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(by Matthew S. Schwartz, NPR) - [Elon Musk's SpaceX beat out teams led by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Leidos subsidiary Dynetics to win a nearly $3 billion contract to build NASA's next crewed lunar lander].

NASA will pay Elon Musk's SpaceX $2.9 billion to build a lunar landing system to ferry astronauts to the surface of the moon.

SpaceX was one of three companies chosen last year to develop technology for NASA's Human Landing System program. On Friday NASA announced SpaceX's "Starship" design had beat out the other two companies for the contract.

It's the first time the space agency has used a human lander built by a private company, and it marks an important milestone for an agency that has in recent years depended on commercial partnerships for its most important missions. [Bloomberg News notes: NASA budgeted $967 million for work by the three teams over 10 months, starting in May 2020. President Donald Trump's administration tasked NASA with returning astronauts to the moon's South Pole in 2024]. ...

NASA has also contracted with SpaceX on other projects, such as its Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule that will ferry astronauts to the International Space Station in the coming week.

The moon lander is being built as part of the Artemis program, which aims to bring Americans back to the moon by 2024, before setting its sights on Mars and beyond. NASA selected 18 astronauts last year to train for the moon mission.

The plan calls for NASA to send four astronauts aboard the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft on a multi-day journey to the moon's orbit. Then two crew members will transfer to SpaceX's lander for their descent to the lunar surface. After a week exploring the moon, they'll board the lander to return to Orion and head back to Earth.

NASA says that at least one of the astronauts landing on the moon will be a woman, making her the first woman to set foot on the moon. The agency says it also wants a person of color to land on the moon as part of the program.

A document obtained by the Bezos-owned Washington Post explained NASA's rationale for picking SpaceX over its competitors - Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, and the Alabama defense contractor Dynetics. NASA said SpaceX "was the lowest among the offers by a wide margin." NASA was also swayed by Starship's ability to carry large amounts of cargo to and from the moon, which it said "has the potential to greatly improve scientific operations."

"We are honored to be part of the @NASAArtemis team," Musk tweeted Friday. He added: "NASA Rules!!"

[CNBC reported:

NASA last year awarded the three teams with $967 million and 10-month contracts to begin work on the lunar lander concepts under its Human Landing Systems, or HLS, program.

SpaceX was awarded the least amount of those three, with $135 million. Meanwhile, Dynetics received $253 million and Bezos' Blue Origin had won $579 million.

NASA was expected to choose two of the three teams, making the sole selection of SpaceX a surprise given the agency's prior goals for the program to continue to be a competition".

NASA's Artemis mission to land astronauts on the moon by 2024 was a project promoted by President Donald Trump. President Biden's press secretary has indicated the current administration expects to continue with Artemis, but doesn't think they can accomplish it by President Trump's target date].
Published at npr .com. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.

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Musk Beats Bezos as SpaceX Wins NASA Moon Lander Award

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(by Matthew S. Schwartz, NPR) - [Elon Musk's SpaceX beat out teams led by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Leidos subsidiary Dynetics to win a nearly $3 billion contract to build NASA's next crewed lunar lander]. NASA will pay Elon Musk's SpaceX $2.9 billion to build a lunar landing system to ferry astronauts to the surface of the moon.

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Note: A pilot (or pilot program) is a test, or trial. It is an initial small-scale implementation that is used to prove the viability of a project idea. A pilot program lets you test things out on a small scale to ensure its success.

(by Cortney Moore, FoxBusiness) - Kroger is testing grocery delivery with drones.

The regional supermarket chain announced it is launching a "drone delivery pilot " this spring in two Ohio cities: Cincinnati and Monroe. According to a company release, the autonomous drones will be manufactured by Drone Express, a local delivery business under TELEGRID Technologies, Inc.

Through Kroger's pilot program, residents in Cincinnati and Monroe will be able to place online orders...and have their packages delivered straight to their smartphone's geolocation. This feature will reportedly help customers to get supplies while they are outside and don't have an exact address to provide, whether it be a park, beach or yard.

At this point in time, Drone Express drones can carry packages that are around five pounds. Customers who are ordering small items that don't exceed this weight limit should not have an issue in receiving their orders. Kroger's company released lists including baby care supplies, over-the-counter medications and s'mores kits as examples for customers who are trying to get eligible drone deliveries.

Kroger says the drones will be able to deliver goods "within as little as 15 minutes."

"Kroger's new drone delivery pilot is part of the evolution of our rapidly growing and innovative e-commerce business - which includes pickup, delivery, and ship and reached more than $10 billion in sales in 2020," Kroger's Group Vice President of Product experience Jody Kalmbach said, in a statement.

"The pilot reinforces the importance of flexibility and immediacy to customers, powered by modern, cost-effective, and efficient last-mile solutions," Kalmbach added. "We're excited to test drone delivery and gain insights that will inform expansion plans as well as future customer solutions."

Test flights will be conducted in early May by Drone Express. The launch site will be near the Kroger Marketplace in Centerville, Ohio - located at 1095 South Main Street.

A second pilot is said to be scheduled for summer at Kroger's subsidiary Ralphs, a supermarket chain that operates in Southern California.

While drone delivery seems to be the latest tech innovation Kroger is exploring, the company has been building up autonomous systems to help with online demand.

In July 2020, Kroger began building a distribution center in Frederick, Md. that reportedly uses "advanced robotics" to fulfill online orders for those who live in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The autonomous system developed by the British tech company Ocado Solutions allows robotic packers to sort and prepare grocery orders with minimal human interaction.
Published at FoxBusiness .com. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.

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Kroger testing drone delivery service for small groceries, items in Ohio

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Note: A pilot (or pilot program) is a test, or trial. It is an initial small-scale implementation that is used to prove the viability of a project idea. A pilot program lets you test things out on a small scale to ensure its success. (by Cortney Moore, FoxBusiness) - Kroger is testing grocery delivery with drones.

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Buying a used car? Rental companies may beat you to it

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Buying a used car? Rental companies may beat you to it

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(by David Welch, Bloomberg News) - The semiconductor shortage has slashed vehicle production so much that rental-car companies can't get the new cars they need, so they have resorted to buying used vehicles at auction.

This is uncharted territory for the likes of Hertz Global Holdings Inc. and Enterprise Holdings Inc., which have made their profits by purchasing new vehicles cheaply in bulk, renting them out for as much as a year and selling them at auction. In the past, they have bought some used cars to shore up an occasional unforeseen burst in demand, but rarely for the mainstays of their fleets.

"You would never go into auction to buy routine sedans and SUVs," said Maryann Keller, an independent consultant who used to be on the board of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, which is now part of Hertz. "These are special circumstances. There is a shortage of cars."

The demand is sending used-car costs soaring. The Manheim Index, which measures prices at wholesale auctions, shows they're 52% higher than they were a year ago.

"We expect to see records in the Manheim Index through June before demand softens enough to align with supply trends," said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist of Cox Automotive, which owns Manheim, the nation's largest used-car auction. "We expect retail prices to continue to rise into the summer, as retail trends tend to follow wholesale trends with a six-week lag."

Vehicle production fell 4.6% in the first quarter (Jan-Feb-March 2021), and that's compared to 2020 when factories had already lost weeks of work when the Covid-19 pandemic caused shutdown, according to LMC Automotive.

Despite the acquisition expenses, the car crunch is a boon for rental companies, which stand to benefit from improved profitability as they rent out every car they own at much higher rates than they could charge before the Covid pandemic. But consumers will take a hit if they want to rent a car for vacation, Keller said. .....

The problem started a year ago, when the pandemic decimated travel. Rental companies sold hundreds of thousands of cars, said Neil Abrams, president of Abrams Consulting Group Inc., which works in the rental industry. Then travel bounced back right when auto production was hit by a shortage of semiconductors.

Ford Motor Co.'s production was down 17% in the first quarter (Jan-Feb-March 2021) and could be off by as much as 50% in the second quarter, the company said on its earnings call. Other companies have a similarly foreboding message.

"This is one of the rare events that I've seen where we have more customers and not enough cars," Abrams said.

Supply is only getting tighter, Manheim's Smoke said in an email. Manheim started the year with record-low supply, but further increases in demand have reduced that even further, he said. Wholesale vehicle values have been increasing for 13 straight weeks thus far, with prices accelerating to their highest weekly levels in recent weeks.

Rental companies have to hold cars longer. Manheim's midmonth report in April said that the rental cars coming to auction had an average of 79,000 miles on them, up 54% compared with a year ago and up 18% month-over-month. In normal times, rental companies like to sell cars before they hit 40,000 miles, Keller said.

Meanwhile, consumers are paying top dollar if they can find rental cars, said Jonathan Weinberg, chief executive officer of AutoSlash, which helps consumers find the lowest rental rates.

"We're seeing some eye-popping numbers. We're seeing average rates in Florida of $100 a day, $200 a day in Hawaii and $600 a day in Puerto Rico," Weinberg said. "We think it will get worse in the next couple of weeks. Vehicle travel is up and vehicle inventory is down."

Consumers may hate it, said Hamzah Mazari, an analyst with Jefferies & Co., but after a year that saw Hertz enter bankruptcy and Avis lose $569 million, the rental companies will enjoy some fat margins.

"We haven't seen rates like this in a long time," Mazari said. "They will have very good profits."

Published at bloomberg .com - with assistance by Gabrielle Coppola. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from Bloomberg News.

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Buying a used car? Rental companies may beat you to it

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(by David Welch, Bloomberg News) - The semiconductor shortage has slashed vehicle production so much that rental-car companies can't get the new cars they need, so they have resorted to buying used vehicles at auction. This is uncharted territory for the likes of Hertz Global Holdings Inc.

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1) Maryland raising smoking age

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(by Charlie Youngmann | Capital News Service at NBC News12) ANNAPOLIS, Maryland - What do cigarettes, Juul pods, rolling papers and nicotine-free vape juice all have in common? Starting Oct. 1 they will all be considered "tobacco products" in Maryland, and you will have to be at least 21 to buy them.

House bill 1169 and its corresponding Senate bill 895 will raise the smoking age in Maryland to 21 as well as reclassify all vape products and accessories as tobacco products regardless of their nicotine concentration.

Vendors will still be able to sell tobacco products to active duty service members who are at least 18 with military IDs.

Vapes have become a serious issue in schools, where their popularity has shot up in recent years. Usage of vapes by high school students nearly doubled last year, increasing from 11 percent in 2017 to almost 21 percent in 2018, according to the United States Surgeon General.

While vapes are popular among adults trying to quit smoking, they still present the risk of nicotine addiction. Though studies of their long-term effects are lacking, vapes have been deemed dangerous for children by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Under this bill, selling tobacco products without a license could result in fines up to $1,000 and/or 30 days imprisonment. Licensed retailers who sell to people younger than 21 could face a $300 fine for their first offense, $1,000 for the second offense within two years of the first and $3,000 for a third offense within two years of the second. ...

The bill also authorizes the Maryland Department of Health to use people younger than 21 to conduct unannounced inspections of tobacco product retailers. Devin Farmer, a store supervisor at VAPE180 in Annapolis, Maryland, said he's experienced similar sting operations working at gas stations, but never at his vape shop.

Farmer said this practice could potentially work, "Maybe kind of as a scare tactic, maybe a once here and there kind of thing. I wouldn't make it a normal, everyday kind of occurrence," he said. ...

In 11 other states including Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia, the age to purchase tobacco has been raised to 21, according to tobaccofreekids. Delaware and Pennsylvania are among other states considering this change. .....

Julia Cen Chen-Sankey is a postdoctoral fellow with the National Institutes of Health. While researching her doctoral dissertation at the University of Maryland, Chen-Sankey said that she found sweet vape flavors can act as a gateway into other tobacco products for young users.

High school students make up the largest group of vape users in the United States, with sweet flavors like fruits and desserts being the most popular with young users, Chen-Sankey explained.

While this bill will likely reduce the number of vaping high school students, Chen-Sankey said, restrictions on sweet flavors and marketing could further aid in preventing underage usage.

Chen-Sankey explained that even in products labeled nicotine-free, some traces of the chemical may still be present, or the packaging could be mislabeled. She said that the broad tobacco product classifications put in place by this bill would ensure that consumers are aware of the health risks of vaping, regardless of what they are purchasing.

A pair of failed bills this session-House bill 1185 and Senate bill 708-would have restricted vape packaging to exclude cartoons, teen mascots and other imagery deemed appealing to children.

"I'd like to see (the vapor industry) keep growing as it has. There's honestly not a place in Maryland you can go without seeing a vape shop nowadays. They're everywhere," Farmer said.

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University's Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia. Published at NBC News12 from Capital News Service on April 18. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.

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Maryland joins Virginia in raising smoking age to 21

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(by Charlie Youngmann | Capital News Service at NBC News12) ANNAPOLIS, Maryland - What do cigarettes, Juul pods, rolling papers and nicotine-free vape juice all have in common? Starting Oct. 1 they will all be considered "tobacco products" in Maryland, and you will have to be at least 21 to buy them.

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2) Fire guts Paris' Notre Dame

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(by Sybille de La Hamaide, Julie Carriat, Reuters) PARIS - A massive fire consumed Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday, gutting and destroying the roof of the Paris landmark and stunning France and the world, but firefighters said they had saved the shell of the stone structure from collapse.

Flames that began in the early evening burst rapidly through the roof of the centuries-old cathedral and engulfed the spire, which toppled, quickly followed by the entire roof.

As it burned into the evening, firefighters battled to prevent one of the main bell towers from collapsing. One firefighter was seriously injured - the only reported casualty.

"We now believe that the two towers of Notre Dame have been saved," Paris fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet told reporters at the scene. "We now consider that the main structure of Notre Dame has been saved and preserved."

There was still a risk that some of the interior structures could collapse, and firefighters would work overnight to cool them down, he said.
(Click here for a 3D diagram of Notre Dame from Reuters)
Distraught Parisians and stunned tourists gazed in disbelief as the inferno raged at the cathedral, which sits on the Ile de la Cite, an island in the River Seine and marks the very center of Paris.

Thousands of onlookers lined bridges over the Seine and along its embankments, held at a distance by a police cordon.

World leaders expressed shock and sent condolences to the French people. President Emmanuel Macron said the whole nation was distressed. "Like all our compatriots, I am sad this evening to see this part of all of us burn," he tweeted.

A huge plume of smoke wafted across the city and ash fell over a large area. People watching gasped as the spire folded over onto itself and fell into the inferno.

Firefighters battled smoke and falling drops of molten lead to salvage priceless artworks and relics.

A centuries-old crown of thorns made from reeds and gold and the tunic worn by Saint Louis, a 13th century king of France, were saved, Notre Dame's top administrative cleric, Monsignor Patrick Chauvet said. But firefighters had struggled to take down some of the large paintings in time, he said.

The Paris prosecutor's office said it had launched an inquiry into the fire. Several police sources said that they were working on the assumption for now that it was accidental.

"Everything is collapsing," a police officer near the scene said as the cathedral continued to burn.

...The Vatican said the fire at the "symbol of Christianity in France and in the world" had caused shock and sadness and said it was praying for the firefighters.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, said at the scene that some of many artworks that were in the cathedral had been taken out and were being put in safe storage.

The cathedral, which dates back to the 12th century, features in Victor Hugo's classic novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." It is a UNESCO World Heritage site that attracts millions of tourists every year.

It is a focal point for French Roman Catholics who like Christians around the world are celebrating Holy Week, marking the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The archbishop of Paris called on all priests in Paris to ring church bells as a gesture of solidarity for Notre Dame.

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World #1 - FRANCE: Developing Story - Fire guts Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral

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(by Sybille de La Hamaide, Julie Carriat, Reuters) PARIS - A massive fire consumed Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday, gutting and destroying the roof of the Paris landmark and stunning France and the world, but firefighters said they had saved the shell of the stone structure from collapse.

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3) New Jersey Middle School; Phone Free

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(from News12 New Jersey) Plainfield, NJ - A middle school in Union County, NJ is forcing its students to stay disconnected in class, by prohibiting cellphones.

Maxson Middle School Principal Kevin Stansbury implemented the phone ban last week after he noticed some major issues inside of the school.

"Our test scores were down, suspensions were up, discipline was up," he says.

Stansbury says students were too distracted by their phones to focus on school. So he purchased Yondr pouches for the school. When students come in to class each morning, they place their phones in the pouch, which is then locked up tight. It can only be opened using a special device at the end of the day.

Eighth-graders who spoke with News 12 New Jersey say that they noticed a change in a matter of hours.

"It's just better for everyone because you'll understand how it feels to get more work done instead of paying attention to the phone," says student Charlene V.

"I'm usually listening to music, not listening to no one, but today I got to communicate with all my friends," says student Desiree D.

The program was originally met with some backlash from students and parents. But teachers and administrators say that the program will have a major impact.

"Students were talking and laughing and there were no cellphones other than being carried in the pouches," Stansbury says.

Teacher Nia Cummings says she even noticed students bouncing ideas off each other in class. She says students used to give up quickly and just look for answers on their phones. She says they now try to figure it out themselves.

Maxson Middle School is currently the only one in the district to use these pouches.

Yondr Pouches have been used at some concerts and comedy shows in venues that do not want their audiences to use their phones.
Published at newjersey .news12 .com on March 29. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from News12.

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NJ middle school makes students go phone-free

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(from News12 New Jersey) Plainfield, NJ - A middle school in Union County, NJ is forcing its students to stay disconnected in class, by prohibiting cellphones. Maxson Middle School Principal Kevin Stansbury implemented the phone ban last week after he noticed some major issues inside of the school.

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4) Teen Depression & Social Media

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(by Patti Neighmond, NPR) - A study published Thursday in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology finds the percentage of U.S. teens and young adults reporting mental distress, depression and suicidal thoughts and actions has risen significantly over the past decade.

While these problems also increased among adults 26 and older, the increase was not nearly as large as among young people born from the early 1980s to the late 1990s.

The study findings suggest a generational shift says San Diego State University psychologist Jean Twenge, who headed the study. To see a significant increase in negative psychological states "among our vulnerable population of teens and young adults is absolutely heartbreaking," she says.

Twenge and her colleagues analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a government survey that tracks mental health and substance use in individuals age 12 and over in the U.S. They looked at survey responses from more than 200,000 adolescents ages 12 to 17 and almost 400,000 young adults ages 18 and over between 2005 and 2017.

They found the rate of individuals reporting symptoms consistent with major depression over the past year increased 52 percent in teens and 63 percent in young adults over a decade. Girls were more vulnerable than boys. By 2017 one out of every five teenage girls had experienced major depression in the last year.

Rates of psychological distress, which Twenge describes as "feeling nervous, hopeless or that everything in life is an effort" rose by 71 percent among people aged 18 to 25. Suicidal thoughts, plans and attempts also increased. Death from suicide increased by 56 percent among 18- to 19-year-olds between 2008 and 2017.

Understanding exactly why these trends are on the rise is always a challenge, says Twenge, since researchers can only point out correlations, not causes. But, she says, since the trends are "pretty large in a fairly short period of time, that helps us narrow what the likely cause might be."

She thinks the rise in smartphone and social media use is a significant factor. By 2012, smartphones had become widespread, she says, and it's around that same time that social media began to dominate young people's lives. For example, in 2009 about half of high school seniors visited social media sites every day. That's climbed to about 85 percent today, with Instagram and Snapchat replacing Facebook as the main "go to social media site," she says.

It's not just the phone or social media itself, says Twenge. It's the amount of time teens and young adults spend with it. As Twenge found in earlier research, the more time they spend, the greater the risk of depressive symptoms. Twenge says it's known from a body of research that in-person social contact is good for mental health. She questions whether spending that same amount of time on Instagram and Snapchat is just as beneficial, and says "it seems clear the answer is 'No.' "

"Spending time on social media tends not to be in real time," she says. "You're not having a real time conversation with someone - usually you're not seeing their face and you can't give them a hug; it's just not as emotionally fulfilling as seeing someone in person."

The findings of the new study ring "completely true" for clinical child psychologist Mary Fristad with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University, who was not involved in the study. Fristad, who treats children from age 10 through to college age, says her patients are concerned "not about how much fun they look forward to having over the weekend, but about what event can they post on Snapchat so that other people will know they have friends."

Fristad says kids are developmentally more worried about peer status and approval during pre-teen and teenage years. Social media exaggerates that process, she says, because it's so public, available, and highly visual. It's like "taking what happens in typical adolescent development and putting it on steroids," she says.

For example, as opposed to "going to school with 'meh' hair suddenly there's a picture of you with 'meh' hair. Everybody's going to see it, can comment on it, make fun of you," she says. These experiences resonate enormously during adolescence and can deeply affect teen's confidence and sense of self.

In order to better understand the impact of social media on this age group, Fristad organized a focus group of college students at Ohio State. The students had all received smartphones when they were 13 or 14. What they told her was was in line with current study's findings. The students described "another realm of things to worry about, pressure to build your brand, sharing too much and making unrealistic comparisons to other kids ... being constantly on the phone and not engaging in face-to-face interactions."

"There's just a lot of heightened tension around this," says Fristad. And the advice from [the students who participated in the study]? "Phones Off, Friends On."

...Researcher and clinical psychologist Steve Ilardi, with the University of Kansas tries to help anxious and depressed kids feel better. The good news, he says, is that it's clear that they "intuitively grasp that how we live now is not ideal for us." Teens get that spending hours surfing, bringing their phones to bed, "this relentless cascade of stressful notifications and images is not good for them and they get it."

Ilardi developed a treatment approach, based on cognitive behavioral therapy, that helps young people make lifestyle changes, focusing on better diet and nutrition, exercise, exposure to sunlight and getting a good night's sleep, all of which have been shown to reduce depressive symptoms.

"Kids buy into it," says Ilardi, "when you lay it out for them and explain they can be empowered to make changes themselves that can make a big difference in how you feel, how your brain, mind and body functions."

He says behavior change can "help kids get unstuck from their perpetual sense of anxiety, stress and depression."
Published at NPR .com on March 14. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from NPR.

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A rise in depression among teens could be linked to social media use

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(by Patti Neighmond, NPR) - A study published Thursday in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology finds the percentage of U.S. teens and young adults reporting mental distress, depression and suicidal thoughts and actions has risen significantly over the past decade.

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5) Middle School Student buys friend new wheelchair

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(Compiled from KTHV, NY Post and CNN) -NORMAN, Ark. - Navigating high school just got a little easier for one Montgomery County senior, thanks to his friend who surprised him with a gift he could only dream of.

Roaming the hallways of Caddo Hills High Schools is now one of Brandon Qualls favorite things to do.

"It's awesome, I may hit a few doors but it's worth it!" Brandon said.

But getting around was not always this easy for Brandon. For years, he used a manual wheelchair to get to class.

"My arms would get really tired and I would have to stop and take rests," he said. "It's been my dream to just have one of these. And my dream came true."

Brandon's friend, Tanner Wilson, saved up his own money to buy Brandon his own electric wheelchair. He worked part-time at a local car mechanic shop to save up for the purchase. It took him two years to save enough money. He did not share the price of the wheelchair, but they typically cost several thousand dollars.

"He's just been a really good friend and I wanted to do him a favor," Tanner said. "I just felt like I needed to do it and I wanted to do it. Brandon, he's just always been there for me."

Tanner surprised Brandon during class on Feb. 26. Brandon said he was completely shocked when he rolled it in.

"They came in and my face just blew up...crying everywhere...just like 'Wow, can't believe he did that for me!'" Brandon said.

Tanner said the look on Brandon's face was unforgettable. "Kids ask me was it worth it was it worth it? Yeah, 100 percent," Tanner said.

"There's many people out here that have troubles and need a little bit of help. Sometimes they can't do it for themselves," Tanner said.

Wilson's mom, Colleen Carmack, told CNN that her son is grateful that his kind act is getting attention on social media.

"They both deserve the attention because they're both great and wonderful kids," Carmack said.

Is she surprised at her son's behavior? Not at all. "That's him. He's always been about everybody else and not himself."

She said Tanner has "had some bad experiences over the last year, so him being able to help somebody else has really brought him out - being able to know that he made a difference. And I can see a difference in him - like wanting to get out and do more."

Tanner and Brandon have been friends for years, Carmack said. "They talk about cars a lot and trucks and that kind of stuff. I'm really proud of both of them."

Tanner said he searched for the right wheelchair for about a year, before finding this one for sale on Facebook.

The chair will remain at school for Qualls until the family can get a car to accommodate the chair.
Compiled from articles at KTHV and by Alexandra Klausner at NYPost .com. and Thom Patterson, CNN. Reprinted here for educational purposes only.

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High school student saves for over 2 years to buy his friend a new wheelchair

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(Compiled from KTHV, NY Post and CNN) -NORMAN, Ark. - Navigating high school just got a little easier for one Montgomery County senior, thanks to his friend who surprised him with a gift he could only dream of. Roaming the hallways of Caddo Hills High Schools is now one of Brandon Qualls favorite things to do.

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6) Venezuela Blackout

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(by Tom Phillips, The Guardian) - At least 21 people - six of them babies - have so far died as a result of Venezuela's shattering nationwide blackout, opposition leaders [charged] as they prepared to hold an emergency debate on the crisis in the capital, Caracas.

"These are not just numbers, these are Venezuelan lives that would not have been lost were it not for the ineptitude of Nicolás Maduro," tweeted José Manuel Olivares, a doctor and opposition politician who is monitoring its impact on Venezuela's already debilitated healthcare system.

According to Olivares's count, 15 patients died in the Manuel Núñez Tovar hospital in the north-eastern city of Maturín after the power went out there following Thursday's outage, which has still not been restored.

Two newborn babies died in the Hospital de los Magallanes de Catia in Caracas, one of which was suffering from severe malnutrition.

Olivares told the Guardian the number of fatalities would rise as the true extent of the calamity became clearer. The power cut meant it had still not been possible to communicate with many hospitals.

On Monday morning, the opposition leader Juan Guaidó - who most western governments now recognize as Venezuela's legitimate interim leader [at least 50 countries] - hit out at Maduro, who retains the support of China and Russia. "Our people are still living with the threat of new blackouts while these cynics lie and laugh at pain and death," Guaidó tweeted.

Venezuela's Socialist defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López, claimed the government was "working tirelessly" to resolve the crisis, which it has blamed on a US-backed conspiracy designed to topple Maduro and bring Guaidó to power.

There were reports that electricity had returned to some parts of Caracas while the Chavista [Socialist] governor of the neighboring state of Miranda claimed electricity had returned to 80% of his territory.

However, experts fear the crisis - which many attribute to poor maintenance and corruption - is far from being resolved.

Schools and businesses were again ordered shut on Monday.

"In my house we haven't had any light since Thursday. There is no water, no [phone] signal, no light, no nothing," said Anna Ferrera, a student activist from eastern Caracas.

Ferrera said that in the early hours of Monday an electrical substation had exploded not far from her home.

"None of us have ever lived through something like this - not my generation, not my parents, not my grandmother. They say this is like living in a war."
[NOTE: From wikipedia: In February 2018, Socialist president Nicholas Maduro called for presidential elections four months before the actual election date. He was declared the winner in May 2018 after multiple major opposition parties were banned from participating, among other irregularities; many said the elections were invalid. Politicians both internally and internationally said Maduro was not legitimately elected, and considered him an ineffective dictator.
Juan Guaidó was the President of the National Assembly of Venezuela when he was made acting President of Venezuela in January 2019 based on Article 233 of the Constitution of Venezuela. He has been recognized as the legitimate leader by more than 50 governments.]
Published at theguardian .com on March 11. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from The Guardian.

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World #1 - Days-long blackout in Venezuela has killed 21 people

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(by Tom Phillips, The Guardian) - At least 21 people - six of them babies - have so far died as a result of Venezuela's shattering nationwide blackout, opposition leaders [charged] as they prepared to hold an emergency debate on the crisis in the capital, Caracas.

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7) The U.S. Exports more energy than it Imports

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(by Matt Egan, CNN Business) - The United States, long beholden to foreign oil, is poised to become a net energy exporter starting next year.

Thanks to the shale oil and natural gas boom, the United States will export more energy than it imports in 2020 for the first time since 1953, according to a forecast published Thursday by the Energy Department's statistics division. That's two years earlier than what was previously expected.

And it won't be a one-off achievement. The United States is likely to be a net energy exporter through at least 2050, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said.

"It's a big deal. We're not as reliant on foreign oil as we were," said Michael Tran, managing director of global energy strategy at RBC Capital Markets.

The seeds for this milestone were planted by the shale revolution that began last decade. New technology unlocked vast amounts of natural gas and crude oil in the United States. Production of both skyrocketed, which reshaped the global energy landscape.

The end of the 40-year ban on oil exports in late 2015 really changed the game. [Republicans in congress championed the proposal. Reluctant Democrats supported it because in exchange they were able to negotiate an additional five years of tax credits for wind and solar power, which they are keen on.] US shipments of crude have exploded since then.

According to the scenario the EIA thinks is mostly likely to happen, the United States should become a net exporter of petroleum liquids - oil and products like gasoline - after 2020. It's a milestone that was briefly achieved late last year. For one week in November, US exports of crude oil and petroleum products exceeded imports, the EIA said. It was the first time that happened on a weekly basis since the EIA began tracking in 1991.

"US crude exports are wildly disrupting the global oil trade. And US shale continues to grow at an unbridled pace," Tran said.

Fueled by shale hotbeds like the Permian Basin of Texas, the United States surpassed Russia and Saudi Arabia in terms of monthly oil production last year. US output spiked from about 5 million barrels per day in 2008 to a record 10.9 million barrels last year, the EIA said.

The International Energy Agency said the 2 million barrel-per-day jump in US production last year was the biggest jump ever recorded by any country.

The growth is likely to continue, albeit at a more moderate pace. According to the EIA's most likely scenario, US oil production is expected to keep setting annual records through 2027, and remain greater than 14 million barrels per day through 2040. ...

Even though the United States is shrinking its reliance on foreign oil, it won't be able to credibly declare energy independence in 2020. "You're not going to be fully insulated from geopolitical risk or decisions that OPEC makes," RBC's Tran said.

That's in part because of the makeup of America's refinery complex, which requires a healthy dose of medium and heavy crudes found overseas. Refineries can't operate solely on the very light crude found in domestic shale oilfields.

While becoming a net energy exporter is a "tremendous development," the United States wouldn't be "completely self-sufficient," said Joe McMonigle, a former Energy Department official under President George W. Bush who is now senior energy policy analyst at Hedgeye Potomac Research.

"Until the US refining sector is able to process more lighter crudes, we're never going to have energy independence," McMonigle said.
CNN Business' Ivana Kottasova contributed to this report. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from CNN Business.

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Next year, the US will export more energy than it imports. That hasn't happened since 1953

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(by Matt Egan, CNN Business) - The United States, long beholden to foreign oil, is poised to become a net energy exporter starting next year. Thanks to the shale oil and natural gas boom, the United States will export more energy than it imports in 2020 for the first time since 1953, according to a forecast published Thursday by the Energy Department's statistics division.

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9) Google CEO denies any Bias

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(by Crystal Woodall and Amber C. Strong, CBN News) WASHINGTON - GOP lawmakers pressed Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Tuesday over allegations of employees' anti-conservative bias and how that may unduly influence the company's business practices. ... Pichai told House Judiciary Committee members he runs the corporation without partiality toward any ideology.

During the House Judiciary Committee hearing, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) noted:

"By ranking pages, Google's search always favors one page over another. This process, however, turns much more sinister with allegations that Google manipulates the algorithm to favor the political party it likes."

...California Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren also had some questions for Pichai on how Google's search engine works.

"If you Google the word idiot under images, a picture of Donald Trump comes up - I just did that. How would that happen?" she asked the Google CEO.

"We try to rank and find the best results for that query." Pichai replied.

"So it's not some little man sitting behind the curtain figuring out what we're going to show the user?" Lofgren said.

However, a study from Pew Research reveals concerns of bias are bipartisan. Researchers found that 85 percent of Republicans and 62 percent of Democrats believe social media companies intentionally censor viewpoints they find objectionable.

Even so, Pichai denied the charges.

"I lead this company without political bias and work to ensure that our products continue to operate that way," Pichai said in his opening remarks. "To do otherwise would go against our core principles and our business interests. We are a company that provides platforms for diverse perspectives and opinions - and we have no shortage of them among our own employees."

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) was equally dismissive, calling the notion a "delusion" and a "right-wing conspiracy theory." ...

Critics say there's so much evidence, in fact, that there's now a whole movie about the controversial issue. It's called "The Creepy Line" (see video under "Resources" below)

In the 80-minute documentary, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt explains that "Google policy on a lot of these things is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it."

Furthermore, a leaked video published by Breitbart showed some Google executives seemingly lamenting the 2016 election results.

"We saw how upset some of the top people in Google were, and for you to come in here and tell us, 'There is no political bias in Google,' tells us you're either being dishonest - I don't wanna think that - or you don't have a clue how politically biased Google is," Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) charged.

Meanwhile, in a National Review op-ed, Kyle Smith explains how the tech giant keeps track of users both on and offline using what he calls a "surveillance business model."

"Google knows more about you than your spouse does," he wrote. "It even has drafts of emails you didn't send. Oh, and they have the power to block information from reaching you, too."

"Just by bumping undesirable stuff to the second page of search, Google can more or less make it disappear," he continued. "Hey, good thing Google doesn't have any overt political or cultural preferences you might not agree with, right?"

The Google chief also faced tough questions over whether his company was planning to build a search engine for China. The tech giant pulled out of that country in 2010 in a high-profile dispute with its communist government's policies.

Pichai indicated Google had no plans to do so "right now."
Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from CBN.

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Google CEO denies any bias in the company

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(by Crystal Woodall and Amber C. Strong, CBN News) WASHINGTON - GOP lawmakers pressed Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Tuesday over allegations of employees' anti-conservative bias and how that may unduly influence the company's business practices. ... Pichai told House Judiciary Committee members he runs the corporation without partiality toward any ideology.

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8) Teen Vaping declared Epidemic

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The U.S. surgeon general on Tuesday issued a strong warning against e-cigarette use by young people, called it "unsafe" in any form and termed vaping an "epidemic."

"Two years after my predecessor sounded the alarm bells, youth e-cigarette use has skyrocketed - so much so today that I am officially declaring e-cigarette use among youth an epidemic in the United States," said U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams ....

"And I don't want there to be any misconceptions about this. I don't use that word, epidemic, which means a sudden increase above normally expected numbers, I do not use that word lightly," Adams said.

It's a considerably sterner and more specific warning than the one Adams referenced from 2016, when the same federal office identified vaping as an emerging public health concern. Since then, studies have shown a sharp uptick among young people using the devices and companies that sell the liquid nicotine in flavors that appeal to teens.

Adams was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who emphasized data showing a historic increase in e-cigarette use that outpaces youth use of any other substance.

"The bottom line is that in the data sets we use, we've never seen use of any substance, and by America's young people, rise this rapidly. This is an unprecedented challenge," Azar said.

According to Adams, of particular concern is the availability of new products, including ones shaped like a USB flash drive. The office has released photos of what the devices look like as a resource to parents.

One such device made by the company JUUL saw a 600 percent surge in sales in recent years, according to Adams. And a typical JUUL cartridge, or "pod," contains about as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes, his office stated.

"Today, we must protect our nation's young people from a lifetime of nicotine addiction and associated problems by immediately addressing youth e-cigarette use," Adams said. "We're far too often, in health and in public health, late to the game. But now is the time to take action."

JUUL has said its goal is to help adult smokers by providing them with a "true alternative" to [tobacco] cigarettes. The company has rolled out an age-verification system for its products and [following a threat from the government to ban flavored pods] offered to rein in sales of flavored vaping devices popular with younger consumers, including mango, creme and cucumber.

But the industry's response wasn't enough to preempt the surgeon general from issuing its official nationwide warning Tuesday.

"These products also use nicotine salts, which allow particularly high levels of nicotine to be inhaled more easily and with less irritation than the free-base nicotine that has traditionally been used in tobacco products, including e-cigarettes," according to the surgeon general.

"This is of particular concern for young people, because it could make it easier for them to initiate the use of nicotine through these products and also could make it easier to progress to regular e-cigarette use and nicotine dependence. However, despite these risks, approximately two- thirds of JUUL users aged 15-24 do not know that JUUL always contains nicotine," the office added.

...E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that turn liquid nicotine into an vapor that can be inhaled. E-cigarettes have been pushed by manufacturers as an alternative to tobacco cigarettes because it doesn't produce tar.

Those benefits to the country's shrinking population of smokers are largely outweighed by the harms posed to the growing population of young vape users, said Dr. Jacques Fontaine, a lung specialist and surgeon at the Moffitt Cancer Center.

"E-cigarettes are just as [chemically] addictive as regular cigarettes," Fontaine told ABC News. "They are more addictive in the sense that people feel they're safe."

Health professionals including Fontaine say more research is needed to uncover potential long-term effects of e-cigarette use.

As a general rule, doctors say it's not safe to casually inhale any type of smoke or chemical vapor. In addition to its addictiveness, nicotine can have damaging developmental effects on the human brain for people younger than 25, according to health experts.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates 1 in 5 high school students use the products. That's more than 3 million current e-cigarette users in the nations high schools, up from 220,000 students in 2011, according to the CDC.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has imposed fines on e-cigarette retailers for unlawfully selling e-cigarette products to minors.
From ABCNews .com. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from ABC News.

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(Back on Jan. 14) - Teen vaping declared an epidemic

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The U.S. surgeon general on Tuesday issued a strong warning against e-cigarette use by young people, called it "unsafe" in any form and termed vaping an "epidemic." "Two years after my predecessor sounded the alarm bells, youth e-cigarette use has skyrocketed - so much so today that I am officially declaring e-cigarette use among youth an epidemic in the United States," said U.S.

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10) More than 1,000 aftershocks rock region after quake in Alaska

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(by Ray Sanchez, Madeline Holcombe and Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN) - More than 1,000 aftershocks of magnitude 1.5 or greater have shaken Alaska since Friday's big quake knocked out power, ripped open roads and splintered buildings in Anchorage, US Geological Survey (USGS) geophysicist Randy Baldwin said Sunday.

The majority were of a magnitude of 2.5 or weaker, meaning they weren't likely felt. But more than 350 of the aftershocks were higher than 2.5, according to USGS data.

Still, local officials said that life was slowly returning to normal after Friday's magnitude 7 earthquake, even as 4 to 8 inches of snow was expected Sunday.

"It's interesting how things look different in the light of a new day," Anchorage Municipal Manager Bill Falsey said, adding that aftershocks have been tapering off.

"Tomorrow is going to be a day closer to a normal sort of day, meaning that we're going to have a weather event," said Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz. "It's winter in Alaska."

No fatalities or serious injuries were reported, officials said. In Alaska's largest city - with a population of about 300,000 - airports, hospitals, emergency services and most businesses were operating.

"The power is up. The heat is on. The communication lines are opening," Falsey said.

Most of the aftershocks have not rattled Alaskans. But 12 as of Sunday morning more powerful than 4.5 struck near Anchorage and Big Lake, the USGS says.

A 5.2 aftershock about 11 p.m. Friday was the second-biggest since a 5.7 temblor hit minutes after the main quake, said Gavin Hayes, a research geophysicist with the USGS.

"That would have given people a shake and probably a bit of a scare given what they went through yesterday," he told CNN.

The 7.0 earthquake sent residents scurrying for cover when it hit about 8:30 a.m. Friday. The quake was centered 10 miles northeast of Anchorage.

"The most striking thing about this event was that it was so close to Anchorage," Hayes said. "That's why it has caused the damage that we're seeing."

The earthquake was not unusual for the region and probably wouldn't have received much attention had it not struck so close to town, he said.

"This is the second-largest earthquake we've had since 1964, which was a very significant earthquake," Mayor Berkowitz told reporters Saturday, referring to the 9.2 quake that was the most powerful recorded in US history.

"In terms of a disaster, I think it says more about who we are than what we suffered," Berkowitz said. "I would characterize this as a demonstration that Anchorage is prepared for these kind of emergencies."

Roads buckled under passing cars and products tumbled from shelves. In court, panicked attorneys scurried under tables as a room rocked from side to side.

"It was very loud when it came," Berkowitz said Friday. "It was very clear that this was something bigger than what we normally experience. We live in earthquake country ... but this was a big one."

Authorities don't have firm figures on damage yet, though the Anchorage Police Department reported "major infrastructure damage" around the city. Helicopters and drones were assessing infrastructure across the region. There were no reports of missing people, authorities said.

Alaska Regional Hospital and Providence Alaska Medical Center suffered damage but were able to keep emergency rooms open.

The Anchorage School District canceled classes Monday and Tuesday to assess damage.

Gov. Bill Walker has issued a disaster declaration.

The 7.0 earthquake was felt up to 400 miles away, said state seismologist Michael West. He called it the most significant earthquake in Anchorage since 1964.
CNN's Sheena Jones, Amanda Watts, Dakin Andone, Shawn Nottingham, Chuck Johnston, Keith Allen, Matthew Hilk and Darran Simon contributed to this report. Updated 4:19 PM ET, Dec. 2, 2018. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from CNN.

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More than 1,000 aftershocks rock region after big quake in Alaska

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(by Ray Sanchez, Madeline Holcombe and Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN) - More than 1,000 aftershocks of magnitude 1.5 or greater have shaken Alaska since Friday's big quake knocked out power, ripped open roads and splintered buildings in Anchorage, US Geological Survey (USGS) geophysicist Randy Baldwin said Sunday.