Pelican Press

NSW Waratahs escape with thrilling win over Fijian Drua NSW Waratahs escape with thrilling win over Fijian Drua The NSW Waratahs have continued their unbeaten start to the Super Rugby Pacific season with a nail-biting 29-24 over the Fijian Drua in Sydney. An army of Fijian fans almost willed the visitors to a stirring victory at Allianz Stadium before the Waratahs escaped with a late penalty try on Friday night. Referee Angus Mabey gifted the Waratahs the winning points and yellow-carded Drua loose forward Kitione Salawa for crudely stopping a NSW driving maul three minutes before fulltime. It was the second straight Houdini act for last year’s wooden spooners after the Waratahs also denied the Highlanders in round one with a last-gasp try to Siosifa Amone. In stark contrast, the deflating defeat for the Drua was their third heartbreaker in a row, after they also blew leads late on against the Brumbies and Hurricanes. And it was NSW’s Fiji-raised back-rower Langi Gleeson who stole the show this time around. In a powerhouse display, Gleeson collected his first try-scoring double for the Waratahs while also featuring in two huge defensive saves in the second half. Twice Gleeson helped hold up Drua ball carriers over the line during the frenetic finish. “(This) means everything. It’s special to play against the Fijian brothers,” Gleeson told Stan Sport. “It’s always tough on the field but afterwards we can have a laugh. “A special shout-out to the boys that came off the bench. They worked really hard for us. And Drua, it’s always hard to play them whether it’s their turf or ours.”Intent on not being drawn into the Drua’s razzle dazzle style of play, the Waratahs started the brighter of the teams. But it was a loose ball that broke the early deadlock when Meli Derenalagi pounced and laid it off to winger Ponipate Loganimasi, who steamed down the left flank for the opening try. The Waratahs bounced back to level up immediately when Gleeson crashed over off a short ball from Jake Gordon. And the frenzy continued when the Drua opened up the NSW defence before Vuate Karawalevu dived over in the right corner. The Waratahs began to strengthen their grip on the game, but it didn’t show on the scoreboard as errors halted opportunities for points. But they finally found a way through to snatch a 17-12 halftime lead after a seemingly innocuous kick from Gordon led to Gleeson’s second try. Drua flyhalf Caleb Muntz cleaned up the kick close to his own line, only to lose the ball in a tackle from Max Jorgensen before Gleeson swooped. The Waratahs looked set to rack up a big win when hooker Dave Porecki finished off a signature rolling maul try three minutes into the second half to extend the lead to 10 points. But, inspired by their feverish fans, the Drua lifted and began to sap the Tahs of energy with their free-wheeling attack. The Waratahs defended their line desperately for what seemed an age but couldn’t hold out any longer while lock Miles Amatosero was in the sin bin for a professional foul. Loganimasi bagged his second try of the night, and replacement hooker Mesulame Dolokoto also crossed soon after to briefly restore the Drua’s lead. But the penalty try cruelled the Fijians, who remain winless after three rounds. Source link #NSW #Waratahs #escape #thrilling #win #Fijian #Drua Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Wall Street’s Greatest Dividend Stock Just Made History Again — and 99.9% of Investors Have Never Heard of This Small-Cap Company Wall Street’s Greatest Dividend Stock Just Made History Again — and 99.9% of Investors Have Never Heard of This Small-Cap Company For more than a century, Wall Street has been a wealth-building machine for professional and everyday investors. With thousands of publicly traded companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to choose from, it’s a near-certainty that one or more securities can help you meet your financial goals. But among these countless strategies investors can deploy to grow their wealth, few have proved more consistently successful than buying and holding high-quality dividend stocks. Companies that pay a regular dividend to their shareholders often have similarities. In no particular order, dividend stocks: Tend to be profitable on a recurring basis. Have navigated one or more economic downturns and demonstrated that they’re operating model is time-tested. Can provide transparent long-term growth outlooks. Image source: Getty Images. Best of all, companies that pay a regular dividend have handily outperformed nonpayers over the long run. In The Power of Dividends: Past, Present, and Future, the analysts at Hartford Funds, in collaboration with Ned Davis Research, compared the performance and relative volatility of dividend stocks to nonpayers over a 50-year ******* (1973-2023). What they found was that dividend stocks ran circles around nonpayers — 9.17% annualized return vs. 4.27% annualized return — and did so while being notably less volatile than the benchmark S&P 500. Whereas nonpayers were 18% more volatile than the S&P 500 over a half-century, income stocks were 6% less volatile. Despite this outperformance, there’s more to a great dividend stock than simply offering a payout. While dividend stocks are a dime a dozen, great income stocks are exceedingly rare and not always obvious. Out of the roughly 2,000 publicly traded companies that have paid a dividend over the trailing year, fewer than five dozen qualify as Dividend Kings. A Dividend King is a public company that’s increased its base annual payout for at least 50 consecutive years. For instance, a little more than a week ago, consumer staples juggernaut Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) announced it would raise its quarterly dividend from $0.485 per share to $0.51. This marked the 63rd consecutive year that Coca-Cola’s board has given the green light to increase the company’s payout. Selling a basic-need good and having virtually unparalleled geographic diversity has led to highly predictable cash flow and sustainable dividend growth. In less than two months, it should be a similar story for healthcare conglomerate Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), which has increased its base annual dividend for 62 straight years. I expect it to do so again. Johnson & Johnson is one of only two public companies to sport the highest possible credit rating (AAA) from Standard & Poor’s, and has benefited immensely from its shift to higher-margin novel-drug development. Story Continues An even rarer group of dividend payers than the Dividend Kings are those companies that have made consecutive payouts for more than 100 years. Just over a dozen public companies have paid a continuous dividend for over a century. Coca-Cola is part of this group, with dividend payments made for 105 consecutive years (and counting). Other well-known brands that belong to this exclusive club are integrated oil and gas giant ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and power tools company Stanley ****** & Decker (NYSE: SWK). ExxonMobil has paid a consecutive dividend since 1882, while Stanley ****** & Decker has doled out a dividend annually since 1876. Stanley ****** & Decker is also a Dividend King, with payouts growing in each of the past 57 years. Yet among these time-tested income stocks is a little-known small-cap company that just extended its history-making dividend streak. Image source: Getty Images. Raise your hand if you’ve heard of York Water (NASDAQ: YORW) before. It’s a water and wastewater utility valued at just $483 million that services 56 municipalities spanning four counties in South-Central Pennsylvania. It’s also a company that sees average trading volume of only 63,900 shares per day (about $2.1 million in value changing hands). I’d be willing to wager that 99.9% of investors have never heard about York Water prior to reading this — yet it’s the greatest dividend stock on Wall Street. On Jan. 27, York’s board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2192 per share, with a record date of Feb. 28 and a payable date of April 15. This payout marks the 209th consecutive year that York Water will dish out a dividend to its shareholders, which is 60 years longer than the next-closest company (Stanley ****** & Decker), in terms of consecutive dividend payments. How is it possible that York Water has paid an uninterrupted dividend since 1816? For starters, there’s the advantage of cash-flow predictability. Demand for water and wastewater services doesn’t change much from one year to the next. To build on this point, most utilities (water, gas, and electric) operate as monopolies or duopolies in the areas they service. Due to the high cost associated with getting infrastructure in place, residential and enterprise customers don’t have the option of shopping around for other utility providers. In other words, York Water doesn’t have to worry about other utilities siphoning away its customers, which adds to the predictability of its operating cash flow. York Water is also a regulated water utility. Regulated utilities require permission from state commissions before they can increase rates. Though this might sound like a nuisance, it’s an important aspect of York’s operating model. Being overseen by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ensures that it won’t be exposed to potentially unpredictable pricing. Another catalyst that explains York’s more than two centuries of success is the willingness of its management team to make bolt-on acquisitions. These acquisitions increase the company’s customer base and expand its operating cash flow, which allows for increased organic investment and additional bolt-on acquisitions. Some investors are bound to scoff at York Water’s rather pedestrian dividend yield of 2.6%, as of the closing bell on Feb. 25. But keep in mind that yield is a function of payout relative to share price. York has increased its payout for 28 consecutive years (atop its 209-year consecutive dividend streak) and seen its share price rise by nearly 500% since this century began. If not for an almost sextupling in its stock over 25 years, York’s yield would be substantially higher. Inclusive of dividends, York stock has returned 1,060% for shareholders since this century kicked off. It’s what makes York Water Wall Street’s greatest, yet virtually unknown, dividend stock. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you’d have $340,411!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $45,570!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $533,931!* Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon. Continue » *Stock Advisor returns as of February 24, 2025 Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Johnson & Johnson. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Wall Street’s Greatest Dividend Stock Just Made History Again — and 99.9% of Investors Have Never Heard of This Small-Cap Company was originally published by The Motley Fool Source link #Wall #Streets #Greatest #Dividend #Stock #History #Investors #Heard #SmallCap #Company Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Goes Silent in Space – Can Engineers Bring It Back? – SciTechDaily NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Goes Silent in Space – Can Engineers Bring It Back? – SciTechDaily NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Goes Silent in Space – Can Engineers Bring It Back? SciTechDailyMeet the ice-hunting robots headed for the Moon right now Nature.comLiftoff! NASA Tech, Science En Route to Moon with Intuitive Machines NASANASA’S Lunar Trailblazer Hitches Ride to the Moon to Map Water for Astronauts The New York TimesAnother lunar lander is heading to the moon. Here’s what to know about its complex mission. CBS News Source link #NASAs #Lunar #Trailblazer #Silent #Space #Engineers #Bring #SciTechDaily Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

For the first time, Nintendo is delisting a game from the Switch Online retro library For the first time, Nintendo is delisting a game from the Switch Online retro library Nintendo is removing a game from its Switch Online retro library, for the first time since the service launched. Since 2018, Nintendo has been re-releasing classic 8-bit and 16-bit games, making them available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. At the time of writing, there are around 315 games available on Switch Online, spanning the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64 and ***** Mega Drive / Genesis libraries. However, Nintendo has now announced that for the first time it will be removing a game from Switch Online, rather than adding one. On March 28, Super Formation Soccer will be removed from the Super Famicom (SNES) library, which is available to Switch Online members in Japan (or those elsewhere who download it from the Japanese eShop). Super Formation Soccer is known in the West as Super Soccer, which is also available in Switch Online’s SNES library in North America and Europe. However, Nintendo has yet to announce the removal of Super Soccer from these regions. Super Formation Soccer is the first game to be removed from Switch Online. It’s not currently clear, then, whether the removal is due to the fact that while Super Soccer was published by Nintendo in the West, the Japanese version was published by the now-defunct Human Entertainment (with the IP seemingly currently owned by Spike Chunsoft). While it remains to be seen whether Super Soccer will be removed from Switch Online libraries in the West, the delisting of the Japanese version is nevertheless the first real indication that the Switch Online library is not a permanent repository, and that while it’s likely that every listed first-party Nintendo game will remain there until the entire service shuts down, there’s always a chance (however slight) that certain third-party games could be removed at some point. Responding to the news on X, former PlatinumGames co-founder and current Clovers Studio founder Hideki Kamiya – who regularly posts about his love of classic games – criticised the move, asking for the return of the Virtual Console service, which was available on Wii, Wii U and 3DS and allowed individual games to be bought. “Hey hey hey, I guess subscriptions are no good after all,” Kamiya wrote. “Seriously, bring back the Virtual Console… don’t be so mean.” It should also be noted that numerous retro games were delisted from Virtual Console over the years too, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yoshi’s Cookie, Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, Aleste, SimCity, Street Fighter II, Final Fight 1-3, Super Turrican 2 and Super R-Type. Because the Virtual Console games were purchased individually, however, rather than part of a subscription service, anyone who bought those games before they were delisted were still able to play them afterwards. This won’t be the case with Super Formation Soccer on Switch Online. Source link #time #Nintendo #delisting #game #Switch #Online #retro #library Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

'Mighty blow!'- Sediqullah brings up fifty with big six 'Mighty blow!'- Sediqullah brings up fifty with big six Afghanistan’s Sediqullah Atal brings up half-century with a ‘mighty blow’ over deep midwicket for six in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy. Source link #039Mighty #blow039 #Sediqullah #brings #fifty #big Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

2 dead in shooting at ODU as students, officials react 2 dead in shooting at ODU as students, officials react NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Two people are dead after being shot in a parking lot on West 49th Street in the area of Broderick Dining Commons on the Old Dominion University campus Wednesday night, Norfolk and ODU police said. ODU Police said that, at around 9:50 p.m., two people, later identified as 18-year-old Delanio M. Vick and 20-year-old Timothy G. Williams, suffered injuries from a shooting that took place in parking lot 3 in the 1400 block of W. 49th St. ODU and Norfolk police said neither person is a student nor affiliated with the university. The two who were injured were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where they later died. “I saw a girl just hovering over the body, screaming hysterically,” said ODU student Zaria Stovall. “And I was like, ‘What is going on?’ … We’re watching the view from our big window, and then, that’s when I noticed a second body that was laying farther apart from the first body. I didn’t even notice the first one when I was … looking through my window. And that one was also very limp.” Police response to shooting on campus Police lifted the campus lockdown at 11:43 p.m. after both ODU and Norfolk police said there was no further threat to the campus community. But the big question remains — who pulled the trigger and why. And was there any student that was in the immediate line of danger? “Not that we’re aware of,” said ODU Police Chief Garrett Shelton. “And you know, when the officers first arrived, there were people, I think, that came in to help out, but not that I’m aware of. It’s my understanding the dining hall had actually closed maybe minutes prior to this. So we know from the officers who responded that there were no other university activities going on there. There were no other events that were occurring in that area. So to say it was probably normal traffic during that time of the night would be the easiest thing to say.” Despite that reassurance, fear lingers on campus, but Shelton said safety is his top priority. “I’ve got kids in college, and I’m too far from them,” Shelton said. “So I understand the anxiety that comes with a parent being too far away from their kids. And I promise to do everything I can to protect them as well as I would my own children.” An ODU Urgent Alert issued earlier in the evening Wednesday stated there was a suspect at large, ODU Police said. As of early Thursday evening, there was no word of a suspect or one in custody. Students shaken by shooting “It just became a very surreal moment when we saw the notification pop up,” said one ODU student who asked to remain anonymous. “… While it was a fast reaction time on behalf of the notification system, it definitely felt longer on our end because we had already been experiencing that panic for like 10 minutes.” For some, those minutes felt like a lifetime. “I was shaking as soon as I saw what happened,” Stovall said. “I was trying to call my mom — I couldn’t even type the numbers because my hands were shaking. … I’m shaking the camera, showing her the scene, and she’s like, ‘What are you talking about? Two people are dead outside your window?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah.’” Norfolk Police response Norfolk Police said it would work with ODU Police to find anyone who is responsible for the shooting. “We are deeply saddened by the unnecessary violence that occurred overnight on the campus of Old Dominion University,” Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot said. “Students attend a university to learn, and deserve to feel safe in their environment while doing so. We appreciate the strong partnership we have with the men and women of the Old Dominion University Police Department and all of their assistance both last night at the scene and today as we investigate this double *********. Chief Sheldon and I will continue to work closely together to ensure that our teams have the resources they need to hold those who are responsible for this violence accountable for their actions.” ODU president reaches out to campus community ODU President Brian Hemphill said in a letter to the university community earlier Thursday that despite no one connected to the university was hurt, “this incident certainly impacts our community.” Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: Late yesterday, there was a campus incident that resulted in life-threatening injuries to two individuals. An immediate alert was sent with subsequent updates in the hours following the incident. As the City of Norfolk Police Department continues its investigation, additional information will be shared once available. The University is aware of misinformation being shared both on campus and in the community. Individuals are encouraged to rely on official information issued by the City of Norfolk Police Department, as well as formal University statements. Although no Old Dominion University students, faculty, or staff were injured, this incident certainly impacts our community. Please keep those impacted in your thoughts and prayers. Also, please accept our sincere appreciation for your patience and understanding during this evolving situation. To support our campus community, walk-in counseling is available throughout the day in the Student Recreation and Well-Being Center. For students, the Office of Counseling Services is hosting a Let’s Talk About It virtual support group from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM today with registration available on MonarchGroups. For faculty and staff, the Employee Assistance Program is available and accessible at [Hidden Content]. As the safety of our campus is a top priority, the Old Dominion University Police Department is deeply committed to protecting all Monarchs and ensuring a safe learning, living, and working environment at all times. We take this responsibility very seriously in close collaboration with local authorities and other critical partners. Without question, we remain committed and vigilant in our daily work and overall efforts both now and well into the future. — Brian Hemphill, ODU president In a letter to the campus community later Thursday, Hemphill offered his condolences to the two people who died. Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: Earlier today, I shared a message of care and concern for our community in the wake of a campus incident that occurred late yesterday. Since this morning’s message was distributed, the City of Norfolk Police Department released an official statement. In that online posting, it was shared that the incident resulted in the passing of two individuals. These individuals were not Old Dominion University students, faculty, or staff. First and foremost, the Monarch Nation expresses sincere condolences to the family members and loved ones of those who tragically passed. Additionally, we join together in calling for anyone responsible to be held accountable for their actions. Last night’s event is troubling and produces a range of emotions based on our personal experiences. As such, our students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to make use of the wide array of resources, services, and support that are available both on and off campus. At this time, I want to personally acknowledge the work of the University’s Police Chief Garrett Shelton, the City’s Police Chief Mark Talbot, and the men and women in their respective departments. Our University police officers arrived on the scene in seconds – not minutes. They skillfully administered first aid on the scene and thoughtfully engaged in immediate efforts to confirm no ongoing threat to our campus. The City police officers diligently worked to secure the scene and conduct an investigation. While the investigation remains ongoing with no continued threat to our campus, we are fortunate to have such dedicated and qualified personnel to serve our community and the local area. While this recent incident gives us significant pause, it also highlights our resolve to protect our campus community through our shared commitment to support each other and the unwavering professionalism of our first responders. It is the power of our campus and the collaboration of our community that solidifies a safe learning, living, and working environment that both defines and supports all that we do to fulfill and advance our worthwhile mission on a daily basis. — Brian Hemphill, ODU president Campus ministry supporting students Joshua McCauley, director and campus minister for the Wesley Foundation at ODU and a ministry of the United Methodist Church, said he had been at the nearby Wesley Center for an event Wednesday evening and had just left to go home when he got the ODU Urgent Alert about an active shooter on campus and returned to the center. “One of the rules of the chaplain is to make sure that we’re here to support our students,” McCauley said. “I’m happy to serve as a part of one of the university chaplains and the university chaplain association so I wanted to make sure students had a space to turn to when disasters like this take place.” McCauley said “it’s disheartening [for it] to be here on our campus. I know there’ll be a lot of pain, and a lot of worry and anxiety amongst students. I’ve already been texting quite a few of them, checking in and making sure they’re OK and making sure they know that Wesley is open for them and a space for them to be. “We’ve got some work to do here to heal.” An emergency alert was sent by email, phone and text at 10:01 p.m. advising the campus community to stay indoors. At 11:43 p.m., ODU sent another emergency alert to lift the shelter-in-place. ODU Police said walk-in counseling services will be available Thursday for students. The Office of Counseling Services can be reached at 757-683-4401, and appointments can be made online. Check with WAVY.com for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. Source link #dead #shooting #ODU #students #officials #react Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

With Elden Ring Nightreign Focused On Co-op, Armored Core Can Deliver the PvP Carnage Fans Deserve With Elden Ring Nightreign Focused On Co-op, Armored Core Can Deliver the PvP Carnage Fans Deserve FromSoftware has been playing a fascinating game of multiplayer musical chairs lately. While Elden Ring Nightreign is going all-in on cooperative survival gameplay, the studio’s mech-piloting franchise sits in an interesting position to fill the competitive void left behind. Old nightmares, new game. | Image Credit: FromSoftware The upcoming spinoff (launching May 30th) is doubling down on PvE with its three-player co-op focus, leaving a gaping hole where FromSoftware’s signature player-versus-player combat used to be. No invasions, no duels—just you and your buddies against the world. Meanwhile, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon has quietly been building a dedicated PvP community with its 1v1 and 3v3 modes. But with the mecha genre suddenly heating up and Titanfall 3 officially dead in the water, FromSoftware has a golden opportunity to position its mechanized franchise as the premier competitive experience for players who prefer their combat with a side of hydraulics and missile launchers. Why Armored Core should embrace its PvP potential ⛶ ⛶ ⛶ ⛶ Perhaps Hidetaka Miyazaki and his studio can now put more focus on Armored Core. Image Credit: FromSoftware ⛶ The mecha genre is having a moment right now, and FromSoftware is sitting on a gold mine with Armored Core. While Elden Ring Nightreign is busy letting players team up against resurrected nightmares like Margit and the Nameless King, Armored Core could easily double down on what it already does well: letting players blow each other to smithereens in gloriously customized war machines. Armored Core 6 already features solid PvP foundations with its 1v1 and 3v3 modes, but imagine if FromSoftware expanded this into a dedicated competitive experience. The series’ legendary customization system—where every weapon, part, and paint job matters—creates a natural playground for competitive expression that few other games can match. What makes this opportunity particularly juicy is the timing. With Titanfall 3 officially cancelled after just 10 months of development, there’s a vacuum in the mech-combat space that’s begging to be filled. The hunger is clearly there—just look at how quickly players flocked to Mecha Break despite its issues. FromSoftware has the pedigree, the engine, and the fanbase to create something special here. They’ve already proven they understand the delicate balance of weight, firepower, and mobility that makes mech combat satisfying. Now they just need to go all-in on the competitive aspect while Elden Ring Nightreign handles the co-op side of things. The mecha battlefield is getting crowded, but quality will win Popularity doesn’t always equal quality in mech warfare. | Image Credit: Amazing Seasun Games Speaking of Mecha Break, Amazing Seasun Games’ free-to-play mech shooter recently made waves by attracting over 317,000 concurrent players during its open beta—briefly surpassing even Marvel Rivals on Steam. But numbers don’t tell the whole story. Despite its impressive player count, Mecha Break is currently sitting at “Mostly Negative” reviews on Steam. Players are criticizing everything from its aggressive monetization to its kernel-level anti-cheat requirements. It’s a classic case of potential hamstrung by execution. This is precisely why a FromSoftware-developed competitive mech game could dominate. While Mecha Break offers impressive mobility and a variety of game modes (including a 30-player extraction shooter mode called Mashmak), it lacks the pedigree and player-first approach that Hidetaka Miyazaki and co. bring to the table. Imagine an Armored Core spinoff that combines the deep customization the series is known for with expanded PvP modes—perhaps even a battle royale or extraction mode of its own. The difference would be FromSoftware’s signature attention to detail, balance, and player satisfaction. With Elden Ring Nightreign taking the cooperative route and Titanfall 3 nothing but ashes, the time is perfect for FromSoftware to position Armored Core as the premier competitive mech experience. The audience is clearly there—they’re just waiting for someone to do it right. What do you think? Should FromSoftware expand Armored Core‘s PvP elements, or would you prefer they focus elsewhere? Let us know in the comments below! Source link #Elden #Ring #Nightreign #Focused #Coop #Armored #Core #Deliver #PvP #Carnage #Fans #Deserve Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Betsy Arakawa, a Classical Musician and the Wife of Gene Hackman, Dies at 65 – The New York Times Betsy Arakawa, a Classical Musician and the Wife of Gene Hackman, Dies at 65 – The New York Times Betsy Arakawa, a Classical Musician and the Wife of Gene Hackman, Dies at 65 The New York TimesActor Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead in their home Wednesday under ‘suspicious’ circumstances. Here’s what we know CNNGene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa kept him on ‘strict diet’ before their mysterious deaths, pal says New York Post Sheriff: Gene Hackman, wife found dead in Santa Fe home; no foul play suspected Santa Fe New ******** Source link #Betsy #Arakawa #Classical #Musician #Wife #Gene #Hackman #Dies #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A Brief History of the End of the F*cking World review: We are suckers for end times A Brief History of the End of the F*cking World review: We are suckers for end times We may live in an age of doomscrolling, but we can keep wild, apocalyptic thinking at bay Stephen Taylor/Alamy A Brief History of the End of the F*cking World Tom Phillips (Wildfire) In 1950s Chicago, aliens from the planet Clarion made contact with Dorothy Martin. They warned her of a “holocaust of the coming events” that would begin on 21 December, 1954. Lake Michigan would subsume Chicago, and the rest of the world would follow into oblivion. Martin and her followers would be airlifted to safety on Clarion via flying saucers – but only if they first removed all… Source link #History #Fcking #World #review #suckers #times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

State Department trying to evade refugee admissions court order, aid groups say State Department trying to evade refugee admissions court order, aid groups say Seattle — Refugee aid groups said in a federal court filing Thursday that President Trump’s administration appears to be trying to circumvent a ruling this week that blocked his efforts to suspend the nation’s refugee admissions program. U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead, in Seattle, had determined Tuesday that while the president has broad authority over who comes into the country, he can’t nullify the law passed by Congress establishing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden, said Mr. Trump’s actions amounted to an “effective nullification of congressional will” and from the bench, he granted the aid groups’ request for a preliminary injunction blocking Mr. Trump’s executive order suspending the refugee resettlement program. Whitehead promised a written ruling in the next few days. But Wednesday aid groups, including Church World Service and the Jewish refugee resettlement organization HIAS, received notifications that their “cooperative agreements” with the State Department had been canceled. The groups on Thursday asked Whitehead for an emergency hearing to discuss the impact of the termination notices, or to make clear that his ruling also applies to those newly issued notices. The groups called the administration’s actions a “flagrant attempt” to evade the court’s ruling. “Defendants are continuing to implement their defunding of the USRAP, and an emergency hearing is necessary to ensure that Defendants are not permitted to evade this Court’s bench ruling and the forthcoming written order with antics designed to confuse the state of play,” the motion said. Whitehead set a hearing for Monday. The State Department acknowledged receipt of an email from The Associated Press about the plaintiffs’ motion, but did not otherwise respond to questions about it. The notices indicated the cooperative agreements with the resettlement agencies were being terminated “for the convenience of the U.S. Government pursuant to a directive from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for alignment with Agency priorities and national interest.” The refugee program, created by Congress in 1980, is a form of legal migration to the U.S. for people displaced by war, natural disaster or persecution – a process that often takes years and involves significant vetting. It’s different from asylum, through which people who have just arrived in the U.S. can seek permission to remain because they fear persecution in their home country. Despite longstanding support from both parties for accepting refugees, the program has become politicized in recent years. Mr. Trump also temporarily halted it during his first term, and then dramatically decreased the number of refugees who could enter the U.S. each year. There are 600,000 people being processed to come to the U.S. as refugees around the world, according to the administration. Mr. Trump’s order and the administration’s subsequent withholding of funds stranded refugees who had already been approved to come to the U.S., forced the refugee aid groups to lay off staff and cut off short-term assistance, such as rent, for those who had recently resettled here, the organizations said in the lawsuit challenging the actions. Thursday’s filing came the day after the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to block another court order requiring it to release billions in suspended foreign aid. The administration also outlined plans to cancel more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world. Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts, said the termination of the contracts would hurt Afghans who worked closely with the U.S. during its more than two-decade-long war in Afghanistan and are now at risk. They’ve been resettling in the U.S. via the refugee program as well as the special immigrant visa program. While the special immigrant visa program is still operational, the contract terminations strip away funding that went to helping those who qualified to come to America and start new lives here. “Now Afghans are on their own to get here,” he said. “Make no mistake about it — this is a betrayal on par with what we all felt in August of 2021,” he said, referring to the chaotic American withdrawal from Kabul under the Biden administration. More Source link #State #Department #evade #refugee #admissions #court #order #aid #groups Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Thou shalt not steal’ painting stolen from Lincolnshire church ‘Thou shalt not steal’ painting stolen from Lincolnshire church A church warden said it was “ironic” that thieves stole a painting of the Ten Commandments, including text reading “thou shalt not steal”, from a church. Three pictures were taken from St Andrew’s Church in Main Road, Little Steeping sometime before 23 February, Lincolnshire Police said. The paintings, in heavy wooden frames, also include the text of The Lord’s Prayer. Church warden Basil Harwood said: “It is a random crime. Obviously it doesn’t make you feel good that some items have been stolen.” Investigators said the value of the stolen artworks was unknown, but they “have sentimental value to the church and its members”. Mr Harwood said he believed the thieves had secured a door from inside the church during the day and entered through it later. There was no damage to the building. He added they would be more “vigilant and more aware” but would still keep their doors open to members of the public. The force is appealing for anyone with information about the incident to get in touch. Source link #Thou #shalt #steal #painting #stolen #Lincolnshire #church Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Incredible close-up images of insects scoop photo contest honours Incredible close-up images of insects scoop photo contest honours Damselflies can’t smile – but their wide-open mandibles make them appear to be grinning broadly or even sticking out their tongue, says Benjamin Salb, who photographed one of the insects, pictured above, at a pond in his local park in Gaithersburg, Maryland, last year. It is among Salb’s winning and commended entries in the Royal Entomological Society’s 2024 Photography Competition. Another commended image is shown below. Captured by Tyler Redford, it shows a violet leaf beetle (Chrysolina sturmi) clinging to grass stalks. Redford had been searching for spiders, but was struck by the beetle’s “insane” iridescent tones. Violet leaf beetle (Chrysolina sturmi) Tyler Redford Taking eye-catching pictures of insects requires lots of patience, luck and muscle memory, says Salb. He aims to photograph them during warmer months in the pre-dawn hours, when they are less active. Multiple shots are taken at different focal lengths and then combined to increase the depth of field in the final product, which is often a result of dozens of images. The picture of the damselfly – exact species unknown – is one of Salb’s favourites because it features the insect’s symmetrical pseudopupils: the dark ovals that appear on the compound eyes, which are made up of many lenses. “I love photographing damselflies because they’re capable and fierce predators with an almost cartoonish look when seen close-up,” says Salb. “I find them to be good subjects to share with kids – and adults – to get them more interested in the small world around us.” Topics: Source link #Incredible #closeup #images #insects #scoop #photo #contest #honours Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Department of Health issues warning after Ross River Virus detected at Swan River Department of Health issues warning after Ross River Virus detected at Swan River ‘There is no vaccine, cure or specific treatment for RRV, so people must take care to prevent being bitten by mosquitoes.’ Source link #Department #Health #issues #warning #Ross #River #Virus #detected #Swan #River Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Titanfall head responds to Helldivers 2 crossover pitch, and fans are already cooking Titanfall head responds to Helldivers 2 crossover pitch, and fans are already cooking In a simple and concise post on Twitter, head of Respawn Entertainment Vince Zampella responded to fan requests for a Titanfall x Helldivers 2 crossover two love heart emojis, praising the idea. Source link #Titanfall #responds #Helldivers #crossover #pitch #fans #cooking Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

New Scientist Book Club: Why I chose a mosquito as my hero New Scientist Book Club: Why I chose a mosquito as my hero An unusual-looking hero Alamy Stock Photo The idea that the hero of Dengue Boy would be a mosquito emerged in 2020, during the peak of the covid-19 pandemic, when a dengue outbreak exploded in my hometown, Buenos Aires. Dengue fever spreads through the Aedes aegypti mosquito. This insect thrives in tropical and subtropical climates and is common in many warm and humid regions of northern Argentina. However, in recent decades, due to global warming, it has spread to regions where the climate has traditionally been cold or temperate, such as Buenos Aires and even Patagonia. It so happened that one of my best friends became infected with dengue in 2020, but since all the media attention was focused on covid-19, public hospitals in the city had restricted tests and there was no way to get a proper diagnosis or treatment. Furthermore, there were no effective vaccines or medications for dengue at the time. During this precarious time for my friend and for the people with dengue in Argentina, the US company Moderna announced its vaccine against covid-19, just a few days after the genetic sequence of SARS-Cov-2 was published. This made me think about the terrible corporate bias in scientific research, as mosquito-borne diseases (dengue, zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, among others) have been killing hundreds of thousands of people for centuries. The mosquito, in fact, is considered the deadliest animal to humans, and according to historian Timothy Winegard, it has killed more humans than anything else in history. However, because these diseases affect people in lower-income countries, there was never adequate investment in vaccines or treatments. Meanwhile, biotechnology companies only needed months to develop, patent and sell products tackling covid-19, which ensured them substantial monetary profit. So, the idea came to me to tell the story of a Global South pandemic, through the lens of the mosquito itself. Partly inspired by artists I admire (Franz Kafka, David Cronenberg, Hideshi Hino) and leaning a little ironically into the most commercially popular genre in Latin America, autofiction, I became convinced that my story’s imaginary subtitle should be “the autofiction of a mosquito”. At the same time, one of the themes in my writing is the non-human, and I was interested in the challenge of making an insect the protagonist of a novel (a genre historically designed to narrate human times, psychologies and stories). How to mimic and achieve empathy with a creature so alien to the human experience as an insect, particularly one as annoying as the mosquito? I had to become a mosquito, adopt its perspective. I appropriated the famous Flaubertian motto “Madame Bovary, c’est moi” and turned it into my own: le moustique, c’est moi. Ursula K. Le Guin once said the fundamental property of science fiction is to function as a carrier bag, allowing the migration of ideas from fiction to other scientific and technical discourses. In this way, the genre becomes a mutant transition (as Dengue Boy is) between literature and non-literary knowledge. I have always greatly appreciated this idea, because nothing pleases me more in my task as a writer than researching topics I would never have even noticed before. For this book, I consulted dozens of papers and manuals on entomology and I became a “mosquitologist” overnight. It was crucial to know the details of the mosquito’s anatomy in order to describe it and understand how its body works and feels. Thus, although the protagonist is inspired by my friend, who is a man, I discovered that the mosquitoes that transmit disease are female, which forced me to transform my plot on the spot. The female perspective also led me to investigate how a non-mammalian, oviparous animal engages in maternal care – if it does at all – and I became captivated by ovology and the representation of eggs. The eggs designed by H.R. Giger for the movie Alien, those drawn and classified by naturalist Ernst Haeckel in his illustrated treatises, and Georges Bataille’s Story of the Eye also fuelled this ovophilic obsession. In this novel, I tried to tell a story about climate change from a perspective that recovered more-than-human lives, and I hope the reader empathises with my hero – just as I also became a mosquito while conceiving and imagining it. Dengue Boy by Michel Nieva, translated from Spanish by Rahul Bery and published by Serpent’s Tail, is the latest pick for the New Scientist Book Club. Sign up and read along with us here Topics: Source link #Scientist #Book #Club #chose #mosquito #hero Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Early Access for Age of Mythology: Retold on PlayStation 5 Starts Today Early Access for Age of Mythology: Retold on PlayStation 5 Starts Today VGChartz’s Mark Nielsen: “Games can challenge you in many ways, from your reflexes, to your precision, or your ability to remember random information, but Strategy games are all about just that: planning and strategic thinking. That comes in many forms, from turn-based to real-time, and 2D to 3D, and it’s probably the genre that blurs those lines the most. This year’s nominees reflect that: classic RTS’ are represented by Age of Mythology: Retold; the tactical RPG genre by Unicorn Overlord; turn-based, city-builder survival games by Frostpunk 2; and then age old card games are represented with a twist by surprise hit Balatro.” Source link #Early #Access #Age #Mythology #Retold #PlayStation #Starts #Today Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A Guide to the Documentary Oscar Nominees A Guide to the Documentary Oscar Nominees Since the best documentary feature category was first established at the Oscars in 1942, the nominees have been like a snapshot of the year: wars and social concerns, heroes and headlines. This year is no exception. On paper, each of the five nominees look as if they’re ripped from the headlines, chosen for some metric like “urgency” or “timeliness.” But these are no ordinary documentaries. In the past decade, the Academy has gotten much better about nominating nonfiction films that stretch and push at their boundaries, challenging audiences in how they convey their subject matter. Most opt to confront world events through intensely personal stories, and all of them carefully show why their individual stories have far-reaching implications. So, as the 2025 Oscars are upon us, here’s a quick guide to the nominated films and why you should watch them. With “****** Box Diaries” (streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime), the director Shitori Ito takes a courageously personal approach to her biting critique of the handling of ******* assault cases in Japan. In 2017, Ito held a news conference to announce allegations that a prominent Japanese journalist had ****** her. In the documentary, she chronicles the fallout of that accusation. The film is both intimate and enraging. As Manohla Dargis wrote in her review, it’s “a tense and tangled crime story, one in which Ito is at once the victim, lead investigator, dogged prosecutor and crusading reporter.” My colleagues and I have written about “No Other Land” (in select theaters) a lot during the past year. It’s probably the most acclaimed documentary of the year, centering on the lives of families who have witnessed their homes, in the occupied West Bank region of Masafer Yatta, be demolished over and over again. Despite its obviously timely story and a directorial team of two ************ and two Israeli filmmakers, it hasn’t been able to secure a distribution deal in the United States, which is why it isn’t available to stream here. If you can see it in a theater, don’t overlook how well it’s made, mixing home video archives, journalistic footage and conversations between the filmmakers to powerful effect. “Porcelain War” (in select theaters) has picked up a raft of awards from guilds and critics this season. It, too, looks through the lens of the personal to tell an urgent story — this one about the war in Ukraine. The film centers on Slava Leontyev, who directed the film with Brendan Bellomo, and who is a ceramist as well as a member of a Ukrainian special forces unit. Art and warfare blend in the film, which melds GoPro footage from the battlefield with looks at Leontyev’s work, finally landing on a hopeful note about the value of beauty in darkness. If you’ve seen “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” (streaming on Kino Film Collection and available on demand), you already know it’s not personal at all: It’s expansive, a sweeping, furious, propulsive dive into history, focusing on the reportedly C.I.A.-led assassination of the Congolese prime minister Patrice Lumumba in 1960. The story moves along at a pace that makes your heart race: It’s a thriller, a history lesson and a warning, all in one. “Sugarcane” (streaming on Hulu and Disney+) taps into history, too — both on a personal and a national level. Julian Brave NoiseCat, who directed the film with Emily Kassie, uses his own painful family history as a jumping-off point for a lyrical, devastating investigative journey into Canada’s history of abuse at Catholic residential schools for Indigenous children. “Sugarcane” will break your heart, and it’s also an exemplary documentary for our moment. Personal stories resonate across history and space, and in turn, national and global narratives have real individual consequences. Source link #Guide #Documentary #Oscar #Nominees Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Video shows cartel members including Rafael Caro Quintero extradited to US – CNN Video shows cartel members including Rafael Caro Quintero extradited to US – CNN Video shows cartel members including Rafael Caro Quintero extradited to US CNNAttorney General Pamela Bondi Announces 29 Wanted Defendants from Mexico Taken into U.S. Custody Department of JusticeMexico Releases Cartel Operatives, Including Rafael Caro Quintero, Into U.S. Custody The New York TimesDEA agent Kiki Camarena was murdered in Mexico in 1985. His alleged killer is now in the U.S. CBS News Source link #Video #shows #cartel #members #including #Rafael #Caro #Quintero #extradited #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pokémon Legends Z-A Release Window—Platforms, Price & Everything we Know Pokémon Legends Z-A Release Window—Platforms, Price & Everything we Know Lumiose City is the home of Pokémon Legends Z-A and the successor to Legends Arceus. The release window is out in the tall grass, and the Pokémon Legends entry could pose stern competition to its contemporaries. There was a year between Pokémon Legends Z-A’s announcement at the 2024 Pokémon Presents showcase and the first full gameplay trailer at the 2025 edition of Pokémon Presents. It may have taken a while, but the wait was worth it, and we’re beholden to The Pokémon Company for revealing the scope of Lumiose City. Pokémon Legends Z-A looks to have taken feedback regarding Legends Arceus, so let’s see how long we’ve got to wait until we get our hands on it. Do we Know When Pokémon Legends Z-A is Coming Out? We all dream of a **** Gyarados. Credit to The Pokémon Company Pokémon Legends Z-A is scheduled to release in Late 2025—but it doesn’t have a concrete launch date for now. The Pokémon Presents presentation on February 27 is where we learned about the title’s release window. The word “late” is vague, but it might not be hard to decipher if we consider previous Pokémon titles. Scarlet and Violet, Sword and Shield, Sun and Moon, and the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes all came out in November of their respective years. Yes, Pokémon Legends Arceus released in January 2022. But we’ve not had a new game for a while, so a November 2025 is a likely release window for Pokémon Legends Z-A. All Pokémon Legends Z-A Platforms Pokémon Legends Z-A is a Nintendo exclusive, meaning the only way you can play Legends Z-A is either through a Nintendo Switch—or the Switch 2 if the console is available at the time. Sadly, Pokémon games don’t release on formats other than Nintendo hardware or mobile. Despite PlayStation and Xbox’s escalating partnership, don’t expect to see Pokémon Legends Z-A on another console. Do we Know How Much Pokémon Legends Z-A Will Cost? Pokémon Legends Z-A is still only advertised as a wishlist item, but with this being Nintendo, expect Pokémon Legends Z-A to cost $59.99 or £49.99. Nintendo notoriously doesn’t discount games easily. It also launches all new AAA titles at full price. It’s almost a lock Legends Z-A will cost $59.99 or £49.99. You’d better save up your Nintendo Gold Points before they’re discontinued. It’s going to take some beating for Pokémon Legends Z-A to overtake Legends Arceus. What are your impressions of Pokémon Legends Z-A so far? Will the Switch’s technical performance hinder the title’s chances of being more Legendary than any Kanto birds could dream of? We have many other release date hubs you need to check out: Delta Force on console, Mecha Break, Tales of the Shire A Lords of the Rings Game, The First Berserker Khazan, Lost Soul Aside, Killing Floor 3, and Elden Ring Nightreign. SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Pokémon #Legends #Release #WindowPlatforms #Price Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

21 New Books to Read in March: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ezra Klein, Karen Russell and more 21 New Books to Read in March: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ezra Klein, Karen Russell and more By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie It’s been years since Adichie, the author of “Americanah,” released a work of fiction; now she returns with the stories of four women navigating life during the pandemic. Centered on Chiamaka, a ********* travel writer based in the United States, the story also swivels to her cousin, her best friend and her housekeeper, as each woman grapples with familial and romantic love. Knopf, March 4 By Chloe Dalton During the height of the Covid lockdowns, a workaholic British writer and political adviser rescues a newborn hare — and soon adapts her frenetic existence to the daily rhythms and environmental awareness introduced by her furry new housemate. “I’d been waiting for life to go back to normal,” Dalton writes, “but if I could derive this much pleasure from something so simple, what else might be waiting to be discovered?” Pantheon, March 4 By Agustina Bazterrica; translated by Sarah Moses The Argentine writer’s slim, suspenseful third novel is a dystopian eco-horror story set in a religious order called the House of the Sacred Sisterhood, which promises a sadistic kind of salvation from the global drought and hunger beyond its walls. When a wanderer arrives at the Sisterhood’s walls seeking refuge, the narrator and the convent’s leaders must contend with a compassion they’ve long been missing. Scribner, March 4 By Martha S. Jones In a deeply personal work of social history, Jones, an award-winning writer and scholar, looks back at more than 100 years of her own family’s experience to examine how America’s “jagged color line” has shaped their destinies and sense of identity. From enslavement to “passing” to anti-miscegenation laws, no one in the six generations Jones chronicles has been untouched by the question of color. Basic Books, March 4 By Karen Russell In April 1935, an otherwise sunny Sunday afternoon in America’s Dust Bowl turned ****** in a powerful storm that gave the region its name. The “Swamplandia!” author’s latest, historical novel imagines the event’s effects on five distinct characters — including a farmer and his niece, a photographer and a mystical “prairie witch” — in the fictional Uz, Neb. Knopf, March 11 By Torrey Peters In her new collection, which gathers three stories and a long novella, Peters introduces a series of explosive scenarios — a hormone-destroying pandemic, an unexpected boarding school romance, a gender-bending party of lumberjacks, a taboo fling at a trans women’s community weekend — that explore the complexities of queerness and trans life. Random House, March 11 By Laurie Woolever Woolever’s memoir of life in the food world’s fast lane is populated with boldfaced names; she worked closely with both Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain. But ultimately, this is her story — one of being a woman in a changing industry, as problematic as it is exciting. Ecco, March 11 By Alissa Wilkinson Joan Didion grew up in the California of Hollywood’s Golden Age and with her husband, John Gregory Dunne, worked in the film industry writing screenplays. In this fresh take on the iconic writer, Wilkinson, a New York Times film critic, argues that the movies — from Didion’s childhood obsession with John Wayne to her aesthetic of dread and estrangement and the cinematic shots that structured her work — profoundly shaped her outlook on the country and her signature style. Liveright, March 11 By Steve Oney It is a truth universally acknowledged: Public radio has always needed support from listeners like you. In this brash, swear-y backroom history, a decade and a half in the making, Oney shows how a loose network of radio stations called NPR struggled to stay on the airwaves and became a singular force in American life. Avid Reader Press, March 11 By Will Rees Part philosophical treatise, part memoir, part history, Rees’s genre-bending meditation on hypochondria references everyone from Freud to Kafka to Seinfeld in a provocative search to find out why, exactly, we believe we’re sick. Coach House, March 11 By Suzanne Collins Fans of apocalyptic fiction can rejoice: Collins is back with another installment of her best-selling “Hunger Games” series. This book focuses on the 50th running of the titular games — in which adolescent tributes must compete in a battle royale to the death — and its eventual champion, Haymitch Abernathy, whom readers of the original trilogy will know as Katniss Everdeen’s louche mentor. Scholastic, March 18 By Kristen Arnett What do a lesbian clown, an aquarium store, an older magician and an existential crisis have in common? They all feature in Arnett’s latest, a funny and heartfelt tale of one woman grappling with grief, love and how to move forward. Riverhead, March 18 By Clay Risen Conspiracy thinking run amok? Antifascist institutions turning against themselves? A cowed public terrified of its government? With more than a few winks at the present, Risen, a New York Times journalist, draws readers into the zealous panic that seized Capitol Hill in the 1940s and ’50s and explores the culture beyond McCarthyism that made it possible. Scribner, March 18 By Abdulrazak Gurnah The Nobel laureate’s 11th novel follows three young people in post-revolutionary Tanzania: Karim, a gifted student and future government official who was all but abandoned by his mother as a child; his schoolteacher wife, Fauzia, whose adult life is overshadowed by her bouts of childhood illness; and Badar, a servant who becomes entangled in the couple’s lives as they get older. Riverhead, March 18 By Stephen Graham Jones Jones’s latest horror novel opens with a discovery: A century-old diary is found in the walls of a parsonage. Inside is the story of Good Stab, a Blackfoot man who was turned into a vampire after a massacre of Indigenous people and, using his terrifying new powers, sought revenge for America’s sins. Saga Press, March 18 By Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson The New York Times columnist Ezra Klein and the Atlantic writer Derek Thompson want you to hold space to dream about utopia. No need to tighten the belt, they argue: We have everything we need to build the future that liberals want, clean energy and affordable housing included, today! Their book explains how. Avid Reader Press, March 18 By Annika Norlin; translated by Alice E. Olson In the Swedish musician’s disturbing, engrossing first novel, an incongruous group of individuals — a rootless Hungarian man, an animal-rights activist, a woman who murdered her husband, an ant specialist and her unwanted child — form a tiny, virtually silent commune cut off from society. Taking place over many years, with interludes into the characters’ back stories, “The Colony” asks: Is this an Edenic laboratory of human cooperation, or something more like a cult? Europa, March 25 By Colum McCann McCann’s latest novel takes readers onto a cable repair ship, whose crew maintains the vast network of undersea tubes that carry the world’s data and power the internet. Among those on board are an Irish journalist hoping to revive his career and the crew’s chief, who must contend with a series of cable breaks off the western coast of Africa. Random House, March 25 By Gregory Maguire Thanks to Maguire’s “Wicked” (and the musical it inspired), we know what college life was like for the green girl who became L. Frank Baum’s Wicked Witch of the West. This prequel — Maguire’s eighth foray into the land of Oz — immerses readers in Elphaba’s childhood as the elder daughter of a fanatical father and a self-involved mother, prone to jealousy but full of hope. William Morrow, March 25 By Brian Goldstone The phrase “working homeless” should be an oxymoron but, as this book shows, in America it describes a common reality. Goldstone, a journalist based in Atlanta, follows five local families through stints of couch-surfing, car-living and squalid extended-stay hotels, all while the adults struggle to hold down jobs — heartbreaking evidence that, as he writes, there isn’t a single city in the country where “a full-time worker earning the local minimum wage can afford a two-bedroom apartment.” Crown, March 25 By David Sheff Sheff first interviewed John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1980, months before the former Beatle was murdered. He and Ono stayed connected; now he’s produced a capacious biography, foregrounding her work as an avant-garde artist and musician and attempting, once and for all, to banish the stereotyping that has shadowed her for decades. Simon & Schuster, March 25 Source link #Books #Read #March #Chimamanda #Ngozi #Adichie #Ezra #Klein #Karen #Russell Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Lloyds, Halifax and TSB banking apps not working, thousands say Lloyds, Halifax and TSB banking apps not working, thousands say Thousands of banking app users in the *** have reported issues affecting their ability to use them. Platform outage monitor Downdetector saw reports of technical issues affecting the Lloyds Bank app rise to more than 4,000 on Friday morning. Users also reported that the Halifax, TSB, Bank of Scotland banking apps were not working. Halifax and Bank of Scotland are part of the Lloyds Banking Group. “We know some customers are having issues with internet banking and our apps,” a Lloyds Banking Group spokesperson told the BBC. “We’re sorry about this and we’re working to have it back to normal soon.” Some Lloyds customers have posted screenshots on social media showing an error notice when trying to access its app. This outage comes on what is pay day for many people in the ***. One user told the bank’s social media account on X that they could not access their business account to pay their staff. Another said in a post to tagging Lloyds Bank’s X account they had been told to transfer funds into their account, but could not due to the issues affecting its app. “Your new cards have no phone numbers on and I’m nowhere near a branch,” they wrote – adding “help!”. The technical problems on Friday follow a Barclays mobile banking outage which affected *** customers on pay day in January. Barclays customers told the BBC that their bank’s outage, lasting several days for some, left them unable to purchase essentials or make vital transactions. “I could cry. I changed to you when Barclays had a major breakdown on payday,” one X user said in a reply to a Lloyds post about its mobile and online banking issues. “Now this month you’ve gone down on payday,” they added. The Treasury Committee has written to the bosses of nine banks asking for information about the scale and impact of IT failures on customers. Source link #Lloyds #Halifax #TSB #banking #apps #working #thousands Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Action Hero Review – Celluloid Mayhem | XR Source Action Hero Review – Celluloid Mayhem | XR Source Looking for an action-packed VR experience? Action Hero is now available for Meta Quest; this 131XR review dives into this new release. Source link #Action #Hero #Review #Celluloid #Mayhem #Source Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NASA Confirms Asteroid 2024 YR4 Will Not Hit Earth, Risk Reduced to Zero NASA Confirms Asteroid 2024 YR4 Will Not Hit Earth, Risk Reduced to Zero The asteroid once considered the most significant impact risk in recorded history has been reclassified as non-threatening. Newly gathered data has confirmed that asteroid 2024 YR4 now has no chance of colliding with Earth. The risk, which had previously been estimated at 1 in 32, has been reduced to effectively zero following additional observations conducted on February 23, 2025. This updated assessment has led to its reclassification to Torino Scale Level Zero, indicating no hazard. Revised Impact Assessment According to reports, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), asteroid 2024 YR4 was initially placed at Level 3 on the Torino Scale due to early calculations that suggested a potential collision. This classification, which requires attention from astronomers, was based on an estimated 1% or greater probability of impact. Richard Binzel, Professor of Planetary Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and creator of the Torino Scale, told Space.com that updated tracking of the asteroid’s orbit reduced its impact probability to 0.00005, or 1 in 20,000, for its 2032 approach. “That’s impact probability zero, folks!” Binzel stated. Understanding the Shift in Risk Astronomers have attributed the initial uncertainty to the limitations of early observational data. David Rankin, an asteroid hunter with the Catalina Sky Survey, explained to Space.com that minor tracking inaccuracies can lead to exaggerated impact probabilities in initial assessments. He compared it to shifting a long stick by a fraction of an inch, which results in significant changes at the far end. With additional tracking, these uncertainties were gradually refined, ultimately ruling out any threat. The asteroid, measuring approximately 50 meters in diameter, will pass within 167,000 miles of Earth in 2032, well outside any risk range. Researchers have emphasized that these findings demonstrate the effectiveness of continued monitoring in eliminating impact concerns. Source link #NASA #Confirms #Asteroid #YR4 #Hit #Earth #Risk #Reduced Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why ‘Emilia Pérez,’ a Film About Mexico, Flopped in Mexico Why ‘Emilia Pérez,’ a Film About Mexico, Flopped in Mexico “Emilia Pérez,” the movie about a transgender ******** cartel leader whoreconciles with her past, enters the Academy Awards on Sunday with 13 nominations, the most of any film this year. It is also the most nods ever for any non-English language film. The film has already won several accolades, including best comedy or musical at the Golden Globe Awards. In Mexico, the reception has been exactly the opposite. It has been widely criticized for its depiction of the country, the minimization of the cartel violence that has ravaged so many and the few Mexicans involved in its production. Comments about Spanish by its French writer-director, Jacques Audiard, which some saw as denigrating the language, and by its lead, Karla Sofía Gascón, about Islam and George Floyd, stoked the discontent in Mexico and made matters worse. “Emilia Pérez” wasn’t released in ******** theaters until Jan. 23 — five months after its debut in France and two months after its U.S. release. In Mexico, theaters showing the film have been largely empty. Some unhappy moviegoers have even demanded refunds. An online ******** short film parodying the French roots of “Emilia Pérez,” on the other hand, was a hit. “Emilia Pérez” has been the fodder of many social media memes. And it has been denounced by the families of victims of violence in Mexico. “It has become a real disaster,” said Francisco Peredo Castro, a film expert and a history and communications professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. A main critique of “Emilia Pérez” is that it trivializes Mexico’s ongoing struggle with organized crime. There have been more than 460,000 homicides since 2006, when the president then declared war on the cartels. The movie is a musical, with glitzy song-and-dance numbers, including lyrics about bodies disposed of in acid. “We should keep things in perspective and say, ‘We’re not going to sing or dance about this subject,’” said Artemisa Belmonte, 41, who became an activist after her mother, three uncles and a cousin disappeared in 2011 in Chihuahua state, a region hit hard by the drug war. More than 100,000 people have vanished in Mexico since 2006, according to government data. Ms. Belmonte wondered if Hollywood or the European cinema industry would dare to make musicals about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. During a news conference before the film’s release in Mexico, Mr. Audiard said he apologized if he handled a delicate subject “too lightly.” In a different interview, he said that “cinema doesn’t provide answers; it only asks questions, but maybe the questions in ‘Emilia Pérez’ are incorrect.” (He has also said that he didn’t study Mexico much before making the film.) Netflix, which bought the U.S. distribution rights for “Emilia Pérez” at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, declined to comment. It recently announced a $1 billion investment to produce series and films in Mexico over the next four years. David Chelminsky, the director of Zima Entertainment, which distributed the film in Mexico, said in an interview that he had never had a film in his career generate such hatred in the country. “All criticism is valid, but there was a very virulent, very aggressive criticism that didn’t leave room for other opinions,” he said. “So people who liked the film or who wanted to see it preferred to stay a little bit on the sidelines because there were constant attacks against anyone who came out to say, ‘I liked it.’” He suggested there were tinges of xenophobia and transphobia in some critiques. Not all Mexicans have condemned the movie. Guillermo del Toro, a three-time Oscar winner, said that Mr. Audiard was “one of the most amazing filmmakers alive” and that his view of Mexico was “hypnotic and beautiful.” Elisa Miller, another acclaimed ******** filmmaker, said it was “nice” to serve as an adviser on ******** matters for Mr. Audiard. After a recent showing at a Mexico City theater, Alberto Muñoz, 37, a visual designer, said he understood the concerns about the movie but also appreciated its technical qualities. “It’s an entertaining movie,” he said. But Ms. Belmonte, whose relatives disappeared in Chihuahua, said that after streaming the film while in California for Christmas, she was so troubled by it that she created an online petition in January calling for a halt on awards and its release in Mexico. “The movie has been successful with people who have not experienced disappearances,” Ms. Belmonte said. While she understood Mr. Audiard’s defense that the film is fiction, Ms. Belmonte was also disturbed at the way the Emilia Pérez character shifted from being a notorious cartel leader to a champion of the disappeared. Critics have also taken issue with the lack of ******** talent in front and behind the camera. “Emilia Pérez” was largely shot on French soundstages because, Mr. Audiard said, he preferred the controlled environment. Adriana Paz is the only ******** performer who plays a leading character. Mexicans felt slighted when the film’s casting director said that while crew members searched for actors in Mexico and other Latin American countries, they decided to go with the best options, even if they were not ********. Mr. Audiard has said that they wanted *******-name stars in order to be able to finance the film. Mexicans have also pointed to the accents of the lead actresses: Zoe Saldaña, an American of Dominican descent who has won awards for her performance and is up for an Oscar for best supporting actress; Ms. Gascón, who is from Spain and has lived and acted in Mexico; and Selena Gomez, an American of ******** descent who worked to regain her Spanish fluency for the film. (Ms. Gascón is the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for an Oscar.) After Eugenio Derbez, a well-known ******** actor and filmmaker, called Ms. Gomez’s pronunciation “indefensible,” she apologized, saying “I did the best I could with the time I was given.” In Mexico City, some audience members laughed during a recent screening when the Ms. Saldaña and Ms. Gascón’s characters used ******** colloquialisms. “The dialogues are completely inorganic — what the characters are saying doesn’t make sense,” said Héctor Guillén, 26, a ******** screenwriter and producer. (Ms. Gascón has said she is “more ******** than cactus.”) Given the controversy surrounding the movie, he said, “in a few years this movie will be one of the biggest embarrassments of European film.” But Mr. Peredo Castro, the professor, questioned why the backlash against “Emilia Pérez” was so strong, arguing that there were 120 years’ worth of depictions of Mexicans in “insensitive” and “insulting” ways. He pointed not only to “greaser” films of the early 1900s that featured Mexicans as villains, but recent music genres, telenovelas and shows (scripted and reality) that glorified narco-trafficking. And he said the ******* American and European film industries have frequently looked at Mexico through the lens of misery. Mr. Peredo Castro said “Emilia Pérez” had been released at a time of upheaval under President Trump, who has repeatedly targeted the United States’ biggest trading partner over fentanyl and migration. The criticisms, he said, have “greatly exacerbated the sensitivity” of Mexico at being the center of attention for violence, drugs and corruption. In response to “Emilia Pérez,” Camila Aurora, a ******** trans content creator, made the short film parody, “Johanne Sacreblu.” Filmed in the streets of Mexico City with ******** performers using stilted French accents and stereotypical attire, it has gained 3.2 million views on YouTube in a month and was released in some theaters. “Emilia Pérez,” on the other hand, has drawn tepid audience numbers. Since its debut in Mexico and through last weekend, it has made $832,000 with about 210,000 tickets sold, according to figures from the ******** National Chamber of the Film Industry. In comparison, “Captain America: Brave New World,” which came out three weeks later, sold 2.9 million tickets through last weekend. On Sunday, Ms. Belmonte, who created the online petition against the film, said she had no plans to watch the Oscars, even though she considers it her Super Bowl, a must-see annual event. This time, she said, “I’ve lost the desire.” Source link #Emilia #Pérez #Film #Mexico #Flopped #Mexico Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dolphins crown Queensland forward as new 2025 captain Dolphins crown Queensland forward as new 2025 captain In a comeback for the ages, the Dolphins have made tough forward Tom Gilbert their new captain after his inspirational return from injury. The 24-year-old Queensland powerhouse was announced as the new skipper at the club’s season launch on Friday, following foundation captain Jesse Bromwich’s retirement at the end of last season. Gilbert missed all of last NRL season with a ruptured ACL. The previous year he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the opening State of Origin clash in Adelaide and did not play again that season after surgery. His last game in the NRL for the Dolphins was on May 20, 2023. Now he is back on the park, after getting through a trial against Gold Coast on Saturday, and has been given the ultimate recognition by new head coach Kristian Woolf. “Tom has proven to be a leader on and off the field and his influence in the locker room is ever-present, even with all the challenges he has faced in his career,” Woolf said. “The playing group respond to him and respect him. “The things we admire about Tom – the way he leads by example, his work ethic, and his love for the club – are the qualities I want our team to aspire to.” Such has been the impact of Gilbert’s leadership and general conduct that the team elected to wear his initials TG on their jerseys last year as he fought his way back in rehab. The former North Queensland forward will be joined by veteran pack members Felise Kaufusi, Kenny Bromwich and Mark Nicholls in a four-man leadership group. Kaufusi is the vice-captain. When Gilbert was asked about the possibility of being captain in November as the pre-season began, his answer revealed a strong character. “I think all those leadership things need to come naturally and as organically as it can, and part of that is being yourself,” he said. “For me being in any type of role like that, I need to be Tom Gilbert and the best footy player I can be. A big step in that direction is getting myself right, putting my best foot forward and training really hard, and that’s my plan at the moment.” The plan has worked a treat. Gilbert spoke following the Titans trial, his first game in a year after also suffering his knee injury in a pre-season trial. His sentiment was one of thanks and relief. “It was a big achievement to be here. It doesn’t feel real,” Gilbert said. “I just feel really grateful. I have always said football is a privilege and I haven’t had that privilege in a while. I just tried to enjoy it as much as I could. “I feel great. I’ve had a great team at the Dolphins in terms of support staff to help me be prepared for this game … and many more games to come.” Source link #Dolphins #crown #Queensland #captain Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]