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The Taylor Swift Official State Sandwich: Politicians understand Swifties are a key demographic

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:59:54 GMT

(The Conversation) - Like any millennial pop music fan active on social media, I’ve been following Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour – the surprise songs, the scramble to get tickets, her brief romance with that guy from The 1975 with a history of racist comments.But as a political scientist, I was intrigued by something else: reaction to the tour by government officials. New Jersey renamed the state’s famed Taylor ham, egg and cheese in her honor – it’s now the “Taylor Swift Ham, Egg, and Cheese” official state sandwich.Pittsburgh’s mayor briefly renamed the city “Swiftsburgh” when her tour hit town.And in my neck of the woods, Swift Street in North Kansas City was temporarily rebranded “Swift Street (Taylor’s Version).”Local or state governments have lauded Swift in some way at virtually every stop on her tour. While these honors make for great photo opportunities for Swifties, the politics of these moves is worth examining. Do politic...

Overlooked ceiling fan switch could make you cooler this summer

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:59:54 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – With heat records already falling this summer, you may be running your ceiling fan nearly non-stop, but did you know you may not be as cool as you could be?If you've ever taken a close look at the fan, you may have noticed a small switch located on the side of the fan base. The switch, which is found on nearly every fan, can change the direction the fan spins.Using that switch according to the season will not only keep you more comfortable, but it can also help you save money. In the summer, make sure that your fan is going in a counterclockwise direction, which forces cool air directly downward and creates a "wind chill effect," according to Home Depot. In the winter, you can switch it up so the fan rotates clockwise at a low speed, circulating the warm air that gets trapped near the ceiling. Time running out to file for $725M Facebook settlement: How to claim your payment If you have ceiling fans as well as air conditioning, using the fan correctly will allow you to ...

What does 'tump' mean and why do Texans say it?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:59:54 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Pretend you accidentally knock your drink over. What would you say happened to it? If you're from Texas, or just from the south overall, you might say it "tumped" over.In general, the word is used when something falls over, spills over, or is knocked over. You can tump someone over or be tumped over by someone else. It's a useful word — but is it even a word?And moreover, why do Texans say this? 12 photos that only make sense if you grew up in Texas While "tump" isn't only found in Texas, you'll definitely hear it here. Several Texas news outlets have attempted to trace the word's origin, including Texas Monthly, which pointed to a now-26-year-old post on a message board called Word Wizard (the website is now gone, sadly). According to Texas Monthly's John Nova Lomax, that lost-to-time post explained that "tump" was a word meant to mimic the "thump" of something falling and hitting the ground.A common etymological theory is that the word is a combination of the words "...

Missouri and Illinois among states with the most single-parent households

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:59:54 GMT

The U.S. has the highest percentage of single-parent households in the world, with millions of solo guardians struggling to make ends meet on one income, while performing all the labor of parenting day in and day out. The coronavirus hit some households much harder than others, specifically single-parent residences run by women. Choosing between paying bills or rent, facing eviction and food insecurity, and deciding between making money and taking care of a child is the harsh reality of the history-making pandemic and lack of government support for struggling families.  To determine the states with the most single-parent households, Stacker used data from the U.S. Census American Community Survey 2018 five-year estimates. All 50 states and Washington D.C. are ranked here according to the share of households that have single parents, classified as either “Male householder, no wife present, children of the householder under 18 years” or “Female ...

UK’s Supreme Court discharges Romania’s extradition request for Gabriel Popoviciu

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:59:54 GMT

The UK’s Supreme Court has discharged Romania’s extradition request for businessman Gabriel Popoviciu. This Supreme Court decision comes after Romania’s appeal against an earlier decision to refuse Popoviciu’s extradition to Romania. It is the final decision on the matter and means that Popoviciu will not be extradited to Romania. The court win for Popoviciu marks the end of a six year litigation. The Supreme Court will deliver its judgment on the appeal in due course.This final outcome follows the 11 June 2021 decision by London’s High Court to refuse Popoviciu’s extradition to Romania. In that ruling, British judge Lord Justice Holroyde stated: “The evidence shows a real risk that the appellant suffered an extreme example of a lack of judicial impartiality, such that there can be no question as to consequences for the fairness of the trial.” Edward Fitzgerald QC said that Popoviciu would suffer a “flagrant denial of justice” if sent back to serve his sentence in Romania.The UK’s S...

Peace in the Southern Caucasus will put an end to Russia’s hegemony in the region - and here’s why

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:59:54 GMT

The Kremlin has been using frozen conflicts on the fringes of the Russian empire for decades, thawing and refreezing them to suit its immediate objectives: we’ve seen enough of this tactic in Donbass, Transnistria, and South Ossetia. In the same vein, the conflict in Karabakh is Russia’s key to the Southern Caucasus and - indirectly - to Europe. That is why the US and the EU must join forces to broker a lasting peace in the region and not allow Putin to play his old tricks. But unfortunately, so far Russia has had a field day in Karabakh.Karabakh is internationally recognised Azerbaijani territory with a separatist enclave, populated by Armenians. This area is controlled by the Russian military contingent operating under the guise of peacekeepers, and there are no Azerbaijanis living there – they were all forcefully expelled 30 years ago.  Armenia does not recognise the enclave as a part of its territory and has no territorial claims against Azerbaijan in this area.One of the m...

2 men hospitalized after being shot in South L.A. 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:59:54 GMT

An unknown suspect opened fire in South Los Angeles on Friday evening, sending two victims to the hospital. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers responded to the area of 106th Street and Towne Avenue in the Green Meadows neighborhood around 8 p.m. after receiving a call from gunshot victims. The victims, identified only as two men aged approximately 34 and 37 years old, were walking along 106th Street towards Towne Avenue when gunshots rang out, police said. The men realized they were shot and called police while the gunman fled the area on foot.  L.A. County deputy recruit dies months after being struck by driver in South Whittier Both men were transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition. No suspect description has been released. It is unknown whether the shooting is gang related, LAPD said. Alexis Lewis contributed to this report.

Neighborhood under quarantine due to invasive fly species

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:59:54 GMT

An invasive fly species has prompted the quarantine of an upscale Southern California neighborhood, the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.The Tau fruit fly is native to Asia and is a “serious pest for agriculture and natural resources,” according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.The flies can be typically found on a variety of fruits and vegetables along with a “select range of native plants in California,” officials said.After the detection of more than 20 Tau flies in the Stevenson Ranch area of the Santa Clarita Valley, a quarantine was placed on residents. The quarantine area spans about 79 square miles, bordered on the north by Castaic Junction, on the south by Oat Mountain, on the west by Del Valle, and on the east by Honby Avenue.Stevenson Ranch is an upscale neighborhood with a median home price of $1.15 million dollars according to Redfin.The invasive Tau fruit fly has prompted the Stevenson Ranch community to be placed under quarantine, the fi...

49ers’ All-Pro Trent Williams still ascending at age 35

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:59:54 GMT

SANTA CLARA — At some point, logic suggests Trent Williams will need to rely on his experience and know-how to compensate for a declining skill set in terms of power and explosion.Yet Williams turned 35 this month and is somehow getting better with age.When coaches and analysts crunch film and numbers and fellow players gather and ponder who can really play the most violent of games, Williams makes everyone sit up and take notice. He has the respect of his peers and and his credibility is off the charts.Going into his fourth year as the 49ers’ left tackle, Williams is coming off the first two All-Pro seasons of his career, which seems odd since he’s been named to 10 Pro Bowls.When Pro Football Focus’ analysts pored over the film and graded ever play and every player in naming the Top 50 in the NFL, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was No. 1, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was No. 2 and Williams was No. 3.NFL.com names a Top 100 each year and Willia...

Danger signs in the Oakland hills as wildfire risks intensify, homeowners lose insurance

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:59:54 GMT

OAKLAND — Admiring East Oakland from a lookout point at Joaquin Miller Park, Dale Risden feels right at home, having lived just a block away from an entrance to the park’s 500 acres of redwood-laden open space his whole life.But he easily recalls a day nearly 32 years ago when, instead of city streets, all anyone could see from that observation point was a blanket of black smoke emanating from the tragic 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm, which killed 25 people and consumed more than 3,000 homes.Three decades later, thousands still reside in the hills, and it’s a favorite local spot among hikers and cyclists. But for Risden, the trauma of the fire — and fear of history repeating itself — loom large, as it does in other areas of increasingly high fire risk as the consequences of climate change continue to intensify.Oakland Hills residents flee burning homes on Sunday, October 20, 1991. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group archives)Oakland resident faces a wall of flames with a gar...