According to the CDC, getting vaccinated prevents severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. Unvaccinated people may choose to get vaccinated and should continue masking until they are fully vaccinated. With the Delta variant, masking and vaccinations are more urgent than ever. CDC has updated guidance for fully vaccinated people based on new evidence on the Delta variant. Please contact your health care provider for specific, personal needs.
Please refer to public health departments or Center for Disease Control sites listed below for current information about COVID-19 and the vaccinations available:
Shasta County Department of Health Services: https://www.co.shasta.ca.us/index/hhsa/health-safety/current-heath-concerns/coronavirus
California Department of Public Health: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCOV2019.aspx
Centers for Disease Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html


A May release is planned for the K-pop group’s fourth studio album.
SEVENTEEN is poised to break into the English-language market. K-pop group BTS announced Thursday (March 31) that it will release a new single – it’s first in English.
Fans of the SEVENTEEN will have to wait for the release of the song. The English-language track, whose name was not revealed, will drop on April 15 at 12 a.m. ET. It will serve as the first taste of SEVENTEEN’s forthcoming fourth studio album, which Pledis Entertainment (the group’s entertainment company) has confirmed will arrive in the next month.
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“SEVENTEEN are preparing to return with a full-length studio album in May,” the company read a statement. Pledis did not provide any other details about the album’s release date.
The K-pop group’s next album follows the release of An Ode in 2019. In October, SEVENTEEN also released their ninth mini-album, Attacca, which gained them chart success in the United States. With 25,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 28, the EP debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, allowing the group to become the first group to have two No. 1s on Top Album Sales in 2021.
The group teased the upcoming English-language single with a video shared to their social media accounts, which featured clips of the group and its fans, hinting at the band and its fans’ togetherness (CARAT). The description of the video read: “SEVENTEEN and CARAT, together we are TEAM SVT.”.
SEVENTEEN Power of Love: The Movie will also arrive in cinemas worldwide on April 20 and 23. According to Pledis, the film will serve as a “love letter from SEVENTEEN” and will feature live concert footage from the group’s November 2021 Power of Love concerts as well as exclusive, never-before-seen interviews with all 13 members.


Bob Dylan's failure to acknowledge his Nobel Prize in literature is "impolite and arrogant", according to a member of the body that awards it.
Bob Dylan's Nobel silence 'impolite and arrogant' - BBC News
諾獎評委猛批鮑勃·迪倫「傲慢無理」 - BBC 中文网
Bob Dylan Nobel Silence Called 'Impolite And Arrogant' By Academy Member | Huffington Post
Bob Dylan branded ‘impolite and arrogant’ by Nobel academy member who awarded him literary prize | The Independent


When you’ve got a car as great as the upcoming 2023 Corvette Z06, you want to share it with the world.
That’s exactly what General Motors is doing with the second variant of its already wildly popular C8 Corvette, with the Z06 officially unveiled yesterday in California.
After months of denying that a right-hand drive Z06 would be produced at its Bowling Green, Kentucky assembly plant, Drive.com is reporting that GM confirmed yesterday that the Z06 is indeed coming to “The Land Down Under” and will feature at least one part made locally.
Optional on the new Z06 will be lightweight 21-inch rear and 20-inch front carbon fiber wheels manufactured by Carbon Revolution in Australia, which also produces weight-saving wheels for the Ford GT and Ferrari.
No other details have been released about the Australian version of the Z06, with Joanne Stogiannis, director of General Motors Specialty Vehicles, releasing only this statement:
“The Corvette Z06 will be manufactured in both left and right-hand drive, and we’re incredibly excited to confirm GMSV in Australia and New Zealand will be part of the global program.”
That means no one outside GM knows exactly how much the new Z06 will cost in Australia, nor just how many units will be sold there. Using the previous Z06’s 40 percent price premium over the regular model, however, Drive.com speculates the local RRP for the new Z06 could range from $203,000 to $266,000 without on-road costs added.
The regular C8 Corvette, with only about 250 examples of the 2022 Stingray available in Australia and New Zealand, has already sold out in Australia at a cost ranging from $145,000 to $190,000 before on-road costs. GMSV dealers are already begging for more cars with the first batch set to arrive late 2021 and early 2022.
Australia/New Zealand Corvette Buyers Getting Closer to Receiving their Right Hand Drive C8 Corvettes
The First Allocation of 2022 Corvettes are Officially Sold Out in Australia
GMSV Files Trademark for Corvette Z06 in Australia


In 1994, South Africa’s Parliament passed the Restitution of Land Rights Act, establishing a system allowing people and communities who had lost their land due to racially discriminatory laws to claim restitution of that land or equitable redress. Approximately 80,000 claims were lodged by the deadline of 31 December 1998 established by the Act, but by 2014 – sixteen years later – over 20,000 claims still had not been finalized.
In 2014, Parliament enacted the Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Act, which re-opened the restitution process, allowing new land claims to be lodged until 30 June 2019. However, the Land Access Movement of South Africa (LAMOSA) challenged the procedures used to pass the Amendment Act, arguing that public involvement had not been facilitated and that Section 6 of the Act regarding the priority of claims was incurably vague.
On 28 July 2016, the Constitutional Court held that re-opening land claims, which the Amendment Act sought to do, was of paramount importance, but the Court declared the Amendment Act to be invalid because the public participation process had been unreasonable. The Court prohibited the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights from processing any new claims in order to ensure that old claims were not superseded. And the Court ordered Parliament to facilitate the enactment of a new Amendment Act within 24 months to deal with the issue of re-opening land claims. The Court noted that the Commission could proceed with new claims if all old claims were finalized before Parliament enacted a new Amendment Act.
The South African Parliament failed to enact a new Amendment Act within the 24 month period. Two days after the expiration of the 24 month period, Parliament applied to the Constitutional Court for an extension until 29 March 2019. The Court granted an interim extension, pending the outcome of the application.
Representing four of the original applicants, the LRC opposed the application, arguing that the Court’s order in 2016 was final and the matter should now be determined by the Court. They argued, as well, that the older land claims should be prioritized over the newer claims.
In its judgment on 19 March 2019, the Constitutional Court noted that Parliament was aware that it would not be able to meet the 24 month deadline but did not approach the Court for an extension until after the deadline had expired. The Court noted, too, that Parliament took no action for nearly one year during the 24 month timeframe. The Court concluded that the prospect of enacting a new Amendment Act by the proposed timeframe of 29 March 2019 was unlikely. Therefore, the Court dismissed the application by Parliament.
The Court upheld the counter application filed by the LRC on behalf of the respondents, ruling that, subject to the Parliament legislating otherwise, the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights is prohibited from processing in any way any claims lodged between 1 July 2014 and 28 July 2016 until it has settled or referred to the Land Claims Court all claims lodged on or before 31 December 1998, or the Land Claims Court, upon application by any interested party, grants permission to the Commission to begin processing new claims.
The Court also ruled that the Chief Land Claims Commissioner must file a report to the Judge President of the Land Claims Court every six months, reporting progress with finalizing the old land claims, including the nature of constraints faced by the Commission, until all old land claims have been processed.
The LRC welcomed this important judgment, noting the crucial link between land, dignity, and the realization of rights guaranteed by South Africa’s democratic Constitution.
The full judgment can be found on the Southern African Legal Information Institute (SAFLII) website at https://t.co/8jQddxqRoH


There aren’t words adequate to describe what it’s like watching a place that is part of every fiber of your being descend into an abysmal hell.
I am an alumna of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. High school-comma-town-comma state. A descriptive moniker that is now ubiquitous throughout the United States, and I’d imagine, the world, as yet another American mass shooting. But to the thousands of students who have walked her halls, it’s DOUGLAS. And Douglas is home.
Turning on CNN and seeing Anderson Cooper reporting right in front of my school with the same descriptive moniker emblazoned on the screen was jarring on its own. But then he said something that shook me. He said,
“I’ve never been to a school, after a shooting like this, where I’ve met so many students who are talking about issues of guns, in this time, when so many politicians are saying now is not the time to talk about it.”
It was in that moment I realized that Cooper’s sentiment could be explained in three simple words: WE ARE DOUGLAS.
We are ELITE. And we will not sit down, shut up, and behave.
Douglas students are scholars, and state and nationally recognized athletes, musicians, dancers, performers, mathematicians, philanthropists, and activists. Douglas alumni are passionate and successful. We are young. Douglas was only opened in 1990, making the oldest average graduate of the 1992 class 45 years old. We are lawyers, teachers, doctors, dentists, psychologists, professional musicians, professors, deans, professional athletes, nurses, models, engineers, firefighters, EMTs, entrepreneurs, elected officials, and military service members. And that is just off the top of my head. We are everywhere throughout the United States and the world.
And we are PISSED.
We are organizing. We are mobilizing.
In the immediate aftermath of the massacre, a closed Facebook group was started for Douglas alumni. In this group we’ve covered everything from immediate actions like bringing food and water to the trauma counselors and students, to memorial design, fundraising efforts, writing handwritten cards for Douglas students, to showing up at Douglas on the students’ first day back in solidarity and support. This weekend, alumni groups are meeting in locations throughout the country and the world to discuss how to help from afar. And, as Anderson Cooper aptly pointed out, we are discussing gun law reform. The overwhelming majority of alumni agree that gun law reform is the number one priority for our group. We are listening to Douglas’ students and the grieving parents of the slain. And we are going to act.
Don’t agree? We don’t care.
We won’t be stopped. We don’t play by your rules. We are too young to be hampered by the conventions of old, and too smart to be tricked into complacency. This is OUR school, this is OUR town, and this is OUR legacy. We will reclaim every last bit of our time at Douglas and make it known that because of us, mass shootings are a thing of the past. We’re not another name on a list, WE ARE DOUGLAS. This ends with us.
Join us. Or get out of our way.


Kenilworth Race Course
Saturday, 01 February 2020 @ 10:00
SUN MET 2020 SET FOR AN EVOLUTION OF CREATIVITY AS
AFRICAN LUXURY: VISIONARIES THEME IS ANNOUNCED
The Sun Met, Africa’s Richest Race Day, has announced African Luxury: Visionaries as the theme for 2020 as the event returns to the Kenilworth Racecourse on 1 February 2020.
The theme calls on all race goers to feel inspired by their inner most vision, creativity and innovation and arrive ready to transform Africa’s Richest Race Day into a harmony of visionary imagination.
The prestigious social destination and equestrian affair is headlined by Sun International who are excited to transform Kenilworth Racecourse into the city’s most visionary stage with an evolution of creativity and style.
Early bird general access tickets will be on sale from 8 July – 13 September for R150 – the same price as 2019.
Rosemead Avenue Cape Town


A Click That Really Can Help
Currently more than $6000 has been pledged to Indigenous Literacy Foundation if by the close of tomorrow (Thursday) the IndigenousX twitter account has reached 10,000 followers.
All you have to do is go to https://twitter.com/IndigenousX and click follow and Indigenous children are on their way to a better life. You can also message the account and offer to make a pledge yourself. Many of those who have pledged money have taken it upon themselves to donate money whether or not the final goal is reached. This is about educating young people and using Social Media to inform a growing number of people about all the excellent and Deadly things Indigenous folk around the country are doing. So why not get involved, click follow!
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) aims to raise literacy levels and improve the lives and opportunities of Indigenous children living in remote and isolated regions. This is done by providing books and literacy resources to communities and raising broad community awareness of Indigenous literacy issues. The Foundation is an initiative of the Australian Book Industry drawing on its diverse range of expertise, skills and resources. It works with the support of the Australian Publishers Association, the Australian Booksellers Association and the Australian Society of Authors.
Posted on January 2, 2013, in For your information, Get involved! and tagged #indigenousX, Indigenous Literacy Foundation, reading. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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Boaz, AL - The Boaz Rec Center came alive with hope and unity on the morning of Tuesday, September 12, as over 450 volunteers donned their blue "LIVE UNITED" shirts to participate in United Way of Marshall County's 26th Annual Day of Caring Breakfast and Campaign Kickoff event. This gathering, renowned as the largest one-day volunteer event in the county, was a resounding success, filled with heartwarming stories, captivating performances, and a shared commitment to making a difference.
The event's highlight was undoubtedly the touching and inspirational comments by the Butler Family, representatives of United Way’s partner agency the Marshall County Foster and Adoptive Parents Association. Mina and Justin Butler, adopted their daughter Becca through the foster care system several years ago. She was born with special needs and later diagnosed with Turner’s Syndrome that led to Becca completely losing her eyesight two years ago. Now 11 years old, Becca shared her story of resilience and triumph over adversity, narrated with unwavering optimism. In a heartwarming moment, Becca invited her friend, Sean Dietrich, most popularly known as “Sean of the South”, to join her on stage and perform renditions of "You've Got a Friend in Me" and "Smile”.
"Becca is truly an inspiration to us all," remarked Raquel Zavaleta, Marketing and Community Impact Director, capturing the sentiment of the audience.
Cade Smith, this year's Campaign Chair, unveiled the goal for the 2023/2024 campaign as $755,000, with the rallying theme, "United in Purpose." In a testament to the community's commitment, it was announced that 23 companies served as Pacesetter Companies and have collectively already raised an astounding 40% of the campaign's target, totaling $305,869.
Acknowledging the dedication of volunteers, Smith also recognized this year's Loaned Executives who will play a pivotal role in driving the campaign forward. These individuals include Kelly Beck with Peoples Independent Bank, Carolyn Davis with Marshall County RSVP, Lisa Holmes with the Child Development Centers, Anastasia Hughes with the Marshall County Arc, Gabby Gonzalez Miller with Main Street Realty Plus, Mitch Gore with Citizens Bank and Trust, Pam Osborn with Peoples Independent Bank, Jamila Richey with Keller Williams Realty, and Dale Willett with Cadence Bank.
Carrie Thomas, United Way's Executive Director, proudly announced that almost 80 Day of Caring projects were adopted throughout the county, reflecting the organization's commitment to improving lives locally. Additionally, around 30 companies participated in Casual Days, where employees wore Day of Caring t-shirts to show their solidarity with United Way.
The event's success was made possible through the generous support of sponsors, including Howard Bentley Buick GMC, Total Dental Care, Publix, Parker Hannifin, Progress Rail, Kappler, Mitchell Grocery, Peoples Independent Bank, First Bank of Boaz, Redstone Federal Credit Union, Allstate: Miguel Corona, and Wayne Sanderson Farms. Their commitment to the cause was instrumental in making this event a reality.
As the campaign continues through November, United Way of Marshall County invites individuals and organizations alike to get involved, set up workplace campaigns, or learn more about the "United in Purpose" spirit. For more information, please contact Carrie Thomas via email at email@example.com or call the United Way office at (256) 582-4700.
The Day of Caring Breakfast and Campaign Kickoff showcased the incredible power of unity and compassion within the Marshall County community. Day of Caring participants included:
Albertville Chamber of Commerce
Albertville City Schools
Boaz Chamber of Commerce
Boaz City schools GATE Program
CASA of Marshall County
Child Advocacy Center
Childcare Resource Network
Church of the Highlands
Citizens Bank & Trust
City of Albertville
City of Boaz
Clinic for Vision
Domestic Violence Crisis Services
Electric Board of Guntersville
Family Savings Credit Union
First Bank of Boaz
First Southern State Bank
Foster and Adoptive Parents association
Foundation for Marshall Medical Centers
Gore and Stisher Wealth Management
Guntersville Breathables Inc. dba Frogg Toggs
Howard Bentley Buick GMC
Legacy Lube & Maintenance
Main Street Realty
Marshall County 4H Clubs
Marshall County Arc
Marshall County Commission
Marshall County DA’s Office
Marshall County Homeless Ministries
Marshall County Legislative Office
Marshall County Probate office
Marshall Jackson 310
Mill Street Deli
Peoples Bank of Alabama
Peoples Independent Bank
Phillips financial advisors
Ray Kennamer Construction
Redstone Federal Credit Union
Sand Mountain Reporter
Shepherd's Cove Hospice
The Pink Poise Boutique
Wendy Patterson - Realtor
United Way of Marshall County continues to inspire hope, foster change, and build stronger communities through the unwavering commitment of its volunteers and supporters. Together, we are truly "United in Purpose."
For more than 40 years, United Way of Marshall County has helped enrich community life by addressing critical issues. Volunteers and donors research the needs of the community and develop strategies for assisting people who need it most, including children, families and individuals. United Way of Marshall County provides funding for 19 partner agencies and programs that ensure the efficient use of donor dollars. For more information, please visit our website at www.unitedwaymarshall.org or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/unitedwayofmarshallcounty.


January’s private home sales were undaunted by the gloomy economic outlook and recent cooling measures, recording 2,077 transactions for the month, a whopping three times higher than December’s 670 units.
Excluding executive condominiums (ECs), this marks a 55 percent year-on-year rise to 1,872 units compared to 1,210 units in January 2011. Top-selling projects include Watertown at Punggol Central, The Hillier at Hillview Rise and Parc Rosewood.
The volume was largely sustained by sales in the OCR (Outside Central Region), which posted a record number of transactions at 1,966.
“The hike in sales was due to the launch of 2,665 units in the month compared to just 937 in December,” said Tejaswi Chunduri, Real Estate Analyst at PropertyGuru.
“In fact, more than 90 percent of the units launched were in the OCR, with the highest median price at S$1,644.”
Meanwhile, activity remained muted outside the OCR, as there were no new launches within the Core Central Region (CCR). Sales activity there dwindled 51 percent month-on-month to just 17 units.
As for the Rest of Central Region (RCR), launches reached 224 units but overall take-up was only 42 percent, down from December’s 81 percent.
On the lacklustre performance of the other regions, Chia Siew Chuin, Director of Research & Advisory at Colliers international, said that with the “global economic uncertainties and the imposition of the ABSD, developers as well as prospective buyers and investors largely stayed away from the high-end/luxury and mid-tier markets in January 2012.”
Alan Cheong, Head of Research at Savills Singapore added that “the ABSD possibly had a negative impact on foreign buyers who traditionally favoured launches in CCR and RCR.”
“Going forward, we expect the sale of mass-market projects to remain healthy. Developers will continue to be innovative in the lifestyle options for new projects while at the same time, offering attractive discounts to negate the ABSD,” noted Li Hiaw Ho, Executive Director at CBRE Research.


We are thrilled to announce that three of our exceptional products have been recognized with prestigious medals at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC). This globally recognized competition, known for its rigorous judging processes, has bestowed our Taprobane Gin and two variants of our Old Reserve Arrack - East Indiaman and Overproof Crystal - with Silver Medals, a testament to the quality and craftsmanship of our spirits.
Taprobane Gin, a unique blend of Sri Lankan arrack and gin produced in South Africa, has been awarded a Silver Medal. The judges praised its refreshing nose of citrus fruits, complemented by a spicy and floral palate, leading to a long and well-balanced finish. The award is a reflection of our commitment to creating a gin that embraces the essence of Sri Lanka and delivers a unique tasting experience.
Old Reserve East Indiaman Premium Arrack, one of our recently launched variants, was also honored with a Silver Medal. This limited-edition arrack, crafted with arrack shipped from Sri Lanka and distilled in South Africa, showcases the true spirit of the island and resonates with the cultural ethos of Sri Lanka. The judges appreciated its blend of traditional Sri Lankan flavors with a refreshing nose of citrus fruits, a spicy and floral palate, and a well-balanced finish.
Lastly, Old Reserve Overproof Crystal Premium Arrack, another of our latest additions, also earned a Silver Medal. This arrack variant, distilled to a higher proof for a more robust flavor profile, was commended for its similar refreshing nose of citrus fruits, a spicy and floral palate, and a well-balanced finish.
These awards from the IWSC serve as a significant endorsement of the quality of our products and the hard work and dedication of our team. We are truly proud of this achievement and look forward to continuing our journey of crafting unique and high-quality spirits that celebrate the rich heritage of Sri Lanka and beyond.
Once again, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the IWSC judges for recognizing our commitment to excellence and to our loyal customers for their continued support. This accomplishment motivates us to continue innovating, pushing boundaries, and producing spirits of the highest quality.
Stay tuned for more exciting news and updates from Talbot & Barr!


Are you a buyer or seller trying to navigate the rollercoaster that is the current Canadian housing market? With the real estate landscape constantly changing, keeping up with all the new decisions, announcements, and resultant market changes can be challenging. Not to mention understanding how these changes affect you and your home. Though there are many reasons why the Canadian housing market has been experiencing these fluctuations, the good news is that house prices are currently recovering – but how could that happen considering everything we’ve experienced over the last several years? Well, today, our experts at Soni Chachad Real Estate are going to break down everything you need to know about the current Canadian housing market so that you can make an informed decision regarding your next real estate transaction.
BoC Rate Hikes
By now, you’re likely well aware of the rate hikes implemented by the Bank of Canada (BoC) over the past 12 months or so. With the prime interest rate spiking from 0.25% to 4.50%, this was the biggest percentage increase in Canadian history. In the real estate world, we would expect that a prime rate jump like this would trigger a significant economic contraction and unemployment within 12-18 months, and yet, there has been no increase in unemployment in Canada so far. Furthermore, home prices should have been skyrocketing, but they, in fact, have been falling until just recently, at the start of Q2 2023. So, the question becomes, why?
Real Estate Landscape
In order to understand the ‘why,’ we need to turn back to the beginning of the pandemic to understand the build-up that has resulted in what we’re experiencing now. Phil Soper, President and CEO of Royal LePage, stated, “There has been nothing ‘typical’ about Canada’s housing market since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns brought the housing market to a grinding halt in early 2020 before the work-from-home revolution catapulted it into a two-year, all-season frenzy of record sales volumes and aggressive price growth. As markets do, this market overshot, and the inevitable correction was triggered when the Bank of Canada began to rapidly raise interest rates. The downturn came swiftly, and the real estate industry remained depressed for twelve months, a longer correction than the aftermath of the financial crisis thirteen years ago. We have turned the corner, and the housing economy is growing again.”
Sidelined Buyers and Low Inventory
With this foundation in mind, let’s examine a few reasons that the Canadian real estate market is on such a rollercoaster. Beyond this rebounding (which is a contributing factor, but certainly not the entire story), the BoC rate hikes also sidelined many buyers who were anxious about locking in at such a high rate. With buyers less active, this is when we were seeing home prices falling, like in Q1 2023, for example. But now, in Q2 2023, the housing market faces a different problem – low inventory. One reason is inflation, which has increased the cost of materials and labour for new builds, coupled with a lack of skilled tradespeople. The result is a chronic shortage of housing supply in Canada. However, there’s one more factor that has blunted the effects of this massive prime increase and contributed to lower inventory, and that is emergency re-amortization.
We need to ask ourselves: how did a quadrupling of mortgage rates not completely kill buyer demand? And what happened to all the distressed listings that were expected to flood the market from people who can’t meet their higher mortgage obligations? Well, the answer is simply that the banks, with the support of regulators and the federal government, quietly changed the rules to prevent a mortgage crisis. As mortgage rates sore alongside the BoC interest rate hikes, lenders and mortgage providers are using emergency loan-modification options that allow some struggling homeowners with a variable-rate mortgage to extend their amortization periods up to 40 months in an effort to reduce their payments. Some homeowners have even secured amortizations of 70 years or more! In these types of cases, homeowners will be paying much more interest while paying off little to none of the principal amount (or, in other words, their actual debt). Although it’s excellent to see these homeowners get the opportunity to keep their homes, one obvious issue with extending the mortgage period to this length is that it can create multi-generational debt. It also means there is far less pressure to sell these houses, which contributes to this lack of inventory and could potentially spark yet another price spike for Canadian homes.
BoC Rate Pause
So, what’s the good news? Well, following the March 8th and April 12th rate decisions, the BoC opted to hold its overnight rate steady, announcing a ‘conditional pause’ on rate hikes as long as inflation continues to drop in line with their forecast. The less good news? They have left the door open to further rate hikes if inflation and economic growth don’t ease as much as expected. So now, regarding the real estate industry, the question becomes: will supply or demand outpace the other, or will they be balanced in the coming year?
Although with many of these questions, only time will tell, there are some things we know for sure. For one, the Canadian housing market is experiencing a strong recovery (against all odds), and most provinces saw their provincial average home price increase compared to last month. Specifically in Ontario, the average home price was $881,946 in March 2023, which was a drop of 16% year-over-year but an increase of 8% month-over-month. Furthermore, the next BoC rate announcement will come on June 7th, 2023, which is one of the eight scheduled dates each year that the BoC releases its rate decision. As long as economic growth remains strong and inflation is tamed, there would be no reason to assume we’ll see yet another increase (though this we can’t say for certain). Ultimately, the factors affecting the housing market are complex and multifaceted, and it will be interesting to see how the Canadian housing market continues to evolve over the coming months.
If you’d like more information regarding the current Canadian housing market or if you’re searching for an experienced, reputable realtor in the Golden Horseshoe region to represent you as a buyer or seller in your next home transaction, be sure to check out my featured listings and do not hesitate to reach out to me directly!


Chris Pardee, ‘66, scored valuable points in the high, long, and triple jumps as a member of the best men’s team in Harvard track history, a team that won 27 straight dual meets and five of six Heptagonal Games titles in three years, a tenacious team that won one championship by two points and another by one.
June ‘63. Chris was a surprise winner in London, when as a Freshman he bettered his Harvard record by jumping 6’8” against Oxbridge. When the team flew home, he stayed on and hitchhiked to Istanbul via Rome and Athens, returning via the Balkans, arriving back in the English capital in the middle of something called Beatlemania. Arriving in Boston two weeks before the start of term, he got back on the road and hitched to Florida to see his family, passing through Washington DC a week before the march on the capital, a cause he believed in, little suspecting he’d forever be kicking himself for missing MLK’s “I had a dream” speech.
Pardee’s first varsity indoor season was probably the most exciting, when in one three-week period the Harvard Sophomore faced his two main East Coast rivals three times. In the first encounter – in New Haven – Chris psyched out Yale Junior Kim Hill and out jumped Princeton captain John Hartnett. The following week Pardee arrived at the Indoor Heptagonal Games in Ithaca with a worrying cold and the realisation he hadn’t prepared himself mentally. Hartnett won. Chris beat Hill on countback. To his relief, Harvard defeated Navy. By two points. The following week was the showdown... at the IC4As in Madison Square Garden. Bragging rights were involved. Both jumpers achieved PBs at 6’8”, with Hartnett ahead on countback. John missed his three attempts at 6’9”. Chris, on his final attempt, cleared the bar... then the highest jump in Heps history.
In his era, using a straddle roll technique, Pardee was an unequalled record breaker, bettering the University high jump mark eight times and the Outdoor Heptagonal Games record three times. Having failed to win the Indoor Games on his first two attempts, Chris found redemption his Senior year when he broke the Harvard, Barton Hall, and Indoor Heps high jump records, with a second place in the long jump, points crucial to the team’s single point victory over Army. The height of his indoor career - joining a select circle of Harvard track men - was being voted Outstanding Performer at the ‘66 Indoor Heptagonal Games.
As a Sophomore in ‘64 Pardee became an NCAA All-American, one of four jumpers to clear 6’10” at the Outdoor Nationals in Oregon, the first time the four top jumpers reached that height. As of 2020 his fourth place is still the best Nationals finish of any Harvard high jumper. Only the winner, Olympic medallist John Rambo, jumped higher that day, clearing 7’0”.
After the Nationals Chris bid farewell to the Harvard contingent and hitchhiked 3700 miles from Oregon back to Cambridge via the Grand Canyon, explaining to teammates he “wanted to see America for himself”. Before the summer was out, he’d hitchhiked over 12,000 miles across the States and Canada, visiting his family in Miami, getting into a bar fight in Kansas City, meeting up with a teammate to buck bales on a ranch in Wyoming and to work state fairs across the Midwest with a travelling carnival, before hitching back to Cambridge from Omaha with an ex-girlfriend from Radcliffe, who’d come up from Mexico. Heady days!


Hospitals are facing additional costs of up to $500,000 per year per institution associated with treating or
accommodating severely obese patients, according to a survey by group purchasing giant
Costs include remodeling facilities; purchasing special equipment such as larger-sized beds, blood pressure cuffs, gowns, wall toilets and wheelchairs; and training staff to move overweight patients.
Novation said 80% of 69 hospitals surveyed said that in the past
year they have seen greater numbers of severely obese patients -- defined as being overweight by at least 100 pounds.
Some 53% of the hospitals said costs incurred in treating obese patients increase the cost of care for others; 17% reported remodeling facilities to accommodate obese patients; and 41% said they changed patient procedures to accommodate an increased number
of obese patients.
Caring for a seriously obese patient might cost $500 to $10,000 more per hospital visit than care for a patient of average weight, Novation said. -- by Julie Piotrowski


Cloud service will help enterprises to roll out secure remote working solutions, as Equinix survey finds 38% of Irish IT decision-makers believe volume of data breaches will increase as remote working becomes more widespread
DUBLIN, Ireland – Feb 20 2020 – Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the global interconnection and data centre company, today announced a partnership with Irish telecommunications service provider, AirSpeed Telecom. The joint cloud offering comes as results of an independent survey commissioned by Equinix, finds 38% of Irish IT decision-makers believe the volume of data breaches will increase with the widespread rollout of remote working solutions. The survey also shows 31% of businesses in Ireland cannot fully support employee remote working because of latency issues. Equinix’s collaboration with AirSpeed Telecom addresses these concerns with the launch of AirSpeed Cloud Connectivity.
As digital transformation takes hold in Ireland and across the world, flexible working gives employees choice on how, when and where they work – increasing productivity, job satisfaction and improving business performance. As demand from employees for flexible working increases, businesses are under pressure to ensure they have the right technology, network speed and security to support it.
To facilitate the rise of flexible working in Ireland, and as part of its ongoing strategy to offer enhanced end-to-end solutions, Equinix partner, AirSpeed Telecom, now provides Equinix’s cloud platform, Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric™ (ECX Fabric®), as ‘AirSpeed Cloud Connectivity’. It will offer businesses across Ireland, fast, secure and reliable connectivity to streamline cloud migration and increase business performance.
AirSpeed Cloud Connectivity allows businesses to privately and seamlessly interconnect with the world’s largest cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure (ExpressRoute), Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Google Cloud. As Equinix offers direct access to the highest concentration of major cloud provider onramps in the world, it allows businesses to choose the cloud services that best fit their, and their employees’, ever-changing business requirements.
Global Interconnection Index Volume 3 [market study]
About the Equinix independent survey
As part of a separate independent study commissioned by Equinix, APCO Insight surveyed 2,485 IT decision-makers from a diverse enterprise set across North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. 1,348 of those surveyed are based in EMEA, with 103 being based in Ireland. Respondents were selected for participation from Dynata’s online panel. The survey was conducted online between August 1-16, 2019.
Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX) connects the world's leading businesses to their customers, employees and partners inside the most-interconnected data centers. On this global platform for digital business, companies come together across more than 50 markets on five continents to reach everywhere, interconnect everyone and integrate everything they need to create their digital futures. www.equinix.com.
About AirSpeed Telecom:
AirSpeed Telecom is a leading provider of high-performance telecommunications products and bandwidth services to enterprise, medium to large sized businesses and public sector clients.
Founded in 2003, AirSpeed Telecom provides customers with fast, uncontended and symmetrical connectivity which allows businesses perform to their full potential. To reinforce this vision of always-on connectivity, AirSpeed Telecom offers premium level Service Level Agreements (SLAs) as standard.
The full suite of communication solutions includes dedicated connectivity, voice and security as well as cloud services. Delivering bespoke solutions over fibre, wireless and copper infrastructure, AirSpeed Telecom works with businesses on the island of Ireland and internationally across a range of sectors, including financial services, construction, food and beverage and hospitality. Among the clients that AirSpeed Telecom is proud to work with are Chill, Keelings, Manor Farm and Kilsaran, among others.
AirSpeed Telecom is 100% owned by the Irish Infrastructure Fund (IIF), which controls over €500 million of investments across energy, telecoms, tourism and healthcare in Ireland.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from expectations discussed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the challenges of acquiring, operating and constructing IBX data centers and developing, deploying and delivering Equinix products and solutions; unanticipated costs or difficulties relating to the integration of companies we have acquired or will acquire into Equinix; a failure to receive significant revenues from customers in recently built out or acquired data centers; a failure to complete any financing arrangements contemplated from time to time; competition from existing and new competitors; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; the loss or decline in business from our key customers; risks related to our taxation as a REIT; and other risks described from time to time in Equinix filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see recent Equinix quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available upon request from Equinix. Equinix does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.
Comit (For Equinix)
+353 1 215 7575


Statement of Persons nominated May 2023 Parish Council
Statement of Persons nominated May 2023 District Ward Members
Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll Parish Results for the May 2023 Election
Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll Districts for the May 2023 Election
For the first time, residents in Maldon District will need to show photographic ID to vote at this year’s local elections.
Residents are being urged to make sure they are ready to vote in May by checking they have an accepted form of ID.
Accepted forms of ID include:
UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonwealth passport
UK, EEA, or Commonwealth drivers’ licence
Some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or an Oyster 60+ card
Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.
Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of ID will be able to apply for free ID online at voter-authority-certificate.service.gov.uk/ or by completing a paper form.
The full list of accepted ID is available on the Electoral Commission’s website, along with more information about the new requirement and details of how to apply for the free ID, at electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID.
Ailsa Irvine, Director of Electoral Administration and Guidance, said:
“Anyone voting at a polling station in England this May will need to show photo ID before they can be given their ballot paper. It’s important that everyone understands what types of ID they can use, and how to apply for free ID if they need it. You can find information about the new requirement and what to expect at the polling station on the Electoral Commission’s website.”
Paul Dodson, Returning Officer at Maldon District Council, said:
“With elections taking place in Maldon District on 4 May 2023, it is important that those who want to vote make sure they have an accepted form of ID. It may seem early but checking now means you will be ready to vote in May.
“Residents who do not have one of the accepted forms of ID can apply for free ID either online or by completing a paper application form and sending this to Maldon District Council’s electoral services team.
Notice of Vacancies
For results of each poll that took place please see below:
Notice of Casual Vacancy.
Casual Vacancy West Ward. Medwards
Casual Vacancy East Ward East-ward-PB (1)
Casual Vacancy eastwardaj
Co-option notice co-option 2
Result of District Poll
2019 Notice of Poll.
2019 Notice of Poll
Notice Of Election – Basin Ward
Casual Vacancy – Acacia Thurgood 2017
Casual Vacancy – Michael Edwards
Statement of Persons Nominated – By-election to be held on 28th Sept 2017
Casual Vacancy – Sofia Bishop
Casual Vacancy – Mike Hall 2016
There was a by-election held on 5th May 2016.
Casual Vacancy – Zofia Edwards 2016
There was a by-election held on 18th August 2016.
Notice of Election
Casual Vacancy – Dr. Michael Blyth 2016
Casual Vacancy – Keith Moodey 2016
Casual Vacancy – Stephen Jennings 2016
Casual Vacancy – Jan Rablin 2016 – did not result in a by-election.
The Parish Council Elections took place in May 2015.
Details can be found on Maldon District Council website (http://www.maldon.gov.uk/info/362/elections-voting/454/elections_2015#pagenavbox)
Casual Vacancy – Anne Beale 2015
Casual Vacancy – Ian Dobson 2015
Casual Vacancy – Mark Burmby 2015
There was a Parish Council by-election in August 2015.


Logix Guru is honored to announce its recognition as a finalist for the prestigious 2023 Tech 50 Awards, in the highly competitive “Solutions Provider- Services” Category, presented by the Pittsburgh Technology Council.
The nomination stands as a resounding testament to Logix Guru’s relentless pursuit of unparalleled services and driving continuous progress. Our dedication to excellence is unwavering and this acknowledgement fuels our determination to provide cutting-edge digital and staffing solutions consistently.
Since its inception in 1997, the Tech 50 Awards has been a beacon, recognizing and celebrating the fastest-growing and most innovative technology companies, tech-intensive service providers, and visionary CEOs in the Pittsburgh region.
Ravi Ajmani, our esteemed COO & EVP expressed his gratitude for this recognition stating, “We are deeply honored to be counted among the best in the region. This validation underscores our commitment to robust processes, innovative solutions, and our unwavering dedication to our employees and clients. As a cohesive team, Logix Guru consistently delivers high-quality, responsive solutions in the Digital Engineering and Staffing space.”
Ravi further emphasized Logix Guru’s client-centric approach affirming, “We do not believe in pushing one solution to all our customers. Our customers are on their unique journey trying to solve their unique problems and challenges. Logix Guru’s approach is to actively listen to our customers to unearth the opportunities where we can collaborate to bring tailored solutions to address their individual needs”
Audrey Russo, President and CEO of the Tech Council highlighted the significant impact of innovators like Logix Guru, “Our innovators are spearheading breakthroughs across multiple industries, contributing $27 billion to our regional payroll. Tech 50 is a night to celebrate these achievements and share the inspiration. Pittsburgh’s heartbeat of innovation is rooted in a legacy of builders who’ve fueled the engines of every great American economic revolution ever to come to pass. Tech 50 winners and finalists aren’t merely passengers on Pittsburgh’s journey into the future; they are the builders of that future!”
Logix Guru is honored to be a part of this illustrious group of technology trailblazers and to share our vision as we continue to shape the future of the tech world.
We wholeheartedly thank the Pittsburgh Technology Council and the Tech 50 Awards for acknowledging our contributions.
For more information on Tech 50 and all the finalists, visit www.pghtech.org


On Friday, October 13th Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity at McNeese State University hosted a “Monster Mash” Halloween dance. All McNeese students were invited to go dance, play games, eat, and mingle with over 50 Special Olympics Louisiana-Southwest Area athletes. 150 students attended the event, dancing and smiling alongside the athletes.
Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity president, Keifer Ackley, said “the amount of love and joy felt in that room was indescribable. Our Special Olympics athletes teach us to love life, be brave, and to love everyone you interact with.”
On Saturday, October 28, 2017, one of Special Olympics Louisiana’s interns, Mattie Hawkins, was named the 2017 Southeastern Louisiana University Homecoming Queen.
Mattie is studying to become a senior sports management major. She is the Chapter President of Delta Sigma Theta, a Project PULL mentor, a student worker in the Office of Disability Services, and an intern at Special Olympics Louisiana.
Upon hearing she had won Mattie was speechless, but afterwards said, “It was a major accomplishment to be crowned and I am proud to represent Southeastern Louisiana University and Special Olympics Louisiana.”
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED PHASE 1 OF THE VOYA FINANCIAL CAMPAIGN.
Phase 2 will be November 13-19. During that time, Voya will be donating $1 for every original post, like, share or comment with the hashtag #InvestInSomethingSpecial, up to $520,000 ($10,000 per participating Program).
Here’s how you can help:
Voya has been collecting stories from the Special Olympics community that answer the question “what are your goals beyond sports”. From Nov 13-19, Voya will start posting these stories to launch the #InvestInSomethingSpecial campaign.
1) Share Voya’s posts about the campaign: Go to Voya’s (@Voya), Special Olympics (@SpecialOlympics) or SONA’s social channels to find the #InvestInSomethingSpecial content and share them with your community, encouraging your audiences to engage by liking, commenting and sharing! Voya’s post will include all the information about the campaign, including that Voya will be donating $1 for every like, share or comment!
2) Like and comment on posts with #InvestInSomethingSpecial: Look up the hashtag and like or comment on the stories people are posting!
3) Post your own story: Voya wants the Special Olympics community to post stories during the campaign. It could be as simple as “Beyond sport, Special Olympics [chapter] is working to inspire our athletes to become leaders of their communities! #InvestInSomething Special” (make sure to include the hashtag!)
Calling all athletes, families, coaches, partners, and volunteers. This is your chance to shine!
One of our favorite things here at SOLA is hearing amazing stories from our Special Olympics community.
Please share your story with us. We want to know how you became involved with Special Olympics and what kind of difference it has made in your everyday life! You could even share your best photos from an event or competition.
We will even share some of your stories to our blog, Facebook, and Twitter!
You can post your stories or pictures into the comments below or email us!
Becca, Kassi, and Kylie McCallister have been volunteering for Special Olympics Louisiana for 15 years. They are a retired military family from Leesville, Louisiana. Kylie is studying to become a special education teacher herself.
It’s important to Becca that she shares this experience with her children because it brings them closer together and allows them to bond with each other. She says, “We should treat others with compassion and acceptance. Serving others holds a special place in our hearts and we are blessed with their unconditional love.”


Autism Speaks public service announcement “Learn the Signs” campaign, produced with the Ad Council and BBDO, has received over $210 million in donated media and is responsible for an unprecedented increase in national and global autism awareness.
Autism Speaks increased its focus on the necessary supports and services for adolescents and adults with autism through programs such as Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism and Autism in the Workplace.
In 2009 alone, seven states enacted new autism insurance reform laws: New Mexico, Montana, Nevada, Colorado, Connecticut, Wisconsin and New Jersey. Presently, an additional 25 states have similar insurance reform legislation under consideration.
Through the Global Autism Public Health initiative, Autism Speaks facilitated the first prevalence studies in South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland and Mexico. In addition, Autism Speaks supported the translation of standardized diagnostic instruments into languages spoken by 1.75 billion people.
The Interactive Autism Network (IAN), the first national online autism registry, is accelerating autism research by linking more than 30,000 registered family members to researchers nationwide. This year, IAN contributed data to the largest published study of concordance among ASD twin pairs to date. IAN also published reports on family stress and gender differences in 2009.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Autism Speaks called on the government to step up its funding of autism research and services when the CDC announced the alarming new prevalence numbers of 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys.
Autism Speaks launched the Autism Safety Project, an online tool kit for individuals with autism, families, and first responders that provides information and strategies to promote safety in emergency situati
Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism, a national consortium of autism organizations, hosted a National Town Hall, coordinated by Autism Speaks.
After President Obama’s election, the White House website prominently featured autism as part of the disabilities agenda, the only disorder specifically cited. In his presidential campaign, Obama pledged to seek to increase federal ASD funding for research, treatment, screenings, public awareness, and support services to $1 billion annually by the end of his first term in office. Additionally, he committed to bringing autism insurance reform to the entire nation.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act committed $10 billion in new funding to the National Institutes of Health over the next two years. Autism Speaks urged the National Institutes of Health to commit $200 million in stimulus funding to autism research and to date $116 million has been awarded through this incremental funding mechanism.


Interview (Video): Paul Thomas Anderson and Richard Linklater in Conversation
A half-hour talk between the pair of noted writer-directors.
Via the Austin Film Society:
Paul Thomas Anderson received the inaugural ‘Jonathan Demme Award’ at the 2018 Texas Film Awards. Here is a conversation between Paul Thomas Anderson and Richard Linklater from the evening, focusing on the impact that Jonathan Demme had on film.
Recorded on March 8, 2018.
For hundreds more interviews archived here at Go Into The Story, go here.


Michael Weiss has reported on international affairs for over ten years with a dual focus on the Middle East and Russia. He has interviewed ISIS operatives and Russian spies; published and curated a series of still-classified KGB training manuals; reported from rebel-held Syria and war-torn Ukraine; broken major stories about financial corruption; and exposed the Russian intelligence services’ ongoing subversion efforts in the United States and Europe.
His work has appeared in The Daily Beast, where maintains a column, The Atlantic, The New York Review of Books, The New Republic, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs and a host of other publications. A regular commentator on television, Weiss has covered the rise of ISIS and its spate of Western terror attacks for CNN, where he has been both a contributor and a national security analyst. He's appeared on The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Morning Joe, and Ronan Farrow Daily on MSNBC; Out Front with Erin Burnett and AC360 on CNN; Newsday on BBC World News; and Kennedy, America’s Newshour, and The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News, as well as on Charlie Rose and Real Time with Bill Maher.
Weiss is best known as the coauthor of the New York Times Bestseller ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, which was also named one of the Top Ten Books on Terrorism by the Wall Street Journal and one of the Best Books of 2015 by the Times of London. It was first released in paperback and then, owing to its commercial and critical success, re-released in hardcover "revised and expanded" edition. The book has been translated into seventeen foreign languages and is still regarded by many experts to be the best history of the terror organization yet published.
Weiss is also the author of The Menace of Unreality: How the Kremlin Weaponizes Information, Culture and Money, a 2014 pamphlet study on Russian disinformation and propaganda, which has since been circulated among Western governments as a prescient and seminal text for understanding a now-omnipresent international security threat.
He is currently working on a book about the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, a subject which has already taken an active interest in its author. The photograph at the top of this page was snapped by the Associated Press for a story about how the same GRU hacking team that infiltrated the servers of the Democratic Party in 2016 also mounted a years-long campaign against journalists. Weiss was one of them.
"Weiss and Hassan capture the complexity of the . . . imbroglios that gave rise to the Islamic State . . . in this thorough and accessible book."
"A. . . detailed and nuanced story."
“Incredibly rich and valuable for the specialist and non-specialist alike…it is a rich and nuanced piece touching on all the points that the arrival of ISIS has raised in Syria and Iraq.”
"[A] superb piece of journalism, unsparing in its analysis of the folly of the Obama administration."
“Weiss and Hassan give a concise yet detailed account of the rise of the terror movement, anybody who wants to work out where they stand on Iraq and Syria will find this book invaluable.”


Russian MPs call for antiwar protesters to face military service in Ukraine
Polina Ivanova in Moscow
Two Russian MPs have submitted a draft law to parliament that would call up for military service in Ukraine any Russians detained for participating in antiwar protests.
The bill, submitted for consideration to the Duma lower house of parliament, proposed to “send for military service in the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics all persons brought to responsibility for participation in unauthorised public events against the use of the armed forces”, the draft law said.
The bill would need to pass through both houses of parliament and be signed by Russian president Vladimir Putin to become law. It was proposed by MPs Andrei Lugovoi and Yaroslav Nilov.
Thousands of Russians have been detained in recent days in antiwar marches across the country. Demonstrations that do not receive prior approval from authorities are illegal in Russia; only one-person pi＊eting is permitted.
“There are people in our country right now who do not agree with the military operation and are willing to break the law in order to stop it,” the draft law said. Such people, it said, should be sent on military service to eastern Ukraine to “see with their own eyes”.


The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on several business that distribute and make kratom, a supplement with pain-relieving and psychoactive qualities that's been linked to a recent salmonella outbreak.
In a letter launched on Tuesday, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb contacted 3 business in different states to stop selling unapproved kratom products with unverified health claims. In a declaration, Gottlieb said the companies were participated in "health fraud rip-offs" that "pose severe health threats."
Originated from a plant native to Southeast Asia, kratom is frequently offered as tablets, powder, or tea in the United States. Advocates say it helps suppress the signs of opioid withdrawal, which has led individuals to flock to kratom in the last few years as a way of stepping down from more effective drugs like Vicodin.
Since kratom is categorized as a supplement and has not been developed as a drug, it's not subject to much federal guideline. That implies tainted kratom tablets and powders can quickly make their way to store racks-- which appears to have taken place in a current outbreak of salmonella that has so far sickened more than 130 individuals across numerous states.
Over-the-top claims and little scientific research study
The FDA's recent crackdown seems the most recent step in a growing divide between supporters and regulative companies regarding making use of kratom The companies the company has actually called are Front Range Kratom of Aurora, Colorado; Kratom Spot of Irvine, California and Revibe, Inc., of Kansas City, Missouri.
The claims these 3 companies have made consist of marketing the supplement as " extremely reliable versus cancer" and recommending that their items might help in reducing the signs of opioid dependency.
However there are few existing clinical studies to back up those claims. Research study on kratom has actually discovered, nevertheless, that the drug use some of the exact same brain receptors as opioids do. That spurred the FDA to categorize it as an opioid in February.
Experts state that since of this, it makes sense that people with opioid use condition are relying on kratom as a method of abating their symptoms and stepping down from more effective drugs like Vicodin.
Taking any supplement that hasn't been evaluated for security by medical specialists can be harmful.
The threats of taking kratom.
Previous FDA testing found that a number of products distributed by Revibe-- one of the three business named in the FDA letter-- were tainted with salmonella. Last month, as part of a demand from the agency, Revibe damaged a number of tainted items still at its facility, but the company has yet to confirm that it recalled products that had currently shipped to view it shops.
Last month, the FDA released its first-ever compulsory recall of kratom products after those produced official site by Las Vegas-based Triangle Pharmanaturals were found to be contaminated with salmonella.
Since April 5, a overall of 132 people throughout 38 states had been sickened with the germs, which can trigger diarrhea and stomach pain lasting up to a week.
Dealing with the risk that kratom products might carry damaging bacteria, those who take the supplement have no reliable method to determine the correct dose. It's likewise hard to discover a verify kratom supplement's full component list or account for possibly harmful interactions with other drugs or medications.
Kratom is currently banned in Australia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and a number of US states (Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, and Wisconsin). Across the US, several reports of deaths and dependency led the Drug Enforcement Administration browse around this web-site to position kratom on its list of "drugs and chemicals of issue." In 2016, the DEA proposed a ban on kratom however backtracked under pressure from some members of Congress and an outcry from kratom supporters.


News Release GuidelinesGhostvillage.com is not only one of the most popular and widely-read Web sites on the paranormal, it's also a very popular content portal for other paranormal Web sites. We're passionate about getting important news out to people interested in ghosts and the supernatural. More than twenty other sites (so far) run news headlines from Ghostvillage.com on their Web sites via our RSS/XML feed. Because of the popularity of our news syndicate, our news release guidelines have become more stringent. If you were sent a link to this page, it's likely because your news release submission fell below our editorial standards. Don't be offended. News release writing is not high-art, but there are standards that must be followed.
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This site is to provide updates and information on the Idaho Aviation Foundation's (IAF) efforts to rebuild Big Creek Lodge in central Idaho. The lodge was originally built in the 1930's and has a tremendous backcountry pilot and outdoor enthusiast following. Sadly, the lodge burned to the ground in October 2008. However, a happy future is in store for the old site, and we expect a new Lodge in 2015! Whether you will become a volunteer, donor or even a reader and contributor of Big Creek lore, we'd love you to be a part of the success story.
We have raised $100,000 over the last six months since announcing the project!
Scan to the bottom for the latest news below or visit our News Page...
The Big Creek Lodge and Resort will be operated for public service within the authority of a Special Use Permit in partnership with the Payette National Forest.
Idaho Governor Butch Otter (right), Russell Westerberg, and County Commissioner Gordon Cruickshank share a moment at Big Creek recently. The Governor and Commissioner were briefed on the rebuild Big Creek project--and our goal to provide a place for the public to connect with the outdoors while being disconnected from the rest of the world. read more »
For those of you who are Facebook followers/enthusiasts, IAF has launched a Big Creek Lodge Idaho page to keep you updated on activities, photos and plans. You can see photos and news from the First Big Creek Breakfast Events of 2013, and much more. Please "Like" us and follow the news at https://www.facebook.com/#!/BigCreekLodgeIdaho read more »


2020 marks the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Commercial Court in London and also the 50th anniversary of the formal creation of the Commercial and Admiralty Court.
Since 1 March is the anniversary of the first day on which the Commercial Court sat, the Court launched its anniversary celebrations at the start of March 2020.
The Commercial Court 125th anniversary celebrations will be running throughout the year, with a series of events held in conjunction with practitioners in and users of the Court.
The commercial dispute resolution landmark event of the year, the Leading Litigators’ Reception, which was scheduled to take place on the 26 March 2020 at the Royal Courts of Justice was postponed due to recent events. It will be rearranged for a date later this year when it is safe to do so.
A number of events are planned to mark the anniversary, details of which may be found here (although please note that the events may be subject to change in the light of COVID-19).


Follow this candidate:
The first and only woman to enter the field of DNC chair candidates, Sally Boynton Brown is the current executive director of the Idaho Democratic Party. Boynton Brown, 40, is a lifelong resident of Idaho where she grew up in a working-class family and married young. With her husband Burr, she has raised three children and started multiple successful small businesses, including her own childcare company.
Perhaps not surprisingly, dealing with a room full of toddlers is an experience she calls “pivotal” to her management skills. After returning to school in her late twenties, Boynton Brown graduated from Boise State University with a BA in Communications. Almost immediately, she put her newfound skills to use in the political arena.
Professional & Political Experience
Boynton Brown’s early career saw her largely in business management. She both started her own businesses and at one point supported and trained up to 200 home consultants for The Body Shop. Only after returning to school and graduating in 2005 did she enter politics in full force.
Fresh out of school, Boynton Brown ran a successful legislative campaign for Rep. Sue Chew. Two years later, she managed another successful legislative campaign for Phylis King. In 2010, she took on the role of director of operations for Keith Allred’s gubernatorial campaign. Boynton Brown was brought on as the field director of the Idaho Democratic Party in 2011. Within a year, she was promoted to communications director, and finally to the position of executive director. She is also president of the Association of State Democratic Party Executive Directors.
As a leader of the Democratic Party in one of the reddest states in the country, Boynton Brown has had a particularly challenging job. Yet, she has proven herself an apt fundraiser and ended each year of her tenure with a surplus. She has a history of working for voter equality and inclusion and has long advocated for increased political and voter participation in her state and beyond. In fact, in 2013 Boynton Brown began the Lead discussion group, a collaboration of national Democratic organizations focused on increasing the number of women leaders in the Democratic Party through engagement and support.
Political Views, Points of Interest & Endorsements
Boynton Brown is a self-acknowledged outsider—a characteristic that could either serve or harm her political ambitions. She has no recognizable allies in national politics, though this will likely change given time, since she only announced her bid in late December. She does, however, have the endorsement of all four Idaho DNC members, including party chairman Bert Marley. Notably, while Boynton Brown is well-respected in her state’s party politics, her bid comes as four key legislative seats were lost in Idaho, a crushing disappointment to Democrats hopeful of pushing back against the state’s Republican supermajority.
Boynton Brown is less concerned with appealing to “Bernie voters” versus “Hillary voters.” Instead, she is concerned with bridging the perceived gaps between them. “Our party can’t afford to spend the next two years having an ideological debate on whether we are liberals or moderates,” Boynton Brown commented in a prepared statement on her bid for DNC chair. “The Democratic Party has always represented the people and now more than ever we must blow the walls off our tent so everyone feels welcome.”
Thus far, Boynton Brown’s campaign has been largely grassroots, a strategy she appears to favor and one that reflects her oft-stated belief that politics should be as inclusive of the “little guy” as anyone else. It also reflects her vision for the DNC’s future as one that embraces a “flat structure” in which power is more evenly dispersed. With her extensive experience running blue campaigns in a veritable sea of red, Boynton Brown believes she has the specific skills and insights needed to speak to disaffected voters.
For more reading material on Boynton Brown, we encourage you to check out a few of our sources below:
(Image Credit: We The DNC fb.com/wethednc)
Kelly Metz-Matthews is a longtime communications, education, and English-language professional. Kelly teaches college courses including English as a second language, international business English, and writing. She holds a BA in English, an MA in Liberal Studies, and an MA in Curriculum and Instruction. She lives in San Diego, California in an eclectic little library masquerading as a house.


Co-founders Alex Lorestani, PhD, and Nick Ouzounov, PhD, were graduate students at Princeton University when they asked: Why has the consumer goods industry still not benefited from synthetic biology to the extent that medicine has? We no longer have to slaughter a pig and take its pancreas to get insulin, so why should we for gelatin and collagen?
Alex and Nick developed the idea of using biological information and fermentation technology to produce proteins with the best properties that nature allows, without harming animals. They successfully tested the concept at Indiebio, a renowned biotechnology start-up accelerator in San Francisco, in 2015.
In 2017, Geltor became the first company in the world to ship a synthetic-biology-enabled protein ingredient, using microbes designed to produce it. The company scaled their proprietary fermentation manufacturing process, and Geltor’s animal-free collagen (N-Collage™) launched in April 2018.


How we made The New Yorker's first-ever virtual-reality film
Welcome to another monthly newsletter by me, the writer Ben Mauk. This month and next, I’ll share news and some behind-the-scenes details of Reeducated, a New Yorker Documentary I’ve spent the last year and a half developing, reporting, writing, and co-producing alongside my collaborator Sam Wolson and a team of artists and editors. I’ll also discuss the nature of reporting and writing in a new medium (virtual reality/immersive animation) on an underreported and poorly understood subject: extrajudicial detention and persecution in Xinjiang/East Turkestan.
Since the fall of 2019, I have been working on an immersive documentary film based on my reporting on Xinjiang, which readers of this newsletter will know also includes a New York Times Magazine cover story, a trial report for the London Review of Books, and a nearly book-length oral history of the region’s mass internment drive for The Believer. This latest work dwarfs those earlier projects in scope and complexity, and involved dozens of collaborators on four continents. I won’t say it was easy keeping it under wraps.
The companion piece to “Inside Xinjiang’s Prison State,” an immersive investigation published by The New Yorker in February (and discussed in my last newsletter), Reeducated, directed by Wolson, premiered this March at SXSW 2021, where the film won the Special Jury Recognition for Immersive Journalism. It is now available to watch on V.R. headset, in a “cardboard” (a ~$15 piece of hardware that turns your smartphone into a V.R. device), and on mobile and desktop at newyorker.com.
These companion New Yorker projects may turn out to be the culmination of my writing on this subject, an attempt to distill my research and reporting — including dozens of interviews conducted along the Chinese border over several years — into two multimedia works that I hope will retain lasting journalistic and artistic value beyond our current news cycle. Most of all, I hope the stories highlight the survival and persistence of these persecuted groups whose very identities render them fugitive before the state.
The first-ever New Yorker Documentary in V.R., Reeducated takes viewers inside one of Xinjiang’s political “reeducation” camps, guided by the memories of three men who were imprisoned together at a facility in Tacheng on the western edge of China. The recollections of Orynbek Koksebek, Amanzhan Seituly, and Erbaqyt Otarbai reveal the secret world of these camps, where detainees spend ten hours a day in classrooms — studying Chinese or taking classes focused on political indoctrination and the dangers of Islam — and often endure torture and stints in solitary confinement.
Drawn from firsthand testimony, survivor sketches, and satellite photos, Reeducated uses pen-and-brush animation (meticulously rendered in three dimensions by Matt Huynh and Nick Rubin) and spatial audio by composer and sound designer Jon Bernson to faithfully reconstruct the men’s shared experiences in an immersive three-dimensional space.
The film has generated some nice reviews and attention. It’s been interesting for me, since my usual output—long pieces of magazine writing—never gets formally reviewed, instead disappearing into the great digital news pit. I’m not used to critical feedback in the public sphere. Here’s what the sphere is saying:
Foreign Policy: "Reeducated is as haunting as it is artistically impressive. The film’s detailed black and white ink illustrations, hand-drawn by artist Matt Huynh, are intricate and gorgeous, and lace together a poignant, heartbreaking depiction of the narrators’ experiences. ... It's impossible to look away."
IndieWire: "a haunting, lyrical representation ... Reeducated seems like an obvious frontrunner for the Emmy in Outstanding Interactive Program; the medium injects immediacy into stories of persecution that might otherwise seem tragic but remote."
SXSW Virtual Cinema Judges: "Reeducated offers a glimpse into a horrifying world obscured from public view. ... It’s a striking piece of 360 cinema that makes a clear argument for the unique affordances of immersive formats for telling stories.”
XRMagazine: "This is a work of true journalism -- the kind of journalism that can make a difference and change you at your core. ... It is also a beautiful piece of art, both as an interactive feature and as a VR film."
There’s been some other coverage, too, including a crazy VRChat panel discussion at a virtual SXSW auditorium and a marathon Clubhouse event. I went on A Good Refugee Podcast, hosted by Gelek Badheytsang and Tsering Yangzom. I even recorded a groggy video interview for a morning TV show in Kazakhstan. It’s been strange to recieve so much media attention from the comfort of my living room.
Both the film and interactive article have also driven a remarkable amount of traffic and new subscribers to The New Yorker, according to a recent story published in AdWeek. That’s good news, given the size and cost of its production. I’m grateful to the magazine for taking a chance on this project — it is the most technically ambitious story the magazine has ever produced — and I very much liked and admired the editors, designers, and directors I worked with. In particular, the editing, fact-checking, and publishing pipeline was second-to-none, and I always felt like my reporting was in safe hands. At the same time, I have some critical thoughts on this kind of celebratory numbers-first media coverage and its mystifying relationship to the labor that goes into making these publications — involving both freelancers like me and non-managerial staffers like fact-checkers and copy-editors, both of which groups are underpaid and undersupported as a rule — but I’ll have to save them for another newsletter. Suffice to say, neither the traditional model nor the new, no-editing-no-factchecking-just-ranting Substack model seems able to ethnically produce this kind of big-ticket journalism without compromising quality, accuracy, or fair compensation.
Behind the Reporting: Part 1
More than a year ago, in December, 2019, I flew from Berlin, where I live, to Almaty, a city in southeastern Kazakhstan near the Chinese border.
It was my fourth trip to the region. Since 2018, I have travelled across eastern Kazakhstan, visiting families with close connections to Xinjiang and meeting a dozen ex-detainees of extrajudicial camps, part of a network of sites that comprise what is thought to be the largest internment of ethnic and religious minorities since the Second World War. Along the way, I interviewed dozens of other people whose family members have been imprisoned or disappeared.
My first trip, in the summer of 2018, was for the New York Times. I wasn’t there to report on Xinjiang. My subject was the Belt and Road, a cephalopodic infrastructure and trade mega-project centered, in a vague sense, around a remote dry port at the Chinese-Kazakh border. But I was struck during my reporting by how large and ominous state oppression in Xinjiang loomed over the Kazakh and Uyghur interviewees for that story. Some could talk of nothing else; others were too afraid to say anything about China at all. (Kazakhstan’s government has tried to quell the current of Sinophobia that runs persistently among some residents; there are still, occasionally, riots and violently suppressed protests in response to perceived encroachment by Chinese state-owned enterprises, especially in the oil and gas industries, and more recently in response to the disappearance of relatives in Xinjiang.)
From the stories of detention and disappearance — and in some cases, from the nervous silence questions about China engendered — I realized there was a larger story here than the one I’d come to tell. I included in my Times story a report of the trial I attended of a Kazakh asylum seeker, an early whistleblower who claimed to have taught inside one of the secret camps in Xinjiang. Then, over the next year, I visited twice more to interview other ex-detainees and family members of the detained and disappeared—dozens of them in all. Each story was different. Each story was the same.
One of my more memorable interviewees was a former detainee named Orynbek Koksebek, whom I met in August, 2018. Koksebek had spent four months in two detention camps in Tacheng. In the private back room of a closed roadside cafe, Koksebek spoke with me for two hours, mentioning the names of some of the men he had met while detained. A year later, in September, 2019, with the help of the Xinjiang Victims Database, I learned that two of Koksebek’s fellow-prisoners had also returned to Kazakhstan.
Although nearly fifty former prisoners have gone on the record about detention in Xinjiang, they likely represent only a small fraction of those who have managed to flee China. Many ex-detainees are afraid of repercussions for family members still living in Xinjiang; others fear for their own safety. To my knowledge, when I contacted Koksebek’s former campmates that fall, no one had ever published multiple eyewitness reports from the same facility.
That was the first novelty of our project, and it was enough to merit a novel approach to telling their story. When I visited Koksebek and his fellow former inmates in December, 2019, I was accompanied by Huynh, who would create immersive artwork for the article and film, and Wolson, an immersive director whose past V.R. documentary subjects include the war in Sudan and the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster. We agreed that, as with those projects, an immersive film could help viewers understand what was happening in Xinjiang by bringing them into an otherwise inaccessible world.
Over ten days, the three of us met with our sources clandestinely, in hotels and private homes. Squeezed into small rooms with our microphones, we made dozens of hours of audio recordings — and, in Huynh’s case, hundreds of sketches of interviewees, as well as detention-camp floor plans and maps. We covered every conceivable detail of life in detention, then covered them again for the sake of redundancy. Back home, my interview transcriptions ran to 60,000 words.
This project was harrowing for our subjects and merely challenging for us. It involved solving unique technical and narrative challenges working in virtual reality, which I’ll discuss next time, not to mention the usual hurdles of foreign reporting (snowstorms, visas). By way of explaining some of these difficulties, particularly those that came up in Kazakhstan, The New Yorker produced a short behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Reeducated.
It was fun to have some of our photos and videos reused for this BTS feature, but I have to admit I don’t feel comfortable in front of a camera, especially talking about my writing. I tend to think it shows. My hat is off to any writer who performs well under hot lights.
“Behind the Reporting: Part 2,” about writing, drawing, animating, and composing soundscapes in virtual reality, is now available here.
A Few Words about Reporting on Xinjiang
I have spent the past three years reporting sporadically on the struggles of ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang — a place many residents call East Turkestan — because I feel personally compelled to do so. None of these stories were assigned to me; editors are not clamoring for coverage of this issue, no matter what some pro-CCP critics believe. I developed and pitched each one myself, as a freelancer, and sold the project to an editor by making an argument for its abiding importance. (In the case of The New Yorker, Wolson and I developed a pitch we brought to the magazine’s editors together.)
Each story has been difficult and, to varying degrees, life-consuming. Sometimes I think to myself that there are other subjects I would rather write about, and many other kinds of writing I would like to be doing: more stylistically interesting and experimental, more essayistic, less doggedly journalistic and fact-bound.
But I keep pitching and writing these stories because they tell an urgent story about human rights and self-determination among Central Asian populations that are still little-known and little-understood outside the region, particularly Uyghurs and Kazakhs. The urgency comes from the powerful forces at work trying to silence these men and women who are witnesses to the rise of a neo-totalitarian state for which no meaningful justification has been offered. The normative cultural and religious practices of these witnesses have been criminalized; in some cases, they may be at risk of extinction. Their voices are being actively and brutally silenced, not only inside China but in other countries with large Turkic populations — including Kazakhstan and Turkey — where Xinjiang-related activism remains dangerous.
When I first visited the region, in 2018, there were only a few international news reports about extrajudicial internment, reeducation, or coerced labor in Xinjiang. It seemed important to me at the time to work to rectify that; naively, I did not anticipate how divisive such news would soon appear. As the crisis has become more public, and as news of various escalating horrors has come out of the region, minorities in Xinjiang have figured as a geopolitical totem on both sides of the growing divide between the world’s only imperial superpower, the United States, and its rising economic powerhouse, China. The arrival of disinformation campaigns, state propaganda efforts, and fake or poorly sourced media on both sides of this divide makes accurate, careful reporting all the more important.
At the same time, it became increasingly difficult, and finally impossible, to report freely within Xinjiang. The types of carceral spaces we focus on in the film, inside an extrajudicial detention camp, are therefore largely undocumented. The description of these spaces by men who experienced them are inherently dramatic, a fact we used to develop the film’s structure and momentum. The prospect of recreating these spaces and staging our sources’ stories inside them is how we sold The New Yorker on the importance of virtual reality, despite the difficulty and expense involved.
In the corresponding article, I sought to produce a story that would give readers a panoramic understanding of life in Xinjiang as well as its political and cultural history going back several decades, based largely on primary sources like eyewitnesses and Chinese government documents—a “deep dive” that could inject into a poisoned discourse some nuance and understanding concerning the lived experiences of “normal,” largely undistinguished people in Xinjiang: a truck driver, two retired teachers, a nurse, a hairdresser, a herder, a businessman. They are the sorts of people who are rarely the subjects of magazine stories, and their experiences seemed to be demonstrative of the huge and disturbing changes taking place in Xinjiang since 2016.
Whatever the politics involved, I feel strongly that journalists cannot afford to turn away from stories that are at risk of vanishing beneath the “official” Chinese government history of the region. For this reason alone, the reality of life in Xinjiang — described by the voices of residents beyond the immediate reach of Chinese authorities — is worth recording and amplifying to a general audience.
In this new column, writers I admire recommend books to me—and you.
Our recommender this month is Evan James, a gleeful, wide-ranging, brilliant writer who is also a friend and teacher based in New York. Evan is the author of the novel Cheer Up, Mr. Widdicombe and the essay collection I’ve Been Wrong Before. Both are highly recommended. His latest ventures are “Shiftless,” a newsletter of personal essays, and “The Remembered Life Writing Lab,” an open-ended creative writing class. I subscribed to both right away and I’ve been impressed by the combination of essay, diary, writing exercises, audio recordings (there’s even a subscribers-only advice podcast), and visual materials. It is simply cornucopian.
Over the years, Evan has introduced me to many writers and artists I hold dear; his recommendations are always golden. Evan writes:
In 2020, I started reading more Chinese literature and books about Chinese history. One of the most memorable and mind-expanding reading experiences for me was The Gate of Heavenly Peace: The Chinese and Their Revolution, 1895-1980 by the historian Jonathan D. Spence. It’s written with great energy and nuance and foregrounds “writers, historians, philosophers, and insurrectionists” whose lives and works were shaped by the turbulent events of the century. I learned a lot from it. I also love books that lead me to other books, and Spence guided me to several writers who were new to me. I was grateful to be led to the fiction of Lu Xun, for instance, whose stories I also recommend.
Thanks, Evan. Thanks for reading my newsletter, which this month was unusually self-promoting. Next time, I’ll dial it down. Please like/share/subscribe as you see fit.