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Tag: General News

  • San Jose Sharks-Dallas Stars game has record small SAP Center crowd

    SAN JOSE – The smallest announced crowd of the season took in Tuesday’s game between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars at SAP Center.

    The Sharks announced that just 10,070 tickets had been distributed for the game, as San Jose faced Joe Pavelski and Dallas for the second time in four days. The previous season-low was 10,074 for a Nov. 7 game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

    The actual number of fans in attendance Tuesday looked to be far less than 10,000, with most sections around the arena far less than half full. Arena officials were expecting around 6,200 fans in the building.

    Those that showed up saw the Sharks take a three-goal lead in the third period, only to give it up and lose 7-6 to the Stars in overtime.

    The smallest all-time crowd for a Sharks game at the downtown arena — that hasn’t been affected by capacity restrictions — is 10,059, announced for a Nov. 3, 2021 game against the Buffalo Sabres.

    Some tickets for Tuesday’s game on the Sharks’ app about an hour were going for between $11-$15 before taxes and fees.

    The seating capacity at SAP Center after renovations last offseason is 17,435, down from 17,562 in previous years, and there have been nine announced sellouts this season.

    The Sharks average attendance this season – before Tuesday – was 13,758, or 78.9 percent of capacity, which ranks last among all 32 NHL teams.

    Along with the announced sellouts, Tuesday’s game marked the 11th time in 30 home games that the Sharks have announced a crowd of less than 11,000.

    The Sharks are 9-18-2 at home this season, and 15-39-6 overall as they came into Tuesday in 31st place in the NHL’s overall standings.

    This season, the Sharks, coming off a 29th-place finish in the NHL standings and an offseason in which they traded Erik Karlsson, the Sharks only sold about 8,200 full-season equivalent ticket packages.

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  • National Urban League Unveils 2024 State Of Black America Report: A Deep Dive Into Complex Realities and Persistent Disparities

    Established in 1976 under the visionary leadership of the late Mr. Vernon E. Jordan Jr., the organization’s fifth president, the report remains a cornerstone for understanding the multifaceted challenges faced by Black Americans across crucial domains such as economics, employment, education, health, housing, criminal justice, and civic participation.

    By Stacy M. Brown

    The National Urban League has unveiled its highly anticipated 2024 State of Black America Report, a comprehensive benchmark and thought leadership document offering profound insights into racial equality in the United States.

    Established in 1976 under the visionary leadership of the late Mr. Vernon E. Jordan Jr., the organization’s fifth president, the report remains a cornerstone for understanding the multifaceted challenges faced by Black Americans across crucial domains such as economics, employment, education, health, housing, criminal justice, and civic participation.

    This year’s edition continues the tradition of featuring insightful commentary from influential figures in various sectors, providing a comprehensive view of the complexities of the current landscape. Economic empowerment is central to the National Urban League’s mission, and the Equality Index is a powerful tool to measure progress for Black Americans relative to whites.

    Attributing the mission’s core to economic empowerment, National Urban League President Marc Morial emphasized the nuanced progress revealed by the Equality Index. “Civic engagement and health show improvement among African Americans; however, significant work remains in the areas of economics and social justice,” Morial stated.

    The Equality Index visually represents how Black Americans fare in economic status, health, education, social justice, and civic engagement compared to their white counterparts, utilizing whites as the benchmark due to historical advantages. The 2024 Equality Index for Black America stands at 75.7%, indicating that despite notable strides, African Americans still miss approximately 24% of the pie that symbolizes full equality.

    Breaking down the Equality Index, categories include economics, health, education, social justice, and civic engagement. Each category is carefully weighted based on its significance, and nationally representative statistics are employed to calculate sub-indices that capture the relative well-being of African Americans compared to whites. “Civic engagement and health are areas in which African Americans are doing much better,” Morial noted. “However, economics and social justice still need plenty of work.”

    The report delves into the persistent racial income gap, which has remained virtually unchanged for over two decades. Black Americans earn, on average, 64% of the income of their white counterparts. “The Civil Rights Act of ‘64, the Voting Rights Act of ‘65, and the Great Society programs in the middle 1960s probably cut the American poverty rate in half in 15 years,” Morial remarked.

    Civic participation among Black Americans presents a mixed picture, with increased voter registration (69% in 2020) but a decline in actual voter turnout (42.3% in 2022). Assessing President Joe Biden’s performance, the report acknowledges achievements such as a record-low Black unemployment rate and efforts to expand healthcare access and affordable housing for Black Americans. However, it points to political opposition hindering the enactment of key policies, including voting rights and policing reform.

    “We are in a world of deep attack by an ideological extreme that wants to erase so much of the civil-rights movement,” said Maya Wiley, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and co-author of the study. Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Justice Department, assured, “We’ve been working across the country to reach underserved communities so that we understand the problems that communities face.”

    Despite those challenges, the National Urban League said it remains steadfast in its commitment to closing the racial gap. Morial urged accelerated action, emphasizing unrestricted voting access, economic reforms to address poverty and wealth disparities, and crucial support for children, such as the expired child tax credit that significantly reduced child poverty rates.

    He asserted that the 2024 State of Black America Report serves as a comprehensive call to action, urging the nation to confront systemic challenges hindering Black Americans’ journey toward genuine equality.

    “What’s dramatic is that the Civil Rights Act of ‘64, the Voting Rights Act of ‘65, the Great Society programs in the middle 1960s, probably cut the American poverty rate in half in a 15-year period,” Morial said. “So can we? Yes, there are ways.”

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  • The 4 biggest Super Tuesday surprises

    Super Tuesday offered a few interesting surprises in an election cycle dominated by a seemingly predictable presidential race.

    President Biden and former President Trump didn’t face any stiff competitive in their respective primaries, but that didn’t stop former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and a largely unknown Democrat from stealing at least some of the spotlight. 

    Meanwhile, a protest vote roiled a Democratic primary, and an incumbent in North Carolina was unseated by someone who’s still in college.

    Here’s a look at several surprises that Super Tuesday offered. 

    An unknown Democrat beats Biden in American Samoa

    Jason Palmer, an ultra-long-shot Democrat who was virtually unknown before Tuesday, clinched a stunning upset in American Samoa when he beat Biden in the U.S. territory’s Democratic caucus.  

    Palmer, an entrepreneur and investor, delivered Biden’s first defeat in a Democratic nominating contest this cycle.

    The U.S. territory’s results will hardly impact Biden, as he’s all but expected to win the party’s nomination. Still, Palmer’s win was seen as a notable embarrassment for the Biden campaign.

    American Samoa’s Democratic caucus is expected to award three delegates to Palmer and three to Biden.  

    Palmer acknowledged in the FAQ portion of his website that he was unlikely to beat Biden for the Democratic nomination and said his campaign was geared more toward ideas and solutions.

    “Biden’s chances of a second term are hurting, but not because of my campaign,” he wrote in the FAQ section. “According to the Reuters poll this month, 56% of Americans polled disapprove of his leadership. Numerous other polls, including one at Quinnipiac University, reveal that more than 7 in 10 independents want other candidates to enter the 2024 presidential race.”

    “I do not believe we have to concede the White House to a Republican Administration without having a robust debate that includes a positive, optimistic vision forward — we can and must do better for America,” he added. 

    Haley wins her first state in the GOP primary

    The former U.N. ambassador won her first state GOP nominating contest on Tuesday, winning the Vermont GOP primary in an upset victory against Trump.  

    Prior to Tuesday, Haley had only clinched the GOP nominating contest in Washington, D.C. At the time of publication, Haley was projected to be awarded at least 9 delegates in the state out of the 17 up for grabs, according to Decision Desk HQ.  

    At the same time, Super Tuesday made crystal clear that it’s largely still Trump’s GOP as he inches closer to winning the Republican nomination. Super Tuesday offered the last chance for Haley to blunt some of the former president’s momentum, and she failed to win in several other states that could have proved favorable for her like Virginia or Massachusetts.  

    Yet Haley’s campaign wasn’t ready to call it quits yet. 

    “We’re honored to have received the support of millions of Americans across the country today, including in Vermont where Nikki became the first Republican woman to win two presidential primary contests,” said Haley campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas in a statement. 

    “Unity is not achieved by simply claiming ‘we’re united.’ Today, in state after state, there remains a large block of Republican primary voters who are expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump,” she continued. “That is not the unity our party needs for success. Addressing those voters’ concerns will make the Republican Party and America better.” 

    A Gen-Z candidate delivers a surprise upset

    A North Carolina Gen0Z candidate staged a notable upset against a longtime incumbent in a state House primary on Tuesday. 

    Wyatt Gable, who’s attending East Carolina University as a junior, won the Republican primary against state Rep. George Cleveland (R) in the state House District 14. Election results from the North Carolina State Board of Elections showed that Gable won against Cleveland by 95 votes, with Gable getting 2,461 ballots while Cleveland received 2,366.  

    Though state legislative races tend to be sleepier affairs, Gable’s win against the Republican state lawmaker, who was first elected in 2004, indicates the number of Gen-Z candidates that are growing in rank.  

    Gable heads to the November general election against Democratic challenger Carmen Spicer.  

    A protest vote does better than expected in Minnesota

    Pro-Palestinian Democrats made their voices heard in Minnesota, where close to 45,000 people cast a vote for “uncommitted” in the Democratic primary in protest against the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. 

    Members of the party looked to replicate a protest vote during Michigan’s Democratic primary last week when 101,000 Democrats cast ballots for “uncommitted” against Biden, roughly 13 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, while fewer Democrats cast a vote for “uncommitted” in Minnesota, they made up a larger share of the vote in the primary at 19 percent. 

    The “uncommitted” choice will be awarded two delegates in Michigan and four in Minnesota.  

    While Biden still won handily in both states – getting 70 percent of the vote in Minnesota and 81 percent in Michigan – members of the party are looking to send a strong signal to the Biden administration over the international conflict.  

    The U.S. has been involved in discussions around a potential temporary cease-fire, though a deal has not yet been struck between Israel and Hamas. Vice President Harris called for an immediate six-week cease-fire while in Alabama over the weekend.  

    Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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  • Olympic Poster Accused of Erasing French Culture by Omitting French Flag, Christian Cross Atop Dôme des Invalides

    Poster advertising Paris 2024 Olympic games sparks controversy, with many claiming it appeases woke left, Muslims.

    A detailed poster promoting the 2024 Olympics in Paris has sparked outrage on social media after omitting a Christian cross from a major structure, with the French flag also observably missing.

    The design, created by a French illustrator over 2,000 hours, was unveiled Monday and was immediately criticized online, with some accusing the Olympic Games and French organizers of disregarding Western Civilization and the country’s Christian roots.

    Many called out the artwork for removing the iconic Christian cross atop the Dôme des Invalides, where the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte is said to be buried, in a possible attempt to appease Muslims and the woke left.

    “They replaced the cross on Les Invalides in Paris from the official poster design for the 2024 Olympic Games in France. Whom are these people trying to appease? These actions suggest a disdain for Western civilization and its Christian heritage!” one X user wrote.

    Other X users piled on, accusing France of being a dying nation which does nothing as its national identity and cultural heritage are erased.

    Likewise, online commentators called out the piece celebrating the Paris games for missing the French flag.

    “The French flag… totally absent,” one commentator noted in French, adding, “The [#wokeism] which advocates the erasure of our history, our Judeo-Christian roots, our identity is him, very present even the Olympics are paying the price!”

    Conservative French politician Marion Maréchal also criticized the art for omitting the cross and flag, asking, “Why did you erase the cross at the top of the dome of the Invalides? Why no French flag? What is the point of organizing the Olympic Games in France if it is to hide what we are?”

    It remains to be seen whether the Olympics or French organizers address the controversy surrounding the missing icons.

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  • Why Nigeria Is Not Harnessing Benefits Of Shea Trade— Okonjo-Iweala

    Director-General of World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

    The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, (WTO) Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has charged Nigeria and other African countries to improve the quality of their shea exports.

    Nigeria is one of the major producers of shea in the world with about five million hectares of shea trees which are grown in about 21 states of the federation, especially in Niger, Kebbi, Oyo, Kwara, Benue and Federal Capital Territory

    Okonjo-Iweala said the product is below the sanitary and phytosanitary standards required for export despite the clear benefits and advantages of the production of shea.

    She said, “At the WTO, shea is one of the main agricultural exports of over eight of our members including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte D’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Togo. In Ghana alone, shea butter exports were valued at over $92m in 2022, and over one million women are involved in this sector.

    “However, despite the clear benefits and advantages that shea brings to our women, much of the potential of this sector is still untapped. A lot of our shea products do not meet the sanitary and phytosanitary measures required for export, and this is hindering many countries from being able to export.

    “In addition, it is crucial that we look at the shea value chain beyond farming and processing for butter. How can we in Africa begin to manufacture more finished shea products?”

    Okonjo-Iweala stated that her organisation had been assisting Nigerians and other countries to improve the export of shea products, as this would impact positively on the economy of the concerned nations.

    Why Nigeria Is Not Harnessing Benefits Of Shea Trade— Okonjo-Iweala is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

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  • San Jose Sharks cough up three-goal lead, lose to Dallas Stars in OT

    SAN JOSE – Who knows what the San Jose Sharks’ lineup will look like after the NHL trade deadline on Friday.

    Several players presently on the Sharks active roster could be on the move as general manager Mike Grier continues his overhaul of the rebuilding team.

    Anthony Duclair, who had two goals and two assists Tuesday in the Sharks’ 7-6 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars at SAP Center, figures to be one of those players.

    The speedy Duclair, a pending unrestricted free agent, now has 16 goals on the season – tied for the team lead – and 10 points in his last eight games.

    It didn’t take the sting out of Tuesday’s loss.

    The Sharks built a 6-3 lead on Mikael Granlund’s ninth goal of the season at the 3:02 mark of the third period. But the Stars scored three times in a span of 2:44, with Wyatt Johnston scoring at the 13:41 and 15:42 marks to tie the game 6-6.

    Then Roope Hintz scored at the 1:49 mark of overtime to complete Dallas’ unlikely comeback win.

    With two days left before the trade deadline, it would be stunning to see forward Fabian Zetterlund shipped out.

    Not only is the 24-year-old Zetterlund under team control for a few more years, including for an economical $1.45 million next season, he’s also become one of the Sharks’ most impactful players.

    Zetterlund assisted on Duclair’s goals in the first and second periods and notched one himself — off an assist from Duclair – in the first period as the Sharks snapped a seven-game losing streak and improved to 10-18-2 at home this season.

    Zetterlund also has 16 goals to go with 12 assists and figures to be a part of the Sharks’  young nucleus going forward, a group which includes William Eklund and Henry Thrun, and probably Filip Zadina and Luke Kunin.

    Zetterlund was knocked out of Tuesday’s game midway through the third period on a hit by Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa and did not return.

    Other pending unrestricted free agents had an impact in Tuesday’s game. Mike Hoffman assisted on Zadina’s second period goal and Sharks goalie Kaapo Kahkonen allowed three goals on 25 shots in the first two periods.

    The game was played in front of the season’s smallest announced crowd as just 10,070 tickets were distributed for the game. The previous season-low was 10,074 for a Nov. 7 game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

    The actual number of fans in attendance Tuesday looked to be far less than 10,000, with most sections around the arena far less than half full. Arena officials were expecting just over 6,000 fans in the building.

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  • Damian Lillard Scores 41 Points To Lead The Milwaukee Bucks To Comeback Win Over Los Angeles Clippers

    Damian Lillard led the Bucks past the Clippers. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

    By Matias Grez, CNN

    (CNN) — Damian Lillard scored a game-high 41 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to an impressive 113-106 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Clippers and extend the team’s winning run.

    Playing without franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was nursing Achilles tendonitis in only his third missed game of the season, the Bucks overturned a 15-point second-half deficit and have now won six straight since the All-Star Break after the team’s early struggles under new head coach Doc Rivers.

    “It just shows who we’re becoming,” Lillard said, per ESPN. “Nobody talked about who wasn’t playing before the game … that just shows what’s expected, the standard that we’re starting to have, and who we’re becoming as a team.

    “We just trusted each other. Defensively, we’ve trusted our communication. We’ve depended on the next guy to do his job, and the same offensively.

    “Because our team is seeing the results that we’re getting from playing that way, even when it’s not going our way at points in the game, we trust it. It’s just coming back in our favor.”

    Lillard’s 41 points came on an efficient 12-of-22 shooting, including four three pointers, to go with four rebounds and four assists, while Bobby Portis added 28 points and 16 rebounds.

    The Bucks may have to continue coping without Antetokounmpo as the team begins a four-game road trip in the Bay Area against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, with Rivers telling reporters after the game that he was unsure whether the eight-time All-Star would recover in time.

    “It’s been on and off the last two or three games,” Rivers said of the injury, per ESPN. “This morning, he actually looked good … we’ll just figure it out from there.”

    For the Clippers, James Harden scored 29 points to go with eight assists and four rebounds, while Paul George registered 29 points and five rebounds.

    It was a tough night for Kawhi Leonard, however, who notched just 16 points on 6-of-19 shooting.

    The victory moves the Bucks back into second place in the Eastern Conference, while the Clippers stay as the fourth seed in the West after a third defeat in five games.

    The-CNN-Wire
    & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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  • On Ramadan in America | ShareAmerica

    Because many American Muslims trace their ancestry to other corners of the globe, Ramadan traditions in the United States are diverse. Immigrants often recall their first Ramadan in the United States as a time they learned new customs. 

    Rizwan Jaka, born in Chicago and a member of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) in the Washington area, notes that many fellow congregants are immigrants or have an international heritage like his — he has roots in India, Pakistan and Mexico. Consequently, the society serves daily iftar with menus rotating among South Asian, Middle Eastern, African, American and other cuisines.

    Like Muslims everywhere, on March 10 Jaka begins a month of fasting, praying, reciting the Quran, giving to charities, performing good deeds and gathering for the iftar meal. In the U.S., Jaka says, Ramadan is a time of community fellowship as well as spiritual growth.

    For her part, Samira Jaweed, who immigrated from Pakistan at age 29, says she remembers her first Ramadan in the United States as “quite different from how we celebrated in Pakistan.” There, her family observed Ramadan mostly at home, she says. At the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, she has become accustomed to Ramadan activities revolving around the mosque. “This is uniquely American,” she says.

    Jaweed admits to one challenge she has had in the United States: daylight saving time. Because Americans advance clocks each spring so that darkness falls at a later clock time, “Depending on the year and where one lives, Ramadan fasts can range anywhere from eight hours to 18 hours,” she says. Her first few Ramadans in the U.S. were during winter, when sunset would be around 5 p.m. But in summer, the clock change pushes the time to break fast beyond 9 p.m., making it more difficult.

    Tariq Rasheed, who arrived in the U.S. from India as a young adult, enjoys the way Americans organize Ramadan activities for the whole family. Now imam at the Islamic Center of Orlando, Florida, Rasheed remembers his first Ramadan in the U.S. as “very special.”

    Hands reaching toward large dates, samosas, aloo gobi, chicken biryani, palak paneer and naan arranged on table, with other hands pouring Moroccan tea (© Boontoom Sae-Kar/Shutterstock.com)
    Many U.S. mosques host iftars that include a variety of international dishes, but dates (seen at bottom left) are always on the menu. (© Boontoom Sae-Kar/Shutterstock.com)

    The local Muslim community came together every evening, he says. His family “prayed together, broke fast together, socialized and made new friends each night of the blessed month.” On weekends, the mosque hosted sports events after prayers, with both men and women participating. “This was all new to me,” he says, noting that in India, only men came to mosques, which were “a place to pray, and that’s it.”

    He loves that in the United States mosques are often the center point of social, religious and even sports activities.

    Today, Rasheed organizes interfaith iftars at his mosque, with participation from local churches and synagogues. “These iftars are the highlight of Ramadan for me,” he says, “because they create strong friendships among the various communities.”

    A version of this article was previously published March 22, 2023.



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  • Victoria Nuland Abandons Biden, Zelensky Regime To Search For New Ways To Spark War With Russia, Jack Posobiec Warns


    Watch and share this exclusive interview!

    Jack Posobiec joins Alex Jones to break down the latest news regarding Ukraine, Russia, and NATO.



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  • EFCC Arrests 21 Trucks Carting Food To Niger, Cameroon, Others

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has arrested 21 trucks loaded with food and non-food items heading towards N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central African Republic and Cameroon and other countries.

    According to a press statement by the commission through its spokesman, Dele Oyewale, the arrest was made on Tuesday.

    He said: “The trucks were intercepted in a sting operation at major exit routes along Kalabiri/Gamboru Ngala and Bama roads, Borno State.

    “Investigation showed food items cleverly concealed in the trucks that would have gone undetected, but for the eagle-eyed vigilance of operatives of the Commission.”

    Oyewale noted that further checks showed that the “waybills” covering the goods carried by the trucks indicated their destinations as N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central Africa Republic and Cameroon respectively.

    According to him, the arrest of the trucks is expected to stem the tide of food insecurity occasioned by unscrupulous antics of smugglers across the country.

    He said: “Suspects arrested with the trucks are being profiled and would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.”

    EFCC Arrests 21 Trucks Carting Food To Niger, Cameroon, Others is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

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