Latest news with #Keri
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Time of India
Honey and harmony: Sustainable livelihood options with beekeeping
Keri: In Goa, beekeeping offers a simple, sustainable livelihood option, especially for landless families, women self-help groups and homemakers. It requires no chemical inputs, little land, and minimal irrigation. Shishira D, a postgraduate student in apiculture, said a single hive can produce 8–10kg of honey per season, and when scaled, this translates into a steady income with minimal investment. Besides, beeswax can be used to craft products like soaps, balms, and candles, while pollen and propolis unlock possibilities in the health and wellness sectors. 'Goa can build that story. With the right training, branding, and support, it can stand out—not just as a tourist destination, but as a hub of bee-based rural enterprise, she said. Bees are the unseen guardians of Goa' s agricultural legacy. In Goa's cashew plantations, which stretch across 56,000 hectares, yield nearly 28,630 metric tonnes every year. Coconut farming covers around 26,542 hectares, yielding over 167 million nuts, while mango is grown on more than 5,000 hectares, contributing 11,000 metric tonnes. Goa has 60% of its area under forest cover, with wildflowers, medicinal herbs, and undisturbed habitats—perfect homes for native bees. Just as the Sundarbans are known for their mangrove honey, Goa's forest region can also yield forest honey. In Goa, rooftops, schoolyards, balconies and every urban nook can host a hive. Urban beekeeping offers not just honey, but harmony. It transforms space and reconnects children with nature. She said that at homestays, guests can be provided the opportunity to learn the art of beekeeping, gather golden drops from the hive, or meditate to the rhythm of wings. In Goa, there is ample scope for apitourism. Scientific studies show that bee pollination can boost cashew yields by up to 30%, increase mango harvests by a stunning 350%, and lift betel nut production by over 35%. 'On this World Bee Day, we can think of keeping one bee box for every household in forest fringe areas or in the villages. This attempt can help not only in improving the agricultural productivity but also in getting good quality and unadulterated honey,' she said. She emphasised having a friends of bees and pollinators network, where farmers, children, tourists, entrepreneurs, and citizens come together as keepers.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Noke Van Co close to resuming some operations one month after fire
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — When Roanoke-based adventure van company Noke Van Co lost its building to a fire in early April, that could have been the end. But even in the days that followed the blaze, owners Keri and Justin VanBlaricom say quitting was never an option. 'In the Monday morning meeting after the fire, I was like, 'No one lost their job,'' said Justin VanBlaricom, who also acts as CEO of the company. ''I'll do whatever it takes to keep everybody because they're all a part of the family.'' The team quickly identified a new building, just around 100 yards away from the original location, still in Riverdale industrial park. 'Because of the building we were in, we were able to grow into who we are, and that was a huge blessing to us,' said Justin VanBlaricom. 'We felt very firmly after this that we wanted to stay in Riverdale, we wanted to be here. We wanted to be in the city of Roanoke.' Roanoke residents speak out at public hearings about budget, meals tax, and more Now, just a month after the fire, Noke Van Co is hoping to restart at least a portion of its operations by the end of this week, as they continue to renovate the new space. The reboot for Noke Van Co 2.0, as the team is calling it, will begin with resuming the rental van program and unveiling the new service and upgrade bay. 'We're 23 business days out of the fire and having a turnaround like that, from losing everything to being back in business within 30 business days, it's pretty remarkable,' said Justin VanBlaricom. The owners say they have the community to thank for the speed of this resurgence. A GoFundMe started shortly after the fire has raised nearly $50,000, which has helped the company keep its 20-person staff on hand. They have also received help from a number of local businesses, who have put on fundraisers in addition to providing meals and meeting spaces for the team. Noke Van Co plans to honor that community support with a wall that separates the two main sections of the new building. 'That wall is just going to be logos of people and companies that have helped us because there's just too many to name,' said Justin VanBlaricom. 'We want to see that every day and know what got us to the point of being able to get back open.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What Happened Between Keri Hilson and Beyonce? Inside Their Longtime Feud Before Reconciliation
Squashing their beef? has been feuding with (and ) for over a decade, but what actually happened between them? Keri first found widespread fame with her 2009 anthem "Knock You Down" with . She then released her 2010 jam "Pretty Girl Rock" followed by her T.I. collab "Got Your Back." However, the songstress then went MIA amid finding success. Some fans credit the singer publicly shading Beyoncé for destroying her budding career and Life & Style takes a look back at the longtime feud. Fans first thought Keri had a problem with Beyoncé when she did a remix to her single "Turnin' Me On" in which she says: "Your vision cloudy if you think that you da best, You can dance, she can sing, but need to move it to the left ... She need to go have some babies, she need to sit down, she fake, them other chicks ain't even worth talkin' bout." People thought the qualities Keri mentioned in her song seemed to be about the "Hold Up" singer, and the line about moving it "to the left" appeared to be a nod at Bey's "Irreplaceable." The song also seemingly included some shady lyrics about Ciara, whom Keri wrote several songs for through the years. "Go head tell these folks how long I been writing your songs, I been putting you on. Check the credits hoe!" Keri sings. Keri later said the song was "not about" Ciara or Beyoncé during an interview in 2009. "I'm not jealous of anybody's career,' she said at the time. 'We are all like the same thing. Keyshia's on my album. I've worked with Ciara many times. I'm a fan of Beyoncé's.' Then who was the song about? 'It's anybody that ever tried to take me down and didn't want to see me succeed,' she explained. 'I'm not gonna call their names because I feel I've addressed it.' On the red carpet of the Soul Train Awards in 2011, Juicy Magazine asked Keri to hold the latest issue and give them a shout-out. She seemed down for it, but then took a glance at the cover, which was photo of Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z, and asked, "Who's that?" "No, I'm sorry, I can't do that," Keri said and dismissed the reporter's request. "It's TOO much!! Please! Is everything I tweet gonna be 'intentionally misinterpreted' as a statement about someone/drama I know nothing about?" she pleaded via X (formerly known as Twitter) in 2013. "You have no idea what your hateful words could do to someone's spirit. Years of verbal abuse from strangers all day long," Keri continued. "Enough is enough! I'm here for MY FANS! I'm stronger than you imagine, but waking up/going to bed to your ugliness is just TOO MUCH, kids. I get it, OK? You can stop now. As far as WHATEVER you're really mad about, I had my reasons. It's been years! Just chalk it up to your ignorance of my reality and LET ... IT ... GO. As for my mistakes, God has dealt with me." Some followers interpreted this as Keri admitting her shade toward the former Destiny's Child singer ruined her career. In an attempt to end the feud and put her back in the good graces of the public, Keri did an interview with HipHollywood. "No, I don't have a beef with any female artist. I think it's just interesting that we live in such a gullible world," Keri said at the time. "Anything that's written, anything that is posted, and a picture that is interpreted one way, is truth. It's like bible now. You can Photoshop something, put it out and everyone believes it." Keri had been teasing a new album since 2016, which is called L.I.A.R. or Love Is A Religion. "I think I had to give up music for a while. I stepped away. I thought it would just be a year. It's been six, maybe," she said in January 2018. "I realize now that I'm grateful for all of those years. I have built myself back up. It is sort of a comeback, because I've hit rock bottom a few times and I'm crawling back to walking in my purpose." She has still not released an album since 2010's No Boys Allowed. Keri revealed her decade-long feud with Beyoncé was water under the bridge after the two had a heart-to-heart conversation during an Instagram Live with radio host Persia Nicole on April 11, 2021. "I feel like she understood what happened, what had transpired and there was a bit of healing in that moment when we met. I take her as a very intuitive kind of soul, as am I," Keri explained. The "Energy" singer even said she would be open to collaborating. 'Yeah, it would be a very fun experience to do that if she were open," Keri added. "I do feel like she understood what that was all about. She's amazing. I've always felt that way. That's the truth of the matter, but no one will believe that.' Ahead of Keri's long-awaited return to the music industry on April 18, 2025, and the release of her album 'We Need to Talk,' she made a few revelations about the famous diss track. During an interview with Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy and Loren LoRosa on Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club, Keri shared that she didn't want to release the 'Turning Me On' remix, but felt forced to. '[Polow Da Don] had another writer in our camp at the time … he had her write this. He played it for me. Meanwhile, I'm thinking I was coming in to write a remix to 'Turnin' Me On,'' she explained. 'Automatically, I was like, 'I'm not saying that.' That was my position. I'm an athlete. I am competitive. But I'm not nasty, I'm a finesse player. I don't look at things like that.' Keri later added that because her 'album wasn't out yet, [she] was told it's not coming out if you don't do this.' The radio show shared a clip of the conversation via Instagram on April 9, 2025, and fans supported Keri and were all on board with her story. 'I love this honesty. Now I want @beyonce to work with @kerihilson,' journalist Jason Lee wrote in the comments section.
The Guardian
24-03-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
‘Nobody found him in time': how neglect and stress led to the deaths of a full-time carer and his son
Peter Lodge devoted his life to his son, David. He cherished every moment with him, even when David's condition left them effectively housebound. Right up until he was 74, Peter would sleep on the living room floor beside David's hospital bed. Not once did he see his role as a burden. He was angry, though. He was angry at what he described as the 'state exploitation' of family carers. Angry at the pittance paid in carer's allowance to those giving up their lives to care for loved ones, propping up the UK's ailing social care system in doing so. It was, he said, 'insulting'. In 2005, the year his son was registered blind, Peter felt so strongly about the treatment of family carers he wrote to the Guardian, accusing the government of 'paying lip service to the vast contribution being made by such hard-working, selfless, undervalued individuals'. Twenty years on – with the plight of unpaid carers still in the news after an ongoing Guardian investigation into the carer's allowance scandal revealed how tens of thousands have been unfairly treated by the government – this newspaper can now tell the story of Peter and David that charities say should shame the nation. David Lodge was his usual playful self when his sister, Dr Keri Lodge, last saw him on a bitterly cold winter evening three years ago. Both in their forties, they still had the same jokey sibling dynamic as when they were younger: David, the cheeky one; Keri, the protective big sister. David was born with a range of complex health conditions including autism, a learning disability and a coordination disorder called dyspraxia. He was partially sighted and later registered blind. Unable to talk, he became proficient at using a small typewriter, called a Lightwriter, to communicate. They lived nearly 60 miles across Yorkshire from each other – Keri with her young family in York, and David and Peter in the terraced home in Hull where they grew up. But she would visit every Wednesday, giving her father his one weekly window of respite. David so looked forward to Keri's visits. In the Makaton signing system that he used to communicate, David would make the symbol for sister last thing at night and first thing in the morning before she arrived. Keri saw going back to Hull as 'coming home'. She rang them every day. On the night they last spoke, David used his Lightwriter to tell Keri to cut her daughters' toenails – his usual teasing goodbye. And as she made for the door, he smiled, ruffled his sister's hair, blew her a raspberry, then waved. Seven days later, on 12 January 2022, Keri arrived for her weekly visit to find her brother sprawled on the living room floor. He was barely breathing. Beside him was their 74-year-old father, Peter. At first, Keri thought they were sleeping. Their feet were intertwined. She wondered why they would be taking a nap on the living room floor. Then her eyes travelled to her father's face. He was dead. A post-mortem examination found Peter had died as long as four days earlier. David had laid undiscovered next to him all that time, unable to call for help. Keri believes he must have fallen to the ground as he tried to come to his father's aid. By the time paramedics arrived, David was barely conscious. He was rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary where he was treated for pneumonia and severe dehydration, but doctors thought he would pull through and within hours were planning his discharge. Then, in the early hours of the morning on 13 January 2022, his condition worsened and he suffered a heart attack. At around 4am, 13 hours after Keri found him, he was pronounced dead. He had just turned 40. Reliving those heart-rending final hours is as traumatic three years on for Keri as it was at the time. She agonises about how terrified and helpless they both must have felt. Her father's dying thoughts, she says, would almost certainly have been about how David would get help. Keri has decided to tell their story after growing outrage about the treatment of unpaid carers like her father, which have been exposed by a months-long Guardian investigation. Ultimately, she believes, her father and her brother would still be alive if the state cared more about those who devote their lives to looking after the most vulnerable. 'My dad never had a day off, never had sick leave, and was working literally 24/7 when he died essentially at work,' she said. Peter was very fit for his age. He never smoked, never drank, had a healthy diet and went running on the days Keri took over caring for her brother. 'He wanted to keep himself fit for David,' she said. He died suddenly from complications caused by a gastric ulcer, which had gone undiagnosed. Keri believes it was caused by the relentless exhaustion of caring around-the-clock: 'He died due to a condition that's brought about by stress, and the stress was from caring." 'If that stress had been alleviated – you can never say never [but] perhaps he wouldn't have died. And the reason that David died was because my dad died, ultimately. And nobody found him in time.' Peter had been David's permanent carer since his son was young, when he gave up work to be a stay-at-home dad. It was a role he cherished, but it took its toll. Recently, his only break was when Keri visited, which allowed him to 'do basic things, like get a wash,' she said. Keri said her father had been 'powered by unconditional love' but he felt the government took advantage of the nearly 6 million people like him who care for a loved one, saving the taxpayer at least £162bn a year. 'They cherished each other,' Keri said. 'But it was a strain on my dad, not least the sleep deprivation. I think the strain of caring contributed to, if not caused, his death.' In his letter to the Guardian in 2005, Peter pleaded with ministers to increase the rate of carer's allowance, the meagre weekly benefit paid to those who save the state billions a year, then worth less than 50p an hour for someone providing at least 100 hours of care a week. Today that figure would be 82p an hour. He stopped being eligible for carer's allowance when he reached state pension age but to the end felt 'insulted' by the paltry figure, Keri said. The benefit is currently £81.90 a week – the equivalent of 82p an hour for someone providing 100 hours of care a week. 'Dad felt very angry about what he saw as state exploitation of unpaid carers,' she said. 'I really don't think many people understand that if you are a full-time unpaid carer like my dad, you are on call 24/7, 365 days of the year, with no rest breaks, no sick leave and no annual leave. It requires superhuman strength and fortitude, but it does come at a cost.' Keri made the difficult decision to share her family's story to call for urgent changes to a system she believes is failing carers and their loved ones. She wants local authorities and the NHS to be legally obliged to plan for how vulnerable people will get help in the event of an emergency. Although Peter was healthy for his age, this was something that increasingly worried him. He raised it several times as he entered his seventies, Keri said, adding that he had asked David's social worker how his son would raise the alarm if Peter 'dropped down dead'. He never felt there was a plan. In 2022, months after Peter and David died, NHS England created a new code to indicate when a 'carer contingency plan' was in place for a family. But this only covers cases where a carer can no longer provide the same level of care due to illness or other reasons. It does not address what will happen to the cared-for person if their carer suffers a medical emergency like Peter. There was never a robust plan for Peter and David despite the family raising it multiple times with Hull city council, said Keri, who is an NHS consultant psychiatrist specialising in learning disabilities and autism. Their deaths have echoes of the harrowing case of Bronson Battersby, the two-year-old who died of dehydration after being unable to call for help when his 60-year-old father, Kenneth, suffered a fatal heart attack at their home in Skegness, Lincolnshire, last year. Bronson was known to social workers and would typically be seen every month. But it is not clear what plans, if any, were in place for how he would get help in the event of an emergency. Lincolnshire county council declined to comment when asked whether any such plans were in place, adding that it would not discuss the case until after an inquest later this year. Technology is available for carers or their loved ones to seek help in emergencies. Lifeline pendants are offered routinely to the elderly. One was considered for David but was deemed unsuitable because his autism meant he was very sensitive to what he wore. Since his death, Keri has discovered apps that can be used to raise the alarm. She thinks David would have been able to use such a device, potentially saving his life and even his father's. The failure to plan for an emergency was just the final way David and Peter were failed by the state, their family say. 'They made decisions about his life which demeaned and devalued him, ignored his communication of distress and, ultimately, led to the social circumstances at the time of his death,' Keri said. By the time David died, he had several traumatic experiences of care settings and being removed from home. All he wanted was to be at home with his father, and that is all Peter wanted too. The family repeatedly asked for David to be given daytime support, allowing Peter some respite, but were told by Hull city council that the only option was a short stay in a care home with a view to moving there long term. An inquest into David's death concluded in January that he was also failed in his final hours. In a preventing future deaths report, issued in the most serious cases of harm, the coroner Edward Steele found that the 'neglect' of clinicians had contributed to his death. Among the failings was that David was never offered any pain relief and that basic examinations were not carried out. The charity Mencap said David's death highlighted 'systemic failings' that were 'deeply shocking'. At home in York, Keri proudly shows off a multi-coloured collage made by David that brightens her dining room wall. On the living room fireplace is a framed poem written by their father five years ago about moving David to a care home. 'Home,' he writes, is 'a place one misses; a place one prefers to any other place; a place one runs back to: a home that cares, not a care home.' The charity Carers UK backed Keri's call for state bodies to have proper contingency plans for carers and their loved ones in the event of an emergency. Tamara Sandoul, its head of policy, said her charity was 'shocked and saddened' by David and Peter's story. She added: 'Despite the vital contribution they make, there is a widespread lack of formal support for carers. Many are extremely concerned about how they will cope in the future. Yet without unpaid carers, our health and social care systems would collapse.' Hull city council said in a statement: 'We are very saddened by the death of David Lodge and we offer our deepest condolences to his family. We are committed to ensuring that any learning to prevent future deaths is acted upon as a priority. A council spokesperson said a safeguarding adult review, undertaken in 2022, was being revisited in light of the inquest. A separate review, examining its work with people who have learning disabilities and autism, was also underway. The council said findings from each of these would be published. A spokesperson for the NHS Humber health partnership, which oversees Hull Royal Infirmary, said: 'We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Mr Lodge. We always try to learn where processes could be improved and will be responding to the coroner in due course.'
