25 Jul 2024

With big goals and gambles, Paris aims to reset the Olympics with a wow opening

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By JOHN LEICESTER, Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Paris has long been a city of dreamers: Just look at the Eiffel Tower, for decades the world’s loftiest structure. Audacity also underpins the French capital’s plans for its first Olympic Games in a century, which open Friday with an opening ceremony for the ages.

The most sprawling and elaborate Olympic opening ever — a gala spectacular Friday evening on the River Seine that even French President Emmanuel Macron says initially felt like “a crazy and not very serious idea” — kicks off 16 days of competition that promise to be ground-breaking, with nearly every corner of the city hosting some aspect of competition.

Children play at a splash fountain area near signage for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Nice, France. Nice will host six soccer matches during the summer games. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

After two toned-down, pandemic-hampered Olympics, expect a bold celebration. The heady marriage of sports and France’s world-renowned capital of fashion, gastronomy and culture could also help secure the Olympics’ longer-term future.

Olympic organizers were struggling to find suitable host cities for their flagship Summer Games when they settled on Paris in 2017, enticed by its promise of innovations and the potential for the city of romance to rekindle love for the Olympics, especially with younger audiences that have so many other entertainment options.

But Paris’ challenges are huge, too.

Past and present sorrows hang over the Games

The city that has been repeatedly struck by deadly extremist attacks has to safeguard 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors. The international context of wars in Ukraine and Gaza add layers of complication for the gargantuan security effort. French elite special forces are part of the security detail for Israel’s delegation.

Still, if all goes well, Paris hopes to be remembered as a before-and-after Olympic watershed.

FILE – Police check the public for credentials to enter a security perimeter near the Eiffel Tower ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Paris. Three days before the start of the Olympics, France’s Interior Minister has hailed the country’s law enforcement for their hard work in making the Paris Games safe for 10,500 athletes and millions of visitors. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

The first Games with nearly equal numbers of men and women, an advance that’s been a long time coming since 22 women first got accepted as Olympians 124 years ago, also in Paris, will take another step toward aligning the Olympics with the post-#MeToo world.

Paris also hopes to reassure climate-conscious Generations Z and beyond by staging Games that are less polluting, more sustainable and more socially virtuous than their predecessors. Many of the sports venues are temporary, because Paris didn’t want to repeat the mistake of previous Olympic host cities that built new arenas and then had no use for them.

With iconic Paris monuments as backdrops — beach volleyball in the Eiffel Tower’s shadow — and breakdancing added to a growing list of Olympic sports that target young audiences, expect plenty of viral moments on Instagram, TikTok and elsewhere.

Athletes play at the Tour Eiffel stadium that will host the Beach Volleyball on the Champs-de-Mars, at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Wednesday July 24 2024. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)

Crowds will be back for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic forced Tokyo to push back its Games to 2021 and keep spectators away, and the Beijing Winter Games in 2022, when China was locked down.

Prize-winning French theater director Thomas Jolly is turning central Paris into an open-air stage for the opening ceremony that will run through sunset and showcase France, its people and their history. The 330-meter-tall (1,083-foot-tall) Eiffel Tower will surely feature prominently.

Bangladeshi tourist Rushnia Nur Rayfa stands in front of the Eiffel Tower ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 22, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.

During the extravaganza, a no-fly zone extending for 150 kilometers (93 miles) around the capital will close Paris’ skies, policed by fighter jets, airspace-monitoring AWACS surveillance flights, surveillance drones, helicopters that can carry sharpshooters and drone-disabling equipment.

Helping Parisians move past the attacks of 2015

Showcasing and celebrating Paris could be joyously cathartic for the city that was plunged into mourning by extremist attacks in 2015.

Guesses about the identity of the person or people who might get the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron include soccer icon Zinedine Zidane and other French sporting heroes, but also survivors of Islamic State-group gunmen and suicide bombers who killed 130 people on Nov. 13, 2015.

A couple stand next to a security fence placed around Notre Dame cathedral ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 22, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Paris is also taking gambles in hopes of leaving an indelible impression on the Olympics’ global audience of billions.

The decision not to stage the opening ceremony in the traditional setting of France’s biggest stadium — the Stade de France that was among the 2015 attackers’ targets and is now the venue for Olympic track and field and rugby sevens — and to host skateboarding, archery and other sports in temporary arenas in the heart of Paris have made safeguarding the Games more complex.

Officers from the National Police Intervention Force stand watch outside Sacre Coeur of Montmartre Basilica, ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 22, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Rights campaigners and Games critics worry about the broad scope and scale of Olympic security, including the use of AI-equipped surveillance technology.

Paris’ reach stretches to the Pacific

The furthest venue is on the other side of the world in the French Pacific territory of Tahiti, where Olympic surfers will compete on famously giant waves that first form in storm belts off Antarctica.

Up to 45,000 police and gendarmes, plus 10,000 soldiers, are safeguarding Paris and its suburbs that together are hosting most of the 32 sports that will crown Olympic champions in 329 medal events. The gold, silver and bronze medals they’ll hand out are inlaid with a hexagonal, polished chunk of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower.

A worker drives a golf cart inside the competition venue for BMX freestyle ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

The Seine’s banks and riverside roads and more than a dozen of its bridges were fenced off nine days ahead of the opening ceremony, creating a no-go zone for people who haven’t applied in advance for passes and making it tough for Parisians and visitors to get around and see the sights in the city of 2 million. Owners of restaurants and other businesses inside the security fence are howling about fewer customers.

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Leaving an Olympic legacy for Paris

Limiting new construction has saved money and, Paris organizers say, contributed to their goal of halving the Games’ overall carbon footprint compared with London in 2012 and Rio in 2016. Among the new venues, an Olympic aquatics center in Seine Saint-Denis is expected to help that underprivileged suburb of northern Paris teach more children to swim.

French organizers argue that the Games will leave positive impacts on Paris long after the Olympians and Paralympic athletes who follow from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8 have departed.

A costly and complex cleanup of the long-polluted Seine, sped up by the deadline of the Games, is expected to reopen the river to public swimming next year, after Olympic marathon swimmers and triathletes have competed in it. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip this month to demonstrate that its waters are safe.

With estimated overall costs of around 9 billion euros ($9.7 billion), more than half from sponsors, ticket sales and other non-public funding, Paris’ expenses so far are less than for Tokyo, Rio and London.

A cyclist argues with police officers near Le Louvre museum at the security perimeter set up for the Olympic Games, Thursday, July 18, 2024 in Paris. A special kind of iron curtain came down across central Paris on Thursday, with the beginning of an Olympic anti-terrorism perimeter along the banks of the River Seine sealing off a kilometers-long (miles-long) area to Parisians and tourists who hadn’t applied in advance for a pass. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Once opening ceremony fireworks have become memories, the City of Light will then become the playground of Olympians.

American gymnastics superstar Simon Biles is back. French-born basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama will carry home hopes on his 7-foot-4 (2.24-meter) frame. Ukrainian and Palestinian athletes have points they want to prove about conflict, resilience and sacrifice that go beyond the realms of sport.

The lucky few will win medals. Many will wish they had gone higher, faster and stronger.

But, together, they’ll always have Paris.

25 Jul 2024

Best nonstick pans

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Which nonstick pans are best for cooking?

If you’ve ever tried cooking a new recipe only to have your food stick to the surface of the pan, you might want to consider investing in a nonstick option. The best nonstick pans are great for everything from fish to eggs to pancakes and everything else in between.

While some home chefs prefer stainless steel frying pans, a nonstick pan will make your cleanup much more manageable, reducing the amount of time spent washing dishes. Available in various sizes and styles, there is sure to be a nonstick pan that will suit all of your cooking needs.

Why choose a nonstick pan?

There are several benefits of using nonstick pans that will make your cooking experience more enjoyable. As the name implies, most foods will not stick to the slick surface of your pan. They reduce the risk of burning your ingredients and are perfect for amateur cooks.

Nonstick pans are also significantly easier to wash than stainless steel models, requiring more scrubbing and elbow grease to clean leftover residue.

Many people prefer nonstick pans because they require a much smaller coating of oil or fat, allowing you to cook and serve healthier meals.

Types of coating

Nonstick pans aren’t all the same. With plenty of options on the market, it can be hard to know which type of pan is best for your kitchen habits.

Sol-gel ceramic coating

Most nonstick pans use nontoxic coating from organic materials, producing a safe and convenient way to cook your food. However, pans using this style of coating may not be as durable as others.

PTFE coating

PTFE is the traditional nonstick coating, and this option is widely used in today’s cookware, offering long-lasting nonstick properties. There are some health concerns related to PTFE coatings when misused, damaged or excessively heated. Though certain chemicals, such as PFOA, have been banned, it is still a good idea to replace any flaking or damaged pans that contain a PTFE coating.

Enameled cast iron

Cast iron pans are trusted and reliable cooking vessels. Those with enamel coatings offer a professional nonstick experience but often come with a high price tag.

Anodized aluminum coating

Frying pans made using this process are tough, easy-to-clean and heat food quickly and efficiently. As with other nonstick pans, you’ll want to avoid causing scratches or scrapes in the coating to prevent any issues.

Best small nonstick pans

Copper Chef 8-inch Nonstick Fry Pan

The ceramic coating used on this pan is not only safe and suitable for all stove types, but the stylish appearance will look great in any kitchen. It is very easy to clean and rinse.

RAVELLI Italia Linea 30 8-inch Nonstick Frying Pan

As a standard option, this relatively inexpensive frying pan’s design evenly heats food so that you can create consistent dishes every time. The handle is heat-resistant so you can move the pan around easily while cooking.

GreenPan Rio 8-inch & 10-inch Ceramic Fry Pans Set

With a retro mid-century turquoise design, you’ll enjoy displaying these pans when not whipping up your favorite dinner. The handle stays cool to the touch, while the safe ceramic coating eliminates any potential for toxic fumes.

Best mid-sized nonstick pans

Le Creuset 10-inch Toughened Nonstick PRO Fry Pan

Strong and durable, this professional-quality nonstick pan allows you to achieve a perfect sear on your meats and seafood. It also comes in a 12-inch version.

Ninja Foodi NeverStick Premium Hard-Anodized 10 1/4-Inch Fry Pan

Built to never chip or flake, this reliable pan is oven-safe and can handle high heat. You can even use metal cooking utensils without risking damage.

Tramontina 10-inch Professional Aluminum Nonstick Restaurant Fry Pan

Made with NSF-certified commercial-grade aluminum, this nontoxic pan allows you to cook restaurant-quality meals in the comfort of your own home. It is also available in 12-inch and 14-inch versions and comes with a lifetime warranty.

Granite Stone Professional Frying Pan Set 10-inch and 11.5-inch

The hard-anodized aluminum is highly wear-resistant, giving you years of peak performance. Gas, electric or induction, these nonstick pans are suitable for any stove style.

Best large nonstick pans

Ailwyn 11-inch Nonstick Deep Frying Pan

A deep frying pan that’s great for larger meals, this nonstick pan, designed in a beautiful blue color, also features a convenient silicon-sealed lid. This nonstick pan is easy to hold, durable and heat resistant.

OXO Good Grips 12-inch Nonstick Black Frying Pan

A classic black 12-inch frying pan from OXO, this model sports a 3-layer German-engineered coating containing no PFOA and is incredibly easy to clean by hand.

GreenPan Lima 12-inch Ceramic NonStick Covered Frypan

Another top-rated option from GreenPan, home cooks will appreciate the included lid, which can be helpful when cooking saucy meals or when keeping food warm before serving.

Best nonstick cookware sets

Calphalon Premier Space Saving Nonstick 10-Piece Set

If you’re in the market for premium nonstick cookware, this Calphalon complete set includes both an 8-inch and 10-inch frying pan, as well as various other pots and pans in different sizes. Plus, they effortlessly stack together to reduce cabinet clutter.

T-fal Ultimate Hard Anodized Nonstick 12 Piece Cookware Set

Constructed from nonstick-reinforced titanium, this complete cookware set features two frying pans, sauce pots, a Dutch oven, a spatula and a spoon.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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25 Jul 2024

Gas Leaks Could be Costing New York City Taxpayers More Than $70 Million a Year

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New York City firefighters responded to more gas leaks than any other city in the nation, a new study found.

Adi Talwar

In New York City, firefighters responded to more than 22,000 uncombusted gas leaks in 2018 alone, the most of any major city in the country.

Fighting gas leaks in New York City could be costing taxpayers more than $70 million a year, a new report by the research and policy institute PSE Healthy Energy finds.

The study analyzed gas leaks that were reported to the federal government’s National Fire Incident Reporting System and confirmed by firefighters in cities across the nation between 2003 and 2018, before the pandemic brought the world to a halt.

“A preliminary analysis suggests that the number of possible responses to gas leaks has continued to increase through 2023,” Sebastian Rowland, one of the authors of the study warned.

This is particularly concerning for New York, where firefighters responded to more than 22,000 uncombusted gas leaks in 2018 alone, a number that far surpasses those registered in other U.S cities. New York had over four times the amount of responses to gas leaks than Chicago, which took second place in the study’s ranking, with a little over 5,000 incidents recorded in 2018.

The Empire State also had two other cities make the top of the list: Yonkers and Rochester came in third and fourth in the ranking, with over 1,000 reported incidents each.

When gas leaks, the study notes, it relases carbon monoxide and dozens of hazardous pollutants, including carcinogens like benzene and formaldehyde.

“What’s important about this study is that it illustrates an often hidden cost of maintaining this natural gas system. And it identifies who is bearing these costs: the fire departments and the taxpayers,” Rowland pointed out.

The mounting costs of keeping the gas system up and running is a major concern for environmentalists across New York, where a landmark climate law passed in 2019 has promised to phase out the use of climate change-inducing fossil fuels like gas. The goal is to have 70 percent of the states’ power come from renewable energy by 2030.

Not sticking with that mandate could cost New York an additional $115 billion, warns a plan designed by the state for moving off fossil fuels.

In an attempt to make the transition to renewable energy, gas hookups in new construction have been banned on both the local and state levels. In New York City the mandate is already in effect for new buildings of seven stories or less, and it will apply to larger buildings starting in 2027. A statewide policy will go into effect in 2026.

But gas companies argue that sticking with gas is actually cheaper.

“America has an abundance of natural gas resources. Together with the nation’s extensive infrastructure, natural gas can satisfy current and future domestic energy demand while keeping prices affordable and stable for decades into the future,” said an association representing the gas industry, the American Gas Association (AGA), on its website.

While the price of gas remains affordable, Jessica Azulay, environmentalist and program director at Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE), says there is a caveat.

“We don’t think about all of the other costs that go into getting the gas to us. The utilities invest in maintaining gas pipelines, for example, and then the [customers] are on the hook for paying them back over many, many years,” Azulay explained.

Adi Talwar

National Grid laying a gas line in Bushwick, Brooklyn, in early August of 2019.

The largest portion of a customer’s utility bill, 51 percent, covers the cost of actually delivering gas to people’s homes. That “includes maintenance, safety, operations, depreciation and other expenses related to the pipeline distribution network,” according to the American Gas Association. 

The cost of natural gas itself makes up 41 percent of a customer’s gas bill, and the remaining 8 percent goes to taxes. There are also costs associated with keeping the gas system up and running that don’t make it into a utility bill at all.

Spending taxpayer dollars for firefighters to investigate uncombusted gas leaks takes resources away from other emergencies like traffic collisions, fires and medical emergencies, the PSE Healthy Energy study points out.

And there are environmental costs: gas releases methane, a powerful greenhouse emission that drives global warming and has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere.

“Whether it’s the costs of our utility bills, the costs brought on by climate emergencies like flooding or these relentless heat waves, New Yorkers are already footing a massive bill because of our reliance on gas,” said Liz Moran, policy advocate at the environmental group EarthJustice.  

And building all-electric homes, Moran says, would eliminate the risk of gas leaks.

“In order to save New Yorkers money and protect public health, we need to get away from the gas system as soon as possible.”

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Mariana@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

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25 Jul 2024

Minnesota United at Seattle Sounders: Keys to the match, projected starting XI and a prediction

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Minnesota United at Seattle Sounders

When: 9 p.m. CT Friday
Where: Lumen Field
Stream: Apple TV Season Pass
Weather: 74 degrees, sunny, 9 mph south wind

Context: MNUFC, Seattle and Liga MX club Necaxa are the three teams in Leagues Cup West Group 6. The Loons will play Necaxa at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Allianz Field. Seattle and Necaxa don’t play until Aug. 4 in Washington. The top two teams advance to the knockout rounds.

Flashback: The Loons beat Puebla 4-0 and lost 3-2 to Chicago Fire in the inaugural Leagues Cup group stage last summer. United then topped Columbus and Toluca, each in penalty kicks, in the first two knockout rounds before falling 5-0 to Nashville in the quarterfinals.

Series history: The Loons have lost all nine MLS matches played in Seattle since 2017, including a 2-0 loss on June 15.

“It was one of the worst days we had out in Seattle, really strange situation,” head coach Eric Ramsay said Tuesday. “We went there on the celebration of their club’s existence, I suppose, and it took a long time for the game to get going. Then we lose (Devin Padelford to a concussion). It was as flat a game as we’ve had all year.”

View: MLS continues to undercut the quality of its products. Take Robin Lod’s week for example. The Loons midfielder got a career thrill of playing in the All-Star Game in Columbus on Wednesday, but how close that showcase comes to Friday’s Leagues Cup match puts Lod as “very unlikely” to play against Sounders, Ramsay said.

Seattle didn’t have an all-star selection this season, while the Loons are expected to be without its best player. MLS’ condensed schedule is to blame.

Absences: Michael Boxall (international duty), Wil Trapp (hamstring), DJ Taylor (hamstring), Sang Bin Jeong (personal matter) are out. Lod (all-star game) is doubtful.

Projected XI: In a 5-2-3 formation, LW Samuel Shashoua, CF Tani Oluwaseyi, RW Bongi Hlongwane; CM Hassani Dotson, CM Alejandro Bran; LWB Joseph Rosales, Devin Padelford, CB Micky Tapias, CB Carlos Harvey, RWB Caden Clark; GK Dayne St. Clair.

Check-in: Rosales has become one of the best wingbacks in MLS this season, meaning he is underpaid at $93,988 in guaranteed compensation, according to the MLS Players Association. Reports out of Honduras this week has MNUFC working on a contract extension with the improving 23-year-old.

Another check-in: Franco Fragapane is out of contract at the end of the season and reports out of Argentina link the winger in a move back to his home country. MNUFC will keep its ears open to potential value in return for the 31-year-old; that’s what Loons did in selling Kervin Arriaga to Partizan in Serbia once they were unable to reach a contract extension.

Player to watch: Hlongwane scored seven goals in 412 minutes in the 2023 Leagues Cup, challenging superstar Lionel Messi for the tournament’s golden boot. The South African is also coming off a nice header goal in the 2-0 win over San Jose in MLS play on Saturday.

Scouting report: Seattle has allowed the third-fewest goals in MLS this season (29). They had three straight shutout wins until LAFC beat them 3-0 on Saturday.

Prediction: The Loons are again so shorthanded it’s hard for them to field a quality starting lineup, and Seattle has completely owned MNUFC in Washington. It’s hard not to see more of the same as Seattle wins comfortably at 3-1.