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When John Means found out the plan, he couldn’t stop laughing. Jordan Lyles had wracked his brain for about a week, heard input from the analytics team, and he finally had an idea.
To decide the Orioles’ fantasy football draft order, bullpen catcher Joel Polanco would stand in for batting practice at Camden Yards and hit balls inscribed with the name of each competing team. How far he hit those balls would determine the draft order, with the distance giving the accompanying team the power to choose its draft slot. The farther the ball, the more desirable the pick.
“He was putting on a show, honestly,” Means said of Polanco. “I did not expect him to do as well as he did, so kudos to him.”
Baltimore’s draft order took shape on the field before Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox, as the bullpen catcher took swings decked out in full uniform, complete with a shin guard and eye black.
After the session, manager of pitching strategy Ryan Klimek took the range finder from home plate to measure the distance of each hit. Left-hander Keegan Akin’s team won by two feet, beating a fantasy team full of trainers with a distance of 130 yards. He plans to pick first overall — but which NFL player he takes with that choice will remain a secret.
The Orioles will play a 12-team, full point-per-reception format on Sleeper, a fantasy site. There are bonuses available for 200-yard rushers or 400-yard passers each week. Even more, there are bragging rights to be had and an opportunity to stay in close contact with teammates and coaches over the offseason.
“I don’t know a baseball clubhouse without fantasy football,” Lyles said. “It’s gone back that long. A lot of guys look forward to it. It’s a great way to kind of break up the second half of the season, to have different conversations and dialogue. Just another breath of fresh air, get out of that usual routine and normal schedule of six months.”
Most teams in the league include multiple players. Means, out for the season with Tommy John surgery, teamed with first baseman Ryan Mountcastle. Left-hander Nick Vespi joined forces with the bullpen catchers, Polanco and Ben Carhart. Outfielder Ryan McKenna picked up Sam Berk, a baseball operations fellow. Starting pitchers Kyle Bradish and Spenser Watkins are together, a pair of Arizona natives who “will be able to share Sundays together watching the game,” Bradish said, cheering on the Cardinals.
And Lyles, whose ball dribbled off Polanco’s bat and barely left the infield?
“I’m a very strong fantasy football competitor,” Lyles said. “I don’t need help. I don’t need any outside voices.”
Baltimore Orioles Insider
As players and coaches stood around the batting cage at home plate Wednesday afternoon, there were groans whenever Polanco rolled over on a ball and shouts when he connected well. After the round finished, the players spread out in the outfield to determine the distances.
The drive into the deepest part of left-center field gave Akin’s squad the first choice, but manager Brandon Hyde’s team wound up last. Still, despite taking an undesirable spot — which, in a 12-team draft, tends to be around Nos. 6 and 8 — Hyde got to see yet another example of Baltimore’s budding clubhouse energy.
There are T-shirts, on-field celebrations and now a championship belt for the player of the game.
“I love all that kind of stuff,” Hyde said. “Anything you can do right now to keep it loose, keep it light, celebrate wins, congratulate each other, I’m all for it.”
Last year, when the Orioles determined their fantasy draft order, they resorted to picking names out of a hat. They stepped up this year, as they have in so many facets, entering Wednesday just 2 1/2 games back of the final American League wild-card spot. Lyles said he considered a golf chipping contest, but they didn’t regret deciding on Polanco taking batting practice.
And as the season comes to a close, having a new talking point in the clubhouse is welcome.
“It’s the perfect storm,” Vespi said. “You have competition, and you can chat with the boys.” | https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-fantasy-football-league-draft-order-20220825-gktiix3birbh7mcil3olm7cgha-story.html | 2022-08-25T11:40:34Z | https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-fantasy-football-league-draft-order-20220825-gktiix3birbh7mcil3olm7cgha-story.html | true |
NOPEC Opts to Transition Customers to Utility Default Service – Residential and Small Business Customers To Get Lower Prices
SOLON, Ohio, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 550,000 electricity customers across Ohio will soon start saving money on their electric bills, with NOPEC taking proactive steps to save its electric customers money on their electric bills for the remainder of this year and into the Spring of 2023.
The Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) is transitioning electric customers enrolled in its Standard Program Price option back to the utility default service, allowing its customers to take advantage of the utilities' currently lower monthly rate, referenced as the "Price to Compare" on their monthly bills. As a result, NOPEC customers' electric generation rates are expected to be substantially below the forecasted market prices through the next approximately seven-month period.
"As a consumer-focused non-profit, NOPEC is always operating and advocating for what's best for our communities and customers," said Chuck Keiper, NOPEC's Executive Director. "When we looked at the price forecasts, it became increasingly apparent that the Price to Compare rate would be a better place for our customers to be through Winter 2023 to save significant money during these economically challenging times."
While individual customers who previously contacted NOPEC could change their rate to the lower utility rate at no charge, Keiper said the organization decided "it was in all our consumers' best interest" to make the wholesale change and temporarily switch its more than a half-million customers to the utility service.
NOPEC said it worked with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) on the NOPEC customer transfer. NOPEC electric customers do not have to do anything to start getting the lower rates and will not be charged any fee to transfer. NOPEC will immediately notify the electric utilities to return its Standard Program Price accounts to the default service. Depending on each customer's meter read date, it may take one to two billing cycles for the transfer to take effect. Customers will receive a letter from NOPEC detailing the reason for the change and direction regarding where they can go for more information. Customers may also receive a notice from their utility confirming the change.
NOPEC natural gas customers, however, should remain in the aggregation, Keiper said, as NOPEC's current natural gas price is still lower than other retail offers as well as the current Dominion East Ohio and Columbia Gas default service rates.
"That will result in additional savings for our gas customers as we enter the fall and winter heating season," Keiper said. "Our customers should see lower gas prices than the rates offered by the utilities and other retail competitors."
About 75% of all NOPEC communities currently receive both electric and gas supply through NOPEC.
By Spring 2023, NOPEC is forecasting that energy markets will normalize and its electric rates will be in line with the utilities' newly established Price to Compare and all eligible customers in NOPEC member communities will be notified via mail that they will be automatically re-enrolled in NOPEC at that time, unless they notify NOPEC that they wish to opt out.
Utility customers across the nation have been seeing higher bills as energy markets experience unprecedented inflation because of escalating global and domestic economic issues and hotter than normal weather driving up demand. NOPEC is not immune to this inflationary spike, putting current electricity prices in sharp contrast to the historically low pricing NOPEC customers have enjoyed over the past 20+ years. NOPEC and other retailer's current electric rates are higher than the utility's PTC because the utility's rate was determined largely in auctions conducted prior to April 2022, when energy prices were considerably lower.
"We know that households everywhere are struggling with higher bills," Keiper said. "In our member communities, we had the option to do something to help our customers save money. We're taking that option and doing what is right for consumers."
The Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) is the largest nonprofit governmental energy aggregator in Ohio supplying electricity and natural gas to over 1 million residential and small business accounts in 242 communities and 19 counties statewide.
Since 2001, NOPEC has saved Ohio consumers hundreds of millions of dollars on their energy costs through our consumer advocacy efforts. NOPEC has also awarded over $40 million in community energy-efficiency grants. For more information about NOPEC, visit us at nopec.org.
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SOURCE NOPEC | https://www.cleveland19.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/nopec-electric-customers-see-savings-after-pro-consumer-action/ | 2022-08-25T11:41:23Z | https://www.cleveland19.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/nopec-electric-customers-see-savings-after-pro-consumer-action/ | true |
NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Levi & Korsinsky, LLP notifies investors in Missfresh Limited ("Missfresh" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: MF) of a class action securities lawsuit.
CLASS DEFINITION: The lawsuit seeks to recover losses on behalf of Missfresh investors who were adversely affected by alleged securities fraud. This lawsuit is on behalf of persons who purchased or otherwise acquired Missfresh securities pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and related prospectus issued in connection with Missfresh's June 2021 initial public offering. Follow the link below to get more information and be contacted by a member of our team:
MF investors may also contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. via email at jlevi@levikorsinsky.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500.
CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that defendants made false statements and/or concealed that: (1) Missfresh provided false financial figures in its registration statement and related prospectus issued in connection with the Company's June 2021 initial public offering; (2) Missfresh would need to amend its financial figures; (3) Missfresh, among other things, had lesser net revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2021; and (4) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times and negligently prepared.
WHAT'S NEXT? If you suffered a loss in Missfresh during the relevant time frame, you have until September 12, 2022 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
NO COST TO YOU: If you are a class member, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket costs or fees. There is no cost or obligation to participate.
WHY LEVI & KORSINSKY: Over the past 20 years, the team at Levi & Korsinsky has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders and built a track record of winning high-stakes cases. Our firm has extensive expertise representing investors in complex securities litigation and a team of over 70 employees to serve our clients. For seven years in a row, Levi & Korsinsky has ranked in ISS Securities Class Action Services' Top 50 Report as one of the top securities litigation firms in the United States.
CONTACT:
Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
Joseph E. Levi, Esq.
Ed Korsinsky, Esq.
55 Broadway, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10006
jlevi@levikorsinsky.com
Tel: (212) 363-7500
Fax: (212) 363-7171
www.zlk.com
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SOURCE Levi & Korsinsky, LLP | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/mf-lawsuit-alert-levi-amp-korsinsky-notifies-missfresh-limited-investors-class-action-lawsuit-upcoming-deadline/ | 2022-08-25T11:41:31Z | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/mf-lawsuit-alert-levi-amp-korsinsky-notifies-missfresh-limited-investors-class-action-lawsuit-upcoming-deadline/ | false |
HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hangzhou Tigermed Consulting Co., Ltd. ("Tigermed" or the "company") (Stock code: 300347.SZ / 3347.HK), a leading global provider of integrated research and development solutions for biopharmaceutical and medical device industry, announced its interim results for the first half of 2022, ended June 30, 2022 (the "Reporting Period").
This press release is for information and summary only and is not intended to provide any representation, in whole or in part, of the relevant matters. For further information, please refer to the 2022 interim results and relevant announcements published on the websites of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (www.szse.cn) and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (www.hkexnews.hk).
All financials disclosed in this press release are prepared based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) except for those specifically noted otherwise. The 2022 Interim Results of the company has not been audited.
First Half 2022 Financial Highlights
- Total revenue achieved 74.8% year-over-year ("YoY") growth to RMB 3,594.2 million during the Reporting Period.
- Adjusted Non-IFRS net profit attributable to owners increased by 26.6% YoY to RMB 876.5 million during the Reporting Period(1).
- Segment revenue generated from Clinical Trial Solutions reached RMB 2,172.1 million and that from Clinical-related and Lab Services reached RMB 1,422.1 million, representing a YoY growth of 110.1% and 39.0%, respectively.
- Geographically, China's revenue increased by 51.3% YoY to RMB 1,680.8 million. The company overseas revenue increased by 102.3% YoY to RMB 1,913.4 million during the Reporting Period.
As of June 30, 2022, Tigermed had 607 ongoing drug clinical research projects, including 207 overseas projects, and 403 ongoing medical device projects(2). During the reporting period, Tigermed Regulatory Affairs had 1,124 accumulated projects, meanwhile, the number of new US FDA-related projects increased by 67%. As of June 30, 2022, Tigermed Pharmacovigilance added 177 new projects. Our Medical Translation business ranked 57th globally (5th in Chinese Mainland and 15th in Asia Pacific) in the 2022 CSA Research Largest Language Service Providers Ranking(3).
As of June 30, 2022, total number of Data Management & Statistical Analysis ("DMSA") customers increased to 208, which is also the largest DMSA service provider in China with 13.4% market share(4). Besides, Tigermed had 1,469 ongoing projects for Site Management services and 164 E-site centers as well as 67 core centers for Excellent for Clinical Trial Sites ("E-Site").
Frontage expanded bioanalytical, biologics bioassay, and biomarker services through a newly operational 25,000 sq. ft. facility in Hayward, CA. Frontage new facilities in Shanghai, Suzhou, and Wuhan for bioanalytical, central lab, DMPK, medicinal chemistry, non-GLP/GLP tox, and drug screening became operational in 1H2022.
During the reporting period, Tigermed continued to strengthen its industry leadership in the Clinical Service Market. According to Frost & Sullivan, Tigermed had the largest market share of 12.5% in China's clinical outsourcing market in 2021(5). Moreover, Tigermed is the only China-based clinical service provider ranked among the global top 10 with a 1.3% market share in 2021(5). Tigermed provided services to 56.6% of all Class I innovative drug approvals in China from 2016 to 1H2022, and enabled successful approvals of 4 Class I innovative drugs in 1H 2022. Furthermore, Tigermed accounted for 12.5% of total Human Genetic Resource Administration of China (HGRAC) clinical research project filings in 2021-1H2022(6).
During the reporting period, Tigermed expanded its global footprint. As of June 30, 2022, Tigermed had 26 overseas subsidiaries and set up new subsidiaries in UK, Netherland, and Vietnam in 1H2022, representing a worldwide network in 53 countries across 5 continents. With the global presence and expertise, Tigermed acquired more than 50 new bookings for overseas clinical trials and registration projects as of June 30, 2022.
Tigermed was rated AAA, the highest ranking, in 2022 CNI ESG Ratings by Shenzhen Stock Exchange, which showcased the company's strong commitment to embedding sound sustainability and ESG practices into corporate strategy. In addition, Tigermed updated its Branding Positioning, adhering to the mission "Advance human health through delivery excellence" with a new brand identity "Passion for Innovation", which better demonstrated Tigermed international CRO brand image in all aspects and will take Tigermed forward to the future.
Management Comment
"In the first half of 2022, Tigermed achieved robust growth in business performance, which were driven by our successful implementation of globalization, digitalization, and innovation-driven strategy, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Ms. Xiaochun Cao, the President of Tigermed. "We will continue to leverage our competitive advantage of global clinical service capabilities and empower pharmaceutical innovation. Looking ahead, we will continue to build on our integrated platform to enable boundless possibilities for healthcare innovation, and to fulfill our commitment to serve unmet medical needs and save patients' lives."
Forward-Looking Statements
The information communicated herein may contain certain "forward-looking statements", which are not historical facts but instead include predictions about future events based on our beliefs and information currently made available to us. Although we believe that these predictions are reasonable on the date hereof, future events are inherently uncertain and these forward-looking statements may turn out to be incorrect. Forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty by nature because they relate to events and will depend on circumstances that will occur in the future relating to, inter alia, our ability to compete effectively, our ability to develop and market new service offerings, our ability to expand into new markets, the risks associated with listed subsidiaries of the Company, unforeseeable international tensions, regulatory or governmental scrutiny in certain countries, the impact of emergencies and other force majeure events. We undertake no obligations to update forward-looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments except as required by applicable laws or listing rules. Any investment in any securities issued by the Company or its subsidiaries will also involve certain risks. There may be additional material risks that are currently not considered to be material or of which the Company and its advisors or representatives are unaware. Against the background of these uncertainties, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements.
Non-IFRS Measure
To supplement our financial information which are presented in accordance with IFRS, we use adjusted net profit attributable to owners of the Company as an additional financial measure, which is not required by, or presented in accordance with IFRS. We define adjusted net profit attributable to owners of the Company as profit for the year attributable to owners of the Company before certain expenses and amortization. We define adjusted net profit attributable to owners of the Company as profit attributable to owners of the Company adjusted for (1) share-based compensation expense, (2) net foreign exchange loss/(gain), (3) amortization of intangible assets arising from acquisitions, (4) listing expenses incurred by our Group, and (5) increase in fair value of financial assets at FVTPL. Adjusted net profit attributable to owners of the Company is not an alternative to (i) profit before tax, profit for the year or profit for the year attributable to owners of the Company (as determined in accordance with IFRS) as a measure of our operating performance, (ii) cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities as a measure of our ability to meet our cash needs, or (iii) any other measures of performance or liquidity. We believe that this non-IFRS measure is useful for understanding and assessing underlying business performance and operating trends, and that the owners of the company and we may benefit from referring to this non-IFRS measure in assessing our financial performance by eliminating the impact of certain unusual, non-recurring, non-cash and/or non-operating items that we do not consider indicative of the performance of our business. However, the presentation of this non-IFRS measure is not intended to, and should not, be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with the IFRS. You should not view the non-IFRS measure on a stand-alone basis or as a substitute for results under the IFRS, or as being comparable to results or a similarly titled financial measure reported or forecasted by other companies.
About Tigermed
Tigermed (Stock code: 300347.SZ/3347.HK) is a leading global provider of integrated research and development solutions for biopharmaceutical and medical device industry. With a broad portfolio of services and a promise of quality, from preclinical development to clinical trial to commercialization, we are committed to moving our customers through their development journey efficiently and cost-effectively. Tigermed currently represents a worldwide network of more than 100 subsidiaries and 170 offices and sites, with over 9,000 employees across 53 countries in Asia Pacific, Europe, North & South America and Africa. We are devoted to building an integrated platform that enables boundless possibility for healthcare industry, embracing challenges to fulfill our commitment to serve unmet patients' needs, and eventually saving lives.
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SOURCE Tigermed | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/tigermed-reports-2022-interim-result-with-strong-financial-growth/ | 2022-08-25T11:45:02Z | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/tigermed-reports-2022-interim-result-with-strong-financial-growth/ | true |
HONG KONG, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CNOOC Limited (the "Company", SEHK: 00883, SSE: 600938) today announced its 2022 interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2022.
During the period, the Company focused on the main business sector of hydrocarbon exploration and development. It pressed ahead with the "three major programs", namely, Reserves & Production Augmentation, Independent Technological Innovation and Green Energy Transition. It implemented the campaign of Quality and Efficiency Dual Upgrading. Solid progress had been made and the operating results reached the best level of the same period. On 21 April, the Company successfully completed its first RMB share issuance and was listed on the main board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The IPO will broaden the financing channels for its sustainable development while adding high-quality investment target to China's capital market.
In the first half of the year, the Company carefully deployed exploration workloads and its resource base for sustainable development was further fortified. In offshore China, 2 middle-to-large sized discoveries, namely Bozhong 26-6 and Bozhong 19-2, were made and confirmed. In overseas, 5 new discoveries were made in Stabroek block in Guyana. The recoverable resources of Stabroek block have reached approximately 11 billion BOE. In terms of unconventional resources growth, new breakthrough was made in offshore shale oil exploration, and the fracturing experiment in onshore deep coalbed methane layers was successfully completed.
The Company dedicated great efforts to increase oil and gas production, and net production hit a record high for the same period, reaching 304.8 million BOE, representing a year-on-year("YoY") increase of 9.6%. The decline rate of the producing oilfields in China was brought under effective control. Overseas, the net production of the projects exceeded the set goals. New projects such as Weizhou 12-8E oilfield development project and Liza Phase II in Guyana have been commissioned successfully. Other major projects under construction such as Enping, Lufeng and Kenli have progressed steadily.
The Company vigorously enhanced the quality and efficiency of its operations, and effectively organized its production to seize the favorable time window of high oil prices, thereby recording highest net profit and revenue so far, highlighting the strong capability of the management. In the first half of the year, the oil and gas sales revenue reached RMB176.68 billion, up by 75.6% YoY. The net profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Company reached RMB 71.89 billion, representing a significant increase of 115.7% YoY. The earnings per share was RMB1.57. Benefiting from effective cost control, all-in cost in the first half of 2022 was US$30.32 per BOE, operating cost was US$7.77 per BOE. The Company's capital expenditure amounted to approximately RMB 41.6 billion, increased by 15.4% YoY, providing a strong support for future reserves and production growth.
The Company has always attached great importance to shareholder returns. The Board of Directors has decided to declare an interim dividend of HK$0.70 per share (tax inclusive), which hits a record high.
The Company continued to make breakthroughs in technological innovation. After the launch of the "Shenhai-1" energy station last year, in the first half of this year, the Company successfully installed "Haiji-1" jacket platform, the first deepwater jacket in Asia, independently designed and built. The first set of shallow-water subsea wellhead and Christmas tree and the first set of deep-water subsea wellhead and Christmas tree passed the sea trials, both independently developed by the Company. The Company strives to excavate hydrocarbon in a digital and intelligent way. The application of shore power at Qinhuangdao 32-6 oilfield helped to build it into the benchmark project of offshore "smart oilfields" and created a new model of "intelligent, safe and efficient" exploitation of offshore oil and gas resources.
The Company steadily advances green development. Green electricity was utilized on a large scale on offshore platforms for the first time. It actively explored the new mode of offshore green and low-carbon industry, and jointly launched China's first largescale offshore CCS/CCUS hub research project in Daya Bay. Levering its marine advantages, the Company started the construction of Wenchang deep-sea floating wind farm demonstration project, utilizing domestic technologies.
In the first half of this year, the Company continued to implement the normalized epidemic prevention measures. The production of the Company remained safe and stable.
Mr. Wang Dongjin, Chairman of the Company, said, "In the first half of 2022, the external environment was complicated. The Company seized the favorable opportunities and made proactive moves to reach record-high operating results. We will pay close attention to the international situation and industry trends. We will continue to pursue a high-quality development, so that we can reach the goals we set at the year beginning and create more value for shareholders."
Notes to Editors:
More information about the Company is available at http://www.cnoocltd.com.
This press release includes forward looking information, including statements regarding the likely future developments in the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, such as expected future events, business prospects or financial results. The words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective","ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by the Company as of this date in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that the Company currently believes are appropriate under the circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will meet the current expectations and predictions of the Company is uncertain. Actual results, performance and financial condition may differ materially from the Company's expectations, including but not limited to those associated with macro-political and economic factors, fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas prices, the highly competitive nature of the oil and natural gas industry, climate change and environment policies, the Company's price forecast, mergers, acquisitions and divestments activities, HSSE and insurance policies and changes in anti-corruption, anti-fraud, anti-money laundering and corporate governance laws.
Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this presentation are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company cannot assure that the results or developments anticipated will be realised or, even if substantially realised, that they will have the expected effect on the Company, its business or operations.
For further enquiries, please contact:
Ms. Ariel Wang
Media & Public Relations
CNOOC Limited
Tel: +86-10-8452-6832
Fax: +86-10-8452-1441
E-mail: mr@cnooc.com.cn
Mr. Bunny Lee
Porda Havas International Finance Communications Group
Tel: +852 3150 6707
Fax: +852 3150 6728
E-mail: cnooc.hk@pordahavas.com
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SOURCE CNOOC Limited | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/net-profit-doubled-record-high-dividend-declared/ | 2022-08-25T11:50:33Z | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/net-profit-doubled-record-high-dividend-declared/ | true |
FORT WORTH, Texas and SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Starr Conspiracy, an experience agency for brands that put employees first to build business value, announced today being named to the prestigious Best Workplaces for Innovators list by Fast Company and one of only 11 small businesses to be recognized alongside the likes of Google, Microsoft, SAP, and many other global technology companies.
The Fast Company Innovators list honors organizations that foster a culture of innovation. The Starr Conspiracy dubs its winning approach the reverse mullet — party in the front and business in the back. Or, put another way, putting the employee experience first to impact the customer experience.
The Starr Conspiracy invests first in its employees' needs — in their safety, finances, and emotional and physical well-being through things like unlimited PTO, flexible work schedules, a decentralized system of opting into work, blocked quiet time for focused work, three-day weekends, and a digital-by-default/remote work structure. It also gave profit-sharing bonuses for the first time in 2021.
"Invest in your people first because the employee and customer experience cannot be separated," said Ashley Bernard, vice president of client services at The Starr Conspiracy. "We've designed a work culture that supports our people and focuses on defining moments in the employee and, by extension, the customer experience."
The Starr Conspiracy is focusing on the future of work by helping its HR and work technology clients understand the connection between the user experience, customer experience, and employee experience.
"Experiences are not siloed and they are often specific, defining moments that are critical to brand loyalty, whether you're talking about employees or customers," said Bret Starr, CEO of The Starr Conspiracy. "Our goal is to create a decentralized autonomous organization that supports people so they are better able to focus and create a great experience for our customers."
Developed in collaboration with Accenture, the 2022 Best Workplaces for Innovators ranks 100 winners from a variety of industries, consumer products, and services. Fast Company editors and Accenture researchers worked together to score nearly 1,500 applications, and a panel of eight eminent judges reviewed and endorsed the top 100 companies and 11 small businesses. The 2022 awards feature workplaces from around the world.
"This year's list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators recognizes organizations that have demonstrated a deep commitment to cultivating creativity across the board," said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "In the face of powerful headwinds, these leaders and teams continue to spur innovation."
To see the elite list of small businesses acknowledged by the Fast Company award, go to: https://www.fastcompany.com/90769088/best-workplaces-for-innovators-2022-11-small-company-standouts.
The Starr Conspiracy is an experience agency for brands that put employees first to build business value. We have the expertise to create defining moments that will transform your business.
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SOURCE The Starr Conspiracy | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/starr-conspiracy-named-2022-fast-company-best-workplaces-innovators/ | 2022-08-25T11:52:21Z | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/starr-conspiracy-named-2022-fast-company-best-workplaces-innovators/ | false |
‘Bad Sisters’ series review: A cathartic dark comedy-thriller that rides on some fabulous performances
One can’t help but be captivated by the ensemble cast’s performances, with a special mention to Claes Bang for his nauseating portrayal of the sadist that is John Paul
Women are back on our screen plotting to kill and it is all the more hilarious this time around.
Bad Sisters set in Dublin, Ireland and created by Sharon Horgan chronicles the lives of the Garvey sisters — Eva (Sharon Horgan), Becka (Eve Hewson), Ursula (Eva Birthistle) Bibi (Sarah Greene) and Grace (Anne-Marie Duff) — who are bound together by the premature death of their parents. Each sister falls into a neat caricaturish box prepared by social conventions: Eva is the eldest who took over the reins of raising her sisters after their parents’ death; Grace, the devoted wife with a controlling husband; Ursula, a nurse unhappy in her marriage who seeks comfort in an extramarital affair with her photography teacher; Bibi, the eye-patch wearing impulsive woman who comes across as a hardened misandrist; and Becka, the naive, romantic masseuse who is yet to figure out the purpose of her life.
The series starts off with the funeral of Grace’s husband John Paul (Claes Bang). The contempt the sisters share towards him is ripe even when his coffin is being lowered into the ground; only Grace is seen mourning her husband. The mystery surrounding the circumstances of his death is maintained for nearly nine episodes and works as the hook of the show.
Half-brothers Matthew Claffin (Daryl McCormack) and Thomas Claffin (Brian Gleeson) who run the ‘Claffin & Sons’ insurance agency are responsible to pay off the insurance on John Paul to Grace. However, the brothers who suspect his accidental death to be murder become amateur sleuths to uncover the truth, and in the process, make for great storytellers to keep the show going. The timeline jumps between the present day and weeks (in some cases years) leading up to John Paul’s death.
One can’t help but be captivated by the ensemble cast’s performances, with a special mention to Claes Bang for his nauseating portrayal of the sadist that is John Paul. On the surface, he looks like an everyday misogynist white man who liked to control his wife and daughter, and make the lives of women around him miserable. He’s also a snitch and liar who, as a kid, liked to kill frogs by drowning them in milk; it almost feels like he’s allergic to seeing women happy.
As the Claffin brothers continue their investigation, the audience is reeled back in time to piece together the lives of the Garvey sisters. John Paul gives each of his sisters-in-law a sound reason to plot his murder. The sisters’ plans start taking shape right from the second episode with almost all of them going awry; Eva even remarks on one instance that their brother-in-law is like a cockroach who cannot be killed. While the audience is not new to female characters who plot murder, Bad Sisters adds value to the plot with its dark comedy which is well-crafted and helps reinforce the sisters’ vengeance toward the cold, conniving and calculating frog-killer. The humour helps the characters of the sisters take life on-screen, unlike the blind female rage we are used to being served in titles like Promising Young Woman.
The men in the show — excluding John Paul — are mostly kind, warm, and understanding of the sisters, and make for great supporting characters while also serving as a great point of reference to comprehend Paul’s depravity.
Pleasing to the eyes and ears and progressing at the right pace, the show is produced beautifully and serves up a cathartic watch. Bad Sisters serves as a great addition to the arsenal of stories about funny women who love fiercely and don’t mind occasionally plotting to kill a man to save themselves.
Bad Sisters is currently streaming on Apple TV+
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This paper aimed\nOtoblock Sensational Success!! The Most Trashed Top Toys Are Goon On The Best Ware This Holid\nOur Product was a sensation oversees too. We received awards & nominaties at prestigiaous Design-Fairs (interiors) around europe. All big toys companies was looking, asking in the media- and our local dealere showed us as top example for quality of \"makedinmade production (LEX 18) — Books are something so many of us take for granted. But for flood survivors in Eastern Kentucky, damaged and destroyed libraries are just another reminder of what they’ve lost.
Letcher County librarian Tessa Fugate-Caudill has spent the past few weeks cleaning out the Fleming Neon branch in Neon. Much of it is beyond repair—books, computers, and historical documents.
“Libraries are so much more than just books,” said Fugate-Caudill. “A lot of our people have lost their gathering space, their hangout spot. Our kids' programs that are so popular.”
Floodwaters also damaged the Blackey branch and destroyed the county’s bookmobile.
“That really hurts, because he travels to the parts of our county where people tend to almost be forgotten about,” said Fugate-Caudill. “They’re definitely underserved populations of Letcher County. Not just the faraway places where people can’t get to a branch but the homebound, elderly, people that are sick.”
Last week, Kentucky author Kim Michele Richardson organized a GoFundMe for the Letcher County public libraries. So far, it’s raised nearly $16,000 of the $25,000 goal. She told LEX 18 she felt called to fund raise for the libraries in part because she writes historical fiction inspired by Eastern Kentucky librarians from the 1930’s and 1940’s.
Fugate-Caudill is grateful for all of the help but says she knows there’s a long way to go. Right now, she hopes the Fleming Neon branch can reopen by March.
Meanwhile, the historic flooding also destroyed two elementary school libraries and one middle school library in Letcher County.
Superintendent Denise Yonts asked for donated books online and says the district has received so many, they no longer have space to store them. That’s where Pulaski County schools come in.
Music teacher Jeremy Cole is organizing a book drive that runs until September 2. People can drop off books in good condition to any school in Pulaski County. Cole says they will store them until Letcher County schools are able to take them.
Another way to help get books to flood survivors in Eastern Kentucky is by purchasing them online from bookstores in the area. This idea came from the owner of Plaid Elephant Books in Danville.
She says if you’d like to buy books and help impacted small businesses at the same time, order books online from bookshop.org. You can choose to purchase books from, for example, Read Spotted Newt in Hazard. | https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/kentuckians-fundraise-collect-books-for-libraries-destroyed-by-floodwaters | 2022-08-25T11:55:32Z | https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/kentuckians-fundraise-collect-books-for-libraries-destroyed-by-floodwaters | false |
BBC boss insists `no influence´ from Government in Emily Maitlis Newsnight case
The BBC’s chief content officer has insisted that “in no way was there any influence from the Government or the board” on the BBC over its decision to rebuke Emily Maitlis over her Newsnight monologue.
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Charlotte Moore said the former BBC journalist’s MacTaggart Lecture on Wednesday had been on an “incredibly important subject”.
Maitlis, who left the broadcaster this year for rival media group Global, used the speech to argue the media has failed to adapt to a change in politics and was guilty of “normalising” populist ideas.
Emily Maitlis at the Edinburgh TV Festival (Jane Barlow/PA)
She also claimed the BBC had “sought to pacify” Number 10 by issuing a swift apology following her 2020 segment about Dominic Cummings’ lockdown trip to Durham.
The broadcaster received more than 20,000 complaints and ruled Maitlis breached impartiality rules, saying in a statement: “We believe the introduction we broadcast did not meet our standards of due impartiality.”
At the festival on Thursday, Ms Moore said impartiality is “particularly important for the BBC”, adding she feels viewers expect that from the broadcaster, especially when it comes to holding politicians to account.
Reflecting on Maitlis’ Newsnight comments about Mr Cummings, who was then Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, Moore said that everybody at the BBC was held to standards of “due impartiality”.
Responding to her speech on Thursday, the BBC said: “As we have made clear previously in relation to Newsnight we did not take action as a result of any pressure from Number 10 or Government and to suggest otherwise is wrong.”
Ms Moore also hit back at Channel 4’s chief content officer Ian Katz, who earlier in the day described the current trend of TV reboots as “depressing”.
She said reviving older shows takes creativity, can be “challenging” and that you have to do it “judiciously” and with “real intent to reinvent it for a new generation” before adding: “They brought Bake Off and repeated that.”
Ian Katz (House of Commons/PA)
Ms Moore also said she wishes all of the high-profile staff who have left the BBC in the past year well and said that the departures provide great opportunity for new talent to come up in their place.
She said she was “sorry to see them go”, but that is was the “natural course of things in a competitive landscape” and that if other outlets did not want to poach BBC talent, then they would be “getting it wrong”.
She added that the BBC will continue to grow and adapt, adding that she does not feel people leaving is causing the broadcaster to struggle to find new talent.
Elsewhere during the panel, Moore defended the decision to bring BBC Three back as a TV channel while planning to move certain channels like BBC Four online.
She added that she feels their “shows are very good value for audiences” and feels it is important to have the channels outside their main ones to “drive and grow iPlayer”.
Moore added that they will not close those extra channels until they think they do not bring value to audiences.
Kate Phillips, director of BBC unscripted, also told the festival audience she is “so excited” for the BBC to broadcast Eurovision 2023, but recognised it is not a cheap event for the broadcaster to take on.
She said the song content is a “massive beast”, but highlighted it has a “complex funding structure” which includes funding from EBU, participants and from the host city.
“I do not want people to worry that I am taking all the unscripted money… that is absolutely not the case,” she added. | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-11145295/BBC-boss-insists-no-influence-Government-Emily-Maitlis-Newsnight-case.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | 2022-08-25T11:56:20Z | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-11145295/BBC-boss-insists-no-influence-Government-Emily-Maitlis-Newsnight-case.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | true |
TD Bank quarterly profit beats estimates
TORONTO, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Toronto-Dominion Bank beat analysts' estimates for third-quarter profit on Thursday, on the back of growth in the lender's Canadian and U.S. retail banking units.
Net income excluding one-off items was C$3.81 billion, or C$2.09 per share, in the three months ended July 31, compared with C$3.63 billion, or C$1.96 per share, a year earlier. Analysts had expected C$2.04 a share, according to Refinitiv data.
Canada's second-largest lender reported overall net profit of C$3.21 billion, or C$1.75 a share, from C$3.55 billion, or C$1.92 per share, a year earlier. (Reporting By Nichola Saminather in Toronto and Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-11145173/TD-Bank-quarterly-profit-beats-estimates.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | 2022-08-25T11:57:51Z | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-11145173/TD-Bank-quarterly-profit-beats-estimates.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | true |
Tesla shares in the limelight as 3-1 stock split kicks in
By Akash Sriram
Aug 25 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc's shares take center stage on Thursday after the world's most valuable automaker split its stock for the second time in as many years to woo more retail investors.
Shares of the electric-car maker rose 1.5% to $301.5 in premarket trading. The stock closed at $891.29 on Wednesday before the three-for-one split took effect.
"Tesla knows it needs to retain its clout with the retail crowd, especially after this past year-plus of retail investors flexing their muscles," said Callie Cox, analyst at trading and investment platform eToro.
Tesla's shares have fallen about 11% since the company announced in March plans to increase its number of shares and are trading nearly flat so far this month.
"In typical buy-the-rumor, sell-the-news style, investors tend to drastically scale back purchases of splitting stocks in the weeks ensuing the effective split date, causing price momentum to slow," analysts at Vanda Research said in a note.
Tesla's ticker was trending on social media stocktwits.com, indicating increased chatter among individual investors.
High-growth companies, including Amazon.com and Google-parent Alphabet, have announced share splits this year, highlighting the increasing need to diversify their investor base.
Tesla had split its stock on a five-for-one basis in August 2020.
A stock split does not affect the fundamentals of a company, but makes it easier for individual investors looking to do small trades. However, the benefits of stock splits are becoming less clear as brokerages let customers buy parts of a company's share.
Tesla shares, which debuted at $17 in 2010, rose to more than $1,200 after the stock split in 2020, taking the company's market capitalization above $1 trillion late last year.
However, the shares have fallen about 16% this year as worries over aggressive U.S. interest rate increases and geopolitical uncertainty triggered a sell-off in high-growth stocks.
Tesla's latest three-for-one split means that stock holders will get two additional shares for each share that they owned as of Aug. 17. (Reporting by Akash Sriram and Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila) | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-11145195/Tesla-shares-limelight-3-1-stock-split-kicks-in.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | 2022-08-25T11:58:16Z | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-11145195/Tesla-shares-limelight-3-1-stock-split-kicks-in.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | false |
(The Hill) — Authorities say they are investigating a 911 call that claimed a shooting was taking place at Georiga Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R) home early Wednesday morning.
The Rome Police Department said in a statement that officers responded to a 911 call at 1:03 a.m. claiming an individual was shot multiple times at Greene’s house.
“She assured the officers there was no issue, and the call was determined to be a false call commonly known as ‘swatting,’” the statement read.
Officials said they received a second call from the suspect, who was using a computer-generated voice, saying they were upset about Greene’s view on transgender youth rights.
The lawmaker has been an outspoken opponent of transgender rights and last week introduced a bill to make gender-affirming care a felony.
The Rome Police Department said they are investigating the incident alongside the U.S. Capitol Police. Capitol Police did not immediately return a request for comment.
Greene first revealed the incident in a tweet on Wednesday morning.
“Last night, I was swatted just after 1 am,” she tweeted. “I can’t express enough gratitude to my local law enforcement here in Rome, Floyd County. More details to come.”
When asked for further comment, Greene’s office called it a “political attack.”
“Right now, Congresswoman Greene’s safety is our number one concern,” her office said in a statement. “Late last night, she was a victim of a political attack on her family and home. Whoever who committed this violent crime will face the full extent of the law.”
Kandiss Taylor, a Georgia Republican who received 3.4 percent of the vote in the state’s May gubernatorial primary, also said she was swatted last month. | https://www.wfla.com/news/national/police-investigating-swatting-call-directed-at-marjorie-taylor-greenes-home/ | 2022-08-25T12:00:39Z | https://www.wfla.com/news/national/police-investigating-swatting-call-directed-at-marjorie-taylor-greenes-home/ | true |
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia’s military has launched a “large-scale” offensive for the first time in a year in the northern Tigray region, Tigray authorities alleged Wednesday, while the government countered that Tigray forces attacked first. It’s a significant setback to mediation efforts as millions of people remain starved of food and other needs.
The conflict began in November 2020, killing thousands of people in Africa’s second-most populous country. Now, as then, both sides have acted at a moment when the world was focused elsewhere — the U.S. presidential election in 2020 and the six-month mark of the Ukraine war Wednesday.
The conflict calmed in recent months amid slow-moving mediation efforts. But last week, the spokeswoman for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed asserted that Tigray authorities were “refusing to accept peace talks,” and this week, Ethiopia’s military warned the public against reporting troop movements.
For their part, an Aug. 23 letter signed by Tigray leader Debretsion Gebremichael and shared with The Associated Press said Tigray leaders had “conducted two rounds of confidential face-to-face talks with senior military and civilian officials” — the first confirmation of direct talks. But it said “unacceptable conditions have been inserted into the peace process,” and urged the international community to step in quickly.
All sides have committed abuses in the conflict. On Wednesday, the United Nations said Tigray forces “forcibly entered” a World Food Program warehouse in the regional capital, Mekele, and took 12 fuel tankers meant for the delivery of badly needed humanitarian aid.
The Tigray military command said Ethiopian forces, along with fighters from the neighboring Amhara region, “started a large-scale attack around 5:00 a.m. in the direction of Alamata, southern Tigray.”
Ethiopia’s government said Tigray forces attacked first and warned that if attacks continue, “the government will take measures to save the country … and bring (Tigray forces) to the negotiating table whether it likes it or not.”
Ethiopia’s government has said it’s ready for talks, but insists the African Union must lead mediation efforts. Tigray authorities criticize the continental body’s efforts and urgently seek the resumption of telephone, banking and other services that have been largely cut off to the region of 6 million people since the war began.
Earlier this month, World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, an ethnic Tigrayan, described the crisis in Tigray as “the worst disaster on Earth” and wondered aloud if the reason global leaders have not responded was due to “the color of the skin of the people in Tigray.”
Humanitarian aid began flowing to Tigray earlier this year, but the World Food Program last week said that with little fuel allowed, “this is yet to translate into increased humanitarian assistance.” The U.N. agency said malnutrition has “skyrocketed,” with 29% of children malnourished and 2.4 million people severely food insecure.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “deeply shocked” by the resumption of fighting and called for an immediate cease-fire and resumption of talks along with “the full guarantee of humanitarian access to people in need and the reestablishment of public services.”
The humanitarian crisis extends to millions of people in the Amhara and Afar regions, while thousands of Tigrayans now live in refugee camps in Sudan.
The AU envoy, former Nigerian President Olesegun Obasanjo, didn’t respond to questions. Like other envoys from the United States and European Union who have visited Tigray, he has said little about mediation efforts.
The fighting resume as the president of neighboring Kenya, who has tried to mediate with U.S. support, to Ethiopia’s annoyance, prepares to leave office.
“This is one of the most important and brutal conflicts on Earth,” U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, told journalists after completing a five-country Africa visit during which he discussed Ethiopia with the presidents of Kenya and Rwanda.
“I actually had left Africa two days ago somewhat optimistic about the path forward for mediation, so (the renewed fighting) is very disheartening to hear,” said Coons, who visited Ethiopia last year as an envoy of President Joe Biden. “I have been very disappointed that Prime Minister Abiy has not made more progress in meeting the commitments he made” including on humanitarian and media access, he said.
The renewed fighting is a “deafening warning to the key international and regional actors that they must immediately ensure peace talks actually occur,” said analyst William Davison of the International Crisis Group. “They should accordingly instruct the belligerents to issue all of their demands when at the negotiating table, rather than making them preconditions for talks.”
___
Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report. | https://www.pahomepage.com/news/business/ap-business/large-scale-fighting-shatters-lull-in-ethiopias-tigray/ | 2022-08-25T12:01:32Z | https://www.pahomepage.com/news/business/ap-business/large-scale-fighting-shatters-lull-in-ethiopias-tigray/ | true |
EAST ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The best restaurants are the ones that make you feel right at home. In East Rochester, it's a milestone anniversary for Donna Perlo who’s been dishing out Italian favorites for 21 years.
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone restaurateur Donna Perlo doesn’t know. She greets just about everyone through the door at Perlo’s by name. She’s been at it for more than two decades.
“I just really surround myself with good people because it really takes a huge amount of good employees and loyal employees to make it all go together,” said Donna.
From the pasta, seafood and everything and anything prepared parm or French style, she makes sure your belly is full and that you feel right at home here.
“There are certain people who come in every Monday or come in every Tuesday and there is a different group on Wednesday and the golf groups come in,” said Donna. “I wanted it to feel like my mother’s house on a Sunday.”
Every dish on the menu is named after loyal patrons like the Joe, Tony, Frank and Charlie's pizza. They eat here three times a week ever since Perlo’s opened.
“Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, “said Tony. “It is just friendly and you can come any way you want to be dressed. The food is excellent."
The pandemic sure threw a wrench in it for so many in the restaurant business, but the crew kept it together. Rising food costs are a challenge, but Perlo is determined to keep dishing it out.
“It’s is all about the people and the customers. A full house always makes me happy,” said Perlo.
The entire Perlo family has been in the service business in Rochester for decades. Donna's brother Wayne owns 101-year-old Fioravanti Florist on Clifford Avenue and her son Aaron owns the Silver Iguana, Dragonfly Tavern and the Bug Jar in Rochester. Perlo's is open for dinner seven days a week at 202 N. Washington St. in East Rochester. | https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2022/08/24/family-owned-perlo-s-restaurant-in-east-rochester-celebrates-more-than-two-decades-in-business | 2022-08-25T12:04:20Z | https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2022/08/24/family-owned-perlo-s-restaurant-in-east-rochester-celebrates-more-than-two-decades-in-business | true |
The best telescopes for viewing the 2022 Perseid meteor shower
The Perseid meteor shower is one of the best astronomical events that stargazers have the pleasure of viewing yearly during the summer. Although the 2022 Perseid meteor shower peaked a few weeks ago, it’s not too late to check out the spectacle as it usually lasts until the end of August.
Before you drag your lawn chairs out to your backyard or balcony, you’ll need a telescope to view the meteor shower properly. There are many excellent models to choose from, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced star watcher.
What is the Perseid meteor shower
Where does it come from, and why is it called Perseid?
The Perseid meteor shower is caused by the Earth slamming into residual debris from a comet long ago. Its name is derived from a consensus of astronomers who believe the origin of the meteor shower is in the Perseus constellation.
When can I watch it?
You can watch the Perseid meteor shower in pre-dawn hours for approximately a month and a half, beginning mid-July and ending in late August. The peak fell on the night of Aug. 12 this year, but due to a full moon, clarity wasn’t the best. However, it’s not too late to check it out if you haven’t yet, as it’s still visible on most nights, depending on weather conditions and your location.
Telescope considerations and features
What are the different kinds of telescopes?
- Refractor telescopes are the most popular for beginners and casual stargazing. They’re affordable, portable and easy to set up.
- Reflector telescopes are bulkier than refractor telescopes but usually have a larger aperture and offer the best clarity.
- Cassegrain telescopes work similarly to refractor telescopes but are a bit heavier and offer a more magnified view.
Aperture
Aperture refers to the diameter of the optical lens that collects light. The more light your telescope can gather, the better the image brightness and clarity. A telescope with a 70-millimeter aperture is sufficient for casual viewing, but more experienced astronomers or stargazers might prefer one over 100 millimeters.
Focal length
Focus length refers to the distance from the primary lens to the spot where light rays converge in focus. A telescope’s focal length plays a crucial role in its magnifying power. A short focal length is suitable for viewing star fields and meteor showers, while a long one is ideal for homing in on objects such as the moon or planets to examine them in greater detail.
Best telescopes for this year’s Perseid meteor shower
Affordable telescopes under $150 for beginners and kids
ToyerBee Astronomical Refractor Telescope
This telescope has a large 70-millimeter aperture, and you can adjust the magnification power between 15 and 150 times. It comes with removable eyepieces, a Barlow lens and a wireless camera remote for taking snapshots of the night sky. Sold by Amazon
Kiosesi Telescope Astronomical Refractor Telescope
If you want an affordable telescope that offers a long focal length and a large aperture, this one won’t disappoint. It has two eyepieces that can be magnified up to 200 times, an adjustable 360-degree tripod and a smartphone adapter. Sold by Amazon
Celestron Refractor Travel Telescope
This telescope is an excellent choice for anyone who wants a simple telescope to watch the Perseid meteor shower this year. It has fully-coated glass optics, a 70-millimeter objective lens and a custom backpack for convenient storage and traveling. Sold by Amazon
Gskyer Astronomical Refracting Telescope for Kids and Beginners
This telescope delivers quality optics thanks to a 400-millimeter focal length and a 70-millimeter aperture. It comes with an adjustable tripod, two eyepieces, a magnifying Barlow lens, a finder scope with a mounting bracket, a smartphone adapter and a camera remote. Sold by Amazon
Emarth Astronomical Refractor Telescope
This portable telescope is affordable and an excellent gift idea for young stargazing enthusiasts. It has a high-transmission coated lens for enhanced image and eye protection and comes with essential accessories, including a Barlow lens, an adjustable tripod and a finder scope. Sold by Amazon
Merkmak 90X Refractor Telescope
Your little one can tune into the Perseid meteor shower with you this year with their personal telescope. This telescope is for kids but offers enough magnification power to see the moon’s surface clearly, and it has a multi-layered coated lens for improved light transmittance. Sold by Amazon
Larger telescopes for more experienced viewers
Hexeum Astronomical Portable Refracting Telescope
This telescope delivers an exceptional viewing experience. It offers a 600-millimeter focal length, 80-millimeter aperture and two eyepieces with 24 times and 60 times magnification. Sold by Amazon
Celestron PowerSeeker 70EQ Telescope
This powerful telescope is compact, portable and excellent for beginners. It has a German Equatorial mount with a slow-motion altitude rod you can adjust for smooth scanning, and it comes with two eyepieces and a Barlow lens for increased magnification power. Sold by Amazon
Gskyer 80-Millimeter Astronomical Refractor Telescope
This telescope has a 400-millimeter focal length, an 80-millimeter aperture and a coated optical glass for eye protection and optimal image brightness. It comes with three replaceable magnification eyepieces, a mounting bracket and a full-size adjustable tripod. Sold by Amazon
High-end telescopes for advanced astronomers and viewers
Solomark 130EQ Newtonian Reflector Telescope
If you want to upgrade to a high-end telescope, this model has a sizeable 130-millimeter aperture and delivers a high-resolution image. The surface has a carbon fiber cover, and it comes with a fully-coated glass lens and a German Equatorial mount for precise tracking. Sold by Amazon
Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope
This high-quality computerized telescope has a tube design, 200-millimeter aperture and boasts an impressive light-gathering ability for superior image clarity. It has a fully-automated mount with a database of over 40,000 celestial objects and a single fork arm design for easy storage. Sold by Amazon
Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Newtonian Reflector Telescope
You can’t go wrong with this powerful reflector telescope for viewing this year’s Perseid meteor shower. It has a 130-millimeter glass optic objective lens and a lightweight frame, and it comes with a travel tripod and a red dot finder scope. Sold by Amazon
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Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.pahomepage.com/reviews/br/electronics-br/binoculars-microscopes-telescopes-br/view-this-years-perseid-meteor-shower-up-close-with-these-12-telescopes-now-through-sept-1/ | 2022-08-25T12:07:15Z | https://www.pahomepage.com/reviews/br/electronics-br/binoculars-microscopes-telescopes-br/view-this-years-perseid-meteor-shower-up-close-with-these-12-telescopes-now-through-sept-1/ | false |
ATLANTA, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharecare (Nasdaq: SHCR), the digital health company that helps people manage all their health in one place, today announced that it will participate in the 2022 Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference, including a presentation on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, at 8:35 a.m. E.T. The link for the simultaneous webcast will be available online at https://investors.sharecare.com/news-and-events/events-and-presentations.
About Sharecare
Sharecare is the leading digital health company that helps people – no matter where they are in their health journey – unify and manage all their health in one place. Our comprehensive and data-driven virtual health platform is designed to help people, providers, employers, health plans, government organizations, and communities optimize individual and population-wide well-being by driving positive behavior change. Driven by our philosophy that we are all together better, at Sharecare, we are committed to supporting each individual through the lens of their personal health and making high-quality care more accessible and affordable for everyone. To learn more, visit www.sharecare.com.
Media Relations:
Jen Martin Hall
jen@sharecare.com
Investor Relations:
investors@sharecare.com
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SOURCE Sharecare | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/sharecare-participate-2022-wells-fargo-healthcare-conference/ | 2022-08-25T12:07:46Z | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/sharecare-participate-2022-wells-fargo-healthcare-conference/ | false |
NASDAQ | TSX: ACB
Long Term Investment Expected to Deliver Aurora Immediate Positive Cash Flow
- Aurora acquires a controlling interest in Bevo; one of the largest suppliers of propagated vegetables and ornamental plants in North America with proven track record of profitability
- Bevo will continue to be run by existing management team; robust growth plan includes use of Aurora Sky for ornamental plant cultivation and for vegetable propagation
- Transaction is expected to be immediately accretive adding ~$9 million of LTM Adjusted EBITDA; Aurora remains on track to achieve consolidated positive Adjusted EBITDA run rate exiting the first half of fiscal 2023.
EDMONTON, AB, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Aurora Cannabis Inc. (the "Company" or "Aurora") (NASDAQ: ACB) (TSX: ACB), the Canadian company defining the future of cannabinoids worldwide, is pleased to announce today that a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company has acquired a controlling interest in Bevo Agtech Inc. ("Bevo"), the sole parent of Bevo Farms Ltd., one of the largest suppliers of propagated vegetables and ornamental plants in North America (the "Bevo Transaction"). Concurrent with closing of the Bevo Transaction, Bevo entered into an agreement to acquire the Company's Aurora Sky facility in Edmonton, Alberta through the acquisition of one of Aurora's wholly-owned subsidiaries (the "Aurora Sky Transaction" and together with the Bevo Transaction, the "Transaction").
The Transaction allows Aurora to immediately benefit from a profitable, cash flow positive and growing business, and may have the potential to drive long term value to Aurora's existing cannabis business via the application of Bevo's industry leading plant propagation expertise. Aurora, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, will acquire 50.1% of Bevo's outstanding common shares, take a controlling position on Bevo's board of directors and financially consolidate Bevo. Bevo's experienced management team are to remain significant shareholders and stay in place to embark on a robust growth plan, including the use of the Aurora Sky facility for orchid cultivation and vegetable propagation.
Founded in 1986, Bevo operates 63 acres of greenhouse in British Columbia, Canada; is led by a management team with over 85 years of agricultural experience, and supplies greenhouses, nurseries, field farms and wholesalers. Bevo has consistently demonstrated growth in revenue and earnings over the past decade through process improvements and facility expansions. For the twelve months ended June 30, 2022, Bevo has achieved revenues of $39 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $9 million (excluding non-recurring rental revenue). Bevo's business exhibits seasonality driven by agricultural grow cycles, with the strongest financial period being from January to June.
"This investment once again demonstrates our disciplined capital allocation approach and is consistent with both our short term needs and long-term vision to be the leading global cannabis company. Bevo's track record in generating not only positive Adjusted EBITDA but free cash flow, world class propagation expertise, and established distribution networks in Canada and the United States makes them an ideal strategic partner," said Miguel Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Aurora. "We expect this investment and collaboration between industry leaders will drive significant shareholder value and synergies for both parties. We are also excited about Bevo repurposing Aurora Sky and the potential to expand the scale and scope of their business and saving significant costs previously expected in connection with the wind down and sale of the facility".
Leo Benne, President & CEO of Bevo, added, "Since inception, Bevo has taken great pride in utilizing state-of-the-art technology to become a leading plant propagator in North America. We are delighted to join forces with Aurora to pursue our high growth strategy, starting with our move into Alberta which allows us to significantly expand Bevo's addressable market. We are incredibly happy that the Aurora team is committed to keeping all of our facilities dedicated to our customer base, and to expanding our operations into Alberta through the addition of the Aurora Sky facility. It is clear that the Aurora team is deeply aligned with our existing business plans and objectives for profitable growth, and we look forward to building upon the strengths of Aurora as a sponsor to accelerate our business."
- Supports Aurora's timeline to profitability with positive and growing Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow. The Transaction is aligned with Aurora's plan to achieve Adjusted EBITDA profitability on a run-rate basis in the first half of fiscal 2023, as Bevo has consistently achieved positive and growing Adjusted EBITDA for over 10 years.
- Bevo's management team is pursuing a high-growth business plan intended to scale Adjusted EBITDA from current levels, starting with conversion of the Aurora Sky facility for non-cannabis agriculture. Repurposing of the Aurora Sky facility is expected to generate revenue and Adjusted EBITDA with minimal capital investment needed to retrofit the facility, while saving on facility shutdown costs. This is expected to allow Bevo to greatly increase its production capability, extend its shipping range, and access new regional greenhouse demand in Canada and the United States.
- Bevo employs proprietary and innovative processes and greenhouse technology designed to provide industry-leading efficiency. Ability to leverage Bevo's propagation capabilities is expected to enhance Aurora's existing genetics licensing business (Occo) to create healthy clones for sale and could potentially lead to large scale cannabis propagation across the industry.
- Bevo's management team will retain substantial equity ownership and partner with Aurora to drive profitable growth across both businesses. Bevo's existing management team, who have a proven track record of achieving consistent revenue growth and driving EBITDA improvement through innovative agricultural processes, will remain in place with significant equity ownership.
Aurora is purchasing its controlling interest in Bevo from certain of Bevo's existing shareholders (the "Bevo Selling Shareholders"). Total cash consideration paid by a subsidiary of Aurora on closing was approximately $45 million. Up to an additional $12 million shall be payable by a subsidiary of Aurora to the Bevo Selling Shareholders over the three years following closing of the Bevo Transaction, conditional on Bevo successfully achieving certain financial milestones at its Site One facility in Langley, which additional amounts may be satisfied, at Aurora's option, through the issuance of Aurora common shares, subject to approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Up to $25 million could be payable over time by Bevo to Aurora in connection with the Aurora Sky Transaction, based on Bevo successfully achieving certain financial milestones at the Aurora Sky Facility. Closing of the Aurora Sky Transaction is conditional upon receipt of certain third-party consents.
Lazard Canada Inc. acted as exclusive financial advisor and Stikeman Elliott LLP acted as legal counsel to Aurora in connection with the Transaction.
Agentis Capital Advisors acted as exclusive financial advisor and Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP acted as legal counsel to Bevo in connection with the Transaction.
Aurora is a global leader in the cannabis industry, serving both the medical and consumer markets. Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, Aurora is a pioneer in global cannabis, dedicated to helping people improve their lives. The Company's adult-use brand portfolio includes Aurora Drift, San Rafael '71, Daily Special, Whistler, Being and Greybeard, as well as CBD brands, Reliva and KG7. Medical cannabis brands include MedReleaf, CanniMed, Aurora and Whistler Medical Marijuana Co. Driven by science and innovation, and with a focus on high-quality cannabis products, Aurora's brands continue to break through as industry leaders in the medical, performance, wellness and adult recreational markets wherever they are launched. Learn more at www.auroramj.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Aurora's common shares trade on the NASDAQ and TSX under the symbol "ACB" and is a constituent of the S&P/TSX Composite Index.
Bevo is North America's leading supplier of propagated agricultural plants, operating approximately 63 acres of greenhouse facilities on 98 acres of land in Langley, BC, 50 acres of land in Aldergrove, BC, and 20 acres of land in Pitt Meadows, BC. Bevo's main products are the propagation of vegetable plants such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and other plants such as bedding plants, flowers and grasses. Bevo markets its products to established greenhouse growers, nurseries and retail outlets throughout North America.
This news release includes statements containing certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements made in this news release include statements regarding the Transaction, including, but not limited to: the expected timing for closing of the Aurora Sky Transaction; the impact of the Transaction on the Company's premiumization strategy and position in the Canadian recreational market; the impact of the Transaction on the Company's path to profitability and goal to achieve Adjusted EBITDA profitability in the first half of fiscal 2023; the synergies, revenue, positive cash flow and positive Adjusted EBITDA expected to be realized as a result of the Transaction; the expansion of the scale and scope of Bevo's business in connection with the Aurora Sky Transaction and the potential for conditional additional consideration to be paid in connection with the Transactions.
These forward-looking statements are only predictions. Forward looking information or statements contained in this news release have been developed based on assumptions management considers to be reasonable. Material factors or assumptions involved in developing forward-looking statements include, without limitation, publicly available information from governmental sources as well as from market research and industry analysis and on assumptions based on data and knowledge of this industry which the Company believes to be reasonable. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances could cause actual events, results, level of activity, performance, prospects, opportunities or achievements to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, the ability to retain key personnel, the ability to continue investing in infrastructure to support growth, the ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms, the continued quality of our products, customer experience and retention, the development of third party government and non-government consumer sales channels, management's estimates of consumer demand in Canada and in jurisdictions where the Company exports, expectations of future results and expenses, the risk of successful integration of acquired business and operations (with respect to the Transactions and the repurposing of the Aurora Sky facility and more generally with respect to future acquisitions), management's estimation that SG&A will grow only in proportion of revenue growth, the ability to expand and maintain distribution capabilities, the impact of competition, the general impact of financial market conditions, the yield from cannabis growing operations, product demand, changes in prices of required commodities, competition, and the possibility for changes in laws, rules, and regulations in the industry, epidemics, pandemics or other public health crises, including the current outbreak of COVID-19, and other risks, uncertainties and factors set out under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated September 27, 2021 (the "AIF") and filed with Canadian securities regulators available on the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and filed with and available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The Company cautions that the list of risks, uncertainties and other factors described in the AIF is not exhaustive and other factors could also adversely affect its results. Readers are urged to consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such information. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law.
This news release contains reference to certain financial performance measures that are not recognized or defined under IFRS (termed "Non-GAAP Measures"). As a result, this data may not be comparable to data presented by other licensed producers of cannabis and cannabis companies. Non-GAAP Measures in this news release include, but are not limited to, "Adjusted EBITDA".
Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as net income (loss) excluding interest income (expense), accretion, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, changes in fair value of inventory sold, changes in fair value of biological assets, share-based compensation, acquisition costs, foreign exchange, share of income(losses) from investment in associates, government grant income, fair value gains and losses on financial instruments, gains and losses on deemed disposal, losses on disposal of assets, restructuring charges, onerous contract provisions, out-of-period adjustments, and non-cash impairments of deposits, property, plant and equipment, equity investments, intangibles, goodwill, and other assets. Adjusted EBITDA is intended to provide a proxy for the Company's operating cash flow and is widely used by industry analysts to compare Aurora to its competitors, and derive expectations of future financial performance for Aurora, and excludes out-of-period adjustments that are not reflective of current operating results. Adjusted EBITDA increases comparability between comparative companies by eliminating variability resulting from differences in capital structures, management decisions related to resource allocation, and the impact of FV adjustments on biological assets and inventory and financial instruments, which may be volatile and fluctuate significantly from period to period.
For an explanation of this measure to related comparable financial information presented in the consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS, refer to the Company's news release of February 10, 2022, a copy of which is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com the discussion below.
Non-GAAP Measures should be considered together with other data prepared in accordance with IFRS to enable investors to evaluate the Company's operating results, underlying performance and prospects in a manner similar to Aurora's management. Accordingly, these non-GAAP Measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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SOURCE Aurora Cannabis Inc. | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/aurora-cannabis-acquires-controlling-interest-bevo-farms/ | 2022-08-25T12:08:17Z | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/aurora-cannabis-acquires-controlling-interest-bevo-farms/ | false |
General Daily Insight for August 25, 2022
Bold action could bring rewarding results today. The flamboyant Moon in Leo encourages confident Jupiter and unites with charming Venus, which may help us feel secure enough to take risks in moderation. Adding to the buoyant atmosphere, networker Mercury enters sociable Libra at 9:03 pm EDT, helping us build the alliances necessary to make our dreams happen. As Luna squares shocking Uranus, the perfect moment might happen in a surprising way. Take a chance -- we’re likely to get exactly what we need.
Get your FREE cosmic profile at Tarot.com.
Aries
March 21-April 19
Words could flow easily today. Still, you might ultimately be reminded that it’s not all about you. As communicator Mercury enters your 7th House of Relationships, someone dear to your heart may want you to listen to them. Perhaps devoting your attention to their needs can distract you from any painful self-worth issues. Most people are more aware of their own perceived flaws than yours, and truly understanding this can be liberating. Use your verbal gifts to care for someone else today.
Taurus
April 20-May 20
Now feels like a good time to make your home as nurturing as possible. As detail-oriented Mercury moves into your productive 6th house today, you may be able to identify the little things that would make you feel good. While your approach might surprise others around you, perhaps you’re finally able to put into physical form something you’ve been tossing around in your head for a long time. As long as you’re not stepping on anyone else’s turf, go for whatever makes you happy!
Gemini
May 21-June 20
Your wit is likely to be in rare form at the moment. Clever Mercury, your sign’s ruling planet, enters your playful 5th house starting today, helping you find humor in your surroundings. You’ll probably enjoy getting a rise out of people, and you might even poke fun at some things that are a bit forbidden. When you’re basically in a cheerful mood, you’ll see there’s no need to joke at anyone’s expense. Laugh at life instead -- it’s all the entertainment you need!
Cancer
June 21-July 22
Carving out a space that’s truly your own could make a big difference. Thoughtful Mercury enters your cozy 4th house today, nudging you to identify what brings you comfort. You might feel inclined to keep this process to yourself, and that’s just fine. Even something small, like organizing a personal collection, can help you feel like you have total control over something. Be honest with yourself about your desire for independence, and remember -- you don’t have to hurt others to get it.
Leo
July 23-August 22
Talking about yourself might not be a bad idea today! You’ve got a chance to show the charming, adventurous, and intelligent sides of your personality -- and perhaps you’ll succeed in impressing somebody important to you. With rational Mercury entering your 3rd House of Communication today, your sense of balance and reciprocity in a particular conversation could go a long way. Don’t be afraid go out on a limb a little bit, as long as you know when to stop.
Virgo
August 23-September 22
You may not be at liberty to discuss a piece of positive news right now. While keeping a good secret isn't necessarily a bad problem to have, staying quiet could still leave you feeling a little isolated. Calculating Mercury enters your 2nd House of Money today, so you might as well take advantage of the quiet moment to figure out how the coming changes will affect you financially. Work with these favorable circumstances intentionally to get the most out of them!
Libra
September 23-October 22
You may be a major hub of your social network at the moment. Chatty Mercury moves into your sign today, awakening your articulate side and giving you the words to work a room or online forum successfully. However, perhaps insisting on controlling how every conversation goes isn’t the best use of your newfound power. A potentially controversial tangent you’d prefer to steer people away from could turn out to be an opportunity for transformative connection. Know when to let things unfold naturally.
Scorpio
October 23-November 21
Organizing your stash of secrets could be a wise use of time. With disciplined Mercury sneaking into your shadowy 12th house, perhaps it’s time to sort through the content you keep to yourself and figure out what you’re doing with it. Some hidden information might be useful to you professionally. However, requesting help from someone you trust may bring you progress toward your goals more quickly than pushing ahead on your own. Know what’s in your head, but realize when to get out of it.
Sagittarius
November 22-December 21
The time is ripe for storytelling. Recounting a great adventure to friends can help you bond. They may be especially curious about how you managed to handle the practical aspects of a risky, exotic journey. While this might not be what you consider the most compelling part of the story, you’re better off deferring to your audience’s preferences and filling in details you see as irrelevant. Take someone else’s lead -- your relaxed attitude could be exactly the perspective they need!
Capricorn
December 22-January 19
An intense connection could ease your burden today. However, as analytical Mercury segues into your 10th House of Status, you might be looking over your shoulder constantly to see how any big disclosures are shifting the power dynamics between the two of you. While there’s probably something to your suspicions that change is in the air, that’s not the most important thing at the moment. There’s plenty of time to figure out the details later. For now, keep your attention in the present.
Aquarius
January 20-February 18
Your intellect could be supercharged and ready for action. Brainy Mercury enters your philosophical 9th house today, helping you get a clear, big-picture view of any problem you’re trying to work out. That said, don’t forget about your more human needs. Top of the list? Connection. Checking in with someone close to you can keep your ideas grounded in reality, so relating is actually a great use of your time. Remember, your dreams of serving humanity must work for the actual people involved!
Pisces
February 19-March 20
You’re allowed to take pride in a job well done today. However, you might need to balance the ego gratification you get from being the hero against other concerns. As levelheaded Mercury moves into your 8th House of Shared Resources, perhaps it’s necessary to acknowledge what’s truly someone else’s responsibility. Even if your intentions are good, intruding on their turf is likely to cause confusion, or worse, down the road. Separate things fairly and clearly now while you have the opportunity. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/horoscopes/sns-daily-horoscopes-08252022-20220825-ok6alfbuw5c2pknuqr25qqwmga-story.html | 2022-08-25T12:08:50Z | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/horoscopes/sns-daily-horoscopes-08252022-20220825-ok6alfbuw5c2pknuqr25qqwmga-story.html | false |
Industry veteran Gabe Hesse takes CTO Position; Kevin Keenahan, founder of Tissue Analytics, named Chief Product Officer
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Net Health, a leading provider of specialty electronic health record (EHR) platforms and advanced healthcare analytics, today announced two new appointments to the company's leadership team. Gabe Hesse, a technology industry veteran with a broad base of experience architecting and driving innovation for mission-critical applications, was named Chief Technology Officer. Kevin Keenahan, who was a founder of Tissue Analytics and previously served Net Health as Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, was promoted to Chief Product Officer.
With their extensive industry backgrounds, Hesse and Keenahan are well-positioned to support the company as it expands its portfolio of first-of-a-kind analytics based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) and introduces more intelligent EHR platforms for wound care, physical therapy, occupational health, and home health and hospice providers.
"The healthcare industry continues to seek innovative technology solutions to meet the needs of patients, providers and payers," said Josh Pickus, CEO of Net Health. " Gabe and Kevin have the experience, creativity, and passion to help us support our clients in their efforts to be successful in today's dynamic marketplace."
With a background that includes value-creating executive roles at private-equity-backed firms to high-growth public companies, Hesse brings insights into developing advanced technologies for healthcare, financial services, and other enterprise applications. His past positions include leadership roles at healthcare companies Welltok and Arrive Health (formerly RxRevu), as well as earlier positions with Microsoft and as Chief Architect for Bankrate.
Keenahan co-founded and served as CEO of Tissue Analytics, one of the first companies to deploy breakthrough mobile technologies and artificial intelligence for wound care. In 2020, the company was acquired by Net Health. At Net Health, Keenahan held several impactful roles, including Vice President of Strategy and Innovation.
These new appointments are expected to accelerate the company's introduction of innovative software solutions that are helping to fuel the company's growth. Most recently, Net Health's AI-powered wound imaging and analysis solution was granted breakthrough device status by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Other recent innovations include solutions to help healthcare providers better engage with patients and an array of predictive analytics solutions that use proprietary ML technologies. Through its innovations, organic growth and acquisitions over the past decade, the company has grown to become a top provider to the sectors it serves. The company serves over 23,000 facilities, including 98 percent of the largest hospital chains, most of the nation's skilled nursing facilities, and private wound care and therapy practices.
In their new positions, Hesse and Keenahan will create and manage new and existing technologies and their deployment to clients nationally. Their focus will be on technology that makes the lives of clinicians and providers better while also helping to ensure enhanced patient outcomes.
For information on Net Health and its approach to healthcare analytics and intelligent EHRs, visit www.nethealth.com.
Net Health's mission is to harness data for human health. Net Health solutions are trusted in over 23,000 facilities across the continuum of care. Our EHR software enables caregivers and their organizations to engage effectively with patients, streamline documentation, staff efficiently, secure maximum appropriate reimbursement and maintain regulatory compliance. Our unique approach to analytics seamlessly presents insights in clinical and operational workflows to improve care and business performance. Net Health is a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, Level Equity and Silversmith Capital Partners. www.nethealth.com.
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SOURCE Net Health Systems, Inc. | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/net-health-announces-two-new-executive-appointments-company-expands-focus-analytics-intelligent-ehrs/ | 2022-08-25T12:09:05Z | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/net-health-announces-two-new-executive-appointments-company-expands-focus-analytics-intelligent-ehrs/ | true |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California is poised to set a 2035 deadline for all new cars, trucks and SUVs sold in the state to be powered by electricity or hydrogen, an ambitious step that will reshape the U.S. car market by speeding the transition to more climate-friendly vehicles.
The California Air Resources Board will vote Thursday on the policy, which sets the most aggressive roadmap in the nation for moving away from gas-powered cars. It doesn’t eliminate such vehicles, however.
People can continue driving gas-fueled vehicles and purchasing used ones after 2035. The plan also allows for one-fifth of sales after 2035 to be plug-in hybrids that can run on batteries and gas.
But it sets a course for ultimately ending the era of filling up at the local gas station. The switch from gas to electric cars will drastically reduce emissions and air pollutants. The transition may be painful in parts of the state that are still dominated by oil; California remains the seventh-largest oil producing state, though its output it falling as the state pushes forward with its climate goals.
“The climate crisis is solvable if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to stem the tide of carbon pollution,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. He announced the 2035 goal two years ago and regulators have spent the time since then working out the details of what Newsom termed “the action we must take if we’re serious about leaving this planet better off for future generations.”
There are practical hurdles to overcome to reach the goal, notably enough reliable power and charging stations. California now has about 80,000 stations in public places, far short of the 250,000 it wants by 2025. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents many major car makers, flagged the lack of infrastructure, access to materials needed to make batteries, and supply chain issues among the challenges to meeting the state’s timeline.
“These are complex, intertwined and global issues well beyond the control of either (the California Air Resources Board) or the auto industry,” John Bozella, the group’s president, said in a statement.
Though the state makes up 10% of the U.S. car market, it’s home to 43% of the nation’s 2.6 million registered plug-in vehicles, according to the air board.
California climate officials say the state’s new policy will be the world’s most ambitious because it sets clear benchmarks for ramping up electric vehicle sales over the next dozen years. By 2026, for example, one-third of new cars sold must be electric. About 16% of cars sold in California in the first three months of this year were electric.
The European Parliament in June backed a plan to effectively prohibit the sale of gas and diesel cars in the 27-nation bloc by 2035, and Canada has mandated the sale of zero-emission cars by the same year. The Chinese province of Hainan said this week it would do the same by 2030.
In the U.S., Massachusetts, Washington and New York are among states that have set goals to transform their car markets or have already committed to following California’s new rules.
California has historically been granted permission by the U.S. Environmental Protection agency to set its own tailpipe emissions rules for cars, and 17 other states follow some or all of its policies.
The new electric vehicle rules will also require federal approval, which is considered likely with President Joe Biden in the White House. A future Republican president, though, could challenge California’s authority to set its own car standards, as the Trump administration did.
Indeed, the new commitment comes as California works to maintain reliable electricity while it moves away from gas-fired power plants in favor of solar, wind and other cleaner sources of energy. Earlier this year, top energy officials warned the state could run out of power during the hottest days of summer, which happened briefly in August 2020.
That hasn’t happened yet this year. But Newsom is pushing to keep open the state’s last-remaining nuclear plant beyond its planned closer in 2025, and the state may turn to diesel generators or natural gas plants as a backup when the grid is strained.
Adding more car chargers will put a higher demand on the energy grid.
Ensuring access to charging stations is also key to ramping up electric vehicle sales. The infrastructure bill passed by Congress last year provides $5 billion for states to build charges every 50 miles (80 kilometers) along interstate highways. Newsom, meanwhile, has pledged to spend billions to boost zero-emission vehicle sales, including by adding chargers in low-income neighborhoods.
Driving an electric vehicle long distances today, even in California, requires careful planning about where to stop and charge, said Mary Nichols, former chair of the California Air Resources Board. The money from the state and federal government will go along way to boosting that infrastructure and making electric cars a more convenient option, she said.
“This is going to be a transformative process and the mandate for vehicle sales is only one piece of it,” she said.
Though hydrogen is a fuel option under the new regulations, cars that run on fuel-cells have made up less than 1% of car sales in recent years.
Both the state and government have rebates for thousands of dollars to offset the cost of buying electric cars, and the rules have incentives for car makers to make used electric vehicles available to low- and middle-income people. Over the past 12 years, California has provided more than $1 billion in rebates for the sale of 478,000 electric, plug-in or hybrid vehicles, according to the air board. | https://cw33.com/technology/ap-technology/ap-california-poised-to-phase-out-sale-of-new-gas-powered-cars/ | 2022-08-25T12:09:56Z | https://cw33.com/technology/ap-technology/ap-california-poised-to-phase-out-sale-of-new-gas-powered-cars/ | false |
WESTERVILLE, Ohio, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lancaster Colony Corporation (Nasdaq: LANC) today reported results for the company's fiscal fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2022.
Summary
- Consolidated fourth quarter net sales increased 17.3% to a record $452.4 million. Retail segment net sales grew 8.8% in the quarter to $233.1 million while Foodservice segment net sales advanced 28.1% to $219.3 million.
- Consolidated gross profit improved 1.8% to a fourth quarter record $98.4 million.
- Consolidated gross profit margin was 21.8%, down 330 basis points versus last year's fourth quarter, but improved 480 basis points from this year's fiscal third quarter.
- Consolidated fourth quarter operating income declined $7.2 million to $33.7 million, including the unfavorable impact of $10.5 million in restructuring and impairment charges.
- Fourth quarter net income was $1.06 per diluted share versus $1.15 per diluted share last year. The restructuring and impairment charges reduced net income by $0.29 per diluted share.
CEO David A. Ciesinski commented, "We were pleased to report record fourth quarter sales and gross profit despite the difficult operating environment. I am also glad to share that the implementation phase of our ERP initiative, Project Ascent, which commenced July 1, is off to a great start with no notable concerns. Customer fulfillment levels remained strong before and after the system cutover with no unplanned disruptions in receiving orders, producing products or shipping orders. I extend my sincere thanks to all our associates here at Lancaster Colony for the tremendous effort they put forth to reach this important Project Ascent milestone, and for their ongoing support of this critical initiative to position our business for continued growth and success."
"In both our Retail and Foodservice segments, fourth quarter net sales benefited from continued pricing actions taken to offset inflationary costs and incremental sales attributed to advance ordering by our customers near the end of the quarter ahead of our ERP go-live. Excluding the impact of the pricing and advance ordering, Retail segment sales volumes benefited from higher demand for our frozen garlic bread and frozen dinner rolls along with volume gains for Olive Garden® dressings. In the Foodservice segment, also excluding the impact of the pricing and advance ordering, sales volumes were driven by growth from select customers in our mix of national chain restaurant accounts and higher demand for our branded products."
"In our fiscal fourth quarter, we continued to experience extraordinary inflation for raw materials, packaging and freight at levels similar to those we endured in our fiscal third quarter. Through the benefit of our ongoing pricing actions, we made good progress in reducing the gap between our price levels and the inflationary costs as indicated by the sequential improvement in our reported gross profit margin, an increase of 480 basis points from our fiscal third to fourth quarter."
"Looking ahead to fiscal 2023, our Retail sales will benefit from another round of pricing on our dressing and sauce products that took effect in early August. We expect continued growth from our licensing program behind new items, but Retail sales volumes will also face offsets from consumer demand elasticity and the ongoing impact of fiscal 2022 rationalization initiatives for some of our low-margin products. In Foodservice, we expect sales volumes to be led by growth from select quick-service restaurant customers in our mix of national chain restaurant accounts while the external factors of a slowing economy and changes in consumer sentiment may dampen demand."
"It is important to note that our fiscal 2023 first quarter sales will be unfavorably impacted by the advance ordering that occurred in our fiscal fourth quarter as mentioned above. In addition, we are currently forecasting a notable increase in our commodity costs in the coming year versus fiscal 2022 and higher costs for other items such as packaging, labor and freight to pose a headwind to our financial results. To help mitigate these rising costs, beyond the pricing actions taken in fiscal 2022, we recently implemented the aforementioned round of pricing for dressings and sauces in our Retail segment while our Foodservice segment will continue to realize offsets to increased commodity and freight costs through contractual-based inflationary pricing. Our cost savings programs and other net price realization efforts will also help to offset the unfavorable impacts of inflation in the year ahead. Finally, the implementation phase for Project Ascent will continue throughout fiscal 2023 as we integrate additional plants and warehouses into our new ERP network."
Fourth Quarter Results
Consolidated net sales increased 17.3% to a fourth quarter record $452.4 million. Advance customer orders ahead of our ERP go-live accounted for an estimated $25 million in incremental net sales in the fourth quarter, of which approximately $11 million was Retail and the remaining $14 million Foodservice. Retail segment net sales grew 8.8% to $233.1 million, including the benefits of pricing and advance customer orders. Retail segment sales volumes, measured in pounds shipped, decreased 2% including the favorable impact of the advance ordering and the unfavorable impact of some planned product line rationalizations, and compares to a notable volume increase of 9% in the prior year. Excluding the advance ordering and product line rationalizations, Retail segment sales volumes declined 1%. In the Foodservice segment, net sales increased 28.1% to $219.3 million. Foodservice sales volumes, measured in pounds shipped, increased 2% including the benefit of the advance ordering. Excluding the favorable impact of advance ordering, Foodservice sales volumes declined 4% as influenced by our decision to discontinue certain lower-margin product offerings and a comparison to strong growth last year. In the prior-year quarter, Foodservice sales volumes were up a significant 29%.
Consolidated gross profit increased 1.8% to a fourth quarter record $98.4 million. Gross profit benefited from the pricing actions implemented throughout the year, including the action taken for our Retail frozen bread products midway through the fourth quarter. The increase in gross profit also reflects an estimated $5 million benefit from the approximately $25 million in incremental sales attributed to the advance customer orders ahead of our ERP go-live. While our gross profit margin showed sequential improvement from the fiscal third quarter, compared to last year our fiscal fourth quarter gross profit margin declined 330 basis points. Notable contributors to the gross margin decline include the inherent margin dilution with a dollar-for-dollar match between pricing and cost of sales inflation, along with the ongoing unfavorable impacts of significantly higher commodity and packaging costs; higher freight and warehousing costs; increased labor costs; increased costs to service the shifting demands of our business; and overall lower productivity.
SG&A expenses decreased $1.6 million to $54.2 million, due in part to a lower level of consumer spending compared to the prior year. Expenditures for Project Ascent totaled $11.0 million in the current-year quarter versus $10.3 million last year.
The restructuring and impairment charges of $10.5 million include the unfavorable impact of a noncash $8.8 million impairment charge to reduce the carrying value of the tradename intangible asset of Angelic Bakehouse, Inc. This impairment charge is reflected in the Retail segment.
Consolidated operating income declined $7.2 million to $33.7 million as the $1.7 million increase in gross profit and $1.6 million reduction in SG&A expenses were more than offset by the $10.5 million in restructuring and impairment charges. The incremental sales attributed to advance customer orders ahead of our ERP go-live added an estimated $5 million to consolidated operating income.
Net income decreased $2.7 million to $29.0 million, or $1.06 per diluted share, versus $31.7 million, or $1.15 per diluted share, last year. The restructuring and impairment charges reduced net income by $8.1 million, or $0.29 per diluted share. Expenditures for Project Ascent reduced net income by $8.4 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, in the current-year quarter compared to $7.9 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, in the prior-year quarter. Net income and earnings per diluted share in the current-year quarter also reflect the benefit of a lower tax rate due to the impact of nonrecurring favorable state tax adjustments.
Fiscal Year Results
For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, net sales increased 14.3% to $1.7 billion compared to $1.5 billion a year ago. Net income for the fiscal year totaled $89.6 million, or $3.25 per diluted share, versus the prior-year amount of $142.3 million, or $5.16 per diluted share. In fiscal 2022, expenditures for Project Ascent decreased net income by $30.1 million, or $1.09 per diluted share, restructuring and impairment charges reduced net income by $26.9 million, or $0.98 per diluted share, and changes in contingent consideration increased net income by $2.7 million, or $0.10 per diluted share. In fiscal 2021, expenditures for Project Ascent decreased net income by $28.9 million, or $1.05 per diluted share, impairment charges reduced net income by $0.9 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, and changes in contingent consideration increased net income by $4.3 million, or $0.16 per diluted share.
Conference Call on the Web
The company's fourth quarter and fiscal year-end conference call is scheduled for this morning, August 25, at 10:00 a.m. ET. Access to a live webcast of the call is available through a link on the company's Internet home page at www.lancastercolony.com. A replay of the webcast will also be made available on the company's website.
About the Company
Lancaster Colony Corporation is a manufacturer and marketer of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice channels.
Forward-Looking Statements
We desire to take advantage of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "PSLRA"). This news release contains various "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the PSLRA and other applicable securities laws. Such statements can be identified by the use of the forward-looking words "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "believe," "intend," "plan," "expect," "hope" or similar words. These statements discuss future expectations; contain projections regarding future developments, operations or financial conditions; or state other forward-looking information. Such statements are based upon assumptions and assessments made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments; and other factors we believe to be appropriate. These forward-looking statements involve various important risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control and could be amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Some of the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include:
- inflationary pressures resulting in higher input costs;
- efficiencies in plant operations and our overall supply chain network;
- adverse changes in freight, energy or other costs of producing, distributing or transporting our products;
- significant shifts in consumer demand and disruptions to our employees, communities, customers, supply chains, production planning, operations, and production processes resulting from the impacts of COVID-19 and other epidemics, pandemics or similar widespread public health concerns and disease outbreaks;
- the reaction of customers or consumers to pricing actions we take to offset inflationary costs;
- fluctuations in the cost and availability of ingredients and packaging;
- dependence on contract manufacturers, distributors and freight transporters, including their operational capacity and financial strength in continuing to support our business;
- the impact of customer store brands on our branded retail volumes;
- capacity constraints that may affect our ability to meet demand or may increase our costs;
- adequate supply of labor for our manufacturing facilities;
- cyber-security incidents, information technology disruptions, and data breaches;
- complexities related to the implementation of our new enterprise resource planning system;
- geopolitical events, such as Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine, that could create unforeseen business disruptions and impact the cost or availability of raw materials and energy;
- the potential for loss of larger programs, including licensing agreements, or key customer relationships;
- changes in demand for our products, which may result from loss of brand reputation or customer goodwill;
- price and product competition;
- the possible occurrence of product recalls or other defective or mislabeled product costs;
- the success and cost of new product development efforts;
- the lack of market acceptance of new products;
- the extent to which recent and future business acquisitions are completed and acceptably integrated;
- the ability to successfully grow recently acquired businesses;
- dependence on key personnel and changes in key personnel;
- the effect of consolidation of customers within key market channels;
- maintenance of competitive position with respect to other manufacturers;
- stability of labor relations;
- changes in estimates in critical accounting judgments;
- the impact of any regulatory matters affecting our food business, including any required labeling changes and their impact on consumer demand;
- the outcome of any litigation or arbitration;
- the impact of fluctuations in our pension plan asset values on funding levels, contributions required and benefit costs; and
- risks related to other factors described under "Risk Factors" in other reports and statements filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q (available at www.sec.gov).
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update such forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Management believes these forward-looking statements to be reasonable; however, you should not place undue reliance on statements that are based on current expectations.
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SOURCE Lancaster Colony Corporation | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/lancaster-colony-reports-fourth-quarter-fiscal-year-results/ | 2022-08-25T12:10:34Z | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/lancaster-colony-reports-fourth-quarter-fiscal-year-results/ | true |
INDIANAPOLIS — One person was killed in a crash when a car went airborne near an I-465 entrance ramp on Indy’s west side Thursday morning.
The crash happened as a SUV was headed south on I-465 sometime before 6 a.m. when for some reason the vehicle went off the roadway and over two ramps, including the one going from W. Washington Street to I-465 SB.
Indiana State Police say the car went airborne, rolled several times, and then landed in a ditch.
One person was declared deceased at the scene. Two other people in the vehicle were taken to the hospital. No other vehicles were involved.
The entrance ramp onto 465 was closed as a result. | https://cbs4indy.com/news/1-dead-in-1-465-crash-on-west-side-isp-confirms/ | 2022-08-25T12:12:53Z | https://cbs4indy.com/news/1-dead-in-1-465-crash-on-west-side-isp-confirms/ | true |
How Californians stand to reap big-time benefits from Biden student loan forgiveness plan
Sadia Khan, a recent graduate of UC Berkeley, was glued to her iPhone on Wednesday, refreshing Twitter and reading articles to gather emerging details of President Biden’s landmark student loan debt forgiveness plan.
When she learned she was eligible for up to $10,000 in loan forgiveness — enough to wipe out her entire $6,000 federal debt — the financially struggling single mother was overcome with relief.
“We’ve been pinching pennies on everything,” said Khan, 27, a legal studies major. “As someone who doesn’t have anybody to fall back on, this would be life-changing.”
Biden’s plan won’t go nearly as far to help Maria Williams, a 29-year-old assistant director at the University of Redlands. She will qualify for up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness because she received a federal Pell grant for low-income students when she attended Cal State San Bernardino, graduating in 2015. But that will cover less than one-third of her $73,000 in undergraduate and graduate debt, a burden so stressful she teared up talking about it.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” she said. “It gives you a little bit of relief, but there is still a ways to go. I still don’t see the finish line.”
Overall, the plan announced Wednesday would massively benefit California borrowers, who by their sheer numbers hold the nation’s largest share of the $1.6 trillion in federal loan debt owed by 43 million current and former college and trade school students across the country.
About 4 million Californians hold an average student loan debt of $37,783, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
But thanks to California’s generous financial aid programs and relatively low tuition at public colleges and universities, the average undergraduate loan debt is the third lowest in the nation after Utah and New Mexico, according to the Institute for College Access & Success.
About 46% of Californians had an average undergraduate student loan debt of $21,125 in 2019-20. That compares with $30,951 for 54% of New Yorkers with debt and $26,271 for 52% of Texans, the institute estimated.
About 92% of California borrowers will be eligible for the new loan forgiveness, according to Charlie Eaton, a UC Merced associate professor of sociology and student loan expert.
Under the plan, the federal government will forgive up to $10,000 for those who earn less than $125,000 annually and up to $20,000 for those who received a Pell Grant for low-income students. The Department of Education is proposing a rule to reduce the required minimum payment for undergraduate loans from 10% of disposable income to 5% for those in a particular repayment plan based on income. Under the proposal the borrower’s unpaid monthly interest would be covered.
The Biden administration’s student loan relief plan is expected to wipe out the debt of 1 million or more Californians, though most will still owe.
“This is a historic day,” Eaton said. “And it’s going to have major repercussions for our economy and a transformative impact on millions of student loan borrowers’ lives.”
Several studies showed that even pausing student loan payments during the pandemic — which Biden extended to Dec. 31 — allowed borrowers to save money, take more time to find better jobs, buy cars and even homes and start families, Eaton said. The loan forgiveness plan could amplify those benefits, giving a boon to younger generations who have acquired just one-seventh the household wealth that baby boomers had at the same stage in their lives in 1989, he said.
Advocates for college affordability touted the debt cancellation as a major step forward but say much more needs to be done so students can graduate without having to borrow money.
“We’ve been working on this issue for years, and so to get it at this level … it’s just amazing,” said Samantha Seng, the legislative director and policy advisor for NextGen Policy, a California-based nonprofit that advocates for progressive policies. “More reforms need to happen so that we can at least get folks on the pathway to debt-free college and hopefully free college one day.”
But Seng said the plans will do very little to eliminate racial wealth gaps for many borrowers and urged more changes to how students pay for college, including restructuring loan programs and the loan servicing industry.
In 2015-16, 21% of Black graduates with bachelor’s degrees accumulated more than $50,000 in student loan debt, compared with 10% for whites, 7% for Latinos and 6% for Asians, according to a California Student Aid Commission report. Black borrowers held an average of $52,726 in student loan debt after graduation — nearly 50% more than their white peers.
Manny Rodriguez, the director of policy and advocacy in California for the Institute for College Access & Success, an organization that pushes to make higher education more affordable, said the state must focus on driving down college costs for students. Oftentimes, students at California’s public colleges and universities borrow money to pay for nontuition expenses, such as housing, food and transportation.
California colleges used to be more affordable, Eaton said. Only 1 in 8 college students had any federal loans in the 1970s. But that began to change in the 1990s, when a recession hit, the state cut funding to higher education, tuition levels rose and the federal government expanded access to student loans. Another spike in student loan debt followed the 2008 recession, he said.
In recent years, however, California’s political and educational leaders have boosted the state’s financial aid programs — now the most generous in the nation. The Cal Grant program, for instance, now fully covers tuition for about 600,000 students and is set to expand to an additional 150,000 students in 2024 after Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature widened eligibility by dropping age, time out of high school and other requirements.
Unlike student loans, grants do not have to be repaid — a fact that not all students understand, said Marlene Garcia, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission.
She said all high school students will be required to fill out the federal form required to access financial aid — known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — beginning this year. That, she said, will help make grants even more accessible and reduce the need for student loans.
In an even more ambitious goal, state leaders are taking steps to make college completely debt free. The University of California, for instance, is aiming to eliminate the need for loans by 2030 by providing more campus part-time jobs, increasing institutional financial aid set aside from tuition revenue and taking advantage of an expanded state grant program known as Middle Class Scholarship 2.0. The UC system has also officially endorsed the national movement to double the maximum Pell grant, now $6,895 for 2022-23.
As college costs rise and students wonder whether they can afford their dream schools, California is pushing to help with more loan-free financial aid.
However, student loan debt continues to dog California borrowers — and for many, the Biden plan represents just a fraction of the money owed.
Alexis Thompson, a counselor at a Los Angeles elementary school, took out more than $100,000 in federal loans for a USC master’s program in school counseling. After earning an undergraduate degree at a small liberal arts university, Thompson said she chose USC because of its prestige — hoping for a university that “stood out on resumes” at a time when competition for counseling positions was high.
Thompson, who graduated from USC earlier this year, said she was excited to learn she could have $10,000 of her debt canceled. But she is resigned to a long road to paying off all her debt.
“I know that I was attending a school that was more expensive than most and so that was the price I guess I would pay to go to a university like that,” said Thompson, who also took out private loans during her undergraduate career. “I kind of mentally prepared myself that I’m probably going to be paying my loans for the majority of my life.”
Naomi Waters, a recent UC Riverside graduate in public policy and African American studies, is saddled with $65,000 in federal loans — $7,000 of that in accrued interest. Her parents, who work in real estate and public works, lost their home during the financial turmoil of the 2008 recession and had no college fund to support Waters and her two siblings who were attending college about the same time. So Waters relied on loans — most of them taken out while she attended Cal Poly Humboldt.
She left before completing her program and navigated a confusing and circuitous path to her degree through community college and finally UC Riverside — all the while amassing more student loan debt.
She expects to qualify for $20,000 in loan forgiveness, but it won’t go far — especially since she wants to attend law school, which she figures will add more than $150,000 to her student loan debt.
“It’s great,” she said of the loan forgiveness program. “But it’s a drop in the bucket.”
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You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. | https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-25/californians-biden-student-loan-forgiveness | 2022-08-25T12:17:40Z | https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-25/californians-biden-student-loan-forgiveness | true |
Haywards Heath Town hope holiday brings first win
Haywards Heath Town will be hoping a busy bank holiday weekend can kick-start their season.
The Blues exited the FA Cup last weekend in a 3-0 preliminary round defeat at Leatherhead, on the back of their opening two league games yielding only one point.
It was no disgrace losing to the Tanners, who have been a step three side until recently.
Dave Tarpey (2') and Jermaine McGlashan scored the goals that ended Martin Dynan’s side Cup run early.
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Now they will be focusing on moving up the Isthmian south east division table as they eye another promotion push.
Heath lost to VCD on the opening day then let slip a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at home to Lancing in their first home game.
Dynan’s side have a tough double header to come over the weekend but will be keen to get their first win on the board and start climbing the table.
On Saturday they are at home to Ramsgate, who are in spot having won one and drawn one so far.
Then on Monday comes another Sussex derby for the Blues when they make the short trip to East Grinstead Town.
Heath were one of three Mid Sussex sides who were involved in the preliminary round of the FA Cup.
Hassocks also went out, losing 3-1 at home to Uxbridge, while Burgess Hill Town reached the first qualifying round with a 3-1 home win against Stansfeld.
Heath have been drawn away to the winners of Burgess Hill-Chichester in the second round of the Velocity Trophy. | https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/sport/football/haywards-heath-town-hope-holiday-brings-first-win-3818830 | 2022-08-25T12:18:13Z | https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/sport/football/haywards-heath-town-hope-holiday-brings-first-win-3818830 | true |
Patient dies, paramedic critically hurt after ambulance fire, possible explosion outside Hawaii hospital
HONOLULU (KHNL/Gray News) - One patient has died and a paramedic is critically injured after an ambulance apparently exploded in Kailua, EMS officials confirmed Wednesday night.
Officials said the incident happened around 9 p.m. outside Adventist Health Castle, KHNL reported.
According to a press conference held Wednesday night, EMS Director Jim Ireland said the ambulance caught on fire before entering the hospital. He added that the patient in the back of the ambulance died during the fire.
Ireland said one paramedic was taken to Straub Hospital in critical condition and another EMT was also treated for injuries in stable condition.
“It’s something we’ve never seen before,” said Ireland. “We want to thank the Honolulu Fire Department for their assistance tonight, our other EMS crews who came to the scene to help, as well as Castle Hospital that helped our crew.”
“We ask for everyone’s prayers and thoughts for the family of the patient that’s deceased and for the paramedic that’s been injured in the line of duty,” EMS Acting Chief Chris Sloman said. “It’s been a very difficult night.”
The cause of the fire remains unclear. An investigation is ongoing.
Copyright 2022 KHNL via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/08/25/patient-dies-paramedic-critically-hurt-after-ambulance-fire-possible-explosion-outside-hawaii-hospital/ | 2022-08-25T12:21:07Z | https://www.wistv.com/2022/08/25/patient-dies-paramedic-critically-hurt-after-ambulance-fire-possible-explosion-outside-hawaii-hospital/ | true |
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) _ Dollar Tree Inc. (DLTR) on Thursday reported fiscal second-quarter profit of $359.9 million.
The Chesapeake, Virginia-based company said it had net income of $1.60 per share.
The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 12 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.58 per share.
The discount retailer posted revenue of $6.77 billion in the period, which missed Street forecasts. Ten analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $6.78 billion.
For the current quarter ending in November, Dollar Tree said it expects revenue in the range of $6.75 billion to $6.87 billion. Analysts surveyed by Zacks had expected revenue of $6.77 billion.
The company expects full-year earnings to be $7.10 to $7.40 per share, with revenue ranging from $27.85 billion to $28.1 billion.
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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on DLTR at https://www.zacks.com/ap/DLTR | https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Dollar-Tree-Fiscal-Q2-Earnings-Snapshot-17397206.php | 2022-08-25T12:22:06Z | https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Dollar-Tree-Fiscal-Q2-Earnings-Snapshot-17397206.php | true |
The votes have been counted and the winner is in for Week 1 of the Michigan high school football season.
MLive will send one of our photographers to Ortonville Brandon vs. Bay City Central at Central on Friday to shoot all the action.
The votes have been counted and the winner is in for Week 1 of the Michigan high school football season.
MLive will send one of our photographers to Ortonville Brandon vs. Bay City Central at Central on Friday to shoot all the action.
Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. | https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2022/08/the-readers-have-spoken-see-which-week-1-saginawbay-city-area-game-we-will-shoot-subscribers-get-free-photos.html | 2022-08-25T12:23:08Z | https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2022/08/the-readers-have-spoken-see-which-week-1-saginawbay-city-area-game-we-will-shoot-subscribers-get-free-photos.html | true |
DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Target RWE will present a range of methodological and applied research at the 2022 International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology's annual conference (ICPE) in Copenhagen. Target RWE scientists will deliver six oral and two poster presentations.
"The work being presented at ICPE by my colleagues at Target RWE highlights the methodological rigor and creativity that characterize our team," said M. Alan Brookhart, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Target RWE. "We are committed to answering challenging problems in healthcare using the best available epidemiologic and statistical methods."
Target RWE scientists will be giving presentations on causal inference methods, an application of machine learning models in fracture risk prediction, and new research that informs care for patients with COVID-19, including a use of causal inference methods to identify optimal use of remdesivir in hospitalized COVID-19.
Target RWE presentations include:
Friday, August 26th
The impact of parametric assumptions on the bias-variance tradeoff for causal analysis of time-to-event outcomes, Andrew G. Allmon, DrPH, 2:00 - 2:15 p.m. CEST. Parametric assumptions have the potential to reduce the variance of effect estimates, but making such assumptions comes at the cost of potential for bias. This research evaluates how parametric assumptions affect bias and variance of causal estimation of time-to-event outcomes.
Negative control outcomes to assess the comparability of biologics versus small-molecule therapeutics for osteoporosis: Considerations for differential non-adherence, Lydia Feinstein, PhD, MSPH, 5:30 - 5:45 p.m. CEST. A growing focus on biologics across many therapeutic areas raises questions about unmeasured adherence mechanisms among users of these injectable therapies versus oral small-molecule drugs, which are typically less costly, dosed at more frequent intervals, and unlikely to require administration by a medical professional. Negative control outcomes (NCOs) can be used to detect residual bias when differential adherence is suspected. This study used NCOs to assess the comparability of women receiving biannual denosumab injections to those receiving once-weekly oral alendronate for postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Saturday, August 27th
One design to rule them all: The clone-censor-weight design as a general framework for epidemiologic studies, Alexander Breskin, PhD, MPH, 8:00 - 8:15 a.m. CEST. The clone-censor-weight approach, specifically intended to mimic a randomized controlled trial, provides a useful paradigm to unify the theory underlying most pharmacoepidemiologic study frameworks. This research compares the results of a simulated study using two distinct study frameworks: a new user design and a clone-censor-weight design.
Risk factors for mortality and intensive care requirements among pediatric patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States, Nuvan Rathnayaka, 8:15 – 8:30 a.m. CEST. Though the ongoing pandemic has generated an overwhelming amount of information on COVID-19, there remains limited data on conditions that are associated with serious outcomes among hospitalized pediatric patients. This research describes the factors associated with intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation use, and mortality among pediatric patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States.
Fracture risk estimation in post-menopausal women: a comparison of machine learning methods and software systems, David Pritchard, PhD, MS, 1:15 - 1:30 p.m. CEST. Predictive modeling of health outcomes is a key tool for identifying high-risk patients who may benefit from more intensive therapy or targeted quality improvement interventions. Using a large commercial claims database, this study compared various machine learning methods and censored data approaches for estimation of one-year fracture risk among women over the age of 50 years old.
Sunday, August 28th
The effect of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 on mortality among hospitalized patients, Alexander Breskin, PhD, MPH, 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. CEST. Evidence underpinning guidelines for remdesivir for certain patients hospitalized with COVID-19 is limited, based on subgroup analyses from randomized trials, early observational studies, or expert opinion. Further investigation is needed to better inform the guidelines with regards to the effectiveness of remdesivir in these patients. This research estimated the effect of a remdesivir initiation within two days of hospital admission compared with no remdesivir treatment on mortality among hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19.
Target RWE posters include:
Discharged where? The importance of understanding discharge dispositions when estimating in-hospital mortality, Catherine Wiener, MA (presented by M. Alan Brookhart, PhD), Poster Session A; August 26, 2022. Choices for classifying hospital discharge dispositions as censoring events, competing risks, or outcomes of interest may have large impacts on study results. This research assessed the impact of misclassifying certain discharge dispositions as censoring or competing events on the estimation of in-hospital mortality incidence in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
In-hospital treatment patterns among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States, Nuvan Rathnayaka, Poster Session: Spotlight Session – Drug Utilization Research; August 27, 2022. Treatments for hospitalized COVID-19 patients remain important due to emerging variants, waning vaccine effectiveness, and suboptimal vaccine uptake. Several studies have described the use of individual treatments, but few have described treatment patterns over the course of hospitalization. This study describes COVID-19 treatment patterns for hospitalized patients in the United States.
As a sponsor of ICPE 2022, Target RWE additionally unveiled its new brand and Syndicated Science™ analytical solution at the event. Visit us to learn more about our industry-leading RWD and advanced RWE analytics at www.targetrwe.com.
As the industry's best-in-class, complete real world evidence (RWE) solution, Target RWE is a distinctly collaborative enterprise that unifies real world data (RWD) sets and advanced RWE analytics in an integrated community, shifting the paradigm in healthcare for how decisions are made to improve lives.
We have reimagined how to produce, update, and share results from epidemiologic studies at Target RWE with our newest web-deployed, interactive analytical solution to address important questions in healthcare – Population Health Research Applications (PHRs). Target RWE PHRs provide access to rigorously developed and regularly updated RWE in specific clinical areas. Our PHRs answer specific research topics and questions of interest to key stakeholders, with results displayed through accessible, interactive data visualizations and tables.
Learn more about our solutions and contact us for more information: www.targetrwe.com.
CONTACT:
Kayla Slake
Marketing Manager
kslake@targetrwe.com
984.234.0268 ext 205
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SOURCE Target RWE | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/new-approaches-developing-real-world-evidence-presented-by-target-rwe-2022-international-conference-pharmacoepidemiology-icpe/ | 2022-08-25T12:23:57Z | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/new-approaches-developing-real-world-evidence-presented-by-target-rwe-2022-international-conference-pharmacoepidemiology-icpe/ | false |
WFO MEDFORD Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, August 26, 2022
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FIRE WEATHER WATCH
URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Medford OR
451 AM PDT Thu Aug 25 2022
...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
FRIDAY EVENING FOR STRONG GUSTY WIND AND LOW RH FOR FIRE WEATHER
ZONE 285...
The National Weather Service in Medford has issued a Fire Weather
Watch, which is in effect from Friday afternoon through Friday
evening.
* Impacts: Strong, gusty wind with low relative humidity and
critically dry vegetation will greatly increase the spread
potential of any new and existing fires.
* Affected area...In northern California, portions of Fire Zone
285, including Alturas, Canby, Likely, Adin, and portions of
the Modoc National Forest.
* Wind...West to southwest 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.
* Humidity...8 to 10 percent.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions
are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible
Red Flag Warnings.
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Copyright 2022 AccuWeather | https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/CA-WFO-MEDFORD-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17397217.php | 2022-08-25T12:24:34Z | https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/CA-WFO-MEDFORD-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17397217.php | false |
TAMPA, Fla. — Since birth, Matt Weihmuller has been blind. But Matt didn't let a disadvantage stop him from living his passion. Since he was a young child, Matt started learning how to read music and play instruments. Keep in mind that Matt can't see, so he had to learn braille music.
"It took time over my life to hone that, just like any other thing," he said.
Today Matt focuses more on his saxophone and teaching other young students. He works at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and is a part of a program called the Patel Conservatory. Here Matt teaches kids how to play instruments.
He teaches children and teens of all backgrounds and says that "you teach a visually impaired person the same way. All the concepts are the same. It's the student that really matters."
Matt is resuming classes in September! To get signed up, click here.
Weihmuller grew up in Tampa and attended Blake High School and Florida State University. 10 Tampa Bay spoke with Matt back in 2019; you can check out our story here.
I'll leave you with an inspirational quote from Matt. "You do what you need to do to make things work is what I say. And you've got to turn your disadvantages into an advantage." | https://www.wtsp.com/article/life/matt-weihmuller-straz-patel-conservatory/67-32f9239d-6697-4760-b992-c402fe646fd4 | 2022-08-25T12:25:58Z | https://www.wtsp.com/article/life/matt-weihmuller-straz-patel-conservatory/67-32f9239d-6697-4760-b992-c402fe646fd4 | true |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jerry Allison, an architect of rock drumming who played and co-wrote songs with childhood friend Buddy Holly and whose future wife inspired the classic “Peggy Sue,” has died. He was 82.
His death was confirmed Wednesday by a spokesperson for Gold Mountain Entertainment, which manages Holly’s one-time backing band The Crickets, of which Allison was the last surviving original member. Further details of his death were not immediately available.
Born in Hillsboro, Texas, Allison met Holly in junior high, and they started playing together in roller rinks and The Cotton Club in Lubbock in the early 1950s, predating the rise of rock music. The two wrote numerous hits together as teenagers, including “That’ll Be the Day,” inspired by a line from John Wayne in the classic Western “The Searchers.”
The Crickets, who also included Joe B. Mauldin and Niki Sullivan, broke through in 1957 with “That’ll Be the Day,” followed by “Oh, Boy!”, “Maybe Baby,” and other singles. Allison’s teenage girlfriend (Peggy Sue Gerron, whom he later married) was the namesake for “Peggy Sue,” which features Allison playing one of rock’s most celebrated drum parts — a rolling pattern called paradiddles.
“Peggy Sue” was covered by numerous artists, including John Lennon and the Beach Boys, and referenced in “Barbara Ann” and other songs. Holly followed with “Peggy Sue Got Married,” later the title of a Francis Coppola film starring Kathleen Turner as a woman who travels back in time.
The Crickets’ sound was often stripped down to rock ‘n’ roll basics: guitars, bass and drums behind Holly’s “hiccupping” vocals. But they also liked experimenting in the studio with multi-tracking and overdubbing and inspired generations of musicians, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and other British Invasion rockers. One band, the Hollies, named themselves after Holly.
Allison’s innovative work is also apparent on “Everyday,” where he ditches the drums and keeps time in the song by slapping his knees. On “Well… All Right,” Allison is drumming just on the cymbals.
But as its fame grew, the band stayed behind in Texas, while Holly moved to New York in 1958. In February 1959, Holly was killed at the age of 22 in a plane accident along with fellow musicians Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, also known at the Big Bopper. The tragedy inspired Don McLean’s 1972 hit “American Pie.”
After Holly’s death, The Crickets continued as a band to tour and record together for decades, including recording the first version of “I Fought The Law,” a Sonny Curtis tune that was a hit later for The Bobby Fuller Four. They backed the Everly Brothers and toured with Waylon Jennings, and they became well respected session players who worked with Bobby Vee, Eddie Cochran and Johnny Burnette.
The Crickets were voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, while Holly was inducted in 1986 in the first class of inductees. Sullivan died in 2004 and Mauldin died in 2014. Allison and Gerron eventually divorced. Gerron died in 2018. | https://www.cbs42.com/entertainment/ap-entertainment/jerry-allison-drummer-for-buddy-holly-dead-at-82/ | 2022-08-25T12:27:33Z | https://www.cbs42.com/entertainment/ap-entertainment/jerry-allison-drummer-for-buddy-holly-dead-at-82/ | false |
Expanded Cross-Browser Testing Capabilities Supports Customer-Centric Testing Strategies
BOSTON , Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- mabl, the SaaS leader in intelligent test automation, today announced the introduction of cross-browser testing for Microsoft Edge. The new capability enables quality teams to expand test coverage across critical user journeys and tailor their testing strategy to match the real-world needs of their customers.
The deprecation of Internet Explorer earlier this year cemented the importance of Edge support for enterprise users, particularly those in industries like insurance, banking, and enterprise software. Supporting customers in these highly advanced sectors means that quality experiences when using Edge will be imperative for many B2B software organizations. With mabl, quality teams can expand test coverage across those critical user experiences with low-code, intelligent testing.
"Microsoft Edge support in mabl allows quality teams to expand cross-browser test coverage at scale," says Gevorg Hovsepyan, Head of Product Management at mabl. "The bar for a high quality experience continues to be raised, and now mabl customers have even greater ability to to meet the needs of a broader set of users."
Cross-browser testing for Edge harnesses the same powerful suite of mabl features designed to enhance the expertise of quality teams. Coupled with other recent releases including Shadow DOM support, Intelligent Wait, and automated accessibility checks, support for Microsoft Edge further delivers on the benefits of mabl's unified platform for test automation. Whether it's testing web apps in Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, or Microsoft Edge, mabl is unlocking comprehensive test coverage that supports high-quality user experiences.
Cross-browser testing for Microsoft Edge is now available to mabl customers in Enterprise and Growth plans as well as those in mabl's 14 day free trial.
mabl is the enterprise SaaS leader of intelligent, low-code test automation that empowers high-velocity software teams to embed automated end-to-end tests into the entire development lifecycle. mabl customers benefit from a unified platform for easily creating, executing, and maintaining reliable browser, API and mobile web tests that result in faster delivery of high-quality, business critical applications. That's why customer-centric brands like Charles Schwab, jetBlue, Dollar Shave Club, Stack Overflow, and many others rely on mabl to create the digital experiences their customers demand. Learn more at https://www.mabl.com; follow @mablhq on Twitter and @mabl on LinkedIn.
PR Contact
Bridget Hughes, mabl
hughes@mabl.com
(203) 502-3417
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SOURCE MABL, Inc. | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/mabl-enables-quality-engineering-teams-improve-test-coverage-with-microsoft-edge-support/ | 2022-08-25T12:27:40Z | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/mabl-enables-quality-engineering-teams-improve-test-coverage-with-microsoft-edge-support/ | false |
- Pickleball World Champions Ben Johns and Jessie Irvine join TopCourt as pickleball coaches
- Pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in North America with a two-year participation growth rate of 40%
- Currently TopCourt's tennis coaching team features Venus Williams, Simona Halep, Alexander Zverev, Chris Evert, Iga Swiatek, and Nick Kyrgios
NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today TopCourt took the next step in the company's growth by adding pickleball to its portfolio. Pickleball has more than 5 million active players in the United States, has enjoyed a 40% growth since 2020, boasts a celebrity following, and has been called by the Economist as "the fastest growing sport in America".
Launched in 2020, TopCourt has become the go-to destination for professional tennis instruction, with a coaching team featuring the world's best tennis players of the present, past and future, as well as the sport's most legendary coaches.
Adding pickleball instructional platform to TopCourt enhances the consumer experience and expands its demographic reach. Pickleball is enjoying a youth movement in the United States as more and more schools add the sport to its physical education curriculum. Pickleball's popularity has landed the sport TV deals with ESPN, CBS, and Tennis Channel.
As part of the new platform, TopCourt will partner with Professional Pickleball Association and its athletes, such as Ben Johns and Jessie Irvine, the sport's World No.1 players in both singles and doubles. Irvine's instructional videos will be unveiled this week and feature pickleball and fitness lessons from beginner to professional level of play; and Johns' lessons will follow shortly. Johns is considered the greatest pickleball player of all time.
"Pickleball has changed my life and I am excited to have a platform such as TopCourt to become one of its official coaches. It's been exciting to see pickleball grow exponentially over the last few years and I look forward to helping make pickleball the most popular recreational sport around the world," said Ben Johns.
In addition to record growth in the US, Montreal Gazette has called pickleball the fastest growing sport in Canada. The International Federation of Pickleball currently boasts 70 member countries, and a swelling global presence has inspired enthusiasts to lobby the International Olympic Committee for inclusion, perhaps in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. To mount a successful Olympic bid, pickleball needs competitive players in at least 75 countries.
Over the last few years, numerous professional sports have added e-learning capabilities to their fan experience. TopCourt became the official e-learning platform of the ATP and WTA in 2021, bridging professional tennis and its star players and coaches with the everyday tennis fan. Numerous studies on the e-learning market project it to be worth $325B by 2025, with a survey of 2,500 organizations finding that those with comprehensive e-learning programs have 218% higher revenue per team member and 24% higher profit margins*.
*Source: KPMG
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SOURCE TopCourt | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/topcourt-adds-pickleball-instruction-its-tennis-e-learning-platform-becoming-worlds-ultimate-coaching-authority-americas-fastest-growing-sport/ | 2022-08-25T12:31:38Z | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/topcourt-adds-pickleball-instruction-its-tennis-e-learning-platform-becoming-worlds-ultimate-coaching-authority-americas-fastest-growing-sport/ | false |
TAIPEI , Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Innodisk, a global leader in industrial-grade storage and embedded peripherals won the Most Innovative Memory Technology award for its DDR4 Ultra Temperature DRAM modules at the 2022 Flash Memory Summit (FMS) in Santa Clara, California.
At this year's FMS event, companies specializing in flash memory from around the world introduced the newest innovations in memory technology. Innodisk took center stage as it showcased its DDR4 Ultra Temperature DRAM modules, which have the highest DRAM module temperature tolerance range in the world, from -40 to 125 °C, and enable never before imagined applications.
"Autonomous vehicles, video surveillance, IoT automation, and embedded applications need high-performance DRAM technology which can operate in a wide range of temperatures. We are proud to recognize Innodisk's Ultra Temperature DRAM memory, which can operate from a chilling -40 to scorching 125°C and deliver memory speed performance of 3200Mt/s." said Jay Kramer, Chairman of the Awards Program and President of Network Storage Advisors, Inc.
Innodisk is driven to create innovations and solutions. The company is committed to delivering data solutions to its customers, unleashing opportunities, and further innovating.
About Innodisk
Innodisk is a service-driven provider of flash memory, DRAM modules, and embedded peripheral products for industrial and enterprise applications. For more information about Innodisk, please visit https://www.innodisk.com
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SOURCE Innodisk Corporation | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/all-eyes-innodisks-award-winning-ultra-temperature-dram-modules/ | 2022-08-25T12:32:43Z | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/all-eyes-innodisks-award-winning-ultra-temperature-dram-modules/ | true |
WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) _ Lancaster Colony Corp. (LANC) on Thursday reported fiscal fourth-quarter net income of $29 million.
On a per-share basis, the Westerville, Ohio-based company said it had profit of $1.06. Earnings, adjusted for asset impairment costs, were $1.35 per share.
The specialty food maker posted revenue of $452.4 million in the period.
For the year, the company reported profit of $89.6 million, or $3.25 per share. Revenue was reported as $1.68 billion.
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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on LANC at https://www.zacks.com/ap/LANC | https://www.expressnews.com/business/article/Lancaster-Colony-Fiscal-Q4-Earnings-Snapshot-17397215.php | 2022-08-25T12:34:10Z | https://www.expressnews.com/business/article/Lancaster-Colony-Fiscal-Q4-Earnings-Snapshot-17397215.php | true |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday named Kim Cheatle, a veteran Secret Service official, to be the agency’s next director as it faces controversy over missing text messages around the time thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Cheatle, who left the Secret Service in 2021 for a job as a security executive at PepsiCo, takes the reins as multiple congressional committees and the Department of Homeland Security’s internal watchdog are investigating the missing text messages, which the Secret Service has said were purged during a technology transition.
Cheatle had served in the Secret Service for 27 years and was the first woman to be named assistant director of protective operations, the division that provides protection to the president and other dignitaries.
Cheatle had served on Biden’s protective detail when he was vice president. During that time, Biden “came to trust” her judgment and counsel, he said in a statement.
Biden said that her and first lady Jill Biden “know firsthand Kim’s commitment to her job and to the Secret Service’s people and mission.”
Cheatle replaces James Murray, who had announced his retirement to take a position with Snap, the social media company best known for its app, Snapchat. He announced last month that he would delay his retirement amid the investigations while Biden looked for a new director.
The Secret Service has faced increasing criticism after admitting that text messages from around the time of the attack of Jan. 6, 2021, on the Capitol were deleted.
The agency has said the messages were purged when its phones were migrated to a new system in the weeks after the 2021 attack. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., a member of the House committee investigating the attack, has said the Secret Service told the committee that it left it up to individual agents to decide what electronic records to keep and what to delete during the process.
The committee has taken a recent, renewed interest in the Secret Service following the dramatic testimony of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson about Trump’s actions on the day of the insurrection.
The Secret Service has said all procedures were followed and pledged “full cooperation” with all of the reviews and investigations, including a criminal investigation by the Homeland Security’s inspector general.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Cheatle “is a law enforcement veteran and served as the first female assistant director in charge of all protective operations for the agency before retiring.”
“We are ecstatic to welcome her back as the next Director of the United States Secret Service,” he said in a tweet. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-biden-names-new-secret-service-director-amid-jan-6-scrutiny/ | 2022-08-25T12:36:36Z | https://www.cbs42.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-biden-names-new-secret-service-director-amid-jan-6-scrutiny/ | true |
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Two Bulgarian police officers were killed early Thursday as they tried to stop a bus containing migrants who had entered the country illegally, a senior interior ministry official said.
The incident occurred at 5 a.m. (0200 GMT) in the Black Sea city of Burgas after the bus refused to stop at two consecutive border police checkpoints, Stanimir Stanev told reporters.
The bus with Turkish registration plates was carrying 47 migrants whose nationality has not been disclosed.
The bus had entered a residential area when the police officers halted their car across the road in front of it. The bus rammed the police vehicle, then drove over the top of it before smashing into a bus stop.
The two officers in the car were killed instantly. No other injuries were reported and an investigation into the case has been launched.
So far, no charges against the driver have been brought, but district prosecutor Georgi Chinev called the driver’s actions a “conscious, purposeful act”.
Bulgaria, a Balkan country of 7 million, is located on a major route for migrants from the Middle East and Afghanistan to Europe. Only a small number of them plan to stay in the EU’s poorest member, using Bulgaria instead as a transit corridor on their way westward. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-2-bulgarian-police-killed-by-speeding-bus-carrying-migrants/ | 2022-08-25T12:37:58Z | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-2-bulgarian-police-killed-by-speeding-bus-carrying-migrants/ | true |
(CNN) — Trump-era records were not returned to the government during the waning days of Donald Trump’s presidency despite a determination by his White House counsel that they should be, according to an email that National Archives and Records Administration chief counsel Gary Stern sent to Trump’s lawyers in May 2021.
The contents of the email were confirmed to CNN by a source familiar with the matter. The Washington Post first reported on the email.
Stern wrote in the email, “It is also our understanding that roughly two dozen boxes of original presidential records were kept in the Residence of the White House over the course of President Trump’s last year in office and have not been transferred to NARA, despite a determination by Pat Cipollone in the final days of the administration that they need to be. I had also raised this concern with Scott in the final weeks.”
“Scott” refers to Scott Gast, another Trump attorney who was copied on the message.
Cipollone, along with his former deputy Patrick Philbin, were designated by Trump shortly before he left office to deal with the issues related to his presidential records.
CNN has not been able to reach Cipollone for comment on the email.
The newly reported email underscores the efforts by the National Archives, charged with collecting and sorting presidential material, to retrieve Trump-era documents as an investigation into the handling of presidential records heats up. The FBI executed a search warrant at the former President’s Florida residence earlier this month, with federal agents removing boxes of material from the property.
The National Archives has previously said at least 15 boxes of White House records were recovered from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in January — including some that were classified. And in its search earlier this month, the FBI recovered 11 sets of classified documents, including some materials marked as “top secret/SCI” — one of the highest levels of classification.
CNN has previously reported that the Archives had been working throughout 2021 to get presidential records back from Trump.
According to the source familiar with the matter, there were about a dozen emails and calls over the course of the year as the Archives tried to get Trump to return the presidential documents.
In the final weeks of the administration, the National Archives was aware that it was looking for certain documents because the White House Records office alerted the Archives that they had never received them from the president’s team — including the map of Hurricane Dorian that Trump infamously altered with a Sharpie marker, the letter from former President Barack Obama to Trump and the Kim Jong Un “love letters.”
The Archives was aware that White House records management had identified documents were missing even before Trump left office, according to the source.
Furthermore, the Archives was aware of the two dozen boxes in the residence even while Trump was in office, the source said.
But there was no inventory or documentation of what exactly was in those boxes.
Shortly after Trump left office, the negotiations for return of the documents between the Archives and Trump’s team began, according to the source familiar. There were repeated phone calls and communications to try to get the boxes back, but to no avail, the source said.
Finally, in January 2022, Trump agreed to return 15 boxes — not the 24 boxes the Archives were aware of — that were being kept at his residence at Mar-a-Lago — boxes that the Archives determined contained classified documents. | https://www.wishtv.com/news/national/archives-documents-were-not-returned-even-though-white-house-counsel-said-trump-should-hand-them-over/ | 2022-08-25T12:39:47Z | https://www.wishtv.com/news/national/archives-documents-were-not-returned-even-though-white-house-counsel-said-trump-should-hand-them-over/ | false |
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — If Dr. Mehmet Oz is elected to the U.S. Senate this fall, he’ll be the first Muslim ever to serve in the chamber. It’s something he hardly brings up while campaigning, his Democratic opponent isn’t raising it and it’s barely a topic of conversation in Pennsylvania’s Muslim community.
Even if Muslims know that Oz — the celebrity heart surgeon best known as the host of daytime TV’s “The Dr. Oz Show” — is a fellow Muslim, many may not identify with him culturally or politically.
And in any case, Muslims aren’t monolithic and won’t necessarily vote for a candidate just because they share a religion, Muslims across the state say — he’ll have to win them over on the issues just as with all voters.
Oz, whose parents emigrated from Turkey, calls himself a “secular Muslim” and has said that the spiritual side of Islam resonates with him more than the religious law side of it.
He is also part of a Republican Party that is a political minority among Muslims and is endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who earned the enmity of some Muslims for enacting a 2017 ban on travelers coming to the United States from five predominantly Muslim countries.
For a Republican Party more accustomed to electing white Christians, Oz’s religion is a strange bedfellow. Some Muslims say they have felt an animosity from the party in the past and Muslim candidates themselves have faced attacks from GOP rivals.
In a brief interview, Oz said it is good for the United States’ leadership to show that it can elect Muslims, and it is good for Muslims to see one of their own elected to the U.S. Senate.
That kind of success would reinforce the message that “if you work hard in America, no matter what your heritage we treasure you,” Oz said.
Oz won the GOP’s seven-way May primary in a contest so narrow it triggered a statewide recount and he now faces Democrat John Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, in the Nov. 8 election. The contest in the presidential battleground state could help determine partisan control of the Senate next year.
On the campaign trail, Oz follows national GOP talking points, such as trying to pin rising inflation and gun violence on President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats.
Oz rarely discusses his religion and Fetterman hasn’t brought it up — focusing instead on trying to paint Oz as a super-wealthy, out-of-touch carpetbagger from New Jersey.
If Muslims don’t know that Oz is one of them, “that is because of him, really,” said Algassimu Bah, a Philadelphian and immigrant from Sierra Leone. “He hasn’t been talking about his faith. We’ve not heard him.”
Imam Abdul Aziz Suraqah, of the Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, said most members of the mosque probably know of Oz’s faith, but seem no more passionate about Oz than any other candidate.
Imam Abdullah Pocius, who leads a mosque in Philadelphia, said he doubts that most Muslims who vote know that Oz identifies as a Muslim.
“The average American Muslim doesn’t know anything about him, except that he’s a TV doctor,” Pocius said.
Oz was born in the United States to Turkish parents, married an American who is Christian and raised his children as Christians.
In a 2013 interview for the PBS series “Faces of America,” Oz discussed his faith, saying that, while growing up, he became interested in Sufism, a mystical form of Islam that emphasizes someone’s direct connection to God.
Oz described it as “spiritual.”
Sufism is, however, generally viewed negatively by orthodox Muslims, who emphasize strictly following a set of religious laws, said Khalid A.Y. Blankinship, a Muslim and professor of religion at Temple University in Philadelphia.
In addition, Muslims in the United States are diverse — they include converted Americans and immigrants from Asia, Africa and Europe — and many might see Oz’s Turkish heritage as more meaningful to him than Islam, Blankinship said.
When it comes to voting, party loyalty will override religion for the vast majority of Muslims, Blankinship said.
“Most people would not think of supporting him just because he’s a Muslim,” Blankinship said. “And they would look at what is he saying, what are his politics, what is his position going to be.”
Suraqah said he tries to teach Muslims to be principled in their voting choices and to avoid supporting candidates “just because they speak nicely to the Muslim community” or appeal to them as fellow Muslims.
Still, it is important — and remarkable — that a major political party has nominated a Muslim for a Senate seat, Muslims say.
But galvanizing Pennsylvania’s Muslim community might have only a slight effect on the election.
Estimates suggest that Muslims are 1% to 2% of the state’s voters and Pew Research Center estimated in 2017 that two-thirds of American Muslims identified as Democrats, or leaned that way.
That could further isolate Oz from many Muslim voters.
“It is complicated because most Muslims are registered Democrats,” said Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage, a national Muslim political advocacy organization. “While being a Muslim is nice and it’s good, it is not sufficient and in some cases it doesn’t matter what your faith is if you are not on the right side of the issues.”
Salima Suswell, Emgage’s executive director in Pennsylvania, said she became aware that Oz is a Muslim soon after he launched his campaign.
But, Suswell said his religious beliefs don’t factor into her decision at the polls and that the issues Muslims care about are not limited to “stereotypical ‘Muslim issues.’”
“We know that just because somebody proclaims to be a part of our religious community, it does not mean that they represent our values,” she said.
Issues aside, it’s a problem that Oz doesn’t speak out against Trump as a source of Islamophobia and hate, Alzayat said.
Dr. Nadeem Iqbal, a Pittsburgh-area radiologist who was originally born in Pakistan, said he might be tempted to vote for a Muslim candidate.
But Iqbal wondered if or how Oz practices the religion and he can’t accept Oz’s ties to Trump, who he views as racist, anti-Muslim and empowering America’s extremist and racist fringes.
“And personally,” Iqbal said, “I will not vote for anyone endorsed by Donald Trump.”
___
Associated Press writer Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
___
Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/timelywriter. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-ozs-senate-bid-could-be-a-muslim-first-but-is-complicated/ | 2022-08-25T12:39:59Z | https://www.kxnet.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-ozs-senate-bid-could-be-a-muslim-first-but-is-complicated/ | false |
(The Hill) — Expect a Trumpier U.S. House of Representatives next year.
House Republicans are not only forecast to win control of the lower chamber in November’s midterm elections, they’re also poised to bring with them a roster of new arrivals who have embraced former President Donald Trump and his false claims of fraud surrounding his 2020 defeat.
A number of Trump loyalists have bumped off more moderate Republicans in the summer primaries — a list that grew longer on Tuesday with conservative victories in Florida and New York — while a number of other centrists are stepping into retirement.
The combination foreshadows a power shift in the House GOP that has the potential to complicate any bipartisan compromise with President Joe Biden while creating headaches for Republican leaders who will face pressure to demonstrate their governing chops in a new majority.
“I believe that [House Minority Leader] Kevin McCarthy [Calif.] would have a rough time of it,” said David Mayhew, a political scientist at Yale University.
Joe Kent, a former Green Beret, defeated pro-impeachment Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in a Washington GOP primary earlier this month with the help of an endorsement from Trump. Running as an “America First” Republican, he railed against the “establishment” and publicly said that McCarthy, the House GOP leader, should not be Speaker.
And he’s hardly alone.
In the most recent round of primaries, winners in safe Republican House seats include former Trump appointee to the Pentagon Cory Mills, who has said that the 2020 election was “rigged.” Mills would replace outgoing Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.).
New York State GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy, who heavily touted his previous support from Trump in the primary despite not getting a formal endorsement for the race, also won a primary in a safe GOP district on Tuesday. Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.) ended his reelection bid for that seat due to blowback to his support for an assault weapons ban.
One of the starkest signs that incoming House Republicans will be friendlier to the former president is that Mills and Langworthy were considered the less extreme candidates in their races.
Langworthy defeated Carl Paladino, a gaffe-prone Trump supporter who was endorsed by Trump allies Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), and Elise Stefanik (N.Y.). And Mills faced Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, who was also supported by Gaetz and Greene and accused Mills of being a “RINO,” an acronym for “Republican in name only.”
Sarah Chamberlain, president and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership, which supports “governing Republicans” who are willing to work across the aisle, pointed to the defeats of Paladino and Sabatini to argue that loyalty to Trump may not be a defining feature of incoming Republicans.
“When the members sit around a table, Donald Trump is not what they discuss. They discuss Joe Biden and getting things done to help the American people,” Chamberlain said of the candidates supported by her group. “They’re not against them by any means. They voted for him. But he is not a topic of conversation.”
Still, several of the candidates highlighted as “Young Guns” by the National Republican Congressional Committee have also expressed skepticism about the 2020 election, even if they did not make loyalty to Trump a key part of their candidate pitch this year.
Derrick Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL seeking to replace retiring Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), attended the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but has said he never entered the Capitol and has since distanced himself from the events of that day.
Contributing to the likely power shift, many House Republicans who were critical of Trump or did not overtly embrace him will not be returning in 2022.
Eight of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack either declined to run for reelection or lost their primaries. Others, like Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) and Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.), lost in primaries against other Trump-backed members after being put up against each other due to redistricting.
Meanwhile, Trump allies like Gaetz and Greene sailed through their primaries.
The House Freedom Caucus, the group of hard-line conservatives, is likely to grow. A PAC affiliated with the group, the House Freedom Fund, is supporting Trump-endorsed newcomers Anna Paulina Luna in Florida, Bo Hines in North Carolina, and Jim Bognet in Pennsylvania.
If history is any guide, Republican leaders will have a delicate line to walk if they win back House control with a more conservative majority.
GOP leaders embraced the Tea Party movement in the late aughts, which provided the burst of energy leading directly to their House takeover in 2010. But it was those same conservative majority-makers — and eventual Freedom Caucus founders — who fought their own leadership over everything from government spending to the proposed impeachment of President Obama.
The far-right pressure pushed former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) into retirement, prevented McCarthy from rising to the Speakership in 2015 and was a thorn in the side of Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) during his short stint with the gavel.
Some congressional experts predict the new wave of Trump loyalists will create similar headaches for GOP leaders next year — unless leadership jumps on board.
“Donald Trump was the first Republican candidate for president who truly understood what the Tea Party was all about. The Paul Ryans of this world thought it was about small government. Wrong! It was a populist uprising,” said Bill Galston, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “Trump got it right; everybody else got it wrong. And so he has now elevated that big Trump party, which is socially conservative but economically inclined to big government that serves their interests.
“These are not libertarians; they’re anti-libertarians in all sorts of ways,” Galston added. “And that’s the Republican Party now.”
The influence of aggressive, Trump-loving House members and the number of headaches they create for GOP leadership next year may depend on how successful Republicans are in House races overall in this year’s midterms. Many of the newcomer GOP candidates in competitive races trying to unseat Democrats are more centrist, and largely do not talk about the former president.
The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a super PAC aligned with McCarthy, has also swooped in to support incumbent members who fought off more extreme challengers.
The CLF deployed a last-minute $50,000 in phone calls to support Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) on Tuesday as he fended off a surprisingly strong challenge from far-right, anti-Muslim activist Laura Loomer, who has been banned from multiple social media platforms.
It also helped centrist Republican Rep. David Valadao (Calif.), who voted to impeach Trump, and Rep. Young Kim (Calif.) advance to the general election as they faced more conservative challengers. | https://www.wric.com/hill-politics/trump-wing-in-house-gop-set-to-grow/ | 2022-08-25T12:44:34Z | https://www.wric.com/hill-politics/trump-wing-in-house-gop-set-to-grow/ | false |
One of the most conspicuous parts of the tax-and-spending package known as the Inflation Reduction Act is vastly expanded funding for the Internal Revenue Service. The promised flood of cash — an additional $80 billion over 10 years, compared with baseline annual spending of around $15 billion — raises some questions, and one of the most important is getting less attention than it should. If the IRS lacks the means to do its job well, could that be because its job is far more demanding than it ought to be?
In a word, yes: The IRS struggles to administer the system because U.S. taxes are insanely complicated.
In this respect, the purportedly bold innovation on funding for the agency is partly a tribute to the status quo. The enormous increase in spending is combined with another new batch of complexities. Highlights include incentives for climate-related investments and assorted other good things, and a minimum corporate tax that requires eligible companies to calculate what they owe not one way but two, then pay the larger sum.
Changes like these serve legitimate purposes, but they are partly self-defeating. With one hand you incentivize decisions that serve the public interest; with the other, you cancel them out by closing “loopholes.” On top of which, every further complication is an opportunity for tax avoidance, an added compliance burden on taxpayers and the IRS alike, and a transfer of income from producers of socially valuable goods and services to accountants and lawyers eager for their share of the resulting deadweight loss.
The U.S. tax code hasn’t been comprehensively simplified since 1986. Over the subsequent years, Congress has indulged its unlimited appetite for making it unintelligible. (Back in 2010, a panel chaired by Paul Volcker reported that taxpayers and businesses spend 7.6 billion hours and “significant out-of-pocket expenses” to do their taxes each year, a cost equivalent to at least $140 billion, which was 12 times the IRS budget or 10 cents per dollar of income tax paid.) What a mess. And what a shame that the new IRS budget isn’t part of a plan to fix it.
In a narrow sense, the extra spending does make sense. My colleague Tyler Cowen argues that the IRS is badly run and should be told to smarten up before it gets more money — a fair point, given the agency’s failure to modernize its systems and make better use of its existing resources. But the squeeze on its budget (a cut of about a fifth in real terms since 2010) and the relentless rise in its workload (lately aggravated by the pandemic) would test any undertaking, especially one that was stressed to begin with.
Although the bigger budget will raise more revenue than it costs, there is much debate over just how big this bonus — revenue available to pay for more public spending and/or lower tax rates — will be.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the $80 billion will raise about $200 billion in additional revenues. Larry Summers and Natasha Sarin (who now works in the administration) explain that the methodology behind such estimates ignores or plays down the effects of better taxpayer service, updated technology and better voluntary compliance. The IRS reckons the gap between what’s owed and what’s collected is roughly $7 trillion over 10 years; Summers and Sarin think the extra funding should easily cut that by $1 trillion.
Their arithmetic looks plausible — only keep in mind that the tax gap is not the best way to judge the system. The compliance burden is a cost in its own right, and if you cut the gap by increasing the burden, it’s a mixed blessing. The goal should be to cut the gap while reducing the burden. That’s entirely possible, and you do it by simplifying the code.
One example should suffice. The U.S. provides tax relief for certain kinds of retirement saving. Security in retirement for people who might otherwise lack it is a worthy purpose, and most countries offer tax-advantaged treatment for those on middle and low incomes. But none that I know of rival the U.S. for the Kafkaesque convolutions of its approach (many of which conspire, it so happens, to narrow the benefits to those with high incomes and accountants on retainer).
Some employer-based schemes — 401(k)s, 403(b)s and so on — are relatively straightforward. But then you’ve got Individual Retirement Accounts: “traditional IRAs” (including “Stretch IRAs”), Roth IRAs (not forgetting “Back-Door Roths”), Payroll Deduction IRAs, Simplified Employee Pensions, “SIMPLE IRAs” (it stands for Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees), and SARSEPs (Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pension Plan). Now, if all those very simple simplified schemes strike you in fact as a bit complicated, brace yourself and look at the IRS page explaining the rules for drawing down these accounts. Be sure to follow the links! You wouldn’t want to make a mistake — especially now that your chances of being audited are about to go up.
For decades, whenever Congress has “reformed” the tax code, it has just layered on new complications. The U.S. now has a system that might have been designed to fail, incentivize avoidance, perpetuate a colossal tax gap, and drive taxpayers and IRS officials alike out of their minds. The biggest problem with the IRS is not that it’s been badly managed (though perhaps it has been) or under-resourced (which it undoubtedly has been), but that hyperactive legislators have given it an impossible task.
Sadly, $80 billion won’t come close to putting that right.
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HOUSTON, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
- A series of disruptions amid ongoing underinvestment has triggered a readjustment in the energy market.
- Oil and gas producers could report highest-ever free cash flows, as much as $1.4 trillion, in 2022.
- The U.S. shale industry can potentially become debt-free by early 2024 if prices stay strong and discipline prevails. This would overcome the decade-long loss of $300 billion.
- Global upstream is set to generate up to $1.5 trillion in surplus cash by 20301, possibly with 70% of this surplus generated by 2024; this could be enough to fund and balance both low-carbon and core oil and gas priorities this decade.
Over the past ten years, the U.S. oil and gas industry has dealt with unprecedented cyclical changes. Despite economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability and ongoing supply chain disruptions, the industry is financially strong and well positioned to drive change. Deloitte's new report, "Striking the Balance: How and Where Will O&G Producers Deploy their Cash?," examines how oil and gas companies can play a key role over the next decade in creating synergy between energy security and energy transition, while helping commercialize essential low-carbon technologies.
Disruptions of the past two years on the oil and gas industry — including shifts in consumer behavior and supply chain challenges — combined with years of underinvestment and financial discipline, have helped to drive oil prices to past highs and cash flows to record levels. According to the study, the ongoing energy readjustment is likely to keep prices elevated for a while, possibly resulting in record cash flows and helping the industry to strike a healthy balance between energy security, diversification, and transition.
- The industry's cash generation is running ahead of the oil price cycle and capital discipline is now a practiced norm for most.
- Global upstream free cash flows could reach a record of as much as $1.4 trillion in 20222.
- While the North American upstream industry cumulatively generated only $47 billion in free cash flows over the last decade (2010-2020) due to losses in shale plays, the industry is expected to generate up to $600 billion in free cash flows between 2021-2022, a 13x increase from 2010-20203.
- Shale producers, which generated negative cash flows in nine out of the last 10 years, will likely witness record high free cash flows in 2021-2022 that could overcome the decade long loss of $300 billion4.
The industry has been reducing debt, increasing efficiency, and practicing capital discipline for the past six years. After pausing reinvestments due to economic uncertainty, the oil and gas industry is exhibiting exceptional financial health and industry-leading returns at 20% leverage and 4% to 6% of dividend yield5. Even amid ongoing price volatility and supply chain disruption, many companies are strongly positioned for the future, though defining the road ahead will take time.
Significant investments could be required to strike a careful energy balance. According to the study, $3.6 trillion is the projected hydrocarbon capex at base price to maintain operations and generate significant cash flows from 2022 to 2030 globally6. However, the study also suggests that these investments will compete with growing priorities on cash that includes shareholder payouts, buybacks and debt repayment. Even after meeting both core hydrocarbon investment and shareholder priorities, the global upstream industry is likely to generate $1.5 trillion in cash surplus between 2022-20307.
The cash surplus of $1.5 trillion could be deployed in several ways: it could move the needle on the industry's share of green capex from its current 5% to as much as 30%8, it could potentially kickstart the low-carbon economy, or it could be used to technically make the industry completely debt-free. While relatively lower internal rate of return investments in low carbon technologies could reduce the overall corporate IRR of an oil and gas company by 2.5% to 4%9. However, even with that investment, the industry's overall return profile could remain strong and close to previous highs, in addition to the added benefits of a lower emissions profile.
Despite its perceived volatility, the oil and gas industry has been accelerating its low-carbon commitments. For example, over the last three years, many oil and gas companies have reduced direct carbon emissions by 50%10. Further, oil and gas companies account for 75%11 of the global investment in carbon capture, utilization and storage in 2021, and have doubled their renewable capacity in the last three years.
According to the study, affordable and accessible hydrocarbons are important to strike the right balance for a low-carbon economy. The pace and direction of this transition hinges on a supportive regulatory and stable policy environment, coordinated partnerships, and innovative business models.
"The oil and gas industry has faced real disruption over the past few years, some of which originated long before the Covid-19 pandemic began to make its impact. However, the unexpected result of this volatility is that the industry seems to be in a relatively strong position. Oil and gas companies have managed through change. Those who invest in new business models and remain resilient to the changing market dynamics will be more likely to sustain, lead and win throughout this energy transition."
— Amy Chronis, vice chair, U.S. Oil, Gas and Chemicals Leader, Deloitte LLP
"Oil and gas companies are facing a readjustment in the broader energy market. Many companies have already committed to reducing carbon emissions and are making progress, amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Now, a financially healthy oil and gas industry is not only equipped with the technology, but also with the cash flows that could allow them to invest more quickly and create tangible change."
— John England, Global Oil, Gas and Chemicals Leader, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited
Connect with us on Twitter at @Deloitte4Energy or on LinkedIn at @AmyChronis and @JohnEngland.
Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax, and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 7,000 private companies. Our people come together for the greater good and work across the industry sectors that drive and shape today's marketplace—delivering measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to see challenges as opportunities to transform and thrive, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthier society. Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Building on more than 175 years of service, our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte's more than 345,000 people worldwide connect for impact at www.deloitte.com.
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ("DTTL"), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the "Deloitte" name in the United States and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.
1 The analysis excludes the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, a bill passed by both chambers of Congress in August 2022. The bill contains a wide array of subsidies, taxes, credits, and pricing reforms, each with varying impacts on households and businesses. Additionally, the bill contains several energy, environment, and climate-related provisions that may influence production, cost competitiveness, profitability, tax payouts, and investment and share buyback decisions of US O&G companies. For more details, refer: The inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
2 Deloitte analysis based on data accessed from Rystad Energy Ucube, and US Energy Information Administration, July 2022
3 Deloitte analysis based on data accessed from Rystad Energy Ucube, July 2022
4 Deloitte analysis based on data accessed from Rystad Energy Ucube, July 2022
5 Deloitte analysis, S&P Capital IQ, July 2022
6 Deloitte analysis based on modeling of data accessed from Rystad Energy Ucube and S&P Capital IQ
7 Deloitte analysis based on modeling of data accessed from Rystad Energy Ucube and S&P Capital IQ
8 Deloitte analysis, S&P Capital IQ, Rystad Energy Ucube database, July 2022
9 Deloitte analysis; S&P Capital IQ; Rystad Energy Ucube Upstream
10 Bloomberg, Deloitte analysis
11 Deloitte analysis, and International Energy Agency "World Energy Investment 2022"
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SOURCE Deloitte | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/deloitte-oil-amp-gas-industry-could-have-highest-ever-cash-flows-become-debt-free-primed-accelerate-energy-transition/ | 2022-08-25T12:45:53Z | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/deloitte-oil-amp-gas-industry-could-have-highest-ever-cash-flows-become-debt-free-primed-accelerate-energy-transition/ | false |
- Expanding the Hifyre Platform into Colorado
- Additional two markets to be opened by Q4 2022
TORONTO, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fire & Flower US Holdings Inc. (formerly American Acres Managers) (the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has completed a non-brokered private placement of unsecured convertible debentures (the "Debentures") in the principal amount of approximately $5,000,000 to the existing shareholders of the Company (the "Offering"). The net proceeds from the Offering will be used for acquisition capital, capital expenditures and general working capital. With operations already in California, operating as Fire and Flower and utilizing the Hifyre platform, this unique partnership allows expansion to additional states including Colorado, bringing with it the incomparable Hifyre technology optimizing the personalized connection to customers. They are anticipating accessing two additional states in Q4 of 2022.
"Our team is excited to expedite the deployment of resources to expand both the Fire & Flower brand and the Hifyre platform to additional states, improving overall customer experience," stated Joe Gullia, National Director of Retail.
The Debentures bear interest at 8% per annum and mature on August 2, 2024. The Debentures may be converted, in whole or in part at the option of the Company, into common shares in the capital of the Company ("Common Shares") at a minimum conversion price of $1.00 per share at any time prior to the maturity date. If Fire & Flower Holdings Corp. (TSX: FAF) acquires the Company under its purchase option previously announced on January 31, 2022, then the Debentures will automatically convert into Common Shares in accordance with their terms immediately prior to the closing of the acquisition.
Through its various US subsidiaries and investments, the Company owns and operates retail assets across three states. Through its licensing agreement with Fire and Flowers Holdings Corp. the Company leverages Fire and Flower Holdings Corp's branding and technology stack across it's operations offering a differentiating approach to the US retail market.
Fire & Flower Holdings Corp. ("FAF") holds an option to acquire the Company, which acquisition is expected to occur upon the federal legalization of adult-use cannabis in the United States or when otherwise permitted by the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") or any other stock exchange on which FAF's securities are listed for trading.
Media Contact: Katherine Gillis, katherine@merchdevgroup.com
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SOURCE Fire & Flower US | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/fire-amp-flower-us-holdings-inc-closes-5000000-convertible-debenture-financing/ | 2022-08-25T12:46:19Z | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/fire-amp-flower-us-holdings-inc-closes-5000000-convertible-debenture-financing/ | false |
New tire technology, initially available for sprayers, creates universal solution for tire replacements
QUINCY, Ill., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Titan International, Inc. (Titan) is excited to introduce its newest tire technology, Ultimate Flex Technology™ (UFT™), at Farm Progress 2022. Initially available for sprayer applications, the latest innovation combines the elements of conventional, Increased Flexion (IF) and Very High Flexion (VF) tires to create a universal solution. Titan UFT tires will allow farmers to quickly replace any sprayer tire without having to worry about what other standard, IF, or VF tires are on the other wheel positions. It is also going to allow dealers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to reduce quantities and complexities in their inventory.
"We wanted to create a simple solution for farmers, dealers and OEMs," said Scott Sloan, Ag Product Manager, Titan. "Our thought was why don't we make a tire that's capable of all three applications — conventional, IF and VF. This makes it easier to quickly replace any sprayer tire, without sacrificing performance."
Tires that meet UFT classification are approved to run at 40 percent lower inflation pressures as a standard tire, which can help reduce soil compaction. If being used as a replacement tire, UFT tires must meet the inflation pressures of the other tires already installed on the machine. This tire provides all the benefits of VF tires, which can carry the same weight as standard tires, but up to 40 percent lower inflation pressures.
UFT tires can be set up to fit the customers application and field conditions. For instance, if a customer is running a sprayer with a 1,200-gallon tank they can have the inflation pressure set to 78 PSI like a conventional tire. However, if they are looking to decrease ground-bearing pressure, they may want to set the pressure to 64 PSI, which would be similar to an IF tire, or 50 PSI for a VF tire. This would be particularly useful in wet clay soils where compaction has the greatest impact on yield.
Initial Sizes
The new technology is currently available in Titan's flagship R-1 row crop sprayer line: the Goodyear Ultra Sprayer. Initial sizes will include the 380/90R46 and 380/105R50. Plans to expand into different sizes and applications are in final development and will be announced at a later date.
For additional details, contact corp.marketing@titan-intl.com
About Titan International, Inc.
Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) is a leading global manufacturer of off-highway wheels, tires, assemblies and undercarriage products. Headquartered in Illinois, the company produces a broad range of products to meet the specifications of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and aftermarket customers in the agricultural, earthmoving/construction, and consumer markets. In the United States, the company produces two distinct tire brands — Goodyear® Farm Tires and Titan Tires.
© 2022 Titan International
All Rights Reserved.
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SOURCE Titan International, Inc. | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/titan-introduces-industry-first-ultimate-flex-technology-farm-progress-2022/ | 2022-08-25T12:47:06Z | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/titan-introduces-industry-first-ultimate-flex-technology-farm-progress-2022/ | true |
Federal home loan program is still failing Native American veterans after 30 years
LAME DEER, Mont. — The GI bill has near-mythic significance in American history — generations of veterans got an education and an easy home loan, the sort of thing that pulls families up into the middle class.
That benefit has never really been available, though, to one group of Americans who serve in the military in very high numbers — Native Americans living on tribal land. Which was the subject of a small gathering this summer at the Mennonite Church in Lame Deer, Mont.
Jeannie Beartusk, the veterans coordinator for the Northern Cheyenne Tribal government, set up snacks and refreshments for the vets in attendance, but that did nothing to change the fact that no bank will finance a GI bill home loan on tribal land.
"I tried to explain it as best as I could," she said, "You know, I can't bend the rules."
That's because the banks can't take back tribal land if the loan defaults. This isn't new — Congress tried to fix this problem 30 years ago. In 1992, the Native American Direct Loan (NADL) was created so the Department of Veterans Affairs can work directly with the tribes to finance a home loan.
"But the numbers are tiny," says Bill Shear with the federal Government Accountability Office.
Shear authored a recent report that found that in the continental United States, the VA has used this Direct Loan just 89 times in the past decade. Outreach by the VA gets to less than 1% of eligible Native vets, Shear says.
"This would be an example of ... how badly can a government program run," he says.
The GAO report found that the VA doesn't collect good data about the NADL's results, and uses manuals that are out of date and reference offices that don't exist anymore.
Another issue that hinders is that the VA can't legally make a loan until it has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with each tribe. That takes action from from the tribes, but also outreach from the VA.
Bryant Lacey, who oversees the Native American Direct Loan program at the VA, says there are MOUs with only a fraction of the nearly 600 tribes in the United States.
"Right now we're only capable of hitting nearly 20% of these federally recognized tribes with the VA program. So we are really focused on ... engaging with tribes that do not have these memorandums of understanding with us," he said.
Lacey has read the critical GAO report, and he says the VA is already working on solutions including a new NADL team created in October, 2021. Lacey also confirmed that the Northern Cheyenne Tribe that Jeannie Beartusk works for is one of the few that already has an MOU to use the Direct Loan program.
That was news to the veterans who gathered at the Menonite Church in Lame Deer.
"Never did hear of a direct loan," said Henry Speelman, a former U.S. Marine and member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council.
Speelman has a particular interest – he's been renting a house on the reservation, and he says the owner is willing to sell.
The house overlooks horses and cows grazing in a pasture and is framed by low hills and those other-worldly sandstone formations of Eastern Montana. Speelman could probably get a regular VA home loan — but only to buy a house off the reservation. He wants to stay here.
"It's our stronghold," he says. "We've been born and raised here, so it's just ... a sense of you feel safe here."
Deer visit the back yard almost every night, and occasionally a black bear. A few grandkids live with him, and one of them rides the quarter horses grazing out front.
"And as chaotic as it is, it's still home," he says. "It's just where I wanna be."
But he needs a loan.
Despite several government programs designed to make that happen, he can't seem to get one. | https://www.npr.org/2022/08/25/1119164311/federal-home-loan-program-is-still-failing-native-american-veterans-after-30-yea | 2022-08-25T12:47:14Z | https://www.npr.org/2022/08/25/1119164311/federal-home-loan-program-is-still-failing-native-american-veterans-after-30-yea | false |
Cloud-native platform powered by Feedzai's AI/ML engine will help community and regional financial institutions improve safeguards with added efficiencies and real-time data analytics
MONETT, Mo., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jack Henry™ (Nasdaq:JKHY) announced today the development of Jack Henry Financial Crimes Defender™, the company's next-generation financial crimes platform. The comprehensive platform, planned to launch in early 2023, will deliver community and regional financial institutions the enhanced capabilities they need, including AI/ML, to gain visibility into fraud across all channels to better protect their institutions and accountholders' financial health.
This initiative furthers Jack Henry's next-generation technology strategy, centered on developing cloud-native solutions that help banks and credit unions innovate faster, respond to business opportunities and challenges, and meet accountholder expectations.
The Financial Crimes Defender platform's analytics engine integrates Feedzai, the world's largest RiskOps platform for financial risk management.
Nuno Sebastião, CEO at Feedzai, said "Providing more financial institutions with access to our next-generation AI/ML RiskOps engine through Jack Henry's new fraud platform will elevate the industry's fight against fraud. Financial institutions of all sizes will be equipped with the modern machine learning and automation tools they need, a singular view of data to minimize false positives and wasted resources, and give users a seamless and consistent experience across all capabilities and services."
The platform's intuitive user experience and analysis will support in-depth investigations and risk mitigation strategies, helping bankers make faster and more accurate decisions to prevent fraud. Events will be published within the transaction stream to mitigate fraud before the transaction leaves the institution or posts to the client's account.
Matt Riley, president of Complementary Solutions at Jack Henry, said, "We've been building this new platform over the last 18 plus months, and it's another way that we are working to solve real and pressing business challenges for community and regional financial institutions. Feedzai shares our dedication to creating an open ecosystem where financial institutions have better access to the technology they need to compete. We are confident about the opportunity to work together and offer community and regional financial institutions the same machine learning and artificial intelligence analytics that safeguard some of the world's largest banks and merchants."
Feedzai is the world's first RiskOps platform, and the market leader in safeguarding global commerce with today's most advanced cloud-based risk management platform, powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence. Feedzai is securing the transition to a cashless world while enabling digital trust in every transaction and payment type. The world's largest banks, processors, and retailers trust Feedzai to protect trillions of dollars and manage risk while improving the customer experience for everyday users, without compromising privacy. Feedzai is a Series D company and has raised $282M to date. With a valuation of +$1.5B, the company's technology protects 900 million people in 190 countries. For more information, visit feedzai.com
Jack Henry (NASDAQ: JKHY) is a well-rounded financial technology company that strengthens connections between financial institutions and the people and businesses they serve. We are an S&P 500 company that prioritizes openness, collaboration, and user centricity – offering banks and credit unions a vibrant ecosystem of internally developed modern capabilities as well as the ability to integrate with leading fintechs. For more than 45 years, Jack Henry has provided technology solutions to enable clients to innovate faster, strategically differentiate, and successfully compete while serving the evolving needs of their accountholders. We empower approximately 8,000 clients with people-inspired innovation, personal service, and insight-driven solutions that help reduce the barriers to financial health. Additional information is available at www.jackhenry.com.
Statements made in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements." Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the Company's most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, particularly under the heading "Risk Factors." Any forward-looking statement made in this news release speaks only as of the date of the news release, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise.
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Coming from hit movies like Knocked Up and 27 Dresses, not to mention her Emmy-winning performance on Grey’s Anatomy, you are likely well-aware of Katherine Heigl and her life-long Hollywood career, but what you may not know is that she has dedicated many years of her life off-screen to improving and protecting the lives of the defenseless.
In 2008, Heigl, 43, co-founded with her mother Nancy the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, in honor of her late brother. Referring to herself as an animal activist and advocate, Heigl and her organization remain committed to ending cruelty and abuse, in hopes of finding happy homes for as many animals as possible.
Today, Heigl is going one step further in providing our furry friends of the world the chance at healthier lives by launching her new premium dog food brand Badlands Ranch, named after the many acres of Utah land that she and her family call home. So, how exactly did this new opportunity come about for Heigl?
“We were approached by a company that partnered with me to do it. At the time, it was very serendipitous - I was sort of knee-deep in trying to find the right food for my dogs. I’m very passionate about and committed to a holistic approach to nutrition and health, so I was trying to find something that I could do for my dogs that I do for my family, for my children and for myself.”
All Badlands Ranch products are created using all natural and fresh ingredients that feature powerhouse superfoods often prioritized in human nutrition for a well-balanced diet. Heigl playfully informs me that she currently has six dogs as pets at her Badlands Ranch home, though she is fostering another two at the moment. So, I wondered what is it about these animals that motivate her to continue to provide this level of care and strive to make a difference.
“There’s this inherent human companion/pet connection that spans the dawns of time,” Heigl laughs. “I feel the sense of completeness when I’m providing comfort and love to these creatures. It’s such a simple need that they have and I can fulfill that need. I think especially as a mother now and a wife, a daughter - those relationships are far more complicated. You want to fill that need of love and safety and comfort, but it’s just more emotionally complicated, and with animals - with dogs and cats, it’s just not. It’s really simple.”
When I asked Heigl about the medical options and other services that she offers to animals on-site at her ranch, Heigl responded, “Yes, that’s my mother’s brain child. I keep fighting her on this. We’re not really supposed to be a rescue. We are a foundation that is supposed to help fund other rescues who have all the employees and the infrastructure in-place. We have two wonderful men who work on our ranch. What we’re trying to do there is have it be that halfway house between either a foster or these animal forever homes. Right now, our kennels are full. Most of these dogs are healthy, adoptable, loving animals. We’re their last hope. I hate to call it a business but it’s a pretty significant financial burden for most people and most rescue groups. It’s one of those horrible things where you just can’t say no and if you say no, that dog is going to die. That’s why I am so excited and grateful for the [Badlands Ranch premium dog] food because I think it’s going to be a really tremendous financial help for us to be able to continue funding these groups and funding these rescues and funding the spay and neuters.”
With Heigl coming from a Hollywood career that has seen its fair share of highs and lows, I wondered if her more isolated Utah home beside her music artist husband Josh Kelley, their three children and their many animals has benefitted Heigl’s creative process and overall mental health.
“Oh, a thousand and ten percent. I was just talking to my mother - she sold her house in Los Angeles after 10 years and we were really never going back there much. Occasionally for work, occasional trips back for meetings. I said to her It’s not my place anymore. LA just isn’t for me. There’s much that’s great about it and the weather’s fantastic and all of that, but Utah is sacred for me and the peace and the quiet and the just going about your day-to-day life. For me, there was just an added pressure and scrutiny that I felt in LA that I don’t feel here and I needed to step away from that in order to remember what I want my life to look like and what I want my days to be filled with and what I want my children’s lives to look like and feel like for them. No life is perfect and no place is perfect. We certainly have our struggles up here in Utah, as well. It’s just different - there’s more room to breathe, literally and figuratively.”
With her acting passions continuing, her dedication to her family’s foundation going strong and now having this Badlands Ranch premium dog food available to fellow animal lovers, I was curious if Heigl has noticed her mentality and approach toward business and her Hollywood acting career evolving as years go by.
“It’s so interesting, because in my forties now, I have such a different viewpoint of it all. In my teen years, it was this wonderful, exciting thing. It was my after-school curricular. In my twenties, it was the hustle! Now it was my livelihood - now it was how I supported myself and made a living, so the pressure was on. Then success happened and initially it was like all of that fear, all of the Am I going to get a job? All of that got lifted and it was glorious for a few years - and then came the scrutiny. Then I’d say in my thirties, I was really just a little bit lost in terms of what I really wanted, what I really wanted from my career and from myself. How much of myself should I be giving to it? Is it supposed to be my whole life? Does everything take a backseat to this career? It had for so long because I didn’t have children and I wasn’t married and had to re-define it for myself. Then I think in my forties is when I started to really look at it - it is an exceptional job, it’s one I’m very grateful for because I love it - sometimes, I hate it. I realized that it’s a job, it’s just a job and it’s not my whole life and it doesn’t need to be and I don’t want it to be.”
Heigl continues, “I went off to Vancouver for nine months to film Firefly Lane and it was an extraordinary experience because it’s an extraordinary story for me. It’s the kind of story that I love to see, read and be a part of, but I gave up being home and being with my kids and being mom and being a wife. I could only take two of my dogs (laughs) and I had to travel home on weekends to try to be here for Halloween, to be here for my daughter’s birthday - it’s a lot. So, if I’m going to do that, then I need to be telling stories that I am proud of and/or passionate about and I’m very fortunate to be in a position in my career where I can make those choices.” | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffconway/2022/08/25/katherine-heigl-launches-her-badlands-ranch-premium-dog-food-brand-opens-up-about-life-beyond-hollywood/ | 2022-08-25T12:50:14Z | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffconway/2022/08/25/katherine-heigl-launches-her-badlands-ranch-premium-dog-food-brand-opens-up-about-life-beyond-hollywood/ | false |
GENEVA (AP) — The number of monkeypox cases reported globally dropped by 21% in the last week, reversing a month-long trend of rising infections and a possible signal the outbreak in Europe may be starting to decline, according to a World Health Organization report issued Thursday.
The U.N. health agency reported 5,907 new weekly cases and said two countries, Iran and Indonesia, reported their first cases. To date, more than 45,000 cases have been reported in 98 countries since late April.
Cases in the Americas accounted for 60% of cases in the past month, WHO said, while cases in Europe comprised about 38%. It said infections in the Americas showed “a continuing steep rise.”
In early July, just weeks before the agency declared the international spread of the disease to be a global emergency, WHO’s Europe director said countries in the region were responsible for 90% of all laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox.
British health authorities said last week after seeing a decline in the number of new cases getting reported daily that there were “early signs” the country’s monkeypox outbreak was slowing.
The U.K.’s Health Security Agency downgraded the country’s monkeypox outbreak last month, saying there was no evidence the once rare disease was spreading beyond men who were gay, bisexual or had sex with other men.
Since monkeypox outbreaks in Europe and North America were identified in May, WHO and other health agencies have noted that its spread was almost exclusively in men who have sex with men.
Monkeypox has been endemic in parts of Africa for decades and experts suspect the outbreaks in Europe and North America were triggered after the disease started spreading via sex at two raves in Spain and Belgium.
WHO’s latest report said 98% of cases are in men and of those who reported sexual orientation, 96% are in men who have sex with men.
“Of all reported types of transmission, a sexual encounter was reported most commonly,” WHO said. “The majority of cases were likely exposed in a party with sexual contacts,” the agency said.
Among the monkeypox cases in which the HIV status of patients was known, 45% were infected with HIV.
WHO has recommended that men at high risk of the disease temporarily consider reducing their number of sex partners or refrain from group or anonymous sex.
Monkeypox typically requires skin-to-skin or skin-to-mouth contact with an infected patient’s lesions to spread. People can also become infected through contact with the clothing or bedsheets of someone who has monkeypox lesions.
With globally limited vaccine supplies, authorities in the U.S., Europe and the U.K. have all begun rationing doses to stretch supplies by up to five times.
WHO has advised countries that have vaccines to prioritize immunization for those at high risk of the disease, including gay and bisexual men with multiple sex partners, and for health workers, laboratory staff and outbreak responders.
While Africa has reported the most suspected deaths from monkeypox, the continent has no vaccine supplies apart from a very small stock being tested in a research study in Congo.
“As we know, the situation with monkeypox vaccine access is very topical, but there are not enough doses of vaccines,” Nigeria Center for Disease Control Director-General Ifedayo Adetifa said this week. Potentially, a lot more doses will become available, but because of challenges with manufacturing factories and unexpected uptick in monkeypox cases, the vaccine may actually not be available until 2023.” | https://www.wjhl.com/news/national/who-says-monkeypox-cases-down-21-reversing-month-long-rise/ | 2022-08-25T12:51:25Z | https://www.wjhl.com/news/national/who-says-monkeypox-cases-down-21-reversing-month-long-rise/ | false |
Cultivated meat leader's milestone achievement lays the groundwork for new species expansion and accelerates momentum as the company prepares commercialization in the U.S.
REHOVOT, Israel, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Future Meat Technologies ("Future Meat"), the industry-leading company developing innovative food technology to produce cultivated meat, announced today it has produced its first cultivated lamb, which looks, cooks, and tastes like conventional ground lamb meat, making it ideal for burgers, kebabs, and more. Accelerating the development of a cultivated lamb product is set to transform the global landscape. The European Union is the world's largest lamb consumer, and lamb is the primary meat source for numerous countries across the Middle East, Northern Africa, and parts of Asia. Reaching this milestone with ovine cell lines means the company can now produce cultivated lamb at scale and accelerate its innovation focus to expanding into even more animal species.
"In passing this milestone, Future Meat reinforces its position as a leader and pioneer in the cultivated meat industry and shows again the limitless potential of how innovation can drive sustainable solutions," said Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, CEO of Future Meat. "The key learnings will be leveraged as we work to produce other meats, including beef and pork, increasing Future Meat's market offerings for consumers."
Future Meat's development of cultivated lamb started in 2019 with fibroblast cells isolated from Awassi sheep, generating two independent ovine cell lines, that divide indefinitely.
"Future Meat has been the first company to remove Fetal Bovine Serum, and all other animal components, from its growth media," said Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, President, Founder and Chief Science Officer of Future Meat Technologies. "Future Meat's approach leans on the natural spontaneous immortalization of fibroblasts, rather than genetic modification. This is the key to Future Meat's cells being non-GMO."
"Since lamb has a uniquely distinct flavor, it is very clear if a cultivated substitute is on or off the mark," said Michael Lenahan, General Manager of Future Meat. "The reason Future Meat's cultivated lamb is indistinguishable from conventional lamb is because it is, first and foremost, real meat. It sizzles, sears and tastes just like people expect—it's amazing."
Moving forward, as the company prepares to enter the U.S. market, Future Meat will shift its focus to scaling up production of its cultivated meat products, including lamb and chicken, at its new production facility, which is expected to break ground in 2022.
Future Meat is the first cultivated meat company to break the commercial viability cost barrier, making cultivated meat that is delicious, healthy, sustainable, and available for widespread consumption. Future Meat created lines of animal cells grow forever without genetic modifications, removing the need to harvest animals. The company produces cultivated meat with environmental, health, and ethical benefits that will help will radically transform the global production of meat. www.future-meat.com.
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AI-based insights, guided direction, and user-friendly interface keys in the selection
WESTMONT, N.J., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As the number of health benefits point solutions proliferates and healthcare costs continue to rise, large employers are seeking innovative ways to contain costs, monitor program effectiveness, and improve employee health. To address this need, the Health Transformation Alliance (HTA), a cooperative of more than 60 of America's largest employers, has partnered with Springbuk, a leading health data analytics software company, to make the Springbuk health intelligence data and analytics platform available to all the HTA members.
"Since the HTA's founding in 2016, our mission has been to drive better health outcomes for our Members' employees and their family members," said Robert Andrews, CEO of the HTA. "One of those challenges in recent years has been accessing the insights needed from healthcare and wellness program data. Today's benefit leaders and decision makers need insights and data intelligence without having to learn how to build deep, complex queries."
Andrews continued, "Our Members were impressed by the deep analytics and clean, user-friendly interface of the Springbuk platform. Springbuk will give us the ability to aggregate data for HTA Members on the solution, and then find and share insights, analytics, benchmarks, and best practices across our Member organizations."
Andrews further explained how the HTA Member can use advanced analytics to reduce costs and plan future programs. For example, using Springbuk's AI-based Insight cards, the HTA benefits leaders can see how many employees might be at risk for diabetes or musculoskeletal (MSK) issues and compare that to other HTA organizations. Or, as new legislation appears that may affect members, the HTA organizations will be able to project how it will affect them, how many members will be impacted, and how best they can serve them.
Springbuk works with more than 4200 employers, pulling in and aggregating data from more than 450 carriers, PBMs, and other vendor sources, to deliver analytic insights and curated action steps to health benefits leaders. Springbuk will develop custom reports and other functionality through this agreement to create a differentiated experience for the HTA Members.
Joy Powell, CEO of Springbuk, said, "We support the HTA members' vision of transforming healthcare. At Springbuk, we equip forward-thinking employers with the health intelligence, insights, and expertise to sharpen their benefits strategy, advance employee health, and contain costs. We believe the key to successful transformation and innovation lies in making healthcare decisions backed and guided by data. We are excited to bring these capabilities to the HTA's full membership and work with them on developing new and innovative analytic capabilities."
Springbuk is a leading-edge health analytics intelligence platform that empowers employers and consultants to sharpen their benefits strategy, advance employee health, and contain costs. The innovative solution offers deep analytic insights, allows data-informed decision-making, and provides curated action steps and strategic direction to maximize return on employee benefit investments. Learn more at springbuk.com.
The Health Transformation Alliance (HTA) is a cooperative of 60 of America's leading employers that have come together to fix our broken healthcare system. With responsibility for more than 4 million lives in the United States and a collective annual health care spend of $27 billion, the member companies of the HTA have combined their resources, knowledge, and experience to transform the way healthcare is delivered. To that end, the HTA has developed value-driven solutions in data and analytics, pharmacy, medical and consumer engagement specifically designed to improve patient care and economic value.
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SOURCE Springbuk | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/health-transformation-alliance-adds-springbuk-health-intelligence-platform-deeper-analytics-ease-use/ | 2022-08-25T12:52:48Z | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/health-transformation-alliance-adds-springbuk-health-intelligence-platform-deeper-analytics-ease-use/ | false |
TSX.V: EU
OTCQB: ENCUF
www.encoreuranium.com
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - enCore Energy Corp. ("enCore" or the "Company") (TSXV: EU) (OTCQB: ENCUF) today announced the installation and completion of all wellfield monitor wells for its Rosita Extension Production Area Authorization ("PAA"), located less than one mile from its 100% owned and fully licensed Rosita In-Situ Recovery ("ISR") Uranium Processing Plant in South Texas. The Rosita Extension PAA includes uranium mineralization extending approximately 3,000 feet in length.
- Completion of the installation of 43 monitoring wells, including 38 perimeter and 5 overlying monitor wells, at the Rosita Extension PAA. This marks a significant milestone towards ISR uranium production at the Rosita Project as a key source of fuel for safe, clean, reliable, and carbon-free nuclear energy in the United States;
- The Rosita Extension PAA is the first production area planned as a new source of uranium for the Rosita ISR Uranium Processing Plant;
- The Rosita Extension PAA is located within the existing Radioactive Materials License, Underground Injection Control Permit and Aquifer Exemption areas at the Rosita Project;
- Future work at the Rosita Extension PAA is now focused on the completion of five baseline wells, which in combination with the 43 monitoring wells will establish groundwater quality standards within the mineralization. The pre-production water quality standards wells are used to assure production solution controls are maintained and to establish groundwater restoration standards necessary for post-production reclamation. Following completion of baseline well testing, the installation of injection and recovery well patterns will commence.
Please visit https://bit.ly/3Q6WJMG to view Rosita project maps and view the Rosita drill program video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlFSTsFvPnA&t=1s. To learn more about the environmental, social and low-cost advantages of uranium in-situ recovery, visit https://encoreuranium.com/industry-and-media/in-situ-recovery/.
Paul Goranson, Chief Executive Officer of enCore Energy said, "We are pleased to have completed the installation of the monitoring wells at the Rosita Extension PAA on budget and on schedule. The completion marks another important milestone towards our planned production in 2023 and we look forward to hitting more milestones as we progress towards uranium extraction."
enCore's Rosita Plant, located approximately 60 miles from Corpus Christi, Texas, is a licensed, past-producing in-situ recovery (ISR) uranium plant that is completing refurbishment. enCore is on budget for a scheduled production startup in 2023 with the Rosita Plant designed to process uranium feed from multiple satellite operations, all located in the South Texas area. The Rosita Plant is 1 of 11 licensed and constructed uranium processing plants in the United States, 2 of which are owned by enCore Energy.
With approximately 90 million pounds of U3O8 estimated in the measured and indicated categories and 9 million pounds of U3O8 estimated in the inferred category1, enCore is the most diversified in-situ recovery uranium development company in the United States. enCore is focused on becoming the next uranium producer from its licensed and past-producing South Texas Rosita Processing Plant by 2023. The South Dakota-based Dewey Burdock project and the Wyoming Gas Hills project offer mid-term production opportunities, with significant New Mexico uranium resource endowments providing long-term opportunities. The enCore team is led by industry experts with extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of ISR uranium operations and the nuclear fuel cycle. enCore is committed to engaging and working with local communities and indigenous governments to create positive impact from corporate developments.
NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the intended use of the net proceeds of the Offering and the completion of any capital project or property acquisitions. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; future legislative and regulatory developments; inability to access additional capital; the ability of enCore to implement its business strategies; and other risks. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
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SOURCE enCore Energy Corp. | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/encore-energy-achieves-key-milestone-with-installation-rosita-extension-production-area-monitoring-wells/ | 2022-08-25T12:53:10Z | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/encore-energy-achieves-key-milestone-with-installation-rosita-extension-production-area-monitoring-wells/ | true |
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (NASDAQ: GP) (TSXV: GPV) ("GreenPower"), a leading manufacturer and distributor of zero-emission, electric-powered, medium and heavy-duty vehicles, today announced the sale and delivery of three BEAST Type D all-electric school buses to the West Virginia Department of Education and the appointment of an independent dealer with locations across the state of West Virginia for GreenPower's BEAST Type D and Nano BEAST Type A all-electric school buses.
"We are excited to be working with Monica Matheny and her experienced bus team who are a full-service dealer covering the state of West Virginia," said Michael Perez, Vice President School Bus, Contracts and Grants for GreenPower. "The Matheny family has been selling and servicing commercial vehicles in West Virginia for more than 100 years. This relationship will help ensure that GreenPower school buses, manufactured in West Virginia, will be the school bus of choice across the state. It's a partnership that further provides for economic development in West Virginia and puts an emphasis on kids' health and well-being."
The dealer, headquartered in Parkersburg, West Virginia, will be the exclusive dealer for sales, parts and service for GreenPower school buses in the state of West Virginia and has initially agreed to purchase one BEAST and one Nano BEAST school bus from GreenPower for customers and demonstrations.
"I am pleased to learn of the new relationship between GreenPower and Monica Matheny and her team," said West Virginia Secretary of Economic Development Mitch Carmichael. "Having these electric vehicles manufactured in West Virginia and on the road transporting our most precious commodity, school kids, means a healthier school day, a stronger West Virginia economy and future job markets for these same children."
In addition to the buses to be purchased by the dealer, the West Virginia Department of Education has purchased and taken delivery of the three BEAST Type D school buses which will be used for the pilot project announced by Gov. Jim Justice in June. The pilot will commence in September as the school year begins. One Nano BEAST will also be purchased by the state later in the school year to expand the pilot to include a Type A all-electric, purpose-built, zero-emissions school bus.
GreenPower's BEAST is a 40-foot Type D school bus seating up to 90 passengers and the Nano BEAST is a 25-foot Type A school bus which is available with standard seating or with ADA. Both the BEAST and Nano BEAST have a class-leading range of up to 150 miles with a monocoque chassis design and built from the ground up to be battery-electric. The vehicles can charge up to 20 KW on a standard J1772 protocol or DC fast charge.
GreenPower and Media Contacts:
Brendan Riley
President
(510) 910-3377
Michael Perez
Vice President School Bus, Contracts and Grants
(909) 308-0960
Allie Potter
Skyya PR for GreenPower
(218) 766-8856
allie@skyya.com
GreenPower designs, builds and distributes a full suite of high-floor and low-floor all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, including transit buses, school buses, shuttles, cargo van, and a cab and chassis. GreenPower employs a clean-sheet design to manufacture all-electric vehicles that are purpose built to be battery powered with zero emissions while integrating global suppliers for key components. This OEM platform allows GreenPower to meet the specifications of various operators while providing standard parts for ease of maintenance and accessibility for warranty requirements. GreenPower was founded in Vancouver, Canada with primary operational facilities in southern California. Listed on the Toronto exchange since November 2015, GreenPower completed its U.S. IPO and NASDAQ listing in August 2020. For further information go to www.greenpowermotor.com
This document contains forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, GreenPower's business and operations and the environment in which it operates, which are based on GreenPower's operations, estimates, forecasts, and projections. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events, and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "upon", "may", "should", "will", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe" or "continue", or the negative thereof or similar variations. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict or are beyond GreenPower's control. A number of important factors, including those set forth in other public filings (filed under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com), could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Consequently, readers should not place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. In addition, these forward-looking statements relate to the date on which they are made. GreenPower disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. © 2022 GreenPower Motor Company Inc. All rights reserved.
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SOURCE GreenPower Motor Company | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/greenpower-delivers-three-beast-electric-school-buses-west-virginia-appoints-dealer-state/ | 2022-08-25T12:58:51Z | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/greenpower-delivers-three-beast-electric-school-buses-west-virginia-appoints-dealer-state/ | false |
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Pearland has done it again and won another elimination game, defeating Pennsylvania 8-4 on Wednesday at Lamade Stadium in Williamsport.
Pearland hit three home runs in the game. Jacob Zurek smacked a solo homer in the second while Manny Castillo and Kaiden Shelton went deep in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.
Another elimination game awaits Pearland on Thursday when the club faces Tennessee, which earlier lost 13-0 to Hawaii, the tournament favorite. The winner of the Pearland-Tennessee game will face Hawaii on Saturday for the United States championship.
Corey Kahn earned the win for Pearland by throwing three innings of one-run ball on two hits. He struck out one. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/sports/pearland-little-league-world-series-llws-score/285-78ffdbca-1926-4497-93f4-0aba51f77120 | 2022-08-25T13:00:23Z | https://www.wfaa.com/article/sports/pearland-little-league-world-series-llws-score/285-78ffdbca-1926-4497-93f4-0aba51f77120 | true |
GENEVA (AP) — Swiss pharmaceuticals company Novartis said Thursday that it plans to spin off its generics subsidiary Sandoz, which generated nearly $10 billion in revenue last year.
The Basel-based company, which makes a vast array of drugs including cancer treatment Gleevec and Diovan for hypertension, says it wants to focus on its core innovation business that is built around therapeutics and technology such as gene and cell therapy.
Sandoz was one of two Swiss companies that merged more than a quarter-century ago to form Novartis, and the brand later became a division focused on generic drugs.
The planned 100% spinoff will allow shareholders to have stakes in both companies after it’s completed as expected in the first half of next year, Novartis said.
The company says Sandoz, based on reporting in March, would be Europe’s biggest generics company by sales, which came in at $9.6 billion last year.
After gaining about 1% after the announcement, shares of Novartis slipped nearly half a percentage point to 80.45 Swiss francs ($83.51) on the Swiss Six Exchange in early afternoon trading. | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Swiss-drugmaker-Novartis-to-spin-off-generics-17397190.php | 2022-08-25T13:02:04Z | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Swiss-drugmaker-Novartis-to-spin-off-generics-17397190.php | true |
Business News›News›ET TV›We have asked companies to keep 5G prices as low as possible, says Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
We have asked companies to keep 5G prices as low as possible, says Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said that 5G services will be launched in India by October 12 after which it will be scaled further in cities & towns.
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- 01:41 | https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/et-tv/we-have-asked-companies-to-keep-5g-prices-as-low-as-possible-says-union-minister-ashwini-vaishnaw/videoshow/93779281.cms | 2022-08-25T13:03:29Z | https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/et-tv/we-have-asked-companies-to-keep-5g-prices-as-low-as-possible-says-union-minister-ashwini-vaishnaw/videoshow/93779281.cms | false |
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Surge Energy US Holdings Co. signed a 64,018-square-foot lease for the relocation of headquarters to Westway Plaza at 11330 Clay Road, two miles northwest of the Energy Corridor. The independent oil and gas company is moving from Heron Lakes Office Park in northwest Houston and will gain 25,000 square feet with the relocation in February of 2023. Kevin Saxe of CBRE represented Surge Energy.
Founded in 2015, Surge Energy is an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the Midland Basin of West Texas. Led by CEO Linhua Guan, the company has drilled over 500 wells and produced over a 100 million gross barrels of oil equivalent. It has nearly 200 employees, with more than 100 in Houston.
“As Surge Energy has grown, its executive team has been looking for ways to provide a better and more collaborative workplace for its employees,” Saxe said in a statement.
Westway Plaza includes a mix of Fortune 500 companies, a fitness center, deli, and proximity to nearby hotels, shopping centers, parks and neighborhoods. The building is ownded by TAF Westway Plaza, LLC.
Cellipont Bioservices, a cell therapy development and manufacturing organization based in the San Diego area, leased a 76,000-square-foot facility at 9501 Lakeside in The Woodlands for its expansion to Houston. Dave Baker, Brian Buglione and Kevin McConn of JLL Capital Markets represented the the tenant and procured the building’s buyer, Vitrian, a real estate company specializing in biomanufacturing and life sciences facilities. The property is in the 77-acre Research Forest Lakeside development along Lake Woodlands. Slated to open in the first half of 2021, 9501 Lakeside will have state-of-the-art manufacturing, process development, assay development and testing capabilities.
Momentum Multifamily purchased the 184-unit Fountains of Rosenberg apartments at 3419 Fountains Drive in Rosenberg. Chip Nash, Bob Heard and Jaleel Adatia of Colliers represented the seller, Mosaic Fountains LP. Totaling 167,608 square feet, the recently renovated community has a resort-style pool with a sundeck and a fitness center. Located just south of U.S. 59 by Seabourne Nature Park, the complex is in the Richmond/Rosenberg submarket, which is 89 percent occupied and has 7,443 units in 53 projects. Rents average $1,296.
Saint Nicholas School, a private school serving students in the Texas Medical Center area, purchased the 48,000-square-foot former church on 5.5 acres at 3511 Linkwood Drive from the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The school has been leasing the site since the church closed in summer of 2018. Jeff Lokey and Glenn Dickerson of NewQuest Properties represented the seller. Chris Bergmann of JLL represented the buyer. The purchase was made through the school’s Taeken Ltd. affiliate.
ICC Cable Corp. leased 59,376 square feet at 10030 FM 1960 West for the relocation of its Houston branch to a larger location. Michael Foreman of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord. Cotton Munson of Davis Commercial Real Estate represented the tenant.
Success Space, a subsidiary of eXp World Holdings, signed a franchise agreement with local eXp Realty agents and entrepreneurs, Kunal and Sonit Seth, to open a coworking location at 6920 Brisbane Court in Sugar Land. Dallas-based Success Space is a new coworking concept that provides suburban, modern workspace, full service cafes and onsite professional business coaching to entrepreneurs. The Sugar Land location is among 10 locations slated to open by the end of the year. Kunal and Sonit Seth are owners of The Seth Brothers Team real estate company.
Solugen purchased 20,000 square feet of warehouse space on 4.1 acres at 11851 Ormandy St. from Houston Fence Co. Fritsche Anderson Realty Partner’s Jim McGonigle and Brandon Wuntch represented the buyer. Collins Realty Group’s Troy Collins represented the seller.
Junction Commercial Real Estate’s Reed Vestal and John Erck represented an affiliate of Junction’s private equity division in the acquisition of a 20.8-acre land tract at 16614 Spring Cypress Road in Cypress.
PCI Promatec, a developer of fire protection products at nuclear facilities, leased 24,300 square feet at 10803 Vinecrest Drive. Chris Caudill of NAI Partners represented the tenant. Logan Greer with Insite Realty represented the landlord, EastGroup Properties.
MRS Equipment Group purchased a 9,156-square-foot industrial building at 1440 Sens Road in La Porte. Doc Perrier and David Durham of Finial Group represented the seller, Durco. Garrett Thomas with Boyd Commercial represented the buyer.
katherine.feser@chron.com | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/texas-inc/article/Real-estate-transactions-Surge-Energy-moves-to-17396323.php | 2022-08-25T13:03:38Z | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/texas-inc/article/Real-estate-transactions-Surge-Energy-moves-to-17396323.php | true |
Effort will support Army's modernization initiatives for Multi-Domain Operations
HERNDON, Va., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HawkEye 360 Inc., the world's leading commercial provider of space-based radio frequency (RF) data and analytics, today announced its two-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC). Under the CRADA, HawkEye 360 will develop and demonstrate new commercial overhead RF-sensing capabilities that could provide relevant tactical support for the warfighter. SMDC will assist in the testing of these capabilities in relevant exercises to evaluate the utility to the tactical warfighter.
"We are excited to partner with the U.S. Army to rapidly develop and prove new techniques that can be quickly transitioned into high-value operational capability," said Alex Fox, HawkEye 360 Chief Growth Officer. "This partnership will support the Army's modernization initiative to develop more efficient, effective, and resilient systems that strengthen how the U.S. Army mobilizes, protects, and sustains expeditionary forces leveraging tactically relevant commercial RF information. We aim to seamlessly integrate our space-based RF data into their Multi-Domain Operational environment."
SMDC develops and provides current and future global space, missile defense, and high-altitude capabilities to the Army, Joint Force, and our allies and partners, to enable multi-domain combat effects; enhance deterrence, assurance, and detection of strategic attacks; and protect the nation. SMDC conducts integrated planning and synchronized operations in the execution of their space and missile defense missions and preparing for future conflict. Operating in all domains with allies, partners in the air, at sea, in space, in cyberspace, in the electromagnetic spectrum, and in the information environment.
"We are excited to be able to evaluate the utility of this type of capability for the tactical warfighter. Going forward, small satellite capabilities such as those offered by HawkEye 360 could provide advantages to the tactical warfighter," said Mr. Chip Hardy, Division Chief of the SMDC Space Applications Division.
Under the agreement, HawkEye 360 will conduct on-orbit experiments and demonstrations of its satellites and ground systems to deliver affordable, timely, and scalable tactical RF information. Activities will include satellite tasking, direct downlink to mobile ground stations, signal detection, characterization, geolocation, integration and dissemination into Army systems, and automated tip-and-cue of Army ISR assets.
For more information on HawkEye 360, please visit https://www.he360.com/ .
HawkEye 360 is delivering a revolutionary source of global knowledge based on radio frequency (RF) geospatial intelligence to those working to make the world a safer place. The company operates the first-of-its-kind commercial satellite constellation to detect, characterize, and geolocate a broad range of RF signals. This unique RF data and analytics equip our global customers with high-impact insights needed to make decisions with confidence. HawkEye 360 is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia.
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SOURCE HawkEye 360 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/us-army-signs-cooperative-research-development-agreement-crada-with-hawkeye-360/ | 2022-08-25T13:07:00Z | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/us-army-signs-cooperative-research-development-agreement-crada-with-hawkeye-360/ | true |
POKROVSK, Ukraine — The death toll from a Russian rocket attack as Ukraine observed its Independence Day has risen to 25, including an 11-year-old boy found under the rubble of a house and a 6-year-old killed in a car fire near a train station that was the target, a Ukrainian official said Thursday.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces used an Iskander missile to strike a military train that was carrying Ukrainian troops and equipment to the front line in eastern Ukraine. The ministry claimed more than 200 reservists “were destroyed on their way to the combat zone.”
The deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, did not say if all the 25 victims he reported from Wednesday’s attack were civilians. A total of 31 people sustained injuries, he said.
The lethal strike in Chaplyne, a town of about 3,500 residents in the central Dnipropetrovsk region. nonetheless served as a brutally painful reminder that Russia’s military force is causing civilians to suffer and testing Ukraine’s resilience after six months of a grinding war.
In Geneva on Thursday, the U.N.’s human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, decried the time since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into the neighboring country as “unimaginably horrifying.” She called on Putin “to halt armed attacks against Ukraine.”
The train station strike took place after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow might attempt “something particularly cruel” this week as Ukraine marked both its 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union and the six-month point of Russia’s invasion on Wednesday.
Tetyana Kvitnytska, deputy head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional health department, said the people wounded in the attack suffered a range of injuries.
Breaking News
“There are craniocerebral injuries, limb fractures, many patients with explosive and shrapnel injuries, burns,” she said. “People were in a difficult condition, both physically and psychologically.”
She added that three of the four children they are treating are in serious condition, with blast and shrapnel injuries, burns and fractures.
Following attacks in which civilians have died, the Russian government has repeatedly claimed that its forces only aimed at legitimate military targets. Hours before the train station attack, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu insisted the military was doing its best to spare civilians, even at the cost of slowing down its offensive in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio visited the Kyiv suburb of Irpin on Thursday, expressing disbelief that “there are still those who still deny the facts of what happened here in Ukraine.”
Di Maio pledged that Italy will continue to support Ukraine as it defends itself from “the invaders, who are Russian,” adding that “this country is the border of Europe. It is not just defending itself.”
In Moscow on Thursday, Dmitry Medvedev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said that Western hopes for a Ukrainian victory are futile and emphasized that Russia will press what it calls the “special military operation” home, leaving just two possible options.
“One is reaching all goals of the special military operation and Kyiv’s recognition of this outcome,” Medvedev said on his messaging app channel. “The second is a military coup in Ukraine followed by the recognition of results of the special operation.” | https://www.pilotonline.com/nation-world/ct-aud-nw-russia-ukraine-war-20220825-m2slulpepzgqjm7nrkaatqlz7q-story.html | 2022-08-25T13:07:47Z | https://www.pilotonline.com/nation-world/ct-aud-nw-russia-ukraine-war-20220825-m2slulpepzgqjm7nrkaatqlz7q-story.html | false |
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — An Omaha native who worked her way to a role in national politics now has another achievement to celebrate.
Symone Sanders, the former spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris, now has her name on a street sign at 22nd and Sprague.
It's even more significant because it's the street she grew up on.
"I think it is very important that the children in our community know that the successful people that they see on television, the folks that read about in magazines, those people don't just live somewhere else and have a different set of experiences. They too can be those folks, those people are birthed from the same experiences they're birthed from, right here in north Omaha," said Sanders.
Sanders said she was humbled to be honored in the community that shaped her.
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Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox. | https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/omaha-street-renamed-in-honor-of-symone-sanders | 2022-08-25T13:08:25Z | https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/omaha-street-renamed-in-honor-of-symone-sanders | true |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Police said two people were killed and three others injured Wednesday in a shooting in front of a senior citizens center and near several schools in the nation’s capital.
The Metropolitan Police Department said Wednesday’s shooting happened in the Truxton Circle neighborhood of Washington in front of a residence for senior citizens and near several high schools.
The shooting happened just before 1 p.m. when a black SUV pulled up in front of the senior residence and two men hopped out and opened fire, Executive Assistant Police Chief Ashan Benedict said. The men fired at least seven shots before returning to their vehicle and driving away.
A total of five men were shot. Two died at the scene and three others were taken to area hospitals and were being treated Wednesday afternoon for their injuries.
Benedict said police were still trying to collect evidence at the scene and working to identify a definitive motive, but he said the area is known to officers as “an open-air drug market.”
Officers routinely make arrests there for the sale of narcotics, and investigators believe the shooting was related to those drug sales, he said.
“This is an ongoing problem,” Benedict said.
The shootings, which took place about one block from a school, continue a violent trend for the nation’s capital. Homicides have risen for four years straight; the 2021 murder count of 227 was the highest since 2003, and the city is on pace to exceed that this year. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is seeking reelection for a third term this fall, spent much of the Democratic primary race fending off charges that she was mishandling the violent crime situation.
“We need to get these people off the street. We need the criminal justice system to be a part of that,” Benedict said. “We can always be better.” | https://wreg.com/news/your-voice-your-vote/ap-politics/ap-2-dead-3-hurt-in-shooting-in-front-of-dc-senior-residence/ | 2022-08-25T13:09:34Z | https://wreg.com/news/your-voice-your-vote/ap-politics/ap-2-dead-3-hurt-in-shooting-in-front-of-dc-senior-residence/ | false |
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AdBeacon announced the launch of its first party data tracking and ad optimization platform today. The platform enables online advertisers, especially Facebook marketers to use their own data to accurately target advertisers in real time.
Ever since the Apple iOS14.5 update of April 2021, marketers have not had an accurate way to optimize their ad campaigns. Utilizing third party data from Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat and even Google has become less reliable. AdBeacon solves this problem with a real time ad optimization and attribution SaaS platform that uses its own technology to track site visitors and help marketers make accurate informed ad media decisions.
AdBeacon uses the power of first-party tracking data—information derived directly from customer interactions—to enable highly accurate ad optimization in real time, as opposed to the inaccurate delayed data marketers have been receiving. In fact, AdBeacon gives marketers an array of tools that can provide more accurate targeting than was achievable even before the release of iOS14.
AdBeacon effectively addresses the issues that marketers have been forced to confront as a direct result of iOS14 and its impact on customer privacy. Due to these issues Facebook (Meta) has reduced the post-click attribution window from 28 days to 7 days. As AdBeacon stores first party data, this limitation has essentially been eliminated and AdBeacon customers can enjoy lookback windows as far back as they have stored data.
AdBeacon is also an eCommerce reporting and attribution platform allowing CEO's, CMO's and other digital marketers to make big picture decisions as to how best to spend their advertising dollars.
AdBeacon has been designed by marketers for marketers. It is the result of a lengthy research and development process overseen by experienced industry professionals who have carefully followed industry trends over the last few years and understand the need for accurate marketing attribution software.
AdBeacon CEO Phoenix Ha explains the importance of a new approach to ad optimization:
"When iOS14 hit the advertising world, I knew it was time to get to work. That's when I dove into develop a solution that is easy for marketers to use and scale but also includes full service support from a team of seasoned marketers."
AdBeacon is not just an ad optimization platform, but has been developed as a community for media buyers. To learn more about AdBeacon, visit the company's website at https://www.adbeacon.com/ and try a free 14-day trial.
Founded by experienced marketing professionals, AdBeacon is a SaaS platform that offers a subscription-based ad optimization platform designed to provide businesses with actionable advertising data. The company is based in Westlake Village, California. For more information please visit adbeacon.com or email: support@adbeacon.com
Contact: Phoenix Ha
Email: phoenix@adbeacon.com
Phone (Optional): 877-706-7306
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SOURCE AdBeacon | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/adbeacon-releases-new-ad-optimization-platform-the-facebook-solution-ios145/ | 2022-08-25T13:14:33Z | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/adbeacon-releases-new-ad-optimization-platform-the-facebook-solution-ios145/ | false |
Disabled tenant, 51, says she has been made a prisoner in her own home by the BADGERS causing chaos in her garden
- Rae Boxley, 51, from Stourbridge, West Midlands, has spinal myelopathy
- She is at risk of fatal injury from even a gentle fall, meaning she can't leave home
- She also can't use her garden as badger activity has left the surface uneven
- Dudley Council said it had investigated but its options are 'very limited'
- Having moved in in 2011, Ms Boxley said she feels 'like I've lost 10 years of my life'
A disabled woman has said she has been made a prisoner in her own home for a decade - because badgers have been causing chaos in her garden.
Rae Boxley, 51, has spinal myelopathy, which leaves her at risk of fatal injury from even a gentle fall and means she is unable to leave her home.
But the 51-year-old, from Stourbridge, West Midlands, said she has not even been able to use her garden for years as badger activity has left the surface uneven, causing her to 'feel like I've lost 10 years of my life'.
Despite alerting her local council to the issue on multiple occasions, she said little has been done to help her.
Dudley Council said it had investigated but, because badgers are protected by law, its options are 'very limited'.
Spinal myelopathy, typically a gradual degenerative process, is a disorder that results from severe compression of the spinal cord.
A disabled woman has said she has been made a prisoner in her own home for a decade - because badgers have been causing chaos in her garden
Rae Boxley, 51, has spinal myelopathy, which leaves her at risk of fatal injury from even a gentle fall and means she is unable to leave her home
Dudley Council said it had investigated but, because badgers are protected by law, its options are 'very limited'
Ms Boxley said: 'If I was to go out the back on my crutches and my legs gave way, I could fall.
'It doesn't matter if it's gentle or heavy, I could end up paralysed or dead.
'If there's a fire, I'm not going to be able to get away from it either way.
'I can only stand on the step and I can't even leave the back door open as [the badgers] come right up to the door.
'I feel suicidal because of this, I feel like I've lost 10 years of my life and I'm only fifty-one.'
Ms Boxley, who does not work due to her disability, moved into the council property in February 2011 and said she noticed no issue at the time.
But a few months later she said she spotted a dip in the lawn - approximately two-feet in diameter - and notified Dudley Council of the issue.
Ms Boxley said they advised her not to go on the lawn after officials saw the damage.
The 51-year-old, from Stourbridge, West Midlands, said she has not even been able to use her garden for years as badger activity has left the surface uneven, causing her to 'feel like I've lost 10 years of my life'
Ms Boxley's garden is pictured before the badgers wreaked havoc, forcing her to stay confined to her house
A few months after moving in, Ms Boxley said she spotted a dip in the lawn - approximately two-feet in diameter - and notified Dudley Council of the issue
Over time, she said the dip in the lawn became bigger and additional holes and trenches began to appear in the garden.
Ms Boxley said: 'It gradually started from that hole and because they used that trench often it was just getting more worn away.
'I noticed that parallel with the bungalow there was another dip and there were holes in the grass where it was dropping.
'The council advised me not to go on the lawn as it was too dangerous.'
Ms Boxley said she was then forced to live with the problem for years while the council looked into the issue.
But an ecologist said in 2019 there was nothing that could be done to remove the badgers from the garden, she said.
Ms Boxley said she was then told the council would make a small area of her garden safe for her to use in 2021.
Over time, Ms Boxley said the dip in the lawn became bigger and additional holes and trenches began to appear in the garden
Ms Boxley said she was then forced to live with the problem for years while the council looked into the issue
Ms Boxley's spotless terrace is pictured, before the badgers' decade of chaos
But she claimed no work has started, leaving her confined to a small chair positioned next to the back door.
Now, Ms Boxley said she is desperate to get outside and cannot bear to spend a tenth year confined to her home.
She said: 'Because of a spinal injury my spinal cord is getting smaller and smaller and eventually if it's not treated or I have a bad enough fall I'll be paralysed.
'I've got no way to escape if there's a fire - I keep explaining to them that if there was a fire I couldn't go on the path as it's sinking and there's nowhere I'm safe.
'I stepped on the path once and it sunk by about a foot.
'It's affecting my mental health - I don't even open the curtains because the sight of the sun upsets me because I know I can't sit out the back.
'I'm seeing a psychologist at the minute and am on two different types of anti-depressant.
Ms Boxley said the council advised her not to go on the lawn after officials saw the damage
Flowers pictured in Ms Boxley's garden, before the badgers caused years of mess
Ms Boxley said she is desperate to get outside and cannot bear to spend a tenth year confined to her home
'I have to take extra vitamins because I don't get to go in the sun and I can't go to the park as due to my disability I have to be near a toilet.
'I'm not asking for Kew Gardens - all I want is them to section off part of my garden to make it safe.
'I know they couldn't cope if they had to spend ten years sat in one room and not be able to go outside.'
Councillor Steve Clark, deputy leader of Dudley Council, said: 'We are aware this is a long-standing issue and fully appreciate how frustrating it must be.
'We have had several meetings with the tenant since it was first brought to our attention but the difficulty is that badgers are protected by law and are very difficult to move.
'We paid for two different ecologists to carry out surveys to see what could be done but unfortunately the options we have are very limited.
'We would of course be happy to meet with Miss Boxley again to discuss her concerns.' | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11145051/Disabled-tenant-51-says-shes-prisoner-home-BADGERS-causing-chaos-garden.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490 | 2022-08-25T13:16:15Z | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11145051/Disabled-tenant-51-says-shes-prisoner-home-BADGERS-causing-chaos-garden.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490 | true |
HONG KONG, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- China Life Insurance Company Limited (SSE: 601628, SEHK: 2628, NYSE: LFC) announces the unaudited consolidated results of the Company (China Life Insurance Company Limited and its subsidiaries) for the six months ended 30 June 2022 (the "Reporting Period") prepared under the International Financial Reporting Standards today.
Highlights
- As at the end of the Reporting Period, the Company's total assets reached RMB5,173,524 million, an increase of 5.8% from the end of 2021. The Company's embedded value was RMB1,250,877 million, an increase of 4.0% from the end of 2021, and the Company's business value continued to take the lead in the industry.
- During the Reporting Period, the Company's total revenue was RMB516,670 million; the Company's gross written premiums were RMB439,969 million, and its industry leadership was further enhanced; the value of half year's sales for the six months ended 30 June 2022 was RMB25,745 million.
- As at the end of the Reporting Period, the Company's investment assets reached RMB4,977,082 million, an increase of 5.5% from the end of 2021. During the Reporting Period, the Company's net investment income was RMB97,009 million, rising by 8.1% year on year. The gross investment yield was 4.21%, the net investment yield was 4.15%. The comprehensive investment yield taking into account the current net fair value changes of available-for-sale securities recognized in other comprehensive income was 3.75%.
- During the Reporting Period, net profit attributable to equity holders of the Company was RMB25,416 million.
- The Company will not declare an interim dividend of ordinary shares for the Reporting Period.
Review of Business Operations in the First Half of 2022
In the first half of 2022, facing the increasingly complicated and challenging international environment, as well as multiple and sporadic outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic in China, the domestic economy was under new and growing downward pressure. The growth of insurance premiums further slowed down due to the profound adjustments in the life insurance industry, the decelerated release of insurance demands and a decline of sales force. During the Reporting Period, despite exceptionally complicated and difficult circumstances, the Company prioritized stability while pursuing progress, adhered to the original function of insurance, constantly deepened supply-side reforms, and coordinated the pandemic control and high-quality development. As a result, its overall business operations registered a steady performance with sound momentum, its business scale and value continued to lead the industry, the quality and efficiency of its operations and services were consistently improved, and its comprehensive strengths were steadily enhanced with its leading position in the industry further solidified.
The Company continued to deepen reforms and innovation and promoted transformation and upgrade in key areas, injecting new driving forces for its high-quality development. The individual agent business sector consistently pushed forward the transformation of sales force to be high-quality, professional and efficient by focusing on its quality improvement. The diversified business sector consistently optimized its business mode, with its capability in specialized business operations continuing to increase. For the investment sector, the achievements of market-oriented reforms were continuously consolidated. Adhering to the top-level allocation strategy, the Company further improved the structure of asset allocation, and the long-term investment deployment was optimized. The technology sector facilitated the integration of internal and external data and digital collaboration, and fully enhanced its capability in digital connectivity within and outside the Company by deepening the construction of its digital platform. The operation sector innovatively promoted the implementation of a nationwide integrated model of intelligent centralization and sharing for business operations, consistently reinforced the protection of consumers' rights and interests, built up its service brand, and further enhanced service efficiency and customer experience, with a view to providing customers with "convenient, quality and caring" operations and services.
In the first half of 2022, the industry entered into a stage of profound adjustments. The Company prioritized business value and demonstrated greater resilience in its business development, with its business scale and value continuing to lead the market. During the Reporting Period, the Company's gross written premiums amounted to RMB439,969 million, generally remaining stable as compared to the corresponding period last year, and its industry leadership was further enhanced. The Company's business value continued to take the lead in the industry. Particularly, as at the end of the Reporting Period, the embedded value of the Company reached RMB1,250,877 million, an increase of 4.0% from the end of 2021; in the first half of 2022, the value of half year's sales was RMB25,745 million, a decrease of 13.8% year on year. The key performance indicators of the Company saw stable progress. Premiums from new policies were RMB139,358 million, an increase of 4.1% year on year. The first-year regular premiums were RMB79,838 million, a decrease of 1.0% year on year. In particular, first-year regular premiums with a payment duration of ten years or longer were RMB30,226 million, an increase of 4.4% year on year. Due to the impact of maturity of premium payment terms of certain insurance products, renewal premiums were RMB300,611 million, a decrease of 2.5% year on year. During the Reporting Period, the surrender rate was 0.51%, a decrease of 0.16 percentage point year on year.
As at the end of the Reporting Period, the total assets of the Company surpassed RMB5 trillion to RMB5,173,524 million, increasing by 5.8% from the end of 2021. Adhering to its strategic consistency and with an emphasis on the asset-liability interaction, the Company consistently implemented its medium- to long-term strategic plan of asset allocation, continued to optimize its allocation to core investment assets, and actively seized the long-term allocation opportunities during the equity market corrections. Due to the impact of the short-term volatilities in equity market, the Company registered a gross investment income of RMB98,542 million, a decrease of 16.2% year on year, and the gross investment yield was 4.21%, down by 148 basis points from the corresponding period of 2021. Net profit attributable to equity holders of the Company was RMB25,416 million, a decrease of 38.0% year on year.
Insurance Business
During the Reporting Period, gross written premiums from the life insurance business of the Company were RMB356,528 million, a year-on-year decrease of 0.1%. Gross written premiums from the health insurance business were RMB75,284 million, a year-on-year decrease of 1.4%. Gross written premiums from the accident insurance business were RMB8,157 million, a year-on-year decrease of 9.7%.
In the first half of 2022, there were severe complexities and uncertainties for the development of the industry, which posed greater challenges to the development of the Company's insurance business. The Company kept a close eye on the change of the market demands, maintained strategic consistency, and adjusted its development tactics in a timely manner. It focused on the basic operational units, strived to consolidate its foundation through specialized operation, standardized management, market-oriented mechanism and technological support, and unswervingly pursued the high-quality development of its businesses, thereby solidifying its market leading advantages further. As at the end of the Reporting Period, the number of total sales force of the Company was 810,000.
Individual Agent Business Sector
The individual agent business sector strived to make progress while maintaining stability, consistently deepened business restructuring, and saw stable progress of business development. During the Reporting Period, gross written premiums from the sector were RMB352,487 million, a decrease of 3.1% year on year. Renewal premiums amounted to RMB274,016 million, a decrease of 3.9% year on year. First-year regular premiums were RMB68,957 million, an increase of 0.5% year on year. In particular, first-year regular premiums with a payment duration of ten years or longer were RMB30,212 million, an increase of 4.7% year on year, and its proportion in the first-year regular premiums rose by 1.76 percentage points year on year. In the first half of 2022, the value of half year's sales of the sector was RMB24,185 million, a decrease of 16.5% year on year, and new business margin by annual premium equivalent was 30.4%, a decrease of 6.1 percentage points year on year.
During the Reporting Period, the Company continued to drive business through productive agents, upheld the sales force strategy of "stabilizing headcount while seeking for higher productivity", and the size of its sales force was generally stabilized with enhanced quality. As at the end of the Reporting Period, the number of agents of the sector was 746,000, including 476,000 agents from the general sales team and 270,000 agents from the upsales team, and the proportion of the number of high-performance agents remained stable. In the first half of 2022, the individual agent business sector actively responded to multiple challenges from the regular pandemic prevention and control as well as the change of the market environment, focused on the basic operational units and adopted various measures to stimulate the vitality of its sales teams. The Company rolled out the "Zhongxin Project" specifically for building up a specialized and professional agent team. It also upgraded its fundamental agent force management rule, focusing on newly recruited agents, agent managers and high-performance agents, and further enhanced its business quality management. Meanwhile, the Company pushed forward technology-empowered sales and team management in great depth. Through the digital platforms such as "China Life e-learning" and intelligent training system, the Company strengthened online training and risk compliance education to revitalize its sales teams in an orderly manner, with a view to pushing forward their high-quality development.
Diversified Business Sector
By concentrating on specialized operation, quality and efficiency enhancement, as well as transformation and innovation, the diversified business sector coordinated well with the individual agent business sector and actively developed the bancassurance business, group insurance, and health insurance businesses. The bancassurance channel further promoted and implemented its business mode transformation and the operation modes of group insurance and health insurance were optimized for steady advancement.
Bancassurance Channel The bancassurance channel actively deepened its cooperation with banks, steadily enhanced its business scale and value, and gradually strengthened its capability of sustainable development. During the Reporting Period, gross written premiums from the channel amounted to RMB42,609 million, an increase of 23.7% year on year. First-year regular premiums were RMB10,864 million, a decrease of 9.4% year on year. In particular, first-year regular premiums with a payment duration of five years or longer were RMB3,511 million. Renewal premiums amounted to RMB25,707 million (a year-on-year increase of 15.5%), accounting for 60.33% of gross written premiums from the channel. The bancassurance channel constantly enhanced the professional and technological capability of its account manager team, the quality of which was steadily improved. As at the end of the Reporting Period, the number of account managers of the bancassurance channel was 23,000, the quarterly average active managers remained stable, and the productivity per manager increased continuously.
Group Insurance Channel With high-quality development as the guiding principle, the group insurance channel coordinated business scale and profitability and pushed forward stable development in all business lines. During the Reporting Period, gross written premiums from the channel were RMB16,759 million, an increase of 0.4% year on year. Short-term insurance premiums from the channel were RMB15,165 million, an increase of 2.3% year on year. As at the end of the Reporting Period, the number of direct sales representatives was 41,000, in which the proportion of high-performance personnel rose by 6 percentage points from the end of 2021.
Other Channels In the first half of 2022, gross written premiums from other channels were RMB28,114 million, an increase of 2.8% year on year. The Company proactively participated in a variety of government-sponsored health insurance businesses. As at the end of the Reporting Period, the Company carried out over 200 supplementary major medical expenses insurance programs, covering nearly 350 million people. It also undertook over 300 health care entrusted programs, providing services to more than 100 million people; over 60 long-term care insurance programs in 17 provinces and cities, covering nearly 26 million people; and more than 170 supplementary medical insurance programs in 26 provinces and cities, covering over 58 million people. The Company actively participated in the construction of a multi-tiered social security system and implemented nearly 70 city-customized commercial medical insurance projects in 21 provinces and cities accumulatively, covering more than 18 million people.
In recent years, the Company has greatly developed the online insurance business and provided customers with quality service experience through online-to-offline sales and online direct sales. During the Reporting Period, the Company's online insurance business grew rapidly. Total premiums under the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission caliber were RMB38,872 million, an increase of 121.5% year on year, reaching a new record high. By adhering to the objective of "enhancing and optimizing the OTO business, actively expanding the public domain traffic business, and achieving a breakthrough in exclusive online insurance business", the Company consistently optimized its online organization and business system featuring centralized operation and unified management, and offered a variety of products that were tailored for different scenarios and customers. Going forward, the Company will take active actions to develop online exclusive life insurance business, with a view to providing customers with more convenient online insurance services.
Integrated Financial Sector
Being customer-centric, the Company fully leveraged the resource advantages of the fellow members of China Life Insurance (Group) Company and actively engaged in the construction of a "Life Insurance plus" integrated financial ecosystem, turning the integrated financial advantages into a driving force for the high-quality development of the Company. In the first half of 2022, premiums of China Life Property and Casualty Insurance Company Limited ("CLP&C") cross-sold by the Company were RMB11,058 million, with the number of insurance policies increasing by 18.8% year on year. Through the cross-sale of property insurance products, the Company diversified its client base and facilitated its sales team to meet sales targets, maintain its size and secure a higher commission income. Additional first-year receipts of enterprise annuity funds and pension products of China Life Pension Company Limited cross-sold by the Company through collaboration were RMB11,078 million. The Company entrusted China Guangfa Bank Co., Limited ("CGB") to sell its bancassurance products, with the first-year regular premiums recording a relatively stable growth. Meanwhile, in order to satisfy the diverse needs of its customers, the Company worked with CGB and CLP&C to carry out various operation activities to provide customers with a series of quality financial and insurance service solutions.
By integrating online and offline as well as internal and external healthcare resources, the Company improved its health management and service capabilities and actively participated in Healthy China initiative. China Life Inclusive Healthcare Service Platform continued to diversify its services while upgrading its system functions. As at the end of the Reporting Period, more than a hundred types of services were available on the platform, and the accumulated registered users of the platform rose by over 13% from the end of 2021, remaining the leadership of the industry. The Company implemented the national strategy of proactively responding to population aging, continued to establish the China Life elderly care system, fully leveraged the advantage of the long term of insurance funds, and deployed towards multi-level elderly care services such as residential elderly care services and community-based elderly care services through the China Life Integrated Aged Care Fund. In the first half of 2022, the China Life Integrated Aged Care Fund accelerated the consolidation of health resources and continued to proceed with pension and retirement projects in strategic regions such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Insurance Products
Playing an important role in serving national strategies of Healthy China initiative and proactively responding to population aging, the Company adhered to the customer-centric product development concept, vigorously enhanced its capability in product innovation, and consistently improved its diversified product supply system. In the first half of 2022, for the purpose of serving the strategy of Healthy China initiative, the Company strengthened innovation in protection liabilities with respect to diseases, medical health and care, and launched several series of critical illness insurance products and medical insurance products, to provide better health protection for customers with diversified demands. It introduced exclusive accident protection products for flexible employees and new urban residents to increase the accessibility and convenience of insurance services to flexible employment groups. The Company also took active actions to serve the national strategy of proactively responding to population aging, diversified the series of insurance products for the seniors, and took an initiative to launch the insurance products tailored to the seniors. It actively engaged in the development of the third-pillar pension insurance and initiated nationwide promotion of the exclusive pension products.
In the first half of 2022, the Company newly developed and upgraded a total of 42 products, including two life insurance products, ten health insurance products, 29 accident insurance products, and one annuity insurance product. Out of these products, 39 were protection-oriented insurance products, and three were long-term savings insurance products.
Investment Business
In the first half of 2022, domestic bond yields were at historic lows and the interest rate pivot fell remarkably from 2021, which created a mounting pressure on the allocation of fixed-income assets. Due to the effects of various factors such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, accelerated tightening of monetary policy by the Federal Reserve and the prevalence of the pandemic in China, the A-share market plummeted rapidly and such decrease was subsequently narrowed after the easing of the pandemic and the gradual rollout of domestic policies for stabilization of growth. The dramatic change of market situation posed greater challenges to investment management. In this circumstance, the Company adhered to its strategic consistency, firmly served the major national strategies and supported real economy, and consistently implemented its medium- to long-term strategic plan of asset allocation. It seized opportunities for making allocations, and adopted multiple measures concurrently to stabilize investment income. Firstly, the Company continued to optimize its allocation to core investment assets and flexibly adjusted allocation and the type of fixed-income assets in response to the fluctuations in interest rates and the supply of assets, with a view to stabilizing coupon income and asset durations. Secondly, the Company seized the long-term allocation opportunities during the equity market corrections and invested prudently, adjusting equity positions towards neutral weight. Thirdly, the Company strengthened the innovation in alternative investment models for the establishment and optimization of pyramid-shaped alternative investment portfolios with non-standard debt-type products as the foundation, supplemented by equity investment plans and equity investment funds, with an aim to stabilize the long-term expected returns of investment portfolios.
As at the end of the Reporting Period, the Company's investment assets reached RMB4,977,082 million, an increase of 5.5% from the end of 2021. Among the major types of investments, the percentage of investment in bonds changed to 47.02% from 48.20% as at the end of 2021, the percentage of term deposits changed to 10.26% from 11.23% as at the end of 2021, the percentage of investment in debt-type financial products changed to 8.89% from 9.41% as at the end of 2021, and the percentage of investment in stocks and funds (excluding money market funds) increased to 11.17% from 8.75% as at the end of 2021.
In the first half of 2022, the Company's net investment income was RMB97,009 million, rising by 8.1% year on year, an increase of RMB7,245 million from the corresponding period of 2021. Affected by the decline in interest rate, the Company recorded the net investment yield of 4.15% in the first half of 2022, down by 18 basis points from the corresponding period of 2021. Due to the effects of volatilities in equity market and a year-on-year decrease in spread income from equity investment products, the gross investment income of the Company were RMB98,542 million in the first half of 2022, down by 16.2% year on year, a decrease of RMB19,096 million from the corresponding period of 2021. Gross investment yield was 4.21%, down by 148 basis points from the corresponding period of 2021. The comprehensive investment yield taking into account the current net fair value changes of available-for-sale securities recognized in other comprehensive income was 3.75%, down by 186 basis points from the corresponding period of 2021.
Outlook
The life insurance industry is an indispensable and important pillar of the modern financial system and multi-tiered social security system. As a leader in the industry, China Life will focus on serving the overall interests of national development and maintain strategic consistency to push forward the implementation of the "14th Five-Year Plan". By sticking to the original role of insurance and advancing reforms and innovation with steadfast efforts, we will take digital transformation as an important driving force and further leverage the advantages of synergy effects of integrated finance, so as to lead the industry in pursuing the high-quality development.
About China Life Insurance Company Limited
China Life Insurance Company Limited is a life insurance company established in Beijing, China on 30 June 2003 according to the "Company Law of the People's Republic of China" and the "Insurance Law of the People's Republic of China". The Company was successfully listed on the New York Stock Exchange[1], the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 17 and 18 December 2003, and 9 January 2007, respectively. The Company's registered capital is RMB28,264,705,000.
The Company is a leading life insurance company in China and possesses an extensive distribution network comprising exclusive agents, direct sales representatives, and dedicated and non-dedicated agencies. The Company is one of the largest institutional investors in China, and becomes one of the largest insurance asset management companies in China through its controlling shareholding in China Life Asset Management Company Limited. The Company also has controlling shareholding in China Life Pension Company Limited.
Our products and services include individual life insurance, group life insurance, and accident and health insurance. The Company is a leading provider of individual and group life insurance, annuity products and accident and health insurance in China. As at 30 June 2022, the Company had approximately 317 million long-term individual and group life insurance policies, annuity contracts, and long-term health insurance policies in force. We also provide both individual and group accident and short-term health insurance policies and services.
Forward-looking statements
Certain statements contained in this press release may be viewed as "forward-looking statements" as defined by Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may mean that the actual performance, financial condition or results of operations of the Company could be materially different from any future performance, financial condition or results of operations implied by such forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these risks, uncertainties and other factors is included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2021 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on 29 April 2022; and in the Company's other filings with the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Unless otherwise stated, all information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
Unless otherwise indicated, the Chinese insurance market information set forth in this press release is based on public information released by China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.
For further information, please contact:
Media enquiries
Ms. Yinghui Li
China Life Insurance Company Limited
Tel: +86 10 6363 1191
E-mail: liyh@e-chinalife.com
Mr. Isaac Yau (Hong Kong)
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Mobile: +852 6337 1723
Tel: +852 3103 0112
Email: isaac.yau@citigatedewerogerson.com
Mr. Benny Liu (Beijing)
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Mobile: +86 135 2188 9320
Tel: +86 10 6567 5056
Email: benny.liu@citigatedewerogerson.com
Investor and analyst enquiries
Ms. Grace Hou
China Life Insurance Company Limited
Mobile: +86 138 1009 6827
Tel: +86 10 6363 1241
Email: houjue@e-chinalife.com
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SOURCE China Life | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/china-life-insurance-company-limited-announces-2022-interim-results-h-shares/ | 2022-08-25T13:16:19Z | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/china-life-insurance-company-limited-announces-2022-interim-results-h-shares/ | false |
Calls For Restraint After Fighting Returns To Ethiopia
The international community appealed for restraint on Thursday after fighting resumed in northern Ethiopia between government forces and Tigray rebels, scuppering a truce and casting a shadow over hopes for peace.
The situation on the ground was unclear a day after fresh fighting erupted on the border of Tigray, where the warring sides accused each other of igniting the first major clashes in five months.
Rebel authorities in Tigray said on Wednesday that government forces failed to breach their defensive lines, but offered little detail on the status of combat or casualties.
The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has also not provided an update on the fighting, or whether combat has spread beyond the scenes of Wednesday's battles on Tigray's southern border.
Spokespeople for Abiy's government and the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) did not respond to AFP's requests for comment about the situation on the ground.
The return to combat has alarmed the international community, which has been pushing both sides to peacefully resolve the brutal 21-month war in Africa's second most populous nation.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the truce reached between the warring parties in March had "reduced violence and saved lives".
"We are concerned that renewed fighting puts that at risk. We call on the Ethiopian Government and TPLF to redouble efforts for peace to bring a permanent end to the conflict."
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged both sides to pull back from "a full blown war", saying: "Reports of renewed conflict in Northern Ethiopia cast a shadow on the prospect for peace."
UN chief Antonio Guterres and envoys from Britain, Turkey, the African Union and the East African trade bloc IGAD made similar calls for restraint and a commitment to dialogue.
On Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen told diplomats that Ethiopia was "prepared to defend the nation's territorial integrity and sovereignty".
"But it is equally committed to using peaceful means to put an end to the conflict and collaborating with humanitarian organisations to lessen needless suffering," he told a gathering of foreign envoys in Addis Ababa.
He also accused the TPLF of commandeering aid supplies meant for Tigray, which is in the grips of a major humanitarian crisis.
The UN's World Food Programme on Thursday accused the TPLF of seizing half a million litres of fuel from a warehouse in Tigray, a region the rebels have held since ousting government troops in June 2021.
"We demand the Tigrayan Authorities return these fuel stocks to the humanitarian community immediately. As the next harvest is not until October, our deliveries of life-saving food could not be more urgent or critical to the survival of millions," WFP executive director David Beasley said in a statement.
Vicky Ford, the UK's Minister for Africa, said the resumption of fighting would "only deepen the already catastrophic humanitarian situation" in Tigray where food, fuel and medicine is scarce.
The March truce paused the worst of the bloodshed and allowed for aid convoys to slowly return to Tigray, where the UN said last week nearly half the population is suffering from a severe lack of food.
Since the end of June, Abiy's government and the rebels have repeatedly stated their willingness to enter peace negotiations, but disagreed on the terms of such talks.
In recent weeks, too, they have accused each other of preparing for battle.
Addis Ababa wants talks without preconditions under the auspices of the AU, which is headquartered in the Ethiopian capital.
The rebels are demanding electricity, telecommunications and banking services be restored to Tigray before talks begin, and reject the AU's envoy Olusegun Obasanjo as mediator.
In a statement dated August 23, TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael said "two rounds of confidential face-to-face" meetings with top civilian and military officials had taken place, the first acknowledgement by either side of direct talks.
Abiy sent troops into Tigray in November 2020 to topple the TPLF after months of tensions with the party that dominated Ethiopian politics for three decades until he took office in 2018.
The TPLF mounted a comeback, recapturing Tigray and expanding into Afar and Amhara, before the war reached a stalemate.
The conflict has killed untold numbers, with widespread reports of atrocities including mass killings and sexual violence.
© Copyright AFP 2022. All rights reserved. | https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/calls-restraint-after-fighting-returns-ethiopia-1704420 | 2022-08-25T13:17:41Z | https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/calls-restraint-after-fighting-returns-ethiopia-1704420 | true |
GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland’s defense department said Wednesday that any delay to the planned multibillion-dollar acquisition of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets would have “grave consequences” for Swiss security, after opponents succeeded in a campaign to put the purchase to a referendum.
On Tuesday, the Swiss government announced that campaigners had cleared the bar of 100,000 signatures on a petition calling for a referendum on the planned purchase of 36 of the Lockheed Martin-built planes as part of a vast refurbishment of capability of the Swiss air force by 2030.
The activists want the referendum to be held in March — the same month that the U.S. offer would expire. The Swiss defense department, addressing a meeting of the Swiss executive branch on Wednesday, argued that the timetable is simply too tight.
Opponents say the planes — at a purchase cost of about $6 billion — are too expensive, would tie Swiss security too closely to the United States, and are ill-suited for the needs of Switzerland. The Swiss air force mostly uses such fighters for air patrols in its European skies and not in conflicts abroad. The Swiss constitution holds that Switzerland is a neutral country, curtailing its ability to take part in foreign conflicts.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Swiss government noted that other Western countries including Canada, Finland and Germany had also opted for the F-35.
The Swiss government announced its choice of the F-35 in June last year after a “comprehensive technical evaluation” based on a cost-benefit analysis, and pointed to technology, effectiveness, and broad scope of information provided to pilots in the cockpit of the aircraft.
Other contenders were Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet, France’s Rafale — produced by Dassault Aviation — and the Eurofighter from an Airbus-led consortium. | https://pix11.com/ap-international/swiss-govt-warns-about-possible-lag-in-fighter-jet-purchase/ | 2022-08-25T13:17:41Z | https://pix11.com/ap-international/swiss-govt-warns-about-possible-lag-in-fighter-jet-purchase/ | false |
Kingsbridge Care Hub enjoys a summer party
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Kingsbridge Care Hub (formerly Kingsbridge Age Concern) celebrated another successful Summer Party.
A spokesperson said: “What a wonderful time was had by all!
The sun shone and the Pimms was refreshing; the music played and the cream teas were enjoyed; and the raffle tempted players to take a chance – down at Kingsbridge Care Hub’s Summer Garden Party.”
Those attending were also lucky with the weather:
Graham Smith, Chairman of Kingsbridge Age Concern, based at the Care Hub said: “It was a perfect summer Sunday afternoon and we so enjoyed seeing familiar faces and new”.
“It was a great way to bring people together for a few hours of good company and fun.”
And to all those who attempted the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee quiz, well done – and especially so to Marilyn and Jackie who managed 56 correct answers to the 70 questions. What an achievement! Particularly as many of the questions were considered ‘devilishly difficult.”
“Enormous thanks must go to our marvellous musicians who entertained us throughout the afternoon with a variety of musical styles – The Dixon Family; The Salcombe Larks, and Phil and Mahrey Berthoud, Stringing Along. And, of course to all our volunteers and helpers – we could not have done it without them” added Graham, “but we are very fortunate to have such a dedicated and compassionate team, many of whom have been with us for a number of years. They really are the stars of the show!”
The Kingsbridge Garden Party is now firmly established as an annual fixture on the events calendar but you don’t have to wait until next summer to join them for good company and fun – pop in or call 01548 856650 – and one of the friendly team will bring you up to date with all the services they offer.
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To leave a comment you need to create an account. | | https://www.kingsbridge-today.co.uk/news/kingsbridge-care-hub-enjoys-a-summer-party-561120 | 2022-08-25T13:17:41Z | https://www.kingsbridge-today.co.uk/news/kingsbridge-care-hub-enjoys-a-summer-party-561120 | false |
George Foreman accused of sexual assault
Published: Aug. 25, 2022 at 8:36 AM EDT|Updated: 42 minutes ago
(CNN) - Two women are accusing former boxer George Foreman of sexually assaulting them in the 1970s, according to civil lawsuits filed Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Those court documents said the women were between the ages of 13 and 16 when the assaults took place.
They don’t name Foreman in the suits but supply sufficient information to identify him.
Foreman denies the accusation and said the women are trying to extort money from his family.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wcjb.com/2022/08/25/george-foreman-accused-sexual-assault/ | 2022-08-25T13:18:30Z | https://www.wcjb.com/2022/08/25/george-foreman-accused-sexual-assault/ | true |
GREENWICH, Conn. and HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Starwood Energy Group Global LLC ("Starwood Energy"), a leading private investment firm focused on energy infrastructure, and TS Conductor Corp. ("TS Conductor"), a pioneer in high-performance transmission and distribution wires for electricity grids, today announced the creation of a $100 million joint venture, Gridline Finance InvestCo, LLC. The joint venture unlocks an innovative method for financing much-needed grid modernization, including reconductoring existing lines and building new lines, to accelerate the energy transition and integrate more renewable generation.
For reconductoring existing lines, Gridline Finance brings to transmission and distribution infrastructure a similar energy performance contracting (EPC) approach that energy service companies (ESCOs) originally popularized for energy efficiency upgrades. TS Conductor's breakthrough technology uses a lightweight, high-strength encapsulated core under pre-tension with safety, reliability, and longevity built-in, and the most-conductive form of aluminum to deliver superior performance:
- It is able to cut line losses in half for the same amount of power vs. the previous line, which can save the U.S. economy billions of dollars by preserving electricity that currently never reaches its destination.
- During peak generation and demand periods, it is able to handle triple the capacity with the same overhead line towers, delivering more green electrons from renewable generation to the load centers, reducing large-scale wind and solar curtailment, increasing system reliability, and alleviating grid congestion bottlenecks that are causing customer utility bills to rise.
These benefits are now available to regional transmission operators (RTOs), independent system operators (ISOs), investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, electric cooperatives, and other grid operators—at no upfront cost, thanks to Gridline Finance's ESCO-like approach to transmission upgrades that funds deployment through realized savings.
For new line construction, Gridline Finance delivers both CAPEX and OPEX savings. Stronger, higher-capacity, lower-sag wires mean the need for fewer, shorter power grid structures such as poles and towers, longer spans, and fewer total wires, reducing overall system CAPEX and OPEX for the benefit of utility ratepayers.
Across both re-conducting and new construction use cases, TS Conductor technology's straightforward installation procedures are compatible with traditional field practice. Linemen can use the same tools and techniques already used for ACSR/ACSS transmission lines to install TS Conductor wires rapidly, safely, and easily. TS Conductor's encapsulated core offers unparalleled protection against corrosion and other environmental issues to ensure long-term durability.
"Transmission infrastructure is the next frontier of the energy transition, and the backbone of a modern power grid. As utility-scale renewables and grid-edge distributed energy resources continue growing, transmission infrastructure is the critical 'connective tissue' of the electricity system," explained Jason Huang, PhD, CEO of TS Conductor. "We're doing for the power grid what fiber optic did for Internet service—delivering massive performance upgrades, including 'bandwidth' expansion. We're proud to join with Starwood Energy to bring these benefits to transmission networks throughout North America and around the world."
"TS Conductor's technology will be a major catalyst for increasing the penetration of renewables in North America. We are delighted to partner with this innovative team to drive the adoption of an outstanding technology," said Himanshu Saxena, CEO at Starwood Energy. "Furthermore, we look forward to providing access to an attractive financing model that will enable its customers to upgrade transmission networks without any upfront investment."
In the United States alone, the Department of Energy (US DOE) notes that more than 70% of the country's transmission lines are in excess of 25 years old. Meanwhile, U.S. DOE forecasts a need for 60% greater transmission capacity by 2030 and up to 200% more by 2050 to meet the nation's "increase in renewable generation and expanding electrification needs." The Starwood Energy / TS Conductor joint venture will pave the way for scaling leapfrog solutions designed for the needs of 21st century power grids.
To learn more about TS Conductor's technology and applications, visit www.tsconductor.com/applications or send a message through www.tsconductor.com/contact.
About TS Conductor
TS Conductor products allow transmission & distribution grid operators to be active participants to the energy transition – by reducing line losses and accelerating the integration of wind, solar and battery storage - while leveraging existing infrastructure assets. Our products can be used to substitute ACSR conductors using the same tools and installation procedures. TS Conductor is a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), and a public benefit company focused on sustainable development and GHG reduction. TS is backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, National Grid and NextEra. For more information visit www.tsconductor.com.
About Starwood Energy Group
Starwood Energy Group is a private equity investment firm based in Greenwich, Conn., that specializes in energy infrastructure investments. Through its existing general opportunity funds and affiliated investment vehicles, Starwood Energy has raised in excess of $3 billion of equity capital and has executed transactions totaling more than $8 billion in enterprise value. For more information, please visit starwoodenergygroup.com.
Media Contacts
Nikki Arnone, Inflection Point Agency for TS Conductor
nikki@inflectionpointagency.com
Tom Johnson or Dan Scorpio for Starwood Energy Group
tbj@abmac.com
dps@abmac.com
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SOURCE Starwood Energy Group Global, LLC | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/starwood-energy-ts-conductor-announce-100-million-joint-venture-bring-energy-performance-contracting-approaches-power-grid-infrastructure/ | 2022-08-25T13:18:57Z | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/starwood-energy-ts-conductor-announce-100-million-joint-venture-bring-energy-performance-contracting-approaches-power-grid-infrastructure/ | true |
DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Target RWE will present a range of methodological and applied research at the 2022 International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology's annual conference (ICPE) in Copenhagen. Target RWE scientists will deliver six oral and two poster presentations.
"The work being presented at ICPE by my colleagues at Target RWE highlights the methodological rigor and creativity that characterize our team," said M. Alan Brookhart, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Target RWE. "We are committed to answering challenging problems in healthcare using the best available epidemiologic and statistical methods."
Target RWE scientists will be giving presentations on causal inference methods, an application of machine learning models in fracture risk prediction, and new research that informs care for patients with COVID-19, including a use of causal inference methods to identify optimal use of remdesivir in hospitalized COVID-19.
Target RWE presentations include:
Friday, August 26th
The impact of parametric assumptions on the bias-variance tradeoff for causal analysis of time-to-event outcomes, Andrew G. Allmon, DrPH, 2:00 - 2:15 p.m. CEST. Parametric assumptions have the potential to reduce the variance of effect estimates, but making such assumptions comes at the cost of potential for bias. This research evaluates how parametric assumptions affect bias and variance of causal estimation of time-to-event outcomes.
Negative control outcomes to assess the comparability of biologics versus small-molecule therapeutics for osteoporosis: Considerations for differential non-adherence, Lydia Feinstein, PhD, MSPH, 5:30 - 5:45 p.m. CEST. A growing focus on biologics across many therapeutic areas raises questions about unmeasured adherence mechanisms among users of these injectable therapies versus oral small-molecule drugs, which are typically less costly, dosed at more frequent intervals, and unlikely to require administration by a medical professional. Negative control outcomes (NCOs) can be used to detect residual bias when differential adherence is suspected. This study used NCOs to assess the comparability of women receiving biannual denosumab injections to those receiving once-weekly oral alendronate for postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Saturday, August 27th
One design to rule them all: The clone-censor-weight design as a general framework for epidemiologic studies, Alexander Breskin, PhD, MPH, 8:00 - 8:15 a.m. CEST. The clone-censor-weight approach, specifically intended to mimic a randomized controlled trial, provides a useful paradigm to unify the theory underlying most pharmacoepidemiologic study frameworks. This research compares the results of a simulated study using two distinct study frameworks: a new user design and a clone-censor-weight design.
Risk factors for mortality and intensive care requirements among pediatric patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States, Nuvan Rathnayaka, 8:15 – 8:30 a.m. CEST. Though the ongoing pandemic has generated an overwhelming amount of information on COVID-19, there remains limited data on conditions that are associated with serious outcomes among hospitalized pediatric patients. This research describes the factors associated with intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation use, and mortality among pediatric patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States.
Fracture risk estimation in post-menopausal women: a comparison of machine learning methods and software systems, David Pritchard, PhD, MS, 1:15 - 1:30 p.m. CEST. Predictive modeling of health outcomes is a key tool for identifying high-risk patients who may benefit from more intensive therapy or targeted quality improvement interventions. Using a large commercial claims database, this study compared various machine learning methods and censored data approaches for estimation of one-year fracture risk among women over the age of 50 years old.
Sunday, August 28th
The effect of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 on mortality among hospitalized patients, Alexander Breskin, PhD, MPH, 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. CEST. Evidence underpinning guidelines for remdesivir for certain patients hospitalized with COVID-19 is limited, based on subgroup analyses from randomized trials, early observational studies, or expert opinion. Further investigation is needed to better inform the guidelines with regards to the effectiveness of remdesivir in these patients. This research estimated the effect of a remdesivir initiation within two days of hospital admission compared with no remdesivir treatment on mortality among hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19.
Target RWE posters include:
Discharged where? The importance of understanding discharge dispositions when estimating in-hospital mortality, Catherine Wiener, MA (presented by M. Alan Brookhart, PhD), Poster Session A; August 26, 2022. Choices for classifying hospital discharge dispositions as censoring events, competing risks, or outcomes of interest may have large impacts on study results. This research assessed the impact of misclassifying certain discharge dispositions as censoring or competing events on the estimation of in-hospital mortality incidence in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
In-hospital treatment patterns among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States, Nuvan Rathnayaka, Poster Session: Spotlight Session – Drug Utilization Research; August 27, 2022. Treatments for hospitalized COVID-19 patients remain important due to emerging variants, waning vaccine effectiveness, and suboptimal vaccine uptake. Several studies have described the use of individual treatments, but few have described treatment patterns over the course of hospitalization. This study describes COVID-19 treatment patterns for hospitalized patients in the United States.
As a sponsor of ICPE 2022, Target RWE additionally unveiled its new brand and Syndicated Science™ analytical solution at the event. Visit us to learn more about our industry-leading RWD and advanced RWE analytics at www.targetrwe.com.
As the industry's best-in-class, complete real world evidence (RWE) solution, Target RWE is a distinctly collaborative enterprise that unifies real world data (RWD) sets and advanced RWE analytics in an integrated community, shifting the paradigm in healthcare for how decisions are made to improve lives.
We have reimagined how to produce, update, and share results from epidemiologic studies at Target RWE with our newest web-deployed, interactive analytical solution to address important questions in healthcare – Population Health Research Applications (PHRs). Target RWE PHRs provide access to rigorously developed and regularly updated RWE in specific clinical areas. Our PHRs answer specific research topics and questions of interest to key stakeholders, with results displayed through accessible, interactive data visualizations and tables.
Learn more about our solutions and contact us for more information: www.targetrwe.com.
CONTACT:
Kayla Slake
Marketing Manager
kslake@targetrwe.com
984.234.0268 ext 205
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SOURCE Target RWE | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/new-approaches-developing-real-world-evidence-presented-by-target-rwe-2022-international-conference-pharmacoepidemiology-icpe/ | 2022-08-25T13:19:19Z | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/new-approaches-developing-real-world-evidence-presented-by-target-rwe-2022-international-conference-pharmacoepidemiology-icpe/ | false |
Forbes Business Council Is an Invitation-Only Community for Successful Business Owners and Leaders
DALLAS, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mahisha Dellinger, Founder of CURLS – one of the most recognized natural hair care brands in North America, the textured hair aisle, and the multicultural community – has been accepted into the Forbes Business Council, the foremost growth and networking organization for successful business owners and leaders worldwide.
Mahisha Dellinger was vetted and selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of her experience. Criteria for acceptance include a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements and honors.
"We are honored to welcome Mahisha Dellinger into the community," said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Business Council. "Our mission with Forbes Councils is to bring together proven leaders from every industry, creating a curated, social capital-driven network that helps every member grow professionally and make an even greater impact on the business world."
As an accepted member of the Council, Dellinger has access to a variety of exclusive opportunities designed to help her reach peak professional influence. She will connect and collaborate with other respected local leaders in a private forum and at members-only events. Dellinger will also be invited to work with a professional editorial team to share her expert insights in original business articles on Forbes.com, and to contribute to published Q&A panels alongside other experts.
Finally, Dellinger will benefit from exclusive access to vetted business service partners, membership-branded marketing collateral, and the high-touch support of the Forbes Councils member concierge team.
"I am honored to be a part of such a groundbreaking community of talented entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders in the business world," said Dellinger. "This year marks the 20th Anniversary Year of CURLS and I look forward to offering my knowledge and experience in building a longstanding, successful brand to provide value to my peers and fellow leaders on Forbes' prestigious Business Council."
Forbes Councils is a collective of invitation-only communities created in partnership with Forbes and the expert community builders who founded Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). In Forbes Councils, exceptional business owners and leaders come together with the people and resources that can help them thrive.
To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com.
Founded in 2002 by Mahisha Dellinger, CURLS has developed into a leader in the haircare market, creating innovative natural hair care products and collections that cater to the diverse needs of curly and textured hair across all age groups. In addition to leading CURLS, Dellinger authored the memoir "Against All Odds: From the Projects to the Penthouse" and starred in "Mind Your Business with Mahisha" on the OWN network. Visit curls.com or follow us @CURLS on Instagram.
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SOURCE CURLS | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/mahisha-dellinger-founder-leading-natural-hair-care-brand-curls-accepted-into-forbes-business-council/ | 2022-08-25T13:20:17Z | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/mahisha-dellinger-founder-leading-natural-hair-care-brand-curls-accepted-into-forbes-business-council/ | false |
SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Heath Mitts, chief financial officer at TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL), a global leader in connectors and sensors, will present at Citi's 2022 Global Technology Conference on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 1:00 p.m. EDT at the Hilton Midtown in New York City.
The event will be streamed live via webcast and will be available for replay on the investor portion of TE's website at investors.te.com.
ABOUT TE CONNECTIVITY
TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL) is a global industrial technology leader creating a safer, sustainable, productive, and connected future. Our broad range of connectivity and sensor solutions, proven in the harshest environments, enable advancements in transportation, industrial applications, medical technology, energy, data communications, and the home. With more than 85,000 employees, including over 8,000 engineers, working alongside customers in approximately 140 countries, TE ensures that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS. Learn more at www.te.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, WeChat and Twitter.
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SOURCE TE Connectivity Ltd. | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/te-connectivity-present-citis-2022-global-technology-conference/ | 2022-08-25T13:20:57Z | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/te-connectivity-present-citis-2022-global-technology-conference/ | true |
Board welcomes diversified leader and marketing expert to accelerate Dave's growth in providing a superior nationwide banking solution
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dave Inc. (NASDAQ: DAVE, DAVEW), a banking app on a mission to build products that level the financial playing field, today announced the appointment of Tesa Aragones to its Board of Directors, effective August 23, 2022. Aragones will also serve as a member of the company's nominating and corporate governance committee.
Aragones brings to Dave more than two decades of brand marketing, digital branding and digital innovation expertise. Throughout her career, she has worked for some of the most iconic brands and industry leaders, including Nike, Volkswagen, Apple, XBOX, Bacardi, Universal Studios, and more. She has served as Chief Marketing Officer of Discord Inc. and VSCO, and prior to, held various director-level marketing roles at Nike, Inc., with her last role as Senior Brand Director Global, Women's Training. Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions at David & Goliath and Volkswagen Group of America.
"We are pleased to welcome Tesa to our board and look forward to leveraging her vast knowledge, expertise and relationships," stated Dave Co-Founder and CEO Jason Wilk. "She has worked with some of the most respected consumer brands in the world, developing and executing campaigns that have benefited the organizations she's worked with and the consumers they serve. She will be a great asset not only for Dave but also the millions of members in the Dave community."
Aragones also currently sits on the Board of Directors for Tillys, a leading specialty retailer of casual apparel, footwear and accessories. She is a member of the Advisory Council for the Cranebrook Academy of Art and is an Advisor, Adjunct Instructor and Speaker at College for Creative Studies. She is also a member of the Member of the Forbes Communications Council and has been awarded Ad Age's Top 40 Marketers Under 40, Forbes CMO, AdWeek CMO, and Business Insider CMO.
"There is a lot about Dave that drove my initial interest to join the board: the technology, the people and most importantly, the deep understanding of their community," said Aragones. "The company's sensitivity to diverse audiences further ignited my passion to help Dave expand both its reach and its offering. I look forward to offering my experience in marketing and digital innovation to help Dave in its mission to level the financial playing field and support its members."
Dave is a banking app on a mission to build products that level the financial playing field. Dave's financial tools, including its debit card and spending account, help millions of customers bank, budget, avoid overdraft fees, find work and build credit. For more information, visit www.dave.com.
This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are subject to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as "feel," "believes," expects," "estimates," "projects," "intends," "should," "is to be," or the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology and include, among other things, the quotations of our Chief Executive Officer and statements regarding Dave's future performance and other future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein due to many factors, including, but not limited to: the ability of Dave to compete in its highly competitive industry; the ability of Dave to keep pace with the rapid technological developments in its industry and the larger financial services industry; the ability of Dave to manage its growth as a public company; disruptions to Dave's operations as a result of becoming a public company; the ability of Dave to remediate material weaknesses in Dave's internal controls over financial reporting and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting; the ability of Dave to protect intellectual property and trade secrets; changes in applicable laws or regulations and extensive and evolving government regulations that impact operations and business; the ability to attract or maintain a qualified workforce; level of product service failures that could lead Dave members to use competitors' services; investigations, claims, disputes, enforcement actions, litigation and/or other regulatory or legal proceedings; the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Dave's business; the possibility that Dave may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; and those factors discussed in Dave's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on March 25, 2022 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q under the heading "Risk Factors," filed with the SEC and other reports and documents Dave files from time to time with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Dave undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.
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SOURCE Dave Inc. | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/dave-appoints-brand-marketing-digital-product-expert-tesa-aragones-board-directors/ | 2022-08-25T13:21:42Z | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/dave-appoints-brand-marketing-digital-product-expert-tesa-aragones-board-directors/ | true |
FLINT, Mich., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Forum Health Modesto, a Forum Health network practice, welcomes Saira Dar, MD, MBA, MEHP, ABAARM.
Dr. Dar specializes in treating adults, children, and the geriatric population using an integrative and functional medicine approach to improve health spans. Using nutrition, lifestyle, genomics, and anti-aging medicine she individualizes care for each patient.
"I am excited to join Forum Health Modesto," said Dr. Dar. "I have been practicing in this area for years and look forward to collaborating with Forum Health's national network of providers."
The Forum Health Modesto team serves Northern California with specialties in digestive and immune health, weight loss, detoxification, pain management, hormone imbalance, emotional wellness, mental health, cardiovascular health, and the endocrine, lymphatic and musculoskeletal systems.
"Forum Health Modesto is a key clinic for us in California," said Adam Puttkammer, president of Forum Health. "With the addition of Dr. Dar, we are able to serve more patients in this region that has such a high demand."
Dr. Dar completed her education and residency at Regions Hospital in Minnesota, a fellowship in Functional Medicine through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, and trained in reversing cognitive decline through the Institute of Functional Medicine sponsored program RECODE. Dr. Dar completed an MBA from University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and a Masters in Health Professions Education from John Hopkins University.
"We are excited to welcome Dr. Dar to our growing network," said Phil Hagerman, chief executive officer at Forum Health. "She has extensive knowledge in functional and integrative medicine, and continues as an educator putting her at the leading edge of our field."
Dr. Dar authored a medical textbook, "Clinical Mid Maps - Using the Epi-logical Approach" and teaches at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.
For more information on Forum Health, including how to join one of our practices, visit www.forumhealth.com.
Forum Health LLC is a nationwide provider of personalized healthcare. Steeped in the powerful principles of functional and integrative medicine, Forum Health providers take a root-cause approach to care. They listen and dig deep — exploring lifestyle, environment, and genetics to help each patient achieve their ultimate health goals. Members have access to advanced medical treatments and technology, with care plans informed by data analytics and collaborative relationships. To learn more, visit forumhealth.com.
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SOURCE Forum Health, LLC | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/forum-health-modesto-welcomes-doctor-saira-dar-its-practice/ | 2022-08-25T13:22:29Z | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/forum-health-modesto-welcomes-doctor-saira-dar-its-practice/ | false |
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A new lawsuit has exposed a deep rift between two of Paul Newman’s daughters and the late actor’s charitable foundation funded by profits from the Newman’s Own line of food and drink products.
The daughters, Susan Kendall Newman and Nell Newman, allege their own charity organizations are both supposed to receive $400,000 a year from the Newman’s Own Foundation under a mandate by their father, but the foundation has cut those payments in half in recent years.
They filed a lawsuit Tuesday in state court in Stamford, Connecticut, seeking $1.6 million in damages to be donated to their foundations for charitable giving.
The daughters say their father, who started Newman’s Own Foundation three years before he died in 2008, allowed the foundation to use his name and likeness — but only on several conditions including giving each of the two daughters’ foundations $400,000 a year.
Susan Kendall Newman, who lives in Oregon, and Nell Newman, of California, worry the foundation is setting the stage to completely remove them from having any say in how some of profits from Newman’s Own products are donated to charities. They also accused the foundation of “contradicting” their father’s wishes and intentions for years.
“No one should have to feel that the legacy of a departed loved one is being dishonored in the way that Newman’s Own Foundation has disregarded the daughters of Paul Newman,” Andy Lee, a New York City attorney for the daughters, said in a statement.
“This lawsuit does not seek personal compensation for Mr. Newman’s daughters, but simply seeks to hold (Newman’s Own Foundation) accountable to the charities they have shortchanged in recent years and would ensure they receive an increased level of support in the future, in line with Mr. Newman’s wishes,” he said.
Newman’s Own Foundation has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit in court but has released a statement.
“Best practices surrounding philanthropic organizations do not allow for the establishment of perpetual funding allotments for anyone, including Nell and Susan Newman,” the statement said. “A meritless lawsuit based on this faulty wish would only divert money away from those who benefit from Paul Newman’s generosity.”
The foundation added, “While we expect to continue to solicit Newman family recommendations for worthy organizations, our funding decisions are made each year and will continue to reflect the clear aim of Paul Newman and our responsibility to the best practices governing private foundations.”
Paul Newman, who lived in Westport with his wife, actor Joanne Woodward, created the Newman’s Own brand in 1982, with all profits going to charities. Today the product line includes frozen pizza, salsa, salad dressings and pasta sauces, as well as dog food and pet treats.
In his will, Paul Newman left his assets to his wife and Newman’s Own Foundation.
Newman’s Own, the products company, is a subsidiary of Newman’s Own Foundation, a nonprofit organization. The foundation says more than $570 million has been given to thousands of charities since 1982.
According to 2020 tax records, the foundation had more than $24 million in income and paid out $11.5 million in contributions, gifts and grants. Operating and administrative expenses totaled nearly $4.5 million.
According to his daughters’ lawsuit, Newman’s Own Foundation wrote to them only four days after their father’s death, saying it would reserve the right to stop allocating funds to charities identified by the daughters. The lawsuit says that contradicted Paul Newman’s explicit instructions to the foundation. | https://pix11.com/news/national-news/ap-national/ap-paul-newmans-daughters-sue-late-actors-charity-foundation/ | 2022-08-25T13:22:52Z | https://pix11.com/news/national-news/ap-national/ap-paul-newmans-daughters-sue-late-actors-charity-foundation/ | false |
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The conviction of two men for conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shows that jurors in a deeply divided nation can still reach agreement in politically charged cases, according to experts.
But it leaves unanswered questions about the potential for violence by extremists with a vendetta against government and law enforcement, they say.
“I hope it will be a deterrent in the future, but we need to see some softening of the rhetoric before we can accurately predict that,” said Michael Edison Hayden, spokesman for the nonprofit Southern Policy Law Center, which monitors hate groups.
A federal jury in Grand Rapids, Michigan, returned guilty verdicts Tuesday against Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. on two counts of conspiracy. Two others in the plot, Kaleb Franks and Ty Garbin, pleaded guilty earlier. Franks’ sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 6, Fox’s for Dec. 12 and Croft’s for Dec. 28. Garbin is serving a six-year term, but prosecutors Wednesday asked a judge to cut that to three due to his “remarkable” assistance to the government.
Prosecutors said they planned to grab Whitmer at her vacation home and blow up a bridge to stop police from responding.
A different jury in April deadlocked on Fox and Croft while acquitting two other men. That outcome prompted worries that the overheated political landscape was hampering jurors’ ability to put aside biases, particularly when the FBI — a frequent target of right-wing activists and commentators — was involved.
Some legal observers criticized the government’s handling of the case and questioned the wisdom of retrying it. Barbara McQuade, a former federal prosecutor, said refusing to do so would have been “the coward’s way out.”
“We’re seeing an escalation of threats of violence against public officials,” McQuade said. “The only way to stop that is by holding people accountable when they engage in acts like this, threatening to harm public officials.”
The case unfolded against a backdrop of nationwide polarization.
Whitmer, a rising Democratic star, had exchanged barbs with former President Donald Trump and was unpopular with conservatives, including over her policies early on during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump and other Republicans had accused the FBI of being a tool of Democrats. He described the Whitmer kidnapping plan as a “fake deal.” Jury selection in the retrial of Fox and Croft happened the day after federal agents searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate for classified documents. During the trial, a man apparently angered by the search tried to breach the FBI’s Cincinnati office and was killed.
Even so, the jury in Michigan’s Western District — a blend of urban, suburban and rural areas representing a broad political spectrum — delivered “a real statement that citizens of our country aren’t going to put up with violent actions against public officials,” said Mark Chutkow, a former Detroit federal prosecutor.
Less clear is what, if any, effect the case will have on anti-government extremism and white-hot partisanship. Following the verdict, Whitmer renewed her call to “lower the temperature.”
“This is about every American who is serving the public, who’s dealing with threats, whether it’s an election worker or it is a police officer or a teacher,” she told reporters Wednesday after a back-to-school event in suburban Detroit. “This continued political rhetoric that is aimed at inspiring people to hurt their fellow Americans is dangerous.”
The convictions of Croft and Fox could be another rallying cry for far-right extremists, although likely not as potent as 1990s sieges in Waco, Texas, and Ruby Ridge, Idaho, said Jon Lewis, a research fellow with George Washington University’s program on extremism.
“It’s possible that individuals in anti-government spaces could leverage this as an example of continued tyranny, abuse of the rights of Americans,” Lewis said.
A more concerning outcome could be an increase in lone-wolf attacks as extremist groups become more wary of the potential for infiltration by undercover operatives, he said.
“It’s much harder with the lone actor,” Lewis said. “He doesn’t tell anyone his plans, he has legal access to firearms.”
The George Washington program is tracking cases against 49 people charged with “offenses related to the boogaloo movement,” a loose confederation of believers in a second civil war, he said.
Far-right paramilitary groups were gleeful about the first trial’s outcome and probably are unhappy with the convictions, said Mark Pitcavage, senior research fellow with the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism. But history suggests guilty verdicts are less likely to incite violent reactions than arrests perceived as unjust, he said.
It’s equally doubtful that the case will bring about a calmer tone in politics, Pitcavage said.
“We’re in such a heavily polarized society right now and few people seem to want to step back from the brink,” he said.
The most significant ripple effect, he said, might be what was avoided: another defeat and further damage to the FBI’s credibility.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor in California who has followed the Michigan case and criticized the government’s performance in the first trial, said the convictions vindicated the bureau’s investigation.
“Obviously there are folks who are always going to distrust the FBI,” he said. “But this is a big win.”
The convictions may boost public understanding of the FBI’s tactics in combating domestic terrorism, particularly use of undercover operatives, said Dennis Lormel, president of the Society of Former FBI Agents.
“I understand the concerns about overreaching, especially with the rhetoric about the FBI being politicized,” Lormel said. “But the opportunity to insert FBI employees or cooperating witnesses is critically important. If we lose that, we will be in a lot of trouble, we’ll see more terrorist attacks.”
___
Associated Press reporters Mike Householder in Novi, Michigan, and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this story. | https://pix11.com/news/national-news/ap-national/ap-whitmer-kidnap-plot-convictions-unlikely-to-curb-extremism/ | 2022-08-25T13:23:12Z | https://pix11.com/news/national-news/ap-national/ap-whitmer-kidnap-plot-convictions-unlikely-to-curb-extremism/ | true |
GREENWICH, Conn. and HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Starwood Energy Group Global LLC ("Starwood Energy"), a leading private investment firm focused on energy infrastructure, and TS Conductor Corp. ("TS Conductor"), a pioneer in high-performance transmission and distribution wires for electricity grids, today announced the creation of a $100 million joint venture, Gridline Finance InvestCo, LLC. The joint venture unlocks an innovative method for financing much-needed grid modernization, including reconductoring existing lines and building new lines, to accelerate the energy transition and integrate more renewable generation.
For reconductoring existing lines, Gridline Finance brings to transmission and distribution infrastructure a similar energy performance contracting (EPC) approach that energy service companies (ESCOs) originally popularized for energy efficiency upgrades. TS Conductor's breakthrough technology uses a lightweight, high-strength encapsulated core under pre-tension with safety, reliability, and longevity built-in, and the most-conductive form of aluminum to deliver superior performance:
- It is able to cut line losses in half for the same amount of power vs. the previous line, which can save the U.S. economy billions of dollars by preserving electricity that currently never reaches its destination.
- During peak generation and demand periods, it is able to handle triple the capacity with the same overhead line towers, delivering more green electrons from renewable generation to the load centers, reducing large-scale wind and solar curtailment, increasing system reliability, and alleviating grid congestion bottlenecks that are causing customer utility bills to rise.
These benefits are now available to regional transmission operators (RTOs), independent system operators (ISOs), investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, electric cooperatives, and other grid operators—at no upfront cost, thanks to Gridline Finance's ESCO-like approach to transmission upgrades that funds deployment through realized savings.
For new line construction, Gridline Finance delivers both CAPEX and OPEX savings. Stronger, higher-capacity, lower-sag wires mean the need for fewer, shorter power grid structures such as poles and towers, longer spans, and fewer total wires, reducing overall system CAPEX and OPEX for the benefit of utility ratepayers.
Across both re-conducting and new construction use cases, TS Conductor technology's straightforward installation procedures are compatible with traditional field practice. Linemen can use the same tools and techniques already used for ACSR/ACSS transmission lines to install TS Conductor wires rapidly, safely, and easily. TS Conductor's encapsulated core offers unparalleled protection against corrosion and other environmental issues to ensure long-term durability.
"Transmission infrastructure is the next frontier of the energy transition, and the backbone of a modern power grid. As utility-scale renewables and grid-edge distributed energy resources continue growing, transmission infrastructure is the critical 'connective tissue' of the electricity system," explained Jason Huang, PhD, CEO of TS Conductor. "We're doing for the power grid what fiber optic did for Internet service—delivering massive performance upgrades, including 'bandwidth' expansion. We're proud to join with Starwood Energy to bring these benefits to transmission networks throughout North America and around the world."
"TS Conductor's technology will be a major catalyst for increasing the penetration of renewables in North America. We are delighted to partner with this innovative team to drive the adoption of an outstanding technology," said Himanshu Saxena, CEO at Starwood Energy. "Furthermore, we look forward to providing access to an attractive financing model that will enable its customers to upgrade transmission networks without any upfront investment."
In the United States alone, the Department of Energy (US DOE) notes that more than 70% of the country's transmission lines are in excess of 25 years old. Meanwhile, U.S. DOE forecasts a need for 60% greater transmission capacity by 2030 and up to 200% more by 2050 to meet the nation's "increase in renewable generation and expanding electrification needs." The Starwood Energy / TS Conductor joint venture will pave the way for scaling leapfrog solutions designed for the needs of 21st century power grids.
To learn more about TS Conductor's technology and applications, visit www.tsconductor.com/applications or send a message through www.tsconductor.com/contact.
About TS Conductor
TS Conductor products allow transmission & distribution grid operators to be active participants to the energy transition – by reducing line losses and accelerating the integration of wind, solar and battery storage - while leveraging existing infrastructure assets. Our products can be used to substitute ACSR conductors using the same tools and installation procedures. TS Conductor is a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), and a public benefit company focused on sustainable development and GHG reduction. TS is backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, National Grid and NextEra. For more information visit www.tsconductor.com.
About Starwood Energy Group
Starwood Energy Group is a private equity investment firm based in Greenwich, Conn., that specializes in energy infrastructure investments. Through its existing general opportunity funds and affiliated investment vehicles, Starwood Energy has raised in excess of $3 billion of equity capital and has executed transactions totaling more than $8 billion in enterprise value. For more information, please visit starwoodenergygroup.com.
Media Contacts
Nikki Arnone, Inflection Point Agency for TS Conductor
nikki@inflectionpointagency.com
Tom Johnson or Dan Scorpio for Starwood Energy Group
tbj@abmac.com
dps@abmac.com
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SOURCE Starwood Energy Group Global, LLC | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/starwood-energy-ts-conductor-announce-100-million-joint-venture-bring-energy-performance-contracting-approaches-power-grid-infrastructure/ | 2022-08-25T13:23:24Z | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/starwood-energy-ts-conductor-announce-100-million-joint-venture-bring-energy-performance-contracting-approaches-power-grid-infrastructure/ | true |
SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Heath Mitts, chief financial officer at TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL), a global leader in connectors and sensors, will present at Citi's 2022 Global Technology Conference on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 1:00 p.m. EDT at the Hilton Midtown in New York City.
The event will be streamed live via webcast and will be available for replay on the investor portion of TE's website at investors.te.com.
ABOUT TE CONNECTIVITY
TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL) is a global industrial technology leader creating a safer, sustainable, productive, and connected future. Our broad range of connectivity and sensor solutions, proven in the harshest environments, enable advancements in transportation, industrial applications, medical technology, energy, data communications, and the home. With more than 85,000 employees, including over 8,000 engineers, working alongside customers in approximately 140 countries, TE ensures that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS. Learn more at www.te.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, WeChat and Twitter.
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In July 2021, Xavier Summers, a sousaphone player in the ensemble formerly known as the Washington Redskins Marching Band, bought a house in Prince George’s County, in no small part because it was located eight minutes from FedEx Field. The NFL’s oldest band had been sidelined during the coronavirus pandemic, but indications were that it would return. After driving 218 miles round trip from his previous home in Delaware to Landover for weekly rehearsals and home games for nine years, Summers looked forward to the easier commute.
“The one thing you don’t want to give up is that thing you’re passionate about,” Summers, a consultant whose father, Eric, was the band director until this year, and whose brother was also in the band, said of his long-distance commitment to the group. “Then they didn’t bring it back.”
To be clear, there will be a marching band at Washington Commanders home games this season, but even beyond the new uniforms and revised fight song, which the 60-person ensemble of part-time paid employees debuted at the team’s first preseason game this month, the group will bear little resemblance to the all-volunteer band that was twice as large and provided the soundtrack for Washington’s NFL team for more than 80 years.
Twenty members of the former band, all of whom were required to re-audition, were selected for the new band. Summers and many of his former bandmates declined the opportunity for myriad reasons, including what they considered the team’s disregard for the former band’s leadership. While the Commanders celebrate the return of one of the franchise’s most recognizable traditions and new members prepare to build on that legacy, some musicians from the former band feel discarded and lament what’s been lost.
“This isn’t the band coming back,” Lynn Haase, who joined the former band as a tenor saxophone player in 2016, said recently. “This is a band coming back.”
‘The band is a family’
After relocating his team from Boston to D.C. in 1937, Redskins founder and showman George Preston Marshall invited local musical groups, including the Chestnut Farms Chevy Chase Dairy Band, to perform at games at Griffith Stadium. By the following season, Marshall’s team had its own band and a fight song, which was composed by Barnee Breeskin and featured lyrics by Marshall’s wife, silent film star Corinne Griffith.
The band was a family affair — in the figurative and literal sense — from the start. It remained that way for generations.
Wendy Harrell, who played the mellophone in the former band, met her husband, a trombone player, shortly after successfully auditioning for the group in 2001. They were married in 2007 and have two musically inclined sons they figured would join them in the stands with instruments one day.
“Up until covid hit, we thought we would be in the band for a long time,” said Harrell, a lifelong fan of the team.
Few members of the former band are more revered than 93-year-old Don Bartlett, who joined in 1969 and whose oldest son marched next to him during his final two years of high school. Even after a heart attack seven years ago left Bartlett unable to carry his brass tuba, he continued to serve as line chief, attending every rehearsal and game.
“The band is a family,” said Chris Howell, a saxophone player who joined in 2009 after seeing the group perform in the Greater Manassas Christmas Parade. “It was an opportunity to belong to something more than yourself. From sitting in the locker rooms before the game and standing around at rehearsal, you really get to know an awful lot of people really well.”
The band, which totaled roughly 120 members before the pandemic, was a mix of enthusiastic amateurs who worked IT and government jobs by day and people who made a living playing and teaching music in the D.C. area. The volunteer ensemble was a regular presence, spanning three stadiums and the team’s ups and downs. With the introduction of an in-stadium DJ and an increased reliance on recorded music during games in recent years, the band’s playing time diminished, but its loyal members cherished the camaraderie and the chance to represent the burgundy and gold.
“Even when the team wasn’t doing well,” said David LaMay, who played clarinet and saxophone, “the band was.”
“Between us, it was the biggest party this side of New Orleans,” said 60-year-old Jonathan Cooper, a saxophone player who joined the band shortly before the team left RFK Stadium after the 1996 season. “We loved playing with each other, and whatever the team asked us to do, we’d do.”
Changes announced
In March 2020, the band went on hiatus along with the rest of the sports world. The NFL’s covid protocols limited the number of personnel allowed on the field the following season, but Joey Colby-Begovich, who was hired as the team’s vice president of guest experience that March, worked with drum line leader Myles Overton and longtime band liaison Tony Cardenas to organize an 18-member drum line to perform at home games. Team president Jason Wright said the marching band would return as part of the team’s rebrand in 2022.
Team leadership decided members of the new band would be paid, as the franchise’s cheerleading squad, which was replaced by a coed dance team in 2021, had been for years. After consulting with military and college bands about how it could create a robust sound with a smaller, professional ensemble, the Commanders settled on a 60-person band.
The team communicated these changes to Cardenas, who shared them with members of the former band. Haase created a private Facebook group for band alumni to keep in touch and organize a reunion. She also contacted Colby-Begovich and, at his request, admitted him to the Facebook group to field questions from her fellow band members about what the changes would mean for them.
Colby-Begovich shared information about compensation ($20 an hour for rehearsals and $25 an hour for performance days) and employee benefits, including access to a human resources representative, and said the band would receive similar attention as the dance team going forward. He mentioned the team would hire a music director and explained that anyone interested in being part of the new band would be required to audition virtually. Those selected would be required to re-audition every year. (The former band held auditions for a select number of spots that opened up after each season, but existing members were not required to re-audition.)
“I have no ill will toward them,” Bartlett said of the changes, “but I was sad and disappointed that all of a sudden our traditional band was just cut off.”
Several band members expressed frustration that Overton — who had more than 35 years of experience as a drummer in the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and the U.S. Army Band — and his similarly qualified fellow band leaders, including Eric Summers, Cardenas and longtime drum major John Carpenter, were not given any special consideration for their decades of dedication and institutional knowledge, though all were invited to apply for the music director position.
“We were stunned,” Haase said of the lack of continuity in leadership.
“Once we found out our leaders were not being asked to return and they were hiring people who were never in the band and didn’t understand our history, we were upset,” Harrell said.
Eric Summers joined the band as a sousaphone player in 1982 and became the ensemble’s second Black director after George White died in 1998. He said he didn’t learn that he wasn’t part of the team’s plans for the new band until the music director position was posted in March. The listing indicated the music director was responsible for selecting the band director, the role Summers had held for more than two decades.
“It would appear that if I would have been there 23 years as a leader, if I would have to reapply for something that I had been doing very effectively for all those years, I would have gotten notice,” said Summers, who grew up a few blocks from RFK and used to watch Washington’s band practice behind D.C. General Hospital. “That’s why it feels like such a slap in the face.”
Xavier Summers wrote a letter to Colby-Begovich advocating on behalf of his father. He said Colby-Begovich later apologized for the miscommunication, but by that point the team had already hired Jeffrey Sean Dokken, the maestro and conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia, as music director.
Eric Summers, who retired in June after a more than 40-year career as a band director and assistant principal in D.C. and Prince George’s County public schools, opted not to apply for the Commanders’ band director position because it was more akin to the drum major’s role in the former band.
“It is important for all band members to know — past and present — that they are a part of our team’s history and legacy, and we honor and respect that legacy,” Colby-Begovich said through a team spokesman.
‘Hail and Farewell’
More than 100 musicians auditioned for the Commanders’ band, including husband-and-wife mellophone players Corey and Elle Emerson. The couple had been members of the former band since moving to the D.C. area in 2018, and both made the cut for the new ensemble. After the uncertainty of the pandemic, Corey Emerson said he was excited to learn that the band was returning, albeit with a different look.
“We’re still getting to know each other, whereas when we joined the band before, there were people who had been in there for decades,” Emerson said. “That part, I think, will come in time. Everyone is very positive, and we’ve come together as a group pretty quickly. I’m excited about where we go from here.”
“I hope they have as great an experience as we did,” said Harrell, who hasn’t ruled out auditioning in the future. “I also know it takes time to form those bonds and become the type of group that we had been for so long.”
Saxophone player Kevin Epps, who graduated from Bridgewater College in May, is one of the new faces in the band, which is one of two in the NFL along with Baltimore’s Marching Ravens. He described the experience thus far as “phenomenal.”
“The section leader for the saxophone section is a member of the old band, and he’s been really accepting of us and more than willing to help us out,” Epps said.
Xavier Summers said his father wouldn’t have discouraged him from auditioning for the new band, but he ultimately decided against it. He also declined an invitation to the “Hail and Farewell” banquet the team hosted at FedEx Field on June 25, an event that was organized after a former band member contacted Commanders co-CEO Tanya Snyder. Following a catered reception on the club level, more than 50 former band members gathered on the concourse to perform a variety of familiar tunes, including the team’s original fight song.
“Every song we played, we looked at each other and realized that this was the end,” Haase said. “We’re not going to be together anymore.”
In the weeks since the event, former band members have kicked around the idea of establishing an alumni band that could perform at events in the area. Several former band members have planned a postgame jam session in a parking lot near FedEx Field after the Commanders’ season opener Sept. 11.
“I’m pretty sure we’ll have the majority of the band there, because that’s the kind of family and the culture that was cultivated,” Xavier Summers said.
Bartlett, who didn’t audition for the new band, has satisfied his musical fix over the past three years by playing in the Kena Shriner’s Band in Manassas, using an old fiberglass sousaphone that’s significantly lighter than the brass instrument he carried around on Sundays in his younger days.
“I don’t think they’d be interested in having an old line chief who can’t march,” Bartlett said of a possible return as a member of the Commanders’ band. “But I’d be first in line if we could ever get the old band back together.” | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/08/25/washington-commanders-marching-band/ | 2022-08-25T13:23:36Z | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/08/25/washington-commanders-marching-band/ | true |
Neuroscientist reveals the five things EVERYONE needs to do in order to keep their brains sharp and healthy - from daily meditation to avoiding 'indecision' at all costs
- Cody Isabel, 26, from Kansas City, Missouri, took to TikTok to share the five things he would never do as a neuroscientist to keep his brain sharp
- He told his followers they should prioritize their sleep, mediate, avoid binge drinking alcohol, remain active and become decisive in their decisions
- Cody encouraged his followers to prioritize these five steps if they want to 'heal' their brain in his viral video, which raked up over 1.3 million views
- The neuroscientist regularly posts videos to his TikTok channel sharing neurology tips like how to reduce stress to his over 122,000 followers
- Many users thanked Cody for enlightening them and sharing his tips, while others, mainly new parents joked their 'newborn' wouldn't agree with him
A neuroscientist has revealed the five things everyone should do to protect their brain, including meditating and working out.
Cody Isabel, 26, from Kansas City, Missouri, regularly posts videos to his TikTok channel sharing neurology tips with his over 122,000 followers.
In one video, which racked up over 1.3 million views, Cody shared the five things he would never do as a neuroscientist.
He encouraged his followers to 'prioritize' these five areas of their life 'instead of ignoring them' and promised they would see a change in their mental health, physical health and overall lifestyle in as little as 30 days.
Cody Isabel, 26, from Kansas City, Missouri, took to TikTok to share the five things he would never do as a neuroscientist to keep his brain sharp
Never 'mess up your sleep'
First up on his list of things he'd never do was 'mess up' his sleep schedule
First up on his list of things he'd never do was 'mess up' his sleep schedule.
He added: 'Less sleep equals less life.'
He then explained that sleep decreases inflammation in the brain that's caused from 'daily living trauma.'
According to Brain&Life, more than 60 per cent of Americans report their sleep needs aren't being met during a typical week.
Research suggest that continuous sleep deficits can take a considerable toll on the brain.
Studies have proven that sleep deprivation can hinder learning, impair cognitive performance and slow reaction time.
Many neurologists have compared lack of sleep to intoxication but without the buzz.
In addition to slowing mental abilities such as learning, speaking and reading, a lack of sleep can also cause memory problems.
Furthermore, scientists have also recently linked sleep deprivation to Alzheimer's disease.
In a recent study of 70 healthy adults, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that shorter reported durations of sleep and overall sleep quality are linked to a greater bet-amyloid burden, which is the protein associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Meditate regularly
Cody revealed he always meditates because it helps reduce anxiety and depression
Cody encouraged his followers to meditate as he revealed he would never skip a meditation session.
'[Meditation] is an easy way to calm your mind, decrease anxiety, decrease depression and lower inflammation in your brain.'
He added that he meditates 10 minutes a day and that it improves your overall quality of life.
A study from UCLA backed up Cody's words as it revealed that long-term meditators had better-preserved brains than non-meditators as they aged.
Participants who'd been meditating for about 20 years had more grey matter volume, which contains most of the brain's neuronal cell bodies, while those who didn't meditate throughout their life had a grey matter volume that wasn't as pronounced.
Another study from Yale found that meditation decreased activity in the default mode network or the DMN, which is the area of the brain responsible for mind-wandering and self-referential thoughts.
The DMN is active when our minds aren't thinking about anything in particular and just jumping from thought to thought.
Since mind-wandering thoughts are often associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression, the study showed that by decreasing these thoughts with meditation you can decrease levels of both anxiety and depression.
Furthermore, John Hopkins proved that meditation had the ability to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and pain.
The study noted that frequent meditation can help manage symptoms.
Cut back on alcohol
The neuroscientist admitted he'd never binge drink because it 'inflames your brain'
The third thing the neuroscientist admitted was that he would never binge drink alcohol.
He added: 'Alcohol inflames your brain directly and depresses you.'
According to American Addiction Centers, both short term and long term heavy drinking can have negative affects on your brain.
Heavy, long term alcohol can result in learning and memory issues and even lead to the the development, or worsen, mental health conditions.
Alcohol also disrupts the brain's balance and forces a person to adapt in an effort to compensate for the effects of the alcohol.
Alcohol also has immediate effects on your brain due to its influence on the brain's communication and information processing pathways.
This means that drinking too heavily even in a short period of time can cause confusion, impaired motor coordination and declined decision-making ability.
Furthermore continuing to heavily drink both short term and long term can lead to alcohol poisoning and can further decreases your brain's cognitive performance.
Make sure you are active every day
'I would never get so busy that I can't workout or not get a workout in,' Cody said
'I would never get so busy that I can't workout or not get a workout in,' the neuroscientist said.
Cody added that working out or remaining active releases BDNF, which decreases brain fog, and increases your ability to learn.
According to the Dana Foundation, during exercise your heart rate increases and so does the blood flow to your brain.
Exercising is also said to reduce your mood and overall stress by releasing chemicals such as dopamine and endorphins that make you feel happy.
It's also been proven that people who exercise are said to be happier and less stressed and anxious than those who don't.
Exercise will also help with decision making and help you control your emotions when you're upset or angry.
In addition to boosting your mood, getting that gym membership will also improve your memory and help you sleep better.
One study found that cognitive decline is almost twice as prevalent in adults who are inactive compared those who are active.
According to the CDC, most adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week.
This can be broken up into 30 minute exercise sessions five days a week at moderate intensity levels to help improve your brain.
Be decisive to keep your brain healthy
He added that he is always decisive when making decisions to avoid brain fog
Cody admitted the last thing he would never do was 'let indecision hold [him] back'
'Our brains are made to decide things, act [on] things and we learn through failure,' he said at the end of his video.
He added that he learns through 'act, access adjust.'
According to Headspace, worry is the root of an inability to make decisions.
When someone is worried about the choices they need to make or potential outcomes of those choices, they often respond with avoidance.
Although it may seem easier to allow your mind to get distracted and avoid decision making, it eventually catches up to you and will cause you to enter a state of worry and loose focus.
Decisively making decisions can help you focus better in the long term and every time you make a decision you teach your brain to get better on focusing on one thing at a time.
This also results in less brain fog, reduces stress and decreases levels of anxiety.
The neuroscientist's video gained millions of views and thousands of users took to his comment section to share their thoughts on his five tips.
In his video Cody promised his followers that if they prioritized these five things they could 'heal' their brain.
Many users thanked Cody for enlightening them and sharing his tips, while others, mainly new parents joked their 'newborn' wouldn't agree with him
Many users thanked Cody for enlightening them and sharing his tips, while others, mainly new parents joked their 'newborn' wouldn't agree with him.
'This is the content I'm here for,' said one user.
Another user added: 'Starting meditation during COVID literally changed my life.'
'Act. Assess. Adjust. This is so helpful. I'm a paralysis of analysis person. Fail forward. I love it,' commented one user.
Another user wrote: 'Lets go over this list again when you have kids.'
'Sending this to my newborn,' added another user.
- The Benefits of Sleep for Brain Health
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Frontiers | Forever Young(er): potential age-defying effects of long-term meditation on gray matter atrophy
- www.pnas.org/doi...
- Effects of Alcohol on the Brain (Long & Short Term Effects)
- www.sciencedirec...
- Physical Activity Basics | Physical Activity | DNPAO | CDC
- Your brain on indecision: how being wishy-washy is wasting your mental energy - Headspace
- www.tiktok.com/@... | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11142761/Neuroscientist-reveals-five-things-needs-order-protect-brain.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | 2022-08-25T13:27:18Z | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11142761/Neuroscientist-reveals-five-things-needs-order-protect-brain.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | false |
Fall books a broad mix of literary and commercial favorites
NEW YORK (AP) - Anticipation for one of the fall's likeliest bestsellers has been growing all year.
For months, Colleen Hoover's millions of fans on TikTok, Instagram and elsewhere have been talking up and posting early excerpts from her novel "It Starts With Us." By summer, the author's sequel to her bestselling "It Ends With Us" had already reached the top 10 Amazon.com. It might have climbed higher but for competition from other Hoover novels, including "Ugly Love," "Verity" and, of course, "It Ends With Us," the dramatic tale of a love triangle and a woman's endurance of domestic abuse that young TikTok users have embraced and helped make Hoover the country's most popular fiction writer.
Hoover's extraordinary run on bestseller lists, from Amazon.com to The New York Times, has been Beatle-esque for much of 2022, with four or more books likely to appear in the top 10 at a given moment. "It Starts With Us" had been so eagerly desired by her admirers - CoHorts, some call themselves - that she broke a personal rule: Don't let "outside influences" determine her next book.
"I never allowed myself to entertain a sequel, but with the amount of people emailing me every day and tagging me in an online petition to write about (those characters), their story began to build in my head in the same way my other books begin," she told The Associated Press in a recent email. "Eventually I craved telling this story as much as I did my other stories, so I owe the readers a big thank you for the nudging."
Hoover's new book should help extend what has been another solid year for the industry. Booksellers are looking forward to a mix of commercial favorites such as Hoover, Anthony Horowitz, Beverly Jenkins and Veronica Roth alongside what Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt calls a "really strong" lineup of literary releases, including novels by Ian McEwan and Kate Atkinson.
The fall also will feature new fiction from Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk and Pulitzer Prize-winners Elizabeth Strout and Andrew Sean Greer. Celeste Ng's "Our Missing Hearts" is her first novel since "Little Fires Everywhere." Story collections are expected from George Saunders, Andrea Barrett and Ling Ma, along with novels by Percival Everett, Barbara Kingsolver, Kevin Wilson, N.K. Jemisin, Lydia Millet and Yiyun Li.
This combination of cover images show various novels releasing this fall, top row from left, "Bliss Montage" by Ling Ma, "The Book of Goose" by Yiyun Li, "Dinosaurs" by Lydia Millet, "It Starts with Us" by Colleen Hoover and "The Last Chairlift" by John Irving, second row from left, "Less is Lost" by Andrew Sean Greer, "Liberation Day" by George Saunders, "Lucy by the Sea" by Elizabeth Strout, "The Magic Kingdom by Russell Banks, "Natural History" by Andrea Barrett, bottom row from left, "Now is Not the Time to Panic" by Kevin Wilson, "Our Missing Hearts" by Celeste Ng, "The Passenger" by Cormac McCarthy, "Shrines of Gaiety" by Kate Atkinson and "Stella Maris" by Cormac McCarthy. (FSG/FGS/Norton/Atria/Simon & Schuster/Little Brown & Co./Random House/Random House/Knopf/Norton/Ecco/Penguin/Knopf/Doubleday/Knopf via AP)
Cormac McCarthy, 89, has new fiction coming for the first time in more than a decade with "The Passenger," and its companion "Stella Maris." John Irving, who turned 80 this year, is calling the 900-page "The Last Chairlift" his last "long novel," a description which could apply to much of his career.
Russell Banks, 82, has completed the elegiac novel "The Magic Kingdom," and former U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky, 81, has written the autobiography "Jersey Breaks," in which he addresses what he calls the "tribalism" and "nationalism" of the current moment by reflecting on his childhood in Long Branch, New Jersey.
"I realized that I am not a great sociologist or political sage, but I thought I could deal with this by going back to growing up in a town that was segregated, biracial and lower middle class," Pinsky says. "I felt that whatever answers I might have would be found there."
Joe Concha's "Come On, Man!: The Truth About Joe Biden´s Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Presidency" is the most colorfully named of the latest round of books attacking an incumbent president - a long and profitable publishing tradition. But the most high-profile works of political reporting dwell on Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, among them "Confidence Man," by The New York Times' Maggie Haberman, and "The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021," by Peter Baker of the Times and Susan Glasser of The New Yorker.
Michelle Obama's "The Light We Carry" is her first entirely new book since her worldwide bestseller from 2018, "Becoming." Benjamin Netanyahu's "Bibi" is the first memoir by the former Israeli Prime Minister, while American politicians with new books include Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke.
The fall will feature numerous posthumous releases, from the letters of John le Carré and the diaries of Alan Rickman to fiction by Leonard Cohen and memoirs by Michael K. Williams and Paul Newman, whose "The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man" restores a project the actor abandoned years before his death in 2008.
"Victory Is Assured" compiles essays by the late critic and novelist Stanley Crouch, and "Ain´t But a Few of Us: Black Music Writers Tell Their Story" includes the influential Greg Tate, who died last year. Assorted works by Randall Kenan, the award-winning fiction writer who died in 2020, are collected in "Black Folk Could Fly." His friend Tayari Jones, author of the acclaimed novel "An American Marriage," wrote the introduction.
"Reading over the manuscript pages, I sometimes spoke to him, asking why he never told me this or that thing," Jones told the AP. "Sometimes I laughed out loud and said, `Randall you are so crazy!´ - as though we were having a drink - boulevardiers! - and he had just related a hilarious anecdote. Other times, his brilliance underscored the breadth and depth of our loss, and I sat at my kitchen table and wept."
Celebrity books include Bono's "Surrender," Matthew Perry's "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" and Geena Davis' "Dying of Politeness." Bob Dylan reflects upon an art form he helped reinvent in "The Philosophy of Modern Song," while the title of Jan Wenner's memoir invokes the Dylan classic that helped inspire the name of the magazine he founded, "Like a Rolling Stone."
Memoirs also are scheduled from Steve Martin, Linda Ronstadt, Constance Wu and Brian Johnson. Patti Smith's "A Book of Days" builds upon the words and images of her widely followed Instagram account, on which she might post anything from a statue of Leonardo da Vinci to her cat staring at the cover of Dostoevsky's "The Idiot."
"I love doing my Instagram; it's the only social media I really engage in," Smith says. "The book was actually quite laborious. It takes time to write a short caption. You have to find a way to impart a lot in a few sentences."
In poetry, one notable release is a work of narrative prose: Nobel laureate Louise Glück's "Marigold and Rose" is a brief exploration into the minds of infant twins, inspired by the author's grandchildren. It's the first published fiction by the 79-year-old Glück, whose previous releases include more than 10 poetry collections and two books of essays.
New poetry includes works by Pulitzer-winners Jorie Graham and Sharon Olds, Saeed Jones, Jenny Xie, former U.S. poet laureates Billy Collins and Joy Harjo, Linda Pastan and Wang Yin, the Chinese poet whose "A Summer Day in the Company of Ghosts" is his first work to come out in English.
History books will cover the famous and the overlooked. Among the former are Pulitzer-winner Jon Meacham's "And There Was Light," the latest entry into the canon of Abraham Lincoln scholarship, and Pulitzer-winner Stacy Schiff's biography of Samuel Adams, "The Revolutionary." Fred Kaplan, who focused on Lincoln's prose in "Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer," now assesses Thomas Jefferson in "His Masterly Pen: A Biography of Jefferson the Writer."
Releases highlighting those less remembered include Kevin Hazzard's "American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America´s First Paramedics," and Katie Hickman's "Brave Hearted: The Women of the American West." With the overturning last summer of Roe v. Wade, Laura Kaplan's "The Story of Jane" is a timely reissue of her 1995 book about the underground abortion counseling service founded in Chicago in 1969, four years before the Supreme Court's historic Roe ruling.
Bruce Henderson's "Bridge to the Sun" centers on the recruitment of Japanese-Americans, some of whom had been in internment camps, to assist in U.S. intelligence gathering during World War II.
"It was really hard to research because many of them had been working on top secret projects, and, even after they had been discharged, were reminded that they were under the National Security Act and that military secrets had to be kept," Henderson says. "We had to do a lot of digging and contact families and see what the veterans had left behind. Of the six guys that I follow in my book, only one was still alive."
This combination of cover images shows upcoming celebrity books, top row from left, "Dying of Politeness," by Geena Davis, "Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands" by Linda Ronstadt and Lawrence Downes, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" by Matthew Perry, "The Light We Carry" by Michelle Obama, "Making a Scene" by Constance Wu, "Madly, Deepply" by Alan Rickman, "Scenes from My Life" by Michael K. Williams with Jon Sternfeld and "Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story" by Bono. (HarperOne/Heyday Books/Flatiron/Crown-PRH/Scribner/Henry Holt/Crown/Knopf via AP)
This cover image released by Random House shows "And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle" by Jon Meacham. (Random House via AP)
This cover image released by Knopf shows "The Magic Kingdom" by Russell Banks. (Knopf via AP)
This cover image released by Crown/Penguin Random House shows "The Light We Carry" by Michelle Obama. (Crown/PRH via AP)
This cover image released by Penguin shows "Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America" by Maggie Haberman. (Penguin via AP)
This cover image released by Ecco shows "Now is Not the Time to Panic" by Kevin Wilson. (Ecco via AP)
This cover image released by Knopf shows "Stella Maris" by Cormac McCarthy. (Knopf via AP)
This cover image released by Crown shows "Scenes from My Life" by Michael K. Williams with Jon Sternfeld. (Crown via AP)
This cover image released by Scribner shows "Making a Scene" by Constance Wu. (Scribner via AP)
This cover image released by Atria shows "It Starts with Us" by Colleen Hoover. (Atria via AP)
This cover image released by Random House shows "Liberation Day" by George Saunders. (Random House via AP)
This cover image released by Doubleday shows "Shrines of Gaiety" by Kate Atkinson. (Doubleday via AP)
This cover image released by Random House shows "Lucy by the Sea" by Elizabeth Strout. (Random House via AP)
This cover image released by Simon & Schuster shows "The Philosophy of Modern Song" by Bob Dylan. (Simon & Schuster via AP)
This cover image released by Penguin shows "Our Missing Hearts" by Celeste Ng. (Penguin via AP)
This cover image released by Celadon Books shows "Number One is Walking: My Life in the Movies and Other Diversions" by Steve Martin. (Celadon via AP)
This cover image released by Heyday Books shows "Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands" by Linda Ronstadt and Lawrence Downes. (Heyday Books via AP)
This image released by FSG shows "Bliss Montage" by Ling Ma. (FSG via AP)
This cover image released by W.W. Norton shows "Natural History" by Andrea Barrett. (W.W. Norton via AP)
This cover image released by W.W. Norton shows "Dinosaurs" by Lydia Millet. (W.W. Norton via AP)
This cover image released by Knopf shows "Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story" by Bono. (Knopf via AP)
This image released by Knopf shows "The Passenger" by Cormac McCarthy. (Knopf via AP)
This cover image released by Flatiron shows "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" by Matthew Perry. (Flatiron via AP)
This cover image released by Knopf shows "The Forerunner: A Story of Pain and Perseverance in America" by Cori Bush. (Knopf via AP)
This cover image released by Little, Brown & Co. shows "Less is Lost" by Andrew Sean Greer. (Little, Brown & Co. via AP) | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-11145549/Fall-books-broad-mix-literary-commercial-favorites.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | 2022-08-25T13:29:24Z | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-11145549/Fall-books-broad-mix-literary-commercial-favorites.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | false |
John Pat Cunningham family wants Dennis Hutchings memorial removed
- Published
The family of a man who was shot dead while running away from an Army patrol has challenged the UK government over a memorial to an ex-soldier accused of his killing.
The memorial to Dennis Hutchings was put up at Palace Barracks in Holywood, County Down.
Mr Hutchings died in October 2021 while on trial over John Pat Cunningham's fatal shooting.
Mr Cunningham was 27 when he was shot near Benburb, County Tyrone, in 1974.
Mr Hutchings, who was 80 when he died, had denied attempting to murder and cause grievous bodily harm to Mr Cunningham.
In a statement issued through the Pat Finucane Centre, Mr Cunningham's family said they were "unable to find peace because of this provocation".
"We have no wish to revisit this traumatic event but have been left with no alternative because of the callousness of others."
They said the Hutchings family should place the memorial in Mr Hutchings home county of Cornwall, where they could then grieve.
Before his death, the Life Guards veteran's trial had been adjourned for three weeks due to illness and a positive test for Covid-19.
His friends in Northern Ireland organised a memorial service for him and his family on Saturday, when the memorial stone was unveiled in the Memorial Garden at the barracks.
The family of Mr Cunningham, who had a learning difficulty, have called on the Northern Ireland Secretary Shailesh Vara and the Ministry of Defence to have the stone removed.
The Northern Ireland Office and Ministry of Defence have been asked for comment.
- 4 October 2021 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-62672635?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA | 2022-08-25T13:30:03Z | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-62672635?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA | false |
Bitcoin Depot to list in the U.S. through $885 mln SPAC deal
Aug 25 (Reuters) - Fintech Bitcoin Depot plans to list in the United States by merging with blank check company GSR II Meteora Acquisition Corp in a deal valued at $885 million, the companies said on Thursday.
The transaction will raise up to $321 million of cash held in GSRM's trust account and will be used to support Bitcoin Depot's working capital, complete acquisitions and scale its platform and suite of products.
Assuming no redemptions, the combined company will be valued at $755 million, including debt, with an equity value of $885 million and up to $170 million in cash proceeds from the deal, according to a statement.
Bitcoin Depot, founded in 2016, is a bitcoin ATM operator in North America that enables users to convert their cash into bitcoin, ethereum and litecoin at more than 7,000 kiosk locations in 47 U.S. states and nine Canadian provinces.
Special purpose acquisition company GSRM, which raised $316 million in an initial public offering in March this year, is pushing ahead with the deal at a time when few are. https://bwnews.pr/3CxbAfY
A SPAC is a listed firm with no business operations but a pool of capital that it uses to merge with a private company. The deal then takes the private company public.
High rates of shareholder redemptions and regulatory concerns have dissuaded companies seeking to go public through the SPAC route stifling dealmaking in the sector which took wall Street by storm in the past two years.
Among companies that have recently scrapped their agreements to go public via SPACs include telecom services firm Syniverse Technologies, 3D printing firm Essentium Inc and travel technology platform HotelPlanner.
The deal, expected to close by the first quarter of next year, is being advised by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. The combined company will list on Nasdaq under the symbol 'BTM'. (Reporting by Mehnaz Yasmin in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber) | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-11145373/Bitcoin-Depot-list-U-S-885-mln-SPAC-deal.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | 2022-08-25T13:33:02Z | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-11145373/Bitcoin-Depot-list-U-S-885-mln-SPAC-deal.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 | false |
Peloton shares jump 20% after agreeing to sell bikes on Amazon
NEW YORK - Peloton shares rallied after agreeing to offer its high-end exercise bikes and other gear on Amazon in the U.S. as part of a turnaround plan to reverse its slump.
The news of the Amazon deal sent shares of New York-based Peloton Interactive Inc. up 20% to $13.48 on Wednesday, which was the biggest one-day jump in more than six months, according to Fortune.
They are still down about 88% in the last 12 months, and company officials hope the partnership will help boost sales that have languished since pandemic lockdowns eased.
The collaboration is Peloton’s first with another retailer. Before, its products were sold only through its website, physical showrooms, and other channels.
"We want to meet consumers where they are, and they are shopping on Amazon," Kevin Cornils, Peloton’s chief commercial officer, said in a statement Wednesday.
The fitness company best known for its interactive stationary bikes saw its sales boom during the pandemic, but it has struggled to maintain high demand as COVID-19 vaccines became more widely available and homebound consumers started to go back to the gym.
Amid those challenges, it sought to cut costs and reduce its operating footprint while ramping up prices on some of its popular products. Last month, it said it would outsource manufacturing for its stationary bikes and treadmills.
Peloton also said earlier this month that it was shedding jobs, shifting its delivery work to third-party vendors, and significantly reducing the number of stores it has in North America.
RELATED: Peloton CEO steps down, company to cut 2,800 jobs globally
As part of the new Amazon deal, products available at the launch will include Peloton’s original bike — listed at $1,445 — its strength-training "Guide" device, as well as its workout mat, dumbbells, and glass water bottle.
The company says bike delivery will be available to most of the U.S. As part of the partnership, customers can get an expert to assemble their bikes, the company said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/peloton-shares-jump-sell-bikes-amazon-deal-2022 | 2022-08-25T13:35:44Z | https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/peloton-shares-jump-sell-bikes-amazon-deal-2022 | false |
Sonali Phogat's death | Post-mortem report indicates multiple injuries on body; murder charge pressed against her two associates
BJP leader Sonali Phogat’s brother Rinku Dhaka had filed a complaint against the two men at Anjuna Police Station on August 24
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Goa Police on August 25 pressed a charge of murder against two associates of BJP leader Sonali Phogat after a post-mortem report mentioned that there were “multiple blunt force injuries” on her body.
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Also read: BJP leader Sonali Phogat was murdered, claims brother; police conducting detailed probe, says Goa CM
Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code was added to the case related to the death of the 42-year-old leader, a senior police official told PTI in Panaji.
Sudhir Sagwan and Sukhwinder Wasi, who had accompanied Phogat when she arrived in Goa on August 22, were named as accused in the case, he added.
Her brother Rinku Dhaka had filed a complaint against the two men at Anjuna Police Station on August 24.
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On August 25, autopsy was conducted on Phogat’s body at the Goa Medical College and Hospital.
ADVERTISEMENT | https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sonali-phogats-death-post-mortem-report-indicates-multiple-injuries-on-body-murder-charge-pressed-against-her-two-associates/article65810081.ece/amp/ | 2022-08-25T13:35:58Z | https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sonali-phogats-death-post-mortem-report-indicates-multiple-injuries-on-body-murder-charge-pressed-against-her-two-associates/article65810081.ece/amp/ | true |
Custom ATOM® Phantoms to Represent Astronauts on Historic Uncrewed Mission
MELBOURNE, Fla., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Nuclear, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mirion Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: MIR) ("Mirion"), today announced its ATOM® Phantom product line will play a vital role in the first of a series of NASA missions aimed at enabling human exploration to the Moon and Mars. The uncrewed Artemis I mission, scheduled for launch on August 29th, will serve as the first integrated test of NASA's deep space exploration systems, including the Orion spacecraft. Two custom, anthropomorphic ATOM Phantoms will ride as "passengers" aboard the Orion, to assist in measuring potential radiation exposure to astronauts.
ATOM Phantoms are designed and produced by CIRS, now part of Sun Nuclear, a global leader in Quality Management solutions for Radiation Therapy and Diagnostic Imaging. The phantoms – constructed of materials that mimic human tissue, bone, and organs – are used globally by hospitals, cancer centers and research institutions to provide a physical representation of patient anatomy for measuring radiation dose in cancer treatment and imaging procedures.
The full CIRS ATOM Phantom line consists of models representing a newborn, 1-year-old, 5-year-old, 10-year-old, adult male, and adult female. For the Artemis I mission, two female-bodied torso models were selected, as there are an increasing number of female astronauts – and women typically experience greater sensitivity to space radiation. Furthermore, a stated goal of the Artemis program is to send the first woman astronaut to walk on the surface of the Moon.
Following a CIRS tradition when shipping ATOM Phantoms to customers worldwide, the space-bound phantoms were given names – Helga and Zohar. While both will be equipped with radiation detectors, only Zohar will wear a radiation protection vest to better understand the radiation levels that may be encountered in space and how effective the vest is for mitigating solar particle events (SPE) exposure.
While Sun Nuclear and CIRS produce the ATOM Phantoms, the effort to prepare Helga and Zohar for the mission has been an international effort. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is conducting the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment (MARE) in collaboration with the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and industry partner StemRad, as well as Lockheed Martin and NASA. In addition, universities and research institutions from nine countries have participated in the experiment.
"Mirion Technologies has a long history of our products being used in space, from dosimeters in the International Space Station to various spectroscopy instruments in exploration robots and satellites," says Thomas Logan, CEO of Mirion Technologies. "With the historic Artemis I mission and its inclusion of ATOM Phantoms, CIRS and Sun Nuclear continue the longstanding engagement of Mirion to make space exploration safer, and to support interplanetary scientific voyages."
References:
https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i-press-kit/
https://www.dlr.de/content/en/articles/news/2018/4/20181115_helga-zohar-radiation-exposure.html
https://www.dlr.de/me/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-14114/
Sun Nuclear and CIRS are part of Mirion Medical, a group of healthcare-focused brands within Mirion Technologies (NYSE: MIR). We provide innovative solutions for Radiation Therapy and Diagnostic Imaging centers. More than 5,000 cancer centers worldwide rely on us for independent, integrated Quality Management. With a focus on ongoing support, Sun Nuclear aims to ease technology adoption, enhance workflows and improve outcomes – so that healthcare providers can achieve real results for Patient Safety. Visit us: sunnuclear.com and cirsinc.com. Follow us: @sunnuclear.
Contacts
For investor inquiries:
Jerry Estes
ir@mirion.com
For media inquiries:
Matthew Maddox
mmaddox@mirion.com
Sun Nuclear, CIRS, and ATOM are trademarks or registered trademarks of Mirion Technologies, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries.
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SOURCE Sun Nuclear Corporation | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/cirs-dosimetric-verification-phantoms-set-artemis-i-space-flight/ | 2022-08-25T13:36:30Z | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/cirs-dosimetric-verification-phantoms-set-artemis-i-space-flight/ | true |
John Pat Cunningham family wants Dennis Hutchings memorial removed
- Published
The family of a man who was shot dead while running away from an Army patrol has challenged the UK government over a memorial to an ex-soldier accused of his killing.
The memorial to Dennis Hutchings was put up at Palace Barracks in Holywood, County Down.
Mr Hutchings died in October 2021 while on trial over John Pat Cunningham's fatal shooting.
Mr Cunningham was 27 when he was shot near Benburb, County Tyrone, in 1974.
Mr Hutchings, who was 80 when he died, had denied attempting to murder and cause grievous bodily harm to Mr Cunningham.
In a statement issued through the Pat Finucane Centre, Mr Cunningham's family said they were "unable to find peace because of this provocation".
"We have no wish to revisit this traumatic event but have been left with no alternative because of the callousness of others."
They said the Hutchings family should place the memorial in Mr Hutchings home county of Cornwall, where they could then grieve.
Before his death, the Life Guards veteran's trial had been adjourned for three weeks due to illness and a positive test for Covid-19.
His friends in Northern Ireland organised a memorial service for him and his family on Saturday, when the memorial stone was unveiled in the Memorial Garden at the barracks.
The family of Mr Cunningham, who had a learning difficulty, have called on the Northern Ireland Secretary Shailesh Vara and the Ministry of Defence to have the stone removed.
The Northern Ireland Office and Ministry of Defence have been asked for comment.
- 4 October 2021 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-62672635 | 2022-08-25T13:40:57Z | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-62672635 | false |
Experts from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences conclude that future battlefield medicine efforts should focus on newer analgesics like DSUVIA® across military settings and establish protocols for their implementation
HAYWARD, Calif., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACRX), (AcelRx), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for use in medically supervised settings, today announced that an abstract entitled, "Evolution Of Opioid Analgesia On The Battlefield For Moderate-to-Severe Acute Pain" (abstract # A4123) was accepted for e-Abstract presentation at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2022 annual meeting, being held October 21-25, 2022 in New Orleans, LA.
"The DSUVIA sufentanil sublingual tablet, or SST, is the only transmucosal analgesic that is approved for the management of moderate-to-severe acute pain in patients who are opioid-naive, such as our soldiers in the military," stated Vince Angotti, Chief Executive Officer of AcelRx. "Morphine has been the primary analgesic on the battlefield since the 19th century, however, morphine has many limitations, including a narrow therapeutic index. Over the past few decades, an oral transmucosal fentanyl lozenge, indicated only for cancer breakthrough pain, was introduced as an off-label alternative to injectable morphine on the battlefield. As stated in the abstract, there has been a high incidence of side effects with the use of the lozenge, as well as the risk for addiction and misuse."
Mr. Angotti continued, "DSUVIA is an alternative analgesic with many potential advantages for use on the battlefield. The Department of Defense, or DoD, recognized the therapeutic benefits of potent opioids in acute trauma settings and aimed to improve upon their application for the battlefield setting when providing funding for the development of DSUVIA. We continue to work with critical decision-makers at the DoD to facilitate the broad roll-out of DSUVIA for our U.S. military."
In the abstract, the authors (Kim, et al.), all from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, highlight the advantages of SST on the battlefield, which include:
- High therapeutic index
- No active metabolites
- Analgesic onset within 15 minutes
- Maintains therapeutic levels for 3 hours
- No association with cognitive impairment
The authors conclude that, "future work should aim to improve opioid products for the battlefield, discover non-opioid analgesic options, and establish optimal drug administration protocol in trauma settings".
E-Abstracts will be presented virtually and made available to registrants throughout the entire meeting from Saturday, October 22 (7:00 a.m. US Central Time) to Tuesday, October 25, 2022 (3:00 p.m. U.S. Central Time). The abstracts will remain available and open to meeting attendees for three months after the meeting.
About DSUVIA (sufentanil sublingual tablet), 30 mcg
DSUVIA®, known as DZUVEO® in Europe, is indicated for use in adults in certified medically supervised healthcare settings, such as hospitals, surgical centers, and emergency departments, for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. DSUVIA was designed to provide rapid analgesia via a non-invasive route and to eliminate dosing errors associated with intravenous (IV) administration. DSUVIA is a single-strength, solid dosage form administered sublingually via a single-dose applicator (SDA) by healthcare professionals. Sufentanil is an opioid analgesic previously only marketed for IV and epidural anesthesia and analgesia. The sufentanil pharmacokinetic profile, when delivered sublingually, avoids the high peak plasma levels and short duration of action observed with IV administration. DZUVEO has been approved by the European Medicines Agency and AcelRx's European commercialization partner, Aguettant, will market the drug in Europe.
This release is intended for investors only. For more information, including important safety information and black box warning for DSUVIA, please visit www.DSUVIA.com.
About AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for use in medically supervised settings. AcelRx's proprietary, non-invasive sublingual formulation technology delivers sufentanil with consistent pharmacokinetic profiles. The Company has one approved product in the U.S., DSUVIA® (sufentanil sublingual tablet, 30 mcg), approved as DZUVEO® in Europe, indicated for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic for adult patients in certified medically supervised healthcare settings, and several product candidates. The Company's product candidates include: two developmental pre-filled, ready-to-use syringes of ephedrine and phenylephrine licensed for the U.S. from Aguettant; Niyad™, a developmental device for use as a regional anticoagulant for the extracorporeal circuit; LTX-608, for the potential treatment of COVID-19, disseminated intravascular coagulation, acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute pancreatitis; and Zalviso® (sufentanil sublingual tablet system, SST system, 15 mcg), an investigational product in the U.S. being developed as an innovatively designed patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) system for reduction of moderate-to-severe acute pain in medically supervised settings.
This release is intended for investors only. For additional information about AcelRx, please visit www.acelrx.com.
About Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
The Uniformed Services University (USU) of the Health Sciences, founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the nation's federal health sciences university and the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, and acute trauma care. USU also has graduate programs in oral biology, biomedical sciences and public health committed to excellence in research. The University's research program covers a wide range of areas important to both the military and public health. For more information about USU and its programs, visit www.usuhs.edu.
About the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2022 Annual Meeting
The ANESTHESIOLOGY Annual Meeting is the marquee annual event for the American Society of Anesthesiologists®. Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists is an educational, research and scientific association of physicians organized to raise the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology and to improve patient care. As of 2021, the organization included more than 55,000 national and international members.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements related to the potential adoption and benefits of DSUVIA for use in military settings. These and any other forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "potential," "believe," "expect," "expected," "anticipate," "may," "will," "should," "seek," "approximately," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "benefits," or the negative of these words or other comparable terminology. The discussion of financial trends, strategy, plans or intentions may also include forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied by such statements, including: (i) risks relating to AcelRx's product development activities and ongoing commercial business operations; (ii) risks related to the ability of AcelRx to implement its development plans, forecasts and other business expectations; (iii) risks related to unexpected variations in market growth and demand for AcelRx's commercial and developmental products and technologies; and (iv) risks relating to our ability to obtain regulatory approvals for our developmental product candidates. Although it is not possible to predict or identify all such risks and uncertainties, they may include, but are not limited to, those described under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in AcelRx's annual, quarterly and current reports (i.e., Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K) as filed or furnished with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and any subsequent public filings. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date such statements were first made. To the degree financial information is included in this press release, it is in summary form only and must be considered in the context of the full details provided in AcelRx's most recent annual, quarterly or current report as filed or furnished with the SEC. AcelRx's SEC reports are available at www.acelrx.com under the "Investors" tab. Except to the extent required by law, AcelRx undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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SOURCE AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/acelrx-pharmaceuticals-announces-second-abstract-dsuvia-accepted-presentation-anesthesiology-2022-annual-meeting/ | 2022-08-25T13:46:03Z | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/acelrx-pharmaceuticals-announces-second-abstract-dsuvia-accepted-presentation-anesthesiology-2022-annual-meeting/ | true |
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered the Russian military to increase its number of soldiers by 137,000 to a total of 1.15 million servicemen amid Moscow’s military action in Ukraine.
Putin’s decree, which takes effect on Jan. 1, didn’t specify whether the military will beef up its ranks by drafting a bigger number of conscripts, increasing the number of volunteer soldiers or using a combination of both.
The presidential decree will boost the overall number of Russian military personnel to 2,039,758, including 1,150,628 servicemen. A previous order put the military’s numbers at 1,902,758 and 1,013,628 respectively at the start of 2018.
The Kremlin has said that only volunteer contract soldiers take part in what it calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine, rejecting claims that it was pondering a broad mobilization.
Russian media and non-governmental organizations say Russian authorities have sought to bolster the number of troops involved in the military action in Ukraine by attracting more volunteers, engaging private military contractors and even offering amnesty to some prisoners in exchange for a tour of military duty.
Regional authorities have also tried to beef up the ranks, forming volunteer battalions to be deployed to Ukraine.
All Russian men aged 18-27 must serve one year in the military, but a large share avoid the draft for health reasons or deferments granted to university students. The share of men who avoid the draft is particularly big in Moscow and other major cities.
The Russian military rounds up draftees twice a year, starting April 1 and Oct. 1. Putin ordered the drafting of 134,500 conscripts during the latest spring draft earlier this year and 127,500 last fall.
In recent years, the Kremlin has emphasized increasing the share of volunteer contract soldiers as it sought to modernize the army and improve its readiness. Before the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, the Russian military had over 400,000 contract soldiers, including about 147,000 in the ground forces. The number of conscripts has been estimated at around 270,000, and officers and non-commissioned officers have accounted for the rest.
Military observers have noted that if the campaign in Ukraine drags on, those numbers could be clearly insufficient to sustain the operations in Ukraine, which has declared a goal of forming a 1-million-strong military.
Col. Retired Viktor Murakhovsky noted that Putin’s decree on Thursday reflected the pressure of filling the ranks amid the military action in Ukraine.
In comments carried by the RBC online news outlet, he charged that the Kremlin would likely try to keep relying on volunteers and predicted that they would account for the bulk of the increase ordered by the Kremlin. | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/world/putin-orders-russian-military-to-start-beefing-up-in-2023/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_world | 2022-08-25T13:46:06Z | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/world/putin-orders-russian-military-to-start-beefing-up-in-2023/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_world | true |
Delightful dahlias and 'perfect' vegetables among 300 entries at show
- Credit: Mick Howes
A group of green fingered gardeners have proudly displayed the fruits of their labours as a summer show made a welcome return.
Flowers and vegetables were on display as the first show was held in Lowestoft since the Covid-19 outbreak.
Organised by Waveney Gardeners Club, the summer show at Carlton Colville Community Centre on Hall Road, Carlton Colville, attracted a good turnout after it was opened by a local councillor.
Club spokesman Sheila Pettett said: “We had 300 entries, perfect vegetables, wonderful dahlias, beautiful flower arrangements plus amazing handicrafts.
“A steady stream of visitors attended the two-day show, and all seemed to really enjoy the displays with many taking the opportunity to buy some plants or to enjoy refreshments.
“It was a particularly poignant time for all the committee members preparing for Waveney Gardeners latest show.
"Firstly, it was the first show since Covid, secondly the first show under our new name having previously been called Oulton Broad and Lowestoft Horticultural Society and most importantly the sad loss of our much loved and respected show manager, John Thompson, who was the fount of all knowledge where the show was concerned and not forgetting his gardening expertise.” | https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/waveney-gardeners-lowestoft-summer-show-9230970 | 2022-08-25T13:46:40Z | https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/waveney-gardeners-lowestoft-summer-show-9230970 | false |
Podcast Helps Local Businesses Manage Growth, Management and Marketing Strategies, Among Other Important Business Challenges and Opportunities
SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Scorpion, a leading provider of technology and services that help local businesses thrive, today announced the upcoming release of 10 new "Locally Grown" podcast episodes. Hosted by Scorpion's very own Joe Martin, vice president of content marketing; and Andrew Adams, senior manager of content strategy, "Locally Grown" is a podcast for small business owners seeking to understand how marketing and technology can help their business grow.
An array of impactful topics will usher in the next installment of episodes, offering unique insights around storefront marketing, traditional marketing, SEO, social media, growth hacking and more. Additionally, the hosts will tackle issues at the top of every business owner's mind including, how to overcome inflation, thrive in the recession and come out stronger.
"The goal of 'Locally Grown' is to provide useful information for our customers, and other local businesses looking to learn tips and tricks on digital marketing and running a small business," said Joe Martin. "With the waves of new industry tools, current events and growing competition, it's more important than ever for small businesses to capitalize on new strategies and opportunities. 'Locally Grown' is part of Scorpion's commitment to deliver new avenues of support to small businesses."
To learn more about Scorpion's "Locally Grown" podcast, visit https://www.scorpion.co/video-center/locally-grown/
Scorpion is the leading provider of technology and services helping local businesses thrive. It helps local service providers understand their unique market dynamics, maximize their marketing efforts, and delight their customers. Scorpion offers SEO, Reviews, Advertising, Email Marketing, Chat and Messaging, Social Media, Websites, Lead Management, Appointment Scheduling, and more. The company brings everything together in a way that's easy to understand and manage, blending AI and teams of real people with vertical expertise to support customers in setting, measuring, and reaching their goals.
Scorpion is headquartered in the Salt Lake City area, with offices in California, Texas, and New York. For more information, please visit https://www.scorpion.co/about-us/.
CONTACT:
Hayley Lavin
201-421-0852
hayley.lavin@sparkpr.com
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SOURCE Scorpion | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/scorpion-announces-new-episodes-locally-grown-podcast/ | 2022-08-25T13:47:07Z | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/scorpion-announces-new-episodes-locally-grown-podcast/ | true |
Ashley Dale: Two people arrested after fatal shooting of council worker in Liverpool
The 28-year-old was found with gunshot wounds in her garden in the Old Swan area and was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Thursday 25 August 2022 12:51, UK
A man and a woman have been arrested following the fatal shooting of council worker Ashley Dale in Liverpool.
The 28-year-old was found with gunshot wounds in her garden in the Old Swan area on Sunday and was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Merseyside Police said the man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, while the woman has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Detectives investigating the killing previously released CCTV footage of a car being driven in the area, shortly before the incident was reported.
Authorities say they do not believe Ms Dale was the intended target of the attack.
A cordon remains in place while investigations continue, and CCTV and forensic enquiries are being carried out in the local area.
Her death is part of a spate of violence seen in Merseyside.
Just a day after Ms Dale was killed, Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead by a masked attacker while inside her home in Kingsheath Avenue, in the Dovecot area of the city.
Sam Rimmer, 20, was also killed on 16 August - the first of the three fatal shootings in a seven-day period.
Mr Rimmer, from Bootle, was on Lavrock Bank with a group of friends when two electric bikes were driven into the cul-de-sac. A number of shots were fired towards the group at 11.40pm.
Three arrests have been made, but they have since been released on bail.
Read more:
15 years after the murder of Rhys Jones, Merseyside's summer of violence leaves a trail of bloodshed
'A callous attack' that left a family heartbroken
Ashley's family paid tribute to their "shining light" and said "our hearts are broken into a million pieces".
Following the arrest of two people, detective chief inspector Cath Cummings said: "Our thoughts remain with Ashley Dale's family and friends following this appalling incident which led to her tragic death.
"Our officers have now made two arrests last night. Enquiries continue to establish the motive behind this attack and identify all those involved.
"This was a callous attack carried out on a residential street which has brought tragedy to the heart of a community in Merseyside, and we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to bring those responsible to justice.
"Although we have made two arrests we still need members of the public to come forward with information too, so we can keep our streets safe.
"From extensive ongoing CCTV enquiries, Detectives know there were people walking close to the scene at the time of the offence. If this was you, please come forward as you may without realising hold vital information to assist this investigation.
"Similarly, I would ask taxi and delivery drivers if they were driving in the area between 12.20am and 12.40am and have dashcam footage please contact us."
Information can be submitted through the online portal directly to the police.
Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information. | https://news.sky.com/story/ashley-dale-two-people-arrested-after-fatal-shooting-of-council-worker-in-liverpool-12681090 | 2022-08-25T13:47:26Z | https://news.sky.com/story/ashley-dale-two-people-arrested-after-fatal-shooting-of-council-worker-in-liverpool-12681090 | true |
Hyderabad: Raja Singh arrested over fresh Prophet row in India's Telangana
By Geeta Pandey
BBC News, Delhi
- Published
Police in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad have arrested a local lawmaker from the country's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for making controversial remarks against the Prophet Muhammad.
Thakur Raja Singh's comments sparked massive outrage and triggered protests from the Muslim community.
A two-time legislator in the assembly of the southern state of Telangana - of which Hyderabad is the capital - Mr Singh has often hit the headlines for anti-Muslim hate speeches. Two years ago, Facebook banned him for violating their hate-speech policies.
The BJP, already dealing with the fallout from similar controversial comments made two months back by former spokesperson Nupur Sharma, quickly suspended him from the party and sent him a notice asking him to explain why he should not be expelled.
The party also said that Mr Singh's views were his own and that they were contrary to the party's position.
The politician had been briefly arrested on Tuesday morning, before a court freed him on bail because of a technical error on part of the police.
Police then appealed for calm and said they were working to re-arrest him, but the protests continued.
Late on Wednesday night, a large number of Muslims gathered in parts of the city, raising slogans, pelting stones and burning Mr Singh's effigies. Many were seen hitting his posters with shoes while calling for his arrest. Videos showed police using sticks to beat back the protesters and arresting them.
On Thursday morning, reports said the situation remained tense on the ground and paramilitary troops had been deployed in affected areas to maintain peace. Some schools, shops and fuel stations were also shut.
Trouble had been brewing in Hyderabad since last week when police placed Mr Singh under house arrest for announcing "violent plans" to stop Muslim comedian Munawar Faruqui's show - he had threatened to beat him up and burn down the venue. Mr Faruqui had been arrested in 2021 and spent a month in jail for allegedly outraging religious feelings with his jokes, a charge he has denied.
Mr Singh warned that if the show was allowed to go on in Hyderabad under police protection, he would also do a show which "would make Hindus proud", BBC Telugu reported.
After Mr Faruqui's show on Sunday evening passed off peacefully, Mr Singh on Monday night uploaded a 10-minute video on YouTube - the platform has since removed it - in which he was seen making comments similar to those made by Ms Sharma, which had angered Indian Muslims and outraged Islamic nations.
In his defence, Mr Singh has said that his video is not against any religion or community and that it is "a comedy video" which is against Mr Faruqui - whom he accuses of insulting Hindu gods and goddesses.
"I did not take the name of any particular community. My video was aimed at Faruqui and I stand by my words, and I did not hurt anyone's sentiments," the Indian Express quoted him as saying.
He also threatened to release "a second video" saying that this was only "the first part of the video".
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi - who belongs to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), a regional party with the majority of its support coming from Muslims - condemned his comments and called him "a danger to peace in Hyderabad".
But upon his release on Tuesday evening, Mr Singh was welcomed with garlands by supporters, who also chanted Hindu religious slogans outside his home.
Who is Thakur Raja Singh?
The two-term legislator represents Goshamahal constituency in the Telangana state assembly and has been BJP's floor leader for some time now.
Critics call him a "hate monger", while supporters describe him as a "fearless Hindu warrior" and have threatened to boycott the BJP if it doesn't cancel his suspension.
Known for his hardline religious rhetoric, the 45-year-old politician regularly makes news for anti-Muslim speeches and coming in conflict with the police.
According to an affidavit he submitted to the election commission before the 2018 state assembly polls, there were 43 cases registered against him and the charges included hate speech, rioting, attempt to murder and taking out rallies without permission.
Over the years, several of these cases have made headlines in India.
In 2015, he was accused of attacking police when they stopped him from playing loud music after midnight at a wedding. A court later convicted him for "obstructing police from performing their duties and for causing hurt" and ordered him to pay a fine.
In 2019, after another scuffle with the police, he claimed that he had severe injuries because he had been assaulted by four policemen. Police said his injuries were self-inflicted and released a video that showed Mr Singh hitting himself on the head with a boulder.
The same year, he was criticised after he said he would not be administered oath in the assembly by a Muslim member of the AIMIM.
His 2018 comments calling Rohingya Muslims as "terrorists... who should be shot" had resulted in outrage. He was also criticised for demanding that the refugees should be sent away from India but said he stood by his remarks.
In 2020, he was banned from Facebook and Instagram "for violating [their] policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform".
On that occasion, Mr Singh had said that he had no Facebook account for over a year and that it was hacked.
Hours before his arrest on Thursday afternoon, he released a video where he accused his political rivals of trying to appease Muslims and said that the national media was misrepresenting facts. The next battle, he added, would be fought in court. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-62672689 | 2022-08-25T13:48:39Z | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-62672689 | false |
Cat gets kudos for killing rabid bat in home
OLYMPIA, Wash. (KING) - There are lot of stories about heroic dogs saving the day for their masters, but cats can be heroes, too.
Suzanne Featherstone is surrounded by nature in her home tucked in the woods above Olympia.
Her indoor housecat, named for her owl-like eyes, Me-owly, is the top-ranked animal around here these days.
“Our hero, Me-Owly, I like to say she’s the cat who knows how to say her name,” Suzanne Featherstone said.
She said last week she and her husband David left a bathroom window open “on the left up there, it was just open a little crack.”
At some point in the night, a brown bat made it inside and eventually into their bedroom.
“I heard the cat kind of running around, chasing something, and I thought maybe she was playing with a toy or something. And then when I got up in the morning, I looked down. I’m like, ‘That doesn’t look like a mouse,’” Suzanne Featherstone said.
Brown bats are common in the area, especially in the summer. They control bug populations and prevent the spread of diseases.
But the bat at the Featherstone home tested positive for rabies, and since the homeowners were sleeping in the same room with it, the county said the couple should get medical attention immediately.
“They told us if you have symptoms, it’s too late, that it’s a quiet disease, and that’s why there’s such precaution,” Suzanne Featherstone said.
Me-owly’s all caught up on her rabies shots, so she’s expected to be OK, so she can keep protecting her family from what may be lurking next.
“Who knows what would have happened,” Suzanne Featherstone said. “Good for the cat, she’s the hero.”
While Me-owly had already her rabies shots, her family had to go to the health department to get theirs.
The Featherstones had their first round of rabies shots themselves Wednesday morning.
Copyright 2022 KING via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.weau.com/2022/08/25/cat-gets-kudos-killing-rabid-bat-home/ | 2022-08-25T13:48:51Z | https://www.weau.com/2022/08/25/cat-gets-kudos-killing-rabid-bat-home/ | true |
GRAPEVINE, Texas — Children in foster care endure so much in their short lives, but one of the hardest is the terrible feeling of loneliness.
In today’s Wednesday’s Child, WFAA meets two brothers in need of parents with an abundance of love and patience.
Could that be you?
After weeks of building excitement, today brothers Logan and Raylan got to play together at Legoland in Grapevine.
"I'm happy and excited," said 6-year-old Raylan.
He is proud of the way he treats others.
"I help them when they fall down and whenever they can't reach anything and I can reach it, then I help them" said Raylan.
Logan, 13, has a smile he hopes will melt the heart of a potential forever family.
"I want a mom. I want a dad. I want my brother to be in the picture too," he said about Raylan.
These children shouldn't have a care in the world, but instead, they are trying to pick up the pieces of their broken hearts. The boys are separated in foster care and it hurts.
Logan told WFAA the sadness of not living with his little brother on top of moving from placement to placement is stressful.
"If I have to move away again, I'm going to feel like the Titanic. You know how the Titanic hit ice and it sunk. That's how I would feel like," said Logan.
Raylan said his biggest worry is that he won't get to live with his older brother again.
Their CPS caseworker, Amanda Swink, is working hard to get them adopted together.
"It weighs on me a great deal," she said.
Swink has been Raylan and Logan's CPS caseworker the four years they've been in foster care.
"Placement has been difficult to find for the two of them together," she said.
She thinks about their situation daily.
"I just love them so much and I want them to have what they deserve," Swink said tearfully. "They need a loving family who will love them, and care for them, and nurture them, and have patience and give them the ability to thrive together."
After years of turmoil, abuse and separation, Logan and Raylan want to create new memories with a family who loves and accepts them together.
"I don't want to be far from each other again," said Logan.
Wiping away tears, their caseworker begs potential families not to sign up to adopt Logan and Raylan unless they are fully committed.
"I would really like the family to not make false promises," she said. "They deserve to wake up and be playing together and just live life together. They deserve each other."
For more information on how to adopt Raylan and Logan, please send all approved home studies to LaQueena Warren at LaQueena.Warren@dfps.texas.gov. Please remember to include Logan and Raylan's names within the subject line.
If you're not licensed, please visit adoptchildren.org to find out more information on how to become licensed to foster and/or adopt or contact LaQueena Warren at 817-304-1272.
If you would like to read more Wednesday's Child stories, click here. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/outreach/wfaa-wednesdays-child-logan-raylan-want-to-be-adopted-together/287-bed5b5f6-4ee5-4727-8c6a-ce2c11ac77ad | 2022-08-25T13:49:09Z | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/outreach/wfaa-wednesdays-child-logan-raylan-want-to-be-adopted-together/287-bed5b5f6-4ee5-4727-8c6a-ce2c11ac77ad | true |
The 38th Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce will be held Aug. 26-28 at the Wickliffe Italian-American Club, 29717 Euclid Ave., in Wickliffe. It is considered the largest bocce tournament in the Midwest.
The Open Division features 100 teams, and the Women’s Division will have 16 entrants. They will compete for $20,000 in prize money, with players traveling to Wickliffe from across the United States and Canada.
Last year’s Open Division winner was Coda Corp from Lockport/Rome, N.Y., a first-time winner. The Women’s Division winner was Bottiglieri’s Lawn Care from Niles, which won its third straight title and fourth in the past five tournaments.
Admission and parking are free, with free shuttle services for overflow. Also included are entertainment, cultural events, live bands, family activities, local food vendors and competitive bocce matches.
The tournament schedule is as follows:
• Aug. 26: Opening ceremony at 4:30 p.m., followed by tournament play at 5 p.m. Live music from 7 to 11 p.m.
• Aug. 27: Tournament play resumes at 8 a.m. Events and entertainment throughout the day include more live music, a cooking display, Western Reserve Historical Society photo display, and a live broadcast on WRUW-FM 91.1
• Aug. 28: Tournament play resumes at 8 a.m. Events and entertainment throughout the day include music, a magic show and the Jungle Terry Exotic Animal Show. The Women’s Division championship is scheduled for 4 p.m., and the Open Division at 6 p.m.
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GBP/USD has reclaimed 1.1800 following Wednesday's choppy action. The pair needs to clear 1.1870 to extend its rebound, FXStreet’s Eren Sengezer reports.
Cable could face stiff resistance at 1.1870
“On the upside, 1.1870 (Fibonacci 23.6% retracement of the latest downtrend) aligns as initial resistance. With a four-hour close above that level, additional recovery gains toward 1.1900 (50-period SMA, psychological level) and 1.1940 (Fibonacci 38.2% retracement) could be witnessed.”
“Key technical support is located at 1.1800 (20-period SMA, psychological level). If that level fails, sellers could take action and drag the pair lower toward 1.1750 (static level, end-point of the downtrend) and 1.1720 (Aug. 23 low).”
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MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered the Russian military to increase its number of soldiers by 137,000 to a total of 1.15 million servicemen amid Moscow’s military action in Ukraine.
Putin’s decree, which takes effect on Jan. 1, didn’t specify whether the military will beef up its ranks by drafting a bigger number of conscripts, increasing the number of volunteer soldiers or using a combination of both.
The presidential decree will boost the overall number of Russian military personnel to 2,039,758, including 1,150,628 servicemen. A previous order put the military's numbers at 1,902,758 and 1,013,628 respectively at the start of 2018.
The Kremlin has said that only volunteer contract soldiers take part in what it calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine, rejecting claims that it was pondering a broad mobilization.
Russian media and non-governmental organizations say Russian authorities have sought to bolster the number of troops involved in the military action in Ukraine by attracting more volunteers, engaging private military contractors and even offering amnesty to some prisoners in exchange for a tour of military duty.
Regional authorities have also tried to beef up the ranks, forming volunteer battalions to be deployed to Ukraine.
All Russian men aged 18-27 must serve one year in the military, but a large share avoid the draft for health reasons or deferments granted to university students. The share of men who avoid the draft is particularly big in Moscow and other major cities.
The Russian military rounds up draftees twice a year, starting April 1 and Oct. 1. Putin ordered the drafting of 134,500 conscripts during the latest spring draft earlier this year and 127,500 last fall.
In recent years, the Kremlin has emphasized increasing the share of volunteer contract soldiers as it sought to modernize the army and improve its readiness. Before the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, the Russian military had over 400,000 contract soldiers, including about 147,000 in the ground forces. The number of conscripts has been estimated at around 270,000, and officers and non-commissioned officers have accounted for the rest.
Military observers have noted that if the campaign in Ukraine drags on, those numbers could be clearly insufficient to sustain the operations in Ukraine, which has declared a goal of forming a 1-million-strong military.
Col. Retired Viktor Murakhovsky noted that Putin's decree on Thursday reflected the pressure of filling the ranks amid the military action in Ukraine.
In comments carried by the RBC online news outlet, he charged that the Kremlin would likely try to keep relying on volunteers and predicted that they would account for the bulk of the increase ordered by the Kremlin.
Credit: Mikhail Klimentyev
Credit: Mikhail Klimentyev | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/putin-orders-russian-military-to-beef-up-forces-by-137000/E4CUYMQ5GRBE3IKPIGSY6ERERU/ | 2022-08-25T13:52:17Z | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/putin-orders-russian-military-to-beef-up-forces-by-137000/E4CUYMQ5GRBE3IKPIGSY6ERERU/ | false |
Fewer Americans claim jobless benefits last week
By MAE ANDERSON
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Fewer Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week as the labor market continues to stand out as one of the strongest segments of the U.S. economy. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending Aug. 20 fell by 2,000 to 243,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average for claims, which evens out some of the week-to-week volatility, rose by 1,500 to 247,000. The number of Americans collecting traditional unemployment benefits fell by 19,000 the week that ended Aug. 13, to 1.42 million. First-time applications generally reflect layoffs and can indicate where the job market is headed. | https://kion546.com/news/ap-national-business/2022/08/25/fewer-americans-claim-jobless-benefits-last-week-2/ | 2022-08-25T13:54:18Z | https://kion546.com/news/ap-national-business/2022/08/25/fewer-americans-claim-jobless-benefits-last-week-2/ | false |
IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GATC Health, a science and technology company revolutionizing drug discovery and disease prediction using artificial intelligence (AI), today announced Robert Keith Sorrentino, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. As an internationally recognized physician, executive and informaticist, Dr. Sorrentino is uniquely qualified to enhance the growth and success of the company's expansive AI platform for drug discovery and optimization and advanced diagnostics.
Before joining GATC Health, Dr. Sorrentino previously founded and served as chief executive officer of AI for Healthcare Consultants, a consulting firm focused on serving novel technology companies that utilize AI and machine learning for clinical services and pharmaceutical development. He is an expert in operating system design, large database architecture, analytic algorithms, AI and machine learning, as well as information security, programming, and database languages. Dr. Sorrentino has also co-authored multiple patents and peer-reviewed papers describing a variety of exceptional analytics during his tenure as chief medical scientist at the IBM Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY. He also previously served as the chief medical officer for the Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation (TCRHCC), the hospital and clinics owned by the Navajo Nation, which serves more than 100,000 tribal members.
"Dr. Sorrentino has been a fundamental addition to the GATC Health team over the last several months as a consultant, and we are beyond thrilled to officially welcome him to the team as our Chief Medical Officer," said Jeff Moses, President of GATC Health. "As a proven leader and expert in medical informatics, AI and biotechnology, Dr. Sorrentino is already a key contributor to a number of our current projects, including diabetes predictive marker identification, preventative medication development, opioid dependency projects, and the development of products, strategy and marketing for predictive health reports to risk-bearers like physician medical groups and insurers, reinsurers, and others."
Dr. Sorrentino continues to be instrumental in helping the company develop a strategy for implementing, in conjunction with key partners, the international adoption of GATC Health's powerful disease risk prediction tools to help close the pronounced "health gap" between developing and first-world countries. He is additionally working with the company's technology team to ensure GATC Health's systems communicate effectively with a number of potential sequencing and diagnostics partners.
"The innovative AI technology, dedicated leadership and sheer potential of GATC Health is unrivaled in this space," said Dr. Sorrentino. "I am honored to share my clinical, technical and informatics acumen with this exceptional team that is committed to bringing forth the resources for identifying and characterizing predispositions for diseases and their sequalae. Enhanced drug discovery capabilities facilitate the identification of new effective therapeutic agents to mitigate the effects of these chronic diseases. This approach provides the quickest and safest path to drug discovery while dramatically lowering the costs of development, testing, and approval by regulatory agencies worldwide. Those same technologies also enable the identification of innovative therapeutic uses for existing medications."
Dr. Sorrentino received his degree in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his advanced information systems training at MIT and Harvard University. He was appointed to MIT's professional sponsored research staff where his work focused on a major inter-university project, funded by The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to advance the state of the art of informatics platforms for the social and behavioral sciences, and to support U.S. strategic defense initiatives. This work included some of the first "Big Data" projects, with applicability to healthcare analytics, statistics, and modeling, as used in, for example, genomic research.
He received his MD degree from the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and his residency training in family medicine from UCLA and its affiliated institutions, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Sorrentino achieved board certification in both emergency medicine and family medicine and was elected as chief of emergency medicine and medical staff vice president at a high-acuity hospital in Arizona, subsequently serving as its interim chief of staff for nearly two years. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
GATC Health Corp is a pioneering technology company using whole genome analysis and multiomics-based artificial intelligence to revolutionize disease detection and drug discovery. The company's patented AI platform reduces risk, time and costs for life science companies by digitally reproducing the human body to find non-obvious answers to biology's most complex questions. GATC Health is accelerating healthcare's transition to predictive, individualized medicine.
The information set forth herein is presented for informational purposes only and should not be deemed an offer to sell securities. This announcement contains information which the Company believes to be correct, including certain financial information and projections, but the Company does not guarantee as to the accuracy or completeness of such information. The Company reserves the right to modify or amend the information contained herein.
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SOURCE GATC Health | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/gatc-health-appoints-medical-ai-veteran-robert-keith-sorrentino-md-chief-medical-officer/ | 2022-08-25T13:54:23Z | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/gatc-health-appoints-medical-ai-veteran-robert-keith-sorrentino-md-chief-medical-officer/ | true |
ATLANTA, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Furniture retailer Havertys today announced the celebration of over 125 years of operations in Texas.
To commemorate the anniversary, and their 22 Texas showrooms, Havertys is partnering with Four Hands Art Studio — an artisan production facility in Austin that prints, builds and assembles artwork— to offer a new art collection exclusive to Havertys' Texas markets.
Printed using cutting-edge technology and techniques, including sublimation, which results in ultra-vibrant, fade-resistant colors, and hand-framed by Four Hands Art Studio, the curated collection will include six photography-based pieces. From "Bluebonnets" to "Big Bend," each of the six pieces pays homage to life in the Lone Star State and Havertys' own commitment to the finest craftsmanship.
Steve Burdette, Havertys' President, said: "We chose to collaborate with the artisans at Four Hands Art Studio because of both their reputation in Texas and the similar values we share. Like Havertys, Four Hands Art Studio is known for their remarkable attention to detail and quality. Working with them to deliver a collection as bold and beautiful as the great state of Texas was the perfect way to honor more than 125 years of "Furnishing Happiness" in the state. Through-and-through, this collection pays tribute to both Texas and the people who have allowed us to serve them there for over a century. We're so proud of how it turned out."
This curated collection is now available exclusively in Havertys' Texas stores.
Havertys (NYSE: HVT and HVT.A), established in 1885, is a full-service home furnishings retailer with 121 showrooms in 16 states in the Southern and Midwestern regions providing its customers with a wide selection of quality merchandise in middle to upper-middle price ranges. Additional information is available on the Company's website havertys.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Havertys | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/havertys-commemorates-over-125-years-serving-texas-with-exclusive-art-collection/ | 2022-08-25T13:55:08Z | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/havertys-commemorates-over-125-years-serving-texas-with-exclusive-art-collection/ | false |
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