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U.N. group says people abused by late Japanese boy band producer deserve apologies and compensation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:48 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — The men who came forward to allege they were sexually abused as teenagers by Japanese boy band producer Johnny Kitagawa now have a powerful listener: the United Nations.Damilola Olawuyi, chair of the U.N. Working Group on Business and Human Rights, told reporters Friday the number of victims may total several hundred, and he accused Japan’s mainstream media of standing silent about the alleged abuse for decades.Olawuyi raised serious questions about the sincerity of the response from the talent agency Kitagawa founded, Johnny & Associates. He urged other entertainment industry players to carry out a “transparent and legitimate investigation with a clear timeline.”Junya Hiramoto, one of seven men who talked with Olawuyi’s team, was moved to tears by the U.N. official’s remarks. “I felt our message had been clearly relayed,” he said. “They gave me such courage.”Pichamon Yeophantong, a fellow member of the U.N. group who appeared with Olawuyi at the Japan N...

Dean's Reviews: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem' and 'The Meg 2: The Trench'

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:48 GMT

Check out Dean's Reviews for the latest on the new Ninja Turtles, The Meg 2 and more.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Dean's Weekender: Lionel Richie with Earth, Wind & Fire, Lollapalooza and more

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:48 GMT

Check out Dean's Weekender for the latest events coming to the Chicagoland area this weekend from Lionel Richie to the rest of the Lollapalooza lineup.

Picking your nose leads to higher risk of COVID-19, study shows

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:48 GMT

(NewsNation) — It's not something many people will admit to doing — and now, new research suggests picking your nose is linked to a higher risk of COVID-19.A study published Aug. 2 in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One found that nose-picking among healthcare workers is associated with an increased likelihood of contracting a SARS-CoV-2 infection, which causes COVID."We therefore recommend health care facilities to create more awareness, e.g. by educational sessions or implementing recommendations against nose picking in infection prevention guidelines," the study's authors said.To conduct the study, researchers analyzed rates of COVID-19 infection among staff at Amsterdam UMC from March 2020 through October 2020, then in 2021, surveyed participants to see whether they picked their noses. Other behaviors, such as nail biting, or physical attributes like having a beard, were also asked about. Of the 219 healthcare workers who completed the survey, 185 disclosed that they were habitua...

Trees are 'stressed' due to multiple years of extreme weather

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Central Texas is breaking its record of one-hundred degree days on Friday, another high point in a sweltering summer. While we're all feeling the heat, so are our trees. "Without any rain, the soil is starting to dry out. And obviously, the roots of the trees are in the soil and looking for that water," said Sarah Ruark, a technical advisor with The Davey Institute, part of Davey Tree."Over time, that's going to weaken the tree because it's under stress now, and that allows some secondary insects or diseases to come in, and really take advantage of the trees we can state."It's not just this year's extreme heat and drought impacting the trees, but also last year's drought and the 2021 Winter Storm, according to Rourk."I'm noticing most trees have not really had a good chance to recover. And so they're all feeling a little bit stressed out right now."Looking for a stressed treeThere are several signs that your tree is stressed and possibly sick or dying."Wilting of th...

Train derailed in Cranseville, Route 5 closed

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:48 GMT

CRANESVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A train derailment in Cranesville on the Montgomery/Schenectady county line has temporarily closed Route 5. Montgomery County Sheriff Jeff Smith confirms with NEWS10 there are no injuries and no spills at this time. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Crews are on the scene evaluating the situation. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office is working with the DOT and several other agencies on this incident. There are no specifics on the train at this time.Stick with NEWS10 for more information as it becomes available.

Tim Brown is helping to restore a 170-year-old photography style

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:48 GMT

Editor’s note: An untold number of unheralded artists live in Colorado, those creators who can’t (or don’t want to) get into galleries and rely on word of mouth, luck or social media to make a living. You’ve likely seen them on Instagram, at festivals or at small-town art fairs. This monthly series, Through the Lens, will introduce you to some of these artists.Tintype photographs conjure up images of the Old West or soldiers heading out to fight in the Civil War. They evoke a sense of history, nostalgia and a glimpse into the past.Salida-based Tintype photographer Tim Brown said the process, which was developed in the 1850s, was practically extinct 20 years ago. With the heavy cameras, use of complex chemicals, a complicated multistep procedure and the development of newer camera equipment, the art form was disappearing quickly.But it is experiencing a renaissance, Brown said.Subject Corey Hubbard is upside down in the view finder of tintype photographer Tim Brown’s large wet plate ...

Great Colorado mountain bike trails for newbies

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:48 GMT

Mountain biking can be intimidating, especially for beginners venturing off familiar trails. Yet not every far-flung fat tire destination requires the skills to tackle rock drops, steep downhills and exposed precipices. There are several dirt destinations around Colorado where newbies can get comfortable on singletrack trails and take their nubby tire skills to the next level.Here are a few of my favorites to check out this summer.EagleThirty miles west of Vail, where the mountains transition from pine and aspen trees to sagebrush, piñons, fields of tall grass, wildflowers and high desert landscapes, sits the town of Eagle, an oasis for mountain bikers of all skill levels. One clear sign of the town’s dedication to mountain biking is its network of singletrack sidewalks.Compared to many trails in the region, particularly those at Vail and Beaver Creek resorts, Eagle’s dirt routes are wide, smooth and don’t require lengthy climbs or descents. The area is home to a whopping 116 ...

RTD chief: Maintenance projects can be disruptive but the backlog needs to be handled

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:48 GMT

Providing transit services to a metro region is a complex endeavor that requires more than simply deploying buses to stops or trains to stations. An impressive level of orchestration happens behind the scenes daily to serve RTD’s thousands of customers safely and efficiently. When the system runs well, customers tell us.When maintenance projects and disruptions impact the public’s ability to travel as planned, people also let us know. Anyone who has recently used RTD is likely aware that a lot of work is underway, with multiple projects occurring simultaneously.While it is not our intent to inconvenience anyone, maintaining a reliable transit system is critically important. RTD is working as responsibly as possible to prioritize a backlog of projects that are essential to ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of services. Many maintenance projects have been deferred for years and must happen now. Continuing to wait any longer will introduce larger problems and unexpected issues.Ma...

16th Street Mall office building eyed for residential conversion listed for sale

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:23:48 GMT

An older office building along the 16th Street Mall is being marketed for sale as its owner continues to also consider a residential conversion.California-based Harbor Associates has hired CBRE to market the eight-story, 91,027-square-foot structure at 820 16th St., known as The George or Symes building.The building is one of a handful in Denver for which the city has received plans outlining a possible residential conversion. In the case of The George, those plans were submitted last summer, and floated the possibility of 95 apartments on the upper floors. Harbor Principal Joon Choi told BusinessDen Monday that the company is working to determine the best path forward for the building, which is minimally leased.Choi said the company hired CBRE to market the building specifically to owner-users, or companies that would both own and occupy the space.He said the company isn’t interested in selling the building to another investment firm like Harbor.Choi said if offers come in from own...