Paradise News

Tag: General News

  • Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan joins the Marvel series in a chaotic Season 2 – Paradise Post

    Nina Metz | Chicago Tribune

    Just two years and three months after “Loki” first premiered on Disney+ — a mere 27 months! — the Marvel series is back for a second season. If you’re detecting sarcasm, there’s the irony that a show about time has really stretched the boundaries of a reasonable gap between seasons.

    Those more dedicated to the Marvel Cinematic Universe might not see it that way, but it feels like a blunder. The first season built so much momentum, with Tom Hiddleston’s endlessly entertaining Loki, the Norse god of mischief, getting a taste of his own medicine down in the bowels of the Orwellian-sounding Time Variance Authority, before teaming up with Owen Wilson’s laconic TVA agent Mobius M. Mobius to … honestly? Don’t even recall.

    But the fate of the universe is at stake! And Jonathan Majors’ Kang, the agent of chaos also known as He Who Remains, is somehow at the root of it all.

    Majors, you may recall, is in the midst of some real world problems of his own. Earlier this year, the actor was charged with assaulting and harassing his then-girlfriend, and the court case is ongoing. He’s also been accused of acting violently or abusively in other workplace settings. All of which casts a pall over his appearance here. Even his performance — primarily as one of the character’s variants, a nutty professor type named Victor Timely — feels like something pulled from a bag of tricks left over from a Saturday morning cartoon, full of clunky choices and a halting delivery. “We don’t need him,” a character says at one point. “Maybe we never did.” It’s a line that works as commentary on Majors’ presence, as if the series were all but (unintentionally) acknowledging the obvious.

    The six-episode season picks up where the story left off, with Loki running for his life through the halls of the TVA where he’s pursued by Mobius, who doesn’t seem to recognize the guy. That’s because Loki is time-slipping and we’re in the past, before he and Mobius became acquainted.

    Owen Wilson and Tom Hiddleston star in "Loki."
    Owen Wilson, left, as Mobius and Tom Hiddleston as Loki in Season 2 of “Loki.” The fate of the Time Variance Authority hangs in the balance and these two might just be its saviors. (Gareth Gatrell/Marvel Studios/Disney+/TNS)

    Finally, Loki gets Mobius to call off the dogs and listen. A war is coming, he warns. And it all comes down to He Who Remains.

    Mobius: “Is that what you’re calling him or is that his name?”

    Loki: “That’s how I was introduced.”

    Mobius: “Pretty arrogant. It’s like calling yourself Last Man Standing.”

    Wilson underplays everything, regardless of the project, and it works here to give the series some ballast. I especially like a quieter moment between the pair, sitting down for a slice of Key lime pie and considering their options. What show couldn’t stand to pause things for a bit of pie?

    Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) joins the cast as Ouroboros, nicknamed OB, who is the TVA equivalent of the I.T. department. There’s a clever bit where he, Loki and Mobius play around with ways — mid-time slippage — to resolve Loki’s problem.

    But they ultimately have bigger issues at hand, namely a battle for the soul of the TVA, which is on the verge of collapse. Entire timelines will vanish and people will die (a proposition more abstract than meaningful, despite many heartfelt speeches to the contrary) and there are considerable worries about the temporal look, whatever that is. If you suddenly feel like you’re failing a physics class, welcome to the club. But Quan’s a terrific addition to the cast, frantically running around the TVA shouting jargon and attempting to rig a fix. You half expect him to borrow a line from another franchise altogether: “I’m giving her all she’s got, captain!”

    It’s probably best to approach “Loki” as pure action-adventure, never mind the story. (Spoiler: There is no story.) It’s a series of set pieces, some better than others. When Loki and Mobius go to a movie premiere, the sight of Hiddleston looking dapper in a tux offers a flicker of the James Bond that he might have been.

    They travel through different time branches (sparingly) and we get just the tiniest taste of them (Mobius really) noodling around during a sojourn to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago to gather up Victor Timely and bring him back to the TVA so that his aura can be scanned in order to get the blast doors open. Bravo to the ensemble for saying these lines with a straight face.

    If there’s a thematic thread to “Loki” I wish writer Eric Martin had pursued with some vigor, it’s this: The TVA’s workers have all been kidnapped from their respective time branches, their memories wiped to better function as drones. Buried in there is maybe a critique of the heavy hand of capitalism, but the show moves on from it, lickety split. Nothing to see here, folks!

    The retro-futuristic production design (from Kasra Farahani) is the show’s calling card, with bulky computers, rotary phones, reel-to-reel machines and pneumatic tubes. There’s even an Automat at the TVA. Love that detail. Costume designer Christine Wada has dressed the TVA’s office workers in a shirt-and-tie combo that features an endless collar that subtly extends on both sides to blend into the shoulder. It’s a fascinating garment!

    If emo Loki is a bit of a drag — “Stop trying to be a hero,” someone tells him, “you’re a villain. You’re good at it. Do that” — Hiddleston gives the whole thing the patina of class. Even so, he’s not given much character motivation. Loki apparently has feelings about the fate those many unseen people who exist on all those different time branches. Visually, those branches are represented on a large screen in the control center, looking like a diagram of veins and arteries.

    Too bad there’s no heart.

    ———

    ‘LOKI’

    2.5 stars (out of 4)

    Rating: TV-14

    How to watch: Disney+

    ———

    ©2023 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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  • Kidnapped Reverend Father Rescued In Anambra

    Rescued hostages

    Three kidnapped victims, including a Catholic priest, were rescued in Anambra State, the state police command announced on Saturday.

    THE WHISTLER gathered that the rescue operation was carried out by the Police-led Forward Operating Base (FOB) comprising military and paramilitary services based in Aguata and supported by Police Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, on 6th October, 2023.

    According to the state police public relations officer, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, the abductees were being held at the camp of the kidnappers located at Ogbunka in Orumba South LGA of the state.

    According to him, “Three abducted persons, including a Reverend Father, were rescued unhurt. Nine vehicles and three pump action guns were recovered. Three suspects were arrested.

    “Also recovered were stolen camouflage uniform, Biafran flag, several handsets, flash drives and sim cards that will aid comprehensive investigations and prosecution.”

    He said the gang was responsible for the spate of abductions in Orumba North and South as well as parts of Aguata LGAs in recent times. The abducted victims were all kidnapped this month, he added.

    “The raid on insurgents’ camp followed months of diligent and painstaking intelligence gathering and investigation which led to uncovering the criminal hideout,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the state commissioner of police, CP Aderemi Adeoye, commended the service personnel and vigilante men involved for their professionalism which ensured no life was lost.

    Source

  • Fact Check: You can pass the salt: Bill Gates and the FDA aren’t coming for it

    A headline being shared on social media reads like a misinformation Mad Lib: “FDA wants to replace salt with Bill Gates’ new mRNA fake salt.” 

    An Instagram post sharing it was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

    A statement from the Food and Drug Administration said the claim is “fake.”

    In April 2023, the FDA issued a proposed rule to amend its “standards of identity” to allow the use of salt substitutes in foods that use salt.

    The FDA’s standards of identity were first established in 1939 to “ensure that the characteristics, ingredients and production processes of specific foods are consistent with what consumers expect,” according to the agency’s website. 

    Consider jams that contain fruits. Because some such products once contained “little fruit,” according to the FDA, the standards of identity for fruit preserves and jams require that products represented as jam contain a minimum amount of fruit.

    But back to salt.

    “The proposed rule would provide manufacturers with flexibility and facilitate industry innovation to reduce sodium in standardized foods,” said the statement the FDA sent to PolitiFact. “The proposed rule does not list permitted salt substitutes; however, it makes clear that safe and suitable ingredients should be used to replace some or all of the added sodium chloride and that serve the functions of salt in food.”

    Information about the proposed rule on the FDA’s website says, “The proposal would not require manufacturers to replace salt with salt substitutes.” 

    It mentions neither mRNA nor Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates.

    We rate this post False.



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  • Oskar Lindblom, Jacob Peterson remain in San Jose Sharks organization

    Forwards Oskar Lindblom, Ryan Carpenter, and Jacob Peterson all cleared NHL waivers Saturday and will now report to the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate.

    Lindblom, Carpenter, and Peterson were all waived by the Sharks on Friday, giving other NHL teams an opportunity to put in a claim for one or more of them and potentially add them to their rosters. With the 31 other NHL teams now passing, the trio now joins a Barracuda team that opens its regular season next Friday at home against the Rockford IceHogs.

    The Barracuda also plays an exhibition game against the Bakersfield Condors tonight, but Lindblom, Carpenter, and Peterson will not play.

    If nothing else, by having all three remain in San Jose, the Sharks now enjoy some greater organizational depth up front should injuries begin to affect the NHL club.

    Of the three forwards, Peterson might have been the likeliest to get claimed because of his production last season and relatively inexpensive salary cap hit.

    Peterson, 24, was acquired by the Sharks from the Dallas Stars on March 3 in exchange for center Scott Reedy, San Jose’s fourth-round draft choice in 2017. In 11 games with the Sharks from March 23 to April 13, Peterson had two goals and six assists as he averaged just under 18 minutes of ice time per game. He has 25 points in 77 career NHL games.

    Peterson’s spot on the Sharks’ roster for the start of this season, though, was hardly a guarantee after the team underwent an offseason makeover and acquired other forwards such as Mikael Granlund, Mike Hoffman, Anthony Duclair, Filip Zadina, and Givani Smith.

    Per CapFriendly, Peterson this season has an NHL salary of $775,000 and an AHL salary of $375,000. Carpenter’s contract calls for him to make $400,000 in the AHL and $775,000 in the NHL.

    Lindblom is due to make $2.5 million in salary this season regardless of whether he plays in the NHL or AHL. By being in the AHL, though, Lindblom’s cap hit to the Sharks is reduced to $1.35 million.

    Lindblom, Carpenter, and Peterson were waived after the Sharks elected to keep William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau on the NHL roster. Lindblom, Carpenter, and Peterson were all held without a point in preseason games, while Eklund had three points and Bordeleau had two goals in four games each.

    The Sharks open the season on Thursday at home against the Vegas Golden Knights.

    NOTE: The Sharks on Friday returned winger Quentin Musty to the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL. Musty, drafted 26th overall by the Sharks in June, was hurt for the majority of camp and played in one preseason game.

    Source

  • Atiku Asks Supreme Court To Admit Tinubu’s Fresh Chicago Varsity Records As Evidence

    The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic party(PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has asked the Supreme Court to grant him leave to tender the academic records of President Bola Tinubu given to him by the Chicago State University, United States, as fresh evidence in his bid to establish alleged certificate forgery against the president.

    Recall that Atiku had days ago addressed a world press conference, insisting that Tinubu forged his academic credentials and ought to be disqualified from contesting for president or occupying the office on that ground.

    Before now, the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja had thrown out Atiku’s petition for lacking in merit while faulting the substantiality of Tinubu’s academic records tendered by Atiku’s legal team through a public interest activist.

    Dissatisfied, Atiku’s legal team approached the apex court seeking orders setting aside the entire judgment of the lower court for being allegedly erroneous, perverse and a miscarriage of justice.

    While the apex court is yet to announce a hearing date on Atiku’s appeal, his legal team had approached the US District Court of Illinois for orders mandating Chicago State University to release Tinubu’s academic records.

    That request was granted by Judge Nancy Maldonado of the said court.

    In an application following his appeal at Nigeria’s apex court, Atiku’s lead counsel, Chris Uche, asked the court to allow him “produce and for the court to receive fresh and additional evidence by way of deposition on oath from the Chicago State University for use in this appeal to wit: the certified discovery deposition made by Caleb Westberg on behalf of Chicago State University on October 3, 2023, disclaiming the certificate presented by the 2nd respondent, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Independent National Electoral Commission.”

    Uche referred the court to Order 2 Rule 12 (7), (2) and (3) of the Supreme Court Rules which states “(1) A party who wishes the Court to receive the evidence of witnesses (whether they were or were not called at the trial) or to order the production of any document, exhibit or other thing connected with the proceedings in accordance with the provisions of Section 33 of the Act, shall apply for leave on notice of motion prior to the date set down for the hearing of the appeal.”

    It remains to be seen if the apex court will admit the said fresh documents because the respondents — Tinubu and the Independent National Electoral Commission — will be given a right of reply before the court can then decide on its admissibility.

    Hearing date on Atiku’s petition is yet to be fixed.

    Source

  • Fact Check: Biden said Obama spent hundreds of millions to bury Florida power lines. That lacks evidence

    Frozen bottles of water, slushy popsicles and melting ice cream get you only so far when the power goes out in a hurricane. 

    After Hurricane Idalia knocked out power to about a half million northern Florida homes and businesses in late August, President Joe Biden said it would have been worse if the federal government hadn’t improved the state’s electrical grid.

    “Under the Obama-Biden administration, we invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the state of Florida replacing wooden power poles with steel poles, and we buried these electric lines,” Biden said at the White House Aug. 31.

    Days later, Biden surveyed damage in Live Oak, Florida, where broken and downed power lines signaled widespread power outages that commonly follow hurricanes and tropical storms.  Biden said that FEMA could in the future replace the wooden poles with steel poles.

    We wondered if Biden was right about the earlier work: Did the Obama administration spend hundreds of millions to keep the lights on (and, most importantly, air conditioning running!) in Florida? 

    We contacted multiple federal, state and local government agencies in Florida. We did not find the figure Biden cited. 

    FEMA provides grants to bury power lines

    Hurricanes cause multiple threats to electricity systems, including flooding and high winds. The U.S. Energy Department in 2020 found that weather-related outages cost from $25 billion to $70 billion a year. 

    Nationwide, most lines are above ground. States and utilities have sought ways to pay for bringing poles underground. Florida has hardened its electricity distribution system with stronger steel poles for the larger, high-voltage transmission lines, said Ed Hirs, who teaches energy economics at the University of Houston. Much of that work came after Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992.

    Burying power lines can cost up to $1 million per mile — an expense that local and state governments have not wanted to cover. And underground lines can flood, said Joshua D. Rhodes, research scientist at University of Texas at Austin. However,an underground system results in “fewer points of failure than having 100s of miles of lines way up,” Rhodes said.

    A White House spokesperson referred us to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which sent us a spreadsheet of grants given to states over decades for electrical lines or poles mitigation. 

    None of the Florida grants were approved during the Obama-Biden administration. Most of the grants were obligated — federal jargon for approved — during Donald Trump’s administration. The Florida grants added up to about $38 million. For example, FEMA awarded the town of Palm Beach nearly $8.5 million to bury power lines, and the village of Golf was awarded nearly $1.7 million to remove utility poles and bury overhead electrical lines.

    But other agencies spend on hurricane proofing, too. So, we kept looking.

    HUD provided hazard mitigation grants to Florida following 2016 hurricanes

    In this Oct. 18, 2018 photo, utility crews set up new poles and utility wires in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Fla. It’s the greatest need after a hurricane and sometimes the hardest one to fulfill: Electricity. (AP)

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development also gives hazard mitigation grants. A HUD spokesperson told us that the agency gave about $118 million for Florida after the 2016 hurricanes Hermine and Matthew. 

    The initial award, about $47 million for St. Johns County, was listed in a Federal Register notice during the last days of the Obama administration. 

    But the information we received from HUD did not specify how much money, if any, was spent on burying electrical lines or replacing wooden poles. 

    Florida, through subrecipients, used the money to repair storm-damaged infrastructure, build  affordable housing and rehab homes, according to a statement HUD sent us. Burying electrical lines and replacing poles would qualify as eligible activities, although when the money was allocated, HUD prohibited using it to assist private utilities. That block is no longer in place.

    The Florida Division of Emergency Management found one electrical project that received $500,000 during the Obama administration: an underground utility lines project in Coconut Creek, a city in Broward County. A city spokesperson confirmed the project.

    We sent a summary of our findings about FEMA and HUD grants back to the White House for comment. 

    In response, the White House pointed to Obama’s 2009 announcement about $3.4 billion in grants being awarded nationwide through the 2009 stimulus act for smart electrical grid projects. Obama’s goal was updating the parts of the grid that handle transmission and distribution, which helps the systems respond to power outages. The second part was modernizing electricity on the customer’s end, ideally so people could decide to use energy at off-peak times, when it’s less expensive.

    Florida Power & Light Co., the state’s largest utility,  received $200 million to install smart meters, devices that show hour-by-hour energy pricing, in customers’ homes. But nothing in the articles that the White House sent said that the money was for burying electrical lines or replacing wooden poles. 

    Florida has pursued some of this work on its own. In 2019, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law S.B. 796, which created a new process for utilities to pass along costs of burying lines, and other grid-strengthening projects, to consumers. Florida Power & Light has been burying power lines in various communities. 

    Florida Power & Light told the Sun Sentinel newspaper’s editorial board that the cost of burying the lines would be up to $35 billion. Florida Power & Light said online that about 45% of its distribution system is underground. That’s the same proportion for Duke Energy Corp., which has about 1.9 million accounts in Florida, a spokesperson told PolitiFact. 

    Our ruling 

    Biden said, “Under the Obama-Biden administration, we invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the state of Florida replacing wooden power poles with steel poles and we buried these electric lines.” 

    The White House pointed to FEMA grants, which added up to far less than the amount Biden cited, and to smart electrical grid projects, which are not the same as burying power lines.

    If Biden had said that during the Obama administration, the federal government invested hundreds of millions of dollars in electrical-related projects, he would have been on firmer ground. But that’s not what he said. 

    We rate this statement False. 

    RELATED: All of our fact-checks of President Joe Biden

    RELATED: Fact-checking 2024 presidential candidates, who’s running



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  • ‘Dumb idea that got dumber’ – Paradise Post

    Ben McKenzie Schenkkan, actor and author, speaks during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on FTX in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. US prosecutors in Manhattan yesterday revealed eight criminal counts against the FTX founder and federal regulators said he committed a range of securities and derivatives law violations. Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg
    Ben McKenzie Schenkkan, actor and author, speaks during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on FTX in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. US prosecutors in Manhattan yesterday revealed eight criminal counts against the FTX founder and federal regulators said he committed a range of securities and derivatives law violations. Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg

    It was the middle of the coronavirus lockdowns and actor Ben McKenzie was out of work and depressed.

    So McKenzie – perhaps best known for his role as heartthrob Ryan in the early 2000s teen drama “The OC” – curiously becomes a journalist, at least temporarily, thanks to an old friend named Dave.

    The pal suggested McKenzie invest in cryptocurrencies, technology’s new-fangled twist on money that was the hot bet of the early pandemic days. Due to a bad experience with a previous tip from Dave – an ill-fated medical company – research was in order, and it wasn’t like McKenzie had anything else to do.

      • ‘THE OC’ 20 YEARS LATER: Was the TV show unfair to the ‘dirtbag’ Inland Empire? CLICK HERE!

    That homework was an eye-opener for McKenzie, who got an economics degree from the University of Virginia before going into acting. He found crypto to be a wild industry filled with tall promises, crazy characters and a meek economic foundation.

    This knowledge nudged the unemployed actor to team up with journalist Jacob Silverman on a quest to dig deeper into why an unproven and unregulated financial transaction system was creating immense wealth. The discoveries – including interviews with many of crypto’s leading proponents and critics – became a series of magazine stories, testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, and now “Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud.”

    This book is not simply a harsh criticism of crypto’s swift rise and sharp tumble. You see, McKenzie essentially sees no value in crypto. The book also puts this investment mania into its place among history’s grand economic bubbles. And it explores how the many inequities of the traditional financial world made crypto’s sales pitch alluring.

    “You can manipulate people quite easily because they’re so predisposed to hate the regulated system,” McKenzie says.

    This Q&A, edited for length and clarity, gives you McKenzie’s insight into the cryptocurrency rollercoaster.

    Q. What do you think is wrong with crypto?

    A. Crypto says they’re currency and they aren’t. You can’t buy anything with crypto. You can trade crypto and hope to cash out of crypto and then use the money to buy things. But that’s an investment.

    So crypto is the future of money, even though it’s the past of money?  It’s private money, but we’ve tried private money and it failed. Why? Because when companies issue their own money, what’s to stop them from defrauding you?

     

    We all might have gripes with the government. But would you rather the government issue the money or … pick your least favorite corporation?

    Q: Crypto does fit the anti-government/anti-institution mindset.

    A: The timing was perfect because the Bitcoin “white paper” came out amid the subprime crisis of 2008. At that point, we hated banks even more than we normally do.

    The story of crypto’s “peer-to-peer currency” is compelling. But that doesn’t work. Trust is what money is.

      • REAL ESTATE NEWSLETTER: Get our free ‘Home Stretch’ by email. SUBSCRIBE HERE!

    If I wrote down “20 dollars issued by Ben McKenzie Inc.” and gave it to you, you’d probably throw it back in my face. If it says the United States government on it, that gives the paper its value.

    Q: Crypto is digital money, no?

    A: Crypto fans talk about digital money. I got it right here (McKenzie points to his cell phone). I use Apple Pay. So you’re not talking about digital money.

    You’re talking about pseudonymity, obscuring who is trading. I understand the appeal of secrecy, but that comes with a massive cost. If the good guys can use it, then the bad guys can use it.

    Q: Isn’t what powers crypto – blockchain technology – a cutting-edge improvement on transactions?

    A: Blockchain has been around since 1991. It’s just a distributed ledger, not revolutionary. You can’t name a single company that uses blockchain technology other than the ones in crypto.

    This was the issue that I was most concerned about. That I had wrong. That I didn’t understand the technology. I’m not a cryptographer, I’m not a computer scientist. I came at it from economics. I came at it as an actor.

    Q: Your acting career helped you understand crypto?

    A: They’re just putting on a show. It’s just the emperor’s new clothes. The only person who can see these clothes is the person of the highest status. Jonathan, if you can’t understand crypto, then you’re stupid. It’s one of the world’s oldest cons. And it’s very successful.

    Then just add on the trappings of things we know to be true – our financial system sucks. And crypto can fix it.

    Q: It bothers you that top celebrities were pitching crypto.

    A: It’s infuriating. The crypto companies made a bunch of money and bought the services of famous people. It culminates in the biggest advertising event of the year, the 2022 Super Bowl. You got the most famous people in the world selling it. You just get depressed.

    Because if you think of crypto as a Ponzi scheme, you have to get more people in to keep the thing going.

    Q: So what happened?

    A: Crypto hit the top — the Super Bowl with the most famous people on Earth. And interestingly enough, we now know a year later that as much money as crypto spent, not that many people entered.

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    Just a few months after the Super Bowl, the Fed started raising interest rates. It’s just insane how quickly crypto evaporated. Now correlation isn’t causality – so I’m not saying it’s directly the result of the Fed – but it makes perfect sense economically.

    Q: We’ve had a harsh crypto price correction. Is it enough?

    A: No. The business works much like the online casino business. You need regular people to set up an account and gamble on your website. But the charts don’t lie: People aren’t coming back because they lost.

    The industry will slowly circle down the drain. Even for a bubble, this is falling apart so quickly. I mean we’re only talking about a year and a half? Maybe another six months or a year and see where we are.

    Q: Is there a lesson here?

    A: It’s a wonderful testament to the power of a story, but also the perils of a story. The power of a false story to manipulate and deceive. The takeaway here is not a good idea that was squandered. It was a dumb idea or deeply flawed idea, that got dumber and dumber as it went along.

    The only positive of crypto is that it did shine a light on the actual problems in our system. The power of the banks. The power of legacy financial institutions. And the inequities in our system. That lent the story of crypto so much power.

    Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com

    Source

  • ‘You Have Made Igbos Proud’ — Ohaneze Lauds Gov Soludo For Honouring Chinua Achebe

    Chinua-Achebe

    The Vice President of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, has eulogised Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra, for renaming the Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport, Umueri, after the late literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe.

    Okeke-Ogene said in a press statement in Awka on Saturday, that the gesture was an honour to Ndigbo, Africa and the entire black race.

    He called on other South-East Governors to build monuments to immortalise the late literary icon who spent his entire life projecting Igbo social and cultural identity across the globe.

    Okeke-Ogene noted that through his creative works, the late Achebe sustained the fight and outcry against “marginalisation, injustice and suppression of Ndigbo”.

    He also stood for Africa and the black race in general as well as made huge sacrifices to give Igbos a strong voice and recognition across the globe.

    He also recalled that in his humility, Achebe died in active service as the President General of Ogidi Town Union, in Idemili North Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra.

    Okeke-Ogene said Achebe’s literary achievements celebrated Igbo rich cultural heritage and tradition that will continue to inspire present and future generations as well as help preserve Igbo cultural identity.

    He noted that the honour will equally remain a source of inspiration to young writers who will now be encouraged to explore opportunities in the creative world to attain their full potential.

    The Ohaneze VP said the recognition has positive implication on young writers knowing fully well that history and posterity will remember, recognise and honour them in future.

    Okeke-Ogene expressed satisfaction that Soludo has sustained efforts towards human capital development and projects that impact directly on the lives of the people.

    He noted that his free education scheme would provide every child easy access to quality education to build a strong and quality human capital development as was obtained during the early years of Achebe.

    “The free education of Anambra government is commendable because it will motivate upcoming generations to discover themselves and aspire to emulate successful scholar personalities in the state and beyond.

    Source

  • Fact Check: Social media post misleads about flu vaccine ingredients. Here’s what’s in them.

    Instagram post, Oct. 2, 2023 (archived)

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, What’s in Vaccines?, accessed Oct. 4, 2023

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Thimerosal in Flu Vaccine, accessed Oct. 4, 2023

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Thimerosal FAQs, accessed Oct. 4, 2023

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Supply for the U.S. 2023-2024 Influenza Season, accessed Oct. 4, 2023

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Information for the 2023-2024 Flu Season, accessed Oct. 4, 2023

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, TABLE. Influenza vaccines — United States, 2023–24 influenza season*, accessed Oct. 4, 2023

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, How Influenza (Flu) Vaccines Are Made, accessed Oct. 4, 2023

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cell-Based Flu Vaccines, accessed Oct. 4, 2023

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Different types of flu vaccines, accessed Oct. 4, 2023

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vaccine Excipient Summary, accessed Oct. 4, 2023 

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Flu Season, accessed Oct. 5, 2023

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Common Ingredients in U.S. Licensed Vaccines, accessed Oct. 4, 2023

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Vaccines Licensed for Use in the United States, accessed Oct. 4, 2023 

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Thimerosal and Vaccines, accessed Oct. 4, 2023

    Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Vaccine Ingredients – Fetal Cells, accessed Oct. 4, 2023, 

    Institute for Vaccine Safety, Excipients in vaccines per 0.5 ml dose, accessed Oct. 4, 2023

    NBC News, Caterpillar-Grown Flu Vaccine Protects Better Than Egg-Incubated Vaccine, June 21, 2017

    University of Minnesota, CIDRAP News, FDA approves first flu vaccine grown in insect cells, Jan. 17, 2013

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  • The 5 best games in six-decade history

    A rivalry dating back 63 years is renewed Sunday night when the Dallas Cowboys visit the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium before a sellout crowd and a national television audience.

    In all games, the two teams are 19-19-1, with the 49ers 10-10 at home and 9-9-1 on the road. The postseason battles have been the most memorable, with the Cowboys leading 5-4, but the 49ers have won the last three, including each of the last two seasons. Dallas has won eight NFC championships to the 49ers’ seven. Each franchise has five Super Bowl wins.

    The regular season has had its moments as well, with the 49ers holding a 15-14-1 advantage.

    Here are five to remember:

    Nov. 13, 1994 at Candlestick Park

    49ers 21, Cowboys 14

    Dallas had won in each of the previous two NFC title games. The 49ers loaded up in the offseason with Ken Norton Jr., Rickey Jackson, Gary Plummer, Richard Dent and added Deion Sanders early in the season. Steve Young loosened up the Dallas defense by running around Charles Haley on two bootlegs and the 49ers took a 21-7 lead on a 13-yard Young-to-Brent Jones touchdown pass. Emmitt Smith was held to 78 yards on 26 carries after taking an early brutal hit from Jackson, who said afterward, “Sometimes you’ve just got to let them know what kind of war it’s going to be.”

    Sept. 24, 2000 at Texas Stadium

    49ers 41, Cowboys 24

    The Dallas midfield star took center stage courtesy of Terrell Owens. After catching a 3-yard pass from Jeff Garcia for a 17-3 lead, Owens raced to the middle of the field and the insignia with his arms spread wide in celebration. Less than a minute later, the Cowboys scored on a 1-yard run by Emmitt Smith, who did the same. The 49ers put the game away on a 1-yard Garcia-to-Owens score with 4:05 to play. Owens ran to the star again, but this time was blasted by Dallas safety George Teague. Some 49ers went after Teague, and Owens went back to the star. Teague was ejected and Owens was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.

     

    Oct. 11, 1981 at Candlestick Park

    49ers 45, Cowboys 14

    After being embarrassed 59-14 in Texas Stadium the previous season, the 49ers stamped themselves as a surprise contender by returning the favor. Joe Montana was 19-of-29 for 279 yards and three touchdowns after sitting out the previous year’s game when Steve DeBerg threw five interceptions. “I think everybody was thinking about last year’s game in Dallas,” Montana told reporters. “Anyway, they are America’s Team, you know?”

    Nov. 12, 1995 at Texas Stadium

    49ers 38, Cowboys 20

    The 49ers stumbled into town at 5-4 with the Cowboys at 8-1. Young was sidelined with a sore shoulder. But the 49ers knocked Troy Aikman out in the second quarter and backup Elvis Grbac was 20-of-30 for 305 yards and two touchdowns, including an 81-yard pass to Jerry Rice to open the scoring.  “Everybody has spent all week basking in the glory of the demise of the 49ers,” linebacker Gary Plummer told reporters. “The statement we made today was, there is no demise.”

    Sept. 18, 2011 at Candlestick Park

    Cowboys 27, 49ers 24 in OT

    The 49ers held a 24-14 lead early in the fourth quarter after a field goal by David Akers. But quarterback Tony Romo directed an 80-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Miles Austin, and Dan Bailey kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime. The 49ers punted on their first possession after a replay assistant overruled what could have been a fourth-and-1 play. Romo, playing with a punctured lung, completed a 70-yard pass to Jesse Holley to set up Bailey’s game-winning 19-yard field goal.

    THE CATCH -- The 49ers caught fire in the '80s after Dwight Clark caught this pass from Joe Montana against Dallas. Jan 10, 1982

    File photo

    Dwight Clark catches a 6-yard touchdown pass from Joe Montana to propel the 49ers to a 28-27 win over Dallas to win the NFC Championship.

    PLAYOFF GAMES

    Jan. 23, 2023 at Levi’s Stadium – 49ers 19, Cowboys 12: The 49ers stayed away from mistakes in a divisional game while Dak Prescott threw a pair of interceptions as well as a bizarre 8-yard pass to KaVontae Turpin with Ezekiel Elliott snapping the ball as time expired.

    Jan. 16, 2022 at AT&T Stadium – 49ers 23, Cowboys 17: A wild-card win for the 49ers was secured when Prescott was tackled on a scramble at the San Francisco 24-yard line as time ran out. The 49ers outrushed Dallas 169-77.

    Jan. 15, 1994 at Candlestick Park – 49ers 38, Cowboys 28: A 44-yard interception return by Eric Davis jump-started the 49ers to a 24-7 lead and 31-14 by halftime before a delirious home crowd in the NFC Championship Game. The day ended with Young taking a victory lap, having finally escaped the shadow of Montana.

    Jan. 23, 1994 at Texas Stadium – Cowboys 38, 49ers 21: Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson made good on a game-week guarantee of victory in the NFC Championship Game on a local radio show. The 49ers trailed 28-7 at halftime and it didn’t matter that Troy Aikman left with a concussion, replaced by Bernie Kosar.



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