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3 die Sunday in separate Ohio fires | JACKSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- Three people died Sunday in separate fires, according to reports.
Two unidentified victims died in a mobile home fire in Jackson Township in Hancock County, the Courier reports. Hancock County is located in Northwest Ohio.
The fire was reported at about 2 a.m. Sunday and the two bodies were found inside after it was put out.
In Fostoria, an unidentified woman died after a fire Sunday afternoon, according to the Review Times.
The victim was found in the bedroom of the one-story home by firefighters.
Both fires remain under investigation.
If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section. |
Alcohol, Cell Phones Blamed for Increase in Pedestrian Deaths in Carolinas | Distracting cell phones and too much alcohol are being blamed for an increase in pedestrians being mowed down by moving vehicles across North Carolina and South Carolina. The Charlotte Observer reports that U.S. pedestrian deaths grew at a faster rate last year than at any other time in the past 40 years.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Insurance Journal West. |
SMDV: Why Your DGI Strategy Should Include The Small Cap Dividend Aristocrats | A well-rounded dividend growth strategy should include income from a number of different sources and styles. Not surprisingly, the ETF industry helps address that need by offering well over 100 different funds utilizing dozens of different strategies. The ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (BATS:NOBL), for example, targets companies with decades-long histories of steady dividend growth. The Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (NYSEARCA:VYM) seeks out above average yields, while the FlexShares Quality Dividend Index ETF (NYSEARCA:QDF) looks for dividend strength and quality. Any of these highly rated ETFs would be an ideal choice for a dividend growth portfolio but most of these funds focus on the large cap space. What about dividend payers from the small cap arena?
One fund I really like is the ProShares Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF (NYSEARCA:SMDV). It uses a nearly identical strategy to its larger sibling, NOBL, in that it focuses on companies that have steadily grown their dividends for years (NOBL looks for 25 years of dividend growth history for its portfolio, while SMDV lowers the bar to just 10 years). Once the fund applies some standard tradability and liquidity screens, it equal weights the portfolio with those companies that qualify and makes sure that no single sector exceeds 30% of the overall fund. Currently, the fund holds 59 names.
Investing in dividend payers has a long history of delivering above average returns as evidenced by the chart below.
Non-dividend paying stocks as a whole have delivered higher returns with roughly one-third less risk. The sweet spot for dividend stocks is in the middle of the yield range where the risk-adjusted returns using the Sharpe ratio have historically been the highest. During its brief two-year history, the Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF has returned an average of 19% annually compared to an 8% annual return for the Russell 2000 index.
While small caps, in general, tend to come with higher risk than the broader market (the standard deviation of daily historical returns for the Russell 2000 Small Cap index is about 20% higher than that of the S&P 500), the focus on dividend payers produces a more conservative value tilt that drops the risk significantly.
Consider the chart below.
The difference in risk between dividend payers and non-payers is especially evident in the small cap space. The P/E ratio of the broader Russell 2000 is over 33. The Dividend Growth index, which the Dividend Growers ETF is based, has a P/E of just 21. The price/cash flow and long-term EPS variability measures show significantly lower risk as well. The drawback? Earnings per share growth is just 3%, easily the lowest of any of these groups. A 21 P/E may be low in comparison but it's rich if there's only 3% EPS growth. Without a multiple expansion, investors could be headed towards below average total returns unless companies can begin beating expectations in the upcoming earnings season.
One other word of caution: this fund is heavily invested in utilities. The fund's 27% weight to this sector no doubt helps boost the yield and contribute to the conservative nature of the fund but it also exposes the portfolio to interest rate sensitivity. The sector got a nice bounce in mid-March as longer-term Treasury yields sank but keep an eye on this fund if rates begin heading north again. If the Fed delivers two more rate hikes in 2017, as it's currently forecasting, the comparatively higher yields offered by Treasuries could cause investors to shift away from equities and towards fixed income.
Investors don't typically look to small caps for dividend yields but the Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF should be considered by any investor looking to diversify their dividend income stream. The fund will likely never be a high yielder but the focus on mature, cash-rich companies that have a long history of shareholder payouts make it an ideal addition to any dividend growth portfolio. |
Paris Dennard Embarrasses Himself When Talking About Trump And Race | Paris Dennard is ride-or-die for Donald Trump. Whether it’s defending Trump when he is sympathizing with neo-Nazis or co-signing bizarre Twitter rants, the conservative commentator believes Trump can do no wrong. Over the weekend, Trump embarrassed himself again and Paris had explanations.
Trump appeared for a photo opp at the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. Several civil rights activists, including Congressman John Lewis, rightfully refused to attend. As you know, 45 doesn’t have a great history with the Black community, from the racist Birther movement to housing discrimination lawsuits, it should be no shock that anyone thinks he is a racist. Moreover, as President, his policies, especially on education, healthcare and so-called tax reform will deeply hurt the Black community. Everything Trump stands for goes against the countless people who lost their lives for civil rights.
CNN decided to debate Trump’s insincere appearance at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum with Dennard and Democratic operative A. Scott Bolden. CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield calmly asked Dennard, “How do you, as a Black man, defend the President’s remarks last night for support of a man who talked about days being great in the days of slavery?” Whitfield is referring to Trump endorsing racist and accused pedophile Roy Moore.
Bolden then demanded Dennard answer the question. Paris proceeded to go ballistic on Bolden and Whitfield. Watch the foolishness below, which starts around the 6:30 mark.
Paris Dennard is clearly living at the very bottom of the sunken place.
SOURCE: YouTube
Charlottesville Hero Pushed Fiancée Out Of The Way Of Deranged Terrorist
WATCH: White Supremacist Charlottesville Rally Organizer Flees From Counterprotesters
Also On 100.3: |
Teen missing at NC's Rainbow Falls is latest waterfall death | A 16-year-old girl who fell July 4th from the top of Rainbow Falls in Transylvania County has become the latest is a series of waterfall tragedies in the region over the past six weeks.
The waterfall is 150 feet high and sits on National Forestry Service land, adjacent to Gorges State Park.
Divers were on site and a recovery effort was underway Wednesday afternoon, according to Katie Hall with North Carolina State Parks. The girl's identity was not released Wednesday, because of her age.
It is the fifth time someone has died this summer by jumping or falling into one of the region's waterfalls.
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Among the five deaths is one that occurred Monday afternoon, just across the N.C. state line in Tennessee, according to TV station WJHL.
It happened at Twisting Falls in Carter County and involved a 25-year-old tourist who jumped into the pool of water at the bottom falls around 2:40 p.m., the station reported.
The Carter County Rescue Squad searched eight hours before recovering the body of Keith Massey of St. Louis, Missouri, reported TV station WCYB.
Twisting Falls is one of hundreds of waterfalls that straddle the NC-Tennessee state line, many of which are popular parts of the state and national parks system.
Two of the five deaths this year occurred at Rainbow Falls and two others were at N.C.'s Elk River Falls in Avery County, including one July 1 involving 32-year-old Gogineni Nagarjuna of Charlotte.
On June 23, a 42-year-old South Carolina man named John Shaffer went over Rainbow Falls in the Pisgah National Forest while trying to save his dog.
Massey's Facebook page says he was married last October to Mayra Massey and worked as a musical director at FaithChurch in St. Louis, where he was part of the church band during services. It had not been announced yet when his funeral was to be held.
Pastor David Crank of FaithChurch posted on Facebook that Keith Massey was on vacation with his wife and friends in North Carolina when the accident happened.
"It breaks my heart to learn of the passing of FaithChurch’s very own musical genius and MD, Keith Massey," Crank said in his post.
"He jumped off a waterfall and did not resurface for hours...I've known Keith since the day he was born. I remember holding him as a baby, seeing him begin to walk." |
What it takes to win a spot on the main stage at the most prestigious jazz festival in the U.S. and how one big band at UCO did it. | Please enable Javascript to watch this video
EDMOND, OKLAHOMA -- The best shows, the best musicians, the ones who rocked the house, who sold out UCO's Jazz Lab; you can find them on the walls and embedded with stars on the sidewalk outside.
And these musicians, they're pretty good too.
This is the University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Ensemble Number 1.
There are 3 other groups like this on campus but Director Brian Gorrell says this on is the hardest to crack.
"They really are good," says Gorell. "We've known that we've had some really good students for a long time."
Gorell was in this group himself nearly 30 years ago.
He was on the faculty in 2002 when the Jazz Lab opened its doors as a unique music venue.
But one thing no other local band like this has ever done is grab a spot in one of the most prestigious jazz festivals in the world.
Listen close.
Out of 120 college groups that tired, this band is one of two than will headline at this year's Monterey Jazz Festival after summer break.
Gorell says, "We weren't really even thinking about the competitive part. We just wanted to go, play our best, and hear a lot of great musicians."
Growing up in Taiwan, Rei Wang never thought she'd get a chance to play Monterey so soon.
"I didn't expect that I would be there," she says.
Neither did trombonist Evan Drumm, who grew up in Edmond, but who also lives for those moments when this band really clicks.
"It's cool to be inside too, you know." he says. "Sitting in the section."
A spot on the main stage at Monterey will mean some extra rehearsals over the summer, but when you love the music, and you're trying for a spot on these walls yourself, the work plays out like a beautiful melody.
The 2018 Monterey Jazz Festival takes place September 21-23. |
Moscow backs peace efforts by Libya rivals: Lavrov | NO WAR OR FIGHTING ABOUT WHO WINS IS ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE CHOSE.
By: GEORGE FREDDY |
James Harden Needs a Ring to Secure His Legacy | In the Houston Rockets’ first playoff game, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler stood defending James Harden near the top of the key. It was late in the second quarter. Harden dribbled, took a step back to deep three-point territory and put up a shot. It went in, just as it has so many times this year. The step-back three, a shot so hard that few even try it, has become Harden’s signature play. He made 79 of them during the regular season. The next closest team made a collective 45.
Early in the first quarter of game two last Wednesday night, Harden took nearly the same exact shot. He dribbled, stepped back, fired. He missed. It was a sign of things to come. His 11.1 percent shooting percentage for the game tied the worst mark he’s had as a Rocket.
The NBA playoffs is when legacies are made. Playoff basketball is LeBron James returning home and slaying a dragon during his 2016 title run; it’s Kevin Durant’s pull-up three over James in last year’s finals that—to Durant, at least—represented a passing of the torch. When we decide to tell the story of a player, the plot comes from the postseason.
Right now, the book on Harden is that he’s the league’s likely MVP and already one of the most accomplished scorers of all time. He averaged 30 points and eight assists in the regular season, and his 29.8 player efficiency rating (PER) led the NBA. Charles Barkley called him “the league’s most unguardable player” after game one against the Timberwolves. And yet, he still hasn’t risen to the rank of James and Durant because, as the story goes, Harden can’t win in the playoffs.
At Arizona State, Harden was a consensus All-American but failed to ever advance past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. He finished his collegiate career with an NCAA tournament field goal percentage of .167 (3 for 18). The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted him third overall in 2009, but he always came off the bench. He won Sixth Man of the Year in 2012, but that same year—the only time he’s played in the finals—marked his only finals appearance. He played terribly, and he knows it. “Ever since then, I’ve been tryna get back, get back, get back,” he told GQ this month. “Came close, but just didn’t have enough talent. Until now. Different story.”
Harden was traded the offseason following that finals loss. Handed the keys to his own franchise, he couldn’t carry the Rockets past the first round of the playoffs. Then came Dwight Howard, and the pressure to win increased dramatically. Howard and Harden constantly feuded, but made the Western Conference Finals in 2015 only to be dismantled by the Golden State Warriors. In the following months, the situation only worsened as the tension between Howard and Harden rose. Just eleven games into the 2015-2016 season, Kevin McHale was fired. The Rockets crept into the playoffs at 41-41. They only lasted five games before being eliminated.
That’s when Harden’s story started to change. The following offseason, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey let Howard walk, betting big on his bearded guard. “Let’s not put a boat anchor on Secretariat,” he reportedly said in a staff meeting while looking for a new coach. “Let’s double down.”
So Morey hired the offensive guru D’Antoni and immediately, it was clear that the new system was tailor-made for Harden. Texas has never been a basketball state, but in a way, D’Antoni’s Rockets play a style of basketball that fits it perfectly. Is there anything more Texan than embracing an identity and blowing it way out of proportion? They’ve adopted isolation ball (or ISO), where one player handles the ball and has to make a play on his own. It’s what most teams do at the end of games, when they need their star player to make a game-winning shot. Using it regularly was long considered inefficient, but the Rockets do it all the time. From 2004 to 2017, no team averaged more than a point per possession using ISO. This year’s Rockets averaged 1.12. Further, Harden scored 868 isolation points this year. That’s better than any other team in the league.
This season, the Rockets brought in Chris Paul to give Harden another pick-and-roll partner, making Harden’s ISO tendencies even more dangerous. As a result, Harden joined none other than Michael Jordan as the only players to ever average 30 points and eight assists per game while recording a true shooting percentage of greater than 60 percent. He became the first player to ever score 60 points in a triple double and broke the internet when his crossover sent Wesley Johnson tumbling to the ground. Harden stared Johnson down, licked his lips and nailed a three.
Harden’s Rockets were the winningest team in the NBA this season and rank as the seventh-most efficient offense in league history. He’s led them to the franchise win record and three double digit win streaks. As the Rockets will continue their playoff campaign Wednesday in Minneapolis, and it’s no stretch to say that for Harden, these games will define his career, even if the MVP voting is all but locked in.
“I read something the other day [that said] sure James Harden should be the MVP, sure Chris Paul and James have been great, sure they set a franchise record [for wins by] about six games’ worth, but they’ll ultimately be judged by if they win a championship or not,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said earlier this month. “Really? It doesn’t diminish what these guys have done.”
Really? Let’s think about it: Russell Westbrook’s standing in the league has, if anything, decreased after winning the MVP and averaging a triple double last year. Fans and analysts have picked his game to shreds. Steve Nash, playing in D’Antoni’s system in Phoenix, won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006, but he never had the same respect as players like Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan.
In 2012, King James had yet to win a single championship, but secured his third MVP award. His reaction upon hearing he took home the honor again? “I would give all three of them back for an NBA championship.”
So no matter the potential recognition that would come from winning MVP, Harden is still a notch below James and Durant in the conversation of the league’s elite if he can’t perform in the playoffs. Can he change that narrative? So far, the answer has been . . . maybe? Houston is a game away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Throughout this first series against the Timberwolves, we’ve seen both sides of Harden: the scoring machine we’ve become familiar with and the other, ice-cold playoff version. In games one and three, Harden looked like an MVP. In game two, he struggled to even hit a shot, only scoring twelve. In game four, there was some of each. Harden went 0-7 in the first quarter, his worst shooting performance in a quarter since 2015. Then, Harden’s 22 third quarter points were the most a Rocket has ever scored in a single quarter. With that version of Harden on the floor, the Rockets recorded the second-highest scoring quarter in playoff history.
Moments like that quarter are why the Rockets are still the favorites to reach the finals. Houston’s biggest threat in the West, the Golden State Warriors, don’t seem as invincible as they have over the past four seasons, losing on Sunday to the tumultuous San Antonio Spurs. Warriors coach Steve Kerr says that Steph Curry won’t play “anytime soon”, but he is expected to be healthy before a potential Warriors-Rockets Western Conference Finals. Even if Curry is back by then, it’s tough to imagine he’ll be at full strength. Then there’s the East, featuring the dysfunctional Cleveland Cavaliers, unproven Toronto Raptors, and even more unproven Philadelphia 76ers. All three teams have been beatable so far. No matter the finals opponent, the Rockets would be prohibitive favorites.
That’s the path for Harden to secure his legacy. Anything less than a championship will start the chatter again, louder this time, that Harden is a scorer and nothing else. A banner, though, would change everything—especially the narrative. |
Letters: Economics of natural gas royalties misrepresented | Re: Ben Parfitt: British Columbians shortchanged billions from fossil fuel industry revenues, Opinion, May 27
It is disappointing to read Ben Parfitt’s Op-Ed in which he cherry-picks data to prove his point, rather than provide a factual account of natural resource economics in the province, and the broad benefits it brings through well paying jobs for British Columbians and government revenues. Parfitt chose the most positive years for royalties on natural gas production when natural gas prices were hitting more than $9.30 CAN per gigajoule and compared it to one of the most negative fiscal years in 2017, when natural gas prices went below zero for a short period in the fall.
Natural gas royalties are a function of having a net positive price on the commodity to tax. Parfitt fails to explain that royalty rates increase when natural gas prices are high and decline when natural gas prices are low. The absence of a market for our natural gas is a key driver of low natural gas prices, and thus lower government royalties. Royalty credit systems are designed to encourage investments that would otherwise not take place, including building the extensive water and natural gas treatment facilities required for production, as well as investments in clean technologies to further reduce environmental emissions, including greenhouse gas emissions. Parfitt’s selective use of the facts and information also ignores the plethora of other taxes paid by industry — from corporate income tax, personal income tax paid by employees, carbon taxes, municipal taxes, motor fuel taxes, and the list goes on.
Without a doubt, the natural gas sector and the emerging LNG export sector, will provide billions of dollars in government revenue, including royalties, once the sector has access to new markets through LNG.
Just last weekend at the B.C. Chamber AGM in Kamloops, our membership voted overwhelmingly in favour of a policy resolution focused on supporting a globally competitive LNG industry in B.C. Our members understand that when B.C. establishes new markets for our responsibly developed resources, it adds significant value to those resources, while providing new revenue for important government services such as health care, transportation, and public safety.
B.C. is developing a new world-leading industry in low-carbon LNG — if we sit back and let other countries liquefy and export their domestically produced natural gas, we will lose out on government royalties altogether. We can do it better and safer and have the chance to be a world leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while we’re at it.
Val Litwin, president and CEO, B.C. Chamber of Commerce |
Crosby man taken into custody after 8-hour standoff with pol... | Neighbors say Kessler started shooting, from inside his house, early Tuesday morning.
Homeowners were told to shelter in place and area schools went into lockdown.
Charges have not been filed yet. |
A baby boomer’s recollections of America’s pastime | For baby boomers, baseball has gone from home-town to corporate. And major league salaries have gone from upper-middle-class to stratospheric. But the game is still the game is still the game. So now, with the playoffs going on and the World Series looming, we want to share with you something from retired Evansville, Indiana feature columnist Garret Mathews. He has penned more than 6,500 pieces on every subject from moonshiners to murderers and Appalachian snake handlers to mail-order brides. This one though is an excerpt from his now out-of-print book, “Baseball Days: Recollections of America’s Favorite Pastime.”
It’s funny what you remember about being 10 years old:
The rare elementary-school teachers who let us play King of the Mountain during recess;
Neighbors who had cool jobs, like the auto dealer up the street who gave me model cars;
Saturday mornings, and my father driving from one end of our small town (Abingdon, Virginia, population 4,800) to the other, hand-delivering payments on his bills because he didn’t trust the post office. I’d volunteer to bring in the check at the natural-gas company because the guy behind the counter was always good for a sucker, if not a candy bar;
But mostly it’s baseball that sticks in my mind. The lot on Circle Drive where we played pick-up. And the Little League field across from the cemetery where we played for real, or as real as it gets when a guy named Elwood is one of the coaches and the Mattie Roundtree Garden Club sponsors the best team.
Adults organized the Little League games. We didn’t like the intrusion but had little choice. They had the catcher’s gear, Army-surplus bags full of bats, and a seemingly endless supply of hardware-store baseballs, and they always saw to it that somebody’s older brother was in the PA booth to announce the next player coming to the plate.
It was great. Even if we went 0-for-3 and caught a skin disease from the uniforms that were recycled for up to six seasons, the sound of our names would reverberate across the street to Ratliff Transfer Company, occasionally, we were told, stopping work.
The day games on a patch of grass off Circle Drive were for kids, invitation only. A.C., Bobby, Joe, David, Dan, and Jerry for sure. And the Whites’s Mill Road bunch, if they promised not to cuss. A.C.’s parents hated cussing. And Becky, if she wouldn’t blab it all over school that she was as good as the boys. A kid would telephone a kid and that kid would telephone a kid, and so on until we had a cast of at least six.
Backyard rules applied: Invisible base runners unless there were more than four on a side. No bunts. No steals. No leaning against the birdbath in the on-deck circle.
The games went on for hours. Batting averages ebbed and flowed under the summer sun.
I learned A.C. couldn’t hit a curve. I learned never to volunteer my shirt for first base. I learned how to catch a fly ball after it had been deflected by an oak tree. And, during a rain delay, I learned from David how mommies and daddies make babies.
While I was a long way from being the best player, I did stand out in one important category: finding lost balls. The summer I learned how to throw a curveball was the same summer I rescued Bobby’s baseball three times from impossible lies inside the neighboring horse lot. Once, I located a foul ball hat lodged in a branch a full six feet off the ground.
But my crowning achievement came the day a group of older boys invited me to their field – not to play but to locate lost balls. I’ll never forget it. I went 3-for-4, including a miraculous find of a ball in a culvert.
I asked several prominent people to share a story about growing up and playing baseball. Here’s a recollection from Brooks Robinson, Hall of Fame third baseman: “When I was 9, I played for the Franklin Paint Bulldogs in Little Rock, Arkansas. That was the first team where there were real uniforms. Before that, we just wore jeans and T-shirts. The games were played on the Lamar Porterfield Field across the street from the grammar school, and they went on all day. I made spending money selling cold drinks. Men from the Boys Club were umpires. We played on our own back then, not like it is now when the parents do all the organizing. The way kids are now, if you don’t have full uniforms and shoes, well, forget it. I think you can learn more when you play pick-up games like we did. You appreciate what you have. If a bat broke, we’d tack it and then tape it and go on playing.” |
Christopher Wylie: The Whistleblower Who Exposed Cambridge Analytica's Facebook Scam | There's the rich, the poor, and the tax payers...also known as the middle class. Robert Kiyosaki
The Tax you pay is The Bill for Staying Stupid
Stefan Molyneux
Taxation is legalized Theft
UNKNOWN "The Objective of the Bank is not the control of a conflict , it's the control of the debt that a conflict produces . The real value of a conflict , the true value is in the debt that it creates . You control the debt , you control everything . this is THE VERY ESSENCE OF THE BANKING INDUSTRY , to make us all , whether we be nations or individuals , SLAVES TO DEBT " An UNKNOWN Banker Patriotism is the last refuge... to which the scoundrel clings .... Steal a little and they throw you in jail ..steal a lot and they make you king .... Bob Dylan
"Corporations are stealing billions in tax breaks, while the confused, screwed citizenry turn on each other. International corporations have no national allegiance, they care only for profit." Robert Reich
Steve Quayle
Your Greatest Teacher is Your Last Mistake
DAVID ICKE
The one who Controls the Education System , Controls Perception UNKNOWN |
Russia tells Trump it won't return Crimea to Ukraine | Russia does not return its territories, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said in response to the White House statement that US President Trump was expecting Moscow to return Crimea to Kiev.
"We do not return our territories. Crimea is Russian territory," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, reaffirming Moscow's long-standing position that the issue is permanently closed.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Tuesday that Trump expected Russia to "return Crimea" to Ukraine.
"President Trump has made it very clear that he expects the Russian government to de-escalate violence in the Ukraine and return Crimea," Spicer said at a daily news briefing. "At the same time, he fully expects to and wants to get along with Russia."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said his country's sovereignty over the peninsula could not be discussed as "Russia does not discuss issues related to its territory with foreign partners", reported Sputnik.
According to him, the issue of Crimea had not even been raised in the phone call between Trump and President Vladimir Putin on January 28. The spokesman said Moscow expected the issue to be discussed calmly and in a constructive way once relations with Washington were more positive.
He said Putin would patiently explain to the US the so-called coup in Ukraine, which led Crimean citizens to apply for admission into Russia.
Crimea re-joined Russia after a 2014 referendum, when almost 97 per cent of the region's population voted for the reunification. The referendum was not accepted by Kiev or by the international community.
During the election campaign, according to the report, Trump claimed he would "consider" recognising Crimea as part of Russia following the referendum in the peninsula, adding that the Crimeans wanted to live in Russia.
The US President has repeatedly advocated establishing a political dialogue with Moscow, particularly in regard to the fight against terrorism, and expressed readiness to build positive relations with Russia. Moscow has long been promoting the idea of fruitful cooperation with Washington. |
NAFTA: A WIN FOR CORN FARMERS & THE U.S. ECONOMY | Farmers and ranchers across the country took to Twitter on Wednesday to let the President and other administration officials know that staying in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a win for farmers. Corn growers from around the United States tweeted about the economic benefits of NAFTA, which supports 25,000 corn industry jobs and stimulates the rural economy.
For the past twenty-three years, NAFTA has been a landmark trade success story for U.S. agriculture, particularly grains. U.S. corn and corn products (ethanol, DDGs and corn gluten feed) have duty free access to Mexico and Canada under NAFTA. Mexico has become the number one trading partner for U.S. corn, buying 25 percent of all exports. Since 1994, U.S. corn exports to NAFTA partners have increased more than seven-fold. In the 2015-2016 marketing year alone, U.S. exports of corn to Mexico and Canada totaled more than 14 million metric tons, valued at $2.68 billion.
For America’s corn growers, this market access can mean the difference between profit and loss. Corn and corn product exports are responsible for 33 percent of growers’ gross farm income.
“Farmers and ranchers from all sectors are sending a powerful message to the President about the importance of remaining in NAFTA,” said NCGA President Kevin Skunes. “America’s corn growers stand with the Administration as it negotiates an improved trade agreement, but it must ensure that these vital markets remain open to U.S. agricultural exports.”
Agricultural exports are a major driver of the U.S. economy with far-reaching benefits for farmers, American workers and consumers. They support more than one million American jobs and every dollar of agricultural exports creates an additional $1.27 in business activity.
The fifth round of NAFTA negotiations wrapped up in November. Informal discussions are expected in December, leading up to the sixth round of formal negotiations January 23-28, 2018.
“NCGA is following the NAFTA negotiations closely and working with allies in Congress and the Administration to preserve these critical markets for U.S. corn and corn products,” added Skunes. |
United CEO: Doctor Being Dragged Off Plane Was 'Watershed Moment' | United Airlines issued an updated policy Friday in the wake of criticism sparked by a video showing a doctor being dragged off a plane at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Trina Orlando reports.
'Never Happen Again': United Issues Updated Policy After Man Dragged Off Plane
United Airlines won't forget Dr. David Dao.
The company's chief executive, Oscar Munoz, said Monday that Dao's forced, bloodied — and viral — removal from a flight that he had paid for last week would serve as a "watershed moment" for the airline, NBC News reported.
"The incident that took place aboard Flight 3411 has been a humbling experience and I take full responsibility," Munoz said in a statement accompanying its better-than-anticipated first-quarter earnings report. "This will prove to be a watershed moment for our company."
Dao, 69, suffered a broken nose, a concussion and lost two front teeth after refusing to leave the April 13 flight from Chicago to his home state of Kentucky. |
'Whitney': A moving, revealing look at the life of Whitney Houston | In Kevin Macdonald’s haunting and revelatory documentary Whitney, we hear audio of subject Whitney Houston talking about a recurring nightmare that followed her throughout her short life.
She was running from something, something big. A man, she wonders? The devil? In the dream, it never catches her, but she wakes up exhausted.
And that’s where the movie ends — exhaustion registering in the face of Houston near her sad end, dead at at 39 in 2012. By that time we know why she’s worn down, at least based on evidence presented by Macdonald, who’s assembled credible and candid inner-circle witnesses to her story.
Whitney portrays Houston as a giver in a world of takers, trying (often without much help) to juggle music and money, a fracturing family, a “fluid” sexuality that many close to her did not condone. Later a toxic marriage that was often on the front page, and something else — a secret history of alleged child abuse unknown until Macdonald digs it up.
Is it any wonder she imploded?
In the end she had lost her voice, the straight-from-heaven miracle that her soul singer mother Cissy noticed when Whitney was a young girl singing in church, always a place of happiness and refuge for “Nippy.”
There is audio of Whitney saying that in her world, “you had to go to church whether you liked it or not. I loved it.” She belonged there, if only because she sang like an angel. She was weaned on gospel, and as a young teen she learned from her professionally savvy mother to develop her voice the way a gifted talented athlete develops muscles and movement.
Cissy, a brother says, “was tough on Whitney, because she knew what she had.” She was also resolute, pushing her daughter to sing “legacy” music, with the chops and polish of a classic crooner and balladeer. Cissy knew what Whitney had, and soon, so did everybody — her ’85 debut album Whitney set sales records for a female vocalist, as did many subsequent singles, notably “I Will Always Love You.”
She could do anything with her voice, except, perhaps, reveal to listeners how much suffering she had endured in her young life. She was devastated by her parents’ divorce, by the infidelities that drove them apart. She thought her success would keep them happy and together, and of course she was wrong. She tried to keep family close in other ways – putting her brothers on payroll, paying her father as her business manager, her mother as her coach and enforcer. On the road, we learn, relatives doubled as drug suppliers.
Was Houston self-medicating? Certainly the pressures were multiple and severe. There was family hostility toward Robyn Crawford (not interviewed), the woman with whom Houston lived, and with whom the sexually “fluid” singer (a term used in the movie) had a long-term relationship.
It ended when she married pop star Bobby Brown, a famously fraught union – there is footage of Houston trying to help Brown through a recording session, help that he obviously resents. Houston’s decline accelerates – soon she was unable to attend to her music, her daughter, or herself.
Macdonald has bombshell news here about alleged child abused suffered by Whitney and at least one brother, and Whitney is bit glib in holding up this news as an explains-it-all answer to her myriad problems. She had so many, and so little help.
Nonetheless, Whitney offers an informed and moving portrait of a complex, talented woman who was poorly understood, and often cruelly judged.
MOVIES
Whitney |
Tests show no spread of chronic wasting disease in Minnesota | MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Tests found no chronic wasting disease in more than 11,000 deer shot by hunters in north-central, central and southeastern Minnesota this fall, and officials say it gives them confidence that the fatal brain disease has not spread beyond a small pocket in the southeast corner of the state.
The Department of Natural Resources ordered the precautionary testing in north-central and central Minnesota this fall after the disease was found in captive deer on farms in in Crow Wing and Meeker County.
The testing also found no spread of the disease beyond the state’s designated disease management zone near Preston in southeastern Minnesota, where CWD was already known to exist in wild deer. Tests from that zone found six confirmed and one suspected case, which is down from 11 last season. |
APC's mega rally, mockery of President Buhari: PDP | The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the attendance of the South East Mega Rally which was held in honour of President Muhammadu Buhari by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as poor and a mockery of him and members of his party.
The PDP in a statement by its spokesman Kola Olagbondinyan, said Nigerians had a comic relief as speaker after speaker made a mockery of the president by ascribing non-existent projects as well as those initiated by others, particularly, the PDP, to him in furtherance of APC's renewed attempt to beguile Nigerians ahead of 2019 general elections.
The event which was held in Owerri, the Imo State capital, according to the PDP was a rented crowd which showed and expressed a vote of no confidence on the President and his party, as they refused to brandish the now famished APC brooms or respond to the party's slogan, a development that signposts the rejection of the APC in the zone and of course, in other parts of our nation.
The PDP wondered why the ruling party could enchant the people of the Southeast by false claims like those made about the Second Niger Bridge, Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, Akanu Ibiam Airport, Enugu, among other projects, when the reality in the zone remains a bold testament of maltreatment, official disdain and government's insensitivity?
“Is it not also a height of political delusion for APC to think that the people of the southeast will suddenly churn out five million votes and deliver same to a party that overtly relegated them as mere “five percent”?
The opposition party criticised those that spoke at the rally noting that, they had no clear message, but dwelt only on empty sloganeering without regard to the sensibilities of the people, who had been subjected to the worst kind of relegation by their party in the last three years.
The PDP called on the ruling party to accept the fact that the Southeast zone remains the stronghold of the PDP and no amount of hollow grandstanding by the party leaders can detract from that fact.
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Navios Maritime sells MSC Cristina to Repay $100 mln Debt | In January 2017, following the completion of the sale of the MSC Cristina, Navios Maritime Partners repaid approximately $100 million of bank debt. Proforma for these repayments, net debt/book capitalization for December 31, 2016, has decreased to 36.5%.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Marine News. |
Arsenal news: Arsene Wenger says Gunners must ‘win every game to have a chance to get in the top four’ - London Football | Arsene Wenger has warned his Arsenal players they can afford no further slip-ups if they are to secure yet another top-four Premier League finish.
The Gunners cut the gap to Manchester City to seven points with a 2-1 victory at Middlesbrough on Monday evening and although they have a game in hand, their manager knows there is no margin for error.
Wenger said: "For us, the clarity is there - we have to win every game to have a chance to get in the top four, starting tonight.
"I think it will make the team a bit more serene. You could see that on some occasions, we were a bit over-cautious tonight. Hopefully that will give us a bit more confidence.
"Mathematically it is still possible, even if it is difficult, but we have to give it a go."
The win on Teesside was secured by Mesut Ozil's 71st-minute winner, but it proved to be far from plain-sailing at the Riverside Stadium.
Alexis Sanchez's expertly-dispatched 42nd-minute free-kick had given the visitors the lead at the end of a tight first half, but Alvaro Negredo dragged Boro back into it five minutes after the restart and had Petr Cech not kept out Daniel Ayala's close-range header 11 minutes later, the outcome might have been very different.
Wenger, who fielded a back three for the first time in his 20-year reign, said when asked if the ploy had worked: "Yes, it is the first time in 20 years. That shows you that even at my age, you can change.
"I felt we were recently a bit vulnerable defensively and I wanted a bit more reassurance to the team. Recently we have faced many direct games, and I thought before the game maybe they would play with [Rudy] Gestede and Negredo and go for a very direct game.
"That was the reason. It worked well in the first half. We didn't give any chances away, we were quite solid."
Boro head coach Steve Agnew praised his players and is refusing to give up on the club's top-flight status.
Agnew said: "The players were amazing in terms of their effort and commitment and attitude towards the game. They played with such an intensity, I couldn't ask any more of them.
"Obviously we missed an opportunity. We all realise the task ahead, but equally we are six points off it, a game in hand and a terrific goal difference." |
Woman investigating noise shoots herself | COVENTRY, R.I. — Police say a woman in Rhode Island had taken out a gun to investigate a noise when she accidentally shot herself.
Coventry police say the woman slipped Friday night and the gun she was carrying discharged, striking her. She had been looking into a noise she heard from behind her home.
WJAR-TV reports the woman was taken to Kent Hospital to be treated for injuries. Her condition wasn’t clear.
A police investigation confirmed it was an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound. |
It’s a G Thing: Northwell Health nurse brightens lives of patients in Queens hospital | Please enable Javascript to watch this video
QUEENS — She works 12-hour overnight shifts, taking care of the sickest of patients.
"When people are feeling at their worst, they just want to know that someone cares about them," said nurse Starr Lentz.
Lentz certainly lives up to her name, as she brightens the halls of Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, where she’s worked for three years.
"Starr came in on an open interview day. She was vibrant and bubbly and full of energy," said Rhonnie Jackson, director of nursing at Northwell Health.
Jackson knew within the first three minutes that she wanted to hire Lentz.
Lentz's contagious smile and warm eyes helps her put her patients at ease.
But it’s her past that’s contributed most to the kind of nurse she is today.
"My mother was drug addicted. We got taken away from my mother. And she regained custody of and then around 14, we got taken away again," said Lentz.
She managed to graduate high school, but flunked out her first semester of college. That’s when Starr found herself pregnant with nowhere to go. It was then that she had her “turning point” after spending a night on a bench in Central Park.
"Once I became a mom, I decided I didn’t want to become a statistic," said Lentz.
So she got her nursing degree, all while working full time and caring for her young daughter. After years in the Nursing Corps, she found her way to Forest Hills.
"She was one of the people who against odds, survives," said Jackson.
The proof of which hangs in a thank you board for everyone to see.
"It reminds us of the great work that we do. It reminds us why we became nurses," said Jackson.
"I’m able to do something in my life that impacts other people," said Lentz. "Through your nose and out your mouth. Sounding clear!" |
Nigel Farage aide faces 20 years in prison after admitting fraud charge | Get politics updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
One of Nigel Farage's closest aides faces 20 years in prison after posing as an international money launderer in a bid to rip off drug smugglers in the US.
George Cottrell, 22, ran the former Ukip leader's private office and was part of the Ukip media team.
He was arrested when he and Farage touched down in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in July, was denied bail and has been held in Arizona ever since.
He pleaded guilty yesterday to masterminding a scam on the so-called 'dark web' to extort money from drug traffickers - but the dealers he targeted were undercover agents.
A spokesperson for Mr Farage declined to comment.
(Photo: Youtube)
In his plea agreement, Mr Cottrell admitted: "I falsely claimed that I would launder the criminal proceeds through my bank accounts for a fee. Rather than launder any of the money, though ... I intended to retain the money."
According to court records, the scheme started when someone calling themselves The Banker posted on a black market website through an encrypted network.
The Banker told the undercover agents an associate named 'Bill' - later identified as Cottrell - could launder between $50,000 and $150,000 of drug money a month with complete anonymity.
In June 2014, he told the agents to send $20,000 to an associate, who would pass it on to him before passing it back to them.
But a week later, he threatened to report the 'dealers' to the police unless they paid him $80,000 in bitcoin.
Agents for the US Internal Revenue Service in Phoenix, Arizona investigated the exchange, before arresting Cottrell in Chicago.
(Photo: Getty)
At the time of his arrest, Cottrell was travelling back to London with Farage after the pair had attended the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. A judge denied bail because Cottrell was deemed a flight risk.
Cottrell was originally charged with 21 felonies, including attempted extortion, money laundering and fraud.
But prosecutors agreed to drop all but one count - of wire fraud - in exchange for a guilty plea.
He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the single charge.
Cottrell, who is worth an estimated £250m, is the nephew of former Tory treasurer Lord Hesketh, who defected to Ukip in 2011. |
Update: DUP politicians appeal for calm after bonfire attack | DUP politicians have strongly condemned those responsible for burning an Eleventh night bonfire at Magherafet in the early hours of this morning.
In a joint statement, Mid Ulster MLA Keith Buchanan and Councillor Paul McLean claimed Mid Ulster District Council's plans to introduce bonfire licenses has raised tension.
“Bonfires are an important part of celebrations for many people in the run up to the July 12," they said.
"The decision to introduce licencing on bonfires has raised tensions across the Mid Ulster area and this latest incident would appear to be a further attempt to create further problems.
"Those responsible must be condemned and we would appeal for there to be no reaction to such provocation. The bonfire at Leckagh is a well managed, community led celebration. It is a positive demonstration of culture which everyone should want to see emulated.
"We have no doubt that, whilst it will take a great deal of work, this bonfire will still take place. Those who attempted to spoil the event will not be successful."
The British Truth Forum who were behind erecting the Union flag in Magherafelt town centre last year, said they believed it is "an attack on our British culture and heritage."
"As ever this attack will make the British people stronger and they will build a better bigger bonfire and will always say no surrender," said a spokesperson. |
Former West Hartford Student Teacher Accused of Having Sexual Relationship with Student | New Britain, CT (WFSB) — A former student teacher and assistant track coach for the West Hartford School system is accused of having a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student.
Tayler Boncal, 22, was charged with three counts of second-degree sexual assault.
According to New Britain police, the arrest stemmed from an investigation that began on Jan.12.
Police said she had the relationship with a male student from a West Hartford high school. The student is currently a senior.
According to the arrest warrant, Boncal was a student teacher at Conard High School who taught social studies for college credit. She was a student at Central Connecticut State University. She was also hired as a track coach in December.
Conard Principal Julio Duarte sent a letter about the arrest home to parents.
“The safety and well-being of all students is and will always be my number one priority. I know that there have been rumors amongst students these past few weeks. Now that the police action has concluded, I am able to inform you of an incident that I was made aware of between a former student teacher/assistant coach and a student. Once I received the misconduct complaint, I immediately informed the police and launched an investigation. While I cannot comment on the specifics of the investigation, I can tell you that this person no longer works at Conard. The incident did not occur on our campus and I have been working closely with both the New Britain and West Hartford Police Departments to ensure that this individual is held accountable for their actions.
“As educators, we are entrusted to protect and educate all of our students and know there are certain boundaries that can never be crossed. Also, we will not tolerate any behavior that compromises the safety or well-being of our students. I hope you will not let the misconduct of this one individual cast a shadow over all of our staff members who demonstrate their commitment to our students every day.”
Boncal was living in New Britain at the time of the relationship.
According to the warrant, the teen told police that the two began exchanging text messages and went from there.
The student told police that the sex happened in New Britain, were Boncal had an apartment.
He spoke to two officers. However, the amount of times the teen and Boncal had sex differed. A different story was told to each officer.
“Victim had admitted that he and Boncal had sexual intercourse at least five times and that the first incident occurred after Dec. 25,” the warrant said.
When police questioned Boncal, she admitted it.
“She loved the victim and was emotional regarding her feelings for him,” the warrant stated. “She expressed concern for the victim and was worried that he would get in trouble.”
The West Hartford School System alerted New Britain police of the allegations and the investigation began.
Boncal then turned herself into police and has since been arraigned in New Britain Superior Court.
Channel 3 spoke to one of Boncal’s students, who called the situation “sad.”
“I do feel bad because I knew this person before and she seemed like a nice person but she made a mistake,” said Nick Segarra, a Conard High School student.
She posted a $20,000 bond and is due back in court in March. |
Bumblebee colonies at risk of extinction after exposure to common pesticide: study | A widely used pesticide is placing bumblebee populations at an increased risk of extinction, a new study from an Ontario researcher suggests.
Nigel Raine, an environmental science professor at the University of Guelph, discovered that thiamethoxam, a major neonicotinoid found in agricultural crops throughout the world, reduced the chances of bumblebee queens starting new colonies by more than a quarter.
The results were published on Monday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
“Bumblebee queens that were exposed to the pesticide were 26-per-cent less likely to lay eggs to start a colony,” Prof. Raine said of the research conducted in his lab with researchers from Royal Holloway, University of London.
“It was a bigger impact than I was expecting. And our modelling suggests it could have a major impact on population persistence and increases the chances a population could go extinct.”
Bees are crucial to agriculture. Published reports suggest about a third of the crops eaten by humans depend on insect pollination, with bees responsible for about 80 per cent of that figure.
But bee populations are declining worldwide as scientists try to figure out why. Research has suggested the use of neonicotinoids is among the factors contributing to the declines.
Ontario has taken the lead in North America by placing restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids, while Europe has imposed a moratorium on their use.
Recent research by York University showed neonicotinoids had spilled over from crops such as soy and corn in Ontario and Quebec into plants and wildflowers such as maple trees, dandelions and clover.
Prof. Raine wanted to examine the effects thiamethoxam and a common parasite had on the bumblebee queen’s ability to set up a colony, a crucial part of a bee’s life cycle.
Bumblebee queens, he explained, are quite different from honeybee queens in that they largely do all of the work themselves to start a colony, from foraging to nest building to raising their young before worker bees take over.
While there has been much study of the honeybee, not as much research has been conducted on the bumblebee, Prof. Raine said.
In his lab, Prof. Raine infected half the bumblebee queens he was studying with a parasite and then placed all the bees in a cold, dark room to force an artificial hibernation. Those that survived hibernation were then split into two more groups, one of which was exposed for two weeks to pesticide-laden pollen at “field realistic” levels found in the wild, he said. Those queen bees were placed in different nest boxes and monitored for survival and signs of egg laying.
“There was very little effect of the parasite in our experiment,” Prof. Raine said.
But he did find a substantial impact on egg laying.
“We are trying to link all this up to the broader ecology and life history of these organisms,” Prof. Raine said. He took that new data and plugged it into mathematical models to see what would happen over time.
“We’re seeing a substantial increase of the likelihood of them not surviving over a longer period of time and that’s obviously a serious concern with the current patterns of usage of these chemicals.”
If anything, Prof. Raine said, his study is conservative, considering he only examined the effects of one pesticide and one parasite, whereas there are many other factors in the wild that play a role in the bumblebee’s health, including disease and habitat destruction.
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Parents who think child has scarlet fever warned to consult GP after cases rise | Parents are being urged to take their child to a GP if they suspect scarlet fever, after cases rose in some areas of England.
From September to the end of January, more cases have been reported in the West Midlands compared with the same period last year (369 compared with 309), London (386 compared with 336) and the North West (546 compared with 500).
Public Health England (PHE) urged parents to be vigilant, but said other regions of England are experiencing the same or lower levels of scarlet fever than last year.
Scarlet fever is a bacterial illness that mainly affects children and is distinctive due to its pink-red rash.
It is highly contagious and should be treated with antibiotics.
A PHE spokeswoman said: “It’s not uncommon to see more cases of scarlet fever during winter and spring. “Although we have seen a small increase in cases this year, scarlet fever is usually a mild illness that can be treated with antibiotics to reduce the risk of further complications and to minimise the risk of its spread to others.
“Scarlet fever’s symptoms include a sore throat, headache and fever with a characteristic sandpapery, fine, pinkish or red rash.
“Parents should pay particular attention and if you or your child develops any of these symptoms you should contact your GP for assessment.
“Children or adults diagnosed with scarlet fever are advised to stay at home until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment to avoid spreading the infection to others.”
Since September, 3,325 cases of scarlet fever have been reported across England. Between 300 and 400 cases of scarlet fever are being reported every week.
The highest levels are usually seen in March and April. Over the past two years, the total number of cases reported by the end of April has been on the rise.
Scarlet fever usually occurs in children, mostly between the ages of two and eight. Nurseries and schools are told to try and curb the spread of the bug through encouraging youngsters and staff to wash their hands. |
Montrealers' input wanted for 3 new parks in Griffintown | The City of Montreal wants to hear what residents in Griffintown want three new parks in their neighbourhood to look like.
The parks, which have yet to be named, are situated at the following intersections:
Corner of Saint-Thomas and Ottawa streets (Park A)
Corner of Peel and Ottawa streets (Park B)
Corner of Ann and Ottawa streets (Park C)
A first public meeting was held Wednesday, where the city says about 250 people were present.
The city will hold a public workshop, where residents can help co-design the new parks, in March. (City of Montreal)
Another two meetings will take place in the coming weeks: a co-design workshop on March 21 followed by another meeting later in the spring where the park sketches will be unveiled.
"The participatory approach we have decided to undertake is the ideal opportunity to achieve a green project that clearly meets the aspirations of citizens, while taking into account their needs," Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said in a statement.
In Griffintown, where real estate and condo development are booming, residents have raised concerns in the past that there isn't enough green space.
In 2016, under former mayor Denis Coderre's administration, Montreal opened its first park entirely devoted to families in the Southwest neighbourhood. |
San Jacinto Judge arrested for burglary, tampering with evidence | SAN JACINTO, Texas — A San Jacinto County judge is out on bond Tuesday after he was indicted by a grand jury for burglary, tampering with a government record and forgery.
Judge John Lovett Jr, 51, was arrested in court Monday following an investigation into an incident that took place July 7, 2017.
The judge is accused of breaking into a Coldsprings, Texas courthouse and forging the San Jacinto County Clerk’s signature on an official government document, according to the indictment.
Lovett has been suspected without pay, court documents confirmed. |
The Music of Rabbi Michel Twerski w/the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | Event time: 7:30pm
The Music of
Rabbi Michel Twerski
Performed by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, June 25
Doors 6:30PM / Show 7:30PM
The Pabst Theater
A Hasidic symphony concert requires a unique recipe. It takes a great supply of the music of Milwaukee’s Rabbi Michel Twerski , whose works are internationally renowned in the Jewish world. It must be interlaced with rich cultural history, and spiced by the sweet aromas of yearning souls. It has to be shaped by a great arranger and a great conductor. It needs to be served by a great orchestra. This unusual musical entrée was served once before, in Milwaukee 20 years ago, to a capacity audience and great response. Now it will be served again – one performance, fresh, memorable, exquisite. |
BRIEF-Asetek receives a repeat order from South Korean customer | April 3 ASETEK A/S
* REPEAT ORDER FROM SOUTH KOREAN CUSTOMER
* ANNOUNCED A SECOND ORDER FROM INTECH, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, FOR INRACKCDU D2CT LIQUID COOLING SOLUTION
* ORDER WILL RESULT IN REVENUE TO ASETEK IN RANGE OF USD 25,000 WITH DELIVERY IN Q2 2017 Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom) |
Mumbai: Uber apologises for inconvenience caused to passenger due to strike | The company also welcomed the injunction of the Bombay High Court prohibiting unions and their leaders from obstructing the activities of Uber driver partners
Representation pic
Transport aggregators Uber on Monday expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to the strike called on by 'some cab drivers' and stressed that the company remains committed to serve the city. "We remain committed to serving the city, ensuring driver partners can continue to access stable earning opportunities while giving riders a convenient option to get around their city," said a spokesperson of the company.
The company also welcomed the injunction of the Bombay High Court prohibiting unions and their leaders from obstructing the activities of Uber driver partners. He also hoped that the decision of the court will enable drivers to stay behind the wheel. "While the authorities have taken steps to ensure minimal disruption to our rider and driver communities, we hope that they will continue to enforce the order passed by the High Court," the spokesperson said.
The company also said that the strike has only affected Mumbai and Pune and the business is as usual in other cities, including Delhi-NCR and Bangalore. Cab prices were at an all-time high today as an indefinite strike, called on by MNS' transport wing, Maharashtra Navnirman Vahtuk Sena, is being held by both Ola and Uber drivers, affiliated to the MNVS. The drivers are reportedly agitated over non-payment of assured income and alleged they incurred heavy losses due to a shortage of funds.
Also Read: Ola, Uber drivers begin indefinite strike in Mumbai
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Frances Bean Cobain feared for her life when a plane caught fire | Frances Bean Cobain feared for her life when a plane she was on caught fire.
The 25-year-old model - who is the daughter of the late Kurt Cobain and Courtney love - has taken to social media to speak about her near death experience last month, which has "altered everything" she believed in, although she has tried to "avoid" talking about the incident.
The brunette beauty has shared a string of images of the damaged aeroplane, which was on route to Los Angeles from France, on her Instagram account to explain her feelings during the mid-air accident.
She captioned the post: "I've avoided talking about this because telling strangers struck me as a fruitless endeavor. But enough time has gone by to where I've sat with what this experience should mean on the grand scale of living my day to day life. So here it goes : A week ago on September 30th I boarded Air France flight A380 (the irony being I changed my previously booked flight to this one that very day, so I could get home earlier.) This would act as the moment that would alter everything I thought I knew. I have woken up everyday for the past week just grateful to wake up. When I felt the plane tilt, saw the wing directly in front of me catch fire, and basically came to grips with my own mortality I made a deal with myself. (sic)."
And the California-born star has revealed after surviving what could have been a fatal accident, she has "promised" herself not to try and "escape the moments of [her] life", and not "indulge" in certain clichés, but she has vowed to tell those close to her how much they mean to her.
Her heartfelt post continued: "I promised myself that if I made it through, that I would no longer try to escape the moments of my life. I would no longer indulge in societal cliches & I would let the people I love know how much I love them everyday. Thinking I would never see my mom or my boyfriend or my grams or my pets or my friends again, sparked a renaissance of the soul / mind / body / spirit. (sic)."
Frances now considers "every moment" in her life as "truly precious", and she refuses to let her "crippling anxieties" impact on her.
She concluded: "So I've entered the phase of my life where every moment is truly precious. All the mundane "crippling" anxieties I once let dictate how I functioned have dissipated. I was jolted awake and awake is where I need to stay in order to live authentically. As cheeseball as that sounds. It resonates at true. To me. As you were - FBC (sic)." |
San Jose's Evander Kane suspended for 1 game for cross-check - FOX5 Vegas - KVVU | San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has been suspended for Game 2 against Vegas because of a cross-check to the head of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. (Photo: Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) - San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has been suspended for Game 2 against Vegas because of a cross-check to the head of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
The NHL announced the ban Friday. The league said Kane's second cross-check after the whistle was "not a hockey play" and served no purpose other than hitting an opponent in the head.
The play came in the third period of a series opener that San Jose lost 7-0 to the Golden Knights.
Kane has been a key component for the Sharks since being acquired in February. He's plays wing on the top line and had three goals in a first-round sweep against Anaheim.
More AP NHL: www.apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
PREVIEW: Marquette looks to end skid against Providence on National Marquette Day | Hang on for a minute...we're trying to find some more stories you might like. Close
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The Golden Eagles will look to end a three-game skid Saturday afternoon as they host Providence in a pivotal BIG EAST matchup at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Two of the three losses have come against nationally-ranked Xavier and Villanova squads.
SIMILAR SHAPE AND FORM
The last time Marquette and Providence met, sophomore Markus Howard’s legendary 52-point performance helped the Golden Eagles steal an overtime road victory in Rhode Island. Both teams are still on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Friars (14-8, 5-4 in BIG EAST) came off of a tough 73-57 loss on the road at Seton Hall on Wednesday; a loss in which they shot just 39 percent from the floor. Sophomore guard Alpha Diallo led the Friars in scoring with a career-high 25 points.
Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles (13-9, 4-6 in BIG EAST) came off a 20-point beatdown at the hands of Tyler Wiedeman and Butler. Howard dropped a team-high 26 points in the loss.
However, Providence excels where Marquette does not. The Friars are in second place in scoring defense, giving up 75.4 points per game in conference play, while the Golden Eagles are dead last, averaging 82.2 points per game allowed.
PROTECTING THE PAINT
The Friars will likely try to beat Marquette in the paint. In the last three games, the Golden Eagles have allowed an average of 40.7 points in the paint per game. Providence will likely try to take advantage; the Friars are averaging 30.7 paint points per game over the last three.
Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski said Wednesday that Marquette struggled to find any rhythm and the inability to make timely stops put them in a hole they could not recover from.
“We did not handle any facet of the game well,” Wojo said. “In the BIG EAST, you have to be able to pick yourself off the canvas because we have a great Providence team coming in.”
GETTING BACK TO BASICS
Marquette will look to get back to its bread and butter Saturday — lighting up the scoreboard. To accomplish that, the Golden Eagles will need contributions from senior Andrew Rowsey, who finished scoreless against Butler Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, it will be crucial that Marquette returns to an accurate 3-point shooting form. The Golden Eagles shot 5 of 18 from distance.
Wojo said he knows how vital this game is but is telling his team not to get too emotionally high or low.
“The waves keep coming and are continuing to come to shore,” Wojo said. “You can’t stay too long in something that has happened that’s really good, and you can’t stay too long and something that’s happened that’s obviously not very good.” |
Aarushi-Hemraj double murder: SC admits hearing of plea against Talwars | Aarushi Talwar (File) Aarushi Talwar (File)
During a hearing in the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case on Monday, the Supreme Court “granted permission” to Hemraj’s wife, Khumkala Banjade, to file a Special Leave Petition challenging the acquittal of Rajesh and Nupur Talwar. This means that the court has admitted her petition against the acquittal, and will hear it when its turn comes up. A bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice R Banumathi also directed the court Registry “to call for the original record of the case”. Banjade has challenged October 12, 2017, Allahabad High Court decision giving a clean chit to the dentist couple. She contended that the HC order meant no one had committed the twin murders in 2008, and that it was the primary responsibility of the government and authorities to ensure that the culprit was brought to book.
Aarushi (14) was found with her throat slit at the Talwars’ Noida house on May 16, 2008. Initial suspicion hovered around their domestic help, Hemraj (45), who had gone missing. But his body was recovered from the terrace of the house a day later. Following a hue and cry over the police probe, the case was handed over to the CBI which arrested the Talwars after investigation. A CBI court in Ghaziabad had sentenced them to life imprisonment on November 26, 2013. But the High Court set aside the conviction, saying they could not be held guilty on the basis of the evidence on record.
Earlier this month, the CBI had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Talwars’ acquittal, and said that the trial court order was “well-reasoned” one and should not have been reversed. The apex court is also seized of a petition filed by former CBI Special Judge Shyam Lal — who had convicted the couple — seeking that some “adverse comments” made by the High Court “against” him while acquitting the accused be expunged.
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Money laundering case: Court sends Kotak manager, 2 others to judicial custody | A Delhi court on Wednesday sent lawyer Rohit Tandon, businessman Paras Mal Lodha and Kotak Mahindra bank manager Ashish Kumar to 14 days judicial custody.
They have been arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act).
Tandon is accused of converting more than Rs 30 crore in old notes in connivance with Kotak Mahindra Bank Manager Ashish Kumar, said counsel for ED.
The agency did not demand further custody of the accused.
All the accused were produced before the court as the custody of ED expired on Monday.
Tandon was arrested on December 29 and Lodha on December 22 following raids after demonetisation.
Both Tandon and Lodha moved application seeking bail which will be heard on January 4 and 6, respectively.
Additional Sessions Judge RK Tripathi also allowed the pleas of Tandon and Lodha seeking provision of proper medication.
Lodha’s lawyer said, “His client suffered from mouth cancer and brain tumour.”
Senior advocate Mohit Mathur, appearing for Tandon, said that his client was suffering from a thyroid problem and hypertension |
Injured boxer Daniel Franco has more brain surgery to repair bleeding | Daniel Franco suffered a brain injury on Saturday night in Iowa. (Photo: Family photo)
Daniel Franco, the 24-year-old boxer from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., who was knocked out last Saturday night and suffered a severe brain injury, has undergone more surgery to repair bleeding in his brain. He is at the Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa, and is expected to remain there for weeks and possibly months.
Franco was knocked out in the eighth round by Jose Haro in their featherweight bout at the WinneVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa.
Franco's father, and trainer, Al Franco, updated his son's condition on the GoFundMe page the family set up to help defray what are expected to be astronomical healthcare costs for Franco's recovery.
Here's the update on Tuesday from a completely distraught Al Franco:
"Daniel had emergency surgery last night to repair bleeding in the epidural hematoma region of the brain. His initial surgery was to repair bleeding in the subdural hemotoma area. The doctors decided to keep part of his skull off this time to help with the pressure. It will remain off for at least six weeks and he will continue to be monitored under strict doctor supervision. Please continue to pray for him. Continue saying his name, just help sending positive vibes out. My family and I appreciate everyone's love and support in our darkest times. I personally have never felt this much love, fear and pain in my life. I'm lost but I have to maintain as strong as I can be. I will continue to keep everyone posted and please continue sharing his go fund me page. Thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart. I love you son. God Bless.
On Monday, Al Franco had posted this message:
"His brain pressure was high pushing the limits doctors would like to see on the monitor and he ran a fever of 102. This morning they medicated him to fully paralyze him. They don't want any movement or brain activity whatsoever so that he can fully recover. Now we have to wait another 48 hours. I will keep you all posted. Please continue praying, mumble his name anything. Share this information please, so that the energy and love is spread, positive vibes. I have not posted any pictures yet, I'm sorry as I am not ready to let the world see my boy like this. Please be patient. Thank you all, God please bless my son."
Haro has issued a statement that he is praying for Franco's complete recovery:
"I respect all fighters. My heart hurts knowing that my opponent from Saturday night is still in the hospital. I hope he has a full and speedy recovery. Nothing but love, brotha. We put everything on the line when we step inside the ring. I always tell my brother/trainer that I'm a father first, fighter second, and if he ever sees me badly hurt to stop the fight because my kids need their daddy. I'm very grateful that I won but it really doesn't feel like I won. I always pray that my opponent and myself come out our fight in good health. Let's go Team Franco, you got this!"
Here are some further updates from Al Franco:
No. 5:(Wednesday morning): Our prayers are working, my son Daniel had a good night of rest and free of any complications. His temperature is down and holding at 98.6. Please continue praying and sharing. Thank you, God Bless
No. 6 (Wednesday afternoon): Ok the doctor just left. Daniels pupils are reacting just fine, his temperature and all vitals are doing well. The pressure in his brain hasn't changed and is steady within the range that it needs to be. They lowered his drug dosages and is no longer in a paralyzed state. He is still in a medically induced coma and isn't out of the woods yet. However thing thus far look positive. Please continue sharing, spreading positive vibes. My families gratitude cannot be expressed, your love and kindness will never be forgotten.
If you're interested in contributing to the family's GoFundMe account, the address is https://www.gofundme.com/3x0mfcg |
Tablacus Explorer 16.12.31 | Tablacus Explorer is a file manager with lots of features, including tabs, completely customisable menus and interface, mouse gesture support, and optional addons. The program is portable and extremely small (1.13MB), yet still manages to squeeze in both 32 and 64-bit editions.
Tabs can be created with a keypress, or managed by right-clicking an existing tab (there are all the usual open, close and lock options). Files can be dragged and dropped from one tab to another; and once you’ve spotted the tiny icons in the top-right corner, you’ll also be able to switch between a 1, 2 or 4-pane interface, each of which can have as many tabs as you need.
The program doesn’t always behave as you expect. We clicked the Help menu, for example, and found it mostly contained a list of folder names, like “Documents” or “Start Menu”. These acted like shortcuts, and selecting one opened that folder in the main interface. Okay, that’s perhaps useful, but why list these under “Help”? Especially when there’s already a system for “Favourites”?
There’s also little in the way of documentation. Tablacus Explorer has plenty of options and settings, but figuring out exactly what they might do is a real challenge.
If you only want a portable tabbed file manager then maybe none of this will matter too much. All you have to do is choose your preferred pane layout and you can simply ignore everything else.
If you’re actually hoping to use the more advanced features, though, be prepared to spend quite some time exploring, because the program is far from straightforward.
Build 16.12.31 brings these changes (full changelog):
– Fix minor bugs |
Indian prime minister pledges to wipe out graft from country | Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation on the country's Independence Day from the ramparts of the historical Red Fort in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. India is commemorating its independence in 1947 from British colonial rule. In the background is Jama Masjid. Manish Swarup AP Photo |
RNC Ad Trolls Dem Defense of MS-13 Animals | The RNC released an advertisement Tuesday, attacking Democrats for defending MS-13 gang members after President Trump called them “animals.”
The ad features Democrat House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s speech about MS-13 criminals having a “spark of divinity,” while playing news reports highlighting the extremely violent acts carried out by the gang.
President Trump ripped the Dems at a Tennessee rally Tuesday, saying, “Go out and get the Democrats the hell out of office,” as well as calling her an “MS-13 lover.”
Below is the original Pelosi speech where she says, “we are all God’s children,” when referring to MS-13. |
Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan gives up Court practice, citing humiliation | New Delhi: Alleging humiliation, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan on Monday wrote to Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra that henceforth he will not practice in the court, days after the CJI took exception to the conduct of some senior lawyers.
Chief Justice Misra had last week voiced strong objection to the conduct of certain Senior Counsel raising their voices during hearing at the conclusion of Delhi government’s plea and also the Ayodhya matter.
In the brief letter that was delivered to the office of the Chief Justice on Monday, Dhavan said: “After the humiliating end in the Delhi case, I have decided to give up court practice.”
Dhavan in his letter also told the Chief Justice: “You are entitled to take back the Senior Gown conferred on me, though I would like to keep it for memory and service rendered.” |
Skull found in Wayne County years ago identified as missing man | Article Tools Font size – + Share This
A human skull discovered more than two years ago in Wayne County is that of a Connecticut man who disappeared in 2011, Coroner Edward Howell said today.
The remains were positively identified as those of George Julian Rymko of Waterbury, Connecticut, using DNA testing, Howell said.
A hunter found the skull on April 28, 2015, in woods near 827 Main St., Gouldsboro, and contacted authorities. No other remains were recovered.
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, Rymko, who was 49 at the time, was last seen alive Jan. 22, 2011, in Scranton.
His vehicle, a blue 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe with Connecticut plates, was located at a Gouldsboro truck stop about two weeks later.
Howell said a forensic anthropologist who obtained a DNA sample from the skull compared it to a DNA sample submitted by a blood relative of Rymko, which yielded a positive match.
The anthropologist also confirmed the skull showed no signs of trauma, the coroner said.
Based on the positive identification, Howell issued a death certificate for Rymko.
However, due to the lack of evidence, including the absence of additional remains, the cause and manner of the man’s death remain undetermined, the coroner said.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132 |
What should you use to battle the ice on your walkway? | Related Coverage New Haven preparing for more snow after Saturday’s storm
(WTNH) — Just like technology keeps changing, so does what you put down on your driveway or walkway before a snowstorm.
There used to be just rock salt. Now, it’s calcium carbonate pellets and they even have chemicals wrapped around the rock salt. So, what do you use and when?
Steve Miller from Butler Equipment says with the sloppy, wintry mix at your doorstep Tuesday when you wake up, what you put down on the walkway makes a difference. Rock salt is a good first step around the freezing mark.
“Regular rock salt will be down to about 31°, 32°, 30° at the coolest and then it’ll stop working,” he explained.
So, once the temperature drops into the mid 20s or below, do you want to switch over to something else? Miller says they have a hybrid product rock salt wrapped in chemicals.
“The chemical will help the salt have more of a melting characteristic in cooler temperature. That’s how that works!” he said.
Related Content: New Haven preparing for more snow after Saturday’s storm
As Kathy Bayer takes her dog Hadley for a walk, she keeps a close eye on him and steers him around patches of rock salt. She uses pet friendly ice melt on her own walkways. Even so, she says it’s important to get it off the paws as soon as you get home because it can irritate the pup’s pads.
“She is easy enough, small enough to just throw in a stationary tub and I can wash her feet off quite easily,” Bayer said.
Dr. Donald Cox at the Connecticut Veterinary Center says you also have to be careful the dogs don’t get into a bag of rock salt and eat it.
“It’s a bigger problem, and again, it depends on how much they get into,” he said. “If your dog gets into a bag of any of the deicers whether it’s sodium chloride or calcium salt, you should definitely call Animal Poison Control.”
They do make pet friendly and environmentally friendly ice melts, they just have less salt in them, and might not work as well. They also make a liquid you can spray down on your sidewalk much like what DOT uses on the roads before the snow. |
Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor confirmed as pair seal £500m Las Vegas mega-fight on August 26 | The video will start in 8 Cancel
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Floyd Mayweather, the greatest boxer of his generation, will take on UFC champion Conor McGregor on August 26 in Las Vegas.
The mega-fight, which will be contested over 12 rounds and which could generate upwards of £500million, was finally confirmed on Wednesday night following weeks of negotiations and months of speculation.
Mayweather will fight for the first time in two years at the T-Mobile Arena while McGregor will box professionally for the first time ever.
UFC president Dana White has claimed McGregor will earn $100m (£78.5m) from the fight while Mayweather is likely to pocket significantly more.
(Photo: @Realdevinhaney/Twitter)
The Irishman currently holds the UFC's lightweight title which he won by stopping Eddie Alvarez in the second round last November.
He is also a former featherweight champion with the organisation and will face Mayweather at the light-middleweight limit of 154lb.
Mayweather won all 49 of his professional boxing fights, bowing out with a lop-sided points win over Andre Berto in September 2015.
Now 40, the Sin City resident announced he was coming out of retirement earlier this year in order to face McGregor who is 12 years his junior.
The Dubliner agreed to a deal with UFC president Dana White last month to allow him to fight Mayweather in a boxing match.
And through his promotions company, Mayweather reserved the summer date with the Nevada Commission this week.
The fight had been pencilled in for September 16 but Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez stole a march by booking the same venue for that date.
(Photo: @TheNotoriousMMA/Twitter)
While Showtime will broadcast the fight live on pay-per-view in the United States, there is likely to be a bidding war between Sky Sports and BT Sport in the UK.
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The former won the right to show Mayweather's long-awaited clash with Manny Pacquiao two years ago but BT have recently entered the boxing market alongside promoter Frank Warren and his BoxNation company.
Mayweather will earn at least $100m (£78.5m) from the fight, while McGregor is likely to have agreed a smaller share of the purse. |
Wednesdays scores, updated schedule | Division I
Wednesdays semifinals
No. 4 Amador Valley 3, No. 1 Freedom 0
No. 3 Foothill 2, No. 2 Heritage 0
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Saturdays final
No. 4 Amador Valley (22-5-1) vs. No. 3 Foothill (24-3) at Diablo Valley College, noon
Division II
Tuesdays semifinal
No. 4 Carondelet 5, No. 9 Livermore 1
Wednesdays semifinal
No. 6 Bishop ODowd (16-5) 8, No. 2 Concord 0
Saturdays final
No. 4 Carondelet (19-8) vs. No. 6 Bishop ODowd (17-5) at Diablo Valley College, 2:30 p.m.
Division III
Tuesdays semifinals
No. 1 Marin Catholic 7, No. 4 Sonoma Valley 0
No. 2 Moreau Catholic 11, .No. 6 Terra Linda 2
Saturdays final
No. 1 Marin Catholic (21-5) vs. No. 2 Moreau Catholic (14-10) at San Marin High, 7 p.m
Division IV
Tuesdays semifinal
No. 1 St. Joseph Notre Dame 11, No. 5 Cardinal Newman 1
Wednesdays semifinal
No. 2 Del Norte 4, No. 3 McKinleyville 3
Fridays final
No. 1 St. Joseph Notre Dame (21-2) vs. No. 2 Del Norte (22-4) at Saint Marys College, 5 p.m.
Division V
Wednesdays semifinals
No. 1 Cloverdale 13, No. 4 Hoopa Valley 1
No. 2 St. Vincent de Paul 5, No. 3 Clear Lake 4
Saturdays final
No. 2 St. Vincent de Paul (12-7) at No. 1 Cloverdale (18-1), noon
Division VI
Tuesdays final
No. 4 South Fork 22, No. 2 Geyserville 5 |
Paramount Wins Auction For Thriller Novel ‘Dry’ | EXCLUSIVE: The dry spell for material ended today with the first multi-studio auction for a hot book this year. It ended when Paramount Pictures acquired the rights to Dry, the thriller novel by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman novel. Six bidders chased this book and sources said the deal was worth six against seven figures, plus a six figure fee for the authors to write the script. Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen will produce, along with Trevor Engelson.
Written by National Book award winning bestselling author Neal Shusterman (who wrote Challenger Deep set at Chernin and Scythe at Universal) and his son Jarrod Shusterman, the novel revolves around a topical premise, the recurring drought. The book begins when a California state sponsored deal for diverted water falls through and the water mains in Southern California run completely dry. Stores of bottled water last only a matter of days, and the government can’t mobilize fast enough to provide water for its 23 million citizens. A group of teenage friends are forced to band together when chaos breaks out in their community, and what ensues is a frighteningly real survival scenario.
Paramount bid for Temple Hill; Sony and Warner Bros for Zombieland helmer Ruben Fleischer; Netflix for Matt Reeve and Adam Kassan’s 6th and Idaho to produce with The Picture Company’s Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman. Makeready also bid early on.
Engelson’s Underground and APA began sharing the book late last week and things took off from there. Engelson is also producer on Shusterman’s other book properties. |
3 people arrested in Dakota Access pipeline stadium protest | MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Three people are in custody Monday after two Dakota Access pipeline protesters rappelled from the roof of the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis to hang a banner during the Minnesota Vikings‘ season finale against the Chicago Bears.
The game was not interrupted by the protest Sunday, but eight rows of fans seated below the banner were cleared as a precaution. The Vikings beat the Bears, 38-10.
The banner urged Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank to divest from the four-state, $3.8 billion pipeline. Opponents contend the pipeline could affect drinking water and Native American artifacts. Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners says the pipeline will be safe.
Minneapolis police spokesman Officer Corey Schmidt said a 32-year-old man and 26-year-old woman were arrested Sunday on misdemeanor burglary and trespass charges for the high-flying stunt. Police later arrested a 27-year-old woman whom they accuse of obstructing the legal process, but have released no details of her role in the incident.
The protesters rappelled into place during the second quarter, and then hung in a seated position about 100 feet above the seats that were evacuated for safety. The pair watched the rest of the game, occasionally shifting positions or waving at spectators. One wore a purple Brett Favre Vikings jersey.
U.S. Bank Stadium operator SMG said in a statement that they apparently climbed over a guard rail to access the ridge truss. Police spoke with them from a catwalk in attempt to get them to stop, and by the fourth quarter about a half-dozen police and firefighters in rappelling gear were on the truss waiting to remove the pair.
The protesters willingly climbed up their ropes when the game ended, as fans booed them from below.
Vikings spokesman Lester Bagley said the team’s only concern was for the “safety of our fans and guests.”
Protesters say U.S. Bank has extended a large credit line to Energy Transfer Partners. U.S. Bank spokesman Dana Ripley declined comment.
The pipeline would carry oil from western North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa to a shipping point in Illinois. Protesters camped in North Dakota for months to try to stop completion of the project.
___
Associated Press reporter Jeff Baenen contributed to this story from Minneapolis.
Copyright © 2017 The Washington Times, LLC.
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Deputies hid outside Parkland school while gunman fired shots | Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies hid outside of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School while a gunman went on a shooting rampage inside, according to a Coral Springs Police report released Tuesday.
One unnamed deputy even thought he knew where inside the school the shooter was, but remained outside the building, according to the report obtained by the Miami Herald.
The information sheds new light on the police response to the worst school shooting in Florida history — deemed botched after school resource officer Scot Peterson never entered the freshman building where gunman Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people.
“As I was advancing on foot through the chain-link fence, I was advised by an unknown BSO Deputy taking cover behind a tree, ‘he is on the third floor,” wrote Coral Springs officer Bryan Wilkins.
NRA supporters blow up Yeti coolers after end of discount program
BSO deputies didn’t immediately try to locate Cruz or aid his victims, despite being trained to to confront active shooters without delay, the report said, the Miami Herald reported.
At least three other BSO deputies were on the scene as gunshots rang out, but couldn’t pinpoint the shooter’s location.
Students were led out of Marjory stoneman Douglas High School after a gunman entered the freshman building with an AR-15 and shot 17 people. (Joe Raedle)
Broward Sheriff Scott Israel condemned Peterson’s response to the shooting, saying he was “sick to my stomach” the deputy didn’t enter the building.
Wilkins described the scene at which he arrived.
NRA opposed bill that may have taken Waffle House shooter's guns
“I saw approximately four Broward County Sheriff’s Office vehicles parked [on the road outside the school] ... with their personnel taking up exterior positions behind their vehicles,” Wilkins said, according to the Miami Herald. “I drove up just west of the campus building 1200, exited my vehicle, grabbed my AR-15 rifle and donned on my tactical/medical gear,” he wrote in the report.
There he encountered the BSO deputy taking cover behind a tree who had a sense of the shooter’s location.
Wilkins then approached the building with Coral Springs Detective Gil Monzon and an “unknown BSO deputy.”
Remembering the victims of the Florida high school massacre
They found bullet holes in the building’s windows and doors.
Calif. man used assault rifle to kill kids in schoolyard in 1989
Cruz had fled the building by the time they entered, leaving dead bodies in his wake.
“The corridor was smoky and smelled of gunpowder and blood,” Wilkins wrote in his report.
Peterson, who resigned, remains the subject of a pending internal affairs investigation.
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BRIEF-Agility Health reports debt financing | OECD says New Zealand cbank should adopt debt-to-income limits on home loans
WELLINGTON, June 15 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said on Thursday that New Zealand's central bank should add debt-to-income (DTI) limits on home loans to its toolkit to help cool the country's housing market. |
Kenya: Union to Rule On Kisii's Kenya Cup Fate | Kenya Rugby Union will decide on Tuesday whether Kisii Rugby Football Club will be promoted to 2017/2018 Kenya Cup or not.
Director in-charge of fixtures Moses Ndale disclosed that they will make the ruling after United States International University-Africa (USIU-A) lodged a complain against Kisii claiming they fielded an ineligible player.
"We summoned both parties for a hearing and they should be ready for the verdict tomorrow (Tuesday)," said Ndale.
USIU-A claimed that Kisii had fielded fly-half Isaac Wafula, who had also featured for Western Bulls during this season's Kenya Cup.
Kisii qualified for the top flight rugby when they beat USIU 6-3 to reach the Championship final.
Kisii are due to play Mombasa on Saturday in the Championship final after the coastal side also qualified for Kenya Cup, beating Catholic Monks 11-10.
Western Bulls coach Howard Okwemba confirmed that Wafula was their duly registered player.
But Kisii chairman Walter Orangi was adamant that Wafula was their player and had a valid contract with them.
"It's only towards the end of Kenya Cup league that we saw Wafula disappear at the weekend after training with us during the week," said Okwemba.
He has been living with the rest of the players at the team house and we are shocked that he has played for another team."
Okwemba said most of the players did not understand the rules and were easily corrupted by crooked officials from other clubs.
"Players are free to join other clubs but there are rules governing that. Wafula has never sought clearance from us," said Okwemba. He said they had written to the player demanding for answers.
Wafula played for Western Bulls against Nondies, Impala and Nakuru among others and was ranked seventh in Kenya Cup top penalty scorers with eight penalties. |
Keys sends U.S. into second straight Fed Cup final | Tennis - Fed Cup - World Group Semi Final - France vs United States - Arena Du Pays D'Aix, Aix-en-Provence, France - April 22, 2018 Madison Keys of the U.S celebrates after winning her singles match against Pauline Parmentier of France REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier
(Reuters) - Madison Keys battled past Pauline Parmentier of France 7-6(4) 6-4 to lead the U.S. into their second consecutive Fed Cup final in Aix-en-Provence on Sunday.
Keys, who was named as a late replacement for CoCo Vandeweghe, rallied back from 4-1 down to claim the opening set before a decisive break in the ninth game of the second ensured the victory.
Keys' victory handed the defending champions an unassailable 3-1 lead over France in the semi-final tie before the hosts won the dead doubles rubber.
The French pair of Amandine Hesse and Kristina Mladenovic edged Vandeweghe and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4 3-6 10-6.
Earlier in the day, U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens thrashed Mladenovic 6-2 6-0 to collect her second singles victory this weekend.
Stephens was aided by 25 unforced errors from world number 20 Mladenovic, whose touch eluded her far too often in the match.
"That was a really good one. You never anticipate a scoreline like the way it turned out but it was really solid," Stephens said.
The Americans extended their winning record to 12-2 against the French.
They will defend their title on Nov. 10-11 against the Czech Republic, who reached the final by defeating Germany 4-1 in Stuttgart.
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge) |
Canada joins race to develop technology | THE concept behind radar is easy.
Quantum radar — not so much.
Radar as we know it works on the same principle as an echo of your voice bouncing off a cliff. It blasts narrow radio beams into the sky and space, with sensors waiting to catch and analyse whatever is reflected back.
It was a revolutionary development in World War II that many say saved the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain and the Battle of the Atlantic.
The effect of the proposed quantum radar is similar.
But it has a very different cause.
The rules of physics don’t apply at the subatomic scale. One strange effect is how two quantum particles can be ‘entangled’ in such a way that when one of them is moved and exposed to an influence, that influence is immediately seen in its distant partner.
It’s a phenomenon that has enticed science since the time of Einstein.
It has potential that has Canada excited.
Now, researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, are on the job.
RELIABLE EYE
Radar is problematic for the icebound country sitting uneasily beneath the flight-path of missiles and bombers aimed at each other by Russia, China and the United States.
There’s the picturesque auroras, for one. These highly charged particles play havoc on the radio waves radar relies upon. And they get so much worse every time there is a sunspot or solar flare.
RELATED: What we know about China’s new stealth fighter
“In the Arctic, space weather such as geomagnetic storms and solar flares interfere with radar operation and make the effective identification of objects more challenging,” says University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) expert Jonathan Baugh.
Then there’s the increasing prevalence of stealth technology.
The US has had it for awhile now. China and Russia are beginning to field their own aircraft boasting such radar-evading abilities.
And with the near worldwide marketing of the F-35 strike fighter, such radar resistant warplanes are becoming all the more common.
Canada wants a solution.
“By moving from traditional radar to quantum radar, we hope to not only cut through this noise, but also to identify objects that have been specifically designed to avoid detection,” Baugh says.
EDGE OF DISCOVERY
“This project will allow us to develop the technology to help move quantum radar from the lab to the field. It could change the way we think about national security,” Baugh says.
The potential is enormous.
RELATED: What we know about Russia’s new stealth fighter
Not only can the simple act of a plane bumping into a quantum particle reveal its presence, the way that particle reacts to different substances can expose a whole lot more.
Researchers believe quantum radar could eventually be used to ‘scan’ an aircraft for its exact composition. This could expose which contacts were diversionary drones. It could, potentially, also reveal if an approaching bomber was carrying a nuclear weapon.
It’s exactly the kind of information tactical commanders — and crisis management teams — need.
And where radio waves can be bounced off in inconvenient directions, absorbed by carefully tailored nanomaterials in an aircraft’s skin, or jammed by ‘spoof’ radio waves from equipment or the Sun — such technology is irrelevant when it comes to quantum particles.
SPOOKY ACTION AT A DISTANCE
What scientists need to do is ‘tame’ entangled quantum particles.
Such particles — like the photons that make up light — can be made to have a mysterious connection.
It’s a connection that seems to be instantaneous. It surpasses the speed of light.
What doesn’t exceed the speed of light is the movement of the two particles themselves. The speed with which one half of an entangled pair can be projected away from its sibling follows the same limiting laws of physics we know and understand.
Exactly how these two particles instantly communicate with each other spooked Einstein.
He couldn’t come to grips with the notion.
But, recent experiments have proven this effect is real.
First, a cluster of photons must be split by a nonlinear crystal. These photons then become entangled paris. Each pair must then be separated. One needs to be housed at a sensing station. The other must be projected into the sky.
When the projected photon hits something — such as a stealth fighter — this is immediately reflected by the ‘paired’ photon in the sensing station.
The time taken between transmission and effect reveals the stealth fighter’s distance. The characteristics of the effect can reveal what material it has hit.
And because one half of each pair is already ‘captured’ in the sensing station, it’s very difficult to ‘spoof’ with false signals.
CERTAINLY UNCERTAIN
China claimed in 2016 that it had a working quantum radar prototype, capable of sensing targets out to 100km.
And organisations the world over — including Lockheed Martin — are also working on the idea.
“The goal for our project is to create a robust source of entangled photons that can be generated at the press of a button,” says Baugh.
But there are enormous challenges to overcome to bridge the reality gap between the quantum universe and the world as we know it.
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Tangled quantum particles have a tendency to detach in cluttered environments. So the strength of a signal may diminish significantly over distance and with the effects of weather.
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Tecogen's (TGEN) CEO John Hatsopoulos on Q1 2017 Results - Earnings Call Transcript | Tecogen Inc. (NASDAQ:TGEN)
Q2 2017 Earnings Conference Call
August 14, 2017 10:00 AM ET
Executives
Bonnie Brown – Chief Accounting Officer, Treasurer and Secretary
John Hatsopoulos – Co-Chief Executive Officer
Jeb Armstrong – Director of Capital Markets
Benjamin Locke – Co-Chief Executive Officer
Robert Panora – Chief Operations Officer
Ahmed Ghoniem – Independent Director
Analysts
Michael Zuk – Oppenheimer & Co.
Alex Blanton – Clear Harbor Asset Management
Amit Dayal – Rodman & Renshaw
James Jang – Maxim Group
Roger Liddell – Clear Harbor Asset Management
Operator
Greetings and welcome to the Tecogen Second Quarter 2017 Results Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] All this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. A brief question-and-answer session will follow the formal presentation. [Operator Instructions] As a reminder this conference is being recorded.
I would now like to turn the conference over to Bonnie Brown, Chief Accounting Officer. Thank you. Please go ahead.
Bonnie Brown
Thank you, Brenda. Good afternoon and thank you all for joining our second quarter earnings call. On the call with me today are John Hatsopoulos and Ben Locke our co-CEOs, Robert Panora, our President and Chief Operating Officer and Jeb Armstrong, our Director of Capital Markets.
Before we begin I'd like to read are Safe-Harbor statement. Various remarks that we may make about the company's future expectations, plans and prospects constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We may have forward-looking statements about our future financial performance that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties could cause our results to differ materially from our current expectations. We encourage you to look at the company's filings with the SEC to get a more complete picture of our business including risks and uncertainties just mentioned.
Also during the call will be referring to certain financial measures not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles or GAAP. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures used on this call to the most directly comparable GAAP measures is available in our press release and in the tables accompanying that release. We may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point the future. We specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, if our estimates change and therefore you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent use today.
I'll now turn the call over to John Hatsopoulos, for some opening remarks.
John Hatsopoulos
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for participating in our conference call. I wanted to thank you all for your patience after well over a year of trying to merge with ADGE. We find that we have been able to achieve it and I think that this is going to be very helpful in years to come.
Before I pass it on to my partner, and co-President of the company, Ben Locke, I wanted to introduce Jeb Armstrong, who is new Director of Capital Markets. It's something that we needed badly and now we can finally when we're profitable we can afford to hire. Jeb?
Jeb Armstrong
Thank you, John, it's wonderful to be here. Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to join the team and I look forward to speaking with many you over the next coming days and weeks.
John Hatsopoulos
With that, I’d like Ben to take over. Ben?
Benjamin Locke
Thanks, John. First and foremost, I’d like to welcome our new investors in Tecogen as a result of the ADGE merger. We believe the acquisition of ADGE will contribute meaningful value to Tecogen, as we continue to grow the business. We hope the new investors that are now part of the Tecogen shareholder base, realize the tremendous success, Tecogen is achieving and a promise of future accomplishments going forward.
It's been a very busy quarter for the company, so to make sure we cover everything, slide 4 outlines the topics we'll cover.
I'll start by reviewing the company's performance for the quarter, key financial results, impacts of the ADGE acquisition and key drivers for the business going forward. Bob and Ahmed will then give an overview of our emissions technology. Bonnie will provide more detail on the financials, then I will have some final remarks before we take questions.
But first, I’d like to start off our call by reminding those who may be new to our company, about Tecogen’s core business model shown on slide 5. Heat, power and cooling that is cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable. Our proprietary technology for improving efficiency, emissions and grid resiliency is truly disruptive to the traditional methods of heating, cooling and powering buildings and infrastructure. And now with the acquisition of American DGE, we have added the onsite utility business to Tecogen, making us a completely vertically integrated and clean technology company able offer equipment design, manufacturing, installation, financing and long-term maintenance service. The ADGE fleet will contribute steady, annuity type revenue to supplement Tecogen’s revenues. We'll talk more about the impact of the ADGE acquisition throughout the call.
So, turning to slide 6, we are immediately seeing the financial benefits of the mid-quarter ADGE acquisition, supplementing the strong performance of Tecogen, we have already demonstrated over the past few quarters. Total revenues for the second quarter with the highest ever for the company at almost $7.6 million, compared to a little under $5.7 million in the second quarter of 2016, a 33% growth in top line revenue quarter-over-quarter. The ADGE revenue contribute approximately $750,000 of the revenue when the acquisition became effective on May 18.
Product revenues were approximately $3.1 million for the quarter, consisting of a good mix of cogeneration systems, chillers and engineer accessories that support installations. Service revenues came in at a healthy $3.7 million for the quarter, which is less than the jump we saw in the first quarter from increased installation activity, but an increase over the second quarter of 2016. Gross profit for the quarter increased by 43% from the prior year quarter to $3 million versus $2.1 million in the second quarter of 2016. This resulted in a net loss from operations of $246,000. However, this includes one-time merger related expenses of approximately $100,000.
I will talk a bit more about this number in just a minute. Looking at the balance sheet, our cash balance increased approximate $42,000 to $3.3 million at the end of the first quarter to the end of the second quarter on a pro forma basis for the merger. The total company gross margin for the second quarter was 39.3% as compared to 37% in the second quarter of 2016. The total gross margin consists of Tecogen product and services margin of 37.3%, which is essentially the same as the second quarter of 2016. The new energy production margin compliant from American DGE of 57.3% for the 42 days of consolidation in the Tecogen.
The end result is a net loss of approximately $293,000, but I would like to provide some context to this number in the next slide. As I mentioned, on May 18 American DGE became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tecogen, with its annuity type revenue stream being consolidated and to Tecogen financials as energy production in the revenues and cost of sales categories.
Both companies encouraged merger related costs in the quarter with $100,000 attributable to Tecogen and another $118,000 attributed to American DGE prior to the consolidation on May 18. An important consideration when evaluating the consolidated earnings of Tecogen and American DGE is the effect of non-cash depreciation expense. It has been ADGE’s practice when reciting earnings to show non-GAAP EBITDA since the onsite utility business model is capital intensive and depreciation is a substantial part of the financials. Despite a considerable reduction in depreciation basis that occurred as a result of the acquisition, it is still helpful for investors to see a non GAAP EBITDA at a consolidated company.
As you can see on slide 6, when excluding non-recurring merger expenses in the quarter and the non-cash depreciation and amortization, as well as, our stock compensation, the consolidated company showed an adjusted EBITDA of approximately $64,000 for the quarter, an improvement of approximately $276,000 over the second quarter adjusted EBITDA loss in 2016, when the depreciation and amortization of Tecogen alone was much less.
Well, our goal of course is to have bottom line profitability going forward, we believe showing positive adjusted EBITDA for the quarter is a meaningful accomplishment as we move forward integrating ADGE’s financials and into Tecogen’s.
Turning to slide 8; I’d like to spend some time reviewing some of our achievements for this quarter. As I’ve mentioned in previous call, the technical superiority of our new InVerde e+ provides far better performance in savings than any other CHP system in its class. As we finished installations and commissioning of the new InVerde e+ fleet customers, engineers, ESCOs, private developers and other phase channel, sales channel partners are seeing first-hand the benefits of superior economics of our technology.
Similarly, we are demonstrating the turnkey lite offering, which consists of engineer and mechanical accessories built on skews in our factory, significantly reduced the installation complexity when working with third party installers. This is an additional revenue stream for Tecogen that also ensures that the system operate as designed.
In the second quarter, we also continued to build on an emerging new sales channel of indoor grow facilities. These facilities have tremendous electrical needs because of the lighting, cooling and dehumidification requirements of the plants. Sometimes even the utility can simply not provide enough electrical capacity to the building. Even if they can, electricity is a major expense in running growth facilities.
While, CHP is often initially considered to address these problems, a deeper engineering and economic analysis, shows superior savings using a Tecochill system. The installation of gas engine driven chiller systems is much less complex and less costly than a CHP system. In most cases, the three way speed is used for dehumidification of the facility. Sometimes even the waste exhaust CO2 is used to help the plants grow.
In July alone, we announced orders for three 150 ton chillers for a grow facility in Florida in an additional three 150 ton chillers for a grow facility in Massachusetts. Prior to that, we announced an order for two 350 ton chillers for a different grow facility in Massachusetts. Including orders shipped earlier in the year and in late 2016, this makes 12 chillers in six different growing facilities with the sales value of over $2.3 million. We have more growing facility prospects in the pipeline and expect more announcements as the year goes on.
As we look ahead for the rest of the year, there are several areas that will continue to grow our business. First, we continue to build relationships with new and existing energy service companies that provide comprehensive energy savings programs for customers. Traditionally, these companies provide savings via lighting, solar and other efficiency measures. But increasingly CHP both electrical and chillers are being emphasized because of tremendous savings potential they can provide. As such, new companies are emerging with backlog of CHP projects needing qualification, engineering and installation for energy saving measures.
In addition to the ESCOs we have worked extensively with in the past, we are engaging with the handful of new groups that are well positioned to implement energy savings contracts with customers, using Tecogen engineering, equipment and service. A good example of this is the project we announced in May to provide seven Inverdes to a large residential complex in Manhattan. We partnered with WGL Energy, a subsidiary of Washington Gas to engineer, install and service the system, which WGL will own and sell energy back to the building. We're also working on several projects with another ESCO that offers a unique mechanism for third party cost savings. We hope to have good news on these projects later this year.
Second, we will continue to monitor the progress of additional growing facilities as various states permit their construction. As more facilities adopt our equipment, Tecogen is increasingly becoming specified by engineering companies involved in their construction.
Third, we will continue our efforts to improve the performance of the ADGE fleet to maximize the returns we can get from the acquisition. With the merger completed, maintenance of the ADGE fleet has been incorporated into Tecogen operations, primarily into the Tecogen service group. This integration has gone well and we are pleased that the thermal and electricity production of the ADGE sites, chillers and CHP systems, collectively increased 22% year-over-year in the second quarter.
Upgrades the sites improve their financial performance are ongoing, primarily focusing on achieving greater productions, but also to optimize operating strategy, as such we are confident this trend will continue. At the time of the merger, ADGE had a backlog of four 100 kW systems under construction, which we hope to have operational by year end.
Lastly, we are beginning to identify and implement cost saving measures that are now attainable as a consolidated company. This will be ongoing through the end of the year and we hope to achieve significant reductions in the cost as described in the S-4. Cost savings notwithstanding, we're also continuing to invest in our sales team. We have extended our sales agent network considerably in the first half of the year, allowing us more opportunities for project development via commissions rather than direct hires. We are also exploring advanced sales acceleration tools to help generate new leads and streamline lead qualification and project development. We will continue to invest in the sales team going forward as it is shown in the past 12 to 18 months to be one of the best ways to grow the business.
Turning to our emissions technology, there are three main areas where we will focus attention in order to establish a business model that can be monetized our proprietary technology. I’ll review these briefly and then Bob and Ahmed will provide more detail. First, work continues on a PERC funded fork truck emission retrofit program and we expect to have results at the end of the next quarter to share with you.
Next, we are exploring a third round of vehicle emissions testing later this year for Ultratek. Lastly, we will finalize the air permit and commissioning of the stationary generator Ultera retrofit project this year. Again, I will not Bob and Ahmed describe these activities in more detail.
Turning to our backlog on slide 10. Our backlog at the end of the quarter was $12.7 million and current backlog as of Friday, August 11 stands at $16.1 million, well above our guidance to maintain backlog over $10 million. Of this backlog, approximately $900,000 is attributable to our TTcogen joint venture.
So, with that I'd like to turn it over to Bob for more detail on our emissions technology development. Bob?
Robert Panora
Good morning and thank you, Ben. I was unable to participate in the first quarter earnings call in March due to a travels consulate. As such my discussion today will cover the company's emissions technology progress since the March call. There are three specific programs of interest I will be reviewing today. First, I will discuss the research grant awarded to Tecogen from the Propane Industry for adapting the Ultera technology to propane fueled fork trucks.
Second, I will discuss our progress in bringing online the special generators in southern California that retrofitted with the Ultera emission system, so that our customer could operate these units without annual hourly income limitation.
Lastly, I will discuss progress made by our subsidiary Ultratek in the automotive application of Ultera. Because of some interesting and favorable regulatory developments in Europe that have received considerable press coverage, we have asked Professor Ahmed Ghoniem to provide his perspective as to the likely impact to our Ultratek initiative. Professor Ghoniem is uniquely qualified to do so as he is Ultratek’s technical director and has many years of professional experience in the area of vehicle emissions and the associated regulations.
Let's begin, as announced last October the Propane Education and Research Council, PERC has provided the company with a research grant to demonstrate Ultera's emissions reduction capability in a propane fuel fork trucks. I want to point out that the technology rights for the fork truck application reside with Tecogen and were specifically excluded from our agreement with our automotive focus subsidiary, Ultratek. The project has significant potential for the industry as these vehicles generally operate indoors, where health incidents are magnified. In recent years, the market share for propane trucks has been eroded by battery operated versions to a large extent because of this issue.
The market losses occurred despite significant disadvantages to the battery systems. They're more costly and often unable to complete a full shift because of the energy storage limitations. The program commenced this January in this proof-of-concept phase is scheduled to be completed at the end of this year. From the program onset, the industry interest was strong because of the (execute) importance of managing emissions in the indoor setting. As such, we were able to quickly secure commitment from a major fork truck manufacturer to support the Tecogen engineering team and to supply for a fork truck for our testing.
The truck was received in February and we have completed testing to characterize the baseline emissions profile. The baseline testing confirmed our expectation that is most of the emissions output from the fork truck was during times when the truck was very active, lifting and so forth. During these periods, the emissions controls is significantly compromised, a familiar problem and the one from which the Ultera process was designed to remedy. Our expectation therefore are that that technology can be very impactful to the emissions profile of the fork truck. Our primary asset over the last several months has been the integration of the Ultera system into the truck. For this program, we have worked hard to make this integration well refined.
The system is compact and is being integrated into the truck without being outwardly visible or intrusive. This fabrication task is nearly complete and our testing is scheduled to begin next month. Both our current sponsor and the manufacturing partner are planning business to the lab in that timeframe, so we're looking forward to that.
Now the SoCal retrofit. My second topic – which is my second topic these are generated to Southern California that we talked about previously. In the other earnings report, we discussed this project was concerned the customer only a group of national gas fuel generators that need to be operated frequently. As well as, you see the maximum allowed for emergency generators, the units must meet the standards for continuous power generation. These are the same standards as our cogeneration products where we have been successfully permanent. However, the simple generator receives no heat recovery credit and sending it to emissions level on to the standard.
As such, the emissions levels required to permit these engines are the lowest we are aware of and have not yet achieved by any engine. As reported before, a sample generator was purchased and fitted at Tecogen in 2015, it worked extremely well and the customer proceeded to apply for permits for that test generator and also for their existing onsite units to be retrofitted. We are pleased the generators have received their permits to operate and are in the final stages of retrofitting the last generator. The others completed have been unofficially tested by our field engineering group and show robust compliance.
Third party source testing, the final permitting step should be completed in Q3. I want to reiterate the significance of the successful outcome of the program. Achieving these limits, essentially as same as a fuel cell will enable simple generators to be applied without hesitation to peak shaving into managed funds response programs, which is an important milestone for the Ultera technology.
Now lastly, Ultratek. Ultratek is the partially owned Tecogen subsidiary formed in 2016 whose purpose is to demonstrate the emissions after treatment process on gasoline powered vehicles. This work has been funded primarily by strategic investors in Europe and of course, is related to the heightened awareness of the pollution brought on by the Volkswagen scandal. In every earnings call, I have mentioned that the topic is still being actively reported and remarkably this continues to be the case and we will have more to discuss in a few minutes about this. For the Ultera process, the fit course is for gasoline engines. This category has not been implicated in any improper testing. However, there was a growing awareness that the pollution output measured in controlled laboratory test drive cycles, significantly under represents the true emissions output of vehicles of this type in real world driving.
As such, there is an expectation that the certification process will be altered in some aspect during the shortcoming. The Ultera strengths are well suited to this issue because the system provides robust performance, especially in the extreme edges of operation, that being high acceleration, deceleration, heavy loading and so forth.
Last year we were made aware that our assessment of the shortcomings of the existing certification methods would eventually be modified to include some sort of supplemental on road testing. In fact over the next few years the EU certification will phase-in to include an on road test as a basis for certification. The test protocols specifically applies to the EU 60 emissions regulation, which will implement real driving emissions or RDE in the 2017 through 2020 timeframe. Thus, we are encouraged by this development as it sets a highly positive regulatory environment for our technology without requiring special effort on our product. We are hopeful that RDE protocol will be incorporated into the domestic certification at some point.
Six months ago we successfully completed the second phase of vehicle testing. The Ultera device was fine-tuned and more accurately sized to the test vehicle, providing us with excellent documentation of the system's effectiveness through a wider range of simulated driving conditions. We were also able to showcase its effectiveness with the type of vehicle most problematic to the auto industry. The very small high power density engines with advanced features for fuel economy. At the SAE Light Duty Emissions Control Symposium held the third week of January in Washington, we presented our results to an audience of industry experts, which provided us with valuable feedback regarding our technology and insight into the nuances of these upcoming regulations, both domestic and foreign.
Also involving SAE, we prepared a substantial peer reviewed paper for the SAE World Congress in Detroit in April describing the vehicle test results in detail. The substantial research has provided us with a good foundation to gauge the industry. Accordingly, we have had several productive meetings with potential partners, all with positive feedback and for obvious reasons, however, I can't discuss this in detail at this time. Regarding Ultera intellectual property, we see good news about our base Ultera patent from the EU office. The patent office notified our attorneys that our patent has been accepted with the minor changes we provided in the last the submission. We expect formal notification in due course.
I want to add that we are very pleased to have four patent applications in process involving the vehicle application that will provide if successful stronger IP in this more substantial and competitive industry. Currently, we are considering our next steps for the Ultratek research. Based on feedback from the auto industry, we believe the prototyping needs to be completed to a more advanced level. That is incorporated more or less as it would be in the real vehicle; refined, compact and overseen by the vehicles control system. There were several large research entities that are very capable of this work and plugged into the auto industry as well and we are currently engaged with them to develop a phase 3. The refined prototype will be much more effective, we believe for showcasing the system, more providing a basis for accurate costing.
At this point, as I said earlier I want to introduce Professor Ghoniem, to speak about these very interesting reports regarding the long-term emissions regulations in Europe. Specifically, I'm referring to recent announcements by four European countries, I think, France, Germany, the U.K. and Norway. They are considering a ban applied to vehicles with internal combustion engines in the timeframe of 2030 through 2040. This is one of those stories that might appear first watch to have one interpretation, but a closer look, which I ask Professor Ghoniem to expand upon to reveal something else entirely.
So with that, I will turn the discussion over to Professor Ghoniem.
Ahmed Ghoniem
Thank you, Bob. I will make my remarks brief and focused. As Bob mentioned, we have heard the announcement recently from several countries in Europe and from India as well, about plans to ban gasoline and diesel fuel car starting as early as 2025, 2030 or as late as 2040, replacing them with electric or electrified cars. These are aggressive plans and time will tell, how realistic they are. This is in part because of the need to expand the charging infrastructure and to make charging fast and available everywhere.
You should also qualify the statement, electrified vehicles include hybrid vehicles that gives an internal combustion engine as an important part of its drivetrain. A more likely scenario is that by 2040 a significant fraction of new vehicles will be hybrid or electrified, but not fewer electric. By looking at the background amortization behind these announcements, it’s clear that clean air is the target. These countries suffer from poor air quality in some of their major cities and vehicle emissions are being blamed for part of that. These emissions include all criteria pollutants that is NOx, hydrocarbons, CO and particulates.
The secondary motivation is meeting the goals of the forest agreements on CO2 reduction. But this depends on how their electricity will be generated and wealth we’ll accounting for CO2 emission. First and foremost, these countries are looking for zero or near zero emission vehicles, to replace the diesel and gasoline fee. They know that diesel vehicles have been a major source of pollutions in cities, also gasoline vehicles. Regulators are looking for ways to combat this and are sending strong signals that they are willing to act in order to clean up their air. A more realistic approach to achieve the clean air goal at least in the near term is to implement after treatment technology that significantly reduce emissions for gasoline from gasoline vehicles.
Almost two years ago, and as has been mentioned, Tecogen announced the joint venture with Ultratek to develop as after treatment system for gasoline fueled vehicles. These ban then present successful for natural gas fueled engine with the objective of significant, they are using emissions of regulated air toxic from vehicles. This is the same target that these countries in Europe and India have. Tecogen and Ultratek are making progress in developing the technology and the earlier results are promising.
The clean air regulations in Europe and India, that presents a timely opportunity for the near zero emission after-treatment system under development, making this technology available soon and contributed specifying the same clean air requirements in an economic and timely manner and in a way that does not require aggressive and probably unrealistic plans. Our key is to spend toward clean air regulation, as a great opportunity for the mobile Ultera system.
As Bob mentioned, the population data showing the early tests for the after-treatment system achieves up to 25% to 80% reduction of criteria pollutant even before optimization. And we have made significant developments since then to improve the system and to integrate it better with the engine or vehicle system. We’ve planned to further test some of these new developments soon, in partnership with some major automotive design and development organization. As Bob said, we are focusing on real driving emissions and these are challenge that need robust and flexible solutions.
Robert Panora
Thank you, professor. And I’ll now turn the conversation over to Bonnie Brown, our Chief Accounting Officer.
Bonnie Brown
Thanks, Bob. I’d like to start with a discussion regarding the merger with ADGE and how it has been presented in the financial statements of Tecogen. Since ADGE became a wholly-owned subsidiary as of May 18, ADGE’s operations are included and consolidated with Tecogen’s operations as of that date. Said differently, revenues and cost of sales for our new energy production revenue stream includes the operations of ADGE only after May 18, potentially six weeks and not its full quarter. In addition, the purchase accounting has not been finalized and balance sheet values are presented as provisional pending completion of the necessary valuations and analyses.
Moving on to the quarter. Slide 13 contains some of the highlights of the year-on-year financial results for the second quarter. First, total revenues increased by 33.5% compared to the same period last year. Product revenues along grew 29% compared to the same period last year with a 45% increase in sales of cogeneration modules and 12% increase in chillers and heat pumps.
Total service revenue grew 13% compared to the same period last year and continued its steady growth, delivering well over half of our product and service revenue for the quarter. The company posted a 7% increase in service contract in parts revenue on a year-over-year basis. This increase was 18 consecutive quarter of year-over-year quarterly contract service revenue growth. For year-over-year comparisons adjusted to the seasonality of Tecogen service revenue. These long-term contracted maintenance and service agreements, account for a substantial piece of company’s total revenue, providing an annuity like revenue stream.
We also have our energy production revenue streams from our merger with ADGE, which added 774,000 to our total revenues. Again, this only represents the portion of ADGE’s revenues that were earned over the six week period after the merger date. This revenue stream has another source of annuity like revenue along with its long-term contracts.
With product gross margin of 37% for Q2 of 2017 compared to 27% for Q2 of 2016, cost of sales of products continue to benefit from the improvements implemented in e+ line of the InVerde. New product has cost effective manufacturing processes and will continue to reduce with continued volume and growth. Service margin declined to 38% compared to 45% for the same period last year. Cost of certain installation projects were higher than originally anticipated bringing the service margin down as a whole. Combined products and service gross margin of 37.3% can be used as a comparable to Tecogen, historical pre-merger business of 37% year-over-year.
Energy production activities from the ADGE fleet provided 57% margin, bringing our consolidated gross margin to 39.5% for the quarter and consolidated gross profit to $3 million compared to $2.1 million for the same quarter last year. Gross margin improvement in expense reduction programs continue as management focuses on maintaining a strong margins in the future.
Net loss per share basic and diluted was $0.01 for the second quarter of 2017 versus $0.02 reported in the same period of the prior year. We have achieved positive non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA for the quarter as Ben discussed earlier of approximately $64,000 as compared to a negative $212,000 for the same period in 2016, an improvement of $276,000.
The other comprehensive loss of $224,000 represents unrealized loss due to the market valuation - fluctuation of the shares of EuroSite Power Inc. owned by ADGE. This loss represents the fluctuation market price from quarter-to-quarter within unrealized gain or loss recorded as other comprehensive income or loss at the end of the period in accordance with GAAP’s mark-to-market rules.
Turning to slide 14. Let's review the graphic charts that track on metrics. Starting with the chart in the upper left hand corner, total revenue for the trailing four quarter period is at $28.2 million including the energy production revenue and $27.4 million, without energy production. Energy revenue is the small gray right most line in the chart, we’ve circled it in red. Because energy revenue only represents earnings of a six week period, in this chart, represents annual revenues as a trailing four quarters metric the revenue peers insignificant. This is the introduction of ADGE’s revenue contribution, which will continue to grow with time. We expect steady growth in all revenue segments to continue.
The chart in the upper right corner, illustrates the growth of our gross margin. As you can see on a trailing four quarter basis, management delivered a gross margin 40% at the top of management’s targeted range. We expect cost controls and sales initiatives to continue to deliver these margins. In the lower right corner is the chart of operational expenses. Management’s efforts to lower operating expenses continues and remains the focus come forward. This past quarter, we carry additional one-time or non-recurring legal and other professional fee cost related to the merger with ADGE of approximately $100,000, as well as, additional cost associated with ADGE’s operations, which are now consolidated with Tecogen. As a percentage revenue, operating expenses were 42.6% for Q2 2017 compared to 43.8% for Q2 of 2016, a 2.7% improvement year-over-year.
Finally in the lower left corner is our weekly backlog chart. Currently at $16.1 million as of Friday, August 11. This backlog is well ahead of management’s goal to exceed $10 million in product and turnkey service revenue. Additionally, ADGE’s estimated undiscounted future energy production revenues, which were not included in our backlog figures, exceed $50 million, stretching out over the next 15 years. Likewise, backlog does not include service contracts revenues or sales of the TEDOM projects – products by the TTcogen team. The targets of the company remain same. Management works to meet these goals and deliver these gross margins backlog targets that we have continued to maintain to this period.
Now I’ll turn the call back to Ben to conclude our discussion.
John Hatsopoulos
Bonnie, you want to mention something about that cash available in the company?
Bonnie Brown
Yeah, it’s in the press release.
John Hatsopoulos
Yeah, but maybe you should --
Bonnie Brown
Sure. Sure, our cash grew as, Ben, mentioned, I believe our cash grew by $42,000, so we have a positive increase from March. The number in March of to, I think, it was $42,000, up $3.2 million to the $3.3 million that it is on June 30.
Benjamin Locke
The first time it’s gone up and not down.
Bonnie Brown
Yes.
Benjamin Locke
It’s good.
Bonnie Brown
It’s a good thing.
Benjamin Locke
Thanks very much Bonnie. So, as I mentioned earlier in the call, this second quarter was really a transformational quarter for Tecogen in many ways. First and foremost, obviously, completing the American DGE acquisition took many months of effort. But now that it’s completed we immediately start to see the benefits of the transaction. The ADGE fleet is producing steady annuity type revenues to the company. And due to the efforts of Bob and his engineering team over the past year, the fleet has demonstrated better margins and profitability. We expect additional efforts by Bob’s team to lift even more revenues and profits from the fleet with minimal capital outlay. We are looking forward to seeing a complete quarter of revenue contribution from ADGE in the coming months, so that the full impact of the margin contributions and expense controls can be more fully seen.
Next, we’ll continue to grow our revenues and margins through our core business of product sales and service. Our CHP systems are becoming increasingly knowledge and specified as the best ethical choice for CHP in our size range. Our chillers are becoming the standard of design for indoor growing facilities. Our relationships with key partners continue to grow and expand and environmental pressures and grid resiliency concerns still continue to support the trend towards Tecogen products.
We have demonstrated tremendous financial growth over the past few quarters. After three straight quarters of profitability, the second quarter of 2017 was also a financial success when taking into account the one-time merger related expenses, the ADGE fleet depreciation and other non-cash expenses. As a result, our cash balance is beginning to grow and we expect further success in the rest of the year. It is truly an exciting time for Tecogen and we hope that our new and existing investors will realize the full potential of our technology and success going forward.
With that, I'd like to turn it over to the operator for questions.
Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
[Operator Instructions] Our first question comes from the line of Amit Dayal with Rodman & Renshaw. Please go ahead with your questions.
Amit Dayal
Thank you. Good morning everyone.
Benjamin Locke
Good morning.
Amit Dayal
Closing ADGE first of all, I have a few questions in that. Maybe I can start with those. What is the plan to integrate ADGE and Tecogen’s offerings from a marketing and sales perspective?
Benjamin Locke
So, we have been implementing that, speaking of marketing and sales, obviously American DGE has a brand. You know that the American DGE brand is out there. So, we're continuing that, that's why we're maintaining American DGE as a wholly-owned subsidiary. So, we can maintain continuity with the marketing of it, with the website, for example, with our existing customers et cetera. From the sales standpoint, they had a CRM, a sales tool, that we took over and are integrating that and do Tecogen’s sales, Tecogen’s own CRM. ADGE did not have any sales folks at the time of the merger, so there was no integration on that side of thing. But I think we've gone pretty far into getting all the sales and marketing of American DGE integrated to Tecogen.
Amit Dayal
Do you see any cross-selling opportunities in the near term or is this something that might happen longer-term?
Benjamin Locke
And what type of opportunities, Amit?
Amit Dayal
Cross-selling opportunities between Tecogen portfolio and ADGE’s offerings?
Benjamin Locke
Sure, sure. So, American DGE, has its fleet, of course we're maintaining. And various parts of that fleet are in various stages of the OSU of the long-term agreement. Some of those agreements are coming up to expiration or in some cases it might have already expired. The work that Bob and his team has put into really rejuvenating these assets and making them run well, puts us in a great position to get them to read up the OSU for another term. So, that extends the backlog of ADGE; number one. Number two, just kind of getting much more familiar with the fleet owners, the owners of buildings et cetera, it's starting to reveal that they have other buildings that could possibly be prospects for systems whether it’d be another OSU or perhaps it could be a just a direct install. Having the ability to give the customer both options now, is tremendously beneficial. So, yeah there's a lot of opportunity that we’re starting to open up just interacting more with the existing fleet and the project owners.
Amit Dayal
Understood. You mentioned you have 400 kilowatts systems in backlog for ADGE could you clarify how that translates into dollar terms?
Benjamin Locke
I don’t think we have at our fingertips what the estimated full 15 year OSU contract value is.
Robert Panora
Right. Yeah, I don't have it on my fingertips, but obviously those units will run many hours in the year and every hour, they run they’ll generate, revenues to the company. But I would think it would be, I don't want to put a guess, I'm sorry, but they’ll be significant.
Amit Dayal
Okay. Just maybe another way to ask it is, does this backlog number include any from ADGE or not?
Robert Panora
Yeah, that, backlog, no, it does not. Does not.
Amit Dayal
Okay. Correct. In regards to the California A permit, testing that’s coming up, what happens once this is approved et cetera from a marketing and sales perspective what are you planning to kind of how you’re planning to leverage this going forward?
Robert Panora
Right. We have – of course, we’ve got that under our belt, we can show it to other ESCOs other owners of equipment and begin to market it as a tool. We can also go to the manufacturer of the generators and speak to them about these real results that could transform their products into a different role, not just an emergency generator, but a generator that can save by running a few hours a month as a demand convenient tool, but that's a whole initiative that we will have to get started.
Amit Dayal
Just maybe one last one from me. Service margins were down here due to some one-time expenses you guys talked about. Do you expect those margins to bounce back going forward?
Benjamin Locke
Yeah, sure, yeah. I can take that on, yeah, so those margins are our service, our maintenance as well as, our installations. You know we I think as you know we sell our units and sometimes we sell our units and do the full turnkey installation. Obviously, a much higher revenue number. Doing a full turnkey installation, if we sold the unit alone, but it’s an installation, which requires you know mechanical, electrical, plumbing, its construction, its construction and margins in the construction can be up and down, depending on the job. In this past quarter, we had a few jobs at the margins, just weren’t as healthy as we would like them to be, that could be a number of factors. They can be just again construction came in a little more expensive. It could be and I know in the case of a few projects here us being competitive in the marketplace. You know if there's other proposals and it comes down to a cost competition, sometimes we have to take a little bit of a haircut and we do so with full knowledge of the consequences.
So, we had a few projects that we made a little bit of concession on price on, but much longer – long-term gain from that because I think as you know when we do a construction project, even if the construction margins aren’t that great. We get our full margin on the unit that we sold with it, but more importantly we’re lining up 5 years, 10 years of good solid margin service revenues going forward. So, I think that's the reason you saw that drop a little bit, as we just had a few projects that weren't the margins and the installations weren’t as strong as others.
Amit Dayal
Thank you, so much guys. That’s all I have.
Benjamin Locke
Sure, Amit, nice talking with you.
Operator
Thank you. Our next question comes from the line of James Jang with Maxim Group. Please go ahead with your question.
James Jang
Good morning guys. So, I know Bob, mentioned this for the Ultera technology. So, proof-of-concept should be at the end of 2017. Have you guys had anymore increase from other fork truck manufacturers? Or are you still just working with the one?
Benjamin Locke
We contacted two, at the outside, as the firm it was initially funded and we got interest from both. And we have given budget to work with for the program. So, we selected the one that we thought, would have the most interest and to deliver truck fast and so forth. But I believe we could have gotten either one of three if we wanted, of all.
James Jang
Okay. And with your conversation with them, are they looking for something exclusive or are they just happy with getting the technology retrofitted on their trucks?
Benjamin Locke
We have not - I have not had the discussion with them directly. I would suspect they would want some sort of advantage in the marketplace. But we have not made any agreement one way or the other.
James Jang
Okay. Last question about that is, what about, I guess, bringing that in-house, I guess. If you guys were able to, I don’t know, if it's feasible, but if you're able to create fork truck engines, just sellout in the market. Is that that something – is that an option on the table? Or are you just looking the licensing the tech out?
Benjamin Locke
Yeah, we haven't decided one way or another, but I'll tell you this, the fork truck manufacturers, they buy their engines from a few suppliers, okay. So, these third party companies supply the engines. One likely scenario I would think would be, once the manufacturer of the fork trucks, says I want this engine in my vehicle. Then we would work with the engine manufacturer to get the engine certified with that device added to it, that's the likely scenario.
James Jang
Okay. And one last one. So Bob, I know you worked on this for a long time, so maybe you can answer this. Can you scale this up to larger engines. I know fork trucks are a little smaller, but let's say, ship engines, they’ve gone on LNG, with this –
Robert Panora
Yeah, of course the engine size will scale it up, but the real issue with the larger engines, when it gets very, very large, I'm not sure about shifts to be honest with you.
James Jang
I just wanted to dig if?
Robert Panora
Yeah, that’s it. No, the engines that we run into that are large, that technology uses a lean burn technology where they add a lot of extra air to the combustion process to keep the NOx down. It doesn't do as well as we do, but it does well enough with some ammonia injection in the exhaust to beat the emissions. That's not practical under a megawatt really, but so we can go up easily to the megawatt size, the stationeries, but the really, really engines, I don't think we're a good fit because of that. But I don't know about ship engines to be honest with you.
James Jang
All right. Well, great.
Ahmed Ghoniem
Bob, well, I can say a couple of words about that. The regulation, the American regulations are getting tighter and tighter and it's not unlikely that there will be a move towards spark ignition, so kinetic engine, for some of these application. So, if that does happen, then the technology will be compatible with next generation ship engines as well.
James Jang
Okay, great. Yeah, because I know IMO they have the regulation in the 2020 and there's a lot of options on the table and nobody's actually, I guess, kneel down the tech they can use, so.
Ahmed Ghoniem
Yeah and they are getting stiffer and stiffer and it’s likely that they will get even more so and it's sort of their historical presidential diesel engine for compression ignition engines to be implemented in them, may not survive and whether circle the switch towards gasoline starting off like engine. It's not unlikely that that could have presented itself as an opportunity for these manufacturers as well.
James Jang
Okay. Good. I just had one thing, I don’t know, if you guys had any discussions with I guess, the European environmental agency, but I know they're trying to do away, I know France is trying to do away diesel engines. Have you heard anything in regards to that?
Benjamin Locke
That's what, Ahmed was speaking about I think about all engines now being under consideration. Ahmed, do you want to add something to that point.
Ahmed Ghoniem
Yeah, sure. So, actually the direct answer to you is we have had discussions where the initial auto manufacturer in Europe. We haven't yet had discussions with the regulators, but we have had discussions with an auto manufacturer and there is obviously interest, although and again the auto industry is compatible with this and thanks to the careful steps before adopting any technology. So, with regard to the diesel, I'm sure you've heard about announcements and near term ban on diesel cars, getting into downtown Paris and London, among a few other cities. So, in the near term, seems like big cities are going to take a kind of local initiatives to ban – either ban completely or impose very strong levy on diesel cars being driven. In fact, we had a discussion whether a senior executive in one of those companies who said that he cannot drive his car downtown Paris because he has a brand new diesel, while his wife’s old gasoline can be driven anywhere and he wasn't too happy about that.
But the upshot of it is diesel is clearly facing huge uphill battle in Europe and that will continue in the near term. In the longer term, the announcement that came out from Europe, in particular France and the U.K. about banning both gasoline and diesel cars by 2040 was clearly motivated by concerns of air quality. I just have to be in one of these cities in the summer to know what people breathe. So, they are concerned, first and foremost, about air quality, about emissions coming from vehicle. We think that this, due to the incredible opportunities for technologies that can reduce their emission by significant amount, similar to technology we’re developing because that will make existing vehicles technologies of internal combustion engines last a lot longer than people have anticipated for them.
James Jang
Yeah, so let’s say, I know 2040 is probably not going to be the hard take, but let's say 2040 is the date. If that's the case, how long do you think it'll take before automobile manufacturers will start to look at the Ultratek technology in earnest?
Benjamin Locke
I'm sorry, can you repeat that. I’m sorry, Ahmed, you start.
Ahmed Ghoniem
So, I think I got the question, I was - made in all of our techniques, let’s take a crack at it. I mean, typically, auto manufacturers look at next generation three years to five years from now. So, implementation of new technology doesn't happen in next year's model, it happens in models that are being planned for somewhere between three years to five years because they need to design the systems and implement them and get the assembly lines ready and strong before they can produce new technologies. So, if they are now under the gun, so to speak, so if you look at extremely low emissions technology by 2040 I can see them getting very anxious and getting ready to start covering the landscape for technologies that will allow them to do that.
Benjamin Locke
James, I would like to answer you more, but I know that there's a queue of callers, I think that is the part we should too. We can take your questions offline. Okay. Thanks.
John Hatsopoulos
Ben, excuse me, I have a flight to catch. This is John Hatsopoulos. Thank you everybody. Everybody else is going to stay here for a few more minutes, but, I apologize that I have to leave. Thank you.
Benjamin Locke
So, operator we can take the next caller, if you got one in the queue.
Operator
[Operator Instructions] Our next question comes from the line of Michael Zuk with Oppenheimer. Please go ahead with your question.
Michael Zuk
Ben and Bob good morning. Congratulations on a real turnaround quarter going forward, a couple of questions. Are we considering a dedicated sales force for the indoor farming, vertical farming marketplace? And then a follow-up, what's going on with Helios?
Benjamin Locke
Sure. I’ll take the first question, we kind of have. We have - and just so you know the sales to use indoor grow facilities are very technical engineering sales, which I like because you're dealing with professionals that understand the equipment, understand HVAC systems, refrigerants economics and all that kind of thing. So, we have in fact, an engineering team that we've kind of focused not all the time, but a lion share of their time working with these engineering companies that design the growth facilities. Indeed as I mentioned before, it’s getting their mindset off of CHP. CHP makes sense in some cases, but the chillers require a little bit more thought on these individuals part. But I think if they're understanding it and once they start to specific it, once you become the basis of specification. Then it just carries you through it, it’s not really selling anymore because you become the basis of specifications. So, we are indeed focusing people on that, but it’s not so much the traditional sales people as it is our engineers are working with the engineering companies to do the specifications.
With regard Ilios we're still of course, moving on in earnest with that. There are geographies that make more sense than others. Finding the right sales approach for that is a little tricky, hiring a direct sales person in some remote geography has a risk reward to it. Whereas hiring sales agents, I've talked about sales agents before and reps for that matter make a little more sense. So, we are continuing to grow our network of agents and reps that carry the Ilios line. You can't beat up on these guys as much as you can if there were a direct hire, but that's kind of the trade-off. So Ilios is spending a lot of attention to it.
Michael Zuk
And then one follow-up question, we have a line entry, called unfavorable contract liability. Is that a liability that will be amortized over a period of years or is it a stable amount?
Bonnie Brown
It will be amortized over a period of years.
Michael Zuk
So, eventually, then it will fall to zero and that will be a positive impact on the balance sheet?
Bonnie Brown
That's right.
Michael Zuk
Well, that’s good to know. Any estimate is that like a 5 year, 10 year or is it tied to contract life with ADGE?
Bonnie Brown
It’s tied to contracts of ADGE, so it will be tied to the life of each contract.
Michael Zuk
But nevertheless a positive development going forward.
Bonnie Brown
Yes definitely.
Michael Zuk
Again congratulations on a great quarter and we look forward to continued progress.
Bonnie Brown
Thank you.
Operator
Our next question from the line of Alex Blanton from Clear Harbor. Please go ahead you’re your question.
Alex Blanton
Thank you, this is Alex.
Benjamin Locke
Hi, Alex, how are you doing?
Alex Blanton
Hi, how are you? Is that Jeb?
Benjamin Locke
Good, good. No this is Ben. But we’re all here. Jeb is still here although, yeah.
Alex Blanton
All right. The cover of your slide presentation for several quarters including this quarter is I believe the Westin Hotel in New Jersey, looking toward Manhattan and it shows the roof of the hotel with three inverting installations, correct?
Benjamin Locke
Yeah, that's right, it’s a lovely view up there, I've been up there myself, you get a nice view over the Manhattan skyline.
Alex Blanton
So, that brings up the question of what the market is for these hotel chains. If there was a hotel in New Jersey, can justify this insulation and get a payback on it. Why not all the other Westin Hotels? And what is being done about pursuing the hotel chain market in general?
Benjamin Locke
Sure, yeah. You're exactly right, Alex, I mean, I’ve spent all my day thinking about these things. Hotel ownership groups instead of just doing the one, of course, you want to do a fleet now that partnership hotel is owned by a hotel ownership group, I'm not going to mention his name. But we are indeed talking with them about multiple other facilities and this ownership group doesn't just have hotels, they have residential buildings. So, that's exactly what I'm doing here, is not just focusing on the onesie-twosie, but getting behind the actual ownership and going through their portfolio. So, we've got several groups - hotel groups, property management companies, et cetera that we go systematically through there. Well, of course, we’re so successful with the first couple. But then you systematically go through their profile and find the building that make more sense. Now not everyone makes sense, it could be you know installation, you might have to cord you up 40 floors, which make the ROI go to 12 years, okay, well maybe that one's not good.
But you're exactly right, you end up with the opportunity to go through their whole portfolio and find the subset and you basically categorize them by ROI. You find the ones that have really good quick ROIs and of course they pay very fast attention to those. And then you start going through the list and they prioritize their own CapEx in the years going forward to do more of these projects. So, yes, we are doing just that with not just hotels and the REITs, but also the property management companies.
Alex Blanton
You're saying the height of the building makes a difference?
Benjamin Locke
Well, again, I don’t want to spend too much time out, but picture that unit – that building you saw on the cover of our presentation. Those units are on the top floor. If the electrical switch gear is in the basement and the boilers are in the basement, that’s a whole lot of copper that's got to be run too connected to. I mean, again, you have to – the things that all have to be interconnected here are gas, you know so, if gas is coming in on the street and it’s got to go up to the top of the building that's going to be make sense. So, all of those things adding, and I know I'm getting very specific on the things, but basically it comes down to ROI. Some buildings have really good ROIs for CHP because of economics, installation. They all come together nicely. Others, not so much because maybe their rates are a little bit different, maybe the construction is a little bit different and so on.
Alex Blanton
So, there is a realistic possibility that with the whole country, you could get orders for multiple installations. All at once in some kind of a capital improvement program that they might begin, renovating a whole bunch of their hotels all at once. Is that possible?
Benjamin Locke
Sure. And I think what them what you end up happening is and this is sometimes the hindrance, but you have to deal with it, a CHP installation becomes a part of a much larger renovation in the building. It's kind of while you're in there mentality, right. While you’re putting in CHP, hey you may as well replace my entire boiler system, with this CapEx project. So, we become a go in a much larger construction wheel that goes on with these things. But similarly, you're exactly right, if they have a portfolio of 5 or 10 buildings that they assign a capital budget for. Then we can knock them down sequentially. That's great. I love it when that happens you know, when one sales call results in five orders. But it doesn't always happen that way, but of course, that's something that we look towards all the time.
Operator
Thank you. We reached the end of our question-and-answer session. I’d like to turn the floor back for closing comments.
Benjamin Locke
Sure. Operator I see one more question in the queue, if you don't mind, I'd like to take just that one last question.
Operator
Certainly. Our next question comes from the line of Roger Liddell with Clear Harbor.
Roger Liddell
Hi, Roger, I didn’t wanted to leave you out.
Roger Liddell
Well, thank you. I’ll make that brief. I took note of the Washington Gas Light, WGL Energy contract you referred to it earlier in the presentation. There must have been considerable investment in bringing that relationship to fruition. Is there anything you are at liberty to say in terms of the ability to leverage the WGL opportunity?
Benjamin Locke
Sure. You’re right to recognize that. It is a very valuable relationship. It did take a long time to develop and we're very happy to get this project announced in May. They're a great group. Very financially sophisticated, they were able to put together for this particular project, the financial package that no other, I think there was competition for this particular site. It just going in there Washington Gas or many other vendors in there and we were far and away obviously the best equipment. But I've seen the best finances as well of package being offered by Washington Gas to get in there. They are again, a great organization. They’re looking to do more projects. I want to do more projects. We're hoping that we can get more projects in the future with them.
Roger Liddell
Right. Thank you. And the last question is, I also took particular note of the recent announcement about the Boston office building and the opportunity you've opened up there. What changed, what made it happen that there was a win in Boston? I don't recall one in a number of years? So, I take it this is a big deal potentially and could you elaborate on that?
Benjamin Locke
Sure. And again, good observation because I've mentioned this to you before and maybe our audience doesn't know, but Boston is very restrictive – is restrictive, totally restricted to CHP because of the type of electrical network they have on their doesn't permit distributed generation in general, not just CHP, but you can't even get a fair amount of solar panels on a building in Boston because the electrical network at they’re in. And we've tried to have that discussion with Boston and solar guys and it’s not gotten too far. So, it's kind of a no fly zone, if you will, for CHP. But it isn't a no fly zone for chillers. The order that you saw was for some chillers and that's our way to still - to be able to penetrate the Boston market. Not with CHP, with chillers but, of course, that accomplishes the same thing. You’re increasing their electrical saving and decreasing their electoral demand. In some cases you can get the hot water as well. So, it's a nice way to be able to get into these cities like Boston, I think San Francisco, Bob, is another one, right?
Robert Panora
Right.
Benjamin Locke
That have these spot network, these spot electrical network, that do not allow CHP, but we can skirt that by putting in the chillers.
Roger Liddell
Great. Thank you.
Benjamin Locke
Sure. Thank you, Roger. Okay, operator, I think we’re all set.
Operator
Okay. Are there any closing comments you'd like to make?
Benjamin Locke
No except, again thank you all for joining the call, particularly, investors in American DGE that might have heard our presentation for the first time and we're looking forward to the third quarter, when we’ll have a full quarter of American DGE financials integrated at the look at. So, thank you all for joining us.
Operator
Okay. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today’s teleconference. You may disconnect your lines at this time and thank you for your participation.
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THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HERE IS A TEXTUAL REPRESENTATION OF THE APPLICABLE COMPANY'S CONFERENCE CALL, CONFERENCE PRESENTATION OR OTHER AUDIO PRESENTATION, AND WHILE EFFORTS ARE MADE TO PROVIDE AN ACCURATE TRANSCRIPTION, THERE MAY BE MATERIAL ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR INACCURACIES IN THE REPORTING OF THE SUBSTANCE OF THE AUDIO PRESENTATIONS. IN NO WAY DOES SEEKING ALPHA ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY INVESTMENT OR OTHER DECISIONS MADE BASED UPON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THIS WEB SITE OR IN ANY TRANSCRIPT. USERS ARE ADVISED TO REVIEW THE APPLICABLE COMPANY'S AUDIO PRESENTATION ITSELF AND THE APPLICABLE COMPANY'S SEC FILINGS BEFORE MAKING ANY INVESTMENT OR OTHER DECISIONS. |
Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia Break Down This Is Us' Big Fight and Surprise Ending | So the Pearsons aren't as perfect as you thought. This Is Us showed Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) in their first big fight in the Tuesday, Feb. 14 episode titled "Jack Pearson's Son." What happened? Rebecca never disclosed the fact that she was in a band with her former boyfriend. The band that she was going to on a five-state tour with, leaving Jack and her kids behind. Jack was supportive, at first, until he found out the ex-boyfriend factor.
The fight, on Valentine's Day of all days, brought up some feelings that have been festering. See the big moment below. |
Grenfell Tower survivors hotel bill nears £21million | At least £21million has been spent on hotel bills for survivors of the Grenfell Tower inferno.
More than 200 households were put up in 53 hotels across London in the aftermath of the disaster. Kensington and Chelsea council said it hoped survivors would be out of the emergency accommodation by Christmas.
But 24 households are still in hotel rooms nine months after the blaze that claimed 72 lives.
The council paid £20.9million for hotel bills between June last year and mid-February, according to figures released last night. The total is understood to have now passed the £21million mark.
At least £21million has been spent on hotel bills for survivors of the Grenfell Tower inferno. More than 200 households were put up in 53 hotels across London in the aftermath of the disaster
A further £8million was spent financially supporting families and individuals who lost everything they owned.
It is understood the Government will meet approximately half the cost of the hotel bills and financial support.
Emma Dent Coad, who is the local Labour MP, said: ‘Taxpayers will be shocked to hear that our wasteful and incompetent council has already spent nearly £30million keeping survivors and bereaved families in hotels.
‘I spend a great deal of time visiting displaced families in hotels and without exception they want permanent homes which suit their needs, but are not being offered anything suitable.
‘I cannot understand why the Government hasn’t sent in commissioners to take over the rehousing process.’
Of the 209 households that required new properties, 185 have accepted an offer of a temporary or permanent home and 126 have already moved in.
Deputy council leader Kim Taylor Smith said 307 homes had been secured at a cost of £235million and efforts were being made to accelerate the process.
The Tory-run authority has committed its entire cash reserve of £250million to coping with the tragedy. Council leader Elizabeth Campbell admitted the speed of rehousing had been ‘painfully slow’. |
Name those behind ghost workers syndrome, UCL tells FG | By Precious Nicholas
UNITED Labour Congress of Nigeria, ULC, yesterday in Lagos, asked the Federal Government to name those behind the ghost workers said to have been uncovered by President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress, APC, government.
Reacting to President Buhari Democracy Day speech, ULC in a statement through its President, Mr. Joe Ajaero, berated the government over alleged insensitivity to the plight of Nigerian workers, expressing shock that the President did not deem it necessary to mention the issue of national minimum wage that workers had been clamouring for.
According to ULC, “the President’s address on Democracy Day fed us with the discovery of thousands of ghost workers and the billions of Naira saved in the process.
“While this is good if it is not the usual propaganda, we believe government should go beyond that and show us the faces of the people behind the ghost workers syndrome.
“If there are ghost workers, there will be those benefiting from it, there will be accounts receiving such funds. There will be Bank Verification Number, BVN, associated with such accounts and, ultimately, there will be names linked with such BVNs.
“We believe that for the anti-corruption battle to have any meaning, this government must identify such individuals and prosecute them in the courts of law.” |
Armenia defense minister and OSCE official discuss situation on line of contact | YEREVAN.- The Minister of Defense of Armenia, Davit Tonoyan on Wednesday met with Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairman-in-Office.
During the meeting the sides discussed the situation on the line of contact between the Artsakh-Azerbaijani forces and the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border. In particular, the Minister of Defense informed the ambassador about the operative situation in Nakhichevan and recent developments, touching upon their possible consequences.
In his turn, Ambassador informed Davit Tonoyan about the ongoing agenda issues in the negotiation process. |
Suspended mayor to retain $60,000 salary | Lisa Scaffidi will still pocket a $60,000 a year salary despite being suspended from office |
REVIEW: Portsmouth Choral Union at St Mary’s Church, Fratton | It is testament to the professionalism of both Portsmouth Choral Union and conductor David Gostick, pictured below, that, only three weeks after their last major performance, they were able to present a wide-ranging and well prepared Christmas Concert.
In addition to the expected Christmas music, PCU were able to showcase two movements from their world premiere recording of Wesley’s Confitebor Tibi, now available from the choir website.
These, along with a selection of unaccompanied carols, were sung with vitality and clarity of vocal line.
In the congregational carols they were accompanied by Hampshire County Youth Orchestra.
The orchestra, under the clear direction of conductor Carl Clausen, gave confident, convincing performances of Smetana’s Vltava, Prokofiev’s Montagues and Capulets and the Evening Prayer from Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel – in which the clear-voiced soloists were Isobel Pott and Anna van den Bos.
The concert concluded with choir and orchestra joining together in a rousing performance of Chilcott’s ingenious and witty arrangement of The Twelve Days of Christmas.
This concert was enthusiastically received by a near capacity audience.
PCU’s next performances will be Jenkins: The Armed Man, at Basingstoke in March 2018, and in Portsmouth, Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony, in June 2018. |
Inaugural planners: Several states represented in parade | 1:24 Gun dealer describes confusion, complexity in California's new gun laws Pause
0:41 Cal Poly Rose Parade float heads to Pasadena under the cover of darkness
0:32 Storm scenes from Pismo Beach
0:44 How an officer can tell whether a driver is stoned
0:07 Timelapse video: Watch Cal Poly students decorate their 2017 Rose Parade float
1:40 A look back at SLO startup Shopatron, as Kibo announces local layoffs
1:03 Gun shop owner defends security barriers
0:46 Nephew shares memories of David Fear, who died in Grover Beach dog attack
1:07 The holidays are at home with the Fortinis |
Harris scores 24 to lead Clippers over Bulls | LOS ANGELES — Tobias Harris scored 24 points in his Clippers debut, leading Los Angeles to a 113-103 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
Danilo Gallinari also had 24 points, Lou Williams added 21 points and six assists, and Montrezl Harrell scored 14 to help the Clippers win for the third time in four games.
Zach LaVine lhad 21 points and nine rebounds to led six Bulls players scoring in double figures in their sixth straight loss.
Chicago missed its first seven field goals of the game and finished shooting 36.1 per cent.
Harris, Avery Bradley and Boban Marjanovic came to the Clippers on Monday in the trade that sent Blake Griffin to Detroit.
Center DeAndre Jordan, also rumoured to be in trade conversations, led the Clippers with 16 rebounds but scored only three points on 1-for-6 shooting.
The Bulls never led, but remained within striking distance throughout most of the game. The Clippers outscored Chicago in the paint, 52-36.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Coach Fred Hoiberg said newly acquired Omer Asik, Jameer Nelson and Tony Allen did not suit up because they had yet to take their physicals. ... Sent an assistant trainer to Chicago to check on the progress of G Kris Dunn (concussion). Said Hoiberg: "He's still on the concussion protocol. As he continues to feel better, hopefully he can cross off the steps to get out of it. Then he'll need a couple of practices before he's cleared." ... F Lauri Markkanen remained home for the birth of his first child but Hoiberg said he may rejoin the team for their next game in Sacramento.
Clippers: C Doc Rivers said G Austin Rivers (right ankle) should return when the team starts to play seven consecutive road games on Feb. 9. He's missed 17 games with what was originally called a strained Achilles.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At Sacramento on Monday night to close a three-game trip. Chicao lost to the Kings by one in the home opener that saw the lead traded 22 times.
Clippers: Host Dallas on Monday night.
___
More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/tags/NBAbasketball |
Pictures of the week: Stunning images from the world of boating and yachting | Autumn cruising along the waterways, racing action in the Les Voiles De St Tropez and a new superyacht concept from Benetti. See our pictures of the week
The ultimate submarine for James Bond fans, Lady Lara on her travels and HUGO BOSS in Cannes. See the pictures which made it into YBW.com’s pictures of the week!
1 /6 05/10/17: Les Voiles De St Tropez 2017 wallyyachts_official: Day 2 of the #wallyclass racing in the #lesvoilesdesaintropez2017: winner of race 1 is brand new #wallycento Tango! @gillesmartinraget
#wallyyachts #yachts #superyachts #superyachtlifestyle #performance #performanceyacht #design #sailingyacht #carbonfiber #sailing #sailyacht #technology #innovation #racingyacht #regatta Credit: wallyyachts_official/Instagram
2 /6 04/10/17: HUGO BOSS goes Ohhh La La alex_thomson_racing:
Having a great time in Cannes and we’re here for a few more days.
Tell us your favourite sailing spots on the French Riviera…. #sailing #cannes #frenchriviera #alexthomsonracing #thisisboss
3 /6 04/10/17: The Benetti Se77antasette Benetti has unveiled the first images of its new concept superyacht, Se77antasette. It has been designed in collaboration with Fernando Romero Credit: Benetti/Fernando Romero
4 /6 04/10/17: Bird’s eye view of Lady Lara yacht_masters: “LADY LARA” in all her glory. Photo by @r_duds #yachtmasters #superyacht Credit: yacht_masters/Instagram
5 /6 02/10/17: Aston Martin’s new submarine Project Neptune has been designed by Aston Martin and Triton Submarines |
Rialto hiker rescued in Forest Falls after falling 30 feet | A Rialto woman was rescued Tuesday by a sheriff’s helicopter after she fell 30 feet while hiking at Big Falls in Forest Falls, officials said.
The 49-year-old woman “was attempting to climb up a rock face at Big Falls in the Forest Falls area when she slipped and fell approximately 30 feet,” according to a San Bernardino County sheriff’s news release. She “came to rest at the base of the waterfall and sustained serious injuries as a result of the fall.”
The San Bernardino County Fire Department responded to 911 calls reporting the incident, but requested assistance from the sheriff’s rescue helicopter due to the rugged terrain, according to the release.
Air Rescue 306, made up of sheriff’s and fire department personnel, was able to lower a team member to the base of the waterfall and hoist rescue the hiker, the release said.
The woman was then transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, according to the release. |
Can Janet Yellen turn the Trump rally sour? | It was a strong start to the week for risky assets, as European stocks played catch up, the FTSE 250 in the UK reached a fresh record high, and US stocks extended gains after last week’s surge higher. But equity markets face a key test later today when the Fed’s Janet Yellen appears before the Senate Banking Panel, the first of two appearances on Capitol Hill this week.
Yellen checklist:
Equity futures are pointing to a slightly weaker open for European and US markets today, as exuberance is reigned in ahead of Yellen’s testimony. While we expect the Fed chair to remain tight-lipped about the prospect of when the next rate hike is likely to happen (the market is currently pricing for another hike in June), there are a few important things to watch out for.
Will she sound concerned about the weaker wage data in the January payrolls report? If yes, this could push back expectations of a rate increase, which would be good news for stocks, but bad news for the dollar, which is also retreating in early trading on Tuesday. Will she mention anything about the dollar? Donald Trump’s team have appeared to talk down the dollar in recent weeks. The Fed doesn’t directly intervene in the FX market, but if Yellen is asked what she thinks about politicians wading into discussions about the strength of the dollar, her answer is likely to come under scrutiny by the world’s FX traders. Her thoughts on the Trump administration’s economic plan. In truth, detail about Trump’s much-anticipated fiscal plans have been scant so far, we need to wait until 28th February when Trump addresses Congress before we can expect more details. However, the Federal Reserve vice-chair Fischer recently said that there is significant uncertainty about fiscal policy under Trump. If Yellen follows in Fischer’s footsteps and also voices scepticism towards the impact of Trump’s fiscal plans then we could see the US stock market rally wither. Any comments/ tweets from President Trump about Janet Yellen’s testimony. Although we doubt he would make such an unwise move due to sensitivity around the Fed’s independence; with Trump you never know.
Overall, the market is looking for three things: is the Fed still thinking about three rate hikes this year? Has anything occurred that could de-rail this expectation? Will Yellen give the markets a reality check by voicing some scepticism about potential fiscal change under President Trump?
Will US Inc. put its money where its mouth is?
Janet Yellen holds the key to the short-term direction of global risky assets; however, she also holds the key to the next longer-term move in US equity markets. Analysis by Bank of America found that a record 51% of executives described their outlook as “optimistic” during the recent earnings season, according to data that goes back to 2003. There are also signs that optimism at the board level is translating into greater investment spending; some measures of investment intentions for US companies are at their highest levels since 2001. After a stunning rally in US equities since November, the next leg higher in the equity market rally is dependent on the spending and investment plans at boardroom level.
Janet Yellen’s Goldilocks problem
Prospects for interest rate increases this year could also impact corporate investment intensions. If Janet Yellen is too hawkish at this week’s Congressional testimonies then we could see corporates start to worry about the cost of capital. If she is too dovish then some might start to get jitters over the true health of the US economy. Thus, Yellen needs to get the tone just right – not too optimistic or too pessimistic – to help US stocks close higher for the sixth consecutive day.
UK retailers on the line ahead of UK CPI data
Elsewhere, here is a link to our UK CPI preview. Get our take on what an upside surprise could mean for the pound, and why it may be bad news for some of the UK’s largest domestic retailers such as Tesco and M&S. Read more here.
The FTSE 100 was the weakest of the major European indices on Monday. It was led higher by the mining sector, including Glencore and Rio Tinto, other strong performers included Barclays and HSBC. UK banks and miners report earnings next week, it appears that good news is already being priced in. But, any weakness in these sectors later today could trigger a broader weakness for the FTSE 100 as we progress through this week. |
Hoover planning board approves preliminary plans for 71 home sites in Lake Wilborn | × Expand Map courtesy of city of Hoover Lake Wilborn Phase 4 The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission approved preliminary plans for 71 home sites in phase four of the Lake Wilborn subdivision in Hoover, Alabama, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Phase four is the area in the center outlined with darker print.
The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission tonight approved preliminary plans for 71 homes in the fourth phase of the Lake Wilborn subdivision but postponed consideration of preliminary plans for 79 residential lots in the second phase of the Flemming Farms subdivision.
Both of the subdivisions are in the Trace Crossings community.
The 71 homes in the fourth phase of Lake Wilborn, when combined with a common area lot, take up about 24 acres, Assistant City Engineer Chris Reeves said. About 18 of the homes are on the lake, said developer Jonathan Belcher, president of Signature Homes.
The lots are 65 to 80 feet wide and take up about 8,000 to 10,000 square feet, Belcher said. The homes should range from 2,000 to 3,500 square feet and likely will be priced in the $300,000s to $500,000s, he said.
He hopes to start site work in the spring and have the lots fully developed and ready for sale by the end of 2018, he said.
The planning commission held up consideration of the 79 lots in the second phase of Flemming Farms due to concerns about connecting the community to Lake Wilborn. Signature Homes had presented plans for only one direct connection between the two neighborhoods, and city officials want to see two connections, City Planner Mac Martin said.
× Expand Map courtesy of city of Hoover Flemming Farms Phase 2 This map shows preliminary plans for 79 residential lots in the second phase of the Flemming Farms subdivision in Hoover, Alabama. That phase, which consists of about 28 acres, is shown at left and is just south of Bumpus Middle School and west of the first phase of Flemming Farms.
Belcher said he believes a second connection to Lake Wilborn can be made in a future sector, but Planning Commission Chairman Mike Wood said he was leery of approving plans for phase two of Flemming Farms unless everyone is certain of how the second connection can be made.
Wood said he would not want the commission to approve this and later find out the desired connection was not possible because of issues with topography or Army Corps of Engineers regulations associated with plans to fill in part of the lake to build the second connector road.
Belcher decided to postpone his request for phase two of Flemming Farms until the Jan. 8 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission to try to resolve the issue.
In other business tonight, the planning commission approved plans for a clubhouse, swimming pool and other amenities in the Blackridge community that is south of Lake Wilborn.
Belcher said he hopes to begin construction of the clubhouse this spring and have it completed by the first quarter of 2019. The clubhouse is planned to be along the edge of the lake with a swimming area in the lake as well.
× Expand Sketch courtesy of Signature Homes Blackridge clubhouse This is a sketch of the clubhouse and pool planned on the lake in the Blackridge community just south of Trace Crossings in Hoover, Alabama.
Sales in Blackridge are going strong, Belcher said. Forty of the first 52 home sites made available for purchase on the lake were sold within two weeks of going on the market, he said. The lake in Blackridge is about 100 acres and has 3.5 miles of shoreline, he said.
The planning commission tonight was supposed to consider an amendment to the Blackridge development plan that would modify the community’s road system and exempt certain structures in the development from building and zoning regulations. However, city staff members still have some issues with the proposed amendment that they want to resolve, Martin said. Therefore, consideration of the amended plan was continued until the Jan. 8 meeting.
The commission also continued two other cases that originally had been scheduled for consideration tonight: |
Report: Jacob Park to transfer from Iowa State - KWWL - Eastern Iowa Breaking News, Weather, Closings | The latest news and information for the Iowa State University Cyclones sports teams, including football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball and more.
The latest news and information for the Iowa State University Cyclones sports teams, including football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball and more.
Jacob Park appears to have played his final snap at Iowa State. The junior quarterback told Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register that he plans on transferring from the school.
Park who has been on a leave of absence due to "personal issues" said he failed a drug test for marijuana in early October and faced a one game suspension. He has not returned to the team since.
Park passed for 1,181 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions in four games this season. Senior walk-on Kyle Kempt took the job during Park's ansence.
“Our football staff and administration has been proactive in helping Jacob improve academically, athletically and socially during his leave of absence from the team,” Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said in a statement on Monday night. “If he feels it is in his best interest to transfer to another school, we will support his decision and help him in the process.” |
SHAPIRO: As We Mourn the Las Vegas Victims, We Must Also Celebrate the Heroes | The Power of Good — normal people run to help each other when evil strikes
By Ben Shapiro
Earlier this week, an evil human being murdered nearly 60 Americans and wounded more than 500 others in Las Vegas. His attack was well-planned: The shooter had some 23 guns in his hotel room, including a semi-automatic rifle affixed with a “bump stock” allowing the shooter to operate the rifle like an automatic weapon; he had another 19 guns in his home.
Video of the incident is chilling: the rat-a-tat of the gun raining bullets down on unsuspecting innocents from the hulking profile of the Mandalay Bay on the horizon, the wounded concertgoers screaming in the darkness.
But there was heroism, too.
The stranger who threw his body atop Amy McAslin and Krystal Goddard to shield them from the rifle fire. “Just truly incredible,” McAslin later said, “a stranger, jumping over me to protect me.”
The off-duty nurse from Orange County who told local news that she ran back into the danger to help the wounded:
“I’m a nurse and I just felt that I had to … There was so many people, just normal citizens, doctors, cops, paramedics, nurses, just off duty. … It was completely horrible, but it was absolutely amazing to see all those people come together.”
The anonymous man who threw 18-year-old Addison Short over his shoulder and carried her to safety.
The couple who pulled their truck over to carry the wounded to the hospital.
The off-duty police using their own bodies to cover the vulnerable.
The father who protected his children from gunfire, saying, “They’re 20. I’m 53. I lived a good life.”
Jonathan Smith, a 30-year-old who reportedly saved up to 30 lives, taking a bullet to the neck in the process.
It took hundreds of heroes to save hundreds of people; it took one evil man to wound and kill that many.
On the one hand, it is impossible not to lament the extent of evil: A man attacking those who harmed him in no way, possibly gleefully murdering people attending a concert, makes us wonder at the rot that can infect the human heart. But on the other hand, in each incident of horror we must remember how much the good outweighed the evil.
Were there hundreds of people like Stephen Paddock, thousands would have died; were there only one person attempting to stop the impact of Paddock’s evil, thousands would have died.
All of which means that as we mourn the victims in Las Vegas, we must also celebrate the heroes. We should see the incident as proof of just how much light infuses America from its citizens — how many normal people run to help each other when evil strikes, when darkness threatens to divide us.
So long as that light continues to unite us, America will emerge ready, as always, to fight that darkness. |
Supreme Court tells Jaiprakash Associates to deposit ₹650 crore | JAL was told to deposit ₹1,000 crore with its registry by 15 June to avert liquidation of Jaypee Infratech Ltd. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday suggested Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL), the parent of debt-ridden Jaypee Infratech Ltd (JIL), submit ₹650 crore to prove it is bona fide before the court, after it failed to deposit ₹1,000 crore as directed on 16 May.
However, no formal order was passed to this effect and the apex court asked JAL to seek instructions on the issue.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud was hearing an application moved by JAL seeking a direction to the National Company Law Tribunal, Allahabad bench, to proceed with its plea on the approval to its master-restructuring agreement (MRA).
The application was part of a batch of public interest petitions filed by homebuyers in various Jaypee Infratech Ltd projects, seeking recovery of their payment made to JIL or delivery of flats.
JAL has signed MRAs with 33 lenders, the apex court was informed.
JAL also sought constitution of a committee under the aegis of a retired Supreme Court judge and comprising lenders of JIL and the amicus curiae for homebuyers.
JAL said in its application that the approval of its revival plan for JIL by this committee would “enable infusion of funds not only for complying with the order of this court, but also for construction of homes and early delivery of the same to the homebuyers who are interested in taking possession of their homes” within 42 months from the date of approval.
The Supreme Court on 16 May had directed JAL to deposit ₹1,000 crore with its registry by 15 June to avert liquidation of its subsidiary, Jaypee Infratech Ltd.
On an earlier occasion, the court directed JAL to deposit ₹2,000 crore to protect the interest of homebuyers. Out of this, only ₹750 crore has been deposited so far.
The case would be next heard on 13 July. |
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens Kylo Ren Ornament by Hallmark | Ornament SKU: 180320-71066-1
UPC: 763795349913
Weight: 1.02 lbs
Condition: New
View All: Star Wars items
Product Types: Products | Memorabilia | Toys & Figures
Genres: Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Science Fiction | Sequels
Studio: Hallmark | Lucasfilm
Original U.S. Release: December 18, 2015
Rating: PG-13
Visit our main page for additional items Here.
Details
This Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens Kylo Ren ornament was created by Hallmark Collectibles. The item is carefully sculpted down to the finest details and the perfect gift for any Star Wars fan. Hang it with other ornaments based on The Force Awakens, and your holiday will truly become one with the Force.
Features
Ribbon hanger included
Package doubles as display piece
Specifications
Size: 3.2 in
Material: Polyresin
Cast: Adam Driver | Andy Serkis | Anthony Daniels | Carrie Fisher | Daisy Ridley | Domhnall Gleeson | Harrison Ford | John Boyega | Lupita Nyong'o | Mark Hamill | Max Von Sydow | Oscar Isaac | Peter Mayhew
Directors: JJ Abrams
Project Name: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Characters: Kylo Ren
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Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Featured | Hallmark | Lucasfilm | Memorabilia | Science Fiction | Sequels | Toys & Figures |
“Art in the Airport” Brings In New Works | The Roanoke Regional Airport Commission has announced the third installment of the Art in the Airport program. The program features local artists from the region and provides them exposure to the over 1,000,000 visitors to the airport each year. This quarter, art pieces feature the theme of aviation.
“This art initiative is a great way to feature the exceptional talents of our local artists. These works allow the airport to partner with the community and expose the many visitors to the airport and region the talents of our artists,” said Timothy T. Bradshaw, A.A.E., executive director of the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission.
Each quarter, the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission will send out a request for art from the
19 counties the airport serves. The three artists featured are Richard Mallory Allnutt, Troy DeHaven, and Jennifer Printz. Each of their works is on display on the second floor of the west side of the terminal building. The art is available for purchase directly through the artist; however, the paintings must remain in place until April 16, 2018.
This installment of the art showcase at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport opened January 24, 2018 and runs through April 16, 2018. |
Romania rejects all bids at tender to sell April 2023 T-bonds | BUCHAREST, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Romanian debt managers rejected all bids at a tender to sell April 2023 treasury bonds on Monday, central bank data showed.
Debt managers, who had planned to sell 200 million lei, last tendered the paper successfully in July at an average yield of 2.99 percent. The issue was undersubscribed on Monday, with bids totalling 190 million lei. |
Boston Bruins alumni to help celebrate 50 years of Norwood hockey | NORWOOD — The Norwood Minor Hockey Association and District Figure Skating Club will be celebrating 50 years with four days of celebrations and events later this year, including a chance for local hockey fans to face off against a team of former Boston Bruins players.
The Boston Bruins alumni game happens Dec. 1. Spots on the "home" team are available for $150. There are 17 spots available.
The celebration takes place from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2 in Norwood.
Events will include a showcase of photos and old items from the organizations' history, including trophies, jackets and pucks. |
Trib editorial: The public's tab for Murphy's mistake | The extramarital scandal that sunk Tim Murphy's congressional career is going to cost Westmoreland countians $230,000 to pay for the special election to replace him.
Westmoreland County commissioners are scheduled to meet Tuesday to vote on tapping the county's surplus fund. That's the account used in recent years to balance Westmoreland's annual budget, and those surplus funds have been dwindling.
“Obviously it's a very big bite to have to take at once,” says Democrat Commissioner Ted Kopas. “This is such an unfortunate expense, all because of our former congressman's bad choice.”
Regardless of where the money comes from to pay for this, it's one and the same pocket — the public's. And keep in mind that this is just Westmoreland's cost. The 18th Congressional District also covers parts of Greene, Washington and Allegheny counties.
Mr. Murphy, the eight-term incumbent from Upper St. Clair, saw his congressional career implode when word seeped out that the pro-life Republican allegedly asked his mistress to get an abortion. Pressure reportedly was exerted by top Republican leaders for Murphy to remove himself as a distraction last year while the GOP House tackled the tax bill and other legislative priorities.
The special election is required by law. It would be nice if an incumbent who triggers one, either by poor judgment or behavior, would be made to pay something. But that will never happen.
More often than not, the public pays for the mistakes of elected representatives, in and out of office. |
Viral firefighter helmet cam video shows man's rescue | STAUNTON, Va. - A video of Virginia firefighters rescuing a man while battling a house fire earlier this month has gone viral. Firefighters responded to the fire on North Augusta Street in Staunton the night of April 12 and into the next morning.
"When Engine One got there, they had heavy fire showing from the front of the house," said Joel Bradley, one of the Staunton firefighters who captured the fire and rescue on his helmet camera.
Bradley said firefighters didn't know a man was trapped inside until he and other firefighters entered the house.
"We got in, opened the door, it was pretty much zero visibility, smoke, and he got down and said, 'We have a victim,'" Bradley said.
Bradley and another firefighter pulled the man from the burning home and Bradley started CPR.
"This was the first time we knew of anybody being in there," Bradley said. "We always expect fire and expect to have that, but it's kind of surreal when it's right in front of you."
The man they rescued survived. He stopped by the department a few days later to thank firefighters for their work.
"To come back and actually be able to talk to us and speak with us was pretty surreal, very humbling experience," Bradley said.
The department said it wanted to share the video to give people a realistic view of what they do.
The video "showed what these firefighters went through, what they actually did and were able to achieve that night," said Chief Scott Garber, with the City of Staunton Fire and Rescue.
Bradley said video from the helmet cams they use serves as a training tool.
"You can look back on the footage and see what we did right, what we did wrong, what we can improve on, so it's a great learning tool," Bradley said.
Garber said the combination of a three-minute response time, regular training and the proper tactics helped firefighters save the man's life and keep more of his property from being destroyed.
"I don't think they could have handled it any better than they did," Garber said. "They prepare for that every day."
"That's our jobs. When we come to work, we're expected to go fight fires. And if there's someone in there, we're expected to bring them out," Bradley said.
Copyright 2018 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved. |
Richard Roeper Reinstated By Chicago Sun-Times Following Twitter Scandal | UPDATE: Film critic Richard Roeper has been reinstated by the Chicago Sun-Times following a suspension for buying followers.
The media outlet’s investigation will result in Roeper losing out on a news column he was just assigned to write, but he will continue with features and TV/film reviews.
A New York Times report in late January found that Roeper was among many celebrities, journalists and others found to have purchased phony Twitter followers. The Sun-Times had just announced he would write a news column, but immediately suspended him while it determined whether he was aware that he was purchasing “fake” followers. The Sun-Times noted today that Roeper purchased about 50,000 followers on “at least six separate occasions” from a company called Devumi and another outlet. He spent $650 on the purchases, but claimed he thought these were legitimate Twitter followers. Since Roeper cooperated, was “genuinely contrite,” and the media outlet had no explicit policy banning purchase of Twitter followers, he was reinstated. He will delete his existing Twitter account and start a new one, agreeing not to purchase followers. The Sun-Times said it would implement a policy banning journalists from paying to acquire followers on social media.
Roeper issued a statement apologizing for his actions and vowing a fresh start. “To the thousands of you that followed me on Twitter, I hope you’ll join me at my new Twitter handle, @RichardERoeper. I want to express my thanks to the many colleagues and friends — and readers and listeners and viewers — that have reached out to me over the last few days to express support. Your trust is something I have worked hard to earn over the course of my career. Moving forward, I will do everything I can to keep that trust.”
Roeper and Sun-Times management indicated they would not discuss the matter further publicly. EARLIER: Chicago Sun-Times film critic and columnist Richard Roeper is under investigation by his media outlet following a New York Times report that named him as one of many celebrities who have paid to artificially boost their Twitter followers.
The Chicago Sun-Times editor confirmed to Inc. in an email that Roeper is under investigation. “We will not be publishing any reviews or columns by Rich until this investigation is complete.”
On Friday, Fusco said Roeper would be adding a news column to his film review duties. Management learned of the potential Twitter issue after that announcement, Fusco said.
Roeper has not responded to the story. There is no indication on how many followers he purchased from a company called Devumi, which uses “bot” accounts to artificially boost total followers. The New York Times reported that other celebs and “influencers” may have bought tens of thousands of followers.
Roeper was the co-host with the late Roger Ebert on the TV show At The Movies. He had 226,000 followers as of Monday, a drop from 253,00 a year ago. He also suddenly lost a significant number of followers in September, only to get a gain of 25,000 shortly thereafter, according to the New York Times. |
New LEDs light up more than just the streets of Trail | Trail has the bulbs on dimmers and is installing shields to lessen the glare of new LED streetlights
The streets of Trail are much brighter at night with the new LEDs – but so are street-facing rooms in homes lining city roadways.
Local conversation about the extreme radiance has circulated on social media, but to date, public works has just a few objections on record, says Utilities Superintendent Patrick Gauvreau.
“I have only received three complaints so far about the brightness,” Gauvreau told the Times. “The city can help reduce the amount of light projecting from these new LED lights by installing house shields, which are installed on the light fixture itself,” he explained.
“But these do not totally reduce or eliminate the light streaming into the homes.”
He suggested residents should also look at replacing existing blinds if they have light streaming into their bedroom windows.
Additionally, the city does have all the LEDs on a dimming schedule.
“The lights are never on at 100 per cent,” Gauvreau explained.
From dusk to midnight, the bulbs are set at 75 per cent power. From midnight to 4 a.m., the lights switch to 50 per cent power, and from 4 a.m. to dawn the power is again upped to 75 per cent.
“When we notice that they are getting dimmer (as the lights age), we may modify the power settings in order to maintain current lighting brightness,” he added.
The city budgeted for the replacement of 1,200 high pressure sodium bulbs with LEDs over a few years.
Work first began in Tadanac, Sunningdale and Glenmerry and downtown because in those neighbourhoods, the lights are on city-owned street poles.
“All other areas have lights on FortisBC poles,” Gauvreau said. “And there were a few hurdles that needed to be crossed before starting on these poles. Now that we have crossed those hurdles, we can start upgrading these lights.”
The last leg of the project was tendered this spring. Power Tech Electric had the lowest bid, and was awarded the job to replace 300 streetlights.
“They’ve replaced a few lights in Glenmerry, since there were a few in that area that hadn’t been upgraded yet, then moved into East Trail,” Gauvreau explained. “Roughly halfway done, they’ve installed approximately 150.”
West Trail residents can expect to see new lights – and much brighter streets – by the fall.
Now issuing rebates at the time of purchase, FortisBC presented the city with a $44,660 cheque in April for this second phase of street light replacements.
As a result of the upgrade, Trail is expected to reduce energy use by about 500,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) annually – or the equivalent of powering 44 average homes for a year.
This is expected to produce annual savings of $93,000.
Each 75W LED cobra head costs $209.
As part of the retrofit, a photocell/node is installed on top of the cobra head to allow for the light to be programmed. That component costs $156, so each LED streetlight with photocell/node is $365.
In recent years, there have been reports on intense LED lights disrupting circadian rhythm.
Circadian rhythm is basically a person’s 24-hour internal clock also known as the sleep/wake cycle.
Health Canada hasn’t issued any formal statement, however last year the Canadian Association of Optometrists released a warning.
“Many streets and roadways in Canada are changing their approach to lighting,” the release read.
While policymakers shouldn’t ignore the LED benefits, the association asked more thought be given to adverse health effects. |
Toshiba shares slide after it says could sell more of chip business | TOKYO: Shares in Toshiba Corp tumbled on Wednesday after the conglomerate said it would book a US$6.3 billion hit to its U.S. nuclear unit and may sell more of its prized flash-memory chip business than planned to urgently raise funds.
Scrambling for capital, Toshiba said it would consider selling most, even all, of its stake in the chips business - a decision that has investors questioning whether the company has a long-term future without the unit.
"Usually in a corporate turnaround plan, the company would keep its most competitive business after selling non-performing businesses," said Masayuki Kubota, chief strategist at Rakuten Securities.
"This turnaround plan gives no hope for Toshiba's future," he said.
Toshiba will be meeting creditor banks on Wednesday to seek their understanding and support.
As of end of September, Toshiba's loans from banks and insurers stood at about 800 billion yen (US$7 billion), a financial source has told Reuters. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp and Mizuho Bank are its biggest creditors.
While the two lenders and state-backed Development Bank of Japan Inc have so far expressed support for Toshiba, other creditors will need more convincing before they back Toshiba further, sources familiar with the matter have said.
"Toshiba needs to come up with a convincing turnaround plan but it's not an easy task," said an executive at one of the creditor banks. "And we need to make sure there are no more negative surprises," he said.
Toshiba shares slid 11.4 percent in morning trade, compared with a 1 percent gain for the broader market .
(Reporting by Taiga Uranaka and Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) |
‘General Hospital’ Spoilers: Obrecht Learns That Peter Is Henrik, Liesl’s Fury Will Prompt A Quest For Revenge | How will Dr. Liesl Obrecht react when Nina tells her about Peter being Henrik on Wednesday's episode of 'General Hospital'?
The news that Peter August is really Henrik Faison sent shockwaves throughout Port Charles, and General Hospital spoilers reveal that the person who may truly be his biggest threat is about to learn the news as well. Kathleen Gati returns as Dr. Liesl Obrecht during Wednesday’s show, and it sounds as if she’ll be delivering some powerful performances.
It took months for the truth about Peter being Henrik to come out, and it has left everybody connected to the situation shaken. General Hospital spoilers from the latest preview shared on Twitter detail that Nina will talk with Liesl and reveal the big news, and viewers know that Obrecht will not take this revelation well.
Of course, it’s simply not the fact that Peter lied about who he is that has everybody in Port Charles so angry. Rather, it’s the impact his lies and presence in town had on how Nathan died that is generating so much fury. SheKnows Soaps shares that during Thursday’s show, Liesl will be pointing fingers and laying blame, surely toward Henrik for her son’s death.
Previews have shown that by the end of the week, Peter seemingly will have regained his freedom somehow, but it may be short-lived. He will be attacked from behind, seemingly injected with a drug or tranquilizer of some sort, and viewers have to wonder if Obrecht will be behind the attack.
General Hospital spoilers tease that this will set up a great whodunit, as Peter has numerous enemies at this point. There may be plenty of people in Port Charles anxious to destroy Peter, but Liesl should never be underestimated, and there’s no doubt she’ll be intent on revenge in this situation.
Viewers saw a softer side of Obrecht during her time with Nathan and especially after his death. However, GH fans know that Liesl can be ruthless when she is set on achieving something, and it would be hard to imagine something she’ll want more than to gain vengeance for Nathan’s death.
People are thrilled to see that Gati is returning, with many mentioning that it’s seemed wrong for her to have simply disappeared after Nathan died. Will the writers find a way to keep her around for a while now? Will her anger also be directed toward Valentin as she catches up to all that’s transpired since she was last in town?
General Hospital spoilers hint that things could get intense on this front and viewers won’t want to miss a minute of the action. It doesn’t look like Peter’s actually going anywhere anytime soon. Anna will be anxious to protect her newfound son, but teasers suggest that she’ll have her work cut out for her as Obrecht and others show how determined they are to take him down. |
Gay Row UKIP Hopeful's Campaign Chief Ranted About "Gaystapo" | Search
Jess Phillips on the absolute sexism of the “Absolute Boys” on the Left…
“They [the left-wing men] are the worst, the actual worst. Men said they supported better female representation but, when it came to losing their own jobs, they would say, ‘Oh, you mean me? But I am so clever. I’ve got so much to offer the world’. They are literally the worst.” |
Don't Trust 'Predatory' China | Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Latin American governments Thursday to be wary of Chinese attempts to invest heavily in their states and make their economy dependent on Beijing. He criticized “unfair trading practices” China uses to trap smaller states.
Speaking at the University of Texas at Austin, Tillerson noted that “today, China is getting a foothold in Latin America.”
“It is using economic statecraft to pull the region into its orbit; the question is at what price,” he noted, according to Reuters. “While this trade has brought benefits, the unfair trading practices used by many Chinese have also harmed those countries’ manufacturing sectors, generating unemployment and lowering wages for workers.”
Tillerson warned against “new imperial powers” taking over the region “only to benefit their own people” and not the people of Latin America. “China’s state-led model of development is reminiscent of the past. It doesn’t have to be this hemisphere’s future.”
Tillerson made the comments before departing on a tour of the region, stopping in Mexico on Friday and then heading to Argentina, Peru, Colombia, and Jamaica. He will arrive on the heels of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was in Santiago, Chile, last week to promote economic cooperation between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and China.
Tillerson has warned the developing world that China has adopted “predatory” lending policies to ensnare them in long-term debt commitments with Beijing in the past. In October, Tillerson specifically identified “fledgling democracies” as China’s economy prey.
“We have watched the activities and actions of others in the region, particularly China, and the financing mechanisms it brings to many of these countries, which result in saddling them with enormous levels of debt,” he argued. “Financing is structured in a way that makes it very difficult for them to obtain future financing, and often has very subtle triggers in the financing that results in financing default, and the conversion of debt into equity.”
President Donald Trump’s recently released National Security Strategy also identified China’s economic colonialism as a threat to the developing world. “China is a strategic competitor using predatory economics to intimidate its neighbors while militarizing features in the South China Sea,” the document read.
By Friday morning, Chinese state outlet Xinhua had published a column condemning Tillerson’s remarks.
“Defaming China can not [sic] help change the bad image of the United States in Latin America or stop countries in the region from seeking cooperation elsewhere to spur economic growth,” the Xinhua piece argued. “The Trump administration needs to understand that scapegoating China for its fading charisma in the region, a cheap political stunt, would help little to restore Washington’s influence in Latin America.”
Xinhua concluded that it is Washington, not Beijing, who is “insulting the autonomy of Latin America countries” by warning that China is attempting to control their economies and exploit their resources.
“Instead of wasting time on blaming China, it might be a good idea for Washington to dial down its hostile rhetoric, review its foreign policy, and drop its backyard thinking,” the piece concludes.
Foreign Minister Wang’s visit to Latin America last week was intended to promote Chinese investment in Latin America and, specifically, to find a role for Latin America in China’s sprawling One Belt One Road (OBOR) problem. OBOR is an infrastructure and colonization project that spans from Beijing to western Europe in which China will invest billions in constructing new, advanced infrastructure in developing countries to recreate the ancient Silk Road. China claims the projects – bridges, roads, ports, and transport stations – will bring employment to the nations it enters. In the long-term, however, China will retain control of territory in these areas and have the ability to use these ports for profit.
Chinese officials have also begun to argue that any territory where the Chinese build infrastructure must be governed by communist law.
Wang reportedly claimed during his visit that Latin America must be a natural part of OBOR because Mexico “was a crucial junction on the ancient maritime Silk Road.” While UNESCO notes that the Spanish did import Asian silk through the Philippines to Mexico, the Spanish did not arrive in the Americas until 1492, far later ancient times.
Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter. |
AQAP publishes guide for derailing trains in the US, Europe | Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has released the 17th edition of its Inspire magazine, in which the group calls on supporters to strike trains in the US and Europe.
The editors of Inspire say that followers can choose from one of three modes of attack. They can directly target the train from “either inside or from outside,” or target “the rail itself so as to derail the train,” or assault train stations, which “are always crowded and cause major interruption towards the transportation system.”
The latest issue of Inspire focuses mainly on the second means of attack, providing readers with step-by-step instructions for building a train derailment device. An 18-page guide to building a derail tool is included in the 97-page electronic magazine and signed by the “AQ Chef,” a name that has been attached to previous AQAP ideas, such as a how-to guide for building bombs that was published in Inspire years ago. The “AQ Chef” claims that the magazine’s “train derail” design is similar to the “industrial” tool “used by the track management staff” when they need to derail a train with faulty breaks.
The instructions begin with the building of a mold and end with the construction of a metal derail device. “We will keep away from using any electronic tools or tools that are specially used in construction…so as to remove any traces for suspicion,” the do-it-yourself guide reads.
This “weapon” has several advantages, according to AQAP. It is “[e]asy to design” and easy to “hide your tracks from forensics after the operation.” It will supposedly befuddle security agencies and leave the enemy “confused and disoriented.”
Interestingly, AQAP touts the fact that this type of “operation” does not require “martyrdom” and therefore “can be repeated.”
Hours after the new Inspire magazine was released online, the New York Police Department (NYPD) Counterterrorism Bureau responded with a series of messages on its official Twitter feed.
“We’ve known about the content & threats presented in the current issue of AQAP’s Inspire 17 prior to its release,” one NYPD tweet, seen on the right, reads. “Our robust multi-layered counterterrorism apparatus is designed to protect our air, land, waterways and railways in #NYC,” another tweet reads.
AQAP touts potential economic damage
Al Qaeda has long argued that its attacks and guerrilla warfare are intended to wear down the West, in part by driving up the costs of security and waging war. The adjustments made to airline security since the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackings have been costly. Al Qaeda’s failed attempts to bring down airliners in the years that followed have also driven costs up.
In this vein, AQAP has repeatedly promoted the detrimental economic effects of its operations. In 2010, for instance, Inspire’s editors claimed that the $4,200 spent on an attempt to blow up cargo planes forced the West to spend billions of dollars in additional security. This made the operation effective even though no one was killed and the plot was thwarted, according to AQAP. [See FDD’s Long War Journal report, AQAP releases a ‘special issue’ of Inspire magazine.]
Similarly, Inspire’s authors tout the intended economic impact of their plan, pointing to the large numbers of passengers carried on commuter trains and the valuable freight that is often transported by rail. One page summarizes the main “passenger train routes in America,” while another displays a map of “US railroad lines by ownership.”
“O Mujahideen,” AQAP’s men write, “it is time that we instill fear and make them impose strict security measures to trains as they did with their Air transportation.” Train derailments will “[c]ontinue to bleed the American economy [with] more losses, increase the psychological warfare and make it worry, fear and weaken much more.”
“We have to expose more of their vulnerabilities in their security,” Inspire’s editors explain. “And when they spend millions of dollars to tackle a vulnerability we should be ready to open a new [one] – by the strength of Allah.” In this manner, the jihadists claim, “we can make their economy bleed and wage a psychological warfare by breaching vulnerabilities in their security.”
AQAP’s editors recognize that most derailments don’t cause significant damage, but they argue that some accidents caused by train derails have been especially costly. Moreover, it is very difficult for authorities to protect the extensive railroad system, making it a prime target for disrupting the American economy.
To make their case, Inspire’s authors point to a 2004 report authored by the United States General Accounting Office (GAO). “There are over 100,000 miles of rail in the United States,” the report’s authors noted. “The extensiveness of the infrastructure creates an infinite number of targets for terrorists.”
Even so, Inspire’s authors warn followers that “railroad management staff still have some security measures” in place, including the regular deployment of “a rail inspection car on the railroad so as to inspect the rails.” AQAP says the “Lone Mujahid” can “overcome this security measure” by placing “the derail tool on the rails approximately 10 minutes before the train passes by.” The jihadist should also be “well aware of the timing and schedule of the train,” including the “route the targeted train will take.” This “information is widely and publicly available for all.”
Al Qaeda has targeted trains in the past
Targeting trains is hardly a new idea, of course. On Mar. 11, 2004, al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists placed ten bombs in backpacks and bags on board commuter trains in Madrid, Spain, killing 191 people and wounding nearly two thousand more.
In 2009, US officials thwarted an al Qaeda plot against commuter trains in the New York City area.
In 2013, Canadian authorities arrested two men who were plotting to derail trains traveling between Toronto and New York City. Canadian officials determined that the two jihadists, who were subsequently convicted on terrorism charges, received “support from al Qaeda elements located in Iran” in the form of “direction and guidance.”
In addition to trains and planes, al Qaeda has also attacked other transportation nodes in the past. The July 7, 2005 London bombings, which are referenced in the new edition of Inspire, targeted commuters during rush hour.
Other al Qaeda figures promote “Lone Jihad” attacks in Inspire
Inspire features commentary from several prominent jihadist figures, including Hamza bin Laden, the son of the al Qaeda’s founder. The terrorist publication includes the text of Hamza’s “advice for martyrdom seekers in the West,” which was released in May.
An essay by former Guantanamo detainee and current AQAP leader Ibrahim al-Qosi is titled, “imminent threat…” Al-Qosi, who worked for Osama bin Laden prior to 9/11, praises the “fear, terror and death” caused “by new creative and destructive Lone Jihad operations,” which are “executed by men from your own homeland.” Al-Qosi explains the logic behind such attacks, saying that they are carried out by “[m]en whose boots have not touched the lands of Jihad in Afghanistan or Sham and whose names have never been in the FBI or CIA black lists.” In other words, “Lone Jihad” operations do not rely on jihadists who may have been detected by authorities because of their suspicious travels.
In another piece, Ibrahim Ibn Hassan al-Asiri, a senior AQAP leader and bomb maker, explains “the importance of focusing on specific kinds of targets” in the transportation sector. Al-Asiri is a notorious explosives specialist and is suspected of crafting some of AQAP’s clever devices, including the underwear bomb used in a failed bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day 2009. Al-Asiri calls on his “Mujahideen brothers everywhere, especially the Lone Jihad heroes” to follow in the footsteps of various terrorists. “Target America,” he advises.
Inspire also includes a lengthy interview with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s (AQIM) emir, Abu Musab Abdul Wadoud (a.k.a. Abdelmalek Droukdel). Like the others, Wadoud stresses the efficacy and necessity of “lone” jihadist attacks. “This method of jihad is one of the modes of conflict between us and the West – something both new and old – a way of hemming in the enemy and breaking its strength, and this mode of asymmetrical warfare was pioneered by our predecessors centuries ago,” Wadoud says. “The Lone Jihad has proven its effectiveness and ability to repel aggression.”
As FDD’s Long War Journal previously reported, the Islamic State has had more success than al Qaeda in inspiring or guiding “Lone Jihad” operations in recent years, despite the fact that AQAP was a key innovator in this regard. This has forced AQAP to praise a string of attacks carried out in the Islamic State’s name, even though AQAP opposes Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s so-called caliphate. In the latest edition of Inspire, AQAP continues to laud operations claimed by the Islamic State and its supporters, such as the June 2016 Orlando massacre, the July 2016 truck assault in Nice, France, the September 2016 attacks in the New York-New Jersey area and Minnesota, as well as the March 2017 terrorist incident near the British parliament in London. In a number of cases, “lone jihad” terrorists were first exposed to AQAP’s ideas but later claimed that they acted on behalf of the Islamic State.
Al Qaeda is attempting to regain the initiative with respect to “lone jihad” operations. In May, AQAP leader Qasim al-Raymi released a lengthy plea for more attacks in the West. Al Qaeda quickly followed Al-Raymi’s message with the aforementioned speech by Hamza bin Laden.
And the latest edition of Inspire is intended to further buttress these efforts, with multiple al Qaeda figures praising the “lone jihad.”
Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD’s Long War Journal. |
South Africa: Du Preez - Lions Red Card 'Didn't Look Good' | Sharks coach Robert du Preez has backed the decision to red card Lions hooker Robbie Coetzee in Saturday night's Currie Cup clash between the sides in Johannesburg.
With the Lions 31-12 up, Coetzee was shown a straight red after television replays revealed that he had kicked Jacques Vermeulen in the face after the Sharks flank had scored a try.
It looked unintentional, but referee Egon Seconds was left with no choice.
That moment changed the game, and with a one-man advantage the Sharks turned around to secure a 47-31 win and their first win at Ellis Park since Du Preez took over.
Commenting on the red card, the Sharks boss believed it was the right decision.
"Jacques has already scored the try. I don't know ... it looked bad on TV ... it looked really bad," said Du Preez.
"It's a kick in the face, so I don't think it's going to go down well.
"That definitely changed the way the game was going ... it's always tough to play with 14 players."
Du Preez said the win in Johannesburg, following three losses there in the last two Super Rugby seasons, would go a long way towards inspiring this group of Sharks players.
"It's fantastic ... there are a lot of guys that have never won here before. A guy like Franco Marais, I don't think he's ever won here," said Du Preez.
"In the last two or three years we haven't won here, so that's very pleasing and it will give the team a lot of belief."
In this weekend's action, the Lions travel to Cape Town to face Western Province (Friday, August 18), while the Sharks have a bye.
Source: Sport24 |
Lenders scolded after rise in British consumer credit complaints | LONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Complaints about payday loans, hire purchase and other types of consumer credit in Britain rose in the second quarter, the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) said on Tuesday, criticising lenders for inadequate checks on borrowers' ability to pay.
Fast-growing consumer credit has come under intense scrutiny from market regulators concerned about lax lending standards, with the Bank of England warning banks against complacency.
The FOS said that consumer credit complaints totalled 7,281 in the three months to June 30, up from 5,846 in the same period last year.
"Although not every credit complaint is about trouble with debt, we've continued to hear from people who are struggling," Chief Ombudsman Caroline Wayman said in the dispute-resolution body's quarterly report on Tuesday.
"As preferences change -- for example, from payday loans to instalment loans -- we've seen that lenders still aren't always making the right call in checking people will be able to repay what they owe."
Payday loans, which provide short-term credit at high interest rates, made up nearly half of consumer credit complaints at 3,126. Hire purchase was next, generating 1,334 complaints, followed by point-of-sale loans on 1,009 and catalogue shopping on 556.
The 7,281 total also includes instalment loans, credit reference agencies, store cards and debt collection.
The FOS said that consumer credit complaints in the financial year that ended in April leapt by 89 percent, compared with a 40 percent rise in the previous year.
The ombudsdman said that payment protection insurance (PPI), responsible for Britain's costliest financial mis-selling scandal, remains the most complained about part of the market. Consumers have until August 29, 2019, to claim compensation for mis-sold PPI.
The FOS opened 42,401 new PPI cases in the quarter, down slightly from 43,569 in the same period last year, with 8 out of 10 complaints made via claims-management companies that take a slice of any compensation.
"We’ve always highlighted that it's easy and free to complain directly," said Richard Thompson, principal ombudsman at the FOS. |
Kim Kardashian’s Post Sparks Rumors That Her Marriage With Kanye Is Coming To An End! | Kim Kardashian has been dealing with a lot ever since her Paris robbery incident. Since then she’s struggled with the PTSD the reality TV star developed after the scary experience as well as with Kanye’s breakdown. As a result, their marriage has suffered a lot and the two did their best to save it, including going to couples’ therapy and trying for a third child.
With all of that being said, we are not surprised that Kim is a little fragile lately but her latest social media post caused fans to be very worried about her state.
In the picture, their two kids, North West and Saint are staying very close to their mother but Kanye seems separated from them.
It is very obvious that he doesn’t try to interact with the rest of his family or even look at them.
Easter 2017 A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Apr 16, 2017 at 7:24pm PDT
“Kanye West does not even hold his wife by the waist or whatever. She’s right next to him but his arms are by his body,” noticed one worried follower.
“Kim but who along with her,” commented another fan while some claimed the photo looked forced.
This is not the first time people start speculations that their marriage is on the rocks.
Their marital problems seemed pretty obvious when the presidential campaign was still going on and Kim supported Hillary Clinton with the rapper going to meet Donald Trump shortly after he was elected.
Since then, however, Kim has been doing her best to shut down the rumors by including Kanye as much as possible in her social media posts.
he always has my back 😜 A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Jan 10, 2017 at 9:31pm PST
Now, the reality TV stars are even considering expanding their family. While the doctors advised Kim against another pregnancy, they are still planning on having a third baby through a surrogate mother. Sources say, however, that they cannot agree on that either.
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Do you think Kim and Kanye are on the brink of divorce? |
Nga-I gunning for global deals | Pinehas Nakaziko
Windhoek-Namibian rapper, Ngaihape Mupurua, known as Nga-I, is working on getting international distribution deals for his music, making more music videos and taking his music to the people in terms of performances.
The rapper made headlines on social media with the release of his new music video, “Kurama”, recently. The video, which continues to attract more viewers on social media, stood at the time of penning this article this Tuesday at more more 5,000 viewers on YouTube, just a week after its release.
Nga-I says the video, produced by Willy-G and shot by Reggie Films, talks about daily life problems distracting a person from achieving his or her goals. “People like my new video and the response is very good, with almost everyone talking about it and sharing it on social media,” he says.
Nga-I has come out of nowhere to stake his claim as one of the leaders in the local hip-hop scene, with his self-created rap style, widely known as Ovi-trap. Explaining the Ovi-trap, Nga-I says it’s a fusion of enchanting Otjiherero vernacular lyrics, with what has become known as trap music.
“Trap music is a sub-genre of hip-hop that originated during the 1990s in the southern parts of the United States. It is typified by its ominous lyrics and sound that incorporate double or triple-time, with heavy kick drums,” says Nga-I.
In Namibia, Nga-I has gone one better, by mixing this emerging sub-genre with Otjiherero rap lyrics, while in the process carving out a niche for himself on the local scene.
Nga-I started his music in 2004, and has released up to 100 songs on Sound Cloud. He officially started with his music in 2008 when he officially released his first single, “Shame on Me” on some local radio stations. End of last year, he released his debut album, titled “Ovi-Trap” with 11 tracks. He says with the album, he wanted to introduce and present Namibian music to the African market. Nga-I’s Ovi-trap songs speak about his life, especially about him being a “farm boy” growing up in Windhoek. He tries to motivate young people, while also focusing on the fun elements of life, including partying. |
Charlton Athletic: 'Mood is buoyant again' says fan Chris Thompson ahead of Oxford United clash | The video will start in 8 Cancel
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Charlton Athletic supporter Chris Thompson has told Kent Live he believes there is a good vibe around The Valley at the moment - a change from a few weeks back and an eight-game run without a win.
Here's Chris with his latest thoughts - thanks again Chris for speaking to us.
It was a long trek for nothing for Charlton's travelling fans last week.
Blackpool's pitch is in poor condition and could not cope with the heavy Saturday morning rain.
Though disappointing, the decision probably did the Addicks a favour; a heavy pitch would not have suited their neat, quick style.
The club had a good transfer window. Despite fears of a fire sale, Ricky Holmes was the only senior player to leave.
Despite getting substantial bids for Ezri Konsa and Josh Magennis late on, the pair remain at The Valley.
It was a real boost for fans to see the club turn down big money for their star players.
Karl Robinson recruited well with a trio of attacking players brought in to bolster the squad.
Stephy Mavididi has been joined by Crystal Palace winger Sullay Kaikai and Wolves' Michal Zyro.
Signing Kaikai was a protracted affair, but Robinson eventually got his man.
Both Kaikai and Zyro can operate wide or through the middle, though the Pole is the one most likely to be used in a striking role. After the gloom of eight games without a win, Charlton will be looking for a fourth straight victory, against Oxford, today (February 3).
The mood around the club is buoyant again, and the fans are confident their team have the ability to make the end of season play-offs. |
Decision postponed on funding for Aberdeen International Youth Festival | A decision has been postponed on whether to provide funding to support the Aberdeen International Youth Festival.
The meeting of all councillors exceeded the time limit of four hours and was suspended after the necessary two thirds of councillors did not vote in favour of continuing.
A decision is expected to be made in the New Year at a meeting of all councillors. |
Manhunt ongoing in Ohio slaying | CLEVELAND -- Authorities in several states were on the lookout Monday for a man police say shot a Cleveland retiree collecting aluminum cans and then posted video of the killing on Facebook.
"He could be nearby. He could be far away or anywhere in between," FBI agent Stephen Anthony said on the second day of the manhunt for Steve Stephens, a 37-year-old job counselor for teens and young adults.
In a rambling video, Stephens said, "I snapped, I just snapped." But as the manhunt dragged on Monday, police were unable to explain what set him off.
"Only Steve knows that," Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said as authorities posted a $50,000 reward for Stephens' capture in the shooting of Robert Godwin Sr., a 74-year-old former foundry worker.
In the video, Stephens blamed a former girlfriend he had lived with, saying he woke up last week and "couldn't take it anymore." But in a statement Monday, the woman shed little light on what might have gone wrong and said Stephens was good to her and her children.
As for the shooting victim, Godwin appeared to have been selected at random, gunned down while picking up aluminum cans Sunday afternoon after spending Easter with some of his children.
A manhunt that started in Cleveland's east side expanded rapidly into a nationwide search for Stephens, police said.
Law enforcement officials said his cellphone signal was last detected Sunday afternoon in Erie, Pa., about 100 miles east of Cleveland.
Police reported getting dozens of tips, and nine schools in Philadelphia were locked down Monday while authorities investigated possible sightings of Stephens. But they said there was no sign he was actually there.
Some of those who know Stephens described him as pleasant and kind, and some said he had a gambling problem. He filed for bankruptcy two years ago.
In another video posted to Facebook, Stephens said he gambled away everything and that he and his girlfriend had planned to marry but didn't, without saying why.
The police chief said: "We are not going to pinpoint a specific thing and say this is what triggered this, because we don't know."
Godwin's daughter said he was killed while collecting cans in a plastic shopping bag.
"Not because he needed the money, it was just something he did," said 52-year-old Debbie Godwin. "That's all he was doing. He wasn't harming anyone."
She said her father, who had 10 children, was a gentle man with nothing mean about him.
Dozens of family, friends and community members gathered Monday evening in Cleveland for a vigil to remember Godwin. They hugged and comforted one another, while urging an end to the violence on their city streets.
In the shooting video, Stephens told Godwin a woman's name and said, "She's the reason that this is about to happen to you." The victim did not seem to recognize the woman's name. The gunman then pointed a weapon at Godwin, who shielded his face with the plastic bag.
The woman Stephens spoke of, Joy Lane, said in a text to CBS that "we had been in a relationship for several years. I am sorry that all of this has happened."
The video of the killing was on Facebook for about three hours before it was taken down.
Investigators said Godwin was the only victim so far linked to Stephens, despite his claim in a separate video on Facebook that he had killed more than a dozen people.
Detectives spoke with Stephens on Sunday by cellphone and tried to persuade him to surrender, police said.
Stephens worked at Beech Brook, a social services agency in suburban Cleveland that deals with vulnerable young people. He helped them acquire job skills and find employment, said Beech Brook spokesman Nancy Kortemeyer.
An extensive background check before he was hired turned up nothing worrisome, she said.
Stephens filed for bankruptcy in January 2015. His attorney at the time, Trent Binger, said Monday that he remembered Stephens discussing gambling problems.
"He was an easy client to deal with," Binger said. "Always respectful to me ... well-mannered."
Information for this article was contributed by Dake Kang, Delano Massey and John Seewer of The Associated Press.
A Section on 04/18/2017 |
President Trump’s Approval Rating Sinks To Another All-Time Low | Getty Image
After President Trump “both sides”-ed the hatred and violence seen in Charlottesville over the weekend, he was castigated by many, included fellow Republicans, for not condemning white supremacists specifically — which was roundly praised by, you guessed it, white supremacists. President Trump finally read from a teleprompter Monday to denounce hate groups, “including KKK, Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists” while calling racism “evil,” but it might be a case of too-little, too-late as his Gallup poll approval ratings fell to 34%, the lowest they’ve been during his seven month presidency.
According to Gallup’s own analysis, President Trump’s approval rating was already hovering near 34% on Friday after a week of bluster about North Korea during his planned 17-day vacation at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, but the number dropped further after the violence in Charlottesville that left one woman dead and countless injured. Moreover, Gallup reports that President Trump’s approval among Republicans is at the lowest its been since taking office, as well, and was at 77% for the period between Friday and Sunday.
Trump’s approval rating is the lowest for a newly elected president at this point in his first term, but other presidents like both Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, both Bushes, and Richard Nixon all fell below 34% at one point. Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, never did.
(Via Gallup) |
Upland postpones consideration of water rate increases, plans public workshops | The Upland City Council has postponed its consideration of five-year water rate increases to allow more time to address concerns from the public.
On Monday, March 12, the council voted to continue the matter until April 23. Meantime, the city plans to schedule public workshops on the proposal to raise rates by 17 percent on May 1, followed by a 9 percent increase in January 2019, a 9 percent increase in January 2020, a 5 percent increase in January 2021 and a 3 percent increase in 2022.
“Based on the inquiries and questions that have arisen since the public hearing for item 12B, I would like to allow the city staff ample time to digest these comments and concerns that have been expressed by the public,” said Mayor Debbie Stone.
If approved, the rate adjustments would address increased costs for buying water and operating the water system, a decline in revenue due to water conservation, and the replacement of pipes and infrastructure. The additional revenue would also help the city shore up the water-fund reserve, according to city officials.
Although the council postponed the public hearing, a few residents still expressed their concerns.
Natalie Garrett, of Upland, shared her previous, current and future water charges with the council and audience. In 2014, Garrett paid $61.50 for 35 units of water, she said. She currently pays $97.25 and in 2022, after the five-year increases, she estimates her bill will be $151.95 for 35 units of water.
“That’s a 147 percent increase,” she said. “Nobody’s paycheck goes up that much. So I’m asking you guys to think out of the box and figure out a way that an increase, a reasonable increase, that will cover your emergency needs, but also not put a heavy burden on the people in Upland.”
Councilwoman Janice Elliott asked that the city hold workshops to make the process transparent to the public.
“I would like … to have workshops where people can come and learn about the reasons why this is being put on the agenda and why we are asked to vote on this,” Elliott said. “This would include financial analysis that is clearly understood by people and what are our alternatives if this doesn’t happen.”
Mayor Pro Tem Carol Timm agreed.
“I had said this a long time ago – we should have workshops – so I have no problem with it,” Timm said. “I do think you need to know why this is being proposed because there are very serious reasons why. I would like to have at least one workshop and I know that takes up city time and money, but I don’t see a problem with it.”
City Manager Bill Manis said he would coordinate with Public Works Director Rosemary Hoerning to schedule the workshops, which would be publicized on the city’s website and social media pages.
“We should get in front of this in the next couple of weeks,” Manis said. “We can establish one workshop or in fact, a couple workshops – perhaps one on the weekend and then perhaps one on a week evening. That we can do, and have them in a setting or a forum that would provide a large enough capacity for the audience and people that would like to come see it.”
The proposal also includes a Temporary Demand Management Surcharge, which would protect the city from a loss in revenue due to decreased water usage in the future.
The surcharge, however, would be applied to customers’ water bills only if the state imposes future water use restrictions or if water usage trends downward and the city anticipates a decline in revenue.
Written protests can be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 460 N. Euclid Ave., until the close of the public hearing April 23.
The city has also provided a water rate calculator for residents on its website. |
Langer to miss Senior PGA title defense for son's graduation | Bernhard Langer has compiled 36 victories and just over $25 million in earnings on the PGA Tour Champions, and he is a seven-time player of the year. It might help the others if the 60-year-old German takes a week off every now and then.
"Sometimes they say, 'Why don't you take a week off?' I joke back and say, 'If you pay me some disappearance fee, I might.' But I haven't received any yet," Langer said Monday while previewing the Senior PGA Championship in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Inbee Park, of South Korea, hits from the fairway on the 13th hole during the final round of the HUGEL-JTBC LA Open golf tournament at Wilshire Country Club Sunday, April 22, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Leave it to Langer's son to arrange that.
Langer revealed that he won't be able to defend his title on May 24-27 because his youngest son, 18-year-old Jason, is graduating from high school that weekend.
"Family always comes first in my life, so I've got to be there to support him, to celebrate him moving on to college," Langer said.
He said his son will attend Penn's Wharton School of Business and plans to play golf.
"I wouldn't want to miss that," Langer said. "I'm going to miss competing for this, but hopefully, there will be more chances in the future."
Langer won last year at Trump National outside Washington to complete the career Grand Slam on the 50-and-older circuit.
A year ago, Phil Mickelson sat out the U.S. Open at Erin Hills went his second-oldest daughter graduated from high school. Corey Pavin nearly had the same conflict in 2005 for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, but he flew cross-country after his opening round Thursday and caught a redeye back to North Carolina for his second round.
TOP 60 LOOMS
Patton Kizzire already has two PGA Tour victories this season and is No. 2 in the FedEx Cup. That still might not be enough to avoid qualifying for the U.S. Open.
The USGA in 2012 eliminated its exemption for multiple winners on the PGA Tour from the previous U.S. Open when it revamped its criteria that focused more on the top 60 in the world ranking. Kizzire is at No. 57 this week.
The cutoff for being among the top 60 is on May 21, after the AT&T Byron Nelson. There also is another cutoff for the top 60 on June 11, the final ranking going into the U.S. Open on June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills.
Chief among the prominent names not yet eligible is Adam Scott, who has played in 67 consecutive majors dating to the 2001 British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Scott, who missed the cut last week in the Texas Open, is at No. 64.
Alexander Levy of France moved up 19 spots to No. 47 with his victory last week on the European Tour, and that might be enough to secure his spot.
Among those near the top 60 with three tournaments remaining - the Zurich Classic in New Orleans does not offer world ranking points as a team event - are Luke List and Thomas Pieters (tied at No. 54), Bernd Wiesberger (No. 60), Ryan Moore (No. 62), Charles Howell III (No. 63) and former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel (No. 65). Schwartzel has played in every major dating to the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.
The winner of The Players Championship in three weeks gets a three-year exemption.
NIEMANN'S DEBUT
Joaquin Niemann already has shown a knack for the big occasion this year.
The 19-year-old from Chile thought he was playing his final round as an amateur in January until he shot a 63 in the last round to win the Latin American Amateur Championship, which got him into the Masters.
He delayed turning pro to play at Augusta National. And in his pro debut, Niemann shot 67-67 on the weekend to finish sixth in the Texas Open. The top-10 finish will get him into the Wells Fargo Championship next week at Quail Hollow, along with giving him a big start toward earning special temporary membership on the PGA Tour and having access to unlimited sponsor exemptions.
He has 100 FedEx Cup points and needs 365 to earn special temporary membership. Niemann says he already has received exemptions for the AT&T Byron Nelson and the Memorial.
"I think this is going to give me a lot of confidence to try to do my card for this year," Niemann said. "Thing is, I've got a couple more tournaments coming and I just can't wait for it."
Niemann also is exempt into the final stage of U.S. Open qualifying. He gave that up from his Latin American Amateur victory by turning pro, but the U.S. Open exempts Mark H. McCormack Medal winners (No. 1 in the world amateur ranking) into sectional qualifying if they no longer are amateur.
SCOTT'S SCHEDULING
Adam Scott tends to play less rather than more, though he's not opposed to making it up as he goes along depending on the mood and the game. That's one reason he chose to play the Texas Open coming off a 70-71 weekend at the Masters.
It didn't work out as Scott played in the windy side of the draw in San Antonio, didn't play particularly well and missed the cut.
But it reminded him of an occasion 10 years ago, when he tied for 25th at the Masters with a reasonable performance. He flew home to Australia and played golf with some of his friends. And he was playing well.
"And I'm like, 'Why am I wasting my good golf on you guys?'" Scott said. "So I flew back the next week to Dallas and won the Byron Nelson. Kind of one of those things where you can't be so stubborn. I'm trying to be really in tune with where my game's at and identify why I'm just not having better results. To change that, I've got to change something. Otherwise, I'm just going to do the same thing."
DIVOTS
Luke Donald is stepping away to try to heal an ailing back. Donald, a former world No. 1 who hasn't won since the end of 2013 in Japan, said on Twitter that he has been trying to play with back pain for the last few months and has decided to get treatment and take time off to recover. "Gutted about this but I'm fully committed to getting back out onto the course," he tweeted. ... CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz will receive the Ambassador of Golf Award this year at the Bridgestone Invitational. He joins two former colleagues, producer Frank Chirkinian and lead analyst Ken Venturi, in receiving the award. ... The LPGA Tour is back in Los Angeles and San Francisco, giving California 12 tournaments on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions combined. ... Inbee Park has returned to No. 1 in the world in women's golf. Five players were at No. 1 since Park last topped the ranking in October 2015.
STAT OF THE WEEK
The Zurich Classic is the first time the four reigning major champions are at the same tournament since the Tour Championship.
FINAL WORD
"I feel like a veteran right now. I feel like a tour player now. I know I can beat these guys and just going to wait for my week and try to win." - Joaquin Niemann after finishing sixth in his professional debut at the Texas Open. |
Take Five: World markets themes for the week ahead | (Reuters) - Following are five big themes likely to dominate the thinking of investors and traders in the coming week and the Reuters stories related to them.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
1/FED UP
It’s a monster week for central bank meetings across the globe.
The third Federal Reserve interest rate rise of the year is due Wednesday, with markets hungry to hear how many more might be in the pipeline for next year while they flatten the yield curve on fears over just how aggressive the FOMC might be.
Fed chair Janet Yellen may well wax lyrical alongside the dot plots, but the fact she won’t be around to see 2018 through means a certain amount of fog descends. Investors are also trying to figure out just how much gasoline the big Trump tax cuts throw on a nicely blazing economy.
Europe’s top two - the ECB and Bank of England - hold their final meetings of the year on Thursday, though it’s highly unlikely either will rock the boat policy-wise. For the BoE, that’s partly because visibility on the Brexit-bound UK economy stretches only to the end of its nose.
Emerging markets will see the real action. Russia is expected to trim its rates again with inflation there at a record low, but Turkey should and Mexico could go the other way. Indonesia, Colombia, Ukraine and Philippines also hold rate meetings.
2/LOOKING TO THE FUTURES
Bitcoin fans saw the cryptocurrency blast past $19,000 and then promptly plunge 20 percent to this week but are salivating over the potential for some longed-for legitimacy when futures trading launches this weekend.
The first Cboe exchange trades should print Sunday night at 2300 GMT (6 p.m. EST), followed a week later on CME Group’s CME exchange and Nasdaq next year.
Traders are speculating what all this will do to the hyperactive price moves. Since August 2011, bitcoin has averaged a daily price change of nearly 3 percent, up or down. That compares to less than 0.5 percent for the euro-dollar rate since the euro’s introduction in 1999.
3/FROM ME TO EU
Britain and the EU reached an 11th-hour deal on Friday covering the Irish border question that allows the second phase of Brexit negotiations, on future trade relations, to proceed. It was a typical European fudge, pushing the tough negotiations on the details of what will be extremely complex trade and regulatory issues into next year.
Sterling initially rallied to a 6-month high against the euro but then slumped, posting its biggest daily fall in two weeks against the euro and three weeks against the dollar. Sterling trading is becoming increasingly choppy - the difference between sterling/dollar volatility and euro/dollar last week was the widest since the UK general election in June.
The pound will remain highly sensitive to Brexit headlines and official commentary next week too despite Friday’s breakthrough. Next up is the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on Dec. 14-15.
4/WEAKEST LINKS
Crunchtime looms for Turkey and South Africa, the emerging market weak links. Turkey’s central bank should deliver at least 100 basis points in policy tightening at its Dec. 14 meeting to counter double-digit inflation and keep foreigners keen on its bonds. Any less and the lira may slide back to record lows against the dollar - it is currently 4 percent off that level
South African markets will likewise be volatile ahead of the ruling ANC party’s Dec. 16-20 conference to elect a new leader. Expectations of a victory for businessman Cyril Ramaphosa have lifted South African markets but these gains could reverse should his rival Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma take the lead in polls. The outcome of the vote could determine direction for the rand and central bank policy.
Bond yields in both countries have surged this year in contrast to broader emerging markets where yields are down - average Turkish yields at 12.5 percent are double the emerging market average, while South African bonds pay 9.8 percent.
5/EXERTING SOME DELEVERAGE
China is due to release key data next week including industrial output, retail figures, investment, house prices and the latest loan growth numbers.
The big question most economists and investors are asking about China at the moment is whether Beijing can achieve its main aim of deleveraging - and making the financial sector less risky - but at the same time keep economic growth on its steady glide path.
For EM equities followers there is also the spiralling influence of Tencent and Alibaba which are now so outsized in some of the key global EM stocks indices that the merest sniff of a slowdown in the world’s number two economy could cause trouble. |
Community Events for Tuesday, December 12 | Christmas Lights Storytime Today, 10am at the Bluffton Public Library featuring stories, songs and crafts. Free, all ages welcome.
(419-358-5016)
Blood Donation Drive on Friday, Noon-6pm at the Putnam County YMCA. Walk-in’s welcome or make an appointment at www.RedCrossBlood.org
(800-733-2767)
Volunteers and donations are needed for the laying of wreaths at Maple Grove Cemetery on Saturday as part of the “Wreaths Across America” program. For info, search the Findlay event at www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org
(567-525-6791)
Model Train Show & Swap Meet on Saturday, 10am-3pm at the Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima. Operating layouts, models and equipment for all gauges, memorabilia vendors, more. Food available. Admission $5, Age 12 & Under Free (with adult admission).
(567-259-3340)
Snowflake Storytime on Tuesday, December 19, 10am at the Bluffton Public Library featuring stories, songs and crafts. Free, all ages welcome.
(419-358-5016)
A Dulcimer Christmas on Tuesday, December 19, 6:30pm at the Bluffton Public Library. Holiday music, refreshments, more. Free.
(419-358-5016)
Blood Donation Drive on Thursday, December 21, 1-7pm at Stonebridge Church. Walk-in’s welcome or make an appointment at www.RedCrossBlood.org
(800-733-2767)
Registration is now open (thru 12/23) for Winter Competitive Regional Basketball for youth in grades 3-6 (boys and girls). Practices begin the week of January 8, games begin on January 20. Contact the Findlay Family YMCA for registration info: www.FindlayYMCA.org
(419-422-4424)
Blood Donation Drives on Tuesday, December 26, Noon-6pm at the Findlay Knights of Columbus, Thursday, December 28, 9am-3pm at the Findlay Family Moose Center (W Main-Cross), Friday, December 29, Noon-6pm at Findlay Trinity Lutheran Church (Bigelow Ave) and Saturday, December 30, 9am-3pm at Mt. Blanchard United Methodist Church. Walk-in’s welcome or make an appointment at www.RedCrossBlood.org
(800-733-2767)
Blood Donation Drives on Wednesday, December 27, Noon-6pm at the Ottoville Parish Hall and Thursday, December 28, Noon-6pm at Trinity United Methodist Church, Ottawa. Walk-in’s welcome or make an appointment at www.RedCrossBlood.org
(800-733-2767)
Open Video Gaming Day for all ages on Thursday, December 28, 9:30am-5pm at the Bluffton Public Library. Devices and games provided or bring your own (All games rated E – Everyone). Pre-registration required.
(419-358-5016) |
Republican, Democratic senators seek answers in Wells auto scandal | FILE PHOTO: Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) speaks with reporters about the withdrawn Republican health care bill on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 18, 2017.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of U.S. senators from both parties on Wednesday turned up the heat on Wells Fargo Inc. over its latest scandal, in which hundreds of thousands of car-loan borrowers were charged each month without their knowledge for collision insurance, which many of them did not need.
The Republican chairs of the committee and the subcommittee that would head any congressional investigations into insurance sales, Senators John Thune and Jerry Moran, along with those panels' senior Democrats, Senators Bill Nelson and Richard Blumenthal, wrote to Wells CEO Timothy Sloan with questions about the scandal as basic as how many customers were affected.
They also requested copies of the bank's internal report that first identified the problem.
The group sent similar questions to Barry Karfunkel, CEO of National General Holdings Corporation, which provided the insurance.
Last week Moran said he was seeking additional information from Wells about reports the bank charged 800,000 borrowers for insurance without their knowledge or consent, but did not give specifics. Many borrowers already had cheaper insurance with other companies.
The letter asks Sloan when the bank, which paid $190 million in fines and penalties last year over creating phantom bank accounts, first learned about the insurance sales practices and also what steps it is taking to prevent a recurrence and to refund the erroneous charges to customers.
FILE PHOTO: Sen. John Thune (R-SD) speaks with reporters about the Senate health care bill on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 13, 2017. Aaron P. Bernstein
The letters do not mention possible hearings or subpoenas, but the senators have the authority launch an investigation using both if they are not satisfied with responses to their letters. Wells and National have until Aug. 23 to answer the questions.
The Wells letter shows senators are concerned with reports that thousands of borrowers fell into delinquency because they could not afford the premiums on top of their monthly payments and the possibility bank management pushed employees to sign customers up for insurance with incentives or special benefits.
Incentives are at the heart of last year's scandal, where employees said they created accounts in customers' names or pushed account holders to buy additional products they did not need in order to meet high sales targets.
The senators are also seeking information about possible commissions paid or revenues shared between Wells and National.
Wells spokeswoman Jennifer Dunn said the bank is committed to addressing the lawmakers' concerns.
"Customer harm is not acceptable at Wells Fargo," she said. "We are committed to fixing these mistakes and earning back trust.” |
Fresno State Reports Own Professor for ‘Trump Must Hang’ Tweet…. | SANITY RETURNS TO THE ACADEMY: Fresno State Reports Own Professor for ‘Trump Must Hang’ Tweet. |
Lockheed Martin Wins $541Mln Contract to Produce Trident II D5 Nuclear Missiles | WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Trident II D5 is the latest generation of the US Navy's submarine-launched ballistic missiles and has a range of 7,359 km (4,573 miles).
It is a three-stage, solid-fueled submarine-launched intercontinental-range ballistic missile with a range of nearly 8,000 miles.
"Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, California, is being awarded $540,834,051 to a previously awarded contract for Trident II (D5) missile production and deployed system support," the release said on Tuesday.
Work will be performed in as many as 15 US states and is expected to be completed by September 30, 2021, according to the release.
The missile is currently deployed by the United Kingdom on its Vanguard class submarines. It is also deployed on the US Navy's Ohio and newer Columbia class nuclear missile submarines. |