Latest news with #Rea
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Sub-lieutenant commissioned into Indian Navy after excelling in sports
Mysuru: Sub-lieutenant Kadiyamada Rea Achaiah, an international skater and promising young officer, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on May 31. She is the daughter of Kadiyamada Arun Achaiah and Priya, from Athur, Gonikoppal, and currently resides in Vijayanagar. Rea not only made her mark in academics but also brought laurels to the country in sports. She represented India at the Asian Skating championship, winning two bronze medals, in addition to several gold medals at the national and state levels. Speaking to the TOI, Rea said, "I felt the need to serve the nation in a different capacity. I was part of the NCC Navy during school, and I've always aspired to join the armed forces. I chose the Navy and was fortunate to be assigned one of the best branches. It feels incredible." She mentioned that she is also into sailing and has won medals. After joining the Navy. She will also take part in Indian Navy activities. Arun Achaiah expressed his pride in her achievement and said, "Though she is our only child, when it comes to serving the nation, everything else takes a back seat. It was entirely her decision, and we fully support it." He stated that earlier, it was mostly men who joined the armed forces, but it's heartening to see women stepping into these prestigious roles. Rea completed her engineering degree in information science with distinction from Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, Mysuru. A former student of St. Joseph's Central School, Vijayanagar, she has long nurtured the dream of joining the defence forces. Selected for both the Indian Navy and the Indian Army, she chose the Navy and is now preparing to begin her onboard training aboard INS Sujata in Kochi, reporting on June 14.
The Courier
3 days ago
- Business
- The Courier
‘Call me Mr Tea' — The people scalded by Perthshire's great tea scandal
Picture the scene: Paris. March 14, 2015. The great and good of the world's tea industry gather for a lavish party, a celebration of their achievements over the past 12 months. This night at the Salon de Thé awards is a special one for Scotland, as Perthshire's own Wee Tea Plantation scores a coveted gold award. The company's Dalreoch white tea has been crowned the best tea in the world. The announcement sparks a media buzz. The plantation's Tam O'Braan tells BBC Five Live presented Nicky Campbell that morning he cannot attend the ceremony as his wife is about to give birth to twins. But he says he is sending a colleague to read out the speech he penned. 'I suppose you could call me Mr Tea after winning such a major award,' he told reporters. Coupled with a silver gong from the Tea Exchange in London, it really is a remarkable achievement for a Scottish business – particularly one set up just over six months earlier. Except the awards ceremony never happened. O'Braan – known by prosecutors as Thomas Robinson – made it up to boost sales and win contracts. The fake awards were part of a wider deception that hoodwinked not only the owners of some of the country's best known hotels but also wholesalers, journalists, landowners and businesses. Robinson was this week convicted of an elaborate £550k fraud, taking in five-star hoteliers and genuine tea growers. At his trial, he distanced himself from the Salon de Thé prize claiming it was gourmet tea firm Mariage Freres' award. But he said he remembered seeing some kind of gold medallion. 'I didn't get to keep it,' he said. 'But it must have had some standing because the buyers from Fortnum and Mason wanted to display it in their store.' Asked if the whole thing was made up, he said: 'I'm taking it on trust that the award does exist.' The Courier was also caught up in Robinson's web of lies. In February 2017, we reported how thieves had stolen tea leaves from his Dalreoch farm. The report was based on information provided to us by the company, while Robinson was recovering from a heart attack we were told. The theft was never reported to Police Scotland and it emerged during the trial the thefts may have been faked ahead of a council inspection of the land. Here we look at just a handful of others who were caught out by Robinson's great tea blag. In hindsight, alarm bells should have been ringing for London tea seller Alistair Rea, when Robinson – his best customer – asked him to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). The document was purportedly a legally binding contract demanding Mr Rea's silence on all correspondence between him and Robinson. Robinson first contacted sole-trader Mr Rea in August 2015, when his business What-Cha, selling top end tea from around the world, was starting out on eBay. He asked how degradable his loose leaf black tea was, before putting in an order for 30kg. He asked for it to be delivered to a PO address in Glasgow's Bath Street. Over a period of nearly three-and-a-half years, Robinson ordered about 700kg of loose leaf tea from as far afield as China, Malawi and Sri Lanka, often at thousands of pounds a time. He often asked about the produce and requested photos to see if they were 'leafy enough'. Mr Rea, 36, said he had never before been asked by a customer to sign a confidentiality agreement. 'I agreed to sign it to keep the business relationship going,' he said. The paper was sent from Robinson – not from a lawyer – in October 2015, not long after he began buying from What-Cha. In February 2016, Robinson visited Mr Rea's business premises – a spare room at his Islington home – to pick up more tea. Robinson explained to the tea vendor he had been out of action for a while following a heart attack and would making big orders to help catch up with customers. Mr Rea did not know Robinson had a tea plantation but suspected he had been selling on his tea leaves. Peter Pejacsevich, a forester and farmer who owns 680 acres of land on the banks of Loch Tummel, said his interest was piqued when reading a news article about Scottish tea plantations in 2016. One of the people mentioned in the piece was Perthshire's Tam O'Braan whose tea, it stated, was being sold by Fortnum and Mason. Mr Pejacsevich, 70, decided to investigate further, with the idea of growing tea plants on his own land. By email, he contacted Robinson, who he knew only as O'Braan, before meeting up at his Amulree site. There, he could see about 100 or so plants, about a metre high, despite Robinson's claims he had a field of tens of thousands of plants near his home. 'I can't recall if he said if these were grown on the farm but the implication was that they were grown there,' said Mr Pejacsevich. The London-based landowner noticed Robinson had a slight limp, which he told him was 'the result of military action'. Mr Pejacsevich struck a deal to buy 1,200 plants at £15,000. Robinson was given a key and granted access to the farmer's land at Loch Tummel. He told Mr Pejacsevich a group of agricultural students had been employed to harvest the leaves. These so-called 'woofers' – a term for people who work for rural firms in exchange for bed and board – were said to have stayed at the farm with Robinson, although there was no evidence they ever existed. Some time later, Mr Pejacsevich was shown a tea menu from the Balmoral Hotel. It offered jasmine green tea 'grown on the banks of Loch Tummel'. Mr Pejacsevich said there had been no other teas growing near the loch and stressed he had not given Robinson permission to sell on tea from his plantation. In court, Robinson blamed a man called 'Billy' for looking after Mr Pejacsevich's crops. Antiques dealer and farmer Henry Baggott was – initially at least – an enthusiastic supporter. 'It was interesting to hear someone was growing tea in Scotland and doing it so well,' he said. 'It was exciting that someone was championing this here in Scotland.' He got in touch with Robinson – or O'Braan as he knew him – in 2015 and went to visit his farm. There he saw a few hundred plants. 'From what I saw, they seemed to be pretty healthy but it was all new to me at that stage.' During their talks, Robinson told Mr Baggott he had been in the army, 'in a regiment like the Paras.' 'If someone tells you they had been in the army, you believe them,' he said. After tests on his own soil at his wife's family farm near Castle Douglas, Baggott agreed to buy 700 plants. 'Tam came with a team from the plantation. 'There was very little guidance from Tam – it was very much dig a hole, pop in a plant and away we go. 'At the time, we thought this was great. 'It was only subsequently we looked closer and could see they had been badly planted and were in poor quality. They soon started dying.' In the first year, between 25-to-30% of the plants were lost. After about seven years, he only managed to harvest about 100 grammes of tea. Mr Baggott said Tam 'was a very hard man to get hold of after we initially planted his plants.'
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Chicago Cubs' rotation outlook is hazy — just like the skies at Wrigley Field in Friday's loss
The Chicago Cubs' rotation will be under the microscope at least until Shota Imanaga returns from his left hamstring strain, which could be sometime in June if his rehab goes according to plan. In the meantime, they'll try to get by with Jameson Taillon and four starters who came into the season as question marks due to past injuries, inconsistency or inexperience. Colin Rea, Matt Boyd, Ben Brown and rookie Cade Horton have collectively filled the void so far, as evidenced by the Cubs' 14-8 record since Imanaga's injury. But some bumps in the road are to be expected, and Friday was one of those days for Rea, who turned in a subpar performance in a 6-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds before 36,019 at Wrigley Field. After the game, the Cubs announced left-handed reliever Drew Pomeranz would start Saturday's game, the second time manager Craig Counsell will employ an opener this season. The right-handed Brown is expected to follow Pomeranz. The Cubs looked dazed and confused Friday against Reds starter Andrew Abbott, who held them scoreless and to one hit in a seven-inning outing. A late rally in the eighth fizzled out, and they stranded four baserunners in the final two innings. 'We didn't swing the bats too great, but a lot of that is in part due to (Abbott) today,' Dansby Swanson said. So the Cubs saw their win streak snapped at four under a hazy sky due to the Canadian wildfires, as Rea served up three home runs in 5 2/3 innings, including one to TJ Friedl leading off the game. Rea allowed six runs on 10 hits in his second straight shellacking by the Reds. His ERA rose from 2.38 to 3.96 after those two losses. After last Sunday's comeback against the Reds bullpen in an 11-8 win, the crowd appeared ready for a rerun Friday when they broke through in the eighth. But Kyle Tucker grounded into an inning-ending double play with two men on, and Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong failed to deliver against Emilio Pagán with two on in the ninth. And now for something completely different — the Cubs will use an opener again, as Counsell searches for a way to fix Brown's first-inning woes. 'The best way to win the game we think is to consider an opener (Saturday), depending on who is available,' Counsell said before the game. 'We'll look at that. That's kind of how the decision gets made. There are things Ben can do better. When you use an opener for a starter, you're trying to get a better solution for the first innings and probably get a better solution as you get to the back end of the appearance.' Brown has posted a 9.90 ERA in his first innings, and gave up runs in the opening frame of three of his last four starts, including four against the Reds last Sunday in Cincinnati. He has the stuff, but can often be his own worst enemy. 'The last two (games), and three of my four rough outings this year, have been like the first inning,' the 25-year-old Brown said. 'Not being locked in, whether mentally or physically … that really sets me up for failure later in the game. 'I don't necessarily think it's like a problem with the third time through the order, because I've done it plenty of times where I've done really good things as the game has progressed.' Brown said he's worked on things to 'tone down the intensity' of his first innings. In his last start, he walked the first two Reds batters in a four-run inning before settling down, then gave up four more runs in the fifth. Counsell said Friday that Brown 'gave away the first 10 pitches of the game, essentially.' It proved costly, though the Cubs came back from an 8-3 deficit in that 11-8 win. 'It's always a gut check,' but Ryan Pressly is trusting the process as role evolves in Chicago Cubs bullpenCounsell said the hardest innings for starters are typically the first and the sixth or seventh, meaning their last one. 'We tend to examine routine a little bit when you struggle with it,' he said of Brown. 'Frankly, it's an easier way to make some tweaks than maybe adding a changeup, right? A little easier to think about some adjustments there. So it's a place we can spend some time with some focus and just do something different, because it warrants doing something different.' Counsell said Brown is not in danger of losing his starting spot. He didn't rule out using an opener for Brown again, but added he could do that for any other starter. Counsell used an opener for Cade Horton in his major-league debut on May 10 against the New York Mets, trying to alleviate the pressure on the rookie by using reliever Brad Keller to face Mets sluggers Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. It worked out well for Horton and the Cubs in a 6-5 win at Citi Field. Managers have been looking for solutions to pitchers' problems forever, with varying degrees of success. Once in a while, they turn to unconventional methods to solve age-old issues. Some ideas work. Some are best forgotten. Back in July 1995, former White Sox manager Terry Bevington announced a plan to fix a recurring issue in which Sox starters issued too many walks and frequently watched them come around to score. 'I know for a fact that the starters will not allow more than two walks to score,' Bevington declared after one such game. 'I know that for a fact. It will never happen again. Guarantee it.' Guarantee it? How so? 'They walk two guys (and) they score, they're coming out of the game,' he said. 'I've seen enough.' The automatic hook was called 'the 'Bev' rule,' and became a running joke in the Sox press box. But it never came to fruition after veteran starter Jim Abbott told the media the Bev rule would put undue pressure on the starters. Bevington chickened out, and Abbott, perhaps not coincidentally, was traded to the California Angels a couple weeks later. Counsell's idea is more conventional, and unlike Bevington, he's a well-respected manager with a history of success. Using an opener has been a much-copied strategy in baseball since Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash began using them frequently in 2018. The opener for Saturday could be a one-time thing to help Brown focus. Or it could be the start of a new trend. Either way, Counsell is not afraid to try something different if he believes it can help lead to a Cubs win, and Brown has already bought into the idea. 'Without putting too much pressure on (myself) when I go out there my first inning of pitching, I'm not going to be in panic mode,' Brown said. 'And that's step one.' The plan is in place. Now it's up to the Cubs to make it work.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction on improvement plan for Southwest Boulevard to start this summer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Expect to see more construction signs and cones on the Kansas City, Missouri side of a stretch of Southwest Boulevard. The city announced it would be . On Tuesday, westside residents got to see what the future of the historic street will look like. Kansas City mayor says Royals stadium plan could be done soon Construction on the water lines is already underway and should wrap up soon. Next will be the start of the plan city leaders say will make road conditions safer for drivers and people walking around. The project includes water main replacement, sidewalk repairs and overall beautifying the space, a total investment of $43.6 million. 'Currently, we have about $4 million to invest in Southwest Boulevard and that's to implement the traffic plan that the community has engaged with the city for the last year and a half,' Fourth District at Large Councilman Crispin Rea said. Rea said the streetscape improvements will stretch from 25th Street to Broadway. FOX4 Newsletters: Sign up for daily forecasts and Joe's Weather Blog in your inbox It will mean fewer lanes, more parking and safer crosswalks. Alice Gomez who's lived in the westside for decades, said she's looking forward to see how the improvements will impact the area that's home to local businesses and growing. 'New houses are being built in this area now and new people are moving in,' Gomez said. Southwest Boulevard has been known for street races. The city hopes the traffic plans, like reducing the number of lanes, will be a more permanent solution to deter reckless driving and bring in more people to see the culture and pride of the boulevard. 'It's going to look nice for the neighborhood so we can be proud of that,' Gomez said. The goal is to have phase one complete by the World Cup. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV 'This is an important area to showcase for the world to see when they're here,' Rea added. Part of the street improvements will make a three-lane section with a shared use path. That construction could start as soon as July. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Laurel County tornado victims look toward future as law enforcement cracks down on looters
LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Friday night into Saturday was nothing short of a nightmare for people in the path of the tornado that wiped out parts of southern Kentucky. 'It felt like it lasted a million years, but it was probably 30 seconds,' said tornado survivor Julie Rea. Rea and her husband took shelter in their pantry just before the tornado completely leveled their home. It's a sight she said she'll never forget. 'I just threw a couple blankets in, and my husband said, 'Get in now.' And as soon as I got in, I turned around to look at him, and I could see the house coming apart behind him. I could see the wind,' she said, looking back on the horrific scene that unfolded around her. Beshear confirms at least 19 dead after Kentucky storms Rea told FOX 56 that with what's left of the home they raised their now 21-year-old son in, they shouldn't be here, and it's nothing short of a miracle that they survived. 'I grabbed my head, and I remembered my Mamaw always said that if you were scared and didn't have anything to say, just say 'Jesus.' And I just kept saying, 'Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,' over and over. My husband said, 'We didn't climb out. We stood up and walked out.' And that's nothing but the grace of God,' Rea said. The path of the tornado looks like a war zone. Did weather service staffing cuts impact tornado warnings for Kentuckians? Beshear weighs in Among the debris left behind, it's hard to tell what's what. But for looters, it's a gold mine, and law enforcement is cracking down so that the only thing survivors have to focus on is building their lives back. 'We make no bones about it. If we catch you out there looting, you're going to be arrested and taken to jail,' said Deputy Sheriff Gilbert Acciardo, with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office. 'We saturate the area with marked patrol vehicles during the day, and we do also night, but we're also limiting access to those areas at night as well with checkpoints. So, if you don't belong there, we don't let you in.' Acciardo said looting hasn't been much of an issue so far. In fact, the opposite has happened. 'A local minister found this shotgun in the ditch, and you can see it's muddy. It's definitely weathered the storm. And he brought it into us,' said Acciardo, holding the antique rifle that was found in the rubble. 'It looks like a family heirloom, but it's important to someone. That's why they had it. So hopefully we'll be able to get it back to them.' Laurel County fire major killed in line of duty during storms While that item is one that was found, there are still countless items missing, including pets. 'Our cat jumped out of my husband's arms as soon as the tornado was over. We don't care if everything that's left there is bulldozed as long as we can find Rosie,' said Rea. Rea told FOX 56 that Rosie is an 18-pound black cat that is declawed. While she is grateful that she, her husband, her son, and their dog are all OK, she is hopeful that this missing part of her family will be reunited with them soon. They're taking everything one day at a time. Read more of the latest Kentucky news 'It's a lot of grief. It's a lot of process. It's a lot of feelings. But we are going to not go quickly. We are going to take our time, and we are going to make sure that we feel everything go through the process and just take care of ourselves before we do anything else,' Rea said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
