We’ll try to refrain from bad baseball puns like “It’s a home run for animals!” and “Take a swing at adoption!” – but we’re weak and won’t really apologize. If you’re within eyeball range of the Angels’ Big A along the 57 freeway this month, you may notice a trio of adorable beasties staring back at you. “Adopt me!” it says over their furry little heads, and the A is ringed with the Angels’ distinctive halo. We’ll tell you how the Angels came to join forces with Social Compassion in Legislation animal activist Judie Mancuso to create the AdoptOC.com website aiming to boost shelter adoptions – it started with a Nextdoor request for cat traps, believe it or not – but first, let’s talk about why it’s important. Some 8 million animals land in American shelters each year, and as many as 1 million a year have been euthanized, according to national data kept by Animal Shelters Count . Deaths plunged during the pandemic, but they’re climbing again, hitting about 690,000 last year. The picture at Orange County’s biggest shelter, OC Animal Care, illustrates the trend on the local front. Things are far better than they were 15 years ago, when thousands of animals were euthanized each year, but hundreds are still put down every year, nonetheless. • Between January and September, 1,780 animals were euthanized at OC Animal Care, the vast majority of them young kittens (1,253). • In 2023, 2,084 animals were euthanized, the vast majority of them young kittens. • That was up quite a bit from 2022, when 1,563 animals were euthanized, the vast majority of them young kittens. Young kittens , people! The AdoptOC.com address leads to a page hosted by Mancuso’s Social Compassion website, linking to a multitude of area shelters and rescue organizations – OC Animal Care , PUP Laguna Beach , Promise 4 Paws , and shelters in Mission Viejo , Irvine , Newport Beach , San Clemente and Long Beach – as well as Petfinder and Adopt A Pet sites. Mancuso is ecstatic about what this can do for shelter animals. After all, there are 81 regular-season home games a year. “If we can do something at each game to promote pet adoption – all those people, all those eyeballs – it’s a coup,” Mancuso said. Mancuso crossed paths with Elizabeth Carpino, who’s married to Angels president John Carpino, on Nextdoor some years back. Carpino was looking for cat traps, which folks use to catch strays so they can be spayed/neutered/rehomed. Mancuso had some – but how could she be sure the captured cats wouldn’t be used for coyote food or somesuch? Carpino responded with a photograph of her Pet Lover license plate, which raises money for low-cost spay and neuter surgeries. The plate was a pet project of Mancuso’s Social Compassion in Legislation. A friendship was born. Recently, they got to brainstorming about how to help more animals. That big screen – maybe it could feature a pet of the week? They scrambled to get the website domain and put together content on responsible adoption and link to the shelters and rescues. This month, everything went live and the “Adopt OC” ad appeared on screen on the Big A. It’s expected to make 2 million impressions in December alone. In the 2000s, things were bleak. At OC Animal Care, the county’s largest shelter, some 13,000 animals were euthanized in a single year . That makes the 2,000 or so we’re seeing these days seem paltry. Thank things like California’s ban on pet store sales from commercial breeders, and more emphasis on chipping and spaying and neutering. So while almost half of shelter intakes were euthanized during the darkest days back then, nearly 95% of dogs and 79.5% of cats had live releases so far this year, according to OC statistics from January through September . That’s better than 2023 , when 94.1% of dogs and 71% of cats made it out alive, and bests 2022, when 94.8% of dogs and 77% of cats made it out alive. Michael Mavrovouniotis, animal lover, volunteer number-cruncher and close watcher of O.C. Animal Care, is heartened by the partnership with the Angels. It can only help. Mavrovouniotis pushed hard to convince the shelter to open its kennels to would-be adopters more often, rather than asking them to go online to schedule appointments with animals they only see in pictures. His research paper, published in the Journal of Shelter Medicine and Community Animal Health , found that visitors strolling through kennels and meeting more dogs face-to-face resulted in more adoptions. “The statistics show that the save rate held up well in the first half of the year with kennel viewing hours helping adoptions. But it’s slipping a little in the 3rd Quarter,” he said by email. “The smart move for the shelter would be to expand viewing hours on weekends. That’s when most adopters want to visit.” OC’s shelter hosts fewer hours of open kennel viewing than many local shelters, he said: 21 hours a week in O.C. compared to 28 in Mission Viejo, 29.5 in Long Beach, 30 in Irvine, 36 in Los Angeles County and 48 in L.A. city. More hours would help, and campaigns like the one on the Big A will help. “Our local shelters have many wonderful adoptable animals,” he said. “Go visit and bring home a new loyal friend!” It could be a grand slam. Related Articles
(BPT) - Tech gifts are consistently some of the most popular presents to give and receive during the holidays. In fact, according to the annual Consumer Technology Holiday Purchase Patterns report , a record 233 million U.S. adults (89%) will buy tech products during the 2024 holiday season. But with so many devices out there, it can be hard to decide on the perfect option for the loved one on your list. A tablet like the new Fire HD 8 from Amazon offers the versatility of an all-in-one device, with access to streaming, gaming, video chatting, reading or writing all at your fingertips. Fire HD 8 also features a vibrant 8-inch HD display and lightweight, portable design, for high-quality entertainment on the go. Plus, Fire HD 8 comes with three new AI features that can help you get the most out of your tablet experience. Check them out below and learn how they can help you with daily tasks this holiday season and beyond. 1. Meet your personal writing assistant Do you struggle with writing a heartfelt message or finessing a tricky email? Fear not! Writing Assist is here to help. Writing Assist works as part of your Fire tablet's device keyboard and compatible apps, including email, Word documents and social media. In just a few taps, you can transform your writing from good to great. Try Writing Assist's pre-set styles to turn a simple email into a professionally written note. Or, you can ask Writing Assist for grammar suggestions to make your writing more concise, or elaborate on your ideas. You can even "emojify" your writing to add more fun and personality. 2. Learn more in less time Say goodbye to scrolling through pages of information. The new Webpage Summaries feature allows you to learn pertinent information as quickly as possible. Available on the Silk browser on Fire tablets, Webpage Summaries provides quick insights on web articles. In a matter of seconds, this feature will distill the key points in an article or on a webpage into a clear, concise summary of what you need to know. 3. Get creative with your device wallpaper With Wallpaper Creator, you can easily add a touch of creative flair and customization to your tablet's home screen. You can choose from one of the curated prompts to get started on creating a unique background. Or, if you're ready to let your imagination run wild, type a description of what you'd like to see. For example, you can ask for an image of a tiger swimming underwater or a watercolor-style image of a desert landscape in space. Wallpaper Creator will then turn your vision into a reality, delivering a high-resolution image that you can use as your tablet's wallpaper. Celebrate an AI-powered holiday season Writing Assist, Webpage Summaries, and Wallpaper Creator are now available on Amazon's new Fire HD 8 and other compatible Fire tablet devices, including the latest Fire HD 10 and Fire Max 11 tablets. To learn more, or to order a new Fire tablet this gift-giving season, visit Amazon.com .Baltimore Rep. Kweisi Mfume won’t attend Trump inauguration, citing MLK DayRutgers tries to avoid another Ivy loss when Columbia visitsNEW YORK , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), has recovered millions of dollars for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm by ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. We are headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and are investigating: Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: STAF ) , relating to a proposed merger with Atlantic International Corp. 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Click here for more https://monteverdelaw.com/case/enterprise-bancorp-inc-ebtc/ . It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you. Cross Country Healthcare, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCRN ) , relating to the proposed merger with Aya Healthcare. Under the terms of the agreement, shares of Cross Country will be converted into the right to receive $18.61 in cash. Click here for more https://monteverdelaw.com/case/cross-country-healthcare-inc-ccrn/ . It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you. NOT ALL LAW FIRMS ARE THE SAME. Before you hire a law firm, you should talk to a lawyer and ask: About Monteverde & Associates PC Our firm litigates and has recovered money for shareholders...and we do it from our offices in the Empire State Building. We are a national class action securities firm with a successful track record in trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. No company, director or officer is above the law. If you own common stock in any of the above listed companies and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341. Contact: Juan Monteverde, Esq. MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC The Empire State Building 350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740 New York, NY 10118 United States of America [email protected] Tel: (212) 971-1341 Attorney Advertising. (C) 2024 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC ( www.monteverdelaw.com ). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC
Bitcoin options trade shows more bets on retreat after failing to breach $100,000NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma appears to have borrowed from the past to cure its recent offensive ills. The Sooners , best known this century for a passing prowess that has produced four Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, took it back to the 20th century against then-No. 7 Alabama. Oklahoma ran 50 times for 257 yards while only throwing 12 times in a 24-3 win over the Crimson Tide that took coach Brent Venables off the hot seat. The Sooners more resembled Barry Switzer’s squads that dominated the old Big 8 with the wishbone offense in the 1970s and ’80s than the more recent Air Raid teams. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.DETROIT (AP) — If Donald Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, the price increases that could follow will collide with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation. Economists say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, for food, clothing, automobiles, booze and other goods. The president-elect floated the tariff idea, including additional 10% taxes on goods from China, as a way to force the countries to halt the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the U.S. But his posts Monday on Truth Social threatening the tariffs on his first day in office could just be a negotiating ploy to get the countries to change behavior. High food prices were a major issue in voters picking Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris, but tariffs almost certainly would push those costs up even further. For instance, the Produce Distributors Association, a Washington trade group, said Tuesday that tariffs will raise prices for fresh fruit and vegetables and hurt U.S. farmers when other countries retaliate. “Tariffs distort the marketplace and will raise prices along the supply chain, resulting in the consumer paying more at the checkout line,” said Alan Siger, association president. Mexico and Canada are two of the biggest exporters of fresh fruit and vegetables to the U.S. In 2022, Mexico supplied 51% of fresh fruit and 69% of fresh vegetables imported by value into the U.S., while Canada supplied 2% of fresh fruit and 20% of fresh vegetables. Before the election, about said they were very concerned about the cost of food, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters. “We’ll get them down,” Trump to a Pennsylvania grocery store. The U.S. is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China and Canada its top three suppliers, People looking to buy a new vehicle likely would see big price increases as well, at a time when costs that they are out of reach for many. The average price of a new vehicle now runs around $48,000. About 15% of the 15.6 million new vehicles sold in the U.S. last year came from Mexico, while 8% crossed the border from Canada, according to Global Data. Much of the tariffs would get passed along to consumers, unless automakers can somehow quickly find productivity improvements to offset them, said C.J. Finn, U.S. automotive sector leader for PwC, a consulting firm. That means even more consumers “would potentially get priced out of the activity” of buying a new vehicle, Finn said. Hardest hit would be Volkswagen, Stellantis, General Motors and Ford, Bernstein analyst Daniel Roeska wrote Tuesday in a note to investors. Stellantis and VW import about 40% of the vehicles they sell from Canada and Mexico, while it’s 30% for GM and 25% for Ford. GM and Stellantis import more than half of their high-profit pickup trucks from the two countries, according to Bernstein. If Trump does impose the tariffs in January, the auto industry would have little time to adjust, putting operating profits at risk for the automakers, Roeska said in an email. “A 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada would severely cripple the U.S. auto industry,” he said. The tariffs would hurt U.S. industrial production so much that “we expect this is unlikely to happen in practice,” Roeska said. The tariff threat hit the stocks of some companies that could be particularly hurt, such as auto manufacturers and Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo and other Mexican beer brands in the United States. But the overall market held relatively steady near records as investors saw Trump’s proposal as more of an opening position for negotiations rather than as a definitive policy. It’s not clear how long the tariffs would last if they are implemented, but they could force auto executives to move production to the U.S., which could create more jobs in the long run. But Morningstar analyst David Whiston said in the short term automakers probably won’t make any moves because they can’t quickly change where they build vehicles. To move to the U.S., they would have to buy equipment and revamp their parts supply chain, which can take years. “I think everyone is going to be in a wait-and-see mode,” Whiston said. Millions of dollars worth of auto parts flow across the borders with Mexico and Canada, and that could raise prices for already costly automobile repairs, Finn said. The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. said tariffs on tequila or Canadian whisky won’t boost American jobs because they are distinctive products that can only be made in their country of origin. In 2023, the U.S. imported $4.6 billion worth of tequila and $108 million worth of mezcal from Mexico and $537 million worth of spirits from Canada, the council said. “At the end of the day, tariffs on spirits products from our neighbors to the north and south are going to hurt U.S. consumers and lead to job losses across the U.S. hospitality industry just as these businesses continue their long recovery from the pandemic,” the council said in a statement. Electronics retailer Best Buy said on its third-quarter earnings conference call that it runs on thin profit margins, so while vendors and the company will shoulder some increases, Best Buy will have to pass tariffs on to customers. “These are goods that people need, and higher prices are not helpful,” CEO Corie Barry said. Walmart also warned this week that tariffs could force it to raise prices, as did Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who talked with Trump after his call for tariffs, said they had a good conversation about how the countries can work together on the challenges they face. “This is something that we can do, laying out the facts and moving forward in constructive ways. This is a relationship that we know takes a certain amount of working on and that’s what we’ll do,” Trudeau said. Trump’s transition team wouldn’t comment on the call. Also Monday, Trump turned his ire to China, saying he has “had many talks with China about the massive amounts of drugs, in particular Fentanyl, being sent into the United States – But to no avail.” The Chinese Embassy in Washington cautioned on Monday that there will be losers on all sides if there is a trade war. Trump’s threats come as arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico have . The most recent U.S. numbers for October show arrests remain near four-year lows. But arrests for illegally crossing the border from Canada have been rising over the past two years. Much of America’s fentanyl is smuggled from Mexico. Border seizures of the drug rose sharply under President Joe Biden. The tariffs would also throw into doubt the reliability of the 2020 trade deal brokered in large part by Trump with Canada and Mexico, the USMCA, which replaced NAFTA and is up for review in 2026. Trump transition team officials did not immediately respond to questions about what authority he would use, what he would need to see to prevent the tariffs from being implemented and how they would impact prices in the U.S. Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department and Economy Department also had no immediate reaction to Trump’s statements. ___ Rugaber reported from Washington. AP reporters Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit, Stan Choe and Anne D’Innocenzio in New York, and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report. Tom Krisher And Christopher Rugaber, The Associated PressTwo important weapons in the Chicago Bears offense showing good signs to play on Sunday After not practicing on Thursday, DJ Moore and D’Andre Swift were full participants on Friday. Both players have been dealing with quad issues throughout the week, but appear to be good to go for Sunday’s game in San Francisco. Moore’s quad flared up mid-game on Thanksgiving against the Lions, but said personally how strongly he feels about his ability to be active in a couple of days. DJ Moore is optimistic that he'll play vs. San Francisco despite being listed as questionable. He injured his quad running a wheel route early vs. Detroit and played through it. Moore: "I play through everything." — Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) December 6, 2024 Chicago Bears have a chance to go off with San Francisco not at full strength The 49ers’ injury report today had some DNPs that were quite noticeable, with the biggest one coming from the defensive side of the ball. Nick Bosa did not practice for the second straight day and is on track to miss Sunday afternoon’s battle. This would create plenty of opportunities for the Bears’ weapons to get open at a higher clip with Caleb Williams hopefully having more time to operate in the pocket. Two pieces from the offense that joined Bosa on the sidelines at practice today were star tackle Trent Williams, and running back Jordan Mason. This is something to note for the Bears defense, who will directed by Eric Washington for the first time following the firing of Matt Eberflus. Other Chicago Bears’ key running back will miss Sunday’s game The worst news from the Injury report today was the status of Roschon Johnson. The former Texas Longhorn was knocked out of last weeks’ game with a concussion, and will not suit up on Sunday. Travis Homer should pick up a bulk of Johnson’s carries in his absence, with practice squad running backs Darrynton Evans and Demetric Felton competing to dress as the third back. A New Era of Chicago Bears Football is ready to roll The positive news from Moore and Swift coming out of Friday’s practice is exactly what Interim Head Coach Thomas Brown needed to hear. With a tough coaching battle against Kyle Shannahan looming, the offensive play caller leading the charge needs his troops at full health. Bosa or not, San Francisco will make this Bears offense earn everything on Sunday as the group looks to snap a six-game losing streak. This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.
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