777 gbt.com
2025-01-05   

777 gbt.com Federal court dismisses defamation lawsuit against Fox News for Jan. 6 conspiracy theoryPublished 5:21 pm Monday, December 23, 2024 Shirley Ann Miner, 81 Shirley Miner, age 81, earned her place in Heaven’s Bake Shoppe after having passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 19, 2024, at the Fieldcrest Nursing Home in Hayfield, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Tacoma, Washington on June 10, 1943, to William and Mildred Roddewig. On August 30, 1963, Shirley married Merrideth (Skeeter) Miner after meeting him on a blind date while he was stationed in the Army. They moved back to Minnesota and raised their family on the Miner Family Farm until moving to Hayfield in 1986. Shirley enjoyed crocheting and making quilts, many of which were donated for local area raffles. Bowling, Word Finds, Jigsaw Puzzles, Bingo and trips to the Casino were some of her other favorites. She was also a Minnesota Sports enthusiast and could be found watching the Vikings and Timberwolves, but most importantly to her were the Twins baseball games. Her greatest passion was baking cookies, bars and making candies including family favorites of Monster Cookies, Chocolate Revel Bars, Caramels, Chocolate Covered Cherries, Fudge, Maple frosted Long Johns and Skeeter’s fondest, Sugar Cookies. During their 61 years of marriage, Shirley and Skeeter spent a lot of time traveling to various states, as well as regularly attending sporting events that their grandchildren participated in, along with cattle showings at the county and State fairs. Being in the company of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren was Shirley’s most favorite place. She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Mildred; step-father, Joe Cortina; brothers, Duane, Jim, and Ron; infant son, Thomas Wayne; son-in-law, Paul Hansen; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law. Shirley is survived by her loving husband, Merrideth (Skeeter) Miner; children, Brenda Hansen, Janet (Bill) Brown, Curt (Kim), and Warren (Kari); seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren; sister Sharon; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Milda Lou and Dave Weness; numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. Visitation will be Friday, December 27, 2024, 4:00-7:00 PM at Czaplewski Family Funeral Home, 501 2nd Street NW, Hayfield, MN with a celebration of life to honor Shirley on Saturday, December 28, 2024, at 10:00 AM with visitation one hour before and lunch to follow at Trinity Lutheran Church, 104 1st Street SE, Hayfield, MN. Burial will be at Waltham Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Shirley’s name are preferred to Fieldcrest Nursing Home, Trinity Lutheran Church, or a charity of your choice. To share a special memory or condolence please, visit www.czaplewskifuneralhomes.com, Czaplewski Family Funeral Homes, 501 2nd Street NW, Hayfield, Minnesota, 507-477-2259. Blessed be his memory.

The volunteers behind New Hampshire’s search and rescue efforts spend a lot of their time saving the lives of both experts and novices who enter the wilderness. As winter approaches, these crews are about to enter the deadliest part of the year. Unlike in summer months, a leg injury or missed trail marker can quickly become a life-threatening situation in freezing temperatures. While some experienced hikers and skiers do find themselves in trouble, the vast majority of search and rescue missions happen when confidence displaces reason. Just this week, a “woefully unprepared” hiker from Virginia arrived at the summit of Mount Washington with his dog in freezing conditions while trying to beat an incoming storm. He was told before he left it was “not advisable to hike,” but he went anyway, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. Throughout the year, organizations like Fish and Game, Mount Washington Avalanche Center, and the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue try to educate the public about good decision-making with as much energy as they can muster. “It’s not the gear that will keep you out of trouble, it’s the right mindset,” said Jeffrey Fongemie, director of the avalanche center. Fongemie has watched countless hikers and skiers head into Mt. Washington without the proper gear, or with a dose of confidence unhealthy for the wild. The avalanche center, the Mount Washington Observatory and the Appalachian Mountain Club work to provide necessary information — the weather, the intensity of specific hikes, even the necessary gear — to prospective explorers so they can prevent disaster before it happens. For better or worse, the mountains remain open to all, no matter the conditions. “No one wants to restrict the wild, everyone should have access,” said Jay Broccolo, the director of weather operations at the observatory. The observatory publishes a higher summits forecast to give critical information about weather conditions above treeline. Even on mild days, the conditions at the top of a remote mountain can be deadly. Article continues after... Cross|Word Flipart Typeshift SpellTower Really Bad Chess “It’s all about being prepared and checking your ego at the door,” Broccolo said. In New Hampshire, if you type “4,000 footers” into Google, the search engine will point to checklists for hikers to knock off each of the state’s 48 tallest mountains. Broccolo cited social media and its promotion of trends as a key reason for increasing irresponsibility in the woods. The picture of a calm summit on a sunny day on Facebook or Instagram can lure thrill seekers and peak baggers who quickly discover the harsh realities of sub-zero temperatures and howling force winds and then call 911 for help. “Humans are the most dangerous things in our woods,” Fongemie said. In 2023, the state logged 183 search and rescue missions, according to Lt. Mark Ober of New Hampshire Fish and Game, which is right around the average. Recently, search and rescue calls that do not warrant a mission have ranged between 130 and 190 per year. The biggest challenge for people like Ober, or Will Murphy, president of Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, is telling the difference between a real emergency that requires rescue or just someone who is panicked and can get themselves out. Sometimes, Ober gets phone calls from hikers who forgot to pack headlamps and are afraid to set up camp in the dark. Sometimes the hikers had thought they would be done with their journey by nightfall, and didn’t prepare for the woods. Maybe they didn’t pack any food. Those calls are frustrating, though they don’t require a team. The worst calls are the ones that mean risking the lives of search and rescue crews for someone who chose ignorance over safety. While members of search and rescue teams come with experience and emergency preparedness in the outdoors, they are almost always volunteers, which makes their availability limited. Search and rescue teams require between 20 and 30 pairs of hands, primarily because of the weight of carrying a stretcher down or out of a mountain. Many rescue missions happen at night, which makes access to volunteers even more difficult. It also takes time — though many assume that search and rescue teams come quickly, they have to hike just as far as the person in distress, carrying medical and safety equipment and sometimes in the dark. Rescues usually take many hours. “It’s not like there’s a bat phone,” Murphy said. “There’s a limit to what we can do.” As the lead organizer in a search and rescue nonprofit, Murphy has to weigh the human cost to his rescue teams. He is working now on mental health resources for volunteers, who have experienced emotional trauma from these missions. It’s difficult enough to find people to put their physical safety at risk; the psychological consequences only amplify that difficulty. Murphy has become an expert in checking his frustration — he’s a laid-back guy who wears Crocs on his days off — but he and his colleagues certainly feel it when the calls they receive could have been prevented by hikers checking Broccolo’s mountain weather forecast. “The recognition that you’re always at risk in the wild is missing,” Murphy said. Broccolo agreed. “Society has made life really nice,” he said. “The wild is still the wild.”

Justin Baldoni's Lawyer Releases New Statement About Blake Lively LawsuitAs you scroll through your social media feed or let your favorite music app curate the perfect playlist, it may feel like artificial intelligence is improving your life – learning your preferences and serving your needs. But lurking behind this convenient facade is a growing concern: algorithmic harms. These harms aren’t obvious or immediate. They’re insidious, building over time as AI systems quietly make decisions about your life without you even knowing it. The hidden power of these systems is becoming a significant threat to privacy, equality, autonomy and safety. AI systems are embedded in nearly every facet of modern life. They suggest what shows and movies you should watch, help employers decide whom they want to hire, and even influence judges to decide who qualifies for a sentence. But what happens when these systems, often seen as neutral, begin making decisions that put certain groups at a disadvantage or, worse, cause real-world harm? The often-overlooked consequences of AI applications call for regulatory frameworks that can keep pace with this rapidly evolving technology. I study the intersection of law and technology, and I’ve outlined a legal framework to do just that. Slow burns One of the most striking aspects of algorithmic harms is that their cumulative impact often flies under the radar. These systems typically don’t directly assault your privacy or autonomy in ways you can easily perceive. They gather vast amounts of data about people — often without their knowledge — and use this data to shape decisions affecting people’s lives. Sometimes, this results in minor inconveniences, like an advertisement that follows you across websites. But as AI operates without addressing these repetitive harms, they can scale up, leading to significant cumulative damage across diverse groups of people. Consider the example of social media algorithms. They are ostensibly designed to promote beneficial social interactions. However, behind their seemingly beneficial facade, they silently track users’ clicks and compile profiles of their political beliefs, professional affiliations and personal lives. The data collected is used in systems that make consequential decisions — whether you are identified as a jaywalking pedestrian, considered for a job or flagged as a risk to commit suicide. Worse, their addictive design traps teenagers in cycles of overuse, leading to escalating mental health crises, including anxiety, depression and self-harm. By the time you grasp the full scope, it’s too late — your privacy has been breached, your opportunities shaped by biased algorithms, and the safety of the most vulnerable undermined, all without your knowledge. This is what I call “intangible, cumulative harm”: AI systems operate in the background, but their impacts can be devastating and invisible. Why regulation lags behind Despite these mounting dangers, legal frameworks worldwide have struggled to keep up. In the United States, a regulatory approach emphasizing innovation has made it difficult to impose strict standards on how these systems are used across multiple contexts. Courts and regulatory bodies are accustomed to dealing with concrete harms, like physical injury or economic loss, but algorithmic harms are often more subtle, cumulative and hard to detect. The regulations often fail to address the broader effects that AI systems can have over time. Social media algorithms, for example, can gradually erode users’ mental health, but because these harms build slowly, they are difficult to address within the confines of current legal standards. Four types of algorithmic harm Drawing on existing AI and data governance scholarship, I have categorized algorithmic harms into four legal areas: privacy, autonomy, equality and safety. Each of these domains is vulnerable to the subtle yet often unchecked power of AI systems. The first type of harm is eroding privacy. AI systems collect, process and transfer vast amounts of data, eroding people’s privacy in ways that may not be immediately obvious but have long-term implications. For example, facial recognition systems can track people in public and private spaces, effectively turning mass surveillance into the norm. The second type of harm is undermining autonomy. AI systems often subtly undermine your ability to make autonomous decisions by manipulating the information you see. Social media platforms use algorithms to show users content that maximizes a third party’s interests, subtly shaping opinions, decisions and behaviors across millions of users. The third type of harm is diminishing equality. AI systems, while designed to be neutral, often inherit the biases present in their data and algorithms. This reinforces societal inequalities over time. In one infamous case, a facial recognition system used by retail stores to detect shoplifters disproportionately misidentified women and people of color. The fourth type of harm is impairing safety. AI systems make decisions that affect people’s safety and well-being. When these systems fail, the consequences can be catastrophic. But even when they function as designed, they can still cause harm, such as social media algorithms’ cumulative effects on teenagers’ mental health. Because these cumulative harms often arise from AI applications protected by trade secret laws, victims have no way to detect or trace the harm. This creates a gap in accountability. When a biased hiring decision or a wrongful arrest is made due to an algorithm, how does the victim know? Without transparency, it’s nearly impossible to hold companies accountable. Closing the accountability gap Categorizing the types of algorithmic harms delineates the legal boundaries of AI regulation and presents possible legal reforms to bridge this accountability gap. Changes I believe would help include mandatory algorithmic impact assessments that require companies to document and address the immediate and cumulative harms of an AI application to privacy, autonomy, equality and safety – before and after it’s deployed. For instance, firms using facial recognition systems would need to evaluate these systems’ impacts throughout their life cycle. Another helpful change would be stronger individual rights around the use of AI systems, allowing people to opt out of harmful practices and making certain AI applications opt in. For example, requiring an opt-in regime for data processing by firms’ use of facial recognition systems and allowing users to opt out at any time. Lastly, I suggest requiring companies to disclose the use of AI technology and its anticipated harms. To illustrate, this may include notifying customers about the use of facial recognition systems and the anticipated harms across the domains outlined in the typology. As AI systems become more widely used in critical societal functions – from health care to education and employment – the need to regulate harms they can cause becomes more pressing. Without intervention, these invisible harms are likely to continue to accumulate, affecting nearly everyone and disproportionately hitting the most vulnerable. With generative AI multiplying and exacerbating AI harms, I believe it’s important for policymakers, courts, technology developers and civil society to recognize the legal harms of AI. This requires not just better laws, but a more thoughtful approach to cutting-edge AI technology – one that prioritizes civil rights and justice in the face of rapid technological advancement. The future of AI holds incredible promise, but without the right legal frameworks, it could also entrench inequality and erode the very civil rights it is, in many cases, designed to enhance. Sylvia Lu is a Faculty Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, University of Michigan. The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

Martensville-Warman Early Years Family Resource Centre opensCHICAGO — With a wave of her bangled brown fingertips to the melody of flutes and chimes, artist, theologian and academic Tricia Hersey enchanted a crowd into a dreamlike state of rest at Semicolon Books on North Michigan Avenue. “The systems can’t have you,” Hersey said into the microphone, reading mantras while leading the crowd in a group daydreaming exercise on a recent Tuesday night. The South Side native tackles many of society’s ills — racism, patriarchy, aggressive capitalism and ableism — through an undervalued yet impactful action: rest. Hersey, the founder of a movement called the Nap Ministry, dubs herself the Nap Bishop and spreads her message to over half a million followers on her Instagram account, @thenapministry . Her first book, “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto,” became a New York Times bestseller in 2022, but Hersey has been talking about rest online and through her art for nearly a decade. Hersey, who has degrees in public health and divinity, originated the “rest as resistance” and “rest as reparations” frameworks after experimenting with rest as an exhausted graduate student in seminary. Once she started napping, she felt happier and her grades improved. But she also felt more connected to her ancestors; her work was informed by the cultural trauma of slavery that she was studying as an archivist. Hersey described the transformation as “life-changing.” The Nap Ministry began as performance art in 2017, with a small installation where 40 people joined Hersey in a collective nap. Since then, her message has morphed into multiple mediums and forms. Hersey, who now lives in Atlanta, has hosted over 100 collective naps, given lectures and facilitated meditations across the country. She’s even led a rest ritual in the bedroom of Jane Addams , and encourages her followers to dial in at her “Rest Hotline.” At Semicolon, some of those followers and newcomers came out to see Hersey in discussion with journalist Natalie Moore on Hersey’s latest book, “We Will Rest! The Art of Escape,” released this month, and to learn what it means to take a moment to rest in community. Moore recalled a time when she was trying to get ahead of chores on a weeknight. “I was like, ‘If I do this, then I’ll have less to do tomorrow.’ But then I was really tired,” Moore said. “I thought, ‘What would my Nap Bishop say? She would say go lay down.’ Tricia is in my head a lot.” At the event, Al Kelly, 33, of Rogers Park, said some of those seated in the crowd of mostly Black women woke up in tears — possibly because, for the first time, someone permitted them to rest. “It was so emotional and allowed me to think creatively about things that I want to work on and achieve,” Kelly said. Shortly after the program, Juliette Viassy, 33, a program manager who lives in the South Loop and is new to Hersey’s work, said this was her first time meditating after never being able to do it on her own. Therapist Lyndsei Howze, 33, of Printers Row, who was also seated at the book talk, said she recommends Hersey’s work “to everybody who will listen” — from her clients to her own friends. “A lot of mental health conditions come from lack of rest,” she said. “They come from exhaustion.” Before discovering Hersey’s work this spring, Howze said she and her friends sporadically napped together in one friend’s apartment after an exhausting workweek. “It felt so good just to rest in community,” she said. On Hersey’s book tour, she is leading exercises like this across the country. “I think we need to collectively do this,” Hersey explained. “We need to learn again how to daydream because we’ve been told not to do it. I don’t think most people even have a daydreaming practice.” Daydreaming, Hersey said, allows people to imagine a new world. Hersey tells her followers that yes, you can rest, even when your agenda is packed, even between caregiving, commuting, jobs, bills, emails and other daily demands. And you don’t have to do it alone. There is a community of escape artists, she said of the people who opt out of grind and hustle culture, waiting to embrace you. The book is part pocket prayer book, part instruction manual, with art and handmade typography by San Francisco-based artist George McCalman inspired by 19th-century abolitionist pamphlets, urging readers to reclaim their divine right to rest. Hersey directs her readers like an operative with instructions for a classified mission. “Let grind culture know you are not playing around,” she wrote in her book. “This is not a game or time to shrink. Your thriving depends on the art of escape.” The reluctance to rest can be rooted in capitalist culture presenting rest as a reward for productivity instead of a physical and mental necessity. Hersey deconstructs this idea of grind culture, which she says is rooted in the combined effects of white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalism that “look at the body as not human.” American culture encourages grind culture, Hersey said, but slowing down and building a ritual of rest can offset its toxicity. The author eschews the ballooning billion-dollar self-care industry that encourages people to “save enough money and time off from work to fly away to an expensive retreat,” she wrote. Instead, she says rest can happen anywhere you have a place to be comfortable: in nature, on a yoga mat, in the car between shifts, on a cozy couch after work. Resting isn’t just napping either. She praises long showers, sipping warm tea, playing music, praying or numerous other relaxing activities that slow down the body. “We’re in a crisis mode of deep sleep deprivation, deep lack of self-worth, (and) mental health,” said Hersey. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2022 , in Illinois about 37% of adults aren’t getting the rest they need at night. If ignored, the effects of sleep deprivation can have bigger implications later, Hersey said. In October, she lectured at a sleep conference at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, where her humanities work was featured alongside research from the world’s top neuroscientists. Jennifer Mundt, a Northwestern clinician and professor of sleep medicine, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, praises Hersey for bringing the issue of sleep and rest to the public. In a Tribune op-ed last year, Mundt argued that our culture focuses too heavily on sleep as something that must be earned rather than a vital aspect of health and that linking sleep to productivity is harmful and stigmatizing. “Linking sleep and productivity is harmful because it overshadows the bevy of other reasons to prioritize sleep as an essential component of health,” Mundt wrote. “It also stigmatizes groups that are affected by sleep disparities and certain chronic sleep disorders.” In a 30-year longitudinal study released in the spring by the New York University School of Social Work, people who worked long hours and late shifts reported the lowest sleep quality and lowest physical and mental functions, and the highest likelihood of reporting poor health and depression at age 50. The study also showed that Black men and women with limited education “were more likely than others to shoulder the harmful links between nonstandard work schedules and sleep and health, worsening their probability of maintaining and nurturing their health as they approach middle adulthood.” The CDC links sleeping fewer than seven hours a day to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and more. Related Articles Although the Nap Ministry movement is new for her followers, Hersey’s written about her family’s practice of prioritizing rest, which informs her work. Her dad was a community organizer, a yardmaster for the Union Pacific Railroad Co. and an assistant pastor. Before long hours of work, he would dedicate hours each day to self-care. Hersey also grew up observing her grandma meditate for 30 minutes daily. Through rest, Hersey said she honors her ancestors who were enslaved and confronts generational trauma. When “Rest Is Resistance” was released in 2022, Americans were navigating a pandemic and conversations on glaring racial disparities. “We Will Rest!” comes on the heels of a historic presidential election where Black women fundraised for Vice President Kamala Harris and registered voters in a dizzying three-month campaign. Following Harris’ defeat, many of those women are finding self-care and preservation even more important. “There are a lot of Black women announcing how exhausted they are,” Moore said. “This could be their entry point to get to know (Hersey’s) work, which is bigger than whatever political wind is blowing right now.” Hersey said Chicagoans can meet kindred spirits in her environment of rest. Haji Healing Salon, a wellness center, and the social justice-focused Free Street Theater are sites where Hersey honed her craft and found community. In the fall, the theater put on “Rest/Reposo,” a performance featuring a community naptime outdoors in McKinley Park and in its Back of the Yards space. Haji is also an apothecary and hosts community healing activities, sound meditations and yoga classes. “It is in Bronzeville; it’s a beautiful space owned by my friend Aya,” Hersey said, explaining how her community has helped her build the Nap Ministry. “When I first started the Nap Ministry, before I was even understanding what it was, she was like, come do your work here.” “We Will Rest!” is a collection of poems, drawings and short passages. In contrast to her first book, Hersey said she leaned more into her artistic background; the art process alone took 18 months to complete. After a tough year for many, she considers it medicine for a “sick and exhausted” world. “It’s its own sacred document,” Hersey said. “It’s something that, if you have it in your library and you have it with you, you may feel more human.” lazu@chicagotribune.com

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review: faster, brighter, and still the best Kindle

Jordanian military planes dropped aid to northern Gaza on Tuesday for the first time in five months to help relieve the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave, the army said. Two C-130 planes belonging to the Jordanian air force dropped the cargo, comprising nearly seven tons of food and other essential relief, to areas the United Nations agencies identified as most in need, the army said. "The kingdom is maintaining an air and land corridor as part of its efforts to step up aid," an army source told Reuters. A U.N. aid official said last week that Gaza aid access had reached a low point, with deliveries to parts of the besieged north of the enclave all but impossible. Jordan has been air-dropping aid and sending convoys westward overland to the Palestinians in Gaza throughout the war that erupted in October 2023 between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group that has been ruling the enclave. The army said it has so far launched about 400 such operations by its air force and allied countries. King Abdullah has accused Israel of placing obstacles to deliveries and has called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to allow uninterrupted aid flows. Washington has prodded Israel to expand the use of a land corridor through Jordan that first began late last year. The World Food Program wants it to be a major conduit for the supply of U.N.-funded food and humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israeli officials deny accusations they are deliberately using aid as a political weapon and say they have been seeking to alleviate the humanitarian situation since the start of the war.Jason Derulo's ex Jena Frumes puts her sizzling bikini body on display during family beach day in Miami

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Tuesday they have launched a counter-offensive against the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army to take back areas near Syria's northern border with Turkey. The SDF is Washington's critical ally in Syria, targeting sleeper cells of the extremist Islamic State group scattered across the country's east. Since the fall of the totalitarian rule of Bashar Assad earlier this month, clashes have intensified between the U.S.-backed group and the SNA, which captured the key city of Manbij and the areas surrounding it. The intense weekslong clashes come at a time when Syria, battered by over a decade of war and economic misery, negotiates its political future following half a century under the Assad dynasty's rule. Ruken Jamal, spokesperson of the Women's Protection Unit, or YPJ, under the SDF, told The Associated Press that their fighters are just over seven miles (11 kilometers) away from the center of Manbij in their ongoing counter-offensive. She accused Ankara of trying to weaken the group's influence in negotiations over Syria's political future through the SNA, "Syria is now in a new phase, and discussions are underway about the future of the country," Jamal said. "Turkey is trying, through its attacks, to distract us with battles and exclude us from the negotiations in Damascus." A Britain-based opposition war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says since the SNA's offensive in northern Syria against the Kurds started earlier this month, dozens from both sides have been killed. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke on Tuesday with Turkish Minister of National Defense Yasar Güler, according to Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder. He said they discussed the ongoing situation in Syria, and Austin emphasized that close and continuous coordination is crucial to a successful effort to counter IS in the country. They also discussed the importance of setting the conditions to enable a more secure and stable Syria. Ankara sees the SDF as an affiliate of its sworn enemy, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which it classifies as a terrorist organization. Turkish-backed armed groups alongside Turkish jets for years have attacked positions where the SDF are largely present across northern Syria, in a bid to create a buffer zone free from the group along the large shared border. While the SNA was involved in the lightning insurgency — led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — that toppled Assad, it has continued its push against the SDF, seen as Syria's second key actor for its political future. On Monday, the SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami said the group's forces pushed back the Turkish-backed rebels from areas near the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates, a key source of hydroelectric power. He said the SDF also destroyed a tank belonging to the rebels southeast of Manbij. The British-based war monitor said on Tuesday that the Kurdish-led group, following overnight fighting, has reclaimed four villages in the areas near the strategic dam. Turkish jets also pounded the strategic border town of Kobani in recent days. During Syria's uprising-turned-conflict, the Kurds carved out an enclave of autonomous rule across northeastern Syria, never fully allying entirely with Assad in Damascus nor the rebels trying to overthrow him. Even with the Assad family out of the picture, it appears that Ankara's position won't change, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's landmark visit to Syria maintaining a strong position on the Kurdish-led group in his meeting with de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa of HTS. "It has turned the region into a cauldron of terror with PKK members and far-left groups who have come from Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Europe,'' Fidan said in a news conference after the meeting. "The international community is turning a blind eye to this lawlessness because of the wardenship it provides (against IS)." With the ongoing fighting, SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi has expressed concern about a strong IS resurgence due to the power vacuum in Syria and the ongoing fighting, which has left the Kurdish-led group unable to carry out its attacks and raids on the extremist group's scattered sleeper cells. Tens of thousands of children, family members, and supporters of IS militants are still held in large detention centers in northeastern Syria, in areas under SDF control. (This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Raw Farm milk has been voluntarily recalled. Photo via California Department of Public Health The Marin County Public Health department is warning people not to consume raw milk products after what it calls a “suspected case of bird flu in a child who experienced fever and vomiting after drinking raw milk.” Marin County officials said they are investigating the possible case of bird flu with the California Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The child has since recovered, with no other family members who became sick, health officials said. Marin officials said the possible illness was linked to unpasteurized milk produced by Fresno County-based Raw Firm, which is currently after California health officials said its products tested positive for bird flu. But Mark McAfee, CEO of Raw Farm near Kerman, said this announcement represents the latest politically motivated attack against the raw milk community. U.S. sales of raw milk increased by 21% this year. close to the CDC investigation that testing hasn’t been completed, but initial tests have been negative for the H5 avian influenza virus in this case. McAfee said the illness could be the seasonal flu. “There are literally 100,000 people in California drinking raw milk, and you don’t think some of them might get the flu?” McAfee said Wednesday. “This is definitely part of an agenda.” On Dec. 6, state health officials issued an alert to health care providers to test for human avian flu in people who develop flu-like symptoms after consuming raw milk. Due to widespread transmission of bird flu among wild birds, there have been significant outbreaks among dairy cows and sporadic human cases. “Bird flu infections in humans are uncommon but there are ongoing outbreaks in dairy cattle and poultry farms in the United States,” said Dr. Lisa Santora, Marin County’s Public Health Officer, “The risk to the public remains low, as bird flu spread from person to person is rare.” There have been 32 confirmed cases of bird flu reported in California this year. Most bird flu detections in the U.S. have been in ag workers who were exposed to sick animals. The Marin County Public Health department is warning people not Dr. Rolston St. Hilaire, dean of the Jordan College of Agricultural Those celebrating Thanksgiving won’t have to spend as much to A pair of locally based farm associations have weighed inTrump tariffs: Which Canadian industries will be hit hardest?

TikTok’s obsession with matcha has created a reported shortage of the tea in JapanDerek Stevens, far right, runs the front of house in this undated photo at Meemaws Hometown Kitchen in Union. Owners Elise and Derek Stevens don't have prices on their menu. Instead, they ask their customer to pay what they can afford. Elise Stevens stands in Meemaws Hometown Kitchen in Union ready to serve up food in this undated photo. Stevens removed the prices from the menu at her restaurant after watching people struggle due to financial reasons. Derek Stevens takes an order from three children in this undated photo at Meemaws Hometown Kitchen in Union. Owners Elise and Derek Stevens run a pay-what-you-can restaurant where children eat for free. Owners Elise and Derek Stevens run the pay-what-you-can restaurant Meemaws Hometown Kitchen in Union. The couple fund the business through social media and contributions from others. Derek Stevens, far right, runs the front of house in this undated photo at Meemaws Hometown Kitchen in Union. Owners Elise and Derek Stevens don't have prices on their menu. Instead, they ask their customer to pay what they can afford. Elise Stevens stands in Meemaws Hometown Kitchen in Union ready to serve up food in this undated photo. Stevens removed the prices from the menu at her restaurant after watching people struggle due to financial reasons. Derek Stevens takes an order from three children in this undated photo at Meemaws Hometown Kitchen in Union. Owners Elise and Derek Stevens run a pay-what-you-can restaurant where children eat for free. Owners Elise and Derek Stevens run the pay-what-you-can restaurant Meemaws Hometown Kitchen in Union. The couple fund the business through social media and contributions from others. UNION — Every day can feel like Christmas at Meemaws Hometown Kitchen. At least, that’s what Elise and her husband Derek “Big Red” Stevens strive to provide at their pay-what-you-can restaurant in Union. When the couple first opened Meemaws in June 2024 there were prices on the menu. But that changed. “After watching half of our community not be able to partake in what we were trying to give them because of financial reasons, I really started to pray about it and God really showed me that I was to take all the prices off my menu,” Stevens said. She said now at Meemaws Hometown Kitchen the children of Union eat for free. They get two free drinks and between one to two meals a day “Those that I know really need it, I feed them all three meals,” Stevens said. And the restaurant asks adults to pay what they can afford. When it comes time to settle the bill, customers have the freedom to choose what feels right for them. Payment can come in any form, Stevens said, whether that be dollars for their wallet, vegetables for their gardens or eggs from their backyard. Meemaws is closed through the end of January due to life circumstances. When the restaurant reopens Feb. 1, Arielle Star will be joining the team as the chef. Elise and Derek Stevens have a lot of plans for how Meemaws Hometown Kitchen can grow. They’d like to buy the building to help people in need of housing and also would like to include an arcade room that can be rented out on the same pay-what-you-can system. “So single moms or single dads that need to rent a place for their children to have a party can just come and do it,” she said. The couple also hopes to open a second location in LaCrosse, Washington, in the near future. Where’s the dough? Keeping the lights on at Meemaws means the Stevenses rely on social media. “We are funded by our social media and blessings from others,” Elise Stevens said. Before opening the restaurant, she was a social media influencer. However, she stepped away from the platform following the death of her grandmother. “My grandma had told me that if I was doing it for the wrong reasons, God would humble me. A few weeks later I was hacked and lost everything,” she said. During this break, Stevens started a journey that would eventually lead to the opening Meemaws. When she prayed seeking guidance on what she should do about the prices, she said God showed her she was meant to go back to social media and use her income to feed her community. Her husband said since restarting on social media they’ve had remarkable growth. “When she was hacked, she only had about a 100,000 followers, and in the six months that we’ve decided to start we’re now over half a million followers,” he said. How it all started Her children were the original catalyst to begin cooking. Stevens said two of her children were diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, which affected their brains. She found the food they consumed daily was an important factor. “So, I went on this health journey and at the same time I was also going on a religious journey,” she said. It all started with sourdough. Then came the soups and breads, which she dropped off on people’s doorsteps and sold on Facebook. Next, Stevens started making dinner for her Bible study group. Three weeks later she told her husband she wanted to open a restaurant. He said it wasn’t feasible — they only had $20 in their bank account. “I said, ‘Well, God told me to start a restaurant, so it’s going to happen.’ The next week, we had a very nice woman from the community that heard I wanted to start a Jesus cafe, so she wrote a $5,000 check and told me to do it,” Stevens said. From December 2023 to April 2024 Stevens went from never stepping foot in the kitchen to getting ready to cook up meals at Meemaws. “I rarely went into the kitchen and part of my healing journey was the Lord sent me on this mission to take back the kitchen,” Stevens said. Trauma kept her from the kitchen Stevens said she was stabbed in the abdomen when she was four and a half months pregnant while cooking. Her abuser held her hostage, and when she escaped, life turned into a game of “cat and mouse.” A friend told Stevens she needed to hire someone to keep her safe, but as a single mother with no money, she didn’t know where to turn. Enter her husband for the last 16 years. The pair were friends when Stevens said she jokingly offered him $100 to be her bodyguard. He said OK and the rest is history. A few months later they were married. Stevens said people often ask her how she makes enough money through social media to run Meemaws. “I went through hell and I’ve seen the other side and I know that this is what God had intended for all of that. So, now I use my story and my trauma to feed my community,” she said. “I get to show my daughter, we went through this, but now look, we’re turning this around and not only are we helping people in our community, but we’re giving an outlet to people to be able to come if they need help.” Building a place of love Love is at the heart of what Elise and Derek Stevens are doing at Meemaws Hometown Kitchen. Their biggest goal is to build unity and connection within their community. They treat everyone like family. “We often say we just want to show the love of Jesus Christ to the world and that’s what it is for me. Unconditional love. I don’t care who you are or where you are in life, come to Meemaws and I will love you,” Stevens said. They hosted a free community dinner on Thanksgiving where they fed around 40 people in-house and sent everyone with an extra plate. They also fed two people working at gas stations, 18 truck drivers and took 20 meals to the local warming station. Next year they hope to double the number of people fed. The husband and wife duo are Christian, but they do not force their region on anybody. They want the restaurant to be a place where everyone feels they belong. “Memaws is to me what I always imagined a church would be,” she said. “It’s an open door policy. It’s everybody’s welcome, it’s everybody is loved, everybody's fed, everybody’s nurtured and it’s everybody scratches each other’s back.”

Ex-president Alberto Fernández appears before judge in insurance fraud case

The Boston Red Sox continued to rebuild their pitching staff, acquiring left-hander Jovani Morán on Tuesday from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for catcher and infielder Mickey Gasper. The 27-year-old Morán appeared in 79 games as a reliever for the Twins from 2021 to 2023, posting a 4.15 ERA, striking out 112 with 52 walks and holding opponents to a .208 batting average. He missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He originally was chosen in the seventh round of the 2015 draft. In Gasper, the Twins are getting a 29-year-old who made his major league debut last season and appeared in 13 games with Boston. The switch-hitter was selected by the New York Yankees in the 27th round of the 2018 draft. He was picked by Boston in the minor league portion of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft. The Red Sox and Twins both currently have 39 players on their 40-man rosters. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb The Associated Press

相关热词搜索：

上一篇：wb777.co
下一篇：777.gbt com