Why Buffett Dumped Apple and Bet Big on This Stock Instead
Why Buffett Dumped Apple and Bet Big on This Stock Instead
Buffett is reducing exposure to cyclical stocks like Apple and focusing on consumer staples like Domino’s, reflecting concerns about inflation and economic slowdown.
Domino’s strong ROIC (over 60%) and inflation-proof business model align with Buffett’s strategy, making it a standout investment during uncertain times.
Institutional selling of Apple and Buffett’s moves align with warnings about overvalued markets, low future returns, and a potential slowdown in discretionary spending.
In a recent 13-F filing report, Warren Buffett’s positions were made public for the world to see and attempt to reverse engineer the thinking behind one of Wall Street’s best capital compounders. These filings provide investors with two key takeaways: an understanding of broader macro trends and how they are reflected in specific businesses.
By analyzing Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:)’s recent selling activity, new acquisitions, and its substantial cash reserves, a clear trend emerges, offering insights into the potential direction of the ******* States economy. It seems as though Buffett is shifting toward the consumer staples sector while pulling back from consumer discretionary investments.
So why did Buffett sell out of Apple Inc (NASDAQ:) and redeploy this capital into Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:) (and other names)? Before digging deeper into these two specific decisions, here’s the broader Buffett portfolio and what the recent shuffles have to say about broader markets.
Buffett’s Latest Stock Moves Hint at a Strategic Play
After buying into shares of Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:) two quarters ago, Buffett and his team have suddenly decided to sell up to 96% of this relatively new investment. But when considering his exit from Capital One Financial (NYSE:), the picture becomes clearer.
Buffett is diminishing his exposure to cyclical stocks as if he expects a slowdown in the broader economy. In fact, Warren Buffett’s 1999 warning about overvalued markets, tied to high valuations and low interest rates, ******** relevant today as the Buffett Indicator signals caution. This broader perspective will help investors analyze the rationale behind Buffett’s decision to reduce his Apple holdings and invest in Domino’s instead.
Consumer Slowdown Tests Apple’s Resilience Despite Its Brand Power
Apple stock has many strengths, including its brand recognition and market share, as well as stability and predictability in its business model due to its subscription divisions and sustainable demand for its physical products.
However, based on his current outlook, Buffett likely finds it unjustifiable to hold onto the stock. One reason that could be is his expectation of higher inflation hitting the ******* States economy, aligning with his broader warning about the S&P 500 underperforming in the coming years.
Goldman Sachs analysts also view the market this way, forecasting only 3% annual returns for the next decade and others on Wall Street seem to agree. Wellington Management Group has decided to decrease its holdings in Apple stock by 7.2% in the past quarter. This sign of lost confidence from institutional investors combined with Buffett’s selling is not a good sign for the stock’s future today.
Wall Street Joins Buffett in ******** Big on Domino’s Pizza Stock
Buffett’s new position in Domino’s is now worth up to $550 million. But why he would pick a consumer discretionary stock when his outlook on the sector led him to reduce his Apple holdings?? The fundamental difference is in the product.
While people struggling with inflation might think twice about buying electronics from Apple and keeping their subscription services, pizza and takeout are often synonymous with saving money, a theme that will overtake all others in the coming cycle.
Wall Street analysts liked this idea and gave Buffett a sounding board of approval for his latest pick. Those from Loop Capital reiterated their Buy rating and kept a price target as high as $559 a share.
To prove these new views right, Domino’s Pizza stock would have to ****** for a 29.8% rally from where it trades today, not to mention get close to a near-all-time high for the company. Institutional buyers also approve of this idea, like those at FMR LLC, which increased their Domino’s Pizza holdings by 16.3% to a high of $941.9 million today, or 6.3% ownership in the company.
As a matter of fact, one of the most compelling factors Buffett likely saw in Domino’s Pizza, aside from its inflation-resistant nature, is its exceptional business model. The brand is so robust and well-managed that the company is able to generate over 60% in returns on invested capital (ROIC), one of the foundational pillars that allow for a stock to compound its value.
Original Post
Source link
#Buffett #Dumped #Apple #Bet #Big #Stock
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Russia warns U.S. is adding fuel to ***** with long-range missile decision
Russia warns U.S. is adding fuel to ***** with long-range missile decision
POKROVSK, UKRAINE – NOVEMBER 16: Local residents walk past destroyed houses in the city, approximately 10 km from the frontline, on November 16, 2024 in Pokrovsk, Ukraine. (Photo by Vlada Liberova/Libkos/Getty Images)
Libkos | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The Kremlin has lashed back against a White House decision to now allow Ukraine to use U.S.-made long-range weapons for limited strikes inside Russian territory.
The decision, reported by NBC News, marks a major reversal in Washington policy a mere two months before the mandate expiry of President Joe Biden, who has steered U.S. engagement in the Ukraine conflict since Russia’s wholescale invasion in February 2022.
Previously, the Biden administration had limited the deployment of *********-made long-range arsenal to the Ukrainian battlefield, but had green lit Kyiv’s use of U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMAR) in cross-border attacks to defend Ukraine.
The latest authorization follows the deployment of North Korean troops to support Moscow in the stagnating conflict, along with what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy qualified as “one of the largest Russian strikes” against his country over the weekend.
“It is obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps to continue adding fuel to the ***** and continue to provoke tension around this conflict,” Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Monday, according to Reuters.
“If such a decision was really formulated and communicated to the Kyiv regime, then, of course, this is a qualitatively new round of tension and a qualitatively new situation from the point of view of the US involvement in this conflict,” he added, in Google-translated comments reported by Russian state news agency Ria Novosti.
Ukraine depends on Western allies for military and humanitarian aid, including the provision of weapons — which NATO members have largely supplied for defensive purposes on Ukrainian grounds, amid fears of further war escalations and Russian retaliation. Speaking to journalists on Sept. 12, Kremlin leader Vladimir ****** had warned that a then-potential decision on behalf of any NATO country to allow Ukraine the use of long-range weapons against targets on Russian soil would amount to direct participation in the war.
“The issue is not about allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. The issue is about making a decision: NATO countries directly participate in the military conflict or not. If this decision is made, it will mean nothing other than the direct participation of NATO countries — the ******* States, ********* countries — in the war in Ukraine,” ****** said at the time, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
Yet analysts at the Institute for the Study of War warn that Washington’s limited authorization could prove insufficient to materially alter the course on the battlefield.
“The partial lifting of restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western-provided long-range weapons against military objects within Kursk Oblast will not completely deprive Russian forces of their sanctuary in Russian territory, as hundreds of military objects remain within ATACMS range in other Russian border regions,” they said in a note, with reference to the U.S. long-range Army Tactical Missile System.
They added that “Russian forces will benefit from any partial sanctuary if Western states continue to impose restrictions on Ukraine’s ability to defend itself and that the US should allow Ukraine to strike all legitimate military targets within Russia’s operational and deep-rear within range of US-provided weapons – not just those in Kursk Oblast.”
“The only way to truly stop this ******* is to eliminate Russia’s ability to launch attacks. And this is absolutely realistic,” Zelenskyy said on social media on Monday, without directly referencing the reports of the U.S. permission. “It is not just defense; it is justice— the right way to protect our people. Any nation under the ******* would act this way to defend its citizens. We must do the same, together with our partners. Russia must be left with no capacity for *******.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses lawmakers as he presents the so-called ‘Victory Plan’ during a parliament session, amid Russia’s ******* on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 16, 2024.
Andrii Nesterenko | Reuters
It ******** to be seen whether ********* countries will follow Washington’s suit over Kyiv’s use of their weapons. CNBC has reached out to the foreign ministries of major Western NATO allies Germany, France and the U.K. for comment.
EU foreign affairs ministers are meanwhile gathering in Brussels on Monday to hold talks that will also touch on the Ukraine conflict.
“I’ve been saying once and again that Ukraine should be able to use the arms we provided to them, in order to not only to stop the arrow, but also to be able to hit the archers. I continue to believe this is what has to be done. And I’m sure will be discussed once again. I hope members will agree on that,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said prior to the meeting.
Such a decision raises questions over the extent of Ukraine’s current long-range missile arsenal to support direct attacks, at a time when NATO braces for the White House return of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump – who has previously pledged to end the war in Ukraine within a day of assuming power, without supplying details.
Nevertheless, the U.S. authorization “could mark a paradigm shift in the war,” Tytti Tuppurainen, member of the Finnish parliament, told CNBC’s Silvia Amaro on Monday.
“If it is true … I think we welcome that, we welcome that full-heartedly. If it is one thing we regret, it is that it comes so late,” she added. “Europe has to stand up now. This is a critical moment. This is certainly a wake-up call for Europe. From the U.S. side, the election of Donald Trump tells us that we have to take the responsibility of our own destiny, and if Russia wins in Ukraine, it means that Russia will only continue.”
Source link
#Russia #warns #U.S #adding #fuel #***** #longrange #missile #decision
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
NBA, Warner Bros. Discovery settle lawsuit over live game rights
NBA, Warner Bros. Discovery settle lawsuit over live game rights
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2024 in Sun Valley, Idaho.
David Grogan | CNBC
Warner Bros. Discovery agreed to end its quest to own a package of live National Basketball Association games in the U.S. for the 2025-26 season and beyond, settling all of its legal disputes with the league.
Warner Bros. Discovery sued the NBA in July, claiming the league ******* to allow the media company to use its so-called matching rights on a package of live games.
The league selected three media partners — Disney, Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video — to be its U.S. distributors of live games for 11 years beginning next season. The total value of the deal, including WNBA games, was about $77 billion, CNBC previously reported.
The settlement with Warner Bros. Discovery, announced Monday, as well as a separate agreement between Warner Bros. Discovery and ESPN, will keep the company in the mix with some NBA content, production partnerships and licensing deals. However, it officially ends Turner Sports’ 40-year relationship with the NBA as a carrier of live games in the U.S. after this season.
Turner Sports has had an NBA package since 1984, with games airing on cable network **** since 1988. The NBA decided to move away from Warner Bros. Discovery as a media partner for several reasons, including losing ****** in the long-term future of cable TV as a method for reaching a younger audience.
Disney and Comcast have broadcast networks to showcase NBA games, and Amazon’s package is exclusively streaming.
The terms of the settlement grant Warner Bros. Discovery’s **** Sports free access to highlights for the company’s Bleacher Report digital news site and its social media platform House of Highlights for the next 11 years, according to a person familiar with the details. The deal also allows Warner Bros. Discovery to license, create and distribute new and existing NBA content across its media assets and includes live game rights in the Nordic countries, Poland and ****** America, excluding Brazil and Mexico.
The agreement also extends a partnership between NBA Digital and **** Sports for five seasons that allows the NBA to engage Warner Bros. Discovery to provide promotion and “a variety of services, including production, content development and sales operations services,” according to a statement.
The settlement gives Warner Bros. Discovery years of guaranteed revenue from the NBA. The league isn’t paying Warner Bros. Discovery any additional money for those services beyond the terms of the settlement, according to people familiar with the matter.
‘Inside the NBA’
****’s popular “Inside the NBA” studio show will be licensed to Disney’s ESPN and ABC for premier NBA games in the regular season and the playoffs, including the Finals. ESPN’s current NBA studio show, “Countdown,” will continue for other ESPN regular season games.
Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA
Source: NBA on ****
**** Sports will continue to produce “Inside the NBA,” starring Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. The four hosts will stay with the show for the durations of their contracts and may develop other new content for Warner Bros. Discovery’s cable and streaming platforms, including programs such as an “Inside Sports” show currently in development for next season, according to the company. ESPN has protections in the deal that would allow it to stop licensing the show if key hosts depart, according to two people familiar with the contract.
It’s unclear if “Inside the NBA” will contain **** or ESPN branding when the show begins airing on Disney’s platforms next year, according to people familiar with the matter. While **** Sports has full editorial control of the show, ESPN talent may collaborate with the hosts, the people said.
“The opportunity to continue the iconic and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside the NBA’ is a huge win for basketball fans everywhere,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in a statement. “We look forward to building on our longstanding partnership with **** Sports and working together to promote NBA content across key WBD and NBA platforms.”
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have partnered several times in the past year, including on a streaming bundle that links Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max service to Disney+ and Disney’s Hulu, and on a sports-focused ****** venture called Venu that’s currently in limbo due to antitrust concerns.
As a side part of the settlement that doesn’t involve the NBA, ESPN is allowing **** to televise 13 Big 12 football games and 15 men’s basketball games each season, starting in 2025. The deal gives the Big 12 more linear TV exposure through ****, as most of the games would have streamed exclusively on ESPN+, according to people familiar with the matter.
ESPN struck a similar sub-licensing deal with Warner Bros. Discovery for first round and quarterfinal College Football Playoff games earlier this year.
Consolation prize
The deal allows Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav to walk away with something after failing to reach a deal with the league during its exclusive negotiating window earlier this year.
“Together these agreements ensure fans will continue to enjoy ****’s ‘Inside the NBA’ and create tremendous value for our entire portfolio as we accelerate the growth of **** Sports, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and our global sports business,” Zaslav in a statement.
Silver told CNBC last month that the league “absolutely” could have reached a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery but leadership on both sides never saw eye-to-eye.
“It wasn’t a longtime relationship with the people currently running Warner Brothers Discovery,” said Silver. “Ideally in these partnerships, people aren’t pulling out the contract and saying page eight, paragraph three. You’re saying you understand the spirit of what you were trying to accomplish, and that you’re willing to adjust based on changes that might have been unpredictable. So when you’re actually looking at the contract, that’s a sign that the partnership isn’t going as well.”
Disclosure: Comcast’s NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC.
Source link
#NBA #Warner #Bros #Discovery #settle #lawsuit #live #game #rights
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
49ers’ lack of knockout punch haunts them again vs. Seahawks: ‘It’s not like us’
49ers’ lack of knockout punch haunts them again vs. Seahawks: ‘It’s not like us’
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — A San Francisco 49ers team that routinely rolled to big victories in 2023 can’t seem to pull away from anyone this season.
They have no knockout punch.
In Week 8, they had a 27-10 lead entering the fourth quarter, then had to hang on for dear life as the Dallas Cowboys mounted a furious comeback. Last week, they had control in the third quarter until a botched punt return let the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back into the contest, requiring a last-minute 49ers drive for the win.
And on Sunday, the 49ers again seemed to be cruising to victory after the defense stonewalled the Seattle Seahawks on fourth-and-1 with 3:56 remaining. Fred Warner, Dee Winters, Ji’Ayir Brown and the rest of the players ran off the field beating their chests and pumping their fists. After all, the 49ers were ahead by four points and just needed two or three first downs to salt away a valuable division win.
Defense said NOPE.
#SEAvsSF on FOX NFL+ // pic.twitter.com/IQd1AhOpwR
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 17, 2024
Instead, the 49ers punted from Seattle’s 42-yard line — a touchback — then watched Geno Smith and company drive 80 yards in 2:26 to give Seattle a 20-17 win. The loss drops the 49ers to 5-5 and puts them in a three-way tie behind the Arizona Cardinals (6-4) in the NFC West. As it stands now, they trail the Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Rams and Seahawks in the race for the NFC’s final wild-card spot.
GO DEEPER
Last-minute Geno Smith TD seals Seahawks’ 20-17 win over 49ers: Takeaways
Though Smith converted two third downs and scrambled for 29 yards on the game-winning drive, Kyle Shanahan seemed more disappointed that his offense couldn’t put the game away when it had a chance.
********** McCaffrey gained 11 yards on the play that followed San Francisco’s fourth-down stop. But he lost a yard the next time he got the ball, Brock Purdy sailed a pass incomplete to Deebo Samuel Sr. on second down, then threw to Jauan Jennings well short of the sticks on third down.
“I thought we had a chance to put them away a number of times,” said Shanahan, something he’s repeated throughout the season. “We let them hang around. You let people hang around, that’s what happens.”
GENO!!!! TD @SEAHAWKS!!
: #SEAvsSF on FOX : pic.twitter.com/ATSZeKJaOe
— NFL (@NFL) November 18, 2024
The loss came with several Pro Bowlers either watching from the sideline or playing with injuries.
George Kittle, the team’s leader in touchdowns and receiving yards, missed the game with a hamstring injury and his replacement, Eric Saubert, was added to the injury report with an illness shortly before kickoff. The 49ers responded by inserting offensive tackle Jaylon Moore as an extra tight end at times. And while the team gained a respectable 131 rushing yards — 40 of them by Purdy — both the running and passing games lacked pop.
Left tackle Trent Williams said he nearly sat out the contest with a bone bruise in his left ankle area. He got a pain-******** injection before kickoff that helped, but he said he didn’t have his usual power on running plays or on defending the bull rush.
Scoop City Newsletter
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
On defense, meanwhile, the 49ers played the last quarter and a half without Nick Bosa, who came off the field one play after sacking Smith in the third quarter. Bosa, who was dealing with a hip/oblique injury on one side of his body last week in Tampa, said he overcompensated and ended up having the same issue on the other side. He said he was concerned he might miss his first full game since the 2022 season — a loss to the Atlanta Falcons — and noted how frustrating it was to watch Seattle’s final drive from the sideline.
“Brutal. Brutal,” Bosa said. “It’s the most important time of the game for me to be out there and I wasn’t able to be there.”
Finally, though McCaffrey got his usual allotment of snaps for the second straight week, he suggested he hasn’t fully returned to form after his multi-month bout with Achilles tendonitis.
“It’s not an excuse,” said McCaffrey, who had 106 combined yards but no touchdowns. “I know I can be a lot better. I can feel it.”
The 49ers won their earlier matchup with Seattle despite a costly special teams miscue, a 97-yard kickoff return by the Seahawks that got them back into the game. The 49ers didn’t have any of their usual special teams bungles Sunday, but they also didn’t have any explosive plays on offense.
In Week 6, they had a pair of 76-yard gains and two others greater than 25 yards. On Sunday, their longest play was a 22-yard pass to Jennings, who caught 10 of 11 targets for 91 yards.
“It had to be Jennings to finish this drive!” @49ers take the lead!
: #SEAvsSF on FOX : pic.twitter.com/FVLQTw8PK7
— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024
After 10 games, it’s now clear the 49ers are lacking something, something that goes beyond the personnel that has been missing from various contests.
Last year they went through a midseason slide during which, especially in a Week 8 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, it looked as if they were running in knee-deep sand.
But they snapped out of their brief funk during the back stretch of the season. This year’s team has yet to fully come alive, at least to the level of last year’s club. The only game in which the 49ers looked like the most dominant team in the NFC was their win over the Cowboys, and that only lasted a quarter.
Last year’s team lost just one division game, the meaningless season finale to the Rams, and wrapped up the NFC West by mid-December. This year’s squad already has lost to each of its division foes and has done so in a frustratingly similar fashion — by blowing a fourth-quarter lead.
“It’s infuriating, honestly,” Warner said. “It’s not like us. But that’s just what we’ve shown this year. So I guess until we stop doing that, that’s who we are.”
(Photo of Geno Smith: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)
Source link
#49ers #lack #knockout #punch #haunts #Seahawks
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
VGC is now posting on Bluesky
VGC is now posting on Bluesky
VGC can now be found on the Bluesky social network.
It’s been well reported that the decentralised social media service has been seeing an influx of new visitors in the past few weeks.
If you’re one of the people who’s moved to Bluesky, you can find and follow VGC there for all the latest video game news, as it’s published.
We’ll be posting links to all our news stories, reviews, features and podcasts, to help ensure you never miss anything we cover on the site. We’ll also continue to post on X.
If you also want to follow the VGC staff’s own Bluesky accounts, you can do so here:
By following us on your social media network of choice (including Bluesky), and supporting us on Patreon if you’re able to, you can help us continue to do what we do best across breaking news, insightful reviews and thoughtful opinions, while giving VGC the foundation to create more of the podcasts, videos, and community features you enjoy.
Source link
#VGC #posting #Bluesky
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Morgan Stanley sees S&P 500 climbing another 11% — to 6,500 — next year
Morgan Stanley sees S&P 500 climbing another 11% — to 6,500 — next year
The new year is setting up to be a strong one thanks to lower Federal Reserve rates and a more business friendly presidency in Washington, according to Morgan Stanley. Strategist Michael Wilson sees the S & P 500 reaching 6,500 in 2025. That implies upside of 10.7% from Friday’s close. “The combination of the Fed rate cutting cycle with the election result has the potential to drive broad sentiment materially higher,” Wilson wrote. The Fed began cutting interest rates in September for the first time in more than four years, with a half-percentage point reduction. It again lowered rates this month, by a quarter-point. Wilson said the election results could lead to a “rise in corporate animal spirits” that may “catalyze a more balanced earnings profile across the market in 2025,” while an easier regulatory regime under President-elect Donald Trump boosts investor sentiment. Against this backdrop, the strategist advised clients to stay overweight financials — which should benefit from both lower fed rates and ******* regulations. The sector is already up 6.8% since the Nov. 5 election, outperforming the other 10 S & P 500 sectors. XLF mountain 2024-11-05 Financials since Election Day To be sure, Wilson warned clients to stay nimble as higher rates and a stronger dollar also pose risks to the postelection rally. The benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield is up more than 80 basis points (0.8 percentage point) since the Fed began cutting rates. That’s in part to new data pointing to a more resilient economy than expected, and concern about the course of inflation under the new administration in Washington. Some of Trump’s policies, especially on tariffs on imported goods, have raised worry that inflation may creep back up — limiting how much the Fed can ease monetary policy. These unanswered questions have also led to a 3% surge in the dollar index since the election. “We would also add that if this administration is successful in cutting back government spending, this could lead to weaker growth next year than what is anticipated in our base case,” Wilson wrote. “This is also a reason why we are maintaining a wider than normal bull versus bear case skew.” While Wilson’s base case sees the S & P 500 rising to 6,500, his most optmistic bullish scenario takes the benchmark all the way to 7,400 — 26% above Friday’s close. His bearish scenario, however, is for the index to fall to 4,600 — about implying 21% downside. Wilson gained notoriety on Wall Street for nailing several broad market moves in recent years. However, his initial 2024 S & P 500 target proved too ************* at 4,500. He later raised it to 5,400 for midyear, but the benchmark blew past that level as well. Elsewhere Monday morning on Wall Street , Baird upgraded Roku to outperform from neutral, calling this year’s sell-off in the stock a buying opportunity. “ROKU is well positioned to capture the benefits of an ongoing transition toward streaming activity, having already achieved meaningful scale with ~86 [million] active accounts,” Baird told clients in a note. “We also believe the continued fragmentation of content and heightened industry focus on monetization/engagement should help magnify the value of ROKU’s platform.”
Source link
#Morgan #Stanley #sees #climbing #year
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
NI Education Authority halts £500m Fujitsu contract
NI Education Authority halts £500m Fujitsu contract
The Education Authority (EA) in Northern Ireland has decided not to proceed with a contract with Fujitsu worth almost £500m.
The contract was to provide a new IT system for all schools in Northern Ireland.
The ********* firm has faced criticism for its role in the Post Office scandal.
Fujitsu created the faulty Horizon software which wrongly calculated money was missing from Post Office branches.
In a letter to school principals, the EA said the parties had mutually agreed not to continue with the contract, but no reason was given for ending the deal.
A number of sub-postmasters from Northern Ireland are among those to have wrongful convictions quashed.
The issue was highlighted by the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which was broadcast in January 2024.
The EA had awarded Fujitsu a £485m contract for schools’ IT in December 2023, just before the ITV drama was aired.
In a letter to school principals obtained by BBC News NI, the EA said that contract had been awarded “following a robust procurement process”.
But it went on to say that “after an extensive negotiation ******* between EA and Fujitsu, the parties have mutually agreed on a no-fault basis not to continue with this contract with immediate effect”.
However, the letter said that schools would “not experience any disruption to services as a result of this decision.”
“All existing services delivered through the current managed service will continue to be delivered and supported.”
Source link
#Education #Authority #halts #500m #Fujitsu #contract
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
DoorDash can import grocery lists from iOS’ Reminders app
DoorDash can import grocery lists from iOS’ Reminders app
Though I do love walking through a supermarket and picking out my own foods, I will admit that, come winter, I often turn to delivery apps to get my products. DoorDash, one of the many delivery apps on the market, has launched a new feature that could make this process even more seamless, allowing iOS users import their grocery list from Reminders into the app.
To take advantage of this, you can go to Reminders and copy your list or import it directly in the DoorDash app. An option should appear while you’re shopping inside a store that says “Got a grocery list?” in a box on the page. From there you can click import and choose which list you want to sync based on the titles and a preview of the items. DoorDash will then show you options based on your list. So, for example, if you wrote onions, then it will let you scroll through different onions for ***** and below it will have your next item with other options.
DoorDash is also unveiling other changes, such as letting you add items from multiple stores to an order before placing it. The company has offered DoubleDash since 2021 but that only allowed you to include items from close stores after placing the original order.
Source link
#DoorDash #import #grocery #lists #iOS #Reminders #app
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
‘I thought I was going to ****’: Why player quit Belgium
‘I thought I was going to ****’: Why player quit Belgium
Former Belgium, Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax defender Toby Alderweireld has revealed that he decided to end his international career after believing he was “going to ****”.
The 35-year-old Alderweireld, who still plays for Royal Antwerp in the Belgian league, quit international soccer in March 2023 after winning 127 caps.
He was part of the so-called “Golden Generation” of players who finished third at the 2018 World Cup. He also took part in the 2014 and 2022 editions.
Alderweireld said a first serious warning about his health came after a defeat in a Belgian Cup match against Union Saint-Gilloise.
“That’s why I quit the Devils,” he told Belgian media VRT.
“I couldn’t sleep that night and went to the club early the next morning to do a strength session,” he recalled. “Before I left, I took a caffeine pill because I don’t like coffee. When I was in the car, my heart suddenly started beating at a rate of a thousand an hour. I thought: I’m going to have a heart *******. I’m done for, I’m never going to see my children again. I pulled over, walked into a furniture store and asked if they could call 911.”
Some time later, Alderweireld said panic took over him again, this time at night.
“It turned out that all the stress made my heart pound,” he told the broadcaster. “That gave me a panic *******, which made my heart beat even faster. You actually drive yourself crazy. And at a certain point you think you’re going to have a heart ******* and ****.”
Alderweireld later underwent medical examinations.
“We did extreme tests, but everything was okay,” he said. “Then I started talking to people and they said it was due to too much stress. Purely a panic *******. Now I still suffer from that sometimes, but I can accept that because I know it’s nothing.”
Source link
#thought #**** #player #quit #Belgium
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Rainbow Six Siege Finally Gets Cross-Play
Rainbow Six Siege Finally Gets Cross-Play
Can you believe it? As Rainbow Six Siege approaches its ninth anniversary, it continues to be one of the most popular competitive multiplayer games on both PC and consoles! In an exciting turn of events, the next update will finally bring crossplay between PC and console to this competitive shooter.
Operation Collision Point is set to enhance Rainbow Six Siege, introducing a revamped Blackbeard with a new shield that features soft-breach capabilities and a retractable window, enabling it to use a primary ******* effectively. This complimentary Operator remaster marks the beginning of a season that will also include balancing updates for Ying and Sens, modifications to ballistic shields, and significant advancements in player protection.
Crossplay, Player Protection, and More
However, as we know most competitive shooters are struggling with cheaters and Ubisoft apparently has a plan to protect console players from PC cheaters. The next update for Rainbow Six Siege adds crossplay for PC and consoles. The Year 9 Season 4 update, Operation Collision Point, will be released on December 3 and will also change anti-cheat.
Player Protection advances this season include Mousetrap Penalty adjustments to account for crossplay, automatic match cancellation if a cheater is detected, an overhaul for the Reputation center, and AI text moderation.
The addition of crossplay means players will be able to play with friends on other platforms, with console players able to join the PC player pool. Cross-play squads that include at least one PC player will automatically be moved to the PC player pool.
However, PC players will not be able to join a party that is all console players. Console players playing in ranked playlists with crossplay enabled will maintain a separate PC rank from their console rank, Ubisoft explained.
Rainbow Six Siege is available to play on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC (via the Ubisoft Store and Epic Games Store), and Amazon Luna, and is included with a Ubisoft+ Premium subscription.
The full crossplay experience is coming to Siege in Operation Collision Point!
Console players, get ready to squad up with your PC pals.
Starting in Y9S4, you’ll be able to choose to matchmake into PC lobbies as a console player.
Will you be playing in the PC pool? pic.twitter.com/0m0Do4WsFU
— Rainbow Six Siege (@Rainbow6Game) November 17, 2024
Source link
#Rainbow #Siege #Finally #CrossPlay
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Huawei Mate 70 Series Launch Set for November 26; Camera, Charging Details Tipped
Huawei Mate 70 Series Launch Set for November 26; Camera, Charging Details Tipped
Huawei Mate 70 series is all set to hit the ******** market next week. Huawei, via its official Weibo handle, has confirmed the arrival of the new Mate 70 series smartphones. The company has started accepting pre-reservations for the handsets. Huawei is yet to confirm the models in the new lineup, but the pre-order listing suggests that the series will include three models — Huawei Mate 70, Mate 70 Pro, and Mate 70 Pro+. All three models will pack up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. Additionally, a tipster has leaked the key specifications of the trio and Mate 70 RS Ultimate Edition.
Huawei Mate 70 Series Is Coming Soon
The Huawei Mate 70 series will be introduced at a launch event in China on November 26 at 2.30pm local time (12:00pm IST). Huawei has shared a poster on the ******** microblogging platform, revealing the design and rear camera module of a Huawei Mate 70 series phone, presumably the Mate 70 Pro. It has a circular camera module housing three sensors and an LED flash. One of the cameras appears to have a periscope lens.
Through Vmall, Huawei has started accepting pre-reservations for the Huawei Mate 70, Mate 70 Pro, and Mate 70 Pro+. The vanilla model and Mate 70 Pro are listed in Hyacinth Purple, Snow White, Spruce Green and Obsidian ****** (translated from ********) colours. They will be available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage configurations with 12GB RAM as standard.
The Huawei Mate 70 Pro+ is listed in Feather White, Flying Blue, Gold and Silver Brocade, and Ink ****** shades. It is confirmed to be available in 16GB+512GB and 16GB+1TB RAM and storage configurations.
Additionally, a ******** tipster has suggested the camera and charging details of the Mate 70, Mate 70 Pro, Mate 70 Pro+, and the Mate 70 RS Ultimate edition on Weibo. As per the *****, all phones except the vanilla model feature ToF face unlock and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. All models are said to carry 13-megapixel front cameras.
The Huawei Mate 70 is tipped to feature a quad camera setup comprising a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto lens, a 40-megapixel ultrawide sensor, and a 16-megapixel infrared lens. It could offer 66W fast charging support
The Mate 70 Pro and Mate 70 Pro+ are tipped to support 100W fast charging Their camera setup is said to include a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens, a 40-megapixel wide-angle sensor, and a 16-megapixel infrared lens.
The Huawei Mate 70 RS Ultimate could get a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens, a 40-megapixel wide-angle sensor, and a 16-megapixel infrared lens at the rear. It is likely to support 100W fast charging.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.
Source link
#Huawei #Mate #Series #Launch #Set #November #Camera #Charging #Details #Tipped
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
What travelers need to know about Spirit Airlines’ bankruptcy
What travelers need to know about Spirit Airlines’ bankruptcy
A passenger waits for assistance at the Spirit Airlines check-in counter in the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on November 13, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
Spirit Airlines has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, becoming the first major U.S. passenger carrier to do so since ********* Airlines 13 years ago.
The budget travel icon is not shutting down, however. The filing will buy Spirit time and protection to restructure so the carrier can continue flying and bringing in sorely needed cash.
CEO Ted Christie wrote to customers on Monday to reassure them that they can continue to book flights and use loyalty points or credits normally.
Here’s what travelers need to know:
Why did Spirit file for bankruptcy?
Spirit Airlines has been losing money since 2019, but its financial woes worsened after the pandemic, when industry costs climbed, dozens of its Airbus jets were grounded because of an engine recall and a federal judge blocked Spirit’s planned acquisition by JetBlue Airways.
The airline had struggled to renegotiate its $1.1 billion in debt payments due next year. A deadline at the end of the year tied to its credit card processing agreement was fast approaching.
Spirit said Monday that it has reached a prearranged deal with the majority of its bondholders for a “streamlined” Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection plan. It expects to exit that process in the first quarter of 2025.
Is my flight still happening?
Filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection doesn’t mean the airline will cease operations. Rather, it gives the airline protection to reorganize its business, which often means shedding assets or parts of its operation.
“From a consumer standpoint, you’ll need to pay attention if Spirit makes any schedule changes or if they’re going to get rid of any aircraft, lay off any pilots and flight attendants — that will affect the traveling public,” said Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel consulting firm Atmosphere Research Group.
The carrier is likely to keep as much of its schedule as possible in place for the holiday season, when airlines generate a lot of revenue during the popular travel *******, but additional cuts are likely not far behind.
What am I entitled to if Spirit cancels my flight?
Under U.S. rules, airline customers are entitled to a cash refund if the airline cancels their flight and they’re not rebooked. Spirit Airlines said Monday that it plans to continue flying and CEO Ted Christie tried to reassure customers, whose bookings will bring in needed cash during the peak holiday season.
However, the DOT warns that bankruptcy protection could make getting a refund *******.
“If the airline or ticket agent has filed for bankruptcy, the company may be temporarily prohibited from providing refunds and/or vouchers — for example, to conserve assets,” according to its website.
The agency says that if an airline that has filed for bankruptcy protection refuses to refund you for a canceled or significantly changed flight, your credit card could provide one under the Fair Credit Billing Act.
Even if you get a refund, however, buying a ticket last minute to replace your original flight could be costly due to high demand and scarce seats. Harteveldt recommends always buying airline tickets with a credit card, which affords customers more cancellation protections than debit cards or cash. Travelers can also book a refundable ticket on another carrier if they are worried, though that can be very costly, too.
Travel insurance might also cover pre-paid expenses if bankruptcy alters airline flights.
What happens next?
This ******** to be seen. Spirit expects to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the first quarter of next year. Airlines can emerge from this process smaller, more cost-efficient airlines. Other airlines, short on airplanes, could scoop up some of Spirit’s assets.
Spirit had a deal to merge with fellow discounter Frontier before JetBlue swooped in with a rival bid. Frontier and Spirit could attempt a combination again, especially since some industry members think the incoming Trump administration will be relatively friendly toward deal-making.
Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO
Source link
#travelers #Spirit #Airlines #bankruptcy
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Coca-Cola's AI-generated TV holiday ad falls flat with consumers
Coca-Cola's AI-generated TV holiday ad falls flat with consumers
Coca-Cola’s AI-generated TV holiday ad falls flat with consumers
Source link
#CocaCola039s #AIgenerated #holiday #falls #flat #consumers
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
The Nephilim and the Flood
The Nephilim and the Flood
Who are the Nephilim and what do they represent? Are they biblical giants? What does the term literally translate to, and why does the brief mention of them in the Book of Genesis show resemblance to other mythologies? The Nephilim have been a topic of great controversy. Many scholars, both independent and accredited, have dedicated much of their lives to answer these questions. It wasn’t until the discovery and translation of the Book of 1Enoch that we were finally given a better understanding of these Nephilim, but is it a proper understanding?
This detailed analysis will incorporate the theology during the proposed time of writing for the verses, grammatical study in Hebrew and Aramaic word forms, and even external influences that would have played a role in the region.
Read more
Section:
Ancient Writings
News
General
Religions
Folklore
Myths & Legends
Ancient Traditions
Premium
Preview
Read Later
Source link
#Nephilim #Flood
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
20-Year Old Title’s Sudden Surge in Player Count Can Put Major AAA Workhorses Like Starfield to Shame
20-Year Old Title’s Sudden Surge in Player Count Can Put Major AAA Workhorses Like Starfield to Shame
There are many games that have risen to huge fame during their initial phases but later faded away as time went on. Starfield is a recent example of it. This space exploration title from Bethesda busted into the scene at the very beginning but then eventually ******* to hold on to its consumers.
Starfield was released on September 6, 2023. | Credit: Bethesda.
There are other games like Baldur’s Gate 3, which still hold the heavy ground with its huge player base. Despite being a one-year-old title, this Larian Studios game still jacks more than 50k concurrent players. However, there is a 20-year-old game that is still dominating the Steam charts.
Half-Life 2‘s Unexpected Player Surge Puts Starfield Into Shame
Half-Life 2 was released on November 16, 2004. | Credit: Valve.
Half-Life 2 was released more than two decades ago. The game initially got huge popularity for its exciting FPS gameplay. This title combines *********, puzzles, and storytelling all into one. Being a 20-year-old game, it was bound to lose its aura and it did. But this first-person shooter remained one of the all-time classics.
However, recently the game has gotten a sudden burst of response from the players. As per SteamDB, the game right now boasts over 30k concurrent players with a 24-hour peak of 64.085 players. Not only that, this also marks the game’s all-time peak, which was reached 18 hours ago (at the time of writing this article).
The game has got a surge of a staggering 96.37% suddenly in terms of concurrent player base. In 2012, 2020, and 2022, the game got several spikes in its player base, but these three don’t come close to the surge it got 18 hours ago.
This incredible feat puts Starfield to shame. This Bethesda space exploration title was released in September 2023 and gathered a huge player base in the initial part of its journey, with a peak of over 330k players.
Surprisingly, the game has stumbled so hard that only 2,579 players are playing it right now (as per SteamDB). Baldur’s Gate 3 is another title that is still massively popular despite being released around the same time as Starfield.
Half-Life 2: Episode 3 – New Footage Showcased
Half-Life 2 has recently completed its 20-year anniversary. | Credit: Valve.
In addition to giving the game away for free for a short time, Valve recently released a documentary tracing the development of the renowned first-person shooter in honor of Half-Life 2‘s 20th anniversary. The company also shows off tidbits of a much-anticipated project that never materialized—Half-Life 2: Episode 3—during that documentary.
Additionally, Valve has unveiled brand-new, never-before-seen footage of the shelved project in the documentary. It introduces a brand-new shapeshifting ****** type that resembles a blob and has the ability to split into smaller versions of itself or move through grates. Additionally displayed was a brand-new ******* known as the Ice ****, which performed precisely as its name implied.
Members of the development team for Episode 3 disclose in the documentary that Valve had created several game levels prior to the project being halted so the team could assist in finishing the development of Left 4 *****. However, Valve leadership, including Gabe Newell, concluded that it was too late to go back to Half-Life 2: Episode 3 by the time that was finished.
Source link
#20Year #Titles #Sudden #Surge #Player #Count #Put #Major #AAA #Workhorses #Starfield #Shame
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Xiaomi Said to Replace GetApps With PhonePe’s Indus Appstore in India
Xiaomi Said to Replace GetApps With PhonePe’s Indus Appstore in India
Xiaomi will likely soon discontinue its GetApps app store for Indian users. Although the company has yet to officially announce the store’s discontinuation, information regarding the same has surfaced online. The ******** smartphone maker is said to replace the app store with Indus Appstore, an Android-based mobile app marketplace by PhonePe. The Indian digital payment platform introduced the storefront in the country in February. Indus Appstore supports English and 12 Indian regional languages.
Xiaomi to Replace GetApps With PhonePe’s Indus Appstore in India
According to an X post by user Aryan Gupta (@SavageAryan007), Xiaomi has begun notifying Indian users about PhonePe replacing its GetApps store. The move will affect Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices purchased in the country. The post claims that some Xiaomi users in India have started receiving a notification about the impending change within the GetApps store.
MAJOR NEWS: Xiaomi is phasing out and removing GetApps for Indian users!
Some users (including me on my Xiaomi 14) have received this notice within the GetApps store on Xiaomi phones.
Here are the changes:
Indian users will no longer get GetApps on existing and future… pic.twitter.com/tP6gcMzXhj
— Aryan Gupta (@SavageAryan007) November 15, 2024
The post shared a screengrab of the notification, which suggests that Xiaomi users in the country will not have access to the GetApps store from January 2025. The marketplace is said to be replaced by the Indus Appstore, which was introduced by PhonePe on February 21 this year. The transition is expected to trim down bloatware on Xiaomi phones.
The screenshot of the notification suggests that Xiaomi users in India need not take any action for the transition. As per the notification, the GetApps team will continue to provide installation and support services for apps under the moniker of “Indus Services App”.
The Indus Appstore is available in English and 12 Indian regional languages like Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and more. The app storefront launched with 200,000 apps, including several thousand games. App listings on the developer platform will be free for the first year, however, an annual fee will be charged thereafter. Additionally, PhonePe announced that the marketplace would not impose any platform fees or commissions on developers for in-app payments if they use separate payment gateways.
Source link
#Xiaomi #Replace #GetApps #PhonePes #Indus #Appstore #India
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
What travelers need to know about Spirit Airlines’ bankruptcy
What travelers need to know about Spirit Airlines’ bankruptcy
A passenger waits for assistance at the Spirit Airlines check-in counter in the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on November 13, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
Spirit Airlines has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, becoming the first major U.S. passenger carrier to do so since ********* Airlines 13 years ago.
The budget-travel icon is not shutting down, however. The filing will buy Spirit time and protection to restructure so the carrier can continue flying and bringing in sorely needed cash.
CEO Ted Christie wrote to customers on Monday to reassure them that they can continue to book flights and use loyalty points or credits normally.
Here’s what travelers need to know:
Why did Spirit file for bankruptcy?
Spirit Airlines has been losing money since 2019, but its financial woes worsened after the pandemic, when industry costs climbed, dozens of its Airbus jets were grounded because of an engine recall and a federal judge blocked Spirit’s planned acquisition by JetBlue Airways.
The airline had struggled to renegotiate its $1.1 billion in debt payments due next year. A deadline at the end of the year tied to its credit-card processing agreement was fast approaching.
Spirit said Monday that it has reached a prearranged deal with the majority of its bondholders for a “streamlined” Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection plan. It expects to exit that process in the first quarter of 2025.
Is my flight still happening?
Filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection doesn’t mean the airline will cease operations. Rather, it gives the airline protection to reorganize its business, which often means shedding assets or parts of its operation.
“From a consumer standpoint, you’ll need to pay attention if Spirit makes any schedule changes or if they’re going to get rid of any aircraft, lay off any pilots and flight attendants — that will affect the traveling public,” said Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel consulting firm Atmosphere Research Group.
The carrier is likely to keep as much of its schedule as possible in place for the holiday season, when airlines generate a lot of revenue during the popular travel *******, but additional cuts are likely not far behind.
What am I entitled to if Spirit cancels my flight?
Under U.S. rules, airline customers are entitled to a cash refund if the airline cancels their flight and they’re not rebooked. Spirit Airlines said Monday that plans to continue flying and CEO Ted Christie tried to reassure customers, whose bookings will bring in needed cash during the peak holiday season.
However, the DOT warns that bankruptcy protection could make getting a refund *******.
“If the airline or ticket agent has filed for bankruptcy, the company may be temporarily prohibited from providing refunds and/or vouchers — for example, to conserve assets,” according to its website.
The agency says that if an airline that has filed for bankruptcy protection refuses to refund you for a canceled or significantly changed flight, your credit card could provide one under the Fair Credit Billing Act.
Even if you get a refund, however, buying a ticket last minute to replace your original flight could be costly due to high demand and scarce seats. Harteveldt recommends always buying airline tickets with a credit card, which affords customers more cancellation protections than debit cards or cash. Travelers can also book a refundable ticket on another carrier if they are worried, though that can be very costly, too.
Travel insurance might also cover pre-paid expenses if bankruptcy alters airline flights.
What happens next?
This ******** to be seen. Spirit expects to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the first quarter of next year. Airlines can emerge from this process smaller, more cost-efficient airlines. Other airlines, short on airplanes, could scoop up some of Spirit’s assets.
Spirit had a deal to merge with fellow discounter Frontier before JetBlue swooped in with a rival bid. Frontier and Spirit could attempt a combination again, especially since some industry members think the incoming Trump administration will be relatively friendly toward deal-making.
Source link
#travelers #Spirit #Airlines #bankruptcy
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Report: Back 4 Blood 2 in Development Under Codename "Gobi 2"
Report: Back 4 Blood 2 in Development Under Codename "Gobi 2"
Back 4 Blood 2 seems to be in development at Turtle Rock Studios with the working codename title of “Gobi 2”
Source link
#Report #Blood #Development #Codename #quotGobi #2quot
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Lend me your ears: great Shakespearean actors given hi-tech talking portraits | Theatre
Lend me your ears: great Shakespearean actors given hi-tech talking portraits | Theatre
Great actors have always attracted artists. I think of Edmund Kean looking wild-eyed and demonic as Sir Giles Overreach painted by George Clint; Ellen Terry as a green-gowned Lady Macbeth preserved by John Singer Sargent; and Ruskin Spear’s study in oils of Laurence Olivier as a tormented, guilt-haunted Macbeth. For well over a century, it has also been possible to record the voices of our leading actors. But what would happen if image and sound were combined?
One answer is to be found in a ******** new exhibition called The Shakespeare Portraits on view at the Red Eight Gallery, which can be found in the City of London’s Cornhill alongside the Royal Exchange. The show consists of 10 digital portraits of living actors accompanied by speeches from Shakespeare plays. I can best explain by example. I sat beneath a large, framed image of Ian McKellen and as I spoke to the exhibition’s creative director, Arsalan Sattari-Hicks, I realised that Sir Ian’s head was occasionally moving, that his gaze was subtly shifting and his features expressing a variety of emotions. At one point I even heard him speaking a fragment of “All the world’s a stage” from As You Like It with characteristic virtuosity. Richard Brierley, the gallery’s director, put it succinctly when he told me: “Normally the portrait is passive and you are the active one. In this case the portrait is active and you are passive.”
The eyes have it … Juliet Stevenson’s portrait. Photograph: Stageblock
I would qualify this by saying the modulations in the sitter’s movements are so nuanced as to be often barely perceptible and that the speeches can be activated by the viewer through the press of a button. But the total effect is uncanny and I was intrigued as to how it was done. I was told that Sattari-Hicks and a small crew would record the sitter in a studio using a state-of-the-art camera and then refine the images through hours of post-production. The spoken texts were chosen by the actors in collaboration with the Shakespeare director Ron Daniels, who curated the finished version. Given the actors’ vast experience, that process was usually done in an hour and 20 minutes.
I was struck by the intimacy of the experience. The actors’ faces are seen in close-up as if they had suddenly materialised on the gallery walls. And the texts are spoken in a way that adds to the pervading quietude. Patrick Stewart takes the St Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V and strips it of rhetoric to show us a man, on the eve of battle, talking to other men: when he suggests that Crispin’s feast will be remembered “from this day to the ending of the world” he does so with modest certainty whereas Olivier on film famously sent the line soaring upwards to the heavens.
In the midst of “To be or not to be” Derek Jacobi inserts a prolonged pause after the lines “To ****, to sleep”, pondering the implication of each word. Harriet Walter as Prospero in The Tempest leaves us in no doubt as to the character’s awesome power stressing the key verb in “I have bedimmed the noontide sun”: this, you realise, is a magician who has not only raised the ***** from their graves but also created darkness at noon.
Impressive roster … Juliet Stevenson, Derek Jacobi, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Harriet Walter and Charles Dance. Photograph: Stageblock
The big question is what happens next? The 10 portraits on show are unique collectables which will be on ***** to individuals or institutions. But they are the work of a company, StageBlock, co-founded by Sattari-Hicks and Francesco Pierangeli, which has ambitious plans for the future. They are already planning a second volume of Shakespeare Portraits to be recorded in the new year. They also dream of extending the idea of living portraits to other writers and other cultures and of ploughing 10% of the money from placements and exhibitions back into the performing arts.
Given the impressive roster of names in the first exhibition – which also includes David Suchet, Juliet Stevenson, Adrian Lester, Simon Callow, Charles Dance and Frances Barber – there is a good chance that profits will ensue. It’s a bold, visionary new idea for the digital age but I hope it won’t stifle the talent of the individual portraitist. I cherish the notion of, say, Salvador Dalí’s painting of Olivier as Richard III hanging on a gallery wall alongside the mesmerising image of McKellen looking on at one in watchful fascination.
Source link
#Lend #ears #great #Shakespearean #actors #hitech #talking #portraits #Theatre
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Monday’s biggest analyst calls like Nvidia
Monday’s biggest analyst calls like Nvidia
Here are Monday’s biggest calls on Wall Street: Oppenheimer reiterates Netflix as outperform Oppenheimer said the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson ****** “demonstrates [the] ability for meaningful” live event viewership for Netflix. “While the press will focus on the technical bandwidth issues and customer complaints, our guess is that viewing was likely ~2x internal expectations, a high quality problem than can be easily fixed by Christmas Day.” Citi initiates Astera Labs as by Citi said it’s bullish on the AI/Cloud infrastructure company.” “We initiate coverage of ALAB with a Buy rating and $120 target price.” Goldman Sachs initiates Ingram Micro as buy Goldman said the IT solutions provider is well positioned. “We initiate coverage of Ingram Micro (INGM) with a Buy rating and a 12-month target price of $33.” Goldman Sachs initiates Gatx as buy Goldman said it’s bullish on the railcar company. “We initiate coverage of GATX Corporation with a Buy rating and $185 12-month price target.” RBC initiates TechnipFMC as buy RBC said the oil and gas company is well positioned for shareholder returns. “TechnipFMC’s ability to convert its record $14.7bn backlog into profitability and grow shareholder returns underpins the company’s strong medium-term outlook.” UBS initiates Franco-Nevada and Wheaton Precious Metals a buy The firm said it’s bullish on the metals companies. “We initiate coverage with Buys on WPM & FNV as we think they offer lower risk, more reliable leverage to gold price upside and organic growth.” HSBC upgrades Moderna to buy from hold HSBC said the biotech company is undervalued. “We think there is a good opportunity for Moderna’s pipeline to support the back-to-growth story and view it as currently undervalued.” Baird upgrades Roku to outperform from neutral Baird said in its upgrade of Roku that it sees an “attractive long-term opportunity.” ” ROKU is down 25% YTD vs. S & P 500 +23%. Historically, we have been hesitant regarding the company’s ********** in a rapidly evolving streaming landscape – but we now think shares are overlooking the meaningful changes in the business and the attractive long-term opportunity.” Morgan Stanley upgrades Futu to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said it’s bullish on the Asia brokerage and wealth management company. “We upgrade Futu to OW – we view the recent correction as a good entry point for its long-term growth potential from overseas franchise expansion.” UBS upgrades Air Products to buy from neutral UBS said it sees a rerating for the air product and chemical company. “We upgrade APD stock to Buy. We lift our FY25/26 adj EPS and are now 1%/5% above consensus.” Raymond James upgrades Hewlett Packard Enterprise to strong buy from outperform Raymond James said in its upgrade of the stock that it sees an “expanding multiple and server growth.” “We upgrade HP Enterprise to Strong Buy from Outperform. We have refined our model to break out AI platforms and traditional servers, and this leads us to increase our FY25 sales estimates.” Goldman Sachs downgrades Redfin to sell from neutral Goldman said in its downgrade of the online real estate company that it sees rising competition. “We downgrade Redfin ( RDFN) to Sell from Neutral with a new 12-month target price of $6.50 (v. $6.00 prior).” Wells Fargo upgrades CVS to overweight from equal weight Wells said the “aggressive growth strategies” have “likely peaked.” “We are upgrading CVS to Overweight from Equal Weight and increasing our PT to $66. We believe the negative consequences of aggressive growth strategies at Aetna have likely peaked and create a compelling investment opportunity.” Needham downgrades Biogen to hold from buy Needham said it sees a lack of upside for the stock. “We are stepping to the sidelines as we do not see a meaningful source of upside for BIIB over the next 12 months.” Bank of America reiterates Nvidia as buy The firm said it’s sticking with the stock heading into earnings later this week. ” NVDA reports on Wed with sell-side consensus for FQ3/FQ4 sales at $33.2bn/$37bn, though as usual bullish investors’ expectations likely at least a $1bn+ higher at $34bn/$38-$40bn for FQ3 and FQ4.” Bank of America reiterates Alphabet as buy The firm said it’s bullish on Alphabet search in 2025. “We expect an eventful year for search in 2025, with new competition, remedy ruling in DOJ case, and Google capitalizing on new AI overview format (better results, more ads). For the last three months, Google’s US search share has increased, and the global rollout suggests Google is seeing a positive impact on search share.” BMO upgrades Bright Horizons to outperform from market perform BMO said in its upgrade of the day care company that it sees margin expansion. “We upgrade BFAM to Outperform from Market Perform. The stock has been weak since 3Q24 earnings, while beating expectations, management cited slightly slowing top-line growth which could impede margin expansion.” Loop upgrades Monolithic Power to buy from hold Loop said in its upgrade of Monolithic that investors should buy the dip in the power company. “We are taking the opportunity to up our rating to Buy from Hold. Our PT ******** $660.” Needham upgrades Robin Hood to buy from hold Needham said the stock is a beneficiary of the Trump election. “We are upgrading HOOD to a Buy as Donald Trump’s election win stands to materially benefit the company, primarily via changes at the SEC.” Bernstein reiterates Tesla as underperform The firm said the EV automaker is full-self driving beneficiary under a Trump administration but it’s sticking with its underperform rating. “Trump is anti-EVs, but TSLA is on a tear. Tesla’s stock is up 28% since Trump’s election victory, despite the fact that the new administration will likely end IRA consumer and battery manufacturing tax credits, potentially lower emissions standards and could increase tariffs on ******** batteries.”
Source link
#Mondays #biggest #analyst #calls #Nvidia
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
****** Ops 6 Hit List event release date & rewards
****** Ops 6 Hit List event release date & rewards
****** Ops 6 Season 1 has given players plenty of content to dig their teeth into. Not only are there two new weapons and a variety of cosmetic rewards to unlock in the first Battle Pass for the game, but there’s more planned to release throughout ****** Ops 6 Season 1’s duration.
The Hit List event will arrive in BO6 Season 1, and if you’re interested in the details, such as its release date, rewards, and more, here’s everything we know so far.
When is ****** Ops 6 Hit List event?
The ****** Ops 6 Hit List event will arrive on November 21, 2024, at around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM GMT.
The event tab is now in the game with a countdown to its release, so this is how we know exactly when the limited-time event will be arriving.
What is Hit List event in BO6?
Hit List is a limited-time event coming to ****** Ops 6 during Season 1 and it offers players a chance to earn rewards via in-game challenges.
We don’t yet know what these challenges are, but the blog revealed that the event will give players a “board of contracts” that they will need to take out. Taking out these hit list contracts in-game will grant players exclusive rewards.
****** Ops 6 Hit List event rewards
Credit to Activision.
Call of Duty are yet to reveal the official rewards, but based on the promotional image for the ****** Ops 6 Hit List event, we can assume that players will be working towards earning the following:
Shadow Perk (Strategist)
Sirin 9mm Secondary
Power Drill Melee *******
CoD Points
It seems players will be able to get the new weapons through this event, as well as the new Shadow Perk, which makes you undetectable by ****** traps and mines.
We expect more on top of this, but these are some of the rewards seen in the promotional image for the Hit List event. Previous Call of Duty events have also had cosmetic rewards like Calling Cards, Emblems, and more, so perhaps those will be up for grabs too.
Will you be participating in the Hit List event to earn all the rewards in BO6? Let us know in the Insider Gaming forum.
If you want more guides on ****** Ops 6, be sure to check out how to get the Dragon’s Breath attachment and everything we know about the new Citadelle des Morts Zombies map.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam.
Source link
#****** #Ops #Hit #List #event #release #date #rewards
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Samsung might finally launch a Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses rival in 2025
Samsung might finally launch a Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses rival in 2025
The Samsung XR headset project has been an open secret for some time, but a new report suggests it has finally settled on a design we’ll see in 2025. The bad news? It could be landing later in the year than we’d like and might not be as ‘XR’ as we had hoped.
The report is from Wellsen XR Research from China, and has been shared by the likes of Samsung leaker @Jukanlosreve on social media. With the highlight being the Q3 2025 release date (that’ll be July, August, or September). Samsung usually hosts one of its Unpacked events in July for its foldables, so it’s possible it’ll slip its glasses into the mix for 2025 if we’re lucky.
As for what the specs will be capable of, the leaks don’t mention a display and the teased weight doesn’t leave room for one (unless Samsung has developed some super next-gen display tech). Overall, the specs sound remarkably similar to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses; Samsung’s glasses would apparently also be equipped with a Qualcomm AR 1 chipset, a 12MP camera sensor, and has a 155mAh battery capacity and a 50g weight – compared to Meta’s 154mAh battery and 48g weight.
The only difference this smart glasses clone can claim is it’ll reportedly rely on Google Gemini instead of Meta AI for its AI functionality. Though right now it doesn’t appear one option is significantly better than the other, so the race to the summit of our best smart glasses guide could be a tight one.
No XR, no problem?
(Image credit: Meta)
The lack of displays means these specs wouldn’t really be XR – certainly not in the way the Meta Quest 3 is or the Meta Orion AR Glasses will be.
But it’s not necessarily the end of the world. While wired AR glasses – such as the Xreal Air 2 specs – are a delight, they aren’t faultless. They rinse the battery of the device they’re connected to, and they aren’t smart glasses you wear around casually – they’re best for when you’re sat down and want to watch a movie on a giant virtual screen.
The leaked Samsung glasses, as with the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, are something you wear all the time. And thanks to their solid AI abilities and in-built speakers I’ve been using my pair of Meta glasses a lot more recently and loving it.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable ****** Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
While I’d love Samsung to make an XR headset still, I’m not disappointed to hear they’re working on a different kind of smart glasses. And while all rumors should be taken with a pinch of salt the success of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses (and their lack of competition) does suggest there’s room for some rivals in the space.
We’ll have to wait and see what 2025 brings, but for Samsung it looks like it could be an exciting year with yet another major launch.
You might also like
Source link
#Samsung #finally #launch #RayBan #Meta #smart #glasses #rival
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Rates tipped to stay higher despite Aussies cutting back on their spending
Rates tipped to stay higher despite Aussies cutting back on their spending
Aussies are doing what the Reserve Bank of Australia is asking and cutting back on spending, but they might need to wait nine months for a reduction on their mortgage.
Source link
#Rates #tipped #stay #higher #Aussies #cutting #spending
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
The Feminist Who Inspired the Witches of Oz
The Feminist Who Inspired the Witches of Oz
Every living generation has been petrified by The Wizard of Oz. Early in the 1939 film, a cranky neighbor riding her bicycle through a tornado suddenly transforms into a witch. She soars off on her broomstick, tilting her head back and screaming with laughter as her cloak billows out behind her.
The 1900 book by L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, inspired the film’s theme of good and evil sorcery. All the witches in the story have magical powers. They can fly, materialize at will, and see all things far and near. But while the Witches of the North and South are kind and supportive, the Witches of the East and West are seen as evil. “Remember that the Witch is Wicked—tremendously Wicked—and ought to be *******,” the Great Oz bellows to Dorothy as she heads off to the west.
The backstories of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good are the subject of the upcoming movie Wicked, based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel and Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz’s 2003 stage musical. The witch, who is unnamed in The Wizard of Oz, has a name in Wicked: Elphaba, an homage to the initials of L. Frank Baum. (His first name, which he rarely used, was Lyman.) But the real-life backstory of the witches of Oz is just as fascinating. It involves a hidden hero of the 19th-century women’s rights movement and the most powerful woman in Baum’s life: his mother-in-law, Matilda Electa Joslyn Gage.
It was likely at Gage’s urging that Baum began submitting his poems and stories to magazines. Gage even suggested putting a cyclone in a children’s story. But she was a notable figure in her own right. As one of the three principal leaders of the women’s rights movement, along with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Gage was known for her ******** views and confrontational approach. At the Statue of Liberty’s unveiling in 1886, she showed up on a cattle barge with a megaphone, shouting that it was “a gigantic lie, a travesty and a mockery” to portray liberty as a woman when actual ********* women had so few rights.
After male critics branded Gage as satanic and a heretic, she became an expert on the subject of witch hunts. Her 1893 manifesto Woman, ******* and State chronicled the five centuries between 1300 and 1800 when tens of thousands of human beings, mostly women, were accused of witchcraft and put to ****** by *****, hanging, ********, drowning or stoning. In one gruesome scene, she described 400 women burning at once in a French public square “for a ****** which never existed save in the imagination of those persecutors and which grew in their imagination from a false belief in woman’s extraordinary wickedness.”
In a still image from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy looks out the window to see her meddling neighbor transformed into the cackling Wicked Witch of the West.
LANDMARK MEDIA / Alamy Stock
Gage ***** two years before the publication of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a story that produced the most enduring image of female wickedness in ********* history. But Baum also introduced the world to a different kind of witch. It was the beautiful and benevolent Glinda, likely inspired by Matilda herself, who showed Dorothy that she always held the power to return home.
Born March 24, 1826, Gage grew up as Matilda Joslyn north of Syracuse, New York, the only child of Helen Leslie and Hezekiah Joslyn, the town physician. The couple gave their daughter an unusual middle name, Electa—a Greek word that meant “elected” or “chosen one.”
Hezekiah Joslyn was a freethinker who taught his daughter that wisdom comes through one’s experiences. Freethinkers of 17th-century Europe challenged ******* authority, demanding the end of medieval witch hunts. Many of those backing the ********* Revolution also called themselves freethinkers, including Thomas Paine, whose 1776 pamphlet, Common Sense, helped instigate independence from England.
Gage’s parents were staunch abolitionists whose home was a station on the Underground Railroad. Escaped enslaved people hid under the floorboards of the kitchen. Gage was home-schooled in Greek, mathematics and physiology. At age 15, she set off for the Clinton ******** Institute, a boarding school that promised an education free of religious dogma. At 18, she married Henry Gage, a merchant and store owner, and they settled in the Syracuse suburb of Fayetteville, where three of their four children were born in the 1840s. Their youngest daughter, Maud, arrived in 1861.
Gage in the 1850s.
Courtesy of Matilda Joslyn Gage Center
Haunted by injustice, Gage only grew fiercer in her thinking. She was furious at an America failing to live up to the ideal of liberty for all expressed in the Declaration of Independence. She was unable to leave her children at home to travel 60 miles to the inaugural 1848 National Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. But by 1852, when the third convention came to city hall in Syracuse, she was ready to speak her mind to the crowd of 2,000. “There will be a long moral warfare before the citadel yields,” Gage proclaimed. “In the meantime, let us take possession of the outposts. … ***** not any attempt to frown down the revolution.”
Afterward, Gage found herself locked in a war of words with religious leaders. One local minister called the convention “satanic,” while another denounced the women as “infidels.”
After the Civil War, the leaders of the movement formed the National Woman Suffrage Association, with Stanton as president, Anthony as secretary and Gage as chair of the executive committee. On Election Day, 1872, Anthony was arrested and jailed for voting. Gage was by her friend’s side for the trial in Rochester. The judge was “a small-brained, pale-faced, prim-looking man,” Gage wrote. “With remarkable forethought, he had penned his decision before hearing” the case. The resulting publicity made Susan B. Anthony a household name.
After struggling to support his family on the Midwestern plains, Baum found success with his Oz series. The first book was an instant best seller in 1900, and the 13 sequels kept him busy until his ****** in 1919.
Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo
In 1876, a six-month celebration of the centennial of the Declaration of Independence attracted nearly ten million Americans—roughly a quarter of the entire U.S. population—to Philadelphia. The activists petitioned President Grant to make a declaration of their own at the opening ceremony. The request was denied. That wouldn’t stop the suffragists.
At the ceremony, Anthony, Gage and three other leaders lurked behind the press section. Gage clutched a three-foot scroll and marched through the crowd of 150,000 people toward the podium. She passed the document to Anthony, who then placed it into the hands of the master of ceremonies, announcing: “We present to you this Declaration of the Rights of the Women Citizens of the ******* States.” Before the guards could catch them, the suffragists quickly handed out printed copies of the declaration to the reporters in the crowd:
“The women of the ******* States, denied for one hundred years the only means of self-government—the ballot—are political slaves, with greater cause for discontent, rebellion and revolution, than the men of 1776. … We ask justice, we ask equality, we ask that all the civil and political rights that belong to citizens of the ******* States be guaranteed to us and our daughters forever.”
Afterward, the women decided to record their struggles in a book, which eventually ballooned to comprise six volumes. The mammoth undertaking took a decade to finish. Most of the labor was split between Stanton and Gage, who completed the History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I, in 1881.
Artist William Denslow shared the copyright for the first Oz book and was crucial to its success. As Denslow later said, he had to “work out and invent characters, costumes and a multitude of other details.” But he and Baum soon fell out.
Shawshots / Alamy Stock Photo
The book’s publication coincided with Maud Gage’s freshman year at Cornell, the first Ivy League university to become coeducational. Maud resided in the female dormitory, Sage College, a magnificent brick building that still stands on the Ithaca, New York, campus. One Saturday evening in February 1881, the young women of Sage were treated to a lecture by Maud’s mother on the subject of women’s suffrage. “A large audience greeted Mrs. Gage on Saturday evening,” reported the Cornell Daily Sun. “Her discourse was well received.”
Still, Maud had a difficult time at school, left out of social clubs and mocked by college boys. “Her name is Gage and she is lively,” her schoolmate Jessie Mary Boulton wrote home in a letter. “A girl scarcely dares look sideways here. I came to the conclusion long ago that Cornell is no place for lively ******.” When Boulton co-founded a new chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta, the first sorority on an Ivy League campus, Maud was not on the membership rolls. Boulton also joined the Lawn Tennis Club for ladies, again without Maud.
But fate would have its way: The 20-year-old student shared her room with a girl from Syracuse named Josie Baum, who introduced Maud to her cousin Frank, a 25-year-old bachelor, at a family party on Christmas Eve. At the time, Frank Baum was a ******* chicken farmer who was writing and starring in his own touring stage plays. The two hit it off, and after a proper ******* of Victorian-era courtship, Baum proposed marriage.
At first, Gage called her daughter “a darned fool” for wanting to drop out of college to marry this itinerant playwright and actor, a most disreputable profession. Yet a wedding date was set for November 1882. With a string quartet playing, the wedding took place at the Greek Revival home of the Gage family. “The promises required of the bride were precisely the same as those required of the groom,” noted a local newspaper, in apparent surprise. (At the time, it was standard for the bride, but not the groom, to promise to “love and obey.”)
Now a designated New York State commemorative landmark owned and operated by the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation, the Gage House serves as a museum and dialogue center hosting programs on social justice led by progressive scholars and activists. One of its advisory board members, feminist icon Gloria Steinem, called Gage “the woman who was ahead of the women who were ahead of their time.”
After the September 1884 ****** of her gentle and solemn husband Henry—an inspiration for the character of Uncle Henry in The Wizard of Oz—Gage threw herself even more fully into her work. Among many other projects, she’d been collaborating with Anthony and Stanton on the first two volumes of the History of Woman Suffrage. In the mid-1880s, though, Anthony came into some money and took over the rights to the series herself, paying Gage and Stanton for their shares.
John Rea Neill took over the imaginative visuals in book two.
Buyenlarge/Getty Images
Meanwhile, Gage was increasingly frustrated by the more ************* leanings of her fellow suffragist leaders. Anthony, in particular, had strong ties with the temperance movement, which blamed alcohol for the bad behavior of men but also had an overtly religious vision for national politics.
Gage disapproved of the alliance between the women’s suffrage movement and the Woman’s ********** Temperance Union, which began in 1874. In 1890, Gage left the National Woman Suffrage Association and founded the Woman’s National ******** Union, which fought for the separation of ******* and state and drew attention to the religious subjugation of women.
As for the young Baums, Frank and Maud rented a house in Syracuse and had the first of their four sons. The new dad brought in steady money as the superintendent and sales manager for Baum’s (pronounced Bom’s) Castorine Company, a family business that created lubricants for buggies and machinery, a firm that still operates out of Rome, New York. Despite the outfit’s success, Baum grew bored. Yet he would never forget his days selling cans of oil, making the item a must-have for the Tin Woodman, who always needs a few drips to avoid rust.
In the 1939 film, the Kansas scenes are sepia-toned, but the Oz scenes were filmed using a new process called three-strip Technicolor.
World History Archive / Alamy Stock Photo
Gage corresponded regularly with her son and two other daughters who had settled in the Dakota Territory, joining half a million other Easterners catching “Western fever.” As Baum heard about their lives, he yearned for a more adventurous one. Relocating with his family in 1888 to the new “Hub City” of Aberdeen, in what became South Dakota, he established a novelty shop on its main street called Baum’s Bazaar. The store ******* in just 15 months, as Baum misjudged the clientele, focusing on frivolous toys and games and impractical items like parasols and fancy wicker. “Frank had let his tastes run riot,” wrote sister-in-law Helen, who picked up the leftover inventory for $772.54 but turned her family’s store, renamed Gage’s Bazaar, into a success by selling things people actually needed.
Around the time Baum closed the store in December 1889, Matilda Gage blew in from the East to visit. She’d stay with the Baums every winter for the rest of her life. By early spring, Gage decided that she’d be remaining for the rest of the year. She and her band of suffragists convinced legislators to hold a referendum in the new state of South Dakota on the right to vote for women.
Delegates came to Washington, D.C., from nine different countries for the first meeting of the International Council of Women in 1888. A portrait of conference leaders shows Gage seated, second from right. Susan B. Anthony is seated second from left, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton is seated fourth from left.
LOC / Corbis / VCG via Getty Images
Baum put his remaining cash into another distressed business, buying the weakest newspaper in a town that had several ******* ones. His first editorials for the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer were high-minded. “The key to the success of our country is tolerance,” he wrote. “The ‘live and let live’ policy of the Americans has excited the admiration of the world.” Volunteering as secretary of Aberdeen’s Women’s Suffrage Society, Baum argued that a law giving women the vote was more likely out there, as the West was new and open-minded. Gage barnstormed the state as Baum published editorials: “We are engaged in an equal struggle,” Baum wrote. In the West, he added, “a woman delights in being useful; a young lady’s highest ambition is to become a bread-winner.”
This inclusive spirit was often found in Baum’s early editorials. But on November 4, 1890, everything he advocated was shot down in the election. Baum had written a clever poem endorsing the town of Huron as the new state’s capital. The voters chose Pierre. And at the end of the day, the male voters of South Dakota broke 2 to 1 against the right of women to vote. Aberdeen had also just faced a drought and massive crop ******** that crushed its economy. Failing farmers and merchants were heading back East or on to other boomtowns out West, leaving Baum with worthless credit slips and unpaid expenses.
That drought was felt even more harshly 150 miles away at Standing Rock, the Sioux reservation, where the community of several thousand began to suffer from starvation. As part of a well-documented *********** campaign fueled by the U.S. military, newswire reports warned that an uprising and massacre of the people of Aberdeen was coming. At first Baum tried keeping his readers cool and sensible about this “false and senseless scare.” On November 29, he wrote: “According to the popular rumor, the Indians were expected to drop in on us any day the last week. But as our scalps are still in healthy condition, it is needless for us to remark that we are yet alive.”
Baum lambasted his rival newspapers for printing the worst of the *********** and racism in order to sell newspapers. “Probably papers who have so injured the state by their flashy headlines of Indian uprisings did not think of the results of such action beyond the extra ***** of a few copies of their sheets,” Baum continued in his November 29 editorial.
When U.S. officials ordered the arrest of Chief Sitting Bull in mid-December, newspapers all over the country reported that ********* was likely to break out. Baum got caught up in the issue. “A man in the East can read the papers and light a cigar and say there is no danger,” he wrote, “but put that man and his family on the east bank of the Missouri, opposite Sitting Bull’s camp … he will draw a different picture.”
Maud Gage at Cornell in the 1880s. Over her mother’s objections, she dropped out to marry Baum and travel with his theater troupe.
Courtesy of Matilda Joslyn Gage Center
After police invaded Sitting Bull’s camp on December 15 and shot him as he was trying to escape, wire reports went out far and wide, and Baum printed the headline on December 20: “Expect an ******* at Any Moment. Sitting Bull’s ****** to Be Avenged by a Massacre of ******* in the Near Future.” In this same issue, Baum printed his first of two ******* editorials. Dehumanizing the Native Americans as “whining curs” and “********** wretches,” he called for “the total annihilation of the few remaining Indians.” On December 29, as many as 300 Sioux men, women and children camping by a creek called Wounded Knee were shot ***** by U.S. soldiers. Baum’s editorials put him on the wrong side of history.
There’s no known written record of Gage’s response to this incident. She was living with the Baums at the time, so any exchanges she had with Frank would have happened face-to-face. But his editorials were certainly at odds with her own views. She had the utmost respect for Indigenous communities. After paying several visits to an Iroquois Confederation north of Syracuse, she had concluded that the sexes there were “nearly equal,” and “never was justice more perfect, never civilization higher.” In 1893, she would become an honorary member of the Wolf Clan of the Mohawk Nation and, at the ceremony, receive the name of Ka-ron-ien-ha-wi, roughly translated as She Who Holds the Sky.
By January 1891, Baum seemed to have lost almost everything, including his integrity. His newspaper business collapsed. At the age of 34, he had no job, no career, no prospects, only a damaged reputation.
That spring, the Baum family moved to Chicago, where Frank got a job working for the city’s Evening Post. In this new chapter of his life, he accompanied his mother-in-law to lectures, séances and other gatherings. In September 1892, he became a member of a group called the Theosophical Society. Founded in New York City, the society was led by the Russian mystic Madame Helena Blavatsky. Matilda, a freethinker like her father, had joined the society at a conference in Rochester, New York, in March 1885. The brew of Theosophical beliefs appealed to Gage—the ancient wisdom of Hinduism and Buddhism, combined with other mystical ideas like mediumship and telepathy—and all of it with an emphasis on universal human rights and living a life of nonviolence in both word and deed. A mission statement published by the group’s founders in 1882 defined Theosophy as “a Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed or ******.” Gage called Theosophy the “crown blessing” of her life.
Baum was especially interested in Theosophy’s description of the astral plane, a world of emotion and illusion where one’s “astral body” could go for a supernatural experience reached through mental powers. An 1895 book called The Astral Plane: Its Scenery, Inhabitants and Phenomena would become so popular in the family that three copies would circulate among the Baum and Gage households.
Gage’s painting of a hyacinth. At a time when mainstream pharmacists used ingredients like mercury and arsenic, Gage made her own plant remedies.
Courtesy of Matilda Joslyn Gage Center
In 1893, Gage published Woman, ******* and State, her most influential work. Gage called it “a book with a revolution in it.” The 450-page volume put forth the provocative view that ******* and state had been suppressing women for centuries. The book was banned by her nemesis, Anthony Comstock, a U.S. postal inspector and the secretary of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, who called it “salacious” and declared he would bring ********* proceedings against any person who placed it in a public school or sent it through the U.S. mail.
Gage cited passages from the King James ******, such as “though shalt not suffer a witch to live” (Exodus 22:18), showing the link between the preaching of religion and accusations of witchcraft. She traced this misogyny back to the Garden of Eden with the tale of Eve, the trickster serpent and the forbidden fruit. “A system of religion was adopted which taught the greater sinfulness of women,” she asserted, “and the persecution for witchcraft became chiefly directed against women.”
As this view gained traction within the *******, Gage wrote, “a witch was held to be a woman who had deliberately sold herself to the evil one.” Anything could be used as evidence of witchcraft—possessing rare knowledge, having an unusual “witch mark,” suffering from mental illness, owning ****** cats, the use of herbs for healing, performing ****** magic, or having an ability to float or swim. But “those condemned as sorcerers and witches, as ‘heretics,’ were in reality the most advanced thinkers of the ********** ages,” Gage wrote.
She was especially moved by an 1883 gathering in Salem, Massachusetts, for descendants of Rebecca Nurse, one of the best-known women put to ****** in the Salem witch trials of 1692. Nurse was a 70-year-old woman with eight children and, as Gage wrote, “a ******* member of unsullied reputation and devout habit; but all these considerations did not prevent her accusation … and she was hung by the neck till she was *****.”
Gage was promoting her new book when she visited the 1893 Columbian Exposition, a spectacular world’s fair in Chicago. Her son-in-law was covering the sprawling event as a reporter, and he wrote about the light pouring through the walls of windows of the white buildings, so bright that people purchased ******** eyeshades from vendors. This detail would later reappear in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, where all the residents of the Emerald City wear green eyeshades. “Because if you did not wear spectacles the brightness and glory of the Emerald City would ****** you,” Baum would write in the novel. Indeed, the Oz novel’s illustrations would be sketched by William Wallace Denslow, who was drawing splendorous images of the fair’s fanciful architecture for another Chicago paper.
One day, Gage visited the exposition’s Woman’s Building and encountered statues immortalizing her old colleagues Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Seeing the statues only increased her ire at her old colleagues for aligning with the Woman’s ********** Temperance Union. She also felt undervalued as a writer, and she harbored suspicions that Anthony had taken funds from a ****** account to pay her own exorbitant travel expenses. “They have stabbed me in reputation, and Susan, at least, has stolen money from me,” she wrote in a July 1893 letter to her son, Thomas. “They are traitors, also, to woman’s highest needs.”
A military salute at the Statue of Liberty’s 1886 dedication. From a nearby barge, Gage shouted through a megaphone about the lack of liberty for ********* women.
Library of Congress
Gage herself was falling into ********. The cost of publishing and promoting her new book had exceeded its earnings, and she was now in debt. “I like an active life and one with freedom from money troubles,” Gage wrote. “I like to be independent in every way. But fate or Karma is against me.”
In February of 1895, Gage came across a writing contest in the children’s magazine The Youth’s Companion offering a prize of $500 for the best original story. The rich sum (equivalent to more than $18,000 today) seized her attention, and she considered her daughter Helen and son-in-law Frank the family’s best writers. While there are no known records of her in-person conversations with Frank, she likely shared the same ideas she sent Helen in a letter. “Keep in mind it is not a child’s paper but a paper for youth and the older members of the family,” she wrote. “The moral tone and literary character of these stories must be exceptional.”
She encouraged them to write “not narration or passages from history, but stories,” which she defined as tales with “a dramatic arc from the beginning to the end.” Gage went so far as to suggest a topic: “If you could get up a series of adventures or a Dakota blizzard adventure where a heroic teacher saves children’s lives.” Or, she added, “bring in a cyclone,” perhaps recalling a true twister story of a house rising off its foundation that Helen had written in the Syracuse Weekly Express in 1887. Above all, Gage added, create “fiction which comes with a moral, without however any attempt to sermonize.”
There’s no evidence that Baum entered that particular contest, but around that time, he began a new routine. He’d moved on to a new day job as a traveling salesmen of fine china for Pitkin & Brooks. Every evening, especially when he was away at hotels, he’d write down ideas in a journal. Soon, Baum began submitting his tales and poems to newspapers and magazines. At first, Baum kept track of his rejection letters in a journal called his “Record of ********,” a title that could have described his whole business career, too.
But in early 1896, Baum started receiving acceptance letters for his short stories. In January 1896, the Chicago Times-Herald published a story of his titled “Who Called Perry?” In February, the same paper published his story “Yesterday at the Exposition,” which imagined a world’s fair in Chicago nearly 200 years in the future. His first national magazine story was called “The Extravagance of Dan” and published in the National magazine in May 1897.
Sioux bodies wrapped in blankets at Chief Spotted Elk’s camp, soon after the U.S. Army ******* as many as 300 Sioux. Baum’s editorials were part of the wave of fearmongering surrounding the massacre.
Trager and Kuhn, LOC
Once his submissions started getting accepted, the stories kept coming, typically turning real life into the poetic. With both earnings and confidence rising, Baum expanded his vision to two successful books for children, Mother Goose in Prose (1897), a collection of short stories based on traditional nursery rhymes, and Father Goose: His Book (1899), a series of original nonsense poems. In October 1899, he got a story called “Aunt Hulda’s Good Time” into the magazine first suggested by his mother-in-law, the prestigious Youth’s Companion.
For the first time, the Baums were able to afford a stately home, a Victorian on Humboldt Boulevard wired with electric lights and featuring a covered front porch where Baum would tell stories to his sons and the neighborhood children. He maintained a close relationship with his mother-in-law. “Frank came in and kissed me goodbye, as he always does,” wrote Gage. “He is very kind to me.”
Gage was staying with the Baums in Chicago when she was confined to bed with pain in her lungs, throat and stomach. “We all must ****, and I pray to go quickly when I leave,” she wrote in an 1897 letter. “I would a thousand times prefer ****** ****** to long-term paralysis. … The real suffering comes from lack of knowledge of real things—the spiritual.”
In Washington, D.C., thousands of activists were gathering for a convention to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Seneca Falls conference. Unable to attend, Gage penned a final speech that was read aloud at the convention by a friend. Gage proclaimed what she called “the femininity of the divine” and shared her belief that one day “the feminine will soon be fully restored to its rightful place in creation.”
Gage also wrote messages to her loved ones and colleagues as part of her last will and testament. “I am one of those that are set for the redeeming of the Earth,” Gage wrote to Baum. “I am to live on the plane that shall be above all things that dishearten. … When I receive instructions from those who are in the Invisible, I will receive them willingly, with a ******* to put them into practice to the extent of my spirit light and potency.”
Matilda Electa Joslyn Gage ***** on March 18, 1898. Her four-paragraph obituary in the New York Times reported her ****** was caused by “apoplexy,” an old medical term for a ******* but also meaning a state of extreme rage.
Following a small ceremony for her mother in Chicago, Maud left her husband behind with their four sons and transported the urn of her mother’s ******** east, to be interred by the old house in Fayetteville alongside her father’s grave.
During the 1910s, the Baums lived in Hollywood—in a house called Ozcot, with a dog named Toto. Baum designed an emerald- green lighting system for the dining room.
Courtesy of Matilda Joslyn Gage Center
This is when the magic happened. The story “moved right in and took possession,” Baum later said. The inspiration came at the twilight of a winter’s day when he saw his sons and their friends returning home from playing in the snow. “It came to me right out of the blue,” he said. “I shooed the children away.” Word paintings came out through his pencil onto scraps of paper: A gray prairie. A terrifying twister. A mystical land ruled by both good and wicked witches. A trio of comical characters who join a girl on her quest, a journey to a magical city of emeralds controlled by a mysterious wizard. “The story really seemed to write itself,” he told his publisher. Yet at first, Baum hadn’t settled on a name for his main character.
In June 1898, Maud’s brother and wife welcomed a girl they named Dorothy. Maud enjoyed visiting them in Bloomington, Illinois, that summer, but the baby became ill and started running fevers. On November 11, only 5 months old, Dorothy Louise Gage *****. She was “a perfectly beautiful baby,” Maud mourned. “I could have taken her for my very own and loved her devotedly.” In Baum’s writings, the girl from Kansas took on the name Dorothy, with a last name, Gale, that was perhaps a double reference to the gale-force cyclone and the family name of Gage.
His mother-in-law also lived on through the story. She’d believed strongly in mental manifestation, insisting that people could accomplish anything through the power of their minds. When Helen’s daughter Leslie fell ill in 1895, Gage had prescribed positive thought energy: “Take five minutes three or four times a day to think of health and when you go to bed at night keep saying to yourself ‘I am well.’ Grandma knows by experience that a great deal of good comes from concentration of thought.” As a woman who spent her whole life urging women to have confidence in themselves, Gage would have been pleased to see her views taking on a central role in the story of Oz. Dorothy’s silver shoes (in the movie ruby slippers) are not magical in themselves. It’s only after a lesson from Glinda on the power of thought that their magic can work. As the good witch Glinda tells Dorothy: “All you have to do is to knock the heels together three times and command the shoes to carry you wherever you wish to go.”
Get the latest History stories in your inbox?
Filed Under:
Books,
Movies,
Religion,
Women’s History,
Women’s Rights,
Women’s Suffrage
Source link
#Feminist #Inspired #Witches
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Privacy Notice: We utilize cookies to optimize your browsing experience and analyze website traffic. By consenting, you acknowledge and agree to our Cookie Policy, ensuring your privacy preferences are respected.
