Category: Opinion

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Mauritius oil spill: Cargo ship has split in two – CNN

(CNN)A ship that has leaked tons of oil off the coast of Mauritius has split apart, authorities said on Saturday.

“At around 4.30 pm, a major detachment of the vessel’s forward section was observed,” the National Crisis Committee of Mauritius said in statement.
The Japanese-owned ship, MV Wakashio, ran aground at Pointe d’Esny in late July and began leaking tons of oil into a pristine Indian Ocean lagoon last week.
A massive clean-up operation involving thousands of local volunteers had been underway. But a crack inside the hull of the ship expanded earlier this week, according to the ship’s operator Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, a Japanese company.

Source: Mauritius oil spill: Cargo ship has split in two – CNN

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Kamala Harris owes over $1M to vendors from failed presidential bid | Fox News

Joe Biden‘s running mate, Kamala Harris, owes more than $1.1 million in unpaid bills from her failed presidential bid, according to filings with the Federal Election Committee.

Harris, a California senator, raised about $39 million during her 2019 campaign to become the Democratic nominee while spending about $40 million, the filings show. She suspended her campaign in December amid a drop in polling and a lack of money.

According to Bloomberg News, which first reported the story, Harris’ campaign owes $523,883 to Perkins Coie LLP, an international law firm whose election lawyers work for top Democrats. TorchStone Global LLC was owed $160,702, and SCRB Strategies, a California political consulting firm, was owed $92,408.

Source: Kamala Harris owes over $1M to vendors from failed presidential bid | Fox News

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AMC to offer 15-cent tickets on first day of reopening | TribLIVE.com

2913747_web1_2913747-29a85afb4c154894b235b31678826809NEW YORK — AMC Theatres, the nation’s largest movie theater chain, will reopen in the U.S. on Aug. 20 with retro ticket prices of 15 cents per movie.

AMC Entertainment, which owns the chain, said Thursday that it expects to open the doors to more than 100 cinemas — or about a sixth of its nationwide locations — on Aug. 20 with throwback pricing for a day.

AMC theaters have reopened in numerous international countries but have remained shuttered in the U.S. since March. The chain touted the reopening as “Movies in 2020 at 1920 Prices.”

Locally, the world’s biggest theater chain has seven locations in western Pennsylvania: AMC Classic Westmoreland 15 in Greensburg; AMC Classic Delmont 12; AMC Waterfront 22 in West Homestead; AMC Classic South Hills Village 10; AMC Classic Mount Lebanon 6; AMC Classic South Pike 10 in Sarver; and AMC Classic Uniontown 6.

Source: AMC to offer 15-cent tickets on first day of reopening | TribLIVE.com

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Pittsburgh-area Cinemark movie theaters set Aug. 21 reopening date

Theaters have been closed since March

PITTSBURGH —

Cinemark movie theaters in the Pittsburgh area are set to reopen on Aug. 21, according to the movie theater chain’s website.

That includes the locations in Center Township, Beaver County, Monroeville, the North Hills and Robinson Township.

The location in Tarentum at the Pittsburgh Mills Mall is permanently closed.

The theater closed its Pittsburgh area locations in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was initially planned that Cinemark’s Pittsburgh-area theaters would reopen in early July but that was later pushed back.

Source: Pittsburgh-area Cinemark movie theaters set Aug. 21 reopening date

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Are Oil Prices Rising Too High Too Soon? | OilPrice.com

Oil rallied once again on bullish crude consu

Oil prices have rallied significantly, rising $10 in two weeks as markets are increasingly convinced that global demand for crude is picking up once again.

Deep output cuts and the reopening of some of the largest economies in the world have brightened the outlook for oil, but many analysts are now beginning to question whether this rally isn’t already overdone. So why are oil prices still rocketing as analysts warn of ballooning inventories and continued weak demand for aviation fuel?

Looking at the data, the first signs of real demand recovery are coming from the Far East, where Chinese refiners have embarked on a buying spree, capitalizing on ultra-low crude prices in heavy hit markets such as Brazil, Oman, and West Africa.

Spurred by Beijing’s call to action, factories and farmers are leading the demand recovery in diesel according to Liu Yuntao, an analyst working with Energy Aspects in London.

But it’s not just diesel. Gasoline consumption is also on the rise in China, where rush hour traffic in Beijing, Shanghai, and tens of other big cities is approaching normal levels once again as the Chinese are finding out that coronavirus isn’t spread by driving your car.

Source: Are Oil Prices Rising Too High Too Soon? | OilPrice.com

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Wanted: ‘Vaccine Criminal’ Bill Gates — https://www.churchmilitant.com/

Accused of ‘crimes against humanity’

by Martina Moyski

ROME (ChurchMilitant.com) – An Italian politician has recently demanded the arrest of billionaire Bill Gates, accusing him of “crimes against humanity” in a speech delivered to the Italian parliament.

In an impassioned seven-minute speech, Member of Parliament (MP) for Rome Sara Cunial attacked the Italian government’s heavy-handed and destructive response to the Wuhan crisis that was, she maintained, carried out under the influence of Gates, whom she denounced as a “vaccine criminal.”

“We have understood people, for sure, don’t die for the virus alone. So people will be allowed to die and suffer, thanks to you and your laws, for misery and poverty,” Cunial said.

The MP pointed particularly to the suffering of the children “who will lose more” as a result of oppressive lockdown measures and forced vaccinations. She called them “raped souls” for whom “the right to school will be granted only with a bracelet … to get them used to slavery.” She said they exchange their freedom “for a push-scooter and a tablet.”

Source: Wanted: ‘Vaccine Criminal’ Bill Gates

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Asia shares follow S&P 500 higher, oil and gold jump

Asian shares were led higher by S&P 500 futures on Monday and oil prices hit a five-week peak as countries’ efforts to re-open their economies stirred hopes the world was nearer to emerging from recession.

Summer weather is enticing much of the world to emerge from coronavirus lockdowns as centres of the outbreak from New York to Italy and Spain gradually lift restrictions that have kept millions cooped up for months.

“The economies of Europe and the U.S. likely bottomed out in April and are slowly starting to come back to life,” wrote Barclays economist Christian Keller in a note.

“However, incoming data from most economies highlight the depth of the contraction, raising risks of longer-term scarring that might undermine the recovery.”

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell took a cautious line in an interview over the weekend, saying a U.S. economic recovery may stretch deep into next year and a full comeback might depend on a coronavirus vaccine.

Late Sunday, Powell outlined the likely need for three to six more months of government financial help for firms and families.

Data out on Friday showed retail sales and industrial production both plunged in April, putting the U.S. economy on track for its deepest contraction since the Great Depression.

Source: Asia shares follow S&P 500 higher, oil and gold jump

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3 efforts to get free masks to those in Pittsburgh and beyond

 

Stay Safe

Evon Onusic grew up near Johnstown in Portage, PA, and always felt connected to Pittsburgh. So when he developed a plan to bring medical-grade KN95 masks from China to the U.S., his first shipment of 2,000 last week went straight to Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh.

Onusic currently runs a Nashville-based tech startup called DeltaSift. He spent years in Silicon Valley, where he ran a successful company called Algo, which had a Pittsburgh office. He’s also a senior advisor at GSVlabs, which is opening an office in Pittsburgh. When the pandemic hit, Onusic spun out a new company from DeltaSift called Stay Safe.

Free masks at police stations

Masks are needed now to do the most basic things, like go to the grocery store. But not everybody has access to them.

Now, thanks to a partnership between Pittsburgh-based medical relief agency Global Links and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, you can pick up a free mask from a newspaper box outside any Pittsburgh police station.

Two million masks arrive at PITTwo million N95-type masks from South Korea arrived early Monday morning at Pittsburgh International Airport.They were then delivered to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who will distribute them. The masks come from the South Korean government, as emergency assistance to the U.S.The flight landed at 2 a.m. in a National Airlines B747-400F. It’s the third such flight from South Korea to land in Pittsburgh in the past two weeks.

Source: 3 efforts to get free masks to those in Pittsburgh and beyond

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Richard Burr: Senate intelligence chief steps down for FBI probe – BBC News

The Republican chairman of the US Senate intelligence committee will step down while an insider trading inquiry is carried out.

Richard Burr of North Carolina said he had decided to do so because he did not want the investigation to distract the committee from its work.

Mr Burr’s phone has been seized by the FBI as part of the inquiry.

The senator, who denies wrongdoing, allegedly used inside information to avoid market losses from coronavirus.

He declined a request for comment.

Mr Burr and his wife sold as much as $1.7m (£1.4m) of equities in February, just before markets plunged on fears of an economic crisis.

It is illegal for members of Congress to trade based on non-public information gathered during their official duties.

Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler of Georgia and James Inhofe of Oklahoma, as well as Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, also reportedly sold holdings before the downturn, but are not confirmed to be under investigation.

Ms Feinstein said she had answered questions from the FBI regarding trades made by her husband, however.

Source: Richard Burr: Senate intelligence chief steps down for FBI probe – BBC News

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Grocery prices are soaring. Here’s what’s getting more expensive – CNN

New York (CNN Business)Okay, so if you’re a loyal reader of CNN Business (and we hope you are!) you might have seen a headline Tuesday that said “Prices are falling at an alarming rate.” Or a headline today that said producers’ prices fell by a record amount.

That probably feels … off to you. And for a good reason: Every time you go to the grocery store, that number at the end of the receipt keeps getting bigger.
Both things are true. Prices are falling across just about every category: Apparel, hotels, cars, car insurance, and airfare fell through the floor as people stayed home. Everyone knows gas prices are way cheaper.
But American grocery store price tags are soaring. Overall, the price of groceries grew 2.6%, including seasonal adjustments, in April. That was the biggest increase from one month to the next since 1974, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Source: Grocery prices are soaring. Here’s what’s getting more expensive – CNN

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Coronavirus In Pittsburgh: Experts Believe More Than One-Third Of Restaurants May Never Reopen – CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The restaurant industry, one of the biggest employers in the region, is now facing dire consequences.

KDKA’s Paul Martino reports many restaurant experts believe more than a third of area eateries may close for good. Experts he’s spoken with believe as many as 20, 30 of even 40 percent of area restaurants are closing for good.

The restaurant industry had been decimated by the pandemic. Restaurants that have been around for decades, like Alexander’s in Bloomfield, won’t survive the pandemic.

(Photo Credit: Alexander’s Italian Bistro)

Thousands of servers, bartenders, chefs and more once worked at Pittsburgh-area restaurants. But not anymore. Long time restaurant owners like Ron Sofranko say many of those jobs aren’t coming back.

The other hard reality is that folks may not feel safe to go out and dine for a long time.

One other restaurant trend to watch for: many of them may be filing for bankruptcy to hold off their creditors during the pandemic.

More information on the Coronavirus pandemic:

Source: Coronavirus In Pittsburgh: Experts Believe More Than One-Third Of Restaurants May Never Reopen – CBS Pittsburgh

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What negative interest rates would mean for your wallet

As the economy craters, here’s a look at what cutting interest rates below zero would mean for everyday Americans.

  • “Negative interest rates are inevitable in the U.S.,” said Bankrate’s Greg McBride. “It’s just a matter of when.”
  • For everyday Americans, that would likely mean lower mortgage and credit card rates and even lower returns on savings, if any at all.

Source: What negative interest rates would mean for your wallet

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Pittsburgh Police detectives seek the public’s assistance in locating a missing 17-year-old girl.

Pittsburgh Police Special Victims Unit (SVU) detectives seek the public’s assistance in locating a missing 17-year-old girl.

Brianna Bach is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, between 135-150 pounds, with dyed red shoulder-length hair and glasses.

Brianna left her Sugartop home with a suitcase on May 11 between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. and may have been wearing a red sweatshirt.

She is possibly headed out of state to Florida or New Hampshire.

If you have any information on her whereabouts, please call SVU detectives at (412) 323-7141.

  

Source: Public Safety Media Blotter

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Are Classic movies, Old and New, The Way To Go When Theatres Reopen? Could This Be The Best Idea For Moviegoers?

Harry Potter movies, “Footloose,” “The Wizard of Oz,” the “Jurassic” series and more will play at Epic Theatres of West Volusia’s drive-in theater through June

Epic Theatres of West Volusia, a movie theater in Deltona, Florida is offering drive-in movies nightly. The entertainment option has been well-received by families looking for something fun to do while following social distancing guidelines outside of their homes.

DELTONA — As the sun was setting, Holly Pell and her family arrived at Epic Theatres of West Volusia and settled in for a movie.

They never left their pickup.

It was the New Smyrna Beach family’s second visit since the theater’s conversion to show movies drive-in style, a change prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, but they looked like pros, having set up an inflatable mattress in the truck bed with plenty of pillows, blankets, snacks and drinks.

“I thought it was pretty fun,” said Cypress Wood, Pell’s 14-year-old niece.

“And you can just lay under the stars,” Lydia Pell, Holly’s 12-year-old daughter said.

Source: Classic movies, old and new, at Epic Theatres’ Deltona drive-in

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TV Q&A: Why are some daytime soaps in reruns? | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

 

Q: Why is the daytime serial “General Hospital” now showing repeats on Fridays, calling them “Friday Flashbacks”? Are they rationing episodes due to the pandemic until they are able to shoot on a regular basis again or is it something else entirely?

-JOE VIA EMAIL

Rob: Soaps record their episodes months in advance, but even some of them have exhausted their pre-taped inventory during the COVID-19 pandemic with the ABC show expected to run out of original episodes by the end of May.

So, yes, the Friday reruns of “General Hospital” are an effort to stretch out new episodes longer. TheWrap.com reports “GH” is also adding flashbacks to new episodes in another effort to stretch out the run of original episodes.CBS soaps “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful” went into reruns on April 25 and are now airing theme weeks of reruns. This week “Y&R” features episodes dating back to 1981 for “Victor and Nikki: A Lifetime of Love,” while “B&B” reaches back to 1991 for its “Epic Weddings Week.”NBC’s “Days of our Lives” is in better shape with enough original episodes stockpiled to see the show through to October.

Source: TV Q&A: Why are some daytime soaps in reruns? | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Giant Eagle Begins Limiting Meat Purchases | Pittsburgh, PA Patch

PITTSBURGH, PA – Giant Eagle is temporarily limiting ground meat and advertised meat product purchases due to increased customer demand for those items.

“In recent days, our supermarkets have experienced increased guest demand for products in our meat department,” the supermarket chain stated in a release. “To discourage bulk purchasing and ensure that we have product available for as many guests as possible, we are temporarily limiting the number of ground beef and advertised meat products guests can purchase at once. In a single transaction, guests are able to purchase two packages of ground beef and up to two of each meat item advertised in our weekly circular.”

Major meat producers such as Smithfield Foods, Tyson Foods and Cargill had to close plants in April after workers contracted the coronavirus. But Giant Eagle says it works with several different suppliers to provide customers with a wide variety of meat options and maintains consistent product availability.

Source: Giant Eagle Begins Limiting Meat Purchases | Pittsburgh, PA Patch

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The Pandemic May Mean the End of the Open-Floor Office – The New York Times

As businesses contemplate the return of workers to their desks, many are considering large and small changes to the modern workplace culture and trappings.

SAN FRANCISCO — The modern corporate office is renowned for open, collaborative work spaces, in-house coffee bars and standing desks with room for two giant computer monitors.

Soon, there may be a new must-have perk: the sneeze guard.

A plexiglass barrier that can be mounted on a desk is one of many ideas being mulled by employers as they contemplate a return to the workplace after coronavirus lockdowns. Their post-pandemic makeovers may include hand sanitizers built into desks that are positioned at 90-degree angles or that are enclosed by translucent plastic partitions; air filters that push air down and not up; outdoor gathering space to allow collaboration without viral transmission; and windows that actually open, for freer air flow.

Source: The Pandemic May Mean the End of the Open-Floor Office – The New York Times

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Newt Gingrich: China behaved horribly in coronavirus cover-up and is responsible for deaths around world | Fox News

China’s Communist dictatorship mismanaged the outbreak of the coronavirus and tried to cover it up, lying to the United States and the rest of the world.

Indeed, the Chinese government is largely responsible for a local outbreak in the city of Wuhan becoming the global pandemic that has killed tens of thousands of Americans and puts tens of millions more out of work.

But we still don’t know the exact origins of the virus. Did it come from a Chinese wet market or a laboratory? We also need to figure out what responsibility China should bear for the devastation the pandemic has caused and how to hold Beijing accountable.

Source: Newt Gingrich: China behaved horribly in coronavirus cover-up and is responsible for deaths around world | Fox News

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Gunfire exchanged across border in DMZ between North and South Korea – CNN

North Korea fired gunshots at the wall of a South Korean guard post in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a buffer area which separates the two countries, on Sunday,

The South Korean military responded by broadcasting a verbal warning and returning fire twice, according to protocol outlined in the response manual and on the judgment of the field commander, according to the JCS statement.
The South Korean military said that “the military is in the process of identifying situations over the military communication line with the North and preventing any additional situations from occurring.”
Under the military accord signed between the two Koreas on September 29, 2018, the South and North each demolished 11 guard posts along the DMZ, but dozens of guard posts remain.
There have been exchanges of fire between the Koreas in the past, including in 2017, when a North Korean solider defected at the JSA (Joint Security Area) and, in 2014, when a North Korean defector organization launched balloons of leaflets criticizing the country’s reclusive regime.
It is not known what caused this exchange of fire.

Source: Gunfire exchanged across border in DMZ between North and South Korea – CNN

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Truck found at bottom of Pennsylvania lake

FLEETVILLE, Pa. — Authorities are investigating a fisherman’s discovery of a truck at the bottom of a northeastern Pennsylvania lake.

WNEP-TV reports that someone on a fishing boat noticed what appeared to be a vehicle on the bottom of the Benton Township lake in Lackawanna State Park in Lackawanna County.

The fisherman contacted authorities who confirmed the presence of some sort of truck at the bottom of the lake. Officials decided it was too difficult to remove the vehicle or send divers to investigate at night. The investigation was to continue Sunday.

TRENDING NOW:

Source: Truck found at bottom of Pennsylvania lake

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Penguins’ Matt Murray opens tab for Pittsburgh police officers at Primanti Bros.

PITTSBURGH —

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray launched a $5,000 open tab for Pittsburgh police officers at Primanti Bros. on Thursday.Image

Murray and Primanti Bros. will offer access to the police tab at the downtown restaurant located at 2 Market Square. The location is open Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“I want to thank the people on the front lines who put themselves at risk every day to keep us safe,” said Murray.

Primanti Bros. is currently offering pick-up only service, but orders may be placed by calling ahead or in-person at the restaurant. Officers should be present and show a badge to access the tab.

 ?

Source: Penguins’ Matt Murray opens tab for Pittsburgh police officers at Primanti Bros.

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You need to be careful with these social media trends, FBI Pittsburgh warns

PITTSBURGH — Be careful what information you share on social media. That’s the warning from FBI Pittsburgh as a number of trending social media topics can lead to fraud.

While they might seem like fun games, they can reveal answers to common password retrieval security questions, according to the FBI. Fraudsters then use that information to reset account passwords and gain access.

Examples of things the FBI wants you to be careful of are posting high school photos in support of the Class of 2020, posting pictures of your first car, answering questions about your best friend and providing the name of your first pet, as well as identifying your first concert, favorite restaurant or favorite teacher. Tagging your mother is also advised against because it could reveal a maiden name.

Source: You need to be careful with these social media trends, FBI Pittsburgh warns

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Possible Dinosaur DNA Has Been Found – Scientific American

The tiny fossil is unassuming, as dinosaur remains go. It is not as big as an Apatosaurus femur or as impressive as a Tyrannosaurus jaw. The object is a just a scant shard of cartilage from the skull of a baby hadrosaur called Hypacrosaurus that perished more than 70 million years ago. But it may contain something never before seen from the depths of the Mesozoic era: degraded remnants of dinosaur DNA.

Genetic material is not supposed to last over such time periods—not by a long shot. DNA begins to decay at death. Findings from a 2012 study on moa bones show an organism’s genetic material deteriorates at such a rate that it halves itself every 521 years. This speed would mean paleontologists can only hope to recover recognizable DNA sequences from creatures that lived and died within the past 6.8 million years—far short of even the last nonavian dinosaurs.

But then there is the Hypacrosaurus cartilage. In a study published earlier this year, Chinese Academy of Sciences paleontologist Alida Bailleul and her colleagues proposed that in that fossil, they had found not only evidence of original proteins and cartilage-creating cells but a chemical signature consistent with DNA.

Source: Possible Dinosaur DNA Has Been Found – Scientific American

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Chipotle Mexican Grill to pay $25M Fine Food Safety Case – CNN

(CNN)Chipotle Mexican Grill has agreed to pay a record $25 million fine to resolve criminal charges involving food-safety violations, the Justice Department said.

The charges related to “adulterated food that sickened more than 1,100 people across the United States from 2015 to 2018,” the department said in a release.
The fine is the largest “ever imposed in a food-safety case,” the department said.
“Chipotle failed to ensure that its employees both understood and complied with its food safety protocols, resulting in hundreds of customers across the country getting sick,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna.
The restaurant chain also agreed to put in place a “comprehensive food safety compliance program,” the department said.
Chipotle said it has “introduced specific food safety policies and procedures to enhance its existing practices.”

Source: Chipotle Mexican Grill to pay $25M Fine Food Safety Case – CNN

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Land O’ Lakes drops ‘racist’ Native American image from packaging after nearly 100 years | Fox News

Land O’ Lakes has an updated look for 2020.

The farmer-owned dairy cooperative, which produces butter, cheese and other milk products, has dropped the Native American maiden image from its packaging, opting instead for just a landscape.

The logo, which has been the company’s label for nearly 100 years since it was founded in Minnesota in 1921, has been called “racist” and criticized for its use of the “butter maiden.”

Source: Land O’ Lakes drops ‘racist’ Native American image from packaging after nearly 100 years | Fox News

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Pennsylvania State Senate votes to override governor’s stay-at-home order | TheHill

BY ZACK BUDRYK –
The Pennsylvania State Senate on Wednesday sent a bill that would partially lift the lockdown on most of the state’s businesses to Gov. Tom Wolf’s (D) desk.

The measure, Senate Bill 613, would require the governor’s office to align with federal guidelines in determining which businesses will be allowed to reopen during the pandemic, allowing all those that can safely operate with mitigation strategies under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency guidelines.

The measure passed the senate 29-21 Wednesday after passing the state House 107-95 Tuesday.

Source: Pennsylvania State Senate votes to override governor’s stay-at-home order | TheHill

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Pittsburgh Police Vehicle Involved In Hit-And-Run Accident, Searching For Two Suspects – CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh Police are searching for two suspects involved in a hit-and-run accident with one of their police cruisers on the North Side in the early morning hours on Tuesday.

Police say that the officer driving the cruiser was not injured.

The accident happened near the Zone 1 Police Station on Brighton Road around 12:30 a.m.

There was visible damage done to the passenger side of the police car and the side mirror was ripped off.

Source: Pittsburgh Police Vehicle Involved In Hit-And-Run Accident, Searching For Two Suspects – CBS Pittsburgh

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