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Epidemiologists push newly approved booster vaccines as current virus strain threatens at-risk groupsInfectious disease experts say many people are not taking the latest Covid-19 wave in the US seriously enough and are not getting vaccinated or using antiviral drugs when sick, despite a summer wave that was larger and came earlier than anticipated.Epidemiologists are saying that while symptoms of this wave are more mild than earlier strains, the virus remains a threat - particularly for older adults and people with underlying health conditions. Continue reading...

Lion of Judah enrolls poll workers in Trump-aligned swing state tour, which experts say could be hazard to democracy'A Christian political operative has teamed up with charismatic preachers to enroll election skeptics as poll workers across the country, using a Donald Trump-aligned swing state tour to enlist support in the effort.Joshua Standifer, who leads the group called Lion of Judah, describes the effort as a Trojan horse" strategy to get Christians in key positions of influence in government like Election Workers", which will help them identify alleged voter fraud and serve as the first step on the path to victory this Fall", according to his website. Continue reading...

Strike started on 16 August over firm's delays in bargaining a new contract since the process began in JuneMore than 17,000 AT&T workers in the US south-east remain on strike as the Communications Workers of America have accused the company of unfair labor practices for attempting to further delay bargaining a new union contract.The workers, technicians, customer service representatives and others who install, maintain and support AT&T's network have been on strike since 16 August in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Continue reading...

After all that violence, we face the choice that confronted Cameron and Thatcher: to seek real explanations or move blindly forwardIt is just over a month since the first riots broke out in Southport - seemingly provoked by rumours containing false information about the alleged identity of the attacker who killed three children and injured eight others, as well as two adults, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.Five further days of disorder followed in a number of English towns and cities and in Northern Ireland - with the rioters apparently taking their lead from what happened in Southport. Violence was aimed at immigrants, at mosques, at Asian-owned businesses and at hotels and other locations where immigrants were thought to be housed.Tim Newburn is professor of criminology and social policy at the London School of EconomicsDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Before Biden dropped out, Trump thought he had this election in the bag. Now his smears against Harris aren't workingKamala, you're fired!" shouted Donald Trump. Then he pleaded: You're fired. Get out. Get out. Get out, Kamala!" The crowd cheered at his rally on 26 August in Glendale, Arizona, as though approving his order. But the invocation of the magic words he recited at the climax of every episode of The Apprentice failed to make her phantom disappear.Trump's advisers sneak policy material into his stump speech that he must read as it scrolls on his teleprompter. They want to channel him into speaking about the issues". But he has revolted against them and the issues". They always say, Sir, please stick to policy, don't get personal," he complained to a rally. He turned to his Maga masses to give him license. Should I get personal, or should I not get personal?" The crowd cheered as he knew it would. It was the poll result he wanted. My advisers are fired!" Continue reading...

Analysis of 2024 polling and previous elections involving Donald Trump suggests race is still too close to callNational polls for the US presidential race have been upended ever since Kamala Harris took over from Joe Biden to run against Donald Trump.While Biden was trailing the Republican former president nationally and in many crucial swing states, Harris has gained about three points in national polls since becoming the nominee. Continue reading...

Polio is a contagious disease that thrives on misery - and Israeli bombardment has destroyed 70% of Gaza's sewage pumpsAbdul Rahman Abu Al-Jidyan was born in Gaza in September 2023. Like 90% of Gaza's population, the little boy and his family have been displaced multiple times since the war began in the month following his birth. Then, a few weeks before his first birthday, baby Abdul Rahman developed a fever and began vomiting. He was diagnosed as Gaza's first polio victim in 25 years.Polio is a highly contagious disease that thrives on misery, of which there is plenty in Gaza. As of 3 June 2024, Israel has destroyed five water and sanitation sites every three days since the start of the war, according to a July report published by Oxfam. What possible military necessity justifies such catastrophic destruction that punishes the entire Palestinian population of Gaza indiscriminately? Israeli bombardment, the report details, has destroyed 70% of Gaza's sewage pumps, all of Gaza's wastewater treatment plants and Gaza's two main water quality testing laboratories. Continue reading...

A new NFL season marks the peak sports betting months. Recent studies show the strain legalized gambling is putting on financially constrained households and young menOn Thursday night, the NFL season will kick off in a rematch of last year's AFC Championship Game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs, as fans tune in to see if Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes can lead his team to a fourth Super Bowl victory in seven years - possibly, even, to an unprecedented three-peat".It's about as enticing a storyline as the league could hope for. And yet, it seems that most of the action will be taking place off the field, as Thursday also marks the beginning of the busiest time of year for those who play the game-within-the-game: sports bettors. Continue reading...

Amanda C Riley - also known as Scamanda' - pleaded guilty in 2022 to defrauding over $100,000 from donorsThe woman who earned the derisive nickname Scamanda" by faking a prolonged fight with terminal cancer and raising money for herself may have Munchausen syndrome - a psychological disorder involving the feigning of illness to win others' nurturing, according to prosecutors.That finding about Amanda C Riley - who pleaded guilty in a California federal courthouse in 2022 to defrauding more than $100,000 from hundreds of donors - surfaced as prosecutors successfully argued against an effort by her legal team to secure an early release from prison, as first reported recently by the San Francisco Chronicle. Continue reading...

The US Justice Department announced criminal charges against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other senior militants in connection with the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel, marking the first effort by American law enforcement to formally call out the masterminds of the attack. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department would pursue those accused 'for the rest of their lives.'

Unnamed suspect is facing three felonies for a robbery attempt in the city's shopping district, district attorney saidThe San Francisco district attorney has charged a 17-year-old with five offenses for allegedly shooting San Francisco 49ers player Ricky Pearsall on 31 August during a robbery attempt in the city's shopping district.During a press conference on Tuesday, Brooke Jenkins, the district attorney, announced that an unnamed suspect is facing three felonies: attempted murder, attempted robbery and assault with a semi-automatic firearm. He faces two enhancements for intentional discharge of a firearm and personal use of firearm. He has not been publicly identified. Continue reading...

State refused to comply with health and human services department's order to give abortion providers' informationThe US supreme court will allow the Biden administration to withhold millions of dollars in grant money from the state of Oklahoma over its refusal to provide information about abortion providers to patients who seek it. In an order released on Tuesday, the nine-member court said an injunction filed by the state had been denied in a 6-3 decision. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch were the three who would have granted Oklahoma's application for relief.Tuesday's order reaffirms two previous lower-court decisions in which judges determined a lawsuit filed against the Biden administration by the state of Oklahoma over the taking back of the funds was unlikely to succeed. Continue reading...

Linda Sun, Kathy Hochul's former deputy chief of staff, arrested for furthering' Chinese interests, attorney saysA former New York state government official who worked for the former governor Andrew Cuomo and current governor, Kathy Hochul, was charged on Tuesday with acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors revealed in a sprawling indictment.Linda Sun, who held numerous posts in New York state government before rising to the rank of deputy chief of staff for Hochul, was arrested on Tuesday morning along with her husband, Chris Hu, at their $3.5m home on Long Island. Continue reading...

Attorneys for Lawrence Hecker, charged with raping teen in 1975, urge judge to declare him incompetent to stand trialRetired Catholic priest and self-acknowledged child molester Lawrence Hecker's trial on rape and kidnapping charges - scheduled for 24 September - could be significantly delayed yet again after a medical report on the 92-year-old's mental health has been filed in court.A court-ordered psychiatric evaluation diagnosed Hecker with dementia, saying he has good days and bad days", according to a statement from his defense team. Defense attorneys Matthew McLaren and Eugene Redmann issued a statement Tuesday urging judge Benedict Willard to declare Hecker incompetent to stand trial. Continue reading...

This blog is closed. You can find the latest US politics and election coverage here.Kamala Harris is expected to announce new proposals meant to boost small businesses and entrepreneurs ahead of a campaign speech on Wednesday in New Hampshire, according to a report.With days until her first debate with Donald Trump, Harris is aiming to draw a contrast with her Republican opponent's calls for a lower corporate tax rate, the Washington Post reported, citing sources.This is a stark choice in front of us, and I'm confident that as voters start to get more engaged in this upcoming election, that they'll see Kamala Harris's agenda is about making their lives better, and Donald Trump's about making Donald Trump's life better. Continue reading...

Alvin Hellerstein ruled ex-president didn't have burden of proof in latest attempt to overturn his felony convictionA federal judge on Tuesday rejected Donald Trump's request to intervene in his New York hush-money criminal case, thwarting the former president's latest bid to overturn his felony conviction and delay his sentencing.US district judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled that Trump had not satisfied the burden of proof required for a federal court to take control of the case from the state court where it was tried. Continue reading...

Emma Navarro beat Paula Badosa in three sets and Taylor Fritz beat Alexander Zverev in four, both reaching their first grand slam semi in their home eventTremendous backhand winner for Badosa makes 15-0 but then Navarro seizes upon a slightly short ball, landing a backhand on to the baseline before coming in to clobber a forehand winner. But she then nets a forehand and disburses a double - P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E! - meaning she faces two break points - and another double cedes the early break! Navarro leads 2-0!Terrific start from Navarro, who plays a really solid point for 15-0, directing Badosa about the court, then closes out to love. She's in the match and if she can get her first return in, she'll give her opponent something to think about about which to think. Continue reading...

Jimmy McCain, a national guard lieutenant, says he can't overlook' Trump's criticism of his late fatherThe son of the late Republican senator John McCain - whose war record was disparaged by Donald Trump - has added his voice to criticism of the former president's controversial Arlington cemetery visit, accusing him of violating a sacred burial site for political purposes.First Lieutenant Jimmy McCain, an intelligence officer in the 158th infantry regiment of the national guard, said Trump's behaviour at the cemetery - America's most revered burial ground for fallen military personnel and military heroes - was in line with previous acts of disrespect. Continue reading...

Investors spent about $1tn buying healthcare facilities over last decade, leading to reports of worsening patient carePrivate equity investors are increasingly buying up hospice centers - healthcare facilities meant to focus on pain relief and emotional support for people near the end of their lives.The new study was published in the journal Health Affairs and provides more evidence of how private equity have acquired firms using often sophisticated and opaque ownership structures. Continue reading...

Governor declares emergency as Rancho Palos Verdes deals with buckling streets, sinking buildings and power cutsAs landslides continue to threaten the community of Rancho Palos Verdes, hundreds of homes in the southern California city have lost power.Governor Gavin Newsom imposed a state of emergency on Monday as officials cut power to 245 homes in the seaside community, about 25 miles (40km) south of Los Angeles, due to worsening land movement. The electricity provider in the region, Southern California Edison, shut off power to 140 homes on Sunday and another 105 on Monday, citing the risk of igniting fires. Continue reading...

Faye Rogers was victorious in the S10 100m butterfly final to add to ParalympicsGB's tally of gold medalsAn Ortega throw means the gap is down to ten, Germany 53-43 Spain, with tensions beginning to show. Though the clock is running right down...Some quotes from GB's Sammi Kinghorn after she won silver on the track in the 1500m:Who would have thought a sprinter would get a medal over 1500m? I certainly did not. I thought I'd be jostling for fourth, maybe squeeze a third. It was all pretty exciting. I kinda got a bit disorientated and I stopped at 200 metres to go because I thought we were done - it's so loud in here which we're not used to. So I learned I need to count laps. But that noise is absolutely electric and I'm absolutely buzzing to come away with a medal. Continue reading...

Two years after defeat at Wimbledon, Briton hopes to end losing run against AustralianA couple of days after sealing his first career grand slam win, at Wimbledon, in 2022, a 20-year-old Jack Draper earned himself a rare chance to test his level against one of the sport's rising stars over the best of five sets.The early returns from his second-round bout on No1Court with Alex de Minaur were encouraging. Despite the 67 ranking places and three years separating them, they went blow to blow as equals and were level after the two tight, grippingsets. Continue reading...

Temporary ruling prevents ex-president from using Hold On, I'm Comin' while permanent injunction is consideredA judge on Tuesday blocked Donald Trump from playing a song by the late soul singer and composer Isaac Hayes at his rallies, at least while a lawsuit from the artist's family seeking a permanent injunction is considered.The temporary ruling from the federal court judge Thomas Thrash in Atlanta, Georgia, prevents the Republican presidential nominee from further use of Hold On, I'm Comin', written by Hayes and David Porter and a 1966 hit for the Miami-based soul duo Sam & Dave. Continue reading...

Chronic diseases disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries. Richer nations need to step up to help reduce their tollThe pandemic may be behind us, but the world still has the jitters about infectious diseases. Covid has leftitsmark; flu is identified as the next looming terror. Yet when the World Health Organization declared a public-health emergency over mpox last month, the response has been depressingly unjust. None of the African countries affected by the outbreak of a new variant of mpox have received any of the promisedvaccines.Unfortunately, it seems too much of the world considers that if the poor are out of sight, they are largely out of mind. Yet it is the west that is shaping the poor world's health crises. Its companies push calorie-heavy processed foods and its governments insist on fiscal austerity. The biggest cause of premature death around the world is not infectious diseases, but chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. So-called non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for three-quarters of all deaths in the world. Of the 41 million total, 17 million are premature - before the age of 70. The heaviest toll is exacted in low- and middle-income countries, where 86% of all the premature deaths from chronic diseasesoccur. Continue reading...

VP nominee wrote foreword to 2017 Heritage Foundation paper arguing against IVF access, which Trump now backs

If Liam and Noel can overcome their differences for a lucrative tour, there's surely a lesson for the House of WindsorPraise be - for it has happened. The streams have officially been crossed. Imagine my delight to type in two of Earth's most lavishly provocative search terms - Oasis reunion" and William and Harry" - and find that a royal expert has already gone there. Thank you to a certain Riley Gardiner - billed by the Express as both PR expert" and elsewhere as a royal expert" - for very solemnly informing the public that the formerly feuding Gallagher brothers putting aside their differences could have knock-on implications for the still-feuding Windsor brothers.The [Gallagher] brothers actually repairing their relationship speaks to many," Gardiner confides expertly, from his vantage point inside either a Montecito foxhole or the postbox outside Liam's house. High-profile families reconciling like this, especially as a band that will go on to tour and show off this reconciliation in front of millions, will strike a chord with fans - perhaps even prompting the royal brothers to reflect on their own ties."Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Boy admitted to investigators that he shot and killed Joe Cornelius Sr and his daughter, Keisha MilesA 10-year-old boy fatally shot the 82-year-old former mayor of a north-west Louisiana town, according to authorities.The Minden police chief, Jared McIver, told local news outlets that the boy admitted to investigators that he shot and killed Joe Cornelius Sr, 82, and his daughter, Keisha Miles, 31. The bodies of both were found Sunday morning with multiple bullet wounds. Continue reading...

Workers in recovery and back from prison formed the Waterbottle Co-op to fix up houses in BaltimoreThe Baltimore houses are in rough shape. They might be missing roofs, or even floors. Some have been inhabited by squatters. Rats come in. Cats follow. As David Lidz, founder of the Waterbottle Co-op, which rehabilitates the foreclosed homes, points out, the contents are hard to view dispassionately.When a family leaves, most of the time they leave a ton of stuff there," he says. You find old photo albums and caps and gowns and baby clothes." Continue reading...

Office attendance in UK capital similar to levels in Toronto and Sydney, thinktank finds

Democratic Senate leader adds his counterpart can salvage' reputation by bringing back' Republican party to centerThe Democratic leader of the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, has warned his opposite number, the Republican minority leader, Mitch McConnell, that history will judge him poorly" because he paved the way to rightwing policies out of touch with the American people.In an interview with Punchbowl News conducted at the Democratic national convention in August but published on Monday, Schumer accused McConnell of enabling Donald Trump's remaking of US politics and the judiciary. By helping to shift the supreme court sharply to the right through the former president's three appointments to the top judicial bench, McConnell had played a part in abolishing the federal right to an abortion in the ruling ending Roe v Wade, and much more, Schumer contended. Continue reading...

Walz said staff had a few minor injuries' following crash while heading from airport to campaign stopSome vans at the back of a motorcade carrying Tim Walz crashed on the highway while heading from the airport to a campaign stop in Milwaukee on Monday, but the Democratic vice-presidential nominee was unhurt.Joe Biden called from Air Force One and spoke to Walz a short time later, as the president was traveling to a separate campaign stop in Pittsburgh with Kamala Harris. The vice-president was campaigning in Detroit before heading to the joint event later in the day with Biden, and her campaign said that she also spoke with her running mate by phone after the crash. Continue reading...

Members of Diving With a Purpose search out and investigate the vessels' remains, bringing history to light and memorializing lost livesOnboard a boat off the Florida Keys, I witness a group of divers, aged 16 to 20, freeing themselves from the weight of their oxygen tanks and masks before diving back into the waters of Biscayne national park. Where Biscayne Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, their heads break the surface, bobbing in the open sea like specks of stars in the sky.It's a breathtaking sight. Continue reading...

The notoriously verbose senator has gone largely silent on the issue since horror stories under the state's ban emergedThe notoriously verbose Ted Cruz has gone largely silent on abortion, one of his favorite topics to legislate on and bloviate about, during his Senate re-election campaign in Texas - an ominous sign both for Cruz and the anti-abortion movement writ large.Indeed, Texas representative Colin Allred has mounted an unusually strong campaign for Cruz's Senate seat at a time when Texas has become ground zero in the grisly maternal health disaster unfolding across the country since the fall of Roe v Wade. As of the latest University of Houston poll, the race between Cruz and Allred is currently a dead heat, with Cruz leading the former NFL player by only two points (47-45%). This is remarkable for Texas, which hasn't elected a Democrat in a statewide race in three decades and has never elected a Black US senator. Continue reading...

Israel's prime minister vowed that Israel would not relinquish control over a strategic corridor along the Gaza-Egyptian border, despite widespread protests. Plus: the first hydrogen-powered passenger train in the US

The former president is a legally defined sexual predator whose party is rolling back reproductive rights. It will take more than his latest half-baked idea to win back female votersWould you like to do your bit to curb population decline in the west? Fancy a home full of babies with very high IQs and extremely blond hair? Well, let me introduce you to the Donald J Trump Insemination Institute. On a sprawling ranch in New Mexico, women can be impregnated, free of charge, with Trump's sperm, ensuring that future generations, on Earth and Mars, are blessed with a steady supply of very stable geniuses.Sorry if I turned your stomach there, but I'm afraid I'm only half-joking. It was actually Jeffrey Epstein - who used to party with Trump - who was besotted with the idea of a ranch where 20 women at a time would be impregnated, in order to seed the human race with his DNA. Elon Musk, who is obsessed with babies and Trump, may harbour similar fantasies. Earlier this year the New York Times reported that Musk has volunteered his sperm" to help seed a colony on Mars. (Musk has denied these claims.) Continue reading...

Exclusive: University of Bristol academics say gambling industry code not being followed' after analysis of social media posts by leading firmsAs gambling companies target social media users, the four leading online brands appear to be routinely breaching the industry's self-imposed marketing regulations, according to a new study.Over one week this summer, academics at the University of Bristol found that BetMGM, DraftKings, ESPN Bet and FanDuel published more than a thousand posts - 75% of their non-sponsored content on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok - that did not include problem gambling support messages or a helpline number. Continue reading...

Trump isn't an icon of positive masculinity. He also did very little for young men during his four years as presidentIt's the most startling thing I've seen in this year's presidential campaign - the astoundingly large gap between how young men and young women plan to vote this November. Among women under age 30, an overwhelming 67% plan to vote for Kamala Harris, while just 29% say they'll back Donald Trump. But among young men, a majority - 53% - plan to vote for Trump, while 40% say they'll support Harris, according to a New York Times/Sienna College poll. That's an astonishing 51-percentage-point gender gap.It's easy to understand why so many young women favor Harris - she has an inspiring life story, champions reproductive freedom and would break the biggest glass ceiling of all by becoming the first female president. But I'm mystified why so many young men back Trump. Continue reading...

We can now endlessly outsource our small tasks, from shopping to DIY. But I really would rather do them myselfA few months ago I saw an excellent fight at my local jeweller. The owners, as well as much of the clientele, are big characters. Spats often break out. This time a customer demanded a written statement that the necklace she had brought in would be stored in a safe. The jeweller told her they don't provide this, and so the customer grew irate. You don't trust me, is that it?" said the jeweller. The woman protested: she did! The jeweller had been highly recommended. So you know who you're dealing with then," said the jeweller, proudly. The woman handed over her necklace.It was a brilliant spectacle. I wanted to cheer. Instead I asked to see the gold chains (I like the ceremony of seeing them displayed on a velvet cushion). I actually don't buy jewellery very often, but I stop in fairly regularly for minor repairs, to have links taken out or clasps fixed - and for scenes such as this.Rachel Connolly is a writer and author of the novel Lazy City Continue reading...

Spread of conspiracy theories seeks to foment early election doubts in case Trump loses, some Republicans sayDonald Trump and election denialist allies at Turning Point USA, True the Vote and other Maga stalwarts are spreading conspiracy theories about election fraud in order to lay the groundwork for charging the election was rigged if Trump loses, warn election experts and some veteran Republicans.The consequences of the strategy could be dire. John Giles, the Republican mayor of Mesa Arizona who spoke at the Democratic national convention in August in support of Vice-President Kamala Harris's campaign for the presidency, said that former president Trump and his allies will throw everything at the wall and see what sticks", if Trump loses. Continue reading...

It would save thousands of lives and billions of dollars and increase Harris's appeal to voters in conservative statesBefore addressing the political opportunity in front of the vice-president, let us first confront the sacred cow in the room.Contrary to recent claims by Donald Trump, JD Vance and Ted Cruz, Kamala Harris loves a good cheeseburger; she positively does not want to take our red meat away. She has cited sugars and sodas as major culprits in our poor health. Moreover, the Biden-Harris administration has demonstrated that it is unafraid to challenge the stranglehold the pharmaceutical industry has over insulin prices, and the cost that industry charges Medicare patients for drugs. Continue reading...

Visual explainer: Hundreds of millions of Americans cast their votes in the US election, but a tiny fraction of those can swing the race for one candidate or anotherIn recent years there has been growing criticism of the electoral college system in the US because it has allowed a tiny number of Americans to determine the outcome of the presidential election.In 2020, about 43,000 votes among Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona - a mere 0.03% of the votes cast nationwide - allowed Biden to win. In 2016, about 80,000 combined votes gave Trump his winning margins in key swing states. Continue reading...

Israelis have kept their contempt for the prime minister in check for the sake of the war effort. Is his time finally up?Despondent and livid Israelis, exuding deep anger and fury, have taken to the streets. Once it became known on Saturday that Hamas had executed six hostages, Israelis staged the largest demonstration against the government since the war in Gaza began. Those hostages could have been saved had Benjamin Netanyahu assented to a hostage deal. But he didn't. In fact, he actively undermined the possibility for months, evading and reneging constantly.The 350,000 who protested in Tel Aviv were the equivalent of about 2.4 million Britons or 12 million Americans gathering in the same place for the same cause. Immediately, the question of whether this was a political inflection point for Netanyahu was raised.Alon Pinkas served as Israel's consul general in New York from 2000 to 2004. He is now a columnist for HaaretzDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

There are good reasons to place a political firewall around the extremists. But mainstream parties must also address the electorate's loss of trustWe're all waiting with bated breath. This is a fateful election," a friend from Leipzig told me on Sunday. It was polling day in her state of Saxony and in neighbouring Thuringia. The atmosphere was tense, even fearful. Much more was at stake than just a reshuffle of seats in two of Germany's regional parliaments.As expected, Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) won in Thuringia with nearly 33% of the vote, and came second in Saxony with almost 31%. For the first time since the second world war, a far-right party has become a significant political force in Germany.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...