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☆ Biden restores protections for Alaska's Tongass National Forest after Trump rollback
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration on Wednesday announced it's reinstating restrictions on logging and road-building on about nine million acres of Alaska's Tongass National Forest, the world's largest intact temperate rainforest. The rule, which was finalized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, repeals a Trump administration decision that stripped safeguards for the forest in southeastern Alaska. The rainforest is also considered critical for carbon sequestration and storage to help mitigate climate change. The country's forests absorb carbon dioxide equivalent to more than 10% of U.S. annual greenhouse gas emissions, according to the USDA. "As our nation's largest national forest and the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, the Tongass National Forest is key to conserving biodiversity and addressing the climate crisis," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

☆ Amazon's drone delivery unit hit with layoffs just as 10-year-old project finally launches
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Two employees said Carbon, who replaced Prime Air co-founder Gur Kimchi, was hired to turn Prime Air into a real business with a sensible budget. Sources with knowledge of Prime Air said cuts in the drone delivery business were expected considering the division's many struggles. Monica Williams, a College Station resident, poses with a Prime Air drone at a community event in July. College Station residents also expressed concern about the prospect of drones harming the deer, foxes and birds that are native to the area. "As we continue to expand, we will update you when drone delivery is available for your household."

☆ Tackling the threat of mudslides in soaked California
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Matt Udkow / Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP fileWhy is California prone to mudslides? Since New Year’s Eve, the California Department of Conservation’s landslide mapping team has documented more than 300 landslides. Lancaster said California has dramatically increased its efforts to identify hotspots since the Montecito mudslides. After the 2018 mudslides hit Montecito, the Los Angeles Times reported that debris basins above the community were undersized and hadn’t been sufficiently emptied. The organization hired an engineering company to map the canyons and installed debris nets.

Republican state lawmakers and members of Congress are attempting to stifle the growth of sustainable investing and to punish corporate efforts at climate-related financial risk management. This is a closely coordinated political effort driven by a network of dark money organizations fronting for climate denial groups and fossil fuel interests. This is usually anonymous dark money, and it is often traceable back to the fossil fuel industry. They are attempting to bully financial institutions and regulators into ignoring market demand and market risk. Imagine elected officials telling investment firms they cannot offer large-cap or small-cap funds, or emerging market funds, or value funds — or, for that matter, sector funds with exposure to energy companies.

☆ One of the most powerful rich families in American politics just got their son in the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ricketts' family owns the Chicago Cubs and has broadly supported conservative causes. Ricketts will replace former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse who left the chamber. Pete Ricketts will be joining the US Senate, an appointment that caps his political comeback and cements his family, which owns the Chicago Cubs, as one of the most powerful forces in American politics. Sen. Deb Fischer, a two-term Republican incumbent and loyal ally of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, is also up for reelection then too. Along with owning the Cubs, the Ricketts family has long been among the biggest funders of Republican campaigns.

☆ New $22 million Korean War memorial in Washington has 1,015 spelling errors and 245 service members who didn't die in the war, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial was unveiled in Washington last year. But the memorial contains over a thousand spelling mistakes and errors, The New York Times reported. Two historians told NBC it will cost US taxpayers millions of dollars to rectify the mistakes. The Wall of Remembrance at the Korean War Veterans Memorial was first unveiled last summer and is meant to include all of the 36,634 names of American service members who died in battle in the Korean War. The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence Greta Thunberg posted explicit tweet which amassed 5 billion likes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Social media users are sharing a screenshot of a tweet allegedly posted by Greta Thunberg, which reads: “bald ass faggot”. The image suggests the fake tweet was shared more than 100 million times and amassed more than 5 billion likes. However, a spokesperson for Thunberg told Reuters that they “can confirm the screenshot is a fake, Greta has not tweeted this”. An advanced Twitter search and archive search for the alleged quote from the environmentalist’s account produced no results (bit.ly/3GCdFZG). There is no evidence Greta Thunberg posted the explicit tweet.

☆ Christmas meant real Christmas trees for my family. Then my husband got a fake one.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Elizabeth Grey | Elizabeth Grey Is An Essayist | Cook. You Can Find A Link To Her Highly Unprofessional Cooking Show | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

My origin story begins on Christmas Eve. I asked my mother once if we could get silver tinsel icicles, having seen them at a friend’s house. When my brother had kids, we started driving to his house on Christmas Eve to be with them. I would use the fake tree as Exhibit A in the court wrangling over our inevitable divorce. I believe there are two kinds of people, real vs. fake tree, and real tree people are superior.

☆ Behind a Wall Street headhunter's rapid ascent lie accusations of harassment and abuse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Alex Morrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +38 min

"It was a complete whirlwind, and it felt too good to be true," Morrison told Insider. "Everyone is given a calendar reminder of when they have to submit a review," one former employee told Insider. Durlston told Insider she wasn't a credible source given the acrimonious nature of her departure from Durlston. "Everyone gets pretty loose at these events," a former employee told Insider, noting the availability of alcohol throughout the day. Bahram told Insider this was not a prohibition but merely a suggestion that it would not be an appropriate arrangement.

☆ Africa’s World Cup: how a continent that usually underperforms finally got it right
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Alasdair Howorth | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —After the first round of games at the World Cup, an all too familiar script looked to be playing out for African football fans. Zaire was the first sub-Saharan nation to participate at the World Cup. But not only is this the most affordable World Cup for Africans, it is also the most accessible. It was a very big challenge for Brazil [in 2014].”Mohamed Kudus was the breakout star of Ghana's World Cup, scoring a brace against South Korea. That investment, along with a crop of stellar talent and Africa’s best coach, has catapulted Morocco to the World Cup semifinals.

☆ HBO's 'White Lotus' season 2 was filmed at a real hotel in Italy. Here's what it's like.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"The White Lotus" season two was filmed at the San Domenico Palace hotel in Taormina, Italy. The season was filmed at the San Domenico Palace Four Seasons luxury hotel in Taormina, a town in the Sicily region of Italy. Getty Images"It has so much personality," "White Lotus" executive producer David Bernad told People Magazine last month. HBOBut if you can get past the alleged hauntings, the San Domenico Palace sounds like a beautiful place experience. Here's how it's described on the website: "Perched on a rocky promontory high above the Ionian Sea, the iconic San Domenico Palace welcomes you to a 14th-century convent reimagined.

☆ Morocco's round of 16 success is no fluke
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Alasdair Howorth | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Atlas Lions had roared to stun 2010 World Cup winner Spain and reach the quarterfinals of Qatar 2022. “Now it is the Africans and Arabs.”For many, it was the shock of the tournament, as the North Africans won their first ever knockout game at a World Cup. Many Moroccans thought that it could be after the World Cup or in a few years, but none were unhappy when it was announced he would take over the national side less than 100 days before their first game at the World Cup. In African football, Regragui has often been compared with José Mourinho thanks to his tactical discipline and stellar man-management skills. Morocco’s success at the World Cup may be best story of the tournament so far, but it is not the not the result of luck and grit, but rather expertise and planning.

☆ Obama mocks Herschel Walker for claiming that he let the former president win at basketball before admitting that the 2 men have never met: 'This would be funny if he were not running for US Senate'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Barack Obama called out GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker for lying about meeting him. Walker claimed on multiple occasions to have let Obama win at basketball games. "Now, listen, this would be funny if he weren't running for Senate," Obama said Thursday. "Now, listen, this would be funny if he weren't running for Senate," Obama continued on Thursday. The US Senate runoff in Georgia between GOP candidate Walker and the Democratic incumbent Warnock is set for Tuesday, December 6.

☆ Self-portrait of artist who fled Nazis sells for 23 mln euros in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The auctioneers, in Berlin, had estimated that 'Self-portrait in yellow-pink', painted in 1943, would attract bids of between 20 million and 30 million euros. After the Nazis branded his paintings "degenerate art", Beckmann and his wife, Mathilde, known as "Quappi", fled Germany in 1937. Eventually a private collection in Switzerland purchased the painting before entrusting it to Villa Grisebach. A spokesperson for Villa Grisebach said the successful bid was 20 million euros and the remainder of the price covered fees. In 2018, Villa Grisebach obtained the highest auction price to date for a painting in Germany when it sold Max Beckmann's 'The Egyptian' for 5.5 million euros.

☆ Self-portrait of artist who fled Nazis may break German auction record
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Auction house Villa Grisebach in Berlin estimates that 'Self-portrait in yellow-pink' will attract bids of up to 30 million euros. The self-portrait, painted in 1943, is a rarely seen masterpiece, Micaela Kapitzky, director and partner at Villa Grisebach, told Reuters. "The opportunity to buy a Beckmann self-portrait of this quality will not come up again. After the Nazis branded his paintings "degenerate art", Beckmann and his wife, Mathilde, known as "Quappi", fled Germany in 1937. Markus Krause, director and partner at Villa Grisebach, expressed excitement at the auction, which he is to conduct.

Will Smith knows that fans may be hesitant to see his first movie since slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. That’s what I’m hoping for. The aftermath of the incident has included several Smith apologies and even more reactions on social media. Smith released his first public apology to Rock the day after the slap amid mounting backlash. “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock said, later adding, “I’m not a victim.

☆ Air India has ordered its cabin crew to dye their gray hair, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Hannah Williams | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Air India has implemented a new set of regulations regarding the appearance of its cabin crew. Some rules focus on cabin crew hair, especially if it indicates aging. Male cabin crew members are allowed to wear wedding bands. Earlier this year, Tata Group circulated a new policy that required Air India cabin crew to undergo body mass index and weight checks before flights. Air India argued that overweight crew could be a hazard in an emergency, but the Air India cabin crew union objected citing concerns about crew members' mental health and the lack of a medical professional present at the checks, India Today previously reported.

Rising salinity in the Delta has multiple causes, experts and farmers say, including overextraction of groundwater and excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides. "With time, with the sea level higher, that line of salinity will go down into the Delta. EVAPORATIONSea water intrusion and salinity also threaten the Mekong Delta in Vietnam and the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta in Bangladesh. "You have to do much better job in a place like the Nile Delta because the water just evaporates quickly," she said. Rice cultivation helps wash the soil, but the government has imposed restrictions on the crop in parts of the Delta to conserve scarce water.

The barrage helped Oz climb back into a race that Fetterman had led all summer — by double digits, according to at least two polls. Fetterman, whose speech and auditory processing were affected by his stroke, agreed to only one debate, on Oct. 25. His struggles were apparent, stoking alarm the next day among Democrats who worried the performance would scare away voters. Mehmet Oz takes part in a forum for Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidates in Camp Hill, Pa. on Apr. “My wife wants some vegetables for crudité,” Oz said, picking out broccoli, asparagus, carrots, guacamole and salsa for the platter of raw vegetables and dips.

☆ YouTube star Michelle Phan shares her 6 favorite creators, from a 17-year-old horror filmmaker to a TikTok beauty guru
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Michelle Phan uploaded her first YouTube video in 2007 and continues to keep an eye out for up-and-comers. Her current favorites include travel vlogger Bald and Bankrupt and fashion critic Mina Le. While few creators can lay claim to remaining relevant roughly 15 years after uploading their first video, Phan has endured. They run the gamut from a seventeen-year-old horror filmmaker, to fashion and culture critics, to a first-person travel vlogger that Phan likens to YouTube's version of Anthony Bourdain. "I have a good ass algorithm," Phan tells Insider.

☆ Jim Obergefell's Supreme Court case helped legalize same-sex marriage 7 years ago. Now, he could become the only openly gay member of Ohio's state House.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Now, Jim Obergefell — the man for which that case was named — is running for Ohio state House. "But you know, the nice thing is, everything I went through with the court case — a lot of that really prepared me for something like this." The "court case" in question was Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 civil rights case in which the Supreme Court ruled five to four that same-sex couples were guaranteed the right to marry. "I don't start with it, and I don't focus on it," he said of his association with the 2015 Supreme Court case. "Very, very few of them have a Supreme Court case that happened because of that relationship."

☆ Emperor penguins are now a threatened species due to climate change, U.S. officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Endangered Species Act. Fish and Wildlife Service said emperor penguins should be protected under the law since the birds build colonies and raise their young on the Antarctic ice threatened by climate change. The agency’s review followed a 2011 petition by the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity to list the bird under the Endangered Species Act. Tuesday’s designation was described as a warning that emperor penguins need “urgent climate action” in order to survive by Shaye Wolf, the climate science director at the Center for Biological Diversity. The 1973 Endangered Species Act is credited with bringing several animals back from the brink of extinction, including grizzly bears, bald eagles, gray whales and others.

☆ 12 queer icons to channel this Halloween
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Ellie Rudy | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Without further ado, here is a selection of queer icons and pop culture favorites — in no particular order — whom you can channel for Halloween (a.k.a. For a relatively stress-free Halloween ensemble, throw on a tux, top hat, a pocket square and some fierce red lipstick. To channel Ms. Kahlo this Halloween, you’ll need her signature unibrow (eyeliner or an eyebrow pencil should do the trick), a flower crown, red lipstick, a colorful blouse and a floor-length skirt. For this costume, you’ll need a fedora, a (preferably pastel) dress shirt, a tie matching the hat and, if you’re really feeling the fantasy, a color-coordinated sweater vest. If you dress up as any of these queer icons and pop culture favorites for Halloween, tag @NBCOut on Twitter or Instagram in a costume photo!

☆ Emperor penguins now a threatened species due to climate change, U.S. says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Clark Mindock | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Endangered Species Act. Fish and Wildlife Service said emperor penguins should be protected under the law since the birds build colonies and raise their young on the Antarctic ice threatened by climate change. The agency's review followed a 2011 petition by the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity to list the bird under the Endangered Species Act. Tuesday's designation was described as a warning that emperor penguins need “urgent climate action” in order to survive by Shaye Wolf, the climate science director at the Center for Biological Diversity. The 1973 Endangered Species Act is credited with bringing several animals back from the brink of extinction, including grizzly bears, bald eagles, gray whales and others.

☆ Factbox: Key ministers in new Italian Meloni government
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

ROME, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government was sworn into office on Saturday. Here the profiles of some of the key figures:ECONOMY MINISTERGiancarlo Giorgetti, 55, is a veteran political wheeler-dealer viewed as a moderate and relatively pro-European member of his right-wing League party. He was not Prime Minister Meloni's first choice for the job. He held posts in centre-right governments led by Berlusconi and recently served as president of the influential parliamentary intelligence committee. Meloni insisted on him for the job, overcoming resistance from Berlusconi who wanted a Forza Italia member in the ministry.

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