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☆ I downsized to an ADU I built in my Sacramento yard. I pay only $520 toward my mortgage and am saving up for my next home.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

One of them sent me an advertisement for CalHFA's ADU grant program that gives eligible Californians $40,000 to cover blueprints, permits, and closing costs to build an ADU on their property. In 2022, I began the process of getting approved for the CalHFA's ADU grant, which was pretty easy. As a result, my mortgage, including my main house and ADU, increased by $1,500 a month — from $1,200 to $2,700. There are two renters living in the main property and my son and I moved into the ADU. Living in the ADU with my son, I only pay $520 of the $2,700 mortgage.

Persons: —, Blanca Barragan, They've, Barragan, I've, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Habitat, Humanity, Tiny Locations: Sacramento, Blanca, California

☆ UBS names its top stocks for 2024, including this popular retailer
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Investment bank UBS recently rolled out a slew of stocks the firm says are its best ideas in 2024. CNBC Pro combed through UBS research to find stocks that are must-owns with 2024 underway. They include Target, Teck Resources , General Motors, Dell and CrowdStrike. Dell Dell shares are too cheap to ignore, according to analyst David Vogt, who named the stock his top pick for 2024 in a recent note. Dell "Dell as end mkt recovery & share repo should drive outperformance.

Persons: David Vogt, Vogt, Dell, Teck, Curt Woodworth, Woodworth, Michael Lasser, Lasser, … Organizations: UBS, CNBC, Target, General Motors, Dell, Dell Dell, Teck Resources UBS, Teck Resources Locations: Teck Resources, Teck, CY24

☆ Mexico throws troops, aid into Acapulco as hurricane death toll rises
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Josue Decavele | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

ACAPULCO, Mexico, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Mexico's government on Sunday intensified efforts to get the stricken coastal city of Acapulco back on its feet as the toll of dead and missing from a record-breaking hurricane that ravaged the iconic beach resort continued to rise. POLITICAL FALLOUT[1/7]Damaged boats are seen at the Caleta beach in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis, in Acapulco, Mexico, October 29, 2023. Former President Felipe Calderon, a longstanding adversary of Lopez Obrador, accused his administration of trying to exploit the situation by "rebranding" boxes of private aid contributions to Acapulco as "government" donations. Lopez Obrador said he expected electricity to be fully restored in the city by Tuesday. Reporting by Josue Decavele, Jose Cortes and Alexandre Meneghini in Acapulco; Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City; Editing by Dave Graham, Marguerita Choy and Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hurricane Otis, Otis, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Lopez Obrador, Blanca Estela Morales, Quetzalli, Lopez, Felipe Calderon, Jesus Ramirez, Calderon, Guerrero, Evelyn Salgado, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, Sandoval, Josue Decavele, Jose Cortes, Alexandre Meneghini, Beth Solomon, Dave Graham, Marguerita Choy, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, . Defense, National Guard, Thomson Locations: ACAPULCO, Mexico, Acapulco, Hurricane, Mexican, Mexico's, Guerrero, Mexico City

☆ They fell in love and lost each other in South America. Then a note stuck on a door brought them back together
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

When he met Tracy, Tim was enjoying a six month traveling stint, unsure what came next. If you see this, let me know where you are staying!”As she and Monique closed, then locked, the hotel door, Tracy jammed the piece of paper into the door frame. A note on a hotel doorTracy had the idea to write a note and attach it to the hotel door. Tracy FerrellUnbeknown to Tracy, Tim had arrived in Cuenca a few days before her. Leaning against the hotel door, he wrote a reply underneath Tracy’s message, detailing where he was staying.

Persons: CNN — Tracy Ferrell, ”, Tracy, “, we’ve, Monique, let’s, ” Tracy, Tim, “ I’m, Tracy Ferrell, She’d, Cuenca –, German Shepherd, Tim Zych, Zealander who’d, Tim chatted, Tracy’s, Salar de, Tim didn’t, ’, Tracy Ferrell Unbeknown, he’d, Tim couldn’t, he’s, they’d, Keen, ” Tim, They’re, she’d, Tracy wasn’t, Tim Boulder, “ We’ll, ” Here's Tracy, –, ’ ”, they’re, Tracy Ferrell Tracy, Tracy “ Organizations: CNN, America, University of Colorado, South American Explorers ’, –, CNN Travel, Zealander, they’d, Communication, American Express, Denver International Airport, Boulder Locations: Cuenca, Ecuador, Quito, Peruvian, Ollantaytambo, South America, Ecuador –, German, London, New Zealand, Zealand, Salar, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Tim’s, Blanca, Tracy, Costa Rica, San Jose, Boulder , Colorado, Colorado, She’d, Boulder, Boston, Isla Mujeres, Mexico, Boulder county, Quinto

☆ The Nets Are Up in Flushing Meadows. But Not for the Sport You Think.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( David Waldstein | Gabriela Bhaskar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The sport has been especially important for the community after the early weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 ravaged Corona, Elmhurst and other parts of Queens. Many were friends of Teresa Benitez and her family, longtime ecuavoley participants from Corona. “We lost maybe 200 people we knew from here, people who came here to play volleyball with us,” said Benitez, a retail worker. “It’s only a couple of weeks,” Benitez said. Back then, people played their special brand of volleyball close to the Willets Point-Shea Stadium subway station on the No.

Persons: Teresa Benitez, ”, Benitez, “, ” Benitez, Blanca Organizations: Corona, U.S, Shea Locations: Corona, Elmhurst, Queens, “, New York, Cuenca, Back

☆ Burned by the European heat, travelers are seeking new destinations this summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

'Scandi summer' trendInterest in visiting the Mediterranean dropped by 10% from June to November this year, according to data published by the European Travel Commission. watch nowA "Scandi summer" trend is evident among summer home renters too, according to Expedia Group. Shifts in SpainSpain is the most popular travel destination in the European Travel Commission's poll of more than 6,000 European travelers. A spring poll of more than 6,000 European travelers showed the No. 1 reason for choosing a travel destination was "pleasant weather conditions," according to the European Travel Commission.

Persons: Tom Marchant, Marchant, Evia, Will Vassilopoulos, Cynthia Nerangis, Peter Tomlinson, Tomlinson, InsureMyTrip, hasn't Organizations: CNBC, European Travel Commission, Expedia Group, Expedia, Costa de Cantabria, Afp, Getty, National Parks, Swiss, Istock, Travelers, LemonLime, CNBC Travel Locations: Europe, London, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Scandinavia, Swedish, Skane, Blekinge, Edinburgh, Scotland, Riga, Latvia, Tallinn, Estonia, Smaland, Tenerife, Rimini, Spain Spain, Costa Blanca, Costa Brava, Mallorca, Costa Verde, Costa de, Basque, Greece, Rhodes, Corfu, Lofoten, Croatian, Canada, U.S, Slovenia, Italy, Puglia, Sicily, North Africa, Austrian, Lucerne, Solden, Switzerland, Morocco, Marrakech, France, Athens, Crete

☆ Bus plunges down ravine in Mexico, killing 17 and injuring 22
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A general view of the site of a bus crash in Barranca Blanca, Nayarit, Mexico, August 3, 2023 in this screengrab taken from a social media video. The bus, part of the Elite passenger line, crashed near Barranca Blanca on the highway outside state capital Tepic, the officials said. A source from Nayarit's firefighting service said six Indian citizens had been aboard the bus. Just last month, another bus crash in the southern state of Oaxaca left 29 people dead, and in February, another bus carrying migrants from South and Central America crashed in central Mexico, killing 17. Reporting by Mexico Newsroom; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer, David Gregorio and Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jorge Benito Rodriguez, Sarah Morland, Stephen Eisenhammer, David Gregorio, Alison Williams Organizations: Cero, REUTERS, REUTERS MEXICO CITY, Protection, Firefighters, Elite, Central America, Mexico, Thomson Locations: Barranca Blanca, Nayarit, Mexico, Cero Nayarit, REUTERS MEXICO, Tijuana, Tepic, Oaxaca, South, Central

With Amazon Prime Day upon us, the flood of clothing deals makes all of us wonder which ones are actually worth spending on. We've collected the best Prime Day clothing deals for men, women, and children, so you can narrow down which discounts will help refresh your closet for less. For more Prime Day savings, check out our roundup of the best beauty deals to see what other exclusive sales we've found. Best Prime Day deals on athleisure and workout clothesAmazon carries an impressive array of performance wear from the top brands. On select sizes and colors, you can get up to 60% off, the lowest Prime Day price to date.

Persons: We've, Price Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein racerback, Grey Heather, Levi, Ellie, that'll, henley, it's, Martens, Steven Madden, Kenneth Cole, we've, Herschel, JW Pei, Vera Bradley Microfiber, Vera, Michael Kors Parker, Michael Kors Organizations: Amazon, Adidas, Prime, Amazon Deal, Chelsea, Columbia, Herschel Supply, Michael Kors Parker Stainless Steel Locations: Italy, Colombia

☆ Meet the family of orcas thought to be behind the recent boat encounters and attacks — White Gladis' pod
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

White Gladis, the orca believed to be behind recent boat encounters, has a family acting with her. Meet White Gladis' familyWhite Gladis is part of a 6-orca pod including herself, two siblings, two calves, and a mother. She gave birth to White Gladis in 2005, who is her oldest offspring, followed by Gladis Clara and Gladis Dalila. White Gladis went on to give birth to Gladis Filabres in 2015 and Gladis Tarik in 2021. Gladis Clara, White Gladis' sibling, is a male orca, but the sex is unknown for Gladis Dalila and White Gladis' two offspring.

Persons: White Gladis, White, —, Gladis Blanca, Gladis Clara, Gladis, Gladis Filabres, Gladis Tarik, Gladis Lamari, hasn't, Gladis Dalila, Black, Gladis Peque, Gladis Isa, Gladis Matteo, Gray Gladis, Mónica, Kenneth C, Gladis Olvera Organizations: Service, Orca, Guardian, for Whale Research, Orca Working Locations: Gibraltar, Strait, Gibraltar White, orcas, Southern, Iberian

A Guatemalan judge walked into a meeting at the American Embassy last spring and pulled out a large quantity of cash: The money, she said, was a bribe from one of the president’s closest allies. The judge, Blanca Alfaro, helps lead the authority that oversees the country’s elections. She claimed the money had been given to her to gain influence over the electoral agency, according to a U.S. official briefed on the encounter and a person who was present and requested anonymity to discuss the details of a private meeting. American diplomats were shocked by the brazenness of the episode, but not by the allegations. In the volatile political climate consuming Guatemala in the run-up to presidential elections on Sunday, there has been one constant: a steady drumbeat of attacks on democratic institutions by those in power.

Persons: Blanca Alfaro Organizations: American Embassy, U.S Locations: Guatemala

☆ 12-year-old graduated from college with a 4.0 GPA—here’s why her parents are sending her to high school
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Fiona Currie enrolled in her first college class at age 9 as an experiment. Her parents, Roderick and Blanca, had watched their eldest daughter breeze through three different public school curricula in California, skipping grades to feel challenged by schoolwork. With few other options, they took a chance with an English class at Los Angeles City College. Through a dual-enrollment program, she earned college credits while completing her middle school classes. After completing college-level classes in math, art, anthropology and more, why would a student finish high school with everyone else?

Persons: Fiona Currie, Roderick, Blanca, Fiona aced, Fiona, Mozart, It's, you've Organizations: Los, Los Angeles City, Los Angeles City College, CNBC Locations: Los Angeles, California, Blanca

☆ Restaurant Review: Foul Witch Summons the Ghost of Blanca
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Pete Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The nearest I’ve come to answering these questions has been eating at Foul Witch, a five-month-old Italian restaurant in the East Village owned by two of the founders of Roberta’s and Blanca. Roberta’s is, of course, the Bushwick restaurant known for its artfully charred pizza, its Tiki Disco parties and the radio station that broadcasts programming about food from its backyard. Blanca is a 12-seat bunker in the same backyard that has been closed since the early days of the pandemic. Agnolotti would burst with molten taleggio turned green-black by powdered phytoplankton that tasted like the bottom of the ocean. Dry-aged duck breast would be grilled slowly over Japanese charcoal and served with beet mole, as earthy and smoky as an underground fire.

Persons: I’d, Carlo Mirarchi Organizations: East Village Locations: East, Blanca, Roberta’s, Bushwick

☆ Butterfly group named after 'Lord of the Rings' villain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The “distinctive fused orange rings” that encircle black-and-white eyespots on the hindwings of this group led the researchers to name the genus Saurona, according to a recent study published in the journal Systematic Entomology. The Eye of Sauron glows in the 2001 film "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." … It’s a very fine scientific paper.”Distinguishing a special groupThe researchers documented two new species in the Saurona genus, named Saurona triangula and Saurona aurigera. Female saurona butterflies have slightly more rounded wings than males, but are otherwise similar in pattern, the authors found. Giving newly described genera or species names drawn from pop culture can draw attention to underappreciated species, Huertas said.

☆ A Guide to Eurovision 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Elisabeth Vincentelli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Finland is another favorite, with a demented entry, Kaarija’s “Cha Cha Cha,” which is basically electronic body music, set in a glittery thunderdome. For Weir, who presents Peacock’s Eurovision coverage, this all shows the daring tastes of Eurovision viewers. It’s often countries most Americans would struggle find on a map that deliver Eurovision’s most memorable performances, even if they don’t necessarily make it out of the semifinal. “The response I got last year was just how impressed people were that there was an act for Moldova that had them standing on their couches and dancing,” Weir said. Competition for the most awkward Eurovision lyrics is close, as always, but let’s give Israel’s Noa Kirel a nod of approval for coming up with a tongue-twisting rallying cry in her song “Unicorn”: “It’s gonna be phenomen-phenomen-phenomenal/Phenomen-phenomenal/Feminine-feminine-femininal.”Classic Eurovision poetry.

LONDON, May 10 (Reuters) - The global copper market is facing another year of supply deficit, according to the International Copper Study Group (ICSG). The Group's April forecast is for a supply shortfall of 114,000 tonnes this year after a 431,000-tonne deficit in 2022. The calculation could easily be thrown off, since it is based on changes in visible inventory combined with China's net imports of refined metal. Last year's elevated net imports served to inflate China's apparent usage. A 16.4% slump in net imports over the first quarter of this year will do the reverse.

☆ A researcher said she named a new butterfly species after the 'Lord of the Rings' villain partly because spending 10 years on the study felt like the eye of Sauron looking at her
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two newly-discovered butterfly species were named after Sauron, the "The Lord of the Rings" villain. Tolkien's magical "The Lord of the Rings" universe includes hobbits, elves, wizards, and now, a new genus of butterflies called Saurona after the dark lord Sauron. But in an article from The Washington Post, Huertas drew other connections to "The Lord of the Rings" that suggest there may be additional reasons behind the butterfly's name. "Ten years dealing with this study is a lot of strain looking at me like Sauron," she told the Post. The world needs an "army" of people to "get involved in getting worried about nature," she told the Post.

☆ New Butterflies Are Named for Sauron, ‘Lord of the Rings’ Villain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Chris Stanford | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A new genus of butterfly, with dark, eye-like spots on its distinctive orange wings, has been named after Sauron, the arch-villain of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings,” whose gaze lingers malevolently over the lands of Middle-earth. An international team of scientists identified two species in the new genus — Saurona triangula and Saurona aurigera — but said there were most likely more, the Natural History Museum in London announced on Sunday. The practice of naming new species after celebrities, fictional characters and others has a long history, and “giving these butterflies an unusual name helps to draw attention to this underappreciated group,” Dr. Blanca said. “It shows that, even among a group of very similar-looking species, you can find beauty among the dullness.”

☆ Dental Coverage to Expand for 5 Million Low-Income New Yorkers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Andy Newman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Matthew Adinolfi, who has no top teeth and had no love life for over a decade, will be able to get implants so that he can kiss a woman without fear of his dentures falling out. Blanca Coreas, who can’t eat anything firmer than mashed potatoes without her gums bleeding, will be able to take a bite of grilled meat. Lillian Velazquez has now gotten the root canal that was denied for nearly five years. A class-action suit that was settled on Monday will bring about a change that is as potentially transformative as it is mundane: coverage of common but costly dental procedures for the 5 million adults in New York State who are on Medicaid, including implants, root canals and replacement dentures. The suit, filed in 2018 in federal court against the State Health Department, which oversees Medicaid in New York, charged the state with denying thousands of low-income New Yorkers medically necessary treatment.

[1/2] A train loaded with copper cathodes travels along a rail line inside the Chuquicamata copper mine, which is owned by Chile's state-run copper producer Codelco, near Calama city, Chile, April 1, 2011. Lundin last month agreed to pay $950 million for 51% control of the mine, calling the deal "an endorsement that we believe the mining royalty and taxation discussions are trending in the right direction." In the past 18 months, mining giants have been vocal about concerns in Chile. BHP Group Ltd (BHP.AX) said it might reevaluate its investments depending on new tax plans by the government, while Freeport-McMoRan Inc (FCX.N) has said it would pause expansion plans in Chile, citing political uncertainty. Lundin remains confident in the future of the Caserones project, which began operations in 2014 and has annual output of 100,000 tonnes of copper.

A shareholder vote on Teck's plan is scheduled for April 26. "A vote against the separation is a vote to maintain the status quo at Teck, and there is no path that includes Glencore acquiring Teck," Price said. Teck said its board has rejected the offer as Glencore did not present a coherent plan for its proposed coal company. Analysts had last week seen room for an higher offer from Glencore to sway Teck shareholders in its favour. "This is not just about price," Price said on Monday.

☆ Exclusive: Mexico's Pemex increased gas flaring at top field, despite pledge to stop
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Stefanie Eschenbacher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/3] Gas flare is seen at the state energy company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) Papan plant, in Tierra Blanca, Veracruz state, Mexico February 18, 2023. The pledge to stop burning gas at the Ixachi field came after months of pressure over flaring from the hydrocarbon regulator, environmentalists and Mexico’s most important trade partner, the United States. But Pemex has repeatedly missed gas production targets, blaming it on missing infrastructure. Two senior company sources told Reuters last November Pemex would rather pay fines than deal with gas flaring problems. Pemex's updated business plan for 2023 to 2027, released in December, reiterated promises to reduce emissions but focused more on oil and gas production as well as refining.

[1/3] The border fence between Morocco and Spain's north African enclave Melilla is seen along a road, December 11, 2014. Bilateral trade rose to 17 billion euros in 2022, making Spain Morocco's biggest trade partner. The disputes underscore Spain's dependence on Morocco to control migration by Moroccans and sub-Saharan Africans seeking to cross the European Union's southernmost border. Some observers say the drop in migration could prove temporary and that Spain remains too dependent on Morocco. For a sustained fall in migration, Spain needs more cooperation with Morocco when it comes to repatriating illegal Moroccan migrants, said Blanca Garces, senior researcher in migration at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs.

☆ In Peru, protesters were tear-gassed after president called for truce
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

LIMA, Peru — Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Peru’s capital and were met with volleys of tear gas and pellets amid clashes with security forces just hours after President Dina Boluarte called for a “truce” in almost two months of protests. “We can’t have a truce when she doesn’t tell the truth,” Blanca España Mesa, 48, said of Peru’s president. Even though her eyes were watering from the tear gas, España Mesa said she was “happy because a lot of people came today. On Tuesday, police fired round after round of tear gas as they blocked the passage of protesters, who seemed more organized than before. “Peru has managed to fly under the radar,” said Marina Navarro, executive director of Amnesty International Peru.

☆ Exclusive: Mexico's Pemex destroyed resources worth $342 million from two top fields
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Stefanie Eschenbacher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The three documents, produced by the regulator and dated August 2022, detail how Pemex (PEMX.UL) destroyed resources worth $275 million from the Ixachi field in three years and $67 million from the Quesqui field in two years. There, the documents show Pemex burnt off some 62.9 billion cubic feet of gas and 310,000 barrels of condensate. MISSING INFRASTRUCTUREPemex produced 201.2 billion cubic feet of gas and 24.3 million barrels of condensate from Ixachi. The documents also show that 77.6% of the investment into the field Pemex had pledged in its development plan - totaling $2.9 billion - were not made. The fields were meant to receive more resources so Pemex can start exploration and production earlier and faster and make up for declining production from ageing fields elsewhere.

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