Distracted Driving
Have you ever arrived at your destination and realized you don’t remember driving there? You arrived safely, but you were on autopilot. Your mind was on the grocery list or tasks for the day. Maybe you were putting on your makeup.Unfortunately, I have driven myself and my family while on autopilot more than I care to admit. Many of us have heard about the dangers of texting and driving and have stopped, and if you haven’t, then shame on you. But what about distracted driving? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system — anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.” Just think about the number of decisions you must make at a moment’s notice when driving: stopping to get over in enough time, turning, watching out for other drivers, etc. Add that to external factors, such as road construction and distracted driving, and you begin to realize the risks of driving without focus.According to the NHTSA, “Taking your eyes off the road for five seconds at 55 miles per hour is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.” Startling, but most of us have glanced at the GPS, grabbed our phone, reprimanded a child or even had a heated conversation, all while driving. As my dear aunt would say, “Let’s get to the nitty gritty.” We cannot drive safely unless we are fully focused on driving. Any activity that hinders our focus is a potential distraction and increases the risk of an accident.I am committed to stop distracted driving and hope that you will be as well. Here are a few tips to get us all safely to our destinations:Use Bluetooth and hands-free devices scarcely, particularly if you are like me and still have to glance at something to activate it. (Remember the five-second analogy?)Save important talks until later. Some conversations, particularly those that may be upsetting, should be postponed until you are not driving. Get everything done before you begin driving. This includes setting up your GPS and Bluetooth, selecting music and applying makeup.Silence notifications. It’s human nature to respond to notifications from our phones. Trust me, whatever it is, it can wait.Slow down. Generally, I don’t drive fast, but if I feel the pressure of arriving somewhere late, I tend to speed up. It doesn’t matter how late you are as long as you arrive safely.Ask your passengers for help. My daughter began to ask me, “What are you trying to do, Momma?” I would tell her and she would get the task done while I focused on driving. Now, I use her often to navigate with GPS, make calls and complete other tasks that would take my focus away from driving. Stay focused and drive safely, Georgia!
The Vermont Community Foundation announced that its Special and Urgent Needs – Irene Recovery Fund has awarded a total of $185,000 to 40 Vermont nonprofit organizations impacted by Tropical Storm Irene since its creation in early September. As of November 30, total contributions received or pledged to the fund exceeded $369,000.Grants awarded to date have been available to nonprofits, schools, and municipal entities that sustained damage from Irene or face significant resource challenges in providing services for those affected by Irene. The fund will continue to make grants to these organizations and has announced that it will expand its grantmaking to include community relief funds and programs that provide financial assistance to individuals and families impacted by Irene.‘Thanks to the generous outpouring of support for the fund, we are able to grant more money to help those programs most in need, including local relief funds and programs that support individuals and families,’ said Stuart Comstock-Gay, president & CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation. ‘We’re aware that many affected organizations are still lining up sources of funding and we continue to encourage them to apply.’In order to receive a grant, community relief funds and programs must be administered by a town, church, or registered 501c3 organization, or have one of those entities serving as a fiscal sponsor.The Community Foundation continues to accept applications from nonprofits, schools, municipal entities, and relief programs and funds. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and grant decisions awarding up to $5,000 are made within 14 business days of application submissions. The Special and Urgent Needs-Irene Recovery Fund does not provide grants directly to individuals or businesses.Visit www.vtfloodresponse.org(link is external) to apply for a grant, to make a contribution, or to read stories about grant recipients. The website was established by the Community Foundation to provide detailed, updated information about the Foundation’s Irene recovery efforts, including grants available and grants awarded. It also has a comprehensive list of flood resources and other useful information about Irene recovery work being done by other organizations.The Vermont Community Foundation has been helping donors give to the causes and organizations they care about since 1986. It is Vermont’s largest homegrown grantmaker. Together, its family of over 600 funds provides more than $10 million in grants per year. In addition, it helps keep Vermont’s nonprofit community vital by offering endowment management and planned giving services, and providing leadership in charitable giving of all kinds. Visit www.vermontcf.org(link is external) or call 802-388-3355 for more information.
Advertisement Fabregas felt Nasri and Van Persie were on his level (Picture: Getty)‘I have to say that I asked to leave in 2010 after the World Cup, I asked Arsene, I was very serious about it. He told me absolutely not, I pushed it to be honest a little bit. I went to his house, I went to his office. He said no chance, we kind of agreed if the next season was going to be the same then we’ll look into it. AdvertisementAdvertisement‘Once we lose it [the league], I think we lost at Bolton, that was my last game for Arsenal. That day we lost I kind of gave up unfortunately. It’s a really bad word to say but I was drained mentally, I didn’t think I could do it anymore. ‘I needed a new motivation. I needed people surrounding me living for football who are giving absolutely everything as I used to and you know it wasn’t meant to be. So in 2011 I said enough is enough and I really pushed it.More: FootballRio Ferdinand urges Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop Manchester United starChelsea defender Fikayo Tomori reveals why he made U-turn over transfer deadline day moveMikel Arteta rates Thomas Partey’s chances of making his Arsenal debut vs Man City‘Seeing some behaviours from certain players or something like this made me feel I wanted to check something else. ‘If it was not because of that, I would not have left Arsenal at that time. It was the perfect club for me and I could not have left Arsenal for another two years at least. ‘Then Xavi would have been 33,34 and I could have moved at the right time, but I felt I have to. You are working, giving it your all. Every loss I felt it was my fault. It made me take the decision earlier than I should have.’Follow Metro Sport across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Fabregas left Arsenal in 2011 (Picture: Corbis via Getty)Cesc Fabregas felt he had to leave Arsenal and return to Barcelona sooner than planned because most of the players weren’t at ‘his level’. The former Chelsea midfielder felt that only Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri were operating at the same level ‘mentally and technically’ and he grew frustrated by other players who didn’t have the same commitment or quality.Fabregas, who now plays for Monaco, was club captain when he departed the Emirates in 2011 and admitted he was ‘suffering’ during his final years under Arsene Wenger.‘I was the captain, I always felt so much pressure on myself,’ Fabregas told Arseblog. ‘I had to lead this team to win something… I gave everything. AdvertisementAdvertisementADVERTISEMENTRead the latest updates: Coronavirus news live‘Sometimes, I used to go home after we lost and I used to cry, I used to suffer, I used to spend sleepless nights suffering. ‘And then you lose a game, you’re in the bus like this destroyed and then you hear some players laughing, thinking about where they will be going out later. This was going on for a few years. Fabregas felt he had to leave (Picture: Getty)‘Yeah, we were playing beautiful football and I enjoyed that side of things but I was putting pressure on myself to lead, to do everything and at one point I felt kind of lonely. ‘Especially in the last two or three years, I felt Robin and Samir were the only players – it’s not an arrogant thing to say, it’s how I felt at that time – I felt they were the players who were at my level mentally and technically. ‘Robin, I couldn’t count on him unfortunately for many points of the season because he was injured. He was a world class player, a leader but he couldn’t help me on the pitch for many seasons unfortunately many parts of the year. More: Arsenal FCArsenal flop Denis Suarez delivers verdict on Thomas Partey and Lucas Torreira movesThomas Partey debut? Ian Wright picks his Arsenal starting XI vs Manchester CityArsene Wenger explains why Mikel Arteta is ‘lucky’ to be managing Arsenal‘When I first left and I saw the season he made after when he was not injured at all and at the peak of his level, I was like “are you serious, man?”.’Fabregas admitted he tried to leave a season earlier but ‘gave up’ on his Arsenal career after they failed to land the title in the 2010/11 season.‘Many things came in my head, I have to admit I was a bit empty, I was drained mentally, physically, in my soul knowing I’m giving everything, knowing a few signings the club could have made but didn’t happen,’ added Fabregas. Comment
Cesc Fabregas blames former Arsenal team-mates for forcing him to make Barcelona transfer Advertisement Metro Sport ReporterTuesday 24 Mar 2020 12:59 pmShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link5.9kShares
Oil and gas company Tullow Oil is considering its options, including an appeal, following a court judgement ordering it to pay a fee to Seadrill over an early rig termination case in Ghana. To remind, Tullow in October 2016 sent a notice of force majeure to Seadrill for the West Leo rig contract, claiming that the field the rig had been hired for was subject to a drilling moratorium by the government of Ghana.The moratorium was in place due to the, at the time, ongoing arbitration proceedings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to determine the delineation of a disputed maritime border between Ghana and Ivory Coast in the Atlantic Ocean. Tullow then in December 2016 unilaterally terminated the rig contract.Seadrill filed counterclaims in the Commercial Court in London against Tullow Ghana Limited (TGL) seeking a declaration that TGL was not entitled to terminate the West Leo rig contract for force majeure. In its claim, Seadrill was seeking payment of $277 million from Tullow, before interest and costs.According to Tullow’s statement on Tuesday, the judgment in the English Commercial Court case brought against its wholly owned subsidiary Tullow Ghana Limited by Seadrill Ghana Operations Limited (Seadrill) was received on Tuesday, July 3.The Hon. Justice Teare has ruled that Tullow was not entitled to terminate its West Leo rig contract with Seadrill on December 4, 2016 by invoking the contract’s force majeure provisions and as such requires Tullow to pay Seadrill a contractual termination fee and other standby fees that accrued in the 60 days prior to termination of the contract.These fees amount to approximately $254 million. Tullow said it expects to be required to pay these fees within the next 14 days with Tullow being liable for a net amount of approximately $140 million, which compares with the provision of $128 million made in the 2017 Annual Report and Accounts.Tullow said in June that any resulting liabilities would be shared amongst the TEN joint venture, where the rig had operated at the time.Tullow is the operator of the TEN field with a 47.18% interest and its partners are Kosmos Energy (17%), Anadarko (17%), GNPC (15%), and Petro SA (3.82%).Following the judgement, Tullow commented: “Tullow is disappointed with the decision and maintains the view that it was right to terminate the West Leo contract for force majeure. Tullow will now examine its options, including seeking leave to appeal the judgment.”Kosmos is disputing separately, through an arbitration against Tullow with the International Chamber of Commerce, its share of the liability (c. 20%) of any costs related to the use of the West Leo rig beyond October 1, 2016. The arbitration tribunal’s decision is expected shortly.
The East Central Varsity Volleyball team traveled to Brownstown Central for their annual invite. EC went 2-2.Lost to Brownstown Central.We started slow and couldn’t find a groove until it was too late. We looked tired and weren’t prepared for that higher level of competition.EC vs. Brownstown Central VB (8-26)Defeated Cardinal Ritter.We had control over the game for the most part. We got overly comfortable toward the end of set 2 and gave it away, but luckily we bounced back in set 3 to win the match.EC vs. Cardinal Ritter VB (8-26)Lost to Covenant Christian.This team was very strong and composed. They are senior heavy and it showed by the way they held their own and came through in the clutch at the end of the first set. We made too many mistakes at the end of the set and then it carried over into set 2. I was impressed with our play in set one. They proved they can compete with a state finals team.EC vs. Covenant Christian VB (8-26)Defeated Trinity Lutheran.We finished strong by playing our game. We passed well and used our power hitters very effectively.EC vs. Trinity Lutheran VB (8-26)Varsity is now 9-2 on the season. Next up Monday at Franklin County.Courtesy of Trojans Coach Cassie Laker.
More information regarding the postponement of the Missouri IMCA Nationals will be made available soon. OSBORN, Mo. – Due to the weekend forecast of thunderstorms and cold temperatures, US 36 Raceway officials have postponed the Missouri IMCA Nationals to Oct. 25 and 26. Drivers from all across the region have planned to make the trip for the first ever event, and US 36 officials wanted to make the decision early to allow those drivers time to adjust their plans. Many contingency plans were discussed, and US 36 Raceway officials decided this to be the best possible option to complete a successful first ever event. Friday, Oct. 25 will be a practice night for all divisions. Saturday, Oct. 26 will include heats, “B” features and main events to crown the first-ever Missouri IMCA Nationals champions. Racing will start at 2 p.m. Pre-entry to the event will re-open and is available at https://www.myracepass.com/register/?n=17636. 
Poland’s professional football league said on Saturday it intends to re-start matches on May 29 and complete the season by July 19.This was after Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki gave the go-ahead on Saturday for games to be played without spectators. In doing so, Poland became one of the first European countries to give a date for the resumption of the season, which has been on hold because of the COVID-19 outbreak.Top-flight clubs in Germany and Austria have already begun training for a potential re-start, but their league bodies say a starting date still depends on approval from their respective governments.Poland, which has reported 11,067 cases and 499 deaths, started relaxing some curbs earlier in April.It has reopened forests and parks and eased rules on the number of customers in shops, and on Saturday it also announced the opening of outdoor sports areas.“This is excellent news,” Marcin Animucki, president of the league, which is known as the Ekstraklasa, said in a statement. Animucki added: “The government’s consent to resume training gives us a chance to implement the plan we have been working on for the last four weeks.“If there are no unexpected problems, and the health situation in the country allows it, after passing the preparation period the league could start on May 29.”He said European football body UEFA had recommended that the season finishes by July 20.The statement also laid out a plan for the resumption of activities, which it said had been approved by the government.It said that players and coaching staff at each club had already started a 14-day period of isolation and daily reporting aimed at detecting possible symptoms. The statement further indicated that teams could start training on May 4, in small groups, and full team training would begin after one week.From May 27 to 28, there would be testing of players, coaching staff and referees, with matches to start on May 29.“Each stage in the plan depends on the epidemic situation in the country and the recommendations of the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Health,” it added.There are 11 rounds of matches still to play, and Legia Warsaw lead the table with 51 points from 26 games, eight clear of Piast Gliwice.RelatedPosts COVID-19: NCAA to revoke erring airlines licence over non-compliance FRSC to Schools: We’ll arrest, prosecute drivers who flout COVID-19 rules Sanwo-Olu: We’re committed to fulfilling promises to Lagosians Reuters/NAN.Tags: COVID-19Marcin AnimuckiPrime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki
“The board’s will and pleasure right now is to delay it, and it will be delayed,” Fennoy told our news partner, WPTV NewsChannel 5, last week.He continued, “We had already done some preliminary work and figured that, a week or two, we could probably do that with minimal disruption. But once you get beyond that, so we need to take the time this week to really dig into that.”Fennoy is expected to recommend that students finish the school year on Friday, June 18.To see the proposed calendar for the 2020-21 academic year, click here.The school board will meet at 5 p.m. on Wednesday to vote on a start date for the 2020-21 academic year.After approving a start date, the School District of Palm Beach County will send its reopening plan to the Florida Department of Education for final approval. That plan must be submitted to the state by July 31. Students and parents in Palm Beach County will find out Wednesday when the 2020-21 school year will actually start.At Wednesday’s school board meeting, School Superintendent Dr. Donald Fennoy plans to recommend that the academic year begin on Monday, Aug.31 rather than Aug. 10.During last week’s marathon school board meeting, in which board members voted to start the school year with distance learning, officials also expressed their preference to start the year on Aug. 31, leading Fennoy to respond that he and his team needed more time to adjust the school calendar.WATCH LIVE COVERAGE:
May 16, 2020 Associated Press Share This StoryFacebookTwitteremailPrintLinkedinReddit German Bundesliga soccer resumes after two-month break
German Bundesliga soccer resumes after two-month break
(BBC) – Brentford overturned a first-leg deficit to beat Swansea City 3-2 on aggregate and book their spot in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.Ollie Watkins’ composed finish in the 11th minute levelled the semi-final on aggregate, and a header from Emiliano Marcondes put the Bees ahead in the tie four minutes later.Bryan Mbeumo volleyed in a cross from Rico Henry in the first minute of the second half to make it 3-0 on the night and give Brentford a two-goal cushion.Rhian Brewster dragged Swansea back into the contest with 12 minutes remaining, capitalising on a poor clearance from Pontus Jansson and chipping home goalkeeper David Raya, but the visitors were unable to find a second goal which would have forced extra-time.Victory meant the Bees signed off at Griffin Park, their home of 116 years, in style before their move to a new stadium this summer.The west Londoners, who are looking to end their 73-year exile from the top flight, will face either Cardiff City or neighbours Fulham at Wembley on Tuesday, August 4.Fulham will take a 2-0 lead into the second leg of their semi-final tie today (19:45 BST).EARLY BEES BLITZ TURNS TIE AROUNDAndre Ayew had given Swansea a 1-0 lead at the end of Sunday’s first leg, and Brentford head coach Thomas Frank promised his side would attack from the off in a bid to reach the final.Marcondes tested visiting goalkeeper Erwin Mulder in the fourth minute with a swerving shot from outside the box, and the Bees went ahead following a swift counter-attack from a Swansea corner.A defence-splitting pass from Mathias Jensen put Watkins through on goal, and the forward made no mistake to net his 26th goal of the season.The hosts swiftly doubled their lead when Said Benrahma picked out an unmarked Marcondes in the box to guide in a header from 12 yards.Bees keeper David Raya preserved his side’s advantage with a low save from Conor Gallagher’s side-footed effort and Benrahma almost made it 3-0 on the night with a shot which hit the inside of the post.Swansea boss Steve Cooper made a double change at the break in a bid to get back into the match, but his side fell further behind within a minute of the restart when Frenchman Mbeumo notched his first goal in eight games with a clinical volley.Wing-back Connor Roberts cut in from the right and saw his left-footed effort tipped over by Raya as the visitors sought a way back into the match.Brewster rarely had a sight at goal but calmly lobbed Raya from just outside the box after centre-back Jansson made a mess of an attempted back-heel. It was the striker’s 11th goal since moving to Swansea on loan from Liverpool in January.Swansea continued to press forward and six minutes of stoppage time brought further drama as Brewster tested Raya from 25 yards, while Roberts and Bees boss Frank were both booked after a clash on the touchline.Benrahma almost finished the match off with a flourish but saw a curling effort go narrowly over the bar.Swansea were among the early pace-setters this season, but fell out of the play-off places in January and only just clawed their way back into the top six on a remarkable final day of the regular campaign.Despite their play-off exit, Cooper, who led England to the Under-17 World Cup in 2017, will have positive experiences to build on following his first year of senior club management.BRENTFORD MOVE CLOSER TO DEFINING PROMOTIONBrentford had propelled themselves into contention for automatic promotion following a seven-match winning run after lockdown, but missed out on a place in the top two after defeats in their final two games of the season.They were the top scorers in the Championship this season and were back to their attacking best during a stirring first hour, before Brewster’s goal tested their defensive resolve in the closing stages.The Bees have never won promotion in their eight previous play-off campaigns and have lost three finals, the most recent of which came in the third tier in 2013.If they end that run, they will move into the Brentford Community Stadium, a 17,500-capacity ground, as a Premier League club.