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HONDO, Texas (AP) — The Texas city near where 1 9 children and two teachers were shot dead in an elementary school classroom has rescinded a deal for a gun group’s fundraising event in a city-owned hall.
The Hondo City Council voted 4-1 Monday to rescind the rental agreement for the Friends of the NRA to hold its fundraiser Saturday at the city’s Medina Fair Hall.
The vote came after an angry crowd denounced the event, including a raffle of a semi-automatic rifle similar to one an 18-year-old gunman used in the May 24 shootings at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, 44 miles (70 kilometers) east of Hondo.
The group has held similar fundraisers in the hall for about 15 years and had leased the hall last spring, the San Antonio Express-News reported. Hondo is 33 miles (53 kilometers) west of San Antonio.
Supporters of the local National Rifle Association group asserted that the event helped teach young people how to handle firearms responsibly and that there was no disrespect toward the Robb Elementary dead intended. Others in the crowd Monday condemned the event and its timing.
“Us as parents deserve better than this. I mean, you can’t sit here and try to sell a rifle strikingly similar to the one that killed our children, you know, less than 60 days after they passed away,” said Angel Garza, stepfather of Amerie Jo Garza, who was among those killed.
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For more AP coverage of the Uvalde school shooting: https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting
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This story corrects the location of the council throughout from Uvalde to Hondo. | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/texas-city-scene-of-school-shooting-revokes-gun-show-deal/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 2022-08-02 21:18:06 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/texas-city-scene-of-school-shooting-revokes-gun-show-deal/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
NEW YORK (AP) — To get a sense of Janelle Monáe’s powers of transformation, look no further than her Instagram photos of past Halloweens. Monáe doesn’t just throw something on. When she turns into the White Rabbit from “Alice in Wonderland” or Diva Plavalaguna from “The Fifth Element,” Monáe looks legitimately ready to step onto a movie set.
“I am indeed a self-proclaimed transformer,” Monáe says, smiling. “I love going outside of what I think I know about me.”
Monáe, who grew up in a working-class Baptist family in the Quindaro neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, first remade herself in music as a retro-styled dynamo. Performing in a tuxedo and a vintage pompadour, she fashioned herself as a time-traveling android alter-ego named Cindi Mayweather. Acting was probably inevitable for Monáe, who studied musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy before dedicating herself to music.
“It is that character building that I love,” Monáe said in a recent interview. “I love just getting my body into discovering a new way to talk and to breathe, and, hopefully, being a reflection for other folks. Go outside of who you think you are every day.”
But as much as Monáe has been a natural, full-body entertainer and a red-carpet head-turner – a self-evident movie star — it has sometimes seemed since her two 2016 big-screen debuts in “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight” that Hollywood hasn’t known quite how to fully harness the wide-ranging talents of such a self-propelled, mold-breaking Black female artist.
But in Rian Johnson’s whodunit sequel“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” which debuts Friday on Netflix, Monáe may have found a film to suit her proclivity for shape shifting. In Johnson’s puzzle box of a movie, Monáe’s character is the most mysterious and enigmatic of a colorful ensemble. If “Knives Out” gave Ana de Armas a chance to shine, “Glass Onion” is a revelation of Monáe’s many layers.
“It’s been an incredibly transformative experience for me as an actor,” Monáe says. “I got an opportunity to show range. This character goes from comedy to the deep emotional, heavy-lifting dramatic scenes all the way to action, where I found myself working with a stunt coordinator at five, six in the morning in Greece after eating baclava.”
The less said about exactly how Monáe fits into “Glass Onion,” the better. In Johnson’s film, which had a one-week theatrical run in late November, Edward Norton plays a tech billionaire, Miles Bron, who invites friends to his private Greek island. Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is on hand for a murder mystery that spins out of control and a plot that, in dredging up Bron’s past, skewers a social media mogul not so unlike some of today’s real-world tech tycoons.
“I got an opportunity to honor those women who are the minority in the majority in those spaces, who have their ideas taken from them, who are not given credit for their work, who have to deal with these alligators, deal with these tech bros, deal with these geniuses who in fact haven’t done anything except for cause confusion,” says Monáe.
Monáe is something of a futurist, herself. Earlier this year she published a collection of sci-fi stories titled “The Memory Librarian,” adapted from elements in her 2018 album, “Dirty Computer.” In it, Monáe depicts a future world where human desires are controlled by an organization called New Dawn and the identities of LGBTQ people can be wiped by a drug called Nevermind.
Monáe earlier this year said on “Red Table Talk” that she identifies as non-binary. Her pronouns, she has said, are her/she, they/them and “free-ass motherf—–.” The film industry, especially this time of year when awards are given to actors and actresses, can be more codified in its classifications. Monáe, herself, was named best supporting actress for her performance in “Glass Onion” by the National Board of Review.
The multidimensional characters of “Glass Onion,” Monáe says, has given her more hope that she can find films that authentically connect with her. “I just want to tip my hat off to those writers and directors who are thinking about dynamism when they’re writing these characters,” she says. That includes Johnson, who she’s been a fan of since seeing his 2012 science-fiction film “Looper.” Says Monáe: “I was like: Who is this guy who likes time travel as much as me?”
Johnson, for his part, felt he was working with “a true artist.”
“It’s not like she has a tremendous artifice to her, but I’ve never met her where she doesn’t look better than I will ever look in my life,” he says, laughing. “She’s an entertainer but she’s also an artist. It’s not a facade that she just puts on for attention. All the stuff that she does comes from a place that’s really close to her heart.”
Through her Paisley Park-like creative hub Wondaland in Atlanta, Monáe is trying, she says, to “tell radical, rebellious, smart stories.” With A24, she’s developing a TV series on Josephine Baker, the French dancer and WWII resistance fighter. She’s eager for more.
“As timeless as I like to think I am, time waits for nobody,” Monáe says.
But regardless of future roles, for Monáe metamorphosis is more of a habit. On a weekend during shooting, Johnson sent out hand-written invitations to the cast to gather for their own murder mystery. Monáe arrived decked out as Sherlock Holmes, complete with top hat, beard, mustache, cane and cape. Or as Monáe says, “Ready to play.”
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/ap-janelle-mon%C3%A1e-the-not-so-secret-weapon-of-glass-onion/ | 2022-12-20 17:45:01 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/ap-janelle-mon%C3%A1e-the-not-so-secret-weapon-of-glass-onion/ |
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — Two Cuban migrants used a motorized hang glider to fly the approximately 90 miles (145 kilometers) from the communist island to Key West on Saturday, Florida officials said.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said the duo landed safely at Key West International Airport at about 10:30 a.m. and were turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Border Patrol officials in South Florida did not answer a phone call Saturday seeking comment.
Overwhelmed by Cubans and other migrants arriving at the Mexican border and into Florida by boat, the Biden administration in early January implemented a policy change that makes them request a permit, or parole, online before arriving with the sponsorship of a relative or acquaintance in the U.S.
Those who arrive without doing that risk deportation. | https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/2-cuban-migrants-fly-into-florida-on-motorized-hang-glider/ | 2023-03-26 15:36:32 | 1 | https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/2-cuban-migrants-fly-into-florida-on-motorized-hang-glider/ |
New report examines the retirement-related risks for women in the workforce
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- More than four in 10 working women (41 percent) expect to retire at age 70 or older or do not plan to retire, according to Emerging from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Women's Health, Money, and Retirement Preparations, a study released today by nonprofit Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies® (TCRS) in collaboration with Transamerica Institute®.
"Women are at even greater risk than men of not achieving a financially secure retirement due to societal headwinds including the persistency of the gender pay gap, time out of the workforce for parenting and caregiving, and less access to employer and government benefits," said Catherine Collinson, CEO and president of Transamerica Institute and TCRS. "Emerging from the pandemic, we must spotlight women's longevity and their retirement insecurities. Now is the time to implement solutions so that all women can retire with dignity."
As part of TCRS' 22nd Annual Retirement Survey, the new study examines the retirement outlook of women workers and includes recommendations for women, employers, and policymakers to improve retirement security. The survey, one of the largest and longest running of its kind, was conducted in late 2021 among employed workers of for-profit companies.
The Financial Fragility of Women Workers
"Women workers have weathered a financial storm amid the pandemic. Many experienced negative employment impacts that could jeopardize both their short-term finances and future retirement," said Collinson. The survey findings illustrate the financial challenges faced by women workers:
- Thirty-seven percent experienced one or more negative impacts to their employment as a result of the pandemic, including reduced work hours (21 percent), reduced salaries (13 percent), furloughs (11 percent), and layoffs (11 percent).
- More than four in 10 women workers are having trouble making ends meet (44 percent), while 57 percent feel they do not have enough income to save for retirement.
- Fifty-eight percent cite paying off some form of debt as a financial priority. Other financial priorities include saving for retirement (50 percent), building emergency savings (38 percent), and just getting by to cover basic living expenses (31 percent).
- Emergency savings are low. Women have only $2,000 (median) in emergency savings. Emergency savings increase with age: Generation Z women have saved $500, Millennials have saved $1,400, Generation X has saved $3,000, and Baby Boomers have saved $7,000 (medians).
- Thirty-eight percent are either currently serving or have served as a caregiver in the past for a relative or friend during their working career (excluding parenting responsibilities). Eighty-four percent of them adjusted their employment situation, including missing days of work (35 percent), reducing hours (25 percent), quitting a job (10 percent), and foregoing a promotion (7 percent).
Women's Risky Retirement Outlook
"Women's current financial challenges often undermine their long-term retirement confidence. Most women also worry about the future of government retirement benefits," Collinson said. Only 21 percent of women workers are "very" confident they will be able to fully retire with a comfortable lifestyle, and only 24 percent "strongly" agree they are building a large enough retirement nest egg. Seventy-six percent are concerned that Social Security will not be there for them when they are ready to retire.
The survey findings further illustrate women's risky retirement outlook:
- Twenty-eight percent of women workers expect to rely on Social Security as their primary source of income in retirement, while 45 percent expect to rely on self-funded savings from 401(k)/403(b)/IRAs and or other savings and investments, and 16 percent expect to rely on income from working.
- Sixty-nine percent are offered a 401(k) or similar plan by their employers, including 75 percent of those working full-time, but only 47 percent who work part-time.
- Almost three in four are saving for retirement (73 percent) through employer-sponsored plans (e.g., 401(k) or similar plans) and/or outside the workplace (e.g., in IRAs, mutual funds, or bank accounts). Among women who are saving, they started saving at age 29 (median).
- Eighty-one percent who plan to work past age 65 or do not plan to retire cite financial reasons for doing so, while almost as many (77 percent) cite healthy aging-related reasons.
- Household retirement savings are alarmingly low. Women workers have saved only $43,000 (estimated median) in all household retirement accounts. Retirement savings increase with age: Generation Z women have saved $26,000, Millennials have saved $29,000, Generation X has saved $51,000, and Baby Boomers have saved $101,000 (estimated medians).
Recommendations for Improving Women's Retirement Security
"Fostering women's financial security requires a collaboration among stakeholders including policymakers, employers, and individuals to tackle deeply rooted issues and modernize our retirement system for current and future generations," said Collinson. Each of these stakeholders could take additional steps, including:
- Policymakers can implement reforms to Social Security and Medicare to ensure their sustainability. Additionally, policymakers can implement further reforms to expand access to workplace retirement plans, increase incentives for employers to offer plans, and facilitate retirement savings among women.
- Employers can ensure gender pay equity. They can expand their retirement, and health and welfare benefits offerings for all employees, including both full-time and part-time workers. They can also offer flexible work arrangements, which can help all employees with work-life balance and potentially enable them to stay in the workforce amid competing demands.
- Women can take greater control over their future by gaining a full understanding of their situation, creating a financial plan, setting goals, factoring financial implications of taking time out of the workforce, and developing a retirement strategy.
"Women's ability to achieve a secure retirement ultimately depends on equitable pay throughout their working years; access to retirement, and health and welfare benefits; and the preservation of safety nets such as Social Security and Medicare," Collinson said. "As we emerge from the pandemic, we have an unprecedented opportunity to bridge gender inequalities during a woman's working years and her retirement."
Emerging From the COVID-19 Pandemic: Women's Health, Money, and Retirement Preparations provides detailed survey findings and comparisons between women and men. It also provides recommendations for workers, employers, and policymakers. Since 2006, TCRS has published research reports and conducted outreach campaigns focused on women as part of its annual retirement survey. To download the report, visit www.transamericainstitute.org. Follow on Twitter @TCRStudies.
About Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies
Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies® (TCRS) is an operating division of Transamerica Institute®, a nonprofit, private foundation. Transamerica Institute is funded by contributions from Transamerica Life Insurance Company and its affiliates and may receive funds from unaffiliated third parties. TCRS and its representatives cannot give ERISA, tax, investment or legal advice. This material is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as ERISA, tax, investment or legal advice. For more information, visit www.transamericainstitute.org and follow TCRS on Twitter at @TCRStudies.
About the 22nd Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey
The 28-minute online survey was conducted within the U.S. by The Harris Poll on behalf of Transamerica Institute and TCRS between October 28 and December 10, 2021 among a nationally representative sample of 5,493 workers in a for-profit company employing one or more employees, including 2,686 women, 2,768 men, and 39 workers who did not identify as either gender. Results were weighted where necessary to align with the population of U.S. residents, referencing Census data for education, age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, household income, education, employment, marital status, and size of household. Weighting also adjusts for attitudinal and behavioral differences between those who are online versus those who are not, those who join online panels versus those who do not, and those who respond to surveys versus those who do not.
Media Contact: Morgan Karbowski
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SOURCE Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/11/17/societal-headwinds-are-undermining-womens-retirement-security/ | 2022-11-17 09:08:27 | 0 | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/11/17/societal-headwinds-are-undermining-womens-retirement-security/ |
HIGH SCHOOL
Decatur Central delivers heart-wrenching defeat to Southport 67-60
Indy Star AI Sports
Indianapolis Star
Olive Oil isn't as slim as the win Decatur Central chalked up in tripping Southport 67-60 during this Indiana boys high school basketball game.
In recent action on January 30, Decatur Central faced off against Avon . For more, click here. Southport took on Franklin on January 28 at Southport High School. For results, click here.
You're reading a news brief powered by ScoreStream, the world leader in fan-driven sports results and conversation. To see more game results from your favorite team, download the ScoreStream app and join over 10 million users nationwide who share the scores of their favorite teams with one another in real-time. | https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2023/02/05/decatur-central-delivers-heart-wrenching-defeat-to-southport-67-60/69874149007/ | 2023-02-05 04:14:57 | 0 | https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2023/02/05/decatur-central-delivers-heart-wrenching-defeat-to-southport-67-60/69874149007/ |
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A group opposing Donald Trump’s endorsement of JD Vance in Ohio’s contentious Republican Senate primary is making the former president the target of a new ad campaign.
The ad from the conservative Club for Growth, which supports former Ohio treasurer Josh Mandel in the race, questions Trump’s decision to endorse Vance, the “Hillbilly Elegy” author who has had to backtrack from previous criticism of the former president. The TV spot from the group’s super PAC features audio of Vance bashing Trump back in 2016.
“Has Trump seen this?” asks a man in a flannel shirt. A woman labels Vance a “fraud” for once denouncing but now embracing Trump. The ad, which first aired Wednesday, also notes Trump’s past endorsement of a man who is now one of his biggest rivals: Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah.
“He’s getting it wrong with JD Vance, too,” the ad says.
The Vance campaign slammed the new ad, saying, “Josh Mandel and his allies have declared war on President Trump and the entire MAGA movement.”
The ad campaign only escalates the fight that has erupted in Ohio’s Republican Senate race over Trump’s highly coveted endorsement, which came just three weeks before the state’s May 3 primary. The candidates competed with one another for months to earn the support of the former president, who remains widely popular among the GOP base.
The night before Trump’s announcement, Vance opponents across the state, including supporters of fellow Republican Senate candidates Jane Timken and Mike Gibbons, mounted a failed last-ditch effort to stop the endorsement from happening.
The $1.7 million ad campaign heightens tensions between Trump and the Club for Growth, a major force in Republican politics that has spent millions to back its chosen candidates in this year’s elections. While the group opposed Trump when he ran for the White House in 2016, it realigned itself after he became president. In the years since, the club’s president, David McIntosh, has become a close confidant and trusted adviser of Trump.
Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s son and a top Vance supporter, has taken particular umbrage to the club’s efforts to defeat Vance.
“The people that are funding Josh Mandel, they spent $10 million in 2016 to fight Donald Trump,” he said at a recent campaign event.
In an interview, McIntosh said the organization continues to support Mandel as Ohio’s best choice for the open Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Rob Portman.
“The ad speaks for itself,” he said. “We think Josh is the best Make America Great candidate and we’re going to continue to support him.”
Just weeks ago, Trump and McIntosh appeared together at a rally in North Carolina for U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, who has the support of both Trump and the Club for Growth in North Carolina’s Republican Senate primary.
Trump invited McIntosh to join him on stage and called him “a very powerful man” and “very good friend of mine.”
“We are undefeated when we work together,” Trump said. “He’s a winner, that’s who it is.”
Before Trump’s endorsement, the group’s super PAC, Club for Growth Action, had spent $4.5 million in Ohio on Mandel’s behalf, mostly to pillory his rivals.
The former president’s endorsement of Vance disappointed many of the state’s Trump loyalists. Some tea party Republicans protested at Trump’s Ohio rally last Saturday, and one conservative group, Ohio Value Voters, urged its members to either boycott the event or boo Vance when he came on stage.
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Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report from New York. | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/trump-becomes-target-of-new-ad-after-ohio-senate-endorsement/ | 2022-04-28 18:45:25 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/trump-becomes-target-of-new-ad-after-ohio-senate-endorsement/ |
Parole granted to last 1976 California school bus hijacker
Published: Aug. 18, 2022 at 8:27 AM EDT|Updated: 8 minutes ago
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The last of three men convicted of hijacking a school bus full of California children for an attempted $5 million ransom in 1976 is being released by the state’s parole board.
Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the board to reconsider paroling 70-year-old Frederick Woods on Tuesday after two commissioners recommended his release in March.
Woods and his two accomplices kidnapped 26 children and their bus driver near Chowchilla.
They buried the children and their bus driver in a moving van east of San Francisco with little ventilation, light, water, food or bathroom supplies.
The victims were able to dig their way out more than a day later.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/08/18/parole-granted-last-1976-california-school-bus-hijacker/ | 2022-08-18 12:36:58 | 1 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/08/18/parole-granted-last-1976-california-school-bus-hijacker/ |
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NEW YORK (AP) — Loudon Wainwright III points out that the first line of the first song on his first album, released when he was 23, is about aging: “In Delaware when I was younger.”
So it's no stretch that the folk singer's first album of new compositions in eight years, “Lifetime Achievement,” is loosely based on turning 75. It's on sale Friday.
The new song “How Old is 75?,” where he sings, “in five years I'll be 80. I'll hear the fat lady,” is one of Wainwright's signature mixes of humor and poignant observation. Three-quarters of a century is a milestone, not just because it's a big number, but because he's now lived longer than his father and mother.
“The aging thing has always been on all of my records,” he said. “But actually, it really applies to me now.”
Over the course of 15 songs, Wainwright sings about pieces of his life scattered in various locales, walking through an old lover's town, imagining himself at the gates of hell and the perspective of a dog caught in the middle of a divorce.
The title cut's narrator realizes that all of life's momentary achievements mean little next to love — either from a partner or audience, depending on your interpretation.
And family. Always family.
Anyone who's listened to the man that Rolling Stone called “the poet laureate of family dysfunction” knows about the competition with his father, his divorces from singers Kate McGarrigle and Suzzy Roche, the damage caused by the distant upbringings of son Rufus and daughter Lucy, both accomplished artists of their own.
Wainwright quips about “a couple of tense Thanksgiving dinners,” but is endlessly drawn to his own life for material, reasoning there will always be listeners who can relate.
“How could I not write about that?” he said. “What's a better topic than that? I could write about imagining what it's like to ride the rails or pick cotton. I'm just writing about what happened to me. That started at the very beginning; I wrote my first song about going to boarding school in Delaware.”
“Lifetime Achievement” is essentially Wainwright and his guitar — or banjo on “How Old is 75?” — with adornments added later. He usually performs alone, so starting alone is the approach that he feels fits best in the studio.
Wainwright “was something like an old man even when he was young, so he takes to the subject of aging with grace and insight,” music critic Stephen Deusner wrote in a review of the album for Uncut.
The singer grew up in the New York City suburbs of Westchester County and now lives on the eastern end of Long Island. He jokes about fitting in an interview along with “maintenance visits” to doctors in a trip to the city.
He can remember specifically what made him want to be a performer. At age 7, he sang a song to his mother and her sister, bathed in their adoration, and knew he wanted that feeling again.
Throughout his career, Wainwright has been able to toggle between humor and seriousness in a way uncommon to most songwriters.
The new “Fam Vac” is laugh-out-loud funny: the narrator wants a vacation from, not with, his family. At the same time, the way he sang of feeling adrift following the death of his mother in 2001's “Homeless” is chilling in its naked emotion.
“I think of myself as a switch-hitter,” he said. “I can do funny, and I can do really down and depressing. I'm goofing on it now, but I can do very serious songs. I decided I can do both and I have done both.”
It can be a tough line to walk. When the novelty song “Dead Skunk” became his first hit in the early 1970s — his only hit, really — that briefly became a trap.
His record company was unenthused when Wainwright suggested his breezy “The Swimming Song” as a new single; they wanted another silly animal song. The last laugh: 50 years later, “The Swimming Song” has more than 17 million plays on Spotify; “Dead Skunk” is at 3.5 million.
Wainwright's 76th birthday is coming up in a few weeks, right when he's heading out on his first post-pandemic tour. He's starting in England, where he generally draws larger audiences than at home.
“I'm so delighted when young people come up to me and say ‘my mom loved your records’ or ‘my grandfather loved your records,’” he said. “And then they say, ‘but I love your records, too.’ That, of course, is the most exciting thing. Then I feel like I'm 22.”
Wainwright never figured he'd be making music this long. While going out on the road is much harder, and Wainwright can see a deadline coming on that part of his career, he expects to write songs as long as inspiration strikes.
“When you start out in show business, or any business ... you have your fantasies about how big it's going to get, how famous you're going to get, how much money you're going to make,” he said. “I had all of those. I hoped that I would make a little more money than I have, but looking back, it's been great. I got to do what I wanted to do.” | https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Wainwright-s-new-music-takes-inspiration-from-17384888.php | 2022-08-19 20:34:54 | 1 | https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Wainwright-s-new-music-takes-inspiration-from-17384888.php |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A man armed with a machete once broke into Stephen Breyer’s vacation home in the Caribbean and took $1,000. Ruth Bader Ginsburg had her purse snatched on a Washington street. David Souter was assaulted by several men while he was jogging.
Supreme Court justices have not been immune to violent crime. But this past week’s late-night incident at Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s suburban Washington home, where authorities said a man armed with a gun and knife threatened to kill the justice, reflects a heightened level of potential danger not just for members of the nation’s highest court, but all judges.
One proposal pending in Congress would provide additional security measures for the justices, and another would offer more privacy and protection for all federal judges.
Round-the-clock security given to the justices after the leak of the draft opinion in a major abortion case may well have averted a tragedy.
But the situation had much in common with other recent incidents that ended with the shooting death of a former judge in Wisconsin last week and the killing in 2020 of the son of a federal judge at their home in New Jersey. Troubled men, harboring a warped desire for vengeance and equipped with guns, turned their threats into action.
“We’re seeing these threats increase in number and intensity. That’s a sign. That’s a signal,” said U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed nearly two years ago in the attack that also wounded her husband.
Kavanaugh’s would-be attacker is Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, California, authorities said in charging him with the attempted murder of a justice. Clad in black, he arrived by taxi outside Kavanaugh’s Maryland home around 1 a.m. Wednesday.
He spotted two U.S. Marshals who were guarding the house and walked in the other direction, calling 911 to say he was having suicidal thoughts and also planned to kill Kavanaugh, according to court documents. Roske said he found the justice’s address on the internet.
When police searched a backpack and suitcase he was carrying, they said they found a Glock 17 pistol, ammunition, a knife, zip ties, duct tape and other items Roske said he was going to use to break into the house. He said he bought the gun to kill Kavanaugh.
Roske told police he was upset by the leaked draft opinion in the abortion case and by the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and believed Kavanaugh would vote to loosen gun control laws, according to documents filed in federal court in Maryland.
Last week, Wisconsin authorities said Douglas Uhde, 56, shot John Roemer, a former county judge, in a targeted attack against a judge who had once sentenced him to prison. Roemer was found zip-tied to a chair. Uhde had shot himself and later died.
In July 2020, lawyer Roy Den Hollander showed up at Judge Salas’ home posing as a FedEx delivery person. Den Hollander fatally shot Salas’ 20-year-old son, Daniel Anderl, and wounded her husband, Mark Anderl. The judge was in another part of the home at the time and was not injured.
Den Hollander, 72, was a men’s rights lawyer with a history of anti-feminist writings. He was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound the day after the ambush, when police said they found a document with information about a dozen female judges from across the country, half of whom are Latina, including Salas.
Authorities believe Den Hollander was also tracking Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Salas said in a televised interview last year, because they found a manila folder with information about Sotomayor when they searched a locker belonging to Den Hollander.
Over the years, Supreme Court justices have called on Congress to provide more money for their security. But at the same time, the justices often shrugged off protection when it was offered. When Justice Antonin Scalia died on a hunting trip in Texas in 2016, for example, he did not have a security detail with him.
In recent years, the court has stepped up security for the justices. The court routinely refuses to discuss protection for the nine justices, but Justice Amy Coney Barrett said earlier this year that she was not prepared for how much more extensive security is now than when she worked for Scalia in the late 1990s.
Sotomayor likes to walk among guests at her public appearances, often joking about the armed officers who are there to protect her. “The guys up here. The big guys with stuff around their waist and things. They’re here to protect you from me,” she said to laughter at an event this year. “They get nervous if you get up unexpectedly. … Please don’t make them nervous.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday that the House would take up a bill with bipartisan support that already has passed the Senate that would expand protection to the members of the justices’ immediate families.
Gabe Roth, of the court reform group Fix the Court, said in his view the justices “need Secret Service-level protection, which has only become more obvious this week. I’ve said it for years.”
A separate bill, named in memory of Salas’ son, would provide more privacy and protections for all federal judges, including scrubbing personal information from the internet, to deal with mounting cyberthreats. The U.S. Marshals Service, which protects about 2,700 federal judges and thousands more prosecutors and court officials, said there were 4,511 threats and inappropriate communications in 2021, compared with 926 such incidents in 2015.
The legislation, also widely supported by lawmakers in both parties, has been blocked by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who wants it to apply to members of Congress as well.
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the bill’s author, said the Kavanaugh incident and Roemer’s death in Wisconsin make plain the need for the legislation. “Our bill is the only existing proposal to protect the personal information of judges and their families,” Menendez said in an email.
A similar bill in the House has not even gotten a hearing.
Meanwhile, the internet has made it much easier to find personal information pertaining to judges, and everyone else.
“We talk a lot about what can be done. How about we stop arming the public with information they are using to kill us? How about we do that?” Salas said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press.
But even before the digital age, judges were sometimes the targets of people who harbored grudges about their treatment in the criminal justice system. In a book, retired Texas Judge Susan P. Baker details 42 judges, including three at the federal level, who were murdered or otherwise met suspicious ends in the 20th century.
In the past 17 years, three close relatives of federal judges have been killed in attacks at the judges’ homes, including Salas’ son. In 2005, U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow returned from work to find her husband and mother shot dead in the basement of her Chicago home. The killer was a homeless electrician who had lost a medical malpractice suit in her courtroom.
U.S. District Judge Roslynn R. Mauskopf, who heads the office responsible for federal courts administration, said the incident at Kavanaugh’s house is just the most recent reminder that “threats against judges are real and they can have and have had dire consequences.” | https://cw33.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/kavanaugh-incident-could-lead-to-more-security-for-judges-these-threats-increase-in-number-and-intensity/ | 2022-06-11 14:53:51 | 1 | https://cw33.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/kavanaugh-incident-could-lead-to-more-security-for-judges-these-threats-increase-in-number-and-intensity/ |
Gov. Chris Sununu will attend a fundraiser in Manchester next month for mayoral candidate and former Republican congressional staffer Jay Ruais, campaign staff confirmed over the weekend.
The fundraiser will be held Monday, June 5, from 5:30-7 p.m. at a private residence in Manchester (address to be provided upon RSVP to the campaign). More information will be released at www.ruaisformayor.com.
Sununu endorsed Ruais just after the former Republican congressional staffer launched his mayoral run in February..
“Manchester needs true leadership with a fresh vision for the city, and the best person to deliver that change is Jay Ruais,” Sununu said in a statement. “Jay not only serves our nation in uniform as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard, but he has also served thousands of citizens through his work in the nonprofit sector focusing on addiction, mental health, and homelessness. Jay’s personal and professional background makes him well qualified to tackle the challenges facing the Queen City.”
“I enthusiastically endorse Jay Ruais for Mayor and urge everyone to actively support and vote for him,” said Sununu.
In announcing his bid for mayor, Ruais — a former congressional staffer to Republican former Mayor Frank Guinta — released a statement promising a “fresh vision” for Manchester.
“This year we have an opportunity to chart our own new course,” Ruais said in a statement. “We need someone who can collaborate, and solve problems, not perpetuate partisan politics. With my personal and professional background, I believe I am that candidate.”
Although municipal elections in Manchester are nonpartisan, the reality is races for major offices — particularly mayor — typically feature candidates backed by the two major parties.
The mayor’s office was occupied by a steady string of Republicans from 2006 to 2018, when current Mayor Joyce Craig defeated current Executive Councilor Ted Gatsas.
Craig announced earlier this month she will not seek a fourth term.
Three other candidates have declared their candidacies for mayor of the state’s largest city — Alderman-at-Large June Trisciani, Ward 2 Alderman Will Stewart, and former state senator and current Ward 1 Alderman Kevin Cavanaugh. | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/sununu-to-attend-ruais-mayoral-campaign-fundraiser-next-month/article_a3ffaf8d-e28a-5e84-93e2-c76498211584.html | 2023-05-14 21:26:12 | 1 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/sununu-to-attend-ruais-mayoral-campaign-fundraiser-next-month/article_a3ffaf8d-e28a-5e84-93e2-c76498211584.html |
CA Marine Warnings and Forecast for Monday, May 1, 2023
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SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY
URGENT - MARINE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service San Diego CA
207 AM PDT Mon May 1 2023
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM
PDT THIS EVENING...
* WHAT...Northwest winds 15 to 20 knots with gusts to 25 knots.
Seas 6 to 8 feet. Strongest winds and highest seas in the
vicinity of San Clemente Island.
* WHERE...Waters from San Mateo Point to the Mexican Border
Extending 30 to 60 nm out including San Clemente Island.
* WHEN...From 10 AM this morning to 9 PM PDT this evening.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions.
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Copyright 2023 AccuWeather | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/weather/article/ca-marine-warning-and-forecast-17999631.php | 2023-05-01 09:37:44 | 1 | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/weather/article/ca-marine-warning-and-forecast-17999631.php |
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s Sursock Museum has reopened to the public, three years after a deadly explosion in Beirut’s port — set off by tons of improperly stored chemicals — reduced many of its treasured paintings and collections to ashes.
The reopening Friday night offered Beirut residents a rare bright spot in a country reeling from a crippling economic crisis that has left around three-quarters of Lebanon’s population of 6 million in poverty.
Originally built as a private villa in 1912 on a hilltop overlooking the city’s Achrafieh neighborhood, the opulent residence integrated Venetian and Ottoman styles. Its owner, famed Lebanese art collector Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock, bequeathed his beloved home to his people, to be turned into a contemporary art museum upon his death in 1952.
The museum housed Lebanese art dating back from the late 1800s, including the work of distinguished painter Georges Corm and Fouad Debbas’ library of 30,000 photographs — one of the largest private photo collections. The photos are from across the Levant, a region encompassing countries along the eastern Mediterranean, from Turkey to Egypt, from 1830 until the 1960s. In 2008, a seven-year project renovated and expanded the museum, relaunching it in 2015.
But the Aug. 4, 2020 blast in Beirut’s port — only about 800 meters (875 yards) away — hit the museum fully front on. Its stained glass windows were shattered, doors were blown out, and almost half the artwork on display was damaged. The explosion ripped through much of Beirut, killing more than 200 people and injuring over 6,000.
The destruction was unprecedented, said museum director Karina El Helou, a level unseen even during Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war. Seventy percent of the building was badly damaged, as were 66 of the 132 art pieces on display, she said. Glass shards tore through Dutch artist Kees Von Dongen’s portrait of Nicolas Sursock.
Two months after the explosion, then-museum director Zeina Arida launched a fundraising campaign, estimating the damages to be around $3 million at the time. The museum eventually raised over $2 million to restore the building and the artwork with support from Italy, France, UNESCO and various private organizations.
The restoration was long and painstaking work. Sursock’s portrait was taken to Paris, along with two other art pieces, and restored there. Experts from Lebanon and abroad flocked to the museum to piece together damaged terracotta sculptures and fix tears and scratches that had marred the paintings. Dust and debris from the explosion were carefully removed to bring back the splendor of many items.
“White powder from the blast that we saw everywhere in Beirut even reached our storage room four stories underground,” El Helou said. She hopes the reopening will boost the morale of many Lebanese amid the country’s economic meltdown — and offer a “safe space” for free expression.
Art is now more important than ever, she added. “In the face of darkness, (artists) fought through art and culture,” she said.
Dozens gathered in Sursock’s large, tree-lined courtyard on Friday evening, serenaded by a choir and a band performing on the entrance stairs for the reopening. The museum, looking almost exactly as it did before the blast, drew sighs of appreciation. Others remembered how much Beirut has withered since then and how scores of artists have left the country.
“I now hope all the friends of the Sursock who may have left Lebanon in recent years at least come back to visit us,” the museum’s chairman, Tarek Mitri, told The Associated Press as he greeted guests.
The Sursock Museum was not the only art space damaged in the port explosion and restored in the years since.
Marfa Projects, a gallery close to one of the port’s entrances, was eventually rebuilt and reopened. Others, like the Saifi Urban Gardens, a family run hostel that over the years has became a vibrant cultural hub with art studios and an exhibition space, were destroyed and closed for good.
Without financial support, many heritage buildings, including Ottoman-era houses built in the 19th century and damaged in the blast, could ultimately be sold to developers. Lebanon’s cash-strapped government has been unable to fund major restoration projects.
Mona Fawaz, professor of urban studies and planning at the American University of Beirut, said the Sursock Museum’s ability to raise funds through its networks and management is a valuable lesson for others.
“I think it’s good to think of it as potentially one of our rare success stories,” Fawaz said.
At Friday’s reopening, visitors could view five new exhibitions of both classical and modern art — a testament to Lebanon’s artistic and cultural history and the perseverance of its people despite the country’s troubled past.
One of the exhibits, titled “Ejecta,” is set up in a darkened room where a video and an audio recording reflect on the port blast. Zad Moultaka, the artist behind the installation, said he hoped it would inspire people to turn their dark thoughts about that day into hope for the future.
“Throughout the days of the civil war, we always found a way to rise up,” he said.
“But my initial feeling after the blast was doubt. I wondered if we will be able to persevere after what happened,” Moultaka added. “It’s important today to take this violence and transform it into something positive.” | https://www.kron4.com/news/world/ap-international/ap-from-ashes-and-debris-iconic-beirut-museum-reopens-3-years-after-massive-damage-from-port-blast/ | 2023-05-27 17:24:52 | 1 | https://www.kron4.com/news/world/ap-international/ap-from-ashes-and-debris-iconic-beirut-museum-reopens-3-years-after-massive-damage-from-port-blast/ |
Varadian will spearhead continued growth in the U.S. and Canada
NEW YORK, Aug. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CoachHub, the leading global talent development platform, is adding to its senior leadership team with the appointment of Kevin Varadian as senior vice president of sales and general manager for North America. Varadian brings nearly two decades of sales acumen and leadership to the role. He will oversee the strategy and operations of the company in North America while leading a dedicated sales team focused on continuing the fast-growing company's global expansion following CoachHub's $200 million Series C financing round announced in June.
Prior to joining CoachHub, Varadian held senior positions at LinkedIn and WeWork, where he focused on organizational growth. He helped WeWork achieve 10x in revenue growth to reach $1B+ and most recently scaled mortgage startup Tomo through sales and acquisition as the company's SVP of sales.
"Already the global category leader, CoachHub is continuing to innovate and evolve. As part of this growth, we are investing in international expansion with a strategic priority on North America — our fastest-growing market," said Yannis Niebelschuetz, founder and CEO of CoachHub. "Kevin will act as a driving force behind this next stage of accelerated growth, and I am confident that his extensive leadership and sales expertise will further solidify CoachHub as the world's leading enterprise coaching provider."
Along with overseeing the North American sales function, Varadian will lead talent acquisition and employee growth, unifying the North American organization with global operations and continuing to grow brand awareness in this region.
"CoachHub is a proven disruptor in a legacy industry and has showcased significant product-market fit," said Varadian. "I am thrilled to join CoachHub's robust leadership team and help this fast-growing company realize even greater success in its mission to democratize coaching."
Varadian's hire comes hot on the heels of other growth milestones including the rollout of the Digital Coaching Institute and the start of CoachHub's five-year partnership with EMCC Global to promote international accreditation and ethical standards in the coaching industry.
For more information about CoachHub, please visit www.coachhub.com.
About CoachHub
CoachHub is the leading global talent development platform that enables organizations to create personalized, measurable and scalable coaching programs for the entire workforce, regardless of department and seniority level. By doing so, organizations are able to reap a multitude of benefits, including increased employee engagement, higher levels of productivity, improved job performance and increased retention. CoachHub's global pool of coaches comprises over 3,500 certified business coaches in 90 countries across six continents with coaching sessions available in over 60 languages, to serve more than 500 clients. Our programs are based on advanced R&D from our Coaching Lab, led by Prof. Jonathan Passmore and our Scientific Board. CoachHub is backed by leading tech investors, including Sofina, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Molten Ventures, Speedinvest, HV Capital, Partech and Silicon Valley Bank/SVB Capital.
CONTACT:
Alyssa Rinehart
BLASTmedia for CoachHub
coachhub@blastmedia.com
+1 317.806.1900
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SOURCE CoachHub | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/03/coachhub-names-kevin-varadian-general-manager-svp-sales-north-america/ | 2022-08-03 14:33:41 | 0 | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/03/coachhub-names-kevin-varadian-general-manager-svp-sales-north-america/ |
NEW YORK, Aug. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc. (NYSE American: BRG) (the "Company") and Blackstone Real Estate ("Blackstone") today announced that the completion of the proposed acquisition of the Company by Blackstone (the "Acquisition"), and the proposed spin-off of the Company's single-family rental business to its shareholders (the "Spin-Off"), is expected to occur on or about October 6, 2022. The completion of the Acquisition remains subject to the consummation of the Spin-Off, as well as the satisfaction or waiver of the other closing conditions in the merger agreement.
About Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc.
Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc. (NYSE American: BRG) is a real estate investment trust that focuses on developing and acquiring a diversified portfolio of institutional-quality highly amenitized live/work/play apartment communities in demographically attractive knowledge economy growth markets to appeal to the renter by choice. The Company's objective is to generate value through off-market/relationship-based transactions and, at the asset level, through value-add improvements to properties and to operations. The Company has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (REIT) for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
About Blackstone Real Estate
Blackstone is a global leader in real estate investing. Blackstone's real estate business was founded in 1991 and has US $320 billion of investor capital under management. Blackstone is the largest owner of commercial real estate globally, owning and operating assets across every major geography and sector, including logistics, residential, office, hospitality and retail. Our opportunistic funds seek to acquire undermanaged, well-located assets across the world. Blackstone's Core+ business invests in substantially stabilized real estate assets globally, through both institutional strategies and strategies tailored for income-focused individual investors including Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (BREIT), a U.S. non-listed REIT, and Blackstone's European yield-oriented strategy. Blackstone Real Estate also operates one of the leading global real estate debt businesses, providing comprehensive financing solutions across the capital structure and risk spectrum, including management of Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE: BXMT).
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of federal and state securities laws and may be identified by words such as "will," "expect," "believe," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "goal," "future," "outlook," "guidance," "target," "estimate" and similar words or expressions, including the negative version of such words and expressions. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's present expectations, estimates and projections about the industry and markets in which the Company operates and beliefs of and assumptions made by Company management, involve uncertainty that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and are not guaranteed to occur. Furthermore, the Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, data or methods, future events or other changes. Investors should not place undue reliance upon these forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, the Company's actual results and performance could differ materially from those set forth in these forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Factors that could have a material adverse effect on our operations, future prospects, the Acquisition and the Spin-Off include, but are not limited to: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement between the Company and affiliates of Blackstone; the failure to satisfy any of the conditions to the completion of the Acquisition or the Spin-Off; the risks that the market does not value Bluerock Homes Trust, Inc. ("BHM") shares at net asset value; the failure to recognize the potential benefits of the Spin-Off due to, among other reasons, BHM's lack of liquidity, small market size or inability to grow and expand revenues and earnings following the Spin-Off; shareholder litigation in connection with the Acquisition or the Spin-Off, which may affect the timing or occurrence of the Acquisition or the Spin-Off or result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; the effect of the announcement of the Acquisition and the Spin-Off on the ability of the Company to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its tenants, vendors and others with whom it does business, or on its operating results and businesses generally; risks associated with the disruption of management's attention from ongoing business operations due to the Acquisition and the Spin-Off; the ability to meet expectations regarding the timing and completion of the Acquisition and the Spin-Off; the possibility that any opinions, consents or approvals required in connection with the Spin-Off will not be received or obtained in the expected time frame, on the expected terms or at all; and significant transaction costs, fees, expenses and charges. There can be no assurance that the Acquisition, the Spin-Off or any other transaction described above will in fact be consummated in the expected time frame, on the expected terms or at all. There can be no assurance as to the impact of COVID-19 and other potential future outbreaks of infectious diseases on the Company's or BHM's financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and performance and those of their respective tenants as well as on the economy and real estate and financial markets, which may impact the timing or occurrence of the Acquisition or the Spin-Off. For further discussion of the factors that could affect outcomes, please refer to the risk factors set forth in Item 1A of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by the Company with the SEC on March 11, 2022, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings by the Company with the SEC. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise such statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. The Company claims the safe harbor protection for forward looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
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SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs are set to break the NBA’s single-game attendance record on Friday night when they host the Golden State Warriors.
The Spurs announced Wednesday they have sold 63,592 tickets for the game, which will be played at the Alamodome — their former home in San Antonio. It’s possible that, with standing room tickets, the Spurs could host about 68,000 people.
Either way, they’re assured of breaking a record that stood for nearly 25 years. The biggest crowd at an NBA regular-season game — measured by tickets distributed — is the 62,046 people who gathered to watch Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls meet the Atlanta Hawks at the Georgia Dome on March 27, 1998.
The biggest crowd in league history was 108,713 for the 2010 All-Star Game at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
Excluding that All-Star Game, Friday’s matchup will be only the fourth NBA game with an attendance exceeding 50,000.
Two of those were at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan — the Detroit Pistons drew 52,745 for a game against Philadelphia on Feb. 14, 1987, then had a crowd of 61,983 for a game against Boston on Jan. 29, 1988. That record stood until the game at the Georgia Dome in 1998.
The Alamodome record for an NBA game is 39,554 on June 18, 1999, when New York visited San Antonio for Game 2 of that year’s NBA Finals.
The Spurs announced the record in the franchise’s typical understated fashion: A press release was distributed, saying only “63,592.” They played in the Alamodome from 1993 through 2002, before moving into their current arena.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://cbs4indy.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-spurs-set-to-break-nba-single-game-attendance-record/ | 2023-01-12 20:47:59 | 1 | https://cbs4indy.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-spurs-set-to-break-nba-single-game-attendance-record/ |
Open Facebook or Instagram and you're going to see changes. Social apps that have been primarily defined by the friends and family you choose to connect with are being revamped to feature more posts, especially video, from influencers, celebrities, and random strangers that go viral.
If that sounds familiar, it's no accident. Facebook is racing to keep up with TikTok, the wildly popular upstart redefining how social media works.
"Everyone's eyes are glued to TikTok and the way it works right now," said Michael Sayman, a software engineer who has worked at Facebook, Google and Twitter on efforts to win over teenagers.
The short video app owned by China's ByteDance has surged to one billion users in just a few short years, minting dance trends and absurd challenges and fueling megaviral music hits like Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road," and the revivals of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" and Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill."
Facebook is still by far the world's biggest social network, with almost 3 billion people logging on every month — and even more when you add in Instagram, also owned by Facebook parent Meta.
But under pressure from TikTok's success, the company that has been connecting people to their college classmates, friends, family, and others with shared interests for almost two decades is attempting to pivot to a new era of social media, where artificial intelligence-driven algorithms are increasingly shaping what users see.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described it as a "major shift" from a feed of posts determined by who you follow to one curated by new AI technology that he calls a "discovery engine."
Meta's quarterly earnings are likely to reveal a financial squeeze
Facebook parent Meta is facing existential threats. Its flagship social network lost daily users for the first time ever late last year. Its audience is aging. Younger people who used to flock to Instagram are now on TikTok. Sales growth is slowing and profits have dropped.
Meta plans to give its latest financial report on Wednesday. It's expected to show just how much competition, as well as global economic woes and the ongoing overhang of Apple's privacy changes, are squeezing its ad business.
Zuckerberg has warned about the rise of TikTok for years. He explicitly acknowledged the threat it poses in a call with investors in February, noting that "people have a lot of choices for how they want to spend their time, and apps like TikTok are growing very quickly."
Two years ago, Facebook introduced TikTok-like short videos called Reels, and has been pushing them heavily into users' feeds. In April, Zuckerberg said Reels accounted for a fifth of the time people spent on Instagram. (Many users have noted the Reels they see are often reposted TikTok videos.)
Now the company is going even further: overhauling the Facebook app to look and work more like TikTok's main For You page, which shows whatever the app's algorithm thinks you might like, no matter who made it.
Software engineer Sayman says the company has little choice but to emulate what he calls TikTok's "massive talent show."
"TikTok comes along and it's like, 'Who cares who you follow!'" he said.
Changes spark complaints from celebrity users
Already, Instagram's transformation is sparking backlash.
This week, celebrities Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, who both have huge Instagram followings, reposted a meme on the app demanding, "Make Instagram Instagram again. Stop trying to be TikTok."
Facebook says posts from friends and family are still going to be prominently featured in its apps.
In a new video responding to users' concerns on Tuesday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the company isn't getting rid of what people love.
👋🏼 There’s a lot happening on Instagram right now.
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) July 26, 2022
I wanted to address a few things we’re working on to make Instagram a better experience.
Please let me know what you think 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/x1If5qrCyS
"But we're also gonna need to evolve, because the world is changing quickly, and we're gonna have to change along with it," he said.
Zuckerberg has been clear about his goal. He wants to squeeze as much money as he can from his company's existing apps, so it can build what he sees as the next big platform: the metaverse, where, he hopes, people will interact in virtual reality.
And making money means getting more people to spend more time on Facebook and Instagram, so they can sell more ads.
But not everyone is convinced this pivot will work.
"TikTok's got one fundamental thing that Facebook doesn't have," said Matt Navarra, a social media consultant and analyst. "TikTok is cool. And it's very hard to recreate cool."
Editor's note: Facebook parent Meta pays NPR to license NPR content.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wvasfm.org/business/2022-07-26/facebook-is-making-radical-changes-to-keep-up-with-tiktok | 2022-07-26 21:36:35 | 0 | https://www.wvasfm.org/business/2022-07-26/facebook-is-making-radical-changes-to-keep-up-with-tiktok |
DALLAS, June 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust (NYSE: NXDT) ("NXDT" or the "Company") today announced its regular monthly distribution on its common stock of $0.05 per share. The distribution will be payable on June 30, 2022 to shareholders of record at the close of business June 23, 2022.
About the NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust (NXDT)
The NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust (NYSE: NXDT) is a closed-end fund managed by NexPoint Advisors, L.P. that is in the process of converting to a diversified REIT. On August 28, 2020, shareholders approved the conversion proposal and amended the Company's fundamental investment policies and restrictions to permit the Company to pursue its new business. The Company is realigning its portfolio so that it is no longer an "investment company" under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"). On March 31, 2021, the Company filed an application (the "Deregistration Application") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") for an order under the 1940 Act declaring that the Company is no longer an investment company (the "Deregistration Order"). On September 13, 2021, November 5, 2021, December 2, 2021, and May 19, 2022, the Company filed amendments to the Deregistration Application, which provides additional information regarding the realignment of the Company's portfolio. The Company will continue to be structured as a registered closed-end investment company until it receives the Deregistration Order; however, the Company has repositioned its portfolio sufficient to achieve REIT tax status and has been operating as such since its 2021 taxable year so that it may continue to qualify for taxation as a REIT.
Effective November 8, 2021, NHF changed its name to NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker NXDT.
For more information visit www.nexpoint.com/nexpoint-strategic-opportunities-fund/.
About NexPoint Advisors, L.P.
NexPoint Advisors, L.P. is an SEC-registered adviser on the NexPoint alternative investment platform. It serves as the adviser to a suite of funds and investment vehicles, including a closed-end fund, interval fund, business development company ("BDC"), and various real estate vehicles. For more information visit www.nexpoint.com.
Risks and Disclosures
Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust carefully before investing. This and other information can be found in the Company's prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-866-351-4440 or visiting www.nexpoint.com/nexpoint-strategic-opportunities-fund. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest.
Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount to net asset value. The price of the Company's shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the Company. Therefore, the Company cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below or above net asset value. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
The distribution may include a return of capital. Please refer to the Source of Distribution on the NexPoint Advisors website for Section 19 notices that provide estimated amounts and sources of the Company's distributions, which should not be relied upon for tax reporting purposes.
While NexPoint is committed to the REIT conversion, it is still contingent upon regulatory approval and the ability to reconfigure NXDT's portfolio to attain REIT status and deregister as an investment company. The time required to reconfigure the Company's portfolio could be impacted by, among other things, the COVID-19 pandemic and related market volatility, determinations to preserve capital, the Company's ability to identify and execute on desirable investments, and applicable regulatory, lender and governance requirements. The conversion process could take up to 24 months; and there can be no assurance that conversion of NXDT to REIT status will improve its performance or reduce the discount to NAV. Further, the SEC may determine not to grant the Company's request for the Deregistration Order, which would materially change the Company's plans for its business and investments.
In addition, these actions may adversely affect the Company's financial condition, yield on investment, results of operations, cash flow, per share trading price of its common shares, and ability to satisfy debt service obligations, if any, and to make cash distributions to shareholders. Whether the Company remains a registered investment company or converts to a REIT, its common shares, like an investment in any other public company, are subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of investment. For a discussion of certain other risks relating to the proposed conversion to a REIT, see "Implementation of the Business Change Proposal and Related Risks" in the proxy statement.
No assurance can be given that the Company will achieve its investment objectives.
Please see additional risks and disclosures at www.nexpoint.com/nexpoint/disclosures/closed-end-fund-disclosures/
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SOURCE NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/nexpoint-diversified-real-estate-trust-declares-regular-monthly-distribution/ | 2022-06-02 01:50:03 | 0 | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/nexpoint-diversified-real-estate-trust-declares-regular-monthly-distribution/ |
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KSTU)— A University of Utah student was arrested Wednesday for allegedly threatening to detonate a nuclear reactor if the school's football team lost their game.
Meredith Miller, 21, now faces one count of threat of terrorism, a second-degree felony.
Arresting documents detail that Miller is an engineering student, and allegedly posted on the social media platform YikYak that if the University of Utah did not win their game, she would "detonate the nuclear reactor that is located in the University of Utah causing mass destruction."
Her alleged threat was posted on September 17, the same day that the University of Utah played San Diego State. The Utes won the game.
Documents state that because Miller is an engineering student, she "has knowledge of the nuclear reactor" and knows where the reactor is located.
University of Utah leaders issued a statement Thursday saying the school doesn't take threats lightly.
"Although the student said her statement was meant as a joke, 'we have a zero-tolerance policy for these kinds of threats,'" said Chief Jason Hinojosa in a part.
Leaders also noted that the nuclear reactor housed at the university is secured and alarmed and there are unique protocols for managing a breach of the facility.
This story was originally reported by Melanie Porter on fox13now.com. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/utah-student-accused-of-threatening-to-detonate-nuclear-reactor-if-football-team-lost | 2022-09-22 20:35:24 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/utah-student-accused-of-threatening-to-detonate-nuclear-reactor-if-football-team-lost |
Eric Clapton, a critic of coronavirus vaccines and pandemic restrictions, has tested positive for COVID-19 and canceled two upcoming European gigs.
Clapton's upcoming shows in Zurich on Tuesday and Milan on Wednesday will be rescheduled, he announced on his Facebook page and official online site. The 77-year-old rocker tested positive following his concert at London's Royal Albert Hall on May 8.
“Eric is also anxious to avoid passing on any infection to any of his band, crew, promoters, their staff and of course, the fans,” the statement reads. He hopes to be able to resume the tour starting with two concerts in Bologna on May 20.
“It is very frustrating that having avoided COVID throughout lockdown and throughout the period when travel restrictions have been in place Eric should have succumbed to COVID at this point in time,” the statement reads.
Clapton has expressed skepticism of the COVID-19 vaccine in the past. In 2020, he and Van Morrison released an anti-lockdown song titled “Stand and Deliver” featuring the lyrics: “Do you want to be a free man, or do you want to be a slave?” He also lashed out a year later with the song “This Has Gotta Stop.”
Clapton got both AstraZeneca vaccine shots against the virus but said he had “severe reactions" and feared he'd never play again. The CDC says clinical trials have found the vaccine is safe. | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/eric-clapton-cancels-shows-after-testing-positive-for-covid/FDFT6FAWLNFQBCH5ECFGVI6XOQ/ | 2022-05-18 14:18:27 | 1 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/eric-clapton-cancels-shows-after-testing-positive-for-covid/FDFT6FAWLNFQBCH5ECFGVI6XOQ/ |
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We've placed cookies on your device to improve your browsing experience. They're safe and don't contain sensitive information. | https://tj.news/us-and-world/101886393 | 2022-06-01 19:03:04 | 1 | https://tj.news/us-and-world/101886393 |
INDIANAPOLIS — Prosecutors in Indiana announced they had charged a man in connection to a shooting that left one Dutch soldier dead and two others injured in Indianapolis on Saturday.
The Marion County Prosecutor's Office said on Thursday that they charged 22-year-old Shamar Duncan with murder, two counts of attempted murder, and disorderly conduct for his alleged role in the death of 26-year-old Simmie Poetsema and the injuries of two others.
Today, Prosecutor Mears and @IMPDnews announced Shamar Duncan has been charged for his alleged role in the Aug. 27 shooting that resulted in the death of Simmie Poetsema and injured two others. Duncan faces charges of Murder, two counts of Attempted Murder and Disorderly Conduct. pic.twitter.com/qrmzQ8MKqf
— Marion County Prosecutor’s Office (@MCProsecutors) September 1, 2022
"The initial confrontation did not involve any weapons," Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement. "But unfortunately, after that initial confrontation concluded, an individual made the decision, made the choice to retrieve a weapon. And we are standing here with one person who has lost his life."
According to the Associated Press, an arrest affidavit stated that the Dutch soldiers were in Indiana for training at a military camp and were in Indianapolis enjoying a night off when they got into an altercation with Duncan and his friends.
According to the affidavit, witnesses told police that the soldiers tried to defuse the situation, but a brief fight erupted before someone from a passing pickup truck began shooting, the Associated Press reported.
After the shooting, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren voiced his concern about gun violence in the United States, telling the Associated Press that they "really don’t expect this to happen" and that this was "very, very concerning" for them.
The news outlet reported that a judge ordered Duncan during a court hearing on Thursday to remain jailed without bond.
Deputy Police Chief Kendale Adams told the news outlet that one of the injured soldiers had returned to the Netherlands. The other wounded soldier is expected to return Thursday, Adams said per the Associated Press. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/indiana-man-charged-with-murder-in-fatal-shooting-of-dutch-soldier | 2022-09-01 22:28:31 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/indiana-man-charged-with-murder-in-fatal-shooting-of-dutch-soldier |
STOCKHOLM, July 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second quarter in a row, Truecaller, the leading global platform for verifying contacts and blocking unwanted communications, was one of the world's 20 most downloaded apps according to Sensor Tower's quarterly report "Q2 Store Intelligence Data Digest". According to the report, Truecaller was the fourteenth most downloaded app in Google Play during the second quarter.
Sensor Towers report, which is available here, shows that Truecaller, for the second quarter in a row was one of the world's 20 most downloaded apps globally. During the second quarter, Truecaller was the nineteenth most downloaded app globally and in Google Play, Truecaller was the fourteenth most downloaded app.
"We are, of course, proud to be on the top 20 list of the most downloaded apps in the world for the second quarter in a row. It is a clear sign of how appreciated our product is and what value it adds to our users. As before, we see continued good growth potential with the growth of the number of smartphones in the world and with the growing problem that our product solves ", says Alan Mamedi, co-founder and CEO of Truecaller.
For more information, please contact:
Andreas Frid, Head of IR & Communication
+46 705 290800
andreas.frid@truecaller.com
About Truecaller:
Truecaller (TRUE B) is the leading global platform for verifying contacts and blocking unwanted communication. We enable safe and relevant conversations between people and make it efficient for business to connect with consumers. Fraud and unwanted communication are endemic to digital economies, especially in emerging markets. We are on a mission to build trust in communication. Truecaller is an essential part of everyday communication for more than 310 million active users, with half a billion downloads since launch and around 38 billion unwanted calls identified and blocked in 2021. Headquartered in Stockholm, since 2009, we are a co-founder led, entrepreneurial company, with a highly experienced management team. Truecaller is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since 8 October 2021. For more information, please visit corporate.truecaller.com
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
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SOURCE Truecaller AB | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/19/truecaller-was-one-20-most-downloaded-apps-during-second-quarter/ | 2022-07-19 07:43:33 | 1 | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/19/truecaller-was-one-20-most-downloaded-apps-during-second-quarter/ |
The Texas Secretary of State's Office has told the state’s most populous county that it will send inspectors there to observe vote counting during the November election.
In a letter Tuesday, the director of the secretary of state’s forensic audit division, Chad Ennis, told the elections administrator in Harris County, Clifford Tatum, that an audit of the county had found “serious breaches of proper elections records management” in the handling of mobile ballot boxes in the 2020 general election.
Harris County is home to Houston and leans Democratic. The letter came less than a week before the start of early voting in the state.
Ennis said preliminary findings in the secretary of state’s audit include “at least 14 locations where chain-of-custody documentation is lacking at best and missing at worst.”
In light of those findings, Ennis wrote that the secretary of state’s office will provide “a contingent of inspectors” to the county to “perform randomized checks on election records” and “observe the handling and counting of ballots and electronic media.” | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/politics/texas-secretary-of-state-to-send-inspectors-to-observe-vote-counting-in-harris-county/3397953/ | 2022-10-20 20:19:22 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/politics/texas-secretary-of-state-to-send-inspectors-to-observe-vote-counting-in-harris-county/3397953/ |
Jones Walker LLP Releases Results of Third Cybersecurity Survey
NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jones Walker LLP today publicly released the findings of its 2022 Ports and Terminals Cybersecurity Survey, examining cybersecurity preparedness in US-based ports and terminals. The report outlining the results of the survey is authored by four of the firm's attorneys and the findings will be presented by two of them, Jim Kearns and Andy Lee, during the Inland Rivers, Ports & Terminals (IRPT) conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma at 2:30 pm Central Daylight Time today.
Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8963751-jones-walker-2022-ports-and-terminals-cybersecurity-survey/
"The Jones Walker team brilliantly highlights how the ever-changing cybersecurity world is affecting marine ports and terminals."
– HEATHER HUGHES, VP Engagement Management, Stroz Friedberg, LLC, an Aon Company
The economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Eastern Europe and other geopolitical events, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, rising inflation, and rapidly escalating energy prices have brought increased focus on this key industry. The results of the 2022 survey reflect the responses of 125 senior executives of blue- and brown-water ports and terminals across the United States and confirm that cybersecurity is a growing concern for owners and operators of ports and maritime terminals.
This survey is the national law firm's third on the topic of cybersecurity for infrastructure-related industries. In 2018, the firm's first survey focused on the greater maritime industry. The second survey, in 2020, focused on the midstream oil and gas sector, another critical infrastructure industry.
"Without question, protecting the marine transportation system from cyber threats is a shared responsibility requiring both government and industry participation." – CAPT ANDY MEYERS, U.S. Coast Guard, Chief of the Office of Port and Facility Compliance
View more comments from Ports and Terminals and Cybersecurity Industry Insiders
Key findings of the Jones Walker Ports and Terminals Cybersecurity Survey, include:
- Confidence Is High in a Threat Rich Environment.
Despite 90% of port and terminal respondents reporting preparedness, 74% of respondents indicated that their systems or data had been the target of an attempted or successful breach within the past year. - Take a Clear-Eyed View of Potential Threats.
Fear of ransomware appears to be outpacing actual ransomware events. Although 45% of survey respondents named ransomware as the biggest perceived threat, only 20% of respondents whose organizations had been victimized by a cyber attack cited ransomware as the primary attack vector. For actual cyber attacks, survey participants primarily directed blame at solo hackers and organized criminal groups as the top threat actors facing the ports and terminals sector, with nation-state affiliated groups as a close third. - Make a Plan, Test the Plan, Update the Plan.
Although 73% of respondents reported having a written Incident Response Plan (IRP), only 21% noted that their IRP had been updated within the past year. Similarly, 50% of respondents said that their facility conducted IRP tabletop exercises irregularly or not at all. - People and Communication are Key.
When asked about the frequency of cybersecurity training, the annual industry standard was met by only 57% of the blue-water respondents, and by only 25% of the brown-water respondents.
At its core, cybersecurity is a human challenge and leaders in this sector have a strong commitment to protecting this essential element of our nation's maritime transportation infrastructure. Law enforcement and other government agencies, industry associations, and other public and private entities offer tools — many of them at little to no cost — to guard against, prepare for, and recover from cyber-attacks from any source.
The 2022 Ports and Terminals Cybersecurity Survey is available for download on the Jones Walker website
Analysis and Commentary from the Jones Walker LLP authors:
Andy Lee, partner and head of Jones Walker's Privacy & Data Security team:
"The need for cybersecurity at the nation's ports and maritime terminals is more pressing than ever. This industry is critical to the country's economic health and is an enticing target for threat actors seeking to disrupt critical infrastructure."
Ford Wogan, partner in Jones Walker's Maritime Practice Group:
"What's most surprising is that, despite 90% of respondents reporting they're prepared to withstand cybersecurity threats in 2022, this year's survey uncovered a significant increase from 2018 in terms of reported cyber-attacks amongst maritime industry stakeholders – from 43% in 2018 to 74% in 2022."
Jim Kearns, special counsel in Jones Walker's Maritime Practice Group:
"It is concerning to learn that 27%, or more than one-fourth, of all blue-water and brown-water facilities reported that they do not yet address cybersecurity in their facility security plans. For ports and terminals to be cyber secure – not just 'cyber-aware' -- it's critical that they have up-to-date plans, train their people, and communicate effectively both internally and with others in their industry."
Ilsa Luther, associate in Jones Walker's Maritime Practice Group:
"A lot of resources and attention are focused on ransomware as one of the primary cyber threats. However, we uncovered that only 20% of respondents whose organizations had been victimized by a cyber-attack reported that ransomware was the primary attack vector."
About Jones Walker
Jones Walker LLP (joneswalker.com) is among the largest 135 law firms in the United States. With offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, and Texas, we serve local, regional, national, and international business interests. The firm is committed to providing a comprehensive range of legal services to major multinational public and private corporations, Fortune® 500 companies, money center banks, worldwide insurers, and emerging companies doing business in the United States and abroad.
The firm's Maritime Practice Group provides cross-spectrum transactional, regulatory, and dispute-resolution counsel to clients across the industry spectrum, from traditional blue water, offshore, and inland markets. The team represent ports and terminal clients, as well as vessel owners, cargo interests, and shippers engaged in domestic and international shipping and offshore drilling, transport, production activities, and onshore and port-related activities. With one of the largest groups of maritime-focused attorneys in the United States, the team is nationally ranked and recognized in marine finance, litigation, and regulatory as a leading law firm by national and international publications such as Chambers USA and The Legal 500 United States.
The firm's Privacy & Data Security team is committed to helping companies become cyber-ready and to identify, prevent, and respond to the full spectrum of data-breach and privacy risks. The team works with clients to develop and audit data security policies and provides guidance to help clients achieve or enhance their cyber resilience, as well as in cyber breach recovery and remediation. The team has published three national cybersecurity surveys examining the nation's critical infrastructure's cyber resilience.
**The Jones Walker sources quoted in this news release are available for interviews and private briefings. Please follow a discussion about our 2022 Ports and Terminals Cybersecurity Survey on Twitter: #JonesWalkerCyberSurvey and #PortCyberSurvey.
Contact:
Savannah Kirk
225.248.3435
skirk@joneswalker.com
Mary Margaret Gorman
504.473.333
mmgorman@joneswalker.com
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SOURCE Jones Walker LLP | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/10/04/us-ports-terminals-sustain-increased-cybersecurity-attacks/ | 2022-10-04 16:16:22 | 1 | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/10/04/us-ports-terminals-sustain-increased-cybersecurity-attacks/ |
WHL
All Times Local
Western Conference
B.C. Division
U.S. Division
Eastern Conference
East Division
Central Division
Note: Two points for a team winning in overtime or shootout; the team losing in overtime or shootout receives one which is registered in the OTL or SOL columns.
Friday's results
Red Deer at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Regina, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Portland at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Seattle at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday's games
Winnipeg at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Saskatoon, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Prince George, 6 p.m.
Regina at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Victoria, 6:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Everett, 6:05 p.m.
Portland at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday's games
Winnipeg at Prince Albert, 7 p.m. | https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/HKO-WHL-Standings-17463595.php | 2022-09-24 03:58:08 | 1 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/HKO-WHL-Standings-17463595.php |
WARREN, Mich. (AP) — A boy grabbed the steering wheel on a school bus and hit the brakes, bringing the vehicle to a safe stop on a busy Detroit-area road after the driver had passed out, authorities said.
“Someone call 911. Now!" seventh-grader Dillon Reeves shouted to dozens of other middle-school kids on the bus Wednesday.
Dillon was hailed as a hero: He stopped the bus as it was veering toward oncoming traffic.
“In my 35-plus years of education, this was an extraordinary act of courage and maturity on his part,” said Robert Livernois, superintendent of Warren Consolidated Schools.
The incident was recorded on a video camera just above the driver. The video shows the driver fanning herself with a baseball cap and informing the transportation office that she needs to pull over.
Seconds later, Dillon jumped into action, hitting the brake pedal and clutching the steering wheel.
“I don't know that it could have gone any better,” Livernois said, noting that adults helped kids out the back door. “When you have an anchor like Dillon taking care of business on the bus, it really and truly was a good day for us.”
Dillon declined to speak to reporters Thursday, but his parents, Steve and Ireta Reeves, were proud.
“We've got a little hero,” Dillon's dad said. “He's been on my lap driving country roads, pulling into driveways since about 4 years old. ... He's a good driver.” | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/little-hero-boy-stops-michigan-school-bus-with-ill-driver/IYIP3ZJV5VFZXN6SHIH2BJ3JYM/ | 2023-04-27 22:51:48 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/little-hero-boy-stops-michigan-school-bus-with-ill-driver/IYIP3ZJV5VFZXN6SHIH2BJ3JYM/ |
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LA CHAPELLE-SAINT-MESMIN, France (AP) — For the glassmakers at iconic French tableware brand Duralex, the mornings have become a horror show. Daily updates from energy traders drop into their email inboxes, showing the asphyxiating upward climb of prices for the natural gas and electricity that power their energy-devouring business.
Before Europe's energy crisis — which took off after the COVID-19 pandemic and became a full-blown economic threat with Russia's war in Ukraine — the price charts were reassuringly stable. They have since become a terrifying succession of peaks and troughs, with Russia choking off cheap natural gas deliveries in a battle of wills with European leaders over their support for Ukraine.
For Duralex, each price spike represents another bite from the bottom line of the 77-year-old company that counts generations of French families, Mongolian yak herders, Afghan diners and African tea drinkers among worldwide users of its glasses, bowls and plates. Actor Daniel Craig drank from one its “Picardie” tumblers, with a scorpion on his wrist, when playing James Bond in “Skyfall.”
With energy costs burning through the firm's cash reserves and viability, Duralex President José-Luis Llacuna is taking radical but, he hopes, business-saving action: He's stopping production. The thunderous machines that turn incandescent blobs of molten glass into hundreds of thousands of tableware items each day will fall silent for a few months on Nov. 1.
Duralex will join a growing array of European firms that have reduced and halted production because they're hemorrhaging money on the energy needed to keep running.
“The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is look at the daily change in electricity and gas prices,” Llacuna said in an interview at the plant outside Orléans in central France.
“Needless to say, there’s an incredible amount of volatility," he added. "It's truly a rollercoaster, and the outlook for the future is a complete unknown.”
Facing the risks of power shortages, rationing and blackouts when demand surges this winter and of an expected recession as businesses shut down, Europe is scrambling for energy alternatives, stockpiling gas and urging consumers to save. European Union energy ministers struggled to find consensus at emergency talks Friday on the bloc's latest proposals for alleviating the crisis.
At Duralex, the costs of heating the furnace to above 1,400 degrees Celsius (above 2,500 Fahrenheit) with roaring torrents of flaming gas and of transforming the molten glass into tableware on the production lines manned by sweating workers are set to burn through 40% of the company's revenue if it keeps producing, “which is untenable,” Llacuna said.
The production shutdown will last at least four months. The glass furnace can’t be switched off entirely because that could destroy it. Instead, it will be maintained in a hot slumber, slashing the firm’s energy use by half. The aim is to then fire it back up by the spring.
In the meantime, the 250 employees will work fewer days, with drops in pay just as inflation is gnawing at household budgets.
“It's very hard to stomach,” said Michel Carvalho, a production line crew chief who has been with the company for 17 years.
“Around the world, everyone is suffering from this war,” he said. “We're hostages. Absolutely. We're being used. Because being asked to stop work is hard. And we're not responsible for what is happening.”
Duralex will fall back on its stockpiles to keep customers supplied during the stoppage. But competitors are circling, using the production halt as an argument to try to lure away the company's customers, Llacuna said. He is knocking on government doors for financial help, speaking by phone to the French economy minister last week.
A prolonged energy crisis, Llacuna warned, could be grim.
“It must not last three years," he said. "Because then European industry will die, and that will be dramatic.”
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.mrt.com/living/article/Shaken-and-stirred-Ukraine-war-hits-James-Bond-s-17429425.php | 2022-09-09 16:04:23 | 1 | https://www.mrt.com/living/article/Shaken-and-stirred-Ukraine-war-hits-James-Bond-s-17429425.php |
NEW YORK, July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner of the class action firm Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Rubicon Technology, Inc. (RBCN), relating to its proposed acquisition by Janel Corp. Under the terms of the tender offer, RBCN shareholders are expected to receive $20.00 in cash per share they own. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/rubicon-technology-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.
We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2021 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, in 2019 we recovered or secured six cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases.
If you own common stock in RBCN and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.
Contact:
Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.
MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC
The Empire State Building
350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405
New York, NY 10118
United States of America
jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com
Tel: (212) 971-1341
Attorney Advertising. (C) 2022 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
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SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/07/29/equity-alert-mampa-class-action-firm-announces-investigation-rubicon-technology-inc-rbcn/ | 2022-07-29 02:48:24 | 1 | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/07/29/equity-alert-mampa-class-action-firm-announces-investigation-rubicon-technology-inc-rbcn/ |
Which dinosaur toy is best?
Though there are exceptions to every rule, it is probably safe to say that every kid eventually goes through a dinosaur phase. There’s just something about giant creatures roaming and ruling the prehistoric earth that captures a child’s imagination, and that makes dinosaur toys ideal for most children.
Finding the best dinosaur toy, however, depends on your child. Some like their dinosaurs large and menacing while others prefer them to be cute and cuddly. The Advanced Play Dinosaur Trex Toy is the best of both worlds. This remote-controlled toy can shake its head, roar and spray steam, but it can also play music that your kids may think is silly.
What to know before you buy a dinosaur toy
Scary vs. cute
Dinosaurs are large fearsome creatures. For many kids, that’s what they love about them. They want the toys with claws and scales and fangs and angry eyes. However, that can be a little too much for other kids. For them, something soft and cuddly with large, cartoon eyes and a big smile is a much better option. The most important decision you must make when searching for a dinosaur toy for your child is knowing whether they prefer scary or cute.
Types
Dinosaurs are so popular with kids that you can get almost anything with a dinosaur theme. To narrow down your selection, it can be helpful to think in broad terms. While the buying guide for dinosaur toys from BestReviews can give you more detailed information on this topic, here are a few different types to consider.
- Arts & crafts: If your child likes coloring, painting or is artistic in any way, a dinosaur toy that involves crafting is the way to go.
- Educational: For the kids who want to do more than just play, an educational toy can help quench that thirst for knowledge.
- Building toys: If your child likes to build, a dinosaur model or a LEGO set is a good choice for them.
- Figures and plushies: Kids with active imaginations do not need much. A plastic figure or a plush toy is all they need to let their mind bring the toy to life.
- Battery-powered toys: Some kids love a toy that either reacts to them or they can control. If this is the case for your child, you might want to explore a battery-powered dinosaur toy.
What to look for in a quality dinosaur toy
Age range
Some dinosaur toys have small pieces that would create a choking hazard for younger children. Others may be complicated to assemble, which makes them best for older kids. Before purchasing a dinosaur toy, check the manufacturer’s recommended age to make sure it is appropriate for your child.
Scientifically accurate
Kids know their animals. If realism is important to your child, you will want a scientifically accurate dinosaur toy.
Size
When considering dinosaur figures, you can get sets in any size. Some may just be a few inches tall while others might be as tall as your kid. Larger isn’t always better – stick to something manageable for your child.
Licensed toys
There are plenty of generic dinosaur toys available. However, if your child has watched “Jurassic World” or “Barney,” they might be happier with a dinosaur that they recognize. Licensed toys may cost a little more.
How much you can expect to spend on a dinosaur toy
Dinosaur toys range in price from just a few dollars for small plastic figures to $50 or more for battery-powered creatures that can be remotely controlled.
Dinosaur toy FAQ
How scientifically accurate are dinosaur toys?
A. Scientists are fairly certain that some dinosaurs had feathers, but it might be hard to find a fearsome tyrannosaurus toy that has feathers instead of scales. Alternatively, there are fairly complete fossils that reveal some dinosaurs likely had no feathers at all.
Is there a type of dinosaur that is most popular for toys?
A. If you think your child will like playing with dinosaurs, but you aren’t sure which type of dinosaur to get, you can’t go wrong with a T-Rex. Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs are prominently featured in a variety of licensed products, from Rex in Toy Story to Chomper in The Land Before Time. You can also find T-Rex dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and from other brands or franchises that are less cartoony.
What’s the best dinosaur toy to buy?
Top dinosaur toy
Advanced Play Dinosaur Trex Toy
What you need to know: This battery-powered dinosaur has a remote control that allows the toy to perform a number of fun and engaging actions.
What you’ll love: This dinosaur can walk, move its arms, shake its head, roar, open its mouth and spray steam. Additionally, it plays music and its eyes light up. The toy is 23 inches tall and is made with nontoxic ABS material that is safe and durable.
What you should consider: Kids may love the musical effects more than adults.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top dinosaur toy for the money
Boley 5 Piece Jumbo Dinosaur Set
What you need to know: This set of five realistic jumbo dinosaur figures includes a T. rex, a giganotosaurus, a triceratops, a brachiosaurus and a spinosaurus.
What you’ll love: The dinosaurs in this playset are larger than the average dinosaur toys and comply with safety regulations set by a number of organizations such as ASTM, Sedex, ICTI Care and more. Parents like that the dinosaurs are soft and slightly pliable while also being durable.
What you should consider: Not all of the dinosaurs in this set can stand on their own.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Prextex Dinosaur Volcano House
What you need to know: This set is for the younger child who likes their dinosaurs soft and fuzzy.
What you’ll love: This cleverly designed plush playset includes a volcano that doubles as a carrying case with a built-in handle. At roughly 6 inches tall, each dinosaur is suitably sized for small hands.
What you should consider: Rarely, a set slips through quality control that has duplicate dinosaurs.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Allen Foster writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.krqe.com/reviews/br/toys-games-br/pretend-play-br/best-dinosaur-toy/ | 2022-06-27 04:05:02 | 1 | https://www.krqe.com/reviews/br/toys-games-br/pretend-play-br/best-dinosaur-toy/ |
Navy vessels were off the coast of South Carolina on Monday to recover pieces of the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon shot down this past weekend, though rough waters initially complicated the effort, according to the head of U.S. Northern Command.
A Navy dock landing ship, the USS Carter Hall, is in the vicinity of where the balloon splashed down after President Biden on Saturday ordered the U.S. military to shoot down the aerial object that had spent days floating over the country, Gen. Glen VanHerck told reporters.
The ship is currently collecting and categorizing debris while an oceanographic survey ship, USNS Pathfinder, is mapping out the balloon’s debris field, predicted at about 1,500 meters by 1,500 meters, or “more than 15 football fields by 15 football fields,” he said.
As the military is worried that material on the balloon could contain explosives or be hazardous, an explosive ordnance disposal team was on-site Monday morning. The forces deployed unmanned underwater vehicles with side-scan sonar to further locate sunken debris, VanHerck noted.
FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents are also working with U.S. forces on the salvage operations, though VanHerck couldn’t say where the debris is going to go for a final analysis.
He added that rough seas on Sunday curtailed some recovery operations such as underwater surveillance and said some debris may float to shore due to ocean currents. Should that happen, he asked the public to avoid contact with any debris and to contact local law enforcement if they find it.
Earlier on Monday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that recovering the balloon will take time but that “we can then exploit what we recover and learn even more than we have learned.”
The salvage operation concludes a bizarre series of days in which the suspected Chinese balloon floated through U.S. airspace. At some points, it was visible to those on the ground, and it was first spotted over Montana. Defense officials said it was a clear effort to spy on sensitive sites, though officials held off on shooting it down until it was over water due to fears falling debris could harm civilians.
President Biden has since faced intense criticism from Republicans, who said he acted too slowly to shoot down the balloon. News has also emerged of previous cases of Chinese surveillance balloons crossing over the U.S. at least three times during the Trump administration.
VanHerck acknowledged that a “domain awareness gap” led to U.S. officials being unaware of the several previous surveillance balloons that flew over the country at that time.
In this case, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which VanHerck also oversees, first detected the balloon north of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.
The U.S. military did not shoot it down then, as “it wasn’t time.”
“It was my assessment that this balloon did not present a physical military threat to North America … and therefore, I could not take immediate action because it was not demonstrating hostile act or hostile intent,” he said.
NORAD kept U.S. and Canadian officials in the loop on the balloon’s location as it floated farther south and inland, with the militaries collecting information on the object before shooting it down.
He described the balloon as up to 200 feet tall and carrying a device that was roughly the size of a regional jet that likely weighed about 1,000 pounds. That payload made shooting down the balloon complicated, he said.
“From a safety standpoint, picture yourself with large debris weighing hundreds if not thousands of pounds falling out of the sky,” he explained.
Before downing the balloon, the Pentagon worked with NASA to assess what a debris field might look like, with the agency predicting six or seven miles of wreckage. Officials also ensured that there was no air traffic nearby at the time of the operation. | https://cw33.com/hill-politics/rough-seas-complicate-us-efforts-to-recover-suspected-china-spy-balloon/ | 2023-02-07 00:32:05 | 0 | https://cw33.com/hill-politics/rough-seas-complicate-us-efforts-to-recover-suspected-china-spy-balloon/ |
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – In 1999, a pregnant victim of a fatal stabbing attack gave birth to her daughter during emergency surgery. Twenty years later, her daughter died. Now, officials have ruled her death a homicide as well.
In 1999, Danielle Scott was eight months pregnant when police say she was stabbed in Oklahoma City.
“The victim from that incident was taken to an area hospital where sadly, she died,” said Sgt. Dillon Quirk, with the Oklahoma City Police Department. “Simultaneously, doctors had performed a cesarean section.”
That’s when baby Kasiah Scott was born. She suffered life-long medical problems and lived at Bethany Children’s Health Center for 20 years.
Sadly, she died there on Nov. 23, 2019.
It wasn’t until this summer, over two years later, that the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide due to birth complications from when her mother was stabbed.
Quirk said the department’s investigators have taken over and will present the case to the district attorney’s office.
James Patrick Lesley and Ricardo Virgo Blonner, convicted of Danielle Scott’s murder in 1999, are currently in prison but could face new charges related to Kasiah’s death. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/national-news/23-years-after-pregnant-woman-fatally-stabbed-daughters-death-ruled-a-homicide/ | 2022-09-14 05:15:52 | 1 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/national-news/23-years-after-pregnant-woman-fatally-stabbed-daughters-death-ruled-a-homicide/ |
An aftershock took more lives Friday and threatened to pile even more misery on an area of eastern Afghanistan reeling from a powerful earthquake that state media said killed 1,150 people this week.
Wednesday's magnitude 6 quake struck a remote, mountainous region already grappling with staggering poverty at a time when the country as a whole is spiraling deeper into economic crisis after many countries pulled back critical financing and development aid in the wake of the Taliban's takeover.
That aid had been keeping the country afloat, and its withdrawal left millions unable to afford food and further strained already struggling medical facilities. Nearly half the population of 38 million cannot meet their basic food needs, while some civil servants, like doctors, nurses and teachers, weren’t paid for months because the Taliban government is unable to access frozen foreign reserves. Salary delays continue throughout the public sector.
Afghanistan's international isolation is also complicating relief efforts since fewer aid organizations have a presence in the country, and many governments are wary of putting money in the Taliban's hands.
Aid groups lament that means they have to pay local staff with bags of cash delivered by hand.
Aid organizations like the local Red Crescent and U.N. agencies like the World Food Program have sent food, tents, sleeping mats and other essentials to families in Paktika province, the epicenter of the earthquake, and neighboring Khost province.
Still, residents appeared to be largely on their own to deal with the aftermath as their new Taliban-led government and the international aid community struggle to bring in help. The shoddy mountain roads leading to the affected areas were made worse by damage and rain.
SEE MORE: Afghanistan Quake Kills At Least 1,000 People, Deadliest In Decades
Thousands of stone and mud-brick homes crumbled in the quake, which struck at night, often trapping whole families in the rubble. Many of those who survived spent the first night outside in a cold rain. Since then, villagers have been burying their dead and digging through the rubble by hand in search of survivors.
The Taliban director of the state-run Bakhtar News Agency said Friday the death toll from the first quake had risen to 1,150 people. Abdul Wahid Rayan said at least 1,600 people were injured.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has put the death toll at 770 people.
It’s not clear how death toll counts are being reached, given the difficulties of accessing and communicating with the impacted villages. Either grim toll would make the quake Afghanistan’s deadliest in two decades.
On Friday, Pakistan’s Meteorological Department reported a new, 4.2 magnitude quake that Bakhtar reported took five more lives in hard-hit Gayan District and injured 11 people.
State media reported that close to 3,000 homes were destroyed or badly damaged, including at least 1,000 in Gayan. While modern buildings withstand magnitude 6 earthquakes elsewhere, Afghanistan’s mud-brick homes and landslide-prone mountains make such quakes more dangerous.
Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here. | https://www.kxlf.com/news/national/aftershock-in-afghanistan-as-earthquake-death-toll-rises-to-1-150 | 2022-06-25 00:29:15 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/news/national/aftershock-in-afghanistan-as-earthquake-death-toll-rises-to-1-150 |
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s military declared Monday it is “ready to fight” after completing three days of large-scale combat exercises around Taiwan that simulated sealing off the island in response to the Taiwanese president’s trip to the U.S. last week.
The “combat readiness patrols” named Joint Sword were meant as a warning to self-governing Taiwan, which China claims as its own, China’s military said earlier.
“The theater’s troops are ready to fight at all times and can fight at any time to resolutely smash any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ and foreign interference attempts,” it said Monday.
The exercises were similar to ones conducted by China last August, when it launched missile strikes on targets in the seas around Taiwan in retaliation for then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, but have been smaller and less disruptive.
Military experts say the exercises serve both as intimidation and as an opportunity for Chinese troops to practice sealing off Taiwan by blocking sea and air traffic, an important strategic option the Chinese military might pursue in the event it uses military force to take Taiwan.
The Chinese actions follow President Tsai Ing-wen’s delicate mission to shore up Taiwan’s dwindling diplomatic alliances in Central America and boost its U.S. support, a trip capped with a sensitive meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California. A U.S. congressional delegation also met with Tsai over the weekend in Taiwan after she returned.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reiterated the position of President Joe Biden’s administration that Tsai’s transit through the U.S. and the congressional visit to Taiwan were not out of the norm. Tsai transited through the United States six times between 2016 and 2019.
“There was no reason to react in any way militarily,” he said. “There’s no reason for tensions across the Taiwan Strait to devolve into any kind of conflict.”
China responded immediately to the McCarthy meeting by imposing a travel ban and financial sanctions against those associated with Tsai’s U.S. trip and with increased military activity through the weekend.
“China wants to use any increase of diplomatic interactions between the U.S. and Taiwan as an excuse to train its military,” said Kuo Yu-jen, a defense studies expert and director of the Institute for National Policy Research in Taiwan.
Beijing says contact between foreign officials and the island’s democratic government encourages Taiwanese who want formal independence, a step China’s ruling Communist Party says would lead to war. The sides split in 1949 after a civil war, and the Communist Party says the island is obliged to rejoin the mainland, by force if necessary.
After Pelosi visited Taiwan, China conducted missiles strikes on targets in the seas around Taiwan, while also sending warships and war planes over the median line of the Taiwan Strait. It also fired missiles over the island itself which landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, in a significant escalation.
The live-fire exercises disrupted flights and shipping in one of the busiest shipping lanes for global trade. This time, shipping and maritime traffic have largely continued as normal, Kuo said.
The exercises this time have focused more on air strength, with Taiwan reporting more than 200 flights by Chinese warplanes in the past three days. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, citing the People’s Liberation Army, said the exercises are “simulating the joint sealing off” of Taiwan as well as “waves of simulated strikes” at important targets on the island.
On Monday, the PLA said its Shandong aircraft carrier was taking part in the exercises encircling Taiwan for the first time. It showed a video of a fighter jet taking off the deck of the ship in a post on Weibo, the social media platform.
The appearance of the Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean suggests that it could be used to prevent foreign militaries from coming to help Taiwan, said Han Gan-ming, a research fellow at the government-backed Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
“In the future if there’s a similar military maneuver, then Taiwan will have to face it alone,” Han said.
Between 6 a.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday, a total of 70 planes were detected and half crossed the median of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial boundary once tacitly accepted by both sides, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense. Among the planes that crossed the median were eight J-16 fighter jets, four J-1 fighters, eight Su-30 fighters and reconnaissance planes. Taiwan also tracked J-15 fighter jets, which are paired with the Shandong aircraft carrier.
By Monday evening, Taiwan’s defense ministry reported another 91 flights by bombers, as well as multiple fighter jets, early warning aircraft and military transport planes.
That followed a full day between Friday and Saturday in which eight warships and 71 planes were detected near Taiwan, according to the island’s Defense Ministry. It said in a statement that it was approaching the situation from the perspective of “not escalating conflict, and not causing disputes.”
Taiwan said it monitored the Chinese moves through its land-based missile systems, as well as from its own navy vessels.
China’s military harassment of Taiwan has intensified in recent years with planes or ships sent toward the island on a near-daily basis, with the numbers rising in reaction to sensitive activities. The military activity has increased a notch since Pelosi’s visit, with Chinese PLA fighter jets regularly flying over the middle boundary line. Experts say PLA navy vessels regularly navigate the waters off Taiwan’s northeastern coast.
Meanwhile, to the south in the South China Sea, the U.S. 7th Fleet said its missile destroyer USS Milius sailed by Mischief Reef in a freedom of navigation operation. China has built an artificial island on the sea feature to stake its claim to the disputed territory.
China said the U.S. “illegally trespassed” into waters near the reef without the permission of the Chinese government, according to a statement from the Chinese military’s southern command.
Outside of the military maneuvers, Kuo said he was worried about the announcements from Fujian’s Maritime Safety Administration from last week, when it said it would conduct “on-site inspections” of cargo ships and working vessels in the Taiwan Strait as part of a patrol exercise.
“First they’ll target ships traveling between the Strait, then they will target any international ship,” he said. “Gradually this will become the de facto new status quo.”
One of the U.S. representatives who attended the meeting with Tsai last week said Saturday the U.S. must take seriously the threat China poses to Taiwan. Republican Mike Gallagher, chairman of the U.S. House Select Committee on China, told The Associated Press that he plans to lead his committee in working to shore up the island government’s defenses, encouraging Congress to expedite military aid to Taiwan. | https://who13.com/news/international-news/ap-international/china-military-displays-force-toward-taiwan-after-tsai-trip/ | 2023-04-11 02:00:33 | 0 | https://who13.com/news/international-news/ap-international/china-military-displays-force-toward-taiwan-after-tsai-trip/ |
MADRID (AP) — Spain´s marine rescue service said Sunday it picked up the bodies of four people from a rubber dinghy that was adrift in waters off northwest Africa and is believed to have been carrying more than 30 people.
A merchant ship rescued one person after it spotted the boat Saturday about 280 kilometers (150 miles) south of the Canary Islands archipelago.
The marine rescue service sent a helicopter to take the man from the ship to the Spanish island of Gran Canaria, where he was treated in a hospital.
Spanish state news agency Efe said the man, from the Ivory Coast, told rescue services that there had been 34 people on the boat when it set sail nine days ago.
Thousands of migrants from northwest and sub-Saharan African countries try to reach Spain by boat each year. Many die in the attempt.
The voyage across the Atlantic to the Canary Islands is one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world, authorities and rights groups say, with trips in often overloaded boats taking more than a week to reach the islands and European soil.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Spain-4-bodies-retrieved-from-migrant-boat-1-17481419.php | 2022-10-02 14:08:30 | 1 | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Spain-4-bodies-retrieved-from-migrant-boat-1-17481419.php |
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan is seeking U.N. help in securing long-term aid for survivors of last summer’s deadly, record-breaking floods before recovery funds run out next month as a U.K.-based charity on Friday urged donors to step up ahead of the harsh winter.
The grim threshold for Pakistan could come as soon as Jan. 15, according to Chris Kaye, the country director for the World Food Program. Kaye said that without new aid, the looming depletion would mark “a very serious crisis ahead of us as we go into 2023.”
The unprecedented flooding, which experts attribute in part to climate change, erupted in mid June and at one point during the summer deluge, a third of Pakistan’s territory was submerged. More than 1,700 people were killed and though the waters started to subside in September, Pakistani officials say 23,000 survivors are still living in tents in flood-hit areas in Sindh province.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday and conveyed that he is seeking support from the world body to raise money from “key donors, development institutions and the private sector” to refuel the recovery effort.
During the meeting, Guterres “reaffirmed full support and cooperation of the U.N., both for ongoing humanitarian relief work as well as for long-term recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction” in Pakistan’s flood-hit areas, Bhutto-Zardari said.
The two spoke on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of Group of 77, a coalition of 134 mainly developing nations and China, in New York. Bhutto-Zardari said he also thanked the U.N. chief for agreeing to co-host an international conference on “climate resilient Pakistan” in Geneva early next month.
At a news conference in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Thursday, Kaye from the WFP and U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator Julien Harneis said the number of people in Pakistan in need of critical food assistance is likely to increase from the previously estimated 4 million people to 5.1 million during the winter.
According to U.N. officials in Pakistan, the international body has only received a third of the $816 million in emergency aid it sought in October.
The winter chill is contributing urgency to the crisis, Kaye said. Some of the supply from the WFP was recently looted by flood victims in a water-ravaged area in the district of Khairpur in the southern Sindh province, where the floods have affected 12 million people and killed 796.
“People are desperate and we need to help them,” he said.
Meanwhile, the U.K.-based Islamic Relief charity on Friday urged international donors to step up funding for Pakistani flood survivors who are facing a harsh winter in the country’s northwest and southwest, where snow has already started falling.
Freezing temperatures this month hit many homeless Pakistani flood survivors who have been forgotten by the world and were living in the open air, Islamic Relief said.
“The humanitarian response to Pakistan’s worst floods in living memory is just 23% funded,” said Asif Sherazi, the charity’s director in Pakistan. Rural communities urgently need reconstruction of homes and health centers, but in many areas work has barely started due to a lack of funds.
In contrast to the global attention when the floods hit last summer, “now it seems that Pakistan has fallen off the news agenda and people have been forgotten,” Sherazi said.
Islamic Relief has so far delivered aid to more than 870,000 people in Pakistan, Sherazi said, adding that an estimated 100,000 women are about to give birth in flood-affected areas.
“We fear that many pregnant mothers and their newborns could die if they are unable to access maternity healthcare services when needed,” he said. | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-pakistan-seeks-un-help-as-flood-aid-for-survivors-drains/ | 2022-12-16 23:29:44 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/news/international/ap-pakistan-seeks-un-help-as-flood-aid-for-survivors-drains/ |
Studies Show Reduced Health Care Costs, Utilization & Antibiotic Resistance in Patients Diagnosed & Treated with Advanced Testing
- A study published in the JU Open Plus shows real-world evidence of decreased UTI-related costs and improved outcomes for patients diagnosed and treated with Pathnostics' advanced Guidance® UTI test vs. traditional urine culture
- Separately, data published in Infection and Drug Resistance suggests treatment based upon Guidance® UTI test resulted in reduced antibiotic resistance
- These two studies featured in peer-reviewed publications are the first of many data milestones anticipated this year for advanced UTI testing
IRVINE, Calif., June 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pathnostics, a leading precision diagnostic testing and development company, today announced the publication of two new studies demonstrating positive outcomes resulting from its advanced urinary tract infection (UTI) test. The studies show that treatment based on the company's Guidance® UTI test resulted in decreased health care resource utilization and costs compared to standard urine culture (SUC) tests, as well as reduced antibiotic resistance in patients with complicated urinary tract infections.
Real-world evidence published in the JU Open Plus revealed that patients suffering from recurrent or complicated UTIs who were diagnosed with the Guidance® UTI test experienced reduced clinical care and utilization costs related to their UTIs compared with patients diagnosed through standard urine culture (SUC) tests. In fact, average one-year costs related to UTIs were $501.85 lower for patients receiving treatment based on the Guidance® test than for those based on the traditional culture test. In addition, results showed patients diagnosed via the Guidance® test had improved outcomes, including fewer inpatient episodes and lower inpatient costs.
Separately, data published in the peer-reviewed journal Infection and Drug Resistance suggests that treatment based upon Guidance® UTI testing resulted in reduced antibiotic resistance in symptomatic patients with suspected complicated UTIs. The study compared antibiotic resistance results at different points in time in patients with UTIs who were either treated based on Guidance® UTI testing or who were not treated with antibiotics. With the increase in molecular diagnostics available for UTI testing, there are concerns that the increased sensitivity may lead to overtreatment and increase in antibiotic resistance. Results demonstrated that treatment based on rapid and sensitive Guidance® UTI resulted in reduction rather than induction of antibiotic resistance in symptomatic patients.
"UTIs place a significant burden on individuals' health, as well as our health care system and resources. When they are not effectively treated, complications can lead to substantial medical issues and expenses," said David Pauluzzi, CEO and co-founder, Pathnostics. "These new findings, combined with ongoing studies, support our mission of increasing access to advanced UTI testing that supports more informed treatment leading to improved outcomes."
The newly published research, along with the anticipated findings expected to publish later this year, add to the growing body of evidence regarding whether critical patient outcomes, healthcare resource utilization, and management vary based on whether UTI treatment is informed by Guidance® UTI or standard urine culture.
Methodology & Highlights of Study published in JU Open Plus
- Using a randomized 5% sample of Medicare Parts A+B beneficiaries enrolled in 2017-2019, the study compared two cohorts matched on sex, diabetes, and propensity score based on whether, after a one-year baseline period, the initial outpatient UTI diagnosis (Index cUTI) was made via SUC or Guidance® UTI.
- The Guidance® UTI cohort's composite outcome event rate (inpatient admissions, urgent care visits, emergency room visits, and skilled nursing facility admissions) was 41.3% lower than that of the SUC cohort. The Guidance® UTI cohort had no urosepsis events.
Analysis & Highlights of Study published in Infection and Drug Resistance
- An interim analysis of an ongoing observational, prospective study
- Significantly more patients had reduced numbers of resistant antibiotics, as measured by the phenotypic P-AST™ component of the test, in the treated versus the untreated group (42.3% reduction vs. 8.3%, p = 0.04).
- Results demonstrated that a higher percentage of patients had a reduction in ABR gene detection in the treated compared to the untreated group (38.5% reduction vs. 0%, p = 0.01).
About Pathnostics
Pathnostics is a leading precision diagnostic testing and development company providing solutions for infectious disease and cancer diagnostics that will get patients on the right path. The company's flagship Guidance® platform of solutions leverages its proprietary and patented technology for pooled antibiotic susceptibility testing, which provides more informed treatment options and supports antibiotic stewardship initiatives. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Pathnostics is a company of Water Street Healthcare Partners, a strategic investor focused exclusively on the health care industry. For more information about the company and its portfolio of products, visit pathnostics.com.
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SOURCE Pathnostics | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2023/06/20/newly-published-data-demonstrates-positive-outcomes-resulting-pathnostics-advanced-urinary-tract-infection-uti-test/ | 2023-06-20 12:37:46 | 1 | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2023/06/20/newly-published-data-demonstrates-positive-outcomes-resulting-pathnostics-advanced-urinary-tract-infection-uti-test/ |
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s labor ministry issued app-based food delivery company Glovo a new fine of 57 million euros ($62 million) on Tuesday for violating labor laws.
The ministry said that Glovo was being punished for not contracting its riders as employees and for giving gigs to irregular immigrants without work permits.
Last year, Glovo was smacked with a 79 million-euro ($86 million) fine for similar infringements of labor laws.
Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz said that recent legislation specifically targets companies that “repeatedly” break the law.
“No company, no matter how large it is, can act outside the law,” Díaz said. “And this is an exemplary case.”
In 2021, Díaz successfully championed a new “Riders Law” that classified food delivery riders as employees of the digital platforms they work for, as opposed to self-employed freelancers.
Glovo is a Spanish company that operates in several countries, mostly in Europe. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/ap-international/ap-spain-hits-delivery-app-with-new-fine-for-labor-violation/ | 2023-01-24 21:53:28 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/ap-international/ap-spain-hits-delivery-app-with-new-fine-for-labor-violation/ |
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NEW YORK (AP) — After being knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by a Florida Atlantic team that has defied expectation and description all season, Kansas State coach Jerome Tang described the secret to the Owls' success under coach Dusty May.
“Well, when you draw up plays with X’s and O’s, on some teams, all the O’s don’t have to be guarded so you can put your X’s in the right spot to make it hard for the team to score on offense,” Tang said. “Every one of his O’s can score the ball, and that’s what makes it hard to guard. It doesn’t matter if they can score 30; they can all shoot, they can all dribble, they can all pass, and that puts your defense in a bind.”
The Owls (35-3) from Boca Raton, Florida, are heading to the Final Four for the first time in school history with Division I's winningest team, a collection of interchangeable pieces that has been greater than the sum of the parts.
“Extremely rewarding to see a group give as much as these guys have all season — shots, playing time, minutes, everything you could imagine, grit, everything 100% every day in practice — and then be rewarded because there’s never a guaranteed,” May said Saturday night. “In this era where everyone wants the whole pie, these guys continued sharing the pie every single day, and this was the result.”
FAU, the lowest-seeded team left in the field, will face either Creighton or San Diego State in Houston on Saturday.
To win four tournament games so far, each by single digits, has taken contributions from up and down the roster.
The Owls have had three different leading scorers (Giancarlo Rosado vs. Memphis, Johnell Davis vs. FDU and Tennessee and Alijah Martin vs. Kansas State), three different leading rebounders (Vladislav Goldin, Davis and Nick Boyd) and three different leaders in assists (Boyd, Davis and Brandon Weatherspoon).
Seven different players have registered at least one double-digit scoring performance, but only one of more than 17 points.
Davis is the closest thing the Owls have to a star, and he was coming off the bench for much of this season. The Conference USA Sixth Player of the Year has been a starter throughout the NCAA Tournament.
FAU's Elite Eight victory at Madison Square Garden against Kansas State epitomized the Owls' ethos.
The Wildcats had the player of the game in Markquis Nowell. The dynamic 5-foot-8 point guard from Harlem has been arguably the best player of the entire tournament through two weekends.
In two East Regional games at The Garden against Michigan State and FAU, Nowell had 50 points and 31 assists. According to ESPN Stats and Info, he became just the second player in NCAA Tournament history to have consecutive 20-10 games.
FAU was able to rotate several defenders on Nowell, who played all 40 minutes in the 79-76 loss to the Owls.
“We game planned for him, and he still put up numbers,” FAU's Bryan Greenlee said. “But we just know it’s a team effort, and it’s going to take the whole unit to really win this game, and it’s not just one guy who can shut somebody down. It’s just a group effort.”
On the final possession of the game, Kansas State had no timeouts and 6.9 seconds left.
Boyd appeared to be the primary defender on Nowell, who started his dribble near the left sideline and worked his way to the middle of the floor as he crossed midcourt.
When Boyd was screened, Davis immediately switched to Nowell, with Martin lurking to the point guard's right side.
Sensing a double-team with 2.2 seconds left and still more than 30 feet from the basket, Nowell made a short pass to his right to Ismael Massoud, near the sideline. Davis and Martin quickly converged and Davis swiped the ball away from Massoud.
Martin said he wasn't surprised Nowell gave up the ball.
“He's a smart player,” Martin said. “Win, lose or draw you got to make the right play, you got to live with that. And that's what he did.”
FAU made only one previous appearance in the NCAA Tournament before this season, going one-and-done in 2002. The Owls had only one previous 20-win season before this one. The FAU Arena where they play home games seats 2,900.
Asked if he thought something like this would be possible when he signed to play with FAU two years ago, Martin chuckled and said: “No, not really, honestly.”
Then how does FAU get to the Final Four?
“Leadership. Support. Sacrifice. And no ego, no pride," Martin said. "We just try to stay positive and just be great teammates.”
___
AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 | https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/fau-s-final-four-run-fueled-by-sacrifice-no-17861041.php | 2023-03-26 19:32:42 | 0 | https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/fau-s-final-four-run-fueled-by-sacrifice-no-17861041.php |
LOS ANGELES, July 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hickey App, the revolutionary online dating, is embarking on a thrilling new chapter of market expansion and improved user experience under its commitment to "Fun For All". Through a series of strategic initiatives, Hickey aims to reach a wider audience and deliver an even more enjoyable and personalized dating journey.
With the launch of its latest version, Hickey App introduces a fitted feature that puts user preferences at the forefront. The new version emphasizes the inclusion of "Looking For" options within user profiles, empowering individuals to express and highlight their relationship intentions clearly so as to avoid awkward ending. A user-survey was done among random users to select the 1st batch of Looking For choices, more options are to planned to well demonstrate users' authentic expectation inside the community. By providing a platform where users can authentically communicate their desires, Hickey ensures more accurate and compatible connections, paving the way for genuine and satisfied interactions.
By presenting the new iOS version, Hickey App is also open to multiple markets including Canada, Australia, and several European countries, including France, Germany, and Italy, allowing users in these regions to explore the exciting features and personalized connections that Hickey offers. By expanding its availability to these regions, Hickey is dedicated to bringing its fun-filled solutions to a wider audience, catering to the diverse preferences and desires of individuals around the globe.
In a testament to its success, Hickey App has achieved remarkable rankings in the Lifestyle category on the APP Store. Both in Australia and Canada, Hickey secured a position among the top 50 lifestyle apps, underscoring its growing popularity and appeal among users in the region. These achievements reflect the positive reception and enthusiastic adoption of Hickey's unique approach to online dating.
Recognizing the significance of inclusivity and accessibility, Hickey product team has also published its highly anticipated Android version on Google Play. With this expansion, Hickey extends its warm welcome to Android users, offering them the opportunity to explore the app's interactive activities, innovative matching algorithms, and engaging features. By embracing the Android platform and making its presence felt on Google Play, Hickey strategically positions itself as a comprehensive game-player in the online dating market. The movement of tapping into the vast Android user base allows the app to cater to a wider range of individuals seeking an engaging and enjoyable online dating experience.
It was quoted that, the official launch of new version, expanded availability on the iOS APP Store, and the introduction of Android version on Google Play reflect company's dedication to providing an exceptional dating experience to users worldwide and the long-term focus remains on fostering connections, delivering enjoyment, and creating an inclusive environment to meet the evolving needs and desires of online dating users.
To learn more about Hickey and join the community, visit www.hickeyapp.com and follow them on social media for the latest updates.
About Hickey App:
Hickey App is a fresh, and welcoming dating app committed to Fun for ALL. With its innovative features and user-friendly interface, Hickey strives to make dating easy, fun, and stress-free. Hickey App boasts a diverse and vibrant user base, providing individuals with the opportunity to explore meaningful connections. For more information, please visit www.hickeyapp.com.
Contact Info:
Name: Stella Tan
Email: Send Email
Organization: Hickey App
Address: United States
Website: http://www.hickeyapp.com/
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SOURCE Hickey App | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/15/hickey-app-expands-its-market-presence-with-proven-record/ | 2023-07-15 16:17:26 | 0 | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/15/hickey-app-expands-its-market-presence-with-proven-record/ |
WARRICK COUNTY, Ind. (WEHT) – Monday afternoon, a truck carrying a dozen cattle overturned on I-64 near the 31 mile marker in Warrick County.
Crews are on scene working to round up at least twelve cows that went loose after the crash. Officials tell us some cows had to be put down.
A fire was reported in the accident, but has been extinguished. In an update on social media, Sgt. Todd Ringle says the driver of the cattle truck received minor injuries and was taken to a hospital.
“Local farmers, firefighters, and a towing service are currently attempting to extricate the cattle from the trailer,” said Sgt. Ringle on Twitter.
Officials tell us the westbound lanes east of I-69 are currently closed as a result of the crash. The official detour is SR 61 S to SR 62 west to I-69.
This is a developing story. | https://www.wane.com/news/indiana/cows-loose-after-truck-overturns-on-i-64-in-indiana/ | 2022-12-06 01:02:02 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/news/indiana/cows-loose-after-truck-overturns-on-i-64-in-indiana/ |
MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday evening's drawing of the Wisconsin Lottery's "Daily Pick 3" game were:
2-6-1
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(two, six, one)
¶ Maximum prize: $500
MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday evening's drawing of the Wisconsin Lottery's "Daily Pick 3" game were:
2-6-1
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
(two, six, one)
¶ Maximum prize: $500
By The Associated Press | https://www.seattlepi.com/lottery/article/winning-numbers-drawn-in-daily-pick-3-game-17749130.php | 2023-01-29 04:36:02 | 0 | https://www.seattlepi.com/lottery/article/winning-numbers-drawn-in-daily-pick-3-game-17749130.php |
When it comes to financial deadlines, you have to be serious. With the last tax deadline coming up, student loan forgiveness applications, and others coming up, Jini Thornton shares some details you should know about these important deadlines.
Hear more from our money expert in the video below.
SEE: Jini Thornton Explains How To Avoid Being In A Romance Scam On Social Media [WATCH]
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Jini Thornton Gives Reminders Of Some Important Financial Deadlines & How To Prepare [WATCH] was originally published on rickeysmileymorningshow.com | https://wtlcfm.com/3328932/jini-thornton-gives-reminders-of-some-important-financial-deadlines-how-to-prepare-watch/ | 2022-09-27 09:12:24 | 0 | https://wtlcfm.com/3328932/jini-thornton-gives-reminders-of-some-important-financial-deadlines-how-to-prepare-watch/ |
BOSTON (AP) — A sweeping abortion bill designed to protect access to the procedure in Massachusetts at a time when many other states are restricting or outlawing abortions was signed into law Friday by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker.
The new law attempts in part to build a firewall around abortion services in the state after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturned Roe v. Wade last month.
The law protects abortion providers and people seeking abortions from actions taken by other states, including blocking the governor from extraditing anyone charged in another state unless the acts for which extradition is sought would be punishable by Massachusetts law.
The bill also states that access to reproductive and gender-affirming health care services is a right protected by the Massachusetts Constitution; requires the state’s Medicaid program, known as MassHealth, to cover abortions; allows over-the-counter emergency contraception to be sold in vending machines; and requires public colleges and universities to create medication abortion readiness plans for students.
A unique Texas law banning most abortions after about six weeks is enforceable through lawsuits filed by private citizens against doctors or anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion.
Many elements in the new law echo steps Baker took in an executive order he issued immediately after the Supreme Court handed down its ruling.
“This new legislation signed today builds on that action by protecting patients and providers from legal interference from more restrictive laws in other states,” Baker said in a written statement adding Massachusetts “remains steadfast in its commitment to protect access to reproductive health care services.”
The new law also addresses the question of permitting an abortion for a pregnancy that has lasted 24 weeks or longer.
Under the bill, the abortion would be allowed if, in the best medical judgment of a physician, it is necessary to preserve the life of the patient, necessary to preserve the patient’s physical or mental health, warranted because of a lethal fetal anomaly or diagnosis or warranted because of “a grave fetal diagnosis that indicates that the fetus is incompatible with sustained life outside of the uterus without extraordinary medical interventions.”
The vast majority of abortions occur before 20 to 21 weeks of pregnancy. In 2019, almost 93% of abortions occurred at or before 13 weeks’ gestation, while only 1% of abortions occurred at 21 weeks or later, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other portions of the bill would allow any licensed pharmacist to dispense emergency contraception and require the Public Health Department to identify areas in the state without access to abortion within a 50-mile (80-kilometer) radius and recommend ways to ensure access to abortion in those areas.
The House approved the bill on a 137-16 vote. The Senate backed the measure 39-1. Both chambers are controlled by Democrats. | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Massachusetts-governor-signs-bill-protecting-17338351.php | 2022-07-29 18:11:12 | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Massachusetts-governor-signs-bill-protecting-17338351.php |
San Francisco Giants outfielder Mitch Haniger has started to not only make up for lost time, but a slow start on offense.
“I’ve been working on some things and feeling good lately,” he said.
The 32-year-old Aptos resident missed the first 22 games of the season with a Grade 1 oblique strain and made his regular-season debut for the Giants on April 24.
Excitement to get 2018 All-Star on the field had been building since the free agent signed a three-year, $43.5 million deal with San Francisco in December. But the Giants were forced to wait to open their present.
What the Giants were getting wasn’t a surprise, manager Giants Gabe Kapler said Tuesday.
“Our expectations dating back to the offseason were that he was going to be a good, quality major leaguer with the ability to be an All-Star caliber player at the plate,” Kapler said. “He got off to a bit of a slow start statistically, but that confidence never wavered and won’t waver going forward.”
The former Seattle Mariners slugger, limited to 57 games in 2022 due to a right ankle injury, was hitting just .172 as recently as May 16.
He’s 10-for-30 batting with three doubles, two home runs, eight RBI and six runs scored over the past week, entering play Wednesday. Haniger has posted three three-hit outings in his last five games. He had a pair of RBI doubles in the Giants’ eight-run seventh inning Monday, when the Giants walloped the Pirates 14-4.
“For me, it’s always about having a consistent load and being in the right position to hit,” Haniger said. “I started out OK and kinda went a little weary. But I feel like I have a good idea of what I need to do and what I’m doing to kinda build off that and keep things going.”
He has raised his average to .245, and has four home runs, 19 RBI, 16 runs scored, six doubles and a stolen base.
Haniger had plenty of reason to fret when things weren’t going his way. There is constant pressure for Mountain View native, who prepped at Archbishop Mitty in San Jose, to produce for his hometown team and prove his worth. And do so while integrating into a new clubhouse, with new teammates and in a new environment, all while facing many pitchers he’s never faced before.
None of that didn’t has gotten to him, he said.
“There’s always new challenges,” Haniger said. “So far it has been good. Everyone has been really welcoming. The staff has been great. A lot of guys have had success over the years. It’s been really fun. I’m really proud to put on a Giants uniform every day. It has been a blessing and it’s great to play back at home.”
The seventh year pro is only two years removed from his best season. He smashed 39 home runs, had 100 RBI, and scored 110 runs for the Mariners in ’21.
The Giants have done their best to make Haniger feel welcome and comfortable.
Some of meshing process falls on the incoming player, teammate Brandon Crawford said.
“Mitch has been great,” the veteran shortstop said. “Right when he got here, it seemed like he had been here for a while.”
Haniger has also benefitted from the support of friends and family in the area.
He said continue to work in an effort to be comfortable in the batter’s box. He knows that streaks are part of the game. The big thing, he said, is making adjustments to extend the hot streaks and minimize the cold spells.
Kapler believes that Haniger’s success of late is here to stay.
“He has been great over the course of the last week or 10 days,” Kapler said. “Earlier on, he didn’t have the best luck. We expect him to be a great major league going forward.” | https://www.chicoer.com/2023/05/31/aptos-resident-mitch-haniger-heating-up-at-the-plate-for-sf-giants/ | 2023-05-31 13:26:39 | 1 | https://www.chicoer.com/2023/05/31/aptos-resident-mitch-haniger-heating-up-at-the-plate-for-sf-giants/ |
DETROIT (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday afternoon's drawing of the Michigan Lottery's "Midday Daily 3" game were:
9-0-4
(nine, zero, four)
DETROIT (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday afternoon's drawing of the Michigan Lottery's "Midday Daily 3" game were:
9-0-4
(nine, zero, four) | https://www.sfgate.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Midday-Daily-3-game-17261083.php | 2022-06-23 17:54:02 | 0 | https://www.sfgate.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Midday-Daily-3-game-17261083.php |
Liverpool Women's has become the first NHS Foundation Trust to go-live on MEDITECH Expanse, and CereCore International provided expertise during the planning stages, go-live support, and optimisation.
LONDON, July 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CereCore International today announced Liverpool Women's is the first National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust to go-live on MEDITECH Expanse and has become the first NHS organisation in the UK to achieve this milestone. Since January 2023 CereCore International has been working with Liverpool Women's on their effort to transition from MEDITECH Magic to MEDITECH Expanse.
"Liverpool Women's Hospital has undertaken a significant programme of work replacing the Trust's legacy Patient Administration System (PAS) with a modern electronic patient records (EPR) solution. The size of the task was increased due to the age of the system as it had originally been implemented in 1996," said Matt Connor, Chief Information Officer for Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust.
"The scale of digital transformation was seismic," said Connor. "To help us we worked closely with CereCore who had proven expertise in the system we were deploying. We were able to work with them to enhance the configuration and build of the system. Together with our EPR vendor [MEDITECH] and CereCore we were able to deliver our go-live successfully and on time."
"We are excited for the new ways of working this 'first' brings to Liverpool Women's staff. A successful EPR implementation like this shows what's possible when you have the right expertise working toward a common goal. We believe this 'first' for Liverpool will be a springboard for other Trusts as they look to implement MEDITECH Expanse or other integrated EPRs," said Curtis Watkins, president and CEO, CereCore.
Working in tandem with hospital teams, CereCore International brings decades of MEDITECH platform and EPR experience and offers end-to-end healthcare IT services through the various phases of EPR implementation, including ongoing application support and maintenance.
"In both the U.S. and the U.K., many healthcare organizations are deciding to move to MEDITECH Expanse," said Watkins. "Today, healthcare demands more from an EPR — more efficient ways of working and delivering care, more data standardization, more mobile access and the list goes on."
"The go-live at Liverpool Women's is the dawn of the next era for healthcare technology in the U.K. Getting an EPR into the hands of staff so they have the clinical information they need is the heart of what we do at CereCore," said Watkins.
CereCore and CereCore International continue to expand their services to meet the needs of healthcare and are actively recruiting for healthcare operations, clinical informatics or EPR platform, project management and consulting expertise. CereCore is a multi-year winner of workplace, staffing and talent awards from Modern Healthcare and ClearlyRated respectively.
Learn more about CereCore International.
About CereCore International
CereCore International provides IT services that make it easier for you to focus on supporting hospital operations and transforming healthcare through technology. With a heritage rooted in top-performing hospitals, we serve as leaders and experts in technology, operations, data security, and clinical applications. We partner with clients to become an extension of the team through comprehensive IT and application support, technical professional and managed services, IT advisory services, and EPR consulting, because we know first-hand the power that integrated technology has on patient care and communities.
CereCore Media Contact
Laura Liles
Media Relations
Laura.Liles@cerecore.net
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SOURCE CereCore | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/25/liverpool-womens-is-first-complete-modern-epr-milestone/ | 2023-07-25 07:45:30 | 0 | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/25/liverpool-womens-is-first-complete-modern-epr-milestone/ |
Realtor.com® now provides "Hot Market Insights" on listings in areas with fast-selling homes and high buyer demand
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- One of America's most historic regions is its newest homebuying hotspot, with New England ZIPs representing over half of 2022's top 10 list in the eighth annual Realtor.com® Hottest ZIP Codes Report released today. In these ZIPs, homes sold in just over a week (8 days) and received nearly four times (3.7) more buyer views than a typical U.S. listing1. To help buyers better understand if they're shopping in a hot market, Realtor.com® now provides "Hot Market Insights" on listings that show how fast homes in that neighborhood are selling and how popular they are compared to other properties in the area and across the country.
A key theme of this year's wicked-hot ranking is demand from out-of-ZIP home shoppers, driven by factors including relative affordability and convenient travel to big East Coast cities. The 2022 Hottest ZIP Codes in America, in rank order, are:
- 14618 Brighton, N.Y.
- 03062 Nashua, N.H.
- 43085 Worthington, Ohio
- 03038 Derry, N.H.
- 04062 Windham, Maine
- 18017 Bethlehem, Penn.
- 37604 Johnson City, Tenn.
- 03106 Hooksett, N.H.
- 02760 North Attleboro, Mass.
- 04210 Auburn, Maine
"With rising inflation and mortgage rates squeezing monthly housing budgets, this year's determined buyers are breathing new life into competition for homes in historic areas like New England. Our 2022 Hottest ZIPs ranking illustrates how many Americans are redefining their priorities to achieve homeownership while building their careers, by trading downtown life for relatively affordable areas with reasonable part-time commutes to big cities," said Danielle Hale, Chief Economist for Realtor.com®. "Even as the housing market resets, home shoppers in the competitive Hottest ZIPs may need to take extra measures to win. It all starts with understanding the local market, and buyers can use Realtor.com®'s Hot Market Insights to arm themselves with knowledge that will be key to success when deciding where, when and how to make an offer."
With the launch of Realtor.com®'s "Hot Market Insights" announced today, the "neighborhood" section of property listings on Realtor.com® will now show homebuyers if they are shopping in a hot market. Home shoppers can click the button to learn more about the local housing market, including how fast homes are selling and how many more views they get compared to others in the area and in the U.S. These insights are updated each month, to provide buyers with a timely view of the competition they're likely to face.
Many Americans are feeling the strain on their finances due to the whirlwind of economic shifts that have occurred so far in 2022, including mortgage rate hikes. Combined with record-high home prices, rising affordability challenges are forcing many buyers to get creative if they want to beat the competition without breaking their budgets.
Home shoppers are doing just that in the 2022 Hottest ZIP Codes, with nine of the top 10 making the list for the first time in the ranking's eight-year history, including eight northeastern ZIPs making their debut. Six of these newcomers are located in New England, offering buyers a balance of new opportunities with historic charm. On average across the top 10, 13.4% of homes were built before 1939, compared to just 11.6% nationwide.
Many of the top 10's new entries are attracting home shoppers looking to relocate from high-priced big cities on the East Coast, based on migration patterns among prospective buyers viewing Realtor.com® listings. In the first half of the year, at least one big East Coast city – Boston, New York and D.C. – was among the top five sources of buyers viewing listings in all 10 of the hottest ZIPs.
Buyers in these major metros are exploring ZIPs further away than in prior years, enabled by more widespread adoption of remote work. Even for those with hybrid schedules, many of this year's hottest ZIPs provide the perfect combination of relative housing affordability and a reasonable part-time commute to big city business hubs. From all six New England ZIPs on the list, Boston can be reached in 2.5 hours or less.
ZIP Spotlight – No. 2 03681 Nashua, N.H.: At No. 2 on the 2022 list, Nashua is located just 42 miles from Boston, or within a 1.5 hour commute. In the first six months of 2022, listings in the ZIP attracted more viewers from Boston (38%) than from local buyers (32%). The influx of demand is fueling competition for homes in Nashua, where listings received 4.6 times more views and sold 23 days faster than the typical U.S. home (7 vs. 40 days) in the first half of this year. As a result, the ZIP's supply of active listings was down 26.9% year-over-year by June.
As a result of rising inflation and higher costs for housing and everyday expenses, homebuyers have set their sights on areas that offer good bang for their buck, making value a key theme among this year's hottest ZIPs. Controlling for home size, the average price per square foot in the top 10 was 8.7% lower than in their surrounding metro areas in June.
Among the ZIPs on this year's list, the average asking price ($432,000) was 4.0% lower than the U.S. median listing price in June ($450,000). At the same time, driven by the rise in demand, home prices across the hottest ZIPs grew at a faster year-over-year pace (+18.6%) than listing prices nationwide (16.9%).
ZIP Spotlight – No. 8 03106 Hooksett, N.H.: Coming in at No. 8 on this year's list is Hooksett, N.H., located just 59 miles away from Boston. While Hooksett's median listing price ($482,000) was higher than the U.S. median as of June, it is considerably more affordable than in the Boston metro area ($759,000). Additionally, Hooksett homes tend to have more square footage (2,008, on average) than the typical U.S. listing (1,887). These price trends are likely attracting East Coast urbanites looking for value, with 26.5% of Hooksett's listings viewers coming from Boston in the first half of 2022.
Now aged between 25 and 44 years-old, millennials are a key cohort of aspiring homeowners, whether first-time or repeat buyers. This generation is ready and willing to pursue homebuying opportunities in the hottest ZIPs, where they have the advantage of strong financial qualifications. Millennials are entering the top 10 with incomes that are higher than the national averages among those aged 25-34 ($83,782 vs. $70,510) and aged 34-45 ($100,966 vs. $89,365). On average, buyers in the hottest ZIPs are well-qualified with higher credit scores (742 vs. 728) and larger down payments (15.0% vs. 14.2%) compared to the typical U.S. home shopper.
Millennials' strong financial footing is paying off when it comes to achieving homeownership in the top 10. In fact, a higher share of millennials have successfully become homeowners in these ZIPs (57.1%), on average, than in the U.S. overall (51.3%).
ZIP Spotlight – No. 1 14618 Brighton, N.Y.: Topping this year's ranking with its debut is ZIP 14618 located in the Rochester metro area., which has now been represented on the list by other ZIPs for three years in a row. The rising popularity of Rochester ZIPs like 14618 may be partly due to buyers' success in the area. Compared to the U.S. averages, ZIP 14618's homeownership rates are higher among millennials (56.9% vs. 51.3%) and overall (70.8% vs. 65.2%). Local buyers also have strong qualifications, with a typical down payment of 15.7% and credit score of 745, as well as a higher median income than the U.S. average ($106,150 vs. $72,465).
Realtor.com® analyzed listings data on over 29,000 ZIP codes to determine its Hottest ZIP Code rankings, which are based on January-June 2022 averages of: 1) demand, as measured by unique viewers per property on Realtor.com®; 2) the pace of the market as measured by the number of days a listing remains active on Realtor.com®; limited to one ZIP Code per metropolitan area and ZIP Codes with at least 15 active listings each month. Time frames for metrics not factored into the ranking as noted, e.g. listing price trends based on June 2022 data.
Note: The markets where Realtor.com®'s "Hot Market Insights" are featured on listings and neighborhoods on its website may vary from the 2022 Hottest ZIP Codes, due to methodology differences such as time frames (monthly data updated each month vs. Jan.-June 2022 data).
Realtor.com® makes buying, selling, renting and living in homes easier and more rewarding for everyone. Realtor.com® pioneered the world of digital real estate more than 25 years ago, and today through its website and mobile apps offers a marketplace where people can learn about their options, trust in the transparency of information provided to them, and get services and resources that are personalized to their needs. Using proprietary data science and machine learning technology, Realtor.com® pairs buyers and sellers with local agents in their market, helping take the guesswork out of buying and selling a home. For professionals, Realtor.com® is a trusted provider of consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp (Nasdaq: NWS) (Nasdaq: NWSA) (ASX: NWS) (ASX: NWSLV) subsidiary Move, Inc. For more information, visit Realtor.com®.
Media Contact
rachel.conner@move.com
1 In the first half of 2022 (Jan.-June), on average. See methodology below for additional details.
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SOURCE Realtor.com | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/08/16/realtorcoms-2022-hottest-zip-codes-america-historic-new-england-is-newest-homebuying-hotspot/ | 2022-08-16 11:47:45 | 0 | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/08/16/realtorcoms-2022-hottest-zip-codes-america-historic-new-england-is-newest-homebuying-hotspot/ |
Machado homers, Snell fans 11 in Padres’ 6-3 win over Giants
By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Manny Machado gave the San Diego Padres a three-run lead before they made their first out and Blake Snell took it from there.
Machado hit a three-run homer hours after he was named the NL starter at third base for the All-Star Game and Snell struck out 11 for his first win of the season, leading the Padres to a 6-3 victory over the sliding San Francisco Giants on Friday night.
Machado was voted to start the All-Star Game in a tight race against St. Louis’ Nolan Arenado. He lifted the Padres to a 3-0 lead by sending a drive off Sam Long into the seats in left. It was his second in as many nights and his 14th overall.
It will be Machado’s third All-Star Game start, and first in the NL, up the freeway at Dodger Stadium on July 19.
Manager Bob Melvin said Machado was “very deserving” of the All-Star honor. “He’s putting together an MVP-type season and usually those guys end up starting the All-Star Game.”
Snell (1-5) had a second straight strong start and finally earned a win. He permitted one run and three hits in six innings.
Snell was one off his season high of 12 strikeouts in his previous outing, when he got a no-decision in a 5-1 loss at the Dodgers on July 1. The Padres had lost all eight of his starts this season.
“You look at the strikeouts, and only two walks today,” Melvin said. “He gave up the homer, had one dicey little situation there with the bases loaded and got some strikeouts. When he’s throwing the ball over the plate and he’s using all his pitches, he’s about as good as any left-hander in the game.”
Snell retired his first nine batters before getting into and out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth. He loaded the bases with one out before retiring Thairo Estrada and Brandon Crawford.
“I’m happy with it,” Snell said. “Still got to limit walks. Definitely happy, throwing the ball good. Just got to keep attacking the zone.”
The Padres have struggled offensively in the last several games, so the early lead was a big deal for Snell.
“Love pitching with the lead. Makes it so you can start to get in cruise control and start to really feel your rhythm,” Snell said. “Being able to get three runs right away helped me settle in, even though the fourth was a little bumpy and the fifth was a little bumpy. But outside of that I felt really confident. I felt good with that lead.”
Nick Martinez pitched three innings for his third save.
Nomar Mazara hit two RBI singles for the Padres, and Jake Cronenworth added a run-scoring single.
Brandon Belt and David Villar homered for San Francisco, which has dropped eight of nine. Villar’s leadoff drive in the fifth was his first career homer, and Belt connected for a two-run shot in the ninth.
Long (0-2) allowed three runs and four hits in 2 1/3 innings.
BRIGHT COLORS
The Padres debuted their City Connect uniforms, with bright sherbet-like colors of green, pink and yellow that are supposed to reflect the cross-border cultures of San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: Placed INF Tommy La Stella on the COVID-19-related IL. Reinstated Estrada from COVID-19 IL. Claimed INF Colton Welker off waivers from Colorado, recalled him and placed him on the 60-day IL (left shoulder surgery).
Padres: Placed LF Jurickson Profar on the seven-day concussion injured list a day after he collapsed while trying to walk off the field after a scary collision with shortstop C.J. Abrams. Profar also was diagnosed with a strained neck before being discharged from the hospital overnight. OF Brent Rooker was recalled from Triple-A El Paso to take Profar’s roster spot.
UP NEXT
Giants LHP Carlos Rodon (7-5, 2.87 ERA) and Padres RHP Yu Darvish (7-4, 3.53 ERA) are scheduled to start Saturday’s game. | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2022/07/08/machado-homers-snell-fans-11-in-padres-6-3-win-over-giants-2/ | 2022-07-09 06:23:46 | 1 | https://kion546.com/news/ap-california/2022/07/08/machado-homers-snell-fans-11-in-padres-6-3-win-over-giants-2/ |
Woman found dead in Belk department store Monday evening, last seen on Thursday
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A 63-year-old woman named Bessie Durham, who worked as a janitor at the Belk department store was found dead inside the department store’s public bathroom.
Police say Durham was last seen on Thursday by another employee but her body had not been discovered until Monday night.
For four days, Durham’s body went unnoticed inside a public restroom during a busy shopping weekend. WIS spoke to a few people in the area today, and they’re asking the same questions we are asking...which is how.
“There are a lot of questions that need to be answered,” said Beverly Stroman who lives in Columbia.
“That’s terrible,” said Sherry Wheeler, another Columbia resident.
That’s the reaction from people who were shopping near the mall Tuesday afternoon after learning a woman dead in the department store’s bathroom Monday night.
“I was just there yesterday... if I’d gone in the restroom, which I usually do a lot, you know, I don’t know, that’s just terrible,” said Wheeler.
Deputy Chief Melron Kelly with the Columbia Police Department says the family of Durham had not spoken to her for four days and actually went to the station to file a missing person’s report.
“We were with the family taking a missing person’s report, and once we were on scene and did a little investigating, we did discover the person deceased at the Belk,” said Deputy Chief Melron Kelly, Columbia Police Department.
“You wonder why the customers didn’t see it and report it, but you would think, the employees if she’s still on the clock, would know that and go and check to see where she was,” said Stroman.
And that’s what the police are investigating, why and how no one noticed Durham, but with the investigation in its early stages, criminal charges could still be a possibility.
“We’re still working with the store to find out what their process is to closing down the store, inspecting the store and things of that nature,” said Deputy Chief Kelly.
Chief Kelly says they’ll continue to work with the employers and the mall to confirm when Durham was last seen, and they’ll be working with the Lexington County Coroner to determine when exactly she died.
WIS did speak with the coroner who told us there were also no indications of drug use. An autopsy is scheduled for later this week.
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Copyright 2022 WIS. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/09/21/woman-found-dead-belk-department-store-monday-evening-last-seen-thursday/ | 2022-09-21 02:34:23 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/09/21/woman-found-dead-belk-department-store-monday-evening-last-seen-thursday/ |
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Harmony's Horizon bridge was one of the first cross-chain bridges that launched back in October 2020, which has since accrued a peak Total Volume Locked (TVL) of ~$750 million with over $1.5 billion transaction volume across 100k+ cross-chain transactions.
The Horizon bridge had stood the test of time for two years before an exploit happened on June 23, 2022 that resulted in the loss of $100 million in assets. While this exploit was a huge setback, Harmony strongly believes in the cross-chain future and will continue to support the refinement of the cross-chain technology by deploying products and innovating. While the pause of the Horizon bridge was not ideal for our users, these four months were needed to work on the reimbursement strategies with the community and to find a right partner to relaunch the Horizon bridge.
The cross-chain technology space is rapidly evolving with many successful solutions. This article describes our exploration, classification, and findings that went into selecting a bridging partner for resuming Horizon. We carefully considered bridging solutions like Nomad, Celer, Axeler, Synapse, Multichain and LayerZero. All these solutions seem to be strong and have demonstrated a considerable amount of user adoption. After thorough technical due diligence, we have opted for LayerZero as our bridging partner for resuming Horizon, and we highlight some of our reasoning behind our choice.
"When evaluating our choices for bridge partner, LayerZero stood out in terms of technical strength, security, and support from top-tier VCs and ecosystem developers. We believe they are the right partner for Harmony as we resume Horizon bridge." said Stephen Tse, Founder of Harmony.
LayerZero is an omnichain interoperability protocol specifically designed for lightweight message passing across blockchains. LayerZero's stargate.finance deployment was the fastest growing DeFi protocol reaching $4.4B TVL in 2 weeks post-launch; today it has accrued over $500 million TVL across 7 blockchains such as Ethereum, BSC, Avalanche, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, and Fantom. LayerZero is currently live on 16 mainnets and many more testnets.
LayerZero Labs is a dedicated team of builders who are constantly innovating and specializing in cross-chain technologies. As seen in our classification, LayerZero is a committee-based bridging solution whose security relies upon the oracle network which is a custom deployment of Chainlink's Decentralized Oracle Network (DON) with well-backed operators like FTX, Polygon, and Sequoia. The main job of the oracle network is to validate and accept the cross-chain block headers such that users' cross-chain transaction proofs can be validated. Another key infrastructure is the transaction proof generator and relayer, which is currently run by LayerZero itself. The relayer can be run by any party as long as it is not run by the oracle providers, to ensure bridge's security.
In the context of Horizon, we have replaced the previously existing multisig validation layer with LayerZero's validation layer. This greatly reduces risk, as Harmony does not need to run/maintain any backend infrastructure, as the two key pieces of infrastructure that comprise the LayerZero validation (the oracle and the relayer) are professionally run and maintained by the third-party operators with expertise.
"We're excited to partner w/ Harmony to bring the best of LayerZero to their ecosystem and enable resumption of Harmony's Horizon bridge and enable cross-chain applications," said Bryan Pellegrino, CEO of LayerZero.
Further, we have taken additional security steps to proactively monitor and prevent future hacks by partnering with Lossless, who will deploy their latest innovation Aegis, a proactive web3 security infrastructure. Lossless Aegis framework will continuously monitor the Horizon bridge to detect any suspicious activities and prevent the future attacks on the bridge.
Lossless Aegis provides industry-leading threat monitoring and smart contract defense capabilities, designed to prevent exploits before they happen. Lossless Aegis scans all mined block transactions, utilizing predictive analytics to identify transaction patterns and suspicious addresses. Data on potentially malicious behavior is then pushed both on-chain and off-chain, triggering real-time user alerts. Evidence of Lossless team's competence can be seen in their efforts to prevent the exploiter of the Horizon bridge from stealing the AAG token liquidity, where the Lossless team was able to recover 78 million worth of AAG tokens.
From the user perspective, using Horizon bridge will be similar as before but with better user experience, as we have deployed a new frontend for Horizon. The bridge users will not experience any major changes with respect to use; however, the cost and the delay involved for using the bridge has greatly reduced due to the removal of the on-chain multisig operational cost. The diagram below demonstrates the bridging flow from Ethereum to Harmony.
In terms of the assets, depegged tokens no longer will be supported in the Horizon bridge, and they will be replaced with the new wrapped assets. At the time of the relaunch, on the Ethereum side, stablecoins such as USDC, USDT, DAI, BUSD, FRAX can be bridged. Other assets like ETH, WBTC, AAG, FXS, (x)SUSHI, AAVE are also supported. On the BSC side, BNB, BUSD are mainly supported. The native ONE token can also be bridged over to both Ethereum and BSC like before. Unlike before, however, adding support for new or previously existing assets is not permissionless, and it will require additional deployment efforts by the Harmony bridge team. Based on demand and partner requests, we plan to gradually add support for more assets to the bridge.
The Horizon bridge exploit was an extremely difficult incident, but we will emerge stronger as ONE. We look forward to building back trust and strengthening our cross-chain ecosystem, with the support of our beloved community by our side.
CONTACT: press@harmony.one
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SOURCE Harmony | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/10/27/resuming-harmony-cross-chain-bridge-with-layerzero/ | 2022-10-27 17:45:47 | 1 | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/10/27/resuming-harmony-cross-chain-bridge-with-layerzero/ |
Upscale, Fast Casual Dining Powerhouse with House-Crafted Menu Now Open in Happy Valley
HAPPY VALLEY, Ore., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, known for its award-winning, hand-crafted cheese steaks, turkey subs and more, will debut a new location in Happy Valley at 13140 SE 172 Ave Ste 134. on September 16. Capriotti's brings the Happy Valley community its 45-year tradition of slow-roasting whole, all-natural turkeys in-house and hand-pulling them every morning and other favorites like the made-from-scratch meatballs using premium, fresh ingredients.
Capriotti's is known for its wide array of sandwiches including The Bobbie, made with fresh oven-roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayo, the Capastrami, made with hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and homemade coleslaw and the cheesesteak is made with premium steak, chicken or Impossible plant-based meat and melted cheese plus hot or sweet peppers. The Happy Valley Capriotti's will offer a convenient order-ahead option, in addition to third-party delivery services. The new shop will bring 20 new jobs to the Happy Valley community.
The location will be locally owned by former construction worker, Dale Campbell and his wife Connie. For years, Dale owned a construction company in Phoenix, but decided to sell it when Connie got a new job in Portland. Left wanting to do something other than construction, Dale took the tools he learned from his past and decided to become a franchisee of Capriotti's Sandwich Shop. The location will be Dale's first of three Capriotti's coming to the Portland area in the next three years, with roughly 60 new jobs set to be created across the restaurants.
"To become a franchisee of Capriotti's was a no-brainer," said Campbell. "When we lived in Phoenix for eight years, we absolutely loved the food and concept of the restaurant. My wife has even been a fan of the franchise since she was a teenager living in Delaware. I truly believe that we will offer the people of Happy Valley the best sandwiches and service that Portland Metro has to offer. Just try one and you'll be coming back like I was!"
Happy Valley Capriotti's fans can download the CAPAddicts Rewards app on iOS and Android to earn and redeem rewards and score free food. The restaurant also features online ordering. Capriotti's in Happy Valley offers catering for any event from corporate events to birthday parties with items such as party trays with cold subs, box lunches or a hot homemade meatball bar.
Capriotti's is open from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday-Sunday. For additional information, visit www.capriottis.com or call the location at 503-482-5323.
About Capriotti's Sandwich Shop
Founded in 1976, Capriotti's Sandwich Shop is an award-winning national franchised restaurant chain that remains true to its 45-year tradition of slow-roasting whole, all-natural turkeys in-house every day. Capriotti's fresh ingredients, homemade subs and unique menu items have won numerous accolades including being named one of the "10 Great Places for a Surprising Sandwich" by USA Today and many "Best of" awards across the country. Capriotti's cold, grilled and vegetarian subs, cheese steaks and salads are available at more than 170 locations across the U.S. Capriotti's signature sub, The Bobbie®, was voted "The Greatest Sandwich in America" by thousands of readers across the country and reported by AOL.com. Capriotti's fans can also download the CAPAddicts Rewards app for iOS and Android, where they can earn and redeem rewards. For more information, visit capriottis.com. Like Capriotti's on Facebook, follow on Twitter or Instagram.
Media Contact: Tyler Scheuermann, Fishman PR | tscheuermann@fishmanpr.com | 847-945-1300 ext. 272
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SOURCE Capriotti's Sandwich Shop | https://www.cleveland19.com/prnewswire/2022/09/16/former-construction-worker-using-past-tools-build-best-sandwich-shop-oregon/ | 2022-09-16 17:55:29 | 1 | https://www.cleveland19.com/prnewswire/2022/09/16/former-construction-worker-using-past-tools-build-best-sandwich-shop-oregon/ |
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho lawmakers are scheduled to meet Thursday at the Statehouse to consider using the state’s projected $2 billion budget surplus for a $500 million income tax rebate.
Legislators will also consider spending money - a $410 million annual boost for K-12 schools and post-secondary education using sales taxes. The state's business leaders have complained that Idaho's education system is falling behind, hurting efforts to attract new companies and retain existing ones.
Republican Gov. Brad Little last week called the part-time Legislature back to Boise due to what he said was high inflation, currently about 8.5%, harming the education system and taxpayers’ purchasing power for gas and groceries.
A tax cut of more than $150 million annually by creating a corporate and individual flat tax rate of 5.8% starting next year is also on the table.
A majority of Republican and Democratic lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors, but lawmakers say cracks could form around the tax and education policy details.
In particular, some Democrats are concerned about the ongoing $150 million tax cut they say mainly benefits the wealthy, while some Republicans have doubts about the education portion of the bill, particularly a baked-in 3% boost each year to the initial $410 million.
The proposed legislation has already been made public, and it has enough co-sponsors in the 70-member House and 35-member Senate to make it to the governor’s desk for Little’s signature. Significantly, among those co-sponsors are enough members in a House committee and Senate committee to make sure the bill moves to the floor of the respective chambers for a full vote by all members.
But it's also possible members on those committees, or on the House and Senate floor, could seek to amend the legislation.
Republican Sen. Jim Rice, one of the bill's sponsors, chairs the Local Government and Taxation Committee — through which the bill must pass — and was confident it would make it to the full Senate.
“It’s a long-term growth strategy that we’ve been putting in place for years that has resulted in this (legislation),” Rice said.
Democratic House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel is also sponsoring the bill, lauding the education portion but expressing reservations about the flat tax. She noted the education money would only boost Idaho from 51st to 49th in the nation in per-pupil spending.
“It may not be what everybody wants,” Rubel said. “But it's a pretty good move in the right direction and satisfies a lot of groups' objectives."
The one-time income tax rebates of $500 million amount to 10% of taxes paid in 2020, with a minimum rebate that Democrats fought for of $300 for individual taxpayers and $600 for those filing jointly. The bill requires the Idaho State Tax Commission, to the extent possible, to issue the rebates this fiscal year, which ends June 30. But lawmakers have said the rebates would likely happen this calendar year.
The ongoing tax cut of more than $150 million involves creating the corporate and individual flat tax rate of 5.8% starting next year. The corporate tax rate is currently 6%, the same rate for the state’s highest income bracket. Under the bill, the first $2,500 of income for individuals and $5,000 for people filing jointly would be exempt from taxes.
Rice said the flat tax was a key component of the legislation.
“When you have down economic times, a graduated income tax makes them worse,” he said. “The closer you are to a flat tax, the better off you are in bad economic times.”
But Rubel had doubts.
“I hope that we don't come to regret this move of cutting a pretty substantial revenue stream when we hit harder times,” she said.
The bill bolsters K-12 public schools and post-secondary education with $410 million annually from sales taxes starting next year. Of the $410 million, $330 million is proposed for K-12 and $80 million for post-secondary education. It also comes with the annual increase of 3%.
Republican Rep. Bruce Skaug is also sponsoring the legislation. He said he overall liked the bill, especially the tax rebate and cut, but would like to see the rebate larger and an amendment eliminating the 3% annual education money increase.
He declined to say if he expected such an amendment to be attempted by a lawmaker on the House Revenue and Taxation Committee or on the House floor. If the 3% annual boost survives, he's not sure he'll vote for the bill.
“Even as a co-sponsor, I can change my mind during debate with new information,” Skaug said.
If the 3% boost ends up getting cut, it's possible other lawmakers could withdraw their support.
Another aspect of the bill is that the next Legislature that meets in regular session in January will decide how to spend the education money. Skaug said that was an important part of the legislation to him.
The special session comes ahead of the November election when all of Idaho’s 105 state legislative seats are up for election, as well as the governor and other statewide elected officials.
Also on the ballot in November is an initiative called the Quality Education Initiative that backers have said would boost education funding by raising taxes on corporations and individuals making $250,000 or more annually. Backers say Idaho schools are badly underfunded and that the initiative would raise more than $300 million.
If passed by voters, it would take effect Jan. 1. However, if lawmakers in the special session approve the proposed bill and Little signs it, it would take effect Jan. 3, negating and replacing the initiative.
The special session is expected to last only one day, but a special session in 2020 went three days and turned chaotic, with antigovernment activist Ammon Bundy arrested twice and lawmakers forced to abandon a committee room by an angry crowd. Bundy is now running as an independent candidate to replace Little as governor.
“Experience has taught me not to count any chickens,” Rubel said about the possibility of a one-day special session, noting that 2020 session. “Before we knew it, we had riot police in the building and 30-plus bills were getting introduced.” | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Idaho-tax-education-bill-has-support-but-cracks-17410094.php | 2022-08-31 17:47:30 | 0 | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Idaho-tax-education-bill-has-support-but-cracks-17410094.php |
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A white former police officer convicted of manslaughter after mistaking her handgun for a Taser and fatally shooting Black motorist Daunte Wright in suburban Minneapolis in 2021 is set to be released from prison Monday.
Minnesota Department of Corrections spokesman Andy Skoogman announced Friday that former officer Kim Potter was to be released after serving about 16 months of her two-year sentence. He said the exact timing of her departure Monday from Minnesota Correctional Facility-Shakopee won’t be disclosed for security reasons.
“Our criminal investigative analysts are working closely with law enforcement to monitor the situation to ensure Kim Potter, like all incarcerated persons, is safe as she leaves our facility,” Skoogman said in a statement.
The shooting happened April 2021 as Derek Chauvin was on trial in Minneapolis on murder charges in George Floyd’s killing. Wright’s death sparked several days of protests.
Judge Regina Chu had said at Potter’s sentencing that she would be required to serve two-thirds of her sentence — 16 months — then spend the rest on probation.
Potter, now 50, appears much thinner in a new photo released by the Department of Corrections. Her attorney, Earl Gray, said he had “no idea” why her appearance changed.
“It just shows it’s rough doing time,” Gray said. “I don’t know many mug shots that show somebody in a good light.”
A message left with civil rights attorney Ben Crump, the lawyer for Wright’s family, wasn’t immediately returned.
Wright, a 20-year-old father, was killed on April 11, 2021, after Brooklyn Center officers pulled him over for having expired license tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. Officers discovered he had a warrant for a misdemeanor weapons possession charge and he was shot during a struggle as officers tried to arrest him.
Civil rights advocates say laws against hanging objects from rearview mirrors have been used as a pretext for stopping Black motorists.
Potter is heard on video yelling “Taser” several times just before she fires her pistol as Wright tried to drive away from the traffic stop.
The state attorney general’s office had sought a sentence recommended by state guidelines of just over seven years in prison. Wright’s family and Crump denounced the two-year sentence as too lenient and accused the judge of giving more consideration to the white officer than the Black victim.
Wright’s mother, Katie Wright, said after the sentencing that Potter “murdered my son,” adding: “Today the justice system murdered him all over again.”
Chu said at the time that the case wasn’t the same as other high-profile killings, including George Floyd’s death that resulted in a 22 1/2-year sentence for Chauvin. “This is a cop who made a tragic mistake,” she said.
Defense attorneys argued at the sentencing hearing that Potter deserved leniency because Wright was trying to drive away and Potter had the right to defend herself.
Potter, a 26-year police veteran, apologized to Wright’s family at sentencing and spoke directly to his mother: “Katie, I understand a mother’s love. I’m sorry I broke your heart … my heart is broken and devastated for all of you.” | https://www.krqe.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/minnesota-officer-who-fatally-shot-daunte-wright-to-be-freed/ | 2023-04-22 16:30:49 | 1 | https://www.krqe.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/minnesota-officer-who-fatally-shot-daunte-wright-to-be-freed/ |
PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona lawmaker who embraces election conspiracies and was endorsed by former President Donald Trump won the Republican primary Tuesday for the top elections post in the presidential battleground.
Mark Finchem beat out three other GOP candidates in the race for secretary of state. His challengers included another candidate who repeated Trump’s false claims that he lost the 2020 presidential election because of fraud, a longtime state lawmaker and a businessman endorsed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey.
Democrats and election security advocates warned that a victory for Finchem in the November general election will be dangerous for democracy.
Finchem, who attended Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, rally that preceded the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol, has said he only intends to ensure that election laws are followed to address concerns by many Republicans about how elections are run. Still, he tried to get the Legislature to overturn the 2020 election results and has spoken about making major changes to election rules that are written by the secretary.
Arizona’s was the most high-profile secretary of state’s race in Tuesday’s primaries. In Kansas, the top state elections official beat back a far-right challenger who promoted conspiracy theories, while in Washington voters were choosing from a mix of Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated candidates in that state’s top-two primary.
The GOP primary elections for secretary of state are the latest this year to feature candidates who doubt the security of their states’ elections despite the lack of evidence of any problems widespread enough to change the results. Republican voters elsewhere have split on sending those candidates to the November ballot.
The Democratic candidates in all three states reject the premise of a stolen 2020 presidential election and warn that victories in November by any of those who promote conspiracies would endanger free and fair elections. In all three states, the secretary of state is the top election official.
Finchem tried this year to get the Republican-controlled Legislature to notify Congress that Arizona wanted to decertify Democrat Joe Biden’s election win. He won Trump’s endorsement and said in a recent interview that worries about the effect of his potential victory on free and fair elections are unfounded. He said he will just enforce laws as written.
“I think it’s interesting that there are people, particularly Democrats out there, claiming: ’Oh, he’s going to ruin the system. He’s going to do this, he’s a threat to democracy,’” Finchem said. Still, he contends tens of thousands of fake ballots led to Biden’s win, a claim for which there is no credible evidence.
The other Republican who backed Trump’s claims also is a member of the Arizona House. Rep. Shawnna Bolick introduced a bill last year that would allow a simple majority of the Legislature to overturn presidential election results.
The other Republicans on Arizona’s ballot were state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, who acknowledges Biden’s victory but has worked for a decade to tighten election laws, and businessman Beau Lane, who was backed by the governor.
Two Democrats, House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding and former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes, are seeking their party’s nomination.
Kansas had no significant problems with its 2020 elections and Trump carried the state handily. Yet Secretary of State Scott Schwab found himself on sometimes tricky ground politically because many Republicans have embraced Trump’s baseless claims that massive fraud cost him the race nationally.
Schwab has repeatedly vouched for the safety of Kansas elections and touted new GOP-pushed laws, including ones that restrict the delivery of ballots by third parties. He’s also said he can’t vouch for other states’ elections.
The message worked well for him in his primary against Mike Brown, a construction contractor and former county commissioner in the Kansas City area. Brown embraced election conspiracy theories and promised to rid the state of ballot drop boxes.
In November, Schwab will face Democrat Jenna Repass, who was unopposed in her party’s primary.
Washington state’s top-two primary featured the incumbent, Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, who easily advanced to the general election. He was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee last November and hopes to retain his seat for the remaining two years of former Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman’s four-year term.
Also on the primary ballot were several Republican and unaffiliated challengers, including Tamborine Borrelli, an “America First” candidate who was fined by the state Supreme Court earlier this summer for making meritless claims alleging widespread voter fraud. Borrelli was lagging far behind other candidates Tuesday night.
There was a tight race for the second slot on the November ballot between Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson, running as an independent, and several Republicans.
Under Washington’s primary system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party. Results could take days to tally because it’s an all-mail election. | https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/u-s-world/trump-loyalist-wins-gop-nod-to-oversee-arizona-elections/ | 2022-08-03 12:53:21 | 1 | https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/u-s-world/trump-loyalist-wins-gop-nod-to-oversee-arizona-elections/ |
PITTSBURGH (AP) — For the two weeks that the Hackneys’ baby girl lay in a Pittsburgh hospital bed weak from dehydration, her parents rarely left her side, sometimes sleeping on the fold-out sofa in the room.
They stayed with their daughter around the clock when she was moved to a rehab center to regain her strength. Finally, the 8-month-old stopped batting away her bottles and started putting on weight again.
“She was doing well and we started to ask when can she go home,” Lauren Hackney said. “And then from that moment on, at the time, they completely stonewalled us and never said anything.”
The couple was stunned when child welfare officials showed up, told them they were negligent, and took their daughter away.
“They had custody papers and they took her right there and then,” Lauren Hackney recalled. “And we started crying.”
More than a year later, their daughter, now 2, remains in foster care. The Hackneys, who have developmental disabilities, are struggling to understand how taking their daughter to the hospital when she refused to eat could be seen as so neglectful that she’d need to be taken from her home.
They wonder if an artificial intelligence tool that the Allegheny County Department of Human Services uses to predict which children could be at risk of harm singled them out because of their disabilities.
The U.S. Justice Department is asking the same question. The agency is investigating the county’s child welfare system to determine whether its use of the influential algorithm discriminates against people with disabilities or other protected groups, The Associated Press has learned. Later this month, federal civil rights attorneys will interview the Hackneys and Andrew Hackney’s mother, Cynde Hackney-Fierro, the grandmother said.
Lauren Hackney has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder that affects her memory, and her husband, Andrew, has a comprehension disorder and nerve damage from a stroke suffered in his 20s. Their baby girl was just 7 months old when she began refusing to drink her bottles. Facing a nationwide shortage of formula, they traveled from Pennsylvania to West Virginia looking for some and were forced to change brands. The baby didn’t seem to like it.
Her pediatrician first reassured them that babies sometimes can be fickle with feeding and offered ideas to help her get back her appetite, they said.
When she grew lethargic days later, they said, the same doctor told them to take her to the emergency room. The Hackneys believe medical staff alerted child protective services after they showed up with a baby who was dehydrated and malnourished.
That’s when they believe their information was fed into the Allegheny Family Screening Tool, which county officials say is standard procedure for neglect allegations. Soon, a social worker appeared to question them, and their daughter was sent to foster care.
Over the past six years, Allegheny County has served as a real-world laboratory for testing AI-driven child welfare tools that crunch reams of data about local families to try to predict which children are likely to face danger in their homes. Today, child welfare agencies in at least 26 states and Washington, D.C., have considered using algorithmic tools, and jurisdictions in at least 11 have deployed them, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Hackneys’ story — based on interviews, internal emails, and legal documents — illustrates the opacity surrounding these algorithms. Even as they fight to regain custody of their daughter, they can’t question the “risk score” Allegheny County’s tool may have assigned to her case because officials won’t disclose it to them. And neither the county nor the people who built the tool have ever explained which variables may have been used to measure the Hackneys’ abilities as parents.
“It’s like you have an issue with someone who has a disability,” Andrew Hackney said in an interview from their apartment in suburban Pittsburgh. “In that case … you probably end up going after everyone who has kids and has a disability.”
As part of a yearlong investigation, the AP obtained the data points underpinning several algorithms deployed by child welfare agencies, including some marked “CONFIDENTIAL,” offering rare insight into the mechanics driving these emerging technologies. Among the factors they have used to calculate a family’s risk, whether outright or by proxy: race, poverty rates, disability status, and family size. They include whether a mother smoked before she was pregnant and whether a family had previous child abuse or neglect complaints.
What they measure matters. A recent analysis by ACLU researchers found that when Allegheny’s algorithm flagged people who accessed county services for mental health and other behavioral health programs, that could add up to three points to a child’s risk score, a significant increase on a scale of 20.
Allegheny County spokesman Mark Bertolet declined to address the Hackney case and did not answer detailed questions about the status of the federal probe or critiques of the data powering the tool, including by the ACLU.
“As a matter of policy, we do not comment on lawsuits or legal matters,” Bertolet said in an email.
Justice Department spokeswoman Aryele Bradford declined to comment.
NOT MAGIC
Child welfare algorithms plug vast amounts of public data about local families into complex statistical models to calculate what they call a risk score. The number that’s generated is then used to advise social workers as they decide which families should be investigated, or which families need additional attention — a weighty decision that can sometimes mean life or death.
A number of local leaders have tapped into AI technology while under pressure to make systemic changes, such as in Oregon during a foster care crisis and in Los Angeles County after a series of high-profile child deaths in one of the nation’s largest county child welfare systems.
LA County’s Department of Children and Family Services Director Brandon Nichols says algorithms can help identify high-risk families and improve outcomes in a deeply strained system. Yet he could not explain how the screening tool his agency uses works.
“We’re sort of the social work side of the house, not the IT side of the house,” Nichols said in an interview. “How the algorithm functions, in some ways is, I don’t want to say is magic to us, but it’s beyond our expertise and experience.”
Nichols and officials at two other child welfare agencies referred detailed questions about their AI tools to the outside developers who created them.
In Larimer County, Colorado, one official acknowledged she didn’t know what variables were used to assess local families.
“The variables and weights used by the Larimer Decision Aide Tool are part of the code developed by Auckland and thus we do not have this level of detail,” Jill Maasch, a Larimer County Human Services spokeswoman said in an email, referring to the developers.
In Pennsylvania, California, and Colorado, county officials have opened up their data systems to the two academic developers who select data points to build their algorithms. Rhema Vaithianathan, a professor of health economics at New Zealand’s Auckland University of Technology, and Emily Putnam-Hornstein, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work, said in an email that their work is transparent and that they make their computer models public.
“In each jurisdiction in which a model has been fully implemented we have released a description of fields that were used to build the tool, along with information as to the methods used,” they said by email.
A 241-page report on the Allegheny County website includes pages of coded variables and statistical calculations.
Vaithianathan and Putnam-Hornstein’s work has been hailed in reports published by UNICEF and the Biden administration alike for devising computer models that promise to lighten caseworkers’ loads by drawing from a set of simple factors. They have described using such tools as a moral imperative, insisting that child welfare officials should draw from all data at their disposal to make sure children aren’t maltreated.
Through tracking their work across the country, however, the AP found their tools can set families up for separation by rating their risk based on personal characteristics they cannot change or control, such as race or disability, rather than just their actions as parents.
In Allegheny County, a sprawling county of 1.2 million near the Ohio border, the algorithm has accessed an array of external data, including jail, juvenile probation, Medicaid, welfare, health, and birth records, all held in a vast countywide “data warehouse.” The tool uses that information to predict the risk that a child will be placed in foster care two years after a family is first investigated.
County officials have told the AP they’re proud of their cutting-edge approach and even expanded their work to build another algorithm focused on newborns. They have said they monitor their risk-scoring tool closely and update it over time, including removing variables such as welfare benefits and birth records.
Vaithianathan and Putnam-Hornstein declined the AP’s repeated interview requests to discuss how they choose the specific data that powers their models. But in a 2017 report, they detailed the methods used to build the first version of Allegheny’s tool, including a footnote that described a statistical cutoff as “rather arbitrary but based on trial and error.”
“This footnote refers to our exploration of more than 800 features from Allegheny’s data warehouse more than five years ago,” the developers said by email.
That approach is borne out in their design choices, which differ from county to county.
In the same 2017 report, the developers acknowledged that using race data didn’t substantively improve the model’s accuracy, but they continued to study it in Douglas County, Colorado, though they ultimately opted against including it in that model. To address community concerns that a tool could harden racial bias in Los Angeles County, the developers excluded people’s criminal history, ZIP code and geographic indicators, but have continued to use those data points in the Pittsburgh area.
When asked about the inconsistencies, the developers pointed to their published methodology documents.
“We detail various metrics used to assess accuracy — while also detailing ‘external validations,’” the developers said via email.
When Oregon’s Department of Human Services built an algorithm inspired by Allegheny’s, it factored in a child’s race as it predicted a family’s risk, and also applied a “fairness correction” to mitigate racial bias. Last June, the tool was dropped entirely due to equity concerns after an AP investigation in April revealed potential racial bias in such tools.
Justice Department attorneys cited the same AP story last fall when federal civil rights attorneys started inquiring about additional discrimination concerns in Allegheny’s tool, three sources told the AP. They spoke on the condition of anonymity, saying the Justice Department asked them not to discuss the confidential conversations. Two said they also feared professional retaliation.
IQ TESTS, PARENTING CLASS
With no answers on when they could get their daughter home, the Hackneys’ lawyer in October filed a federal civil rights complaint on their behalf that questioned how the screening tool was used in their case.
Over time, Allegheny’s tool has tracked if members of the family have diagnoses for schizophrenia or mood disorders. It’s also measured if parents or other children in the household have disabilities, by noting whether any family members received Supplemental Security Income, a federal benefit for people with disabilities. The county said that it factors in SSI payments in part because children with disabilities are more likely to be abused or neglected.
The county also said disabilities-aligned data can be “predictive of the outcomes” and it “should come as no surprise that parents with disabilities … may also have a need for additional supports and services.” In an emailed statement, the county added that elsewhere in the country, social workers also draw on data about mental health and other conditions that may affect a parent’s ability to safely care for a child.
The Hackneys have been ordered to take parenting classes and say they have been taxed by all of the child welfare system’s demands, including IQ tests and downtown court hearings.
People with disabilities are overrepresented in the child welfare system, yet there’s no evidence that they harm their children at higher rates, said Traci LaLiberte, a University of Minnesota expert on child welfare and disabilities.
Including data points related to disabilities in an algorithm is problematic because it perpetuates historic biases in the system and it focuses on people’s physiological traits rather than behavior that social workers are brought in to address, LaLiberte said.
The Los Angeles tool weighs if any children in the family have ever gotten special education services, have had prior developmental or mental health referrals or used drugs to treat mental health.
“This is not unique to caseworkers who use this tool; it is common for caseworkers to consider these factors when determining possible supports and services,” the developers said by email.
Before algorithms were in use, the child welfare system had long distrusted parents with disabilities. Into the 1970s, they were regularly sterilized and institutionalized, LaLiberte said. A landmark federal report in 2012 noted parents with psychiatric or intellectual disabilities lost custody of their children as much as 80 percent of the time.
Across the U.S., it’s extremely rare for any child welfare agencies to require disabilities training for social workers, LaLiberte’s research has found. The result: Parents with disabilities are often judged by a system that doesn’t understand how to assess their capacity as caregivers, she said.
The Hackneys experienced this firsthand. When a social worker asked Andrew Hackney how often he fed the baby, he answered literally: two times a day. The worker seemed appalled, he said, and scolded him, saying babies must eat more frequently. He struggled to explain that the girl’s mother, grandmother, and aunt also took turns feeding her each day.
FOREVER FLAGGED
Officials in Allegheny County have said that building AI into their processes helps them “make decisions based on as much information as possible,” and noted that the algorithm merely harnesses data social workers can already access.
That can include decades-old records. The Pittsburgh-area tool has tracked whether parents were ever on public benefits or had a history with the criminal justice system — even if they were minors at the time, or if it never resulted in charges or convictions.
The AP found those design choices can stack the deck against people who grew up in poverty, hardening historical inequities that persist in the data, or against people with records in the juvenile or criminal justice systems, long after society has granted redemption. And critics say that algorithms can create a self-fulfilling prophecy by influencing which families are targeted in the first place.
“These predictors have the effect of casting permanent suspicion and offer no means of recourse for families marked by these indicators,” according to the analysis from researchers at the ACLU and the nonprofit Human Rights Data Analysis Group. “They are forever seen as riskier to their children.”
As child welfare algorithms become more common, parents who have experienced social workers’ scrutiny fear the models won’t let them escape their pasts, no matter how old or irrelevant their previous scrapes with the system may have been.
Charity Chandler-Cole, who serves on the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families, is one of them. She landed in foster care as a teen after being arrested for shoplifting underwear for her younger sister. Then as an adult, she said, social workers once showed up at her apartment after someone spuriously reported that a grand piano was thrown at her nephew who was living at her home — even though they didn’t own such an instrument.
The local algorithm could tag her for her prior experiences in foster care and juvenile probation, as well as the unfounded child abuse allegation, Chandler-Cole says. She wonders if AI could also properly assess that she was quickly cleared of any maltreatment concerns, or that her nonviolent offense as a teen was legally expunged.
“A lot of these reports lack common sense,” said Chandler-Cole, now the mother of four and CEO of an organization that works with the court system to help children in foster care. “You are automatically putting us in these spaces to be judged with these labels. It just perpetuates additional harm.”
Chandler-Cole’s fellow commissioner Wendy Garen, by contrast, argues “more is better” and that by drawing on all available data, risk-scoring tools can help make the agency’s work more thorough and effective.
GLOBAL INFLUENCE
Even as their models have come under scrutiny for their accuracy and fairness, the developers have started new projects with child welfare agencies in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and Arapahoe County, Colorado. The states of California and Pennsylvania, as well as New Zealand and Chile, have also asked them to do preliminary work.
And as word of their methods has spread in recent years, Vaithianathan has given lectures highlighting screening tools in Colombia and Australia. She also recently advised researchers in Denmark and officials in the United Arab Emirates on how to use technology to target child services.
“Rhema is one of the world leaders and her research can help to shape the debate in Denmark,” a Danish researcher said on LinkedIn last year, regarding Vaithianathan’s advisory role related to a local child welfare tool that was being piloted.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded a national study, co-authored by Vaithianathan and Putnam-Hornstein, that concluded that their overall approach in Allegheny could be a model for other places.
HHS’ Administration for Children and Families spokeswoman Debra Johnson declined to say whether the Justice Department’s probe would influence her agency’s future support for an AI-driven approach to child welfare.
Especially as budgets tighten, cash-strapped agencies are desperate to find more efficient ways for social workers to focus on children who truly need protection. At a 2021 panel, Putnam-Hornstein acknowledged that “the overall screen-in rate remained totally flat” in Allegheny since their tool had been implemented.
Meanwhile, foster care and the separation of families can have lifelong developmental consequences for the child.
A 2012 HHS study found 95% of babies who are reported to child welfare agencies go through more than one caregiver and household change during their time in foster care, instability that researchers noted can itself be a form of trauma.
The Hackneys’ daughter already has been placed in two foster homes and has now spent more than half of her short life away from her parents as they try to convince social workers they are worthy.
Meanwhile, they say they’re running out of money in the fight for their daughter. With barely enough left for food from Andrew Hackney’s wages at a local grocery store, he had to shut off his monthly cell phone service. They’re struggling to pay for the legal fees and gas money needed to attend appointments required of them.
In February, their daughter was diagnosed with a disorder that can disrupt her sense of taste, according to Andrew Hackney’s lawyer, Robin Frank, who added that the girl has continued to struggle to eat, even in foster care.
All they have for now are twice-weekly visits that last a few hours before she’s taken away again. Lauren Hackney’s voice breaks as she worries her daughter may be adopted and soon forget her own family. They say they yearn to do what many parents take for granted — put their child to sleep at night in her own bed.
“I really want to get my kid back. I miss her, and especially holding her. And of course, I miss that little giggly laugh,” Andrew Hackney said, as his daughter sprang toward him with excitement during a recent visit. “It hurts a lot. You have no idea how bad.” | https://www.wowktv.com/news/business/ai-child-welfare-tool-may-flag-parents-with-disabilities/ | 2023-03-15 14:29:17 | 1 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/business/ai-child-welfare-tool-may-flag-parents-with-disabilities/ |
The 3rd Generation BD Kiestra™ Total Lab Automation System Offers Flexible Instrument to Optimize Lab Space and Streamline Workflow
FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., Jan. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, today introduced a new, robotic track system for the BD Kiestra™ microbiology laboratory solution that automates lab specimen processing, which may help to reduce manual labor and wait time for results.
The new BD Kiestra™ 3rd Generation Total Lab Automation System allows laboratories to create a custom and flexible total lab automation configuration to connect multiple BD Kiestra™ modules and is scalable to meet labs' unique and evolving needs. With multiple track options and choice of instruments to employ, labs can choose their automation entry point and configure the system to fit their individual workflow and physical lab space.
"The track-based configuration options are designed to eliminate the manual sorting of plates and walking the specimen from module to module, which helps to ensure culture integrity and results in streamlined workflows," said Cecilia Soriano, vice president and general manager of Microbiology for BD. "The modular tracks use a sophisticated robotic highway on/off ramp design to help eliminate bottlenecks, traffic jams and plate collisions."
From routine specimen inoculation processes to advanced incubation, imaging and colony selection for pathogen identification, the workflow can be fully automated and is customizable to fit the physical lab space. In addition, each step of the lab's diagnostic pathway is traceable and powered by BD Synapsys™ informatics solution to enable integrated workflows and on-demand insights that help empower laboratory staff to impact turnaround time, expedite laboratory decision-making, improve productivity, and support their compliance requirements.
"With our 3rd Generation Total Lab Automation System, labs with workflows impeded by room layouts can break free from space and configuration constraints to build the system that best meets their needs today and be ready to expand tomorrow," said Brooke Story, president of Integrated Diagnostic Solutions for BD.
BD Kiestra™ lab automation solutions provide total lab automation for the clinical microbiology laboratory. These solutions are designed to enhance laboratory outcomes, increase financial efficiencies, and advance laboratory operations. BD Kiestra™ lab automation offerings include scalable and modular microbiology workflow automation solutions, ranging from standalone units to fully automated track-based automation systems for mid- and high-volume labs. Learn more about BD Kiestra™
BD Synapsys™ Informatics solution has been designed to enable laboratories to address challenges and impact laboratory outcomes. It allows labs to analyze their performance using microbiology informatics through a single, advanced platform with an intuitive, personalized user interface. BD Synapsys™ Informatics was among the first life science diagnostics informatics platforms to receive the Underwriters Laboratory Cybersecurity Assurance Program certification, an independent third-party evaluation that uses standardized, testable criteria for assessing software vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Learn more about BD Synapsys™.
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 77,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety, and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/ and Twitter @BDandCo.
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SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/01/11/bd-introduces-fully-automated-robotic-track-system-microbiology-labs/ | 2023-01-11 12:45:17 | 1 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/01/11/bd-introduces-fully-automated-robotic-track-system-microbiology-labs/ |
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Sunday evening's drawing of the New York Lottery's "Win 4 Evening" game were:
9-8-4-7
(nine, eight, four, seven)
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Sunday evening's drawing of the New York Lottery's "Win 4 Evening" game were:
9-8-4-7
(nine, eight, four, seven) | https://www.sfchronicle.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Win-4-Evening-game-17614649.php | 2022-11-28 04:30:09 | 1 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Win-4-Evening-game-17614649.php |
Lithuana has warned its neighbors for years about the dangers posed by Russia. The country is once again calling for the international community to do more to stop Russia.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Lithuana has warned its neighbors for years about the dangers posed by Russia. The country is once again calling for the international community to do more to stop Russia.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/news-from-npr/news-from-npr/2022-06-06/lithuana-urges-the-world-to-stand-up-against-russia | 2022-06-06 11:23:08 | 0 | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/news-from-npr/news-from-npr/2022-06-06/lithuana-urges-the-world-to-stand-up-against-russia |
A journalist who fled Sudan's capital talks about his dangerous journey to Egypt Published May 3, 2023 at 5:16 AM MDT Twitter LinkedIn Email Listen • 6:54 NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Sudanese-American journalist Isma'il Kushkush about fleeing the violence in Khartoum. Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.kanw.com/2023-05-03/a-journalist-who-fled-sudans-capital-talks-about-his-dangerous-journey-to-egypt | 2023-05-03 11:48:05 | 1 | https://www.kanw.com/2023-05-03/a-journalist-who-fled-sudans-capital-talks-about-his-dangerous-journey-to-egypt |
World's First Nailable Solar Shingle Ends Year with 30+ Awards and Honors: TIME, Popular Science Honors Cap Successful Introductory Year
SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GAF Energy's Timberline Solar™, the world's first nailable solar shingle, has received more than 30 honors and awards since its introduction one year ago to become the world's most awarded solar shingle. The two most recent awards and honors,TIME's Best Inventions of 2022 and Popular Science's Best of What's New 2022, capped a successful introductory year for Timberline Solar™. GAF Energy, a Standard Industries company and the leading provider of solar roofing in North America, introduced Timberline Solar™ in January 2022. The innovative solar roof was developed and is produced at the company's R&D and manufacturing facility in San Jose, California.
"I believe that we have the most innovative residential solar product on the market today—a solar roof that is reliable, attractive, durable and easy to install—and these awards recognize the groundbreaking work our team has done," said Martin DeBono, President of GAF Energy. "The most important feedback we've received, though, has been from the customers who are trusting us with their homes and the roofers that are installing Timberline Solar™ every day across the country. It has been an amazing first year, and the best is yet to come."
The Timberline Solar™ Energy Shingle (ES) boasts an industry-defying depth of less than a quarter inch and integrates with traditional shingles to create a sleek and attractive look. It is the first product to achieve UL's 7103 certification, which certifies that GAF Energy's product meets UL's rigorous electrical, building, and safety standards as a roofing product and a solar energy product—the first of its kind to be recognized as both.
In addition to the TIME and Popular Science honors, Timberline Solar™ has received dozens of other awards and honors, including from CES, Fast Company, Green Builder Media, Good Housekeeping, Roofing Contractor, the National Association of Home Builders, and Best in Biz. To meet customer demand, GAF Energy is significantly increasing its Timberline Solar™ manufacturing capacity with the construction of a new 450,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Georgetown, Texas.
Consumers interested in learning more about Timberline Solar™ can visit: https://www.gaf.energy/timberline-solar/
GAF Energy is transforming the solar and roofing industries to generate energy from every roof. A Standard Industries company, GAF Energy works with North America's largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, GAF, to offer homeowners elegant, roof-integrated solar options through a national network of roofer partners. The company's leading product, the Timberline Solar™ roof system, incorporates the world's first nailable solar shingle to create an attractive, durable, and reliable solar roof. GAF Energy's products have received numerous awards and honors, including the Fast Company 2022 World Changing Ideas Award, the CES Best of Innovation Award, and an NAHB Best of IBS Award. GAF Energy develops and assembles its products at its R&D and manufacturing facility in San Jose, California.
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SOURCE GAF Energy | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2023/01/03/gaf-energys-timberline-solar-becomes-worlds-most-awarded-solar-shingle/ | 2023-01-03 16:03:54 | 0 | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2023/01/03/gaf-energys-timberline-solar-becomes-worlds-most-awarded-solar-shingle/ |
The first U.S. state legislature, one of the first refinery cities, four new Canadian cities, and many more take action to stop fossil fuel expansion & fast-track clean energy
RICHMOND, Calif., May 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, Richmond, California became the 51st community around the world – and one of the first frontline refinery communities – to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and commit to SAFE Cities policies. To honor this leadership and momentum, SAFE Cities, Stand.earth, and the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative have announced they will host a live online event today, Thursday, May 26 at 9:30 AM PT/12:30 ET.
Click to join: http://www.stand.earth/SAFEstream
In April and May alone, 10 new governments in Canada and the US have introduced or passed resolutions naming the need to move off fossil fuels. Many of these are also home to existing or developing actionable policies that stop fossil fuel expansion and accelerate a just transition to renewable energy. This leadership by local and subnational governments and advocates shows how the tide is turning against powerful fossil fuels interests.
Anne Pernick, SAFE Cities and Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Community Manager at Stand.earth:
"Each of these jurisdictions is taking responsibility for moving beyond fossil fuels, using their authority to protect the health and safety of their communities as well as global climate. They are working for a secure future where their neighbors and people around the world, especially those most vulnerable, are safe from the impacts of fossil fuels and climate change. SAFE Cities is honored to support their leadership."
Eduardo Martinez, Vice Mayor of Richmond, CA:
"In Richmond, we banned coal shipments from our port. We passed an all-electric policy for new buildings. These policies protect our community and global climate. We are one of the first refinery cities to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty because we need action by every level of government to move us off fossil fuels and to a cleaner, safer future."
SAFE Cities supports the work of these and other local and subnational government leaders and advocates with technical, policy, communications, and organizing assistance, and by creating opportunities for local climate and environmental leaders to connect and collaborate on creating policies to stop fossil fuel expansion and phase out fossil fuels.
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SOURCE Stand.earth | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/05/26/big-wins-safe-cities-movement/ | 2022-05-26 19:41:24 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/05/26/big-wins-safe-cities-movement/ |
Highlights of the report:
- Value of digital payments in India to increase three-fold from US$3 trillion today to US$10 trillion by 2026
- Digital payments will constitute nearly 65% of all payments by 2026, up from 40% today
- UPI adoption will surge from 35% in FY 21 to 75% in the next five years
- 7x growth in digital merchant payments - from US$ 0.3-0.4 trillion today to US$ 2.5-2.7 trillion by 2026
BENGALURU, India, June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PhonePe, India's leading digital payments company, in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), today unveiled a report titled, "Digital payments in India: A $10 trillion opportunity". The report leverages BCG's industry expertise in payments and the fintech domain, along with PhonePe's deep insights and expertise as the market leader in Indian digital payments and its extensive Pulse database to look at top digital payments trends in India.
India's digital payments landscape has witnessed a phenomenal growth over the past five years. As per the report, India's digital payments market is at an inflection point and is expected to increase more than threefold from the current US$3 trillion to US$10 trillion by 2026. As a result of this unprecedented growth, digital payments (non-cash) will constitute 2 out of 3 payment transactions by 2026.
The report also talks about how the digital payments ecosystem has been positively disrupted by the entry of multiple new players with diverse offerings driving digital payments adoption at scale. Leading global and Indian fintech players have been key drivers of UPI adoption in India among end users, aided by buildout of a large QR-code based merchant acceptance network, and further supported by user-friendly interfaces, innovative offerings and an open API ecosystem.
The report goes on to list the levers for further growth of digital payments in India which include - simplified customer onboarding, continued push for consumer awareness, expanding merchant acceptance, merchants getting greater access to credit, infrastructure upgrades and the setting up of a financial services marketplace driving growth in underpenetrated regions. It also talks about how IoT, 5G & CBDC will provide further impetus to growth.
Commenting on the launch, Karthik Raghupathy, Head of Strategy, and Investor Relations, PhonePe, said, ''We are excited to partner with BCG to release Digital payments in India: A $10 trillion opportunity. The report is an in-depth commentary on the growth of digital payments in India and looks at factors and enablers that will help unlock the massive growth potential going forward. This report is part of the PhonePe Pulse initiative, which was launched last year, in our effort to give back to the Fintech ecosystem. PhonePe Pulse has been very well received by all the key stakeholders in the ecosystem and has emerged as India's go to destination for insights and trends on digital payment in the country.
Karthik further added, "'As India's largest Fintech platform we have seen the growth of UPI over the last few years. UPI has supercharged India's transition to non-cash payments when it comes to both person-to-person (P2P) and person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions. Not surprisingly, UPI saw about 9x transaction volume increase in the past 3 years, increasing from 5 billion transactions in FY19 to about 46 billion transactions in FY22: accounting for more than 60% non-cash transaction volumes in FY22. This indicates that digital payment has truly gained ubiquitous acceptance across the country. While Tier 1-2 cities have witnessed high acceptance of digital payments, penetration in Tier 3-6 cities shows headroom for growth. The next wave of growth will now come from Tier 3-6 locations, as evidenced in the past two years wherein Tier 3-6 cities have contributed to nearly 60-70% of new customers for PhonePe."
Prateek Roongta, Managing Director & Partner, Boston Consulting Group said, "India is set to become a digital payment economy as source of payments invert with 65% transactions being done digitally by 2026, as opposed to 40% transactions today. Merchant payments will emerge as the most powerful driver of this growth, especially in the offline segment due to growing QR code deployments. We expect that merchant payments will soon outpace person-to-person fund transfers."
Prateek further added, "We will increasingly observe digital payments get embedded in all forms of commerce, we will also witness the progression from embedded payments to embedded finance. As more and more merchants begin to accept digital payments, it will unlock a significant change in access to credit for small merchants due to the creation of a digital transaction trail."
To download the report, visit: pulse.phonepe.com or https://www.bcg.com/en-in/publications/2022/future-of-digital-payments-in-india
About PhonePe:
Founded in December 2015, PhonePe has become a homegrown success story, with its meteoric growth powered by India's emerging digital ecosystem, particularly in the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) space. The company builds products and offerings tailored for the Indian market and has emerged as India's largest payments app, enabling digital inclusion for consumers and merchants alike. With 380 million registered users, one in four Indians are now on PhonePe. The company has also successfully digitized over 30 million offline merchants spread across Tier 2,3,4 and beyond, covering 99% pin codes in the country. PhonePe is proud to help lead India's country-wide digitization efforts and believes that this powerful public-private collaboration has made the Indian digital ecosystem a global exemplar.
About PhonePe Pulse - Trends and insights on digital payments in India:
To demystify data on the Indian digital payments landscape and in an effort to give back to the ecosystem, PhonePe Pulse was launched in September 2021. Pulse is a novel interactive platform that is India's go-to destination for accurate and comprehensive data on digital payment trends. As the market leader in Indian digital payments, PhonePe's data is representative of the country's payment habits. With its rich repository of trends, insights, and in-depth analysis, Pulse showcases India's beat of progress in the digital payment landscape.
About Boston Consulting Group (BCG):
Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact. Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fuelled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.
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SOURCE PhonePe | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2022/06/03/digital-payments-india-projected-reach-10-trillion-by-2026-phonepe-pulse-bcg-release-report-digital-payments/ | 2022-06-03 13:21:47 | 1 | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/prnewswire/2022/06/03/digital-payments-india-projected-reach-10-trillion-by-2026-phonepe-pulse-bcg-release-report-digital-payments/ |
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Forty states, including Louisiana, reached a $391.5 million in a settlement with Google over tracking practices, Attorney General Jeff Landry announced Monday.
The state of Louisiana is set to receive $12,769,002.16 in the settlement, according to Landry.
“I have been ringing the alarm bell on Big Tech for years, and this is why,” said Landry. “Citizens must be able to make informed decisions about what information they release to Big Tech. Additionally, Big Tech must recognize the limitations in their collection efforts as it relates to various state laws.”
Landry said per the settlement, Google will be required to do the following:
- Show additional information to users whenever they turn a location-related account setting “on” or “off”;
- Make key information about location tracking unavoidable for users (i.e., not hidden); and
- Give users detailed information about the types of location data Google collects and how it’s used at an enhanced “Location Technologies” webpage.
“My office will continue our efforts to keep Big Tech in check,” said Landry. “Whether it be collusion with the Federal government, deceptive practices, or otherwise – we will hold Big Tech accountable.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/louisiana-to-get-12-7m-in-settlement-with-google-ag-jeff-landry-says/ | 2022-11-14 22:52:45 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/louisiana-to-get-12-7m-in-settlement-with-google-ag-jeff-landry-says/ |
Which cod liver oil is best?
Taking cod liver oil for health benefits isn’t a new idea. Ancient Vikings and other Norse people traditionally consumed it during the winter, and it appears they were on to something. Cod liver oil is high in vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin. It is also high in vitamin A and omega-3, two other nutrients essential for good health.
The best is the Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil for its high potency and purity, and an orange flavor that makes it pleasant to consume.
Cod liver oil benefits
Cod liver oil is high in omega-3, vitamin A and vitamin D, three nutrients that are essential for our health, but are often lacking in the modern Western diet.
- Omega-3 may provide many benefits for the body, including improved eye and brain health and giving the skin a more youthful appearance. It has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering blood pressure and triglyceride levels, while also boosting HDL cholesterol. Additionally, omega-3 is linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and mental decline from age.
- Vitamin A helps preserve eyesight and support a healthy immune system. It is also an essential nutrient in maintaining healthy bones and a healthy reproductive system for both men and women. And most experts recommend getting your daily requirement of vitamin A from natural sources such as cod liver oil, since it’s not clear if synthetic supplements offer the same benefits.
- Vitamin D is produced in the body in response to sunlight, but most people’s modern lifestyle keeps them indoors much of the day. This is unfortunate, as vitamin D helps regulate the absorption of phosphorus and calcium, which aid in the healthy development of bones and teeth. Vitamin D also plays a role in facilitating normal immune system function, which according to the National Institutes of Health can help increase resistance to certain diseases.
Cod liver oil features
Form
Cod liver oil supplements come in two forms: liquid and capsules.
- Liquids usually provide more omega-3 and vitamins A and D per serving. However, the fishy taste can be off-putting, which is why many people choose to mix it into a strongly flavored beverage. Liquid cod oils also need to be stored in the refrigerator after opening.
- Capsules don’t require refrigeration, which can make them more convenient to store.
Taste
Even when mixed into a flavored beverage, the taste of cod liver oil is often noticeable, so many manufacturers now offer flavored cod oil supplements. Mint, lemon, orange and other fruits and herbs help mask the taste and make taking liquid cod liver oil more palatable. Capsules, meanwhile, are less likely to leave a fishy taste in the mouth.
Sustainability
If you can afford the slightly increased price, it’s best to choose cod liver oil manufactured using sustainable practices. Most companies that do this have a certification from the Marine Stewardship Council or similar organizations.
Fermented
Some manufacturers sell fermented cod liver oil. They claim that the standard distillation process removes many of the vital nutrients, which companies then have to add back in a synthetic form. Other manufacturers claim that fermented cod liver oil reduces its health benefits by damaging the omega-3-containing fatty acids and also causes it to turn rancid quicker. It’s difficult to know which group is correct until more concrete studies occur.
How much can you expect to spend on cod liver oil
Cod liver oil capsules range from 20 cents to $1 per serving, and liquids usually cost 30-60 cents per serving. Often, liquids have more servings per bottle, which results in a higher overall purchase price.
Cod liver oil FAQs
What’s the difference between cod liver oil and fish oil?
A. Cod liver oil and fish oil both come from fish, but from different parts of them. Cod liver oil only comes from cod, more specifically from their livers, while fish oil comes from the flesh of several varieties of fish, including tuna, herring, mackerel and salmon. Regarding the nutrient profile, fish oil only contains omega-3, while cod liver oil contains omega-3 and vitamins A and D.
Are there side effects from cod liver oil?
A. For most people, the side effects are limited to gastrointestinal symptoms such as fishy burps, nausea, loose stool and indigestion. However, it can act as a blood thinner, so anyone already taking prescription blood thinners or with high blood pressure should speak to their doctor before taking cod oil.
It’s also not recommended for pregnant women and can interact with some contraceptive medicines as well as with weight-loss drugs containing orlistat.
What’s the best cod liver oil to buy?
Top cod liver oil
Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil
What you need to know: A single teaspoon of this orange-flavored cod oil contains more than 1,000 milligrams of omega-3.
What you’ll love: It’s made from wild-caught, sustainably sourced cod, making it a planet-friendly option, and it doesn’t have a fishy aftertaste.
What you should consider: It has a high price per ounce compared to many others.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and iHerb
Top cod liver oil for the money
What you need to know: These kosher-certified capsules come from a respected brand and are free of wheat, gluten, soy and other common allergens.
What you’ll love: They’re packaged in the United States and tested to ensure they’re free of harmful levels of mercury, dioxins and other contaminants.
What you should consider: These large soft gels can be difficult for some to swallow.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and iHerb
Worth checking out
Carlson Labs Wild Norwegian Cod Liver Oil
What you need to know: Thanks to a lemon flavor, this liquid provides all your daily omega-3 without an unpleasant fishy taste or burps.
What you’ll love: It has an International Fish Oil Standards certification for purity and is packaged using a nitrogen flush for freshness.
What you should consider: It contains some synthetic vitamins.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and iHerb
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Copyright 2023 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.qcnews.com/reviews/br/health-wellness-br/supplements-br/the-best-cod-liver-oil/ | 2023-02-14 11:17:28 | 0 | https://www.qcnews.com/reviews/br/health-wellness-br/supplements-br/the-best-cod-liver-oil/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — New IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel delivered a tax-season pledge Tuesday that the agency will use an $80 billion infusion of cash to become faster, more tech-savvy and provide “real-world improvements” to taxpayers.
Werfel, as he was ceremonially sworn in on Tuesday, said he would release a Strategic Operating Plan later this week laying out how the agency will use the money approved in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act
“This is our moment in history to transform the IRS,” said Werfel, who began working at the agency in mid-March.
“We have a great deal of work ahead of us to ensure a more modern and high-performing IRS that provides world-class services to taxpayers,” he said.
Some of the planned improvements include hiring more people to end long call wait times, additional locations for IRS staff to provide in-person service and expanded online accounts, so taxpayers and professionals will be able to address tax issues through electronic means, instead of paper mail.
President Joe Biden nominated Werfel to steer the IRS as it receives the new funding, which has come with much political consternation. Republicans have suggested without evidence that the agency would use the new money to hire an army of tax agents with weapons. They also say the IRS would increase audits on middle-class taxpayers.
Werfel navigated some of that controversy during his February confirmation hearing.
He pledged before senators not to expand tax audits on businesses and households making less than $400,000 per year, as he faced rounds of questions before the Senate Finance Committee on how he would spend the agency’s big new infusion of money. He drew praise for being willing to leave a private consulting job to take on the top job at the troubled agency.
Werfel formerly led Boston Consulting Group’s global public sector practice and has previously served as an acting IRS commissioner.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who presided over Werfel’s swearing in, said in a speech to IRS and Treasury employees that he will be tasked with “dramatically improving taxpayer service and ensuring that large corporations and the wealthy pay the taxes they owe.”
“The IRS will invest in data and analytics to help the agency audit large corporations, high earners, and complex partnerships that have not paid their full bill,” Yellen said. “The technology will be complemented by hiring more top talent – including accountants and attorneys.”
While the administration has showcased the boosting employee ranks with 5,000 new workers and investments in new technology, a March Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration report on the 2022 tax season states that the “ongoing backlogs of tax returns and other account work continued to challenge the IRS during the 2022 Filing Season.”
In a March 13 letter to employees, Werfel said “I returned to government to work with you and focus on this tremendous opportunity we have with the resources available under the Inflation Reduction Act.” | https://wgntv.com/business/ap-business/new-irs-leader-promises-faster-easier-tax-filing-process/ | 2023-04-05 17:17:27 | 0 | https://wgntv.com/business/ap-business/new-irs-leader-promises-faster-easier-tax-filing-process/ |
Which T-fal set should is best?
Anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen will likely be familiar with the French cookware company, T-fal. As one of the top brands in culinary products, a quality T-fal cookware set will last any chef a long time and help them produce delicious meals.
While they are great options for experienced home chefs, T-fal cookware sets are perfect for amateurs and those new to cooking. The T-fal Ultimate Hard Anodized Cookware Set is an ideal nonstick option that features many pots and pans, beneficial for various recipes.
What to know before you buy a T-fal cookware set
Cookware material
Some common cookware materials include stainless steel, aluminum, copper and clad. Each has its pros and cons.
Stainless steel is the most common cookware material. Affordable, versatile and practical, stainless steel is an all-around reliable choice. While it doesn’t conduct heat and some other metals, it won’t cause any reactions when used with specific foods.
Aluminum is another affordable metal, and it conducts heat better than stainless steel. Choosing hard-anodized aluminum is an intelligent choice, as it produces a strong, durable pan.
Copper is valuable for its conductive properties and impressive appearance. While it is a beautiful and efficient material for cookware, it is more expensive and needs more regular maintenance.
Clad cookware essentially combines the three previous types of metals to produce cookware that offers their desired individual properties without significant downsides.
Pot and pan types
Frying pans are a chef’s best friend. You can find sets with both standard and nonstick frying pans, and most will feature at least two or three pans of varying sizes.
Saucepans also come in various sizes, making them great for boiling pasta, making soups or crafting a delicious sauce.
Griddles feature a thin flat surface. Nonstick versions are ideal for breakfast foods, such as pancakes, bacon, eggs and more.
Dutch ovens are the largest pots included in a T-fal cookware set. Often featuring a lid, these pieces are great for braising and frying. Some models feature side handles to grip and carry the pot easily.
Utensils: Not all T-fal cookware sets include utensils, but some feature spatulas, serving spoons, slotted spoons, ladles and more.
Number of set pieces
All T-fal cookware sets will contain many pieces, with most featuring anywhere from 10-20 individual pots, pans and utensils. Choose a set that contains all the necessary equipment you think you’ll need, based on what and how often you cook.
What to look for in a quality T-fal cookware set
Nonstick
By choosing a nonstick cookware set, you’ll save yourself time and energy on cleanup. Food and residue won’t become stuck to the slick surface, so you don’t have to spend time scrubbing and soaking. Plus, the nonstick coating used by T-fal is non-toxic and free from PFOA and other harmful chemicals, making it a safe option.
Weight
Different cookware materials will have different weights. You’ll want to have a balance between weight and durability, as materials like aluminum are lighter than stainless steel, though stainless steel tends to be stronger.
Easy-to-clean
Before purchasing a T-fal cookware set, check to see if the items are dishwasher safe. If not, choosing a nonstick option will be easier when washing by hand.
Handle material
Having a rubberized handle will help prevent the handle from becoming too hot to hold. This will also make it more ergonomic and comfortable to grip. If you plan on hanging your pots and pans from a rack or hooks, double-check that the handles feature a convenient storage hole.
Included lid
Most T-fal cookware sets include lids for at least a few of their pots or pans. Lids make cooking and steaming easier, and glass lids are incredibly convenient for keeping tabs on your food throughout the cooking process.
How much you can expect to spend on a T-fal cookware set
Quality T-fal cookware sets start around $60 and can go up to $200.
T-fal cookware FAQ
Will T-fal cookware work with an induction stove?
A. This depends mainly on the specific type of cookware set. Some non-stick sets are not compatible with induction stovetops, while others that feature a magnetic metal base will likely work with all stove types. Be sure to check the set’s label before purchasing.
Are T-fal nonstick pans safe to use?
A. The simple answer is yes. T-fal no longer uses PFOA in the production or coating of their nonstick pans, making them nontoxic and safe for everyday use. However, care should still be taken not to regularly overheat nonstick pans, as they can sometimes release fumes that can be hazardous to certain pets, such as birds.
What’s the best T-fal cookware set to buy?
Top T-fal cookware set
T-fal Ultimate Hard Anodized Cookware Set
What you need to know: This set features several durable pots and pans and is designed for people who cook a variety of meals.
What you’ll love: The PFOA-free non-stick cookware is constructed from long-lasting aluminum, providing you with years of quality cooking.
What you should consider: This is one of the more expensive options on this list.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Wayfair
Top T-fal cookware set for the money
T-fal Signature Nonstick Expert Cookware Set
What you need to know: This non-stick cookware set offers premium value at a reasonable cost.
What you’ll love: Not only do you receive durable and dishwasher-safe pots and pans, but you also get utensils designed especially for non-stick surfaces.
What you should consider: The pans’ surfaces are prone to scratches if used with improper utensils, like metal spatulas or spoons.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
T-fal Performa Stainless Steel Cookware Set
What you need to know: The stainless steel design is a high-quality alternative to non-stick options.
What you’ll love: With a classic design and induction-compatible base, you can use this set in any type of kitchen.
What you should consider: Though it is dishwasher-safe, food tends to stick more to the pans’ surface.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Wayfair
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Matthew Young writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.myarklamiss.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/cookware-cooking-sets-br/best-t-fal-cookware-set/ | 2022-07-01 23:25:31 | 1 | https://www.myarklamiss.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/cookware-cooking-sets-br/best-t-fal-cookware-set/ |
Today's best mortgage refinance deal? 15-year rates emerge as best savings option | May 18, 2022
Our goal here at Credible Operations, Inc., NMLS Number 1681276, referred to as "Credible" below, is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances. Although we do promote products from our partner lenders, all opinions are our own.
Check out the mortgage refinancing rates for May 18, 2022, which are up from yesterday. (Credible)
Based on data compiled by Credible, mortgage refinance rates have risen across all terms since yesterday.
- 30-year fixed-rate refinance: 5.375%, up from 5.125%, +0.250
- 20-year fixed-rate refinance: 5.500%, up from 5.375%, +0.125
- 15-year fixed-rate refinance: 4.375%, up from 4.250%, +0.125
- 10-year fixed-rate refinance: 4.500%, up from 4.250%, +0.250
Rates last updated on May 18, 2022. These rates are based on the assumptions shown here. Actual rates may vary.
If you’re thinking of doing a cash-out refinance or refinancing your home mortgage to lower your interest rate, consider using Credible. Credible's free online tool will let you compare rates from multiple mortgage lenders. You can see prequalified rates in as little as three minutes.
What this means: After dropping significantly yesterday, mortgage refinance rates are back on the rise. Rates for a 15-year refinance are currently lower than rates for all other repayment terms, and are a full percentage point lower than a 30-year term. Homeowners looking to refinance may find 15-year rates offer the best opportunity for a lower rate and manageable monthly payment. Homeowners who do a cash-out refinance to fund home improvements or repairs can still secure a relatively low rate compared to other financial products, like credit cards or personal loans.
WHAT IS CASH-OUT REFINANCING AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
How mortgage rates have changed over time
Today’s mortgage interest rates are well below the highest annual average rate recorded by Freddie Mac — 16.63% in 1981. A year before the COVID-19 pandemic upended economies across the world, the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage for 2019 was 3.94%. The average rate for 2021 was 2.96%, the lowest annual average in 30 years.
The historic drop in interest rates means homeowners who have mortgages from 2019 and older could potentially realize significant interest savings by refinancing with one of today’s lower interest rates.
If you’re ready to take advantage of current mortgage refinance rates that are below average historical lows, you can use Credible to check rates from multiple lenders.
How to get your lowest mortgage refinance rate
If you’re interested in refinancing your mortgage, improving your credit score and paying down any other debt could secure you a lower rate. It’s also a good idea to compare rates from different lenders if you're hoping to refinance, so you can find the best rate for your situation.
Borrowers can save $1,500 on average over the life of their loan by shopping for just one additional rate quote, and an average of $3,000 by comparing five rate quotes, according to research from Freddie Mac.
Be sure to shop around and compare current mortgage rates from multiple mortgage lenders if you decide to refinance your mortgage. You can do this easily with Credible’s free online tool and see your prequalified rates in only three minutes.
How does Credible calculate refinance rates?
Changing economic conditions, central bank policy decisions, investor sentiment, and other factors influence the movement of mortgage refinance rates. Credible average mortgage refinance rates reported in this article are calculated based on information provided by partner lenders who pay compensation to Credible.
The rates assume a borrower has a 740 credit score and is borrowing a conventional loan for a single-family home that will be their primary residence. The rates also assume no (or very low) discount points and a down payment of 20%.
Credible mortgage refinance rates reported here will only give you an idea of current average rates. The rate you receive can vary based on a number of factors.
Think it might be the right time to refinance? Be sure to shop around and compare rates with multiple mortgage lenders. You can do this easily with Credible and see your prequalified rates in only three minutes.
How to find the best refinance rate
Some factors that affect the refinance rate you’ll get are out of your control. But you can take several steps to ensure you secure the best refinance rate available to you. Here are some to consider.
Save for closing costs
In addition to saving for a down payment, it’s also a good idea to save up for closing costs, which — according to Freddie Mac — can average $5,000.
Polish your credit
Just as when you bought your home, your credit score and history affect your refinance rate, so it’s a good idea to make sure your credit is in the best possible shape.
Check your credit report for any errors, such as incorrect information of duplicated accounts. Pay off as much other debt as you can to improve your debt-to-income ratio. And pay down credit card balances to reduce your credit utilization.
Comparison shop
Just as you would compare quotes from multiple vendors for an expensive home repair, you should look at loans and mortgage interest rates from multiple lenders. In fact, getting five rate quotes could save you $3,000 over the life of your mortgage, according to a Freddie Mac survey.
Have a finance-related question, but don't know who to ask? Email The Credible Money Expert at moneyexpert@credible.com and your question might be answered by Credible in our Money Expert column.
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As a Credible authority on mortgages and personal finance, Chris Jennings has covered topics that include mortgage loans, mortgage refinancing, and more. He’s been an editor and editorial assistant in the online personal finance space for four years. His work has been featured by MSN, AOL, Yahoo Finance, and more. | https://www.fox35orlando.com/money/todays-mortgage-refinance-rates-may-18-2022 | 2022-05-19 01:10:17 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/money/todays-mortgage-refinance-rates-may-18-2022 |
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama inmate scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection next month says the state lost the paperwork he turned in selecting an alternate execution method.
Alan Eugene Miller, 57, is set to be put to death Sept. 22 for a 1999 workplace shooting rampage that killed three men.
When Alabama approved nitrogen hypoxia as an alternative execution method in 2018, state law gave inmates a brief window to designate it as their execution method. In a federal lawsuit filed Monday, attorneys argued Miller turned in a form selecting nitrogen, but the state lost it. They are seeking to block the lethal injection from going forward.
“If the State had not lost Mr. Miller’s form, Mr. Miller would otherwise be executed by nitrogen hypoxia,” his attorneys wrote in the court filing seeking to block his execution by lethal injection.
Alabama has not yet developed a system for using nitrogen to carry out executions so the state isn’t setting execution dates for inmates who choose that untested method. Miller signed a sworn statement saying that he had given the form to a corrections officer.
“I gave my signed form to the correctional officer who was collecting the forms,” the affidavit stated. MIller said he asked the officer for a copy of the form and the officer refused.
Lawyers for Miller raised the issue with the Alabama Supreme Court when the state sought an execution date. Holman Warden Terry Raybon submitted an affidavit saying the prison had no record of Miller’s form.
Attorneys for Miller said the Alabama attorney general’s office recently withdrew an execution date request for another inmate after his lawyers provided proof that the inmate had selected nitrogen hypoxia. The inmate said he signed two copies of the election form, giving one to his lawyers and another to a prison employee, but the state said it had no record of it.
Miller, a delivery truck driver, was convicted in the workplace shootings that killed Lee Holdbrooks, Scott Yancy and Terry Jarvis. Prosecutors said Miller killed Holdbrooks and Yancy at one business and then drove to another location to shoot Jarvis. Each man was shot multiple times.
Jurors convicted Miller after 20 minutes of deliberation and then recommended a death sentence, which a judge imposed.
Testimony indicated that Miller was delusional and believed the men were spreading rumors about him, including that he was gay. A defense psychiatrist hired for the trial found that Miller suffered from severe mental illness, according to court documents, but he also said Miller's condition wasn’t bad enough to use as a basis for an insanity defense under state law. | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Alabama-inmate-says-state-lost-form-naming-17399138.php | 2022-08-26 03:35:46 | 0 | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Alabama-inmate-says-state-lost-form-naming-17399138.php |
Eighty-one percent of respondents had a coverage limit under $600,000 – below last year's median ransomware demand
WATERLOO, ON, Aug. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB) (TSX: BB) and Corvus Insurance today released the BlackBerry Cyber Insurance Coverage study, showing businesses are increasingly concerned about how they will meet ransomware demands. Only 19 percent of those surveyed have ransomware coverage limits above $600,000, while over half (59 percent) hoped the government would cover damages when future attacks are linked to other nation-states.
Small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) – who have become a favorite criminal target – are especially feeling the heat. Of businesses with under 1,500 employees, only 14 percent have a coverage limit in excess of $600,000. A recent Forrester report estimated that a typical data breach would cost the average organization $2.4 million to investigate and recover. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 50 percent of SMB respondents hoped the government would increase financial aid in all ransomware incidents.
"Not only are there more ransomware threats than ever, but the criminals are more ruthless. They will iterate threats and wait patiently in order to extract maximum damage," said Shishir Singh, Executive Vice President and CTO, Cybersecurity at BlackBerry. "For uninsured and underinsured organizations, this potentially puts them in extreme jeopardy. The cyber underground is increasingly sharing learnings and partnering to make threats as efficient as possible. It's vital businesses strengthen their security posture against these threats by supplementing insurance with a prevention-first software approach that lowers their overall risk."
Many businesses reported cybersecurity coverages that are poorly tailored to their current situation. Over one-third (37 percent) of respondents aren't currently covered for any ransomware payment demands, while 43 percent aren't covered for auxiliary costs such as court fees or employee downtime.
At the same time, cyberinsurance has become harder to get, due to increased software requirements placed by insurance brokers. Over one-third (34 percent) of respondents have been denied coverage due to not meeting specific Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) software requirements. These increased requirements however may be having a real impact on reducing ransom payouts.
"Though it might sound counterintuitive, continuing to adhere to software requirements is one of the best ways to fight the ransomware industry," said Vincent Weafer, CTO at Corvus. "In our portfolio alone, we've seen a 50 percent reduction in the ratio of ransom demands that end up being paid. Better software adoption is a critical element in better positioning organizations to stand up to attackers."
For additional information on the BlackBerry Cyber Insurance Coverage study, please visit the BlackBerry blog.
BlackBerry commissioned TEAM LEWIS Research to run an online survey of 450 business decision makers for IT / security solutions in the United States and Canada. The fieldwork took place between July 15 and July 22, 2022.
BlackBerry (NYSE: BB) (TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company secures more than 500M endpoints including over 215M vehicles. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security, endpoint management, encryption, and embedded systems. BlackBerry's vision is clear - to secure a connected future you can trust.
BlackBerry. Intelligent Security. Everywhere.
For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.
Corvus Insurance is building a safer world through insurance products and digital tools that reduce risk, increase transparency, and improve resilience for policyholders and program partners. Our market-leading specialty insurance products are enabled by advanced data science and include Smart Cyber Insurance®, Smart Tech E+O™, and Smart Cargo®. Our digital platforms and tools enable efficient quoting and binding and proactive risk mitigation. Corvus Insurance offers insurance products in the US, Middle East, Europe, Canada, and Australia. Current insurance program partners include AXIS Capital, Crum & Forster, Hudson Insurance Group, certain underwriters at Lloyd's of London, R&Q Accredited, SiriusPoint, and Skyward Specialty Insurance. Corvus Insurance, Corvus London Markets, and Corvus Germany are the marketing names used to refer to Corvus Insurance Agency, LLC; Corvus Agency Limited; and Corvus Underwriting GmbH. All entities are subsidiaries of Corvus Insurance Holdings, Inc. Corvus Insurance was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with offices across the US, in the UK, and Germany. For more information, visit corvusinsurance.com.
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SOURCE BlackBerry Limited | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/10/blackberry-cyber-insurance-study-reveals-businesses-hope-greater-assistance-paying-ransomware-demands/ | 2022-08-10 13:12:16 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/10/blackberry-cyber-insurance-study-reveals-businesses-hope-greater-assistance-paying-ransomware-demands/ |
Christian Yelich Player Prop Bets: Brewers vs. Reds - June 3
Published: Jun. 3, 2023 at 10:25 AM CDT|Updated: 43 minutes ago
Christian Yelich -- with a slugging percentage of .323 in his past 10 games, including zero home runs) -- will be in action for the Milwaukee Brewers against the Cincinnati Reds, with Graham Ashcraft on the mound, on June 3 at 4:10 PM ET.
In his last game, he strung together two hits (going 2-for-4) against the Reds.
Christian Yelich Game Info & Props vs. the Reds
- Game Day: Saturday, June 3, 2023
- Game Time: 4:10 PM ET
- Stadium: Great American Ball Park
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo!
- Reds Starter: Graham Ashcraft
- TV Channel: BSOH
- Hits Prop: Over/under 0.5 hits (Over odds: -278)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +550)
- RBI Prop: Over/under 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +195)
- Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 runs (Over odds: -115)
Looking to place a prop bet on Christian Yelich? Check out what's available at BetMGM and use bonus code "GNPLAY" when you sign up with this link!
Read More About This Game
Christian Yelich At The Plate
- Yelich leads Milwaukee with an OBP of .352, plus a team-best slugging percentage of .399.
- Among the qualifying hitters in baseball, his batting average ranks 80th, his on-base percentage ranks 48th, and he is 100th in the league in slugging.
- Yelich has had a hit in 34 of 54 games this year (63.0%), including multiple hits 14 times (25.9%).
- Looking at the 54 games he has played this year, he's hit a long ball in six of them (11.1%), and in 3.1% of his trips to the dish.
- Yelich has picked up an RBI in 16 games this year (29.6%), with more than one RBI in seven of those games (13.0%).
- He has scored in 26 games this year (48.1%), including 13 multi-run games (24.1%).
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Christian Yelich Home/Away Batting Splits
Reds Pitching Rankings
- The 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings compiled by the Reds pitching staff ranks seventh in MLB.
- The Reds have a 4.96 team ERA that ranks 27th across all league pitching staffs.
- Reds pitchers combine to surrender 70 total home runs at a clip of 1.2 per game (to rank 21st in baseball).
- Ashcraft (3-3) gets the starting nod for the Reds in his 12th start of the season. He's put together a 5.55 ERA in 58 1/3 innings pitched, with 47 strikeouts.
- The righty's most recent appearance was on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, when he tossed five innings, surrendering three earned runs while giving up five hits.
- The 25-year-old's 5.55 ERA ranks 64th, 1.491 WHIP ranks 64th, and 7.3 K/9 ranks 56th among qualifying pitchers this season.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/06/03/christian-yelich-mlb-player-prop-bets/ | 2023-06-03 16:08:48 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/06/03/christian-yelich-mlb-player-prop-bets/ |
Defense secretary condemns ‘nuclear saber-rattling’ but says he doesn’t believe Putin has decided to use nuclear weapons
By Ellie Kaufman, CNN
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in a new interview condemned “nuclear saber-rattling,” and said while he hasn’t seen anything to suggest Vladimir Putin has decided to use nuclear weapons in the ongoing war on Ukraine, the choice is up to the Russian President.
“To be clear, the guy who makes that decision, I mean, it’s one man,” Austin said of Russian threats of nuclear weapons in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, set to air in full Sunday on “Fareed Zakaria GPS.”
“There are no checks on Mr. Putin. Just as he made the irresponsible decision to invade Ukraine, you know, he could make another decision. But I don’t see anything right now that would lead me to believe that he has made such a decision.”
Austin told Zakaria that he has privately conveyed to his Russian counterpart, Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, not to “go down this path and conduct this type of irresponsible behavior.” Austin said he has not talked to Shoigo in “recent days” but said other members of US government leadership have conveyed similar messages to Russia “recently.”
“You’ve heard people in our — in our leadership — among our leadership that have said that we have communicated to them recently,” Austin said. “Personally, I have not talked to Shoigu in recent days, but I have talked to him in the past. And I have addressed this very issue to — and warned to not go down this path and conduct this type of irresponsible behavior.”
As CNN previously reported, the US has privately communicated to Russia for the past several months that there will be consequences if Moscow chooses to use a nuclear weapon in the Ukraine war, according to US officials. It was not immediately clear how or when the warnings were sent. The State Department was involved, according to one official.
Austin said Putin’s annexation claims to Ukrainian territory were “illegal” and called threats to use nuclear weapons “an irresponsible statement.”
“This nuclear saber rattling is not the kind of thing that we would expect to hear from leaders of large countries with capability,” Austin said.
Putin on Friday announced Russia would seize nearly a fifth of Ukraine, declaring that the millions of people living there would be Russian citizens “forever,” following so-called referendums, which have universally been dismissed as shams by Ukraine and Western countries.
US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the annexation and announced new sanctions against Russia in response.
Austin said the US will continue to support Ukraine in its efforts to take back the territory that has been captured by Russia.
“We can expect that the Ukrainians will continue to move forward and attempt to take back all of the territory within their — within their sovereign borders here,” he said. “We will continue to support them in their efforts.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://kion546.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2022/09/30/defense-secretary-condemns-nuclear-saber-rattling-but-says-he-doesnt-believe-putin-has-decided-to-use-nuclear-weapons/ | 2022-10-01 05:41:12 | 1 | https://kion546.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2022/09/30/defense-secretary-condemns-nuclear-saber-rattling-but-says-he-doesnt-believe-putin-has-decided-to-use-nuclear-weapons/ |
GoFundMe scammer who used story of homeless vet gets 5 years
Published: Aug. 5, 2022 at 5:31 PM CDT|Updated: 10 minutes ago
(AP) - A New Jersey man who made up a story about a homeless veteran helping out his then-girlfriend and used the tale to solicit $400,000 in online donations has been sentenced to prison.
A judge in Burlington County sentenced Mark D’Amico to five years in state prison on Friday.
D’Amico admitted concocting the feel-good tale in 2017 about Johnny Bobbitt Jr. giving $20 to help Katelyn McClure when her car ran out of gas in Philadelphia.
Prosecutors say the three had met previously and cooked up the scheme.
McClure and Bobbitt also have pleaded guilty. D’Amico also pleaded guilty to separate federal charges, and his sentences will run concurrently.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.ktre.com/2022/08/05/gofundme-scammer-who-used-story-homeless-vet-gets-5-years/ | 2022-08-05 22:42:03 | 1 | https://www.ktre.com/2022/08/05/gofundme-scammer-who-used-story-homeless-vet-gets-5-years/ |
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday evening's drawing of the Indiana Lottery's "Hoosier Lotto" game were:
04-30-33-37-38-40
(four, thirty, thirty-three, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, forty)
Estimated jackpot: $13,000,000
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday evening's drawing of the Indiana Lottery's "Hoosier Lotto" game were:
04-30-33-37-38-40
(four, thirty, thirty-three, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, forty)
Estimated jackpot: $13,000,000 | https://www.ourmidland.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Hoosier-Lotto-game-17214007.php | 2022-06-02 05:15:00 | 0 | https://www.ourmidland.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Hoosier-Lotto-game-17214007.php |
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatari authorities say a fire broke out Saturday at an under-construction building in a newly built city where a World Cup match was set to be played later in the evening, but caused no injuries.
Qatar's Interior Ministry said the fire started just after noon local time on an island that's part of the city of Lusail, which is hosting several games during the tournament, including a match between Argentina and Mexico late Saturday.
The blaze was about 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) from Lusail Stadium. It sent thick black smoke into the sky, which was visible from a marketplace in central Doha as World Cup fans milled among its shops and restaurants. | https://www.ourmidland.com/sports/article/Fire-sends-smoke-over-Doha-skyline-World-Cup-in-17611902.php | 2022-11-26 11:21:24 | 0 | https://www.ourmidland.com/sports/article/Fire-sends-smoke-over-Doha-skyline-World-Cup-in-17611902.php |
VANCOUVER, BC, April 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Xebra Brands Ltd. ("Xebra") (CSE: XBRA) (OTCQB: XBRAF) (FSE: 9YC) a cannabis company, is pleased to announce that Mr. Jay Garnett has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and Director.
Mr. Garnett, is a serial entrepreneur and corporate executive with many years of success in founding and leading consumer-packaged-goods and beverage companies in Canada and the United States. Over his nearly 30-year career, he has been recognized with numerous business awards and accolades, including Profit 100's Top 100 in Canada five years in a row, BC Business Top 30 Under 30 and Top 40 Under 40, and he was a finalist for Ernest & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year.
"We are absolutely thrilled to have a CEO of Jay's caliber, and firmly believe that his experience and vision will take Xebra to the next level. He is uniquely skilled at developing brands and leading companies through the growth phase, and he has an exceptional track record of success," commented Xebra Founder and Chairman Robert Giustra.
Mr. Garnett founded Seattle's Best Coffee Canada, a national wholesaler and retailer in 1993, and it was acquired by Starbucks in 2007. From 2008 to 2010, he was a shareholder and CEO of the Healthy Beverage Company, a Nestlé development company subsequently acquired by a Mexican conglomerate. Its Steaz brand became a category leader in organic teas and it was the first company to launch an organic energy drink in the United States. At the time of the sale, Steaz was the second best selling ready-to-drink tea brand in Whole Foods across North America.
Mr. Garnett was also a founding partner in 2010 of Spud.com (publicly traded as Freshlocal), an online organic food grocery delivery company with revenues in fiscal 2021 of $132.8 million and a gross profit of $49.5 million; its electronic platform has been adopted by grocers worldwide, including Carrefour the fifth largest grocer in the world.
In addition, Mr. Garnett launched a wine & spirits import agency, which he quickly grew to national status, and in 2016 it was acquired by one of the top 5 agencies in Canada. Since 2018, Mr. Garnett has been active in the cannabis sector as an investor and advisor, and he acted as a senior officer and director of Experion Biotech, which was later renamed Citizen Stash and acquired by The Valens Company. Mr. Garnett is also a significant shareholder of Xebra.
"I'm elated to assume the helm of Xebra on the eve of the launch of its first commercial cannabis product, Vicious Citrus. My aim is to elevate Xebra's first mover status in Mexican CBD, Dutch pharma-grade THC, and CBN in Canada, to dominant market positions," commented Mr. Garnett.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD:
Robert F. Giustra
Chairman
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SOURCE Xebra Brands Ltd. | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_stocks/xebra-brands-appoints-jay-garnett-as-ceo/article_a73365ab-2f56-5efd-9684-83f1b1a5d577.html | 2022-04-19 13:08:01 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_stocks/xebra-brands-appoints-jay-garnett-as-ceo/article_a73365ab-2f56-5efd-9684-83f1b1a5d577.html |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jason Martin, a Nashville doctor critical of Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s hands-off approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, won the Democratic nomination for governor Friday and will face Lee in November.
Martin, a first-time political candidate, defeated Memphis attorney and City Councilman JB Smiley Jr. by a thin margin, with advocate Carnita Atwater finishing a distant third. Both Smiley and Atwater would have been the state’s first Black gubernatorial nominee if either had won.
“We hear your message loud and clear. You’re upset that Bill Lee has failed you,” Martin said late Thursday, declaring victory before the race was called as he held a narrow lead in the vote count.
“He stood on the sidelines while 27,000 of our fellow Tennesseans died during the last couple of years,” Martin added, referring to the number of COVID-19 deaths in the state.
Lee was unopposed in his primary election Thursday as he looks to secure a second four-year term in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office since 2006. He trounced his Democratic opponent in 2018.
Martin jumped into the gubernatorial race last year after becoming an outspoken critic of Lee’s handling of the virus outbreak. The Republican governor declined to issue a statewide mask mandate and signed off on several laws that banned most vaccine mandates as the pandemic swept across the United States, killing more than 1 million people over two years.
However, even as virus pandemic continues to spread throughout the state, the outbreak is largely not a public priority — particularly during the gubernatorial campaign. Martin is now hoping that the tumultuous national political landscape and some of Lee’s recent controversies will help open a path for a Democrat to win a statewide seat.
Some of those include the ongoing fallout from the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision legalizing abortion nationwide. Lee has expressed support for some of the strictest abortion bans in the U.S.
Most recently, Lee declined to answer questions about whether he supported tweaking the state’s so-called trigger law to expand its exemptions and sidestepped directly answering whether he supported exempting children who were raped and then became pregnant.
Meanwhile, Lee received wide criticism from both sides recently after he refused to condemn disparaging remarks a charter school president made about public school teachers during a reception Lee attended. The president had said that the teachers “are trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges.”
Lee contended that the remarks were not directed toward Tennessee teachers but were instead focused on “activism from the left” in schools around the country.
Martin decidedly outraised and outspent Smiley, the next-highest fundraiser. Lee, however, takes a big campaign cash edge into the November midterm election.
“I really believed when I decided to run that we could make life better for every Tennessean by investing in the things that we need to,” Lee said Thursday when asked about running unopposed in the primary. “I hope that Tennesseans have seen that that is the heart behind what we’re doing.”
Martin’s campaign declared victory Thursday night even as votes were still being tallied in Smiley’s hometown of Memphis. Smiley admonished Martin, saying the physician should have waited until the results were all in.
By Friday, Smiley said he was “disappointed in the results” but believed his campaign “forever changed the narrative in this state on the type of candidate that can win.”
While he held off on explicitly endorsing Martin, Smiley added the two agreed that defeating Lee in the general election was imperative. | https://phl17.com/national-news/doctor-critical-of-lax-covid-rules-wins-tenn-dem-gov-race/ | 2022-08-06 10:54:49 | 1 | https://phl17.com/national-news/doctor-critical-of-lax-covid-rules-wins-tenn-dem-gov-race/ |
Soldiers from Chechnya, a Muslim territory, are part of the foreign fight against Russia in Ukraine. Russia brutally suppressed them in two wars, and their presence echoes old hatreds in Ukraine.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Soldiers from Chechnya, a Muslim territory, are part of the foreign fight against Russia in Ukraine. Russia brutally suppressed them in two wars, and their presence echoes old hatreds in Ukraine.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.wunc.org/2022-07-15/chechen-soldiers-join-ukraines-fight-against-russia | 2022-07-15 22:29:09 | 0 | https://www.wunc.org/2022-07-15/chechen-soldiers-join-ukraines-fight-against-russia |
Artificial intelligence continues to become more sophisticated as it becomes tougher for educators to determine what is real and what is flat-out plagiarism.
AI chatbots are software applications used to have a conversation that can take on the role of a live human using technology.
ChatGPT, owned by research company OpenAI, is one of these chatbot programs. The chatbot can be used for applications like customer service and virtual assistants.
A University of Pennsylvania researcher wanted to put AI to the test. Christian Terwiesch, department chair and a professor in Wharton’s Operations, Information and Decisions department at the University of Pennsylvania, determined the technology could pass a master's of business administration exam.
Based on Terwiesch’s evaluation, the OpenAI’s Chat GPT3 would get a B or B- in an MBA final.
“It does an amazing job at basic operations management and process analysis questions, including those that are based on case studies,” Terwiesch wrote. “Not only are the answers correct, but the explanations are excellent.”
The research noted that ChatGPT3 made some surprising math mistakes.
But Terwiesch noted that the technology could adjust.
“ChatGPT3 is remarkably good at modifying its answers in response to human hints. In other words, in the instances where it initially failed to match the problem with the right solution method, Chat GPT3 was able to correct itself after receiving an appropriate hint from a human expert,” he wrote.
While Terwiesch said he’ll be banning the use of the technology for tests, he said AI can still be utilized in teaching.
“In many ways, this is similar to how we have been using group assignments for many years. Just as we would expect a better deliverable for an assignment that was given to a group of five students, we should expect more from a student that we encourage to collaborate with a technology such as Chat GPT3,” he wrote. | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/could-ai-pass-an-mba-exam-at-an-ivy-league-university | 2023-01-24 21:16:38 | 1 | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/could-ai-pass-an-mba-exam-at-an-ivy-league-university |
GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 15th, the 132nd Canton Fair will open with the theme of "connecting the domestic and international circulations". This session, over 35,000 enterprises are expected to participate in the virtual event featuring 16 different product categories and 50 exhibition sections. With its updated website enabling more efficient product search and various supplier-buyer matchmaking events, the 132nd Canton Fair will provide a smooth trading experience and better services for businesses around the globe.
Buyers can now find needed products in a more targeted manner due to search optimization, specifically an updated search algorithm. Also, thanks to the greater number of filtering options such as trade modes, export destinations, visitors can use the Fair's online platform with increased accuracy. New functions have been developed in instant communication; visitors can now send files and business cards in instant messaging for more convenient networking. The Fair has gone above and beyond to ensure that the website functionality, service, and activities help create a better experience for users.
In addition, the 132nd Canton Fair will organize well-designed and tailored events to allow more efficient buy and sell experience. Over 40 "Trade Bridge" Global Trade Promotion events aim to bridge large-scale multinational sourcing firms with Chinese suppliers of different industries, covering Canton Fair's key markets such as Belt and Road countries, RCEP members and top buyer source countries.
"Canton Fair gathers outstanding companies of different localities in China and facilitates trade matchmaking with global buyers, a premium platform for reciprocal cooperation of business communities around the world", said Michael Schumann, President of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade (BWA) said in the first "Trade Bridge" matchmaking event for new energy products in Germany.
In the meanwhile, "Discover Canton Fair with Bee and Honey" event featuring 8-10 product category, livestreamed in the Fair's social media, will bring buyers with virtual tours of multi-dimensioned product display, factory visit, explanations of manufacturing techniques, etc,. These supporting activities will showcase the progress China has made in the upgrading and transformation of foreign trade, and improve the productiveness of trade matchmaking for suppliers and buyers alike.
Only a few more days until the 132nd Canton Fair kicks off – make sure to take a few moments to sign up for what will be one of the best trade events of the year!
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SOURCE Canton Fair | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/10/10/132nd-canton-fair-bring-efficient-convenient-trading-experience-global-businesses/ | 2022-10-10 15:11:35 | 1 | https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/10/10/132nd-canton-fair-bring-efficient-convenient-trading-experience-global-businesses/ |
321preps notes: MCC coach steps down, Rock grad named all-America
MCC football coach Pruzinsky resigns
Melbourne Central Catholic head football coach Rich Pruzinsky has stepped down after one season.
Pruzinsky, a 1996 MCC graduate, had also coached at Bayside and Rockledge. His 2022 Hustlers team went 2-8.
Pruzinsky announced the decision via Twitter, calling it a "needed break." The school has begun a search for a new coach, according to MCC athletic director Johnmichael Thistle.
Rockledge grad named soccer all-America
Former Rockledge High girls soccer player Logan Humbert was named to the NJCAA Division I All-America team as an honorable mention choice this week.
The sophomore defender played on the 12-3 Eastern Florida team that reached the national tournament. In addition to her defensive duties, she scored two goals and assisted on two others. She is the 23rd Titans player to make an NJCAA All-America team.
“It means that no matter how my season turned out, I had a good season and I worked hard to prepare for it and it was honestly one of the best seasons that I have had," Humbert said. "Being a player from Brevard County, I am proud that I am able to represent my town and be honored with some quality players from all over the country.” | https://www.floridatoday.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2022/12/02/321preps-high-school-sports-notebook-mcc-football-rockledge-soccer/69693538007/ | 2022-12-02 05:30:14 | 1 | https://www.floridatoday.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2022/12/02/321preps-high-school-sports-notebook-mcc-football-rockledge-soccer/69693538007/ |
DENVER, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nextworld® ERP software company announces that it has entered into a strategic partnership with FastClose, a leading provider of real-time financial reporting and Accounting Intelligence.
As an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) partner, FastClose will augment Nextworld's reporting capabilities by enabling customers to visualize real-time financial data across multiple dimensions. The integration will introduce efficiencies to recurring financial processes for Nextworld customers.
"Nextworld is a modern, pure cloud ERP company built by experienced ERP veterans. Built on a no-code platform, the Nextworld ERP is introducing unprecedented agility to its customers, enabling them to make major customizations to the base code and still be able to take upgrades without the hassle of refactoring those customizations. Nextworld is positioned to be the flexible, Tier One ERP of the future and we are excited to be a part of that story," says Nick Gomersall, CEO of FastClose.
"The integration with FastClose will be a tremendous value-add for Nextworld customers, enabling them to shorten close cycles and make quicker, more informed decisions," adds Chris Walsh, Senior Director of Product Management for Nextworld. "We have had a close working relationship with the FastClose team during the development of their solution for Nextworld. They are a perfect culture fit and it has been a pleasure to work with this group."
Nextworld CEO, Kylee McVaney comments, "I am thrilled to be partnering with FastClose in a common goal of delighting customers and enabling them to focus on their mission by abstracting away technological complexities."
The partnership with Nextworld will be delivering real-time reporting directly from a cloud-based ERP system. Nick Gomersall adds, "We have closed three deals already with some great feedback from Nextworld customers. We look forward to tremendous joint success to come."
Nextworld is the only company that offers a modern ERP built on an enterprise, no-code platform. Nextworld delivers the agility, speed, and intelligence required to modernize business processes and gain value from your application investment – from the edge to the core of your operations. With Nextworld, businesses can focus resources on innovative opportunities that further their mission both now and into the future. Nextworld keeps its customers ahead of what's next®.
Website: www.nextworld.net
FastClose Ltd is a specialist reporting company – operating across Europe and North America – that offers a tool which works with Nextworld's ERP platform to provide management reporting and Accounting Intelligence. FastClose delivers unprecedented access to data. Designed to be super easy to use, accounts departments will be using the product in a few hours leading to a rapid ROI. FastClose bridges the gap between complex and costly BI tools and uncontrolled spreadsheets. FastClose's system is also available for SAP, Epicor, and CODA users.
Website: www.FastClose.uk
To view an online demo, click on www.Demo.FastClose.uk
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SOURCE Nextworld | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/nextworld-fastclose-announce-partnership-provide-real-time-financial-reporting/ | 2022-08-25 14:27:01 | 0 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/nextworld-fastclose-announce-partnership-provide-real-time-financial-reporting/ |
The Justice Department on Friday argued that an appeals court should overturn the ruling appointing a special master to review the more than 10,000 documents seized by the FBI during an August search of former President Trump’s home.
In a filing before the 11th Circuit, the Department of Justice (DOJ) picks apart a lower court’s ruling in favor of Trump as well as the former president’s argument that he should be afforded a third party to review the evidence collected at Mar-a-Lago.
“The uncontested record demonstrates that the search was conducted in full accordance with a judicially authorized warrant, and there has been no violation of Plaintiff’s rights — let alone a ‘callous disregard’ for them. Plaintiff has failed to meet his burden in establishing any need for the seized records — indeed, a substantial number of them are not even his—or in establishing any irreparable injury in their absence,” DOJ wrote in its brief.
The filing comes after the Justice Department won an initial battle before the 11th Circuit, which agreed to siphon off some 100 classified records from the special master review in an opinion that also suggested Florida-based federal district court Judge Aileen Cannon erred by appointing one in the first place.
The Justice Department said Trump failed to demonstrate and Cannon failed to weigh fully each aspect of the legal tests before a court can impose limits on a federal investigation. That includes whether officials displayed a “callous disregard” for someone’s rights, and whether they would be “irreparably injured” by failing to get the return of their property — neither of which Trump can justify, they said.
The brief rehashes many of the arguments it first relayed to the district court — that Trump cannot use executive privilege to block the functions of the current executive and that he has no claim to presidential records as his personal property.
But it also made more forceful claims about why it needs the records, both classified and unclassified, to aid the investigation.
DOJ detailed how unclassified records, and the way classified records were mixed in with them, is itself evidence.
“The dates on unclassified records may prove highly probative in the government’s investigation. For example, if any records comingled with the records bearing classification markings post-date Plaintiff’s term of office, that could establish that these materials continued to be accessed after Plaintiff left the White House,” DOJ wrote.
“In short, the unclassified records that were stored collectively with records bearing classification markings may identify who was responsible for the unauthorized retention of these records, the relevant time periods in which records were created or accessed, and who may have accessed or seen them.”
The Justice Department also pointed to Trump’s claims he may have declassified the records, which is not a central issue for any of the crimes weighed by DOJ, noting that “in his myriad filings, however, Plaintiff has never actually represented—much less offered evidence—that he declassified any of the seized records.”
The government also rehashed why it believes Trump has no claim to any of the records.
“Plaintiff cannot invoke executive privilege to bar the Executive Branch’s review and use of its own records,” DOJ wrote.
“Any assertion of executive privilege would similarly be made against ‘the very Executive Branch in whose name the privilege is invoked.’”
The government also dismissed Trump’s claims that some of the records could be considered his personal property under the Presidential Records Act (PRA).
“That claim is dubious, not least because the entire purpose of the PRA would be defeated if a President could simply designate all of his official records as ‘personal’ ones,” DOJ wrote.
“Plaintiff plainly would not be entitled to the return of evidence solely on the ground that the evidence belonged to him when it was seized. If that were the case, evidence rooms nationwide would soon be emptied.”
—Updated at 6:08 p.m. | https://www.wjhl.com/hill-politics/doj-asks-appeals-court-to-throw-out-appointment-of-trump-special-master/ | 2022-10-14 22:09:11 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/hill-politics/doj-asks-appeals-court-to-throw-out-appointment-of-trump-special-master/ |
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NEW YORK (AP) — The look of Nancy Meyers' movies. Inside Ina Garten's kitchen. Oversize cable knit sweaters. A quality, timeless trench. All things pumpkin spice.
These are some of Lex Nicoleta's favorite things.
The California TikToker who coined the term “coastal grandmother” in a video that has racked up thousands of views since March helped set the summer's mood for long beach walks, laid-back interiors and that farmer's market way of life.
“And no," Nicoleta insists on camera, "you don’t have to be a grandmother to be a coastal grandmother. It’s for anyone and everyone.”
Now that her coastal grandma-heavy feed has moved into cold-weather vibes, Nicoleta has given us lots of holiday gifting possibilities. Some ideas:
Coastal grandmother has everything to do with pumpkin spice and comfort cooking. Share your grandmother's treasured soups and stews, wrap up a piece of Le Creuset cookware, find a collection of soup crocks, a fancy wine decanter or a nice wine bottle stopper. Even a great bottle of wine or olive oil would do.
So would a nice hot dish, a standout pie dish, some biscotti or fancy tea, a set of tea towels. You can't go wrong there in capturing the mood. Etsy seller Claylicious sells a blue and gold ceramic egg tray for $87 offering just the ride touch. Another Etsy seller, ZLATNA porcelain, has a ceramic milk carton with a cork stopper in a white-and-black polka dot design for $109.
The ambiance isn't restricted to “coastal." Gift a wicker picnic basket, some beautiful dried flowers in a vase, a candle with outdoor or baking scents, a charcuterie board, a high-end set of soaps. How about a trip to Napa Valley? Nicoleta suggests Yountville in particular. Lex has spoken.
If Nicoleta is the Pied Piper of all things coastal grandmother, Meyers the filmmaker is her muse — and Diane Keaton her patron saint. Wrap up a copy of Meyers' “The Holiday,” “Something's Gotta Give” or “It's Complicated." They're full of coastal grandma energy. Lex likes the Garten kitchen vibe, too. Garten creates her simple, sophisticated magic in a converted barn on her property in East Hampton, New York.
Looking for a cute, no-cost gesture? Put together a worthy playlist, or just share the one Nicoleta dropped on Spotify. It’s a doozy, featuring Natalie Cole's “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love),” “Sunrise” by Norah Jones and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen. There’s James Taylor, Coralie Clement, Fine Young Cannibals, Michael Buble, Jason Mraz and more.
Coastal grandmother can be pricey, roomy cashmere turtlenecks, or something cheaper but equally as cozy from H&M. It can be a classic coat, a set of loafers or ballet flats, a nice warm scarf. Anything timeless — not trendy. A nice pair of over-the-knee boots would work. So would the perfect white T-shirt or a slouchy bag. Any classic worn effortlessly and with style reaches the coastal grandma bar. Try one of these finds in coats and jackets from Refinery29.com.
“Think everything in neutral tones,” said Etsy trend expert Dana Isom Johnson.
For the home, try a warm throw, an accent pillow or a tabletop fire pit. Indoor-outdoor living is the name of the coastal grandma game. Think what one would do on a wraparound porch. Read, for instance. Pick up a Kindle. Backyards are also big in the coastal grandma universe. A comfy lounge chair set, perhaps?
Coastal grandmother, Johnson said, is “all about comfort and making sure that things are feeling Zen and quiet and comfortable in the home.”
Some other sellers on Etsy, a global online marketplace, have also captured the mood.
The Etsy store Sea and Stable has turned oyster shells into blue decoupage chinoiserie jewelry holders and trinket bowls. Another, Jess by Jess Designs, sells colorful floral wreaths sealed to prolong all the hydrangea, peony and rose goodness.
An extension of coastal grandmother, Johnson said, is a top trend for the holidays on Etsy: crustaceancore. White pearls have been around for centuries but interest is high, she said. There has been a 44% increase in searches for pearls on shoes on Etsy, and the same for pearl bags or purses. The interest stretches to festive decor and all things crustacean, Johnson said.
Etsy seller Melissa Ceramics hand makes porcelain ceramic bowls finished in a pearly glaze on the inside. A set of three sells for $47.42. Another seller, Shop Noir Doux, sells a small vintage-style pearl shoulder bag for $105. Seller Lings Pearls Studio offers a handmade freshwater pearl hair pin for $12.28.
“Everyone,” Johnson said, is looking “to find inspiration from the sea.”
___
Follow Leanne Italie on Twitter at http:/twitter.com/litalie
—-
For more AP gift guides, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gift-guide. | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Coastal-grandmother-vibe-endures-for-holiday-17594600.php | 2022-11-18 15:11:34 | 0 | https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Coastal-grandmother-vibe-endures-for-holiday-17594600.php |
Podcast: That classic VW Bug could be an electric vehicle
Listen to this episode of The Times:
Classic cars are a staple of California culture, but they have a dirty secret — they’re gas guzzlers. And with gas prices so high, collectors are beginning to convert them to electric.
In this episode, L.A. business reporter Ronald D. White talks about the creative ways Californians are getting their hands on electric cars.
Read the full transcript here.
Host: Gustavo Arellano
Guest: L.A. Times Business reporter Ronald D White
More reading:
They’ll turn your gas guzzler into an EV. But be prepared to wait
With gas prices sky-high, some would-be EV buyers are getting creative
How Californians are getting around high gas prices (or at least trying)
About The Times
“The Times” is made by columnist Gustavo Arellano, senior producers Denise Guerra, Shannon Lin and Kasia Broussalian and producers David Toledo, Ashlea Brown and Angel Carreras. Our engineers are Mario Diaz and Mark Nieto. Our editor is Kinsee Morlan. Our executive producers are Jazmín Aguilera and Shani O. Hilton. Our theme song was composed by Andrew Eapen. | https://www.latimes.com/podcasts/story/2022-07-05/the-times-podcast-electric-vehicle-conversion-classic-car-tesla | 2022-07-05 12:18:43 | 0 | https://www.latimes.com/podcasts/story/2022-07-05/the-times-podcast-electric-vehicle-conversion-classic-car-tesla |
Jeffrey Epstein has been dead for three years, but his ghost still wanders the dark halls of the internet.
In life, Epstein was a secretive financier, arrested for a series of sexual crimes with underaged girls. In death, speculation about his suicide in jail formed an additional layer of conspiratorial fog around his legacy.
When the FBI searched former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in early August, it took less than a day for far-right internet personality Jack Posobiec to summon Epstein's ghost. "We now know the judge who signed off on the Mar-a-Lago raid was Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer. Don't question it!" Posobiec posted to his 185,000 Telegram followers.
The claim, repeated across fringe threads and deceiving "headlines," is misleading. While in private practice, federal magistrate judge Bruce Reinhart had previously represented some of Epstein's employees who had also been accused of facilitating sex trafficking. In the case of the Mar-a-Lago search, the Miami Herald reported any magistrate judge would have signed off on the warrant when presented with probable cause from the FBI. Reinhart just happened to be available that night.
Within days, the false claim took off in far-right circles, drawing the attention of Fox News, which later had to issue a clarification for airing an edited picture that falsely showed Reinhart next to Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted as an accomplice to many of Epstein's crimes.
This is just the latest spike of Epstein-related yarn-spinning, but Epstein is likely to remain a narrative for some on the right for years to come.
One clear reason for the staying power of conspiracy theories involving Epstein is his frequent socializing with the world's rich and famous. He hobnobbed with Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Donald Trump. Britain's Prince Andrew lost his royal privileges over sexual assault allegations involving Epstein. Those relationships are potent examples for conspiracists to cast all nearly all political events as driven by hidden, sex-fueled abuses and coverups.
Epstein's death by suicide in jail under Bureau of Prisons custody also fueled a popular wave of theories and memes. But it's the established facts of his crimes that make him a useful character in an extended universe of fringe bogeymen.
A rightward drift
Systematic child abuse and exploitation is real. Reporting by news organizations has uncovered major abuses in churches, among celebrities, the foster care system and so on. But these revelations can also easily be plucked and reassembled to form the backbone of conspiratorial narratives.
Before his 2018 arrest, the Miami Herald, which broke many of the stories about Epstein, saw the most online engagement with stories about him. An NPR analysis of data compiled by the media intelligence company NewsWhip found that today, online engagement with these stories has migrated almost entirely to conservative sites such as The Daily Wire and Western Journal, both outlets with massive social media audiences that mostly repackage professional journalism into narratives of conservative victimization and other right-wing themes.
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones invoked Epstein's life and death repeatedly as he defended himself in the course of a recent defamation trial brought by parents of children murdered at the Sandy Hook elementary school. Jones' courtroom mentions of Epstein blurred the lines between established facts and popular speculation, framing Jones' lies about the parents of Sandy Hook shooting victims as reasonable.
"It's effective because lots of lots of these things that are said about Epstein's life are, in fact, true. And actually do kind of plug into a pre-existing kind of narrative about what our elites get up to," says Quassim Cassam, a philosophy professor at Warwick University in the United Kingdom and the author of a book titled "Conspiracy Theories."
Each detail of Epstein's real, elaborate predation of young girls serves as a factual toehold for believers of the Pizzagate and QAnon conspiracy theories. Both are unfounded, interlocking narratives about powerful cabal of elites sex-trafficking children. In turn, they feed into fanciful depictions of Trump as a mythic hero, unfairly maligned and cheated out of a second term as he takes on an imagined satanic cabal. (Anti-trafficking organizations in fact sent President Trump an open letter saying "Anybody...who lends any credibility to QAnon conspiracies related to human trafficking actively harms the fight against [it].")
Edited out
Epstein's ties to Trump himself are generally left unspoken in extremist, fringe communities according to Michael Hayden of the Southern Poverty Law Center, because the goal of an Epstein reference in these circles, he says, is to discredit anyone seen as attacking Trump. When unfavorable news breaks, any reference to Epstein is a quick way for his supporters to frame a debate as a false choice between Trump's side or Epstein's. It provides validation for fellow believers, Hayden says, and serves to diminish criticism about Trump. However bad a news event may look for Trump, by citing Epstein, the other side looks worse and more depraved.
"These are tools in the shed of people who are, for lack of a better word, fascist propagandists who understand how to use this friend versus enemy binary," he says.
Within the current right wing media ecosystem, Hayden says whatever cultural barriers that once existed between the furthest fringes and mainstream commentators have eroded badly. The way disparate corners of the pro-Trump world come together in agreement over Epstein theories reminds him of the blend of crowds drawn to the January 6th capital riots.
"It's a combination of people who are of a harder-edged variety and people who you would not expect to be mingling with them," says Hayden, potentially leading to ever-deeper radicalization.
He says pro-Trump audiences have been exposed to years of tropes and hateful stereotypes anti-Semites want associated with Jews.
"We're talking about explicit anti-Semites here who...like to portray Jewish people as being sexually deviant...or being predatory, particularly with young women. This is propaganda that goes back decades and decades. It's very old," says Hayden.
With that groundwork laid, "all you need is somebody like Posobiec, just need a big influencer to say 'Epstein judge' and ...you yourself don't even have to be dirtied with anti-Semitism," says Hayden.
After Posobiec and a choir of right-wing publications promoted the "Epstein judge" idea, the real Judge Reinhart was inducted into the growing club of people whose home addresses have appeared in internet message boards alongside calls for execution and anti-Semitic slurs. He probably won't be the last.
Hayden says to expect a very extended haunting from Epstein's ghost. "It's like - what is the opposite of a piece of classic literature?"
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.nepm.org/national-world-news/national-world-news/2022-09-08/heres-why-conspiracy-theories-about-jeffrey-epstein-keep-flourishing | 2022-09-08 11:02:28 | 1 | https://www.nepm.org/national-world-news/national-world-news/2022-09-08/heres-why-conspiracy-theories-about-jeffrey-epstein-keep-flourishing |
FREMONT, Calif., Dec. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Christmas is the season for family and warmth – but all that can be lost in an instant when disaster strikes. Jackery, the world leader for innovative portable power and green outdoor energy solutions, has been building its reputation as a philanthropic company through its efforts to make life a little bit brighter for unfortunate families in disaster areas around the globe. When grid power goes out, a Jackery portable power unit can literally keep warmth, light and hope alive.
In fact, it was the Christmas season, December 10, 2021, when an unprecedented winter tornado hit Mayfield, Kentucky, causing catastrophic damage and killing 57 people throughout the region. Rather than gifts and warm homes, the citizens were struggling to survive. Jackery saw this opportunity to help and donated a number of power units that were used for rescue operations, hospitals and communications.
August 2020, in California's Napa Valley - a series of lightning-sparked fires steadily converged into the blaze known as the LNU Complex Fire, which collectively became ranked as the 3rd largest fire disaster in California's history. With electrical infrastructure decimated, Jackery donated many solar generators to keep emergency power available to the brave first responders.
Most recently in the United States, Hurricane Ian hit Southwest Florida this year and devastated the area leaving thousands of people in the dark. And again, Jackery responded with donations of its rugged and reliable products to help bring back a little piece of regular life. One woman recounted her tragic story. Her husband died immediately after the Hurricane just after being rescued, and after a brief time in a shelter, she returned home, alone and terrified. Looters tried to break into the house. She received a solar generator from Jackery and it changed her life, being able to be safe and also sleep without gasoline exhaust or noise from a typical generator.
The COVID crisis of 2020 was an active time for Jackery, which demonstrated its humanitarian concern by donating significant amount of solar generators and power units to overtaxed hospitals and traveling health professionals. Jackery donated many Jackery portable power stations, brought over a hundred of USB adapters and Apple lightning cables for patients at the Coney Island hospital, and made the same efforts at ground zero of the pandemic, in Wuhan, China, where they provided power units to keep the overwhelmed hospitals functioning.
Jackery's helpful response to disasters has not been limited only to the United States. For example, in September 2021, multiple typhoons hit Okinawa, Japan, causing turmoil and destruction. Jackery recognized the people in need and responded as they often do, with generous donations of their reliable products. Jackery also provided mobile outdoor power support to Okinawa, ensuring that power supply can be adequately guaranteed in the event of disasters in the future.
Separate from immediate disasters, Jackery also recognizes the slower-paced environmental catastrophe unfolding due to global climate change. That's why they have worked with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) to plant 10,000 trees.
On thing is certain - while natural disasters are unpreventable and unpredictable, there is one thing that can be counted on - Jackery will continue to be there when tragedy strikes. Jackery wishes everyone a warm and safe Christmas with family and friends.
About Jackery
Jackery, the world's leading innovative portable power and green outdoor energy solution provider founded in California in 2012, is a global top-selling solar generator brand born with a vision to offer green energy to everyone, everywhere. Jackery launched the world's first outdoor portable power stations in 2016 and developed the world's first portable solar panels in 2018. Having introduced solar generators to the great outdoors, Jackery fulfills the power needs of every nature-lover, inspiring them to explore further and seek more extraordinary experiences than before.
Expanding its footprint from the US to Europe, Japan, and China, Jackery has sold more than 2 million units globally since 2018, with its products consistently selected as Best Sellers on Amazon. The brand has so far received 40 prestigious international design awards, including the Red Dot Design Award, the iF Design Award, the A' Design Award and Competition, and the CES Innovation Award.
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SOURCE Jackery Inc. | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2022/12/19/jackery-embodies-christmas-spirit-giving/ | 2022-12-19 15:20:34 | 1 | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2022/12/19/jackery-embodies-christmas-spirit-giving/ |
Two teens each will take home $10,000 college scholarships for crafting dazzling
Duck Tape® attire
AVON, Ohio, July 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- It's the moment we've all been waiting for! After tallying the public's votes, Duck® brand is excited to crown the Grand Prize winners in the 22nd Annual Stuck at Prom® Scholarship Contest, which challenges students to create promwear out of Duck Tape® for a chance to win college scholarships. This year, Grace Vaughn of Trinity, Florida, takes the prize for Best Dress and Chidinma Onwuliri of Mississauga, Ontario, wins Best Tux.
Vaughn caught the public's eye with her Yin and Yang-inspired dress, while Onwuliri stood out from the crowd with her pink tux featuring an oversized back bow. While all of the Duck Tape® entries were stunning, the two crafty students ultimately captured the most votes thanks to their incredible self-expression and style. Vaughn and Onwuliri each will be awarded $10,000 cash college scholarships to help jumpstart their future paths.
"Each of our contestants had a special story to tell this year, from hoping to empower others with their designs to pushing their artistic abilities to the limit, and they should all be very proud of their Duck Tape® looks," said Ashley Luke, senior product manager at Shurtape Technologies, LLC, the company that markets the Duck® brand. "We congratulate Grace, Chidinma and all of our participants for making masterpieces that show the world what can be achieved with some creativity and originality."
Learn more about this year's winners and their standout Duck Tape® promwear:
Vaughn spent 143 hours designing her dress with 45 Duck Tape® rolls. Inspired by the Yin and Yang symbol, the opposing black and white sides to her dress represent the helpful habits, such as yoga and meditation, she incorporates into her life to achieve balance while living with an auditory processing disability.
"Ever since I was young, I have loved the idea of showing who we are on the inside with what we wear on the outside," Vaughn said of her design. "Clothing has the ability to transform how we feel and also influence how we make others feel. I have always aspired to pursue a career in fashion and hope this can be the start of something big."
Onwuliri spent 30 hours and used 12 Duck Tape® rolls to craft her pink suit. Growing up with an older brother, Onwuliri naturally became a tomboy, but for her entry she wanted to showcase the beauty masculinity and femininity have when combined together.
"I couldn't leave my spontaneous tomboy side out of my piece, so I decided to make a suit instead of a dress," Onwuliri said of her design. "I am truly happy for the opportunity to present this piece to the world as well as the message I wish to share through it."
In addition to Vaughn and Onwuliri, eight runners-up each will receive $500 scholarships and Duck® brand prize packs worth $100. These finalists include: Elise Villarreal of Mattawan, Michigan; Elizabeth Delli of Highland Park, Illinois; Avalon Hagerman of Waterloo, Ontario; Mady Bischoff of Temperance, Michigan; Nathan Elias of San Antonio, Texas; Adrienne Flowers of Gulf Breeze, Florida; Kaleb Burch of New Braunfels, Texas; and Colten Nichols of Van Buren, Arkansas.
Learn more about the 22nd Annual Duck® brand Stuck at Prom® Scholarship Contest at StuckAtProm.com. For more information on Duck Tape® and to get inspired with craft ideas and instructions, visit DuckBrand.com.
An American original, Duck Tape® brand duct tape is the fix-all to help with everyday repairs, projects or crafts. Duck Tape® offers a vast array of innovative, forward-thinking solutions that help everyone – from makers and creators to do-it-yourselfers and professionals – bring their ideas to life. The brand sets trends with its wide variety of colors and designs, inspires creativity and leads the way in DIY or jobsite projects, crafting, and more, by providing the tools consumers need to make or repair anything. Duck Tape® brand is marketed by Shurtape Technologies, LLC, an industry-leading manufacturer of adhesive tape and consumer home and office products, with facilities worldwide.
Visit DuckBrand.com for additional product information as well as DuckTapeMaker.com for a source of everyday inspiration, imagination and creativity. Keep up-to-date on Duck® brand news by joining our nearly 5 million fans on Facebook® (Facebook.com/DuckTape and Facebook.com/TheDuckBrand), following us on Twitter® (@TheDuckBrand) and Instagram (@TheDuckBrand), following our boards on Pinterest® (Pinterest.com/TheDuckBrand) and watching us on YouTube® (YouTube.com/TheDuckBrand).
SHURTAPE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Based in Hickory, N.C., Shurtape Technologies, LLC, is an industry-leading manufacturer and marketer of adhesive tape and consumer home and office products, with facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, Peru, United Arab Emirates, China and Australia. Together, our subsidiaries serve numerous markets, including industrial/MRO, building and construction, packaging, electrical, stucco, HVAC, professional paint, automotive, marine, aerospace, arts and entertainment, graphic arts, sound control, medical, DIY, home and office, and retail. In addition to specialty adhesive solutions, Shurtape Technologies offers products under recognizable brand names such as Duck®, FrogTape®, T-Rex®, Painter's Mate®, Shurtape® and Kip®. Learn more at ShurtapeTech.com.
Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.
Twitter® is a registered trademark of Twitter, Inc.
Instagram is a registered trademark of Instagram, LLC.
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SOURCE Duck® Brand | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/07/20/duck-brand-crowns-grand-prize-winners-22nd-annual-stuck-prom-scholarship-contest/ | 2022-07-20 18:22:07 | 1 | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/07/20/duck-brand-crowns-grand-prize-winners-22nd-annual-stuck-prom-scholarship-contest/ |
The Senate on Wednesday passed a GOP-led resolution that would end the COVID-19 national emergency that has been in place since 2020.
The measure passed the upper chamber 68-23.
A similar resolution sponsored by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) passed the Senate last year, but it did not advance in the Democrat-controlled House. This year it passed the House 229-197, with 11 Democrats joining all Republicans.
President Biden last year threatened to veto the measure. This year, he did not threaten a veto but issued a statement of administration principles before the House vote objecting to the resolution.
On Wednesday, however, he said he would sign the measure.
“The President strongly opposes HJ Res 7, and the administration is planning to wind down the COVID national emergency and public health emergency on May 11. If this bill comes to his desk, however, he will sign it, and the administration will continue working with agencies to wind down the national emergency with as much notice as possible to Americans who could potentially be impacted,” a White House official said.
The national emergency is different from the public health emergency, though the White House will end both on May 11. Under federal law, Congress has the power to ask for periodic votes to terminate a national emergency.
President Biden used the powers under the national emergency declaration as the underpinning for his student loan forgiveness plan, which is currently tied up in court.
The initial declaration allowed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to mobilize personnel to support state and local agencies as they worked to combat the virus. The move also allowed FEMA to access billions of dollars.
Ending the national emergency early could also terminate some of the flexibility that COBRA has been able to exercise. | https://www.wivb.com/news/political-news/us-political-news/hill-politics/senate-votes-to-end-covid-19-national-emergency/ | 2023-03-30 00:49:55 | 0 | https://www.wivb.com/news/political-news/us-political-news/hill-politics/senate-votes-to-end-covid-19-national-emergency/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A lack of clear, concise and consistent messaging about the seriousness of the novel coronavirus in the earliest months of its spread created a false sense of security among Americans that the pandemic would not be serious and resulted in inaction early on across the federal government.
That was the assessment of Dr. Deborah Birx, who served as the COVID response coordinator under former President Donald Trump and testified for the first time Thursday before a House panel about her time in the Trump administration.
“It wasn’t just the president, many of our leaders, were using words like ‘we could contain,’ and you cannot contain a virus that cannot be seen,” Birx said. “And it wasn’t being seen because we weren’t testing.”
Birx appeared before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, whose partisan divide was evident throughout the hearing as Democrats focused their attention on missteps made during the Trump administration while Republicans did the same when it came to Democratic-led states such as New York or under the Biden administration, such as when President Joe Biden overstated the efficacy of vaccines by telling Americans in a CNN town hall, “You’re not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations.”
Much of the hearing focused on concerns Birx had about strategies promoted by Dr. Scott Atlas, who joined the White House as a pandemic adviser in the summer of 2020 and argued that it was all right for low-risk people to get infected with the virus as long as the vulnerable are protected. Birx was asked why she considered that view so dangerous.
“Dr. Atlas’s view was anybody who was not going to have severe disease should be allowed to become infected,” Birx said. The difficulty, she said was the premise that the country could then “magically separate the 50 or 60 million vulnerable Americans from that infection at a high level.”
She said that when Atlas and other officials espoused that view about the virus, it created doubts with the American public.
“It created a sense that anything could be right,” she said.
Birx also said that Atlas’s tenure “destroyed any cohesion in the response of the White House itself.”
To underscore the divide in the White House, the subcommittee released new emails, including from Birx to then-CDC Director Robert Redfield, then FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn and Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
In the August. 11, 2000, e-mail, Birx described a “very dangerous meeting in the OVAL yesterday,” with a list of concerns. “The conclusion was Dr. Atlas is brilliant and the President will be following his guidance now.,” she wrote. She went on to say she would continue her focus in working with states but doubted her ability to change the president’s mind on what needs to be done, such as strict mask use, expansion of testing, strict social distancing and limiting school re-openings where there was uncontrolled community spread.
Atlas was not a participant in the hearing, but he participated in an extensive interview with the committee staff earlier this year in which he downplayed his role on the White House’s COVID efforts.
“Dr. Birx was responsible for the policies that were implemented previously and also during my time there and also after I left. The entire time, the policies were directly from Dr. Birx to the governors and that never changed,” Atlas said.
Atlas said his role at the White House was to bring information to the president and he was critical of what he called “Birx-Fauci lockdowns” that he described as a failure.
“The elderly people were still dying. The infection was still spreading. It was a failure, and there was enormous harms inflicted on our children and on families by this total broad lockdown,” he told the committee.
A subcommittee report released in the days leading up to the hearing concluded that the Trump administration’s disregard for proven mitigation measures resulted in a federal response that differed little from the implementation of a deliberate herd immunity strategy.
Birx has projected that 130,000 Americans lives could have been saved after the first wave of the pandemic if the federal government had implemented “optimal mitigation across this country.” The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million last month. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/politics/birx-describes-a-white-house-divided-on-covid-response/ | 2022-06-23 20:44:10 | 1 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/politics/birx-describes-a-white-house-divided-on-covid-response/ |
President Biden’s approval rating dropped 5 points in the past week, according to a new Politico-Morning Consult poll.
The poll found that 41 percent of respondents approved of Biden’s job performance, down from 46 percent last week. The results are a reversal of recent weeks, during which Biden’s approval rating has risen significantly following a series of legislative successes.
Biden last month signed bipartisan legislation to increase investment in semiconductor manufacturing and to expand health care for veterans who have been exposed to burn pits while serving. He also signed a major climate, tax and health care package into law.
The Politico-Morning Consult poll found the lower approval rating comes largely from a decline in Biden’s approval among Democrats. Approval from members of the president’s party dropped from 85 percent in last week’s poll to 80 percent this week.
Biden’s approval among independents stayed roughly the same, while approval among Republicans also dropped slightly.
The margin of error for overall approval level was 2 points, and the margin for the party breakdowns was 4 points.
A Reuters-Ipsos poll released Wednesday showed Biden’s approval rating increased by 2 points, from 39 percent to 41 percent. | https://www.fox16.com/hill-politics/biden-approval-rating-dips-5-points-in-past-week-poll/ | 2022-09-28 16:57:00 | 1 | https://www.fox16.com/hill-politics/biden-approval-rating-dips-5-points-in-past-week-poll/ |
Sebastian Korda 2023 cinch Championships Odds
Sebastian Korda has a match with Frances Tiafoe coming up next in the cinch Championships round of 16. Korda is +1400 to win at The Queen's Club.
Find all the latest odds for the 2023 cinch Championships and place your bets with a new user bonus from BetMGM.
Korda at the 2023 cinch Championships
- Next Round: Round of 16
- Tournament Dates: June 16-25
- Venue: The Queen's Club
- Location: London, United Kingdom
- Court Surface: Grass
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Korda's Next Match
Korda has reached the round of 16 by beating Daniel Evans 6-4, 7-5 and will next be in action on Wednesday, June 21 at 11:00 AM ET against Tiafoe.
Korda is listed at +130 to win his next match against Tiafoe. Check out the latest odds for the entire field at BetMGM.
Sebastian Korda Grand Slam Odds
- US Open odds to win: +1800
- cinch Championships odds to win: +1400
Want to bet on Korda? Head to BetMGM using our link for a bonus bet special offer for new players!
Korda Stats
- In the Round of 32, Korda won 6-4, 7-5 versus Evans on Monday.
- Korda is 27-14 over the past year, with no tournament titles.
- In one tournaments on grass over the past 12 months, Korda has gone 1-0.
- Korda has played 26.1 games per match in his 41 matches over the past 12 months across all court surfaces.
- In his one match on a grass surface over the past year, Korda has averaged 22.0 games.
- Korda has won 25.7% of his return games and 81.0% of his service games over the past 12 months.
- On grass over the past 12 months, Korda has claimed 100.0% of his service games and 18.2% of his return games.
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.azfamily.com/sports/betting/2023/06/16/sebastian-korda-cinch-championships-betting-odds/ | 2023-06-20 20:03:27 | 0 | https://www.azfamily.com/sports/betting/2023/06/16/sebastian-korda-cinch-championships-betting-odds/ |
(iSeeCars) — People commonly fantasize about owning a fast car. But given the price tag and limited utility of most sports cars, many choose to own a more practical vehicle instead.
While many high-performance sports cars are in the six-figure range, there are plenty of new and used sports cars that can help you live life in the fast lane for under $40,000.
Here are the sports cars that provide an adrenaline rush without the high price tag.
Fastest New Sports Cars Under $40,000
These new sports cars all have starting prices of under $40,000 and are ranked in ascending order of the 0-60 time for their corresponding trim levels. Many of these cars are either higher trim levels than the new vehicles on our fastest cars under $30,000 list or new versions of the used vehicles on the list.
1. Chevrolet Camaro
The “everyman’s sports car,” the Chevrolet Camaro earns the top spot. The Chevy Camaro’s base model standard turbocharged 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine with 275 horsepower goes from zero to 60 in 5.4 seconds and reaches a max speed of 155 mph. For under $40,000, buyers can choose higher trims including the LT1 and 1SS which have a 455-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 engine and 6-speed manual transmission. Opting for the more powerful V8 in these trims provides a 0-60 time of 4.3 seconds
2. Ford Mustang GT
The Ford Mustang earns the second spot as the fastest new sports car for under $40,000. It’s also the sports car with the highest iSeeCars Quality Score of 8.4 out of 10 for its coupe version and also ranks high on our list of best sports cars. The highest-performance trim under $40,000 is the GT trim, which features a 5.0-liter V8 with 460 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque that can reach 0-60 in 4.2 seconds. This is an upgrade from base EcoBoost model that comes standard with a 2.3-liter turbo four-cylinder engine with 310-horsepower. A GT performance package is available, which includes summer tires, Brembo front brakes, heavy-duty front springs, chassis bracing, a larger radiator, retuned chassis and stability control, and a Torsen limited-slip differential. However, this performance package will take the price to well over $40,000.
3. Dodge Challenger RT
An American muscle car ranks third, the Dodge Challenger two-door coupe. It is among the best sports cars on the market with an iSeeCars Quality Score of 8.0. The base V6 Challenger goes from zero to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds and reaches a maximum speed of 156 mph. The Challenger R/T upgrades to a 5.7-liter V8 with 375 horsepower and a zero-to-60 time of 5.0 seconds. Higher SRT trims offer more powerful V8 engines, including the 717-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V8. These more powerful engines can go from 0-60 in less than 3.5 seconds.
4. Kia Stinger
Ranked fourth is the Kia Stinger sports sedan. For under $40,000, you can get the base GT-Line model, which for 2022 comes standard with a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. The GT-Line Kia Stinger can go from zero to 60 in a respectable 5.2 seconds. The Stinger comes standard with rear-wheel drive, but features an optional all-wheel drive system.
5. Mazda MX-5 Miata
Earning the fifth spot is the Mazda MX-5 Miata two-seat roadster. The Miata can go from zero to 60 in 5.7 seconds and reaches a maximum speed of 135 mph with its softtop convertible roof. RF models with the hardtop roof have a slightly slower time of 5.8 seconds. The Miata has one engine choice, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. It also returns excellent fuel economy at 26 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway, an excellent rating for the sports car class. Tha Miata also comes standard with safety features including automatic emergency braking with forward-collision warning, blindspot monitoring with rear-cross traffic alert, and lane departure warning. Because the Mazda MX-5 Miata only has one engine, higher trims don’t boost the acceleration, but the top Grand Touring Trim starts at $31,770 and adds features like automatic high-beam headlights, rain-sensing windshield wipers, traffic sign recognition, climate control, leather seats, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.
6. Subaru BRZ
The Subaru BRZ ranks sixth. After a hiatus for the 2021 model year, the BRZ re-emerged in 2022 with a full redesign. The BRZ has a 2.4-liter four-cylinder boxer engine with 228 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive come standard, and a six-speed automatic transmission is optional. The BRZ can go from 0-60 in 5.8 seconds with its manual transmission, while the automatic transmission lags behind at 7.0 seconds. Like the Miata, the BRZ has one engine, but opting for the Limited trim adds leather upholstery, heated front seats, 18-inch wheels, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, lane keep assist, adaptive headlights, and 18-inch wheels.
7. Toyota GR86
The Toyota GR 86, which is nearly mechanically identical to the sixth-ranked Subaru BRZ, ranks seventh. Just like the BRZ, the GR86 was redesigned for the 2022 model year and has a new name after being formerly known as the Toyota 86. The Toyota GR86 and the Subaru BRZ have some minor differences, including their exterior styling, interior materials, pricing, and some minor suspension tuning differences. As such, the Toyota GR86 has a slightly slower 0-60 time at 6.1 seconds and a maximum speed of 140 mph. Similar to the Subaru BRZ, the GR86 has only one engine across all trims. The Premium trim starts at $31,800 and while it won’t give you increased speed, it will add amenities like heated leather seats, 18-inch wheels, and a duckbill spoiler.
8. Volkswagen GTI
The Volkswagen GTI rounds out the list in the eighth position. Formerly known as the Volkswagen Golf GTI, the Volkswagen GTI is the sportier, hot-hatch version of the Volkswagen Golf, and is the only version remaining after the Golf’s discontinuation. It has a 228-horsepower turbocharged engine and a six-speed manual transmission. Standard features include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and rain-sensing windshield wipers.
Fastest Used Cars Under $40,000
Sports car buyers with a budget of $40,000 can find used versions of performance cars and luxury sports cars. Along with used versions of the vehicles above, here are the fastest used sports cars that can be found for under $40,000.
1. Subaru WRX
The Subaru WRX sports sedan ranks first. Redesigned for 2022, the all-wheel drive (AWD) WRX comes standard with a 271-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine that puts out 258 lb-ft of torque paired with a six-speed manual transmission. The WRX STI has 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-four with 310 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque, and can go from 0-60 in 4.6 seconds.
2. Nissan 370z
A classic Japanese sports car, the Nissan 370z comes as a coupe or convertible and has a 3.7-liter V6 engine with 332 horsepower. It goes from 0-60 in just 4.8 seconds and has a maximum speed of 155 mph.
3. Audi S5
The Audi S5 is the performance variant of the Audi A5 sedan. The S5 coupe has a supercharged V6 engine with 333 horsepower. The Audi S5 can go from 0-60 in 4.9 seconds and has a maximum speed of 155 mph.
4. Honda Civic Type R
The Honda Civic Type R ranks fourth. The Civic Type R hatchback is the high-performance version of the compact Honda Civic. The Type R has a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 306 horsepower and can go from 0-60 in 5.1 seconds.
5. Audi TT
The front-wheel drive Audi TT is an elegant sports car with a unique design and engaging driving dynamics. It also has the benefit of rear seats to offer seating capacity for four, but the rear seats are cramped and best for small children. The Audi TT from the 2018 model year has a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine with 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, and it accelerates from 0-60 in 5.3 seconds.
6. BMW Z4
The BMW Z4 two-seat luxury convertible comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 240 horsepower. It can accelerate from 0-60 in 5.5 seconds and reaches a maximum speed of 130 mph.
7. Hyundai Veloster N
Ranked seventh is the Hyundai Veloster N hot hatch, which is the high-performance variant of the now-discontinued Hyundai Veloster. New versions of the Veloster N are just above $30,000 at $32,500. The Hyundai Veloster N has a 275 horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. While it comes standard with a manual transmission, an eight-speed dual clutch automatic transmission is available for an extra $1,500. The Hyundai Veloster N does 0-60 in 5.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 155 mph. Along with being fast and fun-to-drive, the Veloster N offers more cargo space than typical sports cars thanks to its hatchback bodystyle. Other used versions are also fast, including the Veloster Turbo R-Spec, which comes with a 201-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine and has a 0-60 time of 6.8 seconds.
8. Mercedes Benz C-Class
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class compact luxury sedan ranks eighth. It has one of the most upscale interiors in its class while also having powerful engine choices. It’s base engine is a turbocharged four-cylinder that puts out 241 horsepower that can reach 60 mph in six seconds.
Bottom Line
All sports cars are fun to drive, but the ones topping this list offer a fast-yet-practical option for those who want a thrilling driving experience. For a budget of $40,000, buyers can graduate from the base trim of many sports cars and afford later-model used luxury sports cars. Be sure to also check out our companion guide for the fastest sports cars under $30,000 and our list of the best sports cars under $30,000 for additional practical sports cars.
More from iSeeCars:
If you’re in the market for a new or used sports car, you can search over 4 million used and new cars with iSeeCars’ award-winning car search engine that helps shoppers find the best car deals by providing key insights and valuable resources, like the iSeeCars free VIN check and Best Cars rankings. Whether you want a coupe, convertible, sporty sedan, or hatchback, car buying has never been so easy.
Ths article, The Fastest Cars Under $40k, originally appeared on iSeeCars.com. | https://www.qcnews.com/automotive/the-fastest-cars-under-40000/ | 2023-05-14 16:01:49 | 1 | https://www.qcnews.com/automotive/the-fastest-cars-under-40000/ |
Investigators seeking to identify victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre have found enough usable DNA for testing on two of the 14 sets of remains removed from a local cemetery a year ago, a forensic scientist said Wednesday.
Danny Hellwig with Intermountain Forensics in Salt Lake City, which is examining the remains, told The Associated Press that it’s a promising step toward identifying the people whose remains were removed from Oaklawn Cemetery.
“We have two (sets) that we’re very excited about,” Hellwig said. “It doesn’t guarantee us a result, but it gives us hope” for learning the names.
The key, Hellwig said, is having descendants of those individuals provide DNA to a database so a match can be made when DNA sequencing is complete.
The sequencing is expected to begin in July or August, Hellwig said. A match to a family member could be made within days if the descendant is in Intermountain Forensics’ DNA database.
None of the remains are confirmed as victims of the 1921 massacre, which occurred when a white mob descended on Greenwood, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Tulsa. More than 1,000 homes were burned, hundreds were looted and the thriving business district known as Black Wall Street was destroyed.
Historians who have studied the event estimate the death toll to be between 75 and 300.
To confirm the remains are massacre victims, investigators are seeking signs of trauma, such as gunshot wounds. Based on accounts at the time, most of those who were killed by the mob were male, according to forensic scientist Phoebe Stubblefield, a member of the team that excavated the cemetery and the remains.
One set of the remains sent to the Intermountain Forensics’ DNA lab in Utah includes a male with a bullet in his shoulder, but did not have enough usable DNA, Hellwig said.
“We’re talking with the investigative team to see if additional evidence can be provided” in hopes of extracting more DNA of that individual, Hellwig said.
Bones and teeth from each of the remains have been provided to the lab, with the usable DNA coming from the teeth, according to Hellwig.
A search for the graves of massacre victims began in 2020 and resumed last year with nearly three dozen coffins containing remains of possible victims recovered.
Investigators haven’t said when they’ll analyze additional sites where suspected mass graves are located and are potential search areas are planned, according to a news release from the city of Tulsa. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national/investigator-dna-could-identify-2-tulsa-massacre-victims/ | 2022-06-23 04:57:06 | 1 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national/investigator-dna-could-identify-2-tulsa-massacre-victims/ |
CYE is partnering with SSH to assist in cybersecurity optimization and with S2E to enable CYE to bring its services to Europe
TEL AVIV, Israel , June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CYE, the industry leader in cybersecurity optimization platforms, announced today a new partnership with SSH, a Scandinavian defensive cybersecurity solution provider, and S2E, an Italian IT consulting firm. The two partnerships allow CYE to continue its hypergrowth as it expands into new markets in Europe.
SSH, which offers defensive cybersecurity solutions that enable customers to manage access to their critical data, will now offer CYE's solutions as part of its defensive cybersecurity portfolio, focusing on automated access control, monitoring, and auditing solutions. Offering CYE's technology will bring SSH's clients a data-driven security model that is aligned with business needs and creates an effective remediation tool for advanced organizations.
Additionally, CYE is partnering with S2E to deliver a unique offering to European enterprise companies by combining CYE's technology with S2E's consulting services. The partnership will enable organizations to make strategic and operational decisions and optimize security investments. CYE's technology will provide a wide number of professional services and bring relevant business insights to help S2E optimize their investments, thereby focusing organizations only on what matters most while reducing short- and long-term exposure.
"We are excited to launch these two new strategic partnerships," said Reuven Aronashvili, CEO and Founder of CYE. "We have experienced exponential growth in the past year and we are eager to create even more impact through strong local partnerships. Our partnerships with SSH and S2E will allow customers to gain the benefits of having cybersecurity expert teams combined with Hyver, our decision-making platform, visualizing their current posture, quantifying their risks, optimizing their cyber budget spend and increasing their resilience."
"We look forward to our partnership with CYE," said Dr. Teemu Tunkelo CEO of SSH. "SSH Zero Trust Editions include encryption key detection and cloud asset discovery features to help our customers see where their critical assets and credentials are located. Combined with CYE's security solutions we can demonstrate to our customers how potential insiders and external attackers can take advantage of unmanaged credentials or poorly managed access controls, passwords, and PIN codes," Tunkelo continues. "With our Zero Trust Access Management solutions, customers can improve their security posture by removing potential attack vectors caused by static passwords, PIN codes and dongles that can be borrowed or stolen, while modernizing their access controls for the era of hybrid cloud and quantum-safe encryption."
"S2E is looking forward to expanding our realm of work with the help of CYE's technology," said Cesare Moroni, CEO of S2E. "CYE's technology delivers a comprehensive understanding of the security status based on real attacks done by national-level red teams, analyzing the results, and creating mitigation plans while working with S2E's real-time remediation and consultant services. This mutual offering will enable organizations to make strategic and operational decisions and optimize their security investments."
About CYE
CYE's cybersecurity optimization platform enables businesses to visualize, quantify, and mitigate cyber risk so they can make better security decisions and invest in effective remediation. CYE combines technology with red team activity to deliver the most comprehensive organizational security assessments and contextual risk analysis and insights.
With headquarters in Israel and offices in New York and London, the company serves Fortune 500 and mid-market companies in multiple industries around the world.
CYE is funded by investors including EQT Private Equity and 83North. Visit us at cyesec.com.
About SSH
SSH helps organizations safeguard their mission-critical digital assets at rest, in transit and in use. We have 5,000+ customers worldwide, including 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies, and major organizations in Finance, Government, Retail, and Industrial segment. We are committed to helping our customers secure their business in the age of hybrid cloud and distributed IT and OT solutions. Our Zero Trust solutions offer safe electronic communications, secure access to servers and between servers. Our teams in North America, Europe, Asia along with a global network of certified partners ensure customer success. The company's shares (SSH1V) are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.ssh.com.
About S2E
S2E is a business technology consulting company founded in 2008 in Italy. S2E redesigns, customizes, and develops a wide range of professional services and solutions using their consolidated experience in digital, data analytics and artificial intelligence, cloud and security. S2E is always looking for new technologies and welcomes changes to create value and shared success for their customers, partners, and communities.
Media Contact:
Laura Raanan
GK for CYE
Laura@gkpr.com
+972-506711772
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SOURCE CYE | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/06/08/cye-expands-its-global-footprint-with-new-strategic-european-partnerships/ | 2022-06-08 13:09:48 | 0 | https://www.valleynewslive.com/prnewswire/2022/06/08/cye-expands-its-global-footprint-with-new-strategic-european-partnerships/ |
SALISBURY, Md., June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a commitment to combat food insecurity, Perdue Farms has delivered a $25,000 grant to support the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore school backpack program and 10,000 pounds of nutritious chicken products to feed food insecure families in rural Virginia.
The grant from the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the company's charitable giving arm, and donation of chicken are part of the company's Delivering Hope to Our Neighbors® initiative focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities.
"For 40 years, the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore has pursued a mission of leading the effort to eliminate hunger in our community," said Christopher Tan, president and CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. "We're grateful to partners like Perdue Farms who provide the necessary nutrition and financial support to help us feed those in need in our community."
The service area of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore spans 4,745 square miles and includes the cities of Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Franklin and the counties of Southampton, Northampton, Sussex, Isle of Wight and Accomack. Since its incorporation in 1981, more than 360 million meals have been distributed to those facing hunger. In the past five years, an average of 15 million meals have been distributed to more than 160,000 people each year.
"Our BackPack Program provides food-insecure children with nutritious and easy-to-prepare food at times when other resources are not available, such as weekends and school vacations," said Tan. "Backpacks containing six healthy, child-friendly meals are discreetly handed out to the participating children at each distribution."
The Foodbank backpack program serves roughly 3,600 children across 65 schools, seven of which are on the Eastern Shore. It provides 16,524 meals for 152 children attending public elementary schools in the region. These nutritious meals for the children allow caregivers to stretch their household budgets far enough to eliminate some of the impossible choices they must otherwise make between rent/mortgage, heat, electricity, transportation costs, medicine, doctor visits and groceries, according to Tan.
Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation, praised the work of Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore.
"Backpack food delivery programs are an important cornerstone program of the Foodbank's efforts to address childhood hunger," she said. "We believe none of our neighbors should go hungry so helping provide food each weekend to children facing food insecurity through this wonderful program is a meaningful investment."
The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, was established in 1957 by company founder Arthur W. Perdue and is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue. As part of our belief in supporting the communities where and with whom we do business, the Foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of our associates live and work. At Perdue Farms, we believe in responsible food and agriculture®.
We're a fourth-generation, family-owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers, and farmers through trusted choices in products and services.
The premium protein portfolio within our Perdue Foods business, including our flagship PERDUE® brand, Niman Ranch®, Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Meats®, Coleman Natural®, and Yummy®, as well as our pet brands, Spot Farms® and Full Moon®, is available through various channels including retail, foodservice, club stores and our direct-to-consumer website, PerdueFarms.com.
Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company.
Now in our company's second century, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey, pork, beef, and lamb, and in USDA-certified organic chicken and beef. Learn more at Corporate.PerdueFarms.com.
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SOURCE Perdue Farms | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/06/28/perdue-farms-delivers-25000-foodbank-southeastern-va-eastern-shore-backpack-program-10000-pounds-nutritious-protein/ | 2022-06-28 19:07:34 | 0 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/06/28/perdue-farms-delivers-25000-foodbank-southeastern-va-eastern-shore-backpack-program-10000-pounds-nutritious-protein/ |
SCHERERVILLE — The singing of Silent Night triggered deep emotions for Rob Mackenzie at Christmas Eve services Friday at the Descent of Holy Spirit Orthodox Church.
“I started crying because I was thinking of my late dad,” Mackenzie said.
Mackenzie, whose immigrant grandparents helped start the 106-year-old church that originated in East Chicago, was back on Saturday morning to attend the Christmas Day liturgy service led by parish priest, the Rev. Lev Holowaty.
Mackenzie, fellow parishioners and other faithful at area Orthodox Christian churches, including Serbian, Macedonian, Ukrainian and Russian, celebrated Christmas on Saturday in keeping with the older Julian calendar instead of the newer Gregorian calendar.
Parishioners lit candles, said special prayers including for those in war-torn Ukraine and followed along a liturgy that’s been unchanged in thousands of years, according to Mackenzie.
The church was beautifully decorated with a large Christmas tree, lit garlands and deep red poinsettias.
“My wife and I also celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25, but it is the more 'Santa Claus Christmas.' This is more spiritual,” Mackenzie said referring to the Jan. 7 celebration.
Holowaty, whose parents were born in Ukraine, said even some of the other churches in the diocese celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 while some opt for Jan. 7.
“For us, Jan. 7 is much more of a spiritual Christmas while Dec. 25 is more commercialized. For us spiritually we can celebrate the birth of Christ,” Holowaty said.
Holowaty, who grew up in Canada, said he remembers Christmas as a special time of coming together as a family.
The Christmas Eve dinner, eaten prior to attending church, was basically a non-meat meal featuring fish, fruit and herring.
“It was a time of sharing the glory of the birth of Christ,” Holowaty said.
Holowaty also remembers that he, as the youngest in the family, was always asked to watch for the first star of the evening.
“That brought up the Star of Bethlehem,” Holowaty said.
Church board president Nick Madvek said that he and his wife, who is Catholic, plan to bring up their daughter, 5-month-old Hannah, with two Christmases.
“As she (Hannah) gets older, I look forward to both Christmases and both Easters. It’s important,” Madvek said.
The Winfield resident said his ethnic background is a mixture of several European countries much the same as those who attend the church.
“It’s a melting pot of Ukrainians, Polish, Slovaks and those from the Carpatho-Rusyn region,” Madvek said.
Board treasurer Sherrie Stupic, of Crown Point, said she and her husband of 45 years were married at the church in East Chicago.
Now she and her children and grandchildren attend the Schererville church founded in 1997.
Her grandparents, Frank and Anna Lochivski, were from the Carpatho-Rusyn region.
“We celebrate Christmas on both Dec. 25 and Jan. 7,” Stupic said.
Adam Coffman and his wife, Lindsay Coffman, came to the back of the church, following the liturgy, to dine on a potluck luncheon.
They brought with them children Shane, 4, and Kinsley, 1.
The Coffmans represent four generations of those who attend church.
“We celebrate both Christmases. It’s something we wanted to pass on to our children,” Adam Coffman said.
Paul Kaderabek, formerly from Hobart, on Saturday morning drove from his home in New Lenox, Illinois, to attend the Christmas liturgy in Schererville.
“I feel at home here,” Kaderabek said.
PHOTOS: Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas
Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church celebrates Orthodox Christmas
Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church celebrates Orthodox Christmas
Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church celebrates Orthodox Christmas
Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church celebrates Orthodox Christmas
Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church celebrates Orthodox Christmas
Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church celebrates Orthodox Christmas
Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church celebrates Orthodox Christmas
Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church celebrates Orthodox Christmas
Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church celebrates Orthodox Christmas
With his 3-year-old daughter, Zoe, in his arms, Daniel Coffman leads singing Saturday at the Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church Christmas service. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/schererville/descent-of-holy-spirit-orthodox-church-parishioners-celebrate-christmas/article_d20d8865-357f-5432-b529-ad5f9290169b.html | 2023-01-08 05:45:07 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/schererville/descent-of-holy-spirit-orthodox-church-parishioners-celebrate-christmas/article_d20d8865-357f-5432-b529-ad5f9290169b.html |
HONOLULU (AP) — Gov. David Ige on Monday appointed several prominent Native Hawaiians to a new board charged with managing Mauna Kea summit lands underneath some of the world's most advanced astronomical observatories.
Two of the eight appointees — Lanakila Mangauil and Noe Noe Wong-Wilson — were leaders of 2019 protests that brought a halt to the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope, the latest observatory proposed for the mountain on Hawaii's Big Island.
Many Native Hawaiians consider the summit sacred, and protesters objected to building yet another telescope there. The summit currently hosts about a dozen telescopes built since the late 1960s.
Responding to the protests, the state created the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority this year with a new law that says Mauna Kea must be protected for future generations and that science must be balanced with culture and the environment. Native Hawaiian cultural experts will have voting seats on the governing body, instead of merely advising the summit’s managers as they do now.
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The eight nominations must be confirmed by the state Senate.
The authority will have 11 voting members. The other three are representatives of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, the University of Hawaii Board of Regents and Hawaii County's mayor.
Ige thanked the nominees for being willing to serve on the authority.
"Through this new stewardship model, I believe we can find a way for science and culture to coexist on Mauna Kea in a mutually beneficial way,” Ige said in a statement.
Also appointed is Kamanamaikalani Beamer, a University of Hawaii professor and former commissioner of the Hawaii State Water Resource Management Commission. He was named for his expertise in Hawaii Island land resource management.
Current Kamehameha Schools general counsel and former Hawaiian Telcom president was appointed for his business and finance experience.
The governor selected Rich Matsuda, an engineer who leads community relations for W.M. Keck Observatory, from three names submitted by Maunakea Observatories.
Matsuda, Wong-Wilson and Mangauil all served on a working group formed by the House of Representatives to develop recommendations for managing the mountain. The working group's report created the foundation for the new law. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/science/prominent-native-hawaiians-named-to-mauna-kea-authority/article_5e5762e1-2d95-5750-9ee2-c41ff90005d4.html | 2022-09-13 05:48:59 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/science/prominent-native-hawaiians-named-to-mauna-kea-authority/article_5e5762e1-2d95-5750-9ee2-c41ff90005d4.html |
By MAURICIO SAVARESE
AP Sports Writer
SAO PAULO (AP) — Family members of Brazilian soccer great Pelé are gathering at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo where the 82-year-old global icon has been since the end of November.
Doctors said earlier this week that Pelé’s cancer had advanced, adding the three-time World Cup winner is under “elevated care” related to “kidney and cardiac dysfunctions.” No other hospital statements have been published since.
Edson Cholbi Nascimento, one of Pelé’s sons and known as Edinho, arrived Saturday, one day after he gave a news conference to deny he would visit his father in hospital. Edinho, who works for a soccer club in southern Brazil, had said then that only doctors could help his father.
“He (Edson) is here,” Kely Nascimento, one of Pelé’s daughters, said in a posting on Instagram with a picture showing her sitting next to Edinho and two of his children at the hospital. “I am not leaving, no one will take me out of here.”
Hours later, Edinho, a former Santos goalkeeper, posted a picture showing his hand holding his father’s.
“Dad… my strength is yours,” Pelé’s son said.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, who is globally known as Pelé, had a colon tumor removed in September 2021. Neither his family nor the hospital have said whether it had spread to other organs.
Kely Nascimento and her sister Flavia Arantes do Nascimento used their social media channels Friday night to post an undated picture of Pelé apparently holding Kely with one hand as he lay on his hospital bed and Flavia slept on a couch.
“We continue to be here, in this fight and with faith. Another night together,” Kely Nascimento wrote.
The hospital has not mentioned any signs of Pelé’s recent respiratory infection, which was aggravated by COVID-19.
Newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported last weekend that Pelé’s chemotherapy was not working and that doctors had decided to put him on palliative care. Pelé’s family denied that report.
Pelé led Brazil to victory in the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups and remains one of the team’s all-time leading scorers with 77 goals. Neymar tied Pelé’s record during the latest World Cup.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://wtmj.com/sports/2022/12/24/peles-family-gathers-at-hospital-in-sao-paulo-4/ | 2022-12-24 20:36:30 | 1 | https://wtmj.com/sports/2022/12/24/peles-family-gathers-at-hospital-in-sao-paulo-4/ |
Value looms large in Innova Market Insights' Top Ten Trends for the food and beverage industry in 2023
ARNHEM, The Netherlands, Oct. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "Redefining Value" heads Innova Market Insights' Top Ten Trends for 2023, as consumers adapt to a global cost-of-living crisis in the face of economic and political volatility. With budgets stretched and supplies under strain, brands need to be flexible in action and open in spirit to connect with consumers, while also taking full advantage of rapidly emerging technological opportunities.
The eagerly awaited annual trends from food innovation and insight specialist Innova are based on wide-ranging global consumer surveys. Coupled with comprehensive market and new product data, they reveal not only what is driving consumer decisions now, but also ways in which brands and innovators can successfully adapt to future realities.
Over the last year, cost and value for money have become more important to more than half of food and beverage consumers worldwide. Today's shoppers are increasingly exploring money-saving strategies, such as choosing lower cost items and cooking from scratch. But they remain determined to sample new experiences, ensure personal wellbeing and support planetary health. There is more pressure on brands and manufacturers to deliver value while still meeting these wider public expectations.
"Redefining value throughout the food and beverage industry will lead in 2023 as consumers seek brands that listen, understand and respond to their core values. They want brands that provide quality, trust and confidence via their product formulations, communications and wider sustainability actions," highlights Lu Ann Williams, Global Insights Director at Innova Market Insights.
In addition to a heightened demand for competitive pricing, consumers have told Innova they still seek nutritional value and expect a continued shared responsibility for environmental security. Meanwhile, younger generations who have grown up in an inclusive digital age are gaining greater influence, changing markets and creating new opportunities. Against that complex backdrop, here's a taste of what Innova's Top Ten Trends show is in store for the food and beverage industry in 2023:
1. Redefining Value
Brands, innovators, producers and consumers are wrestling with rising costs and greater instability. Combating this requires a deep understanding of where consumers draw the line on compromise. Strategies such as simple price increases, or flexible ingredient lists to cope with supply chain fluctuations, can work in the short term. However, brands need to be open in their communication and clearly show the benefits they are bringing.
Despite political and economic volatility becoming the second biggest concern for consumers in 2022, the health of the planet remains the top global issue and financial pressures are leading to an increase in eco-friendly behaviors. Consumers tell Innova they have reduced food waste and upcycled or recycled more as part of their belt-tightening. As the cost-of-living crisis continues, brands can achieve success through actions that combine economic benefits with clear health and sustainability goals.
2. Affordable Nutrition
Over the past 12 months, 62% of consumers have reported a noticeable rise in the cost of their food and beverages. As a result, they are turning their attention to simple but nutritious goods that are affordable. Key behaviors include buying in bulk, opting for private labels, cooking from scratch, reducing spending on luxury items and purchasing fewer items. Consumers are actively looking for affordable ways to maintain a healthy diet, offering brands many opportunities to test their capabilities to new limits. To meet the nutritional, environmental and economic demands of consumers, manufacturers must innovate to extract maximum value from raw materials and the production process.
3. Generational Push
Younger consumers, raised in an interactive digital world, are creating trends and defining what markets should be providing. For Gen Z and Millennials, food and brand choices are important signifiers of lifestyle, beliefs and values. These demographics have a strong voice and are used to sharing their views openly and widely. While health is an increasingly important purchase driver – as it also is across older generations – novel and international flavors are winning the hearts of a young and experimental audience. These consumers embrace the new and different, while being extremely responsive to positive engagement from brands.
4. Plant-Based: Unlocking a New Narrative
The rapid rise of the plant-based sector has, almost inevitably, hit some roadblocks, necessitating a refocusing on consumer demands for high quality, flavorsome products. No longer merely a mimic, green gastronomy will blossom as a standalone sector in 2023, giving brands significant opportunities to diversify and expand. Consumers still want to see improvements in taste and texture, but there is a huge appetite for culinary creativity and worldwide flavor profiles. Two-thirds of respondents to Innova's global survey expressed a desire to try plant-based versions of traditional, local cuisines. The industry is responding with a large increase in ready-meal offerings, while there is great scope for expansion into meal kits and inventive recipe combinations. Interest in underused ingredients is also growing, creating opportunities to introduce variation in flavor and nutrition while simultaneously addressing supply concerns.
5. Farming the Future
Public curiosity for innovative technologies such as vertical and regenerative farming is increasing. As well as helping to maximize flavor, nutrition and yield, these advances can win consumer support where they are shown to improve the quality and sustainability of global food production. Today's consumer is increasingly invested in the source of food as it ties in with major global concerns of health, sustainability and waste. The welfare of agricultural workers is equally important, with 65% of respondents to Innova's surveys agreeing they would rather buy fruit and vegetables from farmer's markets than large stores. Brands need to demonstrate how novel production techniques are benefiting farmers, people and the planet.
Commenting on the food and beverage industry's future direction of travel, Lu Ann Williams reveals: "At Innova, we have seen a considerable consumer demand for value redefined throughout the supply chain, with creative and flexible approaches to the use of technology and reducing waste proving pivotal. With financial concerns a dominating factor, 2023 is a significant year for new developments that answer these growing demands. Based on our consumer and market research, our Top Trends deliver insights to support brands as they innovate and grow."
On Wednesday 9th November 2022, at 4pm CET, 10am EST and 10am SGT, Lu Ann Williams will present a webinar detailing the insights behind the full list of Top Ten Trends for 2023, including opportunities in the following areas:
6. Quick Quality
7. Devouring Digital
8. Revenge Spending
9. Unpuzzle Health
10. Positively Imperfect
To be among the first to discover the leading trends influencing and shaping our global food and beverage industry over the next 12 months, register now at this link to join the webinar.
Editor Notes:
Company Contact: Marielle Orr, Marketing & Communication Manager, Innova Market Insights. Ph +31 26 319 2000 | Mob +31 6 2528 0313. Marielle.orr@innovami.com
Media contact: Liat Simha, PR specialist, NutriPR, Ph: +972-9-9742893, liat@nutripr.com
Innova Market Insights is a global knowledge leader in the food and beverage industry.
Founded in 1994, for over 25 years, we have built our reputation on our extensive tracking system for new food and beverage product launches in 90 countries. With our advanced data analytics we convert industry-leading market research into meaningful guidance on present and future trends in FMCG.
The latest insights from the Innova Trends Survey 2022 have informed the Top Ten Trends for 2023. In addition to its survey, Innova Market Insights analyzed product launches, market data and gathered further consumer insights to create a comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date global picture of the food and beverage industry.
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1919318/Innovas_reserach.jpg
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SOURCE Innova Market Insights | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/10/12/consumers-seek-out-brands-that-respond-their-core-values-economic-price-says-innova/ | 2022-10-12 12:57:05 | 0 | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/10/12/consumers-seek-out-brands-that-respond-their-core-values-economic-price-says-innova/ |
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — Police said they found the body of a 25-year-old mother of two who disappeared from her Southern California home last week, and her ex-husband was arrested as the primary suspect.
Rachel Castillo disappeared Thursday, and relatives reported they discovered blood at her Simi Valley apartment, where she had left behind her phone, keys and car, police said.
“Based on evidence at the scene, officers suspected that a crime involving serious injury occurred,” the Simi Valley Police Department said in a news release.
The young woman's body was found Sunday afternoon in a remote area of the Antelope Valley in the desert of northern Los Angeles County, police said.
Castillo’s ex-husband, 25-year-old Hawthorne resident Zarbab Ali, was arrested later Sunday at his parents' home in Victorville, police said.
It wasn't known Monday if Ali has an attorney who could speak on his behalf. He was held in lieu of $510,000 bail on suspicion of murder and was scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday, according to Ventura County inmate records.
“This investigation has rapidly evolved over the past few days,” police said in Sunday's statement. “This case is still under investigation and some details cannot be released due to legal and investigative reasons.”
Rachel Castillo was last seen by her sister, Emily, Thursday morning at the apartment where they lived with Castillo’s two sons, ages 2 and 5.
Castillo was studying for a master’s degree in clinical psychology at Pepperdine University’s online program with plans to become a marriage and family therapist, according to the Los Angeles Times. | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Missing-California-woman-found-dead-ex-husband-17582979.php | 2022-11-14 15:02:14 | 0 | https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Missing-California-woman-found-dead-ex-husband-17582979.php |
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