DOHA, Qatar (AP) — <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/cristiano-ronaldo">Cristiano Ronaldo</a> was dropped from Portugal's starting lineup for the second straight match at the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup">World Cup</a>.

The
 37-year-old Ronaldo won't play from the outset in the quarterfinal 
match against Morocco on Saturday, after starting on the bench and then 
coming on as a substitute for the round-of-16 match against Switzerland.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-sports-soccer-switzerland-qatar-7a9c02a043f225cbd440c2b32244542d">Gonçalo Ramos</a>, who scored a hat trick on Tuesday in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-sports-soccer-europe-middle-east-33b3bb4766719b3d22f589cc3be1fb62">Portugal's 6-1 win over Switzerland</a> on his first start for Portugal, was again selected ahead of Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is playing in his fifth and likely final World Cup.

He
 was left out of the lineup against the Swiss after coach Fernando 
Santos expressed frustration about his team captain’s attitude in the 
previous game.

Santos later said Ronaldo was “not happy” to be 
told he was being benched, but never threatened to leave the World Cup 
because of the decision.

Ronaldo, the all-time leading scorer in 
men's international soccer with 118 goals, eventually came in as a 
replacement in the 74th minute. He had looked somewhat disconnected from
 the rest of the squad after the match, and had already shown a poor 
attitude after being substituted in the last group game against South 
Korea.

Ronaldo was coming off lackluster performances in the group stage, though <a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-sports-soccer-europe-middle-east-03eada6b729b1f68ae27041829ac5cb6">he scored in the 3-2 win against Ghana</a> to become the first player to score in five World Cups. He has played in every edition of the tournament since 2006.

Portugal's other starters against Morocco at Al Thumama Stadium included João Félix, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Otávio.

Portugal
 is trying to make it to the last four for the third time, having 
finished third in 1966 and fourth in 2006. It hadn't gotten past the 
round of 16 since that tournament in Germany 16 years ago.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/cristiano-ronaldo">Cristiano Ronaldo</a> was dropped from Portugal's starting lineup for the second straight match at the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup">World Cup</a>.The
 37-year-old Ronaldo won't play from the outset in the quarterfinal 
match against Morocco on Saturday, after starting on the bench and then 
coming on as a substitute for the round-of-16 match against Switzerland.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-sports-soccer-switzerland-qatar-7a9c02a043f225cbd440c2b32244542d">Gonçalo Ramos</a>, who scored a hat trick on Tuesday in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-sports-soccer-europe-middle-east-33b3bb4766719b3d22f589cc3be1fb62">Portugal's 6-1 win over Switzerland</a> on his first start for Portugal, was again selected ahead of Ronaldo.Ronaldo is playing in his fifth and likely final World Cup.He
 was left out of the lineup against the Swiss after coach Fernando 
Santos expressed frustration about his team captain’s attitude in the 
previous game.Santos later said Ronaldo was “not happy” to be 
told he was being benched, but never threatened to leave the World Cup 
because of the decision.Ronaldo, the all-time leading scorer in 
men's international soccer with 118 goals, eventually came in as a 
replacement in the 74th minute. He had looked somewhat disconnected from
 the rest of the squad after the match, and had already shown a poor 
attitude after being substituted in the last group game against South 
Korea.Ronaldo was coming off lackluster performances in the group stage, though <a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-sports-soccer-europe-middle-east-03eada6b729b1f68ae27041829ac5cb6">he scored in the 3-2 win against Ghana</a> to become the first player to score in five World Cups. He has played in every edition of the tournament since 2006.Portugal's other starters against Morocco at Al Thumama Stadium included João Félix, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Otávio.Portugal
 is trying to make it to the last four for the third time, having 
finished third in 1966 and fourth in 2006. It hadn't gotten past the 
round of 16 since that tournament in Germany 16 years ago.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670686795287.jpg" alt="Pixabay photo" />
 <figcaption>Pixabay photo</figcaption>
 </figure>

Ronaldo benched again against Morocco in World Cup quarterfinals

By ERIC THOMAS <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/09/when-the-world-cup-comes-to-kansas-city-tough-questions-will-follow/">Courtesy Kansas Reflector</a>

Last weekend, the team representing the United States at the World Cup in Qatar crashed out of the tournament following a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.foxsports.com/watch/play-6110921be00004b?cmpid=google-one-box">3-1 loss against the Netherlands</a>.

As a fan, I have tracked this team 
from qualifying in CONCACAF to pre-tournament friendlies, from the group
 stage into the knockout round, monitoring the pre-match lineups and 
coaching decisions. Even my soccer-crazed son might have rolled his eyes
 at the arcane statistics I recited to him, likely from one of the 
dozens of <a target="_blank" href="https://meninblazers.com/page/podcasts">podcasts</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://theathletic.com/">articles</a> or videos I gobbled up.

Besides the results for the U.S. 
men’s national team, the other dominant storyline from the World Cup has
 little to do with assists, corner kicks or <a target="_blank" href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/07/what-are-expected-goals-xg/">xG</a>.
 Counterintuitively, this second storyline might determine the success 
of the 2026 World Cup in the United States even more than the wins, 
losses and ties of our national team.

The referee’s final whistle at 
Khalifa International Stadium signaled the start of a new storyline. The
 next World Cup match that the U.S. will play will likely be at home — 
in the United States.

This storyline is the stew of 
political hijinks and squabbles that flooded the World Cup this year. 
That storyline includes how journalists have covered (or failed to 
cover) the politics of this multibillion dollar global sports event.

With Kansas City hosting games for 
the 2026 event, our region will be dipped into that World Cup stew. As 
local journalists, many of us will decide how to cover it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

One thing is certain: This year’s 
World Cup has provided lessons on what not to do as both a host nation 
and as journalists. Let’s study the lessons now for 2026, so we don’t 
make the same blunders.

We start with the profit-driven 
cowardice of Fox Sports. In the years preceding the Qatar World Cup, 
FIFA and the host nation generated so many newsworthy controversies: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/20/fifa-qatar-world-cup-corruption/">accusations of bribes to FIFA</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/the-world-cup-is-officially-underway-in-qatar-heres-why-its-so-controversial">anti-gay laws in Qatar</a> and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/23/revealed-migrant-worker-deaths-qatar-fifa-world-cup-2022">deaths of foreign workers</a>.
 The question for Fox Sports, the broadcast rights holder in the United 
States, was how it would cover these juicy narratives during the match 
telecasts.

How would they cover the diplomatic 
tensions between the competing countries? Perhaps, they would cover 
international flaps — like the social media staff of the U.S. team 
foolishly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/27/usmnt-twitter-iran-flag-change/">removing a portion of the Iran flag</a>
 on some social media posts — during pregame segments. Or perhaps we 
would hear the in-match commentators interject the news into their 
play-by-play.

Fox Sports made short work of that decision by simply opting not to cover any of it.

Their possible motive? <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/18/fox-qatar-world-cup-coverage/">The Washington Post reported</a>
 that Fox Sports agreed to a sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways. That 
funding (and perhaps some complementary airfare for Fox Sports staff) 
may have enabled the broadcaster to set up a swank studio in Qatar 
rather than anchoring coverage from Los Angeles.&nbsp;

Who owns the airline? Qatar itself, suggesting an unsightly quid pro quo. A Fox Sports spokesman <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/18/fox-qatar-world-cup-coverage/">told the Post</a> that the network did not agree to censor its political coverage in exchange for the Qatar Airways sponsorship deal.

However, contrast Fox Sports’ 
editorial spinelessness with the words of Telemundo Deportes president 
Ray Warren about how his network would cover World Cup politics: “I do 
think we have to talk about the legacy we leave. By the time the 
tournament’s over, we (won’t have been) ignoring the geopolitical issues
 that might arise.”

I doubt that an American sponsor in 
2026 will make such a brazen attempt to neuter a media outlet, at least 
partially because of how embarrassing this incident has been for Fox 
Sports.

However, millions of sponsorship 
dollars will flood the Kansas City region. Might a sponsor ask a local 
publication or broadcaster to weaken its scrutiny with a wink? How might
 an advertiser discourage honest coverage through a financial nudge?

“World Corrupt,” <a target="_blank" href="https://crooked.com/podcast-series/world-corrupt/">a podcast series</a>
 that has chronicled the hypocrisy and corruption of this World Cup, 
summarized what it looks like to watch the coverage of a World Cup that 
has been artificially sweetened.

“It is basically the Splenda of international tournaments,” <a target="_blank" href="https://crooked.com/podcast/world-corrupt-episode-7-stoppage-time/">co-host Tommy Vietor half-joked</a>.

Fewer controversies should ignite in 
the run-up to the World Cup in North America. However, smoke-free skies 
can’t be guaranteed with a flammable international syndicate like FIFA.

Because Kansas City will host 
matches, we should also expect that the visiting foreign press will zoom
 in on the blemishes of Missouri, Kansas and the Midwest. As the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/16/world-cup-2026-venues-los-angeles-new-york-list">only host city in the central United States</a>,
 our local site will stand in for all of middle America in news 
coverage. You could travel west from Pennsylvania to California, and the
 only host city you would pass would be KC.

Of course, we want our region to be a
 great place to live for the sake of, well, being a great place to live.
 However, if we need any extra motivation, maybe we will clean up our 
room before the house guests come to visit.

Consider, for example, the local headlines that the foreign press might have seized on during the last month. A<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/4-teens-man-charged-in-shooting-death-of-kansas-city-man-in-shawnee"> recent Shawnee shooting</a> resulted in charges for four teens. Alleged <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcur.org/corruption-in-kansas-city-kansas">corruption in the Kansas City, Kansas, police department</a> allowed an officer to terrorize citizens. A small town <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/06/kansas-towns-library-lease-renewed-after-months-of-debate-about-lgbtq-content/">nearly shuttered its library</a> because it included books about LGBTQ lives.

If we need any proof that the 
visiting press will care about these stories, note how the American 
press is rightfully scrutinizing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/qatar-world-cup-migrant-deaths-28679897">the death of a foreign worker in Qatar</a> this week.

We should also prepare ourselves for absurd questions from hostile journalists with an agenda. Here’s how <a target="_blank" href="https://time.com/6237256/usmnt-press-conference-tyler-adams/">they grilled the U.S. team captain</a> Tyler Adams about racism in America, after chiding him for his pronunciation of Iran.

“Are you OK to be representing a 
country that has so much discrimination against Black people in its own 
borders?” a reporter for Iran’s state-controlled TV station asked during
 a pre-match press conference.

Or — even more bonkers — how the same press gaggle asked U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter for <a target="_blank" href="https://nypost.com/2022/11/28/us-coach-gregg-berhalter-grilled-at-world-cup-presser-before-iran-match/">his take on the position of U.S. warships</a>.

Everything will be inbounds. We, as Americans and Midwesterners, will need answers.

Adams’ response to the grilling by 
the Iranian press displayed the kind of eloquence and patience that our 
politicians and players will need in 2026.

“There’s discrimination everywhere 
you go,” he said. “In the U.S., we’re continuing to make progress every 
single day … through education. I think it’s super important. Like you 
just educated me now on the pronunciation of your country. It’s a 
process. As long as you see progress, that’s the most important thing.”

Or, perhaps we need to all practice the kind of deflection that Berhalter used.

“I don’t know enough about politics; I’m a soccer coach,” Berhalter said, dodging a foreign affairs kerfuffle.

As hosts, we will need to do a bit of each: toughen our skin, clean up our affairs and provide thoughtful and patient answers.

Like the team itself, we will need 
some practice to prepare for the World Cup in Kansas City. The 2026 
summer of soccer and all its controversial storylines are coming, along 
with the goals and celebrations.

Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, a nonprofit that supports student journalism throughout the state. He also teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670597372971.png" alt="The U.S. men’s national soccer team warms up before a friendly match against the national team of Uruguay on June 5, 2022, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. (Eric Thomas, courtesy Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>The U.S. men’s national soccer team warms up before a friendly match against the national team of Uruguay on June 5, 2022, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. (Eric Thomas, courtesy Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ERIC THOMAS <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/09/when-the-world-cup-comes-to-kansas-city-tough-questions-will-follow/">Courtesy Kansas Reflector</a>Last weekend, the team representing the United States at the World Cup in Qatar crashed out of the tournament following a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.foxsports.com/watch/play-6110921be00004b?cmpid=google-one-box">3-1 loss against the Netherlands</a>.As a fan, I have tracked this team 
from qualifying in CONCACAF to pre-tournament friendlies, from the group
 stage into the knockout round, monitoring the pre-match lineups and 
coaching decisions. Even my soccer-crazed son might have rolled his eyes
 at the arcane statistics I recited to him, likely from one of the 
dozens of <a target="_blank" href="https://meninblazers.com/page/podcasts">podcasts</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://theathletic.com/">articles</a> or videos I gobbled up.Besides the results for the U.S. 
men’s national team, the other dominant storyline from the World Cup has
 little to do with assists, corner kicks or <a target="_blank" href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/07/what-are-expected-goals-xg/">xG</a>.
 Counterintuitively, this second storyline might determine the success 
of the 2026 World Cup in the United States even more than the wins, 
losses and ties of our national team.The referee’s final whistle at 
Khalifa International Stadium signaled the start of a new storyline. The
 next World Cup match that the U.S. will play will likely be at home — 
in the United States.This storyline is the stew of 
political hijinks and squabbles that flooded the World Cup this year. 
That storyline includes how journalists have covered (or failed to 
cover) the politics of this multibillion dollar global sports event.With Kansas City hosting games for 
the 2026 event, our region will be dipped into that World Cup stew. As 
local journalists, many of us will decide how to cover it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One thing is certain: This year’s 
World Cup has provided lessons on what not to do as both a host nation 
and as journalists. Let’s study the lessons now for 2026, so we don’t 
make the same blunders.We start with the profit-driven 
cowardice of Fox Sports. In the years preceding the Qatar World Cup, 
FIFA and the host nation generated so many newsworthy controversies: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/20/fifa-qatar-world-cup-corruption/">accusations of bribes to FIFA</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/the-world-cup-is-officially-underway-in-qatar-heres-why-its-so-controversial">anti-gay laws in Qatar</a> and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/23/revealed-migrant-worker-deaths-qatar-fifa-world-cup-2022">deaths of foreign workers</a>.
 The question for Fox Sports, the broadcast rights holder in the United 
States, was how it would cover these juicy narratives during the match 
telecasts.How would they cover the diplomatic 
tensions between the competing countries? Perhaps, they would cover 
international flaps — like the social media staff of the U.S. team 
foolishly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/27/usmnt-twitter-iran-flag-change/">removing a portion of the Iran flag</a>
 on some social media posts — during pregame segments. Or perhaps we 
would hear the in-match commentators interject the news into their 
play-by-play.Fox Sports made short work of that decision by simply opting not to cover any of it.Their possible motive? <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/18/fox-qatar-world-cup-coverage/">The Washington Post reported</a>
 that Fox Sports agreed to a sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways. That 
funding (and perhaps some complementary airfare for Fox Sports staff) 
may have enabled the broadcaster to set up a swank studio in Qatar 
rather than anchoring coverage from Los Angeles.&nbsp;Who owns the airline? Qatar itself, suggesting an unsightly quid pro quo. A Fox Sports spokesman <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/18/fox-qatar-world-cup-coverage/">told the Post</a> that the network did not agree to censor its political coverage in exchange for the Qatar Airways sponsorship deal.However, contrast Fox Sports’ 
editorial spinelessness with the words of Telemundo Deportes president 
Ray Warren about how his network would cover World Cup politics: “I do 
think we have to talk about the legacy we leave. By the time the 
tournament’s over, we (won’t have been) ignoring the geopolitical issues
 that might arise.”I doubt that an American sponsor in 
2026 will make such a brazen attempt to neuter a media outlet, at least 
partially because of how embarrassing this incident has been for Fox 
Sports.However, millions of sponsorship 
dollars will flood the Kansas City region. Might a sponsor ask a local 
publication or broadcaster to weaken its scrutiny with a wink? How might
 an advertiser discourage honest coverage through a financial nudge?“World Corrupt,” <a target="_blank" href="https://crooked.com/podcast-series/world-corrupt/">a podcast series</a>
 that has chronicled the hypocrisy and corruption of this World Cup, 
summarized what it looks like to watch the coverage of a World Cup that 
has been artificially sweetened.“It is basically the Splenda of international tournaments,” <a target="_blank" href="https://crooked.com/podcast/world-corrupt-episode-7-stoppage-time/">co-host Tommy Vietor half-joked</a>.Fewer controversies should ignite in 
the run-up to the World Cup in North America. However, smoke-free skies 
can’t be guaranteed with a flammable international syndicate like FIFA.Because Kansas City will host 
matches, we should also expect that the visiting foreign press will zoom
 in on the blemishes of Missouri, Kansas and the Midwest. As the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/16/world-cup-2026-venues-los-angeles-new-york-list">only host city in the central United States</a>,
 our local site will stand in for all of middle America in news 
coverage. You could travel west from Pennsylvania to California, and the
 only host city you would pass would be KC.Of course, we want our region to be a
 great place to live for the sake of, well, being a great place to live.
 However, if we need any extra motivation, maybe we will clean up our 
room before the house guests come to visit.Consider, for example, the local headlines that the foreign press might have seized on during the last month. A<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/4-teens-man-charged-in-shooting-death-of-kansas-city-man-in-shawnee"> recent Shawnee shooting</a> resulted in charges for four teens. Alleged <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcur.org/corruption-in-kansas-city-kansas">corruption in the Kansas City, Kansas, police department</a> allowed an officer to terrorize citizens. A small town <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/06/kansas-towns-library-lease-renewed-after-months-of-debate-about-lgbtq-content/">nearly shuttered its library</a> because it included books about LGBTQ lives.If we need any proof that the 
visiting press will care about these stories, note how the American 
press is rightfully scrutinizing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/qatar-world-cup-migrant-deaths-28679897">the death of a foreign worker in Qatar</a> this week.We should also prepare ourselves for absurd questions from hostile journalists with an agenda. Here’s how <a target="_blank" href="https://time.com/6237256/usmnt-press-conference-tyler-adams/">they grilled the U.S. team captain</a> Tyler Adams about racism in America, after chiding him for his pronunciation of Iran.“Are you OK to be representing a 
country that has so much discrimination against Black people in its own 
borders?” a reporter for Iran’s state-controlled TV station asked during
 a pre-match press conference.Or — even more bonkers — how the same press gaggle asked U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter for <a target="_blank" href="https://nypost.com/2022/11/28/us-coach-gregg-berhalter-grilled-at-world-cup-presser-before-iran-match/">his take on the position of U.S. warships</a>.Everything will be inbounds. We, as Americans and Midwesterners, will need answers.Adams’ response to the grilling by 
the Iranian press displayed the kind of eloquence and patience that our 
politicians and players will need in 2026.“There’s discrimination everywhere 
you go,” he said. “In the U.S., we’re continuing to make progress every 
single day … through education. I think it’s super important. Like you 
just educated me now on the pronunciation of your country. It’s a 
process. As long as you see progress, that’s the most important thing.”Or, perhaps we need to all practice the kind of deflection that Berhalter used.“I don’t know enough about politics; I’m a soccer coach,” Berhalter said, dodging a foreign affairs kerfuffle.As hosts, we will need to do a bit of each: toughen our skin, clean up our affairs and provide thoughtful and patient answers.Like the team itself, we will need 
some practice to prepare for the World Cup in Kansas City. The 2026 
summer of soccer and all its controversial storylines are coming, along 
with the goals and celebrations.Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, a nonprofit that supports student journalism throughout the state. He also teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.&nbsp;

OPINION: World Cup kicks tough questions at Kansas City

Newswire, courtesy Associated Press

As the end of the year approaches, people start looking forward to 
their tax refunds. Many use these refunds to restock their emergency 
savings, invest, make big purchases, and travel. But the IRS can take a 
long time to get your refund to you, even if you sign up for direct 
deposit. If you need the money faster, you may have considered a tax 
refund loan. This article will explain how <a href="https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/money-management/pros-and-cons-of-a-tax-refund-loan">tax refund loans</a> work and their benefits and drawbacks. Then, we'll dive into a few tax refund loan alternatives for your consideration.

Tax
 refund loans let taxpayers who qualify for a tax refund borrow against 
that refund. After filing your taxes with a tax preparer, you can apply 
for one of these loans with no credit check. If approved, they're 
typically disbursed to you via prepaid card or check within 24 hours of 
filing your return.

You don't repay these — instead, the lender 
opens a temporary bank account and tells the IRS to deposit the refund 
into it. They then take the loan amount plus fees and tax prep costs out
 of the refund before paying you the remainder. These loans are often 
interest-free. However, you may owe a fee, depending on the lender or 
tax filing service you work with.

Tax
 refund loans can be hard to compare since you can often only get one 
from your tax preparer. They're also fairly costly in some cases. Plus, 
there's always the chance your tax return has an error that, when 
corrected, reduces your refund. You may owe money if you borrowed more 
than your correct refund. So, if you need your refund fast but don't 
want a tax refund loan, consider these alternatives:

Cash
 advances are fast, small-dollar loans that you can use to cover 
expenses until your next payday. Many lenders have less strict 
requirements and will consider factors like your income and current 
debts in addition to your credit score. This means you can still get 
this type of loan with poor or fair credit.

If approved for a cash
 advance, you can often get the funds as soon as the same day you apply.
 Then, you'll repay what you owe plus interest in two to four weeks. You
 can also roll over the loan for an additional fee if you can't repay.

Installment
 loans let you borrow large lump sums and repay them in fixed monthly 
principal and interest payments. These tend to offer better interest 
rates and are easy to budget for, thanks to their predictable payments.

Plus,
 installment loans have longer timelines. This lets you borrow more and 
spread it out over a longer amount of time in case you need more than 
your tax refund amount. There are installment loans available to 
borrowers with a wide variety of credit scores and histories.

If
 you own your car outright, a title loan lets you borrow against your 
vehicle's title for a quick loan. Lenders appraise your vehicle, verify 
your income, and then offer you a loan worth 25% to 50% of your car's 
value. You can then get your funds that same day and continue driving 
your vehicle during repayment.

Consider a loan while you wait for your tax refund

Tax
 refund loans make it easy to access your money ASAP if you need it 
quickly. However, they can come with fees, and it's hard to compare 
options. Luckily, if you don't want a tax refund loan, there are plenty 
of alternatives.

Cash advances are one of the fastest short-term 
options for anyone, whereas title loans could be more suited for people 
who own vehicles outright. Installment loans may work well for people 
with larger refunds or who need to borrow more and want fixed payments. 
Whichever option you choose, make sure you budget for the loan. This 
will help you minimize costs and financial stress while allowing you to 
take advantage of the extra funds.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Newswire, courtesy Associated PressAs the end of the year approaches, people start looking forward to 
their tax refunds. Many use these refunds to restock their emergency 
savings, invest, make big purchases, and travel. But the IRS can take a 
long time to get your refund to you, even if you sign up for direct 
deposit. If you need the money faster, you may have considered a tax 
refund loan. This article will explain how <a href="https://www.advanceamerica.net/money-saving-tips/money-management/pros-and-cons-of-a-tax-refund-loan">tax refund loans</a> work and their benefits and drawbacks. Then, we'll dive into a few tax refund loan alternatives for your consideration.How does a tax refund loan work?Tax
 refund loans let taxpayers who qualify for a tax refund borrow against 
that refund. After filing your taxes with a tax preparer, you can apply 
for one of these loans with no credit check. If approved, they're 
typically disbursed to you via prepaid card or check within 24 hours of 
filing your return.You don't repay these — instead, the lender 
opens a temporary bank account and tells the IRS to deposit the refund 
into it. They then take the loan amount plus fees and tax prep costs out
 of the refund before paying you the remainder. These loans are often 
interest-free. However, you may owe a fee, depending on the lender or 
tax filing service you work with.Tax refund loan alternativesTax
 refund loans can be hard to compare since you can often only get one 
from your tax preparer. They're also fairly costly in some cases. Plus, 
there's always the chance your tax return has an error that, when 
corrected, reduces your refund. You may owe money if you borrowed more 
than your correct refund. So, if you need your refund fast but don't 
want a tax refund loan, consider these alternatives:1. Cash advancesCash
 advances are fast, small-dollar loans that you can use to cover 
expenses until your next payday. Many lenders have less strict 
requirements and will consider factors like your income and current 
debts in addition to your credit score. This means you can still get 
this type of loan with poor or fair credit.If approved for a cash
 advance, you can often get the funds as soon as the same day you apply.
 Then, you'll repay what you owe plus interest in two to four weeks. You
 can also roll over the loan for an additional fee if you can't repay.2. Installment loansInstallment
 loans let you borrow large lump sums and repay them in fixed monthly 
principal and interest payments. These tend to offer better interest 
rates and are easy to budget for, thanks to their predictable payments.Plus,
 installment loans have longer timelines. This lets you borrow more and 
spread it out over a longer amount of time in case you need more than 
your tax refund amount. There are installment loans available to 
borrowers with a wide variety of credit scores and histories.3. Title loansIf
 you own your car outright, a title loan lets you borrow against your 
vehicle's title for a quick loan. Lenders appraise your vehicle, verify 
your income, and then offer you a loan worth 25% to 50% of your car's 
value. You can then get your funds that same day and continue driving 
your vehicle during repayment.Consider a loan while you wait for your tax refundTax
 refund loans make it easy to access your money ASAP if you need it 
quickly. However, they can come with fees, and it's hard to compare 
options. Luckily, if you don't want a tax refund loan, there are plenty 
of alternatives.Cash advances are one of the fastest short-term 
options for anyone, whereas title loans could be more suited for people 
who own vehicles outright. Installment loans may work well for people 
with larger refunds or who need to borrow more and want fixed payments. 
Whichever option you choose, make sure you budget for the loan. This 
will help you minimize costs and financial stress while allowing you to 
take advantage of the extra funds.

Risk and reward: How fast can I get a tax refund loan?

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

All votes counted in Maricopa County, despite online claims

CLAIM: Uncounted ballots that got mixed with counted ballots at voting sites in Arizona’s Maricopa County were not included in the final midterm election results.

THE FACTS: While such ballots were mixed at two separate voting centers on Election Day, they were properly vetted and accurately tabulated, officials said. During November’s midterm elections, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-arizona-4e15278b82452878d6f6aa45b2984579">printing malfunction</a>&nbsp;caused tabulation machines at dozens of voting sites in Maricopa County to reject ballots on Election Day. Poll workers advised voters whose ballots were rejected to put them in a secure drop box referred to as “door 3” or “box 3” to be counted later at the county’s central tabulation facility. And while poll workers were trained to keep such yet-to-be-counted votes separate from those tabulated on-site, the ballots were “returned together,” Megan Gilbertson, a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Elections Department, wrote in an email to The Associated Press. As the state&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-arizona-biden-cabinet-phoenix-government-and-politics-29f0883bf2a47743d55d1b45ec43cbbf">certified its results</a>&nbsp;this week, posts continued to circulate on social media falsely claiming that those ballots were never counted in the final results, with users citing a video of a self-described poll observer speaking at a Nov. 28 Maricopa County Board of Supervisors meeting. The woman in the video said that such ballots were combined at her voting site located “off of Camelback and 7th street.” “They commingled the un-tabulated ballots of drawer 3 with the tabulated ballots,” the woman says in the clip, referring to box 3. “There is no way to ever sort that and track that. Those are lost votes. Those are lost voices.” But, as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-space-exploration-science-arizona-7037da2cf999f54587b59319a5a4a3ae">the county explained</a>&nbsp;in the days after the election, there is a way to sort and track such ballots, and the votes were counted in the final results. Additionally, such ballot mixing only occurred at two voting locations: Desert Hills Community Church in North Phoenix and the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS in Gilbert, according to Gilbertson. There is no record of such ballot mixing occurring at other voting centers, and the county never received a report of the issue occurring at the voting site described by the woman, Gilbertson told the AP by phone on Wednesday. An attempt to reach the woman who made the claim during the Nov. 28 meeting was unsuccessful. At the sites where mixing did occur, affected ballots were isolated and audited to make sure no votes were missed or double counted, Gilbertson wrote in an email this week. That process, called audit reconciliation, involves checking that the total number of ballots from a given vote center matches with the number of voters who checked-in at the site. Observers from both political parties were present. All Election Day ballots are required to undergo the process. “We have redundancies in place that help us ensure each legal ballot is only counted once,” Gilbertson wrote. “This process ensures that no ballot was double counted and that all ballots cast at the Vote Center were counted.” In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.maricopa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/80026/Maricopa-County-Response-11-27-2022">November report</a>&nbsp;responding to questions from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, the Maricopa County Elections Department similarly asserted it “retabulated the entire batch of ballots” from the two affected voting centers to ensure the accuracy of the count. Gilbertson said in the days after the election that similar mistakes have been made before, and the process to address it has been in place for decades,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-space-exploration-science-arizona-7037da2cf999f54587b59319a5a4a3ae">the AP reported</a>. “Every single polling location in Maricopa County has a reconciliation audit that’s completed for every single election,” said Tammy Patrick, a former federal compliance officer for the county election department. “It’s been that way literally for 30 years or more.”

— Associated Press writer Josh Kelety in Phoenix contributed this report.

Patent application doesn’t show COVID test was developed in 2015

CLAIM: A COVID-19 test patent application is dated 2020 but was actually filed in 2015.

THE FACTS: The patent application, for a system to determine if someone has a viral infection such as COVID-19, notes that a related provisional patent application was filed in 2015. But while the earlier provisional application is related to the technology in the 2020 application, it made no mention of COVID-19. Social media users are sharing the inaccurate claim through a meme, which implies that COVID-19 was actually known years before it emerged in late 2019. The meme also suggests such information is being censored on social media. “The patent of the covid testkit is hold by Richard A. Rothchild,” a meme shared on Instagram reads, incorrectly spelling the last name of the inventor, Rothschild. “It’s dated in 2020 but was filled 10/13/2015 and it’s called US2020279585(A1).” But the&nbsp;<a href="https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/61/a3/0d/3d91325d909386/US20200279585A1.pdf">patent application</a>&nbsp;in question was filed in May 2020 and describes a method of using biometric data to “to determine whether the user is suffering from a viral infection, such as COVID-19.” Under a section titled “Related U.S. Application Data,” the application makes note of a provisional application filed on Oct. 13, 2015. What that means, though, is that the patent is related to the provisional application that was filed years ago. They are not one in the same. A provisional application is essentially a placeholder for an intention to file a formal patent application, said Jonathan D’Silva, an assistant professor of clinical law and director of the Intellectual Property Law Clinic at Penn State University. Inventors may file a provisional application for different reasons, such as raising money or publicly disclosing their idea as they work on it, he said. The&nbsp;<a href="https://patentcenter.uspto.gov/applications/62240783/ifw/docs">provisional application</a>&nbsp;in 2015 was for a “System and Method for Using, Processing, and Displaying Biometric Data.” The 2020 patent application, meanwhile, was a “continuation-in-part” of a previous patent application, which means that new material was added, D’Silva said. In this case, the new material included the references to COVID-19. “Generally, you don’t have to guess what was in these other patent applications,” he said, since they’re publicly available. And in the earlier parent applications, “there was no mention of COVID-19.”

— Associated Press writer Angelo Fichera in Philadelphia contributed this report.

Post distorts facts on registered voters in Arizona

CLAIM: Arizona has 9,871,525 registered voters but its population is 7,270,000.

THE FACTS: The state had about 4 million registered voters, which is millions less than its population of about 7 million people. A popular Instagram post is using the erroneous claim to suggest potential election fraud in the state, which has been home to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-arizona-biden-cabinet-phoenix-government-and-politics-29f0883bf2a47743d55d1b45ec43cbbf">midterm election controversy</a>. “9,871,525 is the number of registered voters in AZ according to FB,” the post reads, “AZ population is 7,270,000.” A caption with the post reads, “ballot harvesting?” — the pejorative term for ballot collection. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-government-and-politics-8eaf001732ac25976f0560a3e49ed500">laws around dropping off ballots</a>&nbsp;for other voters varies by state and in Arizona, only caregivers, family members or household members can drop off a ballot for someone else. But the post’s claim about registered voters in Arizona is false. Arizona actually logged 4,143,929 voters for the Nov. 8 midterm elections, according to data from the Arizona Secretary of State’s office. The total population in Arizona was 7,276,316, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/AZ">July 2021 estimate</a>&nbsp;by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Fabricated tweets originated from account impersonating Hallie Biden

CLAIM: President Joe Biden’s daughter-in-law Hallie Biden tweeted that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. She also tweeted that on election night, first lady Jill Biden phoned election workers to stop counting ballots and “rush in fake ballots.”

THE FACTS: The account that made these tweets is “fraudulent,” said the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children, whose board Hallie Biden chairs.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/top-officials-elections-most-secure-66f9361084ccbc461e3bbf42861057a5">President Joe Biden defeated Trump</a>&nbsp;in the 2020 presidential election,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-270-electoral-college-vote-d429ef97af2bf574d16463384dc7cc1e">earning 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232</a>, and there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voter-fraud-election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-7fcb6f134e528fee8237c7601db3328f">no evidence of widespread fraud</a>. The fabricated tweets attributed to Hallie Biden — the widow of the president’s deceased son Beau Biden — resurfaced after circulating in past months. The fake tweets claim that on election night in 2020, Jill Biden was on the phone with “state legislators and the people who tabulate the vote” to stop the count and execute a deal to “rush in fake ballots.” "President Trump won that election and my entire family knows it,” one of the fabricated tweets reads. “Ms. Hallie Biden does not have a Twitter account,” the foundation said in an emailed statement. “Any account bearing her name is fraudulent.” An internet archive search for the Twitter account that posted the tweets, @HallieBiden, shows that it was suspended for violating the platform’s rules between&nbsp;<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220831070720/https://twitter.com/HallieBiden">late August</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220902113558/https://twitter.com/halliebiden">early September</a>&nbsp;2022. The platform had a policy against impersonation, which it has continued to prioritize under new ownership. Archived versions of the account show that it posted numerous false and unverified claims about the election being stolen and about Presidents Biden and Obama and their families.

— Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed this report.

Traffic plan in Oxfordshire, England, isn’t a ‘climate lockdown’

CLAIM: The county of Oxfordshire, England, which includes the city of Oxford, is imposing a “climate lockdown” that will confine residents to their neighborhoods.

THE FACTS: Oxfordshire has approved a plan to put “traffic filters” on some main roads, restricting drivers’ access during daytime hours and freeing up space for buses, cyclists and pedestrians. But car owners can apply for daylong permits to bypass the new rules, and many other vehicles are exempt. All parts of the county will remain accessible by car, officials said. Last week, local leaders in Oxfordshire voted to try a&nbsp;<a href="https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/traffic-filters-2022">new traffic reduction system</a>&nbsp;in an effort to reduce congestion in the county’s namesake city. Some on social media have since likened the scheme to stringent government COVID-19 containment policies. “UK. - Oxfordshire Council, part of the 15 minute city club, has passed a plan to trial a Climate lockdown,” tweeted one user, alongside a screenshot of an article warning that “residents will be confined to their local neighbourhood.” The plan “would control movements in a gated city, allowing only 100 car journeys in &amp; out per car &amp; monitoring all movements,” the tweet continued. But Oxfordshire’s “traffic filters” will not block access to any part of the city of Oxford or the rest of the county, let alone lock people in their neighborhoods, the county government told The Associated Press. “Everywhere in the city will still be accessible by car,” Paul Smith, spokesperson for the Oxfordshire County Council, wrote in an email. “Nobody will need permission from the county council to drive or leave their home.” The “traffic filters” are license plate recognition cameras, not physical barriers. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., drivers in private cars will be automatically fined if they cross through the filters without a permit. Motorists who live in Oxford will be able to apply for 100 daylong permits to drive through the filters per year. The “15 minute city club” referenced by one of the misleading tweets is an unrelated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.15minutecity.com/">urban planning framework</a>&nbsp;under which city residents would ideally be able to reach essential services within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from their home. Officials with the city of Oxford have&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/OxfordCity/status/1582295424768962560">separately proposed</a>&nbsp;pursuing these goals. But some on social media have incorrectly linked the two, suggesting the traffic rules will also bar residents from leaving their neighborhoods. The city and county emphasized in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/2332/joint_statement_from_oxfordshire_county_council_and_oxford_city_council_on_oxford_s_traffic_filters">joint statement</a>&nbsp;that the traffic restrictions will not “be used to confine people” to a given area. “Everyone can go through all the filters at any time by bus, bike, taxi, scooter or walking,” the statement added. Many vehicles, like vans and motorcycles, are exempt from the new rules. Disabled drivers and first responders will likewise not be affected. Drivers who lack a permit will also still be able to access all of the city without being fined. They “might just need to use a different route or drive through the ring road to avoid the traffic filters,” Smith wrote.

— Associated Press writer Graph Massara in San Francisco contributed this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1572956883313.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Associated PressA roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:All votes counted in Maricopa County, despite online claimsCLAIM: Uncounted ballots that got mixed with counted ballots at voting sites in Arizona’s Maricopa County were not included in the final midterm election results.THE FACTS: While such ballots were mixed at two separate voting centers on Election Day, they were properly vetted and accurately tabulated, officials said. During November’s midterm elections, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-arizona-4e15278b82452878d6f6aa45b2984579">printing malfunction</a>&nbsp;caused tabulation machines at dozens of voting sites in Maricopa County to reject ballots on Election Day. Poll workers advised voters whose ballots were rejected to put them in a secure drop box referred to as “door 3” or “box 3” to be counted later at the county’s central tabulation facility. And while poll workers were trained to keep such yet-to-be-counted votes separate from those tabulated on-site, the ballots were “returned together,” Megan Gilbertson, a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Elections Department, wrote in an email to The Associated Press. As the state&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-arizona-biden-cabinet-phoenix-government-and-politics-29f0883bf2a47743d55d1b45ec43cbbf">certified its results</a>&nbsp;this week, posts continued to circulate on social media falsely claiming that those ballots were never counted in the final results, with users citing a video of a self-described poll observer speaking at a Nov. 28 Maricopa County Board of Supervisors meeting. The woman in the video said that such ballots were combined at her voting site located “off of Camelback and 7th street.” “They commingled the un-tabulated ballots of drawer 3 with the tabulated ballots,” the woman says in the clip, referring to box 3. “There is no way to ever sort that and track that. Those are lost votes. Those are lost voices.” But, as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-space-exploration-science-arizona-7037da2cf999f54587b59319a5a4a3ae">the county explained</a>&nbsp;in the days after the election, there is a way to sort and track such ballots, and the votes were counted in the final results. Additionally, such ballot mixing only occurred at two voting locations: Desert Hills Community Church in North Phoenix and the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS in Gilbert, according to Gilbertson. There is no record of such ballot mixing occurring at other voting centers, and the county never received a report of the issue occurring at the voting site described by the woman, Gilbertson told the AP by phone on Wednesday. An attempt to reach the woman who made the claim during the Nov. 28 meeting was unsuccessful. At the sites where mixing did occur, affected ballots were isolated and audited to make sure no votes were missed or double counted, Gilbertson wrote in an email this week. That process, called audit reconciliation, involves checking that the total number of ballots from a given vote center matches with the number of voters who checked-in at the site. Observers from both political parties were present. All Election Day ballots are required to undergo the process. “We have redundancies in place that help us ensure each legal ballot is only counted once,” Gilbertson wrote. “This process ensures that no ballot was double counted and that all ballots cast at the Vote Center were counted.” In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.maricopa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/80026/Maricopa-County-Response-11-27-2022">November report</a>&nbsp;responding to questions from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, the Maricopa County Elections Department similarly asserted it “retabulated the entire batch of ballots” from the two affected voting centers to ensure the accuracy of the count. Gilbertson said in the days after the election that similar mistakes have been made before, and the process to address it has been in place for decades,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-space-exploration-science-arizona-7037da2cf999f54587b59319a5a4a3ae">the AP reported</a>. “Every single polling location in Maricopa County has a reconciliation audit that’s completed for every single election,” said Tammy Patrick, a former federal compliance officer for the county election department. “It’s been that way literally for 30 years or more.”— Associated Press writer Josh Kelety in Phoenix contributed this report.___Patent application doesn’t show COVID test was developed in 2015CLAIM: A COVID-19 test patent application is dated 2020 but was actually filed in 2015.THE FACTS: The patent application, for a system to determine if someone has a viral infection such as COVID-19, notes that a related provisional patent application was filed in 2015. But while the earlier provisional application is related to the technology in the 2020 application, it made no mention of COVID-19. Social media users are sharing the inaccurate claim through a meme, which implies that COVID-19 was actually known years before it emerged in late 2019. The meme also suggests such information is being censored on social media. “The patent of the covid testkit is hold by Richard A. Rothchild,” a meme shared on Instagram reads, incorrectly spelling the last name of the inventor, Rothschild. “It’s dated in 2020 but was filled 10/13/2015 and it’s called US2020279585(A1).” But the&nbsp;<a href="https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/61/a3/0d/3d91325d909386/US20200279585A1.pdf">patent application</a>&nbsp;in question was filed in May 2020 and describes a method of using biometric data to “to determine whether the user is suffering from a viral infection, such as COVID-19.” Under a section titled “Related U.S. Application Data,” the application makes note of a provisional application filed on Oct. 13, 2015. What that means, though, is that the patent is related to the provisional application that was filed years ago. They are not one in the same. A provisional application is essentially a placeholder for an intention to file a formal patent application, said Jonathan D’Silva, an assistant professor of clinical law and director of the Intellectual Property Law Clinic at Penn State University. Inventors may file a provisional application for different reasons, such as raising money or publicly disclosing their idea as they work on it, he said. The&nbsp;<a href="https://patentcenter.uspto.gov/applications/62240783/ifw/docs">provisional application</a>&nbsp;in 2015 was for a “System and Method for Using, Processing, and Displaying Biometric Data.” The 2020 patent application, meanwhile, was a “continuation-in-part” of a previous patent application, which means that new material was added, D’Silva said. In this case, the new material included the references to COVID-19. “Generally, you don’t have to guess what was in these other patent applications,” he said, since they’re publicly available. And in the earlier parent applications, “there was no mention of COVID-19.”— Associated Press writer Angelo Fichera in Philadelphia contributed this report.___Post distorts facts on registered voters in ArizonaCLAIM: Arizona has 9,871,525 registered voters but its population is 7,270,000.THE FACTS: The state had about 4 million registered voters, which is millions less than its population of about 7 million people. A popular Instagram post is using the erroneous claim to suggest potential election fraud in the state, which has been home to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-arizona-biden-cabinet-phoenix-government-and-politics-29f0883bf2a47743d55d1b45ec43cbbf">midterm election controversy</a>. “9,871,525 is the number of registered voters in AZ according to FB,” the post reads, “AZ population is 7,270,000.” A caption with the post reads, “ballot harvesting?” — the pejorative term for ballot collection. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-government-and-politics-8eaf001732ac25976f0560a3e49ed500">laws around dropping off ballots</a>&nbsp;for other voters varies by state and in Arizona, only caregivers, family members or household members can drop off a ballot for someone else. But the post’s claim about registered voters in Arizona is false. Arizona actually logged 4,143,929 voters for the Nov. 8 midterm elections, according to data from the Arizona Secretary of State’s office. The total population in Arizona was 7,276,316, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/AZ">July 2021 estimate</a>&nbsp;by the U.S. Census Bureau.— Angelo Fichera___Fabricated tweets originated from account impersonating Hallie BidenCLAIM: President Joe Biden’s daughter-in-law Hallie Biden tweeted that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. She also tweeted that on election night, first lady Jill Biden phoned election workers to stop counting ballots and “rush in fake ballots.”THE FACTS: The account that made these tweets is “fraudulent,” said the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children, whose board Hallie Biden chairs.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/top-officials-elections-most-secure-66f9361084ccbc461e3bbf42861057a5">President Joe Biden defeated Trump</a>&nbsp;in the 2020 presidential election,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-270-electoral-college-vote-d429ef97af2bf574d16463384dc7cc1e">earning 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232</a>, and there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voter-fraud-election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-7fcb6f134e528fee8237c7601db3328f">no evidence of widespread fraud</a>. The fabricated tweets attributed to Hallie Biden — the widow of the president’s deceased son Beau Biden — resurfaced after circulating in past months. The fake tweets claim that on election night in 2020, Jill Biden was on the phone with “state legislators and the people who tabulate the vote” to stop the count and execute a deal to “rush in fake ballots.” "President Trump won that election and my entire family knows it,” one of the fabricated tweets reads. “Ms. Hallie Biden does not have a Twitter account,” the foundation said in an emailed statement. “Any account bearing her name is fraudulent.” An internet archive search for the Twitter account that posted the tweets, @HallieBiden, shows that it was suspended for violating the platform’s rules between&nbsp;<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220831070720/https://twitter.com/HallieBiden">late August</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220902113558/https://twitter.com/halliebiden">early September</a>&nbsp;2022. The platform had a policy against impersonation, which it has continued to prioritize under new ownership. Archived versions of the account show that it posted numerous false and unverified claims about the election being stolen and about Presidents Biden and Obama and their families.— Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed this report.___Traffic plan in Oxfordshire, England, isn’t a ‘climate lockdown’CLAIM: The county of Oxfordshire, England, which includes the city of Oxford, is imposing a “climate lockdown” that will confine residents to their neighborhoods.THE FACTS: Oxfordshire has approved a plan to put “traffic filters” on some main roads, restricting drivers’ access during daytime hours and freeing up space for buses, cyclists and pedestrians. But car owners can apply for daylong permits to bypass the new rules, and many other vehicles are exempt. All parts of the county will remain accessible by car, officials said. Last week, local leaders in Oxfordshire voted to try a&nbsp;<a href="https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/traffic-filters-2022">new traffic reduction system</a>&nbsp;in an effort to reduce congestion in the county’s namesake city. Some on social media have since likened the scheme to stringent government COVID-19 containment policies. “UK. - Oxfordshire Council, part of the 15 minute city club, has passed a plan to trial a Climate lockdown,” tweeted one user, alongside a screenshot of an article warning that “residents will be confined to their local neighbourhood.” The plan “would control movements in a gated city, allowing only 100 car journeys in &amp; out per car &amp; monitoring all movements,” the tweet continued. But Oxfordshire’s “traffic filters” will not block access to any part of the city of Oxford or the rest of the county, let alone lock people in their neighborhoods, the county government told The Associated Press. “Everywhere in the city will still be accessible by car,” Paul Smith, spokesperson for the Oxfordshire County Council, wrote in an email. “Nobody will need permission from the county council to drive or leave their home.” The “traffic filters” are license plate recognition cameras, not physical barriers. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., drivers in private cars will be automatically fined if they cross through the filters without a permit. Motorists who live in Oxford will be able to apply for 100 daylong permits to drive through the filters per year. The “15 minute city club” referenced by one of the misleading tweets is an unrelated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.15minutecity.com/">urban planning framework</a>&nbsp;under which city residents would ideally be able to reach essential services within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from their home. Officials with the city of Oxford have&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/OxfordCity/status/1582295424768962560">separately proposed</a>&nbsp;pursuing these goals. But some on social media have incorrectly linked the two, suggesting the traffic rules will also bar residents from leaving their neighborhoods. The city and county emphasized in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/2332/joint_statement_from_oxfordshire_county_council_and_oxford_city_council_on_oxford_s_traffic_filters">joint statement</a>&nbsp;that the traffic restrictions will not “be used to confine people” to a given area. “Everyone can go through all the filters at any time by bus, bike, taxi, scooter or walking,” the statement added. Many vehicles, like vans and motorcycles, are exempt from the new rules. Disabled drivers and first responders will likewise not be affected. Drivers who lack a permit will also still be able to access all of the city without being fined. They “might just need to use a different route or drive through the ring road to avoid the traffic filters,” Smith wrote.— Associated Press writer Graph Massara in San Francisco contributed this report.

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

The
 Federal Trade Commission on Thursday sued to block Microsoft’s planned 
$69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard, saying 
it could suppress <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-mexico-europe-f16b8638b40cf649bc10acb35590bd6b">competitors to Microsoft’s Xbox game console</a> and its growing games subscription business.

The
 FTC’s challenge could be a test case for President Joe Biden’s mandate 
to scrutinize big tech mergers. The commission voted 3-1 to issue the 
complaint after a closed-door meeting, with the three Democratic 
commissioners voting in favor and the sole Republican voting against.

The
 complaint points to Microsoft’s previous game acquisitions, especially 
of well-known developer Bethesda Softworks and its parent company 
ZeniMax, as an example of where Microsoft is making some upcoming game 
titles exclusive to Xbox despite assuring European regulators it had no 
intention to do so.

“Microsoft has already shown that it can and 
will withhold content from its gaming rivals,” said a prepared statement
 from Holly Vedova, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. “Today 
we seek to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a leading 
independent game studio and using it to harm competition in multiple 
dynamic and fast-growing <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-game-awards-indie-neon-white-stray-1c66c4338c1b36868f293d832e4e6fa4">gaming markets</a>.”

The
 FTC said it was filing the complaint through its administrative process
 rather than taking the case to a federal court. That means an 
administrative law judge will hear the case.

Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, signaled in a statement Thursday that the company is likely to challenge the FTC’s decision.

“While
 we believed in giving peace a chance, we have complete confidence in 
our case and welcome the opportunity to present our case in court,” 
Smith said.

The company had been ramping up its public defense of 
the deal in recent days as it awaited a decision. Smith said Microsoft 
has been committed to addressing competition concerns and brought 
proposed concessions to the FTC earlier this week.

“We continue to
 believe that this deal will expand competition and create more 
opportunities for gamers and game developers,” Smith said.

Microsoft <a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-call-of-duty-7a9e2bcc8f0b7b9049e4f93fe3e0a4dd">announced the merger deal</a>
 in January but has faced months of resistance from Sony, which makes 
the competing PlayStation console and has raised concerns with <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-games-8d8340d840a531973c4c0be37b70a15f">antitrust watchdogs</a>
 around the world about losing access to popular Activision Blizzard 
game franchises such as the military shooter game Call of Duty.

Antitrust
 regulators under Biden “have staked out the view that for decades 
merger policy has been too weak and they’ve said, repeatedly, ‘We’re 
changing that,’” said William Kovacic, a former chair of the FTC.

That
 has put pressure on the FTC to fulfill its bold promises to “not allow 
dodgy deals and not accept weak settlements,” said Kovacic, who was a 
Republican commissioner appointed in 2006 by then-President George W. 
Bush. But he said Microsoft has a good chance of winning its legal 
challenge.

“It’s evident that the company has been making a number
 of concessions,” he said. “Microsoft would likely raise them in court 
and say the FTC is being incorrigibly stubborn about this.”

Microsoft announced its latest promise Wednesday, saying it would make <a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-nintendo-call-of-duty-deal-0dfea66c7e77f9bfd36cf3c1965c57c0">Call of Duty available on Nintendo</a> devices for 10 years should its acquisition go through. It has said it tried to offer the same commitment to Sony.

In
 an appeal to Biden administration priorities, Microsoft had also sought
 to characterize its deal as worker-friendly after announcing a “labor 
neutrality agreement” in June with the Communications Workers of America
 that would allow workers to unionize after the acquisition closes. The 
union’s president, Chris Shelton, wrote an opinion column in The Hill 
this week calling on the FTC to “seal the deal, not blow it up.”

The
 deal is also under close scrutiny in the European Union and the United 
Kingdom, where investigations aren’t due to be completed until next 
year.

FTC's decision to send the complaint to its in-house judge 
instead of seeking an urgent federal court injunction to halt the merger
 could drag the case out for months and give more “confidence to 
authorities outside the U.S. to take a swing at the deal on their own,” 
said Kovacic, who is now a professor at George Washington University Law
 School.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in a message to
 employees Thursday that the FTC’s action “sounds alarming, so I want to
 reinforce my confidence that this deal will close.”

“The 
allegation that this deal is anti-competitive doesn’t align with the 
facts, and we believe we’ll win this challenge,” Kotick wrote.

Kotick said the deal will be good for players, employees, competition and the industry.

"We
 believe these arguments will win despite a regulatory environment 
focused on ideology and misconceptions about the tech industry,” he 
said.

Led by <a href="https://apnews.com/article/frances-haugen-lina-khan-elizabeth-holmes-37d14570b9221962010171c0844e534a">FTC Chair Lina Khan</a>,
 a legal scholar who’s advocated for tougher antitrust enforcement, the 
commission is made up of three Democrats and one Republican after a 
second Republican stepped down earlier this year and left an open seat 
on the panel.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted 
Thursday that she welcomed the FTC action, noting that she had urged 
Khan to scrutinize the proposed merger.

“Corporate monopolies have
 had free rein to hike prices and harm workers, but now the Biden admin 
is committed to promoting competition,” Warren said.

Both the 
Justice Department and the FTC this year have looked at strengthening 
merger guidelines to better detect and prevent illegal and 
anticompetitive deals. The agencies have been stressing the importance 
of robust competition to the economy, workers, consumers and small 
businesses.

Federal regulators also on Thursday <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-lawsuits-government-and-politics-meta-platforms-inc-06cf1518344a1a08f339467a2d0da8de">opened their campaign</a> to block Facebook parent Meta’s acquisition of a virtual-reality company Thursday in a San Jose, California, courtroom.

In
 that case, the FTC sued to prevent Meta’s acquisition of Within 
Unlimited and its fitness app Supernatural, asserting it would hurt 
competition and violate antitrust laws.

Microsoft in recent years 
has largely escaped the more intense regulatory backlash its tech rivals
 such as Amazon, Google and Meta have endured. But the sheer size of the
 Activision Blizzard acquisition — which could be the priciest in tech 
industry history — has drawn attention.

Microsoft's <a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-microsoft-doj-6a800b51cc9b6b1c4d1b23bad4510040">last big antitrust battle</a>
 occurred more than two decades ago when a federal judge ordered its 
breakup following the company’s anticompetitive actions related to its 
dominant Windows software. That verdict was overturned on appeal, 
although the court imposed other, less drastic, penalties on the 
company.

Associated PressThe
 Federal Trade Commission on Thursday sued to block Microsoft’s planned 
$69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard, saying 
it could suppress <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-mexico-europe-f16b8638b40cf649bc10acb35590bd6b">competitors to Microsoft’s Xbox game console</a> and its growing games subscription business.The
 FTC’s challenge could be a test case for President Joe Biden’s mandate 
to scrutinize big tech mergers. The commission voted 3-1 to issue the 
complaint after a closed-door meeting, with the three Democratic 
commissioners voting in favor and the sole Republican voting against.The
 complaint points to Microsoft’s previous game acquisitions, especially 
of well-known developer Bethesda Softworks and its parent company 
ZeniMax, as an example of where Microsoft is making some upcoming game 
titles exclusive to Xbox despite assuring European regulators it had no 
intention to do so.“Microsoft has already shown that it can and 
will withhold content from its gaming rivals,” said a prepared statement
 from Holly Vedova, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. “Today 
we seek to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a leading 
independent game studio and using it to harm competition in multiple 
dynamic and fast-growing <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-game-awards-indie-neon-white-stray-1c66c4338c1b36868f293d832e4e6fa4">gaming markets</a>.”The
 FTC said it was filing the complaint through its administrative process
 rather than taking the case to a federal court. That means an 
administrative law judge will hear the case.Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, signaled in a statement Thursday that the company is likely to challenge the FTC’s decision.“While
 we believed in giving peace a chance, we have complete confidence in 
our case and welcome the opportunity to present our case in court,” 
Smith said.The company had been ramping up its public defense of 
the deal in recent days as it awaited a decision. Smith said Microsoft 
has been committed to addressing competition concerns and brought 
proposed concessions to the FTC earlier this week.“We continue to
 believe that this deal will expand competition and create more 
opportunities for gamers and game developers,” Smith said.Microsoft <a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-call-of-duty-7a9e2bcc8f0b7b9049e4f93fe3e0a4dd">announced the merger deal</a>
 in January but has faced months of resistance from Sony, which makes 
the competing PlayStation console and has raised concerns with <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-games-8d8340d840a531973c4c0be37b70a15f">antitrust watchdogs</a>
 around the world about losing access to popular Activision Blizzard 
game franchises such as the military shooter game Call of Duty.Antitrust
 regulators under Biden “have staked out the view that for decades 
merger policy has been too weak and they’ve said, repeatedly, ‘We’re 
changing that,’” said William Kovacic, a former chair of the FTC.That
 has put pressure on the FTC to fulfill its bold promises to “not allow 
dodgy deals and not accept weak settlements,” said Kovacic, who was a 
Republican commissioner appointed in 2006 by then-President George W. 
Bush. But he said Microsoft has a good chance of winning its legal 
challenge.“It’s evident that the company has been making a number
 of concessions,” he said. “Microsoft would likely raise them in court 
and say the FTC is being incorrigibly stubborn about this.”Microsoft announced its latest promise Wednesday, saying it would make <a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-nintendo-call-of-duty-deal-0dfea66c7e77f9bfd36cf3c1965c57c0">Call of Duty available on Nintendo</a> devices for 10 years should its acquisition go through. It has said it tried to offer the same commitment to Sony.In
 an appeal to Biden administration priorities, Microsoft had also sought
 to characterize its deal as worker-friendly after announcing a “labor 
neutrality agreement” in June with the Communications Workers of America
 that would allow workers to unionize after the acquisition closes. The 
union’s president, Chris Shelton, wrote an opinion column in The Hill 
this week calling on the FTC to “seal the deal, not blow it up.”The
 deal is also under close scrutiny in the European Union and the United 
Kingdom, where investigations aren’t due to be completed until next 
year.FTC's decision to send the complaint to its in-house judge 
instead of seeking an urgent federal court injunction to halt the merger
 could drag the case out for months and give more “confidence to 
authorities outside the U.S. to take a swing at the deal on their own,” 
said Kovacic, who is now a professor at George Washington University Law
 School.Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in a message to
 employees Thursday that the FTC’s action “sounds alarming, so I want to
 reinforce my confidence that this deal will close.”“The 
allegation that this deal is anti-competitive doesn’t align with the 
facts, and we believe we’ll win this challenge,” Kotick wrote.Kotick said the deal will be good for players, employees, competition and the industry."We
 believe these arguments will win despite a regulatory environment 
focused on ideology and misconceptions about the tech industry,” he 
said.Led by <a href="https://apnews.com/article/frances-haugen-lina-khan-elizabeth-holmes-37d14570b9221962010171c0844e534a">FTC Chair Lina Khan</a>,
 a legal scholar who’s advocated for tougher antitrust enforcement, the 
commission is made up of three Democrats and one Republican after a 
second Republican stepped down earlier this year and left an open seat 
on the panel.Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted 
Thursday that she welcomed the FTC action, noting that she had urged 
Khan to scrutinize the proposed merger.“Corporate monopolies have
 had free rein to hike prices and harm workers, but now the Biden admin 
is committed to promoting competition,” Warren said.Both the 
Justice Department and the FTC this year have looked at strengthening 
merger guidelines to better detect and prevent illegal and 
anticompetitive deals. The agencies have been stressing the importance 
of robust competition to the economy, workers, consumers and small 
businesses.Federal regulators also on Thursday <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-lawsuits-government-and-politics-meta-platforms-inc-06cf1518344a1a08f339467a2d0da8de">opened their campaign</a> to block Facebook parent Meta’s acquisition of a virtual-reality company Thursday in a San Jose, California, courtroom.In
 that case, the FTC sued to prevent Meta’s acquisition of Within 
Unlimited and its fitness app Supernatural, asserting it would hurt 
competition and violate antitrust laws.Microsoft in recent years 
has largely escaped the more intense regulatory backlash its tech rivals
 such as Amazon, Google and Meta have endured. But the sheer size of the
 Activision Blizzard acquisition — which could be the priciest in tech 
industry history — has drawn attention.Microsoft's <a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-microsoft-doj-6a800b51cc9b6b1c4d1b23bad4510040">last big antitrust battle</a>
 occurred more than two decades ago when a federal judge ordered its 
breakup following the company’s anticompetitive actions related to its 
dominant Windows software. That verdict was overturned on appeal, 
although the court imposed other, less drastic, penalties on the 
company.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670540769783.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>

FTC sues to block Microsoft-Activision Blizzard $69B merger

By DAVID SHIFFMAN <a href="https://theconversation.com/beware-of-shark-week-scientists-watched-202-episodes-and-found-them-filled-with-junk-science-misinformation-and-white-male-experts-named-mike-195180">The Conversation</a>

The Discovery Channel’s annual <a href="https://www.discovery.com/shark-week">Shark Week</a> is the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/07/24/shark-scientists-explain-whats-right-and-whats-wrong-with-shark-week/">longest-running cable television series in history</a>,
 filling screens with sharky content every summer since 1988. It causes 
one of the largest temporary increases in U.S. viewers’ attention to any
 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000146">science or conservation topic</a>.

It’s also the largest stage in marine biology, giving scientists who 
appear on it access to an audience of millions. Being featured by 
high-profile media outlets can help researchers attract attention and 
funding that can help super-charge their careers. 

Unfortunately, Shark Week is also a missed opportunity. As scientists and conservationists <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/what-shark-experts-really-think-about-shark-week/">have long argued</a>, it is a major source of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420326546/after-sketchy-science-shark-week-promises-to-turn-over-a-new-fin">misinformation</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/08/05/shark-week-megalodon-fake-discovery-channel/">nonsense</a> about sharks, the scientists who study them, and how people can help protect endangered species from extinction.

I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xb7noGAAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">marine biologist</a> who recently worked with five colleagues to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256842">scientifically analyze the content of Shark Week episodes</a>.
 We tracked down copies of 202 episodes, watched them all and coded 
their content based on more than 15 variables, including locations, 
which experts were interviewed, which shark species were mentioned, what
 scientific research tools were used, whether the episodes mentioned 
shark conservation and how sharks were portrayed.

Even as longtime Shark Week critics, we were staggered by our findings. 
The episodes that we reviewed were full of incorrect information and 
provided a wildly misleading picture of the field of shark research. 
Some episodes <a href="https://www.earthtouchnews.com/oceans/sharks/experts-shark-weeks-zombie-sharks-harasses-animals/">glorified wildlife harassment</a>, and many missed countless chances to teach a massive audience about shark conservation.

First, some facts. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-sharks-skates-and-rays-2075391">Sharks and their relatives</a>,
 such as rays and skates, are among the most threatened vertebrate 
animals on Earth. About one-third of all known species are at risk of 
extinction, thanks mainly to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.062">overfishing</a>.

Many policy solutions, such as setting fishing quotas, creating 
protected species lists and delineating no-fishing zones, are enacted <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12265">nationally or internationally</a>. But there also are countless situations in which increased public attention can help <a href="https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12267/why-sharks-matter">move the conservation needle</a>. For instance, consumers can avoid buying seafood produced using <a href="https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/act-for-the-ocean/sustainable-seafood">unsustainable fishing methods</a> that may accidentally catch sharks.

Conversely, focusing on the wrong problems <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0058">does not lead to useful solutions</a>.
 As one example, enacting a ban on shark fin sales in the U.S. would 
have little effect on global shark deaths, since the U.S. is only 
involved in about 1% of the global fin trade, and could <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.08.026">undermine sustainable U.S. shark fisheries</a>.

The Discovery Channel claims that by attracting massive audiences, Shark Week <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/07/24/shark-scientists-explain-whats-right-and-whats-wrong-with-shark-week/">helps educate the public</a>
 about shark conservation. But most of the shows we reviewed didn’t 
mention conservation at all, beyond vague statements that sharks need 
help, without describing the threats they face or how to address them.

Out of 202 episodes that we examined, just six contained any actionable tips. Half of those simply advised against eating <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/shark-fin-soup">shark fin soup</a>, a traditional Asian delicacy. Demand for shark fin soup can contribute to the gruesome practice of “<a href="https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/fish/what-is-shark-finning-and-why-is-it-a-problem/">finning</a>”
 – cutting fins off live sharks and throwing the mutilated fish 
overboard to die. But finning is not the biggest threat to sharks, and 
most U.S.-based Shark Week viewers don’t eat shark fin soup.

When we analyzed episodes by the type of scientific research they 
featured, the most frequent answer was “no scientific research at all,” 
followed by what we charitably called “other.” This category included 
nonsense like building a submarine that looks like a shark, or a “<a href="https://www.ffjournal.net/item/12437-wasp-water-armor-shark-protection.html">high tech” custom shark cage</a>
 to observe some aspect of shark behavior. These episodes focused on 
alleged risk to the scuba divers shown on camera, especially when the 
devices inevitably failed, but failed to address any research questions.

Such framing is not representative of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1643/OT-19-179R">actual shark research</a>,
 which uses methods ranging from tracking tagged sharks via satellite to
 genetic and paleontological studies conducted entirely in labs. Such 
work may not be as exciting on camera as divers surrounded by schooling 
sharks, but it generates much more useful data.

We also were troubled by the “experts” interviewed on many Shark Week shows. The most-featured source, underwater photographer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7t7jl8e0Mw">Andy Casagrande</a>,
 is an award-winning cameraman, and episodes when he stays behind the 
camera can be great. But given the chance to speak, he regularly claims 
the mantle of science while making dubious assertions – for example, 
that <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC4EXPLORE/status/1285972513328070689">shark diving while taking LSD</a> is a great way to learn about these animals – or presents well-known shark behaviors as new discoveries that he made, while <a href="https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/mega-shark-episode-criticized-as-a-low-point-for-shark-week/">misrepresenting what those behaviors mean</a>.

Nor does Shark Week accurately represent experts in this field. One 
issue is ethnicity: Three of the five most-featured locations on Shark 
Week are Mexico, South Africa and the Bahamas, but we could count on one
 hand the number of non-white scientists who we saw featured in shows 
about their own countries. It was far more common for Discovery to fly a
 white male halfway around the world than to feature a local scientist. 
 

Moreover, while <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.842618">more than half of U.S. shark scientists are female</a>, you <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-dark-side-of-being-a-female-shark-researcher/">wouldn’t know this from watching Shark Week</a>.
 Among people who we saw featured in more than one episode, there were 
more white male non-scientists named Mike than women of any profession 
or name.

In contrast, the Discovery Channel’s chief competitor, National Geographic, is partnering with the professional organization <a href="https://www.misselasmo.org/">Minorities in Shark Sciences</a> to <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/building-a-community-and-fostering-a-love-for-sharks">feature diverse experts</a> on its shows.

How could Shark Week improve? Our paper makes several 
recommendations, and we recently participated in a workshop, 
highlighting diverse voices in our field from all over the world, that 
focused on <a href="https://safesharks.org/diversifying-shark-media/">improving representation of scientists in shark-focused media</a>

First, we believe that not every documentary needs to be a dry, 
boring science lecture, but that the information shared on marine 
biology’s biggest stage should be factually correct and useful. Gimmicky
 concepts like Discovery’s “<a href="https://www.discovery.com/shows/naked-and-afraid/episodes/naked-and-afraid-of-sharks-2">Naked and Afraid of Sharks 2</a>”
 – an endurance contest with entrants wearing masks, fins and snorkels, 
but no clothes – show that people will watch anything with sharks in it.
 So why not try to make something good?

We also suggest that more scientists seek out media training so they 
can take advantage of opportunities like Shark Week without <a href="https://gizmodo.com/shark-week-lied-to-scientists-to-get-them-to-appear-in-1619280737">being taken advantage of</a>.
 Similarly, it would be great to have a “Yelp”-like service that 
scientists could use to rate their experiences with media companies. 
Producers who want to feature appropriately diverse scientists can turn 
to databases like <a href="https://500womenscientists.org/">500 Women Scientists</a> and <a href="https://diversifyeeb.com/">Diversify EEB</a>.

For a decade, concerned scientists and conservationists have <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420326546/after-sketchy-science-shark-week-promises-to-turn-over-a-new-fin">reached out to the Discovery Channel</a> about our concerns with Shark Week. As our article recounts, Discovery has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256842">pledged in the past</a> to present programming during Shark Week that puts more emphasis on science and less on entertainment – and some episodes <a href="https://twitter.com/whysharksmatter/status/620417258406318080?lang=en">have shown improvement</a>.

But our findings show that many Shark Week depictions of sharks are 
still problematic, pseudoscientific, nonsensical or unhelpful. We hope 
that our analysis will motivate the network to use its massive audience 
to help sharks and elevate the scientists who study them. 

Editor’s note: The Conversation US contacted Warner Brothers Discovery by phone and email for comment on the study described in this article. The network did not immediately respond or offer comment.

David Shiffman is a Post-Doctoral and Research Scholar in Marine Biology at Arizona State University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669819929156.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID SHIFFMAN <a href="https://theconversation.com/beware-of-shark-week-scientists-watched-202-episodes-and-found-them-filled-with-junk-science-misinformation-and-white-male-experts-named-mike-195180">The Conversation</a>The Discovery Channel’s annual <a href="https://www.discovery.com/shark-week">Shark Week</a> is the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/07/24/shark-scientists-explain-whats-right-and-whats-wrong-with-shark-week/">longest-running cable television series in history</a>,
 filling screens with sharky content every summer since 1988. It causes 
one of the largest temporary increases in U.S. viewers’ attention to any
 <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000146">science or conservation topic</a>. It’s also the largest stage in marine biology, giving scientists who 
appear on it access to an audience of millions. Being featured by 
high-profile media outlets can help researchers attract attention and 
funding that can help super-charge their careers. Unfortunately, Shark Week is also a missed opportunity. As scientists and conservationists <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/what-shark-experts-really-think-about-shark-week/">have long argued</a>, it is a major source of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420326546/after-sketchy-science-shark-week-promises-to-turn-over-a-new-fin">misinformation</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/08/05/shark-week-megalodon-fake-discovery-channel/">nonsense</a> about sharks, the scientists who study them, and how people can help protect endangered species from extinction.I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xb7noGAAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">marine biologist</a> who recently worked with five colleagues to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256842">scientifically analyze the content of Shark Week episodes</a>.
 We tracked down copies of 202 episodes, watched them all and coded 
their content based on more than 15 variables, including locations, 
which experts were interviewed, which shark species were mentioned, what
 scientific research tools were used, whether the episodes mentioned 
shark conservation and how sharks were portrayed. Even as longtime Shark Week critics, we were staggered by our findings. 
The episodes that we reviewed were full of incorrect information and 
provided a wildly misleading picture of the field of shark research. 
Some episodes <a href="https://www.earthtouchnews.com/oceans/sharks/experts-shark-weeks-zombie-sharks-harasses-animals/">glorified wildlife harassment</a>, and many missed countless chances to teach a massive audience about shark conservation.<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tKXd8Ud1sOo"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Spotlight real solutions</h2>First, some facts. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-sharks-skates-and-rays-2075391">Sharks and their relatives</a>,
 such as rays and skates, are among the most threatened vertebrate 
animals on Earth. About one-third of all known species are at risk of 
extinction, thanks mainly to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.062">overfishing</a>. Many policy solutions, such as setting fishing quotas, creating 
protected species lists and delineating no-fishing zones, are enacted <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12265">nationally or internationally</a>. But there also are countless situations in which increased public attention can help <a href="https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12267/why-sharks-matter">move the conservation needle</a>. For instance, consumers can avoid buying seafood produced using <a href="https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/act-for-the-ocean/sustainable-seafood">unsustainable fishing methods</a> that may accidentally catch sharks.Conversely, focusing on the wrong problems <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0058">does not lead to useful solutions</a>.
 As one example, enacting a ban on shark fin sales in the U.S. would 
have little effect on global shark deaths, since the U.S. is only 
involved in about 1% of the global fin trade, and could <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.08.026">undermine sustainable U.S. shark fisheries</a>. The Discovery Channel claims that by attracting massive audiences, Shark Week <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/07/24/shark-scientists-explain-whats-right-and-whats-wrong-with-shark-week/">helps educate the public</a>
 about shark conservation. But most of the shows we reviewed didn’t 
mention conservation at all, beyond vague statements that sharks need 
help, without describing the threats they face or how to address them. Out of 202 episodes that we examined, just six contained any actionable tips. Half of those simply advised against eating <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/shark-fin-soup">shark fin soup</a>, a traditional Asian delicacy. Demand for shark fin soup can contribute to the gruesome practice of “<a href="https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/fish/what-is-shark-finning-and-why-is-it-a-problem/">finning</a>”
 – cutting fins off live sharks and throwing the mutilated fish 
overboard to die. But finning is not the biggest threat to sharks, and 
most U.S.-based Shark Week viewers don’t eat shark fin soup.<h2>Spotlighting divers, not research</h2>When we analyzed episodes by the type of scientific research they 
featured, the most frequent answer was “no scientific research at all,” 
followed by what we charitably called “other.” This category included 
nonsense like building a submarine that looks like a shark, or a “<a href="https://www.ffjournal.net/item/12437-wasp-water-armor-shark-protection.html">high tech” custom shark cage</a>
 to observe some aspect of shark behavior. These episodes focused on 
alleged risk to the scuba divers shown on camera, especially when the 
devices inevitably failed, but failed to address any research questions.Such framing is not representative of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1643/OT-19-179R">actual shark research</a>,
 which uses methods ranging from tracking tagged sharks via satellite to
 genetic and paleontological studies conducted entirely in labs. Such 
work may not be as exciting on camera as divers surrounded by schooling 
sharks, but it generates much more useful data. <figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/punSQuf-ZwQ"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Who’s on camera</h2>We also were troubled by the “experts” interviewed on many Shark Week shows. The most-featured source, underwater photographer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7t7jl8e0Mw">Andy Casagrande</a>,
 is an award-winning cameraman, and episodes when he stays behind the 
camera can be great. But given the chance to speak, he regularly claims 
the mantle of science while making dubious assertions – for example, 
that <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC4EXPLORE/status/1285972513328070689">shark diving while taking LSD</a> is a great way to learn about these animals – or presents well-known shark behaviors as new discoveries that he made, while <a href="https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/mega-shark-episode-criticized-as-a-low-point-for-shark-week/">misrepresenting what those behaviors mean</a>.Nor does Shark Week accurately represent experts in this field. One 
issue is ethnicity: Three of the five most-featured locations on Shark 
Week are Mexico, South Africa and the Bahamas, but we could count on one
 hand the number of non-white scientists who we saw featured in shows 
about their own countries. It was far more common for Discovery to fly a
 white male halfway around the world than to feature a local scientist. 
 Moreover, while <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.842618">more than half of U.S. shark scientists are female</a>, you <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-dark-side-of-being-a-female-shark-researcher/">wouldn’t know this from watching Shark Week</a>.
 Among people who we saw featured in more than one episode, there were 
more white male non-scientists named Mike than women of any profession 
or name. In contrast, the Discovery Channel’s chief competitor, National Geographic, is partnering with the professional organization <a href="https://www.misselasmo.org/">Minorities in Shark Sciences</a> to <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/building-a-community-and-fostering-a-love-for-sharks">feature diverse experts</a> on its shows.<h2>More substance and better representation</h2>How could Shark Week improve? Our paper makes several 
recommendations, and we recently participated in a workshop, 
highlighting diverse voices in our field from all over the world, that 
focused on <a href="https://safesharks.org/diversifying-shark-media/">improving representation of scientists in shark-focused media</a> First, we believe that not every documentary needs to be a dry, 
boring science lecture, but that the information shared on marine 
biology’s biggest stage should be factually correct and useful. Gimmicky
 concepts like Discovery’s “<a href="https://www.discovery.com/shows/naked-and-afraid/episodes/naked-and-afraid-of-sharks-2">Naked and Afraid of Sharks 2</a>”
 – an endurance contest with entrants wearing masks, fins and snorkels, 
but no clothes – show that people will watch anything with sharks in it.
 So why not try to make something good? We also suggest that more scientists seek out media training so they 
can take advantage of opportunities like Shark Week without <a href="https://gizmodo.com/shark-week-lied-to-scientists-to-get-them-to-appear-in-1619280737">being taken advantage of</a>.
 Similarly, it would be great to have a “Yelp”-like service that 
scientists could use to rate their experiences with media companies. 
Producers who want to feature appropriately diverse scientists can turn 
to databases like <a href="https://500womenscientists.org/">500 Women Scientists</a> and <a href="https://diversifyeeb.com/">Diversify EEB</a>. For a decade, concerned scientists and conservationists have <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420326546/after-sketchy-science-shark-week-promises-to-turn-over-a-new-fin">reached out to the Discovery Channel</a> about our concerns with Shark Week. As our article recounts, Discovery has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256842">pledged in the past</a> to present programming during Shark Week that puts more emphasis on science and less on entertainment – and some episodes <a href="https://twitter.com/whysharksmatter/status/620417258406318080?lang=en">have shown improvement</a>.But our findings show that many Shark Week depictions of sharks are 
still problematic, pseudoscientific, nonsensical or unhelpful. We hope 
that our analysis will motivate the network to use its massive audience 
to help sharks and elevate the scientists who study them. Editor’s note: The Conversation US contacted Warner Brothers Discovery by phone and email for comment on the study described in this article. The network did not immediately respond or offer comment.David Shiffman is a Post-Doctoral and Research Scholar in Marine Biology at Arizona State University.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195180/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

Beware of 'Shark Week': Junk science, misinformation, 'experts' named Mike

By LINDSEY TOOMER <a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/">Colorado Newsline</a>

Now that Colorado voters passed the <a target="_blank" href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2022/10/17/proposition-122-colorado-voters-mushrooms/">Natural Medicine Health Act</a>, the state has several steps to get through before Colorado will actually see a regulated industry for psychedelic mushrooms.

The measure allows for licensed “healing centers” to provide access 
to psilocybin and psilocyn, the psychoactive compounds found in many 
species of fungi, for therapeutic purposes. It also decriminalizes the 
“personal use” of the substances, allowing people to possess and grow 
psychedelic mushrooms in their own homes.

The first step on the itinerary is developing an advisory board, 
which will include appointees from Gov. Jared Polis tasked with helping 
the Department of Regulatory Agencies implement the new program.

According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Initiatives/titleBoard/filings/2021-2022/58Final.pdf">act’s text</a>,
 the board will include 15 members: At least seven are expected to have 
expertise and experience in topics including but not limited to natural 
medicine therapy and research, emergency medical services, health care 
insurance and policy, or harm reduction. At least eight members are 
expected to have experience with religious and traditional indigenous 
uses of natural medicines, issues impacting veterans, disparities in 
health care access, or criminal justice reform in Colorado.

“We will follow the will of the voters and will be appointing a 15 
member advisory board to oversee the regulatory process around this new 
voter-approved measure,” Melissa Dworkin, a spokesperson with the 
governor’s office, said in an email.

Josh Kappel, an attorney who chaired Natural Medicine Colorado’s 
campaign committee and helped draft Proposition 122, said he trusts that
 the governor will appoint a board that’s inclusive of all relevant 
stakeholders. He said the board’s initial purpose is to provide DORA 
with recommendations around implementing the program.

“We are excited to work with all relevant stakeholders and the state 
government to implement Prop 122 in a safe, responsible and equitable 
manner that provides access to this much needed tool to address our 
state’s mental health crisis,” Kappel said.

After working with DORA to develop the program, the board will make 
annual recommendations regarding public health approaches for natural 
medicine, educational campaigns, research on efficacy and regulation, 
training programs, equitable and culturally responsible access, and data
 collection and reporting. Kappel added that the board will likely 
create regular reports analyzing the effectiveness of the program.

Advocates of the ballot measure point to research showing that 
psychedelic substances can be effective in treating depression, anxiety,
 post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. The 
federal Food and Drug Administration has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/921789#:~:text=The%20US%20Food%20and%20Drug,ingredient%20in%20%22magic%20mushrooms.%22">designated psilocybin</a> as a “breakthrough therapy” for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

Coloradans can start applying for center licenses in September 2024

Ben Unger, who works with New Approach, an organization involved in passing both <a target="_blank" href="https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2022/08/08/many-oregon-voters-will-have-to-decide-again-on-a-psilocybin-program/">Oregon’s Measure 109</a>
 and Colorado’s Proposition 122, said in an email his greatest hope for 
the advisory board is that “it’s filled with experts that can guide a 
regulatory process that maximizes safety and promotes equitable access 
for all that can benefit.”

For initial appointments that need to be made by Jan. 31, 2023, seven
 members will be appointed to a two-year term while eight will be 
appointed to a four-year term. After that initial board, all members 
will be appointed to four-year terms and can serve two consecutive 
terms.

After appointees are named, the board will kick off an 18-month 
rulemaking process to develop regulations around facilitator licensing, 
training and the operation of healing centers, Kappel said. He said 
Natural Medicine Colorado will continue to be a resource for the state 
as it looks to implement Proposition 122 in a “responsible, equitable 
and safe manner.”

“We hope to be able to work with everyone — the government 
stakeholders, even those who opposed us — to help create a program that 
is both safe, but also provides the mental health treatment and options 
that Coloradans are expecting after passing Prop 122,” Kappel said.

Unger noted that the proposition language says Coloradans can start 
applying for healing center licenses in September 2024, meaning licensed
 therapeutic services would likely start six or seven months after that.
 Over the next year or so, he said interested stakeholders should keep 
their eyes open for development of regulations for facilitators and 
safety rules for clients.

“It’s reasonable to expect that services could begin in the summer of
 2025,” Unger said in an email. “It’s important that the state work with
 experts to develop processes that promote safety while protecting 
access for people that can benefit.”

By LINDSEY TOOMER <a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/">Colorado Newsline</a>Now that Colorado voters passed the <a target="_blank" href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2022/10/17/proposition-122-colorado-voters-mushrooms/">Natural Medicine Health Act</a>, the state has several steps to get through before Colorado will actually see a regulated industry for psychedelic mushrooms.The measure allows for licensed “healing centers” to provide access 
to psilocybin and psilocyn, the psychoactive compounds found in many 
species of fungi, for therapeutic purposes. It also decriminalizes the 
“personal use” of the substances, allowing people to possess and grow 
psychedelic mushrooms in their own homes.The first step on the itinerary is developing an advisory board, 
which will include appointees from Gov. Jared Polis tasked with helping 
the Department of Regulatory Agencies implement the new program.According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Initiatives/titleBoard/filings/2021-2022/58Final.pdf">act’s text</a>,
 the board will include 15 members: At least seven are expected to have 
expertise and experience in topics including but not limited to natural 
medicine therapy and research, emergency medical services, health care 
insurance and policy, or harm reduction. At least eight members are 
expected to have experience with religious and traditional indigenous 
uses of natural medicines, issues impacting veterans, disparities in 
health care access, or criminal justice reform in Colorado.“We will follow the will of the voters and will be appointing a 15 
member advisory board to oversee the regulatory process around this new 
voter-approved measure,” Melissa Dworkin, a spokesperson with the 
governor’s office, said in an email.Josh Kappel, an attorney who chaired Natural Medicine Colorado’s 
campaign committee and helped draft Proposition 122, said he trusts that
 the governor will appoint a board that’s inclusive of all relevant 
stakeholders. He said the board’s initial purpose is to provide DORA 
with recommendations around implementing the program.“We are excited to work with all relevant stakeholders and the state 
government to implement Prop 122 in a safe, responsible and equitable 
manner that provides access to this much needed tool to address our 
state’s mental health crisis,” Kappel said.After working with DORA to develop the program, the board will make 
annual recommendations regarding public health approaches for natural 
medicine, educational campaigns, research on efficacy and regulation, 
training programs, equitable and culturally responsible access, and data
 collection and reporting. Kappel added that the board will likely 
create regular reports analyzing the effectiveness of the program.Advocates of the ballot measure point to research showing that 
psychedelic substances can be effective in treating depression, anxiety,
 post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. The 
federal Food and Drug Administration has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/921789#:~:text=The%20US%20Food%20and%20Drug,ingredient%20in%20%22magic%20mushrooms.%22">designated psilocybin</a> as a “breakthrough therapy” for the treatment of major depressive disorder.<h2>Coloradans can start applying for center licenses in September 2024</h2>Ben Unger, who works with New Approach, an organization involved in passing both <a target="_blank" href="https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2022/08/08/many-oregon-voters-will-have-to-decide-again-on-a-psilocybin-program/">Oregon’s Measure 109</a>
 and Colorado’s Proposition 122, said in an email his greatest hope for 
the advisory board is that “it’s filled with experts that can guide a 
regulatory process that maximizes safety and promotes equitable access 
for all that can benefit.”For initial appointments that need to be made by Jan. 31, 2023, seven
 members will be appointed to a two-year term while eight will be 
appointed to a four-year term. After that initial board, all members 
will be appointed to four-year terms and can serve two consecutive 
terms.After appointees are named, the board will kick off an 18-month 
rulemaking process to develop regulations around facilitator licensing, 
training and the operation of healing centers, Kappel said. He said 
Natural Medicine Colorado will continue to be a resource for the state 
as it looks to implement Proposition 122 in a “responsible, equitable 
and safe manner.”“We hope to be able to work with everyone — the government 
stakeholders, even those who opposed us — to help create a program that 
is both safe, but also provides the mental health treatment and options 
that Coloradans are expecting after passing Prop 122,” Kappel said.Unger noted that the proposition language says Coloradans can start 
applying for healing center licenses in September 2024, meaning licensed
 therapeutic services would likely start six or seven months after that.
 Over the next year or so, he said interested stakeholders should keep 
their eyes open for development of regulations for facilitators and 
safety rules for clients.“It’s reasonable to expect that services could begin in the summer of
 2025,” Unger said in an email. “It’s important that the state work with
 experts to develop processes that promote safety while protecting 
access for people that can benefit.”

Colorado begins steps to regulate psychedelic mushrooms

By ZHONG-REN PENG <a href="https://theconversation.com/dreaming-of-beachfront-real-estate-much-of-floridas-coast-is-at-risk-of-storm-erosion-that-can-cause-homes-to-collapse-as-daytona-just-saw-194492">The Conversation</a>

Back-to-back hurricanes left an unnerving scene on the Florida coast 
in November 2022: Several houses, and even swimming pools, were left 
dangling over the ocean as waves eroded the land beneath them. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VolusiaCountyEmergencyManagement/posts/pfbid02EZ9SbTjdQhrkGtFm452UhzhzjprPu6h6WaQbPLuMLsRNpCLAuPoPKTZDUvjygUb7l">Dozens of homes and condo buildings</a> in the Daytona Beach area were deemed unsafe.

The destruction has raised a disturbing question: How much property 
along the rest of the Florida coast is at risk of collapse, and can it 
be saved?

As the director of <a href="https://dcp.ufl.edu/iadapt/">iAdapt</a>, the International Center for Adaptation Planning and Design at the University of Florida, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ngiXpvgAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">I have been</a> studying climate adaptation issues for the last two decades to help answer these questions.

Living by the sea has a strong appeal in Florida – beautiful beaches,
 ocean views, and often pleasant breezes. However, there are also risks,
 and they are exacerbated by climate change.

Sea level is forecast to rise on average <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/sealevelrise/sealevelrise-tech-report.html">10 to 14 inches</a> (25-35 cm) on the U.S. East Coast over the next 30 years, and 14 to 18 inches (35-45 cm) on the Gulf Coast, <a href="https://theconversation.com/ipcc-climate-report-profound-changes-are-underway-in-earths-oceans-and-ice-a-lead-author-explains-what-the-warnings-mean-165588">as the planet warms</a>. Rising temperatures are also <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3184/a-force-of-nature-hurricanes-in-a-changing-climate/">increasing the intensity</a> of hurricanes.

With higher seas and larger storm surges, ocean waves more easily 
erode beaches, weaken sea walls, and submerge cement foundations in 
corrosive salt water. Together with <a href="https://geodata.dep.state.fl.us/datasets/194ac159bd1e4be294b14dd882d42dcf_0/about">subsidence</a>, or sinking land, they make coastal living riskier.

The risk of erosion varies depending on the soil, geology and natural
 shoreline changes. But it is widespread in U.S. coastal areas, <a href="https://geodata.dep.state.fl.us/datasets/FDEP::coastal-critical-erosion-areas/about">particularly Florida</a>. Maps produced by engineers at the <a href="https://geodata.dep.state.fl.us/datasets/FDEP::coastal-critical-erosion-areas/about">Florida Department of Environmental Protection</a> show most of Florida’s coast faces critical erosion risk.

Aging or poorly maintained buildings and sea walls, and older or poor construction methods and materials, can dramatically <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/sinking-land-rising-seas-dual-crises-facing-coastal-communities">aggravate the risk</a>.

So, what can be done to minimize the damage?

The first step is to build sturdier buildings and fortify existing ones according to advanced building codes.

Building codes change over time as risks rise and construction 
techniques and materials improve. For example, design criteria in the <a href="https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/FLBC2020P1">Florida Building Code</a>
 for South Florida changed from requiring some new buildings to be able 
to withstand 146 mph sustained winds in 2002 to 195 mph winds in 2021, 
meaning a powerful Category 5 hurricane.

The town of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/10/01/punta-gorda-hurricane-ian-damage/">Punta Gorda</a>,
 near where Hurricane Ian made landfall in October 2022, showed how 
homes constructed to the latest building codes have a much better chance
 of survival.

Many of Punta Gorda’s buildings had been rebuilt after Hurricane 
Charley in 2004, shortly after the state updated the Florida Building 
Code. When Ian hit, they survived with less damage than those in 
neighboring towns. The updated code required new construction to be able
 to withstand hurricane-force winds, including having shutters or 
impact-resistant window glass.

However, even homes built to the latest codes can be vulnerable, 
because the codes don’t adequately address the environment that 
buildings sit on. A modern building in a low-lying coastal area could 
face damage in the future as sea level rises and the shoreline erodes, 
even if it meets the current flood zone elevation standards.

This is the problem coastal residents faced during Hurricanes Nicole <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-10-06/apocalypse-in-paradise-after-hurricane-ian-a-low-lying-florida-city-contends-with-rising-water">and Ian</a>. Flooding and erosion, exacerbated by sea-level rise, caused the most damage – not wind.

The dozens of beach houses and condo buildings that <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-11-14/florida-county-puts-damage-from-nicole-at-481-million">became unstable or collapsed</a>
 in Volusia County during Hurricane Nicole might have seemed fine 
originally. But as the climate changes, the coastal environment changes,
 too, and one hurricane could render the building vulnerable. Hurricane 
Ian damaged sea walls in Volusia County, and some <a href="https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/2022/11/10/tropical-storm-nicoles-fury-washes-away-homes-wilbur-sea/8323351001/">couldn’t be repaired before Nicole</a> struck.

The damage in the Daytona area in 2022 and the <a href="https://miamisao.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GRAND-JURY_202112151434-1.pdf">deadly collapse</a> a year earlier of a condo tower in Surfside should be a wake-up call for all coastal communities.

<a href="https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/topics/vulnerability-assessments.html">Data and tools</a> can show where coastal areas are most vulnerable. What is lacking are policies and enforcement.

Florida recently began requiring that state-financed constructors conduct <a href="https://floridadep.gov/rcp/florida-resilient-coastlines-program/content/resilience-and-coastal-protection-rules-development">a sea-level impact study</a>
 before starting construction of a coastal structure. I believe it’s 
time to apply this new rule to any new construction, regardless of the 
funding source.

A comprehensive sea-level impact study requirement should also allow 
for risk-based enforcement, including barring construction in high-risk 
areas.

Similarly, vulnerability audits – particularly for multistory 
buildings built before 2002 – can check the integrity of an existing 
structure and help spot new environmental risks from sea-level rise and 
beach erosion. Before 2002, the building standard was low and 
enforcement was lacking, so many of the materials and the structures 
used in those buildings aren’t up to the standards of today. 

There is a range of <a href="https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_protect-your-home-from-flooding-brochure_2020.pdf">techniques</a> homeowners can use to fortify homes from flood risks.

In some places, that may mean <a href="https://cpo.noaa.gov/News/ArtMID/7875/ArticleID/2059/Elevating-Houses-Can-Protect-Against-Damaging-Floods-But-How-High-is-High-Enough">elevating the house</a>
 or improving the lot grading so surface water runs away from the 
building. Installing a sump pump and remodeling with storm-resistant 
building materials can help.

<a href="https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_protect-your-home-from-flooding-brochure_2020.pdf">FEMA</a>
 suggests other measures to protect against coastal erosion, such as 
replenishing beach sand, strengthening sea walls and anchoring the home.
 Engineering can help communities, temporarily at least, through sea 
walls, ponds and increased drainage. But in the long term, communities 
will have to assess the vulnerability of coastal areas. Sometimes the 
answer is <a href="https://theconversation.com/managed-retreat-done-right-can-reinvent-cities-so-theyre-better-for-everyone-and-avoid-harm-from-flooding-heat-and-fires-163052">to relocate</a>.

However, there’s a disturbing trend after hurricanes, and we’re 
seeing it with Ian: Many damaged areas see lots of money pouring in to 
rebuild in the same vulnerable locations. An important question 
communities should be asking is, if these are already in high-risk 
areas, why rebuild in the same place?

Zhong-Ren Peng is a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the&nbsp; University of Florida.

<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h6Fvx6Cw4tE"></iframe>
 <figcaption>Drone footage shows homes close to collapsing into the ocean. WPLG/YouTube</figcaption>
 </figure>By ZHONG-REN PENG <a href="https://theconversation.com/dreaming-of-beachfront-real-estate-much-of-floridas-coast-is-at-risk-of-storm-erosion-that-can-cause-homes-to-collapse-as-daytona-just-saw-194492">The Conversation</a>Back-to-back hurricanes left an unnerving scene on the Florida coast 
in November 2022: Several houses, and even swimming pools, were left 
dangling over the ocean as waves eroded the land beneath them. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VolusiaCountyEmergencyManagement/posts/pfbid02EZ9SbTjdQhrkGtFm452UhzhzjprPu6h6WaQbPLuMLsRNpCLAuPoPKTZDUvjygUb7l">Dozens of homes and condo buildings</a> in the Daytona Beach area were deemed unsafe. The destruction has raised a disturbing question: How much property 
along the rest of the Florida coast is at risk of collapse, and can it 
be saved?As the director of <a href="https://dcp.ufl.edu/iadapt/">iAdapt</a>, the International Center for Adaptation Planning and Design at the University of Florida, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ngiXpvgAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">I have been</a> studying climate adaptation issues for the last two decades to help answer these questions.<h2>Rising seas, aging buildings</h2>Living by the sea has a strong appeal in Florida – beautiful beaches,
 ocean views, and often pleasant breezes. However, there are also risks,
 and they are exacerbated by climate change.Sea level is forecast to rise on average <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/sealevelrise/sealevelrise-tech-report.html">10 to 14 inches</a> (25-35 cm) on the U.S. East Coast over the next 30 years, and 14 to 18 inches (35-45 cm) on the Gulf Coast, <a href="https://theconversation.com/ipcc-climate-report-profound-changes-are-underway-in-earths-oceans-and-ice-a-lead-author-explains-what-the-warnings-mean-165588">as the planet warms</a>. Rising temperatures are also <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3184/a-force-of-nature-hurricanes-in-a-changing-climate/">increasing the intensity</a> of hurricanes.With higher seas and larger storm surges, ocean waves more easily 
erode beaches, weaken sea walls, and submerge cement foundations in 
corrosive salt water. Together with <a href="https://geodata.dep.state.fl.us/datasets/194ac159bd1e4be294b14dd882d42dcf_0/about">subsidence</a>, or sinking land, they make coastal living riskier.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669240214504.png" alt=" Florida’s erosion risk map shows most of the state’s coastline at critical risk. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, CC BY-SA " />
 <figcaption> Florida’s erosion risk map shows most of the state’s coastline at critical risk. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, CC BY-SA </figcaption>
 </figure>The risk of erosion varies depending on the soil, geology and natural
 shoreline changes. But it is widespread in U.S. coastal areas, <a href="https://geodata.dep.state.fl.us/datasets/FDEP::coastal-critical-erosion-areas/about">particularly Florida</a>. Maps produced by engineers at the <a href="https://geodata.dep.state.fl.us/datasets/FDEP::coastal-critical-erosion-areas/about">Florida Department of Environmental Protection</a> show most of Florida’s coast faces critical erosion risk.Aging or poorly maintained buildings and sea walls, and older or poor construction methods and materials, can dramatically <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/sinking-land-rising-seas-dual-crises-facing-coastal-communities">aggravate the risk</a>.<h2>Designing better building codes</h2>So, what can be done to minimize the damage?The first step is to build sturdier buildings and fortify existing ones according to advanced building codes.Building codes change over time as risks rise and construction 
techniques and materials improve. For example, design criteria in the <a href="https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/FLBC2020P1">Florida Building Code</a>
 for South Florida changed from requiring some new buildings to be able 
to withstand 146 mph sustained winds in 2002 to 195 mph winds in 2021, 
meaning a powerful Category 5 hurricane.The town of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/10/01/punta-gorda-hurricane-ian-damage/">Punta Gorda</a>,
 near where Hurricane Ian made landfall in October 2022, showed how 
homes constructed to the latest building codes have a much better chance
 of survival.Many of Punta Gorda’s buildings had been rebuilt after Hurricane 
Charley in 2004, shortly after the state updated the Florida Building 
Code. When Ian hit, they survived with less damage than those in 
neighboring towns. The updated code required new construction to be able
 to withstand hurricane-force winds, including having shutters or 
impact-resistant window glass.However, even homes built to the latest codes can be vulnerable, 
because the codes don’t adequately address the environment that 
buildings sit on. A modern building in a low-lying coastal area could 
face damage in the future as sea level rises and the shoreline erodes, 
even if it meets the current flood zone elevation standards.This is the problem coastal residents faced during Hurricanes Nicole <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-10-06/apocalypse-in-paradise-after-hurricane-ian-a-low-lying-florida-city-contends-with-rising-water">and Ian</a>. Flooding and erosion, exacerbated by sea-level rise, caused the most damage – not wind. The dozens of beach houses and condo buildings that <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-11-14/florida-county-puts-damage-from-nicole-at-481-million">became unstable or collapsed</a>
 in Volusia County during Hurricane Nicole might have seemed fine 
originally. But as the climate changes, the coastal environment changes,
 too, and one hurricane could render the building vulnerable. Hurricane 
Ian damaged sea walls in Volusia County, and some <a href="https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/2022/11/10/tropical-storm-nicoles-fury-washes-away-homes-wilbur-sea/8323351001/">couldn’t be repaired before Nicole</a> struck. <h2>How to minimize the risk</h2>The damage in the Daytona area in 2022 and the <a href="https://miamisao.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GRAND-JURY_202112151434-1.pdf">deadly collapse</a> a year earlier of a condo tower in Surfside should be a wake-up call for all coastal communities.<a href="https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/topics/vulnerability-assessments.html">Data and tools</a> can show where coastal areas are most vulnerable. What is lacking are policies and enforcement.Florida recently began requiring that state-financed constructors conduct <a href="https://floridadep.gov/rcp/florida-resilient-coastlines-program/content/resilience-and-coastal-protection-rules-development">a sea-level impact study</a>
 before starting construction of a coastal structure. I believe it’s 
time to apply this new rule to any new construction, regardless of the 
funding source.A comprehensive sea-level impact study requirement should also allow 
for risk-based enforcement, including barring construction in high-risk 
areas.Similarly, vulnerability audits – particularly for multistory 
buildings built before 2002 – can check the integrity of an existing 
structure and help spot new environmental risks from sea-level rise and 
beach erosion. Before 2002, the building standard was low and 
enforcement was lacking, so many of the materials and the structures 
used in those buildings aren’t up to the standards of today. <h2>What property owners can do</h2>There is a range of <a href="https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_protect-your-home-from-flooding-brochure_2020.pdf">techniques</a> homeowners can use to fortify homes from flood risks.In some places, that may mean <a href="https://cpo.noaa.gov/News/ArtMID/7875/ArticleID/2059/Elevating-Houses-Can-Protect-Against-Damaging-Floods-But-How-High-is-High-Enough">elevating the house</a>
 or improving the lot grading so surface water runs away from the 
building. Installing a sump pump and remodeling with storm-resistant 
building materials can help.<a href="https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_protect-your-home-from-flooding-brochure_2020.pdf">FEMA</a>
 suggests other measures to protect against coastal erosion, such as 
replenishing beach sand, strengthening sea walls and anchoring the home.
 Engineering can help communities, temporarily at least, through sea 
walls, ponds and increased drainage. But in the long term, communities 
will have to assess the vulnerability of coastal areas. Sometimes the 
answer is <a href="https://theconversation.com/managed-retreat-done-right-can-reinvent-cities-so-theyre-better-for-everyone-and-avoid-harm-from-flooding-heat-and-fires-163052">to relocate</a>.However, there’s a disturbing trend after hurricanes, and we’re 
seeing it with Ian: Many damaged areas see lots of money pouring in to 
rebuild in the same vulnerable locations. An important question 
communities should be asking is, if these are already in high-risk 
areas, why rebuild in the same place?Zhong-Ren Peng is a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the&nbsp; University of Florida.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194492/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

🎥 Beachfront real estate? It just might crumble into the ocean

NEW YORK (AP) — Oscar, Golden Globe and two-time Grammy winning 
singer-actress Irene Cara, who starred and sang the title cut from the 
1980 hit movie “Fame” and then belted out the era-defining hit 
“Flashdance ... What a Feeling” from 1983's “Flashdance,” has died. She 
was 63.

Her publicist, Judith A. Moose, announced the news on 
social media, writing that a cause of death was “currently unknown.” 
Moose also confirmed the death to an Associated Press reporter on 
Saturday. Cara died at her home in Florida. The exact day of her death 
was not disclosed.

“Irene’s family has requested privacy as they 
process their grief,” Moose wrote. “She was a beautifully gifted soul 
whose legacy will live forever through her music and films.”

During
 her career, Cara had three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, 
including “Breakdance,” “Out Here On My Own,” “Fame” and “Flashdance ...
 What A Feeling,” which spent six weeks at No. 1. She was behind some of
 the most joyful, high-energy pop anthems of the early ’80s.

Tributes
 poured in on Saturday on social media, including from Deborah Cox, who 
called Cara an inspiration, and Holly Robinson Peete, who recalled 
seeing Cara perform: "The insane combination of talent and beauty was 
overwhelming to me. This hurts my heart so much.”

She first came 
to prominence among the young actors playing performing arts high 
schoolers in Alan Parker's “Fame,” with co-stars Debbie Allen, Paul 
McCrane and Anne Mear. Cara played Coco Hernandez, a striving dancer who
 endures all manner of deprivations, including a creepy nude photo 
shoot.

“How bright our spirits go shooting out into space, depends
 on how much we contributed to the earthly brilliance of this world. And
 I mean to be a major contributor!” she says in the movie.

Cara 
sang on the soaring title song with the chorus — “Remember my name/I’m 
gonna live forever/I’m gonna learn how to fly/I feel it coming 
together/People will see me and cry” — which would go on to be nominated
 for an Academy Award for best original song. She also sang on “Out Here
 on My Own,” "Hot Lunch Jam" and “I Sing the Body Electric.”

Three
 years later, she and the songwriting team of “Flashdance” — music by 
Giorgio Moroder, lyrics by Keith Forsey and Cara — was accepting the 
Oscar for best original song for “Flashdance ... What a Feeling.”

The
 movie starred Jennifer Beals as a steel-town girl who dances in a bar 
at night and hopes to attend a prestigious dance conservatory. It 
included the hit song “Maniac,” featuring Beals’ character leaping, 
spinning, stomping her feet and the slow-burning theme song.

“There
 aren’t enough words to express my love and my gratitude,” Cara told the
 Oscar crowd in her thanks. “And last but not least, a very special 
gentlemen who I guess started it all for me many years ago. To Alan 
Parker, wherever you may be tonight, I thank him.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Oscar, Golden Globe and two-time Grammy winning 
singer-actress Irene Cara, who starred and sang the title cut from the 
1980 hit movie “Fame” and then belted out the era-defining hit 
“Flashdance ... What a Feeling” from 1983's “Flashdance,” has died. She 
was 63.Her publicist, Judith A. Moose, announced the news on 
social media, writing that a cause of death was “currently unknown.” 
Moose also confirmed the death to an Associated Press reporter on 
Saturday. Cara died at her home in Florida. The exact day of her death 
was not disclosed.“Irene’s family has requested privacy as they 
process their grief,” Moose wrote. “She was a beautifully gifted soul 
whose legacy will live forever through her music and films.”During
 her career, Cara had three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, 
including “Breakdance,” “Out Here On My Own,” “Fame” and “Flashdance ...
 What A Feeling,” which spent six weeks at No. 1. She was behind some of
 the most joyful, high-energy pop anthems of the early ’80s.Tributes
 poured in on Saturday on social media, including from Deborah Cox, who 
called Cara an inspiration, and Holly Robinson Peete, who recalled 
seeing Cara perform: "The insane combination of talent and beauty was 
overwhelming to me. This hurts my heart so much.”She first came 
to prominence among the young actors playing performing arts high 
schoolers in Alan Parker's “Fame,” with co-stars Debbie Allen, Paul 
McCrane and Anne Mear. Cara played Coco Hernandez, a striving dancer who
 endures all manner of deprivations, including a creepy nude photo 
shoot.“How bright our spirits go shooting out into space, depends
 on how much we contributed to the earthly brilliance of this world. And
 I mean to be a major contributor!” she says in the movie.Cara 
sang on the soaring title song with the chorus — “Remember my name/I’m 
gonna live forever/I’m gonna learn how to fly/I feel it coming 
together/People will see me and cry” — which would go on to be nominated
 for an Academy Award for best original song. She also sang on “Out Here
 on My Own,” "Hot Lunch Jam" and “I Sing the Body Electric.”Three
 years later, she and the songwriting team of “Flashdance” — music by 
Giorgio Moroder, lyrics by Keith Forsey and Cara — was accepting the 
Oscar for best original song for “Flashdance ... What a Feeling.”The
 movie starred Jennifer Beals as a steel-town girl who dances in a bar 
at night and hopes to attend a prestigious dance conservatory. It 
included the hit song “Maniac,” featuring Beals’ character leaping, 
spinning, stomping her feet and the slow-burning theme song.“There
 aren’t enough words to express my love and my gratitude,” Cara told the
 Oscar crowd in her thanks. “And last but not least, a very special 
gentlemen who I guess started it all for me many years ago. To Alan 
Parker, wherever you may be tonight, I thank him.”The New 
York-born Cara began her career on Broadway, with small parts in 
short-lived shows, although a musical called “The Me Nobody Knows” ran 
over 300 performances. She toured in the musical “Jesus Christ 
Superstar" as Mary Magdalene in the mid-1990s and a tour of the musical 
”Flashdance" toured 2012-14 with her songs.She also created the 
all-female band Irene Cara Presents Hot Caramel and put out a double CD 
with the single “How Can I Make You Luv Me.” Her movie credits include 
”Sparkle" and “D.C. Cab.”

Misc