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☆ The world’s largest lakes are shrinking dramatically and scientists say they have figured out why
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Lake water levels fluctuate in response to natural climate variations in rain and snowfall, but they are increasingly affected by human actions. The Caspian Sea, between Asia and Europe – the world’s largest inland body of water – has long been declining due to climate change and water use. NASA NASA The Caspian Sea is rapidly shrinking due to climate change and human activity. NASAThe researchers used satellite measurements of nearly 2,000 of the world’s largest lakes and reservoirs, which together represent 95% of Earth’s total lake water storage. The report found losses in lake water storage everywhere, including in the humid tropics and the cold Arctic.

☆ Andrew McCarthy Wrote a Book About a Father-Son Pilgrimage. His Son Gets His Say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Andrew Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It further declared that anyone willing to make a pilgrimage to the spot would receive plenary indulgences, or the remission of punishment for their sins. The Camino de Santiago sprang into existence and has been traversed, with varying degrees of popularity, ever since. I’d always wanted to return to the Camino and in the summer of 2021, I invited my then 19-year-old son, Sam McCarthy, to join me. We arrived in Spain in late July and walked through a scorching August to Santiago de Compostela. Why would a teenager say yes to a month of walking with his father?

☆ Bat lands worldwide are besieged, seeding risk of a new pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

This collision – bats and humans competing for resources on territory long the domain of the bats – could trigger the next pandemic. As people destroy bat habitats worldwide, they are unwittingly helping bat-borne viruses mutate, multiply, and infect other species, including homo sapiens. For millennia, bat viruses lurked across the forests of West Africa and in other undisturbed parts of the world but posed little threat to humanity. They’re potent proliferators: Some roost tightly together and in close quarters with other bat species. Each of the bat viruses analyzed by Reuters has epidemic potential, according to the World Health Organization.

☆ Record-breaking heat scorches the western US and Canada as wildfires continue to rage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Jennifer Gray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Record-breaking temperatures and a heat wave will continue to grip the entire region through much of this week. It has prompted heat alerts for more than 10 million people across the Pacific Northwest and portions of Central California. As the heat continues to build this week, nearly 150 high temperature records will be in jeopardy across the West. Environment Canada has issued heat warnings for northern portions of Alberta and portions of British Columbia, where high temperatures are forecast to reach the mid 80s. Alberta Wildfire/Handout/ReutersThe heat is also having a huge effect on Canada’s active start to the fire season.

[1/5] An agricultural worker operates a tractor with a tiller in a field near the village Kyshchentsi, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Cherkasy region, Ukraine May 1, 2023. Around 40 of his 350 workers have signed up to fight in the war, and the replacements he has found lack their experience. Huizinga fears this could mean a fall in grain and milk yields, and with them a drop in his income. His farm, in a village in the rolling hills and green flat plains of the Cherkasy region in central Ukraine, is not the only one losing valued farmhands to the war. Marchuk said farmers were prioritising some employees, bringing in more women workers, recruiting those people displaced by the war and by retraining other workers.

But as Republican presidential hopefuls including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump crisscross the country, they have instead focused on hot-button issues like immigration and transgender participation in youth sports. A broad majority of voters in both parties believe the debt ceiling presents a good opportunity to debate public policy priorities, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in March. Still, it is unclear how much Republican primary voters know about the debt limit debate - or even care - campaign aides and strategists said. Of nine attendees interviewed by Reuters at the town hall meeting held by Haley, none mentioned the debt ceiling as one of their top concerns. Others have addressed the debt ceiling in the past, but only in general terms.

☆ US private payrolls increase solidly; wage growth cools
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SummarySummary Companies Private payrolls increase by 296,000 in AprilPrior month's gain revised lower to 142,000WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - U.S. private employers boosted hiring in April amid strong demand for workers in the leisure and hospitality industry, but a slowdown in wage growth offered some good news for the Federal Reserve's fight against inflation. Private payrolls increased by 296,000 jobs last month, the ADP National Employment Report showed on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast private employment would increase 148,000. It has not been a reliable gauge in forecasting private payrolls in the BLS employment report. According to a Reuters survey of economists, private payrolls likely increased by 160,000 jobs last month.

☆ Danish Wind Pioneer Keeps Battling Climate Change
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Stanley Reed | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The contemporary wind power industry, which has spawned hundreds of thousands of spinning rotors generating electricity without putting greenhouse gases into the air, was to a great extent born in a notoriously windy region of Denmark called Jutland. And while countless people have played a role in refining the machines that stud coastlines, plains and mountain ridges, perhaps no one has had more influence than a Jutlander named Henrik Stiesdal. As a young man of 21, he built a rudimentary machine to generate electricity for his parents’ farm. He was later co-designer of an innovative three-bladed turbine that set the stage for what has become a multibillion-dollar global industry. His inventions have led to about a thousand patents, and Mr. Stiesdal is widely seen as a pioneer in this very Danish field.

☆ A ‘Greenwich Village’ on the Prairie
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Carson Vaughan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Were I to write a Mari Sandoz biopic, I’d start with a shadow racing across her desk. I’d start at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 1935. I’d start with a 39-year-old hayseed — thin as a fence post and prickly as barbed wire — assaulting her typewriter on the ninth floor of the Nebraska State Capitol as a local bank teller plunges 135 feet to his death on the stone transept below. Perhaps I’d cut to the fingernail marks he left on the observation deck five floors above, or the note he left behind. “Why, I’d rather write my own way and dig ditches for my soup and hard tack than write lies for a yacht and sables.

☆ A solid start to earnings season will be put to the test in the week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

The biggest week of this earnings season showed us that things aren't as bad as many feared. The week ahead of earnings, including several more Club names, should tell us more. The results are always important, but it's the guidance and management commentary we will really hone in on to better understand the path ahead. In Amazon's case, a solid first quarter for its AWS cloud business was overshadowed by management seeing a material slowdown in April. ET: Nonfarm Payrolls Looking back It was the biggest week of this earnings season for the Club as several of our mega-cap holdings and industry bellwethers reported results.

☆ A year in Azerbaijan: From the Grand Prix to the ski slopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Words Cnn Staff | Photo Illustrations Woojin Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

CNN —Anyone who has tuned in to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has seen a tantalizing glimpse of what the capital Baku has to offer. This year’s Grand Prix comes at the height of spring, often said to be Azerbaijan’s most beautiful season. Juan Vilata/Alamy Stock Photo Explore Azerbaijan in spring Prev NextSummers in Azerbaijan are hot, so getting out of the city is a good idea. Alexander Melnikov/Alamy Stock Photo Explore Azerbaijan in fall Prev NextWrap up, because even at its coldest Azerbaijan still has plenty to offer. You’ll learn much more at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum in Baku.

☆ US core capital goods orders fall; goods trade deficit narrows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SummarySummary Companies Core capital goods orders fall 0.4% in MarchShipments of core capital goods drop 0.4%Goods trade deficit narrows 8.1%WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - New orders for key U.S.-manufactured capital goods fell more than expected in March and shipments declined, suggesting that business spending on equipment likely remained a drag on economic growth in the first quarter. Data for February was revised down to show a 0.7% drop in these so-called core capital goods orders instead of the previously reported 0.1% dip. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast core capital goods orders would slip 0.1%. Shipments of core capital goods decreased 0.4% in March after falling by a similar margin in February. Goods imports fell $2.5 billion to $257.3 billion, pulled down by decreases in industrial supplies, capital goods and other goods.

☆ Argentina's lithium pipeline promises 'white gold' boom as Chile tightens control
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Lucila Sigal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Neighboring Chile, the region's top lithium producer, last week unveiled plans for a state-led public-private model, spooking investors. Bolivia has long maintained strict control over its huge though largely untapped resources, while Mexico nationalized its lithium deposits last year. The country has six lithium projects under construction and 15 in the advanced exploration or feasibility stage, Mignacco said. "Argentina's lithium sector has thrived through a decentralized, pro-market strategy," said Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America program at The Wilson Center, adding in contrast Bolivia's lithium sector had "repeatedly stalled as a result of excessive state control." "Chile today produces and exports much more lithium than Argentina," said Natacha Izquierdo, analyst at consultancy ABCEB.

Managed money net position in Chicago wheat futures and optionsMost-active CBOT wheat futures had shed 2.5% in the period. They also reduced their net long in Minneapolis wheat to 245 futures and options contracts from 694 a week earlier. wheat rose 1.2% and CBOT wheat gained 1.3%. CBOT wheat has also displayed considerable weakness versus CBOT corn, as front-month wheat’s advantage to corn slipped below 15 cents per bushel Thursday, the lowest since July 2021 and below long-term averages. The record net long is 154,550 contracts set in April 2019, and it is very rare for funds to be short cattle.

However, strong suppressive trade winds have not yet allowed this warmth to disperse across the ocean and allow El Nino to gain its footing. The most recent two weeks where the anomaly was as warm or warmer were in July 2015, preceding the 2015-16 El Nino event, and in June 1998, coming off the 1997-98 event. A few forecasters see a possible Super El Nino in 2023. The timing of El Nino is most immediately pressing in the Southern Hemisphere, which begins planting wheat next month. Argentina, often wet during El Nino, is wrapping up a catastrophic crop year due to severe drought.

☆ About 18,000 Cattle Are Killed in Fire at Dairy Farm in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Livia Albeck-Ripka | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The 911 calls came in rapid succession, with reports of an explosion and fire on Monday that officials would later say had trapped one female employee and thousands of cattle inside a milking parlor at a dairy farm in Dimmitt, Texas. As emergency responders approached after 7 p.m., they witnessed the thick plume of smoke, mushrooming over the plains. “While devastating, I’m grateful that there were no further injuries,” Sid Miller, the Texas agricultural commissioner, said in a statement. As for the cattle, he noted, around 18,000 had died. “This was the deadliest barn fire for cattle in Texas history,” Mr. Miller added.

☆ India likely to get "below normal" monsoon rains in 2023 - Skymet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, April 10 (Reuters) - India is likely to get "below normal" monsoon rains in 2023 with an increasing likelihood of El-Nino, which typically brings dry weather to Asia, private weather forecasting agency Skymet said on Monday. "Likelihood of El Nino is increasing and its probability to become a dominant category during the monsoon is growing large. El Nino return may presage a weaker monsoon," Jatin Singh, managing director, Skymet said in a statement. Monsoon rains in India are expected to be 94% of the long-term average, said Skymet, retaining its previous view of sub-par monsoon. Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, known as the agriculture bowl of North India, are likely to observe less than normal rains during the 2nd half of the season, the weather forecaster said.

☆ The Clash of Civilizations That Heralded a Rocky Relationship
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Abhishek Kaicker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Das, a professor of English at Oxford University, is the rare scholar who combines a sensitivity to the literature of Jacobean England with a sympathetic and nuanced understanding of the Mughal empire. In Das’s telling, Roe was not a herald of the Company Raj to come as much as a product of 17th-century England, an island nation whose commercial ambitions were beginning to overshadow its royal court. Conflicts over precedence did nothing to advance his mission of securing trade rights, which was the real reason Roe had been sent across the Indian Ocean. The Mughal emperor Jahangir suffered neither James I’s financial embarrassments nor accorded much privilege to traders. Indeed, the court’s sumptuous ceremonies led “mogul” to become a byword for fantastical wealth and overwhelming power.

It is still early to get a clear picture on spring planting weather, though May is the most active month for field work, emphasizing favorable weather starting in late April. U.S. corn planting progressSoybean planting in North Dakota was also the slowest ever last year, but the national pace was only a bit behind average. The five-year April 30 average for soybean planting is 11%, close to the 10-year average of 9%. That could become important later if planting issues arise for North Dakota, which accounts for half of the spring wheat crop. Nationally, farmers plan to sow the smallest spring wheat area in 51 years, down 2% from last year.

☆ Lightning Round: Stay long in Marathon Petrol
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailLightning Round: Stay long in Marathon PetrolMad Money host Jim Cramer weighs in on all manner of stocks, including Marathon, NXP, Johnson Controls, Keycorp, Plains All and Luminar.

☆ Looming spring storm to spawn blizzards, ice, tornadoes across central U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Other cities potentially in harm's way but at lower risk for tornadoes included Chicago, Nashville, Tennessee, St. Louis, Missouri, Madison, Wisconsin and Des Moines, Iowa. "There's a potential for some very strong tornadoes and some tornadoes that could be on the ground for quite some time, especially in northern Arkansas and western Tennessee," said John Feerick, senior meteorologist at private forecasting service AccuWeather. Feerick said the storm system would intensify through Friday as the sprawling low-pressure system at its core moves farther eastward, drawing up greater moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Dust storm warnings were in effect for portions of the Southern Plains. Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US pending home sales rise for third straight month; loan demand increases
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - Contracts to buy U.S. previously owned homes increased for a third straight month in February, raising cautious optimism that the housing market slump could be bottoming out. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast contracts, which become sales after a month or two, would fall 2.3%. The surprise increase occurred despite a rise in mortgage rates from early February through early March, according to data from mortgage finance agency Freddie Mac. Before the recent rise, mortgage rates had mostly been on the decline since November. The housing market outlook is, however, uncertain because the financial market stress has caused banks to tighten lending standards, which could make it harder for prospective homebuyers to borrow.

☆ This luxury trailer in the Hamptons broke records in a $3.75 million sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A luxury trailer in the Montauk Shores community sold for a record-breaking $3.75 million, which is $5,000 per square foot. In 2022, there weren't any properties for sale in the Montauk Shores community of the Hamptons, New York, but that didn't stop one mystery buyer from making a record-breaking purchase. The trailer is located in Montauk Shores, an oceanfront community in the Hamptons. Since the trailer is in the Montauk Shores residential community, the sale includes access to swimming pools, a recreational center, a playground, and a basketball court. This unit is 150 square feet smaller than the one that sold for $3.75 million.

☆ New analysis reveals dynamic volcanism on Venus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A February 1991 image showed the vent as a circular formation covering about one square mile (2.6 square km). A October 1991 image showed the vent with an irregular shape covering about 1.5 square miles (3.9 square km). Another study published in 2020 identified 37 volcanic structures apparently active in the past 2 million to 3 million years. Venus, with a diameter of about 7,500 miles (12,000 km), is slightly smaller than Earth. Its thick atmosphere - mainly carbon dioxide - traps in heat in a runaway greenhouse effect, rendering Venus the solar system's hottest planet.

☆ Whole Foods, Other Grocery Stores Are Hot Property
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Kate King | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Grocery-store complexes, like the one Hines bought in White Plains, N.Y., are more attractive now as the pandemic winds down and in-person shopping returns. Global real-estate investment manager Hines is paying $112 million for a suburban New York shopping center featuring a Whole Foods, the largest grocery-anchored retail sale in the U.S. since September. The sale of the 262,000-square-foot property in White Plains, N.Y., shows how demand for grocery-store complexes persists, despite rising interest rates and slowing activity for other property types. These outlets have become increasingly attractive as the pandemic winds down and consumers return to shopping in person.

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