The $7,200,000 purchase price works out to $3,438 per square foot. The house, built in 1949, has an interior space of 2,094 square feet.
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Single-family home sells in Palo Alto for $7.2 million
Letters: Prop. 5 | Turn the page
Mercury News Letters to the Editor for Sept. 19, 2024
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Former Edna ISD teacher and superintendent’s son accused of improper relationship with student
The former teacher, facing charges of soliciting a minor and sexual performance of a child, is also the son of the Edna ISD superintendent.
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Interactive map reveals worst performing NHS maternity units as damning report finds HALF are ‘unsafe’
URGENT action is needed to fix NHS maternity services as half of them are below standard, inspectors warn.
An audit by the Care Quality Commission found massive variation in mum-and-baby units but also “common areas of concern” across England.
It rated 48 per cent of 131 inspections “inadequate” or “requires improvement”.
A shocking 65 per cent did not meet “good” safety standards.
Official figures show the number of women dying during pregnancy or shortly after the birth of their baby is at a 20-year high.
The CQC said many clinics do not properly report or learn from safety incidents.
Mums-to-be often face long delays due to short-staffing, it added, and their concerns are not always taken seriously.
Communication with families is not as good as it should be, either.
Nicola Wise, hospitals director at the CQC, said: “Although we’ve seen examples of good care and hardworking staff doing their best, we remain concerned that key issues continue to impact quality and safety.
“Disappointingly none of those issues are new.
“We cannot allow an acceptance of shortfalls that are not tolerated in other services.
“We must do more to ensure that poor care and preventable harm do not become normalised.”
The national review inspected all NHS maternity services that had not been visited and rated since 2021.
It said some failings could be fixed within hospitals but others would need more cash and action from the Government.
Scandals are not isolated incidents
The report said scandals at the East Kent hospitals and Shrewsbury and Telford were not isolated and families are being let down nationwide.
A review is already under way in Nottingham, which saw family outcry at a public meeting with the local hospital on Wednesday.
As a midwife, reading this report makes me both incredibly sad for every woman and family that hasn’t received the level of care they should
Gill Walton
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said maternity care is “one of the biggest issues that keeps me awake at night worrying.”
He said: “We’re keen to make sure that lessons are applied right across the country.
“We are determined to get this right.”
NHS chief midwifery officer, Kate Brintworth acknowledged at despite the “hard work of NHS staff”, maternity care “simply isn’t at the level” women should expect.
She said: “We know there is much more we need to do to drive up standards of care and build on improvements already made.
“We will continue to provide intensive support to the most challenged trusts and support a growth in the maternity workforce.”
Meanwhile, Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, called on the Government to work with NHS staff to resolve the problems, to build maternity services “we can all be proud of”.
She added: “As a midwife, reading this report makes me both incredibly sad for every woman and family that hasn’t received the level of care they should and for every midwife and maternity support worker trying to do their best in a system that they feel is broken.
“It also makes me angry that, despite all the evidence, little has been done to resolve these issues effectively.
“Wes Streeting has said that maternity safety keeps him awake at night – me too.
“So let’s work together – the Government and the RCM, with those delivering care – to make it better.”
MATERNITY CARE DECLINING FOR YEARS
A REPORT by the Care Quality Commission last year found maternity care has been on the slide
It said patient experience has shown a “concerning decline”.
Fewer women are getting the help they needed, compared to five years ago, the 2023 report said.
Victoria Vallance, from the CQC, said: “These results show far too many women feel their care could have been better.
“This reveals a concerning decline over time.”
The watchdog, which polled 21,000 women who gave birth in February 2022, found 80 per cent were happy with services but said there were notable declines since 2017.
Mothers reported being less likely to always get help during or after childbirth or to be asked about their mental health.
NHS must weed out low-ranking unproductive bosses, warns report backed by ex-Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt
THE NHS needs to weed out low-ranking unproductive bosses, a report says.
There are too many layers of management, the Policy Exchange think tank warned.
It found half of staff with “manager” in their title are not senior leaders and too many are in Whitehall instead of hospitals.
And eight in ten health boards had not fired a boss for poor performance in at least a year.
But the report, backed by ex- health secretary Jeremy Hunt, said the NHS is “under-managed” compared to other sectors.
It added: “Too much discussion is on the volume of managers.
“A greater focus on capability is needed. We need to reappraise where managers are positioned — the central bureaucracy is significant.”
Labour’s own review found the number of penpushers in the Department of Health has soared.
Lord Ara Darzi said regulation has become a “burden” to frontline NHS chiefs.
Mr Hunt, health secretary from 2012 to 2018, said: “It is without a doubt that effective management is required if we want to deliver a high-performing NHS.”
The report recommended NHS England be shut down and the Department of Health be given control of the health service.
An NHS spokesman said: “A third fewer staff work in NHS England than in 2022, saving almost £0.5billion for patient care.”
It came as the Institute for Fiscal Studies found Britain’s rise in ill health benefit payments was not mirrored in other countries.
Payouts are up to 3.9 million, from 2.8 million in 2019, with one in ten adults now getting handouts
Gerard Butler’s girlfriend Penny Lane shows off stunning figure in lacy lingerie
MODEL Penny Lane looks in peek condition as she gazes out of the window wearing lacy lingerie.
The English beauty, 29, who is dating Scots actor Gerard Butler, 55, showed off a two-piece by Intimissimi.
Bet that’s a curtain call Gerard would really appreciate.
Earlier this year Penny was voted Sports Illustrated Rookie of 2024.
Gerard, who shot to stardom playing a Spartan hunk in movie 300, was in a long-term relationship with interior designer Morgan Brown until recently.
He has an impressive roster of famous former flames, including Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Biel and Naomi Campbell.
He later entered an on-off romance with interior designer Morgan in 2014.
But the relationship had more twists and turns than some of his Hollywood blockbusters.
They dated for two years before splitting, later getting back together in 2017.
The P.S. I Love you actor finally called it quits with Morgan, 53, in 2020.
He is set to star alongside Al Pacino, Gal Gadot and Jason Mamoa in crime mystery flick In The Hand of Dante.
The Scottish star was spotted on set of the movie, which boasts legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese as executive producer, in Italy last year.
John Lewis reveals early hint of Christmas advert with new campaign – watch the clip
JOHN Lewis has kicked off its Christmas advert campaign in style with a clip celebrating the return of its famous price match promise.
In the new film by Saatchi and Saatchi, the retailer’s Never Knowingly Undersold pledge takes centre stage.
It comes as part one in a trilogy of adverts culminating in the chain’s ever-anticipated Christmas ad.
The first video, which will air for the first time tonight on Channel 4, shows a single John Lewis shop window through the decades, from the roaring 1920s through to the modern day.
Scenes are also shown during the outbreak of the Second World War, the swinging 60s and with shoppers clad in Lycra during the 1980s.
The end of the 90-second clip then features the Never Knowingly Undersold pledge, which was first launched in 1925.
The clip, the first festive-themed ad released by a retailer this year, features a soundtrack from award-winning music artist Laura Mvula singing a contemporary version of Paul Simon’s “I Know What I Know”.
The song will no doubt leave shoppers feeling inspired, as John Lewis’ Christmas advert soundtracks are often met with public fanfare.
The video also draws on archive footage taken from the John Lewis Partnership’s (JLP) Heritage Centre in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Charlotte Lock, John Lewis customer director, said: “We’ve looked to our heritage to inform our refreshed value promise to customers, making it relevant for today by matching not only high street retailers but also online competitors – and we are backing it with the biggest marketing campaign in our history.
“We have drawn on our archives and are literally depicting a window on Britain, showing the changing trends and events over the past century.”
The new video from John Lewis is the first of an advertising campaign with three chapters branded the “Golden Quarter”.
The third will feature the retailer’s Christmas ad.
It is the first time John Lewis has lined up a trilogy of adverts in the run up to the busy Christmas period.
Last year, John Lewis’ Christmas ad featured a young boy nurturing a Venus flytrap named snapper.
But shoppers were left divided over the video, with some saying there were left “in tears” and others stating “Christmas is ruined”.
In 2022, the retailer’s 90-second festive ad had shoppers with their tissues at the ready as it chronicled a foster dad’s painful progress in learning to skateboard – all to make his teenage daughter feel at home at Christmas.
John Lewis’ price match promise was relaunched earlier this month after being dropped in early 2022.
The retailer said sales had “increased significantly” since the pledge’s re-launch, and organic visits to johnlewis.com had increased by more than 50,000 a day.
Organic visits are those that are unpaid and come via search engines.
WHAT RETAILERS ARE DOING THIS CHRISTMAS
A number of retailers have already announced they are closing stores this Boxing Day to give staff time off.
Home Bargains, Aldi and, coincidentally John Lewis and Waitrose have all said they will shut branches on December 25 and 26.
Meanwhile, some retailers have already started stocking Christmas chocolates months in advance.
Earlier this month, Aldi shoppers were rushing to buy Celebrations tubs scanning for £4.49.
Meanwhile, Quality Street launched a nostalgic festive tin for £12, marking 88 years since the chocolates were first made.
What other retailers price match?
Here is a list of some retailers that offer price matching:
Boots
Boots promises to refund you the difference if you find an electrical beauty product cheaper within 72 hours of your purchase.
Blacks
Outdoor retailer Blacks has one of the most competitive offerings out there – if you find an item cheaper somewhere else, it will actually knock off 10% of that price if you flag it up to seven days after your purchase.
Curry’s
Curry’s promises to price match all items against any other UK retailer if you find a cheaper deal at any other high street store within seven days of buying your item.
Halfords
Halfords will refund customers the difference if they find anything from gadgets to fitting costs cheaper at a competitor within 14 days.
It says it will price match any branded item even if the product is on special offer and will even price match against its own-brand items if a comparable product is cheaper.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
How human DNA stored on ‘crystal memory card’ & hidden in cave could bring humanity back from extinction
SCIENTISTS have a new plan B for humanity, should life as we know it heads towards extinction.
Hidden in a salt cave in Austria, scientists have stored human DNA on memory crystals which could eventually be used to revive society after an extinction event.
A memory crystal is essentially a sophisticated 5D memory card made of a material equivalent to fused quartz – one of the most durable materials on Earth.
Unlike other data storage formats, these don’t degrade over time.
So-called “eternity crystals”, developed by scientists from the University of Southampton, are practically indestructible and can survive for billions of years without data loss.
They can withstand freezing, fire and temperatures of up to 1000 °C, as well as cosmic radiation and heavy impacts.
The crystals can store up to 360 terabytes of data, enough room for the human genome which contains roughly three billion letters.
The idea is that the human genome inscribed onto the crystal will be able to survive war, natural disasters, or a cataclysmic asteroid strike.
While today’s science is not advanced enough to create humans synthetically, the team noted that recent strides in the sector could allow for it in the future.
The team also theorises that beings, of either organic life or machines, may be able to revive humans if the science allows in the far distant future.
“We know from the work of others that genetic material of simple organisms can be synthesised and used in an existing cell to create a viable living specimen in a lab,” says Professor Peter Kazansky, who led the team at Southampton.
“The 5D memory crystal opens up possibilities for other researchers to build an everlasting repository of genomic information from which complex organisms like plants and animals might be restored should science in the future allow.”
Scientists used ultra-fast lasers to inscribe the DNA data into the crystal on a nano-level, with the help of Helixwork Technologies.
The unique method uses two optical dimensions and three spatial co-ordinates to inscribe the material, which is why ‘5D’ is in the name.
We don’t know if memory crystal technology will ever follow these plaques in distance travelled but each disc can be expected with a high degree of confidence to exceed their survival time.
Professor Peter Kazansky
What you see inscribed on the crystal disc is not all the information stored inside the crystal structure – that is only a “visual key”, according to Kazansky.
“The visual key inscribed on the crystal gives the finder knowledge of what data is stored inside and how it could be used,” he said.
The crystals are now being stored in the Memory of Mankind archive – a time capsule located inside a salt cave in the mountainous town of Hallstatt, Austria.
Kazansky added: “We don’t know if memory crystal technology will ever follow these plaques in distance travelled but each disc can be expected with a high degree of confidence to exceed their survival time.”
The team believes this storage method could also be used to store the genomes of endangered plant and animal species.
It would act as a more advanced version of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault – dubbed the ‘Doomsday Vault – and be a more realistic option to the proposed lunar biorepository for endangered species.
A timeline of life on Earth
The history of the planet in years...
- 4.6 billion years ago – the origin of Earth
- 3.8 billion years ago – first life appears on Earth
- 2.1 billion years ago – lifeforms made up of multiple cells evolve
- 1.5 billion years ago – eukaryotes, which are cells that contain a nucleus inside of their membranes, emerge
- 550 million years ago – first arthropods evolve
- 530 million years ago – first fish appear
- 470 million years ago – first land plants appear
- 380 million years ago – forests emerge on Earth
- 370 million years ago – first amphibians emerge from the water onto land
- 320 million years ago – earliest reptiles evolve
- 230 million years ago – dinosaurs evolve
- 200 million years ago – mammals appear
- 150 million years ago – earliest birds evolve
- 130 million years ago – first flowering plants
- 100 million years ago – earliest bees
- 55 million years ago – hares and rabbits appear
- 30 million years ago – first cats evolve
- 20 million years ago – great apes evolve
- 7 million years ago –first human ancestors appear
- 2 million years ago – Homo erectus appears
- 300,000 years ago – Homo sapiens evolves
- 50,000 years ago – Eurasia and Oceania colonised
- 40,000 years ago – Neandethal extinction
NDDC MD dismisses reports of tenure expiration
Dr Samuel Ogbuku, the Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), says members of the commission’s Governing Board are currently serving a four-year term. This he said was contrary to insinuation in some quarters that their term would end in 2024. Ogbuku made the clarification on Wednesday in Port Harcourt at a news conference. NAN …
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Yoruba Stakeholders Make Clarifications On Fuel Prices Controversy
A group, Yoruba Stakeholders Assembly has made some clarifications on the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS and the accompanied controversy. The group in a statement issued by its convener, Comrade Dayo Olawale said as a committed voice for transparency and awareness in Nigeria, the Yoruba Stakeholders Assembly “seeks to address the recent misinformation …
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