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Will The Seine Be Clean Enough By The Olympics? Not Even The Experts Know Yet

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Seine | AP

PARIS — A concern remains with the Paris Olympics, which are less than two weeks away: Will the Seine River be clean enough for athletes to swim in?

Triathlon and marathon swimming are set to occur in the Seine, where swimming has been prohibited for over a century. Despite the city’s efforts to clean up the long-polluted river, the water has tested dangerous for humans in recent weeks while remaining clean on other days. The Games run from July 26 to August 11.

To clean up the river, Paris spent 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) on equipment to collect more stormwater when it rains — the same water that carries bacteria-laden wastewater that enters the river after heavy rains and makes swimming dangerous.

In May, Paris officials opened a massive underground water storage basin near the Austerlitz train station to catch excess rains and prevent effluent from entering the Seine. The basin can hold the equivalent of 20 Olympic swimming pools of polluted water, which will now be cleansed, and it is the focal point of huge infrastructure improvements that the city has hastened to complete not only in time for the Games but also to ensure that Parisians have a cleaner Seine in the years ahead.

Will The Seine Be Clean Enough By The Olympics? Not Even The Experts Know Yet

However, a few periods of heavy rain could send E. coli levels above the World Triathlon Federation’s safe competition limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters.

“The Seine is not a special case,” said Metin Duran, a Villanova University civil and environmental engineering professor and stormwater management researcher. “It really is a complicated and very costly problem.”

Like many other old cities around the world, Paris has a combined sewer system, meaning that wastewater and stormwater are routed through the same pipes. With severe or sustained rain, the pipes’ capacity is surpassed, and untreated wastewater flows into the river rather than a treatment plant.

The monitoring group Eau de Paris tests the river water daily. In recent weeks, findings showed hazardous E. coli levels, followed by results that showed improvement in early July.

According to Paris Olympic organizers, if significant rain disrupts the flow of the Seine during the Games, the triathlon will be canceled, and the marathon swimming competition will be moved to the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in the greater Paris region.

“It’s not very common, but it has happened a few times,” said Ollala Cernuda, head of communications at World Triathlon, the sport’s international governing body, on the potential of canceling the swim phase.

“And it’s always linked with water quality issues,” Cernuda said.

However, organizers are optimistic that drier, sunnier weather than what the French capital saw in June will allow the activities to proceed as scheduled despite the infrastructure modifications. The sun’s UV rays kill germs such as E. coli in water.

According to an Associated Press examination of weather data, Paris will have the second-most rainy days since 1950 in 2024, trailing only 2016.

Importantly for the Seine’s water quality, there have been only a few days without rain.

According to the data, Paris experienced only one weeklong dry spell this year — in early June — but between 1950 and 2020, the city was expected to have at least three such spells by the end of June.

“Predictions of rainfall have become much more accurate up to a week in advance,” said Jennifer Francis, a researcher at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts. “But the seasonal patterns of past decades no longer provide reliable guidance in our warmer world.”

As the Games approach, the heated discussion over the cleanliness of the Seine River has become a cause of frustration for certain athletes, like Léonie Périault, a French triathlete who earned a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“Every time I meet someone, they worry that I’m going to swim in the Seine,” Périault recalled. “But I have been swimming in this river for numerous years. In youth contests, we swam routinely in the Seine and never had any concerns.”

Last year, Périault participated in a test event on the Seine.

Will The Seine Be Clean Enough By The Olympics? Not Even The Experts Know Yet

“The setting was incredible with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop and the water conditions were not worse than anywhere else in the world,” she told me.

On Saturday, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the French Sports Minister, took a dip to demonstrate that the renowned river is clean enough. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has also announced that she will swim in the Seine this week.

Dan Angelescu, founder and CEO of Fluidion, a water-monitoring tech startup based in Paris and Los Angeles, said the river has improved since the city’s new infrastructure went online, but the Seine’s water quality remains vulnerable. His organization has been measuring the Seine’s pollution levels for numerous years.

Angelescu said it’s difficult to forecast what will happen later this month based on data from prior years because the water storage basin and other facilities did not operational until a few months ago.

“It’s difficult to tell,” Angelescu remarked in early July after the water in the Seine tested clearer than it had in previous weeks.

“To see such a drastic improvement and so rapidly could be a sign that something is working,” added the physician.

SOURCE | AP

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Suddenly, After Several Seasons, Gary Oldman’s TV Series ‘Slow Horses’ Gets Some Emmy Love

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NEW YORK — Jackson Lamb is an Englishman who solves mysteries, but he is not your normal sophisticated, attractive character. One clue is that he frequently and noisily passes petrol.

Lamb, played by Gary Oldman, is the beating heart of Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses,” a critical darling that seemed to have acquired popularity in the United States just recently, now in its fourth season. After being ignored at the Emmys for two seasons, it now has nine nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series.

“I think it’s been a slow burn,” adds Oldman, who received an Emmy nomination for Lamb. “More people are now approaching me and saying, ‘I like the show.'” I’ve become that guy on television, which I truly enjoy.”

Lamb is the comically rude head of a gang of despondent British spies known as the “Slow Horses” because they work at the humble Slough House, far from the sparkling center of power in London. They’ve jeopardized their careers in a variety of ways, including botching surveillance missions, developing gambling addictions, and leaving a top-secret file on a train.

Suddenly, After Several Seasons, Gary Oldman’s TV Series ‘Slow Horses’ Gets Some Emmy Love

Lamb’s hair is messy and oily. He wears a shabby, muddy raincoat, and his stocking feet are always up on his desk. He smokes excessively, drinks scotch on the job, is violently un-politically correct, and is frank to the point of rudeness. His voicemail reads: “This is Lamb.” If I did not respond, it is because I do not wish to speak with you.

He’s also extremely loyal to his squad and possesses the sharpest — but dirty — knife in the drawer. He can tell someone’s wage just by looking at their footprint and is at least three steps ahead of everyone else. He refuses to follow the rules, displaying a petulant middle finger to the establishment.

“If there’s a sign that says ‘No smoking,’ Lamb will smoke,” stated Oldman. “He’s only a bloody pig. We just enjoy watching. Perhaps we’d want to be so direct.”

Will Smith, the showrunner and executive producer, says we’re meeting Lamb late in his career after he’s run afoul of the hierarchy and been fired by others.

“He is a puzzle. He is an enigma because he is unlike anything you’ve seen. “I believe the character is intriguing on that level,” adds Smith. “You’re meeting him at the end of his arc — he’s burned out — and then you’re kind of unpacking what made him this way and given little glimpses of the man he was and can be when he when he has to be.”

Many of the series’ most delectable scenes occur when Lamb encounters his antagonist, the flawlessly coiffed Diana Taverner, played by Kristin Scott-Thomas, who is in many ways Lamb’s polar opposite: courteous, diplomatic, and aspiring to the top of MI5.

The series also features Jack Lowden, Jonathan Pryce, Christopher Chung, Rosalind Eleazar, Aimee Ffion Edwards, Kadiff Kirwan, and Saskia Reeves. Mick Jagger, who co-wrote the theme song, is one of the novels’ most prominent fans.

“Slow Horses” is about underdogs, and the series should emerge from the cold to be recognized at the Emmys.

“It’s a good thing when the reviews come in and people appreciate it and, and it and it gets a nod,” Oldman asserts.” He’s excited to catch up with his co-stars on Sunday over a table “and have a laugh.”

“Slow Horses” is based on Mick Herron’s Slough House novels, and Oldman gives Herron enormous credit for inventing such a fun Lamb. “I just immediately responded to it,” the actor admits.

Critics have fallen under its spell, with the Los Angeles Times questioning the attention and accolades: “What took so bloody long?” According to Empire magazine, Oldman steals “every scene he’s in, either with acidic sardonics or acid indigestion.”

“Lamb is about as far away from the tuxedo-wearing, Savile Row-tailored James Bond as you can get and yet, he’s the best spy we’ve had on screen for years,” according to New Musical Express.

Suddenly, After Several Seasons, Gary Oldman’s TV Series ‘Slow Horses’ Gets Some Emmy Love

Smith is feeling the love, which is a lovely tailwind as the show’s actors wrap out season five.

“There are a lot of evangelical fans out there who have done an excellent job of attracting an audience. “It seems to have reached a critical mass,” he says.

Oldman has created several notable characters, including Sid Vicious, Lee Harvey Oswald, Count Dracula, and Winston Churchill. “In terms of characters that I’ve played, he’s up there,” adds the actor.

This is not Oldman’s first spy role; he previously played John Le Carré’s far more refined George Smiley. “Some wit said I’d gone from George Smiley to George Smelly, which I which I wish I’d thought of,” according to him.

SOURCE | AP

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Justin Timberlake Admits Guilt to Impaired Driving and Pays a $500 Fine.

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(VOR News) – Justin Timberlake’s guilty plea to driving under the influence on Friday concluded the criminal case that originated from his detention in the Hamptons of New York in June.

The actor and former member of the boy band appeared in Sag Harbour Village Court to register a new plea.

Timberlake was also required to issue a public safety announcement by the judge, in addition to a $500 fine with a $260 surcharge and 25 hours of community service at the nonprofit of his choosing.

Timberlake issued an apology for his conduct and maintained his composure throughout the event. He maintained that his childhood in a small community had enabled him to comprehend the influence of his arrest on Sag Harbour. He asserted that he had ample time to contemplate his actions.

“I failed to meet the expectations I set for myself,” said the individual.

Timberlake expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to participate and stated that he aspires to leverage his influence to help others make “better decisions.” He confessed to the magistrate, “I should have exercised more foresight.” “I recognise how serious this is.”

A judge enquired about the plea agreement.

Judge Carl Irace expressed his dissatisfaction with the plea agreement that the prosecution had proposed. He questioned the appropriateness of Justin Timberlake’s forthcoming public statement, which was scheduled to be released shortly following judicial proceedings.

He alleged that he was incorporating community service requirements into the sentence to compensate for the shortage of time he had to reflect on his actions.

The pop artist initially entered a not guilty plea to a misdemeanour allegation of driving while intoxicated during a hearing last month, which resulted in the suspension of his driving licence.

The prosecution, which is being led by Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, and Justin Timberlake’s attorney, Edward Burke, declined to provide any commentary prior to the hearing.

Timberlake was apprehended in Sag Harbour, New York, shortly after midnight on June 18. According to reports, he is accused of violating a stop sign in the village centre, exiting his BMW with an alcoholic odour, and driving out of his lane.

Police characterised the 43-year-old Tennessee native’s eyes as “bloodshot and glassy” in court documents. They also noted that he had “slowed speech,” was shaky on his feet, and performed poorly on all sobriety tests. Justin Timberlake informed the officer that he was returning home with some friends after consuming a single martini, according to the police.

Sag Harbour, a former whaling village that is mentioned in Herman Melville’s renowned novel “Moby-Dick,” is situated in the Hamptons, a region of beachfront municipalities situated approximately 100 miles (160 km) east of New York City.

Justin Timberlake’s legal consequences beyond New York

A legal expert stated on Monday that Justin Timberlake’s licence suspension in New York likely affects his ability to drive in other states.

Kenneth Gober, the managing partner of Lee, Gober & Reyna, a law firm in Austin, Texas, is of the opinion that the automatic suspension of one’s license under New York state law is the consequence of denying a Breathalyser test, as Justin Timberlake did during his detention. Subsequently, this moratorium should be implemented in additional states.

“The majority of states participate in the interstate Driver’s License Compact, an agreement to share information about license suspensions and traffic violations,” he said in an electronic communication. “A licence should be suspended in all states if it is suspended in one.”

Gober observed that it may take some time for these enhancements to be replicated across state lines. He further stated, “The pop star doesn’t need a car to drive to do his job; he has the resources to easily arrange for a driver.”

This week, emails soliciting responses from Justin Timberlake’s agent and other agents were unsuccessful.

Despite the fact that the ten-time Grammy winner has refrained from publicly discussing the incident, she appeared to address it during a Chicago performance a few days later.

During the United Centre performance on June 21, he addressed the audience and stated, “This week has been extremely challenging.” Nevertheless, both of us are present in this location. Nothing can change the present state of affairs.

Timberlake has been touring in support of his most recent album for months. He will be performing in Brooklyn and Newark, New Jersey in the coming weeks during his return to the New York City regional area.

SOURCE: NPR

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Boeing Machinists Strike after Rejecting 25% Salary Increases over a 4-Year Period.

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Boeing Machinists Strike after Rejecting 25% Salary Increases over a 4-Year Period.

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(VOR News) – Boeing machinists decided to strike Thursday, another setback for the huge aviation business, whose reputation and finances have suffered and now risk halting production of its best-selling commercial planes.

Per the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, 94.6% of voters rejected the plan to boost salaries 25% over four years, and 96% supported the strike, exceeding a two-thirds majority.

33,000 machinists struck Friday at 1:59 a.m.

The vote was announced by IAM District 751 President Jon Holden: About respect, the history, and battling for our future.

Boeing said, “I’m ready to go back to the table and make a new deal.”

Members rejected our IAM leadership tentative agreement. The corporation will re-establish employee-union relations. Boeing experienced multiple mishaps this year, from a panel blowing out and causing a hole in a passenger jet in January to NASA dumping two men in orbit instead of taking them home on a problematic Boeing spacecraft.

Boeing will lose crucial airline plane delivery revenue during the strike. Kelly Ortberg, the new CEO of a corporation that lost $25 billion in six years and fell behind Airbus six weeks ago, faces another challenge.

Ortberg defended a contract union negotiators unanimously supported. Wednesday he told machinists that ‘no one wins’ in a strike and that it would hurt Boeing’s recovery and exacerbate airline consumer anxieties.

He stated Boeing’s business is struggling owing to past missteps. I believe we can recover, but a strike would damage customer trust and constrain our decisions.

Workers didn’t hear.

Holden said machinists are unhappy with stagnant earnings and pension and health care cutbacks since 2008 to keep the firm from relocating employment.

“It’s hard to make up 16 years,” he stated.

The ruling also rebuked Holden and union negotiators for endorsing the contract. Holden predicted a strike and said the union would poll members to decide what to discuss when negotiations resume.

Social media union members requested higher wages every week. Several hundred marched to a union hall near Boeing’s 737 Max facility in Renton, Washington, on Thursday, blowing whistles, banging drums, and waving strike banners.

“As you can see, solidarity is here,” said quality-assurance worker Chase Sparkman. I expect my union brothers and sisters to stand together and tell our company we deserve more.”

In four years, Boeing expects machinists to earn $106,350.

It failed to meet the union’s 40% three-year salary increase request. Boeing increased 401(k) contributions without restoring pensions cut a decade ago.

Adam Vogel of Boeing termed the 25% rise “crap.” The latest rise was 16 years ago. Another quality-assurance worker, 16-year employee Broderick Conway, said Boeing can afford more.

We disappointed many members with our first offer. He hoped the second offer was right. “If not, we’ll strike and defend.” Boeing’s commercial-airplane head Stephanie Pope tried to deter blue-collar workers from striking for a better deal this week.

“We bargained in absolute good faith with the IAM team that represents you and your interests,” she stated. Let me clarify: We did not wait for a second vote.”

Union halls in Washington, Portland, and others held elections.

Boeing proposed to manufacture its next jet in Puget Sound if workers signed the contract, believing it would benefit the union. The 2030s jet would replace the 737 Max. Boeing’s Dreamliner production transfer from Seattle to South Carolina was blocked by unions.

The strike will stop Boeing’s best-selling airliner, the 737 Max, 777, and 767 cargo plane production in Renton and Everett, Washington, near Seattle. Nonunion South Carolina 787 Dreamliner workers may be unaffected.

Due to 1995 and 2008 strikes, workers’ $150 weekly strike fund contributions may seem minimal before the holidays, according to TD Cowen aerospace analyst Cai von Rumohr. Von Rumohr stated a long strike would cost $3.5 billion in cash flow because receives 60% of jet sales.

Since the union won all negotiations, Holden advised members to approve the accord “because we can’t guarantee we can achieve more in a strike.” Many workers remembered pension, health care, and wage cuts. They’re mad. Their desires are many. According to aerospace researcher Von Rumohr, Boeing recognises it and aims to appease many. Will they suffice?

Since the 2018 and 2019 737 Max crashes that killed 346, Boeing’s reputation has deteriorated. In January, a Max panel blew out during a flight, raising safety concerns.

In plane orders and delivery, strikes might push it behind Airbus.

SOURCE: AP

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