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☆ I live off the grid in a 300-square-foot tiny home with my husband and 2 kids. It feels luxurious compared with our suburban life.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Kelly Burch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ten years ago I was living a typical suburban life on the outskirts of Denver. But along the way we've created a much more luxurious and free lifestyle than the one we were living in suburbia. AdvertisementI started trying to live more consciously when the kids were youngOur journey started in an unlikely place: Netflix documentaries. Casey and I felt the only way to really live by our values was to build a house. I wanted to be physically healthier by living off the grid, but not at the expense of our morals.

Persons: Heather Graesser, —, Casey, We've, Trump, We're, there's, I'm, we've Organizations: Service, Netflix, Disney Locations: North Carolina, Denver, Costa Rica, Winston, Salem

☆ French Farmers’ Unions Urge End to Roadblocks Amid Government Proposals
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

France’s main farmer’s unions called on Thursday for an end to roadblocks across the country after expressing cautious satisfaction with a flurry of new government announcements to appease them, in the first sign of a possible reprieve after more than a week of protests disrupted traffic nationwide. It was not immediately clear whether the approximately 10,000 farmers at the 100 or so barricades would heed the union leaders’ call and go home after days of blocking key roads with tractors and bales of hay, including in Paris, to express a wide range of deeply rooted grievances. The unions said that they would monitor closely the government’s promises of new financial aid and a loosening of regulations in the run-up to a major farming trade fair scheduled for this month in Paris. “The action is not ending,” Arnaud Rousseau, president of the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (the FNSEA), France’s largest and most powerful farmers’ union, said at a news conference in Paris. “It is transforming.”

Persons: ’, “, ” Arnaud Rousseau, ” Organizations: National Federation of Farmers ’ Unions Locations: Paris, “

☆ Farmers Block Traffic Near Paris Before Prime Minister’s Speech
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Barricades of tractors and bales of hay snarled traffic around Paris on Tuesday for a second day as hundreds of angry farmers blocked roads in and out of the French capital before a major policy speech by France’s prime minister. The authorities closed off whole sections of at least seven major highways around Paris because of the protests, sometimes for several miles, as farmers demanded solutions to their varied list of demands on farming subsidies, environmental regulations and foreign competition. About 1,000 protesters with more than 500 tractors formed the road barricades around Paris, according to estimates by the French authorities reported in the news media. The traffic bottlenecks, while bad, did not encircle the city and were not crippling, and broader disruptions to the French capital, such as delayed deliveries of food and other products, were so far limited.

Locations: Paris

The sight of tractor barricades creating long lines of vehicles highlighted the gulfs in economic and social opportunity between town and country in France. At Jossigny near the Disneyland theme park outside Paris, protesters blocked all six lanes of the A4 highway, parking their tractors so they formed what looked like an ear of wheat when seen from the air. Some vehicles carried placards declaring “No food without farmers" and “The end of us would mean famine for you." South of the capital, protesters used forklifts to deposit hay bales to block the A6 highway, broadcaster BFM-TV's images showed. Traffic authorities in the Paris area reported protests causing snarls on multiple major highways heading into the capital.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Attal, “, ” Arnaud Rousseau, Russia's, Rousseau, ___ Leicester, Le Organizations: Paris, Protesters, RTL, Taxi Locations: JOSSIGNY, France, Paris, Ukraine, Jossigny, Europe, Russia, ”, Le Pecq

☆ French farmers block roads, dump produce as protest edges closer to Paris
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A farmer pulls waste to block the RN 19 near in Vesoul, eastern France, on January 25, 2024. French farmers blocked highways and dumped crates of imported produce on Thursday, demanding urgent action on low farmgate prices, green regulation and free-trade policies as swelling protests moved closer to Paris. "We always have more rules to follow, we are always asked for more and we earn less and less. On the southwestern edge of Paris, dozens of tractors led a go-slow during the morning rush-hour. Asked when the protesters would lift roadblocks, Gaillot said to ask Attal: "It is he who holds the key."

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Arnaud Gaillot, Attal, Jean, Jacques Pesquerel, France's, Gaillot Organizations: Farmers, Young Farmers, Le Parisien, Calvados Coordination Rurale Locations: Vesoul, France, Paris, Le, Calvados, Marseille, Lyon

Macron's opponents are seizing on the farmers' demonstrations to bash his government's record ahead of European elections in June. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose National Rally party is polling strongly, blamed free-trade agreements, imports and bureaucracy for farmers' economic woes. Roads hit Thursday morning by drive-slows included a highway west of the French capital and seat of power. “We are getting progressively closer to Paris,” farmer David Lavenant said to broadcaster BFM-TV. In recent weeks, farmers have staged protests in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le, ”, David Lavenant, Ursula von der Leyen, von der Locations: Paris, Agen, France, Brussels, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Romania

PARIS (AP) — French farmers staged protests Wednesday across the country and in Brussels against low wages and what they consider to be excessive regulation, mounting costs and other problems. Roadblocks were spreading in many French regions, one day after a farmer and her daughter died due to a traffic collision at a protest barricade. Farmers have also been turning road signs upside down to protest what they argue are nonsensical agricultural policies. Arnaud Rousseau, head of France's major farmers union FNSEA, said his organization would release a list of 40 necessary measures later on Wednesday. Speaking on France 2 television, he said the protest movement was aimed at “getting quick results."

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Attal, Marc Fesneau, Arnaud Rousseau Organizations: PARIS, EU, Rural, Police Locations: Brussels, France, Pamiers, Ariège

☆ Prepping for America's Collapse: Inside an Off-the-Grid Utah Homestead
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Evan Malmgren | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

The folks at Riverbed Ranch have answered these questions decisively, embracing a radical turn toward self-reliance and small-scale sustainability. He founded Riverbed Ranch after losing power during a winter storm. Gleason's wife, Colleen, said of Riverbed residents in a 2021 TV interview : "Most of them tend to be prepper types." AdvertisementGleason envisions Riverbed Ranch as a safe environment for families: "This is about the kids." "The American idea that we're going to go on forever is naive at best," Fisher told me.

Persons: Jesse Fisher's, Fisher, Philip Gleason, they'd, Gleason, Jesse Fisher, of Jesus Christ, Elon, Blonquist Gleason, " Gleason, Colleen, bristled, Priscilla Hart, Hart, you've, Sarah Vezzani, —, Vezzani, Lance Pope, Brittany Organizations: Apple Watch, of Jesus, dodgers, Fox News, Pew Research, Rockies Locations: Utah, Ukraine, Gaza, Idaho, Ogden , Utah, Ogden, Nebraska, America, Arizona, Santaquin , Utah

☆ Opinion: The Iowa caucuses: Trump dominates while Haley and DeSantis run for second place
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Opinion Lyz Lenz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Iowa caucuses might have continued to be a nothingburger if New York Times correspondent RW “Johnny” Apple hadn’t pulled a journalistic PT Barnum act by coming to Iowa in the 1970s and making it a show. But if the Iowa caucuses ever meant anything, they mean less now. After all, Ted Cruz won the Iowa Republican caucuses in 2016, the year Donald Trump won the election; former Arkansas Gov. He mocked Iowa Gov. Trump did show up to the Iowa State Fair, but he pointedly avoided “fair-side” conversations hosted by Iowa’s governor.

Persons: Lyz Lenz, Johnny ” Apple hadn’t, Apple, salivating, Jimmy Carter, “, I’ve, Pete Buttigieg, Ron DeSantis, John Hickenlooper, feverishly, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, outpace, Mitt Romney, Pennsylvania Sen, Rick Santorum, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, Arizona Sen, John McCain, Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Trump, He’s, Kim Reynolds, DeSantis, Bob Vander Plaats, Iowa, they’ll, he’s, Reynolds, Haley, — Organizations: CNN, Republican, New York Times, Democratic Party, Apple, Georgia Gov, Florida Gov, Republicans, Massachusetts Gov, Democratic, Iowa Republican, Arkansas Gov, Trump, Iowa Gov, Family Leadership, Fair, Iowa’s, Capitol, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Iowa, Lyz Lenz Pilsen, Georgia, South Bend , Indiana, Sioux City, Florida, Dallas, Colorado, Cedar Rapids, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York City, America, Arkansas, Arizona, New Hampshire

☆ How old fishing nets could be part of the climate crisis solution
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Paul Glader | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

De Bouter’s company, Brikole, is a startup “circular business” that recycles discarded nets from the industrial tuna fishing industry. Kyle de Bouter holds board shorts made of recycled Nylon fishing nets similar to the kind he is recycling. Since the area is prime for fishing, especially tuna fishing, many in Seychelles believe those industries are a good place to start. He championed activity by “inventive young entrepreneurs” to improve society, mentioning recycled fishing nets as one example. “This is solving the problem of exhausted fishing nets,” said Julio Morón, a managing director of the Spanish tuna fishing organization called OPAGAC.

Persons: Seychelles CNN — Kyle de Bouter, ”, De, Kyle de Bouter, Paul Glader, CNN “, de Bouter, Joshua Tiatouse, CNN De Bouter, Ellen MacArthur, Eduardo Soteras, James Alix Michel’s, Michel, De Bouter, Julio Morón, Brikole, Bouter, de, Manuel Sigren, Bureo, Joshua Tiatousse, Tiatousse, “ Organizations: Seychelles CNN, United Nations, CNN, Bank, “ Department of Blue, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Washington Post, Economy Research, University of Seychelles, snags, Electricity, Bureo, DuPont, BASF, DOMO Chemicals, Grandview Research Locations: Victoria, Seychelles, Patagonia, Spain, France, South Korea, Kosovo, Ghana, Philippines, Mahé, “, Dubai, China, California, Africa, Asia, Grandview

☆ Dolly Parton used to party at Studio 54 and stuck with Andy Warhol because they didn't drink or take drugs 'too much'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dolly Parton became close with Andy Warhol while frequenting Studio 54 in the 1970s. Studio 54, which is now a Broadway theater, was the place to be seen as disco took over New York City. Dolly Parton at her Studio 54 party in 1978. AdvertisementParton wore a sparkly black chiffon dress to her Studio 54 party in 1978. They did a whole country scene with cows and a beautiful white horse too," Parton wrote.

Persons: Dolly Parton, Andy Warhol, Parton, Warhol, Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg, —, Dolly Parton's, Andy, We'd, Ron Galella, Sandy Gallin, " Parton, von, Thomas Iannaccone, Steve Rubell, Ian Schrager, Steve Organizations: Service, Broadway, New, Getty, Penske Media Locations: Rhinestones, Manhattan, New York City

☆ Brazilian cotton hits the runway at Sao Paulo Fashion Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A model presents a creation by the project “Sou de algodao" (I'm made of cotton) during Sao Paulo Fashion Week, in Sao Paulo, Brazil November 9, 2023. REUTERS/Carla Carniel Acquire Licensing RightsSAO PAULO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Brazilian cotton producers took the natural fiber to the runway on Thursday night, strutting the catwalk of Sao Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW) in celebration of the 150th anniversary of jeans. Paulo Martinez, a Brazilian fashion icon who styled the show, pointed out that Brazilian cotton is "indispensable" in the manufacturing of the denim garments. More important than the race to come out on top is to show the industry and consumers the quality of Brazil's product, said the president of the Brazilian Cotton Producers Association (Abrapa), Alexandre Schenkel. For Schenkel, the runway showcased the fruits of designers' labor.

Persons: I'm, Carla Carniel, Paulo Martinez, Alexandre Schenkel, Roberto Samora, Peter Frontini, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Sao Paulo Fashion, REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Brazilian Cotton Producers Association, Thomson Locations: Sao Paulo, Brazil, Brazilian, States, China, India

But national winter wheat yield ended up only about 2% below the long-term trend in 2023. Winter wheat there is only 32% GE, down from the week’s five-year average of 43% but above the year-ago 24%. Winter wheat is 42% and 41% GE, respectively, equal to the Oklahoma average and 13 points above the Texas one. Winter wheat at 47% GE is among the lower ratings for the date historically, but it is not necessarily in poor company. U.S. winter wheat conditions, fall versus springKaren Braun is a market analyst for Reuters.

Persons: Amira Karaoud, Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Department of Agriculture, GE, Nino, El Nino, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Shelbyville , Kentucky, U.S, Rights NAPERVILLE , Illinois, United States, Kansas, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri , Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas, Southern

☆ Harvard Cozies Up to #MentalHealth TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Ellen Barry | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One day in February, an invitation from Harvard University arrived in the inbox of Rachel Havekost, a TikTok mental health influencer and part-time bartender in Seattle who likes to joke that her main qualification is 19 years of therapy. @ruggedcounseling, a therapist from Chattanooga, Tenn., who discusses attachment styles on his TikTok account, sometimes while loading bales of hay onto the bed of a pickup truck. Twenty-five recipients glanced over the emails, which invited them to collaborate with social scientists at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard. They were not accustomed to being treated with respect by academia; several concluded that the letters were pranks or phishing attempts and deleted them.

Persons: Rachel Havekost, Trey Tucker, a.k.a, Bryce Spencer, Jones, Kate Speer Organizations: Harvard University, of Public Health, Harvard Locations: Seattle, Chattanooga, Tenn, Chan

☆ What Uganda’s war on second-hand clothes means for fashion
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sarah Kent | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Camille Delbos/Art In All of Us/Corbis/Getty ImagesSo Kolade turned to something that was available in abundance: second-hand clothes. “I have declared war on second-hand clothes to promote African wear,” the President said during the opening of 16 factories at an industrial park late last month, according to Ugandan newspaper Daily Monitor. Ugandan fashion house Buzigahill give new life to second-hand clothes through patchworking and splicing pieces together. According to the Uganda Dealers in Used Clothing and Shoes Association, there are a huge number of jobs directly and indirectly involved in the second-hand clothing supply chain. “It is clear that the second-hand clothing trade is broken because the firsthand clothing trade is broken,” said Ricketts.

Persons: Bobby Kolade, Camille Delbos, Kolade, patchworked sweats, Yoweri Museveni, Martin Kharumwa, ”, Corti Paul Lakuma, Bales, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Uganda’s, Buzigahill, Liz Ricketts, Ricketts Organizations: CNN, The, Fashion, Ugandan, Daily Monitor, East African Community, Policy Research, Greenpeace, Bloomberg, Getty, European Union, European Environment Agency, Uganda Dealers, Association, European Locations: Berlin, Kampala, Entebbe, Uganda, Turkey, China, East, Europe, East Africa, Philippines, Indonesia, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ugandan, Accra, Ghana, Africa, Kantamanto, California

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Some archaeologists describe Peru’s capital as an onion with many layers of history, others consider it a box of surprises. That's what some gas line workers got when their digging uncovered eight pre-Inca funeral bales. The city also has more than 400 larger archaeological sites that have turned up scattered through the urban landscape. The company’s archaeologists believe the finds belong to the pre-Inca culture called Ichma. The eight burial bundles were found near some braised chicken restaurants and a road that leads to Peru’s only nuclear power station.

Persons: Jesus Bahamonde, Roberto Quispe, ” Bahamonde Locations: LIMA, Peru, Lima, Calidda, Spanish, La Flor, Peruvian

"Increasingly we are going to turn used clothes into raw material from Europe for fashion companies." Also in Spain, rivals including H&M, Mango and Inditex have created a non-profit association to manage clothing waste, responding to an EU law requiring member states to separate textiles from other waste from January 2025. OBSTACLESThe obstacles to significantly reducing clothing waste are formidable, despite the EU crackdown, industry sustainability commitments and initiatives like the Moda Re expansion. Adidas (ADSGn.DE), Bestseller, and H&M (HMb.ST) have invested in Finnish start-up Infinited Fiber Company, which manufactures fibre out of textile waste, cardboard and paper. As in Spain, textile waste associations would be set up in each country.

Persons: Albert Alberich, Inditex, Dijana Lind, Hugo Boss, Lind, Moda, Aissatou Boukoum, Mauro Scalia, Corina Pons, Helen Reid, Horaci Garcia, Nacho, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: BARCELONA, Moda, Caritas, Union, European Commission, Union Investment, Adidas, McKinsey, Reuters, EU, ReHubs, Moda Re, United Nations, Inditex, Puma, Infinited Fiber Company, Thomson Locations: Spain, Barcelona, Spanish, Europe, Zara, Bilbao, Valencia, EU, Frankfurt, ReHubs Europe, Mali, Sant, AFRICA, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Africa, Senegalese, Germany, Texaid, Switzerland, Vestisolidale, Italy, France, EURATEX, Madrid, London, Nacho Doce

Alberta, the country's main oil and gas producing province, paused approvals on Aug. 3 of new renewable electricity generation projects over one megawatt until Feb. 29, chilling investment in the fast-growing industry. The pause is necessary to address concerns about renewables' reliability and land use, said a spokesperson for Alberta's utilities minister. A second company has paused design work on its first Alberta project, Dye added. Along with domestic firms, foreign companies like Berkshire Hathaway's (BRKa.N) BHE Canada, EDF Renewables and Enel Green Power generate renewable power in Alberta. The pause directly affects 15 projects in the approvals queue, the government spokesperson said.

Persons: Todd Korol, Danielle Smith, Smith, Justin Trudeau's, Jorden Dye, Dye, Pembina, Grant Arnold, Arnold, BluEarth, Dan Balaban, Rod Nickel, Steve Scherer, Denny Thomas, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Justin Trudeau's Liberal, Business Renewables, THE, THE ALBERTA WAY, EDF Renewables, Companies, Pembina Institute, Renewables, U.S . Alberta Utilities Commission, Greengate, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Thomson Locations: Rocky, Pincher Creek, Alberta, Rights WINNIPEG , Manitoba, Canadian, U.S, Calgary, THE ALBERTA, THE ALBERTA WAY Alberta, Berkshire, Canada, Winnipeg , Manitoba, Ottawa

☆ Kantamanto market: At one of the world’s largest clothing dumps, textiles are getting a new lease of life
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Jenny Marc | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

They belong to a vendor in one of the world’s largest secondhand clothing markets, who plans on selling these clothes for a small profit. Using research, advocacy and innovation, the foundation draws attention to textile waste and finds ways to reuse it. A water stream across the street from Kantamanto textile market is choked with discarded clothing, essentially becoming a makeshift landfill. They purchase used clothing by the bale, without knowing what’s inside, in hopes of selling it for profit. The regulations will make the collection of textile waste mandatory in 2025, but the organization says these changes won’t be enough.

Persons: Ghana CNN — Kennie MacCarthy rummages, MacCarthy, ” MacCarthy, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Jenny Marc, “ I’ve, ”, –, Kayayei, “, Liz Branson, MacCarthy – Organizations: Ghana CNN, Bloomberg, Charities, CNN Merchants, Foundation, CNN, European Commission Locations: Accra, Ghana, Kantamanto, Europe, North America

☆ 'Cocaine sharks' may be consuming drugs dumped off the coast of Florida, sending them a little crazy, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sharks might be consuming drugs that are dumped off the Florida coast, scientists say. An upcoming Shark Week episode will investigate whether the drugs are impacting the animals. The scientists observed unusual behavior from some sharks, including one fixating on an imaginary object. If these cocaine bales are a point source of pollution, it's "very plausible" sharks can be affected by this chemical, Fanara said. The scientists created packages that resembled cocaine bales and dropped them into the water to see how the sharks would respond.

Persons: Tracy Fanara, Fanara, Tom Hird, Hird, Hind, LiveScience Organizations: Service, Privacy, Guardian . Studies, US Coast Guard, Guardian Locations: Florida, Wall, Silicon, British, felines

☆ In upcycling drive, South African designers give new life to Western fashion waste
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Catherine Schenck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] South African aspiring designer Khumo Morojele inspects a second hand clothing imported from the West and sold in bales in markets known as Dunusa, at his studio, in Johannesburg South Africa, July 3, 2023.REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File PhotoJOHANNESBURG, July 14 (Reuters) - Two South African aspiring designers, Khumo Morojele and Klein Muis, spend hours at a second-hand street market in Johannesburg looking for fashion items. The duo then upcycles what they find into clothing or accessories they say express uniquely African style. The duo's current project, "Dunusa: Life of a Garment", sees them sourcing second-hand clothing often sent to Africa from European countries, which are then deconstructed and reworked into avant-garde and abstract fashion. They are working with a Ghanaian shoemaker on a project to turn old soccer boots into sandals that reflect both African and European love for the sport. Reporting by Catherine Schenck, Writing by Tannur Anders; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Khumo Morojele, Siphiwe, Klein Muis, Catherine Schenck, Tannur Anders, Olivia Kumwenda, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg South Africa, JOHANNESBURG, Johannesburg, Africa, Berlin

☆ GOP Senate candidate uses Kentucky photo to tout his support for Montana agriculture — then quickly replaces it when asked about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy's website touts his support for Montana agriculture. But the photo he originally used wasn't taken in Montana — it was taken in Kentucky. After Insider reached out to Sheehy's campaign, the photo — and two others — were quickly replaced. The original portion of Sheehy's website touting his support for Montana agriculture — alongside a photo taken in Kentucky. Reached for comment, Sheehy campaign spokeswoman Katie Martin blamed their campaign's digital vendor, Push Digital, for the "unfortunate error."

Persons: Tim Sheehy's, Tim Sheehy, —, Patrick Jennings, Sheehy, Katie Martin, Martin, Montana, Robert F, Kennedy, Jr, Democratic Sen, Jon Tester, Donald Trump, Matt Rosendale Organizations: Service, Custer Gallatin National Forest, Democratic, Republicans, National Republicans, Navy, Republican Locations: Montana, Kentucky, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Livingston Montana, Custer Gallatin, America

☆ New Mexico trail clash echoes culture war across US West
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Andrew HayTALPA, N.M., July 7 (Reuters) - Physiotherapist Spencer Bushnell lives less than a mile from farmer Carlos Arguello in Taos, New Mexico. But they are worlds apart on proposals to lace the foothills they love with up to 71 miles of mountain bike and hiking trails. That put the neighbors on the frontline of a culture war raging across the West as multi-generational families, conservationists and sometimes conservatives fight trail systems sought by incomers and recreationist locals. Two bike trail projects have been nixed in as many months on public land in Oregon and Colorado. Across the United States, Americans are moving to places with trees and trails, many working remotely.

Persons: Spencer Bushnell, Andrew Hay TALPA, Carlos Arguello, Arguello, Bushnell, Carl Colonius, Darryl Maestas, Hispanos, Emily Matheu, Michael Lujan, Andrew Hay, Donna Bryson, Alistair Bell Organizations: . Forest Service, REUTERS, Division, U.S ., USFS, mamas, Thomson Locations: Taos , New Mexico, U.S, Oregon, Colorado, The Taos, Taos, Bend , Oregon, United States, South Korea, Afghanistan, Oakland , California, California

☆ Lawmakers Look for Tough Implementation of Forced Labor Law Targeting China
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Workers load cotton bales onto a truck in China’s Xinjiang region, home to the country’s Uyghur people. Researchers say Uyghur and other peoples in the region have been detained and forced to work by authorities. Photo: Wang Yawen/Zuma PressU.S. lawmakers on Tuesday scrutinized possible “loopholes” in an anti-forced labor law blocking many imports from China’s Xinjiang region, expressing bipartisan support for cracking down on companies with supply chains stemming from the region. Several lawmakers drew attention to potential gaps that might be allowing goods from a largely proscribed region of China to enter the U.S. as part of a hearing of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. The hearing followed U.S. Customs and Border Protection reporting it has stopped nearly $1.1 billion in goods with possible links to Xinjiang, home to China’s Uyghur people and other minority groups, under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

☆ About half a billion dollars worth of cocaine — enough to service the New Zealand market for 30 years — was found floating in the Pacific Ocean
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Felise Seah | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Half a billion dollars worth of cocaine was discovered floating around the Pacific Ocean. A total of 81 bales of cocaine, weighing 3.2 tonnes, were intercepted by the New Zealand Police. Some of the packages carried identifiable stickers like a four-leaf clover and a Batman logo. These show that some of the packages have identifiable stickers like a four-leaf clover, and one that stood out had a Batman logo. Cocaine bales with four-leaf clover stickers.

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