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Yoga is a great way to improve your overall health. It's good exercise, it makes you more flexible, and it's good for easing stress – yoga even has a long-term impact on clinical depression . But getting into yoga can be a bit of a rough transition. It involves a lot of stretching and movements you might not be accustomed to, and if you're not quite sure what you're doing, there's a chance you could accidentally hurt yourself. The best way to ensure an ideal yoga experience is to take a class with a professional instructor, but if that's off the table, there are ways to bring a solo yoga session in line with one offered in a class. You could keep a visual list of pose diagrams handy, open up a yoga video on your computer or a yoga app on your phone , or, perhaps, employ a smarter mat. As smart tech proliferates through anything and everything, even the peaceful realm of yoga has seen technological upgrades in the form of smart yoga mats. While these flexible devices won't magically make you perfectly pretzel-like, their combination of intelligent sensors might just make your yoga journey a teensy bit easier. A smart yoga mat is kind of like the yoga equivalent of a stationary bicycle or treadmill like the Peloton Tread . Rather than the usual flat strip of foamy material, a smart yoga mat incorporates a variety of subtle sensors, scanners, and even AI algorithms to track your progress through a long-term yoga program. These sensors are used to check your positioning while performing yoga poses, ensuring you're distributing your weight properly, moving the correct limbs, and not overextending yourself in dangerous ways. Technically speaking, the concept of smart yoga mats have been around since the mid-2010s, with experimental design teams like Fluid and crowdfunded campaigns like Smart Mat researching the possibility of such a product. However, to date, the only smart yoga mat that's managed to make it to commercial availability as far as we can discern is YogiFi, which launched in 2021. No matter what the others promised, YogiFi's the only one to release a product, so it gets to be the benchmark for smart mats going forward. The YogiFi smart yoga mat has a large main device attached to a seemingly normal yoga mat. You power the device on, pair it with a compatible device via the YogiFi app, and select one of the app's programs or classes. An instructional video will play on your connected device, which you're supposed to follow along with on the mat. You can play this lesson on most Bluetooth-compatible displays, including smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and smart TVs. The big difference between this and a normal yoga instructional tape is that the YogiFi mat is actively monitoring you as you go. The mat's sensors keep track of your weight and balance, monitoring your poses for safety and accuracy. If the mat detects a problem, such as incorrect balance shifting or performing the wrong pose, the paired device will send you an audio and visual warning to fix your positioning. YogiFi also uses an AI-powered virtual yoga trainer to guide you through the steps of your program, offering advice on improving your poses and generally encouraging you to keep going. This is in addition to the prerecorded professional trainer who's conducting the lesson videos.
Longest-lived US president was always happy to speak his mindMusk says US is demanding he pay penalty over disclosures of his Twitter stock purchases DETROIT (AP) — Elon Musk says the Securities and Exchange Commission wants him to pay a penalty or face charges involving what he disclosed — or failed to disclose — about his purchases of Twitter stock before he bought the social media platform in 2022. In a letter, Musk’s lawyer Alex Spiro tells the outgoing SEC chairman, Gary Gensler, that the commission’s demand for a monetary payment is a “misguided scheme” that won’t intimidate Musk. The letter also alleges that the commission reopened an investigation this week into Neuralink, Musk’s computer-to-human brain interface company. The SEC has not released the letter. Nor would it comment on it or confirm whether it has issued such a demand to Musk. Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is pushing toward a vote on legislation that would provide full Social Security benefits to millions of people. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer began the process on Thursday for a final vote on the bill, known as the Social Security Fairness Act. It would eliminate policies that currently limit Social Security payouts for roughly 2.8 million people. The legislation has passed the House. The bill would add more strain on the Social Security Trust funds, which are already estimated to be unable to pay out full benefits beginning in 2035. The measure would add an estimated $195 billion to federal deficits over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Trump offers support for dockworkers union by saying ports shouldn't install more automated systems WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is offering his support for the dockworkers union before their contract expires next month at Eastern and Gulf Coast ports. He posted on social media Thursday that he met with union leaders and that any further “automation” of the ports would harm workers. He wrote that the “amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers.” The International Longshoremen’s Association has until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies. The Maritime Alliance says the technology will improve worker safety and strengthen our supply chains, among other things. IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power WASHINGTON (AP) — IRS leadership on Thursday announced that the agency has recovered $4.7 billion in back taxes and proceeds from a variety of crimes. The announcement comes under the backdrop of a promised reckoning from Republicans who will hold a majority over both chambers of the next Congress and have long called for rescinding the tens of billions of dollars in funding provided to the agency by Democrats. IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said improvements made to the agency will help the incoming administration and new Republican majority congress achieve its goals of administering an extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. OpenAI's Altman will donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund LOS ANGELES (AP) — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is planning to make a $1 million personal donation to President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships the incoming administration. A spokesperson for OpenAI confirmed the move on Friday. The announcement comes one day after Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it donated $1 million to the same fund. Amazon also said it plans to donate $1 million. China signals it's prepared to double down on support for the economy as Trump tariffs loom BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese leaders met this week to plot economic policy for the coming year and sketched out plans to raise government spending and relax Beijing's monetary policy. Analysts said the broad-brush plans from the annual Central Economic Work Conference were more of a recap of current policy than ambitious new initiatives at a time when the outlook is clouded by the President-elect Donald Trump's threats to sharply raise tariffs once he takes office. The ruling Communist Party did commit to raising China's deficit and to doing more to encourage consumer spending by bringing wage increases in line with the pace of economic growth. Here's a look at China's main priorities and their potential implications. Stock market today: Wall Street wavers at the end of a bumpy week NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks wavered as Wall Street closes out a rare bumpy week. The S&P 500 was down 0.1% in midday trading Friday and headed for a weekly loss. The benchmark index hit its latest in a string of records a week ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 19 points. The Nasdaq composite was down 0.2%. Broadcom surged after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street’s profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. Treasury yields edged higher in the bond market. European markets were mostly lower and Asian markets mostly fell. Next Week: Retail sales, Fed policy update, existing home sales The Commerce Department releases its monthly snapshot of U.S. retail sales Tuesday. Federal Reserve officials wrap up a two-day meeting and issue an interest rate policy update Wednesday. The National Association of Realtors issues its latest update on U.S. home sales Thursday. From a 10-year-old to a Muppet to a president-elect, NYSE bell-ringers range from famous to obscure The first guest invited to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange in 1956 wasn’t a company executive, a politician or a celebrity. It was a 10-year-old boy, Leonard Ross, who received the honor by winning a television quiz show. Since then, business titans, political giants and global film stars have all been among those ringing the opening bell at the NYSE. Ronald Reagan rang the bell as president in 1985. Billionaire businessman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr. have also rung the bell. The even list includes famous Muppets: Miss Piggy was once a bell ringer. Some in seafood industry see Trump as fishermen's friend, but tariffs could make for pricier fish PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to bring big changes to seafood, one of the oldest sectors of the U.S. economy. Some in the industry believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs. Economic analysts paint a more complicated picture, as they fear Trump’s pending trade hostilities with major trading partners Canada and China could make an already pricy kind of protein more expensive. Conservationists also fear Trump’s emphasis on deregulation could jeopardize fish stocks already in peril. But many in the commercial fishing and seafood processing industries said they expect Trump to allow fishing in protected areas and crack down on offshore wind expansion.
Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen has targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said Thursday's bombardment took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military later said it wasn’t aware that the WHO chief was at the location in Yemen. At least three people were reported killed and dozens injured in the Sanaa airport strike. An uneasy calm settles over Syrian city of Homs after outbreak of sectarian violence HOMS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s new security forces checked IDs and searched cars in the central city of Homs a day after protests by members of the Alawite minority erupted in gunfire and stirred fears that the country’s fragile peace could break down. A tense calm prevailed Thursday after checkpoints were set up throughout the country’s third-largest city, which has a mixed population of Sunni and Shia Muslims, Alawites and Christians. The security forces are controlled by the former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the charge that unseated former President Bashar Assad. The US says it pushed retraction of a famine warning for north Gaza. Aid groups express concern. WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say they asked for — and got — the retraction of an independent monitor's warning of imminent famine in north Gaza. The internationally Famine Early Warning System Network issued the warning this week. The new report had warned that starvation deaths in north Gaza could reach famine levels as soon as next month. It cited what it called Israel's “near-total blockade” of food and water. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob Lew, criticized the finding as inaccurate and irresponsible. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the famine-monitoring group, told the AP it had asked for and gotten the report's retraction. USAID officials tell The Associated Press that it had asked the group for greater review of discrepancies in some of the data. Powerful thunderstorms rumble across Texas, delaying holiday travel DALLAS (AP) — Severe thunderstorms are firing up in parts of Texas and could trigger high winds, hail and potential tornadoes. More than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more were canceled Thursday at airports in Dallas and Houston. The National Weather Service says the greatest weather risk stretched from just east of Dallas, and between Houston and portions of southern Arkansas and western Louisiana. The risk includes the possibility of tornadoes, wind gusts between 60 and 80 miles per hour and large hail. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for several counties in southeast Texas, including the Houston area. Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans in Congress plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. They want to push through long-sought changes such as voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They say the measures are needed to restore public confidence in elections. That's after an erosion of trust that Democrats note has been fueled by false claims from Donald Trump and his allies of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Democrats say they are willing to work with the GOP but want any changes to make it easier, not harder, to vote. Americans are exhausted by political news. TV ratings and a new AP-NORC poll show they're tuning out NEW YORK (AP) — A lot of Americans, after an intense presidential election campaign, are looking for a break in political news. That's evident in cable television news ratings and a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans saying they've found the need recently to cut down on their consumption of political and government news. That's particularly true among Democrats following President-elect Donald Trump's victory, although a significant number of Republicans and independents feel the same way. Cable networks MSNBC and CNN are really seeing a slump. That's also happened in years past for networks that particularly appeal to supporters of one candidate. Aviation experts say Russia's air defense fire likely caused Azerbaijan plane crash as nation mourns Aviation experts say that Russian air defense fire was likely responsible for the Azerbaijani plane crash the day before that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured. Azerbaijan is observing a nationwide day of mourning on Thursday for the victims of the crash. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons yet unclear and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy battlefield losses KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in Russia's Kursk region and face logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks. The intelligence agency said Thursday that Ukrainian strikes near Novoivanovka inflicted heavy casualties on North Korean units. Ukraine's president said earlier this week that 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in the Kursk region. It marked the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties several weeks after Kyiv announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. Ex-Sen. Bob Menendez, citing 'emotional toll,' seeks sentencing delay in wake of wife's trial NEW YORK (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez is asking a federal judge to delay his end-of-January sentencing on bribery charges, saying his family would suffer a “tremendous emotional toll” if the New Jersey Democrat was sentenced during his wife's trial. His lawyers told Judge Sidney H. Stein in a letter that Nadine Menendez would face a jury that might find it impossible not to hear about her husband's sentencing if it occurred eight days into her trial. The 70-year-old Menendez was convicted in July of 16 charges, including bribery. His wife, whose trial was postponed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, faces much of the same evidence as her husband. How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze.None
The Rogers County Commissioners kicked several agenda items down the road during their regular Monday meeting. One such agenda item was a proposal to create a county employee benefit program to recognize outstanding county employees. Commissioners Dan DeLozier and Ron Burrows decided to wait until the Jan. 6 meeting to take action because District 2 Commissioner Steve Hendrix was absent. Todd Wagner, the county's attorney, said state law empowers county commissioners to establish such a program, for which he'd written a draft resolution. "The best approach would be to have the Board of County Commissioners recognize this authority and then pass a resolution enacting that," Wagner said. "The statute provides that each department and division office may spend monies from their operating funds for recognition awards, and that those awards may be given at a formal luncheon and banquet ceremony." Wagner said his resolutions allows each county department to determine their own standards for recognizing its employees. Burrows said he liked the idea, but he wanted to set limits on how much each department could spend on awards since they'd be funded with taxpayer money. Wagner said statute doesn't contemplate limits, so the commissioners could likely set them if they wanted. "I don't want to see another line item show up on our budgeting process," Burrows said. "...I think there just really needs to be some very specific parameters around how much money can be spent." The commissioners also passed on accepting a $50,000 quote to repair or remove a failed microwave link between Chelsea and Rogers State University. Dicus Benton, Catoosa's fire chief, said the commissioners should make a decision next week because Jon Sappington, undersheriff for the Rogers County Sheriff's Office, wasn't at the meeting. They also decided to reject the only bid the county received for a shipping container for the firing range the sheriff's office is building. The sheriff's office sent out five bids but got one back: a $7,300 quote from Technology International, based in Lake Mary, Florida. DeLozier said the bid was excessively expensive, and Burrows said he would rather source a shipping container from a local vendor. "Are we bound to have this shipped from Florida to here?" Burrows said. "Appreciate their bid, really don't want to discount that, but I know Catoosa has two [vendors] that just come to mind." Most of the items the commissioners approved Monday were purchases or contract agreements. The commissioners approved a $225,000 contract with Shuterra, a vegetation management company based in Kingfisher. Burrows said he's had problems with tall Johnson grass, a weed that grows along many county roads, and hiring Shuterra would make it cheaper for the county to manage it. He said it may take a few years to notice improvement. DeLozier said hiring Shuterra would "darn sure" save the county a lot of money because his crews are mowing along county roads five times a year. They also agreed to make their annual $100,000 contribution to the Rodeo Arena Interlocal Cooperative, a trust that manages the Will Rogers Stampede Arena. Burrows commended DeLozier for his work with the cooperative and the improvements the trust has made to the arena. The commissioners decided to spend what remains of the county's American Rescue Plan Act funds to cover operational expenses the county has incurred managing the funds. Wagner said Dec. 31 is the deadline to obligate ARPA funds, and putting them toward covering expenses makes sure each penny will be used. "We've spent this money very well and made sure that we used it in a lot of different areas," DeLozier said. "I think we were one of [the governmental entities] that I believe have done right."David J. Neal | (TNS) Miami Herald Stanley — whose cups have become almost as popular as the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup — recalled 2.6 million travel mugs because their burn count got too high. As explained in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice, “These mugs’ lid threads can shrink when exposed to heat and torque, causing the lid to detach during use, posing a burn hazard.” According to what Stanley told the CPSC, the lids on recalled travel mugs have detached 16 times in the United States and 91 times worldwide, causing two burn injuries in the United States and 38 worldwide. Of those 38, 11 “required medical attention.” Related Articles National News | American released from Syrian prison is flown out of the country, a US official says National News | Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds National News | How to protect your communications through encryption National News | Companies tighten security after a health care CEO’s killing leads to a surge of threats National News | Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge This involves the Switchback model, ID No. 20-01437 in the 12-ounce size and Nos. 20-01436 and 20-02211 in the 16-ounce size; and the Trigger Action model, ID Nos. 20-02033, 20-02779 and 20-02825 in the 12-ounce size; Nos. 20-02030, 20-02745 and 20-02957 in the 16-ounce size; and 20-02034 and 20-02746 in the 20-ounce size. Stanley wants customers to contact the company to receive a free replacement lid by either going to the website to enter your product identification number and place of purchase (if you remember) or calling (866) 792-5445, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern time. ©2024 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Pearl Diver Credit Company Inc. Announces Offering of Series A Preferred StockJHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Medtronic ( NYSE: MDT ) shares continued losses for seven straight sessions, as the stock closed 0.7% lower at $82.94 on Wednesday. The Galway, Ireland-based MedTech giant lost over 2% in the preceding six sessions. Overall, the stock has gained nearly 2% so far this year, compared to the