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☆ Florida Great Displacement: Climate Change Forces Residents to Leave State
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Jake Bittle | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

The Keys are also the first flock of canaries in the coal mine of climate change. The hurricane made undeniable what previous floods had only suggested: that climate change will someday make life in the archipelago impossible to sustain. The decision to leave, on the other hand, which once signified surrender, now looks more like acceptance of the inevitable. It's this messiness that is reflected in the word "displacement": the migratory shifts caused by climate change are as chaotic as the weather events that cause them. This is an excerpt adapted from THE GREAT DISPLACEMENT: Climate Change and the Next American Migration by Jake Bittle.

☆ Jesuits say abuse accusations against priest highly credible, restrictions tightened
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ROME, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The Jesuit Roman Catholic religious order said on Tuesday that accusations of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse against a prominent member were highly credible and that restrictions against him have been tightened. Father Johan Verschueren, Rupnik's superior in the religious order, posted an update on the case, which has rattled the worldwide religious order and the Vatican since it broke into the open in November. Rupnik has not spoken publicly of the accusations and Verschueren said he has declined to meet Jesuit investigators. The new restrictions particularly ban him from having any artistic activities with churches or other religious institutions, Verschueren said. He said a Jesuit investigation has determined that the alleged abuse took place from the mid-1980s until 2018.

☆ The most expensive home in the Caribbean just listed for $200 million – take a look inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Ray Parisi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It's located on the small private island of Mustique, which lies in the southern Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Last year, Mustique's largest transaction was recorded at about $35 million, according to de Mallet Morgan. Here's a closer look at the most expensive home to ever hit the market in the Caribbean. The Bali Cottages house four more guest bedrooms and surround the estate's third swimming pool. De Mallet Morgan said the estate is currently operated by 18 staff.

China’s official count 0 2.5 million 83,150 deaths Model based on Shanghai outbreak 1.6 million deaths LOW ESTIMATE HIGH ESTIMATE Estimate using travel patterns 970,000 deaths Estimate using recent testing data 1.5 million deaths Estimate based on U.S. death rates 1.1 million deaths China’s official count 0 2.5 million 83,150 deaths Model based on Shanghai outbreak 1.6 million deaths LOW EST. But China’s official Covid death toll for the entire pandemic remains strikingly low: 83,150 people as of Feb. 9. Four separate academic teams have converged on broadly similar estimates: China’s Covid wave may have killed between a million and 1.5 million people. Why official data underrepresents China’s outbreak83,150 deaths China’s official count on Feb. 9 0 2.5M 83,150 deaths China’s official count on Feb. 9 0 2.5 millionChina has a narrow definition of what counts as a Covid-19 death. But the work was unwavering in its ultimate conclusion: Ending the “zero Covid” policy was likely to overwhelm the health care system, producing an estimated 1.6 million deaths.

☆ Egypt opens 4,000-year-old tomb on Luxor's West Bank, oldest open to public
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities/Handout via REUTERSCAIRO, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Egypt has restored, documented and opened to tourists the Middle Kingdom tomb of Meru, the oldest site accessible to the public on Luxor's West Bank, home to some of its most spectacular Pharaonic monuments including the Valley of the Kings. Meru's rock-hewn tomb was restored by the Polish Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw and Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. "This is the only decorated room of the tomb, with an unusual decoration of painting on lime plaster," Yassin said. Meru's tomb had been known since at least the mid-19th century, according to the Polish Egyptian archaeological mission. Some of the Middle Kingdom's most prominent officials were buried at North Asasif, the statement said.

☆ A travel insider explains how people who hate cruising — can learn to enjoy it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Travel professional Tammy Cecco named the Celebrity Edge cruise ship, shown here, as one that has spacious suites and great window views. Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesOnce she "relaxed into it," Cecco said, she started to enjoy cruise ship travel. Courtesy of Tammy CeccoCecco, who often travels with her family of five and her mother-in-law, said private tours suit everyone's needs — and interests. Luciano Bullorsky ToursByLocals' President and Co-ownerCecco said she booked a private tour at "pretty much every stop" on their last cruise, plus Rome. The company said private shore tours account for nearly a third of all tours booked in 2023 — up from 12% in 2022 bookings.

☆ The UNC Echo Chamber Fights Back
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Our editorial on Friday about the University of North Carolina’s effort to create a new school dedicated to free inquiry and open academic discourse has caused a fuss on campus that illustrates why the new school is needed. It seems that faculty grandees are outraged that the UNC board of trustees thought such a school is necessary and didn’t even seek the faculty’s permission. The Daily Tar Heel documents the angst in the Chapel Hill faculty lounge in a Jan. 30 story that is unintentionally hilarious in its ivory-tower indignation. The reporter quotes UNC law professor Eric Muller as saying, “I thought: how on Earth? How on Earth could The Wall Street Journal know this.”

☆ TikTok tries to sell ‘Project Texas’ as it fights for survival in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Covers Tech For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Some of the details appeared Thursday on the security blog Lawfare, where two people provided a rundown of what they said they heard at one TikTok briefing last week. He said his center has received funding from TikTok, but that he had no view on whether TikTok’s assurances were satisfactory. “We have shifted our approach,” Erich Andersen, the general counsel of ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, told the Times. A key partner of TikTok is the U.S. computing giant Oracle, which has its headquarters in Austin, Texas, where TikTok may choose to house the data of its U.S. users. The code name “Project Texas” became public last year.

☆ A Russian graveyard reveals Wagner’s prisoner army
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +18 min

The resting places were adorned with simple wooden crosses and brightly coloured wreaths that bore the insignia of Russia’s Wagner Group - a feared and secretive private army. The news agency matched the names of at least 39 of the dead here and at three other nearby cemeteries to Russian court records, publicly available databases and social media accounts. He said gravediggers told him the bodies had come from the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, close to Russia’s border with Donetsk region. According to Russian court documents, Kochas and another man burst into the apartment of an acquaintance while drunk in an attempted robbery. But he refused, so he’s a fool.”A Russian graveyard reveals Wagner’s prisoner army By Felix Light and Filipp Lebedev in Tbilisi and Reade Levinson in London Photo editing: Simon Newman Graphics: Fielding Cage Art direction: Eve Watling Edited by Janet McBride

How LGFCU accounts compare Local Government Federal Credit Union Share SavingsLocal Government Federal Credit Union Checking AccountLocal Government Federal Credit Union Money Market AccountLocal Government Federal Credit Union Share Term Certificates Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. How Local Government Federal Credit Union worksLocal Government Federal Credit Union is a financial institution that serves North Carolina's local government employees and volunteers. The credit union doesn't have branches, but it's partnered with State Employees Credit Union. Local Government Federal Credit Union vs. Truliant Federal Credit UnionTruliant Federal Credit Union is a CDFI that serves local communities in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Local Government Federal Credit Union offers higher interest rates, but Truliant Federal Credit Union doesn't charge monthly services.

☆ Europe's royals, in Athens, bids farewell to Greece's last king
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] A person holds a flag as people queue to pay respects to former King of Greece Constantine II at Saint Eleftherios chapel, where he lies at rest before the funeral service, in Athens, Greece, January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Louiza VradiATHENS, Jan 16 (Reuters) - European royalty gathered in Athens on Monday for the funeral of former King Constantine of Greece, born a prince but spurned by his country which abolished the monarchy in 1974. He died at the age of 82 last week in an Athens hospital. Royals from Europe, including Britain's Princess Anne, sister of King Charles, and her husband and Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia, were expected to attend the funeral, at the Metropolitan Cathedral in central Athens, under tight security. In a referendum after the fall of the junta in 1974, Greece rejected monarchy again.

☆ Pell's secret memo casts shadow at cardinal's funeral
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] Pope Francis attends a funeral of Cardinal George Pell in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, January 14, 2023. About 300 people attended Pell's funeral Mass in a secondary chapel of St. Peter's Basilica. In keeping with tradition for deceased cardinals, the Mass was said by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Italian Giovanni Battista Re. But Pell was given a standard solemn Vatican funeral for a cardinal. Father Joseph Hamilton, Pell's personal secretary, declined to comment on Magister's report and Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said it had no comment.

The U.S. teen birth rate hit a record low in 2019, the NCHS report shows, with fewer than 1.7 births per 100 teen girls ages 15 to 19. The overall fertility rate in the U.S. declined from 2015 to 2020, additional NCHS data shows, reaching a low of fewer than 6 births per 100 women ages 15 to 44. Guzzo said birth rates never fully recovered after the Great Recession, likely due to factors such as student loan debt, high housing prices and a shortage of full-time jobs. Fertility rates vary by region, though: States in the central U.S. have higher rates than in other parts of the country. "It could be that the overturning of Roe v. Wade will act against the continued decline in birth rate," he said.

☆ One civil rights icon has been overlooked in history books. His family is trying to change that.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Claretta-Bellamy-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Claretta Bellamy | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

This was why he believed they made such perfect activists in the civil rights movement. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. kneels in prayer with the Rev. Family photoAfter visiting the courthouse, the Reeses’ tour continues to the Brown Chapel AME. They also hold weekly discussions on a program called “The Lineage Podcast,” where they “fill in certain holes of the civil rights movement.”The Rev. “I always say that I feel honored to even be connected to a part of history that a lot of people are yearning for,” Marvin Reese said.

☆ The 7 cities you 'must visit before you die,' according to 50 travel experts—only one is in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Sharael Kolberg | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

As travel journalist of over 20 years, I recently interviewed more than 50 travel enthusiasts, experts and agents. New York City, U.S.Jonathan de Araujo, owner of The Vacationeer Travel Agency, calls the Big Apple "a city of superlatives." Just a short walk from the 9/11 Museum, New York City tourists can take a ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty. "It's now as much a part of New York City history as the Statue of Liberty," he says. Cape Town, South AfricaTom Marchant, founder of luxury travel company Black Tomato, calls Cape Town "the perfect destination for thrill seekers."

☆ Christmas joy and anger for rival Orthodox churches in historic Kyiv monastery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

It has become a focus of a bitter conflict between Ukraine's Orthodox communities, triggered by Russia's invasion. Members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Ukraine's largest, piled into the cathedral's ornate interior on Saturday, to hear the first ever Ukrainian-language service in the cathedral. Ukraine's Orthodox Church, in its various iterations, has been subordinate to Moscow since the 17th century. The war, now in its eleventh month, has led many Ukrainians to rally round the OCU, which they see as more pro-Ukrainian than its rival, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). That decision infuriated Russia's Orthodox Church, as Istanbul had previously recognised the UOC, then under Moscow's rule, as the legitimate Ukrainian church.

☆ Slovenian Jesuits ask for forgiveness in major abuse case
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ROME, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Slovenia's Jesuits say they believe sexual abuse allegations against a prominent member of their order are true and have asked for forgiveness. It is the latest development in the case of Father Marko Ivan Rupnik that has rattled the religious order and the Vatican. Some leading Jesuits have called for a full review of how the order and the Vatican have handled the case. We sincerely ask for forgiveness from all," Slovenia's Jesuits said in a website statement posted on Friday. Jesuits in Rome and Slovenia have asked any other victims to come forward.

☆ A financially independent couple that improved their credit score from 524 to over 800 share 3 strategies that helped them turn around their finances
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Natia and Jervais Seegars both opened their first credit cards when they were college students. Natia and Jervais Seegars both opened their first credit cards when they were college students in the early 2000s. Jervais' credit score was 524 at its lowest. As they learned first-hand, "if your finances aren't in order, it's going to be a very bumpy road," said Jervais. They tracked their spending and stuck to a budgetThe first change Natia and Jervais made was tracking their expenses.

☆ Factbox: Highlights from Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

MADRID, Jan 5 (Reuters) - A Spanish-language version of "Spare", the much-awaited memoir of Britain's Prince Harry, went on sale in book stores in Spain on Thursday, days ahead of its official launch date. The book reveals details about Harry's relationship with his father, King Charles, his elder brother, Prince William, and other members of the British royal family that have never previously been published. As is usual for the royal family, spokespeople for Charles and William have declined to comment. William called Meghan "difficult", "rude" and "abrasive", Harry writes. CAMILLAHarry says that he and Prince William had asked their father not to marry Camilla Parker-Bowles, who is now Britain's queen consort.

☆ Pope Benedict's funeral draws thousands to the Vatican
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Rhoda Kwan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Thousands gathered at the Vatican on Thursday for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a stalwart of conservative values who shocked the Catholic church when he resigned a decade ago. Mourners dressed in black poured into St. Peter's Square ahead of the Mass, which began at 9:30 a.m. local time (3:30 a.m. EST). The event was presided over by Pope Francis, with a living pontiff leading the farewell to his predecessor for an event that is unprecedented in modern times. As fog shrouded the top of St Peter's Basilica, the ceremony began with a prayer by Francis for the late pope emeritus, and readings were made in Spanish, English and Latin. Francis placed his hand on Benedict's cypress coffin as it was being carried into St Peter's Basilica, before placing his hand on his chest and bowing to the late pope.

☆ Guide to the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

VATICAN CITY, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will preside at a funeral Mass in St. Peter's Square on Thursday for his predecessor former Pope Benedict, who died on Saturday at the age of 95. Here is a guide to what is expected to happen:END OF LYING IN STATESince Monday, the body of the Emeritus Pope has been lying in state in St. Peter's Basilica, where more than 160,000 people had filed past to pay their respects as of midday Wednesday. The funeral Mass presided over by Pope Francis is due to start at 9:30 a.m. (0830 GMT). At the end of the Mass, Francis will recite "The Final Commendation and Farewell" asking God to "console the Church". Near the end of the Mass, Francis will sprinkle holy water on the coffin and incense it.

☆ How Gen Z Is Rewriting the Job Rulebook on 'Résumé Gaps', Career Breaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Eve Upton-Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Most people are familiar with the scourge of the résumé gap. Young entrants to the workforce are leading a new conversation about the workplace, and the long-scorned résumé gap is no exception. Instead of viewing it as a negative, many Gen Zers are arguing that career breaks are positive and forcing employers to reconsider their preconceived notions about the résumé gap. The pesky résumé gapWhile job candidates have papered over résumé gaps for years, taking a break during the long march of a career is not uncommon. For those looking at working well into their 70s, a career gap, or two, simply makes sense.

☆ Thousands more, including Hungary's Orban, bid farewell to Benedict
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pays homage to former Pope Benedict in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, January 3, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Thousands more people, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, paid homage to former Pope Benedict on Tuesday on the second day that his body lay in state in St. Peter's Basilica. Orban, the first head of government to pay their respects following Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, stood with his wife before Benedict's body for a few moments in prayer. Francis will preside at Benedict's funeral in St. Peter's Square on Thursday before a crowd that Vatican police say will be in the tens of thousands. Later, that one will be placed into a zinc coffin and then both will be placed into another coffin made of wood.

☆ Thousands pay homage as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI lies in state
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Faithful and curious, the public strode briskly up the center aisle to pass by the bier after waiting in a line that by midmorning snaked around St. Peter’s Square. Filippo Tuccio, 35, came from Venice on an overnight train to view Benedict’s body. “I wanted to pay homage to Benedict because he had a key role in my life and my education. This is why I wanted to say goodbye today.”Public viewing lasts for 10 hours on Monday in St. Peter’s Basilica. Twelve hours of viewing are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday before Thursday morning’s funeral, which will be led by Pope Francis, at St. Peter’s Square.

☆ Factbox: Former Pope Benedict to have simple funeral after lying in state
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VATICAN CITY, Dec 31 (Reuters) - The body of former Pope Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday, will lie in state in St. Peter's Basilica on Monday and remain there for three days before his funeral, which is set for Jan. 5. LYING IN STATEUntil early Monday morning, Benedict's body will remain in the small monastery within the Vatican where he lived. FUNERALBenedict's funeral will be held on Thursday, Jan. 5 in St. Peter's Square, in front of the basilica. The ceremony will start at 9:30 a.m. (0830 GMT) and will be presided over by Pope Francis. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that following the wishes of Benedict, the funeral would be simple, solemn and sober.

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