In the case of the bathhouses in Zhengzhou, the sudden onset of symptoms among multiple patrons raises red flags about potential carbon monoxide exposure. This situation not only poses a serious health risk to the individuals affected but also raises questions about the safety measures in place at these establishments.Title: "Ming Dynasty: Wings of Abyss" Overseas Promotion - Stunning Visuals and Impressive Combat Moves on Display!
According to the reports, the accused, a former cashier of a subsidiary company, was found guilty of embezzling company funds totaling close to 20 million yuan. The embezzlement came to light when discrepancies in the financial records were uncovered during an internal audit. Subsequent investigations revealed a sophisticated scheme of falsifying records and siphoning off funds over an extended period.One key aspect of the new standards is the recognition of various forms of evidence beyond physical injuries. While visible marks and bruises are often associated with domestic violence, it is essential to understand that abuse can take many forms, including emotional, psychological, financial, and sexual abuse. By acknowledging the diverse ways in which domestic violence can manifest, the new regulations provide a more comprehensive approach to identifying and addressing abuse.In recent years, the relationship between China and South Korea has faced various challenges and opportunities. The two countries have a complex history and a shared interest in maintaining stability and prosperity in the region. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has reiterated that China's position on China-South Korea relations has always been consistent, emphasizing the importance of respecting South Korea's internal affairs.
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: Dec. 23 The Washington Post on President Biden's commutation of death sentences President Joe Biden’s Monday announcement that he would commute the death sentences of 37 federal inmates should not be seen as an act of mercy for people convicted of awful crimes. It was a substantial move to align the United States with the rest of the democratic world, which has largely abandoned the practice of killing people as an instrument of justice. In other words, Mr. Biden’s use of his commutation power was extraordinary — and insufficient. Three men will remain on federal death row, and more people could be put there in future years. Meanwhile, many states continue to execute people. We say this while acknowledging the horrors these people committed; the three men Mr. Biden left on death row were convicted of mass shootings or terrorist attacks. We also acknowledge that a majority of Americans still favors the death penalty, despite a downward trend in recent years. Mr. Biden’s attempt to split the difference, leaving what he considered the worst of the worst on death row, is therefore understandable. Yet the death penalty is expensive, impractical and too often unjustly applied. And, even if the death penalty posed none of these problems, the government should not purposely take lives outside of war or similar conflict. The state should be better — far better — than those who unnecessarily and premeditatedly extinguish human life. Our view has seen substantial wins in recent years. Executions have plummeted as public support for the practice has moderated. But 2024 offered multiple signs that the momentum may be ebbing. President-elect Donald Trump promised during his campaign to expand the death penalty . And the Death Penalty Information Center, in its annual end-of-year report, shows that the number of executions nationwide, though still far below their heights at the turn of the century, have been ticking upward in recent years. Twenty-five people were executed in the United States in 2024, slightly up from the previous year and more than twice the three-decade low reached in 2021. That’s largely the result of efforts by officials in Republican-run states to reactivate the death penalty. Three states this year — Utah, South Carolina and Indiana — carried out their first executions in more than a decade. Alabama also experimented with a new way to kill its inmates : asphyxiating them with nitrogen gas. The first person subjected to this method, Kenneth Smith, convulsed and gasped for air for four minutes. Following the execution, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall encouraged other states to adopt the method. “Alabama has done it, and now so can you,” he said. Increasingly, states are carrying out these executions behind a veil of secrecy. Just last week, Indiana, citing state law, executed Joseph Corcoran with no media witnesses . This year also saw an increase in the number of people sentenced to death, from 21 in 2023 to 26. About a third of those sentences were imposed by nonunanimous juries, thanks to laws in Florida and Alabama that allow jurors to recommend the death sentence even if they don’t reach consensus. In fact, Florida in 2023 enacted legislation allowing death sentences to be imposed if just 8 out of 12 jurors vote in favor. Of course, as Mr. Biden acknowledged in his Monday announcement, most people with death sentences in the United States committed heinous crimes and deserve little sympathy. But one can condemn such acts while also maintaining that executing criminals cannot bring back victims of those crimes or make whole those who lost loved ones. Also, mistakes happen, even in an advanced criminal justice system such as that of the United States. In July, Larry Roberts became the 200th person sentenced to death to be exonerated of his alleged crime since the DPIC starting tracking wrongful convictions in 1973. No one should be comfortable with that number. Since 1976, when the Supreme Court ended its four-year moratorium on the death penalty, more than 1,600 people have been executed in the United States. How many of them were likewise innocent? ONLINE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/12/23/death-penalty-trump-criminal-justice/ Dec. 24 The New York Times on the teen mental health crisis Rates of anxiety and depression in adolescents have been rising for years . Millions of Americans with mental health problems are not getting the treatment they need for myriad reasons. Many families can’t afford it. And many young people also don’t know where to turn for help. The UJA-Federation of New York, an organization created in 1917 to provide Jewish New Yorkers with economic and social support, is trying to fill the coverage gap for young adults of all backgrounds. The organization helps them get care from its network of mental health professionals through educational outreach at schools, community centers and even coffee shops. This kind of localized approach has long been recommended by experts because it has been shown to reach people who might not otherwise seek treatment or support. “Since UJA was founded — and that’s now well over 100 years ago — we have focused on critical issues facing New Yorkers in need,” said Alex Roth-Kahn, a managing director at the organization. That mission has led to decades of supporting people with mental health challenges. Just this year, Marcellus Williams was executed in Missouri for a 1998 murder, even though the prosecuting attorney in St. Louis County filed a motion to vacate his death sentence because DNA testing of the murder weapon ruled him out. And in Texas, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is fighting the death sentence of Robert Robertson, convicted in the death of his 2-year-old, who prosecutors said died of shaken baby syndrome — though Robertson’s lawyers have cited medical and forensic experts who concluded she likely died from undiagnosed pneumonia. Mr. Biden’s intervention this week is a nod to the flaws of the death penalty, but also a need for a system that claims human dignity and equal application of the law as its driving values. State and federal lawmakers should finish the job by abolishing the practice. ONLINE: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/24/opinion/communities-fund-uja-federation.html Dec. 23 The Wall Street Journal on rising life expectancy in the United States Some good news as 2024 nears the end: Life expectancy in the U.S. last year made an unusually sharp increase as deaths from most major causes declined, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Americans can expect more longevity gains in the future—as long as Washington doesn’t introduce harmful policies. Life expectancy in 2023 rose 0.9 years to 78.4 while the overall mortality rate adjusted for age declined 6%. Death rates among all age groups fell, and more sharply for middle-aged Americans and seniors. A typical 65-year-old can expect to live another 19.5 years, up from 18.9 years in 2022. The large rebound in a single year owes largely to a decline in Covid deaths as the pandemic receded into the past. Covid deaths last year were roughly the same as those from the flu during a bad flu season. Death rates from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and unintentional injuries (e.g., drug overdoses) also declined. It’s true that U.S. life expectancy is still lower, and deaths from most causes somewhat higher, than before the pandemic when it reached an overall average of 78.8 years. But that’s because of an increase in chronic illnesses, which may have been exacerbated by the pandemic lockdowns. Forced to stay home, many Americans ate and drank more and used more drugs. The Biden Administration claimed credit for the lifespan increase because drug overdoses declined slightly in 2023. Perhaps political attention to the fentanyl scourge is making a difference. But overdoses were still 50% higher last year than in 2019. The truth is that the Administration’s “harm reduction” policies—e.g., distributing sterile needles and opioid-overdose medicine naloxone to addicts—have failed to reduce addiction. A common lament on the political left and right is that the U.S. has a lower life expectancy despite spending more on healthcare than most developed countries. But America also has more chronic disease and drug addiction, which aren’t from failings in private healthcare. Americans have access to more treatments than any country in the world. This is why U.S. cancer survival rates are higher than in most developed countries and continue to improve. Personalized cancer vaccines and CAR T-cell therapies have shown potential to treat deadly cancers like pancreatic and glioblastoma. GLP-1 medicines like Ozempic could help extend lifespans by reducing obesity, diabetes and even drug addictions. The policy risk is that government drug price controls will discourage innovation. Expanding government control over healthcare isn’t the way to make Americans healthier. ONLINE: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/cdc-u-s-life-expectancy-rises-covid-mortality-chronic-illness-drugs-pharma-e2f03030?mod=editorials_article_pos3 Dec. 24 The Boston Globe says Republicans taking directions from Elon Musk might want to reconsider Until last week’s budget debacle, Elon Musk was a warm-up act for President-elect Donald Trump. Like the many adulatory openers at Trump rallies and Republican gatherings, he amped up the crowd — but strictly in preparation for the main act. While Democrats like to flash star power at events — A-listers, movie stars, and pop icons — in today’s Republican Party, Trump is the star power. But the rise of Musk as a political figure means that another successful, powerful businessman is potentially poised to eclipse Trump’s voice in the Republican Party, whether he intends to or not. That’s a problem for Trump, who isn’t exactly used to sharing the limelight. The MAGA movement, as Trump allies describe it, is built around the idea that politicians of all stripes are too blinded by corruption, political complications, and self-interest to serve the needs of the American people. Such a movement necessitates an audacious leader who isn’t afraid to break with the pack and stand out — someone exactly like Trump. His no-holds-barred style of leadership has allowed him to quickly overhaul the Republican Party, elevating loyalists and his favored policies with little regard for pushback from liberals or traditional Republicans. Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, owner of X (formerly Twitter), and the world’s richest man, has been one of Trump’s most important allies in spreading that message. His endorsement, his campaigning efforts, his nearly quarter of a billion dollar America PAC, his energizing rally appearances, and even his transformation of X into a “town square” have been vital to spreading Republican messaging. Musk has been a dutiful “First Buddy.” But he could become more than that, as he revealed last week. Starting early Wednesday morning, a mere series of X posts from Musk helped to derail a bipartisan congressional deal to fund the government and avert a shutdown. That Musk had concerns about a 1,500-page budget bill isn’t the issue here; it’s safe to assume that any impenetrable packet of government spending contains eyebrow-raising allocations. What is of concern is how Musk seemingly single-handedly hijacked the process — and how Republicans let him. On X, Musk and his sidekick Vivek Ramaswamy praised Republicans who bowed to his opposition of the bill and put on notice those who didn’t. “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk posted early Wednesday afternoon, generating more than 47 million views. He beat Trump to the punch — or, maybe, pushed the president-elect into action. Twelve hours after Musk’s first post opposing the bill, JD Vance and Trump released a statement condemning the bill. And that evening, Trump posted on Truth Social that “Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be primaried.” So Republican leaders dutifully withdrew the bill and replaced it with a slimmed-down alternative that met Musk and Trump’s demands. That bill failed on Thursday. So on Friday, rather than allow the government to shut down, the House voted on and passed a third bill — which looked suspiciously like the initial version with some face-saving changes to placate Musk and Trump — with Democratic votes. That Musk is using his platform to share his views isn’t an issue. As he often points out, he has made X a public square for many different viewpoints — including many of his own detractors. The problem is that Republicans have allowed Musk to disproportionately sway their leadership. That’s not necessarily a problem when Musk is advocating for budget cuts and bureaucratic overhaul in his self-conceived Department of Government Efficiency. DOGE will be an extragovernmental advisory board that might have the potential to help trim some federal fat. In this advisory role, an innovator like Musk, along with his cochair Ramaswamy, have the potential to make helpful recommendations unburdened by the political pressures of being in the federal government. But advisers advise, they don’t direct. Will it be a problem when the new ascendant voice on the right wants to, say, protect his business interests with American adversaries like China ? He has many potential conflicts of interest in dictating how the American government should spend and not spend its money. His companies Tesla and SpaceX, for example, have had over $15 billion in government contracts over the past decade. Musk is doing more than swaying policy. He’s also creating a new line of attack for Democrats who are more than pleased to point out that Republicans’ reimagined “working people’s party” is being led by a billionaire puppeteered by a far richer billionaire. On X, Democrats lined up to highlight “President Musk’s” pull, with Senator Chris Murphy posting about the Trump administration’s “Billionaire First” agenda. Trump is no stranger to criticisms from the left, nor is he particularly stringent about consistency in his policy positions. Like any good populist, Trump has shown himself willing to adapt to his supporters’ whims. He might bristle, however, at the prospect of being relegated to an opening act, a mere figurehead for a party driven by someone younger, richer, and more influential. The bristling may have already started. Trump’s transition spokesperson immediately went on the defense: “President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop,” Karoline Leavitt said . And maybe some resistance from Team Trump is for the best. Even if Trump agrees with Musk, an unelected billionaire with a long list of conflicts of interest should not have such a direct line of influence over our government. Trump was elected, he should be making the decisions — not waiting for his rich friend to endorse them before Trump himself has even weighed in. Republicans are going to have to answer plenty of tough questions about Musk’s influence on their party over the next four years. None might be as difficult as this: Is Trump willing to let Musk steal his show? ONLINE: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/24/opinion/elon-musk-trump-congress/?event=event12 Dec. 24 The Philadelphia Inquirer says RFK Jr. cannot be taken seriously as HHS Secretary America’s public health could be at risk if the incoming administration doesn’t correct some of the campaign rhetoric that may have helped Donald Trump win an election but has no merit now that voting is over. For example, inaccurate comments about water fluoridation that prospective U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has not taken back. “ Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis , bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy said in a November social media post in which he also claimed the president-elect would advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. As is typical with Trump, he has neither embraced nor denied Kennedy’s assertions, preferring to instead suggest support of ideas that he may later reject by nebulously saying of Kennedy: “I’m going to let him go wild on health. I’m going to let him go wild on the food. I’m going to let him go wild on medicines.” Please, don’t. America doesn’t need anyone “wild” in charge of public health. Kennedy can’t be taken seriously when he makes misleading comments about water fluoridation that may have a veneer of truth but don’t hold up when someone takes the time to review the facts. Fluoride is not an industrial waste product. It is a mineral found in rocks and soil that leaches naturally into streams and other water supplies. Its effectiveness in preventing tooth decay was discovered in the 1920s when it was observed that Colorado Springs, Colo., residents whose teeth were stained by excessive fluoride in their water sources had fewer than normal cavities. Kennedy is wrong to suggest the subsequent fluoridation of community water supplies across America occurred hastily and without due investigation of potential dangers. The National Institutes of Health began investigating how fluoride affects the human body in the 1930s, but the first major trial of fluoridation of a community’s water supply didn’t occur until 1945 in Grand Rapids, Mich. President Harry S. Truman signed an act creating the National Institute of Dental Research in 1948 in large part because 20% of young men being drafted for military service were rejected because their teeth were so bad. Meanwhile, 10 years after the Michigan study began, the cavity rate among Grand Rapids children was reduced by more than 60%. Subsequent research shows drinking fluoridated water not only reduces cavities and associated dental pain but correspondingly cuts missed school and work days. Such results prompted cities and towns across America — including Philadelphia — to begin fluoridating their water, so much so that by 2010 the tap water of more than 200 million Americans was flowing from fluoridated systems. There have been virtually zero instances in which putting fluoride in a water system has been blamed for a public health issue since the fluoridation of most of America’s water supplies began. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ranked water fluoridation as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Kennedy is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t seem to exist. The National Institutes of Health did complete a study that concluded there might be a connection between the lower IQs of children after long-term exposure to more than twice the federal government’s recommended level of fluoride in drinking water. But why would any town knowingly exceed the government’s fluoridation guidelines by such a large margin? There’s no incentive for local officials to risk their children’s or adults’ health. Kennedy also says fluoridating water systems is no longer necessary. “ Fluoride made sense in the 1940s when they put it in, but now we have fluoride in toothpaste,” he said. That’s true, fluoride today is in toothpaste, mouthwashes, and other oral hygiene products, but that’s why the recommended level of fluoride in water supplies was reduced from 1.0 parts per million to 0.7 parts per million in 2011. Future research may lead to more reductions in recommended fluoride levels, but there’s no basis for Kennedy’s call for a ban now. Trump’s choice to plot the course of public health agencies that make life-and-death decisions based on scientific evidence is a bad one. Kennedy comes across as someone who loves basking in the limelight too often afforded contrarians who pay little attention to facts. In that same vein, Kennedy has criticized vaccines that have long protected millions of Americans from crippling and deadly diseases. Surely the president-elect can do better with his nominations. ONLINE: https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/health-water-fluoride-robert-kennedy-20241224.html
Furthermore, Kounde's adaptability and willingness to contribute in the final third have not gone unnoticed by his teammates. Captain Sergio Ramos praised the young defender for his dedication and work ethic, stating that Kounde's attitude on and off the pitch sets a positive example for the rest of the squad.By MICHELLE L. PRICE WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer , a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S. Loomer declared the stance to be “not America First policy” and said the tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump were doing so to enrich themselves. Much of the debate played out on the social media network X, which Musk owns. Loomer’s comments sparked a back-and-forth with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks , whom Trump has tapped to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar.” Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government , weighed in, defending the tech industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. It bloomed into a larger debate with more figures from the hard-right weighing in about the need to hire U.S. workers, whether values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the internet, the newfound influence tech figures have in Trump’s world and what his political movement stands for. Trump has not yet weighed in on the rift. His presidential transition team did not respond to questions about positions on visas for highly skilled workers or the debate between his supporters online. Instead, his team instead sent a link to a post on X by longtime adviser and immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller that was a transcript of a speech Trump gave in 2020 at Mount Rushmore in which he praised figures and moments from American history. Musk, the world’s richest man who has grown remarkably close to the president-elect , was a central figure in the debate, not only for his stature in Trump’s movement but his stance on the tech industry’s hiring of foreign workers. Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers, used by software engineers and others in the tech industry, are critical for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated, not expanded. Born in South Africa, Musk was once on an a H-1B visa himself and defended the industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” he said in a post. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Trump’s own positions over the years have reflected the divide in his movement. Related Articles National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of federal death row National Politics | Elon Musk’s preschool is the next step in his anti-woke education dreams National Politics | Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’ His tough immigration policies, including his pledge for a mass deportation, were central to his winning presidential campaign. He has focused on immigrants who come into the U.S. illegally but he has also sought curbs on legal immigration , including family-based visas. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. After he became president, Trump in 2017 issued a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order , which directed Cabinet members to suggest changes to ensure H-1B visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers. Trump’s businesses, however, have hired foreign workers, including waiters and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago club , and his social media company behind his Truth Social app has used the the H-1B program for highly skilled workers. During his 2024 campaign for president, as he made immigration his signature issue, Trump said immigrants in the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country” and promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. But in a sharp departure from his usual alarmist message around immigration generally, Trump told a podcast this year that he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country,” he told the “All-In” podcast with people from the venture capital and technology world. Those comments came on the cusp of Trump’s budding alliance with tech industry figures, but he did not make the idea a regular part of his campaign message or detail any plans to pursue such changes.None
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St. John's bids to remain hot in clash vs. DelawareOn the other hand, Tencent has stated that the implementation of this one-device restriction rule is aimed at enhancing account security and preventing unauthorized access to users' accounts. By limiting account access to one device at a time, Tencent aims to reduce the risk of account takeover and ensure the safety of users' personal information and data. The company has emphasized that this new rule aligns with industry best practices and standards for account security.For fans of the Need for Speed series, the prospect of a ProStreet remake is undeniably exciting. Imagine revisiting the adrenaline-pumping races, meticulously customizing your dream car, and competing in intense showdowns against rival racers – all with cutting-edge visuals and updated features. A remade Need for Speed 9 could not only pay homage to the original game but also introduce new elements to entice a whole new generation of players.Washington, Dec 27 (AP) The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on the founder of Georgia's ruling political party, which has steered the country away from a pro-Western stance and towards Russia, US officials said on Friday. The State and Treasury departments said they hit Georgian Dream party founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili with penalties “for undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of the Russian Federation", according to a statement. The designation of Ivanishvili is the latest in a series of sanctions the US has slapped on Georgian politicians, lawmakers and others this year. Those sanctions include freezes on assets and properties those targeted may have in US jurisdictions or that might enter US jurisdictions as well as travel bans on the targets and members of their families. “We strongly condemn Georgian Dream's actions under Ivanishvili's leadership, including its ongoing and violent repression of Georgian citizens, protestors, members of the media, human rights activists, and opposition figures,” the State Department said in a statement. “The United States is committed to promoting accountability for those undermining democracy and human rights in Georgia." Ivanishvili is a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia and served briefly as Georgia's prime minister. In 2012, he founded Georgian Dream, Georgia's longtime ruling party. Critics have accused Georgian Dream of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights, prompting the European Union to suspend Georgia's membership application process indefinitely. In October, Georgian Dream won another term in a divisive parliamentary election that has led to more mass protests. Last month, the country's prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, announced a four-year suspension of talks on Georgia's bid to join the European Union, fuelling further public outrage. (AP) PY PY (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)
Comparisons to Neymar, one of the most skillful and exciting players in the world, have not been made lightly. Like the Brazilian superstar, the new signing possesses dazzling dribbling skills, lightning speed, and an eye for goal that belies his age. It is no wonder that fans are already buzzing with excitement at the prospect of seeing him in action for the Blues.Looking ahead, investors are keenly watching Maogeping's performance in the days and weeks to come, eager to see if the company can maintain its momentum and build on its initial success. The strong debut of Maogeping serves as a testament to the resilience and dynamism of the Hong Kong stock market, reaffirming its position as a vibrant hub for investment and growth opportunities.
By Emily Brookes * Cask, box, bag-in-box. Chateau Cardboard. Goon bag. Whatever you call it, you probably don't have a high opinion of box wine. In Aotearoa it's been synonymous with "bad wine", a hangover from the 1980s when, much cheaper per millilitre of grog than glass bottle and cork, it became the preferred receptacle for wine made from inferior grapes that would otherwise have been waste. As our wine industry matured, serious winemakers turned to bottles, leaving casks the preserve of students looking for a cheap way to a good night and those who make mulled wine at Christmas. "It's very unusual for New Zealand that no one picked it up and said, 'Actually this is a great delivery system'," says winemaker Matt Dicey. Until now. There's nothing about being in a bag that makes wine bad; in fact, thanks to its one-way valve, it keeps wine fresher once opened for longer than a bottle. And Dicey is among a wave of Kiwi winemakers on a mission to show that box wine can be good wine, and that we should all be embracing it. Dicey and his brother, James, make wine under their eponymous label in Bannockburn, Central Otago. Far from cheap and inferior, their Pinot Noir typically starts at above $35 retail, and they farm organically. The brothers' eco-consciousness led them to put some of their wine into box (their preferred term). "For 98 percent of people that buy wine, they drink it immediately, and the need for a bottle in that circumstance is non-existent," says Dicey. "It's actually a terrible delivery system, because it's so carbon intensive." Fellow winemaker Nadine Worley is from Australia - where the "goon bag" was developed, in the 1960s. After 10 years making wine at Marlborough's Mud House, she started teaching sustainability in the Viticulture programme at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT). "I was down this big rabbit hole, which you only have time to do in academia, going - oh my god, why is no one talking about this? You've grown the grapes, you've made the wine, the last thing you do is package it, and that has such a big impact on your environmental footprint". So when she and her friend, viticulturist Logie Mackenzie, decided to launch their own organic wine label, they looked for a non-glass packaging solution. Fugitive launched in 2021 with Sauvignon Blanc in stainless steel kegs and reusable bottles. But as of 2023, at Fugitive bottles are out, and wine in 2L fully recyclable soft plastic bladders held in cardboard boxes are in. "I was really anti-plastic, so that's something I had to wrestle with," Worley says. She was swayed by studies that showed these materials netted 40% less carbon emissions than a standard 750ml bottle. Dicey is a much bigger operation than Fugitive, making many different wines, most of it bottled. Still, when the brothers decided to put some wine into box (aluminium was discounted for being difficult in large format; PET is arguably the best in terms of recyclability but allows too much oxygen to enter the wine), they chose to lead with a big hitter. "We decided Central Pinot was the perfect thing to change the perception of what's being delivered in box," Dicey says. "The perfect foil for people's negative connotations around what it meant to have a cask wine." The answer to whether the same wine would taste different in bottle as opposed to box is "an easy yeah-nah," says Dicey. "There should be no taste difference between bottle and box." So how has the market responded? "Only once have I been booted out of a restaurant for pouring someone a glass from a bag-in-bottle," Dicey says. "You certainly have some pushback from a certain subset within consumers, but you get no pushback from others." Those born after the era of boxed Muller-Thurgau, the same generation that has grown up with the threat of climate change, are generally much more open-minded. Once opened, a box wine will stay fresh for a month, even six weeks - much longer than a bottle of wine. Dicey reckons that promotes responsible drinking, and brings pricing benefits. "It can be a $15 glasspour and there's no wastage." Both Dicey and Fugitive had to import their own bagging machines, as there were none available in Aotearoa. But recently Wineworks Marlborough, a contract bottling and warehousing company, has imported its own bagging unit from France. "We have many clients who are looking at alternative packaging formats to be able to offer their premium product, just delivered in a different way," says CEO Peter Crowe. Though trials of the machine only finished in early November, Wineworks already has a few clients lined up, among them Muse, another Marlborough winery making only box wine. "We have interest from around 20 different winery clients considering this format," Crowe adds. He credits Dicey with leading the charge in boxing "premium (New Zealand) offerings at premium pricing", saying research shows others should quickly follow suit (Mt Edward has notably boxed some of the 2023 wines in its lower-budget Ted range). "Overseas there is a growing trend for premium wines packaged in bag-in-box, particularly amongst younger drinkers," Crowe notes. "This is just the start of the box wine revolution," Worsley agrees. "We did it with screw caps - people used to think you can't put good wine under screw cap." There will always be a place for glass bottles, particularly for ageing wine. But, "that glass bottle we've been using, it's pretty much the same bottle for 400 years. So I think it's time we had another look at that." *Emily Brookes in a freelance lifestyle and entertainment writer.Esposito joined Napoli on loan from Inter Milan during the winter transfer window, and he has quickly become a key player in Gennaro Gattuso's squad. Known for his speed, technical skills, and goal-scoring ability, Esposito has impressed both fans and critics alike with his performances for Napoli.