WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Climate-related weather events are costing American households, businesses and insurers billions of dollars in losses, and there is no sign that they will ease up, the U.S. Treasury’s top climate official told Reuters on Thursday. Climate counselor John Morton said Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office (FIO) https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/08/31/2021-18713/federal-insurance-office-request-for-information-on-the-insurance-sector-and-climate-related was seeking public input to better understand and assess the insurance-related risks posed by climate-related weather events such Hurricane Ida. “Just last year, climate-related weather events resulted in nearly $120 billion in losses, and … close to $50 billion of that were uninsured losses,” Morton said in an interview. “We’re seeing not only the insurance sector take an increasingly severe and regular hit, but we’re seeing American households, American small businesses be affected at significant levels,” he said. “The question is, how do we … better understand and begin to price the risk inherent in the underlying activities,” he said.

A gay Missouri teacher who says district officials reprimanded him for pushing a “personal agenda on sexuality” for putting up an LGBTQ Pride flag in his classroom has resigned. John M. Wallis, a former speech and theater teacher at Neosho Junior High School in Southwest Missouri, said he resigned last week following a series of complaints from parents and demands from the school district. “In fact, the use of the pride flag in my classroom was compared to hanging the Confederate flag in my classroom.”He took down the flag and the sign, but doing so prompted students to ask why. “Your position in the Neosho School District is to teach speech and drama classes. Wallis told the News-Leader that he has since filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, alleging discrimination.

click to enlarge Screenshot via Google MapsBig Rock Chophouse will be closing its doors at the end of this year. After nearly 40 years in the Birmingham Train Station, Big Rock Chophouse will be closing its doors at the end of the year. The partnership continued to grow and in 1997, Norman’s Eton Street Station was transformed into Big Rock Chophouse. Despite the restaurant’s closing, Big Rock Chophouse’s staff are not going to have to look far for new employment. “Our entire loyal and dedicated staff are planning on staying with us until the end,” LePage said in the press release.

FRAMINGHAM — The rabbi of a Pamela Road Jewish temple said anti-Semitic vandalism to a sign will not “dampen” their spirit. “It is extremely troubling to discover a symbol of animosity toward the Jewish community in the midst of our high holiday season,” Temple Beth Sholom Rabbi Allison Poirier said in a statement. "I hope the perpetrator who carved this hateful symbol can understand the horrific images they have conjured for many of our community, including members of Temple Beth Sholom, who are themselves survivors of the Holocaust. We are also secure in the knowledge that this does not represent the sentiment of the Framingham community at large. Poirier, who has been with Temple Beth Sholom since mid-2019, said there has been a rise across the country of anti-Jewish crime, but this was the first time anything has happened at Temple Beth Sholom.

Investment is not a virtual game and investors buying Chinese stocks hoping to profit from Metaverse will likely end up in tears, China’s official Securities Times warned in a commentary on Thursday. If people “blindly invest in such grand and illusionary concept as Metaverse, they will be burnt in the end,” it said. Most Metaverse-related stocks tumbled on Thursday morning. Wondershare Technology and Wahlap Technology both slumped over 10%, while Goertek lost over 8%. The Securities Times commentary also flagged risks to investors on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) -New York Fashion Week Men’s Day returned to in-person presentations on Wednesday, with nearly a dozen emerging designers showcasing their 2022 collections. Some designers this year sought inspiration close to home, while others drew on more faraway tropical locales. “I source all the textiles myself, I meet people, I learn their stories, I learn about cultures,” Detwiler said. Meanwhile, designer William McNicol of the William Frederick collection said all his pieces were designed, developed and manufactured in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. New York Fashion Week runs until Sept. 12.

Virkeligheden overgik fantasien Anne-Marie Vedsø Olesen, Maggie O’Farrel og Peter Øvig KnudsenKære læser! I denne uge har jeg plukket blandt vores interviews. »Det er rigtigt, når man siger, at virkeligheden overgår fantasien. Så tænkte hun: »Jeg laver da en ’David Copperfield!«, for Dickens begynder ’David Copperfield’ med: »Jeg bliver født ...« og det gjorde Vedsø Olesen også. Du kan læse vores interview med Vedsø Olesen her.

click to enlarge Courtesy of Berkley Art Bash. Berkley Art Bash returns for 19th year. Anyway, returning for its 19th year, is the Berkley Art Bash, where more than 100 artists, makers, bakers, and crafters sling their wares. A bash wouldn’t be a bash without some food, which will be available via PizzaPazza, Motor City Franks, and D’Vine Cookies. And though the Berkley Art Bash has, in the past, attracted more than 10,000 people, organizers have spaced things out a bit to keep the whole thing safe for vendors and visitors.

click to enlarge Jerilyn JordanLast week, the Detroit International Bridge Co. erected a metal fence through Green Dot Stables’ parking lot after it discovered it owned part of the property. "They took the fence down via court order," Green Dot Stables owner Jacques Driscoll toldvia text message on Tuesday. "This week’s activity comes after months of cordial communication with Green Dot," DIBC spokeswoman Esther Jentzen said in a statement. This was made evident when Green Dot provided DIBC a letter of intent to lease the property. "Much of what is being reported to the media by a Green Dot representative is inaccurate and inflammatory.

Kære læserI dag starter retssagen mod terroristerne bag angrebet i Paris på blandt andet spillestedet Bataclan. Retssagen mod 20 terrorister fra angrebet 13. oktober 2015 i Paris begyndte i dag. Foto: Tod'sDet skal være slut med »tøsede mænd« på kinesisk tvMænd, der ikke udstråler nok maskulinitet, forgifter folkets moral og traditionel maskulinitet. Fremover skal tv-selskaber »resolut sætte en stopper for tøsede mænd og andre unormale æstetikker«, oplyste en af Kinas tv-regulatorer. Men da Ibyens Oplysning dykkede ned i ø-mysteriet fandt de pludselig ud af, at øens historie er ret så speciel.

Last week, a traveling exhibit documenting the history of the LGBTQ rights movement in Kansas City was removed from the Missouri State Capitol less than three days after it first debuted. The exhibit, “Making History: Kansas City and the Rise of Gay Rights,” which was created by historians at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, debuted last Monday at the Capitol building’s Missouri State Museum in Jefferson City. The exhibit had previously been on display at various locations around Kansas City, and was scheduled to remain in the Capitol building’s Missouri State Museum for four months until the end of December. The Missouri State Capitol Commission will coordinate the exhibit at the new location, rather than the Board of Public Buildings, he added. “Thanks to the efforts of several of our great elected officials, the exhibit has been removed from the Missouri State Museum!

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India picked off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in their 15-man squad for this year’s Twenty20 World Cup and named Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who led them to the 2007 title, as the team mentor on Wednesday. Ashwin last played a Twenty20 International four years ago but was one of three specialist slow bowlers selected, along with leg-spinner Rahul Chahar and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are likely to open for India while Ishan Kishan, who can also keep wicket, was picked as a third option. “Ishan Kishan can open the innings and he can fit in the middle order as well,” Chetan Sharma said. Suryakumar Yadav was picked ahead of fellow Mumbai player Shreyas Iyer, who is returning from a shoulder injury and has been named as one of three reserves.

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany is extending its COVID-19 emergency aid for struggling companies by three months until the end of this year, the finance and economy ministries said on Wednesday. The government also extended additional aid schemes to support companies hit particularly hard by the pandemic as well as musicians, artists and other solo self-employed. Since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis in Germany in March 2020, the government has supported struggling companies with special loans and grants worth nearly 120 billion euros. In addition, the government invested 38 billion euros through its short-time work scheme to shield workers from the brunt of the pandemic, keeping unemployment in check and stabilizing the disposable income of consumers. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz is financing the measures with record new borrowing of up to 240 billion euros this year and more than 130 billion euros last year for which parliament had to suspend strict debt limits in the constitution.

ASHLAND — Brooke Nathanson was 4 years old when she began stirring cake mix and rolling dough with her grandmother, Carol Weiss, in the kitchen. Brooke and Weiss are competing on a cooking reality show called “Top Chef Family Style” on Peacock, a video streaming service owned by NBCUniversal. The reality show is hosted by Grammy Award-winning singer Meghan Trainor with acclaimed chef Marcus Samuelsson serving as head judge. Weiss has been doing family cooking for decades, long before she was married. Some of her favorite dishes feature proteins, like stuffed shrimp.

click to enlarge Keith Tarrier / Shutterstock.comIt's the "End of the Road" for Kiss. I'm back and NEVER would have been through it like this without being double vaxxed and proper medications. Butcaught Stanley putzing around inside the West Hollywood Hotel just days after announcing he had contracted the virus, without a mask. Stanley tweeted on Sept. 1, the day of the originally scheduled metro Detroit performance. Ticket-holders will also receive an email regarding refund opportunities should they be unable to attend the show in October.