Latest news with #Benatar
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
‘80s Rock Icon, 72, Flaunts Ageless Appearance in Sequin Pants for Special Occasion
At 72 years old, rock icon Pat Benatar is still dazzling audiences-both with her looks and her vocals. The singer stunned attendees at the 50th Annual Chapin Awards Gala on June 4, 2025, in New York City, showcasing her ageless appearance and timeless style in glittering sequin pants as she took the stage. The event, held at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, celebrated WhyHunger's 50th anniversary of combating food insecurity and honored Benatar and her husband, Neil Giraldo, with the ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award for their enduring commitment to social justice through music. Benatar and Giraldo, married since 1982, have been active supporters of WhyHunger for over three decades, inspired by their friendship with co-founder Harry Chapin. Their advocacy focuses on children's causes and addressing systemic hunger issues. During the gala, the couple delivered a heartfelt acoustic set, including their 1983 hit "Love Is a Battlefield," captivating the audience with their enduring chemistry and musical prowess. The gala raised over $600,000 to support WhyHunger's mission of ending hunger by addressing its root causes, such as poverty and social injustice. The evening also featured performances by members of The Fab Faux, Willie Nile, Will Calhoun, Tash Neal, Jen Chapin, and The Chapin Sisters, culminating in a collaborative rendition of Harry Chapin's "Circles." Reflecting on the event, Benatar and Giraldo expressed their gratitude: "What an incredible night! We were honored and humbled to receive the ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award and celebrate the 50th anniversary of WhyHunger at the Chapin Awards Gala." "The evening was filled with love, hope, and good humans dedicated to the service of others. We're in this together, and together we can make miracles happen," they added, per Live for Live Music. Related: Legendary '70s Band Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Iconic Album With Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Anti-natalism, the cynical philosophy linked to Saturday's disturbing cirme
Officials say Saturday's bomb in Palm Springs, California, was set off by Guy Edward Bartkus, a 25-year-old who was found dead at the scene and is believed to have been killed by the blast. Authorities seem quite certain that the fertility clinic damaged in the explosion was the target of Bartkus' wrath. With the who and the what of the crime fairly established, the more complex question of why remains. What was the reason for the attack? The FBI quickly became the lead agency in this investigation when it determined the motive for the attack on the fertility clinic was ideological, and as I covered this event for MSNBC, my initial theory, based on my law enforcement experience, was that the suspected bomber may have been angry that some fertility clinics that provide IVF treatments discard some embryos that aren't implanted into patients' uteruses. The discarding of embryos has upset some anti-abortion-rights activists, but officials now believe it isn't the potential discarding of embryos that motivated the bomber. They think it was the opposite: that the clinic was a tangible representation of human reproduction. Based on what they believe to be Bartkus' social media posts and online videos, law enforcement officials are describing the suspected bomber as anti-natalist, someone who believes that bringing children into this world is neither worth it nor justified. Among the social media the FBI is examining is a video Bartkus posted along with a website espousing the termination of life and mentioning plans to bomb an IVF clinic. Some anti-natalists may even believe it to be immoral for people to have babies. Because life is just too painful, they say, and no one asks to be brought into the world. The frequently cited anti-natalist philosopher David Benatar, a former professor at the University of Cape Town and former head of its Bioethics Centre, wrote a book in 1996 called 'Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming Into Existence.' There Benatar asserts, 'While good people go to great lengths to spare their children from suffering, few of them seem to notice that the one (and only) guaranteed way to prevent all the suffering of their children is not to bring those children into existence in the first place.' Benatar isn't known to advocate violence. He has written, 'Anti-natalists are not committed to any particular views about when violence is and is not justified.' However, the online platform Reddit confirmed Monday that it took down a 10,000-member anti-natalist subreddit community for violating an anti-violence policy. That community, which isn't the only anti-natalist subreddit, is called Efilism, which, according to NBC News, 'takes its name from 'life' spelled backward.' That news report describes efilism as 'part of a constellation of anti-natalist philosophies that center on the belief that humans should stop procreating because of the ethical implications of continuing life on Earth.' It's unclear exactly what kind of anti-natalist teachings or philosophers the suspected bomber may have followed. Though information about anti-natalism may give us some insight into the bombing suspect, there are multiple indications that Bartkus, over the course of his life, had dealt with serious challenges. His father, who hadn't seen his son in 10 years, told The New York Times that when his son was 9, he burned down the family home while playing with matches and was sentenced to juvenile probation. In 2016, for reasons that aren't clear, a court ordered the then-teenager to enter therapy. Brian Levin, professor emeritus and founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, has a take on anti-natalism adherents that can help us further understand the suspect's motivations. 'Within this movement, I.V.F. is certainly disfavored, but so is procreative sex,' Levin told The New York Times. He said the suspect 'probably targeted an establishment that was most directly related in some way to this twisted take on that philosophy.' Citing the prevalence of domestic terrorism perpetrated by young men who are socially isolated and join fringe communities, Levin told the newspaper, 'Our terrorism problem is as much of a mental health issue as it is an ideological one.' Levin is right. It's one thing to identify with a particular philosophy; it's another thing to take the giant step of planning and executing violence, even risking or inviting your own death in furtherance of that philosophy. That's why Levin's link between the Palm Springs bombing and mental health, young men, social isolation and fringe online communities is so troubling. Levin is saying the scary part out loud. If there's something we have no shortage of in today's world, it's fringe online communities, social isolation and young men searching for meaning. Law enforcement officials, parents, teacher and counselors should take heed. There may be more Guy Bartkuses out there. We've got to identify those young people and get them the kind of help that shows them that, whatever their philosophies, there are better options than setting off destructive bombs. This article was originally published on
Calgary Herald
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo to headline Roundup MusicFest at Prince's Island Park on July 9
Article content Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo will be headlining the Roundup MusicFest in its 25th year at Prince's Island Park on July 9 during the Calgary Stampede. Article content The married duo, who have been musical partners since Benatar's hit-making days in the late 1970s and '80s, will be headlining this year's festival opposite Tom Cochrane, and Canadian rockers J.D. Fortune, who was frontman for Australia's INXS for a few years, and JJ Wilde, who beat Neil Young, Sam Roberts and Silverstein to win the Rock Album of the Year Juno in 2021. It was the first time a woman won the award since Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill took the prize 25 years earlier. Article content Article content Benatar and Giraldo have been married since 1982 but were music partners before that. Benatar has won four Grammy Awards and had 19 Top 40 hits, including Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Heartbreaker, Fire and Ice, Treat Me Right and Hell Is for Children. The two were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Article content Article content
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
An embezzlement scandal rocked an AZ county. Lawmakers want to stop it from happening again
A Republican lawmaker wants additional oversight to county treasurer's offices and more in-depth audits after a former county treasurer in rural Arizona pleaded guilty late last year to embezzling nearly $40 million. Those provisions come in legislation from Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix. The bill is advancing through the Arizona Legislature as Elizabeth Gutfahr, a Democrat who served as Santa Cruz County treasurer, awaits sentencing for embezzling public funds from 2014 to 2024. Gutfahr also pleaded guilty to money laundering, and tax evasion for failing to pay income tax of more than $13 million. The Arizona Auditor General, an office tasked by the Legislature with auditing state and local governments for years failed to discover the theft. The missing funds came to light in April after the county's bank flagged suspicious activity leading to investigations by the county, state and federal agencies. One of the ways Gutfahr was able to avoid detection for so long was by leveraging her knowledge of which months state auditors would review bank statements. Court records show that during the annual audit by the Arizona Auditor General, the agency reviewed June year-end financial statements from the preceding year. Gutfahr avoided diverting funds during those months. State law already requires the Arizona Auditor General to conduct an annual financial statement audit of financial transactions and accounts kept by all counties. Gress' bill would seek to expand what the agency is required to review. The procedural reviews required by the bill include evaluating compliance with accounting standards and administrative and accounting internal controls. Following the review, the auditors would be required to submit recommendations to the county treasurer, county board of supervisors and the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. County treasurer's offices would be required to notify the auditor general whether the office agrees or disagrees with the findings of the review, and whether it will implement the recommendations. "I think that this really enhances oversight it also improves the county treasurer's ability to manage its affairs," Gress said at a legislative hearing on the bill. It passed the House on Feb. 18 and it is advancing in the Senate. Coconino County Treasurer Sarah Benatar is one of the bill's supporters. Benatar was contracted by Santa Cruz County after the missing funds were discovered. She found the Santa Cruz County Treasurer's Office was not complying with standard practices and procedures by failing to author accurate reports and reconcile bank statements in a timely manner, as well as relying on screenshots of bank statements rather than original documents, according to court records. 'I also support it because the auditors aren't the police just catching deliberate bad actions," Benatar wrote in an email. "They are also a source of expertise to prevent unintentional deviations from legal requirements or best practices. Treasurers need to be able to draw on these kinds of audits to improve our offices.' Since Benatar was first appointed to county treasurer in 2014 she has seen a change in how thoroughly the Arizona Auditor General audits treasurer departments. When she was first elected, she said auditors would meet with her department in person to conduct testing. She said quality has decreased over time, with audits becoming less involved. Benatar said Coconino County recently hired a third-party auditing firm to specifically audit procedures used by the treasurer's office and issues state auditors don't look at. 'This bill ensures it's going to happen moving forward,' she said. Gress said he spoke with Benatar and found there is a limited role for the Arizona Auditor General to review the county treasurer's office. "They just take financial information that the treasurer gives them they don't actually go into the office sit down with staff and understand what the processes are and collect information about how that office works," Gress said about state auditors. Another supporter of the bill is Craig Sullivan, the executive director of the County Supervisors Association of Arizona. He said the county board of supervisors, which oversees county operations, doesn't have direct control over the office, making the bill necessary. "HB2369 aims to ensure these offices are adhering to statutory procedures and following proper accounting principles, and we think it improves the auditing process,' he said. Proposed bill: Arizona drivers could be fined for having pet on their lap with proposed bill Gress has also introduced other legislation that gives more authority to the Arizona Auditor General and requires more training for elected officials. House Bill 2368 would give the state auditors access to financial institution records directly from the institutions. This bill came after the Arizona Auditor General noted in a report of its investigation of Gutfahr's fraud that it lacked the authority to independently obtain the county treasurer's financial information directly from a financial institution. The county was instead required to provide the required financial information, which resulted in auditors receiving fake investment statements. The bill was passed by the House on Feb. 18, and is being considered by the Senate. Another Gress bill, House Bill 2433, aims to address training of elected officials. It was also passed by the House and is advancing through the Senate. The bill would require county treasurers and boards of supervisors to complete continuing education courses. County treasurers would be required to complete a minimum of 10 hours of continuing education courses each year while serving in office, and at least one hour per year devoted to waste, fraud, and abuse. The board of supervisors would be required to complete at least six hours of professional development training, including courses on open meeting laws, finance and budget issues, and laws relating to county governance, among others. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ lawmakers want tougher audits after Santa Cruz County embezzlement
