Author: natixis-ezine

Millions swelter under dangerous Fourth of July heat wave

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Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

A man cools off by the river in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, July 2, 2024. Swaths of California sweltered Tuesday, and things were only expected to get worse during the Fourth of July holiday week for parts of the United States with nearly 90 million people under heat alerts. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

By MELINA WALLING Associated Press

Around 134 million people in the U.S. are under alerts as an “extremely dangerous and record-breaking” heat wave broils much of the country, according to the National Weather Service.

Regions that may see temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) or much higher into the triple digits (well above 37 degrees Celsius) include nearly all of the West Coast, the southern Plains, most of the lower Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley and parts of Florida, said Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster with the National Weather Service.

The Pacific Northwest will see the mercury rising later in the weekend. Arizona will continue to sizzle as firefighters battle a wildfire near Phoenix, where some contend with burns from blazing hot asphalt, concrete or other surfaces. And more humid regions will see a muggy weekend. Continue reading

Swedes take a new step in parental leave. Grandparents can now get paid to take care of grandkids

natixis-ezine

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Level : Advanced

BY JAN M. OLSEN

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden launched a groundbreaking new law on Monday, allowing grandparents to step in and get paid parental leave while taking care of their grandchildren for up to three months of a child’s first year.

The development comes after the Swedish parliament, the 349-seat Riksdag, approved last December the government’s proposal on transfer of parental allowance. This comes 50 years after the Scandinavian country became the first in the world to introduce paid parental leave for fathers and not just mothers. Continue reading

So long plastic air pillows: Amazon shifting to recycled paper filling for packages in North America

natixis-ezine

Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

FILE – The Amazon logo is seen, June 15, 2023, at the Vivatech show in Paris. Amazon is moving from putting plastic air pillows in its packages to using recycled paper filling instead, a move that’s more environmentally friendly and secures items in boxes better. The company said Thursday, June 20, 2024 that it’s already replaced 95% of the plastic air fillers with paper filler in North America and is working toward complete removal by year’s end. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer

Amazon is shifting from the plastic air pillows used for packaging in North America to recycled paper because it’s more environmentally sound, and it says paper just works better.

The company said Thursday that it’s already replaced 95% of the plastic air pillows with paper filler in North America and is working toward complete removal by year’s end.

“We want to ensure that customers receive their items undamaged, while using as little packaging as possible to avoid waste, and prioritizing recyclable materials,” Amazon said. Continue reading

Beneath offshore wind turbines, researchers grow seafood and seaweed

natixis-ezine

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Level : Advanced

Workers aboard a small boat check lines of seaweed and mussels crops at Kriegers Flak offshore wind farm, about 15 kilometers off the Danish coast, Baltic Sea, Denmark, Tuesday June 18, 2024. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

By JAMES BROOKS Associated Press

KRIEGERS FLAK OFFSHORE WIND FARM, Denmark (AP) — In a small boat bobbing in the waves between towering offshore wind turbines, researchers in Europe’s Baltic Sea reach into the frigid water and remove long lines stretched between the pylons onto which mussels and seaweed are growing.

It’s part of efforts to explore multiple uses for remote wind parks far out at sea, such as fresh seafood production.

Run by the Swedish state-owned power firm Vattenfall and Denmark’s Aarhus University, the four-year project started in 2023 off the Danish east coast at Scandinavia’s largest wind farm, Kriegers Flak. With its first harvest just 18 months later, it’s already showing signs of early success. Continue reading

Life-Changing Art Museums You Need To Visit

natixis-ezine

Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

By Melanie Allen | Wealth of Geeks undefined

Humanity has been creating art for millennia. The earliest known artworks predate civilization by 40,000 years. Artistic expression is clearly important for the human condition.

Our obsession with art only grew as we formed communities, then cities. As humanity learned the benefits of specialization, our artistic abilities flourished.

We cultivated talent, created schools focused on fine-tuning skills, dedicated state funds to promote artistic culture, and built massive museums, allowing us to store the most iconic artworks ever created for posterity.

These top art museums store some of humanity’s greatest treasures. Continue reading