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Scientists: Florida Keys coral reefs are already bleaching as water temperatures hit record highs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:27 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Some Florida Keys coral reefs are losing their color weeks earlier than normal this summer because of record-high water temperatures, meaning they are under stress and their health is potentially endangered, federal scientists said.The corals should be vibrant and colorful this time of year, but are swiftly going white, said Katey Lesneski, research and monitoring coordinator for Mission: Iconic Reefs, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched to protect Florida coral reefs.“The corals are pale, it looks like the color’s draining out,” said Lesneski, who has spent several days on the reefs over the last two weeks. “And some individuals are stark white. And we still have more to come.”Scientists with NOAA this week raised their coral bleaching warning system to Alert Level 2 for the Keys, their highest heat stress level out of five. That level is reached when the average water surface temperature is about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1...

Officer who saved drowning autistic child from river in Miami speaks out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:27 GMT

A Miami Police officer who saved a drowning autistic child from a river in Miami is speaking out after being hailed a hero. Bodycam video released Thursday showed the aftermath of the officer’s quick thinking. On Friday, Officer Ernesto Fernandez was emotional when he recounted his heroic rescue because he related to the situation. The child he rescued is on the autism spectrum, and Fernandez knew exactly how to handle the situation because his son is also on the spectrum. Fernandez was about to be off the clock and was already on his route home when he noticed the young boy running by his patrol car with no shoes on in Allapattah, along the river.“I asked him, ‘Where’s Mami? What are you doing here by yourself?'” Fernandez said. “He didn’t say anything to me. He continued to run but he started running even faster.”Fernandez knew something wasn’t right. He got out of his car and went after the child.“When I started running...

‘Barbenheimer’ craze could do something Hollywood hasn’t seen in years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:27 GMT

(CNN) — Are you going to a double feature of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” this weekend? If so, you’re far from alone.The “Barbenheimer” craze, which has swelled in popularity over the last few weeks, is all but set to propel the box office to its best weekend in years. BoxOffice Pro, a publication that tracks box office performance, said this week it is projecting a $200+ million weekend at the cinema. That would result in one of the biggest theatrical weekends since the pandemic upended the industry and a big win for Hollywood while writers and actors are on strike. With production at a standstill, it could be the last big blockbuster weekend for quite some time.The battle of the bombshells playing out in theaters is not the usual runaway box office success story. It is the effect of a viral internet sensation that has flooded social media feeds with jokes and parodies about the opposing films and now looks set to meme its way to record theatrical attendance.“The anticipation we’re s...

Nationalist war criminal Igor Girkin who dared criticize Putin under arrest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:27 GMT

Igor Girkin, a former soldier-spy and critic of President Vladimir Putin’s conduct of the war against Ukraine, was arrested on Friday after the latest in a series of diatribes against the Kremlin chief appeared to go too far.Girkin, who goes by the nom de guerre Strelkov (“Shooter”), gained notoriety in 2014 when he led a band of irregular troops into Eastern Ukraine and briefly became the breakaway region’s defense minister. He was convicted in absentia of murder by a Dutch court over his role in shooting down a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet, a tragedy that cost 298 lives.The 52-year-old has since reinvented himself as an ultra-nationalist military commentator and has delivered a series of withering critiques of Russia’s war aims and strategy in Ukraine.In a statement posted to Girkin’s Telegram channel, his wife Miroslava Reginskaya said that representatives of Russia’s Investigative Committee — an anti-corruption and crime-fighting agency — had taken ...

Bankrate: Can you back out of a house offer once it’s accepted?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:27 GMT

When you’re buying a home, the sale can fall through for many reasons. But what if you just change your mind? If you’re in contract to buy a home but are having second thoughts and want to back out of your accepted purchase offer, things can get complicated. When is it too late to back out of buying a house?It’s not impossible for a buyer to back out of a signed real estate contract with a seller, but there could be repercussions — especially if no escape hatches were included in the deal. Understanding your financial and legal rights as a homebuyer is critical. Here’s what to consider if you’re thinking about rescinding an accepted offer.Can a buyer back out of an accepted house offer?The short answer: yes. When you sign a purchase agreement for real estate, you’re legally bound to the contract terms, and you’ll give the seller an upfront deposit called earnest money. Your earnest money deposit shows the seller that you’re serious about your intention to purchase the house and plan...

Biden picks female admiral to lead Navy. She’d be 1st woman to be a military service chief

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:27 GMT

By LOLITA C. BALDOR (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has chosen Adm. Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, a senior administration official said Friday. If confirmed, she would be the first woman to be a U.S. military service chief.Biden’s decision to tap Franchetti, an admiral with broad command and executive experience, goes against the recommendation of his Pentagon chief, but he is selecting an officer whom insiders had considered the top choice for the job. Franchetti, the current vice chief of operations for the Navy, would become the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recommended that Biden select Adm. Samuel Paparo, the current commander of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet, several U.S. officials said last month. But instead, the administration official said Biden is nominating Paparo to lead U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the nomination has not been mad...

Column: The actors strike and the dystopian potential of AI, now on screen

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:27 GMT

Nina Metz | Chicago TribuneWhen the union that represents TV and movie actors announced its plans to strike last week, chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland talked about concerns relating to the use of artificial intelligence. This is what the studios proposed, he said: “That our background actors should be able to be scanned, get paid for one day’s pay, and their company should own that scan, their image, their likeness and to be able to use it for the rest of eternity in any project they want with no consent and no compensation.”A studio owning and profiting from a person’s image and likeness for the rest of eternity? It sounds dystopian. Talk about eliminating the need for pesky, annoying, expensive humans altogether, be they actors, writers or anyone else other than C-suite executives.Something like that outcome is mentioned by a fictional studio executive played by Tim Robbins in 1992′s “The Player,” a scathing Hollywood satire from writer Michael Tolkin and director Robert ...

Quick Fix: Basque Cod with Salsa Verde features regional flavors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:27 GMT

Linda Gassenheimer | (TNS) Tribune News ServiceI tasted a real Basque country dinner when sommelier Mikel Garaizabal recently visited Miami. He told me that they only serve fresh ingredients with lots of vegetables and rarely add pasta or rice to the meal. He served a typical dish of fresh cooked cod with a salsa verde. It’s a classic Basque sauce made with garlic, white wine, fish stock and lots of parsley. The fish is sauteed and the sauce is made in the same skillet. So there’s only one pan to clean. I created this quick dinner based on the Basque flavors we enjoyed.Romaine lettuce leaves topped with olives and pepperoncini peppers completes the meal.I used bought clam juice from the market as a substitute for fish stock in the recipe.Helpful Hints:— If you prefer to leave the wine out, just add another 1/2 cup clam juice instead.— You can use any type of lettuce.— You can use any type of pickled peppers for the salad.Countdown:— Prepare all ingredients.— Saute the cod, remove fr...

In older adults, a little excess weight isn’t such a bad thing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:27 GMT

Judith Graham | (TNS) KFF Health NewsMillions of people enter later life carrying an extra 10 to 15 pounds, weight they’ve gained after having children, developing joint problems, becoming less active or making meals the center of their social lives.Should they lose this modest extra weight to optimize their health? This question has come to the fore with a new category of diabetes and weight loss drugs giving people hope they can shed excess pounds.For years, experts have debated what to advise older adults in this situation. On one hand, weight gain is associated with the accumulation of fat. And that can have serious adverse health consequences, contributing to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and a host of other medical conditions.On the other hand, numerous studies suggest that carrying some extra weight can sometimes be protective in later life. For people who fall, fat can serve as padding, guarding against fractures. And for people who become seriously ill with conditions...

Existing-home sales fall but prices continue rising

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:27 GMT

Jeff Ostrowski | (TNS) Bankrate.comThe housing market remained soft in June, a new report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows. Sales of existing homes — previously occupied properties, rather than newly built homes — resumed their long downward slide, dropping 3.3%. The number of sales in June was off 18.9% compared to June 2022.Home prices, meanwhile, were up from May’s median of $396,100 to reach NAR’s second-highest price of all time: $410,200. That’s less than 1% off from the all-time high of $413,800, recorded one year ago in June 2022. “Limited supply is still leading to multiple-offer situations, with one-third of homes getting sold above the list price in the latest month,” Yun said.“The fate of the housing market in the coming months will be dictated in part by the direction of mortgage rates, as well as the health of the broader economy,” said Mark Hamrick, Bankrate’s senior economic analyst. “The market could benefit from a combination of tailwinds, if the...