Todays birthdays

Linda Evans, actress, 78

Graham Parker, rock singer, 70

John Parr, musician, 68

Elizabeth Perkins, actress, 60

Kim Wilde (pictured), singer and gardening expert, 60

Steven Moffat, TV writer and producer, 59

Kirk Hammett, Metallica guitarist, 58

Nadia Sawalha, TV presenter and actress, 56

Gavin Peacock, former footballer and pundit, 53

Owen Wilson, actor, 52

Chloe Sevigny, actress, 46

Anthony Ant McPartlin, TV presenter, 45

1477: William Caxton issued the first dated, printed book from his printing press in Westminster it was Dictes or Sayengis of The Philosophres.

1626: St Peters in Rome was consecrated.

1910: There were more than 100 arrests when suffragettes tried to storm the House of Commons.

1916: The first battle of the Somme ended.

1926: George Bernard Shaw refused to accept the Nobel Prize money of 7,000 awarded to him a year earlier. He said: I can forgive Nobel for inventing dynamite, but only a fiend in human form could have invented the Nobel Prize.

1928: The first Mickey Mouse cartoon, Steamboat Willie (pictured above), was shown.

1933: BBC Radios In Town Tonight was first broadcast.

1987: The worst fire in the history of the London Underground killed 31 people at Kings Cross.

1991: Beirut hostage Terry Waite and American Thomas Sutherland were released by their pro-Iranian Islamic Jihad captors.

I only started reading at 17, and it completely changed my outlook and mentality. I just wish I was offered the opportunity to really engage with reading more as a child, but books were never a thing we could budget for as a family when we needed to put food on the table Footballer Marcus Rashford (pictured) on the launch of his new book club

So many books, so little time American rock musician Frank Zappa

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On this day: November 18 - Metro Newspaper UK

1307: William Tell reputedly shoots an apple off his sons head with a crossbow in Switzerland.

1477: First English dated printed book Dictes & Sayengis of the Phylosophers by William Caxton.

1497: Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reaches the Cape of Good Hope.

1626: St. Peters Basilica is consecrated, replacing an earlier basilica on the same site.

1686: Charles Francois Felix operates on King Louis XIV of Frances anal fistula after practising the surgery on several peasants.

1738: France and Austria sign a peace treaty.

1745: Bonnie Prince Charlies Jacobite troops occupy Carlisle.

1820: Antarctica is sighted by US Navy Capt Nathaniel B Palmer.

1905: George Bernard Shaws Major Barbara premieres in London.

1906: Anarchists bomb St. Peters Basilica in Rome.

1909: The US invades Nicaragua.

1916: General Douglas Haig finally calls off the first Battle of the Somme after more than 1 million soldiers had been killed or wounded.

1918: Latvia declares independence from Russia. On the same day, Belgian troops re-enter Brussels.

1922: Death of French author Marcel Proust aged 51.

1926: George Bernard Shaw accepts the Nobel Prize for Literature but refuses the prize money, saying: I can forgive Alfred Nobel for inventing dynamite, but only a fiend in human form could have invented the Nobel Prize.

1928: Release of Walt Disneys first sound cartoon Steamboat Willie with Mickey Mouse.

1929: An earthquake in the mid Atlantic breaks the transatlantic cable in 28 places.

1932: Wallace Beery and Fredric March win the Oscar in the first ever tie for Best Actor at the fifth Academy Awards.

1936: Germany and Italy recognize the Spanish government of General Franco.

1939: The IRA explodes three bombs in Piccadilly Circus.

1941: British troops attack Tobruk, North Africa.

1943: 444 British bombers attack Berlin.

1950: South Korean President Syngman Rhee is forced to end mass executions.

1951: British troops occupy Ismailiya, Egypt.

1956: Morocco gains independence. On the same day, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev tells Western ambassadors: We will bury you at a reception at the Polish embassy in Moscow.

1961: US President John F Kennedy sends 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam.

1967: A ban on the movement of farm animals across the whole of England and Wales comes into effect in a bid to stop the spread of foot and mouth disease. On the same day, the government devalues the pound prompting prime minister Harold Wilson to say the immortal phrase this will not affect the pound in your pocket in a TV broadcast.

1970: Joe Frazier KOs Bob Foster in Round 2 for the heavyweight boxing title.

1972: Guitarist Danny Whitten dies of a heroin overdose aged 29.

1973: Singles chart:

Album chart:

1976: Spains parliament establishes democracy after 37 years of dictatorship.

1978: The bodies of 914 members of the Peoples Temple Christian Church including cult leader Jim Jones are found in Guyana after a mass suicide.

1983: Argentina announces its ability to produce enriched uranium for nuclear weapons.

1987: 31 people die in a fire at Kings Cross station.

1989: More than 50,000 people take to the streets of Sofia in Bulgaria demanding political reform.

1991: Church envoy Terry Waite is freed by Islamic extremists who kidnapped him in Beirut in 1987. American Thomas Sutherland is also released. On the same day, the Croatian city of Vukovar surrenders to the Yugoslav Peoples Army and allied Serb paramilitary forces after an 87-day siege.

1997: Gary Glitter is arrested by British police in a child porn probe.

2000: Michael Douglas marries Catherine Zeta Jones in New York. On the same day, Queen guitarist Brian May marries EastEnders actress Anita Dobson in London.

2002: United Nations weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix arrive in Iraq.

2003: US President, George W Bush makes a state visit to the UK. On the same day, composer and orchestral arranger Michael Kamen dies of a heart attack in London aged 55. Also, Police raid Michael Jacksons Neverland ranch following allegations of sexual abuse of a 12-year old boy. Also, the Local Government Act 2003, repealing the controversial anti-gay amendment Section 28, becomes effective.

2011: Former Filipino president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is arrested and held at Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City under charges of electoral sabotage.

2015: French police raid a terrorist cell in Saint Denis, killing two, including the leader of the Paris terror attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud. On the same day, New Zealand rugby star Jonah Lomu dies aged 40.

2016: Singer Sharon Jones of the Dap-Kings, dies after a battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 60.

2017: AC/DC guitarist/songwriter Malcolm Young dies aged 64 after suffering from dementia.

BIRTHDAYS: Brenda Vaccaro, actress, 81; Margaret Atwood, author, 81; Con (Conleth) Cluskey, singer/guitarist (The Bachelors) 79; Linda Evans, actress, 78; Herman Rarebell, drummer (The Scorpions) 71; Graham Parker, singer-songwriter, 70; Oscar Nunez, actor, 62; Cindy Blackman Santana, drummer, 61; Elizabeth Perkins, actress, 60; Kim Wilde (Smith), singer, 60; Steven Moffat, TV writer, 59; Kirk Hammett, guitarist (Metallica) 58; Peter Schmeichel, MBE, goalkeeper, 57; Owen Wilson, actor, 52; Megyn Kelly, journalist, 50; Chlo Sevigny, actress, 46; Ant McPartlin, TV personallity, 45; Damon Wayans, actor, 38.

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It happened today - this day in history - November 18 - Yellow Advertiser

Wednesday, 25 November 2020 Travel

18 Nov, 2020 05:07 PM5 minutes to read

Man-made nature: Wairakei Terraces near Taupo. Photo / File

New Zealand's unique location on the fringes of the Pacific plate make it one of the most thermally active and exciting places on the planet. Spilling over with choices of geothermal-powered days out, we have chosen a selection of paid and free hot-water experiences to enjoy around the country.

Te Puia Geothermal Valley, Rotorua

Rotorua's geothermal reserve, Te Puia percolates not only with geothermal activity but also Mori culture, crafts and hospitality. The Whakarewarewa valley has been welcoming visitors to experience the natural attractions for 170 years, making it one of the original seats of kaitiakitanga. It was formally set up as an institute to foster Mori arts and culture in the 1960s and today it has been vested to Rotorua iwis as a home for traditional carving and cuisine. Restaurant Ptaka Kai offers cooking from traditional hangi earth ovens on selected Fridays and Saturdays.

A day at the valley is the place for immersion in traditional crafts and the energy generated by more than 500 geothermal wells. One of which is world heritage treasure the Phutu geyser. Living up to its name, the "big splash" is the largest in the southern hemisphere.

Price: Day pass - $60 per adult, $15 per child tepuia.com

Wairakei Terraces, Taup

The thermal spas inspired Victorian writer Rudyard Kipling to create a whimsical story for the Herald in 1892, about a hot pool that showed a window on to the other side of the world. While this was creative licence, natural mineral spas do provide an insight into New Zealand's geothermal past and 1000 years of human habitation around the hot pools. The man-made terraces are a more recent edition from 2001 - but they look the part.

Price: $25, adults only (14 years and over) wairakeiterraces.co.nz

Orakei Korako, Taup

Accessible only by boat, the "Hidden Valley" on the banks of the Waikato is some way off the geothermal highway. However, the stunning rainbow waters and sulphur pools will make you feel like you've detoured to Mars. You'll not have any opportunity to bathe in the acidic waters however there are some unique sights. These include the Ruatapu thermal cave and unpredictable sapphire geyser.

Price: $39 per adult, $15 per child under 16 orakeikorako.co.nz

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Hell's Gate, Rotorua

Tikitere or Hell's Gate in Rotorua is all about volcanic mud, glorious mud. Health buffs from around the world have come to bathe in the stuff. Or, to simply stare into the mesmeric, primordial pools. Reportedly the Gates and many of the thermal features gained their name from God-fearing Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw in 1934.

From diabolical hot pools to Hell's kitchen - today a full-day experience comprises of thermal spa treatments and eating kai cooked in a geothermal hngi .

Price: Mud bath $79 per adult or $25 for general entry to the sulphur spa hellsgate.co.nz

Tarawera, Rotorua

The cleft mountain, Mt Tarawera still bears the scars of the 1886 eruption. Once home to pink terraces, the natural spa pools were obliterated in a violent explosion that killed more than 100 people and buried entire villages. The Te Wairoa archaeological site ($30 adult ticket) provides a glimpse into the darker side of New Zealand's geothermal activity.

While the impressive terraces are sunk at the bottom of Lake Rotomahana, there are still hot springs and thermal beaches on the shoreline which are completely free to visit along the DoC Trail. However you may wish to avoid the 30km hike and splash out on a water taxi.

More extravagant still, the luxury Solitaire Lodge offers a two-night thermal springs and boat transfer package from $3500 a room.

doc.govt.nz; solitairelodge.co.nz

Otumuheke, Taup

The Otumuheke Stream pools are crystal-clear gem on the edge of Taup. A free day out near the Huka falls, natural hot water mixes with the cool Waikato River creating a perfect bathing location. The spa park is within 30 minutes' easy walk from the town centre with onsite changing and locker facilities. Pack your togs and a towel. lovetaupo.com

Welcome Flat Hot Springs, West Coast

The North Island doesn't get the monopoly on hot springs. Among New Zealand's most southerly hot pools, the Welcome Flat Hot Springs is also one of the most scenic. Sit back and bathe in the alpine views of Aoraki's Sierra Range. Getting there is not so easy. At the end of a seven-hour walk on the Copeland Track, south of Fox Glacier. It's a multi-day hike.

There is a DoC Hut and Campsite near the hot pool track for $20 a night, but booking is required.

Kawhia Hot Beach, Waikato

You'll dig this. About an hour south of Hamilton on the other side of Kawhia, you'll find a thermal experience at the ocean's edge. Like the Coromandel's Hot Water Beach, but with a fraction of the crowds, take a spade and dig at low tide to unearth your own, instant thermal spa. You'll have to dig around until the temperature is just right, but you'll always be able to cool down with an ocean dip.

For more New Zealand travel ideas and inspiration, go to newzealand.com

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Original post:
GO NZ: New Zealand's best hot springs, geysers and geothermal attractions - New Zealand Herald

The texts started coming into Mike Brown during the pandemic lockdown. Young Black coaches were reaching out to the Warriors top assistant coach looking for information and advice. Not only on basketball Xs and Os but also on career strategy.

So, Brown started a weekly Zoom video call, beginning with about 15 participants and eventually growing to about 140 who aspired to NBA coaching or front office jobs.

People wanted to know how to get better, how to learn the job, Brown said.

General manager Bob Myers heard about the calls and asked if he could join. Brown was happy to share his boss, and the participants peppered Myers with hard questions about minority hiring and representation and their paths forward.

It was the most important Zoom call Ive had in my life, Myers said. It taught me a lot. Their questions were very pointed and very fair. Those are the conversations we need to have.

In the wake of the 2020 social justice and Black Lives Matter movements, sports is undergoing a reckoning. As the sports world takes a prominent role in pushing for equality, teams are taking a hard look at themselves and evaluating their own makeup.

The Bay Area is a birthplace for sports activism, a region where barriers for inclusion are historically broken. But a look at its key franchises shows how little progress in diversifying the power structure has actually been made.

Currently, no African Americans hold any key power positions head coach, general manager, team president or owner with any of the regions professional sports teams. Only Stanford, in terms of prominent local sports programs, has a Black person in the power seat actually two: athletic director Bernard Muir and head football coach David Shaw.

Head counting and race tallying is an uncomfortable process. However, there can be no progress made on inclusion without actually examining the ways in which teams hire and promote.

In my opinion, its 100 percent fair to count, Brown said. The least it will do is make people aware. And from there its up to each individual team to make the change.

What diversity local teams have in their most powerful positions comes in ways other than by hiring African Americans. The San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is a Pakistani-Canadian Muslim. Paraag Marathe, the former president of the 49ers and now the president of 49ers enterprises, is Indian American.

But you have to dig deeper into the staff directories and organizational charts to find more diversity. There is Oakland As assistant general manager Billy Owens, passed over by the Giants and more recently the Angels as a GM candidate, but he is not a recognizable face of the team. The As have never had a Black manager or GM.

The Giants were the first National League team to hire a Black manager in Frank Robinson. For 10 seasons, Dusty Baker was the face of the team, and was replaced by Felipe Alou. But over the past two years, as the Giants have revamped their entire front office, hiring a new GM, manager and 13 assistant coaches, diversity has not seemed to be a priority.

For all the publicity the Giants received for hiring Alyssa Nakken, baseballs first female full-time coach, a deeper look at the staff reveals little minority representation. The final two coaching hires were Antoan Richardson, their only Black coach who grew up in the Bahamas, and Nick Ortiz, their quality control coach, who is the only Spanish speaker on the extensive staff.

Seeing whats happened in the country this year has caused everyone in a position to hire to audit their own process, Zaidi said. Weve all learned a lot and recognized the imperative to change.

The Giants have a diversity, equity and inclusion council that has been incorporated into weekly executive committee meetings in recent months. Zaidi said that diversity will be a greater emphasis in future hiring. But, he added, the proof is in the pudding.

The Warriors recently hired former player Shaun Livingston to work under Myers as director of player affairs and engagement. The move brought in a widely respected member of their championship teams. But the hire also helps with diversity.

He was hired because of who he is, his character and his background, Myers said. But to be honest, its a step in the right direction.

The top layers of the Warriors management are all white men; though David Kelly, the chief legal officer, is Black, coach Brown is the most visible non-white non-player in the organization.

The 49ers are owned by a white family, with a white GM, white team president and white head coach. Years ago, Terry Tumey was the director of football administration; now vice president Keena Turner is the most visible Black person in the front office. According to a recent study by The Athletic that broke down coaching staffs by diversity, the 49ers are currently in the top third of the league in terms of diversity, with 42% of its staff made up of minority coaches (10 as opposed to 14 white coaches).

Neither San Jose franchise, the Sharks nor the Earthquakes, has an African American in its most visible positions of authority.

How can this be the portrait of a place that shaped generations of athlete activists, from Tommie Smith and John Carlos to Colin Kaepernick? Where decision makers such as Al Davis and Bill Walsh pushed for inclusion? Where revolutionary thinkers such as Curt Flood and Bill Russell have roots?

Sociologist and civil rights activist Harry Edwards has devoted most of his life to studying diversity in sports. Ask the UC Berkeley professor emeritus about progress and you will get a history lesson that begins with the causes behind desegregation on the field and how that differs from integrating positions of power. He speaks of the moves made decades ago by Raiders owner Davis and 49ers head coach Walsh.

But its not enough to have the drama of the individual act, Edwards said. Al Davis hired the first modern era Black coach, the first female CEO, the first Latino coach. But once he was gone, who stepped in to carry on the tradition? For all Bill did, nobody carried it on after Bill was gone.

You have to have something institutionalized. You have to build scaffolding.

Walsh, who brought Edwards in as a consultant to the 49ers in 1983, did leave behind some scaffolding. In 1987, he began a minority internship program, since taken over by the NFL and now called the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Of all the men of color who have become head coaches in the modern NFL, more than half came through the internship program or were on Walshs staff. He built a pipeline, one that gave aspiring young coaches the opportunity to work on NFL teams and learn what was required and expected. More than 2,000 men and women have been through it.

But the pipeline is now plugged: When the season started, the league had just three Black head coaches, the same as in 2003, the year the Rooney Rule was adopted. But that has also failed to significantly change the ratio in the league.

Internships and intentional networking remain key ways to identify and prepare candidates for both coaching and front office positions, aspirants who might not otherwise have access or opportunities.

We can continue to keep a mindful eye, said Stanfords Muir, especially being on a college campus. This is where the next group of leaders are coming from.

Muir is a member of the Black AD Alliance that was formed this summer. He said that one of the groups charges, is to really mentor folks. It starts with student athletes, who have played a sport and are in leadership positions.

What is clear is that the lack of progress is not reflective of a large and ambitious pool of candidates. During the pandemic, San Jose State assistant coach Alonzo Carter started a Zoom networking call for Black football coaches that drew hundreds of aspiring coaches every week, to share stories, learn strategies and connect.

All we can control is what we can control, Carter said. Its no secret whats going on. The numbers dont lie. This is a nationwide issue. What were trying to do is have more qualified candidates of color so that when we get the opportunity, were ready to do the job and take on the role.

Browns Zoom calls, which took place every week for almost four months, also tapped into a large, hungry base of potential applicants.

People want to know how to get better, how to learn the job, Brown said.

One question Myers fielded when he joined the call was whether the Warriors will set up an internship something that Myers said is being explored.

Brown sees so much emphasis on diversity in hiring coaches, but notes that they are the most disposable members of the power structure. GMs and presidents have longer tenures.

And if you want sustainable change a lot of it falls on ownership, Brown said. Theyre the ones in it for the long haul.

Thats where Dave Stewart, the former As pitcher and Diamondbacks general manager, is focusing. Hes involved in a Nashville group hoping to land an expansion MLB team, one that is committed to having 51% minority ownership.

It creates a great opportunity for baseball to make a statement that theyre willing to break a ceiling that hasnt happened in this sport, said Stewart, who has called baseballs structure closed. Major League Baseball tells you they have a system in place. But the system doesnt work.

More and more, baseball is emphasizing analytics when filling front office positions: A recent ESPN study found that 43% of baseball operations top decision-making positions were filled by Ivy League graduates; 67% come from the top 25 universities in the country. Which means that already homogeneous front offices are drawing from the least diverse pools of candidates available.

The lack of diversity is an issue, for sports in general, and for baseball, Zaidi said. Its a big concern. A lot of the hiring you see now, is a reflection of the pipeline development from five to ten years ago. So we have a lot of work to do.

All of the Bay Area sports teams have work to do. We like to think our sports legacy is one of inclusion. But thats not the reality right now.

I cant speak for every organization, but we have to improve, we have to get better, said Myers. I dont think weve done a very good job. We all look too much the same.

I think its very fair to ask the question and to look at how were doing. Because we dont have it right.

Ann Killion is a columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle. email: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annkillion

Born in San Francisco and raised in Marin County, Ann Killion has covered Bay Area sports for more than a quarter of a century. An award-winning columnist and a veteran of 11 Olympics, several World Cups and the Tour de France, Ann joined The Chronicle in 2012. Ann has worked for the San Jose Mercury News, the Los Angeles Times and Sports Illustrated. She is a New York Times best-selling author, having co-written "Solo: A Memoir of Hope" with soccer star Hope Solo,"Throw Like A Girl" with softball player Jennie Finch and two middle-grade books on soccer, Champions of Womens Soccer and Champions of Mens Soccer. She was named California Sportswriter of the Year in 2014, 2017 and 2018. She has two children and lives in Mill Valley.

Excerpt from:
We dont have it right: Bay Area sports teams struggle to diversify leadership - San Francisco Chronicle

Sacramento Self-Help Housing (SSHH) is proud to present the 3rd Annual Housewarming for the Unhoused winter donation drive-thru at the Cal Expo main gate loop on Saturday, December 12, 2020, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The donation drive is presented by Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Sue Frost (District 4) and supported by ABC10, Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra (District 6), Sacramento City Councilmember Vice Mayor Jeff Harris (District 3) and Sacramento Self-Help Housing Staff Member Ken Bennett.

To make it as safe and easy as possible for the community to participate, SSHH staff and dedicated volunteers will be on-hand to collect linens (such as blankets, single and double bed sheets and towels), small appliances (such as microwaves, toasters and coffee makers) and kitchenware to be distributed to hundreds of recently homeless individuals in Sacramento County.

Sacramento Self-Help Housing is a non-profit 501(c)3 agency dedicated to assist those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to find and retain stable and affordable housing, which is more critical than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sacramento Self-Help Housing organization is a leader in the housing first model of homelessness response by providing shared housing. Sacramento Self-Help Housing is partnering with Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance, the City of Sacramento and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency to move people off the streets or emergency shelters into permanent housing. SSHH also provides homeless outreach navigation in locations throughout the Sacramento area, and a Renters Helpline which includes the regions fair housing enforcement program to address illegal fair housing discrimination.

The Housewarming for the Unhoused needs list includes the following (new or gently used items only please):

Each donation, big or small, will go directly to furnishing a home for a recently homeless individual or family in our community. For more information about Sacramento Self-Help Housing, please call 916-341-0593 or visit http://www.sacselfhelp.org.

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Sac Self-Help Housing Invites the Community to Donate Items to Housewarming for the Unhoused Drive-Thru - The Sacramento Press

Traditions and gatherings look very different for many people this holiday season because of COVID-19.But a local nonprofit is working to make sure every Lowcountry family has a meal on the table this Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is such a meaningful holiday for so many. Its about family, its about coming together," says Kimberly Hall, Executive Director of Bluffton Self Help.This Thanksgiving, Bluffton Self Help is seeing an increase in clients like never before because of the COVID-19 pandemic.The need continues to rise right here in our community, and people that are coming through that have never really asked for help before, were here to serve them," says Hall.This week their volunteers hosted two drive-thru Thanksgiving meal giveaways making sure every family drives away with a turkey, potatoes and stuffing.All the food was donated by the community.In total, the nonprofit was able to serve 400 families.Providing this food is more than just putting food on the table, its really giving that sense of community, that sense of support," Hall says.Bluffton Self Help serves those who live and work in Bluffton, and the nonprofit encourages anyone in need to give them a call.We want to continue to make sure nobody in our community goes hungry or homeless and well be there for them," Hall adds. Bluffton Self Help will host more holiday food distributions and a toy drive next month.If youd like to donate or volunteer, click here.

Traditions and gatherings look very different for many people this holiday season because of COVID-19.

But a local nonprofit is working to make sure every Lowcountry family has a meal on the table this Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is such a meaningful holiday for so many. Its about family, its about coming together," says Kimberly Hall, Executive Director of Bluffton Self Help.

This Thanksgiving, Bluffton Self Help is seeing an increase in clients like never before because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The need continues to rise right here in our community, and people that are coming through that have never really asked for help before, were here to serve them," says Hall.

This week their volunteers hosted two drive-thru Thanksgiving meal giveaways making sure every family drives away with a turkey, potatoes and stuffing.

All the food was donated by the community.

In total, the nonprofit was able to serve 400 families.

Providing this food is more than just putting food on the table, its really giving that sense of community, that sense of support," Hall says.

Bluffton Self Help serves those who live and work in Bluffton, and the nonprofit encourages anyone in need to give them a call.

We want to continue to make sure nobody in our community goes hungry or homeless and well be there for them," Hall adds.

Bluffton Self Help will host more holiday food distributions and a toy drive next month.

If youd like to donate or volunteer, click here.

Go here to see the original:
Bluffton Self Helps gives 400 families a Thanksgiving dinner thanks to generous community donations - WJCL News

Spencer Tierney

Tools like spreadsheets and budgeting apps can help you get better at saving money. But you might need to look beyond hard numbers to get a full financial picture.

Your mental health, especially during a stressful period such as the current pandemic, can play a role in money decisions. Know that if youre dealing with a recurring mindset or behavior thats troubling and not fully manageable, its OK.

"Just identifying [mental] roadblocks can go a long way to reducing their impact," says Tara Tussing Unverzagt, founder and president of South Bay Financial Partners, a certified financial planner and a certified financial therapist.

Mental health issues vary, but some can lead to serious financial consequences. Here are three scenarios to watch out for and how to keep your mental health on track these days.

Splurging occasionally can be fun, and sometimes we feel better when we buy things we dont actually need.

"There is some point where you need to balance your financial goals with some need for immediate gratification, says Megan McCoy, director of the masters program for personal financial planning at Kansas State University, a licensed marriage and family therapist and a certified financial therapist.

More:
Your Mental Health Can Affect How You Save Money - Daily Journal Online

Posted on November 22, 2020 at 9:17 pm by West Sider

By Amelia Roth-Dishy

Fairway Markets flagship location on 75th Street and Broadway has installed a fleet of self-checkout kiosks and they are already a hot topic on the Upper West Side.

The machines, which were inaugurated on Tuesday in advance of the Thanksgiving shopping rush, have replaced the markets popular Express Lane, which purportedly expedited checkout for customers with 10 items or fewer (though the experience was often more akin to riding the 1 train than the 2/3.)

Reactions have been mixed. One Upper West Sider wrote to the Rag, This new system is bewildering and difficult! All around me customers were flummoxed, and the number of staff assigned to helping people check out added up to plenty of people who could be cashiers instead.

The self-checkout line was quite long on Sunday afternoon, snaking through the store and stretching beyond the entrance. Shoppers did not seem to realize that the lines for regular checkout, in aisles 7, 8, and 9, were still operative. Nonetheless, customers seemed generally satisfied with the new machines as they left the store.

It went very well, said Anne, a customer who used a kiosk to purchase a few items.

Another shopper who had just utilized self-checkout remarked to the Rag in passing, Its fine. Theyre very helpful.

You cant please everybody, Michael, an assistant store manager, said. Since we put it in, some people, theyre happy about it, they love it, and some people, they hate it, but its about technology today and we did this to try to speed up the process, he added, noting that at least 2,000 customers per day have utilized self-checkout since the machines were set up.

According to Michael, all Fairway locations have transitioned their express lanes to self-checkout lanes. They have no plans of automating the rest of the registers.

Norma Riccucci, an Upper West Sider who lives near the store, found the self-checkout transaction process to be smooth. My only concern is demand for labor going down, she said. How many people did you fire to put in these machines?

While many Fairway customers have approached Michael this week to ask the same question, he insisted that no employees lost their job as a result of the self-checkout transition. We didnt fire anybody, he said. That was not the intention behind all this. The checkers without stations now have other positions in the store, primarily in roles that support the functionality of the machines themselves. On any one shift, Michael said, we have at least three people to do override and to make the line flow smoothly.

Indeed, a number of employees roamed the lane and assisted shoppers with figuring out the new technology or conducting manual override for miscounted items.

Its making everybodys life easier, especially this week, obviously its Thanksgiving week, Michael said. We both, customers and us, are gonna benefit from self-checkout.

The Whole Foods location on 97th and Columbus Avenue also transitioned a number of their checkout stations to self-service kiosks in October as part of a company-wide initiative. The Rag has reached out to Whole Foods, which is now a subsidiary of Amazon, for comment.

Originally posted here:
Fairway's New Self-Checkout Kiosks are the Buzz of the Neighborhood; Some Approve While Others are 'Flummoxed' - westsiderag.com

Gucci Mane and Jeezy's Verzuz filled everyone with anxiety.

Verzuz is an online musical competition in which two rappers, singers or producers go back and forth to play each other's hits. Sure, there's a WWF element to the showmanship of the competition, but this was different. If other rappers had beef, these two had the filet mignon of disagreements (without going into too much detail, Gucci ended up killing one of Jeezy's friends in what was determined self-defense).

The public thought the event could end in a fight or get canceled because some beef is just too thick. Instead, the episode ended with the pair performing a song together and publicly squashing a feud that lasted 15 years.

Moments later, I peeped the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 30-year reunion special, and Will Smith had a sit down with Janet Hubert (AKA the O.G. Aunt Viv, infamously recast because Smith and her didn't get along).

Before they sat down, they hadn't spoken in 27 years. When they forgave each other and hugged it out, in between the tears (theirs and mine), I realized the power of Black healing, and I'm here for it, a sentiment that seems perfect for this week of Thanksgiving and the ensuing holiday season.

I grew up in a culture where the idea of "self care" didn't exist. Admitting to depression or seeing a therapist was always a faux pas. One of the few bright spots of 2020 is that our time spent alone at home has given us time to self-reflect, regardless of whether we wanted to.

As a result, I've had many friends from similar backgrounds talk to me about taking mental health seriously and seeking help. I even got my first mani-pedi this year, and it frickin' changed my life. If I told my father such a thing years ago, he would've looked at me as if I told him I wanted to be a professional balloon maker.

I think about these moments of healing as we approach the holidays because this years experience will be at odds with what were accustomed to. All of the things we get annoyed about with Thanksgiving are if we handle ourselves responsibly in response to the rona coming to halt.

No spades tournaments, no visits from the crazy cousin that everyone else in the family bonds over because of their mutual disdain, no styrofoam plates with aluminum foil, and no drunk uncles dropping conspiracy theories about the election.

I usually hate those moments, but being deprived of them makes me understand their importance and the importance of nurturing those relationships and not just seeing them once a year on the holidays. I extend that to those family members that you may have tension with (and somehow wait for Turkey Day to air your grievances like its Festivus Feats of Strength).

Solve these issues now. Float out an awkward I love you message to those relatives or even an unsolicited apology that they never thought they would get. 2020 has proven that with so many unknowns, its unwise to wait to squash family beef next year.

COVID numbers are soaring back up again, and I miss my family. I haven't given my mother or sister a hug since March. My sister has special needs and wants to greet her younger brother by grabbing him and GIVING an occasional fist bump. We've now resorted to air fist bumps and me stopping her when she's reaches with open arms. She doesn't understand what's going on, but she knows that things are different.

I'm not a fan of platitudes, mainly when used in moments that require more depth and understanding. But I want to offer love this holiday season. If there have been beefs in my life, I assure you that it's not coming from my direction, and I want to offer grace to anyone I may have had odds with over the years.

I've done my share of crying in 2020. I want next year to be the year of healing those wounds.

But I'll settle for hugging my family again.

Preach Jacobs is a musician, artist and activist and founder of Cola-Con and indie label Sounds Familiar Records. You can hear his podcasts and read more work at FightThePower.co.

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Fight the Power: Squash your beef this holiday season - Charleston Post Courier

Pisgah Legal Services in Asheville says a "perfect storm" for evictions is brewing, between the pandemic worsening, winter approaching and relief programs running out at year's end.(Photo: mphillips007, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Todays batch of burning questions, my smart-aleck answers and the real deal:

Question: To what organizations or social service agencies can I contribute in order to help individuals and families who cannot pay the rent or meet their mortgage payments? I am lucky.I can continue to live on my pensions and Social Security. How can I pass it on?

My answer: I have sent you my address by personal message.

Real answer: First of all, I commend this reader for her altruistic nature and genuinely wanting to help others. Lord knows, we need as much of that sentiment in our country these days as possible.

More: COVID-19: Asheville commits $900K to help stop evictions, help with rent, homeless aid

Secondly, the need is tremendous, so her query is timely.

Pisgah Legal Services in Asheville works with a lot of folks struggling to pay the rent, and Executive Director Jim Barrett said a lot of folks are struggling.

Pisgah Legal continues to receive on average 1,000 calls each week, and the majority of those calls are related to urgent housing needs, Barrett said via email. "Furthermore, we are seeing more and more utility disconnects as households are unable to meet Duke Energy-required repayment plans and pay rising monthly utility bills due to colder weather.

As we reported in October, evictions in Buncombe County reached theirhighest point since the beginning of the pandemic, with 42 in September.The pandemic and subsequent economic downturn has increased the need for rental help substantially.

Pisgah Legal Services CEO Jim Barrett speaks at the memorial service for Minnie Jones, the longtime Asheville activist who died in February, at Nazareth First Baptist Missionary Church, Tuesday, March 17, 2015. (Photo: Katie Bailey/bkbailey@citizen-times.com)

"From July-September we opened 487 housing-related cases, compared to 295 during the same period in 2019, Barrett said. "And from the beginning of 2020 to September we closed 225 cases related to unemployment, compared to 14 during the same time last year.

More: Pisgah Legal overwhelmed: Thousands seek help with evictions, job loss, domestic violence

While North Carolina is still operating under an eviction moratorium, Barrett says not every tenant is protected. The moratorium order only halts evictions for those unable to pay their rent but doesn't extend to lease violations or the expiration of a renter's lease term.

It can get more complicated, Barrett said, because "tenants who qualify for the moratorium may not know that they must first try to find assistance, then fill out the CDCform affidavit to avail themselves of the moratorium." Also,enforcement of the moratorium is difficult, and Barrett says some people are being evicted who should be protected by it. Further, some households that qualify for the winter moratorium in utility disconnects (because of age or disability)are also unaware of that right and don'task for it.

This may seem obvious, but keeping people housed helps keep everyone safe, in part because it's healthier for the housed, partly because it keeps them from having to live in congregate settings such as homeless shelters. Barrett pointed to arecent University of Pennsylvania study that estimated that for every 70 evictions, one COVID-19 death could result.

Our front-line staff and volunteers are reporting more frustration and panic from folks across Western North Carolina who are contacting us for help, and with good reason," Barrett said.

He noted that the the federal stimulus money is gone, winter is coming, utility usage rises in cold months, and the eviction moratorium and COVID-related unemployment benefits end on Dec. 31.

"And when the moratorium does end, renters will still need to pay any back rent that has accrued," Barrett said. "For many, that will be a hefty bill they will not be able to meet.

He calls it a "perfect storm" of events, and Barrett wants folks to urge elected state officials to tap into "rainy day" funds to help people in need.

We need to act now to secure more resources and work with state, federal and local governments to keep people housed so that the situation doesnt become significantly worse," Barrett said. "We certainly appreciate any and all community donations to make this work possible."

Evie White, communications director at Pisgah Legal, compiled this list of organizations to which you can donate to help with rent and housing issues:

Buncombe County

ABCCM: Utility Assistance, Rent Assistance Main location: 828-259-5300; http://www.abccm.org.

Eblen Charities: Utility Assistance, Rent Assistance 828-255-3066; http://www.eblencharities.org.

Pisgah Legal Services: 828-210-3444; http://www.pisgahlegal.org/give.

Salvation Army of Buncombe County: Utility Assistance, Rent Assistance 828-253-4723; http://www.salvationarmycarolinas.org/commands/asheville.

OnTrack WNC: Financial Counseling 828-255-5166; https://ontrackwnc.org/.

Self-Help Credit Union: Small Business Lending 828-676-2196; http://www.self-help.org.

Homeward Bound: 828-258-1695; https://homewardboundwnc.org/.

Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministries: (828) 669-9404; http://www.svcmblackmountain.org/.

Henderson County

Thrive: 828.697.1581; https://thrive4health.org/.

Salvation Army of Hendersonville County - 828-693-4181; http://www.salvationarmycarolinas.org/Hendersonville/home.

Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, Yancey counties

WAMY Community Action 828-264-2421; https://www.wamycommunityaction.org/.

This is the opinion of John Boyle. To submit a question, contact him at 232-5847 or jboyle@citizen-times.com.

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Answer Man: How bad is the rent crisis? How can I help? - Citizen Times