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☆ Sam Shields: Super Bowl champion regrets playing in NFL; says his head is 'all mushed together' with concussions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Former Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields has said he regrets playing in the NFL, pointing to the effects concussions and head injuries had on his career and his later life. The spotters “serve as another set of eyes, watching for possible injuries at every NFL game,” according to NFL Football Operations. Concussions and their prevention have become an important issue in recent years due to their connection to brain disease later in life. The neurodegenerative brain disease can be found in individuals who have been exposed to repeated head trauma. The researchers hypothesized about a relationship between head trauma and ALS because of a similar link detected between football and the neurodegenerative disease CTE.

☆ $16.7 billion: Election 2022 will be the most expensive midterm in US history, and it isn't even close
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Election 2022 will be the most expensive midterm ever, nonpartisan research group OpenSecrets predicts. Federal- and state-level election spending combined will exceed the annual budgets of some US states. Taken together, the $16.7 billion includes spending by political candidates, party committees, political action committees, super PACs, and other organizations advocating for or against candidates or ballot measures. She further noted that individual campaign contributors led the charge this election cycle. During the 2017-2018 election cycle, PACs donated $194 million to candidates.

☆ I'm a leg-lengthening surgeon. Most of my clients are men with confidence issues — here's what the procedure's like and why I do it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Natalie Rahhal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

The only field in medicine that uses all of these tools is orthopedic surgery, so it seemed like the right fit. I specialized in limb-lengthening surgery specifically because I wanted to do something that was different from everybody else. People that undergo limb-lengthening surgery are from all walks of life, and many used COVID lockdowns to recover post-surgery. I would say 80% to 85% of my cosmetic limb-lengthening patients are men and 15% to 20% are women. Even though I've done limb-lengthening surgeries hundreds of times, I still get a little nervous.

☆ Photos show what Tower Rock, a limestone formation in the middle of the Mississippi River, looks like before and after severe drought dropped water levels
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tower Rock, a limestone formation in the middle of the Mississippi River, is newly accessible by foot. The Mississippi River is experiencing historic low levels, likely due to climate change. Tower Rock was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1970. The region, including the Ohio River and the Upper Mississippi River valleys, has not received enough rain to sustain usual water levels, Insider's Morgan McFall-Johnsen and Paola Rosa-Aquino reported. These variable river conditions are consistent with scientists' predictions of climate change creating more unpredictable weather events.

☆ Bill Gates' climate investment firm will put more money into adapting to climate change
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Eric Toone, one half of the investing committee at Breakthrough Energy, speaks to conference attendees at the breakthrough Energy Summit in Seattle on Wednesday October 19, 2022. Photo by Cat Clifford, CNBCSEATTLE — Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the climate technology investment firm started by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, will begin to invest more in companies that help people and businesses adapt to the consequences of climate change. "We're left with adaptation," Toone told the audience. But Breakthrough Energy Ventures is most certainly not a philanthropic organization. And in the past, the Gates Foundation has done a lot of work on adaptation," Toone told a group of reporters in a media briefing in Seattle.

How Brazil’s Leader Built the Myth of Rigged Elections By Jack Nicas, Flávia Milhorance and Ana Ionova Produced by Gray Beltran Leer en españolFor years, President Jair Bolsonaro has attacked Brazil’s election systems. Yet in speeches, interviews and hundreds of posts on social media, the president has consistently and methodically repeated those baseless claims and many others about Brazil’s voting system. At the time, he suggested that the election’s results could not be trusted because of the voting machines. He showed a video from a programmer who claimed to demonstrate how voting machines were hacked in 2018. (Experts and fact-checkers said the video was riddled with errors, including a fundamental misunderstanding of how the voting system works.)

Pediatric cases of the flu and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, are on the rise. Here are the signs and symptoms to look out for if your child has a respiratory virus. Does my child have RSV, Covid or the flu? Early symptoms of Covid, RSV and the flu can look similar for many children, including:CongestionCoughRunny noseMuscle achesFeverHeadacheA sore throat, Moffitt said, could be a sign of Covid, as doctors have noticed that infections with omicron subvariants often begin with sore throats. Hotez also urged parents to get their children vaccinated against Covid and the flu.

☆ Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck Y Combinator alum Shimmer used to raise $1.3 million to bring ADHD coaching to adults
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Y Combinator alum Shimmer raised $1.3 in funding from VCs like Honeystone Ventures and Koa Labs. The startup provides ADHD coaching for adults. The adult ADHD space is much smaller, with medication-focused startups like Cerebral and Done receiving regulatory scrutiny for over-prescribing controlled medication like Adderall and putting patients at risk. At Shimmer, Wang says the focus on coaching, as opposed to medication, is a better long-term solution for many people managing ADHD. Here's a look at the 15-slide pitch deck Shimmer used to raise its seed round.

☆ Flesh-eating bacteria: What to know about Vibrio vulnificus, and how to avoid it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Vibrio vulnificus causes an estimated 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in the United States every year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vibrio vulnificus is one of the bacteria that can cause what’s commonly known as a flesh-eating infection. Vibrio vulnificus infection is the leading cause of death related to eating seafood in the United States. With skin infections, a doctor will first take samples from the infected area to determine if Vibrio vulnificus is what’s causing the problem. Up to 50% of Vibrio vulnificus infections don’t respond to certain antibiotics anymore, studies show.

☆ For months, Trump has 'repeatedly' discussed choosing Marjorie Taylor Greene as his 2024 running mate: journalist
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump has "repeatedly" discussed choosing Marjorie Taylor Greene as his running mate, a journalist said. He's been discussing it since February, NYT magazine reporter Robert Draper told the Daily Beast. "It's been discussed repeatedly," he said, per the Daily Beast. Earlier this week, Greene told Draper that she's discussed with Trump the possibility of serving as his running mate. Rolling Stone reported that Trump is interested in giving Greene a job in his administration if he wins in 2024.

Extreme fall dryness is more concerning for the U.S. winter wheat crop since there is less recovery time. However, the recent spread of dryness is alarming, as Midwest drought coverage was just 10% in mid-September versus 43% this week. Summer weather was largely supportive, and Nebraska’s 2021 corn yield was an all-time high. Fall of 2003 was one of the driest on record, and the 2004 corn yield was among the most impressive ever. And despite the terribly dry finish to 2012, the 2013 U.S. corn yield was respectable given the circumstances.

☆ A Michigan family of 4 has been missing for 4 days in ‘abnormal’ disappearance, police say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Phil-Helsel-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Phil Helsel | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A Michigan family of four hasn’t been seen or heard from for days after the father called 911 and exhibited paranoid behavior, police said. But he told NBC affiliate WOOD of Grand Rapids that everyone who knows the family is shocked by the disappearance. Missing Cirigliano family members, from top left, Suzette, Anthony, bottom left, Noah and Brandon. The officers made sure everyone was safe and OK, spending about an hour with Anthony Cirigliano, and also talked to Suzette, Rodwell told WOOD. The family has lived there for four years, Rodwell told the station.

☆ Photos show the Mississippi River is so low that it's grounding barges, disrupting the supply chain, and revealing a 19th-century shipwreck
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Mississippi River is receding to historic lows amid drought across the Midwest. A barge tow floats past the exposed banks of the Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Louisiana, on October 11, 2022. Drought is drying the Mississippi River to record lowsA passenger paddle wheeler passes between the river bridges in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on October 11, 2022. Rogelio V. Solis/AP PhotoJust a few months ago, the Mississippi River basin was flooding. In early October, low water levels revealed the old sunken ship along the banks of the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

☆ Dangerous flesh-eating bacterial infections increased in Florida after Hurricane Ian
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Carma Hassan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An increase in infections with a rare flesh-eating bacteria was reported in Florida in the days after Hurricane Ian due to catastrophic flooding from the storm. Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm on September 28 in Lee County, which includes Fort Myers and Sanibel Island in Southwest Florida. The Florida Department of Health in Lee County warned residents of the risks of Vibrio vulnificus on October 3. “DOH-Lee is observing an abnormal increase in cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections as a result of exposure to the flood waters and standing waters following Hurricane Ian. Since September 29, 2022, 26 cases of Vibrio vulnificus associated with Hurricane Ian have been reported to DOH-Lee.

Gas leak at Nord Stream 2 as seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark September 27, 2022. Sweden's daily Expressen reported that a section measuring at least 50 metres (164 feet) was missing from the ruptured Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. Reuters could not independently verify that the images published by the paper were of Nord Stream 1. The measure would not launch immediately but would require a separate EU proposal and approval from EU countries to go ahead. Nord Stream 2 had not started commercial deliveries.

☆ Denmark inspects its pipelines after Nord Stream leaks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The inspections come as nations around Europe look to bolster security around critical energy infrastructure after the suspected Nord Stream sabotage shone a spotlight on the vulnerability of the region's subsea cables and pipelines. "Energinet has advanced routine inspections of Danish pipelines," head of gas transmission Peter Hodahl said in a written comment to Reuters. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe transmission system operator is also constantly monitoring pressure in the pipes to detect any errors, he added. The review of all Danish pipelines, which is carried out by specialist vessels, is expected to be completed this week with results known by the start of November. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Stine Jacobsen Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's Xi defends zero-Covid policy and warns Taiwan at opening of Communist Party Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for accelerating the building of a world-class military as he kicked off a Communist Party Congress by touting the country's “zero-Covid” strategy and reiterating policy priorities. Xi described the five years since the last party congress as “extremely uncommon and abnormal”, during a speech that lasted less than two hours — far shorter than his nearly three-and-a-half-hour address at the 2017 congress. Chinese President Xi Jinping, bottom, centre, is applauded by senior members of the government and delegates after his speech on Sunday. The son of a Communist Party revolutionary, Xi has reinvigorated a party that had grown deeply corrupt and increasingly irrelevant, expanding its presence across all aspects of China, with Xi officially its “core”. The day after the congress ends on Saturday, Xi is expected to introduce his new Politburo Standing Committee, a seven-person leadership team.

☆ In a novel experiment, brain-like human tissue implanted in rat brains influenced the rodents' behavior
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Their results, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, showed that the brain-like human tissue integrated with the rat tissue, then continued to mature. The researchers injected the human tissue into the rats’ somatosensory cortexes — regions that receive and process sensory information like touch or pain. The researchers also used a puff of air to prod the rats’ whiskers, then observed how the human neurons responded. "We found that human neurons respond very quickly after we stimulated the whiskers. "Human neurons become part of the rat circuitry," Pașca said, adding that the neurons were "sparkling with electrical activity" under a microscope.

☆ Teddi Mellencamp announces stage 2 melanoma diagnosis: ‘Such a wake-up call’
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Chrissy Callahan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Teddi Mellencamp is sharing an update on her melanoma scare in the hopes that her fans will take sun protection seriously. In March, the former star of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” announced that she had a suspected melanoma removed after her former co-star Kyle Richards noticed some alarming discoloration on her back. On Tuesday, the 41-year-old revealed that her dermatologist diagnosed her with stage 2 melanoma during a recent follow-up appointment. “Despite my anxiety, I listened to the doctors and went in for my 3-month skin check last week since my previous melanoma. I got the call this morning: Stage 2 melanoma,” she wrote on Instagram.

☆ Navy SEAL trainee who died after Hell Week succumbed to acute pneumonia and cardiac arrest, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

WASHINGTON — A Navy SEAL candidate who died hours after he completed the grueling stretch of training known as Hell Week succumbed to acute pneumonia and cardiac arrest, according to a military investigation obtained by NBC News. When he died on Feb. 4, Mullen had just completed the fourth week of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, commonly known as Hell Week. By the time he successfully completed Hell Week, Mullen had gained 22 pounds from swelling and fluid retention, and he had to return to the barracks in a wheelchair. Just two months after Mullen died, a candidate tested positive for PEDs and was removed from training, according to the Navy. After Mullen died, Naval Special Warfare also began advanced cardiology screening for all candidates.

Many of the most destructive and potentially deadly impacts of a hurricane — including storm surge, flooding and rainfall — are not accounted for in a storm's category number. "Hurricane Ian is a very large, slow-moving hurricane. "There have been several alternative scales proposed over the years and none have gained enough attention or traction by the National Hurricane Center," Collins said. "It is important to have such evidence before even proposing to the National Hurricane Center that this should be considered as a replacement." Kantha said the National Hurricane Center acts conservatively and carefully with changes, particularly those with legal implications.

Share this -Link copiedFloridians are livestreaming Hurricane Ian on TikTok Floridians are giving TikTok users a front-row seat to Hurricane Ian. Storm surge map, they didn’t have a color for 12 to 15 feet," he said about the historic levels of storm surge expected near where Ian is expected to make landfall. Share this -Link copiedA view of Hurricane Ian from the International Space Station A view of Hurricane Ian from the International Space Station, on Monday. Share this -Link copiedSatellite images show Hurricane Ian approaching Florida Hurricane Ian over the Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday. Share this -Link copiedIan expected to strengthen until making landfall, officials say Hurricane Ian is still forecast to strengthen until the hurricane makes landfall in Florida, the National Hurricane Center said.

Storm surge map, they didn’t have a color for 12 to 15 feet," he said about the historic levels of storm surge expected near where Ian is expected to make landfall. Share this -Link copiedA view of Hurricane Ian from the International Space Station A view of Hurricane Ian from the International Space Station, on Monday. “We are extremely concerned about the potential impacts Hurricane Ian may have on phosphate facilities around the state,” Whitlock added. Share this -Link copiedIan strengthens into Category 4 storm Hurricane Ian has strengthened into a Category 4 storm as it advances upon Florida's west coast. Share this -Link copiedSatellite images show Hurricane Ian approaching Florida Hurricane Ian over the Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday.

☆ Norway to deploy military to protect its oil and gas installations
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Nora Buli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

OSLO, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Norway will deploy its military to protect its oil and gas installations against possible sabotage after several countries said two Russian pipelines to Europe spewing gas into the Baltic had been attacked, the prime minister said on Wednesday. Norway is now Europe's largest gas supplier and a leading global oil supplier. It has over 90 offshore oil and gas fields, most of which are connected to a network of gas pipelines stretching some 9,000 km (5,590 miles). Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"The military will be more visible at Norwegian oil and gas installations," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a news conference. At sea, the Navy would be deployed to protect offshore installations, while on land, police could increase presence at facilities, he said.

☆ CIFI Holdings says it is seeking solutions after news of missed payment
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SHANGHAI, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Chinese real estate developer CIFI Holdings (Group) (0884.HK) said the company is in active communication with financial institutions and seeking solutions, in response to news of missed debt repayment. Hong Kong-listed shares of CIFI tumbled more than 25% on Wednesday, and bonds also plunged, after credit intelligence provider Reorg reported that the Chinese developer missed payment of certain non-standard debt. The Shanghai Stock Exchange said trading in a CIFI bond was suspended due to abnormal fluctuations. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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