All posts tagged: Stamp

Since 1934, the Federal Duck Stamp has raised .3 billion for habitat conservation

Since 1934, the Federal Duck Stamp has raised $1.3 billion for habitat conservation

Published by Jenni Sidey

Three hundred thirty-one gorgeous duck stamps. Fifteen finalists. Two days of fierce competition. One winner.  For the fourth time, Robert Hautman of Delano, Minnesota, is the winner of the 2026 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest. His acrylic painting of a pair of long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis) will be made into the 2027-2028 Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, aka the Duck Stamp. This annual bird stamp raises roughly $40 million per year to support wetland habitat conservation in the National Wildlife Refuge System. “The Federal Duck Stamp Program is one of the most successful conservation programs in our nation’s history. Since the program began in 1934, Duck Stamp sales have helped protect millions of acres of wetland habitat for waterfowl and countless other species. It brings together art, wildlife, conservation, and the American outdoors,” Service Director Brian Nesvik said in a statement. Madison Grimm of Wallace, South Dakota,  placed second with an acrylic painting of a king eider (Somateria spectabilis). Joseph Hautman of Plymouth, Minnesota, took the third place prize also with an acrylic …

Sylvester Stallone recalls ‘really nasty altercation’ with his father on set of iconic drama

Sylvester Stallone recalls ‘really nasty altercation’ with his father on set of iconic drama

Published by Daniella Wilson

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Sylvester Stallone has recalled a “nasty altercation” with his father on the set of Rocky. Stallone, 80, spoke about his tricky relationship with his father Frank Stallone Sr in a new interview with The New York Times to promote his forthcoming memoir The Steps, published in the UK on 29 September. The three-time Oscar nominee said that he had landed his “tough” father a cameo as the bell ringer in the 1976 film’s climactic match, which sees his Rocky go up against Carl Weathers’s Apollo Creed. “It was like: I just want you to love me for a little bit,” Stallone said. “Like, look what I did! Share it with me. I know you thought I …

‘We lost £14,000’: can a new clampdown stamp out cowboy builders? | Consumer affairs

‘We lost £14,000’: can a new clampdown stamp out cowboy builders? | Consumer affairs

Published by Sam Flores

In hindsight, Sheri Ingram, 35, can see the red flags. Lee Slocombe, a builder hired to renovate her ex-boyfriend’s home in the south Wales valleys, offered to do the work cheaply because he had materials left over from another job, then asked for money upfront to buy additional supplies. “At the time, we believed him,” says Sheri, who was in her early 20s when it happened, and had just left university. The couple budgeted about £8,000 for work that included removing a supporting wall and building an extension with a balcony. Within weeks, the house had been ripped apart. “He pulled up the floorboards and removed the floor joists – he said they had wood rot and needed to come out – took out the staircase, took down the walls, and removed the ceiling,” Ingram says. “The first floor was pinned up using metal poles, and he threw the rubble out the back.” Slocombe kept finding problems and asking for more money, so Ingram’s then boyfriend borrowed another £6,000 from family. By the end, the …

A new stamp on cyberfraud prevention

A new stamp on cyberfraud prevention

Published by skeptic

For Rupert Young ’95, SM ’95, his career in data science and cybersecurity began when his grandfather gifted him thousands of stamps: He built intricate databases to catalogue them, displaying the “precise eye” for detail and nuance that his MIT application essay said would make him a good engineer. Young is now chief product officer of ­MaxMind, whose work with IP-address location data and fraud prevention has made it a go-to resource. Streaming companies, security vendors, merchants, and ad-network providers use its signature tool, GeoIP, to determine how and where users are accessing services. This information makes it possible to ensure retail sites are using the correct currency, flag suspicious bank logins, and more. Source link

How makers of ‘Fortnite’ are putting their stamp on the Magic Kingdom

How makers of ‘Fortnite’ are putting their stamp on the Magic Kingdom

Published by Sam Flores

A pirate’s face melts from flesh to skull as he clutches a fistful of cursed gold. A few hundred yards away, the cockpit window of Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon fills the dunes of Tatooine, then the towers of Coruscant. Both are running on the same software that “Fortnite,” the hugely popular online video game, runs on. Epic Games’ Unreal Engine has spent several years migrating deeper into Walt Disney Co. — from the LED soundstages where “The Mandalorian” was shot, to previsualization suites where Imagineers sketch out rides, and now into the ride vehicles themselves and a related online game within “Fortnite.” “This is a big moment for us,” Sean Shoptaw, executive vice president of Disney Games and Digital Entertainment, told reporters at a recent media event. “We’ve spent many, many years talking about … taking an incredible experience in our park and starting to build connectivity to that inside of a really immersive game world.” The connection between the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride and the “Smugglers Gambit” virtual game is the latest example …

Axe stamp duty? How Andy Burnham could change property tax | Property

Axe stamp duty? How Andy Burnham could change property tax | Property

Published by Sam Flores

Residential property is the largest store of wealth in the UK, and has long been a target for those who believe homes should be taxed more. Real estate remains a juicy plum for Andy Burnham to pick as he searches for ways to pay for an overhaul of the social care system and higher defence spending, to name just two fiscal priorities. Yet how to tax property, or possibly the land it sits on, has vexed economists and politicians for centuries. Here we discuss the background to the debate and some of the tax options. How is property taxed now? Council tax, stamp duty land tax and capital gains tax (CGT) are the main taxes charged on English properties. All residents pay council tax based on the value of the home at 1991 prices and in a series of bands from A to H – while several extra bands are being added at the top end to enact Rachel Reeves’s mansion tax. Property taxes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are under the control of …

Food stamp participation has been rapidly dropping. Here’s why : NPR

Food stamp participation has been rapidly dropping. Here’s why : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

A grocery cart is full of food items as a person shops at the Feeding South Florida food pantry on July 8 in Pembroke Park, Fla. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images The largest food assistance program in the U.S. is undergoing a massive overhaul. But even before the most drastic changes take effect, more than 4 million people are estimated to have already lost the critical food aid between last July and April — many of whom are children. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps, has seen a rapid and consistent decline in participation since last July, the same month that a sweeping Republican tax and spending package became law. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act included major changes to the food assistance program. At the time, the White House called SNAP “bloated” and said it was failing its mission to serve as “temporary help for those who encounter tough times.” Starsky Wilson, the president of the Children’s Defense Fund, a child advocacy group, …

Andy Burnham ‘Not Actively Considering’ Scrapping Council Tax And Stamp Duty

Andy Burnham ‘Not Actively Considering’ Scrapping Council Tax And Stamp Duty

Published by Sam Flores

Andy Burnham is not actively considering replacing council tax and stamp duty, according to Downing Street. The i paper reported on Sunday that Treasury officials have been examining options for reforming council tax, replacing it with a 0.48% annual property tax. The prime minister also told the BBC that his government will face “big decisions” about the levy. But a spokesperson rejected the idea on Monday, telling reporters: “Suggestions that scrapping council tax or stamp duty are under ‘active consideration’ by the prime minister are not true. “As has always been the case, decisions on tax are a matter for the chancellor to set out at fiscal events.” Asked if Treasury officials are also looking at the policy plans, the spokesperson said all “decisions on tax are matters for the chancellor to set out at the budget”. “It wouldn’t be right to comment outside of those circumstances,” he added. When asked about the prime minister’s suggestion that council tax needs reform, the spokesperson said: “What has been clear is we need to honour the manifesto …

From The Beverly Hills Hotel to LAX, the Architect Paul R. Williams Put His Stamp on Los Angeles and Beyond

From The Beverly Hills Hotel to LAX, the Architect Paul R. Williams Put His Stamp on Los Angeles and Beyond

Published by Sam Flores

“I always like to say you could be born in a hospital designed by Williams, get married in a church designed by Williams, live in a home designed by Williams, go to a school designed by Williams, and then when you die, have your funeral in a Williams design funeral home,” says ­Staci Steinberger, a decorative arts and design curator at LACMA. It’s a CV that would earn anyone a mention in the annals of history. “Paul Williams is one of the most prolific American architects, period. I would set his body of work alongside Frank Gehry and Thom Mayne,” says Milton S. F. Curry, senior associate dean of the USC School of Architecture. But when you factor in that Williams was the first licensed Black architect west of the Mississippi? Then he becomes a great, and unsung, figure of history. “He was an African American and doing such amazing work during the time where African Americans weren’t recognized for their brilliance,” Pauletta Washington says. “I felt special living in that house. I felt that …