Pakistan February 2023: Hyundai (-13.5%) resists in market devastated by production issues (-73.4%)

Pakistan February 2023: Hyundai (-13.5%) resists in market devastated by production issues (-73.4%)


Hyundai manages the best hold in market in February.

February sales of locally assembled light vehicles in Pakistan implode -73.4% year-on-year in February to just 5,762 units, the lowest month of sales since pandemic-hit May 2020. This is according to local association PAMA. Note not all manufacturers present in Pakistan are members of PAMA such as Kia, Changan and MG notably and therefore don’t appear in these statistics. Adding non-PAMA members, the Pakistani new light vehicle market is estimated to account for 6,400 units, also down -73% on February 2022. The reason behind such a freefall of sales lies with the non-availability of CKD parts amid Letter of Credit issues which led to production stops. Imports of goods into Pakistan generally require a Compulsory Letter of Credit. Other factors include rising car prices, expensive auto financing, and low purchasing power.

Like last month the brands and models ranking are completely reshuffled in February. Toyota (-61.1%) dominates with 31.3% share ahead of Honda (-40.4%), while Hyundai (-13.5%) shines in context to hit its highest ever ranking (#3) and market share (22.1%). Traditional leader Suzuki nosedives -92.3% to 17% share. It is the first time in Pakistani history that Honda and Hyundai outsell Suzuki. JAC (-21.4%) and Isuzu (-65.2%) follow. Over in the models ranking, the Honda Civic (-45.6%) is estimated to be on top for the first time, just one unit above the Hyundai Tucson (-8.5%) whose previous generation is still on sale in Pakistan. The Toyota Corolla (-70.1%) and Suzuki Alto (-92.4%) are in tow. 

Previous month: Pakistan January 2023: Honda HR-V/BR-V surprise leader

One year ago: Pakistan February 2022: Suzuki Alto hits 33.1% share in market up 31.8%

Full February 2023 Top 9 all brands and Top 20 all models below.

Pakistan February 2023 – brands:

Pos Brand Feb-23 % /22 Jan 2023 % /22 Pos FY22
1 Toyota 1,803 31.3% -61.1% 1 5,373 32.3% -53.0% 1 2
2 Honda 1,636 28.4% -40.4% 3 4,340 26.1% -36.3% 2 3
3 Hyundai 1,271 22.1% -13.5% 4 2,411 14.5% 15.9% 4 4
4 Suzuki 978 17.0% -92.3% 2 3,924 23.6% -81.9% 3 1
5 JAC 66 1.1% -21.4% 6 124 0.7% -19.5% 5 5
6 Isuzu 8 0.1% -65.2% 8 21 0.1% -48.8% 6 9
7 Sazgar Haval n/a n/a new 5 416 2.5% new n/a 8
8 BAIC n/a n/a n/a 7 20 0.1% -63.6% n/a 7
9 Chery  n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 6

Pakistan February 2023 – models:

Pos Model Feb-23 % /22 Jan 2023 % /22 Pos FY22
1 Honda Civic (est) 709 12.3% -45.6% 4 1,632 9.8% -51.7% 1 5
2 Hyundai Tucson 708 12.3% -8.5% 10 1,328 8.0% 46.1% 5 13
3 Toyota Corolla (est) 596 10.3% -70.1% 3 1,535 9.2% -69.4% 2 2
4 Suzuki Alto 544 9.4% -92.4% 19 588 3.5% -94.7% 13 1
5 Honda City (est) 535 9.3% -45.6% 7 1,232 7.4% -51.7% 7 8
6 Toyota Yaris (est) 495 8.6% -70.1% 6 1,275 7.7% -69.4% 6 3
7 Honda BR-V & HR-V 392 6.8% -15.0% 1 1,476 8.9% 67.9% 3 14
8 Toyota Hilux (est) 392 6.8% -27.7% 2 1,412 8.5% 13.8% 4 11
9 Toyota Fortuner (est) 320 5.6% -27.6% 5 1,151 6.9% 13.7% 8 12
10 Hyundai Elantra 243 4.2% -22.1% 16 416 2.5% -1.2% 15 15
11 Hyundai Sonata 197 3.4% -12.8% 15 388 2.3% -2.5% 17 16
12 Hyundai Porter 123 2.1% -21.7% 17 279 1.7% -21.0% 18 17
13 Suzuki Ravi 111 1.9% -89.8% 9 739 4.4% -71.5% 10 9
14 Suzuki WagonR 93 1.6% -94.3% 8 764 4.6% -76.0% 9 4
15 Suzuki Bolan 91 1.6% -91.5% 11 647 3.9% -68.1% 11 10
16 Suzuki Cultus 72 1.2% -95.7% 12 615 3.7% -78.5% 12 6
17 Suzuki Swift 67 1.2% n/a 13 571 3.4% n/a 14 7
18 JAC X200 66 1.1% -21.4% 18 124 0.7% -19.5% 19 18
19 Isuzu D-Max 8 0.1% -65.2% 21 21 0.1% -48.8% 20 22
20 Sazgar Haval H6 n/a n/a n/a 14 416 2.5% new 16 21
21 BAIC BJ40L n/a n/a n/a 20 20 0.1% -62.3% 21 20
22 Chery Tiggo n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 19

Source: PAMA



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Here’s a Day in the Life of Luxury High-Rise Turtle Creek North

Here’s a Day in the Life of Luxury High-Rise Turtle Creek North


A June 1962 edition of the Dallas Morning News heralds a new housing trend that’s sweeping Dallas — “foxy new apartment buildings,” as the full-page news feature calls them, that offer a pool, patio, and easy luxury lifestyle.

One such building is “the fashionable” Turtle Creek North, a 13-floor gleaming white stucco building located at 3701 Turtle Creek Blvd. near Blackburn St. in Oak Lawn. The prestigious Turtle Creek address features one- and two-bedroom condos, and four-bedroom penthouses. Turtle Creek North is where you’ll find two listings by Allie Beth Allman and Associates agent Sanders Avrea — the now-under-contract apt 4H, a two-bedroom, two-bath condo that was completely renovated by Allie Beth Allman Realtor Kyle Crews, and the for-lease 4E, a fully-furnished, one-bedroom, one-bath condo that’s a coveted corner unit with something a little extra inside that’ll call you home.

Crews alerted us to the condos and the building’s rich midcentury history, and of course, we love our Midcentury Modern around here. But I also can’t resist the opportunity to jump in my proverbial time machine to see what Turtle Creek North was like at its inception. (If you don’t want to time travel, just scroll on down to the home’s link and give Sanders a call.)

Tall and Tan and Young and Lovely

A lithe woman rests her hip and left leg on the wrought-iron rail of her downtown Dallas patio. The photo is taken in shadow, with only the woman’s stylish cigarette pants, perhaps a sleeveless top, and an unmistakable beehive shown against the bright shimmers of a cool, blue swimming pool a few stories below.

Dallas’ jet set of the early ’60s lived in and positively loved these newly-erected luxury dwellings throughout Oak Lawn, Preston Hollow, and of course, “behind the pink wall” where kitten heels and cocktails were requisite.

“This city of homes and yards is becoming more and more a metropolis of apartments,” the Dallas Morning News wrote. “Some say the tremendous explosion of Dallas garden apartments — built around a pool and patio, often fringed with banana trees or palms — is unparalleled in all the world.”

In this metropolis of luxury high-rises, there were two kinds of tenants who represented very different demographics — differences I’ll describe with help from music of the era, specifically the Billboard Top 100 singles of 1962.

Dallas’ High-Rise Scene

There were prominent Dallas names who had a little bit of money to throw around for this trendy new luxury, or former homeowners — “solid citizens who have surrendered in the battle with crabgrass and bagworms, utility bills and repair men, bookkeeping and taxes.” These were the ones who dropped the needle on 1962’s hit, “Moon River” by Henry Mancini with a martini in hand at the end of a long Mad Men-esque workday.

Then, there were the young professionals whose appetite for luxury exceeded their bank balance. They bundled two or three roommates into an apartment, purchased the best Egg Chair and Tulip Table lookalikes they could afford, carved up the space with a rattan folding screen or two, and voilá, they had the ubiquitous bachelor or bachelorette pad. Think of this brand of tenant as more of a toned-down version of Holly Golightly. (I mean, Audrey Hepburn’s Holly did hail from Tulip, Texas.) But these were the high-rise tenants who might have kept quieter neighbors awake playing records and “Twistin’ the Night Away.”

Without a doubt, Turtle Creek North had the well-to-do “Moon River” crowd. Kyle Crews, the Realtor who renovated a two-bedroom here, said early residents included employees of the downtown Neiman Marcus department store, or ultra-wealthy society types who could use a pied de terre for shopping trips or entertaining.

A Dallas Morning News ad from May 1962, announcing the near completion of Turtle Creek North

Names on the proverbial mailbox included Earle Cabell, the ’60s-era Mayor of Dallas, U.S. Congressman, and later namesake of the Federal Courthouse, who lived here. So did Marion Fooshee, one-half of the esteemed Dallas architect team of Fooshee & Cheek, the firm that designed Highland Park Village and the most exclusive homes throughout Dallas. A couple of Strausses lived here too, as in former Mayor Annette Strauss.

An All-Star Refurbishment

In 1966, Turtle Creek Properties, a six-man joint venture group acquired the high-rise. This was a who’s who of Dallasites, including department store titans Richard A. Gump and Stanley Marcus, businessmen Theodore Strauss and Robert Strauss, and two others. They undertook extensive remodeling and refurbishing in 1967 and by the early 1970s, the apartments were converted to condos for sale.

“Several of the original tenants who worked for Mr. Marcus bought their units and are still in residence —along with new generations of owners,” Crews says. “Plus, the building originally had its own private club called for dinner and drinks.”

This in-building amenity had a few different incarnations. In 1963, it’s Mr. Peppe’s Restaurant. By 1964, new owners transformed the in-building restaurant to the French and Swiss cuisine restaurant, Beau-Rivage (but they kept Mr. Peppe’s chef). There was the Turtle Dove restaurant in 1967, which became THE place for ladies’ tea and cucumber sandwiches. All very proper with gloves and a tiara.

How Turtle Creek North Lives

“For someone needing a second home in Dallas or a pied de terre-type place, it is perfect. Or getting a divorce and needs a nice “instant home” in a great midcentury building on Turtle Creek,” Crews said.

From the listing:

Completely renovated in 2022 spacious two bedroom, two bath mid century modern condominium in the iconic Turtle Creek North boutique building! New open kitchen with quartz countertops, all new cabinetry and stainless steel appliances. Two new full baths, numerous closets all outfitted with Elfa storage systems. LVP wood plank flooring throughout. Large living and dining area with custom wood applique accent wall adjoins a spacious terrace. Building amenities include valet parking, fitness center, pool and 24hr concierge.

Listing for 3701 Turtle Creek Blvd. Apt. 4H — pending contract

Crews’ renovated unit at 4H is a spacious two-bedroom, two-bath condo with 1,340 square feet that comes fully furnished. It’s now pending contract for $400,000. But don’t fret, Sanders has a fantastic lease, too.

4E Now Leasing

From the listing:

This beautifully updated corner unit is reminiscent of a sophisticated New York apartment and comes fully furnished! Upgrades include hardwood floors throughout, an updated kitchen with marble countertops, custom build-ins with exceptional storage and a spa-like bath. Overlooking Turtle Creek Blvd, this fourth floor unit features a large, private terrace. Tons of natural light throughout the spacious floor plan. Amenities of this mid-century modern building include a pool and fitness center in addition to excellent staff.

Listing for 3701 Turtle Creek Blvd. Apt 4E — now for lease

Avrea says Apt. 4E is a prime find for many reasons. We’ve established that Turtle Creek North is a fantastic building with a foxy nod to the early ’60s. But this 4E lease is one of only a small handful in this 13-floor Turtle Creek North high-rise that has its own washer and dryer in unit.

Not a juicy enough nugget? The condo is a coveted corner unit that overlooks Turtle Creek Blvd. with gorgeous, verdant treetops and people-watching for days. A suitable escape to hum a little “Moon River” if you’re feeling “the mean reds” or the blues. So I’ll leave you with Holly Golightly’s thoughts on this place.

“If I could find a real-life place to make me feel like Tiffany’s [or like this lease at 4E], then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name.”

Sanders Avrea of Allie Beth Allman and Associates has listed 3701 Turtle Creek Blvd., #4E for lease at $3,000/month.



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Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace pick: Premier League predictions, odds

Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace pick: Premier League predictions, odds


Sunday’s lone Premier League match will have massive ramifications at both ends of the table.

With a win over Crystal Palace, league-leaders Arsenal would go into the final international break of the season with an eight-point lead over Manchester City with one more match played.

Palace, meanwhile, are now firmly in the relegation battle with just three points separating them from the drop zone. 

Does Palace have a hope of pulling off one of the biggest results of the season?

Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal pick

Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace were one of the most impressive teams in the Premier League last season.

The Eagles punched above their weight en route to a 12th-place finish and their expected goal difference suggested they deserved even better. 

Palace’s defense was the driving force behind its success, as the Eagles finished seventh in goals conceded and fifth in expected goals allowed.

That defensive performance is what made Crystal Palace a trendy sleeper pick for the 2022-23 season.

Palace then backed up all that hype with a terrific showing on the Opening Day of the season.

Though they lost, 2-0, to Arsenal, Palace looked a tough nut to crack and probably deserved a better result on that day. Everything was looking up for the Eagles.


Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace
Getty Images

Unfortunately, things have gone awry since that day.

The Eagles have struggled in all phases of the game, but the defense has completely lost the plot compared to what we saw in 2021-22.

The Eagles rank 12th in non-penalty expected goals allowed, 13th in big scoring chances conceded and are the fourth-worst team in the circuit in preventing the opposition from entering their 18-yard box.

It’s a strange twist of events considering this is basically the same unit we saw last year with the same manager.

Arsenal should have no issues breaking down this Palace defense.

Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps

The Gunners take more shots and create more box entries than any team in the Premier League and rank second in both expected goals created and big scoring chances generated.

Arsenal can likely name their score on Sunday.

That said, there are some cracks starting to show in the Arsenal defense.

After a brilliant first half of the season, the Gunners have seen their defensive numbers dip a bit since the World Cup break.

Arsenal still boasts one of the best defenses in the world, but their form has wobbled and Palace could find a way on the scoresheet.

Arsenal should do most of the heavy-lifting for this over 3.5, but Palace can contribute, too.

Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal prediction

Over 3.5 goals (+195, FanDuel)



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Podcast: Do you feel the pressure to look perfect online? Dr. Sanjay Gupta pulls back the curtain on the impact filters have on your brain.

Podcast: Do you feel the pressure to look perfect online? Dr. Sanjay Gupta pulls back the curtain on the impact filters have on your brain.



Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:00:02

Why are you nervous?

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:00:06

You don’t like having conversations with your father?

Fancy conversations [giggles].

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:00:09

This is a fancy conversation?

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:00:14

The voice you just heard belongs to a very special member of my family, my 16-year-old daughter, Sky. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love all of my daughters equally, of course. Sky though, is unique in her own way. She is the kid that every other parent in the neighborhood goes to for advice. She’s the one who knows CPR. She is the absolute top choice for babysitter for everybody. She is really something else.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:00:42

You are the child who, I have to say, has always been the kid that would just give the shirt off your back. You’d help anybody in any situation,.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:00:52

Wouldn’t you?

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:00:53

Where did that come from?

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:00:58

Maybe. Maybe your parents.

I was about to say, probably not.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:01:03

Wait, what?

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:01:05

She even makes jokes. If you’ve been on this journey with me since episode one, you know that I brought all three of my daughters along for the ride this season. That’s something I’ve really never done before in more than 20 years of being a medical journalist. I’ve really insulated my kids from the television and media part of my world. But I really wanted to have honest conversations with them about how technology has shaped their childhoods. Obviously, they’ve grown up in a digital world for better and for worse.

What inspired you to do this podcast?

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:01:43

You know, it’s really interesting, Sky. I feel like a lot of times we’re supposed to know the answers to things as parents, you know? But when it comes to things that are brand new like this, like keep in mind that smart phones really only came into, became popular in 2007, the year you were born. Nobody knew how to live a world with these devices and social media, and nobody knew for sure how to parent with this. Like what was right, what was wrong, like when the right age is, should we, and does it worry us as parents about social media? Yes. Because think about it, I didn’t know what it was doing to your mental health, to be honest. I guess it was your mental health that I was most worried about. That was part of why I wanted to do the podcast on this topic, this season. Is that a legitimate concern, by the way, the idea of depression, anxiety?

Definitely. I’ve heard a lot of like, I’ve heard about it happening a lot and it’s like, I’ve never seen it. But like I definitely think..

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:02:46

Do you have friends who deal with this?

Yeah, I do have friends. More of them deal with anxiety than depression, and I don’t think all of them are phone, like caused by the like, phone. But like I definitely see that concern.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:03:02

Obviously, it’s tough to know what exactly is causing it, but how much do you worry about the phone and social media being part of the cause?

I think that like is definitely a big concern that like social media has like an effect on our mental health. And I think it does definitely.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:03:21

So you asked me like what was the the inspiration for the season? And I guess that was probably it more than anything else. Exactly what you’re talking about. And we still don’t really have a good handle on, right?

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:03:33

My guess is it’s different for different kids. There’s not an exact amount that’s right for everybody.

Yeah, I think it’s different for everyone. You can never really know exactly what’s going on in someone’s head. Like, even like my best friends, I like, we talk all the time. We like, can I feel like I can tell them anything. I still don’t really know what’s going on in their head exactly.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:03:55

Sky’s right. No surprise. I mean, no matter how close we are to our friends, even our family, we don’t, maybe we can’t always really know exactly how they’re feeling. What I can say with more certainty is that my daughter’s mental health is one of the most important things in the world to me. And throughout the season it’s been at the top of my mind.

How people see you, I guess with social media, you want to put out like a good picture of yourself, make it seem like your life is so perfect, even though not everyone’s life is perfect.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:04:30

Has that ever happened to you that you have developed some anxiety over pictures?

Yeah. I like, I definitely want to like, put like a good image of myself out on social media. And so, like, I have had like, something’s wrong just like, like, like, oh, no, like kind of just like, thinking about it.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:04:49

The funny thing about you is that and I don’t say this again lightly, but you look good in every article of clothing that you’ve ever worn. You look good in every color. I mean, it’s kind of crazy.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:05:00

It’s kind of crazy. So it’s hard for you to take a bad picture. You know that. Do you know that?

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:05:06

Yeah. But there’s still an anxiety sometimes.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:05:12

You know, sometimes I really wish that my daughters could see themselves through my eyes because I meant what I said to Sky. To me, she doesn’t ever take a bad photo, but at the same time, I am not naive. I’m not just a guy who’s full of platitudes without acknowledging reality. Truth is, I have no idea what it’s like to grow up in a world full of selfies, full of picture perfect filters, Photoshop. So I can truly honestly understand why that for some kids that pressure to be perfect in this digital world might go too far. Even further than what Sky is describing, making them feel really anxious, even depressed. It feels like there are new reports and data coming out every day which shed light on the current state of our kids mental health. And as you probably know, it’s not a particularly hopeful picture. So today I’m turning to a child psychologist to get her take as someone who treats young kids with mental health issues.

We are seeing a lot of depression. We are seeing a lot of anxiety. We’re seeing a lot of trauma. These are some of the main reasons that young people end up in front of me.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:06:23

I want to know what I can do as a dad to support Sky and the rest of my girls as they navigate this new world. I’m Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent. And this is Chasing Life.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:06:42

You know, just a few weeks after I recorded that conversation with Sky, there was some new data that came out from the CDC confirming some of our worst fears as parents. I’m going to warn you now, before I read you this, that a few of the statistics are pretty disturbing. A few mentioned suicide.

America’s teen girls are engulfed in a growing wave of sadness, violence and trauma.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:07:09

This data was recorded in the fall of 2021, but the tragic trends have been heading this way for a while now.

Over the past decade, teens, especially girls, have experienced dramatic increases in experiences of violence and poor mental health and suicide risk.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:07:27

Let me be more specific here. What they found was that 57% of teen girls reported feeling sad or hopeless. And that was nearly double the rate for teen boys. And this next one will probably shock you as it did me. But nearly 25% of teen girls reported making a suicide plan. One out of four girls. That was not easy for me to hear as a parent. Hearing about young people in such distress, feeling alone in the worst case, feeling hopeless, like they had nothing more to live for. That is a gut punch. And we cannot turn away our eyes to this. What exactly is driving it?

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:08:14

Basically, the numbers have worsened every year my girls have been alive. And that does coincide with the birth and the growth of the digital world. After looking over the report, thinking back to my conversation with Sky and my other daughters, I couldn’t help but wonder what role is social media playing in all this? What can we say for sure?

It’s very obvious that so much of what’s happening, right, for the average teen is like they’re living so much of their lives in the digital world on social media. And so much of this is connected and impacting their mental health and their presentation and how things work for them and how they feel about stuff.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:08:54

That’s Professor Keneisha Sinclair-McBride. Her entire job is treating adolescents’ mental health. She’s a licensed clinical psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. She actually works alongside Dr. Michael Rich, the “Mediatrition” who we heard from earlier this season. And I learned a lot from Dr. Rich. I’ve been reflecting on that conversation quite a bit. But after I read the CDC report, I still had a lot of questions, and that’s why I called up Professor Sinclair-McBride. I started by asking her to simply respond to the one statistic from the report that I think really stuck out the most. And that is that more than 40% of high school students report feeling sadness or hopelessness. That’s keeping some of them from living their lives. 40%. And I wondered, was she seeing and hearing this from the young people she treats?

When you hear something like that, that’s, we’re talking about symptoms of depression. And I think a lot of kids are facing an epidemic of kind of loneliness and overwhelm. And when we think about everything that’s happening in the world, there’s a lot to feel hopeless about, if that’s the lens you’re looking at it in, or if you’re still learning and growing. Everyone’s upset about something. Bad things are happening all the time. So when you think about a young person trying to figure this out as their brain is developing in the shadow of a world altering event with COVID 19, this is not a surprising statement from the CDC’s report. Maybe the numbers are surprising people, but the actual diagnostic elements of it in terms of like these are the symptoms that kids are reporting, don’t feel surprising.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:10:34

Part of what you specialize in as well is is body image issues and eating disorders. Do you think that this is all related when we, when we’re talking about what we’re seeing with mental health overall, body image issues, eating disorders and the impact of social media devices, content being fed to people on a regular basis, is it too flimsy to draw a connection between all these things, or do you think it exists?

I don’t think it’s too flimsy at all. I think that may start out pretty innocently of like, oh, I’m going to follow this influencer’s workout routine or that person’s eating looks really healthy. Maybe I’m going to copy some of her recipes and that can be super innocuous and fun and simple. But you know, you can easily fall down a rabbit hole of more and more and more and more depending on your particular makeup. And then there’s the fact that there’s so much of people’s appearance in the digital world that is not real. Right. The filters, Photoshop, cosmetic enhancements that people have, and a lot of teenagers who are still getting used to their growing bodies are comparing themselves. Well, I don’t look like her. It’s like she doesn’t look like her either. But you don’t know that, right? Because you’re looking at her social media feed. But now you’re feeling inadequate because of what you’re seeing on your screen.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:11:52

Professor Sinclair McBride calls this the “Selfie Effect.” What the studies have shown is that scrolling through an unlimited supply of picture perfect images and then comparing them real time to your selfies – bam! That can have a real effect on people’s moods and psychological health. And while the trend does mostly impact young girls, they are not the only ones affected. People of all ages and genders have experienced this.

I think sometimes young people are like, It’s not that we don’t understand this. They know that Photoshop exists. They use Snapchat filters, they understand it. But like if that’s all you’re seeing, it kind of distorts your lens of what’s real. If everyone’s face is smooth with no pores. If, like everyone, you know, has a particular shape and that’s all you’re seeing, now you feel inadequate.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:12:42

They know that these filters exist. They know that there’s Photoshopping and all that. And yet still they think that that becomes an ideal, even though they know it’s fake or it’s not real exactly. It’s filtered in some way. It’s still it changes what they want to aspire to be or look like.

Right. Like if you think about the trend lately now I think it was a couple of years ago now, like the idea of someone being goals, your goals, that person is goals. But like you don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes to make them look that way, right? Or like, you don’t know how realistic this is. Or maybe that’s just, that’s not your body type or that, you know, like there’s just so much more variety in life than just a few set ways of being. But those are the things that get the most views and the most attention. And you can just see how that would kind of change people’s perceptions.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:13:28

Has that sort of thing been there much longer than social media. I mean, you know, when I was growing up again, it was magazines and pictures of just inexplicable models. You know, they couldn’t possibly have that skin or that body type. It’s the same thing, isn’t it?

But it’s just so much bigger. Like, you know, there’s only there were only so many fashion magazines. And once you read that issue, you could keep it. But that’s the end of that, right? You read the whole thing, you looked at the images. That’s what it is. But now you’ve got the stuff in your phone and it’s always there. It’s always available to you. You can look at hundreds of pictures of the people that you’re interested in looking at. It just it never, never really ends. And I think that that accessibility is what feels different. We’ve always been comparing ourselves. None of these things are new, but there’s the accessibility of it all feels very different.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:14:19

And I guess the persistence, like you’re saying, it’s just always there are something you’re carrying around in your hands. Do you think that a younger person, a person whose brain is not yet fully developed, who’s continuously exposed to these types of images, what does it mean for them long term? Does it do their brains change in some way in terms of expectations?

If that’s what you’re seeing, it’s got to do something to your expectations of what people look like, which I think is why that like kind of tuning your feed, deciding where you’re going to put your attention, kind of creating that balance becomes super important because you don’t just have to look at one type of body on your social media. But I think that that involves having a conversation with young people to really like kind of see where their heads are around this stuff, right? Because there’s a lot that can be really affirming. But we have to like we have to look for it. We have to give our attention to it. Everybody on the internet is trying to buy your time. I talk to young people about that a lot because they don’t like to be played. So it’s important to like to like so this is this is a business, right? And that influencer, yeah, she’s doing a workout, but she also is trying to get more sponsorships. So when you see it for what it is, right, a business, I think kids can kind of take that step back and be like, okay, if you want to buy my time, I’m going to give my time to people who are standing for what I believe in.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:15:35

You know, you’re absolutely right about that. It’s funny when I’m, again talking to my girls, that was the thing that seemed to get to them the most. The idea of being played, like you say, you know, someone’s trying to take something from them – that did seem to get their attention a bit. I wonder you run a practice where you’re caring for these children, these young people, adolescents. How big a problem is this? Is there a way to contextualize this?

So when it comes to social media, I feel like there’s a reassurance I can offer here – that honestly, most of my patients, the things that we’re talking about, in terms of what are, what their hopes and fears are, what are the things that are increasing their anxiety and the depression. Like teenagers from 30 years ago, would resonate, it would resonate with them too. Am I going to get into college? I had an argument with my parents. I’m really anxious when I have to talk in front of class. Their lives are these like complex, rich things that have hopes and dreams and problems just as they’ve always had. So that’s good. It’s not like every kid is going to get mental health treatment because social media is, you know, ruining their life. That is definitely not the case at all.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:16:43

Hearing Professor Sinclair-McBride put this into a little context was helpful because these issues are not black and white. For some kids, even most kids, being on social media isn’t really a problem. It’s certainly not a bigger problem than teens had before social media. But the issue is that for some kids, it could be a huge problem. And you can’t always predict who. But the one thing I learned, the kids probably know themselves. And as a parent, you have to ask the questions then. Do you think this is a problem in your life? Is it interfering with things you would like to be doing instead? And yes, do you believe that social media might harm you? Might it make you feel bad about yourself, affect your mental health? These are not easy conversations to have, but they are necessary ones. As the parents of children who now straddle two worlds – a real life world and a digital world. And after the break, we’re going to do a house call with Professor Sinclair-McBride to get her advice for me, my family and all of yours as well.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:17:50

And do I have responsibilities as a dad at this point to, I mean, I’m present, I’m very present. But to, should I be doing anything.

You should still say it even if they roll their eyes. Like as much as teenagers are like of course you have to say that you’re my dad or like of course, my parents think that. They always say I look great. They say it with like an eye roll, but also this little smile.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:18:17

That’s coming up in just a moment. But before we go to break, you know, I’ve been the one asking a lot of questions this season, but I also do want to hear from you. I know this is deeply personal for a lot of people. What do you want to know when it comes to mental health and social media? Have you made any changes to your own digital diet since listening to this season of the podcast? Just give me a call at 470-396-0832. Leave a message. It would mean a lot to hear from you, and we might even include your voice on an upcoming episode of the podcast.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:18:57

You know, from a brain perspective, a neurological perspective, teenagers brains are still growing and developing, probably even up until their mid-twenties. So it makes sense that they may be more at risk for stress or anxiety from using social media. And that helped me put the CDC report we talked about earlier into a bit more context. And if there’s one thing that I’ve also learned on this journey, it’s that many experts agree abstinence is not the answer. It is not realistic to give up our phones or our devices completely.

I saw something really interesting in one of the earlier episodes where one of your daughters mentioned that she thought that.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:19:37

Yes.

Millennials probably had the best childhoods because we had balance. There was time to be connected to the digital world, and there was time that you were not connected. And I was like, okay, that’s a kid who knows what she’s talking about because that’s my main mission is to talk to people about balance. I think there’s so much fear when we’re talking about social media. People just want to take away, take away, restrict, restrict, ban and like that’s not really realistic. First of all, adolescents don’t respond very well to that.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:20:04

You’re right about that.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:20:08

So what does that balance actually look like? Professor Sinclair-McBride says it’s different for every teen she treats, and it typically starts with a few questions.

What are their goals? Are they participating in the school play? Are they doing community service? Like whatever it is, they have something. If you don’t have that, then I’m more worried about you lying in your bed staring at the phone all day.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:20:31

If somebody is listening right now and says, okay, yeah, I am checking these boxes that they’re talking about in terms of I realize that this is interfering with my real life. This is I’m not doing some of the things I’d like to do. But what do you tell somebody then who says, yes, that’s me. I’m experiencing these issues.

First, I give a lot of praise and affirmation because it takes a lot to be able to say, hey, I’m having a problem with something. There’s a vulnerability to that and a humility to that that definitely needs to be honored. Because there’s a lot of shame in realizing that you’re not kind of living your life the way you want to be living it, right? So that’s the first step for me. And then I like to find out kind of what, before this was a problem, what did you like to do? What were you like? What did you do? What were you interested in? What did you and your friends do? And then so that’s like going in the past and then going in the future, what do you want for the future? Not necessarily what you want to be when you grow up, what kind of stuff you want to spend your time doing, right? Like, you know, what do you want to do after high school? What are what are your goals like? What’s fun for you? What is your dream vacation? Like just any like sort of like, where are you trying to go with things? Because that gives me hints into what we can spend time on now, that’s not just the device.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:21:43

You know, Professor Sinclair-McBride is right. It does take a lot of bravery and vulnerability to admit you have a problem. But at the end of the day, I also wonder if there’s more that us parents should be doing, that we can be doing, on a larger scale to protect kids in the first place. Multiple experts have told me just how easy it is to get sucked into a social media rabbit hole. Apps like TikTok or Instagram, they are made to activate a stream of dopamine that rewards us for staying online. They know what they’re doing. They also do things like fire up your amygdala, which then stirs up your emotions. So now you got this really big mix of neurochemicals circulating in your brain. And for what? One of my guests, Catherine Price, even compared social media to slot machines, saying they are both engineered purposely to encourage us to keep on playing or in this case, scrolling. And with that in mind, I asked Professor Sinclair-McBride what actions she might want to see from tech companies.

Transparency. Like, you know how you said the thing that resonated with your daughters the most was when they realized it was a business. People trying to buy your time, all that kind of stuff. I wish that that information was constantly available to them. Like, if you were just like watching a TikTok and it says underneath this person is sponsored by blah, blah, blah, like it should just be, like just in big blaring letters. Not in a way that you can avoid it or like, you know, this person is selling you this supplement, but really they work out five hours a day. Like I don’t know, whatever it is just to make it really clear what’s really happening.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:23:17

I don’t want to again, sound naive or Pollyannish, but like I was really interested in the comments she made about the “Selfie Effect” and the filters and all that. And I mean, should should these filters, I guess they’re going to exist. It is, is as one of my daughters said, we talk about these things as being good things or bad things. Sometimes they’re just a thing. They are there. And, you know, people like to look at beautiful pictures of sunrises and sunsets and mountains and nature. But when it comes to filtering the human, you know, our own bodies and stuff. If you were to wave a magic wand or the tech companies came to you and said, with all your expertise, how should we handle the idea of people modifying, altering their appearance in ways that make it less authentic?

I think I have a kind of an intersectional response to that in the sense that, like a lot of the filters kind of have a very Eurocentric lens. So it would be great if they did not make people’s skin colors lighter or change the shape of their noses or change how big their eyes are, or do things that make them more towards a certain.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:24:26

Interesting.

Standard of beauty that may not be from the cultural background that they’re from, right? Like, I think that would be really clutch. Like it would be nice if like when you put a filter on, it said you’re beautiful as you are, but you can play with this if you want, right? Like, it’s just just a tool is just something that is here. But also this picture of you without the filter is also really cool. And I notice that some kids are really into sending them each other unfiltered, silly pictures or like making like really ridiculous faces and like, that’s a sense of a kind of like vulnerability or connection that like, I really care about you, we’re really close because I sent you this really unflattering picture of myself.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:25:01

Right. I’m curious if we can start to predict trajectories of where this goes based on the people who are using these technologies the most. I know this is a totally hypothetical question that requires a crystal ball, but if you had to sort of look a decade or even two decades into the future, do you think that girls or kids, adolescents that are my adolescents’ age, my kids age, they’re teenagers, do you think that they will continue to be using social media as much as they do now? Or is this something you believe is more a period of adolescence?

I think probably the amount of time is the period of adolescence. I also am very inspired by how much this generation of kids is very take-no-prisoners about things that cause them harm or needs to be fixed in the world. Maybe they’re going to be the ones to figure out how to make that so. I can’t imagine everyone who’s like 14 now is going to be sitting at 30 looking at the same Snapchat filters that they are right now. I’m sure there will be doing something completely different, but I also think that they may be a part of the change of how to make this feel more balanced and empowering.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:26:10

It has been amazing to watch this movement among Gen Z and even younger generations to start to forgo filters, forgo Photoshop and use social media in a more authentic way. It makes me feel pretty hopeful, and it’s something that I see my own daughters doing as well. They are just unapologetically themselves, and most of the time they’re not afraid to put up an unedited or unfiltered photo of themselves out there. But I do know there is that pressure to be perfect and it can still get to them. It’s something that Sky told me at the very beginning of our conversation.

How people see you, I guess, with social media, you want to put out like a good picture of yourself, make it seem like like your life is so perfect. Even though not everyone’s life is perfect.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:27:00

Sky’s right. There is pressure to be perfect online. That’s no secret. And like phones and social media itself. Filters and Photoshop probably are not going away. But as we’ve learned today, they can go too far. Falling down this rabbit hole can have a real impact on your mental health. Those CDC numbers, they’re still on my mind. So what can I do as a dad? What can any of us do as parents to support our children, to help them navigate this virtual world? Telling Sky, for example, she is beautiful, is absolutely sincere. It’s honest, she knows that. But it just doesn’t feel like it’s enough sometimes either. So I decided to get a little vulnerable myself with Professor Sinclair-McBride and asked her for advice.

A lot of young women feel like they’ve got to put out this perfect picture because you’re supposed to put out perfect aspects of your life and they know it’s not reality, but they’re giving that to other people. So we’re all just in this like feedback loop of looking at perfect pictures and perfect photos, even though we know that’s not reality. So we’re just comparing our worst days, our worst moments, our worst angles to other people’s best. And of course, you’re going to not feel great when you do that.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:28:13

I keep saying I don’t want to be naive here, and I really don’t. But like I think I was surprised when Sky said that she, I guess I look at the pictures of my family. I think you’re all perfect no matter what. I mean, you look great no matter what, you know. But it is, I don’t know, it kind of gets to me a little bit. I’m feeling myself get a little emotional thinking about her saying that because I, like it’s not that big a deal, right? The picture. It’s not. I think that she would agree with that. And yet the motivation for her to have said that must come from a deeper place where something has, it’s not that it’s harmed her, but it’s made her feel that way. And I you know, I want to I want to protect my kids from feeling that way. And yet if I just say, hey, you always look great, then that’s not going to work. That’s not that’s not that doesn’t get through, I’m just dad saying, of course I’m going to say that, Dad, you know.

I think that this kind of stems from this, a fear of like fear of imperfection. Like if I if I make a mistake, if I’m not always presenting my best, the bottom is going to fall out and I’m, people are going to reject me or I’m not going to get the things that I dream of getting. And like it’s not necessarily that any, you know, set of bad circumstances or good circumstances makes someone feel like that. It’s just like if you get a lot of positive feedback, you want to keep getting positive feedback, right? And so being being able to feel comfortable in your mistakes and in your imperfection is like a continuous lifelong process. And as she gets older, I think that that sense of just feeling more ownership over that, this is me all the good, all the bad, and you know, I have value that starts to really kind of solidify for people as they get older.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:30:07

And do I have responsibilities as a dad at this point to, I mean, I’m present, I’m very present, but to, should I be doing anything?

You should still say it even if they roll their eyes. Like, as much as teenagers are like, of course you have to say that, you’re my dad. Or like, of course my parents think that, they always say I look great. They say it with like an eye roll, but also this little smile. Like people need to know that they’re valued, right? People need to, need to hear that, to know that no matter what, there’s a safe space to come home to. And they’re going to give you that eye roll because they’re supposed to. But I think it really does matter the amount of kids who will tell me things their parents say and not like, oh, my God, you won’t believe this Dr. Sinclair. But like, they’re like, happy or proud or pleased. They might not want their parents necessarily always to know that. But the stuff that you guys say really does matter.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:31:02

Truth is, I will take the eye rolls any day if it means my daughters know that I care. Sometimes it does feel like the words you say to your kids don’t really make a difference. But they do. They’re listening and they are playing a role that has been handed to them. That role is to roll their eyes, to be nonplused. I can’t be bothered, Dad. But they are hearing you. They are processing what you’re saying. They are storing that information, hopefully feeling affirmed by all of it as well. After speaking to Professor Sinclair-McBride, I’m more inspired, frankly, to just keep telling my daughters just how much they mean to me over and over again. It’s important. I hope you’re going to do the same with your kids, but also your friends, your loved ones. Because being in a world surrounded by screens, those real life conversations, they make even more of a difference than ever.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:32:08

There was another part of the conversation with Professor Sinclair-McBride that really stuck out to me, and that’s when she called for social media companies to be more transparent. It’s an interesting proposition. Throughout the season, I’ve asked different experts their opinions and takes on what we can do to make social media a better place. But now there is a push to pose that very same question to the social media companies themselves. And the professor isn’t the only one calling for change.

Unregulated social media is a weapon of mass destruction that continues to jeopardize the safety, privacy and well-being of all American youth. It’s time to act, and I urge you Senators, to make meaningful steps to regulate these companies.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:32:58

On our next episode. We’re going to give you an inside look at the fight to hold social media companies accountable. Thanks for listening.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

00:33:16

Chasing Life is a production of CNN Audio. Our podcast is produced by Grace Walker, Xavier Lopez, Eryn Mathewson, and David Rind. Our senior producer is Haley Thomas. Andrea Kane is our medical writer and Tommy Bazarian is our engineer. Dan Dzula is our technical director. The executive producer of CNN Audio is Steve Lickteig. And a special thanks to Ben Tinker, Amanda Sealy and Nadia Kounang of CNN Health and Katie Hinman.



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Mahindra Scorpio N 4×4 gets royally stuck in mud: Tractor to the rescue [Video]

Mahindra Scorpio N 4×4 gets royally stuck in mud: Tractor to the rescue [Video]


Mahindra Scorpio N SUV is currently one of the most popular SUV in the country. Launched in the market last year, Scorpio N now has a long waiting period. Ever since its launch, we have com across several videos where the SUV has shown how capable it is both on and off the road. Recently, a video from a YouTuber showing the sunroof on his Scorpio N leaking had gone viral on the internet. After that incident, the manufacturer had given a reply to the vlogger in the form of another video. Here we have another video from the same YouTuber where he got his Scorpio N stuck in mud.

The video has been uploaded by Arun Panwar on his YouTube channel. In this video, vlogger and his friends were driving the Scorpio N on a mud track that goes around some paddy fields. The Vlogger decided to stop the SUV on the side of the road to make way for a herd of sheep and that is when the trouble started. The vlogger who was driving the Scorpio N was not aware of the fact that the place where he had planned to park the SUV had sticky mud. Both wheels on the right side of the SUV were stuck in mud.

When the SUV got stuck in mud, the driver had not engaged 4×4 and was attempting to get the SUV out without engaging 4×4. He did not realise how complicated the situation was. He simply drove the car in reverse and that only made things worse and the rear wheels were now getting dug in mud. For people who don’t know, Mahindra does not offer AT tyres with Scorpio N. It is offered HT tyres which is not great for off-roading. The rear wheels could not find any grip and were simply spinning in one place.

Mahindra Scorpio N stuck in mud

The vlogger then engages 4×4 and then attempts to drive the SUV out. He drives the SUV forward and then in reverse attempting to create a track where he can drive the car out. The SUV did move forward but, the mud was so sticky that it could not come out on its own. This was not something that the vlogger was prepared for so he had no back up vehicle with him too. He then called one of his friend to bring the tractor to pull the SUV out. While his friend had gone to pick the tractor, the vlogger attempted to drive the SUV out by engaging mud and rut mode.

The SUV was badly stuck and had beached which was making things difficult for the driver. The tractor was then brought to the spot and then they started to pull the Scorpio N out. The tow bar was installed on the rear bumper but for some reason, it was not sitting properly. Every time, the tractor was pulling the Scorpio N, the tow bar was coming loose. The video shows how important tyres are while off-roading and it also shows why it is important to check the surrounding before driving into it.





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Following in the footsteps of my trailblazing medical missionary grandmother

Following in the footsteps of my trailblazing medical missionary grandmother


Dr Rachel Buckingham on board the Global Mercy, which is docked in Senegal for five months.(Photo: Mercy Ships)

Around 100 years ago, Rachel Buckingham’s grandmother became a doctor at a time when some universities in the UK still barred women from qualifying as physicians.

Little did Dr Alice Muriel Griffiths from Cardiff, Wales, know that she would inspire her descendants to combine medicine and faith as she headed off to India as a missionary to treat patients with leprosy in the 1920s.

Muriel, as she preferred to be called, belonged to a remarkable family in the history of the Baptist movement in Wales. The Griffiths family has generations of ministers who went on to work in Wales, England and even the USA.

Today, her granddaughter Rachel, also a devout Christian, is the lead orthopaedic surgeon volunteering for Christian charity Mercy Ships onboard the world’s first purpose-built civilian hospital ship – the Global Mercy.

Earlier this month, she performed the first-ever surgery in one of the brand-new state-of-the-art operating theatres on the ship docked in Senegal, West Africa, for the next five months.

Rachel, who has been Consultant Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Oxford University Hospitals Trust since 2007, said: “My grandmother was a doctor and a trailblazer. In the 1920s she went off as an unmarried woman to India as a medical missionary.

“It was she who inspired me. My father, another inspiration, was also a surgeon. But hearing what she did, including her work with leprosy patients, made me decide, aged 10, that I wanted to study medicine. And I did not want to do anything else from then on!”

Muriel was one of the first women to graduate in medicine at the Royal Free Medical School in London, before heading to India where she cared for those who were sick and met another Baptist, the Rev Frank Fellows, who had been there since 1915.

Dr Alice Muriel Griffiths

The pair married and spent much of the next 20-plus years there where Muriel travelled to the homes of those who needed medical help as well as holding daily surgeries outside their home.

They moved in 1931 to Cuttack, in the east of India, where Rev Fellows became the Principal of the Theological College and Muriel cared for lepers at the nearby lepers’ hospital. Through her efforts, a chapel was built at the hospital and it became a centre for Christian social work and outreach.

She was known for electrifying the Welsh Baptist Union with her talks.

Sadly, Rachel’s grandmother died in 1977 when Rachel was still young, but her formidable spirt left a mark on her.

First surgery

Fast forward to 2023, and Rachel is part of an historic moment herself, as she performs the first surgery onboard a ship which is expected to transform more than 150,000 lives through surgery alone during its 50-year lifespan.

In addition, thousands of African medical professionals will receive training and mentoring with the goal of multiplying impact within their communities.

While mother-of-three Rachel performs her surgeries, she will be training an African orthopaedic surgeon alongside her, who (despite being from Morocco originally,) is committed to staying in Senegal to treat the Senegalese people.

Rachel, 55, said: “Senegal has not got a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon. I am hopeful he will be their first.”

Rachel and her husband Rob, a professor and robotics engineer, were determined to volunteer for Mercy Ships since first visiting one of its ships while it was docked at Bristol.

Rachel said: “We visited and had a tour of the Anastasis. We were running a church youth group at that time and we took some of the kids to show them. Mercy Ships had been on my mind but we were both busy with work. Once the children were growing up and leaving, I decided to apply.”

They first got the opportunity in 2019. Rob volunteered in the dining room while Rachel went into paediatric orthopaedic surgical care.

Stark differences

Rachel said: “Coming out here you notice some stark differences. The lack of surgical care people have here. We treat children with such severe deformities because they would never be able to get to that point at home – we would have treated them in early life. People are just so grateful for the chance to get surgery.

“We are incredibly lucky to have the NHS. Whatever problems our NHS has – it’s amazing. People can walk in and get free medical care and we should never take that for granted. And we have so many doctors.”

In sub-Saharan Africa, nine out of 10 people have no access to safe surgery and Rachel said the need is critically obvious.

“What keeps me coming back is the need. It’s the ability to train local healthcare workers and make a difference.

“Mercy Ships really wants to do itself out of a job. You go into medicine to have an impact, so here we have a massive impact.

“Mercy Ships is a breath of fresh air. It is so professional. People come from all over the world who are properly trained and vetted, and you see an incredible can-do attitude to work together to change lives.”

Trailblazing

Just as Rachel’s grandmother combined her faith and medicine in a male-dominated background, Rachel still encounters some similarities.

Rachel said the lack of females in senior positions during her medical training never held her back – if anything it made her more determined.

“As a junior doctor I never worked for a woman – so I never had a role model in surgery. Orthopaedics is very male-dominated, and I found that some men felt they had to be a very stereotypical surgeon. But for me it was liberating being a woman as I found my own way. I am me.”

Just as her grandmother did, Rachel’s determination and courage is seeing her change the lives of those in urgent need.

If you are interested in transforming lives like Rachel, visit here for more information.





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Crunch time for Credit Suisse talks as UBS seeks Swiss assurances

Crunch time for Credit Suisse talks as UBS seeks Swiss assurances



© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A logo is pictured on the Credit Suisse bank in Geneva, Switzerland, March 15, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

By Stefania Spezzati, Oliver Hirt and John O’Donnell

(Reuters) – Talks over rescuing Credit Suisse rolled into Sunday as UBS AG sought $6 billion from the Swiss government to cover costs if it were to buy its struggling rival, a person with knowledge of the talks said.

Authorities are scrambling to resolve a crisis of confidence in the 167-year-old Credit Suisse, the mostly globally significant bank caught in the turmoil spurred by the collapse of U.S. lenders Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank (NASDAQ:) over the past week.

While regulators want a resolution before markets reopen on Monday, one source cautioned the talks are encountering significant obstacles, and 10,000 jobs may have to be cut if the two banks combine.

The guarantees UBS is seeking would cover the cost of winding down parts of Credit Suisse and potential litigation charges, two people told Reuters.

Credit Suisse, UBS and the Swiss government declined to comment.

The frenzied weekend negotiations follow a brutal week for banking stocks and efforts in Europe and the U.S. to shore up the sector. U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration moved to backstop consumer deposits while the Swiss central bank lent billions to Credit Suisse to stabilise its shaky balance sheet.

UBS was under pressure from the Swiss authorities to take over its local rival to get the crisis under control, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The plan could see Credit Suisse’s Swiss business spun off.

Switzerland is preparing to use emergency measures to fast-track the deal, the Financial Times reported, citing two people familiar with the situation.

U.S. authorities are involved, working with their Swiss counterparts to help broker a deal, Bloomberg News reported, also citing those familiar with the matter.

Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:) Inc’s Warren Buffett has held discussions with senior Biden administration officials about the banking crisis, a source told Reuters.

The White House and U.S. Treasury declined to comment.

British finance minister Jeremy Hunt and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey are also in regular contact this weekend over the fate of Credit Suisse, a source familiar with the matter said. Spokespeople for the British Treasury and the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority, which oversees lenders, declined to comment.

FORCEFUL RESPONSE

Credit Suisse shares lost a quarter of their value in the last week. The bank was forced to tap $54 billion in central bank funding as it tries to recover from a string of scandals that have undermined the confidence of investors and clients.

It ranks among the world’s largest wealth managers and is considered one of 30 global systemically important banks – the failure of any would ripple throughout the entire financial system.

There were multiple reports of interest for Credit Suisse from other rivals. Bloomberg reported that Deutsche Bank (ETR:) was considering buying some of its assets, while U.S. financial giant BlackRock (NYSE:) denied a report that it was participating in a rival bid for the bank.

Graphic: Credit Suisse and First Republic Bank (NYSE:) https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/znvnblzmrvl/Pasted%20image%201679097444078.png

INTEREST RATE RISK

The failure of California-based Silicon Valley Bank brought into focus how a relentless campaign of interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks – including the European Central Bank on Thursday – was pressuring the banking sector.

SVB and Signature’s collapses are largest bank failures in U.S. history behind the demise of Washington Mutual during the global financial crisis in 2008.

First Citizens BancShares is evaluating an offer for SVB and at least one other suitor is seriously considering an offer, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday.

Banking stocks globally have been battered since SVB collapsed, with the S&P Banks index falling 22%, its largest two-week loss since the pandemic shook markets in March 2020.

Big U.S. banks threw a $30 billion lifeline to smaller lender First Republic. U.S. banks have sought a record $153 billion in emergency liquidity from the Federal Reserve in recent days.

The Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America asked regulators to extend federal insurance to all deposits for the next two years, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday, citing a letter from the coalition.

In Washington, focus has turned to greater oversight to ensure that banks and their executives are held accountable.

Biden called on Congress to give regulators greater power over the sector, including imposing higher fines, clawing back funds and barring officials from failed banks.

The swift and dramatic events may mean big banks get bigger, smaller banks may strain to keep up and more regional lenders may shut.

“People are actually moving their money around, all these banks are going to look fundamentally different in three months, six months,” said Keith Noreika, vice president of Patomak Global Partners (NYSE:) and a Republican former U.S. comptroller of the currency.



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Keeping Score: Paes' two PK saves, Ferreira game-winner help FC Dallas defeat Sporting KC

Keeping Score: Paes' two PK saves, Ferreira game-winner help FC Dallas defeat Sporting KC



We’ve got your one-stop shop for FC Dallas match coverage! Get the recap, food reviews, fan of the match story, “Becky G” forecast match score and more!

FRISCO, Texas — Welcome to Keeping Score: Your complete FC Dallas match day experience.  

With “Keeping Score,” throughout the 2023 season, we’re striving to bring you complete FC Dallas match day coverage, covering everything from the game itself, to the food, to the fans that make the game so great, our “Becky G forecast” (yes, really) and everything in between in a fun, digestible way. 

Last week, FC Dallas couldn’t get the metaphorical monkey off their backs in Vancouver, letting up a 1-0 lead with an own goal to allow a draw.

After a newfound rivalry match to a renewed one, FC Dallas welcomed one of its fellow MLS original 10 clubs, Sporting Kansas City. Sporting KC had yet to score a goal through three matches despite leading the league in both shots and shots on goal. Furthermore, Sporting KC had only conceded one goal all year prior to Saturday: a sixth-minute goal in the season opener against Portland Timbers. 

The goal drought didn’t last long in Frisco. Sporting KC’s Daniel Salloi scored the club’s first goal of the 2023 season in the 11th minute. FC Dallas has allowed a goal in 10 straight matches dating to last season and including the playoffs, the longest active streak in the league. 

FC Dallas finished the first half with arguably much more promising looks than Sporting KC had.

In the 55th minute, Alan Velasco leveled the match by sniping the top right corner of the goal from the top of the 18-yard box.

Sporting KC was awarded a penalty kick for a foul on Paes in the 18-yard box in the 61st minute. The penalty kick was taken by Willy Agada and saved by Paes. Referees reviewed the penalty kick and ruled Paes left his spot early and awarded Sporting KC another penalty kick. On the second attempt, this time taken by Erik Thommy, Paes saved it again and rose to a monstrous roar from the crowd.

The match got a little more Jesus from the 82nd minute on. Jesus Jiménez made his FC Dallas debut, and minutes later, Jesus Ferreira gave FC Dallas a 2-1 lead in the 84th.

FC Dallas won possession (51%-47%), corners (7-4) and shots (12-11). With the win, FC Dallas improves to 2-1-1.

FC fit check

Can you tell it was chilly in DFW on Saturday? 

Aside from Jesus Ferreira, basically the whole club rocked long sleeves or some warmer jackets. Maybe he wasn’t cold because of the fire radiating from his super cool sunglasses.

Per usual, Paul Arriola, Nkosi Tafari and Sebastien Ibeagha came with their stylish fits. 

And welcome to the club, Jesús Jiménez! Who doesn’t love a comfy Ralph Lauren Polo Bear pullover. You win, sir.

Frisco Foodie Fun

We’ve returned with some Toyota Stadium food reviews! Since last week was a road game, I tried a questionable viral food craze from McDonald’s. But with a return to Frisco means another concession review. The options for this match in the poll on my Twitter (@IamLivengood) were: Monster Taco, elote on a stick, funnel sticks with cherry sauce or hot chicken mac n cheese.

The people spoke and the winner was the hot chicken mac n cheese! Before I give the review, here’s the description, where to get it and how much it costs.

  • Hot Chicken Mac N Cheese: Creamy white cheddar mac and cheese, topped with Nashville hot sauce and BBQ spice, finished with fresh green onions and CASA M Chain Reaction spice. Location: Stand 5 – Burgers and More, Stand 8- Heineken Corner. It was just over $12.

OK, this was so good … if you like spicy food. I have a pretty high spice tolerance and it was the perfect amount of spice and flavor for me. It was nice and warm (which really hit the spot with the 50 degree weather on matchday). You’ve got to mix everything together though before taking a bite, obviously. The cheese was melty, the chicken was tender. 

This was a major step up from the Birria Grilled Cheese in my opinion.

Toyota Stadium new concession rankings:

  1. Hot Chicken Mac N Cheese 
  2. Birria Grilled Cheese

FCD Fan of the Match

In the last home match, I introduced you to Nathan Scoggins, a member of El Matador. You can read more about his #DTID story here.

This match, we’ve got Retired United States Air Force Sergeant Leslie H Meier Jr. on deck. FC Dallas honored Meier on Saturday, who is a veteran of the Vietnam War. 

Fun fact: He also led the personal protective service details for Nancy Sinatra, daughter of Frank Sinatra. Very cool! 

#DTID Man of the Match

Paes came up huge in the big moment. His back-to-back saves kept FC Dallas in the game and changed the entire momentum of the second half. Who knows what happens if FC Dallas is down 2-1 instead of tied in the second half?

He made his mark and deserves to be the man of the match.

What they said

FC DALLAS POSTGAME QUOTES

Head Coach Nico Estévez
General thoughts on the match… 
“We are happy with the win, winning at home is important. The boys know that and in the second half they turned it on and showed we were hungry for the win. We were a bit unlucky with the deflected goal we conceded, and some things were not going our way. Even though we had some brilliant moments in the first half. The opponent plays well, and the results do not reflect the numbers they put up and how they perform on the field. Things like this show us how difficult and close these games can be.”

On Maarten Paes’ penalty kick save…
“I always say that soccer is about momentum. You could have a lead with the opponents not playing at their best, but scoring one goal can change the momentum of the game. This psychological part of the game is difficult to control. We have seen big teams winning and have ended up falling short at the end because the opponent’s caught momentum with one goal that they scored. In our instance, the penalty kick save was massive for us. The message Maarten (Paes) sent to his teammates was ‘Hey I am here; do your job and I will do mine. Let’s go’. We know how competitive he is and how good of a goalkeeper he is. We are grateful to have him here.”

On the momentum shift leading to the comeback…
“We are not at the level we would like to be consistently. We have good moments throughout the match but consistently we are not where we want to be. We disconnect for a second, but we go back to what we are supposed to be doing. We need to continue to work on that. There are final sequences that we need to perfect. Whether it’s the final pass, the final action, and the previous pass before the final pass are things we need to adjust and correct. At the half time break, I told them that I do not care how we ended the first half, we needed to come out playing our way. I did not care if we would win, lose or tie. All I cared about was us being ourselves. The other item we talked about was to focus on completing the action the right way. It does not matter how it ends, as long as you do the action you know you are supposed to. We score one and then we focus on getting the second one. The guys might have had a boring second half, but we got the job done and that is all that matters.”

Winger Alan Velasco 
Thoughts on his two goals this season 
“Compared to last season, this year I am here from the beginning of the season. This is really good for me and boosts up my confidence.”

On the two consecutive wins at home…
“A win is always important for our team and that is our job. We train for this every day, and it helps us be more confident to go out and win the game.”

Thoughts on Jesús Jiménez’s debut…
“I am very happy, a new player to the team means we will have more potential. Jesus came in and was great. We will continue working throughout the week to have more results like todays.”

Goalkeeper Maarten Paes
On the penalty saves…
“We always do our homework. Agada came first and had six stutter steps, so it’s almost impossible to time as a goalkeeper with these rules now. You have to time really well, so I think it was a little harsh. The second one, like I said, we did our homework. I just went full out and I didn’t think he hit it that well, because I had to adjust with my left hand. Luckily, I was able to push it out first. Crazy rollercoaster game, but we managed to get three points. At the end of the season, no one talks about how we did it. Most important thing is we got three points.”

What’s going through your mind during the video review where you might’ve been sent off…
“I was ready for Agada to head the ball, then he headed to Nkosi (Tafari), then it dropped in the middle, and I went to get the ball. I think I barely touched the guy. There was some slim contact maybe, but I barely touched him, so I thought they were going to review it for the fall. Then on the bench I heard it might’ve been offside, so with both incidents I thought there was a big chance it would get canceled. It’s weird because you have to re-focus, but luckily, we were able to keep the door closed with our great defensive work.”

What goes through your mind after a game like this…
“Welcome to the MLS. I think the way they played was really dangerous because Agada and Salloi had a lot of speed. I don’t know if you remember but in the first half, I had a collision with Agada. I had to be really far off my line and help them with through balls and sometimes you collide. Sometimes they’re first and sometimes I’m first. I think with the first penalty, I was a bit too eager to get the ball, but it was a great learning lesson. I know I had to redeem myself and I think I’ve got an okay penalty record.”

SPORTING KANSAS CITY POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Peter Vermes
On scoring the first goal of the season… 
“That wasn’t our goal. We’ve been very good going forward in all our games. It’s a problem when you don’t create chances. We knew that it was going to eventually fall at some point. I wasn’t worried about that at all, more focused on making sure that we don’t provide easy opportunities for other teams which we did on the second goal, so more of a focus there than anywhere else.”

On FC Dallas scoring…
“I think their first goal was a good goal. Good build up by them, they kind of turned the ball over in the middle of the midfield. They had a foul, I don’t know whether it was or wasn’t, but it doesn’t really matter, we had a chance to defend the ball. They moved the ball pretty well on the left-hand side and it was a good finish, that’s going to happen. Second goal can’t really speak about it. We have two opportunities to score on penalties, we don’t unfortunately. You’re supposed to score those at least 80% in your favor especially if you get two. Goalkeeper made two great saves, but we got to score.

On Willy Agada’s start and if he would change anything…
“No, not really. He had chances tonight; he’s had chances in every game. When you say slow start if you mean he hasn’t scored, I guess I would agree because he hasn’t scored, but he’s had chances. He’s just gotta keep getting himself in front of the net and have the courage to stick it in.”

Forward Daniel Salloi 
Thoughts on scoring the first goal of the season…
“I am happy about scoring but not about the result. We are hoping the first win of the season comes soon because we cannot keep dropping points like this.”

What are the frustrations on the second half tonight… 
“We gave them too much space and we dropped down too much. This is a good team; they are going to create chances and score. They scored two good goals, and we missed our chances and that is not good enough.”

Injury update

Estevez said Paxton Pomykal was substituted as a precaution with a sore hamstring.

Becky G forecast match score

Each week, I’ll rate the entire match day with one cumulative score of 1 through 5 “Becky Gs.”

Matchday Four gets 4 Becky G’s. FC Dallas grinded out a win at home. The food was phenomenal. 

Great matchday. Could have been a bit warmer, but nothing all in all, very good day.

What’s next/8 ball prediction

FC Dallas goes to the city of angels to take on the defending MLS champ, LAFC on Saturday, March 25. TV information: Apple TV+ – MLS Season Pass – 9:30 p.m. CST.

“8 ball” bold prediction tracker:

FC Dallas will have three players score 12-plus goals this season: Jesus Ferreira, Paul Arriola and Alan Velasco.

  • Ferreira: 3/12
  • Arriola: 0/12
  • Velasco: 2/12





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Putin visits Crimea ‘children’s palace’ then Mariupol after learning he’s wanted for child abduction

Putin visits Crimea ‘children’s palace’ then Mariupol after learning he’s wanted for child abduction



Vladimir Putin is touring occupied Ukrainian territory, starting with a last-minute visit to Crimea to tour a “children’s palace” he commissioned, just a day after being labelled a war criminal for abducting thousands of boys and girls.

The Russian president ostensibly arranged the trip to mark the ninth anniversary of his annexation of the Ukrainian territory in 2014, but it was widely seen as a pointed response to the International Criminal Court’s decision on Friday to issue an arrest warrant for him. 

“The president knows how to surprise,” said Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Kremlin-installed governor of Sevastopol. “Everything had been prepared for a video-conference when before you know it he comes down here personally. By car. He was at the wheel.”

Putin later flew by helicopter to Mariupol, a city in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast under control of Russian forces. The trip marked the first time he was known to be so close to the front line since the outbreak of war. 

TASS news agency reported Putin drove in a car around several districts of Mariupol and stopped to talk to the public. 

“He also examined the coastline of Mariupol,” a Kremlin spokesman told TASS.

Mr Putin had ordered the Korsun Children’s Centre to be built in May 2021, seven months before his planned full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the start of the mass abduction of Ukrainian children.

The four-storey “Byzantine-style” building set in parkland on the lush Black Sea coast has been completed but isn’t yet open. Its website said that it hosts a theatre, a cinema, more than 500 classrooms and can sleep up to 300 children.



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The American Board of Physicians Specialties (ABPS) Encourages All to Celebrate National Doctors Day on March 30

The American Board of Physicians Specialties (ABPS) Encourages All to Celebrate National Doctors Day on March 30


The American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS) comes together with the rest of America to salute our leading healthcare professionals on National Doctors Day, March 30. National Doctors Day is meant for all, including patients, to celebrate the essential role that physicians serve in all our daily lives and to thank them for their contribution to our public health.

President George H.W. Bush proclaimed Doctors Day, a National Day of Celebration beginning in 1991. National Doctors Day was first observed in 1933 in Winder, Georgia. March 30 is the anniversary of the first use of general anesthesia in surgery dating back to 1842.

When asked about the meaning of being a doctor, ABPS Diplomate Loren J. Chassels, DO of Highland, IL, identified the importance of physicians. He said a doctor is a person who is held to the highest expectations because of the knowledge, reasoning, and skills developed over many years. A doctor is one of the most trustworthy individuals in a patient’s life, Dr. Chassels added.

ABOUT US:

Established in 1952, the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) is the official certifying body of the American Association of Physician Specialists Inc. (AAPS) a 501(c)6 organization headquartered in Tampa, FL. The ABPS certifies qualified physicians, both allopathic and osteopathic, in 18 specialties. ABPS sets rigorous standards of physician board certification and recertification, validating physicians’ skills, knowledge, and commitment. To learn more about ABPS Member Boards visit http://www.abpsus.org

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