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☆ We dreamed of spending our retirement on epic road trips. After buying an RV backfired, we made a better plan.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Marie L. Mangin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewMy husband and I had always talked about getting a camper van and taking it on epic road trips after we retired. We were at a car show and spotted a compact, camper van from the '90s that was well within our budget. Even so, the costs of upkeep went up as we added more mileage to the camper van. And, after doing some math, we realized we don't need a camper van to do the road trips we dreamed of. AdvertisementHopefully, our camper van suits the new owners better than it did us — and maybe we'll cross paths on the road sometime.

Persons: —, van, Marie L Mangin, we're, We'll Organizations: Service, Business

☆ A storm chaser on what 'Twisters' gets right and wrong
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Jen Walton, a storm chaser from Denver, has already seen the new film twice and loved many of the nods to the original movie, the accuracy of the tornado science, and the appreciation for storm chasers. But eventually, she got over her fear and has been chasing storms for the last six years. AdvertisementIt mostly happens in Texas and Oklahoma, where storm chasing is the most popular, she said. Many may not remember the 2013 El Reno storm when four storm chasers were killed, she said. That's why Girls Who Chase, the initiative Walton started to support women in STEM fields, offers Storm Chasing 101.

Persons: —, Jen Walton, Walton wasn't, Daisy Edgar, Jones, Tyler, Glen Powell, Melinda Sue Gordon, Amblin Entertainment Walton, Glen, Tyler Owens, Walton, Sue Ogrocki, Owens, Katie Carter, she's, Chase Organizations: Service, Business, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros . Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, YouTube, Storm, El Locations: Denver, Oklahoma, Texas, El Reno

☆ ‘Only pirates do this’: Philippines accuses China of using bladed weapons in major South China Sea escalation
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Nectar Gan | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —The Philippines has accused China’s Coast Guard of launching a “brutal assault” with bladed weapons during a South China Sea clash earlier this week, a major escalation in a festering dispute that threatens to drag the United States into another global conflict. A Philippine Navy serviceman on the rubber boat lost his right thumb when the Chinese Coast Guard rammed it, Torres said. China’s Coast Guard also deployed tear gas, “blinding” strobe lights and continuously blared sirens, the AFP said. “The Chinese Coast Guard personnel had bladed weapons and our personnel fought with bare hands. This is the closest China’s Coast Guard has come to the BRP Sierra Madre, Koh noted.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, –, ” Collin Koh, ” Koh, “, ”, Alfonso Torres Jr, Torres, Romeo Brawner Jr, ” Brawner, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Marcos, Matthew Miller, Enrique A, Antony Blinken, ” Derek Grossman, Koh, they’re, Thomas, Washington “, ” “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Coast Guard, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Philippine, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Philippine Navy, Armed Forces, Getty, Western Command, Chinese Coast Guard, China’s Coast Guard, Staff, Getty Images Mutual, South China, US State Department, Mutual Defense, RAND Corporation, China Coast Guard, Philippine personnel, Navy Special Operations Group, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre Locations: Hong Kong, Philippines, China, United States, Manila, Spratly, Philippine, Singapore, AFP, ’, China’s, South, States, US, Washington, South China, The Hague, Beijing, India, BRP Sierra, BRP Sierra Madre

☆ Fisker employees are fixing some customers' cars with parts from the company's vehicle 'graveyard,' sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewFisker employees have been taking parts off pre-production vehicles and existing inventory to fix some customers' cars, according to several people familiar with the issue. Business Insider also viewed several photos of Fisker Oceans with missing parts that sources say were used for customer vehicles. A spokesperson for Fisker told Business Insider the information was false. Related stories"Every day was a fire drill of what car has this part that I need," a former employee told BI. Business Insider viewed an email exchange between a Fisker employee and Burrell that showed the employee offered to fix Burrell's car using a part off another Fisker car.

Persons: —, Patrick Burrell, Burrell, Michael Crossen, It's, Crossen, Daniel Blinn, Fisker Organizations: Service, Business, Fisker, Technicians, La, Consumer, Consumer Law, BI Locations: La Palma , California, Palma, La Palma, California, Connecticut

☆ I was a 'trad wife' who got married on our 11th date. Influencers make this life look idyllic, but I had no money and no control.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

AdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jennie Gage, who used to be what social-media users have dubbed a "trad wife" — slang for "traditional wife." Courtesy of Jennie GageI was 17 when I went to a Mormon college. Being a 'trad wife' involved endless houseworkMy first son was born in 1998; I'd just turned 23. For most of my married life, Jake would give me cash envelopes. AdvertisementDo you identify as a trad wife or former trad wife?

Persons: Jennie Gage, She's, Gage, —, Hannah Neeleman, Jake, I'd, We'd, who's, Money, I'm, TikTok, Maria Noyen Organizations: Service, BI Locations: Arizona , Oregon, Utah, TikTok

☆ Amid Food Shortages, People in Gaza Are Ambushing Aid Convoys
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | More About Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Amid widespread food shortages and a breakdown in civil order, groups of desperate civilians in Gaza are regularly attempting to ambush aid convoys, according to two Western officials who were recently in the enclave and images of one such ambush reviewed by The New York Times. The trucks are briefly forced off the road as the drivers swerve to avoid hitting the men. Some of the assailants throw stones at the trucks’ windshields, seemingly to try to stop them. The images, with time stamps indicating they were taken in recent days, were reviewed by a reporter for The Times. Such attacks have become common since Israel’s invasion last year as desperate civilians face starvation in pockets of the enclave, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid complicating their work in Gaza.

Organizations: The New York Times, The Times Locations: Gaza, Egypt

Now governor, Parson also has become the face of mercy by pardoning more than 600 people in the past three years, more than any Missouri governor since the 1940s. In Missouri, clemency requests are first screened by the Board of Probation and Parole, which makes confidential recommendations to the governor. In Wisconsin, Evers has granted 1,111 pardons since taking office in 2019, surpassing the record of 943 set by Republican Gov. Scott Walker, had disbanded the pardons board and issued no pardons during his eight years in office. “For Governor Parson to look at me and to recognize that rehabilitation is real and not just stuff that somebody says, based your actions and not on your words, was huge," Galloway said.

Persons: Kenny Batson, Batson, Mike Parson, Parson, pardoning, they’ve, ” Parson, you’ve, Tony Evers, Joe Biden, commutations, ” Batson, Eric Greitens, Jay Nixon, Parson's, Forrest Donnell, Evers, Julius Heil, Scott Walker, Margaret Love, ”, Patricia McCloskey, Louis, Mark McCloskey, Pete Underdal, Dave Galloway, Galloway Organizations: Associated Press, Republican, Wisconsin Gov, Democrat, Probation, GOP Gov, Democratic Gov, Republican Gov, U.S . Justice Department, “ Locations: Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, In Missouri, In Wisconsin, St, Polk County, Galloway's

The Category 5 hurricane damaged nearly all of Acapulco's homes, left bodies bobbing along the coastline and much of the city foraging for food. She and hundreds of thousands others lived two hours of terror last week, and now face years of work to repair their already precarious lives. Living in a two-room concrete house with no potable water and unpaved roads, that glamor never reached their doorstep. —Otis intensified within hours from a tropical storm into the strongest hurricane to hit the Eastern Pacific coast, taking many by surprise. García Ramirez and other fishermen pulled the boats onto the city’s Manzanilla Beach when Otis was still a Category 2 storm.

Persons: — Estela Sandoval Díaz, Hurricane Otis, Sandoval, l, ” Sandoval, “ They’ve, They’ve, Otis, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, ”, they'd, — Sandoval, glamor, Viverista, “, I’ve, López Obrador, — Otis, Jim Kossin, Eleazar García Ramirez, there’s, García Ramirez, They’re, Seth Borenstein, Félix Márquez Organizations: Associated Press, Military, AP, Avid, Residents, Authorities Locations: ACAPULCO, Mexico, Acapulco, chicest, Washington

BALTIMORE (AP) — A medical waste processing company has pleaded guilty to dozens of environment-related charges and agreed to pay $1.75 million in fines after state prosecutors in Maryland accused a south Baltimore incineration plant owned by the firm of exposing the public to biohazardous material. It’s supposed to be burned into ash before being transported to landfills, a process that prevents disease transmission, state officials said Tuesday at a news conference announcing the settlement agreement involving the nation’s largest medical waste incinerator. The fine incurred by Curtis Bay Energy is among the highest environmental penalties imposed in Maryland’s history. Witnesses provided photographs from the site showing substantial amounts of unburned medical waste, including surgical gloves, medical supplies and bedding, according to court documents. In addition to evidence of unburned medical waste, investigators found the company had knowingly installed an illegal pump that was discharging wastewater onto an adjacent property.

Persons: ”, General Anthony Brown, ” Kelly Love, “, ” “, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Curtis Organizations: BALTIMORE, Curtis, Curtis Bay Energy, Maryland Attorney General’s, ” “ Curtis, ” “ Curtis Bay Energy, Water Fund, Prosecutors, Baltimore Mayor Locations: Maryland, Baltimore, Curtis Bay, Baltimore’s Curtis Bay, Patapsco, Virginia, ” “ Curtis Bay, Curtis

☆ Solar eclipse: ‘Ring of fire’ appears over the Americas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Millions were within the path of the annular solar eclipse as it created a “ring of fire” in the sky over North, Central and South America. The moon completely crosses in front of the sun during the annular solar eclipse on Saturday in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sam Wasson/Getty ImagesDuring an annular solar eclipse, the moon is at the farthest point in its orbit from Earth, so it can’t completely block the sun. And if you missed out on seeing this year’s annular eclipse, sky-gazers across North America are in for a treat on April 8, 2024 when a total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the United States and Canada. So hold onto your certified eclipse glasses, solar viewers and solar filters for your camera — you can use them again in April to safely view another scintillating event.

Persons: Sam Wasson, Patrick T, Fallon Organizations: CNN, 51st, Getty Locations: Central, South America, Albuquerque , New Mexico, Oregon, Brazil, 51st Albuquerque, AFP, North America, Mexico, United States, Canada

☆ What is St. Elmo’s fire? Pilots observed the lightning-like phenomenon
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —It’s not just the title of a 1980s Brat Pack movie: St. Elmo’s fire is the name given to bright, sudden flashes of apparent lightning that can dance across a cloudy sky when thunderstorms are nearby. Sailors have observed this feature of storms for centuries, according to a 2020 article about St. Elmo’s fire from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s news office. Impacts of St. Elmo’s fireThe pilots who captured St. Elmo’s fire outside their cockpit window this week likely weren’t in any danger. St. Elmo’s fire on its own is not dangerous. But NOAA cautions that St. Elmo’s fire could be a warning sign, as it typically indicates that storms are nearby.

Persons: CNN — It’s, Erasmus of Formia, Elmo, “ Organizations: CNN, Pilots, Hurricane Idalia, St, Massachusetts Institute, MIT, United States National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Britannica, NOAA Locations: Florida, Britannica

☆ Someone just paid almost $2 million for the rusted shell of a 1954 Ferrari
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The rusted shell of a Ferrari race car was sold for about $1.9 million to an undisclosed buyer. It was once part of a rare 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider Series I, one of only 13 ever made. It was being sold alongside 19 other Ferraris that had sat in a barn for 45 years. The rusted shell of an old Ferrari recently sold at a Sotheby's auction for almost $1.9 million. The dented lump of metal may not look like much now, but it was once a 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider Series I, the second of just 13 that were made.

Persons: Franco Cortese, Walter Medlin, Medlin, Autoweek, Tom Cotter, Sotheby's Organizations: Morning, Ferrari, Toscana, Monterey Car Locations: Florida

☆ Amazon is inundated with shoppers desperately trying to cool off
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

On Amazon, sales of air conditioners increased 248% during the 30 days ending July 14, according to data from Jungle Scout, a data and analytics platform for Amazon sellers. Searches on Amazon for “single room AC units” and “portable misting fans” also spiked triple digits during the period, according to Jungle Scout. On Wednesday morning, a sun shade for car windshields was listed as the best-selling product on Amazon’s automotive page. In the Northeast, where the wildfire smoke was worst, air purifier sales jumped 119% in June. The cost of home energy bills this summer will increase by 11.7% to an average of $578, up from $517 last summer, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.

Persons: ”, windshields Organizations: New, New York CNN, Scout, National Energy Assistance, Association, Louisiana — Locations: New York, United States, East Coast, Circana, Texas, Louisiana

☆ New Delhi sees flooding after broken regulator causes river water to flow into city
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Traffic moves through a flooded road, after a rise in the waters of river Yamuna due to heavy monsoon rains, in New Delhi, India, July 14, 2023. REUTERS/Adnan AbidiNEW DELHI, July 14 (Reuters) - Several areas of India's capital New Delhi remained inundated on Friday after water from the Yamuna river, which runs through the city, flowed in through a broken drain regulator, authorities said. Roads surrounding Rajghat - a memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi - were inundated, with water also flowing into the memorial area itself. The city's ITO area, which houses several private and government offices, including the headquarters of the Delhi Police, was also flooded. Reporting by Sakshi Dayal; Additional reporting by Tanvi Mehta; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Adnan Abidi, Arvind Kejriwal, Mahatma Gandhi, ITO, Sakshi Dayal, Tanvi Mehta, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Force, Delhi Police, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Indraprastha, Delhi

☆ I left a troubled San Francisco for Croatia and regret it. My hometown's problems keep getting worse, but Dubrovnik has its downsides too.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Ashley Couto | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

She and her partner didn't want to move home to San Francisco long term because of rising crime. In 2016, I quit my job as a manager at a government agency in San Francisco to go traveling. San Francisco is not what it used to beI grew up in San Francisco, and that's where my family lives. You can't avoid homelessness anywhere, but the homelessness problem in San Francisco has become overwhelming. After we got married, we traveled to South America for eight months before I returned to San Francisco to visit my parents.

Persons: Gigi Chow, didn't, —, we'd, There's, Croatia We'd, Expats, you'll, I'm, It's, Roger, I'd Organizations: Service, Food Locations: San Francisco, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Europe, Asia, America, Barcelona, Spain, South America, Adriatic, It's, Francisco, California, Thailand, East Asia

☆ Larry Summers says the Fed has inflation on the ropes, calls out crypto frauds, and bemoans the debt-ceiling fiasco. Here are the ex-Treasury chief's 12 best quotes from a new interview.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Fed may only have to hike interest rates once more to beat inflation, Larry Summers says. Here are Summers' 12 best quotes, lightly edited for length and clarity:The Fed and interest rates:1. "There's an old political observation: 100% of the people pay rising prices, and only 6% of the people are unemployed. I think there's some logic to that." I don't think the idea of defaulting on the debt associated with spending we've already done should be on the table."

☆ ArcBest Rolls Out Technology to Speed Up Freight Loading
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

The freight-management system, called Vaux, is a steel-and-aluminum racking system that sits underneath and around cargo inside trailer beds. Warehouse workers can latch a forklift onto the Vaux platform to push freight into a trailer or pull freight out in one move, instead of having to handle pallets individually. ArcBest says loading or unloading a truck using Vaux takes less than five minutes, compared with the traditional process the company says can take 45 minutes. “What our customers have been telling us is that they are really under pressure,” ArcBest Chief Executive Judy McReynolds said. Rival trucking company TFI International Inc. recently disclosed it had taken a 4% stake in ArcBest, prompting speculation TFI is looking to buy ArcBest.

☆ Should you warm your car up in the winter before driving? I spoke with more than 30 mechanics and couldn't get a straight answer.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Car manufacturers don't have consistent advice on how long you should idle your car in the cold. Generally speaking, idling your car for about 30 seconds when it's cold can help it run smoothly. Others like Ford and Chevrolet recommended idling for no more than 30 seconds after starting. How much time is where mechanics diverge on the subject, but around 30 seconds is the general consensus for modern engines. What I can say is if you idle much longer than 30-60 seconds, you're just wasting gas and money.

☆ China's BYD takes cautious approach to U.S. in global EV push
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Norihiko Shirouzu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] The logo of BYD is pictured at the 2022 Paris Auto Show in Paris, France October 17, 2022. While BYD has not fully articulated its global ambitions in public, a concerted worldwide push has become the single most important strategic focus for China's biggest EV maker, four sources familiar with BYD management's thinking said. "BYD is taking a cautious approach to the U.S.," the person said. "I would say BYD at this point is already better positioned than Tesla in the EV era." "America is going to be a key, key part of this global push strategy," one said.

☆ Baltimore Wants to Ban the Solicitors Who Offer to Squeegee Windshields
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Scott Calvert | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The city will prohibit squeegee work in six zones beginning Jan. 10 and push incentives such as job training. BALTIMORE—Ty Walker strode up to a Toyota 4Runner idling at a red light on a busy downtown street. Within seconds, he spritzed some window cleaner on the windshield, glided a squeegee tool over the glass and pocketed a $5 tip from the driver. The 23-year-old high school dropout, wearing a hoodie and a puffy coat in the December cold, said he had amassed about $60 in two hours on a recent day. That is fairly typical for a gig he said can yield $400 on good days—and far more than the $13.50 an hour he earns as a cashier at a carryout restaurant.

The storm will begin to organize on Wednesday, bringing snow and wind to the Rockies and northern Plains. On Thursday, heavy snow with strong winds will move into the Midwest, Great Lakes and central Plains. Even the Southeast will experience strong winds. As snow is falling across the Midwest and Great Lakes, the I-95 corridor will be getting lashed with torrential rain and strong winds. Despite the precipitation ending late Friday, strong winds lingering in the first half of Saturday could continue to spark delays until the winds subside.

☆ Tesla, Volkswagen, and GM might be using metal from factories linked to forced Uyghur labor, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Major car makers are at high risk for exposure to forced Uyghur labor, according to new research. The alleged use of forced labor could disrupt efforts to ethically decarbonize the global supply chain. Other industries, like solar panel manufacturers, have recently been revealed to have similar ties to Uyghur labor. "We reject forced labor and all forms of modern slavery including human trafficking," said Volkswagen. A Honda spokesperson told Insider that it "expects our suppliers to follow our Global Sustainability Guidelines with respect to labor."

☆ Ford was forced to halt deliveries of some F-Series pickups after running out of blue oval badges, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ford paused some deliveries because it ran out of blue badges, the company told The WSJ. Sources said the shortage affected Ford's popular F-Series pickups. Sources told the newspaper that Ford had run out of badges and nameplates for certain models. Ford had considered 3D-printing the grille badges but decided that they wouldn't meet its quality standards, insiders told the paper. A source said Ford's F-series pickup trucks, one of America's most popular vehicle range, had been affected by the shortage.

☆ A lumber manufacturer faces a near-$54,000 fine after a worker was struck by a forklift and died
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-24 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A worker died after a forklift struck her at a shipping yard in Alabama in November, the DOL said. Sunbelt Forest Products failed to follow safety standards and faces a $54,000 fine, the DOL said. Sunbelt Forest Products is owned by UFP Industries. Sunbelt Forest Products and UFP didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment made outside of regular working hours. At the time of the incident, Sunbelt Forest Products President Ken Dell Donne told News 19 that the company was investigating.

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