Things To Do In SW Florida

By DAVID KLEPPER (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has threatened to sue a group of independent researchers whose research documented an increase in hate speech on the site since it was purchased last year by Elon Musk.

An attorney representing the social media site wrote to the Center for Countering Digital Hate on July 20 threatening legal action over the nonprofit’s research into hate speech and content moderation. The letter alleged that CCDH’s research publications seem intended “to harm Twitter’s business by driving advertisers away from the platform with incendiary claims.”

Musk is a self-professed free speech absolutist who has welcomed back white supremacists and election deniers to the platform, which he renamed X earlier this month. But the billionaire has at times proven sensitive about critical speech directed at him or his companies.

The center is a nonprofit with offices in the U.S. and United Kingdom. It regularly publishes reports on hate speech, extremism or harmful behavior on social media platforms like X, TikTok or Facebook. read more

By Lucia Kassai and Rachel Graham, Bloomberg News

Record-breaking summer heat is forcing fuelmakers to cut back operations, just as dwindling supplies are causing gasoline prices to surge around the world.

The hottest-ever June and July prompted refiners to curtail oil processing by at least 2% globally as long stretches of triple-digit heat posed a threat to operations, according to Vikas Dwivedi, a global oil and gas strategist for Macquarie Group.

Excessive heat, associated with deferred maintenance in the past, has spurred an unusual number of refinery breakdowns this year, when fuel stockpiles are already low. This has in part propelled gasoline prices in the U.S. to the highest level since November. High-temperature forecasts into August could keep U.S. gasoline makers from running all out for the last stretch of the summer driving season, dimming hopes for relief at the pump.

U.S. refineries are struggling to return to the peak utilization rate of 95.8% seen in early June. Since May, at least four facilities reported fires while other seven had to take units down due to power outages and unplanned repairs, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. “The ability to cool the tower overhead can become a constraint at high ambient temperatures,” Dwivedi said in a report. read more

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ tourism oversight district is no longer working with John Classe, a top official who led Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District for seven years before a state takeover and stayed on as a special adviser after being pushed aside.

Classe’s last day was on Monday, said Alexei Woltornist, a district spokesman.

“Mr. Classe was offered a consulting contract … to assist with the transition to the new leadership,” he said in an email. “That transition is now complete. The district thanks him for his service.”

The district, now known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, didn’t release additional details. Classe could not be reached for comment.

The district’s governor-appointed board appointed Glen Gilzean as administrator in May and kept Classe on as an adviser under a contract that runs through May 2024.

The contract allows Classe to resign or for the district to terminate the agreement early with or without reason. Examples of termination for reason include “a failure or refusal to comply with directives from the Board or Board designees,” or criminal or ethical violations. read more

Carolann Mohrman, 75, perched behind an artist’s booth at the sixth-annual Denver Tattoo Arts Festival last week as the buzz of tattoo needles filled the air – slightly out of place because she doesn’t have any tattoos nor does she plan to get inked.

“I don’t like having my skin punctured,” the Lakewood resident said. The first-time attendee instead walked through the doors of the Colorado Convention Center at 700 14th St. on Sunday, July 23, in a show of support for her niece, Eva Mohrman, a tattoo artist and co-owner of Constantly Custom Studio in East Brunswick, N.J.

As a child in the 1950s, Mohrman was taught by society at large to view tattoos as “very demonic,” she said, adding that “only Navymen” boasted the body modifications.

“Now, everybody has them except me,” she said with a laugh. When asked whether tattoos affect a person’s reputation in the workplace, she answered with a resounding “no” – “not here in Denver.”

Today’s office culture has evolved beyond the norms that baby boomers would have found common when they started their careers, as white-collar professionals stroll through cubicles with body art that ranges from discreet designs to full arm sleeves – when tattoos cover the majority of the arm. read more