America's backyard is rich in wildlife, and there are plenty of ways for animal lovers to experience it. From trails lacing the country's top national parks to sanctuaries home to endangered creatures, we reveal the top animal encounters in every state. Where to see wildlife in the US America's backyard is rich in wildlife, and there are plenty of ways for animal lovers to experience it. From trails lacing the country's top national parks to sanctuaries taking care of our most endangered creatures, we reveal the top animal encounters in every state. Alabama: Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge The Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge is a haven for some 360 bird species, including the threatened snowy plover, as well as alligators, armadillos and even bobcats. It's also home to kemp's ridley, loggerhead and green sea turtles, who nest on the Gulf Coast shores from late May to October. Four separate trails cover the refuge and provide different opportunities for wildlife viewing: if you spot a turtle, keep a good distance away to avoid disturbing it and try not to destroy any tracks. Alaska: Denali National Park One of the best national parks for wildlife viewing in the US, Denali is home to Alaska's so-called 'Big 5': caribou, moose, wolves, dall sheep and, of course, grizzly bears. You can tour the park independently, but a ranger-led Discovery Hike allows you to leave the crowds behind and go "off-trail". A narrated bus tour is another popular option for wildlife viewing, and your expert naturalist will pause if they see a bear hulking at the roadside or a moose grazing in the brush. Be sure to follow the park's safety advice at all times. Arizona: Sipe White Mountain Wildlife Area, Springerville Bull elk, bald eagles and a steady stream of waterfowl call this refuge in eastern Arizona home. Each July, bird lovers flock to the park for the High Country Hummers festival, during which the public can learn about a range of hummingbird species as they're banded and released back into the wild. Come in fall or winter and you're more likely to catch a glimpse of elk amid the forestland or bald eagles circling overhead. Wildlife viewing points are stationed along each of the four hiking trails. Arkansas: Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, Eureka Springs If you're dreaming of seeing a big cat, Arkansas might not be the first place you think to visit. But the well-respected Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge has been providing a home for "abandoned, abused and neglected big cats", from lions to leopards, since the 1970s. A range of tours give visitors insight into the site's lauded conservation work, and the Behind the Scenes Tour offers a glimpse of areas usually off-limits to the public. If you fancy extending your trip, you can even overnight here. California: Point Reyes National Seashore This vast area of protected California coastline is home to more than 1,500 species of flora and fauna, so it's an ideal place to get to grips with the Golden State's top wildlife. It's a mammoth site, encompassing some 80 miles of shoreline, and within its limits you'll find elephant seals, harbor seals, tule elk and even coyote and black bear. Spot frolicking seals from December through to March at Elephant Seal Overlook close to Chimney Rock and head to the Tule Elk Preserve at Tomales Point for a glimpse of these majestic mammals. Colorado: Rocky Mountain National Park More than 300 miles of hiking trails criss-cross this park, with its craggy peaks, still lakes and abundant wildlife. Of the 67 mammal species here, bighorn rams, with their arching horns and their impressive climbing prowess, are among the most intriguing. Look out for them around Sheep Lakes in late spring and early summer. Also roaming the park are mountain lions, mule deers, black bears and moose, plus cute-as-a-button pikas, a little mammal related to the rabbit. Connecticut: Eagle Landing State Park, Haddam Eagle Landing is a fitting name for this 16-acre riverside park. In the colder months, bald eagles, and the occasional golden eagle, thrive in this slice of southern Connecticut, having escaped from the chill in the north of the state. For a great chance of a sighting, book onto one of River Quest's Winter Wildlife Eagles Cruises : you'll sail down the Connecticut River with expert naturalists who'll point your gaze in the right direction. Delaware: Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge This National Wildlife Refuge protects a portion of salt marsh and forestland along the Delaware coast. A paradise for birders, the refuge supports a large population of migratory birds through fall and winter, from American black ducks to snow geese. Though more elusive, northern harriers also circle over the salt marshes and bald eagles watch their prey from the trees. Wildlife seekers can choose between a 12-mile wildlife drive or five hiking trails. District of Columbia: Rock Creek Park, Washington DC While you might not expect to find wildlife in the United States' capital, Rock Creek Park, part of the National Park Service system, is a haven for urban animal lovers. Deer, foxes and beaver thrive in the park, and there have been many a coyote sighting too. Pore over the exhibitions at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium, then head out on a hike. Florida: Everglades National Park This giant national park comprises more than 1.5 million acres of wetland, so you'll need to plan carefully if you want to spot some wildlife. You'll find the American crocodile lurking in numerous parts of the park, including the Flamingo Area, with its fascinating visitor center, and on the sands of Cape Sable. Popular trails for wildlife spotting include the short Anhinga Trail, where you might also glimpse turtles and wildfowl. You could also head out on a kayak trail spooling out from the Flamingo Marina. Georgia: Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Jekyll Island According to the World Wildlife Fund "nearly all species of sea turtle are classified as endangered" and this sanctuary on Georgia's Jekyll Island is committed to the rehabilitation of these creatures. Describing itself as a "working hospital", the center conducts vital conservation work, as well as looking after injured reptiles and seeking to educate the public. Accompanied by expert staff, visitors can meet some of the "turtle patients", watch feeding time and learn from interactive exhibits. Hawaii: Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historic Site, Kailua-Kona This protected site on Hawaii Island is as rich in wildlife as it is in history. Green sea turtles are the park's most conspicuous reptile, sunning themselves on the shores or paddling in clear shallow waters. If you look closely you can also spot quick-footed geckos, as well as the occasional Hawaiian monk seal. In winter, you might see the crest of a humpback whale out at sea. Begin at the Hale Ho'okipa Visitor Contact Station, where staff can point you towards the best trail for nature viewing depending on the season. Idaho: Harriman State Park Not to be confused with New York's Harriman State Park, this scenic area of forests and lakes is just a stone's throw from Yellowstone National Park   though you'll find its trails and woods to be much quieter. On the park's 22 miles of hiking routes, keep your eyes peeled for moose and elk peering from between the trees. Keen birders will also be in awe of the elegant trumpeter swans gliding on the lakes. To maximize your chances of an animal encounter, overnight in one of the yurts, cabins or bunkhouses here. Illinois: Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge This protected area of swamps, wetland and cypress trees may look more at home in Louisiana or Florida perhaps. But you'll actually find it in southern Illinois. The migratory birdlife is a top draw here, and the prothonotary warbler, a dainty yellow songbird, is the most vocal of them all. A more secretive species is the endangered Indiana bat, but experts have found so-called 'maternity colonies' made up of female bats throughout the refuge during the summer months. The 1.5-mile Hickory Bottoms Trail leads visitors through forestland brimming with birds. Indiana: Black Pine Animal Sanctuary, Albion The Black Pine Animal Sanctuary is one of the most lauded sanctuaries in the Midwest. It's home to almost 100 rescued exotic animals, all of whom had been raised in captivity or displaced in some way. Lions, tigers and bears live out their days in the refuge, alongside smaller mammals like the kinkajou, a rainforest-dwelling relative of the racoon. A true sanctuary, the non-profit center does not trade or breed its animals, and visitors can learn more about Black Pine's work on a guided tour. Iowa: Backbone State Park, Delaware County While Iowa is not known for its black bears or big cats, there's still some fascinating wildlife to be found. A good place to start is Backbone State Park, the oldest in Iowa. You'll find waterfowl wading at the edge of Backbone Lake, plus coy deer, foxes and racoons hiding among the oak and maple forests. Some 21 miles of hiking trails wind through the wooded park, but the best views are from "Devil's Backbone", one of the highest points in northeastern Iowa. Kansas: Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge A huge expanse of prairies and plains, this National Wildlife Refuge protects one of America's cutest mammals: the prairie dog. A chubby cousin to chipmunks and squirrels, the prairie dog generally exists in subterranean colonies known as "dog towns". At the refuge, visitors can follow a quarter-mile interpretive trail through the site's Prairie Dog Town area, where you'll likely spot some of these delightful creatures. Look out for white-tailed deer, Canadian geese and even bald eagles too. Kentucky: Mammoth Caves National Park The wondrous caverns in this national park are reason enough to visit, but the site holds some exciting wildlife too. Most intriguing of all is Mammoth Caves' bats   numbers of Indiana and gray bats at the park have fallen over the years, but staff are committed to protecting this endangered species. While the public aren't allowed into areas supporting bat colonies, you may well see a bat flit overhead as you take a ranger-led cave tour. Beyond the caves, coyotes, bobcats, groundhogs and more all live in the park. Louisiana: Barataria Preserve, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park Within the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park is the Barataria Preserve, a reptile-rich area of Louisiana wetlands. Here you'll find the formidable American alligator, soaking in the swamps or resting on the marshy banks. Also present are water snakes, tree frogs and more than 200 species of bird. Join a ranger-led Wetlands Walk to learn more about the preserve's critters, or book onto one of the park's Canoe Treks for an even closer look. Maine: Baxter State Park, Piscataquis County If you're hoping to see Maine's state animal, the moose, Baxter State Park is a great place to start. Keep your eyes peeled for bull moose with their great antlers walking in shallow waters or munching on shrubs in the Acadian Forest. Lots of photographers gather at Sandy Stream Pond, hoping for a winning shot. Come in early morning or evening for the best chance of a sighting. Maryland: Assateague Island National Seashore The Assateague Island National Seashore spans both Maryland and Virginia, with two herds of wild horses separated by a fence at the state line. You can see horses on beaches throughout the park, with organized hiking trails in the Maryland district including the half-mile Life of the Dunes loop. There are few more breathtaking sights than seeing a group of windswept horses gallop along the sand, or a mother grazing quietly with her foal. Massachusetts: Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary is a protected area of water right at the mouth of the Massachusetts Bay. It's gloriously rich in sea mammals, from Atlantic white-sided dolphins to the harbor porpoise. But, most exciting of all is the presence of whales, from giant humpbacks to minke whales. The sanctuary welcomes a range of whale-watching tours on its waters, including Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises , which come highly recommended. Michigan: Isle Royale National Park Many come to Isle Royale National Park, which floats in Lake Superior, in the hope of spotting a moose. The population of these gargantuan mammals is tightly bound to that of the gray wolf, the moose's only predator in the park. The wolf population here is currently extremely low, but park staff are working to reintroduce these predators onto the island over a period of several years. Top areas for a moose sighting include Washington Creek in the park's Windigo area, and the six-mile Minong Ridge Overlook Trail. Minnesota: Voyageurs National Park One of the northernmost national parks in the USA, Voyageurs is the remote domain of wolves, moose and more than 100 species of bird. The vast Kabetogama Peninsula area is the top place for a moose sighting, and the 9.5-mile Cruiser Lake Trail is the longest and most wildlife-rich route through the park. Given the location, you may even catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights too. Mississippi: Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge Named for its most fascinating residents, the Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge occupies a sprawling area of pine savanna in southeastern Mississippi. The Mississippi sandhill crane is a critically endangered species   today, only 100 of these birds, with their long pointed beaks and conspicuous red crowns, remain, and all of them live in this refuge. A ¾-mile public nature trail winds its way from the visitor center and, during the winter months, there are occasional tours to spots overlooking the cranes' favored feeding sites. Missouri: National Tiger Sanctuary, Saddlebrooke The National Tiger Sanctuary in southwestern Missouri is committed to giving abused and/or abandoned big cats a safe refuge. Visitors to the site can learn more on a variety of tours, including the signature Awareness Tour, and are even afforded the chance to witness feeding time. Over the years the center has also lobbied to protect animal rights in various capacities, including advocating for more stringent regulations for individuals who privately own big cats. Montana: Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone This fascinating not-for-profit center takes in animals that are no longer able to survive in the wild and gives them a forever home. Residents at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center include orphaned bears and wolves that were bred into captivity, as well as numerous non-releasable birds of prey. The site also carries out vital conservation work and seeks to educate the public about these compelling creatures. A range of interactive programs and museum exhibits help visitors learn more about the animals tended to here. Nebraska: Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge Hugging the Niobrara River, this huge Wildlife Refuge is home to a large population of elk, some 350 bison and plenty of Nebraska's state animal: the white-tailed deer. Come in spring when you might see wobbling fawns barely taller than the grass, or in winter, when new flocks of migratory birds descend on the site. Watch out for wildlife as you tackle challenging Fort Niobrara Wilderness Area and Nature Trail, which covers around a mile of the park. Nevada: Lake Mead National Recreation Area Straddling the border between Arizona and Nevada, this National Recreation Area has incredible opportunities for wildlife viewing on either side of the state line. Mountain lions and coyotes pad through the park, but it's the curious desert bighorn sheep, Nevada's state animal, that really capture visitors' imagination. The species was once in serious decline, but reintroduction efforts have made some progress. They're nervous of humans and blend seamlessly with their surrounds, but keep your eyes peeled on one of the many hiking trails and you might just be lucky. New Hampshire: Franconia Notch State Park, White Mountains This stunning state park is nestled away in the White Mountain National Forest. Its waterfalls and wildflowers draw in visitors but, most exciting of all, a sloth of bears visit the park every summer. On a hike through the area, look towards the Cannon Mountain ski slopes   you may well see bears frolicking on the hills. The Cannon Mountain Tramway offers a sweeping view of the site, and potentially a bird's-eye view of the animals. New Jersey: Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge Celebrating its 80th birthday in 2019, the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge protects a great swathe of the New Jersey coast. You'll spot a variety of different creatures depending on the season. In summer, you might notice mud turtles in the freshwater ponds; in winter, monarch butterflies migrate right through the site. Whenever you visit, you'll see plenty of birdlife, from bald eagles in winter to ospreys in the spring. The Visitor Information Center and Nature Discovery Area are great places to start. New Mexico: Carlsbad Cavern National Park The Carlsbad Cavern National Park comprises more than 119 caves   but it's equally famous for its huge colony of Brazilian free-tailed bats. These bats roost in the park's darkened caves, but from April through to mid-October, they exit the caverns nightly in their thousands, offering a spectacular show for the onlooking visitor. You can join a ranger on an evening Bat Flight Program to learn more about the phenomena. New York: Montauk Point State Park, Montauk Montauk Point State Park in Long Island is best known for its views of the striking Montauk Lighthouse   but in winter, there's another reason to visit this underrated spot. Each season, seals make a home of the rocky shoreline, and naturalist-led Seal Walks help you spot them. The walks are generally three-mile hikes along the beach and you'll be able to see up to four species of seal, while learning more about these adorable marine animals. North Carolina: Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge Unsurprisingly, the American alligator is one of the most interesting creatures to roam this wildlife refuge. But they're not alone. Joining them are black bear and red wolves that were reintroduced to the site from 1987. Follow the refuge's popular Wildlife Drive: from the comfort of your own vehicle you may well see a bear lurking at the roadside or a raptor gliding overhead. North Dakota: Theodore Roosevelt National Park The wild plains and rockscapes of Theodore Roosevelt National Park are a haven for wildlife lovers. Bison, elk and feral horses are all common sights, while more secretive species like coyote and bobcats dwell here too. All of this wildlife exists in the park's South Unit, and can be sought out on the 36-mile Scenic Loop Drive, which takes around 1.5 hours to complete. A ranger-led hike is another great way to explore. Ohio: Ottawa Wildlife Refuge Bird lovers should make a beeline for the Ottawa Wildlife Refuge in northern Ohio. The diverse site encompasses woodland, wetlands and grasslands, and supports a range of birdlife from the cute yellow-rumped warbler to the ubiquitous dunlin. It also plays host to the mother of all raptors, the bald eagle. Pick up some binoculars from the visitors center and explore the 10 miles of hiking trails, or take to the refuge's popular wildlife drive, open when weather permits. Oklahoma: Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge This refuge in Oklahoma's Wichita Mountains has some impressive numbers: the area supports 50 mammal species, 64 reptile species and 240 species of bird. Among the mammals are the American bison and the Rocky Mountain elk, both of which have been reintroduced after their populations in the park were diminished. Also keep your eyes peeled for little snapping turtles, yellow mud turtles and numerous species of lizard. Bugling Elk Tours run throughout fall and there are 16 different hiking trails to choose from. Oregon: Cape Arago State Park If seals or sea lions are high on your wildlife wish list, head to Cape Arago State Park on the Oregon coast. You've got a great chance of spotting a colony basking on the rocks of Shell Island   the isle can be viewed from the short North Cove Trail, which is open from July through to February. The park is also a top spot for whale watching, with migrating gray whales arriving in the surrounding waters in winter. Pennsylvania: Wolf Sanctuary of PA, Lititz "Extinct is forever"   that's the message of this not-for-profit wolf sanctuary in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. More than 40 wolves, each one unable to survive in the wild for some reason, call the refuge home. You can choose between a private or public tour of the site, with both options affording the chance to view the wolf packs and learn more about the sanctuary's noble conservation efforts. Rhode Island: Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, Middletown One of five National Wildlife Refuges in Rhode Island, Sachuest Point is a critical habitat for migrating birds, as well as for one of the region's most adorable native animals: the New England cottontail. The population of this little rabbit species is in sharp decline due to habitat loss, so a sighting is no mean feat. Guided refuge tours are run by volunteers and the three miles of hiking trails may also reveal deer, foxes and other New England creatures. South Carolina: Myrtle Beach State Park, Myrtle Beach South Carolina's state reptile is the loggerhead sea turtle and you may well spot one as you journey through Myrtle Beach State Park. Keep an eye out for cordoned off areas designed to protect the turtles' delicate nests. Out to sea you might also see a dolphin break the water's surface or, overhead, a bald eagle or osprey searching for its prey. The wooden fishing pier is a great wildlife-watching base. South Dakota: Custer State Park, Black Hills One of the most diverse state parks in the country, this rugged site in South Dakota's Black Hills has little shortage of wildlife, from bighorn sheep to prairie dogs. The best way to cover a decent amount of ground is to travel the 18-mile Wildlife Loop State Scenic Byway. Drive slowly   you'll almost certainly see a brooding bison cross the road, or a wild burro (donkey) grazing on the plains. In fall, the annual "Buffalo Round-up" is a crowd-pleaser. Tennessee: Great Smoky Mountains National Park The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with its epic panoramas of forested peaks, is certainly easy on the eye. It's also one of the USA's top spots for wildlife viewing, with elk, black bears and white-tailed deer all living among the wooded mountains. A popular viewing area is the Cataloochee Valley, since it's an open space within a park mostly shrouded by trees. Synchronous fireflies also attract visitors during their two-week mating season, which usually occurs between the end of May and mid-June. Texas: Big Bend National Park Right on the border with Mexico, this wild national park is made up of rugged mountains and desert. But despite the tough conditions, plenty of wildlife flourishes here. Among the resident species are black bear, who prefer the cooler climes of the park's forestland, and mule deer and coyotes who you might glimpse at dawn or dusk. Following a driving route, such as the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, is a great way to happen across some of the park's wildlife. Utah: Antelope Island State Park Antelope Island State Park juts into Utah's Great Salt Lake and its stark terrain is dotted with 500-plus roving bison. Joining the herd are pronghorns, bighorn sheep and mule deer, plus predators such as coyotes and bobcats. Choose between a variety of hiking trails, from the Mountain View Trail that skirts the island's edges to the Frary Peak Trail that slices through a portion of the center. The annual fall bison round-up is open for public viewing too. Vermont: Nulhegan Basin Division, Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge The moose is given top billing when it comes to wildlife watching in Vermont. They're prevalent in the state's Northeast Kingdom area and particularly in the Nulhegan Basin Division of the Silvio O. Conte wildlife refuge (the entire refuge spans multiple New England states). Get your bearings on the Nulhegan River Trail, a one-mile loop through some of the park's most scenic portions   on your way, look out for black bear, snowshoe hare and white-tailed deer too. Virginia: Shenandoah National Park Shenandoah National Park protects a mighty portion of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Top of most visitors' itinerary is a cruise down Skyline Drive, which slices through the park, studded with 70 overlooks giving way to panoramic views. Aside from the vistas, the main draw of the drive is the many animals who take shortcuts across the scenic roadway   watch out for passing deer and even the odd black bear if you're lucky. Washington: Olympic National Park, Olympic Peninsula This national park is prime whale-watching territory, with gray, minke, humpback and orca whales commonly spotted in the waters off its shores. Head to the picturesque beaches of Shi Shi or Rialto, both part of the whale trail, for the best chance of a sighting. Whales aren't the only marine mammals that inhabit these waters, though   look out for seals, sea lions, otters and dolphins frolicking in the ocean too. West Virginia: Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory, Monroe County You'll find the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory perched in Monroe County's Peters Mountain. The rustic viewing tower, reached by a mile-long-hike, is a celebrated spot to take in birds of prey, with ospreys, falcons and eagles all regularly soaring past the deck. You've the best chance of seeing circling raptors in fall, but even if you're not lucky, the mountain views alone are worth it. Wisconsin: Peninsula State Park, Door County More than 300 acres make up the remote Peninsula State Park, whose leafy expanse is filled with some of the state's top wildlife. Black bears make the occasional appearance, and the park's coyotes are elusive   but more likely to make themselves known are deers, racoons and porcupines. The park's summer nature program is a boon for big and little wildlife lovers alike. Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park America's first and most famous national park, Yellowstone stands head and shoulders about the rest when it comes to wildlife-viewing potential. More than 60 species of mammal wander its great expanse, including an estimated 690 grizzly bears. There are also bison and bighorn sheep, mountain lions and moose, and the elusive Canada lynx. The historic Fishing Bridge remains a favored place for spotting grizzlies, while elk and bison are known to frequent the Mammoth Hot Springs area.


Colleges located in the biggest state in the nation could be excluded from competitions for the biggest prizes in college sports. Supposedly. In response to an effort by California to consider allowing college athletes to earn money from their names, images, and likenesses without losing their amateur status, the NCAA has suggested that those schools could be kept from attempting to win national championships. "We recognize all of the efforts that have been undertaken to develop this bill in the context of complex issues related to the current collegiate model that have been the subject of litigation and much national debate," NCAA president Mark Emmert wrote in a letter to California legislators, via USA Today . "Nonetheless, when contrasted with current NCAA rules, as drafted the bill threatens to alter materially the principles of intercollegiate athletics and create local differences that would make it impossible to host fair national championships . As a result, it likely would have a negative impact on the exact student-athletes it intends to assist." That's a fancy word salad that carries at its core a very real threat. California's potential effort to give student-athletes a fair path to capitalizing on their skills, abilities, and sacrifices makes plenty of sense. But the NCAA continues to stubbornly refuse to allow those who are most responsible for making money in college sports to get any of their own. It's an inherently corrupt and unfair system, and it continues to operate in plain sight, with the likes of the NFL enabling it via the rule that forces players to spend three years playing college football before finally earning a proper living.


MINNEAPOLIS (AP)   Two teenage boys have been charged in juvenile court in a fatal carjacking attempt in Hennepin County. Prosecutors say the 15- and 16-year-old boys, armed with pistols, approached 39-year-old Steven Markey who was sitting in his parked car in northeast Minneapolis last Tuesday. Court documents say the boys ordered Markey out of the vehicle. The older boy told investigators he believed Markey was reaching for a gun, so he shot him. The younger boy says Markey was shot because he laughed at the two. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports a juvenile petition says both boys admitted firing their guns. Markey tried to drive off, but crashed his car about a block away. The petition says the boys later stole an SUV in St. Louis Park and burglarized two cellphone stores later that night. (© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


Newcastle United have turned their attention to re-signing Andy Carroll after the striker became a free agent this summer following a seven-year spell at West Ham The Magpies had been chasing A.S. Roma striker Patrik Schick, but the Czech Republic international has turned down the chance to join Newcastle this summer and instead is looking to force through a move to Borussia Dortmund. As a result, The Chronicle's Lee Ryder claims that Newcastle United are now believed to be in talks to lure Carroll back to St. James' Park on a free transfer, although the club does hold concerns over the player's long-term fitness. #nufc are believed to be in discussions over move for Andy Carroll today. Not done yet. Checks on his fitness going on. But Carroll eager for it to happen.   Lee Ryder (@lee_ryder) August 8, 2019 If a deal is able to get over the line, Carroll will become Newcastle's second Deadline Day signing as the club have already announced the arrival of SC Amiens right-back Emil Krafth. Although Schick appeared to be the club's first target, Gianluca Di Marzio claims that he has rejected the chance to join Newcastle this summer as he wants to join Lucien Favre's Borussia Dortmund before the Bundesliga window closes on September 2. It's still largely unknown if Dortmund will in fact make a move for Schick this summer, however, as they've already signed Thorgan Hazard (£23m), Julian Brandt (£22.5m) and Paco Alcácer (£19m) to help bolster their attacking options. Steve Bruce's Newcastle, on the other hand, have only been able to make two significant first-team signings so far this summer, bringing in Joelinton from TSG Hoffenheim in a club-record deal before splashing £16m on exciting winger Allan Saint-Maximin. The Magpies have also secured Netherlands international Jetro Willems on a season-long loan from Eintracht Frankfurt. This. This is what you need open all day. Forget work - this is what's important today. #DeadlineDay https://t.co/TcErNCH8XI   90min (@90min_Football) August 8, 2019 While Jacob Murphy appears to be on his way out of St. James' Park ahead of a temporary move to Sheffield Wednesday - he's set to become the sixth player to leave this summer - Newcastle will be hopeful that Carroll can join Krafth as another Deadline Day signing ahead of the new season.


On New Year's Day, 2001, the first crew of the International Space Station spent a quiet day in orbit. The commander, U.S. Navy captain William Shepherd, decided to honor a naval New Year's tradition, in which the person at the helm recites a poem. Shepherd had written something for the occasion, which included the following, recorded in the ship's log: Though star trackers mark Altair and Vega Same as mariners eyed long ago We are still as wayfinders of knowledge Seeking new things that mankind shall know. The station had been under construction, in orbit, for four years at that point, but Expedition 1 marked the beginning of continuous human habitation. Today, the space station's "wayfinders of knowledge" are still steering an orbiting laboratory for experiments in biology and materials science. But just as explorers of the seas did their jobs to blaze a path for merchants, the ISS could soon play host to wayfinders of a different sort, whose voyages will be enabled by a whole lot of cash. About $58 million, according to NASA, which announced last week that it would allow private citizens to fly to the only other realm where humans have lived. NASA will charge about $35,000 per night per passenger to sleep onboard ISS and use its amenities, and the station could accommodate two paying visitors for up to a month, starting as soon as next year. But people won't just be able to show up. Visitors will sign contracts with SpaceX, Boeing, or other companies to pay for the rocket ride, fees, and other costs. That means these trips will remain the purview of the very rich and very powerful for a very long time to come. That makes space tourism unsustainable, and to a certain mind, depressingly out of reach. Once, astronauts chosen for their courage, verve, intelligence and vigor embodied the mystique of space. Now, the right stuff will come with a price tag. The stars may be an everlasting connection to our ancestors , but the prize of soaring among them will be reserved for the wealthy. NASA's decision to open up the space station is in some ways a natural next step for space exploration. Earlier, earthbound vessels all experienced a similar transformation. Transoceanic ships, railroads, and airplanes spawned cottage industries to enable their spread and wide adoption, and each eventually reached the masses. And in widening access to space, NASA is actually behind the Russians, whose space agency has transported a few space tourists through a company called Space Adventures. But space is different. Space, as they say, is hard. To get there, you have to strap yourself to a bomb, and sometimes those bombs malfunction . Personal space exploration is also harder to justify. Space is not obviously a place of riches ready for the taking. There are no ports full of exotic foods to bring home, and there are no people or animals to oppress or exploit (at least not yet). There are no vast tracts of arable land where intrepid explorers can make, hunt, or gather everything they need. There is no water, or wind, or soil, or anything except sunlight and radiation. There is no good reason to take on the risk and the debt to get there in the hopes of making it rich. This has not stopped private companies from exploring space, and it shouldn't. The region where the space station circles the Earth is mostly free from gravity's influence, transforming many basic physical processes and enabling interesting science. Already, astronauts frequently conduct experiments for pharmaceutical firms that could lead to new medicines, because some proteins grow better in microgravity. While these projects are financed by private companies, government workers do the job. Astronauts undergo extensive training on Earth before flying to space to conduct biology experiments. It's not clear yet whether the tourist visits will be open to private firms, turning the ISS into a co-working space in orbit. A private company could in principle buy tickets for its own scientists, or for that matter, manufacturers. Under the new tourism plan, NASA will also allow, for the first time, purely for-profit ventures that do not meet any educational or research goals. That could include flying objects or food to space, then selling them to collectors or connoisseurs back on Earth. But space-based tourism doesn't have the same utility as private, space-based research or as space-based mining, which may happen someday on the moon or on asteroids. Space-based tourism has no obvious external benefit   at least, none beyond the pure, personal exhilaration of a real-life glimpse at the Earth's curvature. Space tourism is a lark. It's something for very rich people to do with their money. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has literally said so: "The only way that I can see to deploy this much financial resource is by converting my Amazon winnings into space travel. That is basically it," he told Business Insider in 2018 . Bezos also said he believes his rocket company, Blue Origin, is his most important contribution to society; he argues humans should spread throughout the solar system and leave Earth "zoned residential." But occasional tourism by extremely wealthy people is a giant leap from something like Saturn-ward expansion. This latest decision, to allow paying visitors, reveals most about the attitudes of current political leadership towards space: as a place like any other, best suited for commerce. Several multimillion-dollar tickets to the ISS could offset some of NASA's bills, for starters. The agency currently spends about $8 million a day to operate the station, NASA officials said during the announcement last week. Some of those funds could be redirected to pay for a sped-up moon mission, aimed at landing astronauts back on the moon by 2024. That year also looms large for the station: the Trump administration proposed ending federal funds for the ISS in 2024, and moving toward private stations or private ownership. This poses somewhat of a conundrum for private companies. If you knew your cruise ship would be unusable within the next five years, how much time and money would you invest in selling tickets to sail on it? How much money would you invest, or be expected to invest, to maintain the station in a visitor-friendly state? Even if NASA could promise a ship-shape ISS, the number of people visiting would hardly cover all the expenses. "This is not going to be a profit-making venture for NASA at all," said Jeff DeWit, NASA's CFO, at a news conference last week. "But it will help defray expenses." Handing tourists the keys to the ISS reflects a much broader shift in space exploration, one that prioritizes resource extraction and commercial profit over pure research and collective scientific efforts. It's a step towards making space more mundane, a travel destination defined by money and vacations, rather than discovery and glory. Space station commander Bill Shepherd, who spent 159 days, seven hours and 49 minutes in space through his career, ended his New Year's ode with these lines: We commend to crews that will follow Merit of the good ship we sail Let Sun shine strong on Alpha's wings A symbol, and bright star we long hail. Alpha was his nickname for the ISS, though it didn't stick; the station remained a place named without romance. But it remains a symbol. It's a bright star you can spot yourself, on any clear night, tracing a steady and sure path across the wide dome of the sky . I've often been asked whether I would visit space, or the moon or even Mars, if given the opportunity. I've never applied for astronaut training, which is one form of an answer. The idea has certainly grown more plausible, as companies like SpaceX have grown up and built successful rockets. And I can't deny that a part of me dreams of experiencing the curvature of the Earth, or visiting the gray and looming hills of our moon. I often answer that I have a telescope, and for me, right now, that is enough. I can come up with plenty of other ways to spend my money, right here, on the only home we have ever known.


Charles Leclerc says he questioned Ferrari's decision not to send him out on track for the closing minutes of Q1 at Monaco, before his surprise exit. The Monegasque driver was knocked out of qualifying for his home event by a run of late improvements from rival drivers, including teammate Sebastian Vettel. Leclerc was unable to respond after Ferrari elected to keep him in the pits, and it is something that he said he did not understand. "I asked whether they were sure [we were in], they told me 'we think we are'," Leclerc told Sky. "I said shouldn't we go and get out again?' But there was no real answers. I didn't have any explanations yet in detail. Very difficult one to take." Although Leclerc lost some time in the session by missing a weighbridge call, which required him to be pulled back for the checks, he insists that was not a factor in him missing the slot to get back out on track. "Actually we had plenty of time even when we went out of the box to go out again...the weighbridge wasn't the problem," he explained. "We still have the fuel to go again and only change tyres. I need some explanations, I don't know for now." Leclerc said that starting from 16th on the grid meant his only option if things stayed dry on Sunday would be to adopt an aggressive approach. Asked for his hopes for the race, he said: "Hopefully rain and then there will be a bit of a lottery. If it's dry it's going to be boring. I'll have to take a lot of risks I think, even risking to crash. "But in the end that's the only thing we need to do now - to be extreme in our overtaking because this is a track where it's basically impossible to overtake."


Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri admits that Europa League victory would complete a remarkable turnaround in what has been a "difficult" first season in charge at Stamford Bridge. Sarri watched on as his side laboured to a final day stalemate against Leicester at King Power Stadium, sealing a third placed finish ahead of bitter London rivals Tottenham. Speaking after the game, Sarri conceded that things had not been easy since arriving at the club, but was pleased with the accomplishments of his side. "The season was very difficult for us but at the end we are happy. We were in trouble three months ago but we reacted very well," Sarri told the club's official website . "We have finished third, reached the target of the club to get back in the Champions League and we played a final against Manchester City in the League Cup after beating Liverpool and Tottenham , the two Champions League finalists. "Now we have to play a very important match in the Europa League final. Right now the season is very good but hopefully it can become wonderful." Sunday was also potentially Eden Hazard 's final league appearance for Chelsea, with the Belgian heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid . He came off the bench after 69 minutes, in what could be his final ever appearance on English soil. When asked about Hazard, Sarri claimed the club must respect and come to terms with whatever decision he makes about his future. "Eden has played seven years in England and done very well," he added. "He has become one of the best players in the world but we have to respect him and his decision. I hope like every Chelsea fan that he will remain with us." Chelsea will travel 3,000 miles to Boston to play New England Revolution in a charity match on 16 May before making a 3,000 mile trip in the other direction - where they face Arsenal in Baku to contest the Europa League final.


Camp Adventure Forest Tower in Denmark gives visitors an unparalleled view of nature. Camp Adventures Forest Tower in Denmark is a nearly 150-foot spiral tower that visitors can climb to get a unique look at Gisselfeld Klosters Forest. The structure was designed to blend in with its natural surroundings and was made with weathered steel and locally sourced oak. Still, its giant, twisting frame is certainly a sight to behold for those who happen upon it. Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories. A new observation deck allows visitors get a unique perspective on the natural landscape of southeast Denmark , but its beautiful architecture has received attention across the globe. Located less than one hour's drive south of Copenhagen, Camp Adventures Forest Tower is a hulking, nearly 150-foot tall spiral tower nestled in the Gisselfeld Klosters Forest. Made of weathered steel and locally sourced oak, the structure was designed to blend in with its natural surroundings, but its giant, twisting frame is certainly a sight to behold for those who happen upon it. Check out photos of the stunning Camp Adventures Forest Tower below. A new observation deck in the southeast of Denmark has garnered attention from across the globe. The structure is a feat of architecture and craftsmanship. Before Camp Adventures Forest Tower even opened, it had received numerous awards. Camp Adventures Forest Tower won the German Design Council Award (winner of Best of Best in the Concept category), the 2017 ICONIC Award (Winner of the Visionary Architecture category), and South Coast Denmark's Best Tourism Initiative in 2018. Camp Adventures Forest Tower sits in the otherwise untouched natural landscape of the Gisselfeld Klosters Forest. It is located less than one hour's drive south of Denmark's capital city of Copenhagen. The structure is a whopping 148 feet tall. And the inside boasts a 2,133-foot-tall winding ramp for guests to explore. Visitors must navigate 2,953 feet of boardwalk weaved in between the trees of the forest to get to Camp Adventures Forest Tower. It's a good warm-up for the climb to the top. Made of weathered steel and locally sourced oak, the lattice was designed to blend in with its natural surroundings. Still, its giant, twisting frame is certainly a sight to behold for those who happen upon it. When visitors arrive at the base of the spiral, they can look up to map their journey. Trees stretch through the middle and up out of the top of the tower. And as they climb, they can begin to get a glimpse of the canopy. "The tower is shaped to enhance the experience of the visitor, shunning the typical cylindrical shape in favor of a curved profile with a slender waist and enlarged base and crown," said EFFEKT Architects partner Tue Foged. "This allows for better contact to the forest canopy moving up through the tower." Once they reach the top, the top of the spiral's perch high above the tree tops gives visitors an unparalleled view of the forest. "Nature provides the real experience. We just made it more accessible and offered a series of new and alternate perspectives." Foged added. Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen cut the ribbon to open the tower and led the charge up the tower despite his self-proclaimed vertigo. More than 2,500 people visited Camp Adventures Forest Tower on March 31, 2019, the structure's first day of business. You can visit the tower in South Zealand between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. local time daily. Visitors to the tower can also enjoy Camp Adventure Climbing Park , the largest of its kind in Denmark. Read more: 10 breathtaking places to hike around the world Meet the two ex-British Army captains who plan $90,000 adventures for the super-rich in the most remote places on the planet I swam in a volcanic hot pool in Fiji and it was incredibly relaxing 27 photos that show what makes Finland the happiest country in the world


Update: The Heat will instead trade Kelly Olynyk and Derrick Jones Jr. , not Goran Dragic , to the Mavericks. To match salary in a Jimmy Butler in a sign-and-trade , the Heat had to deal more than just Josh Richardson (to the 76ers). Miami will also send Goran Dragic to the Mavericks and unite him fellow Slovenian Luka Doncic . Tim Cato of The Athletic: The Mavericks have traded for Miami's Goran Dragic, multiple sources confirm. Dragic is the only other Slovenian in the league, and was roommates with Luka Doncic during Slovenia's 2017 EuroBasket run.   Tim Cato (@tim_cato) July 1, 2019 We'll see whether the Mavericks gave up any positive assets. This could be just a nice right-time, right-place get. Dragic is a solid starting point guard. But he's sort of old (33) and expensive ($19,217,900 salary on expiring contract). Butler becomes Miami's best player. But when considering how his production helps the Heat, don't forget they're losing Richardson and Dragic. That cuts into what Butler adds.


Profits for major U.S. tobacco companies could be cut in half if the Food and Drug Administration adopts a "maximum nicotine" rule within the next 15 years, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley. The FDA is set to publish in October its proposed rule regulating the amount of nicotine allowed in cigarettes and other tobacco products "so that they are minimally addictive," according to the agency. The rule, if adopted, "would have significant public health benefits" and "potentially vast economic benefits," the FDA said. The regulation, if adopted by 2035, would also cost the industry roughly $165 billion in lost profits, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a research report Sunday. "Reducing nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive or minimally addictive levels, in our view, would be a potential game changer for the U.S. industry," the analysts wrote. Morgan Stanley has rated the stock of Imperial Brands and Marlboro-maker Altria as underweight, which is effective a sell recommendation, and downgraded British American Tobacco to underweight. If the policy goes in effect by 2035, though, Morgan Stanley predicts tobacco stocks will take a huge hit, while e-cigarette giant Juul will benefit as consumers transition from smoking to vaping. This is even more bad news for Big Tobacco, which has struggled with falling sales in recent years in the face of new competition and changing consumer habits. The proposed rule change would be bad news for investors, shaving an estimated 20% off of Altria's market value, 13% off British American Tobacco and 5% off Imperial Brands if the FDA implements it in 2035. Those numbers are even more grim if the regulations are implemented a decade earlier. Altria's market cap is projected to fall by 37%, while British American Tobacco and Imperial Brands would see their market values fall by 32% and 15%, respectively. Morgan Stanley predicts the number of adult smokers in the U.S. to fall from 34 million, about 13.2%, in 2018 to 14 million by 2030, or 5%, to less than 1% of the adult population by 2050, even without the proposed nicotine regulation. The bank said it expects a pack of cigarettes to cost a smoker about $16 by 2035. If the FDA regulates nicotine levels in cigarettes, the firm believes smoking will decline to zero. "We don't believe a smoker will continue to purchase nonaddictive cigarettes, particularly with the presence of alternative nicotine delivery devices," the analysts wrote. Marlboro-maker Altria has the most at risk if the FDA enacts the maximum nicotine policy, the analysts said. However, they added the company is "best placed" to transition to a focus on alternative nicotine products because of its 35% stake in vaping company Juul and the company's agreement with Phillip Morris to sell PMI's heated tobacco product , iQOS, in the U.S. The analysts said British American Tobacco "has a difficult path forward in the U.S." because of its "sub-tier" e-cigarette and heated tobacco products. BAT only holds 10% of the e-cigarette market compared with Juul's 70% market share, according to Morgan Stanley. They also said the company's heated tobacco product, the Eclipse, has been less successful than iQOS. Morgan Stanley said it's maintaining an underweight rating on Imperial Brands' stock because 23% if its profits are U.S. cigarettes sales and it has a relatively weak portfolio of brands. Tobacco stocks from mid-2017 to early 2019 fell by about 40% because of Juul's meteoric growth in market share, potential menthol regulation and a drop in cigarette sales, according to Morgan Stanley. The analysts said they don't believe the risk from the maximum nicotine proposal is fully reflected in the stock prices and that the threat the policy poses will likely be an ongoing headache.


Curious just how far your dollar goes in Boston? We've rounded up the latest rental offerings via rental site Zumper to get a sense of what to expect when it comes to locating a place in Boston if you've got a budget of $2,700/month. Read on for the listings. (Note: prices and availability are subject to change.) Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. Massachusetts Avenue (South End) Listed at $2,700/month, this 700-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is located at Massachusetts Avenue. Building amenities include on-site laundry, assigned parking, a fitness center and a swimming pool. Attention, cat owners: your kitty is permitted here. Future tenants needn't worry about a leasing fee. Per Walk Score ratings, this location has excellent walkability, is easy to get around on a bicycle and boasts excellent transit options. (Check out the complete listing here .) 91 S. Huntington Ave. (Jamaica Plain) Here's a studio apartment at 91 S. Huntington Ave. that's also going for $2,700/month. In the unit, you'll get hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances and in-unit laundry. Amenities offered in the building include a fitness center, a residents' lounge and concierge service. Animals are not welcome. This rental does not require a leasing fee. According to Walk Score, the surrounding area is quite walkable, is great for biking and has excellent transit. (Take a look at the full listing here .) 120 Norway St., #5 (Fenway) Located at 120 Norway St., #5, here's a 780-square-foot one-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom condo that's listed for $2,700/month. In the unit, you can anticipate in-unit laundry, a fireplace and air conditioning. The building offers garage parking and an elevator. Pet owners, inquire elsewhere: this spot doesn't allow cats or dogs. Walk Score indicates that the surrounding area has excellent walkability, is a "biker's paradise" and is a haven for transit riders. (Check out the complete listing here .) 174 Newbury St., #6 (Back Bay) Listed at $2,700/month, this 600-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment is located at 174 Newbury St., #6. In the apartment, you can expect hardwood floors, a dishwasher, in-unit laundry, a fireplace and ample closet space. The building offers secured entry. Cats and dogs are not permitted. The listing specifies a broker's fee equal to one month's rent. Per Walk Score ratings, the surrounding area is a "walker's paradise," is very bikeable and is a haven for transit riders. (Take a look at the complete listing here .) 40 Boylston St., #301 (Chinatown) Finally, there's this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment over at 40 Boylston St., #301. It's listed for $2,700/month. The building has on-site laundry. In the unit, expect a dishwasher, air conditioning and stainless steel appliances. Animals are not welcome. Expect a broker's fee equal to one month's rent. (Take a gander at the complete listing here .) This story was created automatically using local real estate data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


By Coral Davenport and Hiroko Tabuchi WASHINGTON   Four of the world's largest automakers, including Ford Motor Co., have struck a deal with California to reduce tailpipe pollution, in a blow to the Trump administration as it prepares to roll back national vehicle pollution standards and revoke states' rights to set their own such rules. While Trump administration officials in the White House and Environmental Protection Agency have been working on a plan to drastically weaken Obama-era rules on planet-warming vehicle pollution, four automakers   Ford, Honda, Volkswagen Group of America and BMW of North America   have been holding talks in Sacramento on a plan to move forward with the standards in California, the nation's largest auto market. The EPA and the Transportation Department are expected to announce this summer a new rule that would effectively eliminate the Obama-era rule, which would have required passenger vehicles to achieve an average mileage of about 52.5 mpg by 2025. The rule, which would have significantly lowered vehicle emissions of planet-warming greenhouse pollution, was a cornerstone of President Barack Obama's policies to combat climate change. The new Trump rule is also expected to revoke the legal authority of California and other states to set their own, stricter state-level standards. Although Trump has promoted his plan as a gift to the auto industry, automakers have said it could actually harm them by creating regulatory uncertainty as California and other states claimed the legal right to set their own standards and fought back in the courts. Automakers feared that a mix of state and federal pollution standards could split the United States' auto market, forcing them to make and sell entirely different types of vehicles in different states. In striking a deal with California, the automakers are publicly rejecting the Trump plan and following the legal advice of some industry experts who say that it is California, rather than the Trump administration, that is more likely to win the legal battle over climate change pollution. Under the terms of the new deal with California, the automakers selling cars in that state would comply with a slightly looser standard than the original Obama rule. Instead of reaching an average fuel economy of 52.5 mpg by 2025, they would be required to reach a standard of about 51 mpg by 2026. In a joint statement, the four automakers said the agreement with California would lead to "much-needed regulatory certainty." The deal would allow the companies to "meet both federal and state requirements with a single national fleet, avoiding a patchwork of regulations while continuing to ensure meaningful greenhouse gas emissions reductions," they said. California said that the terms of the deal would give automakers an extra year to improve their fleetwide fuel economy to levels laid out in the Obama-era plan. The deal would also allow them more leeway in meeting those standards through other means, like earning credits for fuel-saving technology. "This agreement represents a feasible and acceptable path to accomplishing the goals of California and the automobile industry," Mary D. Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board, said. "If the White House does not agree, we will move forward with our current standards but work with individual carmakers to implement these principles," she said. "Few issues are more pressing than climate change, a global threat that endangers our lives and livelihoods. California, a coalition of states, and these automakers are leading the way on smart policies that make the air cleaner and safer for us all," California's governor, Gavin Newsom, said in a statement. "I now call on the rest of the auto industry to join us, and for the Trump administration to adopt this pragmatic compromise instead of pursuing its regressive rule change. It's the right thing for our economy, our people and our planet." Some environmental groups criticized the slower pace and expanded loopholes the deal awarded the automakers. "That means more pollution, less savings at the pump and a bad precedent for future standards," said Daniel Becker, director of the Safe Climate Campaign at the Center for Auto Safety, a Washington-based nonprofit group.


44 injured after wave machine creates huge tsunami wave at water park


Not that long ago, an adolescent could walk into my office for a physical exam and walk out with a smile on his or her face after receiving no vaccines. That's no longer the case. In the past decade, several new vaccines have emerged for this group of patients, causing confusion about what is recommended. These vaccines are often recommended for teens: HPV vaccine. Meningitis vaccine. Tdap vaccine. MMR vaccine. Hepatitis A vaccine. 1. HPV vaccine. This vaccine has been targeted toward the preteen population, as human papilloma virus is typically acquired in older teens and young adults. HPV is the virus that causes cervical cancer and genital warts. The advantage to starting this series early, before age 15, reduces the number of immunizations needed from three to two. If this vaccine series is initiated after the age of 15, a three-dose series is recommended. 2. Meningitis vaccine. Meningitis is a serious illness that causes layers of the brain to become swollen. Several different viruses and bacteria can cause this. While no vaccine can prevent viral meningitis, there are now two types of meningitis vaccines. The first is the more common meningitis ACWY vaccine, which typically requires two shots   the first around 11 years of age, plus a booster at age 16. Sometimes, this vaccine series should begin earlier, depending on whether your child has a medical condition that could benefit from receiving it at an earlier age. The other meningitis vaccine, meningitis B, is indicated for 16 years and up. Some people choose to receive their second dose of meningitis ACWY and their first dose of meningitis B simultaneously, in order to reduce the number of doctor visits for immunizations. 3. Tdap vaccine. The next vaccine consists of three immunizations combined into one, and it protects against three different bacterial illnesses. In addition to the most commonly known, tetanus, this vaccine includes diphtheria and pertussis. It's indicated between the ages of 11 to 12. Tetanus has historically been thought to be contracted by stepping on a rusty nail but is often actually transmitted through contact with contaminated soil, which can occur when walking outdoors in bare feet. Another component of this vaccine is pertussis, which is commonly known as whooping cough. This bacterium is transmitted through respiratory droplets and therefore can be highly contagious. The third component is diphtheria , another disease that affects the respiratory system and is transmitted via airborne contact as well. 4. MMR vaccine. Another vaccine with three components is the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The re-emergence of measles in communities across America has been receiving widespread attention. Measles is known for its very contagious nature. It can be spread as easily as by being in the same room with someone who is infected. Measles includes a group of symptoms known as the three C's: cough, congestion (mostly nasal, which is also termed coryza) and conjunctivitis followed by a distinct rash. Mumps commonly affects the lymph nodes and glands on one side of the face, resulting in swelling on that side of the face and a rash. Rubella, while generally thought to be a milder illness, can be deadly in unborn children, so during pregnancy, a woman's immunity to rubella is routinely checked. 5. Hepatitis A vaccine. This vaccine was created to protect against one of the many strains of viral hepatitis that can affect the liver, causing cirrhosis, or scarring, of the liver. In general, symptoms are related to the gut and can include nausea, vomiting or stomach pain. In rare cases, the skin may turn yellow, which is called jaundice. This strain of hepatitis can be transmitted to humans from contaminated foods. Two vaccines over a period of six months are necessary, but often, adolescents received these earlier in their childhood. A quick review of an adolescent's immunization record will help determine whether a booster is necessary. And let's not forget the influenza vaccine , which is traditionally given in the fall. This very contagious virus occurs with some regularity during the adolescent years, so it needs to be updated yearly given its short window of effectiveness. In addition to these important vaccines, the adolescent visit is a prime time to discuss concerns such as growth, sexual health and maturity. Some other newer health topics to discuss include peer pressure, substances such as marijuana use and vaping , gun safety and the use of digital media. Although the adolescent visit may now include more than a few minutes of questions and counseling, it's a critical step in bridging the gap between childhood and emerging adulthood. Related Video: Medical Professionals Encourage Students to Get Meningitis B Vaccine (Provided by WGGB-TV, Western Massachusetts)


Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti has reiterated his desire to bring James Rodriguez to the club from Real Madrid as negotiations between the two sides continue to stall. Having finished runners-up to Juventus in each of the last two seasons, Napoli are looking to topple their rivals this year, and identified Rodriguez as a key player for this project at the start of the summer. However, they have been unable to complete a deal for the Colombian playmaker yet. This has opened the door for other clubs to make their move, with Atletico Madrid said to be interested in signing the midfielder. Marca have reported that Real Madrid are seeking €40m and would be willing to sell to their city rivals. Despite these rumours, Ancelotti appears to be remaining calm, insisting that Napoli are still trying to find a solution to bring Rodriguez to Italy. "We're still talking for James, a player that I really like. I'm very attached to James, I rate him very highly and he can certainly improve our team", Ancelotti told TV Luna (via Football Italia ). Having signed for Real Madrid for €75m back in 2014, Rodriguez has gone under the radar in recent years, struggling to consistently reproduce the form that saw him win the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot. That does not concern Ancelotti though, who is convinced of Rodriguez's quality after working with him briefly at Bayern Munich two years ago. "He doesn't need to re-announce himself, he's a great player", said Ancelotti. Away from the battle to sign Rodriguez, there is more positive news on the signing of Eljif Elmas from Fenerbahce. The Macedonian midfielder enjoyed a breakthrough season in Turkey last year and is expected to complete his move to Naples in the coming days, replacing Amadou Diawara, who signed for Roma at the start of the month.


Unseeded Barbora Strycova will play seven-time champion Serena Williams for a place in the Wimbledon final after an impressive 7-6 (7/5) 6-1 victory over Britain's 19th seed Johanna Konta on Tuesday. The 33-year-old Czech -- who has ousted four seeds on her run to the semi-finals -- lasthad been mulling over retiring but may have a rethink after she came back from 4-1 down in the first set to dominate the match with some delightful strokeplay. Strycova, the only unseeded player in the last four, has achieved her best Grand Slam performance with her previous best reaching the last eight, also at Wimbledon in 2014. "It sounds crazy, it's happening but I can't really believe it," said the bubbly and diminutive Strycova. "I am extremely happy and my voice is even shaking still right now. "I felt like I was playing well but she was striking the ball very quick and very hard. "I got into the match and then I started to feel better and then I turned it around and the confidence was building." Strycova, who succeeded in beating Konta where her compatriot and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova failed to on Monday after being a set up, said this performance was her finest in what is her 16th singles campaign at the tournament. "I think this was one of the best matches I played here," said Strycova. "Especially as I haven't been playing on Centre Court." Strycova, who served a six-month doping ban in 2013 due to a banned substance being in a supplement, said confronting 37-year-old Williams held no fears for her. "It's a great week to play Serena and it's a match that I really look forward to playing," said Strycova. Konta's hopes of a second successive Grand Slam semi-final appearance were largely dashed due to a massive 34 unforced errors. Related slideshow: Best of 2019 Wimbledon (Provided by imagn)


NEW YORK (AP) -- Fresh off a power-packed win, the New York Yankees' clubhouse was pumpin' and thumpin'. Until some mysterious DJ suddenly turned down the volume. "Who's touching that music over there?" Aaron Judge called out, playfully. Suffice to say, the bats are about to get a lot louder in the Bronx. Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu homered in a hurry, connecting in a six-run fourth inning that powered the Yankees past the Houston Astros 10-6 Thursday night for their sixth straight win. BOX SCORE: YANKEES 10, ASTROS 6 Edwin Encarnacion hit his AL-leading 23rd home run as the Yankees handed Houston its season-worst fifth loss in a row, matching its longest skid since 2016. The Astros dropped a matchup of division leaders despite Jake Marisnick's two home runs and solo drives by Alex Bregman and rookie Yordan Alvarez. Cheering the victory was Judge, set to come off the injured list for Friday night's game. Out since April 20 with a strained left oblique, the All-Star slugger will join a potent Yankees lineup that thundered on a stormy evening. "It's going to be scary," Yankees pitcher Chad Green said. Sanchez opened the fourth with his 22nd homer. With rain falling, Torres connected for a three-run jolt off rookie Framber Valdez (3-3). LeMahieu tagged reliever Chris Devenski for a two-run homer and a 6-0 lead. "You saw it again tonight," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "As a group, they just make it really tough." The big inning included two delays -- a short break to fix the mound and a 37-minute stoppage when the showers fell too hard. Judge was in the dugout during the first interlude and pounding his hand to the fan chants of "Let's go, Yankees!" From across the diamond, he tipped his cap toward Bregman, two young stars acknowledging each other. Encarnacion homered for the second time since being traded from Seattle to New York last weekend, and Giancarlo Stanton got three hits as New York opened a 10-3 lead. "They're dangerous whenever they get into these hitter's counts and it started from the very first hitter of the blowup inning," Astros manager AJ Hinch said. "They showed how explosive they are. We couldn't keep the ball in the ballpark and the game kind of got away from us for a little bit." Cameron Maybin added a two-run double, scored twice and made a sliding catch for the Yankees, doing damage against the team he helped win the 2017 World Series. He almost made a circus catch at the wall in left to end the game, only to have Alvarez's fly elude him for an RBI double. Aroldis Chapman got the final out with two on for his 20th save in 22 chances. Nestor Cortes Jr. (2-0) pitched three innings in relief, and was optioned to Triple-A after the game to make room for Judge. Green struck out three in two scoreless innings as an opener -- he has filled that role in his last three outings, fanning 12 in six scoreless innings. Alvarez lined his fifth home run in nine games since making his big league debut. Bregman hit his 21st. Astros sparkplug Jose Altuve singled for his first hit in eight at-bats since a five-week stay on the injured list because of a strained hamstring. FLYIN' The Yankees homered in their 23rd straight game, two shy of the franchise record set in 1941. ... This was the first time the Yankees have hit at least four home runs and allowed at least four in a game since July 15, 2012, against the Angels. TRAINER'S ROOM Astros: OF George Springer (strained left hamstring) hit two home runs for Double-A Corpus Christi in his first rehab game. If all goes well, he could rejoin Houston next week. ... RHP Collin McHugh (elbow) is expected to pitch twice this week in Double-A. Yankees: LHP Jordan Montgomery has inflammation in his left shoulder and won't pitch for two weeks. He is recovering from Tommy John surgery, but recently had to stop a bullpen session and it's uncertain if he'll pitch this season. UP NEXT Astros: RHP Brad Peacock (6-4, 3.67 ERA) has yielded four home runs in 11 1/3 innings over his last two starts. Yankees: LHP James Paxton (4-3, 3.93) gave up two homers to Altuve and was hit hard in a loss at Houston on April 10 as the Yankees were swept in a three-game set. ------ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP--Sports Related slideshow: Best of the 2019 MLB season (Provided by imagn)


A couple camping at a national park in Kentucky said they were rousted from their tent by a man who told them he had seen a Bigfoot. The man said he fired into the darkness after the ape-like monster that has never been proven to exist lunged at him, the couple told CNN on Wednesday. Law enforcement rangers with the Mammoth Cave National Park r esponded to the incident involving the camper with the firearm at one of the park's backcountry campsites early Sunday, park spokeswoman Molly Schroer said in a statement. The statement did not confirm any Bigfoot sighting but Schroer said no threat remains in the park. It is illegal to discharge a firearm in the national park, she said. Park officials know the identity of the person who allegedly fired a weapon; no charges have been filed. Madelyn Durand and her boyfriend Brad Ginn, who reported the incident to park rangers, said the encounter frightened them . And the attention over the alleged sighting of the cryptozoological mystery known as Bigfoot , or Sasquatch, has surprised the Bowling Green, Kentucky, couple. "I was mostly just concerned about him shooting the gun in the middle of the night without him really seeing anything," said Durand, 22. Durand said she was awakened around 11 p.m. when she heard noises outside their tent. She assumed other campers were being rowdy and drinking. She woke Ginn after a flashlight shined into the tent. "We got out of the tent and saw a man who told us their campsite had been destroyed by someone or something," said Durand, a student at Western Kentucky University. The man, who was with his young son, showed them his gun on his hip and told them the area was popular for Bigfoot sightings, Durand recalled. The couple climbed back into their tent as the man walked away to investigate with his son in tow. "We heard them coming back about 10 minutes later. We heard them yelling 'I see it!' Durand said. She added: "We saw the flash from his gun, and he shot maybe 20 yards from the side of our tent into the pitch-black darkness." Durand said she was scared that the gunfire could have struck them. The man with firearm seemed frightened, too. He told the couple his hands were shaking, they recalled. "The guy said he saw a Bigfoot emerge from the brush and it was coming towards him, so he shot at it," said Ginn, 24, who also attends Western Kentucky University. "We shined a flashlight to see if there was an animal or something. And there was absolutely nothing there," Durand said. Read: Why Bigfoot is getting nervous Once the adrenalin wore off, the couple make jokes about their strange night during their 5-mile hike to back their car in the darkness. "We're pretty shocked by how much it's blown up," Ginn said. The legendary Bigfoot is commonly associated with the Pacific Northwest. But sightings have been reported all over the country and celebrated. In Marion, North Carolina, near the Blue Ridge Mountains, Marion's mayor proclaimed Bigfoot the city's official animal during an inaugural Bigfoot festival last September. Federal records released in July showed the FBI analyzed a sample of alleged Bigfoot hairs in the 1970s "in the interest of research and scientific inquiry" that turned out to be deer hairs. There are skeptics of the legend of Bigfoot, of course. Some have even pretended to see the hairy monster. Durand and Ginn said their dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Buu, didn't react to the alleged sighting. "We're not believers," Durand said.


The R&A decided to move tee times up for Sunday's final round of the 148th Open Championship because of a bad forecast, but that didn't save golfers from playing in extremely difficult conditions at times. And Justin Thomas wants fans to know it was even worse than it looked on TV. RELATED: The story of the Open's final round in 9 (or so) sentences On Monday, Thomas shared a short video taken by his dad while he neared the end of his round. And while you still won't actually get wet watching it, you'll get a better feel for what JT and others played through at Royal Portrush. https://twitter.com/JustinThomas34/status/1153357551171493889 Looks fun, huh? To Thomas' credit, he handled the elements better than most, shooting a one-over-par 72 and winding up T-11 for the week, the best Open finish of his young career. NBC's cameras caught him having to back off a chip shot on No. 16, but he regrouped, hit one close and made par. The weather got Thomas good moments later when he made a triple bogey on No. 17. After watching this, though, are you going to knock him for that? Didn't think so. RELATED: Justin Thomas among the favorites for the 2020 Masters WATCH MORE VIDEOS FROM THE LOOP See the video.


The sun officially rose over the area surrounding Charlotte, North Carolina, at 5:41 a.m. ET Monday morning. It was playing catchup to Alex Bowman . Bowman and a large group of friends with adult beverages took the Garth Brook's song "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)" to heart as they celebrated his first career Cup win less than 12 hours earlier at Chicagoland Speedway. MORE: Long: Cup victory marks giant step forward for Alex Bowman Bowman announced on Twitter at 5:29 a.m. ET that he and his friends were getting ready to welcome the sun to the party. We're still up…. bout to watch the sunrise 🤘🏼🤘🏼😜   Alex Bowman (@AlexBowman88) July 1, 2019 To everybody who doubted… pic.twitter.com/m3jwiNyM6s   Alex Bowman (@AlexBowman88) July 1, 2019 After his win Sunday, Bowman said the weight of the victory would sink in once he returned home. "I feel like once I'm able to kind of go home and be back with the people that were there for the years of running 35th and the same core group of people that I've been friends with my whole life, when I get to go home and share it with them, it's going to be really special," Bowman said. "Probably won't be able to talk about it because I probably won't remember it. But no, we're going to have a lot of fun." I have a lot of unread text messages and my head hurts 😆🤦🏻♂   Alex Bowman (@AlexBowman88) July 1, 2019 Led 88 laps @ChicagolndSpdwy Reached 88K twitter followers this morning Now wondering if I drank 88 🍻 last night… pic.twitter.com/PTWZ051p1T   Alex Bowman (@AlexBowman88) July 1, 2019 Highlight of the night was people chugging bottles of maple syrup for cash. It was a scene straight out of super troopers. pic.twitter.com/ApcdpJod7V   Alex Bowman (@AlexBowman88) July 1, 2019 iMessage needs a reply all button 😂   Alex Bowman (@AlexBowman88) July 1, 2019 Still reading messages, appreciate them all! But now… sleep ✌🏼 pic.twitter.com/GaoeMLbsRe   Alex Bowman (@AlexBowman88) July 2, 2019 Bowman also joked he planned a special celebratory act for his crew chief Greg Ives. "I'm going to throw him in the pool in about three hours," Bowman declared. At press time, it was unknown if Ives had met his watery fate. But he did spend the early morning hours tweeting about what the win meant to him. Mom was everything I work for. When she got sick and I begged to come home to take of her, she said no!, you have a job to do. Miss her, love her, need her every day. https://t.co/6qf5Dm1F4U   Greg Ives (@Ives_Greg) July 1, 2019 Let's not worry about the past. The future is here! https://t.co/cPepIqMYGx   Greg Ives (@Ives_Greg) July 1, 2019 We came to @TeamHendrick together and been friends, teammates, and colleagues for years. Nothing better than to honor that with a win. https://t.co/Z7tiKBNX0A   Greg Ives (@Ives_Greg) July 1, 2019 Thanks Rodney, I am thankful I can participate amongst the great CCs like yourself. It is always fun to have family at the track and even better with a win. https://t.co/GG7SayIM8e   Greg Ives (@Ives_Greg) July 1, 2019 Follow @DanielMcFadin


There was a time when this local mom, dad and their kids actually looked forward to visiting the doctor. "We never missed doctors' appointments," the father told IndyStar on Wednesday. "That's something that makes you feel good, that you're taking care of your kids. (Our kids) were all excited to go. We were, too." That was before the drive home from the doctor's office in February. That's when their 12-year-old son said that his Boone County pediatrician had touched him in an inappropriate way. "It's an immediate panic almost," the mother told IndyStar. "I can't picture myself being comfortable to ever leave my child alone with anyone ever again." Worse, authorities say their son was not the only victim. Dr. Jonathon Cavins faces multiple criminal charges, including child molestation, in connection with the alleged incident and several others. Police say five families have now come forward with allegations that Cavins acted inappropriately with their teenage sons. The parents of the 12-year-old, identified in court records only as Jane Doe and John Doe, are suing Cavins for damages. IndyStar is not naming the parents to protect the identity of their son. Cavins' attorney in the civil case declined to comment on the lawsuit, due to pending litigation. The allegations The 41-year-old Lebanon doctor was charged in February with child molestation, sexual misconduct and vicarious sexual gratification in connection with three victim reports, according to the Lebanon Police Department and court documents. In April, prosecutors filed a motion to add two additional counts of child seduction against Cavins after two more victims made allegations against him. The motion was later granted by a judge. Cavins now faces charges that stem from five accusers. His attorney in the criminal case also declined to comment on the case to IndyStar. The alleged incidents happened this year and last year, according to police. During an interview with investigators, the 12-year-old boy said Cavins inappropriately touched him during a physical examination on Feb. 4. His mom recalled what happened on the car ride home: "Our son came forward with, 'Mom, I had this happen to me and it was really uncomfortable.' And it got into so much detail that we had to stop him in front of our other children in our car and wait until we got home to finish speaking about it." After Cavins' arrest, two other boys, ages 16 and 14, reported inappropriate conduct by Cavins during physical examinations. Detectives conducted forensic interviews with the boys and found that information obtained during the interviews was similar to what they found out in the interview with the 12-year-old, police said. The most recent allegations involve two victims who say Cavins touched them inappropriately last year. The boys, now ages 16 and 17, were 16 when it happened during examinations, police said. The parents of the 12-year-old filed the civil lawsuit against Cavins in March. In an interview with IndyStar, they said they had gone to Cavins for several years and had never had any issues with him. "Never in a million years would I have thought that this would have happened," the mother said. Cavins' license suspended Authorities say the misconduct occurred at Witham Health Services, where Cavins was employed. In a statement in February, Witham said Cavins no longer works there and that it's cooperating with law enforcement. Lebanon Police Lt. Ben Phelps told IndyStar that no other medical professionals are being questioned or investigated in connection with the case. Cavins' medical license is suspended. Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill announced in March that his office entered into a voluntary agreement with Cavins' attorneys to suspend his medical license for 90 days while he is under criminal investigation. The victim's mother says she worries Cavins will be able to practice medicine again in the future. "He's a predator. He preys on children," the mother said. "That's one of my biggest fears as a mother of a child that this happened to is, how could there ever even be the possibility, even the slightest, that this guy could ever practice again." Law experts told IndyStar a sex crime conviction for acts taking place in a doctor's medical practice would likely be followed by a revocation of the physician's license. "In theory, doctors can request a reconsideration of that decision down the road, but convictions for sex crimes, let alone sex crimes committed in the course of their practice, can be grounds to justify permanent revocation of their license," said Ross Silverman, a professor of public health and law at Indiana University. "While you can never say 'never,' a conviction on this type of case would probably be a career-ender." Under Indiana law, a license can be denied, revoked or suspended if the person is convicted of certain offenses that include sex- and drug-related crimes. "Ultimately, however, it would be a decision brought before the relevant board for consideration and adjudication on a case-by-case basis," said Meredith Lizza, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. On the other hand, an acquittal wouldn't necessarily mean that Cavins can resume his practice. That's because the "discipline of a medical license does not require a 'beyond a reasonable doubt' level of proof that a criminal conviction does," Silverman said. In a sexual misconduct case, it's likely that a medical board would take a very close look at the accusations, due to the allegation of a "severe violation of trust" by the licensee, according to Silverman. If the board believes that the health professional remains a danger to the public, Silverman said, they can seek an injunction to prevent the physician from continuing to practice while either their administrative investigation continues, or while the civil trial proceeds. Support our journalism Become an IndyStar subscriber today to support stories like this one. Get unlimited digital access here! Why the parents are suing The investigation into Cavins is still continuing, according to Phelps. "We are still encouraging parents to have a conversation with their children if they were patients of Cavins to ensure that they were not a victim as well," Phelps said in an email. The parents of the 12-year-old boy said they decided to bring a civil case against Cavins because they want to continue to get help for their son, who they say has struggled with depression and still has nightmares from the incident. "The criminal process is to hold the perpetrator accountable," said Ashley Hadler, one of their attorneys in the civil case. "The civil process is to compensate the victims for the sexual abuse that they've suffered. And the sexual abuse of children is a lifetime of damages ahead of them. Its medical expenses, problems with intimacy, problems with other interpersonal relationships. And that is something that they can only be compensated for though the civil justice system." Cavins' trial in the criminal case is slated for July. A trial date in the civil case has not been set. Contact IndyStar reporter Crystal Hill at 317-444-6094 or cnhill@gannett.com . Follow her on Twitter: @crysnhill . This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Parents sue Indiana pediatrician charged with sexual misconduct


Anybody can sign up to visit an Amazon fulfillment center for an hour, where a tour guide will show you the robot-heavy process of sorting and shipping your packages. Heike Geissler wrote her 2018 memoir of working in an Amazon distribution center in Leipzig, Germany, as a novel. This is probably partly for legal reasons, but mainly to give her space to make the story feel more universal, as much of it is written in the second person. "You," the reader, are the one being scolded by your manager for pausing to read the back of a book you're supposed to be passing from box to box. "You don't quite understand how a fortune could be made out of these things on either side of you and out of books and data carriers and a program and a website, a fortune that's still growing," Geissler writes in Seasonal Associate . "Nor do you understand why that fortune is not allowed to have a reverse effect on the hall, to add a little comfort or shine. It's not as if you don't realize the fact that the fortune is deliberately prevented from flowing back toward the employees; you simply don't understand it, and of course it can't be understood." "You spend 10 hours on foot, there's no windows in the place, and you're not allowed to talk to people   there's no interactions allowed," former Amazon warehouse employee Seth King told Vox last summer . "I got a sense in no time at all that they work people to death, or until they get too tired to keep working. I felt I couldn't work there and maintain a healthy state of mind." Last November, Chavie Lieber reported for Vox on what the holiday season is like in an Amazon fulfillment center, quoting another employee who said "everyone works six days a week. The associates work 10 hours a day, the managers 14 to 18. It's mandatory overtime, the hours are not voluntary, and they are all on your feet." In March, a Staten Island warehouse employee was fired for a minor safety violation and filed a lawsuit against Amazon, claiming that his real infraction was attempting to lead a unionization effort the month prior. "Tour one of our fulfillment centers and see first-hand how we deliver to you." There is, this suggests, nothing to hide. And though outrage about the conditions in Amazon facilities has escalated in the past few years, hideous accounts go back to at least 2011, when the daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania, reported that the heat index in its local warehouse had reached 102 degrees, workers were collapsing, and those who left because of the heat were receiving disciplinary points. The managers called 911 so many times that, rather than shutting down operations until the heat wave passed, Amazon ended up just paying for a fleet of ambulances to remain stationed outside. It's with all this looming large in the public mind that this year, Amazon started offering tours twice a day at 46 of more than 250 sites worldwide. (Previously they were offered only a few times a month at five sites.) Anybody can sign up online, as I did, without signing a nondisclosure agreement or promising to keep what they see to themselves. "Come see the magic," the website suggests . "Tour one of our fulfillment centers and see first-hand how we deliver to you." There is, this suggests, nothing to hide. So last Thursday morning, I drove to the Amazon fulfillment center in West Deptford, New Jersey   named ACY1 because of its proximity to the Atlantic City airport, though it is also only about 20 minutes from Philadelphia. The town website's homepage boasts about business opportunity   great infrastructure, low property taxes, the presence of NuStar Energy. It's a generically prosperous enough town, with a population of slightly more than 20,000 mostly white, middle-class Barack Obama and Chris Christie voters , nearly half registered as independents. It hosts the Senior Little League Baseball Eastern Regional Tournament every year, its main claim to fame, and is in the midst of refurbishing and repurposing its historic port on the Delaware River. The Amazon facility is set back in the woods off the town's interstate exit, in a row with a solar farm, a construction company, and a behavioral health compound. It has a several-hundred-car parking lot and is about the size of a megaplex movie theater. ACY1 employs 2,000 people, out of 17,500 employed by Amazon in the state of New Jersey. The company employs more than 647,000 people around the world, 125,000 of those at American fulfillment centers like the one I visited. What does this work look like at its public-facing best, when everything is as pleasant as it can possibly be made to seem? Since I know what Amazon's typical line is on the matter, I'll say now: This is, obviously, a fraction of the 1.5 million people Walmart employs in the US (2.2 million globally), and I am not arguing that the way Walmart has and does define the American worker is anything less than extremely important , probably more important than Amazon's definition at this moment in time. But since Amazon would also like us to believe that it is the future, and big-box retail is the past, it bears a lot of consideration: What does this work look like at its public-facing best, when everything is as pleasant as it can possibly be made to seem? My tour included a grandmother escorting two girls and one boy between the ages of about 6 and 10, one older man who was alone, seven businessmen who later told me they run the third-party Amazon fulfillment business Paragon Trading Post (and also told me, unprompted, that they made $5 million last year), and me   identified quickly as a reporter by my tour guide, who suggested that the tour was off the record, though it was not, but I'm going to refrain from directly quoting anything he said out of respect for this clear confusion. He led us through a row of blue and orange subway turnstiles, past ID-activated vending machines full of safety gear and Tylenol packets and about a dozen paper signs offering "Amazonians" career support, day care advice, mental health assistance, and other nice things. All this was underscored by a tour script that focused   before we had even exited the first stairwell   on the $15 hourly wage in the facility, as well as its 50 percent 401(k) matching, robust health benefits, and free community college classes. We listened to him through headsets because the general hum of the building made it too loud to speak normally. His narration was funny and warm; he never sounded overly careful or guarded, and when he couldn't answer questions, it never seemed as though it was because the answers were secrets. Still, what he showed us of the building made me feel like my brain had been dropped in a vat of Alka-Seltzer. I assume you are familiar with Lee Ann Womack's twice-platinum 1999 graduation slideshow classic "I Hope You Dance," which includes the entreaty "I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean." In 1999, this lyric was about the ocean. In 2019, this lyric is about the inside of an Amazon fulfillment center. It is too much to be understood, even in panorama view. At any one moment, I could see and comprehend the presence of about 30 of the moving, four-sided, enormous bookshelf-like robots dancing around, covered in stuff , called back and forth by the QR codes on the floor. But there were thousands in the building, stretching past where I could see them. Standing on a narrow bridge overlooking the ground floor, I could see a row of open doors on the edge of the building, on and on, again past my line of vision, steadily fed by conveyor belts covered in individual Amazon packages. I could not exactly understand that each conveyor belt led into the back of a tractor-trailer truck, despite being told this was the case. At one point, the grandmother on the tour bent over and pointed the younger girl's attention toward one of the moving towers just as it spun away from us, saying, "Ooh, did you see the Aveeno lotion?" As if recognizing a product was akin to seeing a celebrity. I took note of the celebrities I saw: soccer ball, laundry detergent, Fancy Feast, Pop-Tarts, kombucha starter kit, protein powder, paper plates, maxi pads. I realized at a certain point that I was holding my breath, hoping not to see anything I had ever ordered, as if that would be the first moment at which I would have to acknowledge my personal involvement. (Never mind that during my two-hour drive, I had swiped away a text message from Amazon announcing that my Tigi hairspray would be arriving later in the day.) "Ooh, did you see the Aveeno lotion?" When things fall off the bookshelf robots, we were told, specialists have to shut off the QR codes for the parts of the floor surrounding the dropped item, then organize a special operation to go out and retrieve it without getting clocked by a tower that doesn't know they're there. They are called the "floor health team," and that's their job at ACY1. But there are two main tasks related to these robots: picking and stowing. Employees stand at individual, half-enclosed stations at least 15 feet apart and either "pick" things off the robots, scanning them and then dropping them into a yellow plastic bin called a "tote," or they take things out of the totes, scan them, and "stow" them in the robots. They are connective tissue, bending and scanning and placing, then bending and scanning and placing. There's no music, no possible way of speaking out loud to another person, and no decisions to be made. Back on the ground floor   though we did not talk to any employees   we met a robotic arm named Trudy, which sits in the middle of the huge space lifting heavy totes. Trudy is surrounded by rows and rows of packing stations, where employees are told by a computer which size box to use for the items sorted for them by the computer, before a computer spits out a piece of tape the exact right length to close it. Watching the shipping labels get stamped on by a different robot, the older girl on the tour asked if Prime orders are handled differently than regular orders. She was assured that all orders are processed the same way no matter who is placing them, that everything is valuable to someone   and though she nodded in response to this policy of egalitarianism in purchasing, I could tell she was chewing on it, maybe a little unsure about the notes it struck. "Is this all a matter of life and death? I'll say no for the moment and come back to the question later," Geissler writes at the beginning of Seasonal Associate . "At that point I'll say: Not directly, but in a way yes. It's a matter of how far death is allowed into our lives. Or the fatal, that which kills us." Later, she does come back to it, and adds, "I can't prove that the work kills anyone. ... They're all standing upright and working well[.]" Afterward, we were thanked for our time and presented with instructions about an online survey, as well as new water bottles that read "Amazon FC Tours," then escorted back through a lobby, exposed only then to the backside of the entryway, which read "Work Hard. Have Fun. Make History." Sign up for The Goods' newsletter. Twice a week, we'll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.