The incoming Senate Republican Conference will meet Wednesday morning to elect the successor of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit NOEL KING, HOST: A New Orleans institution is closing. K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen was a temple of Cajun cooking, but after COVID closures and restrictions, it won't reopen. Ian McNulty is on the line with me. He covers New Orleans dining and food culture. Good morning. IAN MCNULTY, BYLINE: Good morning, Noel. KING: Tell me about K-Paul's. Tell me about this restaurant. MCNULTY: This is a restaurant that, in a city famous for restaurants, really stood out as one that sort of vaulted ahead of the ideas that people had for local cuisine in its time and made an impact on, really, the global restaurant scene, the global food world, the ripples of which still end up on your dinner plate today when you dine out in cities across America, not just in New Orleans or Louisiana. KING: How do it manage to do that? I imagine that the food was real good. That's probably the simple answer. But what is Cajun cooking? (LAUGHTER) MCNULTY: Right. Well, you know, New

[Written by Stephen Wright] Twin brothers Che and Cole Durham stepped between the ropes for amateur boxing matches in Santa Cruz, Aruba, yesterday [July 27]. Cole, fighting at 80kg, faced Aruban Arvin Solognier in the co-main event at the Manuelitos Sports Bar, with the contest ending in a controversial draw. Meanwhile, Che, fighting at 72kg, […]

A Mississippi State Trooper dished out some punishment Saturday as he escorted Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin off the field.

The post WATCH: Mississippi State Trooper Brutally Punches Fan Who Got Too Close to Lane Kiffin appeared first on Breitbart.

It was a special night of songs and storytelling as Debbie Gibson closed out her Acoustic Youth tour in Chicago on Monday, October 28, 2024.

Snow is expected to taper off by noon Saturday, though Coloradans may see continued travel impacts through the weekend, state officials said.

She was unchallenged in her reelection, and is the first speaker to be reelected to the role since 2007.

“The sun’s angle, in combination with the hill and the highway’s configuration, can create a blinding sun glare for drivers as they head eastbound up Floyd Hill."

Denver International Airport officials are preparing to close the A-Bridge linking DIA's main terminal to concourses as part of a re-configuration and expansion of security screening checkpoints.

Denver freeways and all of Interstate 25 had reopened as of 10:45 a.m., while Interstate 70 remains closed east of E-470.

Denver Public Schools should give students being displaced by closed schools a priority preference during the school choice lottery that opens in January. -- Denver Post Editorial Board

Two days after polls closed, the campaigns for Yadira Caraveo and Gabe Evans were waiting Thursday to see if new ballot totals posted by election officials would sway the race in a more definitive direction.

No sooner had soon-to-be U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans outlined what drives him in public office than he was asked Monday when he planned to start fundraising for his reelection campaign.

Colorado’s first snowstorm of the season didn't break any records but it topped average monthly snow totals for the Front Range and Eastern Plains.

The 16th Street Mall has lost another national chain.

Denver Public Schools has recommended closing 10 schools in response to declining enrollment.

If approved by the school board in two weeks, the closures and restructuring will affect 1,844 students and 267 employees.

The superintendent packaged the consolidation as a larger part of DPS’s efforts to respond to falling enrollment and prevent what he has called “a full-blown crisis.”

The Bermuda Stock Exchange [BSX] will be closed on Monday, November 11, in observance of the Remembrance Day Public Holiday. A spokesperson said, “The Bermuda Stock Exchange [BSX] advises that the Exchange will be closed on closed Monday, 11 November 2024, in observance of the Remembrance Day Public Holiday. The BSX will re-open on Tuesday, […]

All Butterfield Banking Centres in Bermuda will be closing at 2pm on Thursday [Sept 14] due to Hurricane Lee. A spokesperson said, “Some ATM’s will be temporarily unavailable from tomorrow at 12 noon due to hurricane preparations – Collector’s Hill, Modern Mart, Somerset MarketPlace and Somerset Banking Centre. “At this time, Butterfield anticipates reopening its […]

The Clarien Bank offices will close at 2pm on Thursday [Sept 14] due to Hurricane Lee. A spokesperson said, “For the safety and security of our clients and employees, please be advised that all Clarien Bank offices will close at 2pm on Thursday, September 14 and re-open at 12 noon Friday, September 15 pending a […]

HSBC Bermuda’s branches will close at 2:00pm on Thursday [Sept 14] due to Hurricane Lee. A spokesperson said, “Out of an abundance of caution due to the formation of Hurricane Lee, HSBC Bermuda’s branches will close at 2:00 pm tomorrow, September 14th. “Subject to the receipt of an all clear from the Bermuda Government and […]

The WER Joell Tennis Stadium will close temporarily to allow for an assessment and building works, effective tomorrow [Aug 28]. A Government spokesperson said, “The Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport has announced the temporary closure of the WER Joell Tennis Stadium, effective tomorrow, August 28, 2024, for approximately one week. “Following an initial assessment, […]

The North Field walking track at the National Sports Centre will be closed from October 29 to November 14 for World Rugby Classic preparations. A spokesperson said, “The North Field walking track at the National Sports Centre will be closed from tomorrow, Tuesday 29 October 2024 to Thursday 14 November 2024, as it north field […]

The Bermuda National Library’s Youth Library on Church Street in Hamilton will be temporarily closed for roof repairs and structural improvements from August 24th to  October 14th. The Department of Libraries & Archives Director, Joanne Brangman, emphasised the importance of these structural repairs and improvements, stating, “These measures are necessary to enhance the library’s facilities […]

Freisenbruch Insurance will close its office at 2:00 p.m. today due to Hurricane Ernesto. A spokesperson said, “As we prepare for the impacts of Hurricane Ernesto, we remain mindful of our obligations to keep our clients, our staff and our families safe. “Today [Friday] our office will close at 2:00pm and is scheduled to reopen […]

Essent Group Ltd. announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Essent Guaranty, Inc., has obtained $363.4 million of fully collateralized excess of loss reinsurance coverage on mortgage insurance policies written in July 2023 through July 2024 from Radnor Re 2024-1 Ltd., a newly formed Bermuda special purpose insurer. A spokesperson said, “Radnor Re 2024-1 Ltd. is not […]

The Montpelier Road area has been closed off to traffic today [June 20] due to a swarm of bees in the area and the road closure will be in effect until the bees have been safely removed. “The Department of Parks under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Works is advising the public to […]

Please visit In Memoriam: Janet Reid for more about the late great Shark. 

Alt text: a stylish woman in a coat, who is emphatically neither an elephant nor a bear. Not everyone is.

It may open into a wall, though.

Netherlands-based Just Eat Takeaway announced today that it is selling Grubhub to Wonder in a deal valued at $650 million. The company said that it expects the deal to be completed by Q1 2025. “The sale of Grubhub to Wonder will increase the cash generation capabilities of Just Eat Takeaway.com…

A few years ago, I had a successful KonMari sesh that helped me tackle my closet chaos. But over time, I noticed that clutter started to creep back in. The issue was: All In, No Out. I made new purchases—thanks to an expanding waistline—but neglected to let go of ill-fitting clothes (because maybe, just maybe, I may fit into them again?) But recently, after spending a good 10 minutes digging through my wardrobe for that particular mustard cardigan, it became […]

The post 10 Things From IKEA Helped Me Tame Closet Chaos (Finally!) appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

Princeton engineers and industry leaders have squelched a threat that had lurked for years in the internet’s encryption system.

With very mixed feelings, sadness and joy all jumbled together, I closed my business with the state of Washington today, retroactive to December 31, 2016.

It's super great to think about never having to keep track of business miles, save receipts for every little business expense, do the tedious bookkeeping, take end-of-the-year inventory, or prepare everything for taxes.... Not ever again will I have to do any of those odious tasks!

Me, celebrating 41 years in business as Artist - Teacher - Author

On the other hand, my business has pretty much been my "identity" since 1975. That's 41 years - more than half of my life. What am I now? How will I respond when somebody asks, "What do you do?" Will I say, "Oh, I'm retired now?" Will I say, "I'm an artist?" It feels a little like I'm walking around 3/4 naked, the clothes of the past 41 years gone, the remaining artist clothes not enough to cover my nakedness.

But, we will not have any crying over spilled milk; the deed is done; the authorities officially notified. And, with respect, I thought it might be fun to share a few photos here, photos of the business me, and the story in more-or-less chronological order.

It all started when I met Liz Chenoweth, who is still my closest friend, and who at the time was studying metalsmithing at the University of Washington and I think working for a commercial jewelry manufacturing business in Seattle. I got the bug from her. After taking a short class in soldering sterling silver to make jewelry, I bought a workbench and all the tools, getting into it full-tilt-boogie! Liz helped me, teaching me all that she knew, and helping me to realize the design ideas I had.

Liz (on the right) and me in our metalsmithing shop, The Fort

I don't recall the exact date that I drove to the Department of Licensing to get my business license, but on that day, I named my business Atkins Creations, because I intended to make and sell sterling silver (and a little later, gold) jewelry. I bought a handsome, red, ledger book, and began the 41 year process of keeping track of all expenses and all income, mostly for tax purposes.

Sterling silver ring, commissioned by a male customer

New-beginnings.... in the spring of 1975, Liz and I decided to set up a metalsmithing shop in the spare bedroom in my little home in Ballard. Removing all other furniture, we put in side-by-side workbenches, and installed a polishing table/motor. We called our shop the Fort, because we were just like kids in the summer, when we couldn't wait to be in our "fort," our hideaway, our own special place. We both had day jobs, but we lived for spending time in the Fort. My job was 5 days on, followed by 5 days off, which was great because I could work with metal for 5 consecutive days at a time.

Jasper stone set in sterling silver, sterling clasp, leather cord - this is a man's necklace

We sold our work at some of the craft fairs of the time, but mostly we held "open studio" days at my home, slowly building a fairly decent client list. Eventually we made most of our money doing commissions. It was a marvelous, fun time in my life. That's for sure!

This is the display of my silver and gold creations at our second "open studio," 1977

Three years later, in 1978, I started a new "day job," one which quickly turned into something much more demanding of both my time and creative energies than had been my previous job. Soon, I could no longer continue making and selling jewelry at the previous pace. And, by the early 1980s my jewelry tools and supplies were lonely and dust covered. But, I didn't close the business officially.

Multiple strand necklace in style taught by Carol Berry

The hook was still set, because in 1987, I took a 2-day class from Carol Berry on making multiple-strand beaded necklaces. BEADS! In those two short days, I fell absolutely bonkers in love with beads, and within a few months, I was back in business again.

Multiple strand necklace I made as a "project" for Margie Deeb's book, The Beader's Color Palette

This time, I added the name Beads Indeed! to the official license, making it Atkins Creations - Beads Indeed!  Nice, huh?! Plus I quit my day job, deciding to support myself somehow with beads. Not easy. Especially for the first few years. Hard work and lots of rice for dinner. Since the selling part of making gold/silver jewelry was never fun for me, I decided to make my living this time by selling beads (just the "raw" beads, not made into jewelry) and teaching classes. If I sold a few pieces of beaded jewelry, that would be fine, but there would be no pressure to pay the bills by promoting my own creations. On the other hand, selling beads WAS fun; and buying beads to sell was even more fun!

 By 1988, I sold my metalsmithing equipment, and turned my garage into a studio/store for both selling beads and teaching beading workshops. For 10 years, that was my life, my identity... Beads Indeed!, open every Wednesday of the year, classes most weekends, open for your beading needs at any time by appointment.

It worked! I could have my cake (beading/beadwork) and eat it (selling beads and teaching classes) at the same time. You have to know that back then I did not in any way consider myself an artist. I knew I was a pretty good craftsman, making jewelry that would last and that looked great technically. But I did not think of myself as a creative person.

Generations, a small pouch, my first improvisational bead embroidery piece

The discovery (made mostly by Carol Berry, with some input by me) of "improvisational bead embroidery" in 1991 caused a shift, both in my sense of identity and my business. Gradually, stitching beads on fabric without a plan, letting a piece develop bit by bit without trying to control it, and thankfully with no intention of ever selling it, altered my perceptions about myself as a craftsman, turning me into an artist.

This was such a huge alteration of identity. It made me feel more sure of myself as a teacher, and gave me the confidence to promote my beading workshops far beyond the walls of my studio/shop. I traveled to many states, teaching at conferences, for bead shops and guilds, branching out to teach beading to quilters and fiber artists, eventually even teaching at art schools. All in all, Beads Indeed!, in Seattle turned into a pretty decent business. I could afford to eat out now and then, plus travel to far away places, like China, Germany, and Eastern Europe, on bead-buying trips.

Those 10 years, immersed in beads, with a growing sense of myself as an artist, gave me the confidence to begin writing books about beading, which in turn, provided another source of income, income I would need after moving from Seattle to San Juan Island, where I could no longer depend on selling beads to support myself because the population base was so small.

Marriage Bag, a small purse I made while deciding if I should marry Robert

That move, in 1998, was because I met Robert Demar, who a few years later became my husband. He already lived on San Juan Island, which was a plus for me, because I love it here, much more than living in a big city, even though Seattle is quite nice as cities go. After we married, I still traveled widely and fairly frequently to teach beading workshops, but I needed to fill the time when I was home and also needed to earn more money. The answer came easily... write books about beading! My first book, One Bead at a Time, was published in 2000, and was re-printed 3 times. Including two small booklets, there are currently nine books with my name as the author.

My first book, published in 2000

My most recent book, published in 2013

I guess my business identity, for the past 41 years, can be summarized as: "teacher-artist-author." But, in the last two years, it's been mostly "artist," with much less teaching and no further book writing. Business income has dwindled to a pittance, I'm 74 years old, and I don't enjoy the record-keeping. Even my accountant agreed. So today I pulled the plug on Atkins Creations - Beads Indeed!

Already there are new questions facing me, questions such as:

1. What shall I do with the remaining inventory of my book, Heart to Hands Bead Embroidery?
2. Shall I keep paying for my website (my domain name and web service), which includes my primary email address, and which badly needs to be updated?
3. Shall I continue teaching now and then, maintaining the necessary supplies to do so?
4. Can I immerse myself in creating things (quilts, art, bookmaking, beading, etc.), with no intention of doing anything with the things I create, not using them as examples when I teach, and not selling them?
5. And, of course, there's the question at the top of this post.... who am I now?

Home, one in a series of bead embroidery pieces about gratitude

Scotland believe they are closing the gap to the world's top sides despite Sunday's defeat by South Africa, forwards coach John Dalziel says.

Social care providers say the sector is in "unprecedented danger" without more funding.

The Covid inquiry restarts its live hearings this week, after senior staff in the NHS revealed just how close some hospitals were to collapse

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South Africa has closed the Lebombo port of entry to and from Mozambique after 15 officials from the Ressano Garcia border fled to SA on Thursday morning for protection.

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The post Trump's New Chief of Staff Susie Wiles Discloses His Day One Plans: Report appeared first on The Western Journal.

Jannik Sinner hit the accelerator at the end of each set as he cruised past Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday to close in on a semi-final spot at the ATP Finals in Turin.

Belt and Road Is Not a (Completely) Closed Shop Expert comment sysadmin 22 March 2018

Though the infrastructure initiative will continue to be led in many places by Chinese investment, where there are benefits of scale, effectiveness and risk management, outside participation will be welcome.

First announced in 2013, President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative promises, at a minimum, to improve infrastructure and connectivity between China and the rest of Eurasia. Any bold plan to finance infrastructure on a large-scale across so many low-income economies deserves a sympathetic ear and a positive reception. But many wonder how large the role can be for non-Chinese players in what is clearly an initiative of the Chinese government.

So far, Chinese state and policy banks account for the overwhelming majority of the financing – and this money then flows to Chinese enterprises, mainly state-owned. One study found that 89% of the work went to Chinese contractors on China-funded projects.

Yet, recently in Paris, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the Belt and Road was a ‘sunshine initiative’ that was open and for all to benefit from. He declared that there were to be ‘no backroom deals. There is openness and transparency.’ The Belt and Road Initiative will ‘respect international rules’ and ‘will run according to market rules’.

There are some notable instances of Belt and Road projects changing to conform more to international rules as they develop. For example, work on the Belgrade–Budapest high speed rail link originally ran into problems. Contracts were allegedly awarded to Chinese companies without following the EU-mandated competitive procurement processes. Now, the most recent round of contracts is to be awarded by tender.

Such a switch perhaps does not herald the unrestricted ‘market rules’ that Wang speaks of, but it does highlight that China is willing to turn Belt and Road towards openness in certain instances. These will be cases where it clearly brings benefits for China – but also where private sector players can be convinced of good commercial returns. These benefits are most likely to lie in three areas: scale and access, effectiveness and risk management.

Mutual benefits

Firstly, scale and access. Belt and Road can achieve greater scale if additional financing comes in alongside the current Chinese state and policy bank lending. This can come both by working together with multilateral institutions and with private sector institutions. This will in turn require defining projects or structuring financing with attractive risk-return trade-offs. In some cases, this will be feasible – in others not.

Getting bigger also necessitates initiating meaningful Belt and Road activity in more countries. As the Belgrade–Budapest rail experience has shown, approaches vary in terms of competitive tendering requirements and consideration of non-Chinese bidders. An approach that works in, say, Tajikistan, may not be effective in Poland. This is a pragmatic recognition of context that is quite separate from debates on what the ‘right’ approach to these standards should be. Both these elements suggest that a more open Belt and Road will be a larger and more far-reaching one.

Secondly, effectiveness. Despite extensive experience building infrastructure within China, many Chinese companies are much less familiar operating outside of China. Western, Japanese and Korean companies can bring their own experience to the table and help the success of these projects. By doing so, they also put competitive pressure on Chinese companies to improve and upgrade, while providing opportunities to learn. This in turn creates a stronger, more productive Chinese economy.

Beyond physical hardware, the ‘software’ is also critical to success. Again foreign companies have much to contribute. Areas such as maintenance, training, legal and accounting services are all in demand. Indeed, many such British and other companies are already actively engaged in working on projects with Chinese companies to help in these areas.

Finally, risk management. Beyond the usual project management risk of large projects, Belt and Road brings additional challenges. Many countries have weak governance, internal divisions and security issues, all within distinctively different cultures and traditions. Chinese companies with little experience of local conditions will struggle. Going it alone may provide what is an illusion of control, but exposure to social and political dynamics can rebound on China in unexpected ways.

Cooperating with others who have a history of in-country experience is a way to manage these risks. Examples would include British and Chinese cooperation both at company and governmental level in engaging in particular African countries, in partnership with the relevant country government.

Mixed system

Mechanisms that encourage competitive choices and restrain corruption are positive, but mechanisms that slow decision-making to a crawl also prevent countries from getting benefits of infrastructure projects. Conversely, continuing along the current path of Chinese-led investment does have some clear attractions in certain settings, at least to those directly involved. It combines the ability of Chinese policy banks to provide large-scale funding in even high-risk environments with the relevant experience and production capacity of Chinese state-owned businesses. It allows for government-to-government deals, pragmatic negotiations and all-encompassing accords, at times out of the public eye. In many cases, it is hard to make a commercial case for the investments.

But in cases where there is mutual benefit, engagement and will, there will be a role for international partnerships.