SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California, home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, would be the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced Monday. The legislation sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta is necessary to bolster safety for children online, supporters say, but industry officials vow to fight the measure and others like it under the First Amendment. Warning labels for social media gained swift bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general, including Bonta, after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to establish the requirements earlier this year, saying social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people.Along with contemporaries such as The Specials, The Selector and Madness, The English Beat helped pioneer a British revival of Jamaican sounds mixed with elements of pop and punk, becoming one of the most popular and influential bands of the UK ska movement. Fronted by singer, guitarist and principle songwriter Dave Wakeling, the band (simply known as the Beat in their native country) scored a hit with its first single, a high-octane cover of Smokey Robinson's Motown classic "Tears of a Clown" in 1978. With help from toaster and co-front man Ranking Roger and Jamaican saxophonist Saxa (who played on some of the original ska hits by the likes of Prince Buster and Desmond Dekker), the English Beat unleashed a string classic two-tone hits including "Mirror in the Bathroom," "Hands Off She's Mine," "Save It for Later" and "Tenderness," Over the course of the three albums, The English Beat achieved great success in their home country while also finding a solid base of young fans eager to dance to the their hypnotic rhythms in America. Their constant touring with iconic bands such as The Clash and The Police helped to boost their popularity in the States. Despite his huge success, Wakeling never stopped singing about political issues. The band donated all the profits from their highly successful single version of "Stand Down Margaret" to the Committee for Nuclear Disarmament and donated their music to causes including the anti-nuclear benefit album Life in The European Theatre as well as lending their voice to the Special AKA's anthemic song of freedom "Free Nelson Mandela." Wakeling disbanded The English Beat in 1983 after their third album, Special Beat Service , but would stay active with English Beat toaster Ranking Roger in the hit-making band General Public. Wakeling has led the U.S. version of his influential ska outfit since the '90s after an unusual agreement that gave Ranking Roger the rights to tour under the name in Europe and the U.K. (the singer sadly passed away last spring). The musician has remained an active performer on the touring circuit, delivering his classic songs to an audience that spans several generations. The English Beat had much of it's classic catalog reissued by Shout Factory a couple of years ago complete with additional b-sides and live cuts as well as a CD/DVD package of the band's live performances at the US Festival in 1982 and 1983, but a few years ago announced a crowd-funding campaign to finance the group's first new album in decades. The recording, entitled Here We Go Love , finally saw the light of day in 2018 and was met with glowing reviews. 2024 saw deluxe double-vinyl reissues of the albums Wha'appen and Special Beat Service for Record Store Day as well as dates as both part of the "Lost '80s Live" tour and as support for fellow British band Squeeze. Loyal Bay Area fans continue to pack local headlining concerts by Wakeling and company. The English Beat headlines two concerts at Cornerstone in Berkeley on Jan 10-11. The English Beat Friday-Saturday, Jan. 10-11, 7 p.m. $36 (Saturday show sold out) Cornerstone Berkeley
Published 4:33 pm Thursday, December 26, 2024 By Data Skrive The Memphis Grizzlies’ (20-10) injury report has four players listed as they ready for a Friday, December 27 matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans (5-25, six injured players) at Smoothie King Center, with a start time of 8:00 PM ET. Watch the NBA, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up. The Pelicans dropped their last matchup 132-129 in OT against the Nuggets on Sunday. Jordan Hawkins totaled 25 points, one rebound and one assist for the Pelicans. The Grizzlies’ last game was a 114-110 loss to the Clippers on Monday. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 24 points in the Grizzlies’ loss, leading the team. Sign up for NBA League Pass to get live and on-demand access to NBA games. Get tickets for any NBA game this season at StubHub. Catch NBA action all season long on Fubo. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .Just because he’s gone doesn’t mean you can’t cheer for Steven Stamkos | Commentary
ATLANTA (AP) — Quarterback Carson Beck's status for No. 2 Georgia's Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal is uncertain after he suffered an elbow injury in Saturday's Southeastern Conference championship game win over Texas. Georgia announced Monday there is no timetable on Beck's return as he and his family explore treatment options. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.TGM MOURNS DEATH OF CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING PRINCIPAL STEVEN C. MACY
Environment Secretary Steve Reed has been asked to review “incompetence” at the Met Office that led to a “clear underestimation” of the impact of Storm Bert. Labour MP for Cardiff West, Alex Barros-Curtis, said warnings should have been “amber or red”, as Mr Reed told MPs that more flooding is “likely”. Hundreds of homes were left under water, roads were turned into rivers and winds of more than 80mph were recorded across parts of the UK. More than 130 flood warnings and 160 alerts remained in place across the UK on Monday. In the Commons on Monday, Mr Barros-Curtis asked: “Can I ask that the Secretary of State speak to his Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) colleagues to carefully look into the role of the Met Office here? “It is clear that their response was slow and that there was a clear underestimation of the impact of Storm Bert. “They put it yellow rather than amber or red. Our constituents have been let down by this incompetence before, and it cannot keep happening.” Mr Reed said: “In most parts of the countries that were affected, warnings were given with adequate time for people to prepare and I would encourage people to sign up on the Defra website, or the Environment Agency website for warnings and alerts if they live in an area that could be affected by flooding. “I’m aware of the particular concern that he mentions regarding the Met Office, and I will indeed be speaking to colleagues in DSIT as they review the circumstances of that and look at how the situation can be improved for future events of this kind.” A Met Office spokesperson said: “Storm Bert was well forecast, with first signs of disruptive weather signalled a week ahead and the first warnings issued on Wednesday November 20. “A number of warnings were in place ahead of the system reaching the UK. “We work closely with partners to assess the potential risks of extreme weather and warnings covering Wales highlighted the potential for homes and businesses to flood with fast flowing or deep floodwater possible, causing a danger to life. “Observed rainfall totals were broadly in line with the forecast and the severe weather warnings issued in advance.” During his update to the House, the Environment Secretary said that more flooding this week is “likely” but its impact “should be less severe” than has been seen. He said: “Around 28,000 properties are being protected by Environment Agency flood defences. “Unfortunately, an estimated 107 properties have flooded across England, principally from river and surface water flooding.” He added: “The Environment Agency and local responders have also been busy protecting properties elsewhere in England, including flooding from the River Teme in Tenbury Wells where around 40 properties have flooded. “The river has now peaked and local responders will be focusing on the lower reaches of rivers over the next few days.” He further stated: “Further flooding is sadly likely over the next few days as water levels rise in slower flowing rivers such as the Severn and the Ouse. “The Environment Agency anticipates that any impacts should be less severe than we have seen in recent days.” Mr Reed also described the flood defences they inherited from the previous government as being “in the worst condition on record following years of underinvestment”. He added: “Over 3,000 of our key flood defences are below an acceptable standard. “That is why we are investing £2.4 billion over the next two years to build and maintain flood defences.” Elsewhere in the session, Labour MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana, was among the MPs to call for a legal duty on fire services to respond to flooding. She said: “I want to express my solidarity and thanks to all of our emergency services, including firefighters on the front line. “Extreme weather events are on the rise and becoming ever more frequent due to climate change, highlighting the urgent need for proper funding and resources. “England is the only part of the UK without a statutory duty for flooding, leaving fire services underfunded and under-resourced to respond effectively. This must change, as the FBU (Fire Brigades Union) has long called for.” “When will the Government finally provide a statutory duty for Fire and Rescue authorities to respond to flooding incidents in England?” Mr Reed replied: “The fire and rescue authorities have the powers to intervene, but she’s quite right to point out there’s not a duty, and officials in my department, working with the Home Office, will review that to see that that remains appropriate.” Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire Greg Smith said some communities in his constituency are flooding “for the first time in decades” as he accused the Government of wanting to “concrete over the countryside”. He said: “That is a result of some of the big infrastructure we are seeing being built, particularly HS2 where they will concrete over a field completely, it seems, unaware that that will have a knock-on effect to farmland next door. “So will the Secretary of State commit to working with the Transport Secretary (Louise Haigh) and I also suggest the Deputy Prime Minister (Angela Rayner) given their plans to concrete over the countryside to ensure that where construction takes place proper, and I really mean proper, flood mitigation measures are put into place.” Mr Reed replied: “This needs to operate across Government, and we will have those conversations and ensure that measures are put in place to support communities as much as is possible from the more severe weather events that we’re seeing as a result of climate change.”
As It Happens 5:07 Bear cub snatched from a tree to pose for photos is free at last, and doing well A bear cub who was hauled out of a tree and separated from her family in April is now back in the wild and doing just fine, say North Carolina wildlife officials. The cub, who earned the nickname "Selfie Bear" on social media, made headlines in the spring when the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission released a video of people pulling her from a tree and posing for photos with her in Asheville, N.C. As a result, the frightened bear was separated from her sibling and likely her mother, and ended up in the care of wildlife rehabilitators for six months. "I's kind of a classic case of what not to do," North Carolina wildlife biologist Ashley Hobbs told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "Never touch wildlife. Never approach wildlife. Give wildlife space." 'Put it back! It's scared!' The video, filmed by concerned bystanders, shows six people, a mix of adults and young people, standing near a fence outside an apartment complex. On the other side of the fence are two baby black bears, perched in a tree. The group is seen trying to pull the struggling bears out of the tree. A young woman manages to grab ahold of one of them long enough to pose for a picture with it, before dropping it. The bear, unable to get back over the fence to its sibling, scurries away in a fright. The people filming the video can be heard shouting, "Put it back! It's scared!" None of the people in the video have been publicly identified, and CBC could not reach them for comment. WATCH | 'Selfie Bear' released into the wild: The bystanders who shot the footage reported the incident to police. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission officers headed to the scene and found the cub in a nearby retention pond. "It was definitely shivering, probably because it was wet. Very scared, as most bear cubs are when they're in those sorts of situations," Hobbs said. "But otherwise, it looked to be in good health." The two cubs, she said, were most likely siblings waiting for their mother to return. "Bears will emerge around April, and at that time, you know, the cubs are still small. They might still struggle to keep up with mom as she is out foraging and moving around on tough landscape," she said. "So it's not uncommon for female bears to stash their cubs in a tree or some other safe spot that she finds along the way, and then she can go and forage and then come back." Sightings of deer wearing high-vis jacket raise questions, quips and concerns in B.C. village Why is this veterinary assistant dressed like a fox at work? But without her mother, the little cub was in no shape to be returned to the wild. So she was instead taken to a rehabilitation centre to be cared for until she was ready to go off on her own. To be released back into the wild, Hobbs says, a bear must meet three criteria: Be healthy enough to survive, be old enough to look after itself, and retain a much-needed wariness of humans. "We don't want to release a bear cub into the wild that has become reliant on humans or that sees humans as a source of comfort, so to speak," she said. Selfie Bear, she says, met all three criteria, and was released in October. Footage of her release shows the cub running off into the woods. The officer who released her fires a siren into the air to further scare her off. Wildlife officers have been monitoring her progress via a GPS collar, Hobbs says, and she appears to be doing well. "We do expect it to go on to do things like find a denning spot for the winter and really to follow its instincts and be just like any other wild bear," she said. 'They were remorseful' As for the people who mishandled the cub? Hobbs says she was able to track them down and talk to them. One of the cubs bit one of the people in the video, she said. But it could have been much worse had the mother bear returned to defend her cubs. "There wasn't anything that we could charge them with that would fit what happened in this instance," she said. "However, we did discuss the repercussions. We did explain why it's dangerous for everybody involved." Hobbs, who manages a state program educating people on how to cohabitate with bears, says the conversation was fruitful. "They were remorseful. They kind of didn't realize what could actually come of, you know, handling a bear cub. They were thankful that mom was not around as well," she said. "I like to think that ... it won't happen in the future."
