For Maryna Krut, a master of the 56-string bandura, music is just not only a calling or a profession.

Whether she's performing to international audiences or to soldiers on the front lines in eastern Ukraine, Krut embodies her country's bitter struggle for independence within the face of the Russian invasion in 2022. Although steeped in traditional Ukrainian music, she is an artist who embraces it feels committed to the current moment and accompanies herself on an instrument that’s deeply rooted within the folklore of her region.

“About half of what I play are my originals and the other half are traditional Ukrainian songs, but I try to make them modern and contemporary,” said Krut, 28, who arrived after a 25-hour plane ride from her home little jet lag, western Ukraine seemed like New York City. She is at the start of a North American tour that features two Stanford Live performances on Saturday, January 18, and a concert on Sunday, January 19, at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley.

With her soaring vocals winding across the resonant lines of the bandura, Krut evokes the cycle of the seasons in her folkloric repertoire. Whether she's singing songs welcoming spring, describing the rituals of winter or celebrating the start of Christmas, “I try to keep it modern,” she said.

“In Ukraine, people play traditional songs in a traditional way. I try to play everything in a contemporary way. Bandura can play anything, any style. Sometimes I use jazz or soul. I try to improvise and do it differently every time.”

It's not only her muse that cries out for musical variety. Shuttling between concert halls and impromptu performances near battlefields, she must toggle between the very different needs of her listeners while bringing music and luxury to the soldiers. Many of her friends are within the military, “and I want to play for them and for soldiers I don't know,” she said.

In the weeks leading as much as Christmas, she called on Instagram to gather relief packages for soldiers and ended up playing the Secret Santa “who goes to the front with all these presents and beautiful baked goods,” she said.

Although she has embraced her role as Ukraine's unofficial ambassador, leaving house is stressful on many levels. There are the logistical challenges of leaving the country and the incontrovertible fact that she never leaves the war behind her. Krut doesn't think she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, “but now I'm still afraid to sleep near a window,” she said.

“I am a civilian. I have no war experience and have never been to the front with a weapon. But we all have a lot of trauma. When I can’t describe my feelings with words, music explains what’s going on inside me.”

Growing up within the western Ukrainian city of Khmelnytskyi, Krut was not raised in a very musical family. But when she was eight years old, visiting her grandmother in a small village, she saw one other girl playing a strange-looking, box-shaped instrument with dozens of strings. She loved the sound and convinced her mother to enroll her in lessons at a neighborhood music school.

She first learned traditional songs after which classical music. As a young person, “I started writing music,” she remembers. “I tried to play and improvise and started writing songs.”

A couple of years later, she got hold of an inexpensive MP3 player and not using a screen and asked her friends to load it up with interesting music. Because Krut had no way of identifying the tracks, she often didn't know who she was listening to, “but I heard a lot of great stuff, like Esperanza Spalding and Diana Krall,” she said, explaining that her influences included numerous jazz and music Soul artists include you continue to attempting to discover yourself.

The normal pressure young artists face to define themselves through their music feels very different in a rustic at war. Composing music is best done in comfort and safety, a luxury Krut cannot take with no consideration. The reality in Ukraine is that all the pieces modified on February 24, 2022.

“I make music now, but it’s more complicated than before,” she said. “When I hear explosions, you understand that this is so important. You can die any day. You have to leave something in this world, at least your music.”

MARYNA KRUT

When and where: 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., January 18 at Stanford University Studio; $15-$45; live.stanford.edu; 8 p.m., Jan. 19, at Sweetwater Music Hall, Mill Valley; $39.66; sweetwatermusichall.org.

It only takes just a few seconds for David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori to precise their mutual admiration, expressed in good-natured remarks about one another's New York neighborhoods. Lindsay-Abaire says Tesori living in Manhattan means she's “chic.” But Tesori reminds her longtime collaborator of 1 easy fact: “Nothing is as expensive as Brooklyn…that's all I'm saying.”

The first moments of cheeky banter and light-hearted laughter exhibit how seamless it’s for each of them to precise each artistry and loyalty through their deep friendship. As Tesori bluntly puts it, “No one would ever mess with David if she had any say in the matter.”

In 2023, this friendship led each of them down a magical path as theirs bizarre, tragicomic musical “Kimberly Akimbo” The film received critical acclaim and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score. A national touring production of the show runs through December 1 on the Curran Theater in San Francisco, presented by BroadwaySF.

“Kimberly Akimbo” tells the story of Kimberly Levaco, a New Jersey teenager who suffers from a progeria-like disease that causes her to age about 4 times faster than normal. Therefore, Kimberly is more like a grandmother than a lady who experiences things like falling in love for the primary time. The speed with which the top is approaching is met with great emotions, but additionally numerous hearty laughter through a rating filled with wit and wisdom.

Confidence within the collaboration between Tesori and Lindsay-Abaire was solidified after they received a Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2009 for “Shrek the Musical.” That experience prepared them for a really different type of collaboration, adapting Lindsay-Abaire's 2001 stage comedy “Kimberly Akimbo” right into a full-fledged musical.

It was a process that he approached with a more liberal attitude and that included quite a few cuts from the unique. But when he encountered the circular saw Tesori, he needed to be held accountable by his fiercest advocate.

“Honestly, I was more willing to say we don’t need this or let’s get rid of it,” said Lindsay-Abaire, whose play “Rabbit Hole” won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. “But Jeanine was very protective of the core of the piece. She said we would change so much and do so much research so we wouldn't lose what makes the piece work. She was truly the keeper of history.”

One aspect that helped the variation thrive was the years which have passed for the reason that original Kimberly Akimbo premiered. Lindsay-Abaire wrote the piece when his voice was not as refined and mature because it is today. Tesori found this incredibly useful when composing the musical's sound.

“I think it helps that it's an early piece with early impulses that were probably ambitions that were a little above the skill level,” said Tesori, whose catalog of musicals includes such iconic hits as “Fun Home.” , “Caroline” or “Caroline” include Change” and “Thoroughly Modern Mille”. “Now we're 20 years later and David is a masterful storyteller, but the piece is a recorded pulse of who he was 20 years ago as a younger person in a younger generation.”

What was each extremely encouraging was how well the story resonated with each audiences and critics. Kimberly, along along with her peers, spends a lot time trying to grasp life. In her tumultuous life, Kimberly teaches and learns what it means to live out loud, encouraged by the deep richness of friendship and trauma. This is territory that each Tesori and Lindsay-Abaire firmly occupy, especially after they work together.

“I feel like I’m very protective of David and we’re a team,” Tesori said. “There is trust, and I also know that if I bring something to David, he won't weaken my impulse, but he will still keep the door open to honor that impulse. He might say, ‘I never thought of that, and it doesn’t sound right, but I don’t know, let’s try it.’ That’s what allowed me to bring my whole self to the work.”

What Tesori and Lindsay-Abaire have completed now could be put her within the highlight across a large swath of the country as a part of a national tour that began in Denver in September and opens Nov. 6 at The Curran. The Tony Awards are groundbreaking, but does the show still get up just a few years later?

These questions could also be relevant, but at this point Tesori and Lindsay-Abaire really just need to create the type of art that just isn’t just quality storytelling, but something they’ll see themselves in. In the truest sense of the word.

“At the end of the day, Jeanine and I just write about ourselves and our families,” Lindsay-Abaire said. “This show is so much about an outsider who just wants to be accepted and seen the way she wants to be seen. It sounds so simple and basic, but this idea hits so many different communities and so many different age groups.”

“KIMBERLY AKIMBO”

Book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, music by Jeanine Tesori, presented by BroadwaySF

Through: Dec 1st

Where: The Curran Theater, 445 Geary St, San Francisco

Duration: 2 hours, 25 minutes with a break

Tickets: $60-$163; broadwaysf.com

Originally published: November 4, 2024 at 2:17 pm PST

As the Democratic primary for mayor of New York approached within the spring of 2021, most of my friends and colleagues supported certainly one of three candidates.

My leftist friends all gathered progressive standard-bearer Maya Wiley. My mediocre friends supported me Kathryn Garcíawho ran on a platform that promised excellent management while de-emphasizing ideology. Quite a lot of my friends, especially insiders who usually did business with the town, were hopeful Eric Adams could be the following mayor.

When I asked Adams supporters why they selected him, just about all of them said something like, “We know we can do business with him.” Well, that's definitely one solution to put it.

Adams is now on the door a five-count indictment This could lead on to the top of his political profession or perhaps worse, due largely to the people he desired to do business with.

Who is Eric Adams?

Adams has created a political personality that would explain how he found himself on this position.

Adams, New York City's second Black mayor, won the hotly contested 2021 Democratic primary Building a coalition that began with consolidating the black vote. He then pivoted to the suitable to win the support of more religious Jews and other conservative white voters, especially outside the Manhattan borough. You could call this the coalition of those that don't care about anything reliably liberal and sometimes preachy says the New York Times editorial page.

During the first, Adams, a former captain within the New York Police Department, exaggerated the crime problem in New York to assist deliver the tough, anti-crime message that all the time exists is well received by conservative white voterseven in a Democratic primary in New York.

In the spring of 2021, as educated liberals fearful about issues like climate change, threats to democracy, and expanding LGBTQ rights, Adams ignored those concerns of the Democratic Party's donor class and led what was essentially a Law and Order Campaign.

What wasn't a part of the Adams pitch: Topics like smart budget management, police reform, modern problem solving, climate change, and the candidates' academic resumes, the sorts of topics that a significant portion of New York's primary voter may be very vital to me.

Adams began his term with some impressive political accomplishments. New York consists of 5 boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. They represent a wide range of political identities. Adams was an African American who unlike almost every other African-American citywide candidate before, appealed to white voters outside Manhattan who had previously supported more conservative candidates.

Adams had an awesome time personal story That included temporarily staying ahead of homelessness after which becoming a New York police officer who helped combat police brutality early in his profession. The recent mayor was a good-looking man with an awesome smile and he was vegan. Somehowon top of that.

As a political scientist And long-time political analyst of up to date politicsI consider Adams could have built a meaningful anti-elite mayoralty by putting the needs of his constituents first and mixing support for the police with programs to support low-income and dealing New Yorkers.

But because the starting of his term, Adams has taken a distinct direction.

The Eric Adams Show

Early in his term, Adams boasted that he had brought back his swagger within the mayor's office, a high quality not generally considered relevant within the daunting task of governing New York City. “When a mayor is proud, the town is proud” he said. Adams also claimed to be the face of the Democratic Party's future, but made no secret of his hopes is running for president.

There's nothing fallacious with a mayor being ambitious or a bit boastful. Willie Brown was a transformative mayor of San Francisco who at 90 still has a little bit of swagger.

But bragging rights alone aren't enough to be a successful mayor.

As mayor, Adams failed to deal with the town's biggest problems while taking extremely aggressive positions on all issues mental illness To Protesters at Columbia Universitywhere I teach.

Ultimately, Adams' disdain for Manhattan's elites led him to a spot where he only recently he continued to defend cops who fired weapons at a suspect in a crowded subway station and seriously injured innocent passers-by.

There is something about Adams that brings to mind one other distinguished politician who grew up in Queens and is not any stranger to accusations. Adams' anti-elitist messages And constant exaggeration of the crime problem for political gain come straight from the MAGA and Trump playbook.

Furthermore, it all the time seemed as if Adams' attention was focused not on governing, but somewhat on the concept he was the star of “The Eric Adams Show.” His mayoralty gave the impression to be more in focus where he ate and went clubbing and never how he addressed political challenges.

Adams has argued that by visiting nightclubs he’s making a vital contribution to the local economy, telling the New York Post: “My nightlife is a multi-billion dollar industry.” He held court at La Bala, a flowery restaurant that he sometimes visited greater than 20 nights a month.

Adams' comments – resembling: “I'm mayor because God gave me the authority to be mayor” or “About thirty years ago I woke up from my sleep bathed in sweat. God spoke to my heart and said, “You will become mayor on January 1, 2022'” – aren't just strange, they suggest he's more of a divine messenger than an official. It also suggests that he only sees himself accountable to a higher power and not to the people he represents and the laws that apply to everyone. Donald Trump is a cult-like leader on a much larger and more dangerous scale, however the similarity is there.

New York's mayor is on the door Pressure to resign by many in his own party, but he has made it clear that he did I actually have no intention of doing thatno less than for now.

If he manages to remain in office, Adams will face stiff opposition in his re-election bid next yr. Of his many potential opponents, he’s arguably the strongest Brad Lander, New York City Comptrollerwho has a status as a wise progressive who has never had even a touch of corruption around him.

New Yorkers have been watching The Eric Adams Show for nearly three years, and the most recent plot twist must have come as no surprise. But it sure looks prefer it could lead on to the top of the show.

By Erik J. Martin, Bankrate.com

It's not only the leaves which might be falling this fall: mortgage rates of interest are finally falling, too. And that, coupled with a seasonal decline in home prices, is creating excitement amongst homebuyers and sellers because the yr ends.

The average existing property price was $416,700 in August, in keeping with the National Association of Realtors – a record high for August but still down from $422,600 the previous month. And average rates of interest on the benchmark 30-year mortgage loan have fallen from a high this yr of seven.39% in May to six.24% at the tip of September.

Interest rates have already fallen by greater than a full percentage point or more Fed rate of interest cuts On deck, many market watchers are wondering: What do the last three months of 2024 have in store for sellers and buyers? We turned to a panel of experts to learn their real estate trends and predictions.

Real Estate Market Trends within the Fourth Quarter of 2024: What to Expect

The last quarter of the yr is often a slowdown period for real estate markets across the country. Typically, home sales are likely to decline within the fourth quarter and remain subdued until spring. During this time, there are typically fewer buyers, the variety of homes on the market decreases, and real estate prices usually tend to drop in comparison with other times of the yr.

“But this fourth quarter could be different for several reasons,” said Rick Sharga, president and CEO of CJ Patrick Company. “Firstly, housing supply has increased across the country. Secondly, Interest rates have trended downward lately – not necessarily low enough to encourage a flood of new listings, but certainly low enough to entice more potential buyers to enter the market. These lower interest rates, combined with slower housing price growth and wage growth that is finally outpacing inflation, are improving affordability.”

Molly Boesel, chief economist at CoreLogic, supports this assessment. “Many Shoppers waited on the sidelines to buy, and many will now buy quickly,” she says. “Therefore, we most likely will not see the typical slowdown in the last three months of the year.”

Ralph DiBugnara, president of Home Qualified, says these factors combined with the Presidential electionis likely to see a strong move in favor of buyers between October and December. “This means that the fourth quarter of 2024 is likely to be the busiest of the year,” he predicts.

Q4 Mortgage Rate Forecasts

As of September 25, the interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan averaged 6.24% versus 5.43% for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage loan Bankrate's latest survey of major lenders. And real estate experts expect interest rates to continue to fall for the rest of the year.

“Over the next three months, we will likely see average 30-year fixed mortgage rates in the low 6% range or perhaps in the high 5% range,” said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate. “The further development of mortgage rates will depend on the economic situation, the labor market and other factors.” what the Fed is doing and more. Consider that the average interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages briefly reached 8% last fall for the first time since 2000. Now we are moving in the right direction – although today’s interest rates are still much higher than in most of the past 15 years.”

Bugnara expects interest rates this quarter to average 6.25% and 5.625% for 30-year and 15-year mortgage loans, respectively. However, Boesel expects the 30-year mortgage rate to average 6.0% this quarter. Sharga echoes that prediction, with a caveat: “There is a possibility that it could go below 6% and settle in the high 5% range,” he says.

Where real estate prices are going

Real estate prices have been rising for some time, and nothing is likely to change in the fourth quarter: Buyers should not expect a significant drop in prices before the end of the year.

“Property prices are expected to rise 3.9% year-on-year this quarter,” says Boesel. “Continued homebuyer demand adding to the still limited supply will drive prices higher.”

Bugnara agrees, predicting property prices will rise 3% to 5% over the quarter.

Dennis Shirshikov, an associate professor of economics at the City University of New York, also expects prices to remain high – “although there could possibly be a slight slowdown in certain overvalued markets,” he says.

Housing inventory forecasts for the fourth quarter

“It is unlikely that we will see a large wave Homeowners listing their properties for sale until mortgage rates drop significantly – probably below 5.5%,” says Sharga. However, he notes that inventory levels are up about 40% compared to last year. “The inventory of new homes for sale is actually back to pre-pandemic levels, so there is more to buy overall,” he says.

But Shirshikov doesn't expect inventories to rise any further this year, especially for entry-level homes. “Many homeowners locked into low mortgage rates will continue to hold off on selling, limiting supply,” he says.

Boesel expects the inventory that comes onto the market to sell quickly. “As new supply comes onto the market, it should disappear quickly as wait-and-see homebuyers act quickly,” she says. It forecasts that inventory for sale should be about 15% to 20% above 2023 levels.

Strategies for Home Buyers and Sellers

What should consumers do now that they have read the initial information on Q4 real estate trends? If you are planning a purchase, make sure your finances are in order.

“Not buy a house before you’re ready,” Rossman says. “Make sure you have a cushion for transaction costs, repairs and maintenance. It’s better to rent longer than to buy before you’re ready.”

Still, be prepared to pounce when an awesome opportunity presents itself. “Competition for real estate should remain brisk in the fourth quarter, so buyers should be ready to act once they find the home they want to buy,” Boesel says.

“I would recommend considering less competitive markets where your purchasing power may be greater,” says Shirshikov. And if fewer buyers than expected enter the market this season, “you may find some good deals, especially from sellers who are more motivated to close before the end of the year.”

Meanwhile, sellers should consider the next aspects:

• Local market conditions: “Know what’s happening in your local market,” says Sharga. “When homes are selling quickly and prices are rising, it's probably a good time to list them. However, if you see inventory increasing, homes staying on the market longer, and prices decreasing, it may make sense to wait until spring to list your home for sale.”
• Competitive prices: “Even in a seller’s market, buyers are sensitive to high mortgage rates,” says Shirshikov. “Overvaluing your property could cause it to stay on the market longer. If necessary, consider incentives such as: B. covering closing costs to make your listing more attractive.”
• Where you’ll live next: “You can probably get a good price for what you're offering, but for what comes next you may have to pay more than you want,” says Rossman. “And your mortgage rate could be much higher than you’re used to, even if rates are already starting to fall. “Sweet spots” are downsizing empty nesters and other people leaving higher cost markets for lower cost markets. On the opposite hand, trading higher in an identical market is pricey.”

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©2024 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Originally published: September 27, 2024 at 10:38 am

Since the start of the antibiotic era, opportunistic pathogens have developed defense mechanisms faster than humans can develop drugs to combat them.

At the identical time, humans are unintentionally giving germs a bonus through excessive use of antibiotics: pathogens that survive contact with antibiotics can pass on their resistance properties.

Now, A brand new report states If authorities don’t take motion to develop recent drugs, infections with “superbugs” could claim nearly two million lives annually by 2050. That could be a 67.5% increase from the 1.14 million lives lost in this manner in 2021.

An additional 8.22 million people will die from these infections in 2050, in accordance with a study by Global research project on antimicrobial resistance published this week within the medical journal Lancet.

GRAM is a joint project between the University of Oxford and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation on the University of Washington School of Medicine. The report is probably the most comprehensive assessment so far of the danger of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which the World Health Organization has long identified as considered one of the Top 10 Threats on global public health.

The publication comes ahead of a United Nations General Assembly meeting later this month to deal with the difficulty of drug-resistant pathogens.

“The figures in the Lancet study represent a staggering and unacceptable level of human suffering,” said Henry Skinner, executive director of the AMR Action Fund, a public-private partnership that invests in the event of recent antibiotics. He was not involved within the study. “As this study shows, a continued failure of governments to meet their moral obligations to protect and care for their populations will condemn millions of people to unnecessary deaths.”

About two-thirds of AMR deaths in 2050 will affect people over 70, the report estimates. Older individuals are already at higher risk for drug-resistant infections, which frequently occur in hospitals and care facilities.

Between 1990 and 2021, the report said, the variety of deaths on account of antimicrobial resistance amongst people aged 70 and over increased by greater than 80%.

Across all age groups, mortality rates on account of resistant pathogens are expected to be highest in South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The development of recent antibiotics is painfully slow, especially in comparison with drugs, where manufacturers have higher financial incentives. As necessary as antibiotics are, they aren’t intended to be taken long-term like drugs for chronic diseases. The only antibiotics have to be used as infrequently as possible in order that bacteria have less opportunity to develop resistance.

In June The World Health Organization warned that there are currently far too few recent antibiotics in the event pipeline worldwide and that existing antibiotics are removed from being as modern as could be vital to combat probably the most dangerous microbes.

Of the 32 antibiotics currently being developed against bacteria on the WHO list, List of Priority Bacterial Pathogens 2024According to the organization, only 12 of them used unconventional approaches, which is crucial to curbing the rise of drug resistance. And of those 12, only 4 were effective against pathogens that the WHO identified as the best threat to public health.

The scenario described within the GRAM report is grim but not inevitable, the authors say. Improvements in vaccine distribution and access to scrub drinking water and sanitation have helped halve deaths from antibiotic resistance amongst children under five between 1990 and 2021, whilst superbugs proceed to spread.

Better infection control measures and accelerated drug development could save as much as 92 million lives between 2025 and 2050, the report says.

“The data show that if we take action on better handling, improved access in low- and middle-income countries and new investments to strengthen the antibiotic pipeline, we can save tens of millions of lives,” said James Anderson, chairman of the AMR Industry Alliance.

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©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit www.latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The faithful are also foodies, so yearly Levi's Stadium and its hospitality partner Levy go to great lengths to offer delicious culinary experiences for loyal Niner fans.

New vendors for the 2024-25 season, which begins with the upcoming Monday Night Football game against the New York Jets, include two family-owned restaurants with long Bay Area histories and an all-halal Middle Eastern menu. Fans also can look ahead to a brand new craft beer from an area chef-brewery partnership; a creative latest menu from the stadium's executive chef Alvin Kabiling; and later within the season, a brand new pizza based on one in every of quarterback Brock Purdy's favorite dishes.

In introducing the brand new lineup, Nick Wolfe, vp of hospitality and retail for the 49ers and Levi's Stadium, said he was excited concerning the opportunity to “reinvent and reimagine” the fan experience each season — and showcase local partners in the method.

Here's a range. Keep checking back as we'll be adding more returning favorites and details as chefs finalize their menus:

NEW PROVIDERS THIS SEASON

Toto's Pizzeria: This San Bruno and Belmont classic, which has been around since 1932, will make its debut on the stadium. Several generations of the Spadarella family will bake and serve single-serving Neapolitan pizzas with pepperoni and cheese, in addition to cannoli (created from an old family recipe, in fact).

Berkeley by IB: This family-run business has been feeding Berkeley students and football fans since 1991. In their first foray into the South, co-owners Fuad Baba and Michael Dughman—the latest generation to run the business—serve up IB's Original Cheesesteak and their popular Honey Garlic Wings.

Kebab cart: Husband and wife Ghezal and Yasir Wesa, owners of this cable car-style food truck and catering business, present an all-halal menu of Afghan fusion street food, including falafel, wraps and hummus plates. The Contra Costa County-based couple founded the San Francisco-based business in 2013.

Crumbs: It was because of Wolfe's wife that these large, decadent cookies were added to the stadium menu. Crumbl will offer five flavors on a rotating basis – and no less than one in every of them shall be chocolate.

RECURRING FAVORITES

Tony G’s Slice House: Tony Gemignani, the Bay Area's world pizza master, discovered QB Purdy's love of cheeseburgers and decided to create a brand new pizza with that theme. The beef pizza is topped with white cheddar cheese, mozzarella, peppers and applewood smoked bacon, and finished with green onions, peppadews, Romano cheese, oregano and a drizzle of barbecue sauce and garlic oil. (The Purdy Pie won't debut on Monday Night Football, but perhaps at the subsequent home game.)

Chef Rodney Baca’s shop: This San Jose chef shall be making his signature pastrami sandwiches with house-cured meats, coleslaw with maple aioli, pineapple molasses mustard and house-made pickles, together with the East Side Burger, inspired by his wife Maddie's San Jose heritage. It's topped with candied bacon, red relish, jalapenos and cheese. New from Baca is an IPA, Apricot Summer Orchard, a collaboration with Hapa's Brewing.

Starbird: These folks began the local fried chicken trend in Sunnyvale in 2014 after which expanded it throughout the Bay Area. This season, they're serving crispy chicken fillets with two house-made sauces and seasoned fries, each cooked in non-GMO rice bran oil

Originally published: September 6, 2024 at 16:20

Food automation is unlike anything. Food is crucial to life – it nourishes our bodies and souls – and the best way we access, prepare and devour it has the potential to fundamentally change societies.

Automated kitchens will not be science fiction visions from “The Jetsons” or “Star Trek”. The technology is real And worldwideRobots are currently getting used to Turn burgers, Roast chicken, Create pizza, Making sushi, Preparing salads, Serving Ramen, Baking bread, Mixing cocktails and rather more. AI can Inventing recipes based on the molecular compatibility of ingredients or whatever a kitchen has In shareMore advanced concepts are being developed to entire Kitchen for effective food.

Because the technology is initially expensive, restaurants and other businesses are the primary adopters of AI kitchen technologies. Over time, prices will likely drop to the purpose where Home marketwhich can change the dynamics each at home and in society.

Can food technology really change society? Yes, just consider the seismic impacts the Microwave oven. With this technology, it suddenly became possible to quickly prepare a meal for only one person, which will be a bonus but additionally a social disruptor.

Known concerns in regards to the technology include poorer nutrition and health attributable to Ready meals And plastic containers heated within the microwaveWhat is less obvious is that this convenience may transform eating from a communal, cultural and artistic event right into a utilitarian act of survival – changing relationships, traditions, the best way people work, the art of cooking and other facets of the lives of tens of millions of individuals.

For example, take into consideration how different life could be and not using a microwave. Instead of working at your desk over a reheated lunch, you may must exit and talk over with people and take a break from work. There is something to be said for living more slowly in a society that increasingly hectic And socially isolated.

Convenience can come at a price, so it is crucial to begin interested by the potential ethical and social upheavals that recent technologies could bring, particularly in a deeply human and cultural area – food – that’s embedded in our each day lives.

With Funded by the US National Science FoundationMy team at California Polytechnic State University is halfway through what we imagine is the primary study of the impact AI kitchens and robot chefs could have on different societies and cultures world wide. We have identified three broad areas of advantages and risks to be investigated.

Creators and consumers

The Benefits of AI kitchens This includes chefs creativein addition to eliminating repetitive, boring tasks like peeling potatoes or standing at a workstation for hours. Technology can liberate time. Not having to cook means you possibly can spend more time along with your family or give attention to more pressing tasks. For personalized food, AI can offer quite a few special dietsAllergies and tastes on request.

However, there are also risks to human well-being. Cooking can therapeutic and offers opportunities for many Things: Gratitude, learning, creativity, communication, adventure, self-expression, growth, independence, self-confidence and more, all of which will be lost when nobody is cooking. Family relationships could affected when parents and youngsters not work side by side within the kitchen – a secure space for chatting, versus what can feel like an interrogation on the dinner table.

The kitchen can also be the Science laboratory of the homesubsequently, science education could suffer. The alchemy of cooking involves teaching children and other learners microbiology, physics, chemistry, materials science, mathematics, cooking techniques and tools, food ingredients and their origins, human health, and problem solving. Not having to cook can compromise these skills and knowledge.

Community and cultures

AI might help with experimentation and creativity, for instance within the creation elaborate food presentations and novel recipes within the spirit of a culture. Just as AI and robotics help, recent scientific findingsThey can improve understanding of, for instance, the properties of food ingredients, their interactions and cooking techniques, including recent methods.

But there are risks for culture. For example, AI could distort traditional recipes and methods, as AI is liable to stereotypesfor instance, by flattening or simplifying cultural details and differences. This selection bias could lead on to less diversity within the dishes produced by AI and robot chefs. Technology developers could turn out to be gatekeepers for food innovation if the restrictions of their machines result in a homogeneity of kitchens and creativity, just like the strangely similar feeling of AI art images across different apps.

Think about your favorite restaurants and favorite dishes. How might the character of those neighborhoods change with automated kitchens? Would it affect your individual taste experience for those who knew that those cooking for you weren’t your folks and family, but robots?

The hope with the technology is that more Jobs are created than lost jobs. Even if there may be a net increase in jobs, the numbers hide the impact on real people’s lives. Many within the food industry – one among the popular professions in any economy—may not find themselves capable of learn recent skills for a distinct job. Not everyone will be an AI developer or robot engineer, and it's removed from clear that supervising a robot is a greater job than cooking.

Philosophically speaking, the query continues to be open whether AI able to real creativityespecially if this requires inspiration and intuition. Assuming this will be the identical mistake as believing that a chatbot understands what it saysslightly than simply generating words that statistically follow the previous words. This has implications for the aesthetics and authenticity of AI food, just like the continued debates about AI art and music.

Safety and responsibility

Because man is a key Disease vectorRobot chefs can improve food safety. Precision trimming and other Automation can reduce food wastetogether with AI recipes that may profit from the ingredients. Personalized meals will be useful for nutrition and health, for instance by helping people avoid allergens and excessive salt and sugar consumption.

The technology continues to be in the event phase, so it’s unclear whether these advantages will actually be realized. Foodborne illnesses are unknown. Will AI and robots have the ability to Odor, taste good or otherwise detect the freshness or lack of an ingredient and perform other safety checks?

Another issue is physical safety. It is vital to make sure that a robot chef doesn’t by accident cut, burn or crush someone due to a pc vision error or other errors. AI chatbots advise people, eat stones, glue, petrol And poisonous mushroomssubsequently, it shouldn’t be far-fetched to assume that AI recipes may be flawed. While legal systems are still struggling to find out liability for autonomous vehiclesIt will be similarly difficult to make clear liability for robot chefs, even within the event of a hacker attack.

Given the importance of food, food technologies help shape society. The kitchen holds a special place in homes, neighborhoods and cultures, so transforming this venerable institution requires careful consideration to optimize advantages and minimize risks.

Latest technology in healthcare

DENVER — The Giants will give Jordan Hicks the ball on Sunday for his twentieth start of the season, which has already greater than doubled his profession total to start out this season. But that number won't climb to 30. Most likely, it won't even be 25.

Hicks' time within the Giants' starting lineup is coming to an end, manager Bob Melvin confirmed.

Exactly when he’ll assume his next role and the precise details have yet to be determined, but once Robbie Ray and Alex Cobb come off the injured list (each are expected back by the top of the month), Hicks will return to the duties he held for the primary five years of his major league profession, namely as a bullpen pitcher.

“I knew from the beginning it wasn't going to be the whole season,” Hicks said. “Now that we're at this point, it's about making those last starts, being strong and then just accepting it and finding the right plan going forward.”

“Whether that's exclusively in the bullpen or whether that's opening a game, there are a lot of possibilities. Whatever really fits the team best, that's what I want to do and try to get into the playoffs.”

One option that could be attractive to Melvin is to make use of Hicks in a piggyback mode with one among their regulars who’s getting back from injury and can operate with workload limitations, a minimum of initially. This would allow the Giants to not only slowly integrate Ray and Cobb into the rotation, but additionally do the other for Hicks' move to the bullpen.

Melvin ruled out the usage of a six-man rotation, but said regarding piggybacking, “I certainly see the possibility of doing that.”

When Hicks signed his four-year, $44 million contract last winter, he said one among the essential reasons he got here to San Francisco was the possibility to be a starting pitcher, a dream he was barely in a position to fulfill while being placed on the fast track to the main leagues as a hard-hitting reliever.

Hicks, 27, described this season as a “rebuilding year” and is anticipated to be back within the starting lineup in 2025.

But at this point, either side appear to agree on what makes essentially the most sense for the rest of 2024.

The Giants will soon have a full complement of starting pitchers, and their bullpen needs all the assistance it may possibly get because it faces the heaviest workload within the majors. Hicks has already surpassed his profession high with 95 innings, and the Giants recently gave him some extra rest. When he steps onto the mound on Sunday, it should be just his second start in 20 days.

“Even he said he felt it a little bit,” Melvin said. “I think the break came at the right time. We were able to schedule the previous break and then this one. Hopefully it will refresh him a little bit. It was a lot for him.”

The toll the workload has taken is most evident on the radar, where Hicks' fastball has been between 55 and 60 mph for much of the past two months. He's made a cope with himself to offer up his triple-digit-velocity fastball to lengthen his position as a starter, but he's not hitting 98s and 99s like he did earlier within the season.

Upon returning to the bullpen, Hicks said he expects his velocity to extend in shorter bursts.

“I pride myself on being able to do both (start and pitch as a relief pitcher), so I hope everything goes smoothly and we see where we are,” Hicks said. “I'm not going to try to throw 103 when I've been at 95 all year. I don't think that makes health sense. I think it's just going to happen on its own. Your body knows it's got one inning or two innings, whatever it is.”

Looking ahead to next 12 months, Hicks said his longest experience as a starter because the minor leagues has given him the arrogance to proceed his transition to becoming a full-time rotation member, but has also taught him some helpful lessons.

Hicks went six or more innings 3 times in his first six starts and allowed no multiple run in any of them. He had a 1.59 ERA at the top of April. But within the 13 starts since then, he has pitched into the sixth inning only once, recorded one out, and allowed three or more earned runs seven times, including each of his last 4 games.

“I obviously want to get further in games and that's going to be one of the things I'm really focused on this offseason,” he said. “How can I manage the game better? How can I waste fewer pitches? Just finding a way to get those quicker outs. There were a lot of foul balls. I realized I was getting a lot of foul balls. So I'm just trying to find a way to miss bats a little bit more in key situations and go from there. But right now I like where I'm at. Keep building. Keep going.”

Originally published: July 20, 2024 at 7:00 am