Greg normans

President Joe Biden visited Houston, Texas, on Friday to witness the aftermath of a series of winter storms that crippled the state for several days. “Our prayers are with you in the aftermath of this winter storm,” Biden said, vowing that the federal government would act as “true partners” in their recovery. Millions of people in the state lost power for days, and water pipes burst in the freezing temperatures. “We’re in for the long haul,” Biden promised, citing the federal aid that he would make available. Biden traveled to Houston with First Lady Jill Biden to visit with local leaders, Congressional Democrats, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and Texas Sen. John Cornyn as well as volunteers in the recovery effort. “We’re not here today as Democrats or Republicans, we’re here today as Americans,” he said. US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visit a FEMA Covid-19 vaccination facility at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on February 26, 2021. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / … [Read more...] about Joe Biden Visits Texas After Devastating Winter Storms

WELLINGTON: New Zealand's Greg Barclay has been elected as the International Cricket Council's new independent chairman, the sport's world governing body has said. Barclay, a commercial lawyer and director of New Zealand Cricket since 2012, replaces interim chairman Imran Khwaja who himself had stepped in to temporarily succeed India's Shashank Manohar after his second two-year term ended in July. "It is an honour to be elected as the Chair of the International Cricket Council and I would like to thank my fellow ICC Directors for their support," Barclay said in a statement. "I hope we can come together to lead the sport and emerge from the global pandemic in a strong position and poised for growth." Barclay was NZC's representative on the ICC board, but will step down from his role with NZC to lead the global governing body. He was also a director of the men's World Cup that was jointly held by Australia and New Zealand in 2015. (Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by … [Read more...] about New Zealand’s Barclay named new ICC chairman

WELLINGTON: Paolo Rossi once described his performance at the 1982 World Cup, where he etched his name into football folklore, as "personal redemption" from a match-fixing scandal, even though he always said he had nothing to atone for. Rossi, who died at the age of 64 early on Thursday, had been handed a three-year ban in the fallout from the "Totonero" scandal in 1980, but when the sanction was reduced to two years it gave him the opportunity to rebuild his reputation. The Juventus striker's six goals, including an astonishing hat-trick against Brazil, helped him to the Golden Boot as the tournament's highest scorer while he was also awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament. Rossi had returned to the field just months before the World Cup in Spain and was considered unfit. He was ineffective in Italy's first three pool matches, failing to score in three draws, prompting Italian journalist Gianni Brera to describe him as "an ectoplasm of himself". … [Read more...] about World Cup win was ‘redemption’ for Rossi

The coronavirus pandemic has sparked a rush for plastic. From Wuhan to New York, demand for face shields, gloves, takeaway food containers and bubble wrap for online shopping has surged. Since most of that cannot be recycled, so has the waste. But there is another consequence. The pandemic has intensified a price war between recycled and new plastic, made by the oil industry. It's a war recyclers worldwide are losing, price data and interviews with more than two dozen businesses across five continents show. "I really see a lot of people struggling," Steve Wong, CEO of Hong-Kong based Fukutomi Recycling and chairman of the China Scrap Plastics Association told Reuters in an interview. "They don't see a light at the end of the tunnel." The reason: Nearly every piece of plastic begins life as a fossil fuel. The economic slowdown has punctured demand for oil. In turn, that has cut the price of new plastic. Already since 1950, the world has created 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic … [Read more...] about Plastic pandemic: COVID-19 trashed the recycling dream

Several of President Biden ’s Cabinet nominees are experiencing tough confirmation hearings in the Senate. Many Republicans and even some Democrats have voiced opposition to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pick Neera Tanden , and nominees such as Deb Haaland for secretary of the Interior and Xavier Becerra for secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) will most likely be approved by slim partisan margins. These are qualified individuals, and depending on one’s politics, the opposition to their nominations is regrettable. But even more regrettable is the assumption that such opposition is based in racism or sexism, as some Democrats and activist groups have maintained. Regardless of whether one supports the nominees or not, their nominations have been controversial from the start for lawmakers in both parties for reasons rooted in politics and policy positions. Labelling any critique or questioning of these individuals as examples of racial or gender bias makes it … [Read more...] about Politics, not racism or sexism, explain opposition to Biden Cabinet nominees