Daily Archives: September 8, 2021

Plend raises 700000 in equity funding round ahead of P2P launch – P2P Finance News

Posted: September 8, 2021 at 10:20 am

Plend has raised 700,000 in a pre-seed equity funding round ahead of its planned launch into the peer-to-peer lending sector later this year.

The P2P consumer lending platform said the funding came from venture capital firms including Tomahawk VC Ascension and Haatch, alongside NBS Ventures, which is a part of Nationwide Building Societys Incubator.

Plend will specialise in personal unsecured credit using open banking data to predict the affordability of a potential borrower over the lifetime of the loan.

The platform said it will assess creditworthiness in a fairer way, to tackle the problem that 13 million people in the UK are held back by a lack of affordable credit.

Read more: Plend co-founder changes job title ahead of four new hires

Were on a mission to personalise credit scoring and create a fairer way to assess creditworthiness, said Robert Pasco (pictured right), co-founder and chief executive of Plend.

By making smarter lending decisions based on a persons actual behaviour and current financial position, we will be giving financial independence to millions of people currently excluded from life-changing loans.

Im one of the 13 million and I have a deeply personal experience with the blunt instrument that is our current outdated and odious credit scoring system. This investment is a big step towards creating a world where everyone is treated fairly and can access affordable finance.

Read more: Plend mulls IFISA and SIPP ahead of July launch

Financial wellbeing is crucial to living a happy and healthy life, said James Pursaill (pictured left), co-founder and chief technology officer at Plend.

Whether youre young or retired, returning expat or immigrant, unbanked or just trying to make ends meet, were determined to better understand your financial situation and offer a more affordable loan so you can get on and do more with your life.

Were also excited to be building a community of retail investors who want their money to have an impact and make a real difference to peoples lives.

In June, it emerged that Crowdcubes co-founder and chief marketing officer Luke Lang was joining Plend and last month the platform revealed that it is making four appointments from September onwards for data science, marketing and compliance roles.

Inan exclusive interview withPeer2Peer Finance Newsin May, Pasco and Pursaill highlighted the social and ethical ambitions of the business.

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Reddit community to buy $30 in Bitcoin in show of solidarity with El Salvador and Brazil – CryptoSlate

Posted: at 10:20 am

El Salvadors Bitcoin legal tender bill passes into law on Tuesday, September 7, despite objections from locals who appear to be against its implementation.

Nonetheless, soon after the Congressional vote in June, President Bukele said the law would pass, and nothing will stop it from happening.

I dont see this being stopped, this is going forward every day. Were just going to announce a lot of interesting things thats going to move the project even forward

To mark the occasion and pump the BTC price, the r/Bitcoin subReddit will initiate a mass Bitcoin buy at the time the law passes.

The idea is also gathering support in a Brazilian subReddit as well, adding to the strength of the movement. Brazil gained independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822, making tomorrow an ideal date to show solidarity with El Salvador.

Echoing shades of the WallStreetBets saga earlier this year, Reddit becomes the focal point once again for a coordinated market move.

Back then, GameStop and AMC became a battleground for amateur traders sounding off their discontent with short-sellers, and the financial system in general, by pumping the aforementioned stocks.

This spilled over to crypto, with many attributing Dogecoins all-time high of $0.74 directly to the uprising.

This time around, in the hopes of replicating the buying frenzy, r/Bitcoin, which has 3.3 million members, is building steam with the idea that everyone buys $30 of Bitcoin at 5 pm Central Time on September 7 the time El Salvadors Bitcoin bill passes into law.

@nakamoneys tweet on this has so far garnered over eleven thousand likes, almost three thousand retweets, and had over four hundred comments.

BREAKING:At the same time El Salvadors #bitcoin bill will become law, at 3pm September 7th, a huge Brazilian Reddit community, with more than 3 million members, will buy $30 in #bitcoin each, remembering that Sep 7th is Brazils independence Day. More and more users are joining.

Whether this has the same impact as WallStreetBets remains to be seen. But either way, as President Bukele stated, nothing will stop the Bitcoin law from passing, marking September 7 as a historical day regardless.

Critics have argued that this event is market manipulation of the highest order. And, if pulled off successfully, as in the case of GameStop, it forces a major disconnect between price/valuation and fundamentals.

@nakamoney countered this by saying such a movement is better described as supporting the financial independence of citizens in developing nations.

Sunday saw Bitcoin break $50,000 and close the day well above at $51,700. While the accompanying volume was not convincing, it still marks a 16 week high for the leading cryptocurrency.

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Can the Taliban ‘really’ give the Afghan woman her Islamic rights? – TRT World

Posted: at 10:20 am

Islam provides women with education rights, financial independence, unilateral divorce, and guarantees their dignity, and the Taliban should follow these principles if they are sincere.

After the culmination of the United States' longest war, Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15. As a result, Biden faced the Saigon moment with diplomats being airlifted out of the US Embassy while many Afghans were likewise desperate to escape the country. On the other side, the Taliban tried to project a more tolerant attitude, unlike during their previous rule between 1996 and 2001.

To strike a moderate tone, the Taliban vowed to respect women within the framework of Islamic law. During their past governance, women had been suspended from work and girls were banned from school. Gender apartheid was codified. Naturally, people have had their reservations concerning recent promises given such a background.

But what does within the framework of Islamic law mean exactly?

Initial thoughts will likely revolve around modern-day patriarchal heaven that would not go amiss in a Hollywood movie. Regrettably, this comes from a lack of nuance and misunderstanding of the relationship between Islam and women.

From a religious perspective, the Prophet Muhammed says, "Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim." Today, 3.7 million children in Afghanistan are out of school, and 60 percent of them are girls. Moreover, while both partners should be free to ask for a divorce, the man-favoured system impedes Afghan women from exercising that right. The Quran also teaches that a woman has a right to work and keep her earnings. Still, the number of working women in Afghanistan for 2019 is 22 percent. Furthermore, the World Health Organization reveals that almost 90 percent of the women in the country were exposed to at least one form of violence. What happened to paradise lies under the feet of mothers''?

This hypocrisy and the colonialist interference in the region have led to Mortons fork situation for the women. When the Taliban talks about religious rules, the world seamlessly accepts their Islamic narrative. Subsequently, the image of an abandoned and to-be-protected Muslim woman conveniently remerges. As she is now in danger, her only salvation became another holier-than-thou.

The European Parliament stated that "For Afghan women and girls, this means systemic and brutal oppression in all aspects of life." Meanwhile, Greece completed its 40-km fence border with Turkey to prevent a possible migration wave. And Estonia, for its part, is ready to accept a whopping30 Afghan refugees.

Between the devil and the deep blue sea

In a similar vein, former US President George Bush criticized Joe Biden for the withdrawal, remarking that Afghan women and girls could "suffer unspeakably hard at the hands of the Taliban." That is ironic, keeping in mind his "war on terror" that killed more than 47,000 Afghan civilians (including women). Twenty years back, then-first lady Laura Bush said in a radio address that "the fight against terrorism is also a fight for the rights and dignity of women." Fast forward to now and there are bodies falling from planes trying to flee Kabul and Afghan women are at the bottom of the global gender gap report.

Now comes the White Feminism issue. In her recent book 'Against White Feminism,' Rafia Zakaria, an attorney and author, defines a White feminist as someone who "refuses to consider the role that whiteness and the racial privilege attached to it have played and continue to play in universalizing white feminist concerns, agendas, and beliefs as being those of all feminism and all feminists." At some point, the perception of a needy woman becomes more important than the womans existence at all.

Bringing this back to the region, the Taliban has emphasized that women would be expected to wear the hijab but not the burka. But that is not merely a religious symbol. Nima Naghibi, Associate Professor at Ryerson University, points out that the Western sees the veil as a barrier and way to the heart of the Orient. Indeed, Oriental men accept the veil as a national and cultural honor. Correspondingly, Deniz Kandiyoti, Professor at the SOAS University of London, says that conservative beliefs, shaped in the atmosphere of colonization, is the only way to resist foreign occupation and to preserve traditions. On that line of thought, "a woman's possible liberation" is perceived as an attack on the family.

Ultimately, Afghan women become victims that have to be rescued by people with white saviour complexes. Conversely, as the Taliban spokesperson said, "These are not our rules; these are Islamic rules," saying it is "for their security." Both sides benefit; the West has someone to save, and the Taliban someone to protect. Leila Ahmed, Professor at the Harvard Divinity School, explains that in such situations, women, stuck between their pious/nationalist identity and the Wests idea of women, have to choose "between betrayal and betrayal."

In the end, Islam itself provides women with education rights, financial independence, unilateral divorce, and guarantees their dignity. These principles are at the heart of Islamic rights and should guide the Taliban if they are sincere.

Aristoteles says, to hold womens subjugation is a natural and social necessity. On the same line, the world still favours preserving that image. Hopefully, all the chaos could be a chance for the West and Taliban to reconsider their positions on Afghan women.

Source: TRT World

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Elizabeth Holmes And How Partner Abuse Can Impact Work Behavior – Forbes

Posted: at 10:20 am

Elizabeth Holmes, founder and former CEO of Theranos, may claim that intimate partner abuse ... [+] contributed to her behavior at the company. (Photo by Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Jury selection was completed last week in the trial of Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes. Federal prosecutors have charged Holmes with fraud relating to the blood-testing startup.Holmes and Theranos former COO and president, Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani claimed their technology could test for dozens of health conditions with a single finger prick of blood. Federal investigators and a Wall Street Journal reporter discovered it couldnt, and now Holmes and Balwani are facing charges for defrauding investors, doctors and patients.

In unsealed court documents, attorneys for Elizabeth Holmes wrote, For over a decade, Ms. Holmes and Mr. Balwani had an abusive intimate-partner relationship, in which Mr. Balwani exercised psychological, emotional and [redacted] over Ms. Holmes. They continue, This pattern of abuse and coercive control continued over the approximately decade-long duration of Ms. Holmes and Mr. Balwanis relationship, including during the period of charged conspiracies.

As a result of these allegations, theres speculation that Holmes defense will suggest that intimate partner abuse contributed to her actions at work.Although many think of domestic violence as a personal issue, it can result in significant repercussions for physical and mental health that impacts work life too. For example, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that victims of domestic violence lose nearly 8 million days of paid work per year in the U.S., resulting in a $1.8 billion loss in productivity for employers. When you add in the costs of medical care, the cost of domestic abuse rises to a whopping $5.8 billion per year.

California State University Professor Emeritus Mindy Mechanic is serving as an expert on intimate partner abuse in Holmes trial.Naturally, Mechanic cannot speak about Holmes case, but she did offer to share her knowledge about the different ways that domestic violence can play out at work.

What Is Intimate Partner Abuse?

Although most of us likely think of physical violence when we hear about intimate partner abuse, Mechanic says its really about control.She points out that physical violence is just one of four abusive tactics adopted to control victims.The most common tactic is emotional and psychological abuse which, according to Mechanic, includes behaviors like name-calling and verbal abuse; gaslighting; undermining someones self-esteem; isolating victims from friends, family and sources of support; restricting access to other resources including finances; controlling who they see, what they do, what they read, what they watch and what they listen to.

Sexual assault and coercion, and stalking and harassment are the other two primary strategies employed by abusers.Although these four strategies may seem like they have little overlap, Mechanic says they share a common thread.The underlying goal of a perpetrator in these kinds of cases is to keep their partner controlledto get their partner to do what they want them to do, she says.

Most victims report experiencing a variety of these abusive tactics.One study that followed women experiencing intimate partner violence found on the majority of days (62%), no abuse occurred; on 27% of days, the women suffered psychological abuse alone and on 6% of days, victims experienced both psychological and physical violence.

Repercussions Of Partner Abuse At Work

Suffering this type of abuse at home would naturally have repercussions in the workplace.If somebody is being harmed and threatened, they are living in a state of fear, looking behind their back, looking over their shoulder, always wondering whats going to happen. People who have suffered intimate partner abuse or violence can suffer PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), they can suffer depression, they can suffer anxiety, they can suffer panic attacks, they can cope maladaptively by using substances to try to quell their anxiety or self-medicate for depression, says Mechanic. In addition to mental health issues that may impact job performance,victims may also miss work due to doctors visits or because they dont want to show up at work with bruises or a black eye.These could all add up to productivity losses as well.

Although many abuse victims suffer symptoms consistent with PTSD, Mechanic points out that PTSD often doesnt fully capture the victims experience.PTSD assumes that the traumatic event is in the past, and for many victims, the real threat of abuse continues while they are experiencing symptoms consistent with PTSD.This makes abuse victims experience with PTSD unique. Mechanic suggests that a different name for the disorder (peri-traumatic instead of post-traumatic) might better capture the victims experience and help clinicians target coping strategies to meet the unique needs of abuse victims.

Mental health issues arent the only problem victims face at work.Abusers can also directly interfere with a victims ability to do their job. Mechanic says they might try to sabotage the partners career by losing the victims keys so that when its time to go to work, theyre stuck at home. Abusers may show up at the victims job or place tracking devices in their car, their phone or laptop to monitor if the partner is where theyd said they would be.If the abuser is also a work colleague, they can track and control even more activities like their partners meetings and lunch plans.

While the workplace can be a source of additional stress, Mechanic points out that it can also be a place of salvation and refuge.There are a lot of ways that having a job can be a life raft both emotionally and physically helping women get out of abusive relationships, Mechanic says.The workplace can provide physical safety and emotional safety which is absent in the victims home life.A job can also help the victim regain self-esteem and achieve the financial independence necessary to escape the abusive relationship.

Victims of abuse faced even more challenges when stay-at-home orders, intended to reduce the spread of Covid-19 left many victims trapped at home with their abusers. Even since stay-at-home orders have expired, work from home has become standard for many employees. When people are together 24/7, there is no escape from abuse that might ordinarily be provided by one or both individuals leaving to attend school or employment, Mechanic says. With more exposure, there is greater opportunity for abuse to be transacted, she adds.

Organizations Can Provide Training

Given the prevalence of domestic abuse, some organizations are stepping up to train their employees on how to spot it. Without training,a domestic violence victims struggles may go unnoticed by coworkers. Educating coworkers to look for signs of abuse (a coworkers partner who shows up at work frequently or sits waiting in the parking lot, an employee who wears long sleeves in warm weather, a colleague bombarded with calls from home) is a critical first step. Once domestic abuse is suspected, then a trained manager can talk to the employee.Some organizations also offer options such as relocation plans for victims.An additional benefit of these programs is they help victims realize that their workplace is safe and that they have options to escape the abuse.

With regard to Elizabeth Holmes, we have yet to find out if and how she will be presenting her alleged experience with domestic abuse at work.If she does discuss her experience, it will help raise awareness of this serious issue faced by millions of victims.

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The time of waiting is over, now is the time to at least try for big fall Chinook on the Chicago lakefront; p – Chicago Sun-Times

Posted: at 10:19 am

I nearly stepped on a young raccoon as I crossed the crease between two big rocks to reach the west jetty at Montrose Harbor. The coon ambled off a bit too casually for my tastes.

Behind me, a guy mowed a green at Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course (Waveland, for those with long memories) in the headlights of his tractor. On the other side of the mouth, light danced from the headlamps of anglers and flashers occasionally flared lighting glow spoons.

The fall return of Chinook is underway in Chicago, enough to draw scores of anglers out before dawn at Montrose. I had two-hour window early before the start of family Labor Day stuff.

I heard plenty of lines whipping the air as light seeped in, but I heard no yelps or chatter that comes with somebody hooking one.

I think it was you, lol, Stacey Greene at Park Bait posted. A guy caught one not long after you left, about 14 pounds.

My soulmate is Jonah.

On Aug. 28, Jason Special One Le documented what I think was the first shore Chinook in Chicago. It was caught by his friend Dong Ho at Montrose. In the next few days, Greene noted a few more caught at Montrose and some at Belmont.

It struck me that my odds of hooking a Chinook are much lower than my chances of catching a muskie. I expect to catch a muskie about every six to eight hours of effort. I cant even guess what my rate would be for hooking a Chinook. Maybe one in 50-plus hours.

So I asked a few people.

So far, I put 40 hours in already, but nothing for it yet! Le texted. Lost one last week, thats all! Catching one in Chicago is very hard, but trying to catch one in Wisconsin is a piece of cake! Lol.

At Henrys Sports and Bait, where they weighed in their first Chinook of the season from shore Friday a 13-pounder caught by Jesus Maya at Montrose on a 1-ounce Moonshine lure at 6:30 am. Steve Palmisano laid out the truth.

Thats not a fair question, LOL, he texted. Ten hours for the first, but it could be 10 minutes for the second. Do the math: five hours, five minutes. Dont even try to calculate a third. Chinook throw the law of averages right out the window.

Theres a lot of truth in that.

Carl Vizzone, who runs the fishing programs for the Chicago Park District, texted: Started to see a few jumpers early last week at Northerly Island. Montrose is better bet by the mouth of harbor. Fish were being caught there early last week until lake got churned up. Jason Special posted a couple on YouTube. And Stacey mentioned a few more.

Its definitely happening. Just got to be there at right time. Outside the pipe by Shedd was really rough all last week. Should get better with west winds this week. As water clears, in front of McCormick may start to produce, too.

Hope lives.

Teal

Joshua Osborn began aerial teal flights Thursday for the Illinois Natural History Survey. He noted that we dont have the booming teal numbers we did at this time last year, [but] were still on par [Illinois River] or well above [Mississippi River] for the 10-year averages for blue-winged teal along the survey route. Click here for a fuller breakdown.

Wild things

Last week at a Pirates-White Sox game, Christian Howe spotted at least two common nighthawks. On Sunday evening, Rob Abouchar messaged, Nighthawks circling in Island Lake. . . . Many readers noted the monarch migration is spiking.

Stray cast

Joe Rogan is to truth what bighead carp are to native species.

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Hurricane Ida Recap: Devastation in Southeast Louisiana, Then Record Flooding in the Northeast | The Weather Channel – Articles from The Weather…

Posted: at 10:19 am

Hurricane Ida slammed Louisiana as a Category 4 and its remnants went on to trigger disastrous rainfall flooding in the Northeast.

Ida began as Tropical Depression Nine on Aug. 26 while south of the Cayman Islands. Just over six hours later, an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter mission found its winds were strong enough to upgrade to Tropical Storm Ida.

A burst of thunderstorms near Ida's center then allowed it to rapidly intensify into a hurricane on Aug. 27 as it moved over western Cuba.

Ida then took advantage of very warm Gulf water, winds aloft spreading apart and plenty of moist air to rapidly intensify again from Cat. 1 to Cat. 4 status in the 24 hours ending the morning of Aug. 29.

Ida's center crossed the coast near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, at 11:55 a.m. CDT on Aug. 29. Maximum sustained winds were 150 mph, making Ida a high-end Category 4 hurricane.

Ida tied two other hurricanes for the strongest landfall on record in the state of Louisiana based on maximum wind speeds. Laura had 150-mph winds when it tracked into southwest Louisiana last year. The other hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana with winds that high was in 1856.

The hurricane weakened to a tropical storm and then a tropical depression as it tracked over Mississippi on Aug. 30.

From there, Tropical Depression Ida tracked through the Tennessee Valley to as far north as West Virginia by Sept. 1, where it was declared to be a post-tropical remnant. Ida's remnants then teamed up with a stationary front to produce major, deadly rainfall flooding in the Northeast.

Below is a breakdown of Ida's Gulf Coast storm surge, wind and rain impacts followed by a summary of the flooding its remnants caused in the Northeast.

Storm Surge

Storm surge pushed water into many areas outside levee protection in southeast Louisiana, as well as along the coast in Mississippi.

Several NOAA gauges captured peak inundation from 6 to 7 feet above dry ground in Waveland, Mississippi, and Shell Beach, Louisiana, during and even after Ida's landfall as strong onshore winds continued to pile water ashore.

Serious storm surge flooding was accompanied by wind gusts over 100 mph in Grand Isle, Louisiana, and multiple homes were reportedly removed from their foundations by storm surge in Galliano, about 25 miles northwest of Grand Isle.

In Plaquemines Parish, overtopping of a levee submerged the town of Braithwaite, also flooded from Hurricane Isaac in 2012. In Jefferson Parish, flooding swamped areas south of New Orleans including Lafitte and Barataria.

Water almost up to a stop sign was seen flowing through the Venetian Isles neighborhood in New Orleans East, an area under mandatory evacuation outside of protection from levees, according to WDSU TV.

Several feet of storm surge from Lake Pontchartrain coupled with torrential rain was captured in video in LaPlace, about 25 miles west-northwest of downtown New Orleans, entering homes and trapping residents.

The combination of storm surge and torrential rain prompted the NWS to issue rare flash flood emergencies for the lakeshore area of metro New Orleans, and also for St. John the Baptist and St. Charles Parishes, including LaPlace late on Aug. 29.

Post-storm surveys will likely find higher storm surge inundation values near the coast once meteorologists examine buildings for high-water marks.

Winds

The National Weather Service issued several extreme wind warnings for parts of southeast Louisiana on Aug. 29, a rarely-issued warning for tornado-like winds of 115 mph or greater in the eyewall of Ida.

According to NOAA's Best Track database, no Category 3 or stronger hurricane had taken a northward path just west of New Orleans similar to Ida in almost 106 years.

Numerous wind gusts over 100 mph were clocked in far southeast Louisiana near the coast, including in Galliano and Dulac. A gust to 172 mph was measured aboard a ship in Port Fourchon as Ida made landfall, one of the strongest hurricane gusts on record in the U.S.

Damage was reported in many areas of southeast Louisiana, particularly in Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes.

In the New Orleans metro area, wind gusts up to 99 mph not only downed trees and power lines, but also damaged or destroyed some older buildings. Damage was captured on video in the French Quarter, and in other parts of the city.

The winds knocked out power to all of Orleans Parish due to what Entergy referred to as "catastrophic transmission damage". Over 1 million customers lost power in Louisiana from Ida.

Downed trees littered a stretch of Interstate 10 outside of New Orleans, leaving only one lane passable for a time, according to a video posted in social media.

In Mississippi, winds gusted up to 68 mph at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. Trees were downed in parts of central and southern Mississippi, and just over 90,000 customers lost power.

Rainfall Flooding

As if water surging from the Gulf of Mexico wasn't enough, Ida dumped torrential rain in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle.

Ten to 14 inches of rain was measured in New Orleans before rain ended early Aug. 29. Rigolets-Slidell, Louisiana, reported 15.73 inches of rainfall from Ida.

In Jackson County, Mississippi, an estimated 300 homes were flooded and 150 road closures were prompted. More than 10 inches of rain fell near Bay St. Louis and in Hancock. Streets were also flooded in Hattiesburg and Meridian.

Parts of southern Alabama picked up 7 to 9 inches of rain and Wilmer, Alabama, measured 11.24 inches. Walnut Hill, Florida, tallied 8.20 inches of rain.

The remnant moisture and energy from Ida merged with a front over the mid-Atlantic and Northeast to produce disastrous flooding Sept. 1 into early Sept. 2.

Flemington, New Jersey, had the top rainfall total with 11 inches, but totals over 6 inches were reported in parts of southeast New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

New York City's Central Park picked up 3.15 inches of rainfall in a single hour on the evening of Sept. 1. That's the heaviest one-hour rainfall on record there. Total rainfall for Sept. 1 was 7.13 inches, making it New York City's fifth-wettest day on record dating to 1869.

Newark, New Jersey, picked up 8.41 inches of rain on Sept. 1, making it the wettest calendar day on record there dating to 1931. The previous heaviest rainfall day was 6.73 inches on Nov. 8, 1977.

The Schuylkill River in Philadelphia experienced its worst flood in more than 150 years on the morning of Sept. 2. Its crest of 16.35 feet has only been exceeded one other time. That happened more than 150 years ago in an Oct. 4, 1869 flood when the river hit its all-time record stage of 17 feet.

At least 12 locations on rivers and creeks in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have set a new record flood stage. Here's a rundown of the records so far, among reporting stations with records dating to at least the 20th century:

-Millstone River at Weston, New Jersey

-Musconetong River at Bloomsbury, New Jersey

-North Branch Raritan River Near Raritan, New Jersey

-Middle Brook at Bound Brook, New Jersey

-Bound Brook at Middlesex, New Jersey

-Stony Brook at Princeton, New Jersey

-Raritan River at Manville, New Jersey

-Saddle River at Ridgewood, New Jersey

-Perkiomen Creek at Graterford, Pennsylvania

-Schuylkill River at Norristown, Pennsylvania

-East Branch Brandywine Creek Below Downington, Pennsylvania

-Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Destructive tornadoes tore through Annapolis, Maryland; Mullica Hill, New Jersey; and other parts of the Delaware Valley north and south of Trenton, New Jersey.

The Mullica Hill, New Jersey, tornado was the first to be rated at least F/EF3 in the state since Oct. 18, 1990, according to NOAA's database. Doppler radar detected debris from the tornado was lofted to at least 23,000 feet, and may have traveled 30 to 45 miles downstream, according to the National Weather Service.

Roof damage is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Houma, La. The weather died down shortly before dawn. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

The Weather Companys primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

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Doc’s Morning Line: Now’s the time for the Cincinnati Reds to button up sloppy play – The Cincinnati Enquirer

Posted: at 10:19 am

Its time for the Reds to start playing consistently tight baseball, and we dont mean choking. A week into September is not the time to get sleepy on the bases and play first base like a matador. The Reds dont want to look back on games like the one Monday in Chicago and lament, thats one we should have won.

If they dont make the playoffs, theyll have only themselves to blame.

Sixth inning yesterday. The hot Cubs started playing like the Cubs, gifting the Reds runs like it was Christmas at the corner of Waveland and Sheffield. Walk, wild pitch, two hit batters. Reds score 3 on two hits. On the wild one, Suarez neglected to move from second to third. How come?

It looked like Geno just kind of froze up, DBell said, which is as hard as hell ever come down on a player.

That cant happen in September when youre fighting for October and already not playing well. Schrock doubles, which would have scored two and given the Reds the lead, had Suarez moved up on the wild pitch.

Meantime, A. Cabrera allowed two grounders to get past him because he didnt put his body in front of the ball. Maybe in May, this isnt a big deal. This isnt May. Its OK occasionally to lose because the other team was better. Its not OK to lose in September because your mind is drifting.

More: Cincinnati Reds' slide continues with loss to Chicago Cubs in series opener

Four-and-nine in the past two weeks, against clubs theyre leading in the standings. Time to pull their heads out.

The series against Detroit over the weekend was instructive. Riddle me this, if you watched: Which team looked like the playoff-hopeful and which looked like the team waiting for a bus?

SCOFF IF YOU LIKE, but the Reds remain in the wild card drivers seat. Twenty-three games left, nine v. Pirates, four v. the Nats. The Padres have lost 15 of their last 22 and play their next nine against LA and the Giants. Only the Phillies have an easier road than Cincinnati. They play 10 games v. last-place teams and four more v. Colorado. The Phils are a game behind the Reds and two behind San Diego.

AND REMEMBER THIS. . . If the Reds dont play Game 163 this year, their window starts to close. Its very likely were seeing the best right now from Naquin, Miley, Votto, and getting surprisingly good years from India, Stephenson, Gutierrez and Farmer. Castellanos is the soul engine and he very likely wont be here next year.

Its now or never for this crew.

Now, then. . .

BEFORE WE GET TOO DEEP into sports, a moment for Michael K. Williams. You might know him as Omar and if you dont, you should. Omar Little was the best character in an all-star ensemble of them, on The Wire, IMO the best show ever to grace our TVs.

He died Monday. Police are investigating it as a drug overdose.

In the show, Omar was the consummate badass, a loner in a culture of joiners, defined by the sawed-off shotgun that hung from his belt. In real life, he grew up an insecure kid in a rough neighborhood. The NYTimes:

He didnt care what anyone thought about him, Mr. Williams said of Omar, inan interview with GQ in 2020.He had a huge moral compass and he wasnt afraid to express it. I was the complete polar opposite. I was frightened a lot of times growing up. I had a very low self-esteem and a huge need to be accepted. The only thing I knew that I shared with Omar was his sensitivity and his ability to love, and his ability to love deep. I knew that I had that in me.

Im trying to think of another TV character who owned the sway of Omar Little, ever. None comes to mind. Absolutely none. If you never saw The Wire and you appreciate TV drama at its finest, TML sez ckitout.

THE BENGALS. . . This is traditionally the time of year I make the prediction for the Mens season. Most years, its not that difficult to do. Divide the season into fourths, assume the Bengals will lose twice to at least one of their division rivals and take it from there.

This year?

Ive called it the Verge Season for Cincinnati. As in, On The. . .

The gate swings dramatically one way or the other for the Bengals this fall. Either the O-line holds up, Burrow builds on last year and the team wins about eightgames, or the line lacks, Baltimore and the Browns feast, the Bengals dont approach .500 and Zac Taylor and his staff lose their jobs.

Im not worried about JaMarr Chase dropping the ball. Im worried about Joe Burrow getting dropped on his back. The Bengals in the offseason did not do all they could to protect him. Despite the deserved pre-year excitement, they have not shown that they arent, in the immortal words of Carson Palmer, OK with being OK.

More: My confidence never went anywhere, I got hard on myself: JaMarr Chase discusses drops

Their guards are, well, OK. The rookie who was supposed to start immediately, wont. One tackle is nearer the end of his career than the beginning and has never made a Pro Bowl. The other, beset by injuries, remains an unopened package.

Sounds OK to me.

There are ways to scheme around a porous line. But in so doing, you limit the QBs weapons. What good is a deep threat at wide receiver if the QB doesnt have time to get him the ball?

Burrow showed a veterans smarts and poise in his nine-game debut last year. He can keep rushers from teeing off by checking down and limiting the deeper routes. Burrow ranked 25th last season among starting QBs in yards per attempt. His 6.7 YPA was only slightly better than Andy Daltons 6.5.

Thats OK when your defense is limiting opposing TDs. Will the Bengals D be that good this year?

You might like the secondary. Do you like the linebackers? Will the pass rush be better with a full season of Reader pushing the middle? I think their kid kicker Evan McPherson wins them a game they would have lost last year.

Does Joe Mixon block like Gio Bernard blocked?

Their schedule seems to be soft. But who knows about schedules in preseason? Cincinnati should beat the Jets, Jags and Lions. But what if any is better than expected by the time the Bengals play them? What if the Packers are worse?

With all that in mind. . .

The Men will lose twice to either Cleveland or the Ravens and split with Pittsburgh. (Roethlisberger still plays for the Stillers, right?) Division record: 2-4.

More: The Bengals offense has a clear focus for the 2021 season

Non-division games they should win and probably will: Home with Jacksonville, at Detroit and the Jets. (5-4)

Games they should lose and probably will: Home with the Packers and Chiefs. (5-6)

Pick em: Home with the Vikings, Bears, 49ers and Chargers. Road with the Raiders and Broncos. I say they start fast v. Minnesota, stumble in Chicago, beat Las Vegas and lose to the 49ers, Chargers and Broncos. (7-10)

Seven-and-10. Clip and save.

UC STARTS FAST. AND A WORRY. . . Good teams dont assume Ws, the Bearcats certainly didnt Saturday at Nippert v. Miami. They have another softie this week, home against Murray State. Will that be sufficient prep to go on the road and win at Indiana the following week?

More: No. 8/10 Cincinnati Bearcats thump rival Miami RedHawks in season-opener, 49-14

Will it ready them for Oct. 2 in South Bend, in the programs biggest game since the Sugar Bowl Jan. 1, 2010?

HOPE YOUSE HAD A NICE LABOR DAY. . . I thought of my dad Monday. He worked 25 years for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. He was a smart guy, an economics degree from Amherst College, a masters in economics. He was of a generation that believed working for the federal government was an honorable and worthy way to spend a career.

But he didnt like it much.

By the time I was in high school, I decided Id never have a job that (1) required I wear a coat and tie to work (2) commute 9-5, five days a week, 50 weeks a year, to an office and (3) be unhappy with my work a majority of the time.

Since 1979, Ive never worn a tie to work, I walk to my office down the hall in my house when Im not at a game and the worst days I have are still better than any days Id spend in a cubicle eating my lunch out of a brown sack.

That said, Jim Daugherty never missed a day of work. Not one, in 25 years. Among the many things I admired about my dad, that ones way up there. Work never defined him. That's a healthy way to be.

Thats why they call it work, hed say, as he trudged out the door not feeling especially great or facing a long day full of boring meetings. Id like to think Im as conscientious as he was. But that wouldnt be true.

TUNE O THE DAY. . . Before he wrote songs with Cheeseburger in their titles, Jimmy Buffett was a pretty fair country twanger. Living and Dying In Time was a very fine set. This one included.

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Doc's Morning Line: Now's the time for the Cincinnati Reds to button up sloppy play - The Cincinnati Enquirer

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SpaceX Working With Space Force for Innovative Launches Like Falcon 9 With GPS III Satellite; Here’s What It Means – Science Times

Posted: at 10:19 am

The Space Force is investing in reusable rockets and other cutting-edge technology from firms like SpaceX.

NASA Space Flightsaid that a Falcon 9 rocket has previously flown a new-generation GPS Block III Space Vehicle 5 for the US Space Force. The Space Force committed a satellite worth roughly half a billion dollars to the new technology, marking a watershed event for the US military and the notion of reusable rockets.

The Space Force saved money by using a reconditioned booster. This specific first stage had previously carried a GPS III satellite in November 2020.Ars Technicasaid the US government effectively saved $52 million by consenting to launch two of its new GPS III satellites on old rockets. Officials from the Space Force said this was a good development, and it's wonderful to have the option of increasing launch rates.

According to the same Ars Technica report, Space Force personnel worked alongside SpaceX workers. The agency had to fully understand the hardware and reuse process while certifying the earlier flown Falcon 9 rocket and prepping it for a relaunch. For the military, this was both an opportunity for learning and to become more acquainted with SpaceX and its attempts to push the frontiers of reuse.

The most essential aspect, according to the US Space Force's commander, is leveraging American ingenuity.

(Photo : Joe Raedle/Getty Images)TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: People watch as the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from launch pad 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 2019 in Titusville, Florida. The rocket is carrying a communications satellite built by Lockheed Martin into orbit.

In astatement, Chief of Space Operations Gen. John "Jay" Raymond said the largest threat to their success is moving too slowly and refusing to adjust. This launch, according to Raymond, demonstrates the Space Force's ability to innovate and grow our national advantage in a competitive space environment.

This isn't the first time SpaceX has pushed the US military to embrace technological advancements. TheUS Space Forcerecently decided to test and implement an autonomous flight termination system for launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida, as part of its "Range of the Future" initiative.

The military has also indicated an interest in SpaceX's "Starship" program, which aims to create a completely reusable super-heavy lift rocket. The Air Force is attempting to use growing commercial rocket capabilities to launch goods from one point and land it somewhere else on Earth as part of a new "Rocket Cargo" program.

Earlier this year, Air Force scientist and the Rocket Cargo program manager Greg Spanjers toldArs Technicathis notion has been around since the start of spaceflight. He added that it's always been a fascinating concept. According to Spanjers, they looked at it every ten years or so. But he acknowledged that it never made sense to us. We're doing it now because it appears that technology has finally caught up with a good concept.

The US military has a reputation for taking a cautious approach to high-risk undertakings such as spaceflight. However, one of the benefits of establishing the US Space Force has been a push to reconsider space operations and a readiness to adapt to once-radical concepts.

RELATED ARTICLE: SpaceX to Reuse Dragon Spacecraft Fleet After Rocket Booster from NASA Crew-1 'Leaned'

Check out more news and information on SpaceX in Science Times.

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SpaceX Working With Space Force for Innovative Launches Like Falcon 9 With GPS III Satellite; Here's What It Means - Science Times

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Edmonton YouTuber invited to watch launch of historic SpaceX flight – Global News

Posted: at 10:19 am

The past nine months have been a whirlwind for an Edmonton man.

In January, Zachary Aubert, 25, launched a passion project a space-themed YouTube channel called The Launch Pad.

For his first episode he landed U.S. billionaire entrepreneur and pilot Jared Isaacman.

This is something me as a kid and teenager that I dreamt of and never thought would happen, but from one random email ended up happening, Aubert said.

Isaacman is the commander of the SpaceX flight dubbed Inspiration4. Its the first all-civilian mission to space.

One of the things they did for everyone that applied for the Prosperity seat was actually invite them to come up to the launch, and I just thought thats such an amazing opportunity, Aubert said.

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Since the interview with Isaacman, the two have kept in touch. In March, Aubert asked if he could come experience the launch in person too and document the historic moment.

In August he got a response.

At about three in the morning he said yes, Aubert explained.

A couple of weeks ago the email actually came through from SpaceX, saying we need your information to get you badged on to the government base and well go from there.

The crew dragon spacecraft is scheduled to take off on Sept. 15. Aubert will arrive at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Monday and stay for 10 days.

Just grasping the fact that we are going to be there for that first civilian flight. Its not just a cargo mission or normal crewed one. Its the first there will never be another first, he said.

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Video shows SpaceX’s once ‘ridiculous’ rocket landing in the dark – TweakTown

Posted: at 10:19 am

Elon Musk's spaceflight company SpaceX was the first company to successfully launch a first-stage rocket booster and land it upright for reuse.

The idea of having a reusable object was once deemed "ridiculous", but the world was proven wrong when SpaceX achieved it. Now, the company is paving the way forward in spaceflight by nailing the process of landing a launched rocket, and with every launch, the landing becomes more and more precise. The idea behind having a reusable rocket is to reduce the overall costs for space missions, which are very expensive.

So far, SpaceX has delivered cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) twenty-three times, with the most recent mission occurring on August 29. The following Wednesday, SpaceX posted a video of the landing process with the camera positioned on the booster. The video shows the Falcon 9 boosters descending through the clouds for a calm touchdown on the landing pad. For more information on this story, check out this link here.

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Video shows SpaceX's once 'ridiculous' rocket landing in the dark - TweakTown

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