
How small acts of kindness and connection really can change the worldA Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mohammed Ndarani, has urged Nigerians of all classes to return to farming to ensure food security in the country. Ndarani made this statement in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja. He expressed concern over reports that no fewer than 26.5 million Nigerians suffered from food insecurity in 2024 due to an unpredictable farming season, frequent flash floods, and long months of drought. “While growing up, every family had farms; we were all farmers, going to the farm after coming back from school, and there was sufficient food in the country. “I had part of my education abroad but still went to the farm with my parents whenever I was in the country. “We must go back to farming. Let the rich get involved in mechanised agriculture, just like Governor Bago is doing in Niger State, while smallholder farmers can farm even at their backyards. “We must fight food insecurity from all angles. If every household has vegetables in their backyards, prices of vegetables will come down, and the same thing goes for other crops,” he said. He commended President Bola Tinubu and Governor Umaru Bago of Niger for the establishment of the Abdulsalami Abubakar University of Agriculture and Climate Action in Mokwa. The learnt silk said the establishment of the university was a significant step towards achieving food security. “The establishment of this university speaks to the vibrant vision of the farmer-governor, Bago, for education. “It will serve the additional purpose of considerably reducing the rate of unemployment in the state by creating diverse opportunities. “Apart from the direct employment opportunities found in administration, teaching, and support services, there are also indirect employment opportunities. “These opportunities will absorb unskilled labour, which is often the focus of attention for terror recruitments. “Being a specialised university, it will equip students with marketable skills, especially in the area of climate action, a subject currently occupying global attention,” he said. He urged the management to ensure that the university contributed immensely to combating food insecurity, not only in Niger State but in Nigeria as a whole. “Nigerians are expecting it to attract businesses, especially in research and technology, with the added advantage of serving as a hub that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship, often through research and startup incubators,” he said. Ndarani stated that Nigerians were expecting the nation’s universities to produce research outcomes on climate-resilient crops, improve water management systems, and promote sustainable farming practices. “We expectfood security our agricultural institutions across the country to come up with innovations that will address the effects of climate change. “Climate change is a variable to consider in any discussion or project that involves enhancing agricultural productivity and, by extension, food security. “It is expected that the new university will design methods of combating climate change and thereby mitigate its effects on agriculture. “We expect that these and other untapped potentials will catalyse the economic growth and development of Mokwa in particular and the state in general,” he said.NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler brought a new putting grip to the Hero World Challenge and felt enough improvement to be satisfied with the result, a 5-under 67 that left him three shots behind Cameron Young on Thursday. Young was playing for the first time since the BMW Championship more than three months ago and found great success on and around the greens of Albany Golf Club, chipping beautifully and holing four birdie putts from 15 feet or longer for his 64. He led by two shots over Justin Thomas in his first competition since his daughter was born a few weeks ago. Thomas ran off four straight birdies late in his round and was a fraction of an inch away with a fifth. The big surprise was Scheffler, the No. 1 player in golf who looked as good as he has all year in compiling eight victories, including an Olympic gold medal. His iron play has no equal. His putting at times has kept him from winning more or winning bigger. He decided to try to a “saw” putting grip from about 20 feet or closer — the putter rests between his right thumb and his fingers, with his left index finger pointed down the shaft. “I’m always looking for ways to improve,” Scheffler said. RELATED COVERAGE Kevin Kisner will be the lead analyst for NBC’s golf coverage LPGA and USGA to require players to be assigned female at birth or transition before male puberty Tiger Woods in favor of Americans getting paid at the Ryder Cup as long as it goes to charity Scheffler last year began working with renowned putting instructor Phil Kenyon, and he says Kenyon mentioned the alternative putting grip back then. “But it was really our first time working together and it’s something that’s different than what I’ve done in the past,” Scheffler said. “This year I had thought about it from time to time, and it was something that we had just said let’s table that for the end of the season, take a look at it. “Figured this is a good week to try stuff.” He opened with a wedge to 2 feet and he missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 third. But he holed a birdie from about the same distance at the next par 5, No. 6, and holed a sliding 6-footer on the ninth to save par. His longest putt was his last hole, from 12 feet for a closing birdie. “I really enjoyed the way it felt,” he said. “I felt like I’m seeing some improvements in my stroke.” Young, regarded as the best active player without a PGA Tour victory, is treating this holiday tournament as the start of a new season. He worked on getting stronger and got back to the basics in his powerful golf swing. And on this day, he was dialed in with his short game. He only struggled to save par twice and kept piling up birdies in his bogey-free round on an ideal day in the Bahamas. “The wind wasn’t blowing much so it was relatively stress-free,” Young said. Patrick Cantlay, along with Scheffler playing for the first time since the Presidents Cup, also was at 67 with Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala. Thomas also took this occasion to do a little experimenting against a 20-man field. He has using a 46-inch driver at home — a little more than an inch longer than his regular driver — in a bid to gain more speed. On a day with little wind, on a golf course with some room off the tee, he decided to put it in play. “Just with it being a little bit longer, I just kind of have to get the club out in front of me and get on top of it a little bit more,” Thomas said. “I drove the hell out of it on the back, so that was nice to try something different and have it go a little bit better on the back.” Thomas said the longer driver gives him 2 or 3 mph in ball speed and 10 extra yards in the air. “It’s very specific for courses, but gave it a try,” he said. Conditions were easy enough that only four players in field failed to break par, with Jason Day bringing up the rear with a 75. ___ AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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This Turks and Caicos Villa Has Hosted Rock ‘n’ Roll Royalty. Now It Can Be Yours for $39 Million.PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (PYR.V) ( CVE:PYR – Get Free Report ) shares shot up 11% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as C$3.99 and last traded at C$3.85. 335,425 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 1% from the average session volume of 337,985 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$3.47. PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (PYR.V) Price Performance The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 165.50, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of C$606.96 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of -154.00. The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$3.85 and a 200-day moving average price of C$3.85. About PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (PYR.V) ( Get Free Report ) PyroGenesis Canada Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and commercializes advanced plasma processes and systems in Canada and internationally. It offers DROSRITE, a sustainable process for enhancing metal recovery from dross targeting primarily metallurgical industry; plasma atomized metal powders; PUREVAP, a process to produce high purity metallurgical grade silicon and solar grade silicon from quartz; plasma fired steam generator, which directly generates steam suitable for steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) for the oil and gas industry; and custom reactors and furnaces for use in advanced materials, metallurgical, environmental, and chemical fields. Read More Receive News & Ratings for PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (PYR.V) Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (PYR.V) and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
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How to buy Washington Commanders vs. Atlanta Falcons ticketsCerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals, who is retiring Dec. 31 after more than 45 years in law enforcement, first became involved in that career field as a teen. When he was a senior at Clear Lake High School, the town’s police department started a reserve program. Pals said that sparked his interest, and he joined the Clear Lake Police Department as a dispatcher in August 1978, just a few months after high school graduation. “I was hooked,” he said. “I’ve always just loved law enforcement. I’ve never regretted going into law enforcement. I have always liked my job everywhere I’ve worked. I haven’t always had all good days, but I’m not sure anyone does.” Pals worked for the Clear Lake Police Department until January 1980, when the Winona County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota hired him. He initially served as a dispatcher and then worked in the jail. After Pals and his wife, Julie, had their first child, they decided they wanted to move back to North Iowa. The Mason City Police Department hired him in the summer of 1982, where he remained until he was elected as Cerro Gordo County Sheriff in November 2000. Since then, Pals has been re-elected five times. He ran unopposed in each election except for the one in 2000. It has been an honor to the chosen by the public so many times to serve them, according to Pals. “I have never taken that for granted,” he said. Pals, 64, decided not to run for a sixth term. He wants to retire now rather than waiting another four years. He said his interactions with people and helping the public are what he will miss the most. “Initially when you are younger you get into it (law enforcement) for the action part of the job, but when you are in the job you realize that action is very, very, small part of it,” Pals said. “Most of it is just dealing with people. Once you learn to communicate with people, you can do great things.” The technology used in law enforcement has changed dramatically, according to Pals. When he was a dispatcher in the late 1970s and early 1980s and needed to do a license plate check, he would run a strip of computer tape, feed it back in and transfer it to Des Moines. He said this took a lot of time and sometimes the tape would break, causing even more delays. “Now we have computers in our patrol cars and have apps on our work cellphones that make our jobs better, safer and better for the community,” Pals said. One of the highlights of Pals’ career was the construction of the Cerro Gordo County Law Enforcement Center, which was made possible by the passage of a bond issue in 2005. The center houses a much-needed larger jail than the one that was located in the courthouse. The facility also includes office space for the sheriff’s department and a joint dispatch center with Mason City. “That was a lot of work, but it was worth every minute that we put into it,” Pals said. One of his favorite jobs in law enforcement was being a K-9 handler when he was with the Mason City Police Department. The dog, Rommel, was only a year and a half old when Pals got him and began training with him. Pals’ oldest son was about the same age at the time. Rommel was more than just a work partner, according to Pals. “He became a family dog to us.” Pals also enjoyed being the DARE officer from 1991 to 1996. He said it was a great opportunity to interact with youths and the school system. Pals said local officers “have helped lot of good people in some pretty bad times in their life.” However, “you always think of the cases that were never solved.” When he was still with the Mason City Police Department, Pals was involved with the investigation into the Gerald Best homicide case. Best, 50, was found stabbed to death on Dec. 30, 1999, in his apartment. The case remains unresolved to this day, which haunts Pals. Now that the state of Iowa has launched a cold case unit, he hopes Best’s killer can be identified. “It would give some closure to the family,” Pals said. Cerro Gordo County Chief Deputy Dave Hepperly was elected in November to succeed Pals as sheriff. Pals hired Hepperly, who was formerly with the Mason City Police Department, 23 years ago. Between the two agencies, Pals and Hepperly have worked together for 40 years. This has made the transition in leadership of the sheriff’s office easier, according to Pals. Hepperly said Pals is “just a good guy. He cares about people. He’s cared about his employees. It’s not always easy being the sheriff and being the last word on things, but he’s always tried to do it fairly.” Pals has always been active in the community, according to Hepperly. “He quickly endeared himself to a lot of people, not only in Mason City but all of North Iowa,” he said. Pals is not the only longtime member of the sheriff’s office retiring this month. Office manager Joleen Vanous, who was worked in the administrative department for 32 years, is also leaving Dec. 31. Deputy Cam Manson, who has been with Cerro Gordo County for 15 years and spent 10 years with the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office before that, signed off from his final shift at 4 p.m. Dec. 18. Pals said one of the things he is looking forward to the most about retirement is not having to set his alarm clock anymore except for Saturday evenings so he can get to church on Sunday morning. He plans to volunteer in the community, and there’s always plenty to do at the acreage north of Clear Lake where he lives. Kevin and Julie Pals have two sons. Todd Pals lives in Mason City and Adam Pals lives in Arizona. The couple have five grandchildren, including three in Arizona, and they are looking forward to being able to see them more often. Arizona is a great place to visit, according to Pals. However, he and his wife, who is originally from Forest City, have no plans to move there. “I love North Iowa,” he said. “We aren’t going anywhere.” (c)2024 Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa Visit Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa at www.globegazette.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.None
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Cryptocurrency has proven to be a lucrative avenue for strategic investors, and Lightchain AI (LCAI) is no exception. With its cutting-edge technology and market disruption, Lightchain AI is emerging as a top choice for those looking to multiply their investments. As its Lightchain AI Presale is currently priced at just $0.003 per token, the potential for exponential growth is drawing attention from savvy investors worldwide. But the question remains: how much should you invest today to reach the ambitious milestone of $1 million when the price hits $50? Let's dive into this exciting prospect. Lightchain AI's Price Trajectory and Market Potential Lightchain AI is not your average cryptocurrency. Its revolutionary combination of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence has positioned it as a leader in the crypto space. Unlike traditional tokens, LCAI leverages innovations like Proof of Intelligence (PoI) and the Artificial Intelligence Virtual Machine (AIVM) to solve real-world problems and drive adoption. With a starting price of $0.003 in its presale phase, the token's value could skyrocket as it achieves its milestones outlined in the roadmap. Analysts believe that hitting $50 is achievable based on the project's unique selling points, including its scalability, efficiency, and ability to attract developers and enterprises. If Lightchain AI maintains its momentum, the price trajectory will likely be supported by growing adoption and strategic partnerships across industries such as healthcare, finance, and logistics. Math Behind the $50 Price Target: Is It Realistic? Let's break down the feasibility of LCAI reaching $50. At its current price of $0.003, a move to $50 would represent a 16,566x increase. While this may seem ambitious, consider the historical performance of early-stage cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, which achieved similar gains during their growth phases. Key drivers that make this price target realistic... Isabella