Manitoba impaired-driving bill introduced as tensions rise at the legislatureKobe Sanders scores 27 points, Nevada never trails in 90-78 win over Oklahoma State
By MICHAEL MAROT INDIANAPOLIS — Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel came to Indianapolis in July with a purpose. He wanted a sense of what Lucas Oil Stadium was like before making what he hoped would be a return trip in December. On Dec. 7, he’ll be back on the same turf. Plenty has changed for Gabriel and the Ducks since they came to town all those months ago for their inaugural Big Ten media day appearance. No. 1 Oregon sits atop the playoff seedings, remains the last unbeaten team in major college football and Gabriel has a new title — Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. It’s been a dream season in every way for the soon-to-be 24-year-old Gabriel, right down to leading the Ducks into the conference championship game he’s been expecting. “If we didn’t think we’d be there, I wouldn’t have attended,” Gabriel said. “But I just felt really good about it. I was glad we were able to go see it (Lucas Oil), feel it, smell it. It was a good experience. Now that we’re going back with the whole squad, everyone’s excited.” Winning a conference title in his final season — and Oregon’s first season in its new league — would be the cherry on top for Gabriel now that both teams are virtual locks to make the first 12-team College Football Playoff. The winner likely earns a first-round bye, while the loser probably hosts a first-round game. There is big money at stake: The Big Ten stands to get $4 million for each school that makes the CFP and the payouts escalate beginning with the semifinals to $6 million per school; a conference whose school makes a run from the first round to the title game gets $20 million. The CFP also provides millions to cover expenses. While Oregon (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten, No. 1 CFP) was a preseason favorite to be back in town this weekend, No. 3 Penn State wasn’t supposed to make it after losing to then-No. 4 Ohio State. But the Nittany Lions (11-1, 8-1, No. 3 CFP) rebounded by winning their last four and got help last weekend when Michigan upset the Buckeyes. It’s the first time Penn State has reached a Big Ten championship title game since beating Wisconsin in 2016 — and they don’t intend to go home empty-handed this time, either. “Being from Pennsylvania, seeing that game from 2016, like I always imagined being in these shoes, being in that moment, trying to win a Big Ten championship,” running back Nick Singleton said. “Being in that moment right now feels good, but we’ve got to go out there and win it.” Gabirel concurred. “When you walk in that building everyone is excited to do stuff and ready to go,” he said. “So it’s about execution, playing clean and being who we are.” Under pressure? Though Penn State quarterback Drew Allar and Gabriel are ranked seventh and eighth in FBS passing efficiency this season, both could be under serious pressure. Defensive ends Matayo Uiagalelei of Oregon and Abdul Carter of Penn State are two of the nation’s premier pass rushers. Uiagalelei is tied for ninth nationally with 10 1/2 sacks while Carter is tied for 12th with 10. The Ducks also have another fearsome pass rusher in defensive end Jordan Burch (8 1/2). It will be a major challenge for both offensive lines, especially if Oregon right guard Marcus Harper II is out (knee). On the flyPenn State certainly isn’t complaining about playing for a trophy, but it scrambled the schedule. It began with coach James Franklin calling an audible in his Nov. 30 postgame speech, announcing the Dec. 1 scheduled off-day had been scrapped so they could start cramming for Oregon. That was just the start. “It was going to be a week for rest and recovery, some strategic practices,” he said Dec. 1. “But we always have to be prepared for these different scenarios. So right after the game I told them, ‘We’re going to practice Sunday.’ Now it’s back to a normal week” Franklin will be chasing his 100th win in his 11 seasons with the program. And he could be doing it with some familiar faces around him. Oregon special teams coordinator and nickel back coach Joe Lorig first worked with Franklin at Idaho State and then Franklin hired Lorig in 2019. After three seasons, though, Lorig headed to the West Coast where he opted to work for another old friend, Oregon coach Dan Lanning. Franklin doesn’t believe Lorig’s inside information will make much difference in this game. “The coordinators have all changed,” Franklin said. “So I think we both probably have a similar amount of information on each other.” The game also will be a homecoming of sorts for Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen and injured Oregon offensive lineman Matthew Bedford. Allen is an Indiana native who spent the previous seven seasons as the Indiana head coach. Bedford also was a five-year starter for Allen’s Hoosiers. And the Duzansky family is doubling up Dec. 7: Penn State long snapper Tyler Duzansky and Oregon long snapper Nick Duzansky are brothers. What: Big Ten championship game When: 8 p.m., Dec. 7 Where: Lucas Oil Satdium, Indianapolis Records: Oregon 12-0, Penn State 11-1 TV: WOIOManitoba impaired-driving bill introduced as tensions rise at the legislatureKUWAIT CITY, Nov 24: Zain Group, a leading provider of innovative technologies and digital lifestyle communications operating in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, has launched ‘The Masters’ initiative, empowering 30 individuals with disabilities to create and shape their own experiences and giving them a stage to become leaders through a focus on four core impact areas: 1. Co-creating Zain’s Disability Inclusion strategy; 2. Embedding accessibility into all products and services; 3. The Learn and Lead program; and 4. Fostering voice and visibility. This never-before-seen opportunity for people with disabilities soon follows Zain’s establishment in September, 2024, of the first Corporate Employee Resource Group (ERG) in the region, specifically for individuals with disabilities. Partnering with PurpleSpace — the networking and professional hub for disabled employees - this partnership signifies a commitment by Zain to create an ERG experience that goes beyond traditional practices, supported by the company’s top management. Bader Al-Kharafi, Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO commented, “As a leading regional purpose driven entity, the introduction of The Masters is another one-of-its-kind initiative from Zain that underscores that disability is not merely a term, but an opportunity for people with disabilities to advocate, lead and act. Our mission is go beyond merely offering telecommunication services, as we focus on addressing deficits and challenges across our footprint and provide meaningful connectivity that leads to equitable systemic change. Throughout all the communities we serve, we intend to leave no one behind in terms of their ability to be as active and engaged in society as possible.” Zain just completed a Learn and Lead program, holding a three-day training program for 15 Masters from across its eight markets of operation plus participants from Omantel. This program, conducted by The Butterfly, a UAE-based organization renowned for disability training, took place between November 12-14 and focused on Advocacy, Disability Awareness Self-Empowerment, Leadership, Public Speaking, and Presentation Skills. Following the training, the 15 Masters are set to return to their respective operations and deliver the same training to employees in the lead up to, and post the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which falls on December 3, 2024. This first-of-its-kind program places disability at the forefront of Zain’s organizational and inclusion outlook, empowering individuals with disabilities to lead sessions, have their voices heard, and see their contributions recognized. The Masters program envisages that employees who are blind, deaf, or with physical disabilities will be given the opportunity to train others at Zain and Omantel, on Advocacy, Disability Awareness Self-Empowerment, Leadership, Public Speaking, and Presentation Skills, giving them a stage and opportunity to lead and shape their own experiences. Overall, the expected attendance for The Masters’ ‘Learn and Lead’ sessions is expected to reach approximately 1,000. Through this initiative, all the future Zain and Omantel Masters have the opportunity to advocate for themselves and others, sharing their experiences and becoming leaders wherever they are
By Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times A recent study that recommended toxic chemicals in black plastic products be immediately thrown away included a math error that significantly overstated the risks of contamination, but its authors are standing by their conclusions and warn against using such products. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Chemosphere , experts from the nonprofit Toxic-Free Future said they detected flame retardants and other toxic chemicals in 85% of 203 items made of black plastic including kitchen utensils , take-out containers, children’s toys and hair accessories. The study initially said the potential exposure to chemicals found in one of the kitchen utensils approached the minimum levels the Environmental Protection Agency deemed a health risk. But in an update to the study, the authors say they made an error in their calculations and the real levels were “an order of magnitude lower” than the EPA’s thresholds. The error was discovered by Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society in Canada. In a blog post, Schwarcz explained that the Toxin-Free Future scientists miscalculated the lower end of what the EPA considered a health risk through a multiplication error. Instead of humans being potentially exposed to a dose of toxic chemicals in black plastic utensils near the minimum level that the EPA deems a health risk, it’s actually about one-tenth of that. Though Schwarcz said the risks outlined in the study aren’t enough for him to discard his black plastic kitchen items if he had them, he agreed with the authors that flame retardants shouldn’t be in these products in the first place. “The math error does not impact the study’s findings, conclusions or recommendations,” said Megan Liu, a co-author of the study who is the science and policy manager for Toxic-Free Future . She added that any traces of flame retardants or toxic chemicals in cooking utensils should be concerning for the public. Flame retardants are getting into commonly used items because black-colored products are being made from recycled electronic waste, such as discarded television sets and computers, that frequently contain the additives. When they’re heated, the flame retardants and other toxic chemicals can migrate out. If you’re wondering whether your old black plastic spoon or other utensils are a part of this group, Liu shared some more guidance. It’s nearly impossible to know whether a black plastic product is contaminated. That’s because these products that include recycled e-waste don’t disclose a detailed list of all ingredients and contaminants in the product. Liu said it’s also unclear how many types of flame retardants are in these black plastic products. Some of the products that researchers tested in this recent study “had up to nine different harmful chemicals and harmful flame retardants in them,” she said. Anytime you’re looking for the type of recycled plastic a product is made of you’re going to look for a number within the chasing arrows (that form a triangle) logo. Recycling symbols are numbered 1 to 7 and we commonly associate the numbers with what we can toss in our blue recycling bins. The 1 through 7 numbers stand for, respectively, polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene or Styrofoam, and miscellaneous plastics (including polycarbonate, polylactide, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene, styrene, fiberglass and nylon). The study found higher levels of toxic flame retardants in polystyrene plastic, which is labeled with the number 6, said Liu. There isn’t a definitively timeline of when recycled electronic-waste started to be incorporated into black plastic products specifically, but e-waste started to get recycled in the early 2000s, Liu said. The way computers, cellphones, stereos, printers and copiers were being disposed of previously was to simply add them to a landfill without reusing salvageable parts. But as the National Conference of State Legislatures notes, electronics production required a significant amount of resources that could be recovered through recycling. Recovering resources such as metals, plastics and glass through recycling used a fraction of the energy needed to mine new materials. However, the study pointed out that flame retardants and other chemical contaminates have been detected in and near e-waste recycling facilities, in indoor air and dust at formal e-waste recycling facilities in Canada, China, Spain and the U.S. It also noted contamination in soil samples surrounding e-waste recycling sites in China and Vietnam. The safest nontoxic material options for kitchen utensil are wood and stainless steel. ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.2024 stock market: Here are the numbers that defied expectationsAuthors of a recent study stand by their conclusions and warn against using such products. 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