equity-close-not-many-dip-buyers-20220914/ | 2022-09-14T17:01:37Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/european-equity-close-not-many-dip-buyers-20220914/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Jigawa state police command has confirmed that 11 people sustained various degree of injuries as the Nigerian Custom Service (NCS) allegedly shot at a vehicle carrying gas cylinders in Babura, the hometown of governor Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar of the state and the gas exploded
Reports from the state indicated that the five houses and 17 conershops was burnt in Babura town, Babura local government area of Jigawa State.
The police public relations officer in the state, Lawal Shiisu, confirmed the incident, said “11 people sustained various degrees of injuries were rushed to the Babura general hospital for medical attention”.
DSP Lawal Shi’isu Adam added that “Custom border drill number 12 on pursued of one Iveco vehicle loaded with gas cylinders from Niger Republic heading to Gumel Local Government area of the state.
“One of the gas cylinders spilled and caught fire, in the street of Babura local government area and the explosion begins.” he added
Gathered by our reporter in the state revealed that domestic items and number of cars was also burnt to ashes as a result of the explosion.
An eye witness account who gave his name as Mujahid Aliyu, a resident of Babura said the incident happened close to his house and has caused serious damage to his home and vehicle.
Malam Mujahid Aliyu added that “customs officers chased the motor carrying gas cylinders and they shot at the vehicle two to three times. That is how the explosion began.
Another eye witness, one Dauda Rabi’u said initially he thought it was a gunshot, and bom explosion but they later realized it was a gas explosion.
“We thought it was a gunshot because we are used to customs officers shooting on daily basis. But I later notice it is beyond that, and I began trying to save my children as the explosion continues none stop.” he said.
Babura is a home town of governor Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar of the state, is also a boarder town to Niger republic as customs officers on duty pursue a vehicle loaded with cooking gas cylinders.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
- 11 injures, five houses, 17 conershops burnt as Customs allege shots Gas Cylinders in Jigawa | https://tribuneonlineng.com/11-injures-five-houses-17-conershops-burnt-as-customs-alleged-shots-gas-cylinders-in-jigawa/ | 2022-09-14T17:01:38Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/11-injures-five-houses-17-conershops-burnt-as-customs-alleged-shots-gas-cylinders-in-jigawa/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
It's been a historically-quiet Atlantic hurricane season but there's a good prospect in play now, which the NHC gives a 70% chance of spilling up into a tropical depression in the next 48 hours. It's also tracking on a path that will take it into the Gulf of Mexico and potentially disrupt oil and gas production next week.
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ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW | https://www.forexlive.com/news/hurricane-season-may-finally-be-arriving-20220914/ | 2022-09-14T17:01:39Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/hurricane-season-may-finally-be-arriving-20220914/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The run lower today was able to hold those key low targets, however.
Looking at the daily chart, in addition to testing the 2022 lows, the pair tested the high of a swing area from 2020 between 0.6660 to 0.6681 (green circles in the chart above).
Gettting below the 0.6660 to 0.6681 area would open the door for more downside momentum. PS the pandemic low reached all the way down to 0.55078. That is still a ways away (and may not ever be approached).
The bounce today has pushed the pair back toward the midpoint of the 2020 to 2021 trading range. That level comes in at 0.6756. The high price today reached to 0.6759 in the current hourly bar, but there is some back off on the first test (trades at 0.6751 currently). A move above that 0.6756 with momentum, would be a step in the upside direction especially given the successful test of the lows.
Drilling to the hourly chart, the up and down consolidation today is evident. The next target above the 50% on the daily (at 0.67568) would have traders eyeing the swing lows from September 1 and September 2 at 0.6771. On September 7 and September 8 the rally stalled near that area as well (see red numbered circles).
Yesterday there was a brief stall at that level before breaking lower (red circle 6 an 7 in the chart below).
Move above that 0.6771 level, and the 200 hour MA at 0.67906 would be eyed followed by the 100 hour MA at 0.68135. Breaks above those would increase the bullish bias more.
Fundamentally, the Australian employment report will be released in the new trading day. The expectations is for a rise of 35.5K after a decline of -40.9 last month. The unemployment rate is expected at 3.4% which is historic lows for that measure. The RBA of Australia raised rates by 50BP last week. IT was the 4th consecutive 50 basis point hike with expectation for more hikes ahead (data dependent though). | https://www.forexlive.com/technical-analysis/audusd-bounces-higher-jobs-data-to-be-reported-in-the-new-trading-day-20220914/ | 2022-09-14T17:01:42Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/technical-analysis/audusd-bounces-higher-jobs-data-to-be-reported-in-the-new-trading-day-20220914/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has urged leaders and stakeholders across the South-West region to be vigilant in keeping terrorists at bay.
The Yoruba generalissimo gave the charge on Tuesday in Abeokuta, Ogun State at the 2nd edition of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) Dependable Security Team meeting, held at ONTEC Event Centre in the state, against the backdrop of the failing security situation in the country, occasioned by various cases of killings, kidnapping, armed robbery, raping, killing and other threats.
Speaking at the event which was held at ONTEC Event Centre in the state, Iba Adams, while addressing members of the group, described the meeting, which he said was first initiated in Lagos, as a strategic approach to combating terrorism in the South-West as well as strengthen the grassroots security network across the zone, noting that the group gathered 100 members each from each of the local governments in the state.
He, however, said that the meeting wouldn’t have made any sense for the OPC, had the security situation improved across the country.
He maintained also that the OPC’s structure was spread across the country, even as he said the dependable security team was made up of very strong members that cut across all the local governments in all the six states in the South West region and beyond.
“People often asked: ‘What is Aare doing to address the various security challenges bedevilling the region?’ This is the reason for this intervention move by our group to address the security deficit across the region.
“We are here to raise our voices against terrorism in the South West. Today’s gathering is based on the need to beef up security across the region.
“The security architecture has failed, and we can no longer live as if everything is normal. Nothing has changed. The North East, North West, North Central, and even the South East are not spared in the security conundrum.
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“It is the traditional role of the Aare Onakakanfo to secure Yoruba land. It is our duty also as a group to complement the efforts of the South West government in curbing the challenges.
“So, I am ready to set the ball rolling whenever I am called upon by the South West governors as well as the traditional rulers in Yoruba land,” he said.
“OPC is always ready and the gathering is a big testimony of our structure, strength and resolve to solve the security challenges across the region.
“As far as OPC is concerned, it is a call to duty, it is our strategic approach to defend ourselves and our region since it is obvious that the security architecture has failed to protect us.
“We cannot leave our fate in the hands of security operatives and agencies that seemed to have been overwhelmed by the raging spate of insecurity in the country,” he declared.
Adams reaffirmed the South West of the group’s support in salvaging the region, maintaining that the group’s dependable force strategic meeting was an ongoing programme that would spread across all the states in the region and beyond.
“The highest decision-making organ of the Oodua People’s Congress, the National Executive Council (NEC) and National Coordinating Council (NCC) have concluded plans to build on the successes of the two previous editions of the programme both in Lagos and Ogun states respectively, to reaffirm the need for everybody to be vigilant and also be security conscious in whatever we do. That is the reason for this gathering,” the Yoruba generalissimo said.
Amid Internal Crisis, Iyorchia Ayu Goes To Europe For Two Weeks
Insecurity: Be vigilant, Gani Adams charges South-West leaders, residents
EDITORIAL: The Collapse Of Two Million SMEs
Insecurity: Be vigilant, Gani Adams charges South-West leaders, residents | https://tribuneonlineng.com/insecurity-be-vigilant-gani-adams-charges-south-west-leaders-residents/ | 2022-09-14T17:01:49Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/insecurity-be-vigilant-gani-adams-charges-south-west-leaders-residents/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
JAMB generates N8.732bn revenue out of proposed N12.132bn from UTME, Direct Entry registration, others
• Remits N3.121bn to CRF Q2 2022
The Registrar of Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) has generated the sum of N8.733 billion revenue from registration of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME), Direct Entry e-Facility services and consultancy/Miscellaneous as captured in the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).
The details of the revenue generated as of June 2022 were contained in the Board’s financial statement presented to the House of Representatives during the 2021-2022 budget defence and 2023-2025 Medium-term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).
According to the JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the sum of N3.5 billion was remitted to the government’s coffer in 2021, while the sum of N3 billion was remitted by the Board and additional sum of N1.21 million auto-deducted by Federal Government in 2022.
While calling for full autonomy of the Board, Professor Oloyede said: “We are comfortable to be taken off the budget but there are conditions. One of the conditions for example, when students registered in 2016, we collected N5,000 and that had been on for 5 years before I joined. When we came in, we remitted N7.5 billion. We felt it was too much and approached the Federal Government to reduce the fees. We have not added a kobo since.
“I believe we should revert to the N5,000 we were charging. Given the inflation, if we charge N10,000; I am just giving it as an example, nobody will ask the Federal Government for one kobo. I am not aware of anywhere in the world, except maybe Finland— that charges as low as JAMB is charging. In Finland, we know that everything is free.
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“We are hearing that you are planning to borrow billions. We are all going to sink at the end of the day. If there is any way anybody believes he can save this country, we should start doing that. The earlier we start the better for us,” Professor Oloyede noted.
Breakdown of the revenue showed that the sum of N5,776,418,410 was realized from UTME registration against the proposed N4.905 billion in the 2022 Appropriation Act.
The sum of N2,255,185,000 was generated from e-Facility services against the sum of N5.9 billion proposed in the Appropriation Act.
The Board also generated the sum of N373,896,200 from Consultancy/Miscellaneous against the sum of N1 billion proposed in the 2022 Appropriation Act.
Similarly, the sum of N326,996,280 was generated from Direct Entry registration against the sum of N327 million proposed in the Appropriation Act.
While the Board’s has incurred the sum of N5.409 billion against the proposed N7.884 billion as overhead cost as of June 2022, the sum of N1.997 billion has been expended on personnel cost against the proposed sum of N4.197 billion.
According to JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the sum of N4 billion revenue is expected in 2023.
From the 2023 revenue projection, JAMB proposed N15.399 billion, with personnel cost of N4.573 billion and N9.946 billion overhead cost.
For 2024, JAMB proposed the sum of N15.553 billion revenue, with personnel cost of N4.848 billion and N10.028 billion overhead cost.
In the 2025 projection, JAMB proposed the sum of N15.629 billion revenue, with N4.990 billion personnel cost and N10.050 billion overhead cost.
He assured that the Board has the capacity to generate up to N4 billion revenue, adding that from the N2 billion saved over the past three years totalling N6 billion to improve operations and minimize cost, is currently in the Agency’s account apart from the operating cost.
Professor Oloyede however noted that the Board resolved to cancel the procurement exercise because he was not satisfied with the process.
In his remarks, Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Hon Saidu Abdullahi who expressed displeasure over the failure of most revenue-generating agencies to fully declare their operating surplus and account balances stressed the need for Peer review among all federal agencies with the view to instil financial prudence.
“Those agencies wouldn’t want you to know their account balances. But you just told us what you have, how far you have come and what is halting it. I must say again, that agencies have a lot to learn from you. I don’t know whether it’s the SGF or the Head of Service that has the responsibility of bringing agencies together.
“I think if we are doing a peer review and sharing experiences, agency by agency some of them will be better managed than they are today. They leave much to desire in terms of the way they manage their agencies,” he noted.
Meanwhile, some of the lawmakers who reacted to the proposal for the increase in the examination registration fees by the JAMB helmsman, including Hon. Kola Lawal kicked against proposed plans to increase the examination registration fees in the bid to boost internally generated revenue, stressing that the financial pressure should not be imposed on Nigerians who are currently overburdened.
Hon. Lawal said: “I want to advise that the request you are making, which you know we are not committed to do as a Parliament by increasing the registration fee, you need to realise that you are transferring the burden from Federal Government to Nigerians.
“And with the current situation in the country, we don’t want a situation whereby people will say this happens, that happens. We want you to have a rethink on that.”
In his intervention, Hon Abdullahi who described the proposal as “unpopular” noted that people may appreciate why such decision was taken, stressing that the House will look at the proposal.
While giving clarification on his submission, Professor Oloyede said: “We are just saying that. The only advantage it has for me is that I will pay my staff properly because what they are paying them now does not commensurate with what they are doing at the Board.”
He also underscored the need for JAMB to reduce its cost in the bid to boost its internally generated revenue.
Amid Internal Crisis, Iyorchia Ayu Goes To Europe For Two Weeks
JAMB generates N8.732bn revenue out of proposed N12.132bn from UTME, Direct Entry registration, others
EDITORIAL: The Collapse Of Two Million SMEs
JAMB generates N8.732bn revenue out of proposed N12.132bn from UTME, Direct Entry registration, others
JAMB generates N8.732bn revenue out of proposed N12.132bn from UTME, Direct Entry registration, others | https://tribuneonlineng.com/jamb-generates-n8-732bn-revenue-out-of-proposed-n12-132bn-from-utme-direct-entry-registration-others/ | 2022-09-14T17:01:55Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/jamb-generates-n8-732bn-revenue-out-of-proposed-n12-132bn-from-utme-direct-entry-registration-others/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been commended on its efforts in returning the Commission to profitability and urged to explore ways to further deepen the capital market in a bid to attract more local investors, especially young Nigerians.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, gave the advice during the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) interactive session with the Senate Committee on Finance in Abuja.
Senator Adeola while commending the Management of the Commission for their efforts so far in turning around the fortunes of the SEC, however, stated the need for more efforts in a bid to make the capital market more attractive to Nigerians.
According to him, “You have done well. I must commend you for your efforts in repositioning that agency from a point of deficit after paying salaries to a point of profit now and to the extent of contributing to the coffers of government.
“Going forward, there is still a lot to be done at the SEC, and I believe that you will try your best. So many people are not interested in the Nigerian capital market again; it is losing steam. Even other world economies’ market no one is patronising them because it is not the best of times, but I want you to see ways by which you can encourage local investors to our capital market.
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“That is one area you should spread your tentacles to; let the young people know that if they put money in the market in the shortest possible time they can access their profit. You have done well, but there is always room for improvement. It is that improvement we are trying to emphasise on now and we think you are getting it right. We hope God will guide you in your quest to turn around the fortunes of the SEC”.
Speaking earlier, the Director General of SEC, Mr Lamido Yuguda, told the senators that the Commission is 100 per cent self-funded agency of government and pays dues to the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federal government under the Finance Act 2020, which amended the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007.
He said, “Right now we are contributing 25 per cent to the Federal Government which is deducted at source and we are also asked to pay another 15 per cent at the end of the financial year when we submit our annual accounts. That is making 40 per cent in total, I am saying that based on what we have done so far, that 40 per cent is a little too heavy for the Commission and I would like this Committee to look at this issue.
“We have abided by the provision of the Act as we have committed the sum of N1.588 billion for the six months ending June 2022. For the whole of 2021, we have done N1.367 billion and then for the six months in 2020, we have contributed a total of N3.705 from the time the deductions started.”
While admitting that the Commission has recorded a major turnaround in its fortunes, Yuguda however stated that 40 per cent contribution to Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) might be too high for the SEC and urged the Senators to take a second look.
“We have been able to cope with the 25 per cent since it started, but the additional 15 per cent has actually been very difficult for us. We are coming from a deficit position, when the bill for the 15 percent came, the Commission had already spent the balance of the 75 per cent that we were able to retain on our overheads.
“The Commission is doing a lot to attract more Nigerians to the market and we have achieved a lot in that regard. We know the capital market can do a lot to assist the government in its current efforts to reposition its finances and the economy,
Yuguda who stated that the Commission has been operating under very difficult circumstances since it is currently superintending over a market that was affected by the negative impact of COVID-19, however, assured that steps are being taken to ensure that the fortunes of the SEC continue to improve.
He disclosed that the Commission raises revenue from the market to finance its regulatory activities on the market, but however cautioned that if these fees are raised too high, they will deter the mobilisation of capital and deter participation in the capital market saying that there needs to be a good balance between asking SEC to raise revenues to finance its activities and asking SEC to also contribute revenue to the coffers of government.
He said, “If we go through the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework which we started last year if we look at 2022 and 2023, you will see that we have worked on our expenditure and have done a lot of financial management to turn around the fortunes of the Commission. We, therefore, need the support of all to engineer the kind of transition we are thinking of at the SEC.”
Amid Internal Crisis, Iyorchia Ayu Goes To Europe For Two Weeks
SEC urged to further deepen capital market
EDITORIAL: The Collapse Of Two Million SMEs
SEC urged to further deepen capital market | https://tribuneonlineng.com/sec-urged-to-further-deepen-capital-market/ | 2022-09-14T17:02:20Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/sec-urged-to-further-deepen-capital-market/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(KTLA) – Police are looking for witnesses who intervened after a boy was sexually assaulted inside a California doughnut shop late last month.
The incident, which was caught on video, occurred on the morning of Aug. 31 as a mother and her two sons were getting breakfast the Glendale shop, police said.
While the family was paying for their breakfast at the counter, the suspect, identified as Farid Lalezarzadeh, walked behind the victim and allegedly “pinched him on the buttocks,” police said in a news release.
Video released by police on Tuesday shows the man then get hand sanitizer at the counter.
A witness saw what occurred and stepped in to protect the boy. The witness and his friend then confronted the suspect, who left the area.
Police were notified and were able to identify Lalezarzadeh, who was ultimately arrested on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14.
Police have not found the witnesses who intervened.
“Their witness statements are crucial to the successful prosecution of the suspect,” police said.
Anyone who witnessed the crime or similar crimes related to Lalezarzadeh is asked to call the Glendale Police Department at 818-548-4911.
Those wishing to remain anonymous can call L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/watch-customers-step-in-when-13-year-old-boy-is-assaulted-inside-california-doughnut-shop/ | 2022-09-14T17:03:22Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/watch-customers-step-in-when-13-year-old-boy-is-assaulted-inside-california-doughnut-shop/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Queen Elizabeth: I'm sure I bored her when we met, but she didn't show it. She was always well-informed, curious and concerned – John McLellan
When we learnt Queen Elizabeth was to open the new Holyrood Road offices of Scotsman Publications in 1999, we all presumed The Scotsman would get all the attention and this paper would be somewhat in the shadows.
But then we learnt that no, the Palace had made it clear that Her Majesty would be coming to the Evening News, while the Duke of Edinburgh would be touring The Scotsman. Scotland on Sunday had to make do with Donald Dewar.
As the Evening News editor of the time, that meant I would be conducting the visit and while I’m sure she was bored by my explanation of modern newspaper production, she never showed it.
If anything, it was more nerve-wracking having the boss, Andrew Neil, on my shoulder as we tried to produce a paper with a front-page picture of her arrival in time for her departure an hour later. We missed by ten minutes.
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Pictures show me with a strapped hand, broken the Saturday before playing rugby, and she asked what I’d done, but what impressed me was she knew about a tragedy days before, when a girl had fallen to her death on Salisbury Crags, and she wanted to know what had happened. She was well-informed, curious and concerned.
I met her again five years ago just after I became a councillor, at the Ceremony of the Keys, and after nearly 20 years, the sparkle and the easy conversation was still there. “You’re wearing a lot better than I, ma’am,” I said. | https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/queen-elizabeth-im-sure-i-bored-her-when-we-met-but-she-didnt-show-it-she-was-always-well-informed-curious-and-concerned-john-mclellan-3842984 | 2022-09-14T17:05:27Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/queen-elizabeth-im-sure-i-bored-her-when-we-met-but-she-didnt-show-it-she-was-always-well-informed-curious-and-concerned-john-mclellan-3842984 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Midlothian house prices dropped in July
House prices dropped by 1.6 per cent in Midlothian in July, new figures show.
But the drop does not reverse the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 9.4 per cent annual growth.
The average Midlothian house price in July was £232,850, Land Registry figures show –a 1.6 per cent decrease on June.
Over the month, the picture was worse than that across Scotland, where prices increased 0.6 per cent, and Midlothian underperformed compared to the two per cent rise for the UK as a whole.
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Across the UK, the average house price leapt by 15.5 per cent in the year to July, marking the biggest increase in 19 years.
But the increase in annual inflation was mainly because of “a base effect” from the falls in prices seen this time last year, as a result of changes in the stamp duty holiday, the ONS said.
Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Midlothian rose by £20,000 – putting the area 26th among Scotland’s 32 local authorities with price data for annual growth.
Owners of detached houses fared worst in Midlothian in July – they dropped two per cent in price, to £440,283 on average. But over the last year, prices rose by 12.9 per cent.
First-time buyers in Midlothian spent an average of £192,000 on their property – £14,000 more than a year ago, and £53,000 more than in July 2017.
By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £275,000 on average in July – 43.5 per cent more than first-time buyers. | https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/midlothian-house-prices-dropped-in-july-3843603 | 2022-09-14T17:05:34Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/midlothian-house-prices-dropped-in-july-3843603 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO) – A teenage human trafficking victim who was initially charged with first-degree murder after she stabbed her accused rapist to death was sentenced Tuesday in an Iowa court to five years of closely supervised probation and ordered to pay $150,000 restitution to the man’s family.
Pieper Lewis was originally charged with first-degree murder for the stabbing death of Zachary Brooks in 2020. The 17-year-old was charged in the death of 37-year-old Brooks, who she claims raped her multiple times in the weeks before his death. She had faced the possibility of 20 years in prison.
Lewis pleaded last year to involuntary manslaughter and willful injury. Both charges were punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Polk County District judge David M. Porter on Tuesday deferred those prison sentences, meaning that if Lewis violates any portion of her probation, she could be sent to prison to serve that 20-year term.
As for being required to pay the estate of her rapist, “this court is presented with no other option,” Porter said, noting the restitution is mandatory under Iowa law that has been upheld by the Iowa Supreme Court.
Lewis was 15 when she stabbed Brooks more than 30 times in a Des Moines apartment. Officials have said Lewis was a runaway who was seeking to escape an abusive life with her adopted mother and was sleeping in the hallways of a Des Moines apartment building when a 28-year-old man took her in before forcibly trafficking her to other men for sex.
Lewis said one of those men was Brooks and that he had raped her multiple times in the weeks before his death. She recounted being forced at knifepoint by the 28-year-old man to go with Brooks to his apartment for sex. She told officials that after Brooks had raped her yet again, she grabbed a knife from a bedside table and stabbed Brooks in a fit of rage.
Police and prosecutors have not disputed that Lewis was sexually assaulted and trafficked. But prosecutors have argued that Brooks was asleep at the time he was stabbed and not an immediate danger to Lewis.
Iowa is not among the dozens of states that have a so-called safe harbor law that gives trafficking victims at least some level of criminal immunity.
Lewis, who earned her GED while being held in juvenile detention, acknowledged in a statement prior to her sentencing that she struggled with the structure of her detention, including “why I was treated like fragile glass” or wasn’t allowed to communicate with her friends or family.
“My spirit has been burned, but still glows through the flames,” she read from a statement she had prepared. “Hear me roar, see me glow, and watch me grow.”
“I am a survivor,” she added.
The judge peppered Lewis with repeated requests to explain what poor choices she made that led up to Brooks’ stabbing and expressed concern that she sometimes did not want to follow rules set for her in juvenile lockup.
“The next five years of your life will be full of rules you disagree with, I’m sure of it,” Porter said. He later added, “This is the second chance that you’ve asked for. You don’t get a third.”
Her attorney said after the sentencing that they were extremely happy with the outcome.
“Very pleased at the court decision. Going into this case we assumed the worst she was initially charged with first-degree murder,” said Matt Sheeley.
Lewis’ attorney argued in court that requiring her to pay restitution to the family of the man who raped her was cruel and unusual punishment. Her attorney said that there may be action taken down the line, aimed at the current restitution precedent set at the Iowa Supreme Court. But added that this was a win.
“That is not the most important pressing concern that she has. She wants to move on with her life. She has got her entire life ahead of her. She has all these opportunities ahead of her. So the restitution is not really something she is bothered by at this point,” said Sheeley.
Lewis will be required to undergo mental health and substance abuse evaluation as well as GPS tracking and monitoring. She will not be eligible for early release from probation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.wspa.com/news/iowa-teen-who-killed-rapist-avoids-prison-ordered-to-pay-150000/ | 2022-09-14T17:07:34Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/iowa-teen-who-killed-rapist-avoids-prison-ordered-to-pay-150000/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(KTLA) — Quick-thinking San Bernardino police officers came to the rescue of a mother and her two children after flash flood waters stormed through a residential neighborhood Sunday.
Body camera footage shared by the San Bernardino Police Department showed several officers brave the gushing water to rescue the family, who was being swept away by the fast-moving current.
The rescue happened around 6 p.m. Sunday. At the time of the rescue, the area was under a flash flood warning from the remnants of Tropical Storm Kay.
Video shows the officers grab hold of at least one young child who was being swept away by flood waters. Police also created a human chain to safely get a younger child and their mother to the other side of the raging water.
The mother and her two children were uninjured.
“Our officers do not encounter swift water floods often, however, it doesn’t stop them from jumping into action and saving lives,” the Police Department said on Twitter.
Flash floods are the No. 1 weather-related killer in America, according to the National Weather Service.
Six inches of “fast-moving flood water can knock you off your feet, and a depth of 2 feet will float your car,” NWS says.
You should never try to walk, swim or drive through swift water, and if you come upon flood waters, you are urged to turn around and go another way. | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/watch-police-rescue-family-from-raging-flash-flood-in-california/ | 2022-09-14T17:07:46Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/watch-police-rescue-family-from-raging-flash-flood-in-california/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The lighter clicks as his mother fans it beneath a heroin-filled spoon. His 5-year-old belly growls. A foster mother’s fist thunks against the sink as she thrusts his hand into the garbage disposal’s spinning teeth. An officer’s fist crunches into his nose at a residential community for at-risk boys. Clank go the handcuffs around 11-year-old wrists—the work of a truancy officer who correctly identified him as a runaway, but never asked why.
This is the soundtrack to a splintered life.
In That Bird Has My Wings, Jarvis Jay Masters’s debut memoir, readers are thrust into painful scenes familiar to too many Black American boys born into addiction and poverty. His story reads as a blueprint for the incarceration pipeline: The small child siphoned off from the most basic forms of care becomes the young man who seeks safety and shelter through the promise of crime—and is punished accordingly. This is where the story, as it has for many, could have easily ended.
Instead, Masters transforms himself again.
How does one shift from being a convicted felon serving a sentence on death row, an identity framed by familial neglect and state abuse, to a Buddhist thinker mentored by revered spiritual teacher Pema Chödrön, to a celebrated writer endorsed by Oprah? Clues to Masters’s extraordinary trajectory can be found in a poem that won PEN America’s Prison Writing Awards in 2005.
Masters’s poem “Recipe for Prison Pruno” braids together, line by line, two disparate sets of instructions: a recipe for brewing moonshine alcohol in prison interwoven with his own death sentence, rendered in the presiding judge’s voice. The form itself is a literary revelation, marking the cruel inventiveness Masters was forced to develop first as a foster child, then ward of the state, and, later, an inmate at many carceral institutions. The poem mimics the way trauma sneakily intertwines itself with desperate methods of warped control and relief, and how living under systemic duress buries one’s soft-hearted center under the sharp edges of survival.
I have hereon set my hand as Judge of this Superior Court,
with a spoon, skim off the mash,
and I have caused the seal of this Court to be affixed thereto.
pour the remaining portion into two 18 oz. cups.
May God have mercy on your soul.
Though the poem offers no respite or resolution of its own, it is through the act of braiding that Masters creates a symbolic reclamation. Masters has pulled apart, then pieced together, the narrative threads impressed upon him. He has taken the words into his own hands. He has begun to reassemble the splintered self.
And then, he offers the result to the world. —Caits Meissner and Nicole Shawan Junior
NICOLE SHAWAN JUNIOR, Deputy Director of Prison and Justice Writing at PEN America:
That a death sentence can be uttered in a single breath, in one sentence, and take up only half a poem—a sole thread in a literary braid—but carry an unbearable weight crushes me. As I reread each line, I imagine the juxtaposed scenes: Masters in the courtroom, devastated at hearing the court’s sentence, thrown against Masters’s quiet focus in a California prison cell, step by step brewing a liquid antidote. I wonder if my cousin Duval, incarcerated for over a decade after pleading to life in prison to escape South Carolina’s death penalty, knows the same recipe. Has he made it?
How do Black boys, children, born into addiction, poverty, and systemic oppression like Masters and Duval make it? How can we handle the unfathomable load?
In Nichiren Buddhism, Daisaku Ikeda instructs that “the Lotus Sutra teaches of the great hidden treasure of the heart, as vast as the universe itself, which dispels any feelings of powerlessness. It teaches a dynamic way of living in which we breathe the immense life of the universe itself. It teaches the great adventure of self-reformation.”
Through his Buddhist journey, and the writing that followed, Masters has crafted meaningful art out of a life of pain that offers us all, touched by incarceration or not, valuable insight into how we can shape our own narrative, and even create our own joy. He shows that hidden within each and every human being is a limitless treasure of good and power, and when tapped, we can find peace with our parts, and reclaim our whole.
It’s this mystic truth and a journey not dissimilar to Masters’s that led me to my role as deputy director of Prison and Justice Writing at PEN America.
Though I have never suffered the despair of death row or life in prison, like Masters, I learned early to disassociate from my environmental conditions by splintering myself. Back then, Daddy was always on a mission for crack and Mama was always at a job, working to make the ends that Daddy stole meet. Every night at home alone, I pulled covers up to my neck, pushed my head under a pillow, and hid from the crackheads I expected would break into our home, rob me, or worse. When my fear got the best of me, I’d tiptoe into the living room to check the window furthermost to the right, its iron burglar bars the only boundary between our apartment and the fire escape. Some nights I spent hours checking that no one lurked beyond that metal barrier.
These childhood memories, formed by addiction, poverty, and neglect, propelled me onto my own path: a former career prosecutor, a current felon convicted of fraud and sentenced to probation’s iron grip, a published writer and Nichiren Buddhism neophyte. At PEN America, I do the work of celebrating and amplifying justice-involved writers like Masters because I know the power made available by the written word and spirituality. It’s the same power that stitched me back together, that saved me whole.
Nicole Shawan Junior (they/them) is deputy director of Prison and Justice Writing at PEN America. They founded Roots. Wounds. Words.—an organization that provides BIPOC-led and -centered literary arts pedagogy, publication, and performance opportunities. Junior’s writing appears in The Sentences That Create Us, Guernica, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. They served as editor-in-chief of Black Femme Collective.
CAITS MEISSNER, Director of Prison and Justice Writing at PEN America:
Long before I became director of Prison and Justice Writing at PEN America, I had been sneaking Masters’s “Recipe For Prison Pruno” into prisons and jails. Though I knew that the ingredients to make prison hooch were no secret—and easy enough to find out in the unit, on the yard—I also understood the poem’s description would be considered contraband by the powers that be. My small risk was worth the lesson in literary craft for my students, but moreover, it was a powerful example of how one can repurpose what harms ourselves and others into potent medicine. It also reminded me that imagination, knowledge, and clarity of mind are mighty threats to systems of oppression. Perhaps there is nowhere in America where a poem, a page, a memoir is more dangerous than in prison.
PEN America, a 100-year-old nonprofit that celebrates and defends free expression, started the Prison and Justice Writing program on the heels of the Attica uprising. It was shaped by the conviction that writing is a legitimate form of power. For more than 50 years, our programs have evolved, offering free resources, mentorship, and public platforms to incarcerated writers across the country. We collaborate with many who share Masters’s soul-determination. Like Masters, many writers in prison are recording their stories by any means necessary, with an outdated typewriter, a pencil, or the flimsy ink filler of a pen (the only utensil permitted to Masters on death row). Incarcerated writers face a myriad of barriers to expression—lack of internet access, prohibitively expensive phone systems, the reliance on physical mail in a digital world, censorship, and punitive retaliation, to name a few.
And yet, there are plenty of incarcerated writers willing to take the bold risks necessary to have their voices heard and communed with, to teach about the resilience of the human spirit, about the conditions and consequences of a punitive system that has spiraled out of control. PEN America’s recently published book The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting a Writer’s Life in Prison, reaching 75,000 people in prison for free with funding from the Mellon Foundation, is a compilation of contributors from the invisibilized community of justice-involved writers, truth tellers, and creatives that Masters shares.
As PEN America marks its centennial, it is encouraging to see a significant increase in the number of published works written by non-celebrity incarcerated writers entering the mainstream. As a result of this trend, writers behind the walls have been able to directly communicate with those of us on this side. We, in turn, are able to sit with, discern, and understand the complexity of guilt and innocence, past and present, the fragmented parts versus the whole. It is at this meeting point where dialogue is opened across divides, stigmas are disrupted, and new possibilities are imagined. This important conversation is only available because incarcerated writers like Jarvis Jay Masters, despite the perils of their condition, scratch out the narratives of their lives, welcome us to commune with their most vulnerable parts, and, in so doing, help us access the treasure we all hold within.
Caits Meissner is director of Prison and Justice Writing at PEN America, where she edited The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting a Writer’s Life in Prison (Haymarket Books). Meissner’s poems, comics, essays, and curation have appeared in The Creative Independent, The Rumpus, and Harper’s Bazaar among others. | https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a41169169/prison-justice-writing-pen-america/ | 2022-09-14T17:08:34Z | oprahdaily.com | control | https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a41169169/prison-justice-writing-pen-america/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Recipe for Prison Pruno
Take ten peeled oranges,
Jarvis Masters, it is the judgment and sentence of this court,
one 8 oz. bowl of fruit cocktail,
that the charged information was true,
squeeze the fruit into a small plastic bag,
and the jury having previously, on said date,
and put the juice along with the mash inside,
found that the penalty shall be death,
add 16 oz. of water and seal the bag tightly.
and this Court having, on August 20, 1991,
Place the bag into your sink,
denied your motion for a new trial,
and heat it with hot running water for 15 minutes.
it is the order of this Court that you suffer death,
wrap towels around the bag to keep it warm for fermentation.
said penalty to be inflicted within the walls of San Quentin,
Stash the bag in your cell undisturbed for 48 hours.
at which place you shall be put to death,
When the time has elapsed,
in the manner prescribed by law,
add 40 to 60 cubes of white sugar,
the date later to be fixed by the Court in warrant of execution.
six teaspoons of ketchup,
You are remanded to the custody of the warden of San Quentin,
then heat again for 30 minutes,
to be held by him pending final
secure the bag as done before,
determination of your appeal.
then stash the bag undisturbed again for 72 hours.
It is so ordered.
Reheat daily for 15 minutes.
In witness whereof,
After 72 hours,
I have hereon set my hand as Judge of this Superior Court,
with a spoon, skim off the mash,
and I have caused the seal of this Court to be affixed thereto.
pour the remaining portion into two 18 oz. cups.
May God have mercy on your soul.
Reprinted with permission from PEN America.
Aaron Radford-Wattley is the e-commerce and SEO Manager at Oprah Daily, where he oversees all things relating to commerce content, shopping, and search optimization. Aaron has over 15 years of experience in the media industry. Prior to joining the Oprah Daily team, he worked extensively in news media, digital marketing, fashion, and retail. | https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a41169730/recipe-for-prison-pruno-jarvis-jay-masters/ | 2022-09-14T17:08:44Z | oprahdaily.com | control | https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a41169730/recipe-for-prison-pruno-jarvis-jay-masters/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Days before Oprah and Viola Davis sat down together for an enlightening conversation celebrating Davis’s beautifully honest Finding Me memoir, a New York Times bestseller, the Oscar-winning actress was in South Africa filming The Woman King. If you’re intrigued by the title alone, then allow us to bring you up to speed on what to expect when the film hits theaters on September 16.
The Woman King tells the story of the Amazons, which is loosely based on the African Kingdom of Dahomey’s all-female warrior tribe. “They were called the Amazons, and they were soldiers who fought for the kingdom,” Davis tells Oprah about the historical tribe. “They couldn’t get married; they couldn’t have children; they couldn’t have sex. And they fought, basically, all the neighboring tribes of all men—the Oyo tribe, the Mahi—and they were just badasses, you know?”
While Davis’s explanation is compelling enough to make us start lining up for tickets right this very minute, Davis shared that at the heart of the film lies a “tremendous story” of reconciliation between General Nanisc, played by Davis, and her ambitious daughter Nawi, played by South African actress Thuso Mbedu.
According to BBC Travel, King Ghezo ruled Dahomey from 1818 to 1858, and assembled the all-female army due to limited manpower as a result of the European slave trade. However, the same BBC Travel report notes a possibility that Queen Hangbe, who reigned over Dahomey, actually formed the group as a way to have her own bodyguards. John Boyega is playing Ghezo in The Woman King, though it’s unclear whether Hangbe will be portrayed in the film. In 1892, the Amazons were defeated by the French, but Davis says The Woman King is sure to give viewers a “window into their life.”
Midway through her conversation with Oprah, Davis joked that she was the “oldest warrior” at age 57. Still, she “felt proud” of herself and of her husband, Julius Tennon, for “having the insight to even do this awesome piece of work.”
What Davis walked away with, though, is far greater than any box-office success. “Looking at all these young women who a part of this story, I’m telling you, I see the future in a lot of these young girls,” she tells Oprah. “The confidence they have, the work ethic they have, it made me feel so proud just looking at how they showed up every day for work, how they understood the assignment.”
Watch the official trailer for The Woman King below. Then, check out Oprah and Davis’s full conversation above.
The Woman King hits theaters on September 16.
Princess Gabbara is the Senior Culture Editor at Oprah Daily, where she oversees the site’s TV, movies, and music coverage. Before joining Oprah Daily, she served as Bustle’s lifestyle editor and as the sole web editor at Rachael Ray Every Day. Her bylines have appeared in Billboard, MTV News, Bitch Media, and Shondaland. Her career highlights include exclusive interview coverage of celebrities, including Mariah Carey, Venus and Serena Williams, Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga, and Billy Porter. Follow her on Twitter | https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a41193825/the-woman-king-viola-davis-oprah-interview/ | 2022-09-14T17:08:54Z | oprahdaily.com | control | https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a41193825/the-woman-king-viola-davis-oprah-interview/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Trends might come and go, but the Apple Watch is here to stay. Over the past eight years, Apple's ultra-intuitive and impossibly sleek smart watch has quickly become the most covetable piece of tech for your wrists. So, what's stopping you from hopping on the timepiece trend? If price has been a hurdle, you'll be happy to hear that Amazon has dropped the Apple Watch Series 7 model down to its lowest price yet.
For the uninitiated, Apple's watch does a lot more than send texts, emails, and other notifications to your wrist. Thanks to its top-of-the-line sensors and a corresponding app, this device can monitor your sleep cycles and blood oxygen levels. (Think of this watch as your personal ECG.)
It's also compatible with Apple's Fitness+ program, which means it'll track everything from how many steps you clocked on your outdoor run to your calories burned during your latest spin session.
More From Oprah Daily
As if its cutting-edge features aren't impressive enough, it has a large display, a lasting battery, and a Family Setup feature, so parents can keep tabs on their little ones. The Apple Series 7 smartwatch—which has both GPS and cellular connectivity—normally costs $529; however, Amazon's dropping the price all the way down to $400.
Though this deal is the Apple Series 7 model's cheapest price yet, it's by no means cheap. But, thanks to its ultra-durable construction that's swimproof, crack-resistant, and dust-blocking, this new-and-improved model is built to last. Even better, this fiery colorway was made in conjunction with PRODUCT(RED), so it's a great deal that will pay it forward. | https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a41175529/apples-series-7-watch-cheapest-price-on-amazon/ | 2022-09-14T17:09:04Z | oprahdaily.com | control | https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a41175529/apples-series-7-watch-cheapest-price-on-amazon/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
EMS workers are hoping to teach people how to be safe during National Preparedness Month.
"Everybody assumes it's not going to happen to them, whether it's severe weather or fire, so it's better to prepare yourself ahead of time because you just never know," said Hamilton County EMS Public Relations Manager Amy Maxwell.
Over the years, Tennessee has suffered through a variety of natural disasters.
"We've seen a lot of significant flooding that's occurred in the spring but we've also seen it in the fall," said Maxwell. "We've had droughts in the fall, we've had wildfires back in 2016, we've also had signifcant tornadoes that have occurred in the early spring."
No matter the circumstance, Maxwell said people should always be prepared.
"This is a great time to draw awareness and encourage us to take steps to prepare for emergencies, whether it's at our homes, at our schools, at our business," said Maxwell.
You should begin your preparations by creating a safe spot for your family, whether it's in your home or with a friend nearby.
"Designate a safe place in your house," said Maxwell. "So if you're having to shelter in place during a tornado, which we have seen in the past, finding that safe location which is in the center of the lowest point in your house."
She also said it's a good time to make a 'to-go' kit with items like water, a flashlight, a weather radio, cell phone, and first aid kit.
"Non perishable items that can be stored in this to-go kit," said Maxwell. "Pet supplies, people don't remember but your pets are your family too and we also need to include that."
She added to check on your own safety in the event of a natural disaster that forces you to evacuate.
"To protect your head is so important for flying debris in the event you are in the path of a tornado," said Maxwell. "Also in severe weather, have a pair of shoes on."
She said it's a good idea to 'sweat the details,' as the smallest things can make the biggest difference.
"Anytime you are proactive instead of reactive could really end up really saving your life or your family's," said Maxwell.
You can find a full list of resources, provided by Hamilton County EMS, here. | https://www.local3news.com/hamilton-county-ems-shares-tips-for-national-preparedness-month/article_8eef62f0-3424-11ed-b5d0-9b56991542ca.html | 2022-09-14T17:10:50Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/hamilton-county-ems-shares-tips-for-national-preparedness-month/article_8eef62f0-3424-11ed-b5d0-9b56991542ca.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Happy Wednesday, everyone! Our Wednesday will bring us even more sunshine which will last through the Friday. Highs will begin to warm up a bit each day, along with a smidge more humidity. Highs will be in the low to mid 80s with overnight lows back into the lower 60s.
This weekend brings plenty of sunshine, but again a smidge more humidity and slightly warmer temps. We will return to near normal highs in the mid to upper 80s. Next week temps may begin to warm back above normal with highs back into the upper 80s to near 90. | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/mostly-sunny-pleasant-wednesday-afternoon/article_9a07c4b4-344e-11ed-8a14-4f9c38335890.html | 2022-09-14T17:10:52Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/mostly-sunny-pleasant-wednesday-afternoon/article_9a07c4b4-344e-11ed-8a14-4f9c38335890.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
An investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office, working in conjunction with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, showed that a Madison County commissioner violated state law by charging a $50-$60 fee to officiate marriage ceremonies in Madison County.
The commissioner involved was not named in the report.
Investigators determined that he charged and collected an estimated $115,220 in unlawful fees to officiate at least 1,970 marriages between January 2015 and July 2021.
Under state law, county commissioners are authorized to solemnize marriages and they may accept gratuities for performing wedding ceremonies (Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-3-301(c)); but, they may not charge a fee or demand any other form of compensation (Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-21-101 and Op. Tenn. Att’y Gen. 11-18).
Investigators learned that the commissioner would often send a text message to individuals before their ceremony. The commissioner’s text message made reference to “my gratuity,” and it set a $60 cash price for the service. The Comptroller's Office said that "by setting a fixed price, he was clearly charging and requiring payment of a fee rather than accepting a gratuity in an unknown or undetermined amount."
Investigators also raised concerns about the Madison County Clerk’s Office which directed and referred the majority of marriage ceremonies to the county commissioner. Not only did deputy clerks show their preference in recommending the commissioner, but in some cases, they would schedule appointments and collect money on his behalf.
“The Madison County Clerk must ensure his staff remain impartial when sharing a list of potential marriage officiants with members of the public,” said Comptroller Jason Mumpower. “I’m hopeful this investigation also serves to remind public officials about the state law prohibiting them from charging a fee for a public service unless it is expressly allowed by statute.” | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/tennessee/tennessee-county-commissioner-kept-over-115-000-in-wedding-fees/article_4e42bd0c-3441-11ed-9e26-af539a5a6234.html | 2022-09-14T17:10:53Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/tennessee/tennessee-county-commissioner-kept-over-115-000-in-wedding-fees/article_4e42bd0c-3441-11ed-9e26-af539a5a6234.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
President Joe Biden on Wednesday is set to announce the approval of the first $900 million for electric vehicle chargers across the country when he speaks in Detroit, a White House official said.
The money is part of the bipartisan infrastructure law and will help build chargers across 53,000 miles of the nations' highway system.
Biden is slated to tour the North American International Auto Show in Detroit before delivering remarks on electric vehicle manufacturing investments in the United States.
"Since President Biden took office, companies like Toyota, Honda, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Panasonic have announced investments of nearly $85 billion to make electric vehicles, batteries and EV chargers across America, including in North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri and Kansas," the official said in a statement.
The official added that Biden "will discuss how his auto vision and leadership -- including through his bipartisan infrastructure law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act -- have positioned the United States to lead the electric vehicle future -- creating more jobs and making more in America all while fighting climate change."
Biden is also slated to talk to union workers, CEOs and local leaders "throughout the day," the official said.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/biden-to-announce-electric-vehicle-charging-station-investments-in-detroit/article_033c39d2-341e-11ed-b90e-2fd0a42db9eb.html | 2022-09-14T17:11:16Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/biden-to-announce-electric-vehicle-charging-station-investments-in-detroit/article_033c39d2-341e-11ed-b90e-2fd0a42db9eb.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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