In conclusion, the story of Professor Guo Tiancai and his nickname "Guo Xiaomai" is a testament to the power of collaboration, respect, and mutual learning in the world of agriculture. Through his tireless efforts and genuine commitment to the well-being of farmers, Professor Guo has earned the highest honor he could ask for - the respect and approval of those he serves. The nickname "Guo Xiaomai" may be small in size, but its significance in highlighting the profound impact of Professor Guo on the farming community is immeasurable.
Manchester United's decision to forgo appointing a sporting director comes at a time when the club has been under scrutiny for its transfer strategy and player recruitment. Many fans and pundits alike have called for the club to follow the lead of other top European clubs by bringing in a sporting director to oversee and coordinate their footballing operations.
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.
Texas, Georgia, Alabama top SEC and national recruiting rankings after early signings
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:32 p.m. ESTThe Jewelers & Coin Co. Announces New Online Private Appointment BookingTourism moot planned next monthTate McCubbin scores 20 as Austin Peay rolls past Brescia 93-46
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A 93-year-old former Catholic priest sentenced to life in prison earlier this month for raping a teenage boy has died, Louisiana authorities and his lawyer confirmed Friday. Less than two weeks after being sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars, Lawrence Hecker died of natural causes at 3 a.m. Thursday at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, according to Ken Pastorick, Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections communications director. Hecker had pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree rape and aggravated kidnapping shortly before jury selection for his long-delayed trial had been scheduled to begin earlier this month, with other victims prepared to testify against him. The survivor of the assault to which Hecker pleaded guilty had said that Hecker raped him after offering to instruct him in wrestling moves ahead of tryouts for a school team in the mid-1970s. “The only prayer I can come up with I hope he spends eternity in hell after God's judgment of him,” the survivor said in a written statement provided by his attorney, Richard Trahant. “Now after his death I feel vindicated and free,” he said. The Associated Press does not identify those who say they have been sexually assaulted. Hecker's trial had been delayed for months partly because of questions around his mental competency. Hecker had suffered from dementia, his lawyer Bobby Hjortsberg said. Hecker had been ordained as an archdiocesan priest in 1958 and remained in this position even after facing an undisputed complaint of child molestation in the late 1980s, according to court records . Hecker left the ministry in 2002. Hecker's conviction occurred amid a wave of sexual abuse allegations against the Catholic church in New Orleans, many resurfacing from decades ago. The fallout has left the Archdiocese of New Orleans embroiled in bankruptcy negotiations. Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96 This story has been updated to clarify that Hecker died at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. Authorities had previously stated he died at a Baton Rouge hospital.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump's recent comments on Zelensky's efforts have been dismissed by many as "meaningless" and lacking in substance. Trump, who has a history of controversial statements on international relations, has downplayed the importance of Ukraine's NATO aspirations and questioned the country's strategic value to the alliance. His dismissal of Zelensky's overtures as insignificant has been met with criticism from many quarters, who view Ukraine as a key partner in promoting stability and security in the region.This is rubbish! Researchers say that deteriorating car tires and decomposing garbage are sending minute plastic fragments into the air, which may be fueling infertility, colon cancer and respiratory illnesses . There’s long been concern about how exposure to microplastics — found in cosmetics and toothpaste and shed from food containers and clothing — can hurt humans. Growing evidence suggests that these particles smaller than a grain of rice can damage cells , trigger inflammation and disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut. After reviewing 3,000 studies on the matter, researchers from UC San Francisco (UCSF) concluded that microplastics are “suspected” to harm reproductive, digestive and respiratory health, with a suggested link to colon and lung cancer. “Microplastics are basically particulate matter air pollution, and we know this type of air pollution is harmful,” said senior study author Tracey J. Woodruff , a UCSF professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences. The research team reports that companies worldwide generate nearly 460 million metric tons of plastic each year — a number that is expected to rise to 1.1 billion by 2050. There are two main types of microplastics — primary and secondary. Primary microplastics serve a specific purpose, such as microbeads in cosmetic products to exfoliate skin. Secondary microplastics form when larger pieces of plastic debris break down. The wearing and tearing of car tires due to friction on the road is a significant source of plastic in the air, the UCSF researchers said. Humans inhale and ingest these plastic chunks, with one study estimating that Americans consume 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles a year. Microplastics have been detected in human placentas , lungs, liver, urine, breast milk and blood. The UCSF researchers found “high”-quality evidence that microplastics harm sperm quality and testicular health and weaken the immune system. They reported there is “moderate” evidence that microplastics adversely affect ovarian follicles, reproductive hormones, the colon, small intestine and lung function. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology . The researchers noted their review relied on rodent studies, and future research should investigate additional health outcomes and identify ways to reduce exposure to microplastics.
Donald Trump made an announcement about his upcoming administration, and his biggest fans are not happy about it. Trump said on Friday that he had chosen Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a physician and Fox News medical contributor, as his surgeon general. She also "serves as a medical director at CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey," according to Politico's reporting . “Dr. Nesheiwat is a fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventive medicine and public health,” Trump said on Friday in a statement on his Truth Social platform . “She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives.” ALSO READ: The America-attacking Trump is coming for our military — and then he's coming for us The pick did not go over well with Trump's base. @BlueArmy24, who frequently posts in favor of Trump on Truth Social, responded on the site with a letter from the "base." "Dear President Trump, many of us...MANY of us are very disheartened and upset about this pick -this doctor has been a major advocate for pushing Covid vaccines upon people which are being proven cause much harm," @BlueArmy24 wrote. "She also was a big advocate of masking and other terrible Covid policies please don’t let this happen! Sincerely -your base." A user with the ID "I STAND WITH TRUMP" also responded to the president-elect, saying, "Booo!! She advocates for the clot shot!!" "Bring the Surgeon General from Florida into this position!!" the user added. InkedKatLady , a self-identified conservative who comments favorably about Trump on Truth Social, characterized the pick as a "dealbreaker." "She’s pro-masking — dealbreaker for me," the user wrote in response to Trump's announcement for the choice for surgeon general. @SaltyPretzel, who shares pro-Trump content on Truth Social, also appeared outraged. "Are you out of your mind? We lost everything for refusing covid vax and you pic this pro vaxxer? What a slap in the face this is to maga," they wrote. Craig M. Wax, DO , a family physician who supports Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said Trump is "making a colossal mistake with Dr. Jeanette Neaheiwat has surgeon general." "She was a genetic vaccine zealot," he wrote Friday.
TransUnion President Steven Chaouki sells $151,095 in stock
The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has called for the removal of the National Examination Council, the University of Ibadan, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and 21 other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies from the 2025 budget estimates. This followed what the committee called their repeated failure to account for previous budgetary allocations and internally generated revenues. The resolution of the committee followed the adoption of its recommendation during its extraordinary sitting on Wednesday. According to the committee, the affected agencies and institutions had consistently shunned summons aimed at ascertaining their financial administration. Among the agencies recommended for delisting are some of Nigeria’s most prominent federal institutions, including hospitals, universities, and development agencies. Related News 2025 budget unrealistic, anti-people — PDP FULL TEXT of Tinubu's speech at 2025 budget presentation to National Assembly Tinubu presents N49.7tn 2025 restoration budget The MDAs recommended for delisting include the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria Police Force, Department of Information and Communication Technology and the Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Delta State. Others are the Federal College of Education, Yola, Adamawa State, Federal Polytechnic Ekowe, Bayelsa State, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Cross River Basin Development Authority, Nigeria Office for Trade Negotiation, the National Examination Council, Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil and Presidential Amnesty Programme, among others. Also included are the National Health Insurance Authority, Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority, National Space Research and Development Agency, Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority, University of Lagos, University of Ibadan and Federal School of Survey, Oyo State. The committee’s chairman, Bamidele Salam, said, “The Financial Regulation empowers the National Assembly to exclude any Ministry, Department, or Agency that fails to account for their previous appropriations. As such, the listed MDAs should be excluded from the 2025 budget until they appear before this constitutional committee.” The committee unanimously recommended that the 24 MDAs should be excluded from the 2025 budget until they appear and provide the necessary answers to the questions asked about their financial dealings.
MacKenzie Scott continues to make medical debt relief a priority in her mysterious giving. This week, Undue Medical Debt, formerly RIP Medical Debt, announced it had received a rare third gift — $50 million — from the billionaire philanthropist, signaling her satisfaction with the group’s efforts to purchase medical debt in bulk from hospitals and debt collectors. Scott has donated a total of $130 million to the organization since 2020. Medical debt is increasing despite most of the U.S. population having some form of medical insurance. Nearly 100 million people are unable to pay their medical bills, according to Third Way, a left-leaning national think tank. Overall, Americans owe about $220 billion in medical debt, with historically disadvantaged groups shouldering the bulk of the burden. Lower-income people, people with disabilities, middle-aged adults, Black people, the uninsured, and people living in rural areas are among the groups most likely to be affected by medical debt, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation . Undue Medical Debt buys debt at a discounted price, estimating that it erases about $100 in debt for each $1 donated. The group also collaborates with policymakers to encourage the adoption of measures to curb what people owe for medical care. Scott first gave Undue Medical Debt a $50 million donation in 2020, followed by a $30 million donation in 2022. With that money, the group has relieved nearly $15 billion in debt for more than 9 million people, CEO Allison Sesso said. That’s a significant leap from the $1 billion in debt relieved from 2014 to 2019, she noted. “I’m frankly astounded by this most recent gift from MacKenzie Scott and feel proud to be a steward of these funds as we continue the essential work of dismantling the yoke of medical debt that’s burdening far too many families in this country,” said Sesso. The continued funding has allowed Sesso “to not have to worry about my next dollar,” she said, and “think more strategically about the narrative around medical debt — she has helped us push that conversation.” Undue Medical Debt was started in 2014 by two former debt collection executives, Jerry Ashton and Craig Antico, who were inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement’s advocacy for debt relief. Growth initially was slow. But with Scott’s gifts, the nonprofit has been able to staff up, produce more research, and develop relationships with policymakers who have pushed for changes to hospital billing practices to relieve debt and prevent people from accumulating it in the first place, Sesso said. Undue Medical Debt’s public policy arm has worked with lawmakers in North Carolina, which in July became the first state to offer additional Medicaid payments to hospitals that agree to adopt debt relief measures, she said. The policy change followed the publication of a 2023 report from Duke University, which found that one in five families in the state had been forced into collections proceedings because of medical debt. Since 2020, the organization’s staff has grown from three to about 40, Sesso said. Those hires included an anthropologist who collects stories from people set back by medical debt to inform the group’s research and advocacy work. Scott’s gifts also have helped improve Undue Medical Debt’s technology to identify people eligible for debt relief and to find hospitals from which it can purchase medical debt, among other things, Sesso said. “This coming year, because of this MacKenzie Scott grant, we’ll be able to add more people, making sure that we can support that growth on an ongoing basis,” Sesso said. Few organizations have received more than one gift from Scott. Other multi-grant recipients include Blue Meridian, an intermediary group that has directed billions of dollars to nonprofits around the world, and GiveDirectly, which provides no-strings-attached cash payments to low-income people globally. GiveDirectly has received $125 million from Scott since 2020. Blue Meridian has not disclosed amounts for the four gifts it’s received since 2019. Scott’s contributions to those two organizations were for specific causes like GiveDirectly’s U.S. poverty relief fund, said Christina Im, a senior research analyst at the Center for Effective Philanthropy. In the case of Undue Medical Debt, the timing of Scott’s first gifts in 2020 and 2022 seemed to correspond with COVID-relief efforts, she said. Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is worth an estimated $32 billion but provides few details about her grantmaking decisions. Without further information, it’s hard to know what prompted this third donation to Undue Medical Debt, but Scott has said in public statements that she wants to help those who are most in need and bear the brunt of societal ills, said Elisha Smith Arrillaga, the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s vice president for research. “I have not seen a lot of other folks funding in this area,” Smith Arrillaga added. Scott’s latest gift to Undue Medical Debt comes amid national debates about medical insurance and the cost of medical treatments. The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4 in Midtown Manhattan has heightened these conversations, with some lionizing the man who allegedly committed the crime. “That’s no way to get change, full stop,” Sesso said in reference to Thompson’s murder. “But I think the anger around insurance companies and having access to care is very clear.” The U.S. has one of the most expensive health care systems in the world. And the amount of medical debt carried by individuals seems to be increasing, noted Adam Searing, a public interest attorney and associate professor at Georgetown University, where he focuses on Medicaid and other health coverage programs. Searing previously served for 17 years as director of the Health Access Coalition at the nonprofit North Carolina Justice Center, advocating for the uninsured and underinsured. During that time, he heard from people losing their homes due to liens from hospitals. Sometimes those liens could be delayed, but it still meant that the debtors couldn’t pass those homes along to their children or grandchildren, he said. “Those stories stuck with me,” he said. “It really has an impact on families.” Relieving debt allows people to get their lives back on track and become financially secure after a major illness or series of expensive bills, Searing said. For philanthropists, it’s also a cause that is largely nonpartisan. Scott shining a spotlight on the issue is undoubtedly “a good thing,” he said. “I think it will have a big effect.” Stephanie Beasley is a senior writer at the Chronicle of Philanthropy. This article was provided to The Associated Press by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as part of a partnership to cover philanthropy and nonprofits supported by the Lilly Endowment Inc. The Chronicle is solely responsible for the content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy .
Pride, bragging rights and more than $115M at stake when final college playoff rankings come out"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.
