Carlos Alcaraz opened his account at the ATP Finals on Wednesday with an entertaining 6-3, 7-6 (10/8) win over Andrey Rublev which boosted his hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

BAKU, Azerbaijan — When more than two dozen world leaders deliver remarks at the United Nations' annual climate conference on Wednesday, many have detailed their nations' firsthand experience with the catastrophic weather that has come with climate change. “Over the past year, catastrophic floods in Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as well as in southern Croatia have shown the devastating impact of rising temperatures,” said Croatia's prime minister, Andrej Plenkovic. “The Mediterranean, one of the most vulnerable regions, calls for urgent action.” The Greek prime minister said Europe and the world needs to be “more honest” about the trade-offs needed to keep global temperatures down. “We need to ask hard questions about a path that goes very fast, at the expense of our competitiveness, and a path that goes some much slower, but allows our industry to adapt and to thrive,” he said. His nation this summer was hammered by successive heat waves after three years of below-average rainfall. In Greece, the misery included water shortages, dried-up lakes and the death of wild horses. Other speakers on the list include Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose nation has seen deadly flooding this year from monsoon rains that scientists say have become heavier with climate change. Just two years ago, more than 1,700 people died in widespread flooding. Pakistan has also suffered from dangerous heat, with thousands of people hospitalized with heatstroke this spring as temperatures soared to 47 degrees Celsius. Also on the list of speakers Wednesday is Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Edward Davis. Like many other countries in the Global South, the Bahamas has piled up debt from warming-connected weather disasters it did little to cause, including Hurricanes Dorian in 2019 and Matthew in 2016. Leaders have been seeking help and money from the Global North and oil companies. Early on Wednesday, ministers and officials from African nations called for initiatives to advance green development on the continent and strengthen resilience to extreme weather events — from floods to droughts — across the region. Plenty of big names and powerful countries are noticeably absent from COP29 this year. That includes the 13 largest carbon dioxide-polluting countries — a group responsible for more than than 70% of the heat-trapping gases emitted last year — were missing. The world’s biggest polluters and strongest economies — China and the United States — didn't send their No. 1s. Neither did India and Indonesia. But U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was there, and he announced an 81% emissions reduction target on 1990 levels by 2035, in line with the Paris Agreement goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. That’s up from the 78% the U.K. had already pledged. The main focus of this year’s talks is climate finance — wealthier nations compensating poor countries for damages from climate change’s weather extremes, helping them pay to transition their economies away from fossil fuels and helping them with adaptation.

Astrophysicists have produced a new model that focuses on the conditions created by the acceleration of the Universe’s expansion and the amount of stars formed.

The post New Theoretical Model Calculates Chances of Intelligent Life in Our Universe and Beyond appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

A new analysis of data from NASA's Voyager 2 mission reveals that the planet Uranus and its five largest moons might harbor subsurface oceans and potential conditions for life. The BBC reports: Much of what we know about them was gathered by Nasa's Voyager 2 spacecraft which visited nearly 40 years ago. But a new analysis shows that Voyager's visit coincided with a powerful solar storm, which led to a misleading idea of what the Uranian system is really like. [...] So, for 40 years we have had an incorrect view of what Uranus and its five largest moons are normally like, according to Dr William Dunn of University College London. "These results suggest that the Uranian system could be much more exciting than previously thought. There could be moons there that could have the conditions that are necessary for life, they might have oceans below the surface that could be teeming with fish!". It has been nearly 40 years since Voyager 2 last flew past the icy world and its moons. Nasa has plans to launch a new mission, the Uranus Orbiter and Probe, to go back for a closer look in 10 years' time. According to Nasa's Dr Jamie Jasinski, whose idea it was to re-examine the Voyager 2 data, the mission will need to take his results into account when designing its instruments and planning the scientific survey. "Some of the instruments for the future spacecraft are very much being designed with ideas from what we learned from Voyager 2 when it flew past the system when it was experiencing an abnormal event. So we need to rethink how exactly we are going to design the instruments on the new mission so that we can best capture the science we need to make discoveries." Nasa's Uranus probe is expected to arrive by 2045, which is when scientists hope to find out whether these far-flung icy moons, once thought of as being dead worlds, might have the possibility of being home to life. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

FiveThirtyEight founder and editor-in-chief Nate Silver said in a blog post

The world's leading global health conference begins on October 13.

Applications accepted until September 19 on www.douglasbeautyfutures.com

David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey explain why it's impossible for the United States to default on its debts.

Those who warn of default confuse debt payments with other spending obligations. "A failure on the part of the United States to meet any obligation, whether it's to debt holders, to members of our military or to Social Security recipients, is effectively a default," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in January.

That's nonsense. Authorized and even appropriated spending isn't "the public debt." For constitutional purposes, promised benefits from Social Security, Medicare and other entitlements aren't even property, as the Supreme Court held in Flemming v. Nestor (1960), and Congress has as much authority to reduce them as to increase them. When lawmakers were drafting the 14th Amendment, they revised Section 4's language to replace the term "obligations" with "debts." If the Treasury ran out of money, the constitutional obligation to pay bondholders would trump all statutory obligations to spend.

Ms. Yellen also said that "Treasury's systems have all been built to pay all of our bills when they're due and on time, and not to prioritize one form of spending over another." But as the Journal has reported, department officials conceded in 2011 that the government's fiscal machinery certainly could prioritize payments to bondholders, and the Federal Reserve prepared for such a contingency. There's no question enough money would be available: The government collects roughly $450 billion a month in tax revenue, more than enough to cover the $55 billion or so in monthly debt service.

We've got plenty of money to make debt payments, but we may need to cut other spending to do it -- which we would be Constitutionally required to do.

(HT: Instapundit.)

Are you starting a business for the first time? It can be challenging to step out of your comfort zone and go head to head with competitors, manage customer orders and deliver a desirable product. Putting in the right amount of market research goes without saying. But how do you increase your chances of success when starting a business? Check out these 6 ways here.

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Fr. John Parker interviews Archimandrite David Mahaffey, Chancellor and Administrator of the Diocese of Alaska of the Orthodox Church in America.

Fr. Chad Hatfield, Chancellor and CEO of St. Vladimir's Seminary, explains the reasoning behind the school's upcoming conference on poverty.

On Friday, September 14, 2007, as we celebrate the Exaltation of the Cross, St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary launches a new era.

After explaining why the past five attempts to achieve administrative unity in America have failed, Matthew tells us why the sixth attempt, which takes place this coming May 26th-28th, has a very good chance of succeeding.

Reeves says the government will raise £25bn from increasing employers' National Insurance contributions.

People in Nuneaton, Warwickshire react to Labour's first budget in 15 years.

Plus: Chrysler minivans recall, the SRT High Performance Tour and Fiat 500 by Gucci.

Tyler Reddick went high and overtook Ryan Blaney on the final turn to win at Homestead-Miami on Sunday to secure a spot in NASCAR's winner-take-all finale in Arizona in two weeks. Reddick led 98 of the 267 laps, the last of them the one that mattered most.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced that he will ask for a vote of confidence on Dec. 16, paving the way forward for an early parliamentary election in February.

Russians close to the Kremlin voiced optimism that Donald J. Trump could help end the war in Ukraine on Russia’s terms. But Moscow also remembers Trump’s first term as a disappointment.

The post For Putin, Trump’s win is a new opening, and a chance to win the war appeared first on Boston.com.

The system has offered running places in the race to charities since the 1990s

Itasca, IL — Safety practitioners and industry experts: Are you looking for an opportunity to share your knowledge? The National Safety Council is seeking presenters for its 2023 NSC Spring Safety Conference & Expo.

Austin, TX — Women injured on the job have a better chance of qualifying for workers’ compensation disability payments and receiving higher payouts when a female doctor evaluates their claim, according to a recent study.

Temperatures will trend upwards for Sunday evening into early Monday morning. A cold front moving eastward from the Dakotas will bring a chance of rain showers on Monday. Look for above-average temperatures this week with highs in the lower to mid-50s.

Some rare November sunshine is on tap for our Friday. Temperatures continue to trend above our seasonal average with highs in the 50s expected. Our next weather system will bring some intermittent, light rain showers for the weekend.

A weak weather system will bring scattered light rain showers this weekend.

Olaf Scholz's nerves gave out after Trump's victory. By saving Ukraine, the German Chancellor has ruined the ruling coalition of Germany and will now build it with the CDU, putting Germany's problems aside. Scholz ruins ruling coalition by saving Zelensky Germany's ruling coalition fell apart on Wednesday, November 6, after which Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who represented the Free Democratic Party (FDP) in the "traffic light" coalition. Three other FDP ministers resigned soon afterwards. Scholz plans to hold early elections in March, and his government will operate in a minority until then. The leader of the opposition CDU party, Friedrich Merz, demands that elections be scheduled for January.

"The right time" for a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin will come soon, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview with ARD. Scholz and Purin last spoke on December 2, 2022. Subsequently, Scholz has repeatedly said that he will speak to the Russian leader only when the "right time" comes. During the interview, journalists asked the chancellor when this "right time" would come. "Soon," Scholz replied, Stern reports.

Friedrich Merz, candidate for Chancellor of Germany from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said that he would be ready to issue Russia a 24-hour ultimatum. He also said that he could talk to the Russian President Vladimir Putin. "If there is a reason for this and an agreement is reached among European and transatlantic partners, then, of course, yes, I will call him," Friedrich Merz said. According to Merz, he will demand hostilities in Ukraine to end. Moscow will be given 24 hours to do this. If the ultimatum is not fulfilled, Merz will transfer Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv and lift the ban on long-range strikes deep into Russian territory.

Students wave goodbye during dismissal at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 on March 25, 2021 in New York City.; Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

New York City schools will reopen in full this fall with no options for virtual learning.

Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement during an appearance Monday on MSNBC, saying, "You can't have a full recovery without full-strength schools, everyone back sitting in those classrooms."

De Blasio said the nation's largest school district will meet in person five days a week, with no remote option available. New Jersey has similar plans, and other states want to limit remote lessons as well.

While the decision in New York is being celebrated as an important milestone on the path to returning to some level of normalcy from the pandemic, some parents remain fearful about sending their children back to in-person learning.

Meisha Porter, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, has heard those concerns firsthand, but says "our schools have been the safest place in the city."

In an interview with NPR's Morning Edition, Porter said that with New York City in the process of a full reopening, "it's important that our schools be fully open, too."

Porter said the city would not make the vaccine a requirement for staff and teachers, but said more than 70,000 employees have already received at least one dose. The city will continue to monitor the health and safety of children, teachers and staff, she said, "but we know our schools have been safe and we need our children back."

Interview Highlights

What do you say to parents who are still really worried about the virus and may not want their kids to return, especially elementary aged kids who don't have access to a vaccine?

I say what we've said over and over again. You know, this past week, we've been at 0.3% — our seven-day positivity rate. Our schools are the safest place. And I've always said nothing, absolutely nothing, replaces the interaction and the learning that happens between a student and teacher in our classrooms. And so what I say to parents, as a parent, is we're going to continue to be in conversations. We're going to continue to make decisions around health and safety. We're going to continue to do those things that parents need us to do, that I need to ensure that we do, to make sure our buildings remain safe and we can get our babies back.

Is part of that effort a consideration about making the vaccine a requirement for staff and teachers?

At this moment, we're not making it a requirement, but we are encouraging [staff and teachers to get vaccinated], and we're going to really work with the city to provide access for students and families and teachers, as we've done over the last couple of months. And so right now, we're pushing and encouraging our staff to get vaccinated. ...

But I mean, wouldn't that help if you had 100%? I mean, children are required to show proof of of immunizations of vaccines to go to school. Why not maintain the same line for teachers and staff?

... I would say this, that we are not in a place where we want to, at this moment, mandate the vaccine. We want to continue to encourage. We all know that folks have had concerns about vaccines, and we want to continue to encourage that vaccines are safe and they are effective. I've been vaccinated along with the 70,000 DOE employees that have been vaccinated. And so we're not, at the moment where we are going to require it.

Have you heard from families who've come to rely on being able to have their kids, their teenagers, working while in school? There's evidence that those with that kind of economic need are those who want to continue with remote learning or some kind of hybrid.

I can tell you that I haven't heard that from families, that they want to they want remote learning so that their teenagers can continue to work. But I know, that that may be a reality for some families. And one of the things that we're doing this summer is increasing access to summer youth employment, increasing access to our learning-to-work programs for our young people, because we know how important it is for some young people to work. But it is equally, if not more important, that they maintain learning and have a connection to a strong and sound education, and we'll continue to do that through learning to work throughout the school year.

What about those students who have found that remote learning just works better for them? I mean, whether they are kids who have struggled socially in school environments, who have been bullied or kids with learning challenges who appreciate just being able to focus away from other students in the classroom. Are there any plans to come up with ways to better address their needs in the future?

So what we're looking forward to is leveraging what we've learned from remote learning as an innovation in our system as we move forward in return. And I think that's what's going to be important for us.

Do you know what that innovation is going to look like?

It's going to look like access to courses across schools and districts, breaking down district lines and walls, high-level courses, enrichment opportunities. You know, remote learning has expanded the universe of what schools should look like.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Whatacca.com were lucky enough to secure some time with Gus Poyet who is a former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur player.

New Brand Launches with Award-Winning Game that Empowers All Children

Veteran Owned and Operated

James Emil Chance is a critical infrastructure compliance specialist at Pedernales Electric Cooperative Inc.

Giron is considered to be a great new voice in Christian Fiction and writes fiction with a mission.

In the tradition of Stephen Lawhead and Elizabeth Chadwick, Marlayne Giron writes epic fantasy fiction centered around traditional Christian values. Her work has been compared to Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia.

In the tradition of Stephen Lawhead and Elizabeth Chadwick, Marlayne Giron writes epic fantasy fiction centered around traditional Christian values. Her work has been compared to Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia.

Experience the extraordinary as we unveil Sally Michener's final treasures alongside the stunning limited edition print of Salvador Dalí's The Milky Way!

Kids’ Chance of California awarded $225,115 in scholarships to 42 students for the upcoming academic year. The nonprofit organization that provides scholarships to children of those who were seriously injured or killed…

Research Highlights: A study of nearly 2,400 cardiac arrest cases in North Carolina found that when emergency dispatchers (telecommunicators) provided cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instructions to 911 callers, people were more likely to provide ...

I was given a few free gold upgrades for the WP e-Commerce plugin.

The post A chance at gold appeared first on WPCult.