Lifestyles – Brandon Sun

Fashion designer Thom Browne, right, arrives at Manhattan federal court in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Designer Thom Browne bests Adidas in court battle of stripes

Larry Neumeister And Jocelyn Noveck, The Associated Press 4 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — Smiling, fashion designer Thom Browne emerged from a New York courthouse Thursday victorious over sportswear giant Adidas in a grand battle over signature stripes.

Browne told The Associated Press that he hopes the preservation of his striped designs on luxury athletic clothing and accessories inspires others whose work is challenged by larger clothing producers.

“It was important to fight and tell my story," Browne told The Associated Press after a Manhattan federal court jury sided with him. Adidas had claimed that the striped designs used by Thom Browne Inc. were too similar to its own three stripes.

“And I think it’s more important and bigger than me, because I think I was fighting for every designer that creates something and has a bigger company come after them later,” he said.

Advertise With Us

Weather

Dec. 24, 6 PM: -10°c Cloudy Dec. 25, 12 AM: -7°c Cloudy

Brandon MB

-4°C, Cloudy

Full Forecast

Toilet paper toxin found in endangered killer whales, say B.C. researchers

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Toilet paper toxin found in endangered killer whales, say B.C. researchers

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

VANCOUVER - Toxic chemicals from toilet paper have been found in the bodies of British Columbia's endangered orcas, according to a study conducted by marine scientists.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia analyzed tissue samples from six southern resident killer whales and six Bigg's whales, also known as transient killer whales, stranded along the coast of B.C. between 2006 and 2018.

Dr. Juan José Alava, co-author of the study, said in an interview Thursday that the findings left him and other researchers “shocked and saddened.”

He said the toxic chemical substances could affect killer whales’ hormone systems, disrupting physiological function and making them susceptible to diseases.

Read

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

Whales in the Gulf Islands, a southern resident killer whale critical habitat, are shown in a handout photo. Toxic chemicals from toilet paper have been found in the bodies of British Columbia's endangered orcas, according to a study conducted by marine scientists.THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Fisheries and Oceans Canada-Paul Cottrell **MANDATORY CREDIT**

Storms, tornadoes slam US South, killing at least 7 people

Kim Chandler And Jeff Martin, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Storms, tornadoes slam US South, killing at least 7 people

Kim Chandler And Jeff Martin, The Associated Press 6 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

SELMA, Ala. (AP) — A giant, swirling storm system billowing across the South on Thursday killed at least six people in central Alabama, where a tornado ripped roofs off homes and uprooted trees in historic Selma, while another person was killed in Georgia, where severe winds knocked out power to tens of thousands of people.

In Autauga County, Alabama, 41 miles (66 kilometers) northeast of Selma, at least six fatalities were confirmed and an estimated 40 homes were damaged or destroyed by a tornado that cut a 20-mile (32-kilometer) path across two rural communities, said Ernie Baggett, the county’s emergency management director.

Several mobile homes were launched into the air and at least 12 people were injured severely enough to be taken to hospitals by emergency responders, Baggett told The Associated Press. He said crews were focused Thursday night on cutting through downed trees to look for people who may need help.

“It really did a good bit of damage. This is the worst that I’ve seen here in this county,” Baggett said.

Read

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

Alberta premier backs off on promise to seek pardons for COVID-19 health violators

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Alberta premier backs off on promise to seek pardons for COVID-19 health violators

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

EDMONTON - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, less than three months after promising to seek pardons for COVID-19 health violators, says she will now let justice take its course while also announcing she is regularly contacting Crown prosecutors about these cases.

“The way our system of justice works is we do have an independent justice department and independent Crown prosecutors,” Smith told reporters Thursday when asked why she has not followed through on the pardon commitment.

“As we continue to see some of these cases go through — some of them get dropped, some of them fail — (prosecutors) have to consistently recalibrate, but I do want to make sure they have an independent process for assessing that.

“But I ask them on a regular basis, as new cases come out, is it in the public interest to pursue and is there a reasonable likelihood of conviction?”

Read

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith gives an Alberta government update in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who promised less than three months ago to seek pardons for COVID-19 health violators, now says she will let justice take its course. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Study: Exxon Mobil accurately predicted warming since 1970s

Seth Borenstein And Cathy Bussewitz, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Study: Exxon Mobil accurately predicted warming since 1970s

Seth Borenstein And Cathy Bussewitz, The Associated Press 6 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

DENVER (AP) — Exxon Mobil’s scientists were remarkably accurate in their predictions about global warming, even as the company made public statements that contradicted its own scientists' conclusions, a new study says.

The study in the journal Science Thursday looked at research that Exxon funded that didn’t just confirm what climate scientists were saying, but used more than a dozen different computer models that forecast the coming warming with precision equal to or better than government and academic scientists.

This was during the same time that the oil giant publicly doubted that warming was real and dismissed climate models’ accuracy. Exxon said its understanding of climate change evolved over the years and that critics are misunderstanding its earlier research.

Scientists, governments, activists and news sites, including Inside Climate News and the Los Angeles Times, several years ago reported that “Exxon knew” about the science of climate change since about 1977 all while publicly casting doubt. What the new study does is detail how accurate Exxon funded research was. From 63% to 83% of those projections fit strict standards for accuracy and generally predicted correctly that the globe would warm about .36 degrees (.2 degrees Celsius) a decade.

Read

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

FILE - Exxon Mobil Billings Refinery sits in Billings, Mont. Exxon Mobil’s scientists were remarkably accurate in their predictions about global warming, even as the company made public statements that contradicted its own scientists' conclusions, a new study says. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Burning Man latest foe of ‘green energy’ project in Nevada

Scott Sonner, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Burning Man latest foe of ‘green energy’ project in Nevada

Scott Sonner, The Associated Press 4 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Add Burning Man to the list of plaintiffs challenging one of the growing number of “green energy” projects in the works in Nevada.

Lithium mines aimed at boosting production of electric vehicle batteries and geothermal power plants that tap underground water to produce renewable energy are at various stages of planning and development in the nation’s top gold mining state.

Environmental groups, Native American tribes and ranchers are among those who’ve filed lawsuits over the past two years seeking to block individual projects.

They say that while they support reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to help combat climate change, the commercial developments on public land in Nevada were approved illegally and will have their own environmental and cultural consequences.

Read

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

Q&A: Filmmaker Alice Diop mines darkness in ‘Saint Omer’

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Q&A: Filmmaker Alice Diop mines darkness in ‘Saint Omer’

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press 6 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

In 2016, French documentary filmmaker Alice Diop made an unusual decision. She decided to travel to a town in Northern France to watch the trial of a Senegalese woman, Fabienne Kabou, who one night in 2013 left her 15-month-old daughter on the beach to die.

Diop didn’t tell anyone she was going. She wasn’t even quite sure herself. But what she witnessed over the course of those few days would inspire her first narrative film, “ Saint Omer,” which opens in U.S. theaters Friday.

Quiet and haunting, “Saint Omer” is not your standard courtroom drama, nor is it a garish “true crime” spectacle. In it, a pregnant novelist, Rama (Kayije Kagame), bears witness to the testimony of Kabou stand-in Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda). Since winning the feature debut award at the Venice Film Festival, “Saint Omer” has continued to collect accolades and nominations, including a spot on the Oscars shortlist.

With an English translator by her side, Diop spoke to The Associated Press this week about her intentions for the film, the “invisible women” at its heart and the unexpected catharsis she found that she wanted to also give to audiences. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Read

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

French filmmaker Alice Diop poses for a portrait to promote

Learn more about Free Press Advertising solutions

New, taller Barbie doll is aimed at kids as young as 3

Leanne Italie, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

New, taller Barbie doll is aimed at kids as young as 3

Leanne Italie, The Associated Press 4 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — Love her or loathe her, Barbie has been transformed again, this time into a version for children as young as 3.

Gone is the contentious hourglass figure for My First Barbie, which launched Thursday ahead of July's live-action film about the icon starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

The slightly softer-bodied Barbie follows on the high heels of tall, petite and curvy iterations that were released five years ago in a massive makeover.

My First Barbie is 13.5 inches tall, 2 inches taller than traditional Babs, with a larger waist that de-emphasizes the bust line (it remains in place, however), and flesh-tone modesty undergarments permanently attached.

Read

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

This image released by Mattel shows a child playing with Teresa, a My First Barbie, a new doll made specifically for children as young as 3. It is 13.5 inches tall, with a broader waste that de-emphasizes the bust line, with flesh-tone modesty undergarments permanently attached. (Mattel via AP)

Bat fungus that causes fatal White-Nose Syndrome makes first appearances in Alberta

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Bat fungus that causes fatal White-Nose Syndrome makes first appearances in Alberta

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

EDMONTON - A fungus that causes a disease nearly wiping out bat populations in Eastern Canada and the United States has made its first appearance in Alberta.

The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, which starves bats to death by interrupting their winter hibernation, was identified in several locations in the province last year after being found in Saskatchewan in 2021.

"It looks like it's spreading about 500 kilometres a year," said Cory Olson of the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, which conducted the research.

Society researchers collected bat droppings from underneath 800 bridges where the tiny mammals like to rest during the night.

Read

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

A Little Brown Bat is shown in a handout photo. A disease that has been nearly wiping out bat populations in eastern Canada and the U.S. has made its first appearance in Alberta. White Nose Syndrome, a fungus that starves bats to death by interrupting their winter hibernation, was identified in several locations in the province last year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Cory Olson, WCS Canada **MANDATORY CREDIT**

White House: Jill Biden has two cancerous lesions removed

Darlene Superville, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

White House: Jill Biden has two cancerous lesions removed

Darlene Superville, The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — Surgeons removed a cancerous lesion above first lady Jill Biden's right eye and one on her chest, the White House said Wednesday, while a third lesion on her left eyelid was being examined.

Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the physician to President Joe Biden, said examinations showed that the lesion over Jill Biden's right eye and one newly discovered on her chest were both confirmed to be basal cell carcinoma. The lesion on her left eye was “fully excised, with margins, and was sent for standard microscopic examination,” according to O'Connor's report.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most curable form of skin cancer. It is a slow-growing cancer that usually is confined to the surface of skin — doctors almost always can remove it all with a shallow incision — and seldom causes serious complications or becomes life-threatening.

The Bidens spent the day at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, while the 71-year-old first lady had the scheduled outpatient procedure known as Mohs surgery to remove and examine the lesions. They had arrived by helicopter from the White House at about 8 a.m.

Read

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

The sky is filled with contrails as Marine One, with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on board, lifts off from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. They are heading to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where Jill Biden is having surgery to remove a small lesion found above her right eye during a routine skin cancer screening. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Premier, sovereignty bill are barriers to progress on emerging energy: Alberta NDP

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Premier, sovereignty bill are barriers to progress on emerging energy: Alberta NDP

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

EDMONTON - Alberta’s Opposition NDP leader wants to see more details of Ottawa's proposed plan for green energy jobs, but says Premier Danielle Smith’s knee-jerk criticism and her sovereignty act don't help anyone.

Rachel Notley said she wants to see a plan with practical, achievable greenhouse gas emissions targets while supporting jobs in the oil and gas sector that would position the province to support and benefit from emerging green technologies.

“We can create within oil and gas more industrial jobs across this province by investing in the tech necessary to reduce emissions,” Notley said at a news conference Wednesday.

“That’s the model I’m focused on, (but) I’m afraid that with all this rhetorical debate, because we’re in the political red zone and the connection to rational facts is becoming increasingly tenuous, that what we are doing in effect is delaying the necessary work that has to happen to bring all the parties to the table.”

Read

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley speaks in Edmonton on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. Notley says she wants to see a plan with practical, achievable greenhouse gas emissions targets while supporting jobs in the oil and gas sector. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Tatjana Patitz, supermodel of ’80s and ’90s, dies at 56

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Tatjana Patitz, supermodel of ’80s and ’90s, dies at 56

The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Tatjana Patitz, one of an elite group of famed supermodels who graced magazine covers in the 1980s and ’90s and appeared in George Michael's “Freedom! '90” music video, has died at age 56.

Patitz's death in the Santa Barbara, California, area was confirmed by her New York agent, Corinne Nicolas, at the Model CoOp agency. Nicolas said the cause was illness, but did not have further details.

Patitz, who was born in Germany, raised in Sweden and later made her life in California, was known as part of an elite handful of “original” supermodels, appearing in the Michael video along with Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford.

She was a favorite of fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh, who highlighted her natural beauty in his famous 1988 photo, “White Shirts: Six Supermodels, Malibu,” and for British Vogue’s 1990 cover — leading Michael to cast the group in his lip-syncing video, according to Vogue.

Read

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

FILE - German model Tatjana Patitz poses during a photo call of German catalog company Otto in Hamburg, Germany, on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006. Patitz, one of an elite group of famed supermodels who graced magazine covers in the 1980s and ’90s and appeared in George Michael's “Freedom! '90” music video, has died at age 56. (AP Photo/Fabian Bimmer, File)

Alberta Opposition NDP calls for public input on plan to subsidize well cleanup

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Alberta Opposition NDP calls for public input on plan to subsidize well cleanup

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

EDMONTON - Alberta's New Democrat Opposition wants public consultations on a government plan that would subsidize oil and gas companies to fulfil legal commitments to clean up old wells, a major proponent of which has been working directly in Premier Danielle Smith's office for months.

"The fox has entered the henhouse," said energy critic Kathleen Ganley.

Ganley said that it appears the United Conservative government has already made up its mind to bring in the RStar program, despite criticism from an array of outside experts, rural municipalities and internal government analysts.

"All indications are the government has made their decision," Ganley said. "There should be public consultations."

Read

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

Kathleen Ganley speaks during a news conference in Vancouver on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. The energy critic says there should be public consultations, in regards to a government plan that would subsidize oil and gas companies fulfilling legal commitments to clean up old wells. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Federal tax credit for multi-generational home renovations now available to Canadians

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Federal tax credit for multi-generational home renovations now available to Canadians

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

OTTAWA - The federal government is offering a new tax credit to help make it easier for Canadians to care for adult relatives in their own homes.

The multi-generational home renovation tax credit took effect Jan. 1 for expenses related to building a secondary suite for a family member who is a senior or an adult with a disability.

The credit will provide a 15 per cent tax refund on expenses of up to $50,000 to a maximum of $7,500.

The secondary suite must be for a related adult over the age of 65 or living with a disability, including a grandparent, parent, child, grandchild, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew.

Read

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

A customer loads lumber into the back of a pickup truck in Maple Ridge, B.C., on Friday, June 12, 2020. Canadians are now eligible for a tax credit that will help pay for renovations to build a secondary suite for family member who is a senior or an adult with a disability.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Dish from Harry, one of their own, could fuel royal change

Danica Kirka, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Dish from Harry, one of their own, could fuel royal change

Danica Kirka, The Associated Press 7 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

LONDON (AP) — In public, they present a united front — always. But Prince Harry has a very different story to tell about the British royals and the way they operate.

Harry’s explosive memoir, with its damning allegations of a toxic relationship between the monarchy and the press, could accelerate the pace of change already under way within the House of Windsor following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Harry’s description of royals leaking unflattering information about other members of the family in exchange for positive coverage of themselves is but one of the more tawdry allegations in his book, “ Spare,” published this week. The prince singled out King Charles III’s wife, Camilla, accusing her of feeding private conversations to the media as she sought to rehabilitate her image after her longtime affair with Charles when he was heir to the throne.

Far from the unity that is presented in public, the royal family and their staffs are depicted as scheming rivals, ready to stab each other in the back to make themselves or their bosses look better in the public eye. The palace that Harry describes resembles a modern version of the court of King Henry VIII, where courtiers jockeyed for the monarch’s favor and some lost their heads.

Read

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

FILE - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, with Prince Harry and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, waves to her eldest grandson Peter Phillips and wife Autumn Kelly as they leave St. George's Chapel in Windsor, England, after their marriage ceremony, May 17, 2008. Prince Harry’s explosive memoir, with its damning allegations of a toxic relationship between the monarchy and the press, is likely to accelerate the pace of change already under way within the House of Windsor following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. (AP Photo/Ian McIlgorm, Pool, File)

Canada cheers USMCA win as Trudeau wraps Mexico visit singing praises of free trade

James McCarten, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Canada cheers USMCA win as Trudeau wraps Mexico visit singing praises of free trade

James McCarten, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

MEXICO CITY - Canada and Mexico basked Wednesday in the glow of a major trade win over the United States as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrapped up a trilateral summit aimed at charting a course for North American excellence.

The dispute panel's decision, telegraphed for months but only released once the summit was over, declared the American interpretation of foreign content rules for autos "inconsistent" with the terms of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The ruling put a bow on Trudeau's final day in the bustling Mexican capital, which happened to be all about shoring up Canada's economic and diplomatic ties with Mexico, a relationship too often obscured by the country that separates them.

"We're going to look forward to working with the United States — that's what this dispute settlement process is all about," said International Trade Minister Mary Ng, who was among those travelling with Trudeau.

Read

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

December 24, 2024

Notification Settings