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Russia says it will leave the International Space Station after more than 20 years of cooperation with the United States in space.
Here & Now‘s Jane Clayson speaks with Leroy Chiao, a retired NASA astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station, about the announcement and the future of the International Space Station.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.nprillinois.org/2022-07-27/former-nasa-astronaut-and-iss-commander-on-russias-withdrawal-from-the-international-space-station | 2022-07-27T20:01:52Z | https://www.nprillinois.org/2022-07-27/former-nasa-astronaut-and-iss-commander-on-russias-withdrawal-from-the-international-space-station | true |
Ambulance management system: Court seeks status of progress by October 27
The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday directed the State government to submit status report by October 27 on the progress made in the tender process for procuring the hi-tech ambulance management and operation system in Bengaluru and other cities.
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice S. Vishwajith Shetty issued the direction after the government submitted a tentative timeline for completing the tender process.
As per the tentative timeline, the tender is likley to be invited on August 30 after the clearance by the pre-tender scrutiny committee, and the tender process is likely to be completed by mid-November.
The government has submitted the tentative timeline as the court had earlier expressed displeasure over undue delay in implementation of new ambulance management system even though the proposal for modernising the system was started two years ago.
Meanwhile, the Bench directed the government to adhere to the timeline and adjourned further hearing till October 27 on the PIL petition filed by Bharat Punarothana Trust, Bengaluru.
The petition had pointed out the constraints for movement of ambulances particularly in Bengaluru city, and the government in August 2020 had told the court that a new system to modernise the ambulance management is in the pipeline.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday afternoon's drawing of the Wisconsin Lottery's "Pick 4 Midday" game were:
5-2-8-1
(five, two, eight, one)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday afternoon's drawing of the Wisconsin Lottery's "Pick 4 Midday" game were:
5-2-8-1
(five, two, eight, one) | https://www.theheraldreview.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Pick-4-Midday-game-17332936.php | 2022-07-27T20:02:14Z | https://www.theheraldreview.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Pick-4-Midday-game-17332936.php | false |
The rain that poured down on St. Louis shattered all-time records going back more than a century. Flooding was so deep on some streets that the tops of cars peeked out like alligator eyes above the water.
Vehicles appeared to float along a portion of Interstate 70. Firefighters paddled along streets in rubber rafts to rescue residents. One person was reported dead.
Here & Now‘s Scott Tong talks with Sarah Fentem of St. Louis Public Radio.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.nprillinois.org/2022-07-27/record-breaking-rain-floods-st-louis | 2022-07-27T20:02:19Z | https://www.nprillinois.org/2022-07-27/record-breaking-rain-floods-st-louis | true |
BEIJING (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden is planning to speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the first time in four months, with a wide range of bilateral and international issues on the table.
But a potential visit to Taiwan by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is looming over the conversation set for Thursday, with China warning of a severe response if she travels to the self-governing island democracy Beijing claims as its own territory.
On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the presidential phone call. However, spokesperson Zhao Lijian reiterated China’s warnings over a Pelosi visit.
“If the U.S. insists on going its own way and challenging China’s bottom line, it will surely be met with forceful responses,” Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing. “All ensuing consequences shall be borne by the U.S.”
Pelosi’s office has yet to say when, or even if, she will proceed with the visit, but the timing is especially sensitive amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington over trade, human rights and Taiwan.
While the U.S. has in recent years sent a Cabinet secretary and high-ranking former officials to Taiwan, Pelosi’s status as the top congressional Democrat and second in line of succession to the presidency puts her in a separate category. The speaker has made standing up to China a key feature of her more than three decades in Congress.
While Biden has no authority to prevent Pelosi visiting, China’s authoritarian Communist government chooses to ignore the separation of powers in the U.S., saying Congress is beholden to the administration. In Beijing’s perception, the fact both belong to the Democratic Party reinforces the notion that Pelosi is somehow working with Biden’s assent.
Despite that, Biden last week told reporters that U.S. military officials believed it was “not a good idea” for the speaker to visit the island at the moment. The Financial Times reported last week that Pelosi planned to visit Taiwan in August, a trip that had originally been planned for April but was postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19.
Pelosi would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to travel to Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he served as House speaker. Gingrich and other prominent Republicans who are normally highly critical of Pelosi have offered their encouragement, saying China has no right to dictate where Americans can travel to.
China has given no details on what specific actions it would take in response, but experts say it could launch additional incursions into waters and airspace near Taiwan, or even cross the center line of the Taiwan Strait dividing the two. Some have speculated China might even attempt to prevent her plane from landing, something that would spark a major crisis and is generally considered unlikely.
U.S. officials told The Associated Press that if Pelosi goes to Taiwan, the military will increase movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region.
They declined to provide details, but said that fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems would likely be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and any time on the ground there.
A possible Pelosi visit makes it even more important that Xi and Biden hold a meaningful discussion, said Yu Wanli, a professor of international relations at Beijing Language and Culture University.
Although both their administrations are opposed to it, Pelosi’s visit “has been hijacked by U.S. domestic politics, with Republicans and other forces exerting pressure not to show weakness to China,” Yu said.
“The issue of how China and the U.S. manage and control the Taiwan issue has become an urgent matter, and therefore the talk between the two leaders is very timely and necessary,” he said.
The U.S. has only informal relations and defense ties with Taipei in deference to China, but remains the island’s most important source of military and political support. Legally, the U.S. is obligated to ensure Taiwan can defend itself and regard threats to it as matters of “grave concern.”
China, which in recent years has boosted its threat to use force to annex Taiwan if necessary, objects to all U.S. arms sales and contacts with the island’s government.
It regularly stages military exercises and flies warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, in what it calls warnings to supporters of the island’s formal independence and their foreign allies.
The sides split amid civil war in 1949 and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has refused Beijing’s demand that she recognize the island as a part of China. Public sentiment in Taiwan strongly favors maintaining the status quo of de-facto independence without further antagonizing Beijing.
Along with Taiwan, North Korea’s nuclear program, Beijing’s close ties to Russia, efforts by Biden to revive the Iran nuclear deal and the status of the U.S. administration’s review of tough tariffs imposed on China by the Trump administration are likely to feature in discussions between the leaders.
Taiwan was a central topic during Biden and Xi’s last call in March, about three weeks after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. China has refused to criticize Russia’s move, blames the U.S. and NATO for provoking Moscow and has blasted punishing sanctions imposed on Vladimir Putin’s government and political cronies. | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/political-news/ap-politics/xi-biden-to-speak-as-possible-pelosi-taiwan-visit-looms/ | 2022-07-27T20:05:05Z | https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/political-news/ap-politics/xi-biden-to-speak-as-possible-pelosi-taiwan-visit-looms/ | false |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.
In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time since before Russia invaded Ukraine.
The statement marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport in February and testified Wednesday at her trial.
Blinken did not offer details on the proposed deal, which was offered weeks ago, though it is unclear if it will be enough for Russia to release the Americans. But the public acknowledgment of the offer at a time when the U.S. has otherwise shunned Russia, reflects the mounting pressure on the administration over Griner and Whelan and its determination to get them home.
Blinken said Washington would like a response from Moscow. Russia has for years expressed interest in the release of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer once labeled the “Merchant of Death” who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 on charges that he schemed to illegally sell millions of dollars in weapons.
Blinken said he had requested a call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. U.S. officials said the the desire for an answer on the prisoner offer was the primary, but not only, reason that the U.S. on Wednesday requested the call with Lavrov.
Should the call take place, it would be the first conversation that Blinken and Lavrov have held since Feb. 15, about a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Blinken said he would also be speaking to Lavrov about the importance of Russia complying with a UN-brokered deal to free multiple tons of Ukrainian grain from storage and warning him about the dangers of possible Russian attempts to annex portions of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false.
Griner, in Russian custody for the last month, acknowledged in court this month that she had vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage when she arrived in Moscow in February but contends she had no criminal intent and packed the cartridges inadvertently.
At her trial Wednesday, Griner said she did not know how the cannabis oil ended up in her bag but explained she had a doctor’s recommendation for it and had packed in haste. She said she was pulled aside at the airport after inspectors found the cartridges, but that a language interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during her questioning and that officials instructed her to sign documents without providing an explanation.
Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs.
The U.S. government has long resisted prisoner swaps out of concern that it could encourage additional hostage-taking and promote false equivalency between a wrongfully detained American and a foreign national regarded as justly convicted. But an earlier deal in April, in which Marine veteran Trevor Reed was traded for jailed Russian pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, appeared to open the door to similar resolutions in the future and the Biden administration has been hounded with political pressure to bring home Griner and other Americans designated as unjustly detained.
There was no indication that Blinken and Lavrov had communicated to secure Reed’s release. Their last publicly recognized contact was Feb. 22, when Blinken wrote to Lavrov to cancel a meeting they had planned as a last-ditch effort to avert the Russian invasion, saying Moscow had shown no interest in serious diplomacy on the matter. The State Department said later that Russia’s diplomacy was “Kabuki Theater” — all show and no substance.
The two last met in person in Geneva in January to discuss what was then Russia’s massive military build-up along Ukraine’s border and Russian demands for NATO to reduce its presence in eastern Europe and permanently deny Ukraine membership. The U.S. rejected the Russian demands.
Blinken and Lavrov avoided each other earlier this month at the next time they were in the same place at the same time: at a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20 nations in Bali, Indonesia.
The two men will next be in the same city at the same time next week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where they will both be attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. It was not immediately clear if the phone call ahead of that meeting, set for Aug. 4-5, would presage an in-person discussion. | https://fox59.com/news/biden-admin-to-offer-russia-deal-for-release-of-brittney-griner-paul-whelan/ | 2022-07-27T20:08:14Z | https://fox59.com/news/biden-admin-to-offer-russia-deal-for-release-of-brittney-griner-paul-whelan/ | true |
RIDGEFIELD, NJ (WPIX) – As a beloved grandma’s casket was being lowered into a grave, funeral home employees ordered the casket raised because the wrong body was inside, family members alleged Tuesday as they announced a lawsuit.
Kyung Ja Kim died in November, family said. A family member thought her body didn’t look right, but the funeral director dismissed her concerns, the family said. They were assured assured everything was OK, but it wasn’t.
“The casket is directed to come up out of the grave,” attorney Michael Maggiano said. “The staffers whisked the casket away in a hearse.”
Family members were stunned. It was only a little while later that they learned what happened. One family member fainted, Maggiano said.
The woman in the casket shared a last name with Kim, but she was around 20 years younger, Maggiano said. Kyung Ja Kim had dentures while the woman in the casket had a full set of teeth. The dentures were found under a pillow in the casket.
Maggiano is representing Kyung Ja Kim’s family in a $50 million lawsuit against the Blackley Funeral Home.
“In the world of caring for the deceased, there are best practices on identifying the body of who you’ve been entrusted,” Maggiano said. “This funeral home has failed in setting up those protocols.”
If they win the suit, the family plans to give the money to two churches Kyung Ja Kim attended, one of her children said.
Kyung Ja Kim had had a stroke 13 years before her death, so Kummi Kim, one of her children, moved in along with her husband Taichul Kim. Kummi Kim was by her mother’s side when she died. She said it was a peaceful death.
“It all got ruined,” she said. “Now when I think about it, it’s horrible.”
WPIX repeatedly reached out to the funeral home on Tuesday. People who picked up the phone there said no one was available to talk.
“We trusted the funeral home, but they violated the trust that was promised to us,” Taichul Kim said. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/funeral-home-accused-of-putting-wrong-body-in-casket/ | 2022-07-27T20:08:26Z | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/funeral-home-accused-of-putting-wrong-body-in-casket/ | false |
TUCSON, Ariz. — "Stray" is the latest creative effort from Annapurna Interactive, a developer that always has something wild and creative up its sleeve.
Following the likes of "Donut County," "Kentucky Route Zero," and "Telling Lies," Annapurna's new opus lets you control a cat who romps around a walled city. Hazards abound, including robots, mutated bugs, and mechanical puzzles.
Phil Villarreal: My first moments with "Stray" drove home how rare it is to play a video game with an animal protagonist. Titles such as "Goat Simulator" and "Maneater" usually just take silly premises and run with them, but "Stray" has a much more measured and realistic approach.
While sci-fi elements abound, the physics and movement seem grounded and reasonable.
You truly feel like a cat, with all the traversal advantages of the form. The no-fail platforming allows you to nail every pounce and hop, save for the preset sequences which force you to misstep.
The inherent message is that cats boast more intelligence and empathy than humans tend to give them credit for.
Not only is the tone well-executed, but the storytelling and gameplay are lights-out. This is an incredibly fun and engaging adventure.
Sean, you were even more excited for this one than I was. Did it live up to your expectations?
Sean Newgent: I was excited about this game purely based on the concept, and the Kowloon meets cyberpunk world. And this game definitely delivers on both. As you said, you really feel like a cat in this game with the platforming and completely useless moments like stopping to scratch at a tree or tear up some guy's carpet.
The way you move, even in the less cat-like moments like picking up items to solve puzzles or knocking over wooden planks, all feel grounded enough to not take you out of the adventure and also come with an added "d'aww" every time because it's a cute cat knocking a plank over — how can you not smile?
The puzzles are generally pretty simple, which means the game moves at a good clip — meaning more exploration of the city and that sense of dread and wonder never dissipating through the six-ish hour playtime. I love a game that is full of awe-inspiring set pieces or has a focus on storytelling through the world. Think of a game like "Elden Ring" and how there is always a new surprise around each corner, for good or ill.
While "Stray" isn't as open or difficult as that game, the same sense of wonder is everywhere. Much like a cat, you'll be curious to explore every nook and cranny and learn more about this world and why it is the way it is.
Phil, what did you think of the world and pacing of the game?
Phil Villarreal: I am the first to bail on a tough puzzle to find a walkthrough to speed my pace — I hate being stuck at a bottleneck — but I never had to make the walk of shame to YouTube walkthroughs because the game did such a good job at subtly pointing me where I needed to head next.
I agree that the surprises and set pieces were phenomenal. Even something so simple as stepping inside a bucket to head down a zipline was thrilling.
I did find some of the storytelling a little hokey and stretched. The robotic assistant you pick up is a little too cute sometimes, and the conveniences it provides seem a little forced. But the price of having to stretch logic to extremes was worth the price of admission for the next amusing, inventive twist that lurked around every corner.
"Stray" is impossibly creative, fast-paced, and carries an overwhelming sense of fun. The lack of challenge may be a problem for some, but it's just the sort of ego-stroking I crave. I'm all in when simple puzzles make me feel like a genius for solving them, and easy chase scenes make me feel incredibly skilled for beating them.
The fact that Annapurna didn't need to stoop to a pandering level to prop up this myth of me feeling smart and dexterous is a true achievement.
Final thoughts, Sean?
Sean Newgent: "Stray" is the cat's meow, the kind of inventive and exciting shot-in-the-arm we needed this summer following so many re-releases. I found jumping a tad clunky, and I agree about the assistant, but those are minor gripes for a game that feels so accessible to anyone and will be the talk of the gaming community for quite a while, I'm sure.
When's the last time we got to run around as a cat and solve puzzles? Big the Cat in "Sonic Heroes"? "Blinx: The Time Sweeper"? And the fact this isn't necessarily cutesy and maintains some semblance of a hard edge with a world that reminds me a bit of "Nier: Automata" makes "Stray" all the better.
While I wouldn't call this a contender for Game of the Year, it's definitely going to make some top ten lists, likely mine included.
The publisher provided review codes. Phil played the game on Xbox Series X. Sean played on PS4.
Past game reviews by Sean and Phil:
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
Diablo II Resurrected
NEO: The World Ends with You
Rainbow Six: Extraction
King of Fighters XV
WWE 2K22
Weird West
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge
Capcom Fighting Collection
Capcom Arcade: 2nd Stadium
——-
Phil Villarreal is the senior real-time editor for KGUN 9. He is also a digital producer and host of "Phil on Film" seen weekly on Good Morning Tucson, Phil moved to KGUN after 17 years with the Arizona Daily Star. He is married and has four children. Share your story ideas and important issues with Phil by emailing phil.villarreal@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
——-
Sean Newgent is a producer for KGUN 9. Sean graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in broadcast journalism. While at ISU, Sean wrote movie reviews for the paper, anchored and produced student newscasts, and was nominated for a student Emmy for broadcast film reviews. Share your story ideas and important issues with Sean by emailing sean.newgent@kgun9.com or by connecting on Twitter. | https://www.abcactionnews.com/entertainment/stray-brings-feline-fantasies-to-life-in-creative-action-adventure | 2022-07-27T20:08:36Z | https://www.abcactionnews.com/entertainment/stray-brings-feline-fantasies-to-life-in-creative-action-adventure | true |
The Patriots opened training camp today. Here’s the day in photos:
(072722 Foxboro, MA): Quarterback Mac Jones waves to fans as he leaves the field after New England Patriots Training Camp at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday,July 27, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
(072622 Foxboro, MA): Kendrick Bourne points to owner Robert Kraft as they take to the field for the start of New England Patriots Training Camp at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday,July 26, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
(072622 Foxboro, MA):Matthew Judon jokes with Mac Jones as fans call out Jone's name during New England Patriots Training Camp at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday,July 26, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
(072622 Foxboro, MA): Matthew Judon runs onto the field for the start of New England Patriots Training Camp at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday,July 26, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
(072722 Foxboro, MA):Quarterback Mac Jones talks with Offensive line coach Matt Patricia during New England Patriots Training Camp at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday,July 27, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
(072622 Foxboro, MA):Quarterback Mac Jones speaks to the media after New England Patriots Training Camp at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday,July 26, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
(072622 Foxboro, MA): Matthew Judon runs onto the field for the start of New England Patriots Training Camp at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday,July 26, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
(072722 Foxboro, MA): Quarterback Mac Jones sets up to pass with a billboard behind him during New England Patriots Training Camp at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday,July 27, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
(072722 Foxboro, MA): Quarterback Mac Jones sets up to pass during New England Patriots Training Camp at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday,July 27, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
(072722 Foxboro, MA):Quarterback Mac Jones throws during New England Patriots Training Camp at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday,July 27, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald) | https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/07/27/patriots-training-camp-day-1-a-gallery/ | 2022-07-27T20:10:56Z | https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/07/27/patriots-training-camp-day-1-a-gallery/ | false |
Khairi Harris, who goes by the handle “KDotDaGawd” on Twitch, is hanging onto his career as a full-time streamer by a thread. Last month he found himself scanning the classifieds for a part-time job to help make ends meet; a last-second promotional contract with a PC hardware company kept his finances from flatlining. For now, at least, he can pay his bills. But that’s all.
“I still have to figure out where my next meal comes from, how I’ll put gas in my car and other necessities,” Harris told The Washington Post.
On a platform where 25 percent of the top 10,000 highest-paid streamers don’t even make minimum wage, promotional deals help prevent some from slipping through the cracks. But those deals might be on the verge of drying up. With inflation at a 40-year record high and the supply chain unsteady while the economy contracts, the United States seems poised to enter a recession. During recessions, companies tend to cut marketing budgets, and the ad market appears to be headed toward a slowdown. Now, some content creators on Twitch and other live-streaming platforms are starting to feel the squeeze.
“Lots of creators have felt the shift as income has decreased noticeably,” said Miguel Lozada, a senior partnerships manager at Elgato who also creates gaming-related content on YouTube, TikTok and Twitch. (Twitch is owned by Amazon, whose founder, Jeff Bezos, owns The Washington Post.)
Last month, companies canceled four out of six paid activations — marketing events that would take place on Lozada’s social media channels — that the streamer had planned for the latter portion of 2022. When Lozada made this known on Twitter, others chimed in with similar stories. One person, the “Genshin Impact” streamer and YouTuber Michael “Mtashed” Tash, said Facebook canceled a long-term contract for exclusive content after just seven months. Another smaller “Genshin Impact” creator, Stefen “SipSipStefen” Matias, said his revenue has dropped “immensely” in the past couple months due to brands delaying promotions and viewers canceling subscriptions.
“I notice it even on a smaller scale when it comes to Twitch subscriptions,” Matias told The Post. “People are really starting to think about their monthly costs and where they can save. I understand not everyone can afford a subscription especially in extremely tough times, but I just recently had to increase my ad density on stream to try to make up for some of the lost revenue from both lack of sponsorships and lower subscription rates.”
This tracks with an advisory put out by influencer talent management company Night, whose stable includes household names (if you live in a very online household, at least) like Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker and Asmongold, who has not disclosed his full name. In a letter sent out in June, Night CEO Reed Duchscher advised creators to diversify revenue streams and prepare a rainy-day fund while anticipating “20-30 percent fewer opportunities” in the coming months.
Duchscher decided to publish the letter because he and others at Night recognized how different the online landscape was during the 2008 Great Recession: YouTube was still in its nascent stages. Twitch didn’t exist. TikTok would have been unimaginable.
“If this happens, it’s going to be essentially the first recession the creator community will go through,” Duchscher said. “Maybe there were some people early on in [YouTube’s history], but Google AdSense wasn’t a thing in 2007 when the market crashed. I was like, ‘Who’s going to educate our creators on this matter? It’s got to be us.’ ”
Duchscher ultimately came to the conclusion that many of his high-profile, multimillionaire creators will probably be fine; to wit, his letter includes a note about how “flaunting Lambos will be considered tone deaf when there are mass layoffs across the economy.” Smaller creators, though, need to start squirreling away a nest egg as soon as possible.
These are unprecedented times for the creator community in more ways than one. The covid-19 pandemic might have cracked supply chains and put us on track toward a recession, but it also catapulted Twitch into the limelight, growing the platform’s total hours watched by a whopping 83 percent in 2020 and another 45 percent in 2021 — from 9 billion hours in 2019 to 24 billion in 2021. This had numerous knock-on effects: Bigger, more notable companies became willing to play ball with Twitch and its stars. Those stars, in turn, achieved an unprecedented reach. Rates, as a whole, went up.
This year, by comparison, hasn’t been a bust — Twitch’s numbers remain high above their pre-pandemic peak — but it appears that the boom is over. Since the beginning of the year, hours watched have trended downward most months, largely in line with covid restrictions lifting and viewers going outside.
As a result, Twitch streamers are entering a possible recession with reduced bargaining power. Worse still, many of them might not even be aware of the problem; their industry is still relatively new, and it’s easy to ignore dark clouds on the horizon when the summer sun is still out.
“You can’t see the impact [of falling numbers] until the end of the month when you take a look at your income and go, ‘Oh, income is down a little bit. … Nah, it’s all right. It’ll bounce back,’ ” said news streamer and industry insider Zach Bussey, adding that June was his worst month of the year on Twitch. July, he said, was on track to be worse. “Then it goes down another five percent, or another ten. You don’t see it until it’s literally at your door. You go, ‘Oh no, now I’m in a bad spot.’ ”
For some content creators, big questions loom. What will happen if the downward trend keeps up in the long term? If we enter an actual recession, will companies treat content creators as riskier than other avenues for advertising and engagement, as speculative options that might not yield results comparable to buying ads on websites or TV networks?
“When working with creators directly, it’s sometimes hard to quantify what their actual influence is in terms of how many sales they’ve made and what it has done to impact the bottom line,” said Bussey. “Granted, there’s also data that says influencers dollar-for-dollar are better than a lot of other avenues if you find the right fit. But that’s also more work to find.”
Jennifer Mandeville, director of media strategy at marketing services company Merkel, believes that if a recession hits, companies might ultimately become more willing to do that work, simply because the end result is more cost-effective — and timely — than breaking the bank on a big name.
“Most of the spending points toward that mid-tier influencer,” she said, referring to influencers with hundreds of thousands — but not millions — of followers. “Yes, mega influencers get amazing reach, but depending on the brand you might want those smaller influencers who can authentically speak to their communities about what’s going on in the world and how these different brands or products can naturally fit into the lifestyle without being super pushy or sales-y.”
Rick Heaton, director of influencer and community activations at digital agency YellowPike Media, has already started employing this approach.
“I’m looking at a lot more mid-, micro- and even nano-sized influencers,” he said, “where you can generate big impact and hit client [performance indicators] with small spends across many influencers on a small budget. That gives us an opportunity to expand into more verticals and build relationships with brands and partners who might not think there was value in or had a budget to support influencer activations. So it’s a kind of grow-the-base approach to things I feel is important to weather the recession.”
Even so, these sorts of opportunities remain out of reach for the majority of creators in a field of millions, where qualifying as a “micro” influencer still requires garnering tens of thousands of followers.
In recent times, Twitch offered an alternative in the form of its ad incentives program, which — if streamers meet a monthly hours-streamed requirement — pays out 55 percent of the revenue for each individual ad that runs during broadcasts.
“I look at this as a way for Twitch to try to counteract the impending recession by giving incentives for streamers like me to run more ads and counter the potential decrease in spending,” said Daniel “Onepeg” Marshall, a Twitch partner and former financial services worker. “This also monetizes the viewer in a way that says, ‘Stay and hang out. Don’t worry about spending money. I’ll just get the bag from the mother ship and we’ll all be just fine.’ It’s a great move, as long as the viewer doesn’t mind the annoyance of seeing a 2-3 minute series of ads every 20 minutes.”
But already, these payouts have proved inconsistent. On top of that, payout estimates are based on Twitch ad buy data from 2021, the platform’s best year on record. In a recession, those numbers are likely to go down, not up.
“Twitch wants me to stream 47 hours [in one month] for $74,” said Harris, “which is insane because in Ohio, working a regular nine-to-five job, you’d be making at least $800.”
For now, the creator economy seems to have entered a holding pattern, with companies employing a wait-and-see approach. But Bussey and Duchscher agree that creators cannot afford to wait. They recommend putting eggs in as many baskets as possible, as soon as possible.
“If you have an Etsy shop that results in a little bit of income, perhaps put a little bit more time into that,” said Bussey. “If you have a Patreon or a Fanhouse or Onlyfans or whatever, look at ways to try to bring more people into that fold where you’re going to get a higher cut than you would on Twitch.”
“You actually need to spread this out,” said Duchscher, “because if the recession completely upends the brand deal market and you’re a mid-level creator, that revenue is gone and now all of a sudden you’re lost.” | https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/07/27/twitch-streamers-recession-inflation-brand-deals-tiktok/ | 2022-07-27T20:11:37Z | https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/07/27/twitch-streamers-recession-inflation-brand-deals-tiktok/ | true |
NEW YORK (AP) — A Pennsylvania mortgage company owned by billionaire businessman Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway discriminated against potential Black and Latino homebuyers in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware, the Department of Justice said Wednesday, in what is being called the second-largest redlining settlement in history.
Trident Mortgage Co., a division of Berkshire’s HomeServices of America, deliberately avoided writing mortgages in minority-majority neighborhoods in West Philadelphia like Malcolm X Park; Camden, New Jersey; and in Wilmington, Delaware, the DOJ and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said in their settlement with Trident. As part of the agreement with the DOJ and the CFPB, Trident will have to set aside $20 million to make loans in underserved neighborhoods.
“Trident’s unlawful redlining activity denied communities of color equal access to residential mortgages, stripped them of the opportunity to build wealth, and devalued properties in their neighborhoods,” said Kristen Clarke, an assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, in a prepared statement.
Redlining is a term used to describe when banks deliberately avoid making loans to non-white communities. Banks and the U.S. government used to draw on maps in red marker those neighborhoods that were deemed undesirable to make home loans — hence the term “redlining.” The neighborhoods were almost always areas where racial minorities lived, and even included other historically discriminated-against communities such as Jewish neighborhoods.
The practice effectively cut off entire communities from the primary pathway for wealth generation in the U.S.: homeownership. To this day, Black and Latino households are far less likely to own their home compared to their white counterparts.
The redlining activity DOJ alleged happened between 2015 and 2019 — Trident stopped writing mortgages in 2020. Along with avoiding making mortgages in minority neighborhoods, the employees of Trident made racist comments about making loans to Black homebuyers, calling certain neighborhoods “ghettos.” One manager of Trident was photographed posing in front of the Confederate Flag. The marketing materials used by Trident involved exclusively white individuals, and nearly all of the company’s staff were white.
Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s attorney general who is running for governor, called the behavior by Trident “systematic racism, pure and simple.”
Philadelphia has a long history of racism toward Black homebuyers. The Philadelphia City Council released a report Wednesday that found that 95% of all of Philly’s home appraisers were white and a racial gap remains between how homes owned by Black homeowners are valued versus homes owned by white owners.
Trident also agreed to hire mortgage loan officers in impacted neighborhoods as well as pay a monetary fine of $4 million. Since Trident no longer operates a lending business, a separate company will be contracted to provide the $20 million in loan subsidies, the DOJ said.
The Trident settlement also involves the first redlining case against a nonbank mortgage lender. Since the Great Recession, roughly half of all mortgages in the country are underwritten by companies that immediately sell off the mortgage to investors. These nonbank lenders include firms like Quicken Loans, Rocket Mortgage and Loan Depot, among many others.
“Credit discrimination is illegal regardless of whether the lawbreaking company is a traditional bank or a nonbank lender,” said Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
In a statement, HomeServices of America said they “strongly disagree” with the DOJ and CFPB’s findings in the settlement, noting that Trident did not have to admit to wrongdoing as part of the case. Buffett himself did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but historically has deferred any comment to Berkshire’s subsidiary companies. | https://www.kron4.com/news/business/ap-business/doj-warren-buffetts-mortgage-company-redlined-in-philly/ | 2022-07-27T20:12:11Z | https://www.kron4.com/news/business/ap-business/doj-warren-buffetts-mortgage-company-redlined-in-philly/ | true |
WebXtra: Stream Team to monitor Deep East Texas bodies of water
Published: Jul. 27, 2022 at 1:42 PM CDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) - Kimberly Wagner, communications director for Angelina & Neches River Authority is a newly certified trainer for Texas Stream Team in the East Texas region. The Stream Team will consist of volunteers and assist to gather data and identify body of water areas that need monitoring if they are contaminated. She explains the kits that will be used for water testing on August 5.
Copyright 2022 KLTV/KTRE. All rights reserved. | https://www.ktre.com/2022/07/27/webxtra-stream-team-monitor-deep-east-texas-bodies-water/ | 2022-07-27T20:12:44Z | https://www.ktre.com/2022/07/27/webxtra-stream-team-monitor-deep-east-texas-bodies-water/ | false |
Shipping companies are not rushing to export millions of tons of grain trapped in Ukraine, despite a breakthrough deal to provide safe corridors through the Black Sea. That is because explosive mines are drifting in the waters, ship owners are assessing the risks and many still have questions over how the deal will unfold.
The complexities of the agreement have set off a slow, cautious start, but it’s only good for 120 days — and the clock began ticking last week.
The goal over the next four months is to get some 20 million tons of grain out of three Ukrainian sea ports blocked since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. That provides time for about four to five large bulk carriers per day to transport grain from the ports to millions of impoverished people worldwide facing hunger.
It also provides ample time for things to go awry. Only hours after the signing Friday, Russian missiles struck Ukraine’s port of Odesa — one of those included in the agreement.
Another key element of the deal offers assurances that shipping and insurers carrying Russian grain and fertilizer will not get caught in the wider net of Western sanctions. But the agreement brokered by Turkey and the U.N. is running up against the reality of how difficult and risky the pact will be to carry out.
“We have to work very hard to now understand the detail of how this is going to work practically,” said Guy Platten, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, representing national shipowners associations that account for about 80% of the world’s merchant fleet.
“Can we make sure and guarantee the safety of the crews? What’s going to happen with the mines and the minefields, as well? So lots of uncertainty and unknowns at the moment,” he said.
Getting wheat and other food out is critical to farmers in Ukraine, who are running out of storage capacity amid a new harvest. Those grains are vital to millions of people in Africa, parts of the Middle East and South Asia, who are already facing food shortages and, in some cases, famine.
Ukraine and Russia are key global suppliers of wheat, barley, corn and sunflower oil, with fighting in the Black Sea region, known as the “breadbasket of the world,” pushing up food prices, threatening political stability in developing nations and leading countries to ban some food exports, worsening the crisis.
U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths says work at the newly opened Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul overseeing the export deal is “nonstop with the aim of seeing the shipments heading out of Ukrainian ports quickly, safely and effectively.”
He said Frederick Kenney, Jr., director of legal and external affairs at the International Maritime Organization and a retired U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral and judge advocate, is leading the U.N.’s efforts to get the grain deal up and running.
The deal stipulates that Russia and Ukraine will provide “maximum assurances” for ships that brave the journey through the Black Sea to the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.
“The primary risk that’s faced is obviously going to be mines,” said Munro Anderson, head of intelligence and a founding partner at Dryad. The maritime security advisory company is working with insurers and brokers to assess the risks that ships could face along the route as sea mines laid by Ukraine to deter Russia are drifting.
Turkey’s defense minister on Wednesday said demining the waters was not immediately required but that could change.
Ukrainian officials have expressed hope that exports could resume from one port within days, but they also have said it could take two weeks for all three to become operational again. Experts in Ukraine are working on determining safe routes for ships.
Shipowners, charterers and insurance firms, meanwhile, are trying to understand how the deal will play out.
“I think it’s going to come (down) to the position of the marine insurers that provide war risk and how much they are going to be adding in additional charges for vessels to go into that area,” said Michelle Wiese Bockmann, shipping and commodities analyst at Lloyd’s List, a global shipping news publication.
Bockmann said vessels carrying this kind of load typically have between 20 to 25 seafarers on board.
“You can’t risk those lives without something concrete and acceptable to the shipowners and to their charterers to move grain,” she said.
Oleksiy Melnyk, an analyst with the Kyiv-based Razumkov Center think tank, said safety issues are largely unresolved because Russian rockets can hit warehouses storing grain and ports.
“Shipowners and insurance companies are scared, they haven’t received any reliable security guarantees,” Melnyk said. “We’re seeing just words and promises, which are worth little at a time of war.”
Marine insurers reached by AP declined to comment on whether they would provide coverage for these ships.
The war has wreaked havoc on global trade, stranding over 100 ships in Ukraine’s many ports.
At the three ports in the export agreement, 13 bulk carriers and cargo ships have been stuck at Chornomorsk, six in Odesa and three at Yuzhny, data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows. Some of those ships might still have crews aboard that could be mobilized to start exporting grains.
Ukrainian traders have been able to send some grain through the Danube River, which helped buoy exports to about 1.5 million tons in May and up to 2 million tons in June, though that is still less than half the monthly grain shipments of 4 to 5 million tons prior to the war, according to Svetlana Malysh, a Black Sea agriculture markets analyst with Refinitiv.
Over the 2021-2022 marketing year, Russia exported about 30 million tons of wheat, according to Refinitiv trade flows. That is the lowest level since 2017, in part because of the chilling effect of sanctions. Russian fertilizer exports also dropped 25% in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period last year, Malysh said.
For ships heading to Ukraine’s three ports, smaller Ukrainian pilot boats will guide the vessels through approved corridors. The entire operation will be overseen by a Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul staffed by officials from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations.
Once ships reach port, they will be loaded with tens of thousands of tons of grains before departing back to the Bosphorus Strait, where they will be boarded to inspect them for weapons. There will likely be inspections for ships embarking to Ukraine as well.
Because the process is so complex and slow-moving, it’s unlikely to have a significant impact on the price of grain worldwide.
“The balance of power on this agreement still sits with Russia,” said Anderson, Dryad’s head of intelligence. Any Ukrainian ports outside the agreement face increased risk of attack, he said.
“I think what Russia wants … is to be seen as the state that controls the narrative within the Black Sea,” Anderson said.
___
Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Susie Blann in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
___
Follow Aya Batrawy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ayaelb. | https://www.wfla.com/news/international/ap-international/risks-mined-waters-slow-rush-to-extract-grains-from-ukraine/ | 2022-07-27T20:12:59Z | https://www.wfla.com/news/international/ap-international/risks-mined-waters-slow-rush-to-extract-grains-from-ukraine/ | false |
Throngs of people will descend on downtown Whiting for Pierogi Fest this weekend for some waistband-stretching revelry.
Jaunty polka will play. The Zywiec will flow freely. Pierogi will soak in the butter and sauteed onions on the grill.
Dan's Pierogis draws some of the longest lines at the annual celebration of the Polish dumping and the Region's Eastern European heritage.
But there's no need to wait. Dan's Pierogies is open year-round at 2945 Jewett Ave. in downtown Highland.
It does pierogi right.
Often named the best Polish restaurant in the Region, Dan's Pierogies makes a variety of pierogi, including meat, potato, spinach, cabbage, mushroom, potato with cheddar, sauerkraut and sauerkraut with mushroom, all lovingly prepared "like grandma used to make."
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Sweet options include plum, blueberry, strawberry and cherry. The pocket-sized Polish dumplings are available frozen or cooked, for to-go or dine-in.
It's a quick-serve joint where you order at the counter. Other menu options include Eastern European favorites like stuffed cabbage, cabbage and noodles, smoked sausage, sauerkraut and sausage and cheese blintzes.
You can't go wrong with a sampling of pierogi hot off the grill and crafted with old family recipes. They're savory, starchy and bursting with old world flavor. It's worth the wait if you're at Pierogi Fest but there's no reason to wait for the annual summer festival to fill up on the soft pillowy pierogi that never fail to satisfy.
For more information, visit https://danspierogies.com/ or 219-513-8740. | https://www.nwitimes.com/entertainment/dining/taste-test-dans-pierogies-an-old-world-favorite-year-round/article_3e94a35b-16d9-582f-9743-298183d2344e.html | 2022-07-27T20:13:11Z | https://www.nwitimes.com/entertainment/dining/taste-test-dans-pierogies-an-old-world-favorite-year-round/article_3e94a35b-16d9-582f-9743-298183d2344e.html | false |
MIAMI, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Junkanooers, Bahamians, and friends of The Bahamas will converge Thursday, July 28, at Bunche Park in Miami Gardens for the first ever Junkanoo Fest 242 sponsored by The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (BMOTIA).
The four-day cultural festival, July 28-31, is organised by Conch Pearl Entertainment and seeks to celebrate the connection between South Florida and The Bahamas while showcasing the talent and creativity of Bahamian artisans to a wider audience. The festival opens to the public Friday, July 29.
Lady Ann Marie Davis, wife of the Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, will be a special guest at the festival on Friday and Saturday. A main highlight of the festival will be a unique Junkanoo rush out where festival attendees are invited to bring drums, whistles and cowbells and join the more than 100 Bahamian and American Junkanooers in a two-day parade contest. Lady Davis will present awards to winners of the competition during an awards ceremony on July 30.
Festival goers can expect to be treated to an authentic Bahamian fashion show and a cultural show featuring Bahamian artists such as Sweet Emily and Ilsha with the Motion Band. There will also be booths showcasing authentically made Bahamian products, food and beverage.
Junkanoo Fest 242 will culminate with an Honours Banquet on Sunday, July 31 where 10 community-minded Bahamian residents of South Florida will be recognised for their commitment to preserving Bahamian heritage through the creation of programmes and support services in their respective communities.
To learn more information about Junkanoo Fest 242, visit Bahamas.com/junkanoo-fest and Conch Pearl Entertainment 242 | Facebook.
ABOUT THE BAHAMAS
With over 700 islands and cays and 16 unique island destinations, The Bahamas lies just 50 miles off the coast of Florida, offering an easy flyaway escape that transports travelers away from their everyday. Explore all the islands have to offer at www.bahamas.com or on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram to see why It's Better in The Bahamas.
MEDIA INQUIRIES
Anita Johnson-Patty
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation
ajohnson@bahamas.com
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SOURCE The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/inaugural-junkanoo-fest-242-gets-underway-south-florida/ | 2022-07-27T20:13:57Z | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/inaugural-junkanoo-fest-242-gets-underway-south-florida/ | true |
National Institute launches state-of-the-art portal to broaden the talent pipeline by connecting individuals and those from underrepresented populations to careers, Registered Apprenticeships and educational resources needed to succeed - open access to be provided to NSF-ATE national network of colleges and universities
SALT LAKE CITY, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TECH), the National Institute for Innovation and Technology (NIIT), a non-profit charged with developing a national strategy and infrastructure to build the talent pipeline for strategic industry sectors, announced its state-of-the-art National Talent Hub. The National Talent Hub represents a public-private effort developed over the past several years to be a nationally integrated platform available to states and regions to help develop the nation's talent pipeline. HI-TECH is a national conference supported by the NSF-ATE program on advanced technological education where attendees can update their knowledge and skills.
The portal is the first of its kind, competency-based system that uses dynamic signaling from industry to inform the NIIT's "Comprehensive Competency Standards Database" in real-time and advanced data analytics to provide comprehensive skills matching, gap analysis as well as career and education mapping capabilities for individuals. As the nation's leader in semiconductor talent pipeline development, the NIIT is deploying the National Talent Hub to support the semiconductor industry; however, the architecture was designed to support all strategic tech-based industries and their supply chains and will be expanded to be the nation's first integrated system.
The National Talent Hub is a culmination of a decade-long evaluation and development period which included comprehensive industry engagement. It is the only solution of its type intended to broaden the talent pipeline by making tech-based careers, previously viewed as unattainable, accessible to underserved and underrepresented populations as well as creating a comprehensive means for returning service members and their families to connect to and succeed in high-value careers in strategic industry sectors.
The Talent Hub was developed with the support of the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education program (NSF-ATE) and in partnership with U.S. Department of Labor Education and Training Administration (USDOL-ETA), SUNY Polytechnic Institute, and industry representatives from companies throughout the semiconductor industry supply chain. National and regional scaling will begin by offering no-cost participation to the NSF-ATE network of community colleges and universities. Some of the benefits for participating colleges and universities include:
- Dynamic alignment with industry requirements, ensuring real-time alignment with the ever-changing job requirements of industry
- Offering more value to students
• Students can verify that courses and programs align with requirements for target jobs and industries.
• Students can establish validated lifelong learning profiles which build as they acquire more work experience and academic related training and experience.
• Students can visually map out strategic career and educational pathways based on their current and target skills profile.
• Students can use the Hub to assess, align, and promote their skills and connect with employers in a manner unique to the National Talent Hub.
• Students can enter target fields through "learn and earn" Registered Apprenticeship Programs and then advance career learning and obtain degrees in order to "ladder up" - Increased enrollment – Specific courses become more visible to students who will be directed to programs based on their career choices and the need to skill, upskill and reskill.
- Improved visibility to employers who will know which programs meet their needs.
In addition, participating colleges become a part of the NIIT's network of colleges who offer training as a component of the NIIT's exclusive national U.S. Department of Labor contract to lead the development of Registered Apprenticeships throughout the nanotechnology / semiconductor sectors. The National Talent Hub and related infrastructure is supporting the NIIT's GAINS program – "Growing Apprenticeships in Nanotechnology and Semiconductors". Employers participating in GAINS will also benefit by no-cost access to the Hub.
"As GF hires for our future growth and expanding business, we have defined many pathways for entry into the semiconductor industry. Through Registered Apprenticeships, internships at the community college and university levels, as well as a focus on Veteran hiring and recruiting underrepresented groups, the National Talent Hub will serve to give us greater visibility into qualified candidates who otherwise may be unfamiliar with our industry," said Peter Benyon, SVP and General Manager of GlobalFoundries Fab 8.
"The National Talent Hub provides community college semiconductor education programs a unique and valuable resource to ensure course alignment with industry requirements and prepare the future semiconductor workforce. The Hub helps strengthen the partnerships between industry and higher education to increase the success of a more diverse student population in what is a broader range of career opportunities", said Jared Ashcroft, a Chemistry professor at Pasadena City College and the Center Director for the Micro Nano Technology Education Center (MNT-EC), a national network of colleges focused on developing the talent pipeline in support of the microelectronics and nanotechnology sectors.
"Collaborating with the NIIT in the development of the National Talent Hub has ensured that functionality specifically designed for colleges and universities has been fully integrated into what is a completely unique tool. The Talent Hub's state-of-the-art architecture ensures that college and university courses can be easily aligned with industry requirements and continually adjusted to match industry needs, automating the industry engagement process. This is the first tool of its kind designed for open access to educators, employers, and individuals and will help ensure students taking courses in the Hub are relevant and are connected directly to careers. This is a great value proposition we can offer prospective students", said Robert Geer, Professor of Nanoscale Science at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the State University of New York.
"After years of development, comprehensive industry engagement and user testing, we are thrilled to be able to announce the national deployment of the Talent Hub," said Mike Russo, President and CEO of the NIIT. Of the many general career matching services that exist, none offer all of the capabilities of this system, which was designed to meet the needs of the semiconductor industry and broader nanotechnology related fields. The National Talent Hub was designed to support a national strategy and regional ecosystem development and while we are very pleased with the outcome, it is also designed to be continually improved through real time input from individuals, employers and course providers."
The NIIT is a 501(c)(3) with a mission to identify roadblocks to innovation in strategic industry sectors – those important to the nation's national security and global competitiveness - and ensure they are eliminated. Talent pipeline development is the major focus of the NIIT, and through comprehensive industry engagement, the NIIT is leading the development of a national strategy and infrastructure to broaden and build the talent pipeline for the semiconductor industry and strategic industry sectors in general. Through its National Talent Pipeline Development Initiative and the support of the federal government, the NIIT has developed a comprehensive, nationally integrated approach that includes the alignment of programs K-12 through higher education and adult and veteran training, infrastructure to attract a broader population and improve access and connections to career and needed training, and the ability to scale to support the nation. In addition, the NIIT is under contract with the USDOL to develop and expand innovative Registered Apprenticeship programs throughout the nation within the strategic supply chains within the semiconductor industry and nanotechnology sectors.
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SOURCE National Institute for Innovation and Technology (NIIT) | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/national-institute-innovation-technology-announces-national-talent-hub-grow-nations-talent-pipeline-semiconductor-industry-nanotech-sectors/ | 2022-07-27T20:14:46Z | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/national-institute-innovation-technology-announces-national-talent-hub-grow-nations-talent-pipeline-semiconductor-industry-nanotech-sectors/ | false |
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Democrats are feeling bullish about their chances for an upset in Missouri’s U.S. Senate race if scandal-tarred former Gov. Eric Greitens becomes the Republican nominee. But they’re divided on which of their two top candidates is the best bet for a victory in November.
Lucas Kunce brings a Marine swagger and a grassroots populism that appeals to some, particularly in outstate Missouri. He’s raised more money than any other candidate, Democrat or Republican, each of the last four quarters. Trudy Busch Valentine, a retired health care worker and an heir to the Anheuser-Busch fortune, entered the race late, pledging to take compassion and decency to Washington.
With the Aug. 2 primary just days away, Greitens remains among the top contenders on the Republican side, along with Attorney General Eric Schmitt and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler. Republican leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, worry that Greitens, who was driven from office just a year and a half into his tenure amid swirling investigations, could cost them a safe seat in a reliably red state at a time when they are trying to take back control of the Senate.
On the Democratic side, both the state party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have declined to endorse a candidate. Meanwhile, local Democratic Party leaders who support Kunce or Valentine say electability is a major factor – but they’re split on who is the stronger candidate.
In suburban St. Louis, the Jefferson County Democratic Central Committee endorsed Valentine, believing the soft-spoken retired nurse offers the best chance of winning in November.
Committee Chair Bob Butler is equal parts intrigued and worried about the prospect of Valentine facing Greitens.
“He would be the easiest to run against, yet at the same time he’s dangerous enough that, if he wins, he’s your U.S. senator, and that’s really scary,” Butler said.
Andy Leighton, chair of the Cape Girardeau County Democratic Committee and a Missouri House candidate, supports Kunce. Kunce made his pitch to Leighton and his committee well over a year ago and has often followed up. The Valentine campaign, Leighton said, has never reached out to him.
“He’s been out and about. No other candidate that I’m aware of has visited so many places. He’s put in the time and created an organization,” Leighton said.
Republican U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt announced in March 2021 that he would not seek a third term. Twenty-one Republicans and 11 Democrats are competing in next week’s primaries. Beyond Kunce and Valentine, only St. Louis County business owner Spencer Toder has topped six figures in donations.
Adding a wildcard to the November race is the presence of John Wood, a Republican running as an independent with millions of dollars in support from a political action committee headed by former Republican Sen. John Danforth. His presence could split the GOP vote in the general election.
Greitens has generated far and away the most attention in the race. The 48-year-old former Navy SEAL officer was a fast-rising Republican star after winning the 2016 gubernatorial race, but his political fortunes soon nosedived.
In early 2018, he admitted to a 2015 extramarital affair with his hairdresser and was indicted on an invasion-of-primary charge accusing him of taking a compromising photo of her to use as blackmail.
Soon after, a Missouri House committee began investigating his campaign finances, and Greitens was charged with a second felony related to that investigation. Both charges were eventually dropped. Under the risk of the charges being refiled and facing possible impeachment, Greitens resigned in June 2018.
Since then, he and his wife have divorced. In a March affidavit in a child custody dispute, Sheena Greitens accused him of abusing her and one of their children. Eric Greitens called the accusations “false” and a “political hit job.”
Kunce, like Greitens, is a veteran. The 39-year-old attorney served 13 years in the Marines, with tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He grew up in a working class family in Jefferson City and recalled his family struggling to make ends meet after his sister was born with a heart condition.
“We went bankrupt, and we made it because people in that neighborhood brought food by the house, they passed the plate down my mom’s prayer group,” Kunce said.
Valentine, 65, is a longtime philanthropist but has never before run for office. She is the daughter of August “Gussie” Busch Jr., the longtime chair and CEO of Anheuser-Busch who built the St. Louis-based brewery into the world’s largest beermaker. The brewery was sold to InBev in 2008, but the Busch family remains prominent in St. Louis.
Valentine said she decided to enter the race after witnessing the “division in our country and the vitriol in our politics.”
For more than a century, Missouri was a reliable presidential swing state. But since 2008, the state has backed the Republican presidential candidate, including overwhelmingly backing Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.
Auditor Nicole Galloway is currently the lone Democrat holding statewide office, despite five of the eight statewide elected officials being Democrats a decade ago.
The divide is deep. Missouri’s two urban centers — Kansas City and St. Louis — are overwhelmingly Democratic. The suburbs are split. Most of the rest of the state is beet-red Republican.
Valentine said Democrats have lost ground in rural Missouri because they “stopped listening” to people. She stresses the need for better access to basics — broadband access, health care, jobs.
Kunce, like Senate candidate John Fetterman in Pennsylvania, is a populist hoping to win back rural voters. He wants to ban stock ownership for members of Congress, break up corporate monopolies and end foreign ownership of agricultural land. He said the government should spend money to rebuild the heartland, not to build up foreign countries.
Both leading Democrats have hit roadblocks. Some Democrats wonder if Kunce is too conservative, noting that he opposed abortion rights when he ran for a state House seat in 2006. He said he changed his mind after serving in the military in the Middle East, “seeing what it was like to live in a big-brother government where women had no rights.”
Valentine was forced to apologize in March after it was reported that she participated in a debutante ball as a teenager that was hosted by an organization that then banned Black and Jewish people.
Democrats know that the winner of the primary faces an uphill battle in November. But they’re hopeful, particularly if Greitens is the Republican candidate.
“He’s got a lot of baggage — a lot of baggage,” Butler said. “More than you generally see in a candidate. I think he would turn off a lot of Republicans.” | https://www.wfla.com/news/politics/ap-politics/bullish-dems-split-on-best-choice-for-missouri-senate-upset/ | 2022-07-27T20:14:49Z | https://www.wfla.com/news/politics/ap-politics/bullish-dems-split-on-best-choice-for-missouri-senate-upset/ | false |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Blinken says he'll speak to Russian counterpart in coming days in highest-level US-Russia talks since before Ukraine war.
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WASHINGTON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA's Shane Kimbrough is retiring after 22 years, including 18 years as an astronaut. His last day with the agency is Sunday, July 31.
The retired U.S. Army colonel spent 388 days in space, landing him fifth on the list of record holders for cumulative time in space for all NASA astronauts. He was the fourth person to fly on three different spacecraft – the space shuttle, Soyuz, and SpaceX Crew Dragon – and he performed nine spacewalks during his three spaceflights.
Kimbrough was recently the commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station, the second long-duration mission for the Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the longest spaceflight for a U.S. human spacecraft. Throughout the mission, Kimbrough and the Expedition 65 crew performed more than 250 scientific investigations designed to benefit all of humanity and help future exploration.
The crew studied how gaseous flames behave in microgravity, grew hatch green chiles in the station's Plant Habitat Facility, tested free-flying robotic assistants, and even donned virtual-reality goggles to test new methods for performing maintenance activities in space. Kimbrough also performed spacewalks to install and deploy the new International Space Station Roll-out Solar Arrays.
"Shane's expertise and leadership has been a huge asset to me personally and the astronaut office for many years. He has been a mentor to many astronauts, and it has been an absolute pleasure and honor to serve with him," said Chief Astronaut Reid Wiseman at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Kimbrough was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in May 2004. He completed his first spaceflight in 2008 aboard the space shuttle Endeavour to the space station on the STS-126 mission. Highlights of the almost 16-day mission included expanding the living quarters of the space station to eventually house six-member crews by delivering a new bathroom, kitchen, two bedrooms, an exercise machine, and a water recycling system. His second spaceflight launched Oct. 19, 2016, aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to become part of Expedition 49/50 on the station. A week after he arrived, he became station commander until he departed almost six months later. In addition to his spaceflight experience, Kimbrough supported his colleagues by serving as chief of the Astronaut Office's Vehicle Integration Test Office and its Robotics Branch at various times throughout his career.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as a NASA astronaut for the past 18 years," Kimbrough said. "I am honored to have been able to fly on three different spacecraft and to spend time at the International Space Station. I've worked with the best of the best in orbit and on the ground and am grateful for those that have supported me and my family. I've wanted to be an astronaut since I was a little kid watching NASA astronauts go to the Moon. To accomplish three spaceflights and nearly 400 days in space in my career is truly a dream come true."
Kimbrough was born in Killeen, Texas, and graduated from The Lovett School in Atlanta in 1985. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, in 1989, and a Master of Science degree in operations research from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta in 1998.
Learn more about how NASA explores the unknown and innovates for the benefit of humanity at:
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SOURCE NASA | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/nasa-announces-astronaut-shane-kimbrough-retire/ | 2022-07-27T20:15:12Z | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/nasa-announces-astronaut-shane-kimbrough-retire/ | false |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The week before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Missouri’s Josh Hawley became the first Republican senator to announce he would object to the certification of the 2020 election.
Texas’ Ted Cruz came next, dashing off his own plan on a flight from Houston to Washington days before the joint session of Congress to certify the election results.
In all, a dozen GOP senators initially planned to challenge Joe Biden’s victory. But unlike their House GOP counterparts who have been subpoenaed for testimony before the Jan. 6 committee, the Republican senators have largely escaped the reach of the investigation.
While the committee did share highlights about the senators, including Hawley’s raised-fist salute to the rioters that day — an image seared in history, and now on coffee mugs the senator sells — it has made the surprising, if pragmatic, decision not to call the senators for testimony. One dramatic video showed Hawley sprinting from the Senate chamber later that day as rioters swarmed.
Amid wider public scrutiny of Jan. 6, the senators have been left to explain their actions on their own terms, and have often done so defiantly.
“I do not regret it,” Hawley said to applause at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, after he strode to the stage Friday to a standing ovation.
As the summer hearings of the Jan. 6 committee come to a close, Chairman Bennie Thompson has indicated that the panel is looking elsewhere. As work continues, the investigation is moving closer to the top ranks of the White House and the defeated president’s inner circle.
“We continue to receive new information every day,” Thompson, D-Miss., said last week, announcing the next round of hearings in September. “We are pursuing many additional witnesses for testimony.”
The House committee is investigating not only the grisly attack on the Capitol, but Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn the presidential election by submitting “fake” slates of electors from the battleground states to vote for him, not Biden, when Congress convened Jan. 6 to tally the 2020 presidential election results.
The senators could provide information about the run-up to Jan. 6, including any conversations they may have had with Trump and his lawyers who were putting together the plan for the fake electors, said Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at Brookings and former top adviser to Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee.
In one dramatic screenshot of a text exchange, the committee told the story of how a top aide for GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin attempted to hand off a slate of false, pro-Trump electors to then-Vice President Mike Pence as he was presiding in his ceremonial role of certifying the election. Johnson has said he was not involved in that effort.
But having interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses and having issued rare subpoenas to fellow House lawmakers, Eisen said the panel is trying to preserve its political capital by declining to compel senators to testify in what would be seen as an unusual House challenge to the upper chamber.
The Jan. 6 committee’s decision to issue subpoenas to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Mo Brooks of Alabama was a show of force by the nine-member panel. And it came after much deliberation among the lawmakers, who for weeks considered whether taking the unprecedented step of subpoenaing members of their own chamber would be worth further inflaming partisan tensions over the 2021 attack.
“They only have so much committee time,” said Eisen.
Cruz declined to say Tuesday if he would have appeared had the Jan. 6 panel asked for his testimony. Hawley’s office has similarly said he wouldn’t want to address a hypothetical situation.
But in recent conversations, the Republicans have stood by their efforts to challenge Biden’s victory.
“This country would have been much better off” if Congress had taken up his plan, Cruz recently told The Associated Press.
Cruz had proposed forming a commission to audit voter fraud in the disputed states, even though Trump’s own Justice Department said there was no voter fraud on a scale that could have tipped the 2020 election. Dozens of court cases claiming fraud had been rejected or gone unheard.
Cruz said he did not recall conversations with Trump ally John Eastman, the conservative lawyer who was the architect of the alternative electors plan. Last month, federal authorities seized Eastman’s phone and issued subpoenas to electors in states nationwide allegedly involved in the scheme.
“I wrestled for a long time with what was the best approach to take with regard to the certification on Jan. 6,” Cruz said. He said he alone drafted the statement he put out with 11 senators, which he said he dashed off on the flight back to Washington.
Hawley has brushed off questions about the committee’s work, and declined last month to comment about Eastman’s plans for the alternative electors.
One police officer testified to the committee that Hawley’s raised fist on Jan. 6 “riled up the crowd” that day, said Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va. During last week’s hearing, she played the video showing how Hawley “fled after those protesters he helped to rile up stormed the Capitol.”
Johnson has downplayed his aide’s attempt to pass a fake slate of electors to Pence. The handoff never took place, but the moment showed how close the plan came to fruition. If it had been successful, the electoral votes for Michigan and Wisconsin could have gone to Trump, not Biden, the rightful winner in those states.
After police cleared the Capitol of rioters that night, seven Republican senators led by Cruz and Hawley stuck with the plan to challenge the election results. Several of the other GOP senators who had initially signed on backed out.
At least one Republican who voted to challenge the election results after the rioting, Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, said Tuesday he would talk to the committee if they asked for his testimony,
“I’d go,” said Tuberville, who took a phone call from Trump as senators were being swept to safety. Tuberville was also among senators who had received a voicemail from Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani that night, the committee has said.
Tuberville said he hasn’t been watching the hearings. “There’s nothing, anything, that I’ve seen that would change my mind on anything that I’ve voted on,” he said.
___
Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report. | https://www.wfla.com/news/politics/ap-politics/hawley-cruz-escape-jan-6-probe-have-no-regrets-over-role/ | 2022-07-27T20:15:11Z | https://www.wfla.com/news/politics/ap-politics/hawley-cruz-escape-jan-6-probe-have-no-regrets-over-role/ | true |
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A.J. Brown was ready to give the shirt off his back for Philadelphia Eagles fans.
Well, at the very least, his jersey off the rack for football fans at an official team merchandise store in New Jersey. The receiver made some fast fans before his first training camp with the Eagles since he was acquired from Tennessee in April.
Brown said Wednesday at the first day of training camp that he was in the area and popped in the Cherry Hill, New Jersey, store to see if his No. 11 jersey was for sale.
It sure was. So Brown decided to buy his jerseys for everyone in the store, a cool savings considering the retail price is $129.99.
“I just wanted to show love,” Brown said. “I’m big on showing love. That’s just who I am.”
Brown posted an Instagram video of smiling fans behind him all in No. 11 jerseys (of Brown’s, of course, not for former, much-maligned QB Carson Wentz).
“We were in there and he said: ‘Hey, man. Go get a jersey on us.’ And to be honest, I didn’t think he was for real and then after, he really did. He bought us three jerseys,” fan Shane Natanni told CBS Philly.
Brown was a 2020 Pro Bowl pick with the Titans who has 185 receptions for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns in three seasons. He can afford the jerseys, signing a $100 million, four-year contract with the Eagles, with $57 million guaranteed.
Brown spent time signing autographs for Eagles fans after the first day of practice.
“As soon as I came out here, I heard some cheers,” he said. “I definitely feel the love. Ever since I’ve been here in Philly, the city’s been showing me love and I appreciate it wholeheartedly.”
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.wfla.com/sports/ap-sports/shirt-off-his-rack-eagles-brown-buys-fans-no-11-jerseys/ | 2022-07-27T20:17:47Z | https://www.wfla.com/sports/ap-sports/shirt-off-his-rack-eagles-brown-buys-fans-no-11-jerseys/ | true |
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. (AP) _ CyberOptics Corp. (CYBE) on Wednesday reported second-quarter net income of $4.4 million.
The Golden Valley, Minnesota-based company said it had profit of 58 cents per share.
The high precision sensor products maker posted revenue of $27.6 million in the period.
_____
This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CYBE at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CYBE | https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/CyberOptics-Q2-Earnings-Snapshot-17333083.php | 2022-07-27T20:17:58Z | https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/CyberOptics-Q2-Earnings-Snapshot-17333083.php | false |
SURREY, British Columbia (AP) — Two men have been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Ripudaman Singh Malik, the man acquitted in 2005 for the bombings of two Air India jets that killed 331 people.
Malik was shot in his vehicle outside his Surrey business July 14.
Police said Wednesday that Tanner Fox, 21, and Jose Lopez, 23, have been charged.
A vehicle with people inside had waited for hours that morning before Malik showed up and he was shot at about 9:30 a.m., police said. The same vehicle, a white Honda CRV, was found burned not far from the scene of the shooting.
An employee who works at a nearby car wash said he heard shots on the morning Malik was killed and ran outside to find him unconscious in his red Tesla.
Malik and his co-accused, Ajaib Singh Bagri, were found not guilty of murder and conspiracy in the Air India bombings on June 23, 1985.
During Malik’s trial, British Columbia Supreme Court heard that a suitcase bomb was loaded onto a plane at Vancouver’s airport and then transferred in Toronto to Air India Flight 182. The aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland, killing 329 passengers and crew.
About an hour later, a bomb destined for another Air India plane exploded prematurely at Tokyo’s Narita Airport, where two baggage handlers died.
Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only man convicted in the bombings, testified for the prosecution at Malik and Bagri’s trial and was later convicted of perjury. | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/2-men-charged-in-death-of-man-acquitted-of-Air-17333007.php | 2022-07-27T20:19:31Z | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/2-men-charged-in-death-of-man-acquitted-of-Air-17333007.php | true |
MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday afternoon's drawing of the Wisconsin Lottery's "Pick 4 Midday" game were:
5-2-8-1
(five, two, eight, one)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday afternoon's drawing of the Wisconsin Lottery's "Pick 4 Midday" game were:
5-2-8-1
(five, two, eight, one) | https://www.mysanantonio.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Pick-4-Midday-game-17332936.php | 2022-07-27T20:20:32Z | https://www.mysanantonio.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Pick-4-Midday-game-17332936.php | false |
COLUMBIA, Md., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blend360 announced today that they have been included in Forrester's report, The AI Service Providers Landscape, Q3 2022.
The report, written by Principal Analysts Michele Goetz, Brandon Purcell, and Boris Evelson, provides an overview of 39 AI service providers to help technology and data leaders understand the value AI service providers can contribute and how they vary by size and market focus. These 39 service providers were chosen by Forrester from a list of notable vendors with more than $50M in AI-related services revenue. Forrester defines AI Service providers as "organizations that engage with technology and data leaders to apply AI to strategic and operational business transformation initiatives across the enterprise or within areas of the business to drive competitive advantage."
Co-Founder and CEO Patrick Hennessy said, "We are thrilled to be part of Forrester's report on the landscape of AI services providers, as we know making this list is no small feat. At the heart of Blend360 is an elite group of data scientists that strive to use data, tech, and analytics to optimize business results. We believe this recognition validates we are on the right path, and we will continue to help our customers use AI to better build their business."
Blend360 is an award-winning provider of data and analytics solutions for Fortune 500 companies. The company has made the Inc. 5000 list of Fasting Growing Companies every year they have been in business and has been awarded a world-class ranking in client satisfaction for the past three years. They have over 500 employees with offices domestically in NY, MD, CO, and CA and internationally throughout the EMEA region.
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SOURCE Blend360 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/blend360-included-ai-service-providers-report-by-independent-research-firm/ | 2022-07-27T20:21:21Z | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/blend360-included-ai-service-providers-report-by-independent-research-firm/ | true |
Top Provider of HVAC Services To Residential And Commercial Spaces To Create a Comfortable and Conducive Environment
LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HVAC Alliance Expert, a renowned provider of HVAC services, aims to put forward its finest air conditioning installation services to households all over the greater Los Angeles, CA Region, the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City, NY.
Through the offered service, households who have been planning on getting an air conditioner installation may freely do so. The company's teams of AC installation professionals have undergone all the necessary training programs, which honed their skills to their utmost potential. HVAC Alliance Expert also created a dedicated booking system option on their website where clients may get themselves scheduled for an appointment whenever they desire.
"It has always been one of our goals to provide the finest cooling system installation so our clients may enjoy lounging in the comforts of their home without the stress of the humid climate," said Nora Ava, Operations Manager of HVAC Alliance Expert. "Our contractors and customer service representatives are always beyond willing to extend and share their expertise with our esteemed clientele as we understand the importance of a functional air conditioning unit, especially during hot seasons. Through our objective to offer nothing but the best AC installation service, interested clients can expect nothing but excellence."
HVAC Alliance Expert is among the few companies in the market that have earned the people's trust through sheer dedication to providing the best possible solution for HVAC equipment problems.
Explore more about HVAC Alliance Expert's air conditioning installation services through their website at https://hvacallianceexpert.com/air-conditioning-installation/
HVAC Alliance Expert, part of Home Alliance holding companies, offers the most trustworthy air-conditioning installation for homeowners who wish to create a home-like environment through a cooling system. Upon receiving requests, we send our highly qualified and competent professionals to help our clients with their concerns. Our ultimate goal is to create a comforting and homey space where families can lounge and rest after an exhausting day.
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SOURCE HVAC Alliance Expert | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/hvac-alliance-expert-best-air-conditioning-installation-services/ | 2022-07-27T20:23:32Z | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/hvac-alliance-expert-best-air-conditioning-installation-services/ | true |
The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time since before Russia invaded Ukraine.The statement marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport in February and testified Wednesday at her trial.Blinken did not offer details on the proposed deal, which was offered weeks ago, though it is unclear if it will be enough for Russia to release the Americans. But the public acknowledgment of the offer at a time when the U.S. has otherwise shunned Russia, reflects the mounting pressure on the administration over Griner and Whelan and its determination to get them home.Blinken said Washington would like a response from Moscow. Russia has for years expressed interest in the release of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer once labeled the "Merchant of Death" who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 on charges that he schemed to illegally sell millions of dollars in weapons.Blinken said he had requested a call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. U.S. officials said the desire for an answer on the prisoner offer was the primary, but not only, reason that the U.S. on Wednesday requested the call with Lavrov.Should the call take place, it would be the first conversation that Blinken and Lavrov have held since Feb. 15, about a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Blinken said he would also be speaking to Lavrov about the importance of Russia complying with a UN-brokered deal to free multiple tons of Ukrainian grain from storage and warning him about the dangers of possible Russian attempts to annex portions of eastern and southern Ukraine.Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false.Griner, in Russian custody for the last month, acknowledged in court this month that she had vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage when she arrived in Moscow in February but contends she had no criminal intent and packed the cartridges inadvertently.At her trial Wednesday, Griner said she did not know how the cannabis oil ended up in her bag but explained she had a doctor's recommendation for it and had packed in haste. She said she was pulled aside at the airport after inspectors found the cartridges, but that a language interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during her questioning and that officials instructed her to sign documents without providing an explanation.Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs.The U.S. government has long resisted prisoner swaps out of concern that it could encourage additional hostage-taking and promote false equivalency between a wrongfully detained American and a foreign national regarded as justly convicted. But an earlier deal in April, in which Marine veteran Trevor Reed was traded for jailed Russian pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, appeared to open the door to similar resolutions in the future, and the Biden administration has been hounded with political pressure to bring home Griner and other Americans designated as unjustly detained.There was no indication that Blinken and Lavrov had communicated to secure Reed's release. Their last publicly recognized contact was Feb. 22, when Blinken wrote to Lavrov to cancel a meeting they had planned as a last-ditch effort to avert the Russian invasion, saying Moscow had shown no interest in serious diplomacy on the matter. The State Department said later that Russia's diplomacy was "Kabuki Theater" — all show and no substance.The two last met in person in Geneva in January to discuss what was then Russia's massive military build-up along Ukraine's border and Russian demands for NATO to reduce its presence in eastern Europe and permanently deny Ukraine membership. The U.S. rejected the Russian demands.Blinken and Lavrov avoided each other earlier this month at the next time they were in the same place at the same time: at a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20 nations in Bali, Indonesia.The two men will next be in the same city at the same time next week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where they will both be attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. It was not immediately clear if the phone call ahead of that meeting, set for Aug. 4-5, would presage an in-person discussion.
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.
In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time since before Russia invaded Ukraine.
The statement marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport in February and testified Wednesday at her trial.
Blinken did not offer details on the proposed deal, which was offered weeks ago, though it is unclear if it will be enough for Russia to release the Americans. But the public acknowledgment of the offer at a time when the U.S. has otherwise shunned Russia, reflects the mounting pressure on the administration over Griner and Whelan and its determination to get them home.
Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool Photo via AP
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted to a courtroom for a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, July 27, 2022.
Blinken said Washington would like a response from Moscow. Russia has for years expressed interest in the release of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer once labeled the "Merchant of Death" who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 on charges that he schemed to illegally sell millions of dollars in weapons.
Blinken said he had requested a call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. U.S. officials said the desire for an answer on the prisoner offer was the primary, but not only, reason that the U.S. on Wednesday requested the call with Lavrov.
Should the call take place, it would be the first conversation that Blinken and Lavrov have held since Feb. 15, about a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Blinken said he would also be speaking to Lavrov about the importance of Russia complying with a UN-brokered deal to free multiple tons of Ukrainian grain from storage and warning him about the dangers of possible Russian attempts to annex portions of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false.
Griner, in Russian custody for the last month, acknowledged in court this month that she had vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage when she arrived in Moscow in February but contends she had no criminal intent and packed the cartridges inadvertently.
At her trial Wednesday, Griner said she did not know how the cannabis oil ended up in her bag but explained she had a doctor's recommendation for it and had packed in haste. She said she was pulled aside at the airport after inspectors found the cartridges, but that a language interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during her questioning and that officials instructed her to sign documents without providing an explanation.
Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs.
The U.S. government has long resisted prisoner swaps out of concern that it could encourage additional hostage-taking and promote false equivalency between a wrongfully detained American and a foreign national regarded as justly convicted. But an earlier deal in April, in which Marine veteran Trevor Reed was traded for jailed Russian pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, appeared to open the door to similar resolutions in the future, and the Biden administration has been hounded with political pressure to bring home Griner and other Americans designated as unjustly detained.
There was no indication that Blinken and Lavrov had communicated to secure Reed's release. Their last publicly recognized contact was Feb. 22, when Blinken wrote to Lavrov to cancel a meeting they had planned as a last-ditch effort to avert the Russian invasion, saying Moscow had shown no interest in serious diplomacy on the matter. The State Department said later that Russia's diplomacy was "Kabuki Theater" — all show and no substance.
The two last met in person in Geneva in January to discuss what was then Russia's massive military build-up along Ukraine's border and Russian demands for NATO to reduce its presence in eastern Europe and permanently deny Ukraine membership. The U.S. rejected the Russian demands.
Blinken and Lavrov avoided each other earlier this month at the next time they were in the same place at the same time: at a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20 nations in Bali, Indonesia.
The two men will next be in the same city at the same time next week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where they will both be attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. It was not immediately clear if the phone call ahead of that meeting, set for Aug. 4-5, would presage an in-person discussion. | https://www.wyff4.com/article/brittney-griner-paul-whelan-us-russia-deal/40733160 | 2022-07-27T20:23:47Z | https://www.wyff4.com/article/brittney-griner-paul-whelan-us-russia-deal/40733160 | true |
Death by hooch: On the spurious liquour tragedy in dry Gujarat
India needs a more honest discussion on the risks and benefits of prohibition
A hooch tragedy that claimed over 40 lives in Gujarat’s Botad district brings to the fore, yet again, the contentious question of prohibition. Gujarat is one of the four States in India that prohibits alcohol. The victims consumed poisonous methyl alcohol sold in plastic pouches by bootleggers. Twenty-four people have been named as accused in the FIRs and 14 have been arrested. Police action that follows every such tragedy barely inspires public confidence; indeed, it conceals the complicity of the administration in protecting the black market for alcohol, wherever prohibition exists. It is difficult to assume that vast networks of illegal manufacturing and sale of liquor could exist without the patronage of the police and politicians. Reports suggest that in this case, specific complaints were made to the police, who continued to look the other way. Prohibition makes liquor illegal, but it hides in the black market. By driving sales and production underground, the State loses tax revenues while consumers are exposed to huge health risks. Though prohibition is listed among the Directive Principles of state policy in the Constitution, no State has been able to achieve it with any enduring effectiveness. Globally, it is a similar experience.
Prohibition has, however, remained a potent slogan for some politicians. Alcohol damages health, family finances, and human relationships, and the call to ban it altogether has a certain moral, even if not practical, appeal. But using the sledgehammer of the law to stop alcohol use can be counterproductive, as experience shows. The Gujarat High Court is considering five petitions that challenge the constitutional validity of the Gujarat Prohibition Act, 1949 on grounds that it violates fundamental rights including privacy. The law is being questioned for its alleged arbitrariness as it allows tourists from outside the State to consume alcohol in the State. The prohibition laws give sweeping and intrusive powers to the police, who, at least in one case in the recent past in Gujarat, used them against political protesters. On the one hand, prohibition offers the opportunity for rent collection and on the other it lets the police free to selectively apply the law. There is a moral burden that several political parties in India try to carry on their shoulders to discourage or bar alcohol consumption — several parties bar members from consuming alcohol — but in practice this turns out to be comical hypocrisy. With Gujarat already in campaign mode for the Assembly election that is only months away, the tragedy has prompted the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party to train their guns on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Rather than clinging on to dogmas and impossible goals of social reform through coercive law, there must be a more honest discussion on prohibition.
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67% of Michigan Voters Say the Costs of Health Care are Going up More than Other Things They Need
LANSING, Mich., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey of Michigan voters from Impact Research and EPIC-MRA reveals voters see high out-of-pocket costs as the biggest issue in the state's health care system. Michiganders are ready to support politicians who make lowering out-of-pocket costs a priority. Read more about the survey here.
"High health care costs and the unpredictability of what people must pay out-of-pocket are weighing on Michigan voters," said the Hon. Donna Christensen, CQC board member, physician, and former Member of Congress. "Patients are facing thousands of dollars in medical debt that often goes into collections, as Michiganders with insurance are being hit with rapidly rising deductibles, premiums, and other out-of-pocket costs when they go to their doctor, the hospital or pharmacy. Action from our lawmakers is overdue: it's time for them to prioritize lowering costs and improving access to quality care. It's time for insurance to act like insurance."
Michiganders' number one concern when it comes to health care is that out-of-pocket costs are too high, and deductibles are the costs that people struggle with the most, followed by monthly premiums. Eighty-nine percent of Michigan voters believe it is more important now than ever that insurance cover mental health care, but more than half (58%) think it is difficult to find mental health providers that are affordable or covered by insurance.
More insights from the research include:
- 67% agree that the costs of health care are going up more than other things they need.
- By more than a 2-to-1 margin, voters' main concern in health care is that out-of-pocket costs are too high (35%).
- A large majority of voters (84%) think there are problems with the state's health care.
- Deductibles are the biggest specific pain point when it comes to cost (38%), especially for those with private insurance (44%).
- Half of voters (50%) have either had their household finances seriously affected by medical debt or are close with someone who has.
- 58% of voters agree it's difficult to find mental health providers that are covered by insurance.
Michiganders want their elected officials to take action to lower out-of-pocket health care costs. More than 7-in-10 voters (73%) say they are more likely to support a candidate who makes reducing health care costs their top priority, including strong majorities of persuadable voters (63%) and Independents (54%).
When it comes to lowering health care costs, Michigan voters think the following measures would be effective:
- Capping insurance deductibles at a level that is low enough that people don't go into debt when getting the health care they need (64%).
- Capping the amount health insurers can charge patients overall (66%).
- Requiring health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to pass the rebates or discounts they receive from drug companies on to patients (68%).
Michigan voters also support policies that increase access to health care, including expanding mental health care and mental health prescription drugs (82% support).
"It's clear that Michigan voters are feeling the effects of rising out-of-pocket costs and want to see lawmakers act to address the medical debt that many are facing," said Bernie Porn, President of EPIC-MRA. "Our poll shows that voters in the state are looking for sensible solutions to improve coverage and lower costs."
The Impact Research/EPIC-MRA poll on behalf of CQC was conducted June 15-20, 2022. The online survey sampled 609 registered voters in Michigan. Overall results were weighted to reflect the composition of registered voters in the state.
Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) is a coalition of advocates and former policymakers working to provide a voice for patients in the health care debate as they demand better care. CQC is led by a board of directors that includes the Honorable Donna Christensen, physician and former Member of Congress; Jim Manley, former senior advisor to Senators Edward Kennedy and Harry Reid; Jason Resendez, community advocate and health care strategist; and Mary L. Smith, former CEO of Indian Health Service.
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SOURCE Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/michigan-voters-prioritize-lowering-out-of-pocket-health-costs-according-new-research/ | 2022-07-27T20:24:52Z | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/michigan-voters-prioritize-lowering-out-of-pocket-health-costs-according-new-research/ | true |
CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has had a successful appendectomy, but there is no timetable for his return to the field, coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday.
Taylor said he didn’t expect the star quarterback to fall behind in practice. Burrow had surgery Tuesday and Taylor expected Burrow to be released from the hospital Wednesday, which happened to be the first official day of workouts for the Bengals.
“The good news is he has two years in (the system),” Taylor said. “He knows it. He still has his iPad. He won’t be behind the eight ball.”
Backups Brandon Allen and Jake Browning will take the snaps until Burrow’s return, likely in a couple of weeks.
The Bengals are coming off their first AFC championship and Super Bowl appearance in 33 seasons. Burrow completed 70.4% of his passes last season for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns.
On Monday, Bengals owner Mike Brown acknowledged the team was already restructuring finances so they can meet Burrow’s salary demands in the next contract. He is eligible to negotiate after this season.
NOTES: Taylor said G Alex Cappa and HB Samaje Perine were removed from the physically unable to perform list and will be eased back into action.
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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.fox16.com/sports/joe-burrow-to-miss-part-of-training-camp-after-appendectomy/ | 2022-07-27T20:25:27Z | https://www.fox16.com/sports/joe-burrow-to-miss-part-of-training-camp-after-appendectomy/ | false |
Omron announces the winner of the Distributor of the Year award for fiscal year 2021. This prestigious distinction recognizes Omron's top distributor for excellence in revenue growth, local engagement, expertise, and solution selling.
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Industrial Automation solutions provider Omron Automation Americas has announced Airline Hydraulics Corporation as the winner of Distributor of the Year for fiscal year 2021. On July 13th, Omron Vice President of Sales Peter Brouwer presented the award to the Airline executive management team, which includes CEO Mark Steffens and Director of Sales Keith Elphick.
"On behalf of Omron Automation Americas, I am very pleased to recognize Airline Hydraulics as our 2021 Distributor of the Year," says Brouwer. "Airline's investment in innovation and commitment to our technology secured this award. As a highly respected partner in the Americas market, they have supported the growth of our brand and delivered superior support to customers. We look forward to many years of continuing to make our partnership stronger."
Steffens also expressed great confidence in the Omron-Airline partnership. "After 30+ years of partnering with Omron, we are flattered to accept this great honor," he says. "Omron's core values and growth objectives perfectly align with ours. We appreciate the Omron experts who have supported our business with advanced automation solutions and technologies over the past seven years to lay the groundwork for this success together. We look forward to continuously build upon this success with Omron."
Airline Hydraulics Corporation is a value-added distributor of automation, machine safeguarding products and fluid power products founded in 1949 in Philadelphia, PA. It provides quality components and custom-engineered technology solutions, offering system engineering, manufacturing, service, repair, and installation. Through organic growth and multiple acquisitions over the years, Airline is now based in Bensalem, PA and operates multiple locations throughout the NE US and down the east coast.
Omron Automation is an industrial automation partner that creates, sells and services fully integrated automation solutions that include sensing, control, safety, vision, motion, robotics and more. Established in 1933 and currently headed by President Yoshihito Yamada, Omron's 36,000 employees help businesses solve problems with creativity in more than 110 countries. Learn more at automation.omron.com.
Media Contact:
Amy Wang
amy.wang@omron.com
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Bill falls short of meaningfully lowering Medicare beneficiary out-of-pocket costs & will defund R&D investment in small molecule pills for diseases of aging
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- No Patient Left Behind (NPLB), a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating patients' out-of-pocket costs and ensuring that drugs go generic without undue delay, today released a coalition letter signed by more than 1000 investors, researchers, patients, and development stage biopharma companies urging fixes to the Senate reconciliation drug bill.
The letter urges policymakers to fix the legislation:
- Improve the Part D redesign so that it lowers the new catastrophic cap to $100 per month and provide more seniors with relief by eliminating the annual $480 deductible.
- Require health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to pass government prices directly to patients at the pharmacy.
- Empower Medicare to get deeper discounts from ALL drugs only after 13 years on the market.
"Policymakers think this bill is taking a bite out of 'big pharma,' but in reality, it will hit hardest the entrepreneurial development stage companies that drive U.S. therapeutic innovation," said NPLB Executive Director Peter Rubin.
Rubin continued, "The Senate drug bill is missing a huge opportunity to help the majority of beneficiaries with a lower catastrophic cap and deductible relief. The bill saves nearly $300 billion from Medicare but uses only a fraction of those savings to lower out-of-pocket costs for a small percentage of beneficiaries."
High out-of-pocket costs that insurers charge seniors are a serious problem for most Medicare beneficiaries. Twelve of the 16 national Medicare Part D plans in 2022 charge beneficiaries 40-50% coinsurance for brand name medicines – even after plans approve the treatment as medically necessary (KFF).
Rubin also cited a new analysis of the bill by leading biopharma investors. The analysis finds the bill's imposition of price caps on small molecules after just 9 years and 13 years for large molecules will dry up investment in small molecule drugs to treat disease of aging. The report emphasizes that: "9 years is too short a time post approval to generate a positive return. Small molecules are not cheaper to develop than large ones. They are not less risky. The calculus for funding their development is essentially the same as for biologics." The new report lists small molecule companies in each state that likely will be negatively impacted by the current legislation.
About No Patient Left Behind (NPLB)
NPLB is dedicated to ensuring patient affordability and continued innovation by arming stakeholders with research, information, and educational tools to fight for lower out-of-pocket costs and ensure brand name drugs go generic without undue delay. If a doctor prescribes a therapy and the insurer authorizes it, the copay should be affordable to the patient.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Ah, the bacon, egg and cheese. The classic bodega breakfast sandwich is a staple in many a New Yorker's diet. It's easy to make, easy to eat on the go and cheap — although not as cheap as it used to be.
To keep up with today's levels of inflation due to the pandemic and Russia's war with Ukraine, bodega owners are faced with no choice but to raise the prices of their famously low-priced breakfast sandwiches.
“Bacon, egg and cheese -- you can’t take that sandwich away,” said Francisco Marte, who owns a bodega in the Bronx. “That’s the favorite sandwich for the New Yorkers.”
Marte has had to increase prices on everything from sugar to potato chips -- and the cost of his bacon, egg and cheese sandwich is up from $2.50 to $4.50.
At the wholesale level, inflation climbed 11.3% in June compared with a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Labor reported. Producer prices have surged nearly 18% for goods and nearly 8% for services compared with June 2021.
“These things happen. And normally, in normal times, the supply chain is able to absorb some of that shock,” said Katie Denis, a spokesperson with the Consumer Brands Association, a trade group representing food, personal care and cleaning companies. “Right now, there’s just no slack.”
Frances Rice, who stopped by Marte’s bodega for a bacon, egg and cheese, says she's trying to work out how to cope with less slack in her budget as prices rise. She says there’s always a silver lining.
“It means that I buy a good breakfast and stretch it to lunch and don’t eat again until I get home, which means I lose weight,” she said. “Got to look at the brighter side of things, because you know what? Either way, if you got to move, you’ve got to pay. If you’re hungry, you have to eat.”
___
Associated Press journalist Kiana Doyle in New York contributed to this report. | https://www.seattlepi.com/living/article/Inflation-hits-NYC-s-bodega-favorite-Bacon-egg-17331429.php | 2022-07-27T20:26:10Z | https://www.seattlepi.com/living/article/Inflation-hits-NYC-s-bodega-favorite-Bacon-egg-17331429.php | true |
Strong Q3 performance; Raising FY'22 constant currency ARR and Cash Flow guidance
BOSTON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) today reported financial results for its third fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2022.
"In our third fiscal quarter, we again delivered strong results. We reported ARR growth of 9% and 15% on an organic constant currency basis. In addition, our recently acquired Codebeamer business had an outstanding quarter and added an additional point of ARR growth, taking constant currency ARR growth to 16%. In Q3, our cash from operations was $117 million, up 33% year over year, and our adjusted free cash flow was $132 million, up 23% year over year. The strength in Q3 was broad-based across all segments and geographic regions, driven by demand for digital transformation and SaaS," said James Heppelmann, President and CEO, PTC.
"Our differentiated product portfolio and leading SaaS capabilities position PTC to drive superior value for customers. Given the high resiliency of our business due to our subscription model coupled with our strong market position, as well as the strong execution of our teams, we are raising our key guidance measures for fiscal 2022 for the third time this year," concluded Heppelmann.
Third Quarter 2022 Highlights[1]
Key operating and financial highlights are set forth below. For additional details, please refer to the Q3'22 earnings presentation and financial data tables that have been posted to the Investor Relations section of our website at investor.ptc.com. Revenue and, as a result, operating margin, operating profit, and earnings per share are impacted by revenue recognition under ASC 606.
- ARR as reported was $1,544 million at the end of Q3'22, up 9% compared to Q3'21, including $15 million related to the acquisition of Codebeamer. On a constant currency basis (including $16 million related to Codebeamer), ARR was $1,625 million, up 16%, compared to Q3'21. On an organic constant currency basis (excluding $16 million related to Codebeamer), ARR was $1,610 million, up 15% compared to Q3'21, and above guidance of $1,580 million to $1,595 million. Foreign exchange rate fluctuations had an $81 million negative impact on our Q3'22 reported ARR. ARR at the end of Q3'22 includes a $4 million reduction associated with discontinuing our business operations in Russia in Q2'22.
- Cash flow from operations was $117 million, free cash flow was $112 million, and adjusted free cash flow was $132 million in Q3'22, up compared to Q3'21 by 33%, 33%, and 23%, respectively. All three metrics were above guidance. In Q3'21, cash flow from operations was $88 million, free cash flow was $85 million, and adjusted free cash flow was $107 million.
- Revenue was $462 million in Q3'22, up 6% compared to Q3'21. On a constant currency basis, revenue was $480 million, up 12% compared to Q3'21.
- Operating margin was 17% in both Q3'22 and Q3'21. Non-GAAP operating margin in Q3'22 was 34%, compared to 31% in Q3'21.
- Earnings per share was $0.60 in Q3'22, compared to $0.43 in Q3'21. Non-GAAP earnings per share in Q3'22 was $0.97, compared to $0.83 in Q3'21.
- Total cash and cash equivalents as of the end of Q3'22 was $322 million. Gross debt was $1.43 billion as of the end of Q3'22. The increase in gross debt during Q3'22 was primarily due to financing the Codebeamer acquisition with our revolving credit facility, partially offset by repaying $105 million on our revolving credit facility.
[1] The definitions of our operating and non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to comparable GAAP measures are included below and in the reconciliation tables at the end of this press release.
Fiscal 2022 and Q4'22 Guidance
"PTC delivered solid third quarter results. Based on our Q3 performance and our forecast for the remainder of the year, including the impact of Codebeamer and DxP, we are raising our ARR and free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow guidance for fiscal 2022. Due to foreign exchange headwinds, we are reducing our revenue guidance," said Kristian Talvitie, EVP and CFO, PTC.
"Despite the foreign exchange headwinds and the impact of exiting our business in Russia in Q2'22, our resilient business model, consistent execution, and operational discipline position us to deliver on our updated targets for the year," concluded Talvitie.
Our FY'22 guidance now reflects the expected operating results of the Codebeamer business and the effect of the DxP transaction, as well as the impact of business combination accounting, incremental interest expense, and all acquisition and transaction-related charges.
Our FY'22 and Q4'22 financial guidance includes the assumptions below:
- We provide ARR guidance on a constant currency basis, using our FY'22 Plan foreign exchange rates (rates as of September 30, 2021) for all periods. Unfavorable changes in foreign exchange rates have been a headwind to our reported ARR. At end of Q3'22 foreign exchange rates, FY'22 ARR would be lower by approximately $85 million, compared to our constant currency guidance (previously $34 million, based on foreign exchange rates as of the end of Q2'22).
- We expect FY'22 organic churn, excluding the impact of our exit from Russia, to improve by approximately 150 basis points (previously 100 basis points) over FY'21.
- Due to invoicing seasonality, the majority of our collections occur in the first half of our fiscal year. Q4 is our lowest cash flow generation quarter.
- Our operating costs are expected to increase in FY'22 due to hiring, increased SaaS investments, merit increases that took effect in Q3'22, and the acquisition of the Codebeamer business in Q3'22 (updated). At the mid-point of ARR guidance, we expect FY'22 GAAP operating expenses to increase approximately 4% to 5% (previously 3% to 4%) and non-GAAP operating expenses to increase approximately 2% to 3% over FY'21.
- FY'22 GAAP P&L results are expected to include the items outlined below, totaling $281 million to $291 million (previously $293 million to $308 million), as well as their related tax effects:
- Related to restructuring, for FY'22 we expect:
- Our FY'22 GAAP tax rate is expected to be approximately 20% and our non-GAAP tax rate is expected to be approximately 19%.
- FY'22 capital expenditures are expected to be approximately $20 million (previously $25 million).
- Our long-term goal, assuming our Debt/EBITDA ratio is below 3x, is to return approximately 50% of our free cash flow to shareholders via share repurchases, while also taking into consideration the interest rate environment and strategic opportunities (updated).
PTC's Fiscal Third Quarter Results Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call to discuss results at 5:00 pm ET on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. To participate in the live conference call, dial (888) 330-2508 or (240) 789-2735 and provide the passcode 7328695, or log in to the webcast, available on PTC's Investor Relations website. A replay will also be available.
Important Disclosures
Important Information About Our Non-GAAP Financial Measures
PTC provides supplemental non-GAAP financial measures to its financial results. We use these non-GAAP financial measures, and we believe that they assist our investors, to make period-to-period comparisons of our operating performance because they provide a view of our operating results without items that are not, in our view, indicative of our operating results. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be construed as an alternative to GAAP results as the items excluded from the non-GAAP financial measures often have a material impact on our operating results, certain of those items are recurring, and others often recur. Management uses, and investors should consider, our non-GAAP financial measures only in conjunction with our GAAP results.
Non-GAAP operating expense, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP EPS exclude the effect of the following items: stock-based compensation; amortization of acquired intangible assets; acquisition-related and other transactional charges included in general and administrative expenses; restructuring and other charges, net; certain non-operating charges and credits; and income tax adjustments. Additional information about the items we exclude from our non-GAAP financial measures and the reasons we exclude them can be found in "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" on page 24 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021. In FY'21, we incurred tax expense related to a South Korean tax matter which is excluded from our non-GAAP financial measures as it is related to prior periods and not included in management's view of results for comparative purposes. We also recorded a tax benefit in FY'21 related to the release of our U.S. valuation allowance as a result of the Arena acquisition and our conclusion that it is now more likely than not that we will realize the majority of our deferred tax assets in the U.S. As the non-GAAP tax provision is calculated assuming that there is no valuation allowance, this benefit has been excluded from our non-GAAP financial measures.
Free Cash Flow and Adjusted Free Cash Flow: PTC provides information on free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow to enable investors to assess our ability to generate cash without incurring additional external financings and to evaluate our performance against our announced long-term goals and intent to return approximately 50% of our free cash flow to shareholders via stock repurchases. Free cash flow is cash provided by (used in) operations net of capital expenditures. Adjusted free cash flow is free cash flow net of restructuring payments, acquisition and transaction-related payments, and non-ordinary course tax-related payments or receipts. Free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow are not measures of cash available for discretionary expenditures.
Constant Currency (CC): We present CC information to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying business performed excluding the effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations. To present CC information, FY'22 and comparative prior period results for entities reporting in currencies other than United States dollars are converted into United States dollars using the foreign exchange rate as of September 30, 2021, rather than the actual exchange rates in effect during that period.
Operating Measures
ARR: We provide an ARR (Annual Run Rate) operating measure to help investors understand and assess the performance of our business as a SaaS and on-premise subscription company. ARR represents the annualized value of our portfolio of active subscription software, cloud, SaaS, and support contracts as of the end of the reporting period. ARR includes orders placed under our Strategic Alliance Agreement with Rockwell Automation, including orders placed to satisfy contractual minimum commitments.
We believe ARR is a valuable operating metric to measure the health of a subscription business because it captures expected subscription and support cash generation from customers.
Organic Constant Currency ARR: We provide an organic constant currency ARR measure to help investors understand and assess the performance of our business without the effect of ARR (other than insignificant amounts) from acquisitions in the comparative period and foreign exchange rate fluctuations.
Because our ARR measures represent the annualized value of customer contracts as of a point in time, they do not represent revenue for any particular period or remaining revenue that will be recognized in future periods.
Churn: We provide churn measures to enable investors to understand and assess our customer contract retention. Churn represents the difference between the ARR amount for all subscription software, cloud, SaaS, and support contracts ended within a reporting period and the annualized renewal transactions started within a reporting period, as of the end of the reporting period.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not historic facts, including statements about our future financial and growth expectations and targets, and potential stock repurchases, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks include: the macroeconomic and/or global manufacturing climates may not improve when or as we expect, or may deteriorate, due to, among other factors, the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of the Russia/Ukraine conflict, and inflation, which could cause customers to delay or reduce purchases of new software, reduce the number of subscriptions they carry, or delay payments to us, all of which would adversely affect ARR and our financial results, including cash flow; our businesses, including our SaaS businesses, may not expand and/or generate the revenue or ARR we expect if customers are slower to adopt our technologies than we expect or if they adopt competing technologies; our transactions with Intland Software and ITC Infotech may not have the expected effects on our business or results of operations; our strategic initiatives and investments, including our restructuring and our accelerated investments in our transition to SaaS, may not deliver the results when or as we expect; we may be unable to generate sufficient operating cash flow to repay amounts under our credit facility or to return 50% of free cash flow to shareholders, and other uses of cash or our credit facility limits or other matters could preclude such repayment and/or repurchases; and foreign exchange rates may differ materially from those we expect. In addition, our assumptions concerning our future GAAP and non-GAAP effective income tax rates are based on estimates and other factors that could change, including the geographic mix of our revenue, expenses, and profits. Other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected are detailed from time to time in reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
About PTC (NASDAQ: PTC)
PTC enables global manufacturers to realize double-digit impact with software solutions that enable them to accelerate product and service innovation, improve operational efficiency, and increase workforce productivity. In combination with an extensive partner network, PTC provides customers flexibility in how its technology can be deployed to drive digital transformation – on premises, in the cloud, or via its pure SaaS platform. At PTC, we don't just imagine a better world, we enable it.
PTC Investor Relations Contact
Matt Shimao
SVP, Investor Relations
mshimao@ptc.com
investor@ptc.com
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Tim Heidecker | Photo by Andrew Levy
Tim Heidecker Live! | Sun., July 31, 8 p.m. | The Carolina Theatre, Durham
If Tim Heidecker seems spectacularly inept at stand-up comedy when he performs at the Carolina Theatre this Saturday … well, that’s the point.
“It’s the ‘No More Bullshit’ character,” Heidecker says in a phone call with the INDY, referencing his persona from the 2020 YouTube stand-up special An Evening with Tim Heidecker. “You know, toxic male, shitty, shouldn’t be touring, shouldn’t be performing stand-up publicly. But it’s the kind of act where if you’re in the know and you are hip to the satire of it, then it becomes a really fun, exciting part of the show.”
Heidecker’s fans are used to this kind of funny-because-it’s-failing-to-be-funny comedy from his nearly two decades of TV shows, movies, and podcasts specializing in horrifyingly inept, sometimes malicious characters whose need for recognition far outweighs their talent.
In such series as Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, and the long-running On Cinema, Heidecker’s comedy specializes in awkwardness, grotesquerie, and rampant destruction wrought by people who chase fame despite their lack of understanding of technology, dealing with an audience, or basic human interaction.
The “reviews” of On Cinema’s film critics always dissolve into petty bickering that has nothing to do with the films themselves; one of Heidecker’s recurring characters on Awesome Show, Great Job! was a sweaty, crater-faced child singer named Casey Tatum who couldn’t get through an off-key song without vomiting.
“I think failure is a big component of my comedy,” says Heidecker, who is 46. “It’s sort of a core aspect of comedy itself; like, the act of seeing somebody fail can be very funny if they’re failing for selfish reasons or slipping on a banana peel, metaphorically. So, I’m drawn to that, into showing characters who we see in the world, and laughing at them and making fun of them for being the way they are.”
Given the state of the real world, Heidecker admits that “I might be coming close to a place in my life where creatively, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know if I need to keep making this statement about toxic masculinity.’ You know, to what degree it is just preaching to the choir and not really making any difference?”
“I try to do it not in a preachy way and not in a pretentious way but in a way that that can be funny on its own and have a universal comedic quality to it that you could perhaps enjoy if you didn’t necessarily agree with me on everything,” he adds.
While Heidecker’s an old pro at playing rank amateurs, attendees of his Carolina Theatre show will get a look at his more professional side in the musical second act, featuring songs from his acclaimed album High School with The Very Good Band.
“There are two sorts of sides of my personality, or my creative life, that I have been doing for years but have never traveled with and taken on the road,” Heidecker says. “And for those two things, it felt like it was time to try to mount a show together. But it works out nice because I get bored quickly as an audience member when something is just, you know, one thing. So, there’s a variety to the whole show that I think will keep you from getting bored by any one thing.”
Heidecker’s musical career is more straight-faced than his stand-up act but still veers toward the comedic, with past collaborations satirizing everything from Bob Dylan to concept albums to internet trolls. Heidecker says that his sense of humor remains a key part of his music.
“Some people might be skeptical about or hesitant about the musical side of the show, but I think the band is going to blow everybody away. I think the best compliment I saw about my new album was that somebody commented, ‘It sounds a little bit like this, it sounds a little bit like that, but to me, it sounds like Tim.’”
Heidecker hopes the show at the Carolina Theatre goes better for him than it would for his characters. “We [Heidecker and Eric Wareheim] played there last in 2020 and received this lovely statue of a bull because the show sold out, because that’s their tradition there,” he says. “And I’m hoping I can get a second bull to go with my first bull.”
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Comment on this story at backtalk@indyweek.com. | https://indyweek.com/culture/stage/carolina-theater-tim-heidecker-interview/ | 2022-07-27T20:26:54Z | https://indyweek.com/culture/stage/carolina-theater-tim-heidecker-interview/ | false |
Sylvan Esso | Brian Karlsson
Joni Mitchell wasn’t the only one with a surprise at the Newport Folk Fest last week.
While Joni’s shocking appearance had the crowd roaring, Sylvan Esso also excited fans with the announcement of their next album, No Rules Sandy and a surprise performance of the entire record on the festival’s mainstage
The album is out in less than three weeks on August 12th, but new single "Didn't Care" is available now. The Durham band, consisting of singers Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn, are also debuting the project again in New York City on July 27th and Los Angeles on Aug. 4th.
It's been an active year for the band: In May, the band played a three-night concert, featuring a wide range of collaborators, at the Historic Durham Bull's Athletic Park.
"I think that the ultimate effect of our last record and the pandemic has been the feeling of like, 'Fuck that, I know what I want,'" Sanborn wrote in a press release. "And it's now, or never. So let's get out there and do it."
Sanborn describes the album as a portrayal of their true selves, full of emotion and energy. No Rules Sandy completes the trilogy of their first three albums, with a cathartic feeling that follows the band's early 2022 trip from Durham to Los Angeles to set up a makeshift studio. The album features drummer TJ Maiani, string arrangements by Gabriel Kahane, and saxophone by Sam Gendel; additional recording was done at the Betty's Studio in Chapel Hill.
The duo's album announcement was also paired with the announcement of a fall tour with ODESZA, which kicks off today.
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Comment on this story at backtalk@indyweek.com. | https://indyweek.com/music/news/sylvan-esso-no-rules-sandy/ | 2022-07-27T20:27:06Z | https://indyweek.com/music/news/sylvan-esso-no-rules-sandy/ | true |
(The Hill) – Former President Trump on Wednesday said he planned to file a lawsuit against CNN, alleging the network has repeatedly defamed him dating back to his 2016 campaign for the presidency.
“I have notified CNN of my intent to file a lawsuit over their repeated defamatory statements against me,” Trump said in a statement. “I will also be commencing actions against other media outlets who have defamed me and defrauded the public regarding the overwhelming evidence of fraud throughout the 2020 Election. I will never stop fighting for the truth and for the future of our Country!”
The 282-page letter from Trump’s attorneys to CNN executives, dated July 21, calls for the network to retract or correct numerous of on-air statements and published articles about Trump that the lawyers allege are false and defamatory.
The letter goes on to cite dozens of examples, many of which relate to the network’s coverage of Trump’s repeated claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. CNN coverage frequently referred to those claims as “lies,” “false narratives” and “baseless theories,” among other terms. The lawsuit alleges those descriptions are “false and defamatory.”
But perhaps in a preview of how Trump’s lawsuit is likely to be received, dozens of lawsuits filed after the 2020 election alleging there was widespread fraud that tipped the scales in favor of Joe Biden were summarily dismissed because of a lack of evidence, in some cases by judges appointed by Trump. | https://phl17.com/nmw/trump-threatens-cnn-with-lawsuit-over-defamatory-reporting/ | 2022-07-27T20:27:27Z | https://phl17.com/nmw/trump-threatens-cnn-with-lawsuit-over-defamatory-reporting/ | false |
NEW YORK, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Pzena Investment Management, Inc. ("Pzena" or the "Company") (NYSE: PZN), in connection with the proposed merger of the Company with its operating company, Pzena Investment Management, LLC. Under the terms of the merger agreement, the Company's shareholders will receive $9.60 in cash for each share of common stock owned. The transaction is valued at approximately $795 million.
If you own Pzena shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website:
https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/pzn
Or please contact:
Joshua Rubin, Esq.
Weiss Law
305 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10007
(212) 682-3025
(888) 593-4771
stockinfo@weisslawllp.com
Weiss Law is investigating whether (i) Pzena's board of directors acted in the best interests of Company shareholders in agreeing to the proposed transaction, (ii) the $9.60 per-share merger consideration adequately compensates Pzena's shareholders, and (iii) all information regarding the sales process and valuation of the transaction will be fully and fairly disclosed.
Weiss Law has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at stockinfo@weisslawllp.com
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SOURCE Weiss Law | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/shareholder-alert-weiss-law-investigates-pzena-investment-management-inc/ | 2022-07-27T20:27:50Z | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/shareholder-alert-weiss-law-investigates-pzena-investment-management-inc/ | false |
MORRISTOWN, N.J., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Crum & Forster's Credit Division announces the appointment of Drew M. Kovalsky, CFA, as Vice President, Credit Underwriter. Mr. Kovalsky, a Chartered Financial Analyst, is responsible for the research, evaluation and underwriting of Crum & Forster's suite of credit insurance and alternative risk finance products for North American customers and other select jurisdictions, including single situation credit and multi-buyer trade credit insurance, as well as alternative risk finance. Mr. Kovalsky, will be based in New York and will report to Donald Asadorian, Senior Vice President, Credit Division.
"Drew is an accomplished credit analyst with in-depth expertise in evaluating a range of fixed income credits for complex asset classes," stated Mr. Asadorian. "We are pleased to have Drew join our growing team of industry professionals as we continue building upon our division's insurance platform to meet the diverse risk management needs of Crum & Forster's credit finance clients."
Mr. Kovalsky has nearly twenty years of experience as a credit analyst with leading financial institutions and capital risk management firms. His expertise focuses on origination and underwriting of transactional credit solutions for varied asset classes, underwriting structured finance, project finance, infrastructure-related credits and municipal enterprises. His professional tenure reflects experience in the research and assessment of credit, capital adequacy, collateral performance, and portfolio risk modeling.
Most recently, Mr. Kovalsky was Vice President & Credit Analyst with Assured Guaranty for over fifteen years where he was responsible for overseeing credit evaluation of corporate fixed income classes, as well as credit research for alternative asset-backed finance transactions. Previously, he served with Barclays Capital as Manager of its Structured Credit & Complex Transactions Group and the specialty Financial Institutions Group. These roles followed prior positions as an analyst with Moody's Investor Service and Bank of America, respectively.
Mr. Kovlasky received a Master of Public Policy (MPP) in Finance from the University of Chicago and earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Boston College. He is an affiliate of the CFA Society New York and Capital Markets Credit Analysts Society (CMCAS).
Crum & Forster's Credit Division was launched in 2019, offering coverage in four specialty areas to address financial, operational and strategic corporate risks, including single situation credit, multi-buyer trade credit insurance, mortgage risks and alternative risk finance solutions.
About Crum & Forster
Crum & Forster (www.cfins.com) is a leading national property, casualty, and accident & health insurer, wholly owned by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (www.fairfax.ca), providing specialty insurance products through its admitted and surplus lines insurance companies.
C&F is rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best (2022). The C&F logo, C&F and Crum & Forster are registered trademarks of United States Fire Insurance Company. To learn more, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
Media Contact:
Hallie Harenski
Hallie.Harenski@cfins.com
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SOURCE Crum & Forster | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/crum-amp-forster-credit-division-appoints-drew-kovalsky-vp-credit-underwriter/ | 2022-07-27T20:28:55Z | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/crum-amp-forster-credit-division-appoints-drew-kovalsky-vp-credit-underwriter/ | false |
This story is part of I'm So Obsessed (subscribe here), our podcast featuring interviews with actors, artists, celebrities and creative types about their work, career and current obsessions.
The new animated film DC League of Super-Pets follows Superman's dog Krypto, who has powers just like his guardian, as he takes charge to help the Man of Steel and the rest of the Justice League when they are kidnapped.
For assistance Krypto recruits shelter pets that, through an accident, gain superpowers of their own. The film, which opens Friday in theaters, features the voice work of John Krasinski, Dwayne Johnson, Vanessa Bayer, Kate McKinnon, Diego Luna, Keanu Reeves and others.
While star power and a thrilling plot are enough to hook most of us, DC League of Super-Pets also has a touching origin story.
Jared Stern, who wrote, directed and produced the film shared that he got the idea for the movie while volunteering at an animal rescue with his wife when they were still dating. In the front of the shelter was a room filled with adorable kittens. But there was also a back room at the rescue with all the "lifers" that would likely never get adopted.
"Some of them are older. Some of them were dealing with various issues. And I thought, 'Oh, it's going to be tougher for these ones to get adopted.' And I have no idea why, but I thought, 'What if they got superpowers?' And maybe because they seemed so powerless, I wanted them to be powerful." said Stern on CNET's I'm So Obsessed podcast. "That was the seed of the idea from that one day at the pet shelter and then thinking about the various DC Super-Pets and smashing it all together."
Stern, who also created the Netflix animated series Green Eggs and Ham, co-wrote The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie and had access to different Warner Bros. DC superhero properties.
In the comics, Superman has a dog named Krypto who has all the same powers as Superman like heat vision and the ability to fly. But there are actually a bunch of superhero pets that are part of DC comics like Ace the Bat-Hound who in DC League of Super-Pets is voiced by Kevin Hart. One of Stern's favorites was a turtle.
"There's a pet that comes from a classic old school DC comic called Merton McSnurtle the turtle. This turtle ended up becoming the Flash's turtle and gets super speed," said Stern.
Merton is portrayed by Natasha Leone in the movie.
You can listen to my entire conversation with Stern in the podcast player above. He also discusses directing Keanu Reeves, what he learned working at Disney and his love of trail running.
Subscribe to I'm So Obsessed on your favorite podcast app. In each episode, CNET's Connie Guglielmo and I catch up with an artist, actor or creator to learn about their work, career and current obsessions. | https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/dc-league-of-super-pets-origin-story-involves-an-actual-animal-shelter/ | 2022-07-27T20:29:03Z | https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/dc-league-of-super-pets-origin-story-involves-an-actual-animal-shelter/ | false |
Seattle chapter of the bird conservation group dropping ‘Audubon’ from name to confront legacy of racism
Jacquelyne Germain, CNN
The Seattle chapter of the National Audubon Society plans to remove “Audubon” from its name to address the racist and white supremacist actions and views of John James Audubon, the ornithologist the organization is named after.
Glenn Nelson, the Seattle chapter’s community director, told CNN on Wednesday that part of why the local organization took action toward the name change is because the larger national organization has not explicitly acknowledged whether it plans to change its name.
“If you agree that the ‘Audubon’ name is harmful to people, then every second that you bear it is harming people, and we want to stop that in a way that we can control,” Nelson said.
The National Audubon Society is the country’s leading bird conservation organization.
Audubon’s racism is well-documented and acknowledged, even by the National Audubon Society itself. He was a slave owner who opposed abolition and appropriated Black and Indigenous knowledge about bird species.
Last summer, the Seattle Audubon Society sent a letter to the National Audubon Society “to initiate…an inclusive and transparent process toward removing John James Audubon from our shared organizational namesake.”
Claire Catania, the Seattle chapter’s executive director, in a statement said the legacy of who Audubon really was, not an idealized version and conflicts with the organization’s goals.
“Our members, volunteers, and staff are focused on a future where the perspectives and contributions of all people are valued — especially those who have been systemically excluded,” Catania said in the statement.
Within the broader bird conservation and ornithology community, there have also been efforts to rename birds named after historical figures with racist legacies. Last year, the Audubon Naturalist Society, a Washington, D.C. area-based environmental non-profit, said it would remove “Audubon” from its name with the intent of announcing a new name this October in an effort to “do better to address equity and racial justice.”
Nelson said the Seattle chapter plans to hold a series of inclusive discussions with internal and external stakeholders about the group’s name and mission with the hope of settling on a new name by the end of the year.
The name change is only a first step toward real organizational change and the group intends to focus more on environmental justice and urban conservation efforts, Nelson added. He said the name change is also important to welcome more communities of color into conservation spaces given that marginalized groups have historically been excluded from birdwatching and outdoor communities that are predominantly White, older and have a history of being elitist.
“We’re blocking BIPOC communities from being involved in the conservation movement and BIPOC communities are the ones who experience the impact of environmental calamities first, and disproportionately,” Nelson said. “We’re essentially excluding them from their own rescue in a way.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://kion546.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2022/07/27/seattle-chapter-of-the-national-audubon-society-dropping-audubon-from-name-to-confront-legacy-of-racism/ | 2022-07-27T20:30:44Z | https://kion546.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2022/07/27/seattle-chapter-of-the-national-audubon-society-dropping-audubon-from-name-to-confront-legacy-of-racism/ | true |
Gugu Mbatha-Raw on the “juicy” twists and turns in Apple TV+’s ‘Surface’
Posted/updated on: July 27, 2022 at 2:17 pmGugu Mbatha-Raw stars as Sophie, a woman who wakes up after a terrible accident with memory loss in Apple TV+'s new thriller series Surface.
However, as the show progresses, Sophie learns she has a whole lot of secrets and the "perfect life" she thought she had was anything but.
"Well, for me, I mean, there's nothing juicy about having a secret, you know, as in life," the Loki veteran explained to ABC Audio.
"But also as an actor, you know, it gives you attention. It gives you something to hide and conceal and wrestle with. It gives every scene a charge!"
As the series progresses, however, Sophie learns she wasn't who those closest to her are telling her she was, either.
"I think initially, Sophie doesn't know ... because she's lost her memory because of this accident. She's looking to James, her husband, to create her reality for her. And she initially, obviously, of course, trusts him because why wouldn't you? You know, he's her husband. He cares about her. But obviously, as we get into it, you know, we see that there's so much more to it than that."
Oliver Jackson-Cohen plays her husband, James, and to say he's got his own secrets is an understatement.
"I think that that's always, for me, the interesting stuff to play and the fascinating stuff to watch because it keeps you guessing," Mbatha-Raw says.
Surface, which also stars Stephan James and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, debuts Friday on Apple TV+.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. | https://ktbb.com/post/?p=1148112 | 2022-07-27T20:30:57Z | https://ktbb.com/post/?p=1148112 | false |
Nikita Parris: The football princess with a Cinderella working-class attitude
By PA Staff published
It sounds like the tagline for a must-watch film: “A little girl from Toxteth who chased and caught her dream. Princess status with a Cinderella working-class attitude.”
The heroine is Lionesses forward Nikita Parris, and the man who came up with the back-of-the-book worthy blurb is Earl Jenkins, the coach who first laid eyes on the striker when, aged seven, she joined Liverpool side Kingsley United and started playing with the boys.
Some might think the girl who once wore out her VHS of Bend It Like Beckham after one too many re-watches would relish her individual efforts paying off when England play in Sunday’s Euro 2022 final at Wembley.
Not so, suspects Jenkins, who suggested even a trophy would immediately turn the striker’s mind back to the club – and the people – where it all started.
“I think she’ll feel stronger about what this means for others rather than herself if I’m honest. Not that she won’t be proud, just that she feels strongly about what this means to her family name, friends, the community. She is the most accomplished player we have ever produced,” he told the PA news agency.
Parris, remembers Jenkins, was a “great little character” from day one, “cheeky but not disrespectful, just comedic” and excelled on the pitch, showing early natural prowess in dribbling and attacking, never afraid to take plays on.
But Parris soon faced an early setback: she had outgrown the age when girls could play alongside boys. Determined to stay local, she did what any enterprising young footballer would: start a Kingsley United girls’ side, recruiting friends, cousins, classmates and anyone else who looked like they could kick a ball about.
it’s from the area that we’re from, Liverpool 8, and she’s very proud of that.”
“She wanted to play for Kingsley,” confirmed Jenkins. “She could have gone to other teams, it wouldn’t have been an issue. They would have all taken her, but the loyalty which still rings true today was the loyalty towards Kingsley, because it’s from the area that we’re from, Liverpool 8, and she’s very proud of that.”
That devotion has remained consistent since the now-28-year-old was scouted by Everton, where she was playing for the first team by age 16 before signing with Manchester City in 2016 — the same year she made her England debut.
A three-year spell at Lyon followed before her July 2021 transfer to Arsenal.
Despite her exponential rise in the game, said Jenkins, Parris is “at the end of a telephone any time any day. If I ask her what she is doing on a certain day, she would ask where she needs to be”.
It is why, he said, that Cinderella spirit will shine through on Sunday, no matter how many minutes she plays or which way the scoreline ultimately stands.
He added: “She said something the other day about always taking a piece of Toxeth with her wherever she goes, and I believe she does that.
“We feel like the reverse of that is true as well, like we’re with her when she’s reaching the heights that she does, and we definitely feel like we’re backing her there and supporting her. It would mean an awful lot to everybody. She’s the type of person who makes sure that she uses her platform for others rather than just herself.
“I know that sounds really cheesey but honestly that is her. That is the person she is.”
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Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 | https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/nikita-parris-the-football-princess-with-a-cinderella-working-class-attitude-1658944854000 | 2022-07-27T20:31:07Z | https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/nikita-parris-the-football-princess-with-a-cinderella-working-class-attitude-1658944854000 | true |
67% of Michigan Voters Say the Costs of Health Care are Going up More than Other Things They Need
LANSING, Mich., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey of Michigan voters from Impact Research and EPIC-MRA reveals voters see high out-of-pocket costs as the biggest issue in the state's health care system. Michiganders are ready to support politicians who make lowering out-of-pocket costs a priority. Read more about the survey here.
"High health care costs and the unpredictability of what people must pay out-of-pocket are weighing on Michigan voters," said the Hon. Donna Christensen, CQC board member, physician, and former Member of Congress. "Patients are facing thousands of dollars in medical debt that often goes into collections, as Michiganders with insurance are being hit with rapidly rising deductibles, premiums, and other out-of-pocket costs when they go to their doctor, the hospital or pharmacy. Action from our lawmakers is overdue: it's time for them to prioritize lowering costs and improving access to quality care. It's time for insurance to act like insurance."
Michiganders' number one concern when it comes to health care is that out-of-pocket costs are too high, and deductibles are the costs that people struggle with the most, followed by monthly premiums. Eighty-nine percent of Michigan voters believe it is more important now than ever that insurance cover mental health care, but more than half (58%) think it is difficult to find mental health providers that are affordable or covered by insurance.
More insights from the research include:
- 67% agree that the costs of health care are going up more than other things they need.
- By more than a 2-to-1 margin, voters' main concern in health care is that out-of-pocket costs are too high (35%).
- A large majority of voters (84%) think there are problems with the state's health care.
- Deductibles are the biggest specific pain point when it comes to cost (38%), especially for those with private insurance (44%).
- Half of voters (50%) have either had their household finances seriously affected by medical debt or are close with someone who has.
- 58% of voters agree it's difficult to find mental health providers that are covered by insurance.
Michiganders want their elected officials to take action to lower out-of-pocket health care costs. More than 7-in-10 voters (73%) say they are more likely to support a candidate who makes reducing health care costs their top priority, including strong majorities of persuadable voters (63%) and Independents (54%).
When it comes to lowering health care costs, Michigan voters think the following measures would be effective:
- Capping insurance deductibles at a level that is low enough that people don't go into debt when getting the health care they need (64%).
- Capping the amount health insurers can charge patients overall (66%).
- Requiring health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to pass the rebates or discounts they receive from drug companies on to patients (68%).
Michigan voters also support policies that increase access to health care, including expanding mental health care and mental health prescription drugs (82% support).
"It's clear that Michigan voters are feeling the effects of rising out-of-pocket costs and want to see lawmakers act to address the medical debt that many are facing," said Bernie Porn, President of EPIC-MRA. "Our poll shows that voters in the state are looking for sensible solutions to improve coverage and lower costs."
The Impact Research/EPIC-MRA poll on behalf of CQC was conducted June 15-20, 2022. The online survey sampled 609 registered voters in Michigan. Overall results were weighted to reflect the composition of registered voters in the state.
Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) is a coalition of advocates and former policymakers working to provide a voice for patients in the health care debate as they demand better care. CQC is led by a board of directors that includes the Honorable Donna Christensen, physician and former Member of Congress; Jim Manley, former senior advisor to Senators Edward Kennedy and Harry Reid; Jason Resendez, community advocate and health care strategist; and Mary L. Smith, former CEO of Indian Health Service.
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SOURCE Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/michigan-voters-prioritize-lowering-out-of-pocket-health-costs-according-new-research/ | 2022-07-27T20:31:21Z | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/michigan-voters-prioritize-lowering-out-of-pocket-health-costs-according-new-research/ | false |
Second Quarter 2022 Highlights:
- Revenue of $542 million, representing a 14 percent increase year over year
- Earnings per share of $1.04, or $1.13 as adjusted
- Total backlog of $1.1 billion increased 25 percent year over year
Bevcorp Highlights
- Bevcorp is a leading provider of beverage processing and packaging solutions
- Purchase price of $290 million before tax benefit of approximately $35 million
- Full year 2022 expected revenue and EBITDA of approximately $85 million and $20 million, respectively
CHICAGO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- JBT Corporation (NYSE: JBT), a leading global technology solutions provider to high-value segments of the food & beverage industry, today reported results for the second quarter of 2022. The Company also announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bevcorp, a leading provider of beverage processing and packaging solutions.
"During the second quarter, our team continued to navigate a challenging operating environment in order to deliver for our customers," said Brian Deck, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Demand for our FoodTech solutions remained strong in North America, while economic pressures in Europe materialized in connection with high inflation and the conflict in Ukraine. At AeroTech, the strong demand trajectory continues."
"We are executing on our Elevate 2.0 capital deployment strategy with the acquisition of Alco-food-machines and the announcement to acquire Bevcorp," continued Deck. "Bevcorp will expand JBT's presence in the beverage processing and packaging market, while its strong recurring revenue profile, leading service culture, and accretive margins will enhance JBT's competitive position."
Comparisons in this news release are to the comparable period of the prior year, unless otherwise noted.
Second Quarter 2022
"We made progress in the second quarter of 2022 with sequential gains in revenue, margins, and earnings," said Matt Meister, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. "As we expected, inflation and supply chain impacts continued, while foreign exchange headwinds weighed more heavily on our results. Overall, orders remained at healthy levels and total backlog was at $1.1 billion, which is supportive of our double digit revenue growth forecast for full year 2022."
Second quarter 2022 FoodTech revenue of $394 million increased 9 percent year over year, including 10 percent organic growth and 4 percent from acquisitions, which was partially offset by greater than anticipated foreign exchange headwind of 5 percent versus an expectation of 2 percent. Operating profit was $50 million. Adjusted EBITDA of $68 million declined $1 million, and adjusted EBITDA margin contracted 180 basis points to 17.2 percent while improving 90 basis points sequentially. The negative foreign exchange impact on adjusted EBITDA was approximately $3 million.
AeroTech revenue of $148 million increased 29 percent year over year. Operating profit was $10 million. Adjusted EBITDA of $11 million declined $2 million. Adjusted EBITDA margin contracted 350 basis points to 7.6 percent while improving 50 basis points sequentially.
In total, consolidated JBT revenue of $542 million increased 14 percent year over year. Operating income was $42 million and net income was $33 million. Adjusted EBITDA of $65 million decreased 7 percent, and adjusted EBITDA margin declined 280 basis points to 12.0 percent while improving 50 basis points sequentially. The foreign exchange impact on consolidated adjusted EBITDA was also $3 million.
Diluted earnings per share from net income was $1.04 for the second quarter of 2022 compared with $0.95 for the second quarter of 2021. Adjusted earnings per share was $1.13 compared with $1.20 in the year-ago period. Second quarter 2022 earnings included a discrete tax benefit of $0.07 per share and $0.05 per share headwind from foreign exchange.
Year to date, JBT generated cash from operations of $45 million, which included meaningful inventory investments in support of second half of 2022 revenue growth. Year to date free cash flow was $4 million, including capital expenditures of $20 million associated with the digital strategy. Liquidity at quarter end stood at $642 million, and the Company's leverage ratio was 2.5x net debt to trailing twelve months adjusted EBITDA.
Third Quarter and Full Year 2022 Guidance
The below guidance does not include impacts from Bevcorp, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022.
For the third quarter of 2022, JBT expects year over year consolidated revenue growth of 16.0 - 17.5 percent. At FoodTech, organic revenue growth is forecast to be 12.0 - 13.5 percent with acquisitions adding 5 - 6 percent and a foreign exchange headwind of 5 - 6 percent. At AeroTech, revenue growth is expected to be 26 - 28 percent.
The Company anticipates third quarter 2022 FoodTech operating margin to be 13.0 - 13.75 percent with adjusted EBITDA margin of 17.75 - 18.5 percent. AeroTech operating margin is projected to be 8.25 - 9.0 percent with adjusted EBITDA margin of 9.0 - 9.75 percent.
Quarterly corporate expense is estimated to be approximately 2.9 percent of sales, which includes $4 - $5 million associated with the digital strategy and excludes M&A-related costs and LIFO expense.
Third quarter 2022 earnings per share guidance is $1.00 - $1.15 on a GAAP basis and $1.15 - $1.30 as adjusted.
For the full year 2022, JBT is revising its guidance to reflect softening economic conditions in Europe and a higher foreign exchange headwind for FoodTech as well as a modest improvement in revenue growth at AeroTech.
The Company anticipates full year 2022 consolidated revenue growth of 15 - 17 percent. At FoodTech, organic revenue growth is expected to be 13 - 15 percent with acquisitions adding approximately 4 percent and a foreign exchange headwind of 4 - 5 percent. At AeroTech, revenue growth is forecast to be 23 - 25 percent.
Full year 2022 FoodTech operating margin is projected to be 13.0 - 13.75 percent with adjusted EBITDA margin of 17.5 - 18.25 percent. AeroTech operating margin is forecast to be 8.5 - 9.5 percent with adjusted EBITDA margin of 9.5 - 10.5 percent.
Full year corporate expense is estimated to be approximately 2.9 percent of sales, which includes $14 - $15 million associated with the digital strategy and excludes M&A-related costs and LIFO expense. Interest expense is estimated to be approximately $11 million, and the projected full year tax rate is 22 - 23 percent, excluding discrete items.
Full year 2022 earnings per share guidance is $4.40 - $4.60 on a GAAP basis and $4.90 - $5.10 as adjusted.
Bevcorp Acquisition Highlights
On July 27, 2022, JBT announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bevcorp, a leading provider of beverage processing and packaging solutions, for $290 million. Bevcorp was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Eastlake, Ohio. The business' solutions in blending, handling, filling, and closing technologies serve a range of customers in high-value segments of the beverage market, including carbonated soft drinks, seltzers, carbonated water, energy drinks, and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage blends.
Along with its strong new equipment offering, Bevcorp has a resilient mix of rebuilds, aftermarket parts, and services, representing recurring revenue of more than 60 percent. JBT expects the business to achieve 2022 revenue and EBITDA of approximately $85 million and $20 million, respectively. The transaction will be treated as a purchase of assets, which provides a meaningful tax step-up benefit with a net present value of approximately $35 million. Based on 2022 forecasts, the purchase price represents approximately 14.5x EBITDA and 12.7x EBITDA considering the tax benefit. The acquisition will be funded under JBT's existing credit facility. JBT expects its pro forma net leverage ratio will be less than 3.0x by year end 2022. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022.
Second Quarter 2022 Earnings Conference Call
A conference call is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, July 28, 2022, to discuss second quarter 2022 results. Participants may access the conference call through online registration at https://conferencingportals.com/event/lguQsHOL. A simultaneous webcast and audio replay of the call will be available on the Company's Investor Relations website at https://ir.jbtc.com/events-and-presentations/.
Earnings Presentation
An earnings presentation is also available on the Company's Investor Relations website at https://ir.jbtc.com/events-and-presentations/.
JBT Corporation (NYSE: JBT) is a leading global technology solutions provider to high-value segments of the food & beverage industry with focus on proteins, liquid foods and automated system solutions. JBT designs, produces and services sophisticated products and systems for multi-national and regional customers through its FoodTech segment. JBT also sells critical equipment and services to domestic and international air transportation customers through its AeroTech segment. JBT Corporation employs approximately 6,900 people worldwide and operates sales, service, manufacturing and sourcing operations in more than 25 countries. For more information, please visit www.jbtc.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are information of a non-historical nature and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are beyond JBT's ability to control. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements relating to the expected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and our results of operations, our plans to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, our strategic plans, our restructuring plans and expected cost savings from those plans, our liquidity and our covenant compliance. The factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from expectations include but are not limited to the following factors: the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of the pandemic on our ability to operate our business and facilities, on our customers, on our workforce resulting in higher labor absenteeism, on our supply chains due to extended delivery times and unavailability of required components, labor and freight, on our cost of labor due to higher labor turnover and shortage of skilled labor and on the economy generally; fluctuations in our financial results; unanticipated delays or acceleration in our sales cycles; deterioration of economic conditions; disruptions in the political, regulatory, economic and social conditions of the countries in which we conduct business; changes to trade regulation, quotas, duties or tariffs; risks associated with acquisitions or strategic investments; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; increases in energy or raw material prices, freight costs, and inflationary pressures; changes in food consumption patterns; impacts of pandemic illnesses, food borne illnesses and diseases to various agricultural products; weather conditions and natural disasters; impact of climate change and environmental protection initiatives; our ability to comply with the laws and regulations governing our U.S. government contracts; acts of terrorism or war, including the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine; termination or loss of major customer contracts and risks associated with fixed-price contracts, particularly during periods of high inflation; customer sourcing initiatives; competition and innovation in our industries; difficulty in implementing our business strategies, including the timing of our previously announced review of strategic alternatives for the AeroTech platform, our ability to identify or develop any strategic alternatives, execute on material aspects of such strategic alternatives, and whether we can achieve the potential benefits of such strategic alternatives; the failure to consummate or a delay in consummating the acquisition of Bevcorp; our ability to develop and introduce new or enhanced products and services and keep pace with technological developments; difficulty in developing, preserving and protecting our intellectual property or defending claims of infringement; catastrophic loss at any of our facilities and business continuity of our information systems; cyber-security risks such as network intrusion or ransomware schemes; loss of key management and other personnel; potential liability arising out of the installation or use of our systems; our ability to comply with U.S. and international laws governing our operations and industries; increases in tax liabilities; work stoppages; fluctuations in interest rates and returns on pension assets; availability of and access to financial and other resources; and other factors described under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by JBT with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in any subsequently filed Form 10-Q. In addition, many of our risks and uncertainties are currently amplified by and will continue to be amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the highly fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not possible to predict all such risks and uncertainties. JBT cautions shareholders and prospective investors that actual results may differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements. JBT undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments, subsequent events or changes in circumstances or otherwise.
We provide non-GAAP financial measures in order to increase transparency in our operating results and trends. These non-GAAP measures eliminate certain costs or benefits from, or change the calculation of, a measure as calculated under U.S. GAAP. By eliminating these items, we believe we provide a more meaningful comparison of our ongoing operating results, consistent with how management evaluates performance. Management uses these non-GAAP measures in financial and operational evaluation, planning and forecasting.
These calculations may differ from similarly-titled measures used by other companies. The non-GAAP financial measures disclosed are not intended to be used as a substitute for, nor should they be considered in isolation of, financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
Investors & Media: Kedric Meredith, 312.861.6034
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SOURCE JBT Corporation | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/jbt-corporation-reports-second-quarter-2022-results-signs-definitive-agreement-acquire-bevcorp/ | 2022-07-27T20:32:30Z | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/jbt-corporation-reports-second-quarter-2022-results-signs-definitive-agreement-acquire-bevcorp/ | true |
ORLANDO, Fla., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PureCycle Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCT), a U.S.-based company revolutionizing plastic recycling, will host a conference call on Friday, August 12, 2022, to provide an update on recent corporate developments. A press release discussing such developments including activity from the second quarter will be provided prior to and discussed on the conference call.
Second Quarter 2022 Conference Call Details
Please register for the conference call using the above link in advance of the call start time. The webcast platform will register your name and organization as well as provide dial-ins numbers and a unique access pin. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Gateway Investor Relations at (949) 574-3860.
The conference call will have a live Q&A session and be available for replay here and on the Company's website at www.purecycle.com. Please note there will no longer be a telephonic replay.
A replay of the conference call will be available after 2:00 p.m. Eastern time on the same day through August 12, 2023.
PureCycle Technologies LLC., a subsidiary of PureCycle Technologies, Inc., holds a global license for the only patented solvent-driven purification recycling technology, developed by The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), that is designed to transform polypropylene plastic waste (designated as No. 5 plastic) into a continuously renewable resource. The unique purification process is designed to remove color, odor, and other impurities from No. 5 plastic waste resulting in an ultra-pure recycled (UPR) plastic that can be recycled and reused over and over again, changing our relationship with plastic. www.purecycle.com
Investor Relations Contact:
Charles Place
cplace@purecycle.com
407.212.0139
Media Contact:
Anna Farrar
afarrar@purecycle.com
954.647.7059
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SOURCE PureCycle Technologies | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/purecycle-technologies-schedules-second-quarter-2022-corporate-update-conference-call-friday-august-12-2022-1100-am-et/ | 2022-07-27T20:32:48Z | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/purecycle-technologies-schedules-second-quarter-2022-corporate-update-conference-call-friday-august-12-2022-1100-am-et/ | false |
Scammers faking calls from doctors’ offices in attempt to defraud patients
“ID Spoofing” cost consumers $700M in 2021
InvestigateTV - Fraudulent phone calls, or “ID spoofing”, cost consumers nearly $700 million last year, according to the newest data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). ID spoofing is when a scammer calls you pretending to be someone else in an attempt to trick you into divulging personal information.
Scammers pretend to be someone else, like agents of the government, law enforcement, or even health providers. According to Better Business Bureau (BBB), the latest attack is scammers posing as someone from your doctor’s office and probing for critical information or cash payouts.
Dr. Jonathan Johnson has been practicing for 15 years and said he is passionate about keeping his patients’ private information secure.
“Usually, a physician’s office will not call you without at least establishing some type of face-to-face relationship,” Dr. Johnson said. “If they are contacting you, it’s to remind you of an appointment.”
Monica Horton, a spokesperson for BBB, North Central Texas, warned that your personal information was the scammer’s target.
”So, that’s a phishing attempt coming in via a phone call using spoofing technology to appear to be from the doctor’s office and they’re impersonating the doctor’s office,” Horton said. “They like to get as much personal information as they can.”
Horton said patients have reported calls that threatened the loss of Medicare or demanded up-front payments for doctor visits.
Dr. Johnson and the BBB said a real doctor’s office will usually never ask you for information they could easily find out just by looking at your records, like your social security or Medicare number.
Dr. Johnson further advised patients to do their homework on their providers and to also call them if you have questions about payments or billing.
For a list of reported scams in your area or to report a scam yourself, visit the BBB Scam Tracker.
The FTC offers tips on how to protect yourself from all scams here.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wlbt.com/2022/07/27/scammers-faking-calls-doctors-offices-attempt-defraud-patients/ | 2022-07-27T20:32:55Z | https://www.wlbt.com/2022/07/27/scammers-faking-calls-doctors-offices-attempt-defraud-patients/ | false |
— Companies Agree to 7-Year Extension of Patent Licensing Agreement Through 2030 —
— Snapdragon Platforms to Power Future Samsung Galaxy Devices —
SAN DIEGO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualcomm Incorporated today announced that the Company has strengthened its strategic partnership with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. to deliver leading premium consumer experiences for Samsung Galaxy devices. Qualcomm Incorporated and Samsung have agreed to extend their patent license agreement for 3G, 4G, 5G and upcoming 6G mobile technology through the end of 2030. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, and Samsung also agreed to expand their collaboration with Snapdragon® platforms for future premium Samsung Galaxy products, including smartphones, PCs, tablets, extended reality, and more. These collaborations reinforce the Companies' track record of success and reaffirms their commitment to expanding technology leadership and delivering the world's best device experiences.
"The extension of our licensing agreement is further evidence of our mutual commitment to long-term collaboration," said Cristiano Amon, president and chief executive officer, Qualcomm Incorporated. "Our relationship with Samsung has never been stronger. For more than two decades we've worked together to lead the industry and we are pleased to continue this strategic partnership to develop innovative technologies and products using Snapdragon platforms to power more Samsung premium devices globally."
"Qualcomm's innovative technology has played a pivotal role for advancement of mobile industry. The collaboration between Samsung and Qualcomm spans many years and these agreements reflect our close and long-standing strategic partnership. We are committed to working with Qualcomm to advance the mobile industry and users' experiences for future Samsung Galaxy devices," said Dr. TM Roh, President and Head of MX Business, Samsung Electronics.
About Qualcomm
Qualcomm is the world's leading wireless technology innovator and the driving force behind the development, launch, and expansion of 5G. When we connected the phone to the internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our foundational technologies enable the mobile ecosystem and are found in every 3G, 4G and 5G smartphone. We bring the benefits of mobile to new industries, including automotive, the internet of things, and computing, and are leading the way to a world where everything and everyone can communicate and interact seamlessly.
Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.
Snapdragon is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.
Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.
Qualcomm Contacts:
Pete Lancia, Corporate Communications
Phone: 1-858-845-5959
Email: corpcomm@qualcomm.com
Mauricio Lopez-Hodoyan, Investor Relations
Phone: 1-858-658-4813
Email: ir@qualcomm.com
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SOURCE Qualcomm Incorporated | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/qualcomm-samsung-extend-expand-broad-strategic-partnership/ | 2022-07-27T20:33:02Z | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/qualcomm-samsung-extend-expand-broad-strategic-partnership/ | false |
- Total revenue increases to $651 million in first six months of 2022
- Annual contract value grows 14 percent (19 percent in constant currency)
- Total backlog of $1.1 billion as of June 30, 2022
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA), the low-code platform provider that builds agility into the world's leading organizations, released its financial results for the second quarter of 2022.
"This year has turned out to be an extremely volatile business environment," said Alan Trefler, founder and CEO, Pegasystems. "The ongoing uncertainty will continue to put pressure on our clients. But this is an environment for which Pega is uniquely suited, as our low-code platform allows these same organizations to more easily adapt to change."
"In the first half of 2022, we've grown annual contract value ("ACV") 19 percent year-over-year in constant currency while showing additional signs of improving profitability," said Ken Stillwell, COO and CFO, Pegasystems. "We're doubling down on our work to become a Rule of 40 company in 2024."
Quarterly conference call
A conference call and audio-only webcast will be conducted at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. Members of the public and investors are invited to join the call and participate in the question and answer session by dialing 1-888-394-8218 (domestic), 1-323-794-2588 (international), or via webcast (https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1558139&tp_key=0cc6605362) by logging onto www.pega.com at least five minutes prior to the event's broadcast and clicking on the webcast icon in the Investors section.
Discussion of non-GAAP financial measures
We believe that non-GAAP financial measures help investors understand our core operating results and prospects, consistent with how management measures and forecasts our performance without the effect of often one-time charges and other items outside our normal operations. The supplementary non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be superior to or a substitute for financial measures prepared under U.S. GAAP.
Reconciliations of our non-GAAP and GAAP measures are at the end of this release.
Forward-looking statements
Certain statements in this press release may be "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Words such as expects, anticipates, intends, plans, believes, will, could, should, estimates, may, targets, strategies, projects, forecasts, guidance, likely, and usually, or variations of such words and other similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations and assumptions.
Forward-looking statements deal with future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, including, but not limited to:
- our future financial performance and business plans;
- the adequacy of our liquidity and capital resources;
- the continued payment of our quarterly dividends;
- the timing of revenue recognition;
- management of our transition to a more subscription-based business model;
- variation in demand for our products and services, including among clients in the public sector;
- reliance on key personnel;
- global economic and political conditions and uncertainty, including continued impacts from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine;
- reliance on third-party service providers, including hosting providers;
- compliance with our debt obligations and covenants;
- the potential impact of our convertible senior notes and Capped Call Transactions;
- foreign currency exchange rates;
- the potential legal and financial liabilities and damage to our reputation due to cyber-attacks;
- • security breaches and security flaws;
- our ability to protect our intellectual property rights, costs associated with defending such rights, intellectual property rights claims and other related claims by third parties against us, including related costs, damages, and other relief that may be granted against us;
- our client retention rate; and
- management of our growth.
These risks and others that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements are described further in Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, Part II of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, and other filings we make with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").
Except as required by applicable law, we do not undertake and expressly disclaim any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements publicly, whether due to new information, future events, or otherwise.
The forward-looking statements in this press release represent our views as of July 27, 2022.
About Pegasystems
Pega provides a powerful low-code platform that builds agility into the world's leading organizations so they can adapt to change. Clients use our AI-powered decisioning and workflow automation to solve their most pressing business challenges – from personalizing engagement to automating service to streamlining operations. Since 1983, we've built our scalable and flexible architecture to help enterprises meet today's customer demands while continuously transforming for tomorrow. For more information on Pegasystems (NASDAQ: PEGA), visit www.pega.com.
Press contact:
Lisa Pintchman
VP, Corporate Communications
lisapintchman.rogers@pega.com
617-866-6022
Twitter: @pega
Investor contact:
Peter Welburn
VP, Corporate Development & Investor Relations
PegaInvestorRelations@pega.com
617-498-8968
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Our non-GAAP financial measures reflect the following adjustments:
- Stock-based compensation: We have excluded stock-based compensation from our non-GAAP operating expenses and profitability measures. Although stock-based compensation is a key incentive offered to our employees, and we believe such compensation contributed to our revenues recognized during the periods presented and is expected to contribute to our future revenues, we continue to evaluate our business performance excluding stock-based compensation.
- Capped call transactions: We have excluded gains and losses related to our capped call transactions held at fair value under U.S. GAAP. The capped call transactions are expected to reduce common stock dilution and/or offset any potential cash payments we must make, other than for principal and interest, upon conversion of the Notes. We believe excluding these amounts from our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors as the types of events giving rise to them are not representative of our core business operations and ongoing operating performance. In addition, we reflect the effect of the capped call transactions on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding in our non-GAAP financial measures as we believe it provides investors with useful information when evaluating our financial performance on a per-share basis.
- Litigation: Includes legal fees and related expenses arising from proceedings outside of the ordinary course of business. We believe excluding these expenses from our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors as the disputes giving rise to them are not representative of our core business operations and ongoing operating performance.
- Convertible senior notes: In February 2020, we issued convertible senior notes with an aggregate principal amount of $600 million, due March 1, 2025, in a private placement. We believe excluding the amortization of debt discounts and issuance costs provides a useful comparison of our operational performance in different periods.
- Headquarters lease: In February 2021, we agreed to accelerate our exit from our then Cambridge, Massachusetts headquarters to October 1, 2021, in exchange for a one-time payment from our landlord of $18 million, which was received in October 2021. We believe excluding the impact from our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors as the modified lease, including the $18 million payment, is not representative of our core business operations and ongoing operating performance.
- Amortization of intangible assets: We have excluded the amortization of intangible assets from our non-GAAP operating expenses and profitability measures. Amortization of intangible assets fluctuates in amount and frequency and is significantly affected by the timing and size of acquisitions. Investors should note that intangible assets contributed to our revenues recognized during the periods presented and are expected to contribute to future revenues. Amortization of intangible assets is likely to recur in future periods.
- Foreign currency transaction (gain) loss: We have excluded foreign currency transaction gains and losses from our non-GAAP profitability measures. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses fluctuate in amount and frequency and are significantly affected by foreign exchange market rates. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are likely to recur in future periods.
- Other: We have excluded gains and losses from our venture investments, capital advisory expenses, and incremental expenses incurred integrating acquisitions and evaluating potential acquisitions. In addition, incremental fees were incurred in the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 due to the cancellation of in-person sales and marketing events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe excluding these amounts from our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors as the types of events giving rise to them are not representative of our core business operations and ongoing operating performance.
Our GAAP effective income tax rate is subject to significant fluctuations due to several factors, including excess tax benefits generated by our stock-based compensation plans, gains and losses on our capped call transactions, tax credits for stock-based compensation awards to research and development employees, and unfavorable foreign stock-based compensation adjustments. We determine our non-GAAP income tax rate using applicable rates in taxing jurisdictions and assessing certain factors, including our historical and forecasted earnings by jurisdiction, discrete items, and our ability to realize tax assets. Under GAAP we recorded a valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets of $192 million in the three months ended June 30, 2022. See "Note 12. Income Taxes" in Part I, Item 1 of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2022 for additional information. We believe it is beneficial for our management to review our non-GAAP results consistent with our annual plan's effective income tax rate as established at the beginning of each year, given tax rate volatility.
Note: Constant currency Backlog is calculated by applying foreign exchange rates for the earliest period shown to all periods. The above constant currency measures reflect foreign exchange rates applicable as of Q2 2021.
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SOURCE Pegasystems Inc. | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/client-adoption-drives-pega-cloud-70-new-client-commitments-first-half-2022/ | 2022-07-27T20:34:21Z | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/client-adoption-drives-pega-cloud-70-new-client-commitments-first-half-2022/ | false |
DES MOINES, Iowa — Now that the Mega Millions lottery jackpot has topped $1 billion — only the fourth time a lottery game has reached such heights — plenty of people who rarely play the game are considering risking $2 or joining an office pool in hopes of an immense payoff.
Buying a ticket is easy, but it’s also easy to be confused about the odds, how the prizes are set and how the winnings will eventually be paid out.
DO YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING RISE OR FALL AS THE JACKPOT GROWS?
Your chances of winning the jackpot always remain one in 302.5 million, regardless of whether the big prize is $20 million or the current $1.02 billion. You do increase your odds of winning if you buy more tickets but before laying down $100 at the Quicky Mart for 50 tries, keep in mind that in the big scheme of things, 50 chances out of 302.5 million isn’t much better than one. Also realize that the $1.02 billion amount is for the annuity option, paid annually over 29 years. The cash option would pay $602.5 million.
IS THIS A GOOD TIME TO PLAY OTHER LOTTERY GAMES?
Just like the Mega Millions odds don’t change, the odds of winning a prize in Powerball, the other big nationwide game, and other smaller state games are fixed, too. Given that, you have no better odds now than at any other time. However, with fewer people buying tickets in those games, there is less of a chance that multiple players could win the jackpot, forcing you to share your winnings.
WHAT STATES HAVE THE MOST MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT WINNERS?
Time for a road trip to a lottery nirvana? Probably not.
Since 2016, players have won 40 Mega Millions jackpots, with the fortuitous few scattered through 22 states. And not surprisingly, there have been more winners in states with greater populations and thus more players.
California takes the prize for the most Mega Millions jackpot winners during that span, with six lucky players. That’s followed by five winners in New York, four in New Jersey and three in Illinois.
Notably, population heavyweights Texas and Florida have had few Mega Millions winners since 2016. Texas had two and Florida had one.
WHERE DO THE DRAWINGS TAKE PLACE?
The drawings happen at 11 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday and Friday and are held at the WSB-TV studios in Atlanta.
DO RETAILERS GET ANYTHING OUT OF THIS?
Rules vary by state but retailers usually get a reward for selling a ticket that wins a jackpot. In Ohio, for example, retailers get $1,000 for every million dollars of a jackpot, with a cap of $100,000.
WHAT IF I CHOOSE AN ANNUITY BUT DIE BEFORE RECEIVING ALL THE PAYMENTS?
Most jackpot winners opt for cash but receiving your winnings through an annuity, with 30 payments over 29 years, can help people slightly reduce their tax burden. If winners die before receiving all their winnings, the future payments would go to their estate.
WHO RUNS MEGA MILLIONS AND HOW DO THEY DECIDE JACKPOT AMOUNTS?
The lottery game is overseen by 45 state lotteries as well as game officials in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A group comprising representatives from the lotteries meets twice a week to determine the estimated jackpots. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/nation-world/mega-millions-can-be-confusing-here-are-some-answers/507-f19f9828-2555-4bf2-8bbd-35d0f08b48c0 | 2022-07-27T20:36:34Z | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/nation-world/mega-millions-can-be-confusing-here-are-some-answers/507-f19f9828-2555-4bf2-8bbd-35d0f08b48c0 | true |
NEW YORK (AP) — A germ that causes a rare and sometimes deadly disease — long thought to be confined to tropical climates — has been found in soil and water in the continental United States, U.S. health officials said Wednesday.
The bacteria was found on the property of a Mississippi man who had come down with the disease, melioidosis. Officials don't know how long it had been there, but they say it likely is occurring in other areas along the Gulf Coast.
U.S. physicians should consider melioidosis even in patients who haven't traveled to other countries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a health alert.
“Once it's in the soil, it can be a health threat for people in the area,” said the CDC's Julia Petras, who oversaw the investigation.
The illness can start with a wide range of symptoms like fever, joint pain and headaches. It's treatable with the right antibiotics if it’s caught early, but it can lead to pneumonia, blood infections and even death if not properly treated.
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About 12 cases are reported annually in the U.S. The vast majority have been in people who traveled to places where the bacteria is endemic, including certain regions of Australia, Thailand, and Central and South America.
People can get the illness through direct contact with contaminated soil and water, especially if they have a cut on their hand or foot. It is also possible to inhale the bacteria.
The bacteria may not bother healthy people. But it can be dangerous to those with diabetes, chronic kidney or lung disease and weakened immune systems.
Last year, four people came down with the disease even though none had traveled internationally. Officials blamed their illnesses on a contaminated aromatherapy spray imported from India.
The new findings explain two Mississippi cases in men who hadn't traveled internationally, officials said. One got melioidosis in 2020 and the other, who lives about 10 miles away, got it this year. Both have recovered.
Health officials didn't say exactly where in Mississippi the men live, but investigators took 109 soil and water samples from the area. The bacteria was found in three spots — two in soil and one in a puddle — on the property of the man who was sickened two years ago.
Finding the bacteria in U.S. soil is significant, but not surprising. Investigators have long believed that local soil contamination was behind infections in Texas's Atascosa County in 2004 and 2018, CDC officials said.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://wcfcourier.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/bacteria-that-causes-rare-tropical-disease-found-in-us-soil/article_2b825e69-0326-5fcb-af62-7f357588244c.html | 2022-07-27T20:38:53Z | https://wcfcourier.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/bacteria-that-causes-rare-tropical-disease-found-in-us-soil/article_2b825e69-0326-5fcb-af62-7f357588244c.html | false |
Man tied to officer’s attack during Capitol riot pleads guilty to lesser charges
(AP) - A West Virginia man initially charged with assaulting a police officer who died after defending the U.S. Capitol from a mob pleaded guilty on Wednesday to misdemeanor offenses that could allow him to avoid more jail time.
Another man accused of attacking the officer with bear spray is weighing a stricter plea deal that calls for a prison sentence exceeding six years.
A federal grand jury indicted George Pierre Tanios last year on felony charges that he conspired with a Pennsylvania man, Julian Elie Khater, to assault and injure Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick with chemical spray during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Tanios, 40, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors, each of which carries a maximum sentence of one year of imprisonment.
Prosecutors also have extended an offer for Khater to plead guilty to felony assault charges. If he accepts the offer, estimated sentencing guidelines will recommend a prison term ranging from six years and six months to eight years and one month. Khater hasn’t decided whether to accept that plea offer, one of his lawyers said Wednesday during a virtual hearing.
The medical examiner’s office in Washington, D.C., determined in April 2021 that Sicknick, 42, suffered a stroke and died from natural causes.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan is scheduled to sentence Tanios on Dec. 6. Hogan said the estimated sentencing guidelines for Tanios range from no jail time to six months of imprisonment for both counts. Tanios was jailed for about five months after his arrest and could get credit for time served.
Khater has remained jailed while awaiting a trial in October on felony charges, including assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors’ offer to Khater would require him to plead guilty to that charge. The offer expires on Aug. 17.
Tanios, of Morgantown, West Virginia, and Khater, of State College, Pennsylvania, weren’t charged in Sicknick’s death. But the case against them has been among the most prominent brought by the Justice Department, which is prosecuting hundreds of people for their conduct at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Sicknick and other officers were standing guard behind metal bicycle racks as the mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. Prosecutors have said Khater sprayed Sicknick and other officers with bear spray after retrieving a canister from Tanios’ backpack.
Tanios’ attorneys have said he brought the chemical spray to Washington for self-defense at the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6. In a court filing last year, they said there was no evidence that Tanios and Khater planned to use the spray in “an ultra-coordinated attack” on police.
“Indeed, had Mr. Tanios been a violent member of a mob and a willing participant in a riot, he would have been running around spraying people himself. He never did because that was not the reason for his travel to Washington, D.C.,” they wrote.
Tanios pleaded guilty to two counts: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. Both are misdemeanors punishable by a maximum sentence of one year of imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000.
Tanios isn’t accused of entering the Capitol on Jan. 6.
A trial for Khater is scheduled to start on Oct. 5.
Hogan had refused to free Tanios and Khater from jail before trial, calling them dangerous. The judge said Tanios “coordinated the direct assault” on Sicknick and two other officers.
“Mr. Khater did the spraying. Mr. Tanios did not, but he obviously worked with him on that despite (defense) counsel’s arguments,” Hogan said during a May 2021 hearing, according to a transcript.
But a federal appeals court ruled in August 2021 that Tanios could be released from pretrial detention. A three-judge panel concluded that Hogan erred in assessing the danger posed by Tanios, who didn’t have any felony convictions or ties to any extremist organizations.
Tanios operated a sandwich restaurant in Morgantown near West Virginia University’s campus. Khater told investigators that he drove from New Jersey to pick up Tanios in West Virginia before they traveled to Washington on the eve of the riot.
In a court filing last year, prosecutors said Tanios and Khater “carefully timed their assault on the officers to occur in tandem with an attack on the police barrier.”
“This allowed the defendants to assault the officers while they were distracted, maximizing their chances of landing chemical spray in their eyes and thus incapacitating them to the point where the police line would break,” they wrote.
More than 100 police officers were injured at the Capitol.
The medical examiner’s office concluded that a medical condition alone — not an injury — caused Sicknick’s death. U.S. Capitol Police said the medical examiner’s findings didn’t change the fact that Sicknick had died in the line of duty, “courageously defending Congress and the Capitol.”
“The attack on our officers, including Brian, was an attack on our democracy,” police officials said in a statement last year.
More than 840 people have been charged with federal crimes related to Jan. 6. Over 340 have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors, and over 200 have been sentenced. More than 260 people are charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement during the riot, according to the Justice Department.
The longest prison sentence for a Capitol rioter so far is five years and three months.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wcjb.com/2022/07/27/man-tied-officers-attack-during-capitol-riot-pleads-guilty-lesser-charges/ | 2022-07-27T20:38:59Z | https://www.wcjb.com/2022/07/27/man-tied-officers-attack-during-capitol-riot-pleads-guilty-lesser-charges/ | false |
CHICAGO -- The man accused in the July 4 Highland Park parade shooting has been indicted by a Grand Jury on 117 counts, the Lake County (IL) State's Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
The video featured is from a previous report.
Robert Crimo III is charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder - three counts for each of the victims killed. He has also been charged with 48 additional counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm for each victim who was struck by a bullet, bullet fragment or shrapnel, officials said.
"I want to thank law enforcement and the prosecutors who presented evidence to the grand jury today. Our investigation continues, and our victim specialists are working around the clock to support all those affected by this crime that led to 117 felony counts being filed today," State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement.
Crimo is set to appear in court Wednesday, August 3, at 11 a.m. for his arraignment. There will be no preliminary hearing on July 28, officials said.
This is breaking news. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. | https://abc11.com/highland-park-shooter-robert-crimo-iii-shooting-indictment/12077050/ | 2022-07-27T20:39:37Z | https://abc11.com/highland-park-shooter-robert-crimo-iii-shooting-indictment/12077050/ | false |
BRENTWOOD, Tenn., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtue Capital Management (VCM), a full service, independent, Registered Investment Advisory firm, has been ranked #29 among the top 50 fastest-growing RIA firms in the country by Financial Advisor magazine after growing by 53% year over year. This is the 5th consecutive year that VCM has been ranked among the fastest growing RIA firms. VCM has also made the 2022 Inc. 5000 list for a fourth consecutive year.
Co-Founder and CEO, Jeremy Rettich, explains that "The past few years have been a complex time for investors as well as many advisors. At VCM, we are focused on proactively seeking solutions to grow and protect their assets and their legacy. Our offerings of strategic, dynamic, and tactical money management, turnkey marketing support, comprehensive technology stack, and back-office support have improved each year. With over 100 affiliated advisors and 25 Registered Investment Advisory relationships our focus has been to empower advisors to do what they do best which is serve existing clients, meet with prospective clients, and develop relationships, while our team does the majority of the heavy lifting behind the scenes, allowing advisors to maintain and grow their practice," Rettich said. VCM has been built to scale and strives to continue growing organically and through acquisitions. "It has been inspiring and energizing to see how the VCM platform has continued to evolve and grow with an ever-changing industry. Our services have grown in demand from the individual investor and for our independent advisers who are diverging from the traditional brokerage channel. We believe VCM will continue to grow exponentially and that our journey has just begun."
Founded in 2013, Virtue Capital Management (VCM) is a client-centric, hands-on Registered Investment Advisory (RIA)/Turnkey Asset Management Platform (TAMP) firm that allows advisors to choose from proven, specialized financial models addressing each client's unique investment goals, while providing exceptional back-office support, a dedication to quality service, advanced marketing techniques and next generation technology that will result in advisors growing their businesses. VCM is committed to bringing dynamic, scrupulously researched investment techniques, strategies and portfolios to investment advisors and their clients.
Investment Advisory services offered through Virtue Capital Management, LLC (VCM); a SEC Registered Investment Advisor.
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SOURCE Virtue Captial Management | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/virtue-capital-management-ranked-among-top-50-fastest-growing-ria-firms/ | 2022-07-27T20:41:01Z | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/virtue-capital-management-ranked-among-top-50-fastest-growing-ria-firms/ | true |
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time since before Russia invaded Ukraine.
The statement marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport in February and testified Wednesday at her trial.
Blinken did not offer details on the proposed deal, which was offered weeks ago, and it is unclear if it will be enough for Russia to release the Americans. But the public acknowledgment of the offer at a time when the U.S. has otherwise shunned Russia, reflects the mounting pressure on the administration over Griner and Whelan and its determination to get them home.
Blinken said Washington would like a response from Moscow. Russia has for years expressed interest in the release of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer once labeled the “Merchant of Death,” who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 on charges that he schemed to illegally sell millions of dollars in weapons.
Blinken said he had requested a call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. U.S. officials said the the desire for an answer on the prisoner offer was the primary, but not only, reason that the U.S. on Wednesday requested the call with Lavrov.
Should the call take place, it would be the first conversation that Blinken and Lavrov have held since Feb. 15, about a week before Russia invaded Ukraine. Blinken said he would also be speaking to Lavrov about the importance of Russia complying with a UN-brokered deal to free multiple tons of Ukrainian grain from storage and warning him about the dangers of possible Russian attempts to annex portions of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence. The U.S. government has denounced the charges as false.
Griner, in Russian custody for the last five months, acknowledged in court that she had vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage when she arrived in Moscow in February but contends she had no criminal intent and packed the cartridges inadvertently.
At her trial Wednesday, Griner said she did not know how the cannabis oil ended up in her bag but explained she had a doctor’s recommendation for it and had packed in haste. She said she was pulled aside at the airport after inspectors found the cartridges, but that a language interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during her questioning and that officials instructed her to sign documents without providing an explanation.
Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs.
The U.S. government has long resisted prisoner swaps out of concern that it could encourage additional hostage-taking and promote false equivalency between a wrongfully detained American and a foreign national regarded as justly convicted. But an earlier deal in April, in which Marine veteran Trevor Reed was traded for jailed Russian pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, appeared to open the door to similar resolutions in the future and the Biden administration has been hounded with political pressure to bring home Griner and other Americans designated as unjustly detained.
There was no indication that Blinken and Lavrov had communicated to secure Reed’s release. Their last publicly recognized contact was Feb. 22, when Blinken wrote to Lavrov to cancel a meeting they had planned as a last-ditch effort to avert the Russian invasion, saying Moscow had shown no interest in serious diplomacy on the matter. The State Department said later that Russia’s diplomacy was “Kabuki Theater” — all show and no substance.
The two last met in person in Geneva in January to discuss what was then Russia’s massive military build-up along Ukraine’s border and Russian demands for NATO to reduce its presence in eastern Europe and permanently deny Ukraine membership. The U.S. rejected the Russian demands.
Blinken and Lavrov avoided each other earlier this month at the next time they were in the same place at the same time: at a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20 nations in Bali, Indonesia.
The two men will next be in the same city at the same time next week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where they will both be attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. It was not immediately clear if the phone call ahead of that meeting, set for Aug. 4-5, would presage an in-person discussion. | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/nation-world/in-rare-contact-us-offers-russia-deal-for-griner-whelan/507-75ed1e71-58a8-4431-8249-e2353b385ef6 | 2022-07-27T20:41:37Z | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/nation-world/in-rare-contact-us-offers-russia-deal-for-griner-whelan/507-75ed1e71-58a8-4431-8249-e2353b385ef6 | false |
Tony Dow, ‘Leave It to Beaver’ star, dies
(Gray News) - Tony Dow, the actor who played Wally Cleaver in the hit 1950s television show “Leave It to Beaver,” has died, according to a statement from his management team.
On his official Facebook page, Tony Dow’s team reported his son, Christopher Dow, confirmed his death on Wednesday. He said the actor died early Wednesday morning with his family by his side.
“Although this is a very sad day, I have comfort and peace that he is in a better place. He was the best Dad anyone could ask for,” Christopher Dow said in the statement.
On Tuesday, Christopher Dow told Fox News his father was in hospice care and in “his last hours.”
The actor appeared in several TV shows spanning decades and genres, including “Adam-12,” “Mod Squad,” “Emergency,” “The Love Boat,” and “Murder, She Wrote.”
Dow also worked behind the camera, directing episodes of some TV shows, including “Coach,” “Babylon 5″ and “Harry and the Hendersons.”
But he is best known as the older brother of The Beaver, played by Jerry Mathers, in the quintessential TV sitcom, which ran for six seasons, from 1957 to 1963.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/2022/07/27/tony-dow-leave-it-beaver-star-dies/ | 2022-07-27T20:46:59Z | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/2022/07/27/tony-dow-leave-it-beaver-star-dies/ | true |
NFL predictions are relatively high on the Colts entering training camp
The Indianapolis Colts training camp has begun, so, of course, a new round of way-too-early predictions for the 2022 NFL season are being released.
The Colts' biggest offseason moves came at quarterback, where they traded away Carson Wentz and traded to get Matt Ryan. They also picked up pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue and drafted to shore up the receiving, tight end and defensive back units.
Here come the predictions.
Doyel: Call him Shaquille Leonard? Kwity Paye can't see? Oh, it's Colts camp
Matt Johnson, Sportsnaut: Colts will win the AFC South with a 10-7 record
"It’s a two-team race in the AFC South between the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts. There’s an argument to be made for both, they are on the same tier in NFL power rankings and 2022 NFL predictions thus far for the division are split. We give the edge to the more well-rounded team, shaped by a younger roster with more flexibility to add talent. The division will likely come down to a game, but Indianapolis holds the edge."
Also, Jonathan Taylor will be the NFL's No. 3 rusher with 1,540 yards.
Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report: Over 10 wins
"They traded for Yannick Ngakoue to help their lackluster pass rush. They also signed Stephon Gilmore in free agency to offset and upgrade one cornerback spot after they sent Rock Ya-Sin to the Las Vegas Raiders as part of the Ngakoue deal. Draft selections of wide receiver Alec Pierce, tight end Jelani Woods, left tackle Bernhard Raimann and safety Nick Cross all came at excellent values and helped solidify weak areas on their roster."
Nate Davis, USA TODAY: Colts go 9-8 and win the AFC South
"They shape up as the best team in a subpar division, and no way new QB Matt Ryan is going to cough up a playoff spot if all he has to do is engineer a win at Jacksonville in Week 18. The ongoing question at left tackle and LB Shaquille Leonard's various injuries are reasons for concern, but now-healthy CB Stephon Gilmore and unsung rookie WR Alec Pierce should provide nifty returns ... as should a fairly friendly early season schedule."
Colin Cowherd, Fox Sports: Colts win the AFC South
"Matt Ryan finally gets elite protection. I still think they lack the perimeter ‘Wow’ to be a Super Bowl team. I like their structure, but the really important positions like wide receiver, left tackle, corner — I don't love them. Their best players are a guard and a linebacker, and the linebacker struggles to stay healthy."
Dalton Miller, Pro Football Network: Colts are NFL's No. 14 team and a playoff contender
"The Colts have a massive question mark on the left side of the offensive line but are a balanced offense elsewhere. Jonathan Taylor is the best runner in the league and one of two or three that can consistently make something from nothing. And Reich’s offense will help get the ball out of Ryan’s hand quickly to the playmakers on the outside.
"Their potential defensive upgrades are most exciting. They swapped Rock Ya-Sin for Yannick Ngakoue and then replaced Ya-Sin with Stephon Gilmore in free agency. Isaiah Rodgers is one of the most underrated playmakers in the league, and, oh yeah, so is Kenny Moore."
Sam Monson, Pro Football Focus: Colts are No. 15 in the NFL and have their 'eyes on the playoffs'
"In a tough spot after a failed Carson Wentz experiment last season, the Colts somehow managed to upgrade at quarterback this offseason without a franchise-altering cost. Matt Ryan may be a declining force, but he still ranked eight places higher than Wentz in PFF grades last season and is at his best in a dome. The Colts were a Wentz disaster away from the playoffs a season ago, and they should have their sights firmly set on playoff football again this year." | https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2022/07/27/colts-are-viewed-as-slight-afc-south-favorites-in-nfl-predictions/65384698007/ | 2022-07-27T20:49:46Z | https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2022/07/27/colts-are-viewed-as-slight-afc-south-favorites-in-nfl-predictions/65384698007/ | false |
James Lovelock, who theorized that Earth is a living organism, dies at 103
LONDON — James Lovelock, the British environmental scientist whose influential Gaia theory sees the Earth as a living organism gravely imperiled by human activity, has died on his 103rd birthday.
Lovelock's family said Wednesday that he died the previous evening at his home in southwest England "surrounded by his family." The family said his health had deteriorated after a bad fall but that until six months ago Lovelock "was still able to walk along the coast near his home in Dorset and take part in interviews."
Born in 1919 and raised in London, Lovelock studied chemistry, medicine and biophysics in the U.K. and the U.S.
In the 1940s and 1950s, he worked at the National Institute for Medical Research in London. Some of his experiments looked at the effect of temperature on living organisms and involved freezing hamsters and then thawing them. The animals survived.
Lovelock worked during the 1960s on NASA's moon and Mars programs at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. But he spent much of his career as an independent scientist outside of large academic institutions.
Lovelock's contributions to environmental science included developing a highly sensitive electron capture detector to measure ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere and pollutants in air, soil and water.
The Gaia hypothesis, developed by Lovelock and American microbiologist Lynn Margulis and first proposed in the 1970s, saw the Earth itself as a complex, self-regulating system that created and maintained the conditions for life on the planet. The scientists said human activity had thrown the system dangerously off-kilter.
A powerful communicator, Lovelock used books, speeches and interviews to warn of the desertification, agricultural devastation and mass migrations that climate change would bring.
"The biosphere and I are both in the last 1% or our lives," Lovelock told The Guardian newspaper in 2020.
Initially dismissed by many scientists, the Gaia theory became influential as concern about humanity's impact on the planet grew, not least because of its power as a metaphor. Gaia is the Greek goddess of the Earth.
Lovelock did not mind being an outsider. He outraged many environmentalists by supporting nuclear energy, saying it was the only way to stop global warming.
"Opposition to nuclear energy is based on irrational fear fed by Hollywood-style fiction, the Green lobbies and the media," he wrote in 2004. "These fears are unjustified, and nuclear energy from its start in 1952 has proved to be the safest of all energy sources."
Lovelock's final book "Novacene," published as he turned 100 in 2019, proposed that humans will be replaced on Earth by cyborgs.
Although Lovelock was sometimes at odds with sections of the environmental movement, Britain's only Green lawmaker, Caroline Lucas, tweeted that "the Green movement has lost a huge champion & intellect."
Roger Highfield, science director at Britain's Science Museum, said Lovelock "was a nonconformist who had a unique vantage point that came from being, as he put it, half scientist and half inventor."
"Endless ideas bubbled forth from this synergy between making and thinking," Highfield said, citing Lovelock's "extraordinary range of research, from freezing hamsters to detecting life on Mars."
Lovelock is survived by his wife Sally and children Christine, Jane, Andrew and John.
"To the world, he was best known as a scientific pioneer, climate prophet and conceiver of the Gaia theory," they said in a statement. "To us, he was a loving husband and wonderful father with a boundless sense of curiosity, a mischievous sense of humor and a passion for nature."
The family said there would be a private funeral, followed by a public memorial service at a later date. | https://www.npr.org/2022/07/27/1114074697/james-lovelock-gaia-theory-dies | 2022-07-27T20:53:15Z | https://www.npr.org/2022/07/27/1114074697/james-lovelock-gaia-theory-dies | true |
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the world's digital infrastructure companyTM, today announced that its board of directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $3.10 per share on its common stock. The quarterly common stock dividend will be paid on September 21, 2022 to shareholders of record on August 17, 2022.
About Equinix
Equinix (Nasdaq: EQIX) is the world's digital infrastructure company, enabling digital leaders to harness a trusted platform to bring together and interconnect the foundational infrastructure that powers their success. Equinix enables today's businesses to access all the right places, partners and possibilities they need to accelerate advantage. With Equinix, they can scale with agility, speed the launch of digital services, deliver world-class experiences and multiply their value.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from expectations discussed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the challenges of acquiring, operating and constructing IBX data centers and developing, deploying and delivering Equinix products and solutions; unanticipated costs or difficulties relating to the integration of companies we have acquired or will acquire into Equinix; a failure to receive significant revenues from customers in recently built out or acquired data centers; failure to complete any financing arrangements contemplated from time to time; competition from existing and new competitors; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; the loss or decline in business from our key customers; risks related to our taxation as a REIT; and other risks described from time to time in Equinix filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see recent Equinix quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available upon request from Equinix. Equinix does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.
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SOURCE Equinix, Inc. | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/equinix-declares-quarterly-dividend-its-common-stock/ | 2022-07-27T20:54:08Z | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/equinix-declares-quarterly-dividend-its-common-stock/ | true |
DES MOINES, Iowa — Now that the Mega Millions lottery jackpot has topped $1 billion — only the fourth time a lottery game has reached such heights — plenty of people who rarely play the game are considering risking $2 or joining an office pool in hopes of an immense payoff.
Buying a ticket is easy, but it’s also easy to be confused about the odds, how the prizes are set and how the winnings will eventually be paid out.
DO YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING RISE OR FALL AS THE JACKPOT GROWS?
Your chances of winning the jackpot always remain one in 302.5 million, regardless of whether the big prize is $20 million or the current $1.02 billion. You do increase your odds of winning if you buy more tickets but before laying down $100 at the Quicky Mart for 50 tries, keep in mind that in the big scheme of things, 50 chances out of 302.5 million isn’t much better than one. Also realize that the $1.02 billion amount is for the annuity option, paid annually over 29 years. The cash option would pay $602.5 million.
IS THIS A GOOD TIME TO PLAY OTHER LOTTERY GAMES?
Just like the Mega Millions odds don’t change, the odds of winning a prize in Powerball, the other big nationwide game, and other smaller state games are fixed, too. Given that, you have no better odds now than at any other time. However, with fewer people buying tickets in those games, there is less of a chance that multiple players could win the jackpot, forcing you to share your winnings.
WHAT STATES HAVE THE MOST MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT WINNERS?
Time for a road trip to a lottery nirvana? Probably not.
Since 2016, players have won 40 Mega Millions jackpots, with the fortuitous few scattered through 22 states. And not surprisingly, there have been more winners in states with greater populations and thus more players.
California takes the prize for the most Mega Millions jackpot winners during that span, with six lucky players. That’s followed by five winners in New York, four in New Jersey and three in Illinois.
Notably, population heavyweights Texas and Florida have had few Mega Millions winners since 2016. Texas had two and Florida had one.
WHERE DO THE DRAWINGS TAKE PLACE?
The drawings happen at 11 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday and Friday and are held at the WSB-TV studios in Atlanta.
DO RETAILERS GET ANYTHING OUT OF THIS?
Rules vary by state but retailers usually get a reward for selling a ticket that wins a jackpot. In Ohio, for example, retailers get $1,000 for every million dollars of a jackpot, with a cap of $100,000.
WHAT IF I CHOOSE AN ANNUITY BUT DIE BEFORE RECEIVING ALL THE PAYMENTS?
Most jackpot winners opt for cash but receiving your winnings through an annuity, with 30 payments over 29 years, can help people slightly reduce their tax burden. If winners die before receiving all their winnings, the future payments would go to their estate.
WHO RUNS MEGA MILLIONS AND HOW DO THEY DECIDE JACKPOT AMOUNTS?
The lottery game is overseen by 45 state lotteries as well as game officials in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A group comprising representatives from the lotteries meets twice a week to determine the estimated jackpots. | https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/nation-world/mega-millions-can-be-confusing-here-are-some-answers/507-f19f9828-2555-4bf2-8bbd-35d0f08b48c0 | 2022-07-27T20:58:23Z | https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/nation-world/mega-millions-can-be-confusing-here-are-some-answers/507-f19f9828-2555-4bf2-8bbd-35d0f08b48c0 | true |
The damaging effects of daily, lifelong exposure to the blue light emanating from phones, computers and household fixtures worsen as a person ages, new research by Oregon State University suggests.
The study, published today in Nature Partner Journals Aging, involved Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, an important model organism because of the cellular and developmental mechanisms it shares with other animals and humans.
Jaga Giebultowicz, a researcher in the OSU College of Science who studies biological clocks, led a collaboration that examined the survival rate of flies kept in darkness and then moved at progressively older ages to an environment of constant blue light from light-emitting diodes, or LEDs.
The darkness-to-light transitions occurred at the ages of two, 20, 40 and 60 days, and the study involved blue light's effect on the mitochondria of the flies' cells.
Mitochondria act as a cell's power plant, generating adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, a source of chemical energy.
In earlier research, Giebultowicz showed that prolonged exposure to blue light affected flies' longevity, regardless of whether it shined in their eyes.
The novel aspect of this new study is showing that chronic exposure to blue light can impair energy-producing pathways even in cells that are not specialized in sensing light. We determined that specific reactions in mitochondria were dramatically reduced by blue light, while other reactions were decreased by age independent of blue light. You can think of it as blue light exposure adding insult to injury in aging flies."
Jaga Giebultowicz, researcher, OSU College of Science
Collaborating with Giebultowicz on the work, partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, were Yujuan Song, Jun Yang and David Hendrix of the OSU College of Science, Matthew Robinson of the College of Public Health and Human Sciences, and Alexander Law and Doris Kretzschmar of Oregon Health & Science University.
The scientists note that natural light is crucial for a person's circadian rhythm – the 24-hour cycle of physiological processes such as brain wave activity, hormone production and cell regeneration that are important factors in eating and sleeping patterns.
But there is evidence suggesting that increased exposure to artificial light is a risk factor for sleep and circadian disorders, Giebultowicz said. And with the prevalent use of LED lighting and device displays, humans are subjected to increasing amounts of light in the blue spectrum since commonly used LEDs emit a high fraction of blue light.
"This technology, LED lighting, even in most developed countries, has not been used long enough to know its effects across the human lifespan," she said. "There are increasing concerns that extended exposure to artificial light, especially blue-enriched LED light, may be detrimental to human health. While the full effects of blue light exposure across the lifespan are not yet known in humans, accelerated aging observed in short-lived model organism should alert us to the potential of cellular damage by this stressor."
In the meantime, there are a few things people can do to help themselves that don't involve sitting for hours in darkness, the researchers say. Eyeglasses with amber lenses will filter out the blue light and protect your retinas. And phones, laptops and other devices can be set to block blue emissions.
"Our previous work demonstrated that daily lifelong exposure to blue light, but not other visible wavelengths, has damaging effects on the brain, motor abilities and lifespan of the model organism," Giebultowicz said. "Now we're reporting that the damaging effects of blue light on the flies are strongly age dependent – the same length of exposure to the same intensity of light decreases lifespan and increases neurodegeneration more significantly in old flies than in young ones."
In the earlier research, flies subjected to daily cycles of 12 hours in light and 12 hours in darkness had shorter lives compared to flies kept in total darkness or those kept in light with the blue wavelengths filtered out.
The flies exposed to blue light showed damage to their retinal cells and brain neurons and had impaired locomotion – the flies' ability to climb the walls of their enclosures, a common behavior, was diminished.
Some of the flies in the experiment were mutants that didn't develop eyes, and even those eyeless flies displayed impairment, suggesting flies didn't have to see the light to be harmed by it.
Source:
Journal reference:
Song, Y., et al. (2022) Age-dependent effects of blue light exposure on lifespan, neurodegeneration, and mitochondria physiology in Drosophila melanogaster. npj Aging. doi.org/10.1038/s41514-022-00092-z. | https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220727/Damaging-effects-of-blue-light-exposure-worsen-with-age.aspx | 2022-07-27T20:58:24Z | https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220727/Damaging-effects-of-blue-light-exposure-worsen-with-age.aspx | true |
Facebook parent Meta was hit with a double whammy in the last three months: revenue fell for the first time ever and profit shrank for the third straight quarter, amid growing competition from TikTok and a downturn in advertising.
Shares were down on the news, adding to a slide that has seen Meta's market value fall by half since it reported its first-ever drop in daily Facebook users at the end of last year.
Revenue slipped 1% to $28.8 billion in the three months ending in June, a bigger drop than Wall Street analysts were expecting. The company's forecast for sales in the current quarter, of $26 billion to $28.5 billion, was also shy of analysts' estimates.
Profit shrank 36% to $6.7 billion.
There was a silver lining to the company's announcement, however: people keep using Facebook. The number of people logging on to the flagship social network daily ticked up 3% to 1.97 billion.
Meta's results are the latest sign of a protracted slowdown in the digital ad market, as companies pull back on spending amid soaring inflation, interest rate hikes and other economic woes. Social media companies are also still dealing with the impact of Apple's privacy changes, which have made it harder to target ads to smartphone users based on their online activity.
Investors slashed tens of billions of dollars off the market value of ad-dependent tech companies after Snapchat and Twitter posted disappointing results last week.
Snapchat reported its weakest ever quarterly growth rate – even worse than the company had warned back in May – and said the situation was too uncertain for it to give a financial forecast for the coming months.
Twitter's revenue unexpectedly declined, which the company blamed on nervous advertisers and its fraught deal to sell the company to Elon Musk.
On Tuesday, Google reported its slowest quarterly growth rate since the early days of the pandemic.
Faced with increasing competition over a shrinking pool of advertising dollars, Meta is trying to pull off an ambitious pivot. It's revamping Facebook and Instagram to look and work more like TikTok, the Chinese-owned upstart popular among younger users, by filling up users' feeds with short videos from influencers and random strangers.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hopes to squeeze more money out of the company's existing apps, so it can fund investments in its ad systems to cope with the Apple changes, and build what he says is the next big platform: the virtual reality-powered metaverse.
However, the changes are sparking backlash from some high-profile users. Celebrities Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Chrissy Teigen all complained this week about Instagram's recent emphasis on Reels, the company's TikTok-like short video format.
On Tuesday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri addressed the criticism and acknowledged that some of the app's changes are "not yet good."
But, he said, "I need to be honest. I do believe that more and more of Instagram is going to become video over time."
The world is changing quickly, he said, and the company needs to change with it.
Editor's note: Facebook parent Meta pays NPR to license NPR content.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.apr.org/business-education/2022-07-27/facebooks-parent-company-reports-a-drop-in-revenue-for-the-first-time-ever | 2022-07-27T20:58:38Z | https://www.apr.org/business-education/2022-07-27/facebooks-parent-company-reports-a-drop-in-revenue-for-the-first-time-ever | false |
SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuray Incorporated (NASDAQ: ARAY) will report financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2022, ended June 30, 2022, after the market close on August 10, 2022. Management will host a conference call to review the results at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET on the same day.
The conference call dial-in numbers are (833) 316-0563 (USA) or (412) 317-5747 (International). In addition, a dial up replay of the conference call will be available approximately one hour after the call's conclusion for one week. The replay number is (877) 344-7529 (USA), or (412) 317-0088 (International), Conference ID: 4554339.
A live webcast of the call will also be available from the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at investors.accuray.com. A webcast replay can be accessed on the website and will remain available until Accuray announces its results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023.
About Accuray
Accuray is committed to expanding the powerful potential of radiation therapy to improve as many lives as possible. We invent unique, market-changing solutions designed to deliver radiation treatments for even the most complex cases—while making commonly treatable cases even easier—to meet the full spectrum of patient needs. We are dedicated to continuous innovation in radiation therapy for oncology, neuro-radiosurgery, and beyond, as we partner with clinicians and administrators, empowering them to help patients get back to their lives, faster. Accuray is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with facilities worldwide. To learn more, visit www.accuray.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.
Investor Contact
Aman Patel, CFA
Investor Relations, ICR-Westwicke
+1 (443) 450-4191
aman.patel@westwicke.com
Media Contact
Beth Kaplan
Public Relations Director, Accuray
+1 (408) 789-4426
bkaplan@accuray.com
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Now that the Mega Millions lottery jackpot has topped $1 billion — only the fourth time a lottery game has reached such heights — plenty of people who rarely play the game are considering risking $2 or joining an office pool in hopes of an immense payoff.
Buying a ticket is easy, but it’s also easy to be confused about the odds, how the prizes are set and how the winnings will eventually be paid out.
DO YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING RISE OR FALL AS THE JACKPOT GROWS?
Your chances of winning the jackpot always remain one in 302.5 million, regardless of whether the big prize is $20 million or the current $1.02 billion. You do increase your odds of winning if you buy more tickets but before laying down $100 at the Quicky Mart for 50 tries, keep in mind that in the big scheme of things, 50 chances out of 302.5 million isn’t much better than one. Also realize that the $1.02 billion amount is for the annuity option, paid annually over 29 years. The cash option would pay $602.5 million.
IS THIS A GOOD TIME TO PLAY OTHER LOTTERY GAMES?
Just like the Mega Millions odds don’t change, the odds of winning a prize in Powerball, the other big nationwide game, and other smaller state games are fixed, too. Given that, you have no better odds now than at any other time. However, with fewer people buying tickets in those games, there is less of a chance that multiple players could win the jackpot, forcing you to share your winnings.
WHAT STATES HAVE THE MOST MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT WINNERS?
Time for a road trip to a lottery nirvana? Probably not.
Since 2016, players have won 40 Mega Millions jackpots, with the fortuitous few scattered through 22 states. And not surprisingly, there have been more winners in states with greater populations and thus more players.
California takes the prize for the most Mega Millions jackpot winners during that span, with six lucky players. That’s followed by five winners in New York, four in New Jersey and three in Illinois.
Notably, population heavyweights Texas and Florida have had few Mega Millions winners since 2016. Texas had two and Florida had one.
WHERE DO THE DRAWINGS TAKE PLACE?
The drawings happen at 11 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday and Friday and are held at the WSB-TV studios in Atlanta.
DO RETAILERS GET ANYTHING OUT OF THIS?
Rules vary by state but retailers usually get a reward for selling a ticket that wins a jackpot. In Ohio, for example, retailers get $1,000 for every million dollars of a jackpot, with a cap of $100,000.
WHAT IF I CHOOSE AN ANNUITY BUT DIE BEFORE RECEIVING ALL THE PAYMENTS?
Most jackpot winners opt for cash but receiving your winnings through an annuity, with 30 payments over 29 years, can help people slightly reduce their tax burden. If winners die before receiving all their winnings, the future payments would go to their estate.
WHO RUNS MEGA MILLIONS AND HOW DO THEY DECIDE JACKPOT AMOUNTS?
The lottery game is overseen by 45 state lotteries as well as game officials in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A group comprising representatives from the lotteries meets twice a week to determine the estimated jackpots. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/got-questions-about-1b-mega-millions-jackpot-here-are-some-answers/ | 2022-07-27T21:02:26Z | https://www.cbs42.com/news/got-questions-about-1b-mega-millions-jackpot-here-are-some-answers/ | true |
PITTSBURGH, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EQT Corporation (NYSE: EQT) today announced financial and operational results for the second quarter 2022.
Second Quarter 2022 and Recent Highlights:
- Sales volumes of 502 Bcfe
- Total per unit operating costs of $1.37 per Mcfe
- Capital expenditures of $376 MM or $0.75 per Mcfe
- Net cash provided by operating activities of $230 MM, adjusted operating cash flow(1) of $916 MM and free cash flow(1) of $543 MM
- Increased quarterly base dividend by 20 percent to $0.15 per share ($0.60 per share annualized)
- Raising '22 – '23 debt reduction target to $2.5 B, an increase of $1.0 B
- Retired $175 MM of senior notes during and subsequent to the end of Q2
- Repurchased $213 MM of convertible notes, including $85 MM of principal, during and subsequent to the end of Q2, reducing fully diluted share count by 5.7 MM shares
President and CEO Toby Z. Rice stated, "We had a solid operational quarter, with material gains in completion efficiency despite a continued tight oilfield service backdrop. This facilitated almost $550 million of free cash flow(1) during the quarter, bringing our total year-to-date free cash flow(1) to more than $1.1 billion."
Rice continued, "We also released our 2021 ESG Report in the second quarter, which highlighted the substantial progress we have made toward our goal of achieving net zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2025(2). Notably, our absolute Scope 1 and 2 Production segment GHG emissions declined by 22 percent year-over-year, and we reduced our methane intensity by 28 percent year-over-year. Our industry-leading emissions profile, coupled with an investment grade balance sheet and multi-decade core inventory, gives us significant confidence in the sustainability of our business and durability of our cash flows. As such, we recently raised our base dividend by 20 percent and will be further improving our balance sheet with an incremental $1 billion of projected debt reduction by year-end 2023. In total, we plan to return approximately $4 billion to shareholders by the end of next year, with room for further upside if natural gas prices remain strong."
Second Quarter 2022 Financial and Operational Performance
Sales volume growth reflects the Company's 2021 acquisition of Alta Resources (the Alta Acquisition). Average realized price increased for the three months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021 due to higher NYMEX prices and higher liquids prices, partly offset by unfavorable cash settled derivatives and unfavorable differential.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $230 million and adjusted operating cash flow(1) was $916 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022. Adjusted operating cash flow excludes changes in other assets and liabilities which are included in net cash provided by operating activities, as defined in the Non-GAAP Disclosures section of this news release. For the three months ended June 30, 2022, changes in other assets and liabilities of $686 million negatively impacted net cash provided by operating activities and was driven by higher working capital, which was primarily the result of higher accounts receivable as of June 30, 2022 as compared to March 31, 2022 due to higher pricing, partly offset by higher accounts payable.
The Company reiterates its 2022 total sales volume guidance of 1,950 – 2,050 Bcfe under a maintenance production program. Incorporating the Company's current inflation outlook, 2022 capital expenditures are now expected to total $1.400 – $1.500 billion, or $0.68 – $0.77 per Mcfe, excluding capital expenditures attributable to noncontrolling interests. The Company has started phasing in its next generation well design and has seen encouraging early results. Given the time required to develop wells that are part of the Company's large-scale combo-development model, the Company continues to expect preliminary results of its investment by the end of 2022 and full visibility by the middle of 2024.
Per Unit Operating Costs
The following presents certain of the Company's production-related operating costs on a per unit basis.
LOE increased on a per Mcfe basis for the three months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021 due primarily to higher salt water disposal costs.
Production taxes increased on a per Mcfe basis for the three months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021 due to increased West Virginia severance taxes, which resulted primarily from higher prices, and increased Pennsylvania impact fees, which resulted from the additional wells acquired in the Alta Acquisition, higher prices and inflation.
Liquidity
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had $100 million in credit facility borrowings and $208 million of letters of credit outstanding under its $2.5 billion credit facility. As of June 30, 2022, both total debt and net debt(1) were $5.0 billion, compared to $5.6 billion and $5.5 billion, respectively, as of December 31, 2021.
2022 GUIDANCE
Second Quarter 2022 Earnings Webcast Information
The Company's conference call with securities analysts begins at 10:00 a.m. ET on Thursday July 28, 2022 and will be broadcast live via webcast. To access the live audio webcast, visit EQT's investor relations website at ir.eqt.com. A replay will be archived and available in the same location after the conclusion of the live event.
HEDGING (as of July 22, 2022)
The following table summarizes the approximate volume and prices of the Company's NYMEX hedge positions. The difference between the fixed price and NYMEX price is included in average differential presented in the Company's price reconciliation.
For 2022 (July 1 through December 31), 2023 and 2024, the Company has natural gas sales agreements for approximately 9 MMDth, 88 MMDth and 11 MMDth, respectively, that include average NYMEX ceiling prices of $3.17, $2.84 and $3.21, respectively.
The Company has also entered into transactions to hedge basis. The Company may use other contractual agreements from time to time to implement its commodity hedging strategy.
NON-GAAP DISCLOSURES
Adjusted Net Income Attributable to EQT and Adjusted Earnings per Diluted Share (Adjusted EPS)
Adjusted net income attributable to EQT is defined as net income (loss) attributable to EQT Corporation, excluding gain on sale/exchange of long-lived assets, impairments, the revenue impact of changes in the fair value of derivative instruments prior to settlement and certain other items that impact comparability between periods. Adjusted EPS is defined as adjusted net income attributable to EQT divided by diluted weighted average common shares outstanding. Adjusted net income attributable to EQT and adjusted EPS are non-GAAP supplemental financial measures used by the Company's management to evaluate period-over-period earnings trends. The Company's management believes that these measures provide useful information to external users of the Company's consolidated financial statements, such as industry analysts, lenders and ratings agencies. Management uses adjusted net income attributable to EQT and adjusted EPS to evaluate earnings trends because the measures reflect only the impact of settled derivative contracts; thus, the measures exclude the often-volatile revenue impact of changes in the fair value of derivative instruments prior to settlement. These measures also exclude other items that affect the comparability of results or that are not indicative of trends in the ongoing business. Adjusted net income attributable to EQT and adjusted EPS should not be considered as alternatives to net income (loss) attributable to EQT Corporation or diluted earnings (loss) per share presented in accordance with GAAP.
The table below reconciles adjusted net income attributable to EQT and adjusted EPS with net income (loss) attributable to EQT Corporation and diluted earnings (loss) per share, respectively, the most comparable financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, each as derived from the Statements of Condensed Consolidated Operations to be included in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss), excluding interest expense, income tax expense (benefit), depreciation and depletion, gain on sale/exchange of long-lived assets, impairments, the revenue impact of changes in the fair value of derivative instruments prior to settlement and certain other items that impact comparability between periods. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP supplemental financial measure used by the Company's management to evaluate period-over-period earnings trends. The Company's management believes that this measure provides useful information to external users of the Company's consolidated financial statements, such as industry analysts, lenders and ratings agencies. Management uses adjusted EBITDA to evaluate earnings trends because the measure reflects only the impact of settled derivative contracts; thus, the measure excludes the often-volatile revenue impact of changes in the fair value of derivative instruments prior to settlement. The measure also excludes other items that affect the comparability of results or that are not indicative of trends in the ongoing business. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) presented in accordance with GAAP.
The table below reconciles adjusted EBITDA with net income (loss), the most comparable financial measure as calculated in accordance with GAAP, as reported in the Statements of Condensed Consolidated Operations to be included in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
The Company has not provided projected net income (loss) or a reconciliation of projected adjusted EBITDA to projected net income (loss), the most comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP. Net income (loss) includes the impact of depreciation and depletion expense, income tax expense (benefit), the revenue impact of changes in the projected fair value of derivative instruments prior to settlement and certain other items that impact comparability between periods and the tax effect of such items, which may be significant and difficult to project with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Therefore, projected net income (loss), and a reconciliation of projected adjusted EBITDA to projected net income (loss), are not available without unreasonable effort.
Adjusted Operating Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow
Adjusted operating cash flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less changes in other assets and liabilities. Free cash flow is defined as adjusted operating cash flow less accrual-based capital expenditures, excluding capital expenditures attributable to noncontrolling interests. Adjusted operating cash flow and free cash flow are non-GAAP supplemental financial measures used by the Company's management to assess liquidity, including the Company's ability to generate cash flow in excess of its capital requirements and return cash to shareholders. The Company's management believes that these measures provide useful information to external users of the Company's consolidated financial statements, such as industry analysts, lenders and ratings agencies. Adjusted operating cash flow and free cash flow should not be considered as alternatives to net cash provided by operating activities or any other measure of liquidity presented in accordance with GAAP.
The table below reconciles adjusted operating cash flow and free cash flow with net cash provided by operating activities, the most comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, as derived from the Statements of Condensed Consolidated Cash Flows to be included in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
The Company has not provided projected net cash provided by operating activities or reconciliations of projected adjusted operating cash flow and free cash flow to projected net cash provided by operating activities, the most comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP. The Company is unable to project net cash provided by operating activities for any future period because this metric includes the impact of changes in operating assets and liabilities related to the timing of cash receipts and disbursements that may not relate to the period in which the operating activities occurred. The Company is unable to project these timing differences with any reasonable degree of accuracy without unreasonable efforts such as predicting the timing of its payments and its customers' payments, with accuracy to a specific day, months in advance. Furthermore, the Company does not provide guidance with respect to its average realized price, among other items, that impact reconciling items between net cash provided by operating activities and adjusted operating cash flow and free cash flow, as applicable. Natural gas prices are volatile and out of the Company's control, and the timing of transactions and the income tax effects of future transactions and other items are difficult to accurately predict. Therefore, the Company is unable to provide projected net cash provided by operating activities, or the related reconciliations of projected adjusted operating cash flow and free cash flow to projected net cash provided by operating activities, without unreasonable effort.
Adjusted EBITDA to Free Cash Flow Reconciliation
The table below reconciles adjusted EBITDA to free cash flow.
Adjusted Operating Revenues
Adjusted operating revenues is defined as total operating revenues, less the revenue impact of changes in the fair value of derivative instruments prior to settlement and net marketing services and other revenues. Adjusted operating revenues (also referred to as total natural gas and liquids sales, including cash settled derivatives) is a non-GAAP supplemental financial measure used by the Company's management to evaluate period-over-period earnings trends. The Company's management believes that this measure provides useful information to external users of the Company's consolidated financial statements, such as industry analysts, lenders and ratings agencies. Management uses adjusted operating revenues to evaluate earnings trends because the measure reflects only the impact of settled derivative contracts; thus, the measure excludes the often-volatile revenue impact of changes in the fair value of derivative instruments prior to settlement. The measure also excludes net marketing services and other revenues because it is unrelated to the revenue for the Company's natural gas and liquids production. Adjusted operating revenues should not be considered as an alternative to total operating revenues presented in accordance with GAAP.
The table below reconciles adjusted operating revenues to total operating revenues, the most comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, as reported in the Statements of Condensed Consolidated Operations to be included in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Net Debt
Net debt is defined as total debt less cash and cash equivalents. Total debt includes the Company's current portion of debt, credit facility borrowings, senior notes and note payable to EQM Midstream Partners, LP. Net debt is a non-GAAP supplemental financial measure used by the Company's management to evaluate leverage since the Company could choose to use its cash and cash equivalents to retire debt. The Company's management believes that this measure provides useful information to external users of the Company's consolidated financial statements, such as industry analysts, lenders and ratings agencies. Net debt should not be considered as an alternative to total debt presented in accordance with GAAP.
The table below reconciles net debt with total debt, the most comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, as derived from the Statements of Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets to be included in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Investor Contact:
Cameron Horwitz
Managing Director, Investor Relations & Strategy
412.395.2555
cameron.horwitz@eqt.com
About EQT Corporation
EQT Corporation is a leading independent natural gas production company with operations focused in the cores of the Marcellus and Utica Shales in the Appalachian Basin. We are dedicated to responsibly developing our world-class asset base and being the operator of choice for our stakeholders. By leveraging a culture that prioritizes operational efficiency, technology and sustainability, we seek to continuously improve the way we produce environmentally responsible, reliable and low-cost energy. We have a longstanding commitment to the safety of our employees, contractors, and communities, and to the reduction of our overall environmental footprint. Our values are evident in the way we operate and in how we interact each day – trust, teamwork, heart, and evolution are at the center of all we do.
EQT Management speaks to investors from time to time and the analyst presentation for these discussions, which is updated periodically, is available via EQT's investor relations website at https://ir.eqt.com.
Cautionary Statements
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts are forward-looking. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, forward-looking statements contained in this news release specifically include the expectations of plans, strategies, objectives and growth and anticipated financial and operational performance of EQT Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the Company), including guidance regarding the Company's strategy to develop its reserves; drilling plans and programs (including the number and type of drilling rigs and the number of frac crews to be utilized by the Company); projected natural gas prices, basis and average differential; the impact of commodity prices on the Company's business; total resource potential; projected production and sales volume and growth rates; projected well costs and unit costs; the timing of implementation of the Company's new well design and the projected benefits thereof; the Company's ability to successfully implement and execute its operational, organizational, technological and environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives, including the projected timing of achieving its emissions reduction goals, and the Company's ability to achieve the anticipated results of such initiatives; the amount and timing of any redemptions, repayments or repurchases of the Company's common stock, outstanding debt securities or other debt instruments; the Company's ability to reduce its debt and the timing of such reductions, if any; projected dividends, if any; projected free cash flow, adjusted operating cash flow, and adjusted EBITDA; liquidity and financing requirements, including funding sources and availability; the Company's ability to maintain or improve its credit ratings, leverage levels and financial profile, and the timing of achieving such improvements, if at all; the Company's hedging strategy and projected margin posting obligations; the Company's tax position and projected effective tax rate; and the expected impact of changes in laws.
The forward-looking statements included in this news release involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on current expectations and assumptions about future events, taking into account all information currently known by the Company. While the Company considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and beyond the Company's control. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, volatility of commodity prices; the costs and results of drilling and operations; uncertainties about estimates of reserves, identification of drilling locations and the ability to add proved reserves in the future; the assumptions underlying production forecasts; the quality of technical data; the Company's ability to appropriately allocate capital and resources among its strategic opportunities; access to and cost of capital; the Company's hedging and other financial contracts; inherent hazards and risks normally incidental to drilling for, producing, transporting and storing natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and oil; cyber security risks; availability and cost of drilling rigs, completion services, equipment, supplies, personnel, oilfield services and water required to execute the Company's exploration and development plans, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; risks associated with operating primarily in the Appalachian Basin and obtaining a substantial amount of the Company's midstream services from Equitrans Midstream Corporation; the ability to obtain environmental and other permits and the timing thereof; government regulation or action, including regulations pertaining to methane and other greenhouse gas emissions; negative public perception of the fossil fuels industry; increased consumer demand for alternatives to natural gas; environmental and weather risks, including the possible impacts of climate change; and disruptions to the Company's business due to acquisitions and other significant transactions. These and other risks are described under Item 1A, "Risk Factors," and elsewhere in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and other documents the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the Company may be subject to currently unforeseen risks that may have a materially adverse impact on it.
Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and the Company does not intend to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
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Which Joker hoodie is best?
The Joker is known for his outrageous behavior and evil clown aesthetics. He’s been the thorn in Batman’s side for decades and has tried to turn Gotham into a crime-riddled vision of a city. He’s, without a doubt, one of DC Comics’ most infamous characters. He’s appeared in several Batman films and even a standalone movie for the character. His iconic face has shown up on every product imaginable, including hooded sweatshirts.
The best one is Chaos World’s Joker Hoodie which is covered from top to bottom in “HA HA” to represent the villain’s maniacal laughter.
What to know before you buy a Joker hoodie
Joker’s origin story
There are a few different iterations of the Joker’s backstory, but the original one is by far the most compelling. The Joker grew up as an orphan who was bullied and abused by other children. While this may be enough to turn a sane man into a mad man, according to the 1988 comic “Batman: The Killing Joke,” Joker would then grow up to become a failed comedian who just didn’t have what it takes to make it in the world of stand up comedy. He would also suffer the loss of his pregnant wife, which would be the final straw that would turn him insane and ultimately lead to a life of crime as the Joker.
Joker movies
Most of the Joker hoodies you find will represent a certain Batman or Joker film. These are the most popular forms of media in which the Joker appears. Though he originally appeared in DC Comics, he’s even more infamous on the big screen. The Dark Knight is the most well-known version of the Joker in cinema history. Heath Ledger’s portrayal was dark, deep and intense. More recently in 2019, a new movie about his origin story was released simply titled “Joker.” Joaquin Phoenix played him this time around as fans watched him fail as a comedian and turn to crime.
Harley Quinn
The Joker is often seen side by side with his favorite companion, Harley Quinn. This is especially true in recent years since “Suicide Squad,” and other spin-offs were released. Harley Quinn has become a star in her own right and not just as Joker’s favorite muse. Harley Quinn can be spotted on many Joker hoodies wearing her signature jester outfit with a white, black and red one-piece and pointy jester hat.
What to look for in a quality Joker hoodie
DC Comics approval
Finding a good quality Joker hoodie can sometimes be difficult. However, you can’t miss with an officially licensed hoodie from DC Comics or one of their affiliate companies. These hoodies will always be made with high-quality cotton and polyester and come with images or graphics directly pulled from their films. For example, “The Dark Knight” hoodie features a direct image from the film showing Heath Ledger with full Joker makeup on and wearing his distressed purple suit.
Graphic hoodies
Aside from images from the Joker in films, most Joker hoodies show artwork in the form of digitally-created graphics. The best part about graphic prints is that they can still represent the character while having more creative freedom than what’s represented in the film. The most popular Joker hoodie features an all-over “HA HA” print. This is a creative addition to the character that puts you as close to the Joker’s evil laugh as possible.
Suicide Squad Joker
The Joker has changed hands many times on the big screen, but the latest portrayal came from Jared Leto in “Suicide Squad.” You can find these newer hoodies that show Leto’s Joker in the character’s new and improved form. While past portrayals were quite dark, “Suicide Squad” had Joker covered in tattoos with slicked back green hair. He even drove a purple sports car that looked like a Lamborghini. Leto also sported a gold grill over his teeth. Some “Suicide Squad” hoodies show this updated and trendy version of the Joker we know and love.
How much you can expect to spend on a Joker hoodie
Joker hoodies cost $23-$37.
Joker hoodie FAQ
Are most Joker hoodies unisex sizing?
A. The majority of Joker hoodies you find on Amazon are in unisex sizing. This is beneficial because the sizing is more universal and less specific to one body type.
Is it okay to put graphic hoodies in the washer?
A. Yes, most graphic hoodies will be fine in the washer. If it’s of a decent enough quality, the print will stay firmly to the material throughout a virtually unlimited number of washes. Be sure to check the garment’s tag and follow all washing instructions.
What’s the best Joker hoodie to buy?
Top Joker hoodie
What you need to know: Chaos World has created a truly chaotic and colorful hoodie to match the personality of the Joker.
What you’ll love: The main graphic on the front and back is an oversized image of the Joker’s iconic smile. While the base of the hoodie is black, “HA HA” is pasted all over the hoodie in various colors. The graphic is even printed inside the hood.
What you should consider: This hoodie doesn’t feature the Joker’s actual face.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top Joker hoodie for the money
Live Free His and Hers Joker & Harley Hoodies
What you need to know: If you and your partner are equally big fans of DC Comics, you’ll appreciate this set of hoodies that feature the Joker and muse Harley Quinn.
What you’ll love: These hoodies are simple in design and feature minimal graphics. The Joker hoodie is all black with a red and white graphic on the front featuring the Joker’s face and the caption “Her Joker.” The other hoodie is all white and comes in similarly colored graphics of Harley Quinn that says “His Harley.”
What you should consider: While the hoodies are offered together, they are sold separately.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
What you need to know: This hoodie features a realistic graphic of Heath Ledger playing Joker in the 2008 film “The Dark Knight.”
What you’ll love: The hoodie is all black and made with a soft polyester and cotton blend. In the image, he’s holding up a joker card with an image of Batman on it and a smile drawn in blood.
What you should consider: This hoodie only comes in unisex sizing.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.localsyr.com/reviews/br-reviews/apparel-br/outerwear-br/best-joker-hoodie/ | 2022-07-27T21:04:22Z | https://www.localsyr.com/reviews/br-reviews/apparel-br/outerwear-br/best-joker-hoodie/ | false |
Agreement makes available the largest Black-owned coffee brand to the 36 million+ households with a Keurig brewer
BURLINGTON, Mass., FRISCO, Texas and DES MOINES, Iowa, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (NASDAQ: KDP) and BLK & Bold Specialty Beverages today announced the launch of BLK & Bold coffees in K-Cup® pods for the Keurig® brewing system.
BLK & Bold was cultivated in 2018 in Des Moines, Iowa by founders Pernell Cezar and Rod Johnson. The Black-owned brand ignited a passion to deliver a blend of rich flavors to coffee lovers with a mission to support youth in need by helping to close socio-economic gaps in the U.S. For every product sold, the company pledges 5% of its profits to "For Our Youth" partners nationwide who are dedicated to giving America's children the tools they need to be the best versions of themselves.
To date, BLK & Bold has provided funding to more than a dozen nonprofit organizations, with many focused on urban populations. In support of that pledge and in conjunction with the launch of BLK & Bold K-Cup pods, Keurig is donating to the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity (CCRE), a nonprofit committed to building a racially diverse & equitable coffee industry.
Mauricio Leyva, President of Coffee for Keurig Dr Pepper said, "BLK & Bold's inspiring mission to support organizations that help communities across America is as exceptional as their delicious coffee blends. We are pleased to introduce both to the millions of Keurig households and be a partner in advancing their efforts."
"We're beyond excited to work with Keurig Dr Pepper in a way that continues our mission to turn the daily ritual of enjoying a cup of coffee into a means of giving back," said BLK & Bold Co-Founder and CEO Pernell Cezar. "Partnering with the iconic Keurig brand advances our mission to support underserved communities while we serve more households our premium product and community impact proposition."
Beginning this August, three Fair Trade-certified BLK & Bold blends will hit shelves nationwide on BLK & Bold and Keurig digital platforms and at Target and Albertson's, with more retailers to be added throughout the year. Varieties include:
- Rise & GRND: A signature medium roast blend with a taste profile of caramel, lemon, and nutty flavor notes.
- Smoove Operator: A creamy dark roast blend with flavor notes of caramel and toffee with the signature silky feel of a full-bodied coffee.
- Brighter Days: A light roast with a vibrant blend of fruity, toffee flavor notes.
New features within the Keurig brewing system that BLK & Bold will benefit from include MultiStream™ technology, which uses five streams of water to thoroughly saturate the coffee grounds and extract full flavor and aroma from each K-Cup pod. In addition, Keurig's signature BrewID™ technology – recently introduced in Keurig's first connected brewer, the K-Supreme Plus® SMART – recognizes the specific K-Cup pod brand, variety and roast and customizes the brew settings to make each cup distinctively delicious.
About Keurig Dr Pepper
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) is a leading beverage company in North America, with annual revenue approaching $13 billion and approximately 27,000 employees. KDP holds leadership positions in soft drinks, specialty coffee and tea, water, juice and juice drinks and mixers, and markets the #1 single serve coffee brewing system in the U.S. and Canada. The Company's portfolio of more than 125 owned, licensed and partner brands is designed to satisfy virtually any consumer need, any time, and includes Keurig®, Dr Pepper®, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters®, Canada Dry®, Snapple®, Bai®, Mott's®, CORE® and The Original Donut Shop®. Through its powerful sales and distribution network, KDP can deliver its portfolio of hot and cold beverages to nearly every point of purchase for consumers. The Company is committed to sourcing, producing, and distributing its beverages responsibly through its Drink Well. Do Good. corporate responsibility platform, including efforts around circular packaging, efficient natural resource use and supply chain sustainability. For more information, visit https://www.keurigdrpepper.com/.
About BLK & Bold Coffee & Tea
Co-founders, Pernell & Rod created BLK & Bold with the desire to unite coffee and tea lovers worldwide through an interest of investing back into community. Pernell & Rod believe that if children are the future, then they should be equipped with resources, including tools to equip confidence to manifest potential and create generational wealth. Through that philosophy, BLK & Bold pledges 5% of its proceeds to nonprofit organizations across America that are aligned with pouring guidance and time into children for them to be the best version of themselves. For more, visit www.blkandbold.com.
Media Contacts:
Keurig Dr Pepper
Katie Gilroy
T: 781-418-3345
katie.gilroy@kdrp.com
BLK & Bold
Rod Johnson
T: 219.902.8687
rod@blkandbold.com
Investor Contact:
Keurig Dr Pepper
Steve Alexander
T: 972-673-6769
steve.alexander@kdrp.com
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SOURCE Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/keurig-blk-amp-bold-coffee-announce-new-k-cup-pod-partnership/ | 2022-07-27T21:04:26Z | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/keurig-blk-amp-bold-coffee-announce-new-k-cup-pod-partnership/ | true |
Residents in Orkney Drive have said they are shocked by the sudden death of a man in the area.
Police arrived into the Ballykeel estate on Wednesday morning.
A cordon was put in place at the point where a few streets intersect as forensic investigations continued into the evening.
Read more: Live updates as body found in Co Antrim estate
The terraced house which police investigations were focused on had recently been split into three separate flats.
"It only happened recently and they're not people from around here," one resident told Belfast Live.
"We don't know really who lives in there, as it seems to have a steady flow of people in and out.
"We would like to know what's going on, it's not nice, especially when you have kids running about and growing up here.
"The sooner we know the better."
The pastor at the local Ballykeel Pentecostal Church, Thomas Todd, said he would have talked in the past with some residents in the flats being examined, but had not been able to find put who had died.
"This is another tragedy for Ballykeel, that there's been another death in the estate," he said.
"Our sympathies go out to the friends and family of the deceased."
Another two people who live in the area said it was not the first time trouble had come to the house under police investigation.
The door of the property was already boarded up and the front window had been patched up from previous damage.
"The best way to describe it was a halfway house," one local person told Belfast Live.
"They changed the people that lived in that often, it might not even have been a person that lived there because the traffic in and out of it was steady.
"In here used to be nice and quiet and now it's just gone to the dogs.
"There was a break-in at the same house on Sunday there, but there's that many people in and out, you wouldn't know who's a stranger and who's not."
The PSNI confirmed it was investigating a sudden death in the area and appealed for anyone with information to contact them.
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For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here. | https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/orkney-drive-death-residents-tell-24605240 | 2022-07-27T21:04:58Z | https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/orkney-drive-death-residents-tell-24605240 | false |
MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- The Midland Police Department is asking for help from the community to solve a theft.
According to a Facebook post, on June 29, the woman and two men pictured below entered HEB at 5407 Andrews Highway and loaded up two full carts of miscellaneous items. An employee stopped one of the men from leaving the store with a cart containing more than $800 worth of goods. The other two suspected reportedly walked out with a cart containing more than $400 worth of merchandise. All three then left in a white four-door sedan.
If you recognize any of these suspects, please call Crime Stoppers at 432-694-TIPS and reference case number 220630302. If your tip leads to an arrest, it could be worth a cash reward. | https://www.yourbasin.com/news/mpd-investigating-supermarket-theft/ | 2022-07-27T21:05:01Z | https://www.yourbasin.com/news/mpd-investigating-supermarket-theft/ | true |
VERO BEACH, Fla., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second time this year, Watercrest Myrtle Beach Assisted Living and Memory Care has received the prestigious honor of 'Best Assisted Living Community' in the beautiful city of Myrtle Beach, SC.
The North Strand News just released their 2022 Readers' Choice special publication with Watercrest Myrtle Beach named 'Best Assisted Living Community' by consumers. This year's contest received the greatest voter turnout on record with thousands of local participants casting votes for their favorite businesses in various categories.
Watercrest Myrtle Beach is a newly-constructed 98-unit, luxury senior living campus comprised of 76 assisted living and 22 memory care residences with resort-style amenities and exceptional care. The comfortably, classy design includes a stunning promenade, fireplace, signature water wall, cigar and scotch lounge, multiple dining venues, Southern style outdoor living spaces, Art Studio and Gallery, and the coveted Spa W. The community offers residents world-class wellness amenities including therapeutic live moss walls, a resort-style pool, light and salt therapy, and a state-of-the-art fitness and physical therapy center.
Ideally located at 6151 Colline Verdi Way, the exterior landscaping of Watercrest Myrtle Beach boasts a PGA-worthy putting green with purposeful awnings for shade, and individual gardening stations to appeal to horticulturists and nature lovers alike. The illuminated walking paths are surrounded by lush lawns and interwoven amongst rock-scaped ponds and gorgeous arbors to create destinations and relaxing gathering spaces. Watercrest Myrtle Beach was also recently honored by the City of Myrtle Beach for exceptional landscape design and aesthetics.
"Being voted 'Best Assisted Living' by the individuals in our local community is truly a testament to the excellence in design, care and service provided to our residents here at Watercrest Myrtle Beach," says Hunter Weaver, Executive Director of Watercrest Myrtle Beach. "We welcome the opportunity for future associates, residents and their families to visit Watercrest Myrtle Beach and experience a glimpse of life as part of our Watercrest family."
For information about Watercrest Myrtle Beach, contact the community at 843-483-6740.
With multiple senior living projects in development throughout the southeast, Watercrest Senior Living Group is setting new standards of quality for seniors and their families in the development of upscale senior living communities. Watercrest Myrtle Beach is one of two senior living development projects partnered between Watercrest, Corecam Capital Partners, and Peninsula Alternative Real Estate.
About Watercrest Senior Living Group
Watercrest Senior Living Group was founded to honor our mothers and fathers, aspiring to become a beacon for quality in senior living by surpassing standards of care, service and associate training. Watercrest communities are recognized for their luxury aesthetic, exceptional amenities, world-class care, and innovative memory care programming offering unparalleled service to seniors living with Alzheimer's and dementia. A certified Great Place to Work, Watercrest specializes in the development and operations of assisted living and memory care communities and the growth of servant leaders. For information, visit www.watercrestseniorliving.com.
About Corecam Capital Partners
Corecam Capital Partners is a Direct Investments Platform focused on Private Equity, Real Estate and Venture Capital. Corecam Capital Partners targets private investment opportunities alongside its investors and provides access to its proprietary deal sourcing. All investments are structured in-house by a team of investment professionals located in Zurich, Vienna, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City.
About Peninsula Alternative Real Estate
Peninsula Alternative Real Estate ("PARE") is a leading private equity firm in the Student & Senior housing space and a vertical within Peninsula Investments Group. PARE provides equity and mezzanine financing to leading developer-operators in the student housing, senior housing, and multifamily space following institutional quality processes developed over the last decade.
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SOURCE Watercrest Senior Living Group | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/north-strand-news-2022-readers-choice-awards-names-watercrest-myrtle-beach-best-assisted-living-community/ | 2022-07-27T21:09:49Z | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/north-strand-news-2022-readers-choice-awards-names-watercrest-myrtle-beach-best-assisted-living-community/ | true |
SOUTHERN PINES, N.C., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- First Bancorp (the "Company") (NASDAQ - FBNC), the parent company of First Bank, announced today net income of $36.6 million, or $1.03 per diluted common share, for the three months ended June 30, 2022, compared to $34.0 million, or $0.95 per diluted common share for the first quarter of 2022 and $29.3 million, or $1.03 per diluted common share, recorded in the second quarter of 2021. For the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company recorded net income of $70.6 million, or $1.98 per diluted common share, compared to $57.5 million, or $2.02 per diluted common share for the six months ended June 30, 2021.
On June 21, 2022, the Company announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire GrandSouth Bancorporation ("GrandSouth"), headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, in an all-stock transaction. This transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and approval of GrandSouth's shareholders, and is expected to close in the late fourth quarter of 2022 or early first quarter of 2023. GrandSouth operates eight branches throughout South Carolina and currently has $1.2 billion in total assets, $952.8 million in loans, and $1.1 billion in deposits.
Richard H. Moore, CEO and Chairman of the Company, stated, "First Bank had a very strong quarter. Loan growth exceeded our expectations and we have continued to maintain strong asset quality and are focused on credit discipline. We are excited about combining with GrandSouth which provides us the opportunity to accelerate First Bank's South Carolina expansion and partner with extremely talented bankers in growth markets."
Second Quarter 2022 Highlights
- Annualized return on average assets of 1.40% and annualized return on average common equity of 13.45% for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
- Tax equivalent net interest margin was 3.18% for the quarter with continued low cost of funds, and net interest income grew 1.8% from the first quarter of 2022 ("the linked quarter").
- Total noninterest expense was down 4.0% as compared to the first quarter driven by lower merger expenses and operating cost controls.
- Annualized loan growth for the quarter was 11.8%; credit quality continues to be strong with decreases in nonperforming assets ("NPA") for the third straight quarter. NPA to total assets ratio of 0.39% as of June 30, 2022, down from 0.46% for the linked quarter and 0.51% for the comparable period of 2021.
- Total common equity Tier 1 ratio of 12.80% and total risk-based capital ratio of 14.91%.
- Quarterly cash dividend of $0.22 per share declared, a 10.0% increase over the dividend rate in the comparable period of 2021.
The following discussions and comparisons to the prior year financial periods presented are impacted by the Company's acquisition of Select Bancorp, Inc. ("Select") completed in the fourth quarter of 2021 which contributed $1.3 billion in loans and $1.6 billion in deposits as of the acquisition date.
Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin
Net interest income for the second quarter of 2022 was $78.3 million, a 33.2% increase from the $58.8 million recorded in the second quarter of 2021 and a 1.8% increase from the first quarter of 2022. The increases in net interest income from the prior year period was driven by higher earning assets related to both organic growth and the Select acquisition, offset somewhat by a reduction in net interest margin ("NIM").
The Company's tax-equivalent NIM (calculated by dividing tax-equivalent net interest income by average earning assets) for the second quarter of 2022 was 3.18%, compared to 3.21% for the linked quarter and 3.22% for the second quarter of 2021. Contributing to the the reduction in NIM was the payoff of loans during the first quarter of 2022 at higher rates than new originations. Also contributing to the lower NIM were fluctuations in loan discount accretion which deceased to $2.3 million in the second quarter of 2022 as compared to $3.6 million in the second quarter of 2021. Average interest-earning assets increased 34.7% from the second quarter of 2021, and 1.4% from the linked quarter with growth in both loans and investment securities.
Allowance for Credit Losses, Provisions for Credit Losses, and Asset Quality
For the three months ended June 30, 2022, the Company did not record any provision for credit losses or provision for unfunded commitments. This is compared to a provision for credit losses of $3.5 million and a reversal of provision for unfunded commitments of ($1.5) million for the first quarter of 2022. The first quarter provisions related to updated economic forecasts and recalibration of the CECL model assumptions to include historical loss rates from the Select acquired portfolio. For the second quarter of 2022, no additional provisions were necessary based on the assumptions and loan mix inputs to the CECL model. The reserve for unfunded commitments totaled $12.0 million at June 30, 2022 and is included in the line items "Other Liabilities".
Asset quality continues to improve with annualized net loan recoveries of (0.01%) for the second quarter of 2022 compared to a net charge-off ratio of 0.07% for the same period of 2021. Total nonperforming assets amounted to $41.1 million at June 30, 2022, or 0.39% of total assets, down from $48.9 million, or 0.46% of total assets for the linked quarter, and $41.8 million, or 0.51% of total assets, at June 30, 2021.
Noninterest Income
Total noninterest income for the second quarter of 2022 was $17.3 million, a 19.2% decrease from the $21.4 million recorded for the second quarter of 2021 and a 10.3% decrease from the linked quarter. The primary factors driving fluctuations between the comparable periods were as follows:
- SBA loan sale gains amounted to $0.8 million for the second quarter of 2022 compared to $3.3 million for the linked quarter and $3.0 million in the second quarter of 2021. The decrease was related to the timing of sales and the volume of originated loans available to be sold in each period.
- Fees from presold mortgages amounted to $0.5 million for the second quarter of 2022, a decrease of 59.5% from the linked quarter, and a decrease of 80.0% from the $2.3 million recorded in the second quarter of 2021. Mortgage loan refinancing and origination volumes have declined significantly due to increases in mortgage interest rates.
- SBA consulting fees declined $1.5 million for the second quarter of 2022 as compared to the prior year, and are down 9.7% from the linked quarter as a direct result of lower PPP-related revenue.
- Commissions from sales of insurance and financial products amounted to $1.2 million for the second quarter of 2022, an increase of 21.8% as compared to the linked quarter driven by higher volume of transactions. The decline in the second quarter of 2022 as compared to the $2.5 million recorded in the second quarter of 2021 was due to the sale of substantially all of the assets of the Company's property and casualty insurance agency subsidiary on June 30, 2021.
- Increases in the second quarter compared to the linked quarter and the prior year period in "Service charges on deposit accounts" and "Other service charges, commissions and fees" were driven by the Select acquisition and related increases in the number of new customers and transaction accounts, combined with continued organic growth in transaction accounts.
- Other gains amounted to $1.6 million for the second quarter of 2022 and $3.2 million for the first six months of 2022, primarily related to death benefits realized on bank-owned life insurance policies. Gains for the comparable periods of 2021 were driven by the sale of the operations and substantially all of the assets of First Bank Insurance Services in June 2021.
Noninterest Expenses
Noninterest expenses amounted to $49.4 million for the second quarter of 2022, compared to $51.5 million for the linked quarter and $41.0 million for the second quarter of 2021. The reduction in noninterest expense from the linked quarter is driven by a $2.7 million reduction in merger and acquisition expenses. The increase in noninterest expenses from the prior year period was driven by higher operating expenses resulting from the Select acquisition.
Income Taxes
The Company's effective tax rates were 20.7% and 21.3% for the second quarter of 2022 and 2021, respectively. The 2022 reduction in effective tax rate was related to higher tax-exempt income relative to taxable income.
Balance Sheet and Capital
Total assets at June 30, 2022 amounted to $10.6 billion, a 28.8% increase from a year earlier. The growth was driven by a combination of organic loan and deposit growth and the acquisition of Select.
Total investment securities increased $672.2 million from June 30, 2021 to total $3.1 billion at June 30, 2022, as the Company invested cash from higher levels of deposits realized in 2021.
Total loans amounted to $6.2 billion at June 30, 2022, an increase of $1.5 billion, or 30.6%, from June 30, 2021, due primarily to the Select acquisition. Loan growth for the second quarter of 2022 amounted to $178.5 million, an annualized growth rate of 11.8%.
Total deposits amounted to $9.4 billion at June 30, 2022, an increase of $2.2 billion, or 30.5%, from June 30, 2021. Exclusive of deposits acquired from Select, the high core deposit growth is believed to be due to a combination of stimulus funds and changes in customer behaviors during the pandemic, as well as ongoing growth initiatives by the Company.
The Company remains well-capitalized by all regulatory standards, with an estimated Total Risk-Based Capital Ratio at June 30, 2022 of 14.91% compared to 15.27% reported at June 30, 2021. The decline resulted from the high balance sheet growth experienced between the periods. The Company's tangible common equity to tangible assets ratio was 6.70% at June 30, 2022, a decrease of 161 basis points from a year earlier, with the decline driven by the higher unrealized loss on available for sale securities included in equity.
First Bancorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina, with total assets of $10.6 billion. Its principal activity is the ownership and operation of First Bank, a state-chartered community bank that operates 108 branches in North Carolina and South Carolina. First Bank also provides SBA loans to customers through its nationwide network of lenders - for more information on First Bank's SBA lending capabilities, please visit www.firstbanksba.com. First Bancorp's common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "FBNC."
Please visit our website at www.LocalFirstBank.com.
Caution about Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are statements that include projections, predictions, expectations or beliefs about future events or results or otherwise are not statements of historical fact. Such statements are often characterized by the use of qualifying words (and their derivatives) such as "expect," "believe," "estimate," "plan," "project," "anticipate," or other words or phrases concerning opinions or judgments of the Company and its management about future events. Factors that could influence the accuracy of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the financial success or changing strategies of the Company's customers, the Company's level of success in integrating acquisitions, actions of government regulators, the level of market interest rates, and general economic conditions. For additional information about the factors that could affect the matters discussed in this paragraph, see the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K available at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements. The Company is also not responsible for changes made to this press release by wire services, internet services or other media.
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SOURCE First Bancorp | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/first-bancorp-reports-second-quarter-results/ | 2022-07-27T21:09:57Z | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/first-bancorp-reports-second-quarter-results/ | true |
CANTON, Ohio — Super Bowl-winning coaches Mike Shanahan and Mike Holmgren highlight a group of 24 seniors, coaches and contributors selected as finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.
Bob Kuechenberg, a durable guard during the Miami Dolphins’ championship seasons, was also among the group while Mark Clayton, who has the second-most receiving yards in Dolphins history fell short of becoming a finalist.
Kuechenberg and Clayton were among 54 semifinalists named in the beginning of July.
Kuechenberg was a six-time Pro Bowl selection who died at 71 in 2019. He missed only five games of the 201 the Dolphins played in the regular season during his career, and he started the 1974 Super Bowl against the Minnesota Vikings wearing a cast on an arm he fractured in December of that regular season. A month later, Kuechenberg and company opened big holes for Larry Csonka in Houston and Miami rolled 24-7 to complete a 32-2 two-year run (a .941 win percentage) with two NFL titles, unmatched in league history for two seasons.
Kuechenberg was an eight-time Hall finalist in regular voting, with his final turn getting turned away on the final cut being in 2009. No other player who has been a finalist as many as eight times has been denied enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.
Clayton, who was an eighth-round pick in the 1983 draft that brought the Dolphins Dan Marino, had five seasons of at least 1,000 yards receiving and four where he had at least 10 touchdowns. His 18 receiving scores in 1984 was an NFL record and stood until 1987 when Jerry Rice scored 22 times through the air in only 12 games during that strike-shortened season. Clayton made five Pro Bowls.
Sentinel Sports Final
Shanahan, who led the Denver Broncos to consecutive Super Bowl titles, and Holmgren, who won with the Green Bay Packers, are joined by 10 other coaches/contributors, including New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and former Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell.
The list of 12 former players includes four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Ken Anderson and five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Sterling Sharpe.
The 12-person Seniors Committee will meet Aug. 16, and each committee member will present one finalist. The committee’s final vote will send three Seniors to the full 49-person Selection Committee for consideration at its annual meeting in early 2023. Each of those three could be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame at that meeting.
Expansion of the Seniors pool to three for possible election to the Hall was approved earlier this year for the Classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The remaining list of players: linebackers Randy Gradishar, Maxie Baughan, Tommy Nobis and Chuck Howley; two-way player Cecil Isbell; defensive linemen Joe Klecko and cornerbacks Eddie Meador, Ken Riley and Everson Walls.
The remaining list of coaches/contributors: television executive and producer Roone Arledge; coach Don Coryell; front-office executive Frank “Bucko” Kilroy; coach Buddy Parker; coach Dan Reeves; Steelers vice president Art Rooney Jr.; coach Clark Shaughnessy; and long-time executive John Wooten.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this story. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-sp-dolphins-kuechenberg-hall-of-fame-senior-finalists-20220727-zyaiwzuei5gyrelbhjmoblxddy-story.html | 2022-07-27T21:12:32Z | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-sp-dolphins-kuechenberg-hall-of-fame-senior-finalists-20220727-zyaiwzuei5gyrelbhjmoblxddy-story.html | true |
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) _ Amedisys Inc. (AMED) on Wednesday reported second-quarter net income of $29.6 million.
The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based company said it had profit of 91 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $1.47 per share.
The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.23 per share.
The home health care and hospice services provider posted revenue of $557.9 million in the period, which fell short of Street forecasts. Ten analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $581.7 million.
Amedisys expects full-year earnings in the range of $5.23 to $5.45 per share.
Amedisys shares have declined 21% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $128.16, a decrease of 50% in the last 12 months.
_____
This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on AMED at https://www.zacks.com/ap/AMED | https://www.ourmidland.com/business/article/Amedisys-Q2-Earnings-Snapshot-17333147.php | 2022-07-27T21:12:45Z | https://www.ourmidland.com/business/article/Amedisys-Q2-Earnings-Snapshot-17333147.php | false |
ALAMEDA, Calif., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Penumbra, Inc. (NYSE: PEN) today announced that its management team is scheduled to present at the Canaccord Genuity 42nd Annual Growth Conference on Wednesday, August 10, 2022.
A webcast of the presentation will be available by visiting the investors' section of the company's website at www.penumbrainc.com. The webcast will be available on the company's website for at least two weeks following the event.
About Penumbra
Penumbra, Inc., headquartered in Alameda, California, is a global healthcare company focused on innovative therapies. Penumbra designs, develops, manufactures and markets novel products and has a broad portfolio that addresses challenging medical conditions in markets with significant unmet need. Penumbra supports healthcare providers, hospitals and clinics in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.penumbrainc.com and connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Investor Relations
Penumbra, Inc.
510-995-2461
investors@penumbrainc.com
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SOURCE Penumbra, Inc. | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/penumbra-inc-present-canaccord-genuity-42nd-annual-growth-conference/ | 2022-07-27T21:13:15Z | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/penumbra-inc-present-canaccord-genuity-42nd-annual-growth-conference/ | true |
Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings announced as official ‘Jeopardy!’ co-hosts
(Gray News) - Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings have been chosen as the official co-hosts of “Jeopardy!”
The show made the announcement Wednesday on social media.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled,” the show tweeted.
Jennings, a former “Jeopardy!” champion, and Bialik – who starred in “The Big Bang Theory” and has a Ph.D. in neuroscience – began guest-hosting the show shortly after longtime host Alex Trebek died of pancreatic cancer in 2020 at 80 years old.
Aaron Rodgers, Anderson Cooper and Katie Couric also guest-hosted during the long search to find a permanent replacement for Trebek.
“Jeopardy!” executive producer Mike Richards briefly served as Trebek’s successor in August 2021 before stepping down over controversy surrounding comments he made on a podcast.
“Mayim and Ken are both extraordinarily talented and simply lovely humans,” Michael Davies, “Jeopardy!” executive producer, said in a statement. “They support the staff and each other. They love and respect this institution of a television program. In return, the staff and I are honored to work alongside them.”
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/07/27/mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-announced-official-jeopardy-co-hosts/ | 2022-07-27T21:14:21Z | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/07/27/mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-announced-official-jeopardy-co-hosts/ | false |
Man escapes abduction bid in Sangam Vihar
New Delhi: An 18-year-old man escaped an abduction attempt unhurt during which the suspects also fired shots at him in South Delhi's Sangam Vihar area, police said on Wednesday.
The incident took place on Tuesday night at J-Block, Sangam Vihar, near Kali Mandir, the said.
The accused, Amarpal and Nobita, along with their friends accosted Satyam Kumar Jha while he was talking to his friend Sohail, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Benita Mary Jaiker said.
The accused who were on two motorcycles and a scooty started taking Jha towards a bike forcibly. When Jha resisted, they beat him up, the DCP said.
Later, people gathered at the spot and intervened. Amarpal fired two shots at Jha from a pistol, but he escaped unhurt, Jaiker said.
Police reached the spot after getting information about the firing incident around 8.20 pm, police said.
All the accused fled the spot after people started gathering there, they said, adding two empty cartridges were recovered from the crime scene.
A case under Indian Penal Code sections 307 (attempt to murder), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) and 34 (common intention) and provisions of the Arms Act has been registered, the DCP said.
Efforts are being made to nab the absconding accused, police added.
In 100 bail orders: 'Videos' used for arrest in 44; 32 of these failed...
22 Feb 2021 7:11 PM GMTDelhi Police say 1,753 held but courts heard over 4,347 bail pleas
21 Feb 2021 8:26 PM GMT755 FIRs and 342 chargesheets against 1,553 people later – not a...
21 Feb 2021 7:48 PM GMTOf courts' bugbears, most common 'doubtful' police, public witness...
23 Feb 2021 7:29 PM GMTA Delhi Police-sized roadblock in victims' path to justice — clubbing...
25 Feb 2021 7:39 PM GMT
DGCA orders SpiceJet to operate 50% of approved flights for 8 weeks
27 July 2022 8:15 PM GMT'Delhi slowly becoming EV capital'
27 July 2022 7:59 PM GMT'Govt preparing individual action plan for 5 markets chosen for...
27 July 2022 7:58 PM GMT'L-G asks Speaker to comply to GNCTD (Amendment) Act'
27 July 2022 7:58 PM GMTDelimitation panel seeks info on polling booths & population data
27 July 2022 7:57 PM GMT | http://www.millenniumpost.in/delhi/man-escapes-abduction-bid-in-sangam-vihar-487490 | 2022-07-27T21:16:46Z | http://www.millenniumpost.in/delhi/man-escapes-abduction-bid-in-sangam-vihar-487490 | true |
Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings announced as official ‘Jeopardy!’ co-hosts
(Gray News) - Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings have been chosen as the official co-hosts of “Jeopardy!”
The show made the announcement Wednesday on social media.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled,” the show tweeted.
Jennings, a former “Jeopardy!” champion, and Bialik – who starred in “The Big Bang Theory” and has a Ph.D. in neuroscience – began guest-hosting the show after longtime host Alex Trebek died of pancreatic cancer in 2020 at 80 years old.
Aaron Rodgers, LeVar Burton, Anderson Cooper and Katie Couric also guest-hosted during the long search to find a permanent replacement for Trebek.
“Jeopardy!” executive producer Mike Richards briefly served as Trebek’s successor in August 2021 before stepping down over controversial comments he made on a podcast.
“Mayim and Ken are both extraordinarily talented and simply lovely humans,” Michael Davies, “Jeopardy!” executive producer, said in a statement. “They support the staff and each other. They love and respect this institution of a television program. In return, the staff and I are honored to work alongside them.”
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.azfamily.com/2022/07/27/mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-announced-official-jeopardy-co-hosts/ | 2022-07-27T21:19:06Z | https://www.azfamily.com/2022/07/27/mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-announced-official-jeopardy-co-hosts/ | true |
Most disabled job seekers never get an interview with a potential employer, and the reasons are as complicated as they are disappointing. But one thing is clear. The number of people living in this world with either a visible or invisible disability—and no job or low wages— is double that of their non-disabled counterparts. That’s unacceptable.
It doesn't have to be this way, thanks to a new breed of job recruitment platforms that help disabled people and inclusive companies search for the perfect talent match. If you are familiar with platforms like Indeed or ZipRecruiter, you’ll immediately see how these disability-focused websites and databases are level the playing field and showcase disabled talent with the respect and reach they deserve.
There isn’t one kind of site—each has its own take on job promotion, fees for services and who qualifies to use them. But all of them are used by top businesses in sectors including hospitality, (Delta, Hilton), healthcare (American Red Cross, UnitedHealthcare Group), finance (Charles Schwab, Mass Mutual), tech (Salesforce, What’sApp) and more. Some sites on this list act as databases that allow you to discreetly disclose the accommodations you might need at work, others are skill-building sites that give people free training and then promote their profile to suitable future employers. They work with employers as passionately as they work with job seekers. The goal is jobs, jobs, jobs.
As often as possible, I tried to include those that are both run by and for people with disabilities. I have tested many of these, at least the ones that cater to neurodivergent job seekers, because I am ADHD and have a handful of learning disabilities.
It’s Disability Pride Month, and while some people have taken to social media demanding more respect or promoting disability flags, I am most interested in offering resources that combat the dismal statistics:
Labor force participation for people with disabilities is 38% compared to 78% of people without a disability, according to a recent National Trends in Disability Employment Report (nTIDE). You’ll see that in recent months people with disabilities again made gains—yes, numbers are up. It’s something, but it's also nothing to swoon over.
It’s true that employment has reached an all-time high for people with disabilities, but the numbers are complex, not only because there are slight ups and downs, but because the numbers don’t take into account where people have had their hours cut or where other seasonal or pandemic-related economic factors, according to Andrew J. Houtenville, Ph.D. director at the Institute on Disability at University of New Hampshire, which partners bi-monthly to create the report with Kessler Foundation.
· As of June 2022, we are barely 4% of the total workforce. Disability experts I have spoken with are far from convinced that recruiting, hiring and support in general for people with disabilities are at acceptable levels.
· Reduction in hours, a rise in layoffs and difficulty getting hired elsewhere are all possible in the coming months.
· One third of the population with disabilities lives in poverty so many stayed in the workforce during the pandemic and the great resignation is not happening among the people with disabilities.
· 80% of neurodivergent Americans of working age are either under or unemployed
Use this short starter list of well-established platforms for recruiting, hiring, and supporting people with invisible disabilities. This is primarily for hiring talent who are ADHDers, dyslexic, autistic and people diagnosed with chronic conditions (such as Long Covid, migraines, autoimmune disorders, cancer, MS and more). These platforms offer meaningful work, job growth and competitive salaries. They are destinations for employers to directly source disabled talent and for people seeking jobs to showcase their skills, learn new ones and find community.
Consulting firms are not on this list because, although they laudably work on inclusion initiatives, they are not part of this new group of platforms focused on hiring individuals. Please share this list widely with a friend or family member who is searching for a job or job skills, share it with your HR department and recruiters and use it as a topic to start a discussion about sourcing at the board level on down to managers.
AbilityJOBS: the largest job site for people with disabilities
AskEarn: employer assistance and resource network on disability inclusion and jobs
Disability Job Exchange (DJE) committed to finding the perfect match between dedicated workers and employers looking to build a strong workforce
Diversability Leadership Collective: enabling disabled people to find greater equity and representation in the world.
BroadFutures: offering high-quality paid internships in the Washington, D.C. area
Daivergent: job readiness for the neurodiversity community and companies seeking talent
Inclusively: unlocking the value of hidden talent for job-seekers and employers
MIT Neurodiversity Career Connector: career advising and professional development and a ‘career connector’
Ramped Careers: an on-ramp to learn skills and get priority access to top careers
RecruitDisability.org making recruiting disabled talent easier
Vercida: promoting equality and diversity in jobs and career
WRP (Workforce Recruiting Program for College Students): connecting employers with motivated postsecondary students and recent graduates with disabilities
The following platforms are owned and operated by people with invisible disabilities:
Chronically Capable: providing job listings for the chronically ill and chronically capable
Disabled Writers: increasing disability diversity in journalism
Diversability Leadership Collective: sliding scale fee to become a member of a community of job seekers and gain visibility in the job market
NMD (Not Making Do):supporting Project Sprinters with ADHD to find work with entrepreneurs
This is not a complete list by any means and is, with a few exceptions, focused on North America. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/denisebrodey/2022/07/27/looking-for-talent-find-out-how-to-hire-disabled-workers/ | 2022-07-27T21:19:27Z | https://www.forbes.com/sites/denisebrodey/2022/07/27/looking-for-talent-find-out-how-to-hire-disabled-workers/ | true |
Everyone’s heard of the Mediterranean diet, hailed for its anti-inflammatory and health-boosting properties. What most people don’t know, however, is that the origin of the modern Mediterranean diet is the Greek island of Crete. Oft-overlooked by tourists in favor of its glamorous Cycladic neighbors Santorini and Mykonos, Crete offers the complete package: beaches, mountain villages, scenery, and the opportunity to eat healthily while traveling. Fortunately, the island has a long history of wine production, so there’s always a bottle made from indigenous grapes ready to pair with that smart Cretan feta and tomato salad.
Even better, travelers eager to dine Mediterranean style needn’t veer far off the beaten path or even their private villa’s pool. Many of Crete’s finest hotels source from the island’s farms and wineries, and almost every property offers an approximation of traditional cuisine.
When planning an itinerary, keep distances in mind. While 160 miles from east to west sounds conquerable, most of the interior rises into jagged mountain ranges that stretch to the clouds. Going from north to south requires traversing valleys and gorges and occasionally white-knuckling it on steep spindly roads. Thus, plan for two weeks with a rental car to avoid feeling rushed.
Near Elounda
Blue Palace, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa
This legacy property in Elounda remains a perennial American favorite for a reason: stunning views, unique architecture, and exceptional food. This benchmark hotel can be booked through the Luxury Resort Collection on Marriot’s website, making it accessible to members with points. Stunning grounds marked by multiple pools, a private beach, a spa and well-equipped gym, keep guests busy—and spread out—so it never feels crowded. While the beach is stony, piers stretching into the crystalline sea allows guests access the tranquil water.
One of the finest features of this property is the breathtaking view of Spinalonga Island, an archaeological ruin and former leper colony. Don’t miss the chance to sail on the hotel’s traditional fishing boat known as a caique. Guests can book a private sail to the sapphire waters behind Spinalonga, then stop for a swim and picnic with wine. Blue Palace has several brilliant dining experiences, from sampling shrimp saganaki at charming seaside spot Blue Door to indulging in roasted lamb and other traditional dishes at chef-driven Anthós. The solution: do both.
Near Rethymno
The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete, Curio Collection by Hilton
The Royal Senses Resort, a stunning new property in the Hilton Curio collection, was built like an amphitheater facing the sea. Rooms and suites furnished in neutral, natural materials, run up the hill with pool villas on the highest tier, reached by a funicular. The main entrance, dining room, and bars are located on the ground level, with the spa and intimate fine dining restaurant Cretamos tucked away on the second floor.
The sommeliers at Cretamos conduct private wine tastings in the cellar, introducing guests to the island’s best and most unique wines. For a fantastic example of Cretan lamb roasted on a spit (sensing a theme here?), a traditional technique called antikristo, book dinner at Mitato. You’ll likely be serenaded by traditional music by a Cretan who plays up to 7 instruments. It may be an all-inclusive hotel, but Royal Senses serves outstanding Cretan food and wine.
Near Chania
Domes Zeen Chania, a Luxury Collection Resort
One of the most beautiful hotels in Crete, Domes Zeen sits 15 minutes by foot west of Chania on the coast. Originally designed as a Thomas Cook all-inclusive, the Zen-style collection of bungalows was renovated and improved by the Greek-based Domes Resorts group after the 178-year-old British holiday firm folded. It’s now part of Marriott’s luxury collection and thus bookable with points.
The change-of-hands was clearly for the better: Domes Zeen Chania features stunning minimalist rooms and villas in dark tones using natural materials from leather, wood, to stone. Many rooms feature private pools and ocean views as bungalows cascade down the hill from the street entrance to the beach. While tempting to hang around one’s patio, the sleek pool affronting the restaurant and bar deserves a few hours.
Now, for the food. For an all-inclusive property, or simply a standalone restaurant, Domes Zeen Chania boats destination-worthy dining. Truly oustanding meals that shame most international hotel restaurants. The Cretan-inspired food—think succulent whole, grilled fish—matches the excellent local wine list that’s worth exploring with the knowledgeable sommelier.
Near Ierapetra
If you like your holidays with a side of Brooklyn hipster or IG influencer, book this chic beachfront hotel on the south coast of Crete. Cool social media vibes aside, this resort is a bona fide hit of culinary substance.
The ocean front restaurant Tamarisk sports one of Crete’s best wine lists replete with the island’s near-forgotten indigenous grapes like Plyto. Don’t miss the traditional Crete tasting menu at Menoa. Once again, it’s all about the spit roasted lamb. The farm-to-table cuisine of both restaurants was initially guided by female chef Konstantina Voulgari, a San Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year finalist.
Stylish guest rooms, which range in size considerably, span cozy with a balcony to enormous, multi-room floorplans with private patios, pools, and lounge furniture to seat a family or three. A DJ spins during the day swapping tunes at dusk when the cocktails start flowing. A barefoot luxury ethos flows from the laid-back common spaces down to the beach, where a swath of black sand accommodates a dozen or so guests. Looking back from the clear velvety waters of the Libyan Sea, you’ll see mountains framing the hotel create a Palm Springs desert mood. Top your stay off with a visit to the spa, and you’ll think about booking a second week.
Near Hersonissos
Travelers seeking international glamor on a Greek holiday should look to Abaton Island. A metaphorical island in the tourist-trap sea of Malia, Abaton welcomes stylish jetsetters who wish to relax on Crete’s northeast coast for a few days. The resort’s polished Cycladic architecture evokes Miami-meets-Rome with glossy white marble, black accents, and double-height ceilings in the grand second floor lobby and ground floor Ladies & Gentleman Bar.
Various dining options keep one-stop vacationers occupied. In addition to the daily buffet at the F-Zin Ivy League Restaurant, included with the rate, a la carte restaurants range from the seafood-focused Bony Fish, meat-centric WOW Steak, and Buddha Bar Beach based on the famous franchise. Visitors with a car should explore the food scene in Heraklion, visit vineyards, and tour the famous ruins of Knossos, all 30 minutes west of the hotel. The best guest suites at this hotel in Crete feature ocean views and private plunge pools, perfect for lazy days reading books before visiting the spa. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/lmowery/2022/07/27/heading-to-crete-to-eat-this-summer-these-are-the-best-resorts-for-food-and-wine/ | 2022-07-27T21:20:17Z | https://www.forbes.com/sites/lmowery/2022/07/27/heading-to-crete-to-eat-this-summer-these-are-the-best-resorts-for-food-and-wine/ | true |
NCST reports since 2018 under process: Centre responds to Abhishek's question
New Delhi: Answering an unstarred question by Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee, the Centre informed the Parliament on Monday that reports of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes since 2018 are still under process in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Three annual reports — 9th, 10th and 11th of NCST — have been laid by the ministry before the Parliament since 2018, MoS Tribal Affairs Bishweswar Tudu said.
The Union minister added: "As per Clause 6 of Article 338A of the Constitution of India, the President shall cause all such reports to be laid before each House of Parliament along with a memorandum, explaining action taken or proposed to be taken on recommendations related to the Union and reasons for non-acceptance, if any, of any of such recommendations."
Tudu also mentioned: "For preparations of the Explanatory Memorandum, the concerned stakeholders i.e. Central Ministries/Departments of the Government of India, State Governments, Statutory Bodies, Autonomous Institutions, Public Sector Banks and undertakings are requested to furnish Action Taken Reports/ comments/ inputs."
Banerjee also asked for the expected time frame for the tabling of these reports, where the minister answered: "As and when Action Taken Report/comments/inputs are received from various stakeholders, an Action Taken Memorandum on Recommendations and Policy issues are complied and prepared. Thereafter, getting the approval of the Hon'ble President of India, the Reports of the NCST along with Action Taken Memorandum are laid in both the Houses of the Parliament."
In 100 bail orders: 'Videos' used for arrest in 44; 32 of these failed...
22 Feb 2021 7:11 PM GMTDelhi Police say 1,753 held but courts heard over 4,347 bail pleas
21 Feb 2021 8:26 PM GMT755 FIRs and 342 chargesheets against 1,553 people later – not a...
21 Feb 2021 7:48 PM GMTOf courts' bugbears, most common 'doubtful' police, public witness...
23 Feb 2021 7:29 PM GMTA Delhi Police-sized roadblock in victims' path to justice — clubbing...
25 Feb 2021 7:39 PM GMT
DGCA orders SpiceJet to operate 50% of approved flights for 8 weeks
27 July 2022 8:15 PM GMT'Delhi slowly becoming EV capital'
27 July 2022 7:59 PM GMT'Govt preparing individual action plan for 5 markets chosen for...
27 July 2022 7:58 PM GMT'L-G asks Speaker to comply to GNCTD (Amendment) Act'
27 July 2022 7:58 PM GMTDelimitation panel seeks info on polling booths & population data
27 July 2022 7:57 PM GMT | http://www.millenniumpost.in/nation/ncst-reports-since-2018-under-process-centre-responds-to-abhisheks-question-487460 | 2022-07-27T21:20:46Z | http://www.millenniumpost.in/nation/ncst-reports-since-2018-under-process-centre-responds-to-abhisheks-question-487460 | false |
Topline
Facebook parent Meta saw its stock plunge in after-hours trading on Wednesday following second-quarter earnings results that came in below expectations, as investors were particularly spooked by the company’s weak revenue forecast and struggling online advertising business.
Key Facts
Shares of Meta plunged over 3% immediately following the earnings announcement, paring back gains from earlier in the session, when the stock rose over 6% ahead of earnings.
Meta reported quarterly revenue of $28.8 billion and earnings of $2.46 per share, compared to the $28.9 billion and $2.59 per share expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv.
The Facebook parent company’s user growth, meanwhile, was largely in line with expectations, with the company reporting 1.97 billion daily active users and 2.93 billion monthly active users.
Several Wall Street analysts warned that the company faces an “uphill battle” for the rest of the year, as its online advertising business continues to struggle thanks to Apple’s iOS privacy update and a more challenging economic environment, which has hit ad budgets.
Meta slashed its revenue outlook for the third quarter, now forecasting between $26 billion and $28.5 billion—down from analyst expectations for around $30.5 billion, according to Refinitiv data.
Beyond its online ad business, Meta continues to face increased competition for users from the likes of rival social media platforms like TikTok, while the company has also continued to spend billions of dollars on its augmented reality project, the metaverse.
Crucial Quote:
Meta’s soft guidance speaks to an “Everest-like uphill battle ahead,” as Apple iOS privacy issues “continue to be front and center” along with a more challenging economic environment, says Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. “Bifurcation of tech space continues during June earnings season.”
Key Background:
Meta has lost roughly half of its market value this year, with the stock down 50%, amid the wider market selloff that has hit the tech sector especially hard. Like other Big Tech companies, Meta has recently slowed hiring as recession fears continue to grip markets. The company noted it faced “weak advertising demand environment” throughout the second quarter, citing the “broader macroeconomic uncertainty” as a driving factor. Though most analysts remain bullish about the company’s long-term growth, some remain cautious about the company’s “ability to sustain profits” amid a challenging environment in the short-term.
Big Number: $61 Billion
That’s how much Meta cofounder Mark Zuckerberg is worth, according to Forbes’ estimates.
Further Reading:
Wall Street Still Loves Big Tech Stocks: Analysts See Further Upside Ahead Of Crucial Earnings Week (Forbes)
Dow Jumps 400 Points After Fed Hikes Rates By 75 Basis Points (Forbes)
IMF Warns Of ‘Gloomy Outlook’ For Global Economy, Slashing Growth Estimates (Forbes) | https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2022/07/27/facebook-parent-meta-shares-fall-after-company-warns-of-weak-advertising-demand/ | 2022-07-27T21:21:06Z | https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2022/07/27/facebook-parent-meta-shares-fall-after-company-warns-of-weak-advertising-demand/ | false |
MAYWOOD, Ill. (AP) —
Police in the the Chicago suburb of Maywood are investigating the shooting death of a former high school basketball star and her mother is pleading with whomever killed her daughter to surrender to police.
“Whoever did it, man up and confess,” said Margo Rainey after 22-year-old Dylanla Rainey was gunned down early Monday outside her home as she parked her car. “I will tell you to your face, I forgive you. God is going to take care of this.”
Margo Rainey had followed her daughter home to Maywood on Sunday afternoon when she saw someone open fire as Dylanla climbed from her car. Struck three times, she got out of her car before she collapsed on the ground.
“I saw her trying to climb out the window,” Margo Rainey said outside her daughters home where several people had gathered for a prayer vigil. “She was trying to get to me and I was trying to get to her.”
Rainey and her twin sister, Miyanda, led Marshall High School to the Class 2A girls basketball state championship in 2018.
The two had recently moved to Maywood with plans to expand their day care business in the area. Their mother said at a vigil that to help them run their business, Dylanla planned to return to college to earn a degree in business and the twins planned to earn a college degree in child development. .
Maywood Police Chief Elijah Willis said no arrests have been made.
Margo Rainey said she has no idea who would want to kill her daughter, adding she “didn’t do no harm to nobody.” | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/nba/former-chicago-high-school-basketball-star-gunned-down/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 2022-07-27T21:24:21Z | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/nba/former-chicago-high-school-basketball-star-gunned-down/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | true |
Unruly passenger forces London-to-Los Angeles flight to land at Salt Lake City
A commercial flight from London to Los Angeles Tuesday was forced to divert from its intended flight path due to an unruly passenger, officials said.
Virgin Atlantic flight 141 took off from London Heathrow (LHR) but was forced to land before reaching its anticipated destination of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after the passenger’s disturbance, a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The plane landed at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), where the disruptive passenger was taken into custody, the spokesperson said.
The specifics of the disturbance are not known.
AIRLINE STAFFING ISSUES LEADING TO MORE LOST, UNCLAIMED BAGS IN AIRPORTS
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told Fox News Digital the airline diverted the flight to ensure the safety of the passengers.
"Due to a disruptive passenger onboard flight VS141 operating from London Heathrow to Los Angeles on Tuesday 26 July, the aircraft diverted to Salt Lake City to be met by police authorities," the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we don’t tolerate any behavior that compromises this. We always want our customers to have the best experience when they fly with us and our cabin crew are highly trained to deal with any individuals that may impact that experience for others."
The Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the flight was able to continue on to Los Angeles after a delay of about four hours. The airline apologized to the passengers for the inconvenience.
The Virgin Atlantic flight reached LAX around 7:30 p.m.
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Read more of this story from FOX News. | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/unruly-passenger-forces-london-to-los-angeles-flight-to-land-at-salt-lake-city | 2022-07-27T21:25:14Z | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/unruly-passenger-forces-london-to-los-angeles-flight-to-land-at-salt-lake-city | true |
LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (WGN) — The alleged Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooter has been indicted on 117 counts.
Robert Crimo III faces 21 counts of first-degree murder — three counts for each of the deceased victims, according to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The 21-year-old is also facing 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm for each parade victim who was struck by a bullet or shrapnel.
“I want to thank law enforcement and the prosecutors who presented evidence to the grand jury today. Our investigation continues, and our victim specialists are working around the clock to support all those affected by this crime that led to 117 felony counts being filed today,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said.
He was initially charged with seven counts of first-degree murder with more charges expected on the day after the shooting.
He is accused of opening fire with an assault-style rifle from a rooftop, killing Nicolas Toledo, 78; Jacki Sundheim, 63; Katherine Goldstein, 64; Irina McCarthy, 35; and Kevin McCarthy, 37; Stephen Straus, 88; and Eduardo Uvaldo, 69.
The July 4 shooting also left an 8-year-old paralyzed and a toddler without his parents.
Crimo’s next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 3.
A benefit show is scheduled for Wednesday night at Madame Zuzu’s, a plant-based tea house owned by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and his partner Chloe Mende.
Earlier this month, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker issued an emergency rule change that would allow state police to reject Firearm Owner’s Identification card applications in circumstances similar to that of the alleged Highland Park shooter, who was able to obtain a gun permit despite previous concerns about his state of mind. | https://www.fox16.com/crime/alleged-highland-park-parade-shooter-indicted-on-117-counts/ | 2022-07-27T21:26:06Z | https://www.fox16.com/crime/alleged-highland-park-parade-shooter-indicted-on-117-counts/ | true |
LONDON (AP) — Crystal Palace confirmed the signing of United States center-back Chris Richards from Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old Richards signed a five-year contract with the south London club, which paid Bayern a fee reported to be about $15 million.
The Birmingham, Alabama, native joins a Palace team where Marc Guéhi and Joachim Andersen are projected as starters, with James Tomkins also competing for playing time. Richards also is competing for a spot on the U.S. World Cup roster.
“I’m really excited for it," Richards said of the move to Palace. "The kind of project I’ve seen (attracted me). It’s a lot of young players but also young players who have a lot of fight. Palace is a club that seems like they’re always fighting.”
Richards arrived at Bayern from the academy of Major League Soccer’s Dallas team four years ago. He made his Bundesliga debut in June 2020 against Freiburg, played three league and three Champions League games that fall, then was loaned to Hoffenheim for the second half of the season and made 10 Bundesliga and two Europa League appearances.
After one brief Bundesliga appearance with Bayern at the start of last season, he was loaned back to Hoffenheim. He scored one goal in 19 Bundesliga appearances, against Freiburg on Dec. 11.
Richards hurt his right ankle during a World Cup qualifier at Canada on Jan. 30 and returned with Hoffenheim on April 2. He then sustained a season-ending right thigh injury against Greuther Fürth on April 17.
The defender made his U.S. debut in an exhibition against Panama in November 2020 and has eight international appearances. He appeared in five of 14 World Cup qualifiers, four of them starts.
“Chris is a hugely talented young player, and he brings a lot of experience at a high level for his age, as well being an established international for the USA national side,” Palace chairman Steve Parish said. "Competition can only drive him and our squad on.”
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/article/US-defender-Richards-joins-Crystal-Palace-from-17333164.php | 2022-07-27T21:26:08Z | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/article/US-defender-Richards-joins-Crystal-Palace-from-17333164.php | false |
HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — Several helicopters at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia were toppled during a Tuesday afternoon storm.
A spokesperson from Naval Air Force Atlantic confirmed the helicopters located at Chambers Field sustained damage while on deck at the airfield.
“The safety of our personnel remains our top priority and initial reports indicate that there are no personnel injuries,” the spokesperson told Nexstar’s WAVY. “First responders and military personnel are on scene to conduct further assessments.”
The Navy has not confirmed the number of aircraft damaged in this incident.
Images, seen below, show at least half a dozen helicopters knocked over. Some are tipped onto their side with broken blades. One, with 436 on the nose, is nearly resting on its top.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued Tuesday for Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Chesapeake. The warning remained until 4:15 p.m. and residents in the area reported winds of up to 60 mph. | https://www.fox16.com/news/national-news/photos-navy-helicopters-toppled-after-strong-thunderstorms-roll/ | 2022-07-27T21:26:36Z | https://www.fox16.com/news/national-news/photos-navy-helicopters-toppled-after-strong-thunderstorms-roll/ | true |
Few groups get to achieve a 50th anniversary, but the pioneering American folk trio the New Lost City Ramblers got to do just that this year. The release of a three-disc commemorative set by Smithsonian Folkways Records, though, was darkened by the death, on the evening of Aug. 7, of co-founder Mike Seeger, one of America's greatest folklorists and musicians.
Seeger was born in 1933, the son of folklorist Charles Seeger and his composer wife Ruth Crawford Seeger, who would transcribe field recordings her husband made into standard notation. Mike, like his sister Peggy and older step-brother Pete, grew up imbued with this stuff, and before long he was playing it and exploring the techniques these traditional musicians used.
While doing this, he met others who had the same interests, including John Cohen, a photographer and film student who'd been introduced to folk music by his family, and Tom Paley, a Yale-trained mathematician and banjo wizard. After some informal playing and swapping of repertoire, they burst onto the New York folk scene with an album for Folkways Records in 1959, bearing only the name of their group, the New Lost City Ramblers. I've never read an explanation for the name, but it's always seemed logical that the New York City Ramblers just wouldn't have worked.
The album was an immediate sensation, selling hundreds of copies — which was a sensation for this kind of thing back then. Many folk fans were astonished to hear rare old records come to life, both on vinyl and in the concerts the Ramblers started playing. Others were more discerning, realizing that while the Ramblers were guided by the old music's template, they were actually adding their own ideas to the performances. Others, like me, had just never heard anything like it and got hooked.
"Battleship of Maine" shows one of the Ramblers' virtues: They weren't entirely dependent on traditional material. The original of this had been recorded by someone called Red Patterson's Piedmont Log-Rollers, and it was obviously a show-biz tune, albeit Southern show-biz.
The Ramblers' shows were packed with material like this. Rik Elswit, a budding L.A. guitarist who'd been thinking of joining a Kingston Trio-like folk band, saw them at that city's Ash Grove folk club, and said: "They were so faithful to the old 78s that they learned from that you could almost hear the scratches. But they never lost sight of the reason the music existed in the first place. Fun."
I envy Rik because I never got to see the Ramblers. They weren't making a lot of money, and Seeger had a job with the Smithsonian, Cohen made industrial films, and, in 1962, right when I was getting interested, Paley got an offer he couldn't refuse from Cambridge University in England and moved there to continue his research.
Eventually, though, another multi-instrumentalist named Tracy Schwarz joined Seeger and Cohen, and the Ramblers' focus changed slightly. Schwarz had grown up partially in rural Pennsylvania, and knew his way around country music, including a genre regarded with some suspicion by folkies called bluegrass. Bluegrass, many purists thought, was commercial, which was ironic: In 1963, great bluegrass musicians like Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs and the Stanley Brothers were all but starving. To the Ramblers, the continuity between the old-style stuff they'd been playing and bluegrass was obvious, and, without abandoning the older stuff, now they had a rich new seam to explore.
The band toured whenever they could and recorded prolifically for Folkways, and I've never heard a bad album from them. Their shows are legendary for their onstage banter.
Eventually, the New Lost City Ramblers' message got out: American traditional music wasn't a monolith; some of it was as old as humanity and some wasn't even as old as your Dad, and it was for entertaining, not just for studying. In the 1980s, a new generation of folkies picked up the message and ran with it, which was good, because the three Ramblers by then had substantial careers and families, and, one hears, weren't getting along too well. But they did realize one thing: Their final album, recorded during a 1997 reunion, was called There Ain't No Way Out. Once a Rambler, always a Rambler.
Seeger's last album, though, typified the larger effect the three individuals had. It's called Southern Banjo Sounds: an Anthology of Style and Technique, and its back cover notes that it's a survey of techniques, styles, instrumentals and songs played on 23 mostly vintage banjos. There are 24 pages of notes, some technical and photographs of each of the banjos used. I play it now and again. It's fun.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | https://www.nprillinois.org/2009-08-25/new-lost-city-ramblers-look-back-at-50-years | 2022-07-27T21:30:24Z | https://www.nprillinois.org/2009-08-25/new-lost-city-ramblers-look-back-at-50-years | false |
All summer long, we've been hearing personal stories inspired by songs of summertime from musicians, writers and listeners. The series comes to an auspicious end with submissions from two listeners who offer memories of music overheard.
Scarlett Hepworth, Oakland, Calif.: 'Big Man'
I was a little girl in Salt Lake City, Utah. This was the summer of 1958. I would have been 5 then.
My parents were musicians: My dad was a jazz musician and my mother was a classical musician. We never listened to the radio, but I had three teenagers who lived next door to us and they listened to the radio. There was this song called "Big Man" by The Four Preps.
I had never heard pop music, I don't think, before that time. It was the most delicious and wonderful, exciting thing I have ever heard. I used to hang out in our backyard or leave the windows open in our house so I would just by chance hear it coming out of the radio.
Kids growing up today, who can have it right away, don't really know what it was to have to wait and wait for a song to come over the air. Time just stood still when I heard that song. I would stop whatever I was doing. I was just transfixed.
Alice Schechter, Brooklyn, N.Y.: 'Sherry'
My summer song is "Sherry" by The Four Seasons. The year was 1962, and I was about 14 years old. My friends and I, my cousins, anyone who was around, we would often walk to Manhattan Beach ... maybe two-and-a-half miles.
One day, we set out, and I had bought new sandals. Within a few blocks, they were killing me. They had cut into my ankles. I had blisters. It was a total mess. By the time I got to the beach, I had taken my shoes off and was carrying them.
We get to the edge of the beach, and we have a long way to walk on very, very hot sand. I basically decided to hop from beach blanket to beach blanket. And every blanket had a transistor radio, and every radio was playing "Sherry." It just had that soaring summer sound. It felt like the whole beach was just pulsing with that song.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.nprillinois.org/2009-08-27/listeners-summer-songs-big-man-sherry | 2022-07-27T21:30:31Z | https://www.nprillinois.org/2009-08-27/listeners-summer-songs-big-man-sherry | false |
HOUSTON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE: MRO) announced today that the Company's board of directors has declared a dividend of 8 cents per share on Marathon Oil Corporation common stock. The dividend is payable on September 12, 2022, to stockholders of record on August 17, 2022.
For more information on Marathon Oil Corporation, visit the Company's website at https://www.marathonoil.com.
Media Relations Contact:
Kathy Sauvé, 713-296-3915
Investor Relations Contacts:
Guy Baber: 713-296-1892
John Reid: 713-296-4380
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SOURCE Marathon Oil Corporation | https://www.kbtx.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/marathon-oil-corporation-declares-second-quarter-2022-dividend/ | 2022-07-27T21:30:48Z | https://www.kbtx.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/marathon-oil-corporation-declares-second-quarter-2022-dividend/ | true |
(The Hill) – Former President Trump on Wednesday said he planned to file a lawsuit against CNN, alleging the network has repeatedly defamed him dating back to his 2016 campaign for the presidency.
“I have notified CNN of my intent to file a lawsuit over their repeated defamatory statements against me,” Trump said in a statement. “I will also be commencing actions against other media outlets who have defamed me and defrauded the public regarding the overwhelming evidence of fraud throughout the 2020 Election. I will never stop fighting for the truth and for the future of our Country!”
The 282-page letter from Trump’s attorneys to CNN executives, dated July 21, calls for the network to retract or correct numerous of on-air statements and published articles about Trump that the lawyers allege are false and defamatory.
The letter goes on to cite dozens of examples, many of which relate to the network’s coverage of Trump’s repeated claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. CNN coverage frequently referred to those claims as “lies,” “false narratives” and “baseless theories,” among other terms. The lawsuit alleges those descriptions are “false and defamatory.”
But perhaps in a preview of how Trump’s lawsuit is likely to be received, dozens of lawsuits filed after the 2020 election alleging there was widespread fraud that tipped the scales in favor of Joe Biden were summarily dismissed because of a lack of evidence, in some cases by judges appointed by Trump. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/trump-threatens-cnn-with-lawsuit-over-defamatory-reporting/ | 2022-07-27T21:32:19Z | https://www.wowktv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/trump-threatens-cnn-with-lawsuit-over-defamatory-reporting/ | true |
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian inflation rose farther, according to new data released on Wednesday that increases the likelihood of the central bank next week hiking interest rates for a fourth consecutive month.
Inflation in the year through June was 6.1%, up from 5.1% in the year through March, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. Inflation only rose by 3.5% during the last calendar year.
Economist Angela Jackson, from the consultancy Impact Economics and Policy, predicted the Reserve Bank of Australia will lift the cash rate by half a percentage point to 1.85% at its next monthly board meeting Aug. 2.
The bank made rises of that size in its July and June meetings. The rate rose by a quarter of a percentage point in May, the first rate hike in more than 11 years.
“In terms of the headline figure at 6.1, it is still very high … and it means interest rates will probably go up again next month,” Jackson told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers warned that inflation would rise further.
“We are not surprised to see inflation north of 6%, but it’s still confronting,” Chalmers said. “Inflation is high and rising. It will get tougher before it starts to ease.”
The center-left Labor Party government was elected in May and Parliament resumed Tuesday for the first time under the new administration.
Chalmers intends on Thursday to outline to Parliament Australia’s deteriorating economic outlook since the previous government announced its economic plan in March.
In March, Australia’s gross debt as a share of the economy was forecast to peak in mid-2025 at 44.9%, or 1.117 trillion Australian dollars ($773.2 billion). Net debt — gross debt less the value of selected financial assets — was predicted to peak at 33.1% of GDP, or 864.7 billion Australian dollars ($598.5 billion) a year later. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/australias-rising-inflation-lifts-risk-of-4th-rate-hike/ | 2022-07-27T21:32:58Z | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/australias-rising-inflation-lifts-risk-of-4th-rate-hike/ | false |
Donations Support BackPack and Mobile Pantry Programs and provide nutritious meals for our neighbors
SALISBURY, Md., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a commitment to alleviate food insecurity, Perdue Farms has delivered a $30,000 grant and nearly 10,000 pounds of nutritious no-antibiotics-ever chicken products to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee (SHFB), based in Nashville, Tenn.
The funds provided by the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation will support the food bank's BackPack Program for school children and mobile pantry programs in rural Putnam County, home to Perdue's further processing facility in Monterey. The protein will help feed children, seniors, and families throughout the region.
SHFB's BackPack program feeds more than 200 food-insecure children in Putnam County during the school year, providing them with nutritious and easy-to-prepare food on weekends and school vacations. Bags of healthy foods are discreetly placed in students' backpacks each week.
In addition, Perdue Farms will fund four SHFB mobile pantries, providing much-needed groceries to approximately 1,000 households experiencing hunger in Putnam County. Each mobile pantry distributes a truckload of produce, dairy, poultry/protein, and shelf-stable food, an average of 20,000 pounds to 250 households.
"According to Feeding America®, 1 in 7 people in Putnam County – including 1 in 6 children – are at risk of hunger," said SHFB President and CEO Nancy Keil. "Thanks to Perdue Farms' generosity and continued support, Second Harvest is able to provide critical food resources to our neighbors in need."
The gifts from Perdue Farms are part of the company's Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors® initiative focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities where Perdue associates live and work, and beyond.
"At Perdue, we are committed to doing our part to ease the burden of hunger in our communities, especially here in Middle Tennessee amid these tough economic times," said Gary DeVault, Perdue's Monterey director of operations. "We're proud to support Second Harvest Food Bank with our funds, food and volunteerism to help provide our neighbors the nourishment they need."
For more than 40 years, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee has followed its mission to provide food to people facing hunger and work to advance hunger solutions. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Second Harvest distributes food and other products to approximately 450 nonprofit partner agencies in 46 counties in Middle and West Tennessee. Our partners include food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, childcare facilities, senior centers, group homes, and youth enrichment programs. For more information about Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, its mission, and programs, please visit secondharvestmidtn.org.
The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, was established in 1957 by company founder Arthur W. Perdue and is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue. As part of our belief in supporting the communities where and with whom we do business, the Foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of our associates live and work. At Perdue Farms, we believe in responsible food and agriculture®.
About Perdue Farms We're a fourth-generation, family-owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers, and farmers through trusted choices in products and services.
The premium protein portfolio within our Perdue Foods business, including our flagship PERDUE® brand, Niman Ranch®, Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Meats®, Coleman Natural®, and Yummy®, as well as our pet brands, Spot Farms® and Full Moon®, is available through various channels including retail, foodservice, club stores and our direct-to-consumer website, PerdueFarms.com.
Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company.
Now in our company's second century, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey, pork, beef, and lamb, and in USDA-certified organic chicken and beef. Learn more at Corporate.PerdueFarms.com.
Photo caption: Associates from Perdue's operation in Monterey, Tenn. helped deliver a $30,000 grant, 10,000 pounds of chicken products to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee as part of the company's Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors initiative focus in part on hunger relief. The associates also packed boxes of non-perishable food for distribution to children, seniors and families. From left are Andrea Marin, Jackie Sherrill, Synthia Allen, Kim Beach (front), Hayden Floyd, Levi Blaylock, Ginny Caudle, Kay Cox, Angie Wood, and Tina Hall.
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SOURCE Perdue Farms | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/perdue-farms-delivers-30000-grant-10000-pounds-chicken-products-second-harvest-food-bank-middle-tennessee/ | 2022-07-27T21:34:20Z | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/perdue-farms-delivers-30000-grant-10000-pounds-chicken-products-second-harvest-food-bank-middle-tennessee/ | false |
DNA confirms body found at Colachel is of Kiran
His father had earlier identified a band on Kiran’s wrist, but no other marker on the body could be identified as it was in a highly putrefied state
The body recovered near the Colachel coast in Tamil Nadu nearly two weeks ago has been confirmed to be that of Kiran, 25, of Naruvamoodu who had gone missing at Azhimala.
The Vizhinjam police said a DNA test done at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology had positively identified the body as that of Kiran. His father had earlier identified a band on Kiran’s wrist, but no other marker on the body could be identified as it was in a highly putrefied state.
The police said the test results had been produced in court. The body would likely be handed over to Kiran’s relatives on Thursday. The search for two more persons in the case would continue.
Kiran had gone to Azhimala with two of his friends to meet a friend whom he had befriended on Facebook. However, her relatives had allegedly confronted them while returning from her home at Azhimala. While his friends were taken away in a car, her brother and another relative took Kiran away on a motorcycle, sources said.
A CCTV camera visual, taken from a camera outside a resort located around 100 m away from the Azhimala beach, showed Kiran running along a narrow path leading towards the sea. The visuals are estimated to be from the time when he escaped from the hold of the girls’ relatives and ran away.
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SYDNEY (AP) — Defense chiefs from across the Indo-Pacific gathered this week to bolster their connections against a backdrop of China’s ongoing campaign to expand its influence and military presence in the region.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the military leaders meeting for three days in Sydney are focused on “the whole situation with the rise of China, a free and open Pacific” and ensuring a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region.
“It’s a big conference to coordinate our mutual security interests and discuss national security issues that apply to all of us,” said Milley.
Military leaders from 26 nations are participating in the conference, and most of those are chiefs of defense. China was invited but said it would be unable to attend.
During a press conference Wednesday, Milley said the chiefs of defense discussed how they can cooperate more and make their militaries more interoperable, including with advanced technologies. He added that they also talked about military exercises.
He and Gen. Angus Campbell, Australia’s chief of defense, didn’t go into details. But Milley expanded on comments he made late last week about China’s increasing aggressiveness in the region and the need for nations to ensure that the Pacific remains free and open to all.
Chinese intercepts of allied and partner aircraft in international airspace in the Pacific region have increased “several-fold” over the last five years, Milley said, calling Beijing’s behavior “much more confrontational” than five to 15 years ago.
China’s activity, he said, “seems to imply that they want to bully or dominate, as opposed to having a free and open” Pacific.
Asked whether the U.S. would increase its military presence in Australia or in other partner nations, Milley and Campbell said the discussions are ongoing and no decisions have been made. There are about 2,200 U.S. Marines in Darwin.
En route to the conference, Milley told reporters traveling that the Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous in recent years.
U.S. President Joe Biden plans to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, according to a U.S. official who declined to be identified ahead of the public announcement.
The U.S. is also grappling with reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is considering a trip to Taiwan — roiling China and setting off waves of worry in the Biden administration.
Asked about the potential Pelosi trip, Milley would only say that discussion of any specific travel is premature. But, he added, “if there’s a decision made that Speaker Pelosi or anyone else is going to travel and they asked for military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure a safe conduct of their visit. And I’ll just leave it at that.”
The conference also coincides with the massive Rim of the Pacific naval exercise going on near Hawaii. RIMPAC is the world’s largest maritime exercise and is hosted by the U.S. | https://www.pahomepage.com/news/politics/pacific-defense-chiefs-meet-against-backdrop-of-rising-china/ | 2022-07-27T21:38:02Z | https://www.pahomepage.com/news/politics/pacific-defense-chiefs-meet-against-backdrop-of-rising-china/ | false |
CLEVELAND, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Avient Corporation (NYSE: AVNT) ("Avient") today announced the pricing of its previously announced offering of $725 million in aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2030 (the "notes") in an offering exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"). The notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 7.125% and will be issued at a price of 100% of their principal amount. The closing of the notes offering is expected to occur on August 10, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.
Avient intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, along with borrowings under a new term loan and cash on hand, to finance its pending acquisition from Koninklijke DSM N.V. ("Royal DSM") of (a) all of the equity of DSM Protective Materials International B.V., DSM Protective Materials B.V., and DSM Protective Materials LLC, and (b) certain other assets related to Royal DSM's protective materials business (including the Dyneema® Brand) (the "Acquisition"), as well as pay for expenses related to the Acquisition and the financing.
The closing of the offering is expected to occur prior to, and is not conditioned upon, the consummation of the Acquisition. The notes will be subject to a "special mandatory redemption" if (i) the Acquisition is not consummated on or prior to April 19, 2023 or (ii) prior to April 19, 2023, the purchase agreement is terminated, other than in connection with the consummation of the Acquisition, and is not otherwise amended or replaced. If a special mandatory redemption event occurs, Avient will be required to redeem the notes at the "special mandatory redemption price" equal to 100% of the aggregate principal amount thereof together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the notes from the date of initial issuance or the last date on which interest has been paid up to, but not including, the special mandatory redemption date.
The notes will be offered only to persons believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons in reliance on Regulation S of the Securities Act. The notes will not be and have not been registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About Avient
Avient Corporation (NYSE: AVNT) provides specialized and sustainable material solutions that transform customer challenges into opportunities, bringing new products to life for a better world. Avient's products include specialty engineered materials, advanced composites, color and additive systems and polymer distribution. Avient is also a highly specialized developer and manufacturer of performance enhancing additives, liquid colorants and fluoropolymer and silicone colorants.
Forward-Looking Statements
In this press release, statements that are not reported financial results or other historical information are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements give current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance. They are based on management's expectations that involve a number of business risks and uncertainties, any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. They use words such as "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial condition, performance and/or sales. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit markets that could adversely impact the availability of credit already arranged and the availability and cost of credit in the future; the effect on foreign operations of currency fluctuations, tariffs and other political, economic and regulatory risks, including recessionary conditions; the current and potential future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations, financial position or cash flows, including without limitation, any supply chain and logistics issues; changes in polymer consumption growth rates and laws and regulations regarding plastics in jurisdictions where we conduct business; fluctuations in raw material prices, quality and supply, and in energy prices and supply; production outages or material costs associated with scheduled or unscheduled maintenance programs; unanticipated developments that could occur with respect to contingencies such as litigation and environmental matters; our ability to pay regular quarterly cash dividends and the amounts and timing of any future dividends; information systems failures and cyberattacks; amounts for cash and non-cash charges related to restructuring plans that may differ from original estimates, including because of timing changes associated with the underlying actions; any material adverse changes in the acquired DPM protective materials business; our ability to achieve the strategic and other objectives relating to the Acquisition and the possible sale of the Distribution business segment; and other factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 under Item 1A, "Risk Factors." The above list of factors is not exhaustive.
We undertake no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are advised to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our reports on Form 10-Q, 8-K and 10-K that we provide to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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DES MOINES, Iowa — Now that the Mega Millions lottery jackpot has topped $1 billion — only the fourth time a lottery game has reached such heights — plenty of people who rarely play the game are considering risking $2 or joining an office pool in hopes of an immense payoff.
Buying a ticket is easy, but it’s also easy to be confused about the odds, how the prizes are set and how the winnings will eventually be paid out.
DO YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING RISE OR FALL AS THE JACKPOT GROWS?
Your chances of winning the jackpot always remain one in 302.5 million, regardless of whether the big prize is $20 million or the current $1.02 billion. You do increase your odds of winning if you buy more tickets but before laying down $100 at the Quicky Mart for 50 tries, keep in mind that in the big scheme of things, 50 chances out of 302.5 million isn’t much better than one. Also realize that the $1.02 billion amount is for the annuity option, paid annually over 29 years. The cash option would pay $602.5 million.
IS THIS A GOOD TIME TO PLAY OTHER LOTTERY GAMES?
Just like the Mega Millions odds don’t change, the odds of winning a prize in Powerball, the other big nationwide game, and other smaller state games are fixed, too. Given that, you have no better odds now than at any other time. However, with fewer people buying tickets in those games, there is less of a chance that multiple players could win the jackpot, forcing you to share your winnings.
WHAT STATES HAVE THE MOST MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT WINNERS?
Time for a road trip to a lottery nirvana? Probably not.
Since 2016, players have won 40 Mega Millions jackpots, with the fortuitous few scattered through 22 states. And not surprisingly, there have been more winners in states with greater populations and thus more players.
California takes the prize for the most Mega Millions jackpot winners during that span, with six lucky players. That’s followed by five winners in New York, four in New Jersey and three in Illinois.
Notably, population heavyweights Texas and Florida have had few Mega Millions winners since 2016. Texas had two and Florida had one.
WHERE DO THE DRAWINGS TAKE PLACE?
The drawings happen at 11 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday and Friday and are held at the WSB-TV studios in Atlanta.
DO RETAILERS GET ANYTHING OUT OF THIS?
Rules vary by state but retailers usually get a reward for selling a ticket that wins a jackpot. In Ohio, for example, retailers get $1,000 for every million dollars of a jackpot, with a cap of $100,000.
WHAT IF I CHOOSE AN ANNUITY BUT DIE BEFORE RECEIVING ALL THE PAYMENTS?
Most jackpot winners opt for cash but receiving your winnings through an annuity, with 30 payments over 29 years, can help people slightly reduce their tax burden. If winners die before receiving all their winnings, the future payments would go to their estate.
WHO RUNS MEGA MILLIONS AND HOW DO THEY DECIDE JACKPOT AMOUNTS?
The lottery game is overseen by 45 state lotteries as well as game officials in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A group comprising representatives from the lotteries meets twice a week to determine the estimated jackpots. | https://www.wtol.com/article/news/nation-world/mega-millions-can-be-confusing-here-are-some-answers/507-f19f9828-2555-4bf2-8bbd-35d0f08b48c0 | 2022-07-27T21:38:57Z | https://www.wtol.com/article/news/nation-world/mega-millions-can-be-confusing-here-are-some-answers/507-f19f9828-2555-4bf2-8bbd-35d0f08b48c0 | false |
TRS stages protest at Parliament against suspension of 3 party MPs
After the suspension of three Rajya Sabha members on Tuesday, the TRS MPs intensified their protest in the Parliament on Wednesday by stalling the proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha leading to adjournment.
New Delhi: After the suspension of three Rajya Sabha members on Tuesday, the TRS MPs intensified their protest in the Parliament on Wednesday by stalling the proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha leading to adjournment.
The TRS MPs led by Parliamentary Party leader K Keshava Rao in Rajya Sabha and floor leader in Lok Sabha Nama Nageswara Rao joined the opposition parties to reiterate their demand for discussion on the rising prices of essential commodities and imposition of GST on the milk products.
Alleging that the suspension of MPs was undemocratic, the party leaders demanded revoking of the suspension. The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm because of the protest by the opposition members.
Later, the MPs staged a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi Statue in the Parliament building premises and raised slogans of 'Modi down down' and also against the Central government.
Speaking on the occasion, Nama Nageswara Rao said that it was injustice to suspend the MPs who are just demanding discussion on public issues. "Suspending the Rajya Sabha members who are questioning the government was nothing but murdering democracy," said Rao. As many as 19 MPs including three TRS MPs including Ravichandra, Lingaiah Yadav and D Damodar Rao were suspended from the House on Tuesday after they came into the well along with the other opposition parties.
MPs who staged the protested include J Santosh Kumar, KR Suresh Reddy, B Lingaiah Yadav, Vaddiraju Ravichandra, D Damodar Rao, Bandi Parthasarathi, M Srinivas Reddy and others.
The Opposition party MPs continued their protest in Parliament late night on Wednesday. The Suspended MPs have decided to take up 48 hour protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament.
Talking to the media, the TRS MP V Ravichandra alleged that instead of taking up discussion on public issues, the government has sent the MPs out from the House. "We want the government to open its eyes hence we are taking up overnight protest," said Ravichandra, adding they would intensify the protest if the Centre does not respond to their demand to take up discussion. | https://www.thehansindia.com/telangana/trs-stages-protest-at-parliament-against-suspension-of-3-party-mps-755420 | 2022-07-27T21:39:05Z | https://www.thehansindia.com/telangana/trs-stages-protest-at-parliament-against-suspension-of-3-party-mps-755420 | false |
CLEVELAND, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Avient Corporation (NYSE: AVNT) ("Avient") today announced the pricing of its previously announced offering of $725 million in aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2030 (the "notes") in an offering exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"). The notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 7.125% and will be issued at a price of 100% of their principal amount. The closing of the notes offering is expected to occur on August 10, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.
Avient intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, along with borrowings under a new term loan and cash on hand, to finance its pending acquisition from Koninklijke DSM N.V. ("Royal DSM") of (a) all of the equity of DSM Protective Materials International B.V., DSM Protective Materials B.V., and DSM Protective Materials LLC, and (b) certain other assets related to Royal DSM's protective materials business (including the Dyneema® Brand) (the "Acquisition"), as well as pay for expenses related to the Acquisition and the financing.
The closing of the offering is expected to occur prior to, and is not conditioned upon, the consummation of the Acquisition. The notes will be subject to a "special mandatory redemption" if (i) the Acquisition is not consummated on or prior to April 19, 2023 or (ii) prior to April 19, 2023, the purchase agreement is terminated, other than in connection with the consummation of the Acquisition, and is not otherwise amended or replaced. If a special mandatory redemption event occurs, Avient will be required to redeem the notes at the "special mandatory redemption price" equal to 100% of the aggregate principal amount thereof together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the notes from the date of initial issuance or the last date on which interest has been paid up to, but not including, the special mandatory redemption date.
The notes will be offered only to persons believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons in reliance on Regulation S of the Securities Act. The notes will not be and have not been registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About Avient
Avient Corporation (NYSE: AVNT) provides specialized and sustainable material solutions that transform customer challenges into opportunities, bringing new products to life for a better world. Avient's products include specialty engineered materials, advanced composites, color and additive systems and polymer distribution. Avient is also a highly specialized developer and manufacturer of performance enhancing additives, liquid colorants and fluoropolymer and silicone colorants.
Forward-Looking Statements
In this press release, statements that are not reported financial results or other historical information are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements give current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance. They are based on management's expectations that involve a number of business risks and uncertainties, any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. They use words such as "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial condition, performance and/or sales. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit markets that could adversely impact the availability of credit already arranged and the availability and cost of credit in the future; the effect on foreign operations of currency fluctuations, tariffs and other political, economic and regulatory risks, including recessionary conditions; the current and potential future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations, financial position or cash flows, including without limitation, any supply chain and logistics issues; changes in polymer consumption growth rates and laws and regulations regarding plastics in jurisdictions where we conduct business; fluctuations in raw material prices, quality and supply, and in energy prices and supply; production outages or material costs associated with scheduled or unscheduled maintenance programs; unanticipated developments that could occur with respect to contingencies such as litigation and environmental matters; our ability to pay regular quarterly cash dividends and the amounts and timing of any future dividends; information systems failures and cyberattacks; amounts for cash and non-cash charges related to restructuring plans that may differ from original estimates, including because of timing changes associated with the underlying actions; any material adverse changes in the acquired DPM protective materials business; our ability to achieve the strategic and other objectives relating to the Acquisition and the possible sale of the Distribution business segment; and other factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 under Item 1A, "Risk Factors." The above list of factors is not exhaustive.
We undertake no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are advised to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our reports on Form 10-Q, 8-K and 10-K that we provide to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Second Quarter 2022 Highlights:
- Revenue of $542 million, representing a 14 percent increase year over year
- Earnings per share of $1.04, or $1.13 as adjusted
- Total backlog of $1.1 billion increased 25 percent year over year
Bevcorp Highlights
- Bevcorp is a leading provider of beverage processing and packaging solutions
- Purchase price of $290 million before tax benefit of approximately $35 million
- Full year 2022 expected revenue and EBITDA of approximately $85 million and $20 million, respectively
CHICAGO, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- JBT Corporation (NYSE: JBT), a leading global technology solutions provider to high-value segments of the food & beverage industry, today reported results for the second quarter of 2022. The Company also announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bevcorp, a leading provider of beverage processing and packaging solutions.
"During the second quarter, our team continued to navigate a challenging operating environment in order to deliver for our customers," said Brian Deck, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Demand for our FoodTech solutions remained strong in North America, while economic pressures in Europe materialized in connection with high inflation and the conflict in Ukraine. At AeroTech, the strong demand trajectory continues."
"We are executing on our Elevate 2.0 capital deployment strategy with the acquisition of Alco-food-machines and the announcement to acquire Bevcorp," continued Deck. "Bevcorp will expand JBT's presence in the beverage processing and packaging market, while its strong recurring revenue profile, leading service culture, and accretive margins will enhance JBT's competitive position."
Comparisons in this news release are to the comparable period of the prior year, unless otherwise noted.
Second Quarter 2022
"We made progress in the second quarter of 2022 with sequential gains in revenue, margins, and earnings," said Matt Meister, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. "As we expected, inflation and supply chain impacts continued, while foreign exchange headwinds weighed more heavily on our results. Overall, orders remained at healthy levels and total backlog was at $1.1 billion, which is supportive of our double digit revenue growth forecast for full year 2022."
Second quarter 2022 FoodTech revenue of $394 million increased 9 percent year over year, including 10 percent organic growth and 4 percent from acquisitions, which was partially offset by greater than anticipated foreign exchange headwind of 5 percent versus an expectation of 2 percent. Operating profit was $50 million. Adjusted EBITDA of $68 million declined $1 million, and adjusted EBITDA margin contracted 180 basis points to 17.2 percent while improving 90 basis points sequentially. The negative foreign exchange impact on adjusted EBITDA was approximately $3 million.
AeroTech revenue of $148 million increased 29 percent year over year. Operating profit was $10 million. Adjusted EBITDA of $11 million declined $2 million. Adjusted EBITDA margin contracted 350 basis points to 7.6 percent while improving 50 basis points sequentially.
In total, consolidated JBT revenue of $542 million increased 14 percent year over year. Operating income was $42 million and net income was $33 million. Adjusted EBITDA of $65 million decreased 7 percent, and adjusted EBITDA margin declined 280 basis points to 12.0 percent while improving 50 basis points sequentially. The foreign exchange impact on consolidated adjusted EBITDA was also $3 million.
Diluted earnings per share from net income was $1.04 for the second quarter of 2022 compared with $0.95 for the second quarter of 2021. Adjusted earnings per share was $1.13 compared with $1.20 in the year-ago period. Second quarter 2022 earnings included a discrete tax benefit of $0.07 per share and $0.05 per share headwind from foreign exchange.
Year to date, JBT generated cash from operations of $45 million, which included meaningful inventory investments in support of second half of 2022 revenue growth. Year to date free cash flow was $4 million, including capital expenditures of $20 million associated with the digital strategy. Liquidity at quarter end stood at $642 million, and the Company's leverage ratio was 2.5x net debt to trailing twelve months adjusted EBITDA.
Third Quarter and Full Year 2022 Guidance
The below guidance does not include impacts from Bevcorp, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022.
For the third quarter of 2022, JBT expects year over year consolidated revenue growth of 16.0 - 17.5 percent. At FoodTech, organic revenue growth is forecast to be 12.0 - 13.5 percent with acquisitions adding 5 - 6 percent and a foreign exchange headwind of 5 - 6 percent. At AeroTech, revenue growth is expected to be 26 - 28 percent.
The Company anticipates third quarter 2022 FoodTech operating margin to be 13.0 - 13.75 percent with adjusted EBITDA margin of 17.75 - 18.5 percent. AeroTech operating margin is projected to be 8.25 - 9.0 percent with adjusted EBITDA margin of 9.0 - 9.75 percent.
Quarterly corporate expense is estimated to be approximately 2.9 percent of sales, which includes $4 - $5 million associated with the digital strategy and excludes M&A-related costs and LIFO expense.
Third quarter 2022 earnings per share guidance is $1.00 - $1.15 on a GAAP basis and $1.15 - $1.30 as adjusted.
For the full year 2022, JBT is revising its guidance to reflect softening economic conditions in Europe and a higher foreign exchange headwind for FoodTech as well as a modest improvement in revenue growth at AeroTech.
The Company anticipates full year 2022 consolidated revenue growth of 15 - 17 percent. At FoodTech, organic revenue growth is expected to be 13 - 15 percent with acquisitions adding approximately 4 percent and a foreign exchange headwind of 4 - 5 percent. At AeroTech, revenue growth is forecast to be 23 - 25 percent.
Full year 2022 FoodTech operating margin is projected to be 13.0 - 13.75 percent with adjusted EBITDA margin of 17.5 - 18.25 percent. AeroTech operating margin is forecast to be 8.5 - 9.5 percent with adjusted EBITDA margin of 9.5 - 10.5 percent.
Full year corporate expense is estimated to be approximately 2.9 percent of sales, which includes $14 - $15 million associated with the digital strategy and excludes M&A-related costs and LIFO expense. Interest expense is estimated to be approximately $11 million, and the projected full year tax rate is 22 - 23 percent, excluding discrete items.
Full year 2022 earnings per share guidance is $4.40 - $4.60 on a GAAP basis and $4.90 - $5.10 as adjusted.
Bevcorp Acquisition Highlights
On July 27, 2022, JBT announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bevcorp, a leading provider of beverage processing and packaging solutions, for $290 million. Bevcorp was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Eastlake, Ohio. The business' solutions in blending, handling, filling, and closing technologies serve a range of customers in high-value segments of the beverage market, including carbonated soft drinks, seltzers, carbonated water, energy drinks, and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage blends.
Along with its strong new equipment offering, Bevcorp has a resilient mix of rebuilds, aftermarket parts, and services, representing recurring revenue of more than 60 percent. JBT expects the business to achieve 2022 revenue and EBITDA of approximately $85 million and $20 million, respectively. The transaction will be treated as a purchase of assets, which provides a meaningful tax step-up benefit with a net present value of approximately $35 million. Based on 2022 forecasts, the purchase price represents approximately 14.5x EBITDA and 12.7x EBITDA considering the tax benefit. The acquisition will be funded under JBT's existing credit facility. JBT expects its pro forma net leverage ratio will be less than 3.0x by year end 2022. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022.
Second Quarter 2022 Earnings Conference Call
A conference call is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, July 28, 2022, to discuss second quarter 2022 results. Participants may access the conference call through online registration at https://conferencingportals.com/event/lguQsHOL. A simultaneous webcast and audio replay of the call will be available on the Company's Investor Relations website at https://ir.jbtc.com/events-and-presentations/.
Earnings Presentation
An earnings presentation is also available on the Company's Investor Relations website at https://ir.jbtc.com/events-and-presentations/.
JBT Corporation (NYSE: JBT) is a leading global technology solutions provider to high-value segments of the food & beverage industry with focus on proteins, liquid foods and automated system solutions. JBT designs, produces and services sophisticated products and systems for multi-national and regional customers through its FoodTech segment. JBT also sells critical equipment and services to domestic and international air transportation customers through its AeroTech segment. JBT Corporation employs approximately 6,900 people worldwide and operates sales, service, manufacturing and sourcing operations in more than 25 countries. For more information, please visit www.jbtc.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are information of a non-historical nature and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are beyond JBT's ability to control. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements relating to the expected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and our results of operations, our plans to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, our strategic plans, our restructuring plans and expected cost savings from those plans, our liquidity and our covenant compliance. The factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from expectations include but are not limited to the following factors: the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of the pandemic on our ability to operate our business and facilities, on our customers, on our workforce resulting in higher labor absenteeism, on our supply chains due to extended delivery times and unavailability of required components, labor and freight, on our cost of labor due to higher labor turnover and shortage of skilled labor and on the economy generally; fluctuations in our financial results; unanticipated delays or acceleration in our sales cycles; deterioration of economic conditions; disruptions in the political, regulatory, economic and social conditions of the countries in which we conduct business; changes to trade regulation, quotas, duties or tariffs; risks associated with acquisitions or strategic investments; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; increases in energy or raw material prices, freight costs, and inflationary pressures; changes in food consumption patterns; impacts of pandemic illnesses, food borne illnesses and diseases to various agricultural products; weather conditions and natural disasters; impact of climate change and environmental protection initiatives; our ability to comply with the laws and regulations governing our U.S. government contracts; acts of terrorism or war, including the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine; termination or loss of major customer contracts and risks associated with fixed-price contracts, particularly during periods of high inflation; customer sourcing initiatives; competition and innovation in our industries; difficulty in implementing our business strategies, including the timing of our previously announced review of strategic alternatives for the AeroTech platform, our ability to identify or develop any strategic alternatives, execute on material aspects of such strategic alternatives, and whether we can achieve the potential benefits of such strategic alternatives; the failure to consummate or a delay in consummating the acquisition of Bevcorp; our ability to develop and introduce new or enhanced products and services and keep pace with technological developments; difficulty in developing, preserving and protecting our intellectual property or defending claims of infringement; catastrophic loss at any of our facilities and business continuity of our information systems; cyber-security risks such as network intrusion or ransomware schemes; loss of key management and other personnel; potential liability arising out of the installation or use of our systems; our ability to comply with U.S. and international laws governing our operations and industries; increases in tax liabilities; work stoppages; fluctuations in interest rates and returns on pension assets; availability of and access to financial and other resources; and other factors described under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by JBT with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in any subsequently filed Form 10-Q. In addition, many of our risks and uncertainties are currently amplified by and will continue to be amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the highly fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not possible to predict all such risks and uncertainties. JBT cautions shareholders and prospective investors that actual results may differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements. JBT undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments, subsequent events or changes in circumstances or otherwise.
We provide non-GAAP financial measures in order to increase transparency in our operating results and trends. These non-GAAP measures eliminate certain costs or benefits from, or change the calculation of, a measure as calculated under U.S. GAAP. By eliminating these items, we believe we provide a more meaningful comparison of our ongoing operating results, consistent with how management evaluates performance. Management uses these non-GAAP measures in financial and operational evaluation, planning and forecasting.
These calculations may differ from similarly-titled measures used by other companies. The non-GAAP financial measures disclosed are not intended to be used as a substitute for, nor should they be considered in isolation of, financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
Investors & Media: Kedric Meredith, 312.861.6034
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SOURCE JBT Corporation | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/jbt-corporation-reports-second-quarter-2022-results-signs-definitive-agreement-acquire-bevcorp/ | 2022-07-27T21:41:49Z | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/jbt-corporation-reports-second-quarter-2022-results-signs-definitive-agreement-acquire-bevcorp/ | true |
SEGUIN, Texas, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alamo Group Inc. (NYSE: ALG) today announced that it will release financial results for the second quarter 2022 after the market closes on Wednesday, August 3, 2022. The Company will host a conference call to discuss the results on Thursday, August 4, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. ET. Hosting the call will be members of senior management.
Individuals wishing to participate in the conference call should dial 888-394-8218 (domestic) or 323-794-2588 (international). For interested individuals unable to join the call, a replay will be available until Thursday, August 11, 2022, by dialing 888-203-1112 (domestic) or 719-457-0820 (internationally), passcode 4806226.
The live broadcast of Alamo Group Inc.'s quarterly conference call will be available online at the Company's website, www.alamo-group.com (under "Investor Relations/Events & and Presentations") on Thursday, August 4, 2022, beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. The online replay will follow shortly after the call ends and will be archived on the Company's website for 60 days.
Alamo Group is a leader in the design, manufacture, distribution and service of high quality equipment for vegetation management, infrastructure maintenance and other applications. Our products include truck and tractor mounted mowing and other vegetation maintenance equipment, street sweepers, snow removal equipment, excavators, vacuum trucks, other industrial equipment, agricultural implements, forestry equipment and related after-market parts and services. The Company, founded in 1969, has approximately 4,300 employees and operates 29 plants in North America, Europe, Australia and Brazil as of March 31, 2022. The corporate offices of Alamo Group Inc. are located in Seguin, Texas.
This release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: overall market demand, continuing impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic including more significant supply chain disruptions, reductions in customer demand, sales and profitability declines, operational disruptions, full or partial facility closures, and other similar impacts, geopolitical risks, including effects of the war in Ukraine, inflation, competition, weather, seasonality, currency-related issues, and other risk factors listed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein, which speaks only as of this date.
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SOURCE Alamo Group Inc. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/alamo-group-inc-announces-second-quarter-2022-earnings-conference-call/ | 2022-07-27T21:43:14Z | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/alamo-group-inc-announces-second-quarter-2022-earnings-conference-call/ | true |
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