Los Angeles: Music icon Jennifer Lopez and retired baseball star Alex Rodriguez are engaged after two years of dating. The stars, who often document their relationship milestones on social media, took to Instagram recently to share the news, reports foxnews.com. “She said yes,” Rodriguez said in a post showing JLo’s hand with a huge engagement ring. The actress and singer shared the same post. The pair officially celebrated their two-year anniversary on February 4, and Rodriguez shared a heartfelt message on the occasion. Also Read – Hilarie Burton, Jeffery Dean Morgan tie the knot”Only 730 days which have flown by, but it feels like we have been together forever. We are meant to be, and how much you mean to me cannot be put into words,” Rodriguez wrote at the time. The engagement comes just a day after Rodriguez posted a message on his Instagram story about soulmates. “A soulmate isn’t someone who completes you. No, a soulmate is someone who inspires you to complete yourself. A soulmate is someone who loves you with so much conviction, and so much heart, that it is nearly impossible to doubt just how capable you are of becoming exactly who you have always wanted to be,” the message read. Lopez and Rodriguez first met at Shea Stadium in Queens back in 2005 when she stopped to shake the athlete’s hand before the first pitch. read more
Bhopal: The Election Commission (EC) is going to issue a notice to Malegaon blast accused and BJP candidate from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur over her remarks against police officer Hemant Karkare, who was killed in the 26/11 terror attack, an officer said Saturday.Addressing BJP workers in Bhopal on Thursday night, Thakur had claimed that Karkare died during the attacks as she “cursed” him for torturing her. However, after her remarks kicked up a row, she tendered an apology on Friday. “We took suo motu cognisance of the statement and sought a report from the assistant returning officer (ARO) on the matter. We got the report this morning and we are going to issue notices, which are returnable within 24 hours, to the organiser of the programme and the person who made the statement,” District Election Officer and Bhopal Collector Sudam Khade said. “We are going to send the ARO report to the EC,” he said. Khade said that the organiser of the event had been given permission on certain conditions as the model code of conduct was in force. According to another EC official, as per the conditions set before giving permission to the event, use of objectionable language to defame a particular person had been prohibited. Out on bail, Thakur (48) has been discharged by a court on charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the 2008 case, but is still facing trial under other criminal provisions, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The BJP on Wednesday fielded her from the Bhopal seat, where she is set to have a direct contest with Congress heavyweight and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh. Her statement against Karkare raised a political storm Friday with opposition parties attacking the BJP and the Congress demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. read more
Follow @AleksSagan on Twitter.Aleksandra Sagan, The Canadian Press VANCOUVER — Personal tax experts are reminding Canadians to claim all of the tax credits they may be eligible for when they file their income tax return this year including the new climate-related tax credit and other oft-forgotten deductions.The climate action incentive can be claimed by those who are 18 or older and resided in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario or New Brunswick as of the end of last year.The payment is limited to those four provinces because they will be charged a federal carbon tax credit starting this April, which consumers will pay for at the gas pump or through their home heating bill, said Lisa Gittens, a senior tax expert at H&R Block.“The goal … is to offset the cost of the fuel charge come April 2019 and put money back in the pockets of Canadians,” she said.The amount varies based on location and household size, and estimates can be found on the Canada Revenue Agency website. A family of three composed of a married or common-law couple and a child that lives in Saskatchewan, for example, could receive $533. That same family unit living in New Brunswick would only receive $224.There is a 10 per cent supplement for people living in small towns or rural communities in those provinces. Tax filers can check if their residence as of Dec. 31 last year is situated outside a so-called census metropolitan area on the CRA website.Non-residents cannot apply, as well as those who are excluded for other reasons, including at least 90 days of imprisonment over the year.While the climate action initiative is the big new item this year, there are other common expenses that people tend to overlook or accidentally misreport, experts say.“We talk about medical expenses consistently,” said Gittens.Canadians who paid for prescriptions or other medical items that were not fully reimbursed by a health plan can receive a non-refundable tax credit, she said. However, these medical expenses must exceed three per cent of that person’s net income.People also tend to be unaware of caregiver tax credits, said Debbie Pearl-Weinberg, executive director of tax and estate planning at CIBC.That can range from an individual caring for another or someone receiving outside care.“If people are either providing care or spending money on care, I would suggest they look into whether or not there’s a tax credit available to them,” she said, highlighting the relatively new Canada caregiver credit.People caring for a spouse, common-law partner or some types of dependants with a physical or mental impairment may be eligible, depending on a number of factors, including the relationship between the two people and cared for individual’s income.Gittens reminds students and their parents to properly account for the student’s tuition costs, as well as any scholarships or other income.Students must file a return and declare their tuition costs on it, she said, which can be applied against any taxable income they have. If the student has little or no taxable income, she said, up to $5,000 in credit can be transferred to a designated individual.While adults typically know to claim moving expenses for job-related relocations, Gittens said students may overlook them for post-secondary related moves.People who move at least 40 kilometres closer to a post-secondary institution to study full-time can deduct eligible expenses, like travel and temporary living expenses, from scholarships and other money they received that must be included in their income, according to the CRA website.Tax time is also a good opportunity to remind lower-income families with kids about the Canada Learning Bond, said Luke Connell, executive director of the Omega Foundation. The foundation runs SmartSaver, a program that helps families open a Registered Education Savings Plan and receive government support.Families with up to three children born after 2003 and a household income of no more than $46,605 in 2018 can receive the Canada Learning Bond, which requires no financial contribution from the family. Families with more children face different income thresholds.The bond amounts to $500 from the government into each child’s RESP in the first year and a further $100 for every subsequent year of eligibility. The total limit per child is $2,000.Families that start a RESP to receive the bond also tend to start to make personal contributions, even though they’re not required to do so, said Connell.Personal contributions can qualify for further government money through the Canada Education Savings Grant, with a further bonus for middle and low-income families.“Use the RESP to motivate your child,” said Connell, explaining its existence creates a college-bound mindset.“That child is from an early age going to be knowing that there’s an expectation on them to pursue post secondary.” read more
TORONTO — Licensed producer Aurora Cannabis has signed a deal to supply medical marijuana to Shoppers Drug Mart.The agreement is subject to Health Canada’s approval of the pharmacy chain’s application to dispense medical cannabis.Aurora’s products are expected to be sold online, as current Canadian regulations prohibit the sale of medical marijuana in pharmacy locations.Canada’s booming weed industry plots next wave of cannabis-based medicinesSun Life Financial to add medical marijuana option to group benefits plansQuebec inks deals with marijuana growers, the first large province to line up supply as legalization loomsShoppers Drug Mart’s deal with Aurora comes after it recently signed similar deals with licensed medical marijuana producers Aphria, MedReleaf and Tilray.The pharmacy chain’s parent company Loblaw Companies Ltd. applied in October 2016 for a license to dispense medical marijuana.Other pharmacies have also lined up similar supply agreements, such as deals between Maricann Group. and Lovell Drugs and CanniMed Therapeutics and PharmaChoice. read more
SAINT JOHN, N.B. – Irving Pulp and Paper is planning to spend about $450 million to modernize a mill in Saint John, making the announcement a day after the New Brunswick government lifted a cap on the amount of softwood it will make available to the forestry industry from Crown land.The company says work on its mill on the west side of the city is slated to begin this spring and will create the full-time equivalent of 600 jobs.CEO Jim Irving thanked the province Thursday for making a supply of wood available.“We appreciate the commitment of the province to ensure a sustainable wood supply that makes this modernization program possible,” he said in a news release.The province’s new 10-year forestry plan will allow companies to harvest an additional 660,000 cubic metres of softwood a year — a hike of 20 per cent from existing levels.Natural Resources Minister Paul Robichaud said Wednesday the increase will bring the total to about 3.9 million cubic metres of spruce and fir, enough to add 500 new jobs. The government estimates the plan will generate more than 1,200 construction jobs as mills around the province begin to modernize.Irving Pulp and Paper says its spending on the project is the largest investment in a pulp mill in Canada since 1993.There are two phases to the project, the first costing $198 million to upgrade the way wood chips are handled at the plant. It plans to complete the work in 24 months.The second phase will cost $250 million to install a modern pulp dryer that will replace three existing machines at the mill. The company says it expects to begin engineering work on the second phase this fall and estimates it will take 2 1/2 years to complete the construction phase once it starts.Irving says it is planning further announcements at its sawmills in Doaktown and Chipman on Friday, and at its mills in northern New Brunswick and Sussex at the end of March.Premier David Alward said the spending by Irving shows the province’s biggest industry has a future.“This project will put boots in the woods and in our mills in every region of our province,” he said in the company’s news release.As part of its forestry strategy, the government says it will keep a promise to increase the number of protected natural areas in the province, bringing the total area to 270,000 hectares.Liberal Opposition Leader Brian Gallant has questioned whether the amount of money spent on planting and silviculture programs will adequately keep pace with the higher harvest levels in the plans.Green party Leader David Coon said taking 20 per cent more wood from Crown land will decimate the province’s forests.On Wednesday, Robichaud said the strategy is aimed at giving the forestry industry a chance to rebound.He said before 2000, there were 105 mills operating in New Brunswick and today there are fewer than 40 in operation. AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email by The Canadian Press Posted Mar 13, 2014 8:03 am MDT Irving mill to get upgrade a day after New Brunswick lifts softwood cap read more
“This marks another important step in the determined efforts by Somalia’s new leadership to bring about a positive change in Somalia,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson added in a statement.Prime Minister Shirdon announced the composition of cabinet – known as the Council of Ministers – on 4 November and the parliament endorsed the nominations on 13 November. The 10-member cabinet includes Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fauzia Yusuf Haji Adan, reportedly the first woman to hold such a senior position in the Horn of Africa nation. Earlier this week, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, welcomed parliament’s endorsement of the cabinet ministers as a “historic milestone” for the county, which has been undergoing a peace and national reconciliation process in recent months that led to the end of a nine-year political transition period.Mr. Mahiga, who also heads the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), commended Mr. Shirdon as well as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for their consultations with a wide cross-section of Somali society in the lead-up to the appointment of the cabinet, “which bears all positive hallmarks of a potential good government.”The Secretary-General and his Special Representative look forward to working with the President and his Government to implement the six-pillar policy that will guide the country to democratic elections in the course of the next four years, today’s statement added.That policy aims to secure progress in the areas of stability, economic recovery, peacebuilding, service delivery, international relations and unity. read more
Doug Williams198227409Rival league Chase Daniel30199.6 Ed Hargett197124199Benched Colin Kaepernick201629202? Many of the absences were injury-related (remember Trent Green?), some QBs simply lost their starting roles and stayed on the bench, and others were lured away to join rival leagues.Kaepernick, though, isn’t injured, has not yet secured even a spot on the bench, and an excursion into a rival league is a far steeper fall off for a player today than it was in the past.Kaepernick can fit into different offensesThat doesn’t mean Kaepernick’s case is open and shut, though. There are other factors that may be at play, such as his reported desire to compete for a starting job (and earn a low-starter to high-backup salary). That would encourage him to wait and see what happens with Romo and the ripple effects that Romo’s move could have on the rest of the league.But there is also a belief that the delay in finding Kaepernick a team is because of his particular skillset: that any team that signs him would have to run an offense built for a quarterback who isn’t a pocket passer. But Kaepernick’s reputation for being a bad QB in the pocket is somewhat overblown. There are in-depth film reviews for Kaepernick that show his ability to make reads and handle pressure, such as Doug Farrar’s at Bleacher Report. The stats confirm as much.Last season, Kaepernick completed 61 percent of his passes from the pocket, for 14 touchdowns and two interceptions, according to data from ESPN’s Stats & Information Group. Elite quarterbacks tend to complete something in the mid-to-high 60s, so it’s not like Kaepernick is being shunned despite being elite. The league median completion percentage since 2010 is 63 percent. Still, considering that San Francisco receivers dropped 6.3 percent of all targets thrown their way in 2016 — the highest rate in the league — Kaepernick’s accuracy is likely a bit better than the percentages show.3Many of the drops were short-to-intermediate routes, so Kaepernick wasn’t losing massive chunks of potential yardage to drops the way, say, Cam Newton was. But for offenses that struggle to gain big chunks of yardage, drops on short passes have a compounding effect.It was Kaepernick’s out-of-pocket stats that weighed down his numbers: He completed just 49 percent of his passes from outside the pocket in 2016, with a raw QBR (total QBR before adjusting for strength of opponent) of just 16.5 on those plays. So it’s probably a good thing that the share of Kaepernick’s plays that came outside the pocket were at a career-low last season, dropping from a high of 23 percent of his plays in 2012 to 17 percent in 2016. That 17 percent is still fairly high relative to the league (the median since 2010 is 11 percent), but his game is trending toward staying in the pocket.Despite Kaepernick’s flaws, QBs at his level are still worth something in the NFL, in part because its quarterback marketplace is driven by scarcity. The Denver Broncos were prepared to give up a fourth-round pick for Kaepernick last year because there aren’t that many people in the world who can do what Kaepernick can do, even if what Kaepernick does is far from perfect.For instance, Kaepernick’s raw QBR for in-pocket plays has not been very good the past few seasons. Among 232 qualified passer-seasons since 2010, Kaepernick’s 2016 ranks 208th. But then look at Sam Bradford, whose 2015 season ranks four spots ahead of Kaepernick, at 204th. When Minnesota starter Teddy Bridgewater went down just before the 2016 season, the Vikings traded a 2017 first-round pick and a 2018 fourth-rounder for Bradford’s services as an emergency starter. Kaepernick is only a year older than Bradford was last season, but his value has dipped from a fourth-round pick in Denver to seemingly nothing at all.It is impossible to prove the precise mix of factors that have gone into Kaepernick’s free agency to this point. The market remains paralyzed by Romo, and teams are run by fallible owners and executives who may simply disagree on Kaepernick’s football value. But given what we know about how the quarterback market has worked historically, and about Kaepernick’s value as a player, the commentariat is right to be suspicious. If Kaepernick begins the season without a team, history says it’s unlikely to be for football reasons. We aren’t there yet, but every day further into free agency makes that scenario harder to ignore. Shaun Hill373863.6 Steve Walsh199428220Benched Colin Kaepernick2945455.2 T.J. Rubley199325225Benched PLAYERYEARAGEYARDS ABOVE REPLACEMENTREASON FOR ABSENCE Ed Rubbert198723361Unsigned Robert Griffin III2721145.0 Charlie Whitehurst353037.9 In other words, Kaepernick’s absence from the NFL may be a quirk of circumstance in a league where there are only so many landing spots during the offseason. You don’t hear talk radio obsessing over where Blaine Gabbert will end up, for example.Our free-agency data set has a blind spot, though — it only shows QBs who were ultimately signed. Another way to try to evaluate why Kaepernick hasn’t been is to spin a hypothetical: Imagine Kaepernick doesn’t throw a single pass next season — is he like other QBs who fall off the map?Not really. Since 1966, only one under-30 quarterback has had as good a year as Kaepernick’s 20161According to yards above replacement, which takes into account passing and rushing value over a backup-level QB. yet gone unsigned the next year.2Congrats to Ed Rubbert, who went unsigned in 1988 after playing as a scab during an NFL player’s strike for Washington the previous year. Other young quarterbacks who follow relatively good seasons with no passes the next tend to be out of the game for different reasons: Matt McGloin271714.5 Quarterbacks who remain unsigned as of March 29, 2017 SEASON BEFORE ABSENCE David Fales2671.8 Neil Lomax198829829Injury Bobby Hebert198929444Holdout Why Kaepernick-caliber QBs missed a season Ryan Fitzpatrick3448145.4 Greg Cook196923614Injury PREVIOUS SEASON Last season, Kaepernick posted a QBR of 55.2 — which is not great (he ranked 23rd out of 30 qualified passers) but also not terrible. (The NFL-wide average QBR was 61.3.) You can see on the chart that Lee’s theory is credible: It’s hard to find a recent free-agent QB who played at Kaepernick’s level and lasted so long on the market the next offseason. Matt Leinart (2012) and Kyle Orton (2014) signed nearly 50 days into their free agency, but neither had played much the year before. Michael Vick wasn’t signed for 169 days in 2015, but he was also older and coming off a season (39.4 QBR) far worse than Kaepernick’s 2016.There are an unusual number of unsigned QBs at this stage of the offseason, though, and some with comparable résumés to Kaepernick’s. That’s in part because Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo may move teams this offseason and begin a QB carousel in the league. Charlie Batch200127197Benched Three weeks into the NFL’s free-agency period, Colin Kaepernick still doesn’t have a job. Ordinarily, an NFL veteran who is having difficulty finding a team isn’t exactly newsworthy. But NFL talent is scarce at quarterback, and Kaepernick’s situation is far from ordinary.After Kaepernick’s protest of the national anthem last season as quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, the question has become whether it’s the reason that teams are avoiding him. Some arguments regarding Kaepernick’s worth to a team are easily put aside (the obsession over “distractions” in sports is always tired but loses all meaning when we have proof that the supposed distraction had the opposite effect), though that wouldn’t necessarily stop a team from considering them. But others are more credible, or at least invite more investigation. Could it be that Kaepernick just isn’t good enough, or that he plays a style that makes him difficult to accommodate?The evidence suggests that those factors alone don’t explain Kaepernick’s unemployment. Kaepernick’s current employment status looks less like a natural result of the supposed NFL meritocracy and more like something unusual is going on (even by the standards of an unusually complex situation). His play is good enough to have attracted interest from teams by now. That it hasn’t suggests that he’s being punished on at least some level for his political outspokenness.Other QBs as good as Kaepernick usually get signedThere are a couple of ways we can judge whether it’s unusual that Kaepernick is still waiting for NFL teams to call. One is to see how long into free agency it usually takes for a quarterback of Kaepernick’s quality to find a new team. Director Spike Lee implied in an Instagram post a week ago that similar QBs are usually signed by now. He’s right.To investigate Lee’s claim, we started with a list of all free-agent QBs who changed teams since 2012 (the first free-agency period under the NFL’s current collective bargaining agreement), courtesy of our friends at ESPN’s Stats & Information Group. Then for each quarterback, we plotted his Total Quarterback Rating (QBR) from the season before his free agency — to get a sense of how well he played — against the number of days that elapsed between the start of his free agency and his signing: Gary Danielson197827341Injury Trent Green199828458Injury Steve Beuerlein198924226Benched Jay Cutler3417033.2 Craig Nall200425224Benched Vince Ferragamo198026987Rival league Steve Walsh199125436Benched Sam Bradford201326254Injury Blaine Gabbert2721860.3 Randy Johnson197329345Rival league Minimum one action play in the previous season. Ages are as of Dec. 31, 2016.Source: ESPN Stats & Information Group Ed Luther198427396Rival league Timm Rosenbach199024197Injury Case Keenum2938843.4 Top 20 seasons, by yards above replacement, among quarterbacks younger than 30 who threw zero passes the following season, 1966 to 2016. Ages are as of Dec. 31 of the listed year.Sources: Pro-Football-Reference.com, media reports PLAYERAGEPLAYSQBR read more
After defeating Georgetown on Friday night 2-0, the Ohio State women’s soccer team (17-4-1) is preparing for its first Final Four matchup in program history when it will take on Notre Dame (19-2-2) on Friday in Cary, N.C. Notre Dame enters the Final Four as the No. 4 seed in its region, after knocking off No. 1 seed North Carolina 4-1 in the Sweet 16 and No. 2 seed Oklahoma State 2-0 in the Elite Eight. OSU forward Paige Maxwell, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, said she isn’t intimidated by the Fighting Irish, who have outscored their opponents 13-1 in the tournament. “They’re a solid team, just like anyone else. You have to be, honestly, a great team to go into the Final Four,” Maxwell said. “But I don’t think that they’re a competitor that we can’t beat.” OSU goalkeeper Katie Baumgardner said the Buckeyes are prepared to take on their Midwest rival. “They’re a great team. They only have two losses on the season,” Baumgardner said. “There’s a lot of tension between the two teams, so it’s going to be a heated rivalry.” Geographical proximity might be the only similarity between the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish. The Buckeyes will try to combat Notre Dame’s high-scoring offense with a defense led by the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Cassie Dickerson. The Buckeyes’ defense has given up two goals in the first four rounds of the tournament, both of which came in OSU’s Sweet 16 matchup with Virginia. “As a defense, we like to work for each other,” Dickerson said. “If we set that tone, it will work up the field for our midfielders and our forwards. So if we set that tone and our whole team plays with that mentality, then I think we’re pretty hard to stop.” While Notre Dame has advanced to the Final Four by way of taking commanding leads over its opponents, the Buckeyes have tended more toward nailbiters, including a double-overtime, opening-round win over St. Francis (PA) and a second-round penalty kick shootout victory over Dayton. Maxwell said the Buckeyes are built to win close games. “We’re an overtime team,” Maxwell said. “We’re all fit enough. We all know the game of soccer, and anything can happen with soccer.” A win Friday would put the Buckeyes in Sunday’s championship game against the winner of the Stanford (22-0-2) and Boston College (17-6-1) matchup. Baumgardner said she’s yet to put her team’s historic season into perspective. “None of us have realized how big this season has been,” Baumgardner said. “It’s not going to really sink in until it’s over.” Maxwell said she’s excited to showcase her talents in the national spotlight but that, for now, the Buckeyes are focused on beating the Fighting Irish. “We deserve to be here. We deserve to show people our game, our style and how athletic and how good we are as a soccer team,” Maxwell said. “It’s been a whirlwind, but we’re just ready to go there and show Notre Dame what’s up.” read more
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is not too worried about the extent of Cristiano Ronaldo’s ankle injury after their 2-2 draw against Barcelona in Sunday night’s “El Clasico”Barcelona defender Gerard Pique appeared to have stepped on Ronaldo’s ankle as he scored Real’s first equaliser in the 14th minute at the Nou Camp.The Portuguese forward continued to play throughout the remainder of the first-half but had to be substituted after the break with Real just under two weeks away from facing Liverpool in the Champions League final.“We’re not worried about the final,” said Zidane, according to BBC.Fiorentina owner: “Ribery played better than Ronaldo!” Andrew Smyth – September 14, 2019 Fiorentina owner Rocco Commisso was left gushing over Franck Ribery’s performance against Juventus, which he rates above that of even Cristiano Ronaldo’s.“He’s not great right now but I think it’s going to be a small thing – it was only a bad movement,”“I can’t say how long he’ll be out for. Tomorrow he’ll have a scan.”After a slow start to the season, Ronaldo has been sensational in the latter part of Real’s campaign and the 33-year-old has scored 25 La Liga goals in 26 appearances. read more
Dani Ceballos has credited the effort of new boss Santiago Solari for making line-ups less predictable with the addition of younger playersCeballos, 22, has already started six La Liga games this season – two more than the entirety of last season alongside other youth graduates“This year is different, in fact, it is maybe a little unusual,” Ceballos told reporters after the game on Saturday, as cited by Football Espana.“There are a lot of younger players who are pressing to be played in the first team and that is making our line-ups less predictable and keeping players on their toes.Mourinho: “Lionel Messi made me a better coach” Andrew Smyth – September 14, 2019 Jose Mourinho believes the experience of going up against Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi at Real Madrid made him a greater coach.“Before this was not the case but now we have a lot of younger players who are being called into the side, I think it is good.“I am really happy for (Marcos) Llorente, for Fede (Valverde) and for myself, because this is what we all need and it gives us motivation.“It also should improve the players who are more established and gives us a better dynamic.” read more
Facebook Twitter Google+LinkedInPinterestWhatsAppProvidenciales, 20 Oct 2014 – GET INVOLVED — Natl Tourism Strategy moves to public meetings phase beginning Wednesday in Grand Turk. Already exit questionnaires are being completed by visitors to the country with robust participation.Minister of Tourism, Premier Rufus Ewing this morning encouraged input.KPMG Managing Director, Gary Brough explained his team wants a strong sampling of ideas, suggestions and experiences for the final report. This analysis will be presented to Government as recommendations for growing and sustaining a viable tourism industry for years and years to come.Also on hand TCHTA Executive, Stacy Cox and Tourist Board Director, Ralph Higgs who agreed that the exercise enables the TCI to explore ways to remain a leading vacation destination.The exit survey and its 20 questions does double duty by getting direct feedback from customers; ie, visitors to the island.Wed Oct 22 6pm – GDT – Anglican Sunday school hallThurs Oct 23 11am – South – Regatta VillageNEXT WEEKThurs Oct 30 11am – Middle – Conch BarThurs Oct 30 2pm – North – Horse Stable BeachFri Oct 31 11am – Salt Cay – Salt Shed Turks and Caicos invited to the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore Related Items:national tourism strategy, premier rufus ewing, ralph higgs, stacy cox, TCHTA Facebook Twitter Google+LinkedInPinterestWhatsApp Luxury events for Chicago’s leading travel and media professionals hosted by #TeamTCI Recommended for you TCI: Hard work happens each day, says new President of TC Hotel and Tourism Association; Strategic Action Plan unveiled read more
KEY WEST, FLA. (WSVN) – Florida Fish and Wildlife is looking for the person responsible for damaging a coral reef near Key West.Officials found blades from a large propeller that damaged the coral located inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, last week.A large boat between 80 to 100 feet long is to blame, said officials.The coral reef will need immediate repairs from the impact.Anyone with information about the boat or owner is urged to contact the FWC.Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Meghan MarkleSuits Official FacebookMeghan Markle is a new mother and is slowly discovering what being a new mother entails. The Duchess of Sussex has apparently been having sleepless nights thanks to baby Archie.Meghan Markle has been up at night nursing her new son Archie, according to royal biographer, Katie Nicholl. Ms. Nicholl told ET: “Meghan’s been up in the night nursing, feeding on demand every few hours…..Apparently, he’s a hungry little baby.”Meghan Markle seems to be rising up to the challenge of new parenthood. The Duchess is reportedly up all night feeding the baby on demand, which is pretty standard mom duty if you ask us. Besides, she will have help as the couple has hired a new nanny. Ms. Nicholl also revealed that the royal’s new nanny had to sign an “extensive” non-disclosure agreement. It is no secret that Meghan Markle values her privacy, so it is a reasonable assumption that she will place an extremely high premium on the privacy of her newborn child as well. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex visit the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on July 17, 2018 in London, England. The exhibition explores the life and times of Nelson Mandela and marks the centenary of his birth.Getty ImagesMs. Nicholl said: “I’ve heard from very reliable sources that the new nanny who has been appointed by the Sussexes has had to sign quite an extensive non-disclosure agreement.”Privacy is one of the reasons Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are residing at Frogmore Cottage. They chose the cottage, so that they can take care of baby Archie away from the Palace. Meghan Markle was on maternity leave since she gave birth but made her first public appearance at Trooping the Colour 2019. Fans were not particularly pleased that the Duchess was pushed to the side of the balcony photo. You can check out the video here: read more
Al OrtizTexas A & M System chancellor John Sharp (center) and Texas A & M president Michael Young (right) toured Houston Methodist after a taking part in a presentation on their upcoming school.With technology playing an increasingly big role in medicine, Texas A&M is planning a new school that will combine medicine and engineering to train future doctors.The school, which will be located at Houston Methodist hospital, will be part of Texas A&M’s College of Medicine’s MD program and its College of Engineering.The goal is teaching medicine to students who already have an engineering undergraduate degree into physicians who can skillfully work using technology.“Technology is integral to where medicine is today and certainly to where medicine is going tomorrow, whether you are talking the technologies to assist in diagnoses or the technologies to assist in the research processes,” noted Marc Boom, president and CEO at Houston Methodist, during a presentation.Researchers and students at the school will work on new orthopedics and prosthetics, and developing tissue regeneration and perfecting telemedicine are other possibilities.Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp says new technologies are an example of what medicine can be like in the coming years with the work of their future students.“A patient would simply walk through a doorway at home and the information would be sent to a specialist in Houston and that specialist in the Texas Medical Center would be able to communicate with the patient’s rural, small practice doctor,” Sharp commented.Texas A&M projects the school’s first class will have 50 students who will start in fall 2017. Share 00:00 /01:19 X To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code: Listen read more
As part of its series of interviews with candidates running in major political races, Houston Matters interviewed Tuesday Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, who is running for the Texas 7th Congressional District against incumbent U.S. Representative John Culberson.Fletcher, who is an attorney by profession, lamented the “extreme partisanship” in Congress and said it’s not adequately performing its checks and balances function. “We really haven’t seen this Congress performing that check on the executive branch.”Fletcher talked about topics that are important in the Houston region and, regarding flood risk reduction, noted that the person who represents the Texas 7th Congressional District needs to secure funding “on a constant basis” for flood mitigation. Fletcher also noted that some experts have identified certain weaknesses in the Addicks and Barker dams and said that issue should be addressed immediately.The candidate also criticized Congressman Culberson for what she considers is a philosophy of poor cooperation with the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO).Al Ortiz/Houston Public MediaCongressional candidate Lizzie Pannill Fletcher was interviewed on Houston Matters on Sept. 11, 2018.“I think we need someone who’s gonna work with METRO and help METRO do its job to keep people moving across this city, across the county. You know, the service area is big and we need region wide transit solutions,” noted Fletcher.Touching on another topic of local interest, the candidate said she thinks supporting the energy industry and protecting the environment is compatible. “Yes, oil and gas and energy is the driver of our economy, and fossil fuels are and will continue to be a major driver of our economy here in Houston, but people here care about clean air and clean water, and making sure we have responsible operators that are working in the industry, and I think that that’s the key, it’s to partner with people across the community.”Fletcher also talked about immigration and expressed her support for a comprehensive reform, but also pointed out the need to make an effort to work in a bipartisan way towards that goal. “We need to send some new people there who are willing to do the work,” the candidate noted “work across the aisle and come up with solutions.”Fletcher criticized how the Trump administration is making it more difficult to get asylum in the United States and said that families have traditionally been able to stay together –instead of being separated like it has happened this year— and did show up for their asylum hearings. “We’ve really created a problem where one didn’t exist before and I think it’s putting more of a burden on our system and it’s causing irreparable damage to these families,” the candidate commented.As for health care, Fletcher noted that it is “people’s number one concern because there’s so much instability in our health care markets right now.” The candidate supports strengthening the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, by continuing the subsidies it entails. Covering pre-existing conditions and enabling Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs are other measures the candidate supports.Culberson is scheduled to be interviewed on Houston Matters later this month. 00:00 /18:14 Share X Listen To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code: read more
By Lauren Poteat, NNPA Newswire Washington CorrespondentOn a mission to combat issues of diabetes, which disproportionately afflicts Black Americans nationwide, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association for more than 215 of the nation’s leading Black media companies, moderated a very important conversation surrounding the chronic condition and its ongoing negative impacts on people of color.Panelists participating in a high-energy January 24thdiscussion, held during the NNPA’s Mid-Winter Conference, vehemently pushed for people of color to actively “get ahead” of their health. The panel was moderated by Bishop Elton Amos, MD, founder of Church of God In Christ’s Global Health and Wellness Initiative, in cooperation with Eli Lilly and Company. The panel also featured two executives from Eli Lilly: Nate Miles, VP Strategic Initiatives, State Government Affairs and Tanisha Blake, Associate Brand Manager, Payer Marketing.(Photo: Mark Mahoney / NNPA)“We have to get ahead of our health,” said Bishop Amos, whose organization is devoted to promoting healthy lifestyles among minorities. “Diabetes is still a major issue for people of color. We have to start utilizing our doctors more, getting tested regularly and working better on balancing and maintaining healthy lifestyles.”The American Heart Association cites diabetes as one of three major dangerous health conditions (along with high blood pressure and obesity) that play a vital role in increasing the chances of succumbing to heart disease and strokes.Additionally, the American Diabetes Association reports that 13.2 percent of all Black Americans aged 20 years or older have been diagnosed with diabetes. Blacks are 1.7 times more likely than their white counterparts to suffer from the disease.In an attempt to combat diabetes, Eli Lilly and Company, a global pharmaceutical corporation and leader in diabetes management, announced the recent opening of theirLilly Diabetes Solution Center and Helpline, crafted particularly for Black Americans.The announcement was received enthusiastically by NNPA’s Chairman, Chicago Crusader Publisher, Dorothy R. Leavell and others in attendance. “Eli Lilly and Company has taken big steps to develop a solution center for diabetes,” Chairman Leavell said. “This center will help our people gain access to affordable insulin and valuable resources and also provide cost savings solutions and free clinic information.”Dedicated to making sure that no one has to pay full price for insulin, the new Lilly Diabetes Solution Center and Helplineprides itself on beinga solution-oriented program that grants relief for those who are not insured, are underinsured or have high out-of-pocket expenses.With a longstanding reputation for pouring into communities of color, the Lilly organizationhas also donated insulin to three relief agencies that serve communities of color globally, particularly in the U.S.: Americares,Direct Relief and Dispensary of Hope,and has distributed insulin to over 150 free clinics around the country.“This new helpline alone, will help people get direct access to affordable diabetic healthcare,” Leavell said. “It will help link them directly to clinics in their local communities that can help and will provide information on how to go about utilizing resources. We are really working hard to get this information out to all of our publishers and we thank Eli Lilly and Company for this initiative.”To learn more about the Lilly Diabetes Solution Center and Helpline, visit: Lilly Diabetes Solution Center and Helpline read more
A combination of a common diabetes medication and a drug for treating hypertension may effectively combat a wide range of cancer cells by driving them to commit ‘suicide’, a new study has claimed.Metformin is the most widely prescribed drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Besides its blood sugar lowering effect, it also displays anti-cancer properties. The usual therapeutic dose is too low to effectively fight cancer.Researchers, led by Michael Hall from the University of Basel in Switzerland, found that antihypertensive drug syrosingopine potentiates the anti-cancer efficacy of metformin. Also Read – Add new books to your shelfThe drug combination drives cancer cells to programmed “suicide.” At higher doses, the antidiabetic drug inhibits the growth of cancer cells but could also induce unwanted side effects.Researchers screened over a thousand drugs for whether they can enhance the anticancer action of metformin.The cocktail with syrosingopine effective in a wide range of cancers, researchers said.“For example, in samples from leukaemia patients, we demonstrated that almost all tumour cells were killed by this cocktail and at doses that are actually not toxic to normal cells,” said Don Benjamin, from the University of Basel. Also Read – Over 2 hours screen time daily will make your kids impulsive“And the effect was exclusively confined to cancer cells, as the blood cells from healthy donors were insensitive to the treatment,” Benjamin said.In mice with malignant liver cancer, enlargement of the liver was reduced after the therapy. Also the number of tumour nodules was less – in some animals the tumours disappeared completely.A glance at the molecular processes in the tumour cells explains the drug combination’s efficacy: Metformin lowers not only the blood glucose level, but also blocks the respiratory chain in the energy factories of the cell, the mitochondria. The antihypertensive drug syrosingopine inhibits, among other things, the degradation of sugars.Thus, the drugs interrupt the vital processes which provide energy for the cell.Due to their increased metabolic activity and rapid growth, cancer cells have a particularly high energy consumption, which makes them extremely vulnerable when the energy supply is reduced.By testing a range of other compounds with the same mode of action, the scientists could demonstrate that the inhibition of the respiratory chain in the mitochondria is a key mechanism.These also reduced cancer cell growth in combination with the antihypertensive drug.“We have been able to show that the two known drugs lead to more profound effects on cancer cell proliferation than each drug alone,” said Benjamin.“The data from this study support the development of combination approaches for the treatment of cancer patients,” he said.The study was published in the journal Science Advances. read more
News | Neuro Imaging | May 17, 2019 New Study Evaluates Head CT Examinations and Patient Complexity Frequent diagnoses of “dizziness and giddiness” and “headache” suggest ICD-10 codes do not accurately reflect complex patient cases Images of regions of interest (colored lines) in the white matter skeleton representation. Data from left and right anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) were averaged. Image courtesy of C. Bouziane et al. News | Artificial Intelligence | August 13, 2019 Artificial Intelligence Could Yield More Accurate Breast Cancer Diagnoses University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system that… read more Siemens Go.Top CT scanner at SCCT19Video Player is loading.Play VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 1:05Loaded: 15.14%Stream Type LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time -1:05 Playback Rate1xChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions settings, opens captions settings dialogcaptions off, selectedAudio Trackdefault, selectedFullscreenThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. 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This release… read more Sponsored Content | Case Study | Radiation Dose Management | August 13, 2019 The Challenge of Pediatric Radiation Dose Management Radiation dose management is central to child patient safety. Medical imaging plays an increasing role in the accurate… read more News | Neuro Imaging | August 16, 2019 ADHD Medication May Affect Brain Development in Children A drug used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appears to affect development of the brain’s… read more News | Brachytherapy Systems | August 14, 2019 Efficacy of Isoray’s Cesium Blu Showcased in Recent Studies August 14, 2019 — Isoray announced a trio of studies recently reported at scientific meetings and published in medica read more Related Content The CT scanner might not come with protocols that are adequate for each hospital situation, so at Phoenix Children’s Hospital they designed their own protocols, said Dianna Bardo, M.D., director of body MR and co-director of the 3D Innovation Lab at Phoenix Children’s. Image courtesy of Imago Systems News | Pediatric Imaging | August 14, 2019 Ultrasound Guidance Improves First-attempt Success in IV Access in Children August 14, 2019 – Children’s veins read more News | Mammography | August 14, 2019 Imago Systems Announces Collaboration With Mayo Clinic for Breast Imaging Image visualization company Imago Systems announced it has signed a know-how license with Mayo Clinic. The multi-year… read more May 17, 2019 — Computed tomography (CT) of the head uses special X-ray equipment to help assess head injuries, dizziness and other symptoms of the brain. A new study, published online in Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology,1 evaluates the complexity of patients undergoing head-CT examinations.The study was led by lead author Melissa M. Chen, M.D., a clinical neuroradiologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Chen and her co-investigators used 2017 Medicare claims data to identify the most common site for performing head-CT examinations. After finding the most common site was emergency departments (ED), the authors classified the data by the complexity of the patient’s ED visit. The visits were analyzed by the level of complexity (1-least complex to 5-most complex patient) as well as the diagnosis reported on the billed head CT claims.”Of the 6,363,404 head-CT exams in 2017, 56.1 percent were performed in the ED and 70 percent of non-contrast exams performed in the ED were ordered in the most complex patient encounters (level 5 visits),” said Chen. “The most common diagnosis reported for head-CT scans without contrast agents in level 5 visits were ‘dizziness and giddiness,’ and for head-CT without and with contrast agents was ‘headache.’””Head-CT is not only most frequently ordered in the ED, but also during the most complex ED visits, suggesting that the ICD-10 codes associated with such exams do not appropriately reflect patient complexity,” stated coauthor Ryan Lee, M.D., a radiologist at Einstein Healthcare Network, “The valuation process should also consider the complexity of associated billed patient encounters.”For more information: www.journals.elsevier.com/current-problems-in-diagnostic-radiologyReference1. Chen M.M., Hirsch J.A., Lee R.K., et al. Determining the Patient Complexity of Head CT Examinations: Implications for Proper Valuation of a Critical Imaging Service. Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology, May 10, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1067/j.cpradiol.2019.05.007 FacebookTwitterLinkedInPrint分享 Image courtesy of UTHealth McGovern Medical School News | Radiation Therapy | August 15, 2019 First Patient Enrolled in World’s Largest Brain Cancer Clinical Trial Henry Ford Cancer Institute is first-in-the-world to enroll a glioblastoma patient in the GBM AGILE Trial (Adaptive… read more News | Stroke | August 16, 2019 Mobile Stroke Unit Gets Patients Quicker Treatment Than Traditional Ambulance Every second counts for stroke patients, as studies show they can lose up to 27 million brain cells per minute…. read more Videos | CT Angiography (CTA) | August 07, 2019 VIDEO: Walk Around of a Siemens Go.Top Dedicated Cardiac Scanner This is a quick walk around of the new Siemens Somatom Go.top cardiovascular edition compact computed tomography (CT) read more read more
Mortgage Rates to near 5% in Q4 2018 Share 20-year fixed mortgage rate Economy Fannie Mae Fed GDP HOUSING mortgage rates sales 2018-02-16 Radhika Ojha February 16, 2018 816 Views in Daily Dose, Data, Featured, News Mortgage rates and home sales are expected to rise in 2018 according to the latest economic and housing outlook by Fannie Mae. The report expects mortgage rates to rise 30 basis points to 4.4 percent by the end of 2018 as a result of the unexpected spike in long-term interest rates at the start of the year.The report, which gives a snapshot of what can be expected from the economy during the year, indicated that robust economic growth would continue into 2018 despite the recent market volatility and expects the U.S. economy to post a strong 2.7 percent GDP growth during the year. “Strength in economic fundamentals continues to underpin the current forecast, including recent momentum in domestic demand and a historically healthy labor market,” the report predicted.The report indicated that the passage of deficit-financed stimulus in this year’s budget was likely to raise additional overheating concerns. The report forecasts the first rate hike of the year in March during the Fed meeting under the new leadership of Fed Chair Jerome Powell.According to the report, after seeing a surge in spending in the last quarter of 2017, spending growth could moderate in the coming quarters but would remain the primary driver for the country’s economic growth, in part due to increased disposable income from the tax cut. In fact, the stronger disposable household income growth due to the tax cut and strong growth in jobs is also expected to translate into rising new home sales during the year.“We upped this year’s 30-year fixed mortgage rate forecast by 30 basis points …” said Doug Duncan, Chief Economist at Fannie Mae. “However we don’t expect rates to play much of a role in total home sales, especially with anticipated stronger disposable household income growth.”During the year, the forecast expects median home prices to rise from $246,000 in 2017 to $259,000. Median prices of new homes are also expected to increase from $320,000 to $337,000.“The ongoing inventory shortages should continue to constrain sales despite otherwise ripe home buying conditions,” Duncan said. read more
2020 Rocky MountaineerCanadarailspecials Great Train Journeys has announced that 2020 Rocky Mountaineer itineraries are now open for booking, and agents can pass on to their clients up to four free perks per booking on qualifying 2020 Rocky Mountaineer package of 8D/7N or more, and up to two free perks per booking on packages of 5-7 days, in any class of service from the 2020 dates.The four free perks for a minimum 8D/7N package include two additional hotel nights at the start or end of the package in Vancouver, Calgary, Victoria, Banff, Lake Louise or Seattle; one airport transfer in Vancouver, Calgary or Seattle; and one set menu dinner at the preferred hotel outside of rail days. The two free perks for the 5-7 day packages include one free hotel night and an airport transfer.Agents should note that the offer is based on a ‘per room/per booking’ basis. Bookings must be made by 31 August 2019 and fully paid by 10 January 2020 for travel in 2020. Blackout dates apply. read more