Wallenius Marine tests groundbreaking ship design for the world’s first wind-powered PCTC vesselMaryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using “forever chemicals” long after learning about serious health risks associated with them. The complaint, which was filed last week in federal court, focuses on a cluster of 13 facilities in northeastern Maryland operated by Delaware-based W.L. Gore & Associates. It alleges the company polluted the air and water around its facilities with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances , jeopardizing the health of surrounding communities while raking in profits. The lawsuit adds to other claims filed in recent years, including a class action on behalf of Cecil County residents in 2023 demanding Gore foot the bill for water filtration systems, medical bills and other damages associated with decades of harmful pollution in the largely rural community. “PFAS are linked to cancer, weakened immune systems, and can even harm the ability to bear children,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. “It is unacceptable for any company to knowingly contaminate our drinking water with these toxins, putting Marylanders at risk of severe health conditions.” Gore spokesperson Donna Leinwand Leger said the company is “surprised by the Maryland Attorney General’s decision to initiate legal action, particularly in light of our proactive and intensive engagement with state regulators over the past two years.” “We have been working with Maryland, employing the most current, reliable science and technology to assess the potential impact of our operations and guide our ongoing, collaborative efforts to protect the environment,” the company said in a statement, noting a Dec. 18 report that contains nearly two years of groundwater testing results. But attorney Philip Federico, who represents plaintiffs in the class action and other lawsuits against Gore, called the company’s efforts “too little, much too late.” In the meantime, he said, residents are continuing to suffer — one of his clients was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer. “It’s typical corporate environmental contamination,” he said. “They’re in no hurry to fix the problem.” The synthetic chemicals are especially harmful because they’re nearly indestructible and can build up in various environments, including the human body. In addition to cancers and immune system problems, exposure to certain levels of PFAS has been linked to increased cholesterol levels, reproductive health issues and developmental delays in children, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Gore leaders failed to warn people living near its Maryland facilities about the potential impacts, hoping to protect their corporate image and avoid liability, according to the state’s lawsuit. The result has been “a toxic legacy for generations to come,” the lawsuit alleges. Since the chemicals are already in the local environment, protecting residents now often means installing complex and expensive water filtration systems. People with private wells have found highly elevated levels of dangerous chemicals in their water, according to the class action lawsuit. The Maryland facilities are located in a rural area just across the border from Delaware, where Gore has become a longtime fixture in the community. The company, which today employs more than 13,000 people, was founded in 1958 after Wilbert Gore left the chemical giant DuPont to start his own business. Its profile rose with the development of Gore-Tex , a lightweight waterproof material created by stretching polytetrafluoroethylene, which is better known by the brand name Teflon that’s used to coat nonstick pans. The membrane within Gore-Tex fabric has billions of pores that are smaller than water droplets, making it especially effective for outdoor gear. The state’s complaint traces Gore’s longstanding relationship with DuPont , arguing that information about the chemicals' dangers was long known within both companies as they sought to keep things quiet and boost profits. It alleges that as early as 1961, DuPont scientists knew the chemical caused adverse liver reactions in rats and dogs. DuPont has faced widespread litigation in recent years. Along with two spinoff companies, it announced a $1.18 billion deal last year to resolve complaints of polluting many U.S. drinking water systems with forever chemicals. The Maryland lawsuit seeks to hold Gore responsible for costs associated with the state’s ongoing investigations and cleanup efforts, among other damages. State oversight has ramped up following litigation from residents alleging their drinking water was contaminated. Until then, the company operated in Cecil County with little scrutiny. Gore announced in 2014 that it had eliminated perfluorooctanoic acid from the raw materials used to create Gore-Tex. But it’s still causing long-term impacts because it persists for so long in the environment, attorneys say. Over the past two years, Gore has hired an environmental consulting firm to conduct testing in the area and provided bottled water and water filtration systems to residents near certain Maryland facilities, according to a webpage describing its efforts. Recent testing of drinking water at residences near certain Gore sites revealed perfluorooctanoic acid levels well above what the EPA considers safe, according to state officials. Attorneys for the state acknowledged Gore’s ongoing efforts to investigate and address the problem but said the company needs to step up and be a better neighbor. “While we appreciate Gore’s limited investigation to ascertain the extent of PFAS contamination around its facilities, much more needs to be done to protect the community and the health of residents,” Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said in a statement. “We must remove these forever chemicals from our natural resources urgently, and we expect responsible parties to pay for this remediation.”
Kanpur: The divisional-level Youth Festival was organised under the auspices of the department of Youth Welfare and Territorial Development at BNSD Shiksha Niketan and Govt Polytechnic on Wednesday. The festival was inaugurated by Principal of BNSD Shiksha Niketan Dr Brajmohan Singh in the presence of district youth welfare officer of Kanpur Nagar Aarti Jaiswal and others. Artists took part in cultural events including folk dance, songs, poetry, story writing, painting, and declamation during the fest. The thematic components included a science fair and youth creations held at Govt Polytechnic, Gurudev. Varun Singh from Kanpur Nagar secured the first position in solo folk songs, Pratishtha Dixit from Etawah secured second, and in group folk songs, Kanpur Nagar secured first, Auraiya second, and Etawah third position. In solo folk dance, Shweta Trivedi from Kanpur Nagar was first, Aarti Verma from Auraiya second, and Etawah third; in group folk dance, Kanpur Nagar secured first, Etawah second, and Auraiya third and in n poetry writing, Divya from Kanpur Dehat won followed by Aman Mishra from Kanpur Nagar and Gopal Pandey from Auraiya at second and third spot respectively. In story writing, Amit Kumar from Kanpur Nagar secured first, and Rachita Agnihotri from Kanpur Dehat second. In painting, Renu Devi from Kanpur Nagar won first prize, Gambhir Singh from Farrukhabad second, and Sulekha Singh from Etawah was third. In declamation, Iccha Singh from Auraiya secured first spot, Khizra Khan from Kanpur Nagar second, and Kritika from Kannauj got third spot. In photography, Abhishek from Kanpur Nagar was first, Jatin Gangwar from Farrukhabad second, and Arun Pratap from Etawah third. In the thematic component competition, in Science and Technology solo, Aarti Kushwaha secured first, Aditya Singh second, and Prashant Yadav from Etawah third. In Science and Technology group, Etawah secured first, Kanpur Nagar second, and Kannauj third. In youth creations textiles, Sakshi Dixit secured first. Chief guests dean of student welfare at CSJM University Neeraj Singh, Principal of govt polytechnic Mukesh Chandra Anand and district youth welfare and territorial development officer Devendra Singh, Kanpur Dehat gave away prizs to the winners. District youth welfare officer Aarti Jaiswal stated that the artists who secured first place in the divisional-level youth festival will participate in the state-level youth festival. The vote of thanks was given by programme in-charge Raghvendra Singh. Judges included Vipin, Manisha, Rajkumar, Vikas and KC Pandey. Dhirendra Yadav, Vaibhav Singh, Pradeep Kumar, Nidhi Pandey, and Smrita Singh helped in successful organisation and the stage was managed by Amit Kumar.Trump Cabinet picks, appointees targeted by bomb threats and swatting attacks
Buffalo Sabres (10-9-1, in the Atlantic Division) vs. San Jose Sharks (6-11-5, in the Pacific Division) San Jose, California; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Sabres -166, Sharks +140; over/under is 6 BOTTOM LINE: The San Jose Sharks host the Buffalo Sabres after Alexander Wennberg's two-goal game against the St. Louis Blues in the Sharks' 3-2 shootout loss. San Jose has a 6-11-5 record overall and a 4-4-1 record on its home ice. The Sharks have a -21 scoring differential, with 54 total goals scored and 75 given up. Buffalo is 10-9-1 overall and 4-4-1 on the road. The Sabres serve 10.7 penalty minutes per game to rank third in the league. The teams meet Saturday for the first time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Tyler Toffoli has nine goals and six assists for the Sharks. Macklin Celebrini has over the last 10 games. Rasmus Dahlin has five goals and 12 assists for the Sabres. Zachary Benson has over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Sharks: 3-4-3, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.5 assists, 2.7 penalties and six penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game. Sabres: 6-4-0, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.5 assists, five penalties and 10.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game. INJURIES: Sharks: None listed. Sabres: None listed. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Heredia’s crime was particularly brutal. During a heated argument at a bar, he attacked his victim with a knife before shooting him five times. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison but managed to evade capture, hiding for years by building a strong network of family connections that helped him remain undetected. Most Read on Euro Weekly News Despite multiple efforts by law enforcement to track him down in Toledo and other regions of Spain, he was able to remain a step ahead. His inclusion in the National Police’s ‘Most Wanted’ campaign, which sought public help in locating fugitives, proved crucial. The breakthrough came when members of the public responded to the National Police’s social media campaign, providing vital information that led investigators to Murcia. After conducting surveillance and gathering intelligence, authorities pinpointed his hiding place, where he had been living with his wife. They had taken elaborate steps to avoid detection, including using counter-surveillance tactics. These tactics likely included changing locations frequently, observing for signs of surveillance, avoiding predictable routines, using disguises, and securing their communications to prevent being tracked or followed. With support from special security units, the police were able to access the property and arrest Heredia. His capture marks the fourth arrest from the ‘Ten Most Wanted’ list since the campaign began in July. The collaboration between the police and the public has proven essential in bringing fugitives to justice and ensuring safety in local communities.
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Indian singer Diljit Dosanjh’s performance on his ongoing Dil-Luminati tour took an unexpected turn when he slipped on stage during his hit track “Patiala Peg.” The incident, which occurred mid-performance at the live concert in Ahmedabad, was caught on video and quickly went viral on social media. Despite the mishap, Dosanjh regained his balance and continued his energetic performance. Pausing the music to address the issue, the singer explained that the pyrotechnics used during the show had caused fuel to spill onto the stage, resulting in the slip. “Bhai yahan pe fire jo chhodte ho, mat chhodo. Tel aata hai yahan. I am okay,” Dosanjh told the audience, urging the organizers to halt the use of such effects to prevent further accidents. This slip brought back memories of a similar incident in the early 2010s when Dosanjh fell during a joint performance with Yo Yo Honey Singh on “Lakk 28.” However, the singer’s resilience shone through as he resumed the concert with the same high energy, keeping the crowd engaged. In addition to addressing the accident, Dosanjh also took the opportunity to discuss a legal matter that had recently surfaced. He revealed that he had received a legal notice before his Hyderabad concert, instructing him to remove references to alcohol and drugs from his songs. While no such notice had been issued for his Ahmedabad performance, Dosanjh took it in stride and altered the lyrics of “Patiala Peg” to avoid any controversy.Utah Hockey Club bring 3-game losing streak into matchup with the Penguins
2024 saw politics, culture, and the overlap between them grow ever stranger, and that’s reflected in our picks for the year’s top video essays. Videos about artificial intelligence, abuses of authority, mass hysteria, weird corporate trends (and weirder corporate collapses) fill out these ranks. Lest that make this year’s list sound like too much of a downer, know that most of these works are also supremely fun. It has now been six years since I first did a piece like this for Polygon . In that time, I’ve seen a lot of novice video makers become pros, the pros refine their craft to increasingly fascinating ends, and more and more promising new talent arise. I think this ranking reflects all those strands. On making this list: With this style of video continuing to grow in popularity, one way I’ve made keeping up with things manageable for the purposes of articles like this is abiding by stricter, more traditional parameters for what “counts” as a video essay. If there’s a notable video from 2024 that’s not present here, it may be because, as great as it was, it strayed too far from that definition. Additionally, each year, I’m conscious of trying to keep things fresh by not including too many essays from creators honored in earlier iterations. This time around, I decided to take it a step further by imposing a firm prohibition against including work by anyone who’s already appeared in these annual roundups more than once. Apologies, then, to consistently great essayists like Yhara Zayd and Jacob Geller . Finally, I will admit that I cheated last year by using double features and honorable mentions to include 15 videos in the “top 10”; I was more disciplined this time around. As always, these videos are presented in order of publishing date. ‘third places, stanley cup mania, and the epidemic of loneliness’ by Mina Le Mina Le has become one of my go-to resources for keeping up with and comprehending the vast ecosystem of online commerce, influencers, style, fads, and how these elements all feed into and off one another. The title of this video seemingly name-checks three distinct things. Le argues persuasively that viral shopping crazes like the one around Stanley bottles early this year are partly a way for people to feel a sense of belonging in an increasingly atomized and alienated society — even if they can only realize this feeling through consumption. ‘The Rhythms of Rage: from Solitude to Solidarity’ by Barbara Zecchi The shortest video on this year’s list is also its most formally inventive. Zecchi has constructed a collage of scenes from film and television that capture moments of female rage. But rather than a supercut, the shots are presented through a continually expanding (spiraling outward, in fact, which feels appropriate, given the subject matter) grid pattern. The essay ultimately transitions from these shots of isolated figures to ones of masses of women working together, illustrating the progression from individual grievance to collective action. ‘The Future Is Going To Be Weird AF (The Ultimate AI CoreCore Experience) - Part Two’ by Silvia Dal Dosso This is a sequel to an experiment Dal Dosso released last year. For the uninitiated, “corecore” is a nebulous emergent genre of social media videos that can perhaps most succinctly be summed up as assemblages of melancholy vibes — ambient music, dark footage, countless shots of Ryan Gosling in Blade Runner 2049 , etc. Dal Dosso strives for an especially pure corecore (corecore... core?) experience by juxtaposing unreal-seeming moments from the news and socials with actually unreal AI-generated images. It’s both a tribute to and a parody of the work of Adam Curtis, replete with an AI Curtis narrating. It’s one of the few genuinely artistic uses of the technology I’ve seen. ‘REFORM!’ by Secret Base Secret Base launched a Patreon this year with the most welcome news possible: the resurrection of Jon Bois’ long-dormant, deeply beloved series Pretty Good . (Catch up with this episode about Lawnchair Larry , this one about an epic bodybuilder forum argument , and this one about 24 .) Appropriately for an election year, Bois created a holistic three-part look at the brief life and embarrassing times of the Reform Party. In the backbiting and wheeling/dealing between the likes of Ross Perot, Jesse Ventura, and Pat Buchanan, the essay draws out the broader challenges of trying to disrupt the entrenched political system of the United States. Power by Yance Ford, et al . For a change of pace, here’s a film that appeared in festivals and theaters before becoming available via Netflix this year. Director Yance Ford is best known for his highly personal 2017 debut Strong Island , for which he became the first openly trans man to be nominated for an Oscar. He’s come back to feature filmmaking with this critical look at the evolution of policing as an institution in the United States. Wielding archival materials to devastating comparisons between past and present, Ford tracks an unmistakable surge of authoritarianism in America. ‘The History of Tetris World Records’ by Summoning Salt Tetris is one of the greatest works of art (video game or otherwise) made in the past 50 years because of how its initial simplicity opens up to infinite possible variations. A similarly expansive competitive community has built up around the game. It’s Tetris ; how much could there possibly be to getting good at it? There’s no better YouTuber to answer this question than Summoning Salt, the Ken Burns of speedrunning. This video gets you fully invested in these escalating struggles of one-upmanship, making people looking at screens and their investment in falling blocks and numbers going up extraordinarily compelling. The result is that one of the most exciting things I’ve seen in any film this year is a simple left-to-right tracking shot of a chart. ‘The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel’ by Jenny Nicholson Jenny Nicholson’s work might seem more vloggy than essayistic, but that’s only if you aren’t paying attention. There are plenty of YouTubers who do nothing but talk to a camera at length, but people aren’t watching the entirety of this four-hour video just to get the nitty-gritty on Disney World’s short-lived, now-shuttered immersive Star Wars-themed hotel. Nicholson has an uncanny gift for making highly structured arguments and narratives feel informal and off the cuff. She has also probably forgotten more about theme park history, design, and logistics than most of us ever learn. This is one of the most impactful YouTube videos released this year, garnering news attention and reviving widespread discussion about Disney’s questionable business practices. ‘Sticky’ by Maria Hofmann Each year, the streaming service Mubi and the Filmadrid film festival collaborate to release a series of video essays. By far the standout in 2024 was Maria Hofmann’s “desktop horror documentary,” which uncannily replicates the way that simply existing online in the modern day can expose you to a constant stream of awful imagery. Different desktop windows — one for email, one for research, one displaying sobering news on the Mediterranean migrant crisis — shuffle about the screen, illustrating how much of modern life is compartmentalizing atrocity to the point where it becomes routine. In 2024, this feels especially apt. ‘The Narcissist Scare’ by Sarah Z Life in 2024 also means that seemingly every other week, you learn about an alleged disturbing trend or stack of how-to tips that turns out to have originated from a lot of gullible and/or grifty people playing a game of telephone over social media. It is disquieting to see, in a supposedly technologically enlightened age, how much sites like Instagram and TikTok facilitate and perpetuate almost primal superstitious thought. Sarah Z (like Nicholson, a strong practitioner of direct YouTube address) traces the junk science and fraudulent dime-store psychology seen in the myriad videos about the dangers of “narcissists” and traces them back not just to our petty need to find excuses to demonize others, but also to a literal belief in demons and spiritual warfare. Modernity is very odd, and I am frequently tired. ‘Hag Horror: Why Are We So Afraid of Old Women?’ by Broey Deschanel The Substance was one of the big lower-budget success stories and a notable engine of controversy in film this year, the latter due both to its grossness and to its ideas about womanhood, fame, and body image. Maia Wyman puts the movie in the historical context of body horror and “hagsploitation,” and how the duel between Demi Moore’s and Margaret Qualley’s characters acts out the broader cultural terror of aging and decay. Best of the Year Culture Entertainment Polygon Lists Polygon Picks Special Issues What to WatchNo secrets as Bucs visit Dave Canales, Panthers for NFC South showdown
The House-passed Social Security Fairness Act enjoys rare bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, yet the odds of it getting enacted are growing smaller with each passing day. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to schedule a vote on the bill that would expand Social Security benefits to roughly 2.8 million retirees. Schumer, a Democrat and cosponsor of the legislation, could invoke a Senate rule that would skip a committee hearing and send the bill directly to a floor vote by the full Senate. The legislation would eliminate a provision that cuts Social Security payments to some retirees who also collect a pension from jobs not covered by the retirement program. That includes state and federal workers like teachers, police officers and U.S. postal workers. It would also end a second provision that reduces Social Security benefits for those workers' surviving spouses and family members. "With just eight legislative days remaining in the 118th Congress, Sen. Schumer, a cosponsor of Senate bill S.597, must now step up and take action. It's time for him to follow through and bring it to the floor for a vote," Shannon Benton executive director of The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), told CBS MoneyWatch on Friday. The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) "penalize families across the country who worked a public service job for part of their career with a separate pension," Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy told colleagues earlier in the week. When those workers "have second jobs, second careers or get married, they receive less from Social Security than if they had never worked in public service at all. That's not right." In an impassioned speech , Cassidy called on Schumer to schedule a vote, saying lawmakers would approve the legislation. "If Schumer brings it up, it'll pass," Cassidy stated of the bill, which has 62 sponsors. A similar plea was also made by New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who late last month held a press conference to urge passage of the measure. "Retired teachers &firefighters deserve access to the Social Security benefits they've earned. That's why I'm working to repeal provisions that unfairly reduce Social Security benefits for public servants. Let's get it done!" Gillibrand also posted on social media. Introduced by Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Garret Graves, R-La., the bill was passed by the House on Nov. 11 in a 327-75 vote. The following day, Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, wrote to Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican of Kentucky, urging action. "You have the opportunity to bring this bill across the finish line," they stated in a letter. Various forms of the measure have been introduced over the years, but like many legislative proposals, they had failed to get enacted. "I've been working at the league 25 years, and I don't remember ever not having a version," said Benton. "There is so much momentum, if it doesn't get passed now, a lot of people will lose hope." Schumer did not respond to requests for comment. "His office will probably say something about not having time because of the confirmation hearings, etc. We say, 'Add a day to the schedule.' It's been done before," Benton said. Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York, where she covers business and consumer finance.
Ukraine is expanding its long-range arsenal for deep strikes inside Russia
