ReportWire

Tag: food and drink

  • Mark, Albania’s last ‘restaurant bear,’ arrives at sanctuary after over 20 years of captivity | CNN

    Mark, Albania’s last ‘restaurant bear,’ arrives at sanctuary after over 20 years of captivity | CNN

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    After over twenty years in captivity, Mark, the last of Albania’s “restaurant bears,” has safely arrived at his new home, an animal sanctuary in Austria, according to the animal rescue group Four Paws International.

    So-called “restaurant bears” have historically been kept in tiny cages near restaurants or hotels, where they served as an attraction for tourists, according to Four Paws. In 2016, the nonprofit launched the “Saddest Bears” campaign in an effort to relocate the more than 30 bears being used as entertainment in the country.

    Mark, a 24-year old brown bear, is the last known “restaurant bear” in Albania, according to a news release from Four Paws, although there are other bears in captivity in poor circumstances in the country. He was rescued on December 7 and arrived at his new home, “BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach” in Austria on Friday.

    When Four Paws first encountered Mark, the animal was suffering from severe health problems. He was overweight, had broken teeth and displayed “abnormal” behaviors like pacing due to the lack of stimulation in his cramped cage, Four Paws said in a previous news release.

    The bear embarked on a 44-hour journey to his new home, according to the organization. He traveled through North Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary before finally reaching the sanctuary.

    But he was “calm and relaxed” during the trek, according to Four Paws.

    “We made regular stops for our accompanying vet to check on him and fed him with fruits and vegetables,” Magdalena Scherk-Trettin, who coordinates Four Paws’ wild animal rescue and advocacy projects, said in the release. “After receiving an inappropriate diet of restaurant leftovers and mainly bread for two decades, he was a little reluctant about the vegetables, but munched happily on the grapes we gave him.”

    Mark was slow to explore his snowy new habitat, according to Four Paws. He hadn’t stepped outside a cage in over twenty years. He’ll stay in a smaller outdoor enclosure for the time being until he adjusts to his new environment and moves to a larger enclosure.

    The sanctuary in Arbesbach has operated since 1988, according to its website. Mark will join three other rescued grizzly bears who live on 14,000 square meters of “natural surroundings.”

    “With Mark’s rescue we ended the cruel practice of keeping him next to a restaurant to attract and entertain visitors,” Four Paws’ president Josef Pfabigan said in the release. “We are now one step closer to a world where people treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Julius’ Bar, the site of an essential 1960s LGBT protest, is officially a historic landmark | CNN

    Julius’ Bar, the site of an essential 1960s LGBT protest, is officially a historic landmark | CNN

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    Julius’ Bar, one of New York City’s oldest LGBT bars and the location of a crucial 1960s protest, has been officially recognized as a city landmark.

    The bar was officially recognized by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on December 6th, according to a news release from the New York City government.

    The city called the bar “one of the city’s most significant sites of LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) history” in the news release.

    Julius’ was the site of the 1966 “Sip-in,” a protest against homophobic discrimination – although at the time, the bar wasn’t an explicitly LGBT space. Four men named Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell, John Timmons, and Randy Wicker staged the event to protest the persecution of gay men for drinking in public, according to the National Park Service. Bars and restaurants could be raided for “disorderly” conduct, which included men flirting and kissing, says the service. So bars often refused to serve clients who they knew were gay.

    At Julius’, the men announced they were gay – and the bartender refused to serve them, saying it was illegal. The men successfully brought a court case challenging that interpretation of the law. And in 1967, “the courts ruled that indecent behavior had to be more than same-sex ‘cruising’” kissing or touching,” says the National Park Service. “Gays could legally drink in a bar.”

    Julius’, located in New York City’s West Village, is a crucial piece of the city’s history: The bar has been open since the 1860s, according to the National Park Service. And today, it openly describes itself as a gay bar on its social media.

    “The ‘Sip-In’ at Julius’ was a pivotal moment in our city and our nation’s LGBTQ+ history, and this designation today marks not only that moment but also Julius’ half-century as a home for New York City’s LGBTQ+ community,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams in the city news release. “Honoring a location where New Yorkers were once denied service solely on account of their sexuality reinforces something that should already be clear: LGBTQ+ New Yorkers are welcome anywhere in our city.”

    Council member Erik Botcher thanked the activists who pushed for the landmark designation in the release.

    “As a gay man who enjoys countless freedoms that were unimaginable in their time, I owe enormous debt to the activists who made Julius’ Bar the site of their protest.” Bottcher said in the release. “Landmarks should tell the history of all New Yorkers, including those from marginalized communities.”

    And the landmark status will help ensure the historical site is preserved for decades.

    “The Commission’s designation of the Julius’ Bar Building today recognizes and protects the site of the 1966 ‘Sip-In,’ an important early protest against the persecution of LGBTQ+ people that drew vital attention to unjust laws and practices and paved the way for future milestones in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights,” said Sarah Carroll, the landmarks preservation commission chair, in the release.

    “This building represents that history and has remained an important place to commemorate it,” she went on.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • What’s gone wrong at Beyond Meat | CNN Business

    What’s gone wrong at Beyond Meat | CNN Business

    [ad_1]


    New York
    CNN Business
     — 

    A slew of problems have stalled the growth of Beyond Meat, once a darling of Wall Street whose top product became synonymous with plant-based burgers.

    Sales have been declining, sliding 22.5% in the third quarter compared to the previous year, and the company has laid off over 20% of its global staff since August. After an extremely successful market debut in 2019, Beyond Meat

    (BYND)     has lost favor with investors. The stock dropped about 77% so far this year.

    Some of the problems can be attributed to broader industry challenges. In the grocery store, interest in plant-based meats has waned as consumers, faced with inflation, focus on shopping for affordable basics.

    At the same time, restaurant traffic is dipping. Cash-strapped customers are pulling back on dining out, making Beyond’s foodservice business more vulnerable. And Beyond is far from the only company to lay off staff as a possible recession looms.

    But Beyond is facing some unique challenges.

    The company recently parted ways with three members of its C-suite, one of whom allegedly bit someone’s nose. A recent LA Times report called into question the hygiene of a Beyond Meat facility in Pennsylvania, though the company stands by the cleanliness of the plant, saying that its “food safety protocols go above industry and regulatory standards.”

    Also, a promising partnership with McDonald’s

    (MCD)     has stalled in the United States. And fierce competition is squeezing sales, including in frozen, plant-based chicken, a category that is growing while refrigerated plant-based meat sales falter.

    The company’s plan is to focus on cash flow and profitability rather than growth, and become more strategic in its restaurant and marketing initiatives, among other things.

    “Despite the current headwinds facing our business and category, we remain confident in our ability to deliver on the long-term growth and impact expected from our global brand,” a Beyond Meat spokesperson told CNN Business in response to a request for comment.

    “They’ve got a big task ahead of them,” said Peter Saleh, restaurant analyst at financial services firm BTIG. Next year will be about “trying to get their financials in order to a place where they can sustain themselves,” he added. “It’s a tall order.”

    Last year, Beyond Meat announced a strategic partnership with McDonald’s, including working with the burger chain on the McPlant, a plant-based burger.

    Since then, the McPlant has been added to the McDonald’s menu permanently in some European markets.

    In the US, McDonald’s

    (MCD)     tested out the burger in some locations. But it hasn’t added the item to the menu, and it’s not clear if or when that will happen.

    “I don’t think it’s totally off the table, but I’m not sure that it’s going to be [Beyond’s] saving grace at this point,” said Saleh.

    Beyond has also lost its spot on the Dunkin’ menu. The coffee chain enthusiastically rolled out a breakfast sandwich with Beyond sausage nationally in 2019, but stopped working with Beyond last year.

    McDonald's tested the McPlant, but has not added it permanently to US menus.

    Beyond still has plenty of partnerships with restaurants, but many of them are limited-time tests.

    “In the last 12 months, we have had 25 trials for permanent menu launches with nine distinct products,” said Beyond CEO Ethan Brown during a November analyst call discussing the company’s third-quarter results.

    Brown positioned the launches as long-term investments, saying they won’t generate big sales in the short term but should pay off eventually. But getting a permanent menu spot might be challenging, noted Kathryn Fenner, principal at foodservice consulting firm Technomic.

    “Even if they sell, say 30 to 40 of these plant-based burgers a day … that still pales in comparison to their traditional proteins,” she said, speaking about plant-based burgers in general. And these days, making a limited-time offer permanent is a tough sell because operators have been slimming down their menus, she noted.

    Meanwhile, Burger King continues to sell the Impossible Whopper nationally. “We haven’t been experiencing what Beyond Meat and some of the other brands in the space have reported,” said Impossible foods spokesperson Keely Sulprizio. Impossible is private and is not required to share its sales data publicly.

    In the grocery store, Beyond is facing a swell of competition.

    Beyond has embraced competition in the past. But now, rivals are interfering with its bottom line.

    “We believe that healthy competition within plant-based meat is a good thing as it brings investment in marketing to the category,” said Brown during the November analyst call.

    “However, in the current environment, we are not seeing this benefit,” he said. “Instead, more companies are pursuing the same or fewer consumers.” Brown said Beyond is the leader in refrigerated plant-based meat, and that he expects some brands to pull back or consolidate in the future.

    It’s true that the plant-based meat pie is smaller these days. Retail sales of meat alternatives fell about 12% in the year through November 6, according to data from IRI. Ground plant-based meat fell about 19%, and patties were down 30% in that period.

    But frozen chicken alternatives are growing. Strips and cutlets sales increased about 16% and nuggets jumped nearly 28%.

    “Frozen plant-based chicken is the largest single subcategory in all of plant-based meats and continues to grow at a double-digit pace,” said Brown during the analyst call. “So we are pleased to be expanding our presence of additional chicken items.”

    Beyond Meat introduced plant-based chicken strips in retail in 2014, but pulled the product in 2019. It launched a retooled version, Beyond Chicken Tenders, in stores in 2021, and has built its plant-based chicken portfolio since then.

    But in the few years Beyond’s product was off the market, new entrants rushed into the space.

    Nuggs, a plant-based chicken nugget made by startup Simulate, has made a splash online thanks to its bold packaging over the last few years and has been expanding in retail.

    Daring, another plant-based chicken company, launched its product in the US in 2020. Daring’s chicken alternative became available at Whole Foods last year. Impossible and other legacy brands have offerings, as well.

    “Plant-based chicken is a good growth category,” said Saleh. “I would have liked to have seen [Beyond] double down.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Coca-Cola is getting into Christmas movies | CNN Business

    Coca-Cola is getting into Christmas movies | CNN Business

    [ad_1]


    New York
    CNN Business
     — 

    Coca-Cola is hoping that this holiday season, families will crack open some Cokes, settle into a comfy spot and watch its first Christmas Anthology film series.

    The beverage company partnered with production firm Imagine Entertainment to create three short films, which are available to watch on Amazon Prime across the globe starting Wednesday.

    The venture is a continuation of Coca-Cola’s Real Magic platform, which takes an experimental approach to marketing the company’s core product.

    In the past year, Real Magic has focused on unusual, limited-time flavors such as Starlight, Byte and Dreamworld, which have been launched alongside digital experiences including a holographic concert and a debut in Fortnite. The Christmas Anthology is part of a new platform called Real Magic Presents.

    For Coca-Cola

    (KO)    , it’s important to do more than just sell soda — the soda giant has to connect with younger consumers and build new traditions, especially as interest in sugary, carbonated soft drinks stagnates.

    “We’re always exploring new ways to reach our audience,” said Selman Careaga, category president of Coca-Cola trademark, calling Christmas “a great canvas for creativity.” The anthology, he said, is “a new way to engage” with the holiday.

    Coca-Cola has a history of associating itself with Christmas, so much so that the company has an FAQ page for “Did Coca-Cola create Santa Claus?” (The answer: Sort of. In 1931, the company commissioned a painting of Santa that aligns with how he is portrayed in the US today, according to the page.)

    In more recent years, the company’s polar bears and brightly-lit trucks have been strongly linked with the holiday.

    This year, Coke is trying something a little more high-concept.

    After launching the Real Magic platform in 2021, Coca-Cola published a video on YouTube called “Real Magic at Christmas,” about a boy who bonds with his new neighbors by working together to build a chimney out of cardboard boxes.

    This year, the short films are longer — running between 10 and 12 minutes — and more ambitious.

    A vampire meets his girlfriend's family.

    There’s “Alma,” which shows a single mom who has cooled on Christmas being reminded of the joy of the holiday by a sentient computer; “Les Petits Mondes De Noël,” a moody love story about two exes who reunite in Paris; and “Christmas Bites,” about a vampire who wins over his girlfriend’s family when he steps in for Santa on Christmas Eve.

    A viewer wouldn’t necessarily know that these are Coca-Cola movies, except for the fact that each film features at least one character sipping a Coke.

    But for the company, the shorts are about more than just product placement. “It allows us to work on content that fits into our Real Magic platform,” said Careaga.

    The films are not your typical cheesy Christmas movie, and not only because they’re shorts. There are no overt love stories, fat snowflakes swirling around fake sets or ugly sweaters (at least, not too many).

    The Hallmark model may be popular in the United States, but it doesn’t necessarily have global appeal, said Marc Gilbar, EVP of brands and documentaries at Imagine Entertainment.

    Characters reconnect in

    “I mentioned Hallmark films” to members of the global team working on the project, Gilbar said. “That shorthand doesn’t mean much to someone in Spain or someone in Argentina. It’s more centered on our traditions.”

    The Coca-Cola anthology is designed to appeal to a global audience. “Alma,” set in Mexico, is in Spanish, and “Les Petits Mondes De Noël,” is in French. Only “Christmas Bites” is in English.

    And although these are certainly Christmas movies, they’re not overtly religious.

    “Christmas means different things to different people,” Gilbar said. “The religious aspect never really came up. It was more about other traditions.”

    As Coke dips its toes in film-making, rival Pepsi took another approach, partnering with “Falling for Christmas” star Lindsay Lohan to promote Pilk, or Pepsi plus milk, as a holiday tradition.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • World Cup fans find booze at hotels, Qatar’s 1 liquor store

    World Cup fans find booze at hotels, Qatar’s 1 liquor store

    [ad_1]

    DOHA, Qatar — In a dusty neighborhood on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital, guards stand duty at a gated compound ringed with razor wire, carefully checking passports and permits before allowing anyone inside. But this isn’t a prison or a high-security area associated with the ongoing World Cup.

    It’s the liquor store.

    Rigid limits on alcohol are a fact of life in this conservative Muslim nation on the Arabian Peninsula, which follows the same strict Wahhabi interpretation of Islam as its neighbor Saudi Arabia. Soccer fans coming to Qatar for the World Cup got a taste of that just before the tournament as authorities cancelled beer sales at stadiums.

    Yet corks continue to be popped in luxury boxes at games. Fans are filling pints from beer towers at dozens of hotel bars, lounges and nightclubs with liquor licenses. Sales of $14 Budweisers at Doha’s FIFA Fan Zone continue unabated.

    “Not to say that you need alcohol to fuel your life, but it’s a good time,” said Ed Ball, an American who created an online map for imbibers in Doha to find bars. “The idea being passed around that you can’t drink in Qatar is wrong. There are places.”

    In addition to the bars, there’s the liquor store where non-Muslim residents and visitors can shop after applying for a government-issued license. Located next to an Indian school in Doha’s dusty Abu Hamour neighborhood, it is run by the Qatar Distribution Co., a state-owned enterprise under the umbrella of Qatar Airways, which holds exclusive rights to distribute alcohol and pork in the country.

    The store — currently the only one selling liquor in Qatar — operates on an appointment system, harkening back to the strict coronavirus regulations that governed this country prior to just before the World Cup.

    On a recent visit, guards twice checked an Associated Press reporter’s identifications and appointments. Razor wire tops the compound’s high walls, which bar the public from a peek inside. Signs warn that any abuse aimed at the guards can result in an alcohol license being revoked. Empty silver-colored beer kegs are piled up in the parking lot.

    At the end of a chlorine-scented walkway, customers reach the entrance to the store. Inside, the shelves and stands are stocked with bottles of wine largely running from $12.50 up to $45. A liter of Absolut vodka goes for $42, while a liter of Jack Daniels whiskey sets a shopper back $70. A 24-pack of standard Budweiser cans costs nearly $52.

    A small section of the store offers frozen pork pepperoni pizzas, slabs of bacon, Spam and cans of pork and beans.

    Customers filled their carts or carried bottles and cans in their hands, checking against shopping lists or texting family members to double check what was needed. Several wore FIFA passes for the tournament around their necks.

    Outside the shop, a 31-year-old British woman who works as a school teacher in Qatar, filled the trunk of her car. She declined to offer her name, given the connotations drinking can carry in Qatari society, but dismissed criticism surrounding drinking and the tournament.

    “It’s really not that big of a deal,” she said of the licensing system in Qatar. “It’s like going to the supermarket — for alcohol.”

    She added that she thought the restrictions on sales for the matches also made sense. “I’m British. I know what it’s like to to be around drunk people all the time.”

    Across the wider Persian Gulf, alcohol remains banned in Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the sheikhdom of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Drinking alcohol is considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam. Imams point to a verse in the Quran calling wine “the work of Satan.”

    But the region as a whole has a long history with alcohol, itself an Arabic word. The 8th century poet Abu Nawas even was known for his “khamriyyat,” or “wine poems.”

    Both alcohol and pork face a 100% import duty. Qatar says it uses the tax revenue to improve health care, infrastructure, education and other public services.

    Visitors are not allowed to bring alcohol into the country. Many hotels are dry and prohibit guests from bringing alcohol to their rooms.

    Even with those restrictions, Qatar sold 23.2 million liters of alcoholic drinks in 2021, according to data from Euromonitor International. Though dwarfed by the United Arab Emirates’ 115 million liters sold in the same period, Qatar’s numbers show a 14.6% growth as the pandemic waned.

    Meanwhile, Ball’s online map of bars in Qatar has been viewed over 875,000 times. An accompanying Twitter account shows him downing two pints of beer in 10 seconds.

    “For me, drinking is just like eating. It just goes along with the culture,” Ball told the AP after returning home to Seattle, where he works for Boeing Co. “I know it’s not part of Qatar … but it’s also part of the World Cup. One of the biggest sponsors is Budweiser so it just goes to show you it kind of goes hand in hand.”

    Bars in Qatar typically scan IDs of those heading in, with many working on a voucher system during the tournament to make sure fans spend at least certain amount.

    On Saturday night, a group of Russians screamed expletives at the U.S. team during its match with the Netherlands as they downed shots and posed for photographs with servers at Doha’s Irish Harp.

    Dermot O’Callaghan, a 66-year-old soccer fan from Dublin, Ireland, enjoyed a much calmer pint at the bar, swaying along to the Cuban band Chicas Melao.

    “It’s very enjoyable, you can get a drink here if you want in the evenings,” O’Callaghan said. “You do have a cohort of fans roaming around, looking for a drink.”

    ———

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

    ———

    Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Margot Robbie says tequila shots helped her film nude ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ scenes | CNN

    Margot Robbie says tequila shots helped her film nude ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ scenes | CNN

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    According to Margot Robbie, she needed a little bit of liquid courage to film a now-famous scene in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

    The Daily Mirror reported that during remarks at a BAFTA: A Life In Pictures recording, the Australian actress shared some of what happened behind the scenes when she starred as Naomi Lapaglia in the 2013 film opposite Leonardo DiCaprio as real-life stockbroker Jordan Belfort.

    The pair had a pretty racy nude scene together, and Robbie reportedly said she reached for some tequila to prepare.

    “I’m not going to lie, I had a couple of shots of tequila before that scene because I was nervous – very, very nervous,” she said.

    The film went on to be pretty big, unlike what Robbie had imagined.

    “Honestly, I know it sounds silly now, knowing how big the movie became, at the time I thought, ‘No one is going to notice me in this film,” she said.“‘It kind of doesn’t matter what I do in this film because everyone is going to be focused on Leo [DiCaprio] and everything.’”

    The role in the 2013 film actually helped launch Robbie into stardom.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Keke Palmer says Amy Schumer is helping her prep for ‘SNL’ hosting duties | CNN

    Keke Palmer says Amy Schumer is helping her prep for ‘SNL’ hosting duties | CNN

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    Keke Palmer is set to host “Saturday Night Live” for the first time on Dec. 3, alongside musical guest SZA.

    While the “Nope” star has been acting since childhood, “SNL,” she said, is a “unique experience” that Amy Schumer has been helping her prep for.

    “I’m thrilled to the moon. I just can’t wait,” Palmer told CNN in a recent interview. “I know it’s gonna be so much fun. I’m really excited about it and just looking forward to doing it. I think it’s gonna be a unique experience, but also some familiar territory. And then it’ll just be fun seeing how they do it, you know, on their side of it. Because I love sketch.”

    “Amy [Schumer] actually talked to me about it and was walking me kind of through the whole thing,” she added.

    Palmer said she’s looking at the hosting gig as kind of a “Broadway-ish” performance.

    “I just wanna entertain, y’all and let’s have a good night,” she said.

    As an entertainer since childhood, Palmer knows she is having a moment right now, but said she keeps her first planted firmly on the ground because she’s seen the ups and downs of Hollywood first hand.

    “You know, the entertainment industry is funny that way. There will be moments in your life where everybody is just thinking about you and everything is always so exciting, and then it’ll be chill and then it won’t be as trendy or won’t be a moment,” she said. “I definitely do feel like there’s a bit of a trendy moment that’s happening [for me] and it’s fun and it’s exciting and I’m just loving to be able to continue to explore different avenues of entertainment … No moment lasts forever.”

    Palmer’s star rose even higher over the summer with the release of director Jordan Peele’s “Nope,” which he wrote with her in mind.

    She said it was an “insane” call to get.

    “Jordan is just such a talented person and somebody I always wanted to work with again after I did ‘Key & Peele,’ and seeing how he has continued to evolve as a creator,” Palmer said, adding, “Then I read the script, I love the character. I love the world of sci-fi and adventure, but then I was like, man, this character is so unique. It’s such a rare combination that you get to play as a woman. That was such a cool arc that I was going to get the opportunity to go through from comedy to drama.

    Palmer said she hopes to work with more directors.

    “There are tons of people I think I could have some fun collaborating with. I would love to work with Samuel Jackson again. I would love to work with Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg. The list goes on. I would love to work with Jordan again,” she said. “Quentin Tarantino too, he’s very punchy and everything is very extreme in terms of entertainment. Like, he’s going to always give you a movie and a cinematic experience.”

    For now, Palmer will be happily at home in Chicago with her parents for Thanksgiving. She has a current partnership with McCormick seasoning and said she even brings the company’s 10 spice box with her when she travels.

    “There’s no reason for me to go to nobody’s house this holiday and for the them to not know how to spice up their food,” she laughed.

    She won’t have that problem at home, however. Palmer said her dad does all the cooking and she gets a break.

    “I’m rested and getting away,” she said.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Holiday cornucopia: NY produce market supplies the goods

    Holiday cornucopia: NY produce market supplies the goods

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK — It was the wee hours of the morning, and the docks at New York’s largest produce market were bustling in the cold. Thanksgiving was inching closer, and sacks of onions, potatoes and carrots were flying off the shelves.

    Amidst the whir, buyers and sellers were finalizing deals on tomatoes, mangoes and lettuce. Trucks stood ready to haul away the bounty — a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables destined for supermarket produce aisles, household refrigerators and, eventually, millions of mouths across the Northeast during the gluttonous holidays.

    “This time of year is our busiest. We have Thanksgiving, we have Christmas and New Year’s. All of these are very big family and big-eating holidays,” said Stefanie Katzman, the executive vice president of S. Katzman Produce, one of the country’s largest and oldest produce dealers, which operates at the Hunts Point Produce Market.

    The market is a sprawling collection of wholesalers that make it the nation’s busiest distribution center for fruits and vegetables, responsible for more than 60% of the daily stock for New York City and feeds over 30 million customers, according to another Hunts Point wholesaler, E. Armata Inc.

    Thanksgiving is especially busy time of year because the quintessentially American feast is widely celebrated across the United States.

    “Our market as a whole does about three times as much business as normal on a day like today,” Katzman said while leading a tour Tuesday morning of her company’s cavernous warehouse, which extends a quarter mile (0.4 kilometers) and room for produce across nearly two football fields.

    In one huge room, the whiff of onions filled the cold air. In another, the scent of berries wafted through the room — although Katzman’s biggest seller, strawberries, were in short supply because of inclement weather that wreaked havoc on the growing season.

    “Our market is really unique. It’s kind of like the stock market, but a little bit more intense. Because our ‘stocks’ are perishable, we can’t hold on to them for too long hoping they go up in value,” Katzman said.

    Not only can the place be likened as a stock market, but it is also a Grand Central station of sorts with delivery trucks in and out of the Bronx facility.

    In all, Hunts Point’s wholesalers distribute 2.5 billion pounds of produce a year, with about 30 million pounds having moved on Tuesday alone. The produce ends up at places like Whole Foods, high-end grocers and specialty markets, as well smaller mom-and-pop outlets.

    Michael Rubinsky, a buyer from Market Basket, a gourmet grocery, makes the hour’s drive from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, three times a week to inspect the goods.

    “I come for the basics — everything like celery, lettuce, strawberries and potatoes — but quality is No. 1,” he said. “I check the quality and load everything on the truck.”

    Charlie Mule, one of Katzman’s produce salesmen, said consumers don’t realize where their produce comes from.

    “You’ve eaten our stuff without you even knowing you’ve eaten our stuff,” said Mule. “If you go to a restaurant or store you probably don’t realize the whole scope of how it got there before you put it in your refrigerator or on your plate.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Neanderthals cooked meals with pulses 70,000 years ago | CNN

    Neanderthals cooked meals with pulses 70,000 years ago | CNN

    [ad_1]

    Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.



    CNN
     — 

    Stone Age cooks were surprisingly sophisticated, combining an array of ingredients and using different techniques to prepare and flavor their meals, analysis of some the earliest charred food remains has suggested.

    Plant material found at the Shanidar Cave in northern Iraq — which is famous for its burial of a Neanderthal surrounded by flowers — and Franchthi Cave in Greece revealed prehistoric cooking by Neanderthals and early modern humans was complex, involving several steps, and that the foods used were diverse, according to a new study published in the journal Antiquity.

    Wild nuts, peas, vetch, a legume which had edible seed pods, and grasses were often combined with pulses like beans or lentils, the most commonly identified ingredient, and at times, wild mustard. To make the plants more palatable, pulses, which have a naturally bitter taste, were soaked, coarsely ground or pounded with stones to remove their husk.

    At Shanidar Cave, the researchers studied plant remains from 70,000 years ago, when the space was inhabited by Neanderthals, an extinct species of human, and 40,000 years ago, when it was home to early modern humans (Homo sapiens).

    The charred food remains from Franchthi Cave dated from 12,000 years ago, when it was also occupied by hunter-gatherer Homo sapiens.

    Despite the distance in time and space, similar plants and cooking techniques were identified at both sites — possibly suggesting a shared culinary tradition, said the study’s lead author Dr. Ceren Kabukcu, an archaeobotanical scientist at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom.

    Based on the food remains researchers analyzed, Neanderthals, the heavy-browed hominins who disappeared about 40,000 years ago, and Homo sapiens appeared to use similar ingredients and techniques, she added, although wild mustard was only found at Shanidar Cave dating back to when it was occupied by Homo sapiens.

    A breadlike substance was found at the Greek cave, although it wasn’t clear what it was made from. The evidence that ancient humans pounded and soaked pulses at Shanidar Cave 70,000 years ago is the earliest direct evidence outside Africa of the processing of plants for food, according to Kabukcu.

    Kabukcu said she was surprised to find that prehistoric people were combining plant ingredients in this way, an indication that flavor was clearly important. She had expected to find only starchy plants like roots and tubers, which on face value appear to be more nutritious and are easier to prepare.

    Much research on prehistoric diets has focused on whether early humans were predominantly meat eaters, but Kabukcu said it was clear they weren’t just chomping on woolly mammoth steaks. Our ancient ancestors ate a varied diet depending on where they lived, and this likely included a wide range of plants.

    A Neanderthal hearth was unearthed at Shanidar Cave, where charred plant remains were also found.

    Such creative cooking techniques were once thought to have emerged only with the shift from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle to humans’ focus on agriculture — known as the Neolithic transition — that took place between 6,000 to 10,000 years ago.

    What’s more, she said, the research suggested life in the Stone Age was not just a brutal fight to survive, at least at these two sites, and that prehistoric humans selectively foraged a variety of different plants and understood their different flavor profiles.

    John McNabb, a professor at the Centre for the Archaeology of Human Origins at the University of Southampton in the UK said that scientific understanding of the Neanderthal diet has changed significantly “as we move away from the idea of them just consuming huge quantities of hunted game meat.”

    “More data is needed from Shanidar, but if these results are supported then Neanderthals were eating pulses and some species from the grass family that required careful preparation before consumption. Sophisticated techniques of food preparation had a much deeper history than previously thought,” McNabb, who wasn’t involved in the research, said via email.

    “Even more intriguing is the possibility that they did not deliberately extract all the unpalatable toxins. Some were left in the food, as the presence of seed coatings suggests — that part of the seed where the bitterness is especially located. A Neanderthal flavor of choice.”

    A separate study into prehistoric diets that also published Tuesday analyzed ancient humans’ oral microbiome — fungi, bacteria and viruses that reside in the mouth — by using ancient DNA from dental plaque.

    Researchers led by Andrea Quagliariello, a postdoctoral research fellow in comparative biomedicine and food at the University of Padua in Italy, examined the oral microbiomes of 76 individuals who lived in prehistoric Italy over a period of 30,000 years, as well as microscopic food remains found in calcified plaque.

    A human jawbone was excavated from a Neolithic site in southern Italy.

    Quagliariello and his team were able to identify trends in diet and cooking techniques, such as the introduction of fermentation and milk, and a shift to a greater reliance on carbohydrates associated with an agriculture-based diet.

    McNabb said it was impressive that researchers had been able chart changes over such a long period of time.

    “What the study also does is support the growing idea that the Neolithic was not the sudden arrival of new subsistence practices and new cultures as it was once thought to be. It appears to be a slower transition,” McNabb, who wasn’t involved in the study, said via email.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Break it down: Dancers begin charting path to Paris Olympics

    Break it down: Dancers begin charting path to Paris Olympics

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK — Breaking is in Victor Montalvo’s blood. He is a descendant of twin breakers — his father and uncle — who were performing in Mexico long before they taught a young Montalvo to spin on his back.

    Born in Kissimmee, Florida, the 28-year-old who also goes by B-Boy Victor has mastered the foundations of the dance form. He has power. He has the flavor and swagger expected of a diehard b-boy. His movement syncs with the breakbeat flowing from the DJ’s turntables.

    Scribble, chirp, rip, boom, blip.

    He hopes to take breaking further than his relatives ever dreamt, to battle his way to a medal ceremony, when the now-global dance art debuts at the Olympic Summer Games less than two years from now.

    “I feel like I have a really high chance,” Montalvo told The Associated Press.

    He is among dozens of champion b-boys and b-girls — a term for a male or female entrenched in the culture of hip hop — who are charting a path to the 2024 Games in Paris. The International Olympic Committee announced two years ago that breaking would become an official Olympic sport, a development that divided the breaking community between those excited for the larger platform and those concerned about the art form’s purity.

    But after the Red Bull BC One World Final, held earlier this month in the birthplace of hip hop and a short distance from the very streets where Black and Puerto Rican New Yorkers pioneered the art of breaking, the field of Olympic competitors is starting to take shape. The Nov. 12 event also attracted some of the original b-boys and b-girls, as the hip hop community prepares to celebrate 50 years since the culture’s founding in 1973.

    “You never thought that something you were doing for fun was going to go around the world,” said Douglas “Dancin’ Doug” Colón, a b-boy of the first generation of breakers from Harlem who beamed with pride over the dance form’s acceptance into the Olympics.

    Along with Colón, first generation b-boy Trixie sat near a circular stage in the center of Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom. One by one, Red Bull BC One World Final competitors from Canada, China, France, Italy, Kazakhstan, South Korea and Venezuela took to the battle stage. The energy drink beverage company runs the world’s largest breaking competition.

    The OGs offered blessings to their descendants by giving them dap — a friendly gesture of greeting in the Black and Latino communities that communicates solidarity and well wishes to the recipient. Joe Conzo, Jr, a photographer known in the community as “Joey Snapz,” who documented hip hop in the Bronx from its infancy, also sat stageside taking pictures of the Olympic hopefuls.

    “Nothing’s going to change the culture, the culture stays the same,” Colón said. “Even though it’s now an Olympic sport, people back in the hood will still be doing their thing.”

    Victor Alicea, a Red Bull BC One World Final judge, told the AP that judging competitions within the hip hop culture has always been very subjective. But that won’t be the case with the Paris Olympics, where officials will use a newly developed judging system to decide which b-boy or b-girl bested their opponent in one-on-one battles.

    The Trivium judging system, created for the debut of breaking at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, is a digital scoring platform that allows judges to react in real time to breakers’ physical, artistic and interpretative qualities or their “body, mind and soul.” A panel of five judges scores each breaker on creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality. The scores can adjust throughout the battle, based on how a breaker responds to their opponent.

    Scores can be lowered if a breaker “bites,” or copies, a set of moves from their opponent. Misbehavior, such as deliberate physical contact with an opponent, and other unsportsmanlike conduct can also lower a breaker’s score.

    “I look for someone that takes over the floor. It’s a battle. It’s not just you dance and then I dance. You’ve got to bring it,” said Alicea, who is also known as B-boy Kid Glyde.

    Montalvo, who was ranked as the world’s top b-boy after a world championship competition in Paris last December, said his path to the Olympics will require intense training. It will also require more winning performances at competitions sanctioned by the World DanceSport Federation, an IOC-approved body administering the battles. Breakers who do well in those events score points that help them qualify for the Paris Games. Olympic qualifiers kick off in September and run through June 2024.

    At the end of the process, 16 b-boys and 16 b-girls will be allowed to compete over two days at the iconic Place de la Concorde, an outdoor public square in Paris.

    That gives Olympic hopefuls lots of opportunities to sharpen their skills for the high stakes battles.

    MEET THE CONTENDERS

    B-BOY VICTOR

    What sets Montalvo apart from other b-boys, he said, is his command of judge-favored foundations of breaking: “toprock” moves, footwork, “downrock” moves done closer to the floor, “power” moves showing acrobatics and strength, along with the classic “headspins,” “windmills” and “freeze” poses.

    “I feel like the foundations are the most important thing,” he said. “I see a lot of dancers doing big moves, but then they don’t have those small details. They don’t know how to get out of those big moves. It’s important to create a story, and the foundations are like creating a story.”

    B-BOY YU-KI

    During a Red Bull BC One quarterfinal round battle against Japan’s Yuki Minatozaki, Montalvo transitioned from a windmill into a downrock move in which his legs moved back and forth so quickly that they looked like turning Double Dutch ropes. Minatozaki responded with a smirk, half-hearted applause and sarcastic thumbs up — all in the spirit of good sportsmanship — before exploding into a headspin and showcasing energetic standing footwork.

    “It feels great that the sport now has a lot more eyeballs on it,” Minatozaki, who goes by B-boy Yu-Ki, told the AP through a translator. The 23-year-old has been breaking since the age of five. He intends to seek a spot in the Paris Games, he said.

    Minatozaki lost his battle against Montalvo, who also went on to the final to defeat Lee-Lou Demierre of the Netherlands, another likely Olympic contender. That victory did not earn Montalvo points toward qualifying for the Olympics.

    B-GIRL INDIA

    India Sardjoe, a 16-year-old breaker from the Netherlands, won the Red Bull BC One World Final b-girl title. She said she planned to focus next on competing in crew battles – this entails a team of breakers competing against another for a group title and bragging rights, reminiscent of breaking’s roots in the Bronx. Sardjoe was fresh off of claiming the top honor at the European Breaking Championships, a WDSF event held in Manchester, England on Nov. 6.

    The Red Bull title is an accomplishment, nonetheless.

    “I had to battle the defending champion, so that’s not nothing,” Sardjoe said. “But I was super happy to battle against her.”

    B-GIRL LOGISTX

    Sardjoe defeated 19-year-old Logan Edra, also known as B-girl Logistx, who won last year’s Red Bull BC One World Final in Gdansk, Poland. Hailing from San Diego, Edra began breaking at age eight, after first training in ballet and jazz. Her father nudged her into hip hop lessons.

    Like Sardjoe and Montalvo, Edra told the AP she will compete in WDSF events over the next year and half for a spot in the Olympics. On Saturday, she competed in the Breaking for Gold Challenge Series in Tokyo and took home a silver medal behind Lithuania’s Dominika Banevič, known as B-Girl Nicka, who won gold.

    “I’m competing against the best of the best,” Edra said. “Because I have such a high standard for myself, I try to out-train everybody. The training is crazy — I’ve got bruises on my elbows and my knees from practicing moves over and over. It’s a lot of commitment because we don’t have as many resources as other sports do.”

    B-GIRL ISIS

    Isis Alexandra Granda Chalen, a b-girl who grew up in Ecuador before moving to the U.S., started young in ballet, folk and contemporary dance. But breaking spoke to her rebellious nature, particularly at a time when she questioned if those other dance forms were aligned with her dreams.

    “The moment that I understood that I have more responsibility for myself, I put more work into breaking and I got the opportunities to be here,” Chalen, 27, said ahead of the Red Bull BC One World Final.

    “Now, we’re going to do this transition, from artists to athletes,” she said of her Olympic dreams. “It’s a big opportunity for every country. I came from Latin America, where there aren’t as many opportunities. But the Olympics are for everybody.”

    B-GIRL SUNNY

    Sunny Choi, a Queens, New York-based b-girl who won the 2022 Red Bull BC One Cypher USA in September, said there’s an accessibility to the art and sport of breaking that will make it a huge draw at the Paris Olympics. She hopes to earn a spot on the U.S. team.

    “We have a lot of diversity in breaking, which is really beautiful about what we do, because there aren’t many financial barriers to entry,” Choi told the AP. “If you have a clean floor and, nowadays, access to YouTube or something where you can learn, and some music, you can just do this on your own.”

    She said her nascent Olympic journey has already required personal and professional sacrifices that initially had her questioning if she wanted to compete at all.

    “I’m one of those all or nothing people,” Choi said. “I’ve done a lot of soul searching to remove some of the mental blocks. I feel like this journey is going to pull out a lot from me and I just need to be ready for that.”

    ————

    Aaron Morrison is a New York City-based national writer and member of the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aaronlmorrison.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • A bartender who found a place to shine. A non-profit worker with a ‘huge heart.’ These are the victims of the Colorado club shooting | CNN

    A bartender who found a place to shine. A non-profit worker with a ‘huge heart.’ These are the victims of the Colorado club shooting | CNN

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    As Colorado Springs residents and leaders wrap their arms around the 17 people injured and others traumatized in the Club Q shooting, loved ones are remembering five patrons who did not survive the attack on the beloved LGBTQ nightclub.

    The Colorado Springs Police Department identified the five victims as:

    • Raymond Green Vance (he/him)
    • Kelly Loving (she/her)
    • Daniel Aston (he/him)
    • Derrick Rump (he/him)
    • Ashley Paugh (she/ her)

    Some of the victims worked at Club Q, while others were there to enjoy the evening festivities.

    Here are their stories:

    Derrick Rump’s sister, Julia Kissling, confirmed his name to CNN and one of its affiliates.

    Rump – who was a bartender at Club Q – had “found a community of people that he loved really much, and he felt that he could shine there – and he did,” Kissling told CNN affiliate WFMZ. “He made a difference in so many people’s lives, and that’s where he wanted to be.”

    Tiara Kelley, who performed at the club the night before the incident, told CNN Rump and his coworker Daniel Aston were polar opposites in many ways, but worked well together.

    “They were just amazing, and every bar should have a Daniel and a Derrick,” Kelley said.

    Derrick Rump, left, and Daniel Aston worked the bar at Club Q, loved ones say.

    Aston’s parents confirmed his identity to The Denver Post. The 28-year-old was a bar supervisor at Club Q, said bartender Michael Anderson, who had known Aston for a few years and considered him a friend.

    The night of the shooting, Anderson saw the gunman and ducked behind the bar where he and Aston worked as glass rained down around him, he told CNN on Monday. He thought he was going to die, said a prayer and as he moved to escape the scene, he saw two people who he didn’t know beating and kicking the gunman, he said.

    Anderson was crushed to learn Aston hadn’t made it out of the bar, which Colorado Springs’ LGBTQ community considered a safe space.

    “He was the best supervisor anybody could’ve asked for. He made me want to come into work, and he made me want to be a part of the positive culture we were trying to create there,” Anderson said.

    He added that Aston was an “amazing person. He was a light in my life, and it’s surreal that we’re even talking about him in the past tense like this.”

    Aston moved to Colorado Springs two years ago to be closer to his mother and father, parents Jeff and Sabrina Aston told The Denver Post. The club was a few minutes from their home, and after one of Daniel’s friends told them he’d been shot, they rushed to the emergency room – only to find he’d never arrived.

    Daniel Aston was 4 when he told his mother he was a boy, and it was another decade before he came out as transgender, his mother told the newspaper. He thought himself bashful, but that wasn’t the case, she said. He never knew a stranger, even as a kid.

    “He had so much more life to give to us, and to all his friends and to himself,” she told The Post.

    “He always said, ‘I’m shy,’ but he wasn’t. He wrote poetry. He loved to dress up. He got into drama in high school. He’s an entertainer. That’s what he really loves.”

    Ashley Paugh was one of five people killed in Saturday's shooting at Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub.

    Ashley Paugh’s family released a statement on her behalf Monday saying they were “absolutely devastated.”

    “She meant everything to this family, and we can’t even begin to understand what it will mean to not have her in our lives,” the statement read.

    Paugh was a mother, and her daughter Ryleigh “was her whole world,” the statement read, adding that Paugh was big on family.

    “She loved her dad, her sister, and her family; Ashley was a loving aunt, with many nieces and nephews who are devastated by her loss,” the statement read.

    Paugh had “a huge heart,” which she was able to show through her work at Kids Crossing, a nonprofit that looks to help find homes for foster children, according to the statement.

    “She would do anything for the kids – traveling all over southeastern Colorado, from Pueblo and Colorado Springs to Fremont County and the Colorado border, working to raise awareness and encourage individuals and families to become foster parents to children in our community,” the statement read, adding that Paugh worked with the LGBTQ community to find welcoming foster placements.

    Paugh also loved the outdoors through activities like hunting, fishing and riding four-wheelers, the statement read.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • EXPLAINER: Islam’s ban on alcohol and how it’s applied

    EXPLAINER: Islam’s ban on alcohol and how it’s applied

    [ad_1]

    DOHA, Qatar — Just two days before the World Cup opener, host nation Qatar banned the sale of beer at stadiums in a sudden U-turn that was criticized by some and welcomed by others.

    Qatari officials have long said they were eager to welcome soccer fans from around the world to the tournament but that visitors should also respect their culture and traditions. Alcohol consumption, impermissible in Islam, is one of the areas where the country has been attempting to strike a delicate balance.

    Here’s a look at some of the issues related to alcohol and Muslim beliefs.

    WHAT DOES THE QURAN SAY ABOUT ALCOHOL?

    Drinking alcohol is considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam. As proof of the prohibition, Islamic scholars and Muslim religious authorities typically point to a verse in the Quran, the Muslim holy book, that calls intoxicants “the work of Satan” and tells believers to avoid them. Additionally, they cite sayings of Prophet Muhammad and the negative effects that alcohol can have.

    Beyond abstaining from drinking, some Muslims also seek religious edicts on a variety of related day-to-day questions or dilemmas. These include whether or not to consume food mixed with alcohol; if it’s considered a sin to work at a restaurant that serves alcohol in a Western country; if perfumes containing alcohol are allowed; and whether to attend ceremonies or events where booze is served.

    MUSLIM ATTITUDES ON ALCOHOL

    While the prohibition on alcohol in Islam is believed to be widely heeded, not all Muslims abstain from drinking. Some drink, whether privately or publicly. In a Pew Research Center survey of Muslims around the globe, most people surveyed said that drinking alcohol was morally wrong. More than half in all countries where Muslims were surveyed held this view, including more than nine-in-ten in Thailand, Ghana, Malaysia, the Palestinian territories, Indonesia, Niger and Pakistan, according to the Pew report, which was published in 2013 and included 38,000 interviews. Still, in 11 of the 37 countries where this question was asked, at least one-in-ten said that drinking alcohol is morally acceptable and in some countries, sizable percentages said consuming alcohol is not a moral issue, the report added.

    HOW IS THE BAN ON ALCOHOL APPLIED?

    Alcohol is available in some Islamic nations though regulations vary widely and there can be intricate rules and restrictions on its sale or where it can be consumed. Some countries, like Saudi Arabia, outlaw alcohol altogether. Drinking there can be punished by flogging, fines, imprisonment and, for foreigners, deportation. The kingdom has in recent years been opening up entertainment options, which has spurred speculation about whether exceptions for alcohol consumption may be made in the future.

    Other places have a more relaxed approach, such as Dubai, a top travel destination in the United Arab Emirates that is known to many for its glitz and love for superlatives. Dubai boasts a variety of bars, nightclubs and lounges that attract many visitors and well-to-do expatriate residents. In recent years, the city has also been increasingly loosening laws governing alcohol sales and possession of liquor. As in some other places, alcohol sales there provide a lucrative tax revenue source.

    Alcohol is sold freely in liquor stores in Jordan and served in bars and restaurants throughout the capital of Amman. It is also available in Muslim-majority Egypt, which is traditionally popular with tourists and is home to a Christian minority. There, the young and rich can sip on cocktails or wines in beach clubs or bars, many with foreign names, while swaying to music. Wine, beer and spirits can also be ordered online among other options. Still, drinking is rejected by most; in the Pew study, 79% of surveyed Muslims in Egypt said they viewed alcohol as morally wrong.

    BREAKING THE RULES

    In dry countries, some have gone to great lengths to obtain alcohol, at times risking arrest, or worse. In Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites, there have been reports of efforts to skirt the ban, including liquor runs by some to neighboring Bahrain. Attempts to sneak booze into the kingdom have over the years included bottles of whisky hidden in socks and cans of beer disguised as Pepsi. Some endeavors, however, end in tragedy. In 2002, 19 people in Saudi Arabia died and others were hospitalized after drinking cologne containing methanol. In Iran, some have also died from methanol poisoning after they drank toxic homemade brews.

    DRINKING IN QATAR

    Qatar, which like Saudi Arabia follows an ultraconservative version of Islam known as Wahhabism, has strict limits on the purchase and consumption of alcohol, though its sale has been permitted in hotel bars for years. During the World Cup, beer was originally supposed to be sold also at stadiums and at fan zones in the evenings. That changed Friday when it was announced that only non-alcoholic beer would be available at the stadiums, except for in the luxury hospitality areas where champagne, wine, whiskey and other alcohol is served. The vast majority of ticket holders don’t have access to those areas.

    The World Cup in Qatar is not the first to spur debate over whether alcohol sales should be allowed in matches. For the 2014 tournament, Brazil was forced to change a law to allow alcohol sales in stadiums — but the same cultural issues were not at play. Brazil had banned alcohol sales at soccer matches in a bid to curb fan violence. Some of those who were pushing for the ban’s lifting said at the time that in-stadium beer sales were a key part of World Cup tradition.

    ———

    Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Fact check: Trump responds to special counsel news with debunked claim about Obama and the Bushes | CNN Politics

    Fact check: Trump responds to special counsel news with debunked claim about Obama and the Bushes | CNN Politics

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    In former President Donald Trump’s first extended response to Attorney General Merrick Garland’s Friday announcement that he had appointed a special counsel to oversee the criminal investigation into Trump’s retention of government documents after he left office, Trump defended himself with dishonesty – repeating his false and thoroughly debunked claims about how other ex-presidents handled official records.

    Trump, speaking Friday night at a gala at his Mar-a-Lago resort and residence, asked why there is not an investigation into “all of the other presidents that preceded me,” including but not limited to Republicans George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. He claimed that these previous presidents “kept documents,” and he continued: “In one case, they had it in a Chinese restaurant with broken windows. And in another case they had a Chinese restaurant connected to a bowling alley. This is where the documents were kept. They took documents with them. President Obama took documents.”

    Merrick Garland announces special counsel to oversee Trump investigations

    Facts First: Trump’s claims are, again, false – and they have been debunked by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) itself. As NARA explained in an August statement, Barack Obama did not take the presidential documents Trump claimed Obama had taken. Rather, NARA itself moved documents from the Obama administration to a NARA-managed facility in the Chicago area, near where Obama’s presidential library is being built. NARA similarly explained in a statement in October, after Trump added other past presidents to the baseless narrative, that neither of the Bushes took the documents Trump claimed they had taken. Again, it was NARA that took the Bushes’ presidential documents to facilities that NARA managed near the future locations of their presidential libraries.

    In other words, there is no equivalence between Trump’s situation – in which he allegedly took hundreds of classified documents, plus numerous other presidential records, to the Mar-a-Lago resort and residence – and the situations, or really non-situations, of his predecessors.

    Trump used the Friday speech to deliver a variety of other criticism of Garland’s decision to appoint the special counsel, veteran prosecutor Jack Smith. Smith will also oversee a second criminal investigation that involves Trump, that one into whether anybody “unlawfully interfered” with the transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election or with the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College “on or about” January 6, 2021. (Smith won’t oversee the investigations or prosecutions of people who physically breached the Capitol that day.)

    Trump’s suggestion that past presidents’ documents were stored in an insecure manner is also false.

    The facility where George H.W. Bush’s presidential documents were temporarily stored, in College Station, Texas, was indeed a former bowling alley connected to a former Chinese restaurant. But by the time Bush’s records arrived, the building had been turned by NARA into a professional archiving facility with extensive security measures and no more bowling lanes or equipment.

    Though Trump has repeatedly claimed or suggested that the College Station facility was not secure – this time he said it had “broken windows” – this narrative is baseless, too. In its October statement, NARA said that all of the temporary facilities where it stored past presidents’ documents “met strict archival and security standards.” NARA said that “reports that indicate or imply that those Presidential records were in the possession of the former Presidents or their representatives, after they left office, or that the records were housed in substandard conditions, are false and misleading.”

    You don’t have to take NARA’s recent word for it. The Associated Press reported in 1994: “Uniformed guards patrol the premises. There are closed-circuit television monitors and sophisticated electronic detectors along walls and doors. Some printed material is classified and will remain so for years; it is open only to those with top-secret clearances.”

    Finally, it is not a revelation that the facility had a colorful past as a restaurant and alley; NARA officials publicly joked about this at the time. It’s normal for NARA to lease large buildings that formerly had some other purpose. The Washington Post reported in 1993: “There aren’t any lanes anymore. No gutters, no pins, no beer. Thanks to a rush remodeling job after last November’s election, there are a few simple offices, a massive, fire-resistant vault and row after row of steel shelves filled with cardboard boxes and wooden crates.”

    Trump has continued making these false claims about his predecessors not only despite the NARA statements debunking them but despite numerous fact-checks from major media outlets. He also made the claim about Obama supposedly taking documents in the Tuesday speech in which he announced his 2024 presidential candidacy; CNN fact-checked it then, too.

    PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 08: Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during an election night event at Mar-a-Lago on November 08, 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump spoke as the nation awaits the results of voting in the midterm elections. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

    Legal experts in new report conclude there’s a ‘strong basis’ to charge Trump

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Texas woman arrested after smuggling endangered spider monkey in box she claimed held beer | CNN

    Texas woman arrested after smuggling endangered spider monkey in box she claimed held beer | CNN

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    Talk about monkey business.

    A Texas woman entering the US told border officials the wooden box in her car was filled with beer. In reality, it was an endangered spider monkey she planned to sell.

    The 20-year-old woman pleaded guilty to smuggling wildlife into the US without first declaring and invoicing it, and fleeing an immigration checkpoint, after a monthslong investigation, according to a news release from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    She attempted to enter the US from Mexico through the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas, on March 21, the release stated. Officers noticed a wooden box with holes inside her car, which she claimed contained beer she had bought in Mexico.

    However, when officers opened the box, they discovered a live spider monkey. Officers then referred the woman to a second inspection, but she sped off instead.

    Later that day, officers discovered online sales listings for the spider monkey with the woman’s phone number, according to the release.

    The woman turned herself in on March 28, according to the release. The monkey was recovered and placed in an animal shelter in Central Florida.

    The woman will be sentenced on January 25, 2023, the release noted.

    “Smuggling in endangered species for commercial gain is a tragic crime against nature’s precious resources,” said Craig Larrabee, acting special agent in charge at Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio, in the release. “HSI takes every opportunity to join our federal, private sector and international partners to share our knowledge, experience and investigative techniques designed to protect and preserve threatened and endangered species.”

    There are seven species of spider monkeys found across Central and South America, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Officials did not specify to which species the recovered spider monkey belonged.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Green Day Produce recalls enoki mushroom packages due to possible health risk | CNN

    Green Day Produce recalls enoki mushroom packages due to possible health risk | CNN

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    Green Day Produce is recalling its enoki mushroom packages sold between September and October because they could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes – the bacteria that causes Listeria infections, according to a statement on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website.

    The enoki mushrooms, a product of Korea, were packed in 7.05 oz clear plastic and distributed nationwide to distributors and retail stores.

    The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development discovered the potential for contamination after analyzing a retail sample. Although no illnesses have been reported so far, the product is no longer being distributed, the company said in the statement.

    Listeria is a serious infection and can sometimes be fatal in young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.

    Even healthy people can get sick, but with short-term symptoms like high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

    An estimated 1,600 people get Listeria infections each year, and about 260 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Customers who have bought the product are being “urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund,” the statement added.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • World Cup fans ready to celebrate despite stadium beer ban

    World Cup fans ready to celebrate despite stadium beer ban

    [ad_1]

    DOHA, Qatar — Flag-draped fans poured into Qatar on Friday ahead of the Middle East’s first World Cup as organizers banned the sale of beer at stadiums — a last-minute decision that stunned FIFA sponsor Budweiser but was largely welcomed by the country’s conservative Muslims and shrugged off by some visitors.

    This small, energy-rich country, home to some 3 million people and roughly the size of Jamaica, expects another 1.2 million fans to fly in for the tournament that begins on Sunday.

    After Friday prayers, the talk of Doha became the sudden ruling by the government to halt all beer sales at stadiums.

    Many welcomed the decision in this conservative emirate, which follows the same austere Wahhabi Islam of neighboring Saudi Arabia — despite allowing beers, wine and liquor to be sold at discrete hotel bars in the country. Already, the country’s some 300,000 citizens have criticized the Western excesses of some celebrations and vehemently dismissed criticism of its views on LGBTQ rights.

    “The whole reason why I came to this country is so that I can enjoy and have the facilities and the advantage of living in a modern economy, but with Islamic heritage,” said Mohammad Ali, a 50-year-old doctor from Sheffield, England, who lives in Qatar. “I wouldn’t want to see that lifestyle compromised.”

    “I wouldn’t want with my kids and my family enjoying my time out and being confronted by a drunken — I’m not gonna say a hooligan — but drunken and disorderly fans,” he added.

    Alcohol will still be served in hotels, luxury suites and private homes during the tournament. Budweiser continued its work turning a luxury hotel into a massive themed bar. It won’t be cheap: a standard bottle of beer went for a little over $15.

    In Doha’s Souq Waqif market, 35-year-old Pablo Zambrano of Ecuador shrugged off the news of the beer ban ahead of his country’s opening night match against Qatar on Sunday. He’s staying with his with mother who lives here and said the fridge already is stocked with beer, which foreigners can buy legally in selected depots.

    “There’s things about the alcohol and the women with the dress codes,” Zambrano said, referring to the country’s conservative customs. “It’s different. But it’s going to be good.”

    Zambrano was one of a growing number of fans sightseeing in the traditional market and along the Corniche, a seaside boulevard with views of Doha’s glittering skyline.

    Just down the street, 24-year-old vegetable seller Ajmal Pial from Khulna, Bangladesh, took in the breeze with the city’s skyscrapers stretched out behind him across the waters of the Persian Gulf.

    But instead of his nation’s green and red disc flag, Pial waved Brazil’s over his head as his friend took pictures of him. He and his friends support Argentina and Brazil, two of the tournament favorites.

    For Pial and others, the World Cup represents a pinnacle of work in Qatar and likely a final hurrah before heading home as jobs slow. Labor conditions in Qatar, like much of the Gulf Arab states, have been criticized for exploiting the low-paid workers who built this former pearling port into a desert metropolis.

    Qatar has overhauled its labor laws, but activists have asked for more to be done. There are no guarantees for freedom of speech in Qatar, but Pial said he felt genuinely happy at the chance to see the tournament.

    His friend, 32-year-old Shobuz Sardar, also from Khulna, Bangladesh, said part of that excitement came from the fact that it’s only the second time that an Asian country hosts the World Cup, 20 years after Japan and South Korea co-hosted the tournament.

    He also hinted at the conditions he and other workers from Asia can face in Qatar.

    “You also know that there are too many people all here for work, for jobs,” Sardar said. “They don’t have any option for having fun. This World Cup makes them have fun.”

    Laborers from the Middle East and Asian nations mixed with fans marching up and down the Corniche. Across government buildings and electronic displays, Qatar’s deep purple and white flag with its nine-jagged points seemed to fly nearly everywhere.

    For Qatar, coming off a yearslong boycott by four Arab nations over a political dispute, nearly reaching the opening match shows they were able to overcome. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to visit Qatar during the tournament — showing the close relationship America shares with a nation hosting some 8,000 of its troops at its massive Al-Udeid Air Base.

    On the Corniche as the sun set and the call to prayers could be heard, crowds gathered around a clock counting down to the opening match.

    Qatari fans marched and chanted, waving a banner bearing the face of its ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. That same image of Sheikh Tamim, with the Arabic inscription “Tamim, the Glory,” could be seen everywhere in Doha during the boycott.

    Tarek Mujahid, a 37 year old from Alexandria, Egypt, praised Qatar for being the first Arab nation to host the World Cup.

    “I’m very, very, very, very happy — No. 1 because it’s an Arab country” hosting, he said.

    ———

    Associated Press writers Nebi Qena and Lujain Jo contributed to this report.

    ———

    Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • What is Bud Zero, the only beer Budweiser can sell at the World Cup? | CNN Business

    What is Bud Zero, the only beer Budweiser can sell at the World Cup? | CNN Business

    [ad_1]


    New York
    CNN Business
     — 

    In a surprise reversal, Qatar announced a ban of alcoholic beer at the eight stadiums hosting the World Cup. That leaves fans with just one “beer” choice — albeit one that isn’t boozy.

    Soccer fans will still be able to purchase Bud Zero, an alcohol-free lager that Anheuser-Busch says tastes similar to its best-selling alcoholic beverage.

    One serving of Bud Zero has 0 grams of sugar and 50 calories. The beer, which is Bud’s first ever zero alcohol beer, launched in the United States two years ago, targeting a growing trend of people choosing non-alcoholic beers.

    Non-alcoholic alternatives to booze have been around for a while, but the sector has been booming lately. The non-alcoholic trend started to pick up a year or two before the pandemic and has continued to grow at a rapid clip. Demand for non-alcoholic alternatives has been largely driven by younger consumers.

    Qatar is a Muslim country that is considered to be very conservative, and tightly regulates alcohol sales and usage. In September, officials said ticketed fans would be able to buy alcoholic beer three hours before kickoff and for one hour after the final whistle, but not during the match.

    “Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeter,” said FIFA, soccer’s governing body, in a statement Friday.

    FIFA noted that the decision will have “no impact” on sales of Bud Zero.

    Budweiser tweeted, “Well, this is awkward,” though the social media post was quickly deleted.

    “As partners of FIFA for over three decades, we look forward to our activations of FIFA World Cup campaigns around the world to celebrate football with our consumers,” an Anheuser-Busch InBev spokesperson said in a statement. “Some of the planned stadium activations cannot move forward due to circumstances beyond our control.”

    It is indeed slightly awkward for AB InBev, which is a major sponsor of the World Cup, and was planning to selling regular Bud. Just a few days ago, reports showed World Cup workers moving beer tents into less visible areas of stadiums.

    AB InBev paid $75 million for the sponsorship, according to multiple reports. So, the decision throws a bit of a wrench into their marketing plans since the decision dramatically reduces its presence for thousands of fans at the World Cup. However, arguably the bigger part — its TV advertisements with football royalty Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. — won’t be affected.

    “Qatar’s decision to ban all alcohol around the grounds for the upcoming FIFA World Cup just days before it begins presents an illusion that FIFA is not in control of its own tournament and risks alienating Budweiser—a key sponsor and long-term partner of the governing body,” said Conrad Wiacek, head of sport analysis at GlobalData, in an email.

    The decision could have ramifications for the future, Wiacek said, noting that Budweiser’s partnership with the World Cup expires after this year’s event.

    “However, Budweiser will be cautious to burn its bridges with the governing body, as the 2026 US tournament will be highly prized. Going elsewhere would open up opportunity for other alcohol brands in its wake,” he said.

    The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 kicks off Sunday and lasts until December 18.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Anya Taylor-Joy had a ‘life-changing’ experience on ‘Furiosa’ | CNN

    Anya Taylor-Joy had a ‘life-changing’ experience on ‘Furiosa’ | CNN

    [ad_1]



    CNN
     — 

    Anya Taylor-Joy is staying busy.

    “The Queen’s Gambit” star appears in the prequel to “Mad Max: Fury Road,” called “Furiosa,” and can be seen in “The Menu” alongside Nicholas Hoult.

    Taylor-Joy says she’s getting lots of offers but is selective about what she chooses.

    “All these characters were coming to me that I needed to play, and now, having done this for seven years, I’m in a position where I have to be way more picky about what I choose,” Taylor-Joy told The Hollywood Reporter. “I do think that one can spend their passion, and you want to make sure that you’re putting your passion into things that you care about so that it’s actually refueling that well rather than just taking from you. I never want to fall out of love with my art.”

    One of those roles was in “Furiosa.” She just wrapped filming a few weeks ago and said it was an experience she will never forget.

    “It will take me the full two years before the movie comes out to even begin to process what I just left 12 days ago. [‘Furiosa’] was the most life-changing experience that I’ve ever had, with such talented artists. I really felt like I grew so much, but yes, it’s wild. It’s utterly unique,” Taylor-Joy said.

    Taylor-Joy stars in the film alongside Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke and Nathan Jones.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • G20 summit casts spotlight on Bali’s tourism revival

    G20 summit casts spotlight on Bali’s tourism revival

    [ad_1]

    NUSA DUA, Indonesia — Dozens of world leaders and other dignitaries are traveling to Bali for the G-20 summit, drawing a welcome spotlight on the revival of the tropical island’s vital tourism sector.

    Tourism is the main source of income on this idyllic “island of the gods” that is home to more than 4 million people, who are mainly Hindu in the mostly Muslim archipelago nation.

    So the pandemic hit Bali harder than most places in Indonesia.

    Before the pandemic, 6.2 million foreigners arrived in Bali each year. Its lively tourism scene faded after the first case of COVID-19 was found in Indonesia in March 2020, with restaurants and resorts shuttered and many workers returning to villages to try to get by.

    Foreign tourist arrivals dropped to only 1 million in 2020, mostly in the first few months of the year, and then to a few dozen in 2021, according to government data. More than 92,000 people employed in tourism lost their jobs and the average occupancy rate of Bali hotels fell below 20%.

    The island’s economy contracted 9.3% in 2020 from the year before and again contracted nearly 2.5% year-on-year in 2021.

    “The coronavirus outbreak has hammered the local economy horribly,” said Dewa Made Indra, regional secretary of Bali province. “Bali is the region with the most severe economic contraction.”

    After closing to all visitors early in the pandemic, Bali reopened to Indonesians from other parts of the country in mid-2020. That helped, but then a surge of cases in July 2021 again emptied the island’s normally bustling beaches and streets. Authorities restricted public activities, closed the airport and shuttered all shops, bars, sit-down restaurants, tourist attractions and many other places on the island.

    Monkeys deprived of their preferred food source — bananas, peanuts and other goodies given to them by tourists — took to raiding villagers’ homes in their search for something tasty.

    The island reopened to domestic travelers a month later, in August, but in all of 2021 only 51 foreign tourists visited.

    Things are looking much better now. Shops and restaurants in places like Nusa Dua, a resort area where the G-20 meeting is being held, and in other towns like Sanur and Kuta have reopened, though business is slow and many businesses and hotels are still closed or have scaled back operations.

    The reopening of Bali’s airport to international flights and now the thousands coming for the G-20 summit and other related events have raised hopes for a stronger turnaround, Dewa said.

    More than 1.5 million foreign tourists and 3.1 domestic travelers had visited Bali as of October this year.

    Embracing a push toward more sustainable models of tourism, Bali has rolled out a digital nomad visa scheme, called the “second home visa” and due to take effect in December. It’s also among 20 destinations Airbnb recently announced it was partnering with for remote work, also including places in the Caribbean and the Canary Islands.

    The recovery will likely take time, even if COVID-19 is kept at bay.

    Gede Wirata, who had to lay off most of the 4,000 people working in his hotels, restaurants, clubs and a cruise ship during the worst of the pandemic, found that when it came time to rehire them many had found jobs overseas or in other travel businesses.

    The G-20 is a welcome boost. “This is an opportunity for us to rise again from the collapse,” he said.

    There’s a way to go.

    “The situation has not yet fully recovered, but whatever the case, life has to go on,” said Wayan Willy, who runs a tourist agency in Bali with some friends. Before the pandemic, most of their clients were from overseas. Now it’s mostly domestic tourists. But even those are few and far between.

    Bali has suffered greatly in the past. At times, the island’s majestic volcanos have rumbled to life, at times erupting or belching ash.

    The dark cloud of the suicide bombings in Bali’s beach town of Kuta that killed 202 mostly foreign tourists in 2002 lingered for years, devastating tourism on the island usually known for its peace and tranquility.

    Recent torrential rains brought floods and landslides in some areas, adding to the burdens for communities working to rebuild their tourism businesses.

    When the situation started to improve, Yuliani Djajanegara, who runs a business making traditional beauty items like massage oils, natural soaps and aromatherapy products under the brand name Bali Tangi, got back to work.

    She had closed her factory in 2020 when orders from hotels, spas and salons in the U.S., Europe, Russia and the Maldives dried up, taking orders for her products from more than 1,000 kilograms (1 ton) to almost nothing.

    So far, Djajanegara has rehired 15 of the 60 workers she had been obliged to lay off during the dark days of the pandemic.

    She’s hopeful, but cautious.

    “Tourism in Bali is like a sand castle,” Djajanegara said. “It is beautiful, but it can be washed away by the waves.”

    ———

    AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Local farmer says spring bird flu is to blame for Thanksgiving turkey shortage

    Local farmer says spring bird flu is to blame for Thanksgiving turkey shortage

    [ad_1]

    Farmer: Bird flu to blame for turkey shortage

    [ad_2]

    Source link