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☆ How the U.S. courted the Philippines to thwart China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

What followed was two trips to the United States in less than a year for Marcos, and visits to the Philippines by high-ranking Biden administration officials. Marcos’ predecessor, the populist firebrand Rodrigo Duterte, was openly hostile to the United States and attempted to bring his country closer to communist China during his six-year term. For the United States, cementing alliances in the Asia-Pacific region is likewise crucial to keeping China in check. China’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement to Reuters, characterized China and the Philippines as “close neighbors across the sea” with a common interest in friendship. At the time, he said the cancellation of his visa was the latest in a list of “gripes and disrespect” by the United States.

Persons: Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Joe Biden, Marcos, Gregorio Maria Araneta III, “, ” Araneta, Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Defense Lloyd Austin, Julio Amador III, Marcos ’, Rodrigo Duterte, China’s, Xi Jinping, ” Marcos ’, Ferdinand Marcos Sr, ”, Marcos family’s, Washington, Duterte, China “, Becca Wasser, Wasser, Barack Obama, Xi, “ I’ve, ” Duterte, Ronald “ Bato, dela Rosa, Dela Rosa, gripes, Toribio Adaci, hadn’t, Blake Herzinger, Herzinger Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Defense, ., Party, China, U.S . State Department, ” Reuters, Philippine, United, Foreign Ministry, ” ‘, People’s Liberation Army, Center, New, New American Security, CNAS, U.S . Department of Defense, U.S ., Initiative, Philippines National Economic Development Authority, United States, Philippine National Police, Washington, Forces, VFA, Mutual, China’s, U.S . Pacific Fleet, Cooperation Locations: Philippines, Philippine, Manila, United States, U.S, China, America, Asia, Taipei, Taiwan, Beijing, South, East Asia, Pacific, Washington, Hawaii, South China, It’s, American, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New American, Taiwan . U.S, Duterte, China’s, Guangdong

☆ I’ll Be Far for Christmas: Why Millennials Are Booking Solo Trips This Holiday Season
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Stacey Lastoe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

NOT-HOME ALONE Katie Addo took a solo trip to Argentina last Thanksgiving—and found the experience liberating. Photo: Katie Addo (Photo); Maria Amador/The Wall Street Journal (Hand Lettering)LAST YEAR, CHRIS REICH, 34, and his extended family—10 people in total—rented a house in Turks & Caicos over the Thanksgiving weekend. “You have someone who wants to do one thing, another person who definitely doesn’t want to do that thing.”This Christmas, Reich is heading back to the Caribbean—by himself. And in late December, Reich happens to get a large chunk of time off work, one of his only opportunities to take trips abroad. “I think [my parents] want me to stay, but they know that it doesn’t make sense,” he said.

Persons: Katie Addo, Maria Amador, CHRIS REICH, —, ”, “, Reich Organizations: Street Locations: Argentina, Caicos, New York, Caribbean, Westchester County, New York City

Ellie Amador picks up a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers to Families food box as food is distributed at the nonprofit New Life Centers' food pantry in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. March 16, 2021. The USDA report, which did not provide an explanation for the rise, found that 12.8% of households - equivalent to 17 million households - struggled to get enough food in 2022, up from 10.2%, or 13.5 million households, in 2021. Nearly 7 million households faced very low food security, meaning members' normal eating patterns were disrupted or food intake dropped because of limited resources, USDA said. More than 13 million children, or 18.5% of the country's child population, lived in food insecure households in 2022. More than 27.6 million Americans reported experiencing food scarcity in the most recent survey, conducted between Sept. 20 and Oct. 2, up 9.5% from the start of the year.

Persons: Ellie Amador, Daniel Acker, Tom Vilsack, Lisa Davis, Nell Menefee, Leah Douglas, Jonathan Oatis, Helen Popper Our Organizations: United States Department of Agriculture, Farmers, Centers, REUTERS, U.S . Department of Agriculture, . Census, USDA, Census, Children, WIC, National WIC Association, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, United States

☆ Honduras arrests mayor accused of trafficking cocaine to US
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wilmer Wood, mayor of Brus Laguna, sits after being detained by armed forces on drug trafficking charges, in La Ceiba, Honduras in this undated handout photo released August 27, 2023. Public Ministry of Honduras/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsTEGUCIGALPA, Aug 27 (Reuters) - A mayor in Honduras was arrested on Sunday on charges of working with drug cartels to smuggle 90 tons of cocaine to the United States by boat and plane. He is accused of working with three cartels: Los Piningos, Los Yanez and Los Amador. Galindo said that independently of the three cartels, Wood personally received 30 tons of cocaine and moved it through Honduras so it could be transported to the United States. Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez was extradited to the United States on drugs and weapons charges last year.

Persons: Wilmer Wood, Wilmer Manolo Wood, Jorge Galindo, Los Yanez, Los, Wood, Galindo, Juan Orlando Hernandez, Xiomara Castro, Gustavo Palencia, Sarah Morland Organizations: Public Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Brus Laguna, La Ceiba, Honduras, Handout, Rights TEGUCIGALPA, United States, Nicaragua, Los Amador, Colombia, Central America, Mexico, Atlantic, Tegucigalpa

☆ James Beard Award 2023 winners announced
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Marnie Hunter | Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The awards have been presented in the Windy City since 2015 and are set to remain there through 2027. Like last year, much of the 2023 show was focused on showcasing the new push for greater diversity. The James Beard Foundation has been mired in controversy over the past few years. The winner of the South category, Natalia Vallejo, is the first Puerto Rican native to win a James Beard Award. Here’s the full list of the 2023 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards nominees.

Persons: James Beard, Eric Adjepong, Esther Choi, Andrew Zimmern, Gail Simmons, ”, ” Simmons, Gregory Gourdet, Kann, ” Sherry Pocknett, Sly Fox, James, Ellen Yin, J.B . Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, foodie, James Beard’s, “, Timothy Hontzas, Sam Fore, Mariah Carey, Monti Carlo, Natalia Vallejo, Rachel Miller, Nightshade Noodle, Lynn, Niki Nakayama, Erik Ramirez, NY Rob Rubba, Hajime Sato, Sozai, Celeste Noche, NY Don, Brandon Chrostowski, Greg Dulan, CA Aaron Hoskins, Sarah Simmons, Elie Yigo, Quynh Pham, WA Ellen Yin, Damarr Brown, Virtue, Rashida, LA Charlie Mitchell, Clover, NY Amanda Shulman, Angelo, Bakeshop, Zak, Baker, Baker Veronika Gerasimova, Elaine Uykimpang Bentz, Café Mochiko, Vince Bugtong, Margarita Manzke, CA Shawn McKenzie, Café, AL Lula Drake, Los Angeles , CA Spencer, Ann, Brownsville , TX Rob Roy, California Gilberto Cetina Jr, CA Kyle, Katina, Brandon Hayato Go, Hayato, Los Angeles , CA Justin Pichetrungsi, Carlos Salgado, Taco, Omar Anani, Saffron De, Diana Dávila, IL Tim Flores, Genie Kwon, IL Andy Hollyday, MI Sarah Welch, Marrow, Jesse Ito, Cantina La, Kate Lasky, Tomasz Skowronski, Michael Rafidi, Sanaa, Gregory León, Francesco Mangano, Osteria, Madison , WI Itaru Nagano, Andrew Kroeger, Madison , WI David Utterback, Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, Michael Diaz de Leon, Suchada Johnson, WY Kris Komori, Ali Sabbah, Brooklyn , NY Mary Attea, Amanda Cohen, Dirt, Valentine Howell, Hunter, CT Sherry Pocknett, Renee Touponce, Joshua Dorcak, Vince Nguyen, Thomas Pisha, Gado, Beau Schooler, Bocca Al, AK Aaron Verzosa, KY Josh Habiger, TN Sam Hart, NC Terry Koval, Paul Smith, Ana Castro, Lengua, LA Timothy Hontzas, AL Henry Moso, Alex Perry, Kumi Omori, Cocina al, Oscar Amador, Kaoru Azeuchi, KAISEKI, Andrew Black, Jeff Chanchaleune, Ma Der, Justin Pioche, Texas Reyna, Painter, Houston , TX Emiliano Marentes, El Paso , TX John Russ, Clementine, San Antonio , TX Ernest Servantes, David Kirkland, Jim Embry, Valerie Horn, Savi ” Horne, Ira Wallace, Olivia Watkins, Karen Washington, Madur Jaffrey Organizations: Washington , D.C, Lyric Opera of, Illinois Gov, Chicago Mayor, Philadelphia, James Beard Foundation, James, New York Times, CNN, Foundation, WA Coracora, Sunday, of Culture, NY, Neng, EDWINS, Restaurant Institute, Hospitality, SC Yenvy, Street Hospitality, Mbaye, Dakar, WA Bottega, AL, SC, Beverages, Merchant, WA BEST, Sherman, Taco María, Selden, D.C, Madison , WI Itaru, Fairchild, Madison , WI, WY, New, New York State, NY Shaina Loew, Pacific, AK, TN, EDO, Food, Burnt Bean, Sustainable Communities Network, Cooperative Farming, Community Center, Southern, Sierra, Burgerville Workers Union, Black Farmer Fund Locations: Philadelphia, Haitian, Pacific, Washington ,, Lyric Opera of Chicago, livestream, Windy City, Boise , Idaho, Madison , Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Monson , Maine, Haiti, Charlestown , Rhode Island, Puerto Rican, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, NY, Washington, Clawson, MI, Seattle, West Hartford, Philadelphia ,, Lucia, Dallas ,, Cincinnati, Portland , Oregon, of Culture , New York, Mexican, Fort Worth , TX Kann, Portland, Milwaukee ,, Asheville , NC, Chicago, Houston , TX, Cleveland, Crenshaw, Columbia, WA, Rashida Holmes, Bridgetown Roti, Los Angeles ,, Dakar NOLA , New Orleans, LA, Clover Hill, New Orleans, Richardson ,, Kansas City ,, Miami, Billings, San Francisco ,, Café Cerés, Minneapolis, Cypress, Pullman, Birmingham, Quarry, Monson, IL, New York, Houston ,, Ann Arbor, Honolulu, Shawnee, KS, Las Vegas, Brownsville , TX, Healdsburg, Sherman Oaks, Costa Mesa ,, Lakes, Saffron De Twah, Detroit ,, Detroit, NJ, PA, , Philadelphia, Cantina La Martina, Apteka, Pittsburgh, Albi , Washington, Kalaya, MN, MO, Sioux Falls, Amilinda, Milwaukee, Osteria Papavero, Madison ,, Yoshitomo, Omaha, UT, WY, Salvador, BRUTØ, Denver, Teton, Teton Village, Boise, Salt Lake City, Sofreh, Brooklyn , NY, , New York, Hudson, Atomix , New York, NH, RI, Krasi, Boston, New Preston, Charlestown, Siu, Yunnan, The, MÄS, Ashland, Berlu, Gado Gado, Bocca Al Lupo, Juneau, Archipelago, KY, NC, TN, WV, Lexington, Bastion, Nashville, Charlotte, Decatur, Charleston, Lengua Madre , New Orleans, Homewood, Orlando, Springs, Cocina, Cocina al Fondo, San Juan, AZ, NM, Oklahoma City, Fruitland, Navajo Nation, Sandwich Hag, El Paso , TX, San Antonio ,, Seguin ,, City of Whitesburg

☆ ‘California is meant to burn': Experts teach landowners art of prescribed burns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Nathan Frandino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Volunteer David Palmer takes part in a broadcast burn in advance of wildfire season near Blodgett Forest Research Station in Georgetown, California, U.S., May 20, 2023. Teaching locals is exactly what Susie Kocher is hoping to accomplish through the El Dorado Amador Prescribed Burn Association. Founded in 2021, the association teaches private landowners about prescribed burns, including how to plan and carry them out safely. California last year launched a strategic plan for wildfire and forest resilience with the aim of expanding prescribed burns to 400,000 acres annually by 2025. The Saturday class for two dozen volunteers – mostly college students and a few private landowners - at the Blodgett Forest Research Station west of Lake Tahoe turned out just as the experts had hoped.

Persons: David Palmer, Loren Elliott GEORGETOWN, Susie Kocher, Amador, it's, Kocher, Sarah Fischbach, haven't, ” Fischbach, we're, ”, Ariel Roughton, Cathy Mueller, we've, ” Mueller, Nathan Frandino, Mary Milliken, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Research, REUTERS, El, Burn, “, Blodgett, Thomson Locations: Blodgett, Georgetown , California, U.S, Loren Elliott GEORGETOWN , California, California, Sierra Nevada, Lake, “ California

☆ U.S. issues guidelines on defending Philippines from South China Sea attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The guidelines said the bilateral treaty commitments would be invoked if either is attacked specifically in the South China Sea and also if coast guard vessels were the target. 'WARNING' TO CHINAThe South China Sea, a waterway vital to global trade, has become a major flashpoint in the increasingly testy relationship between China and the United States. China's foreign ministry on Thursday said it opposed the use of bilateral defence treaties to interfere in the South China Sea, which "should not be a hunting ground for external forces". The guidelines were released during visit to Washington this week by Marcos, which included talks with counterpart Joe Biden. Marcos also met Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who told him "we will always have your back, in the South China Sea or elsewhere in the region."

☆ As Cuba election day nears, some voters ask, 'why bother?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Dave Sherwood | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

HAVANA, March 22 (Reuters) - Like a growing number of Cubans, 77-year-old Havana resident Humberto Avila says he will likely sit out Sunday's legislative elections. The retired university professor says he's done the math - 470 candidates, 470 open seats - and sees no point in voting. Abstention has spiked in recent elections, rising to a four-decade high of 31% of eligible voters in municipal elections in November. "This vote is for the Revolution ... and to continue to defend our socialist system," Diaz-Canel told textile workers in Santa Clara. Rey Lazaro Blanco, a 19-year old geography student at the University of Havana, told Reuters he will vote on Sunday.

California is enduring more severe winter weather as storms continue to unleash unusual snowfall and strong winds across the state, damaging highways and roads and trapping some residents in their homes. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday evening declared a state of emergency in 13 counties affected by the storms. Disaster response and relief will be provided to the counties of Amador, Kern, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sierra, Sonoma and Tulare. The state's emergency agency and private weather forecasters in January said that damage from weeks of storms and flooding in California could surpass $1 billion. In the San Bernardino Mountains, snowfall blocked roads and stranded residents in their homes as crews worked urgently to clear the roads.

[1/5] Maylin Amador, 42, poses for a photo with Gucci, her bichon habanero, the national dog of Cuba, in Havana, Cuba, February 7, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre MeneghiniHAVANA, March 1 (Reuters) - Maylin Amador breeds and styles one of Cuba's most attractive dogs - the Havanese bichon, a small but lively lapdog with abundant waves of tobacco-colored hair, and the Caribbean island's only native breed. "It is difficult to raise this animal because it bathes every four days," she said, as she prepares her dog Gucci for a national competition. The dog - considered the island's national breed - was popular among Cuban aristocrats before the Fidel Castro-led 1959 revolution. Evelio Fernandez, president of the Cuban "Bichon Havanese" club, told Reuters the association currently counts over 1,400 Havanese, and that the dog was officially recognized as Cuban in 2016.

☆ A.I.-guided strategies for the ETF investor. Here's what to know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Kevin Schmidt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

As investors weigh what the growing interest in artificial intelligence means for the marketplace, one analyst thinks that ETF investors should be cautious in utilizing it to aid in strategy selection. "ChatGPT knows a lot about a lot of things," Art Amador, EquBot Co-Founder, told Bob Pisani on CNBC's 'ETF Edge' on Wednesday. Amador runs the AI Powered Equity ETF (AIEQ) , an actively managed fund of U.S. stocks selected with a model that uses artificial intelligence. Studebaker's ROBO Global launched the ROBO Global Robotics and Automation ETF (ROBO) in 2013 as a fund that invests in innovative companies driving robotics, automation, and AI spaces. "You want to make sure you're investing with people that have done this before, that have deep expertise and deep knowledge in this space."

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - More than 20 companies in the burgeoning carbon removal industry on Thursday launched a coalition that will lobby the U.S. government for new policies to help commercialize the nascent technology, which has received a flood of private investment in recent years. For years, technologies such as direct air capture, which extracts carbon emissions from the ambient air, had been seen as fringe ideas. Under those bills, the U.S. government has committed to spend more than $580 billion to support the development of carbon dioxide removal technologies through grants, technical support and tax credits for start-up companies and investors. The two main types of carbon dioxide removal involve chemical processes like direct air capture or enhance existing natural processes that remove carbon from the atmosphere such as planting trees. Giana Amador, founder of carbon removal NGO Carbon 180, will head up the CRA.

☆ ETF Edge: A.I.'s impact on stock picking
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailETF Edge: A.I. 's impact on stock pickingArt Amador, EquBot co-founder, joins the 'Halftime Report' with Bob Pisani to discuss how A.I. will impact stock picking in the future.

☆ Big Lots is closing stores in 2023 — see the full list
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Big Lots released the latest list of store closures as it makes changes to its network. Going into 2023, Big Lots is also trying to increase the number of stores it has in more sparsely-populated areas of the US. The changes to Big Lots' store network come as the company faces declining sales. Historically high inflation has hit low-income consumers, Big Lots' primary customer base, particularly hard, CEO Bruce Thorn said in December. That's led many of them to hold off on buying the non-essential items that Big Lots sells, he added.

☆ High school football incidents spark racism talks, programs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Moments before Amador was to play Rosemont — a predominantly Black and Latino school in nearby Sacramento — the game was called off. Amador has just four Black students out of about 750. The incident at Amador was one of several alarming examples of racism against Black people that occurred this fall in high school football around the nation. Amador High School in Sutter Creek, Calif. Google MapsAdministrators in some cases have used these incidents to start conversations about race that have been hard for them to bring up before and roll out programs they hope will have lasting impact. A TikTok video created by players at River Valley High School in Yuba City, California, featured a mock slave auction.

Remains found this week were positively identified as those of Alexis Gabe, a California woman missing since January, authorities in Oakley, California, said Friday. Alexis Gabe City of OakleyAn Amador County sheriff's investigator and dentist who specializes in forensic odontology, finding evidence through teeth and dental records, confirmed the remains belong to Gabe, the department said. Investigators believe the rest of her remains are scattered and that it's possible they might not recover them all, police said. Gabe, 24, was from Oakley, an East Bay city where her parents pressed authorities to find her alive. Days after her disappearance, Jones moved to Washington state, where he had family, police said.

☆ LoveShackFancy built a pretty, skinny, rich-girl dreamworld. The fantasy was impossible to live up to.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +34 min

Suddenly, in the midst of discussing what Cohen should wear to the next LoveShackFancy store opening, there was the sound of glass clanging. (Another person confirmed hearing this exchange, though the person close to the company said multiple Zoom attendees did not recall it.) The person close to the company said, "It is not uncommon for trips to have dual purposes — they always generate content." Another time, during a visit to the Palm Beach store, Cohen freaked out after seeing staffers in sweatshirts and sneakers. "As with most contemporary fashion brands, we currently do not operate in the plus-size business," the person close to LoveShackFancy said.

☆ 15 venture capitalists that early-stage sports tech, health, and wellness founders should know if they're looking to raise capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Other recent investments include Bumble, Goop, Spring Health, Chief, Found, Daily Harvest, and Blueland. Recent investments include the sneaker-trading platform Tradeblock, which touts itself as an alternative to StockX and Goat. Recent investments include AnyDistance, Balanced, and Juna. Her recent investments include Calibrate, DUOS, Dutch, and Buffalo Market, a food distributor focused on plant-based and organic foods. Recent investments include pickleball products company Revolin, live-sports artificial-reality company Quintar, recovery products company Alleviate, and community cycling app Preem.

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