Peggy ******* reflects on a “troubled, frayed” America
Peggy ******* reflects on a “troubled, frayed” America
These days, you’ll find Peggy ******* in many places: in front of commencement crowds, at political round tables, and for the past quarter-century, in the opinion section of the Wall Street Journal. But when she was just starting out in Washington, D.C., you could find ******* at the Off the Record Bar, near her job at the White House. “I would sit over there by myself, I would order a ***** or a glass of wine, and I’d just quietly sit and read,” she said.
In 1984, ******* joined President Ronald Reagan’s staff, after working at CBS in New York. At first, she felt like an outsider in the buttoned-up West Wing, but soon became an acclaimed speechwriter. Early on, she wrote Reagan’s moving speech for D-Day’s 40th anniversary.
Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy *******.
CBS News
Then, when the Challenger shuttle tragically exploded, ******* was given a tough assignment: write Reagan’s address to a distraught nation. “I had a feeling of, that didn’t work, nothing worked, because nothing was worthy of that moment; nothing was worthy of that day,” she said. “But then Frank Sinatra called – he called that night to the White House to say, ‘Mr. President, you just said what needed to be said.’ And Frank didn’t call after every speech!”
By the late eighties, ******* had cemented a reputation as a wordsmith, and Reagan turned to her for his farewell address:
“We made the city stronger, we made the city freer. All in all, not bad, not bad at all.”
George H.W. Bush turned to *******, too, as he rallied Republicans on his way to the White House. “You know, part of life is luck,” she said. “It was not lucky to follow dazzling Ronald Reagan and be plainer, seeming sturdy George H.W. Bush. But I believe history was not – certainly in his time – sufficiently fair to him.”
That opinion is one of many found in the pages of her new book, “A Certain Idea of America,” a collection of her recent work (to be published Tuesday by Portfolio).
Portfolio
Asked what her idea of America is today, ******* replied, “Big, raucous, troubled, frayed.”
*******’s columns often delve into questions of character and leadership. “What I do not perceive now is many politicians who are actually saying, Guys, this is not good for the country. We’ve been given this beautiful thing called America. Shine it up! Keep it going!”
Costa said, “You have a lot of fun in this book, doing what you call taking the stick to certain people from time to time.”
“I don’t mind the stick at all,” said *******. “When I see something that I think is just awful, I love to get **** at it. I got **** at John Fetterman.”
“You don’t like that he’s wearing shorts?”
“It’s okay with me that he wears shorts,” she replied, “but he is not allowed to change the rules of the U.S. Senate to accommodate him in his little shorts and hoodie because he enjoys dressing like a child.”
*******, now 74, grew up in the Democratic strongholds of New York and New Jersey. “And I was very happy with that, because Democrats were cooler than Republicans,” she said. “Democrats were little Bobby Kennedy, and Republicans were, like, ***** Thornburgh!”
But in Reagan, she saw something fresh. “You looked at him, you saw his confidence, and it made you feel optimistic,” she said.
The Gipper, of course, no longer dominates the *********** Party, and President-elect Trump’s victory could transform the GOP even more in the coming years. “In terms of policy, the *********** Party has changed by becoming, not a standard, usual ************* party, but a populist party,” ******* said. “Its issues have changed very much. But also, the edge of anger and resentment and, I’m afraid, a little paranoia that is in the *********** Party now would be something that Reagan did not recognize.”
Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy *******, with CBS News chief election & campaign correspondent Robert Costa, at the Off the Record Bar in Washington, D.C.
CBS News
At the Off the Record Bar, the faces on the wall – caricatures of politicians of the past – and at the tables still catch her eye. For *******, it’s all part of the story – America’s, and her own.
Costa said, “In a way, you’re still the writer in the corner watching everybody at the bar in Washington.”
“Yeah, I like to watch them, she said. “They’re human, and you bring a little warmth to it, a little humor, and always bring your stick and ****** them when you need to! It’s kind of nice.”
READ AN EXCERPT: “A Certain Idea of America” by Peggy *******
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Story produced by David Rothman. Editor: Joseph Frandino.
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Robert Costa
Robert Costa is the Chief Election & Campaign correspondent for CBS News, where he covers national politics and ********* democracy.
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New Nvidia AI chips face issue with overheating servers, The Information reports
New Nvidia AI chips face issue with overheating servers, The Information reports
(Reuters) -Nvidia’s new Blackwell AI chips, which have already faced delays, have encountered problems with accompanying servers that overheat, causing some customers to worry they will not have enough time to get new data centers up and running, the Information reported on Sunday.
The Blackwell graphics processing units overheat when connected together in the customized server racks the company has designed, the report said, citing sources familiar with the issue.
The AI chipmaker has asked its suppliers to change the design of the racks several times to resolve overheating problems, according to Nvidia employees who have been working on the issue, as well as customers and suppliers with knowledge of it, the report said without naming the suppliers.
Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.
Nvidia unveiled Blackwell chips in March and had earlier said they would ship in the second quarter before encountering delays, potentially affecting customers such as Meta Platforms, Alphabet’s Google and Microsoft.
Nvidia’s Blackwell chip takes two squares of silicon the size of the company’s previous offering and binds them into a single component that is 30 times speedier at tasks like providing responses from chatbots.
(Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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Giannis should stay with Bucks. But his case is first test in how NBA’s new rules impact stars
Giannis should stay with Bucks. But his case is first test in how NBA’s new rules impact stars
Giannis Antetokounmpo should stay in Milwaukee.
Making that clear up front. This is not a longtime Warriors writer once again pondering a future with the Greek Freak as the new pillar of Golden State, one of the NBA’s it brands. I’ll leave that to Warriors owner Joe Lacob.
And maybe Stephen Curry.
And maybe Giannis.
OK, seriously. Antetokounmpo belongs in Milwaukee, to Milwaukee. The sappy side of sports, the romantic 30,000-foot view demands him staying with the Bucks, where he became a legend. The Chick-Fil-A where he ordered a 50-piece chicken nuggets should become a state landmark.
Mushy moments, however, are about past accolades. The Bucks, featuring the all-time great in his prime, rightfully want more than the 2021 Larry O’Brien Trophy they earned. But what’s emanating from their current on-court play suggests a pending impasse.
The big swing Milwaukee took just last season to get a superstar, trading Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard, is being revealed as a miss — at least in the sense of its championship aspirations. Like a giant puzzle that hasn’t finished forming, we can see enough to imagine the end picture.
Of course, being wrong is possible. The Bucks could turn this around. While they sit at the bottom, they’ve played the best in the Eastern Conference close enough to warrant optimism.
But, frankly, my deer, this feels like a problem Khris Middleton’s return can’t fix.
The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers look like juggernauts comparatively, and the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks are threats in the East despite their mediocre starts. And Bucks fans would be wise not to look West right now. It’s scary out that way.
The Bucks are 2-8 through their first 10 games, disappointing enough to trigger the discourse about what they should do. And while nothing from Giannis suggests he wants out — and his new three-year, $175 million extension kicks in next year — he’s the mega figure the rest of the league is watching. The player who can shift the dynamic of the league. Naturally, people will be interested in whether a fourth consecutive season not making it past the second round prompts big changes in Milwaukee.
All of this points to a possible moment of truth for the Bucks, and Antetokounmpo, for which we wait to see how the league’s new climate and culture impact their decision. The NBA’s pursuit of parity altered the landscape of team-building. So it’s only reasonable for it to also alter the mindset of how married front offices are to their superstars.
How he and the Bucks respond could be informative. Turning 30 next month, he’s the oldest of the young superstars. He’s also the one who seems among the furthest from a championship.
Giannis should stay in Milwaukee.
The same questions figure to eventually arrive about Luka Dončić or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jayson Tatum. Or Duke’s Cooper Flagg. Or Utah Prep’s A.J. Dybantsa.
The collective bargaining agreement doesn’t have protections for drafting well, which means teams that do are counting down to when they have to pay. Welcome to Sam Presti’s life. It seems executives, players and fans should be emotionally prepared for stars to be sacrificed in the name of the CBA.
Obviously, it all depends on the situation. The stars’ accomplishments. The ownership’s financial capacity. The roster’s flexibility.
The obvious answer is for the Bucks to retool around Antetokounmpo. With the increased longevity of superstars, and the way he takes care of himself, he should have at least five to six years of eliteness in him. Maybe more.
But it’s also easier than ever, figuratively, to move on and still turn out just fine. Parity’s impact makes it more feasible, figuratively, for teams to retool quickly. With no impossible juggernaut sitting atop the league — the closest one is Boston, which is facing a similar pending money crunch — the climb to the top is shorter. The punishment for having three maximum salaries increases the possibility of star-caliber players being available or coming to market.
Hard-line stances are easier for teams to take these days. Jimmy Butler does not have a max extension in Miami despite being the face of the franchise. Paul George is in Philadelphia, and his former team doesn’t look worse long-term as a result.
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The salary ********** surely makes ownership take a longer, ******* look. Is that No. 2 star really worth $40 million? Is the No. 1 really worth $60 million?
Those figures won’t look quite as massive when the new television deal raises the salary cap. But the sticker shock will still be present for the check-signers.
At some point, having such an albatross figure eating up so much of the salary cap makes maneuvering tough. The Jazz considered moving on from Lauri Markkanen before locking him for $48 million a year over the next four. The Suns will have three players making over $50 million next season, putting some real championship pressure on Phoenix right now as the penalties for crossing the second apron loom.
This climate wouldn’t figure to make loyalty as appealing. Lillard is a cautionary tale of being loyal to a fault. He spent years of his prime on a Portland Trail Blazers squad that didn’t have a real chance at a title. Could he have a title if he was in Miami in 2023 when it faced the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals? We’ll never know because he was still ride-or-**** for Portland.
Market size is less relevant in the modern media climate. The salary suppression of the new CBA makes staying home less profitable. The league has intentionally increased the number of teams on the cusp of being serious. It’s a concoction sure to fertilize other grasses.
How long before Joel Embiid wants a fresh start? How long will Ja Morant settle for being second fiddle with the grit and grind if the Grizzlies don’t build a winner around him?
Taking away the sentimentality, and keeping it strictly basketball maneuvering — is it better for the Bucks to send their pillar to Oklahoma City, which by far and away could offer the biggest bounty of any team? No one could blame Antetokounmpo for wanting that.
Because what’s also true about the age of parity is the ease of falling behind. Hopes for a ‘ship can sail away as quickly as they dock when the league can rearrange so fluidly. The right role player can lift a team into the mix, let alone an All-Star. How many teams could change their odds by adding Butler?
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Conversely, a team that looked on the come-up can suddenly seem far away. It was but two years ago Sacramento and Memphis looked to be the future.
It is early, but it looks as if Milwaukee is drifting behind. It’s always risky to make conclusions when Halloween candy yet ******** (albeit the candy corn no one actually likes). Especially for a team missing a player as good as Middleton. But seasons have vibes. Tones are set. Patterns start developing. Antetokounmpo has already called out the team’s effort.
One of the tells of chemistry and cohesion is fourth-quarter production. And late in games, Milwaukee has looked like it’s staying together until the kids graduate high school.
Entering Monday, the Bucks were 25th in fourth-quarter scoring (26.2) and second-to-last in fourth-quarter offensive rating (105.6). Milwaukee has the fourth-worst offensive efficiency in the clutch, averaging just 89.3 points per 100 per possessions of clutch time. Only the Chicago Bulls, Knicks and Thunder were worse — and Oklahoma City was so low because it’s usually chilling in fourth quarters.
If the conclusion is Dame and Giannis aren’t the takeover-the-league duo we thought they’d be, I was certain they’d be, what is the Bucks’ next move?
Giannis should stay in Milwaukee.
Because the inverse is also true. If it’s easier to rebuild in a league that frowns on hoarding superstars, it figures to be even easier with an anchor in place. The hardest piece to get is the biggest one.
What’s more, we’ve seen this place where the NBA could be headed. All markets being in play now, with the superstars spread more evenly across the league, the player movement could turn up. A Game of Thronesian shifting of power.
While that for sure adds an element of excitement, the league constantly reforming its contender class, jerseys expiring faster than whole milk, sentimentality takes on its own value. Having a franchise pillar becomes more meaningful.
And since this is a business, still fueled by the magnetism of superstars, something will always be special about the players who ride it out with one home.
Sure, they might miss out on all-time great conversations, their trophy collections limited by their team’s resources and front-office acumen. But they are among the most adored, most respected.
Giannis should stay in Milwaukee.
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photo of Giannis Antetokounmpo: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
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Electric vehicle targets ‘will not be weakened’ despite pressure
Electric vehicle targets ‘will not be weakened’ despite pressure
Rules on the percentage of electric vehicles (EVs) car firms must sell will not be weakened, the transport secretary has said, despite growing pressure from the industry.
The mandate will become tougher next year ahead of a complete ban on new diesel and petrol cars in 2035, but car makers have suggested the rules could threaten jobs.
Several senior government ministers and car makers with factories in the *** will hold crunch talks this week about the EV mandate and the slump in car demand.
Louise Haigh said she will look at “flexibilities”, but insisted that “the mandate will not be weakened”.
“There has been a downturn in demand on a global level so we are absolutely in listening mode – we want to discuss how the current situation is affecting them, but we are not diluting our ambition,” the transport secretary told LBC Radio on Sunday.
“I’m meeting with Nissan tomorrow and the business secretary, the energy minister and I are meeting with a number of automotive manufacturers later in the week in order to discuss the challenges that they face on a global scale.”
According to the mandate, EVs must make up 22% of a firm’s car sales and 10% of their van sales this year. For every car ***** that pushes it outside of that mandate, they must pay a £15,000 fine.
The rules get tougher every year ahead of a complete ban of new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035, though Labour said in its manifesto it would bring this forward to 2030 – reinstating the old target – as part of its wider commitments to climate change policy.
The trade association, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), has said the industry “will likely miss” this year’s targets – calculating that around 18% of *** car sales are currently EVs.
SMMT and car makers say they support the government’s long-term aims, but they are looking for some concessions in this week’s talks.
One suggestion is that the penalties car makers have to pay for missing the targets should be reduced, the BBC understands.
Meanwhile, the SMMT is calling for government grants for buyers of EVs and tax changes.
It says changes are needed to deal with the plummet in demand, with its data showing that new car registrations in the *** remain a fifth lower than pre-Covid.
A Nissan spokesperson told the BBC it is “committed to playing a full role in the transition to net zero in the ***”, but said “changes are required now to reflect the reality of the market, as we continue to work together to encourage more drivers to make the switch”.
A spokesperson for Stellantis – which owns Citroën, Peugeot, Vauxhall and several other car brands – said it is aligned with the objectives of the mandate.
But it added: “To remain efficient in the ***, we are strategically reviewing our operations working with our union partners as previously announced.”
In April, Stellantis chief executive Carlos Tavares told The Telegraph newspaper the rules were “terrible” and that it could force the car maker to reduce its presence in the ***.
The Unite union has urged the company to commit to its future at its Luton and Ellesmere Port factories to address the “***** and rumour” it has created through announcing the strategic review.
Unite added it is “already having constructive discussions with government and industry to reform the EV mandate to protect jobs”.
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Stellar Blade Wins Seven Awards at Korea Game Awards
Stellar Blade Wins Seven Awards at Korea Game Awards
Korea Game Awards 2024 ended just a few days ago, on November 13. During the event, various games were competing for prizes in this prestigious event, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Game Industry Association.
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Glastonbury tickets sell out in 35 minutes
Glastonbury tickets sell out in 35 minutes
Tickets for Glastonbury 2025 have sold out in less than 40 minutes, the festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, said.
The passes went on ***** at 9am local time on Sunday, and event organisers said at 9.35am all the 373.50 pounds ($A730) tickets were gone.
On X, the event said: “Tickets for Glastonbury 2025 have now sold out.
“Thanks to everyone who bought one and sorry to those who missed out, on a morning when demand was much higher than supply. There will be a resale of any cancelled or returned tickets in spring 2025.”
Seller See Tickets wrote: “Tickets for @Glastonbury Festival 2025 are now SOLD OUT. Confirmation emails are going out now.
“Thank you to everyone who bought tickets this morning and sorry to those who missed out.”
Last year, the main tickets were gone in less than an hour, after being put on ***** at 9am.
The first group of 2025 tickets for coach travel went in less than 30 minutes, earlier this week.
Festival organiser Emily Eavis has previously said 2026 will be a fallow year for Glastonbury, to allow the land to rest and recover.
However, she is already in talks with acts to headline in 2025 after this year saw two women top the Pyramid Stage bill, Dua Lipa on Friday and SZA on Sunday, as well as having Shania Twain in the Legends slot.
The 2024 festival also saw Coldplay make history as the first act to headline the festival five times.
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Age of Wonders 4: Ways of War Review – Gideon's Gaming
Age of Wonders 4: Ways of War Review – Gideon's Gaming
Joseph Writes – Ways of War brings a touch of Eastern mythology to Age of Wonders 4 with ******** Dragons, ***** Lions, and a new Oathsworn culture
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3 things to consider when buying a coffee maker on ****** Friday
3 things to consider when buying a coffee maker on ****** Friday
****** Friday is a great time to pick up a new coffee maker, but with so many on offer, making a choice can become overwhelming. Here at TechRada , we’re hand-picking all of this year’s best ****** Friday coffee maker deals, ****** Friday espresso machine deals, and ****** Friday Nespresso deals; but it’s helpful to go in with an idea of exactly what you want before you start browsing.
With that in minde, we’re assuming that you’re looking for an electric coffee machine. If you just want to make a single serving drip coffee as easily as possible, then a basic moka **** for espresso, or a plastic V60 coffee dripper for pour-over coffee will do the job just fine.
1. What type of coffee do you like?
There are two main types of coffee machine to consider: drip (or pour-over) and espresso. The best drip coffee makers are quite simple – they heat water and pour it over your ground coffee, after which the brewed coffee drips into a jug or carafe. Depending on which machine you choose, the jug may sit on a hotplate that keeps the drink warm until you’re ready to consume it – although bear in mind that its flavor profile will change if it’s kept on the warmer for a long time.
Some drip coffee makers, such as the Smeg Drip Filter Coffee Machine, have a timer so you can fill the coffee grounds and water before going to bed, and wake up to a **** of freshly brewed coffee. Others, such as the Moccamaster KBGV Select and Cuisinart Grind & Brew have built-in grinders, and are well worth considering if you’re short on space, or don’t have a standalone grinder, but want to get the best possible flavor from your beans (the flavor compounds begin to break down within an hour of grinding).
The Smeg Drip Filter coffee machine has a timer so you can enjoy freshly brewed coffee first thing in the morning (Image credit: Future)
If you prefer espresso drinks (including plain espresso, americanos, lattes, flat *******, and cappuccinos) then you’ll want one of the best espresso machines. Unlike drip coffee makers, these force heated water through ground beans at high pressure, producing a concentrated shot of coffee.
There are several types of machine available, and which one you pick will depend on how hands-on you want to get.
2. Do you want to get hands-on?
So you like espresso – great! Now, how much work do you want to do? There are three main types of espresso machine: automatic, semi-automatic, and manual, each of which requires a different degree of input from you.
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If you want to keep things as easy as possible, the best bean-to-cup coffee machines handle the whole process from start to finish. Most of these are fully automatic, which means they weigh and grind the coffee beans, tamp the grounds, heat the water, and force it through the beans at a particular pressure, for a specific ******* of time. Some (such as the Smeg BCC13) feature physical buttons that let you choose different espresso drink presets, while others (such as the KitchenAid KF8) have touchscreens and let you configure factors such as the strength and volume of your drink.
Fully automatic espresso machines usually have a menu of drink options to choose from, and you may be able to customize your drink, too (Image credit: Future)
Some fully automatic espresso machines have an auto milk frother, which forces steam through milk to create foam that’s poured into your cup with your coffee for lattes and cappuccinos. Most machines dispense the milk first then pour the espresso through it, but some (such as the KitchenAid KF8) give you the option of pouring the milk second, so that the resulting drink doesn’t end up with a brown spot in the middle.
Fully manual espresso machines (such as the Gaggia Classic) give you the barista experience. You’ll need to grind the beans yourself (selecting the right grind size for the flavor profile you prefer), tamp them down to ensure water flows through them evenly, start the boiler, pull the shot, and decide when to stop the water. A manual machine may include a grinder, or you might need a separate one. Some people enjoy the process, finding it meditative, whereas others don’t want the hassle.
Fully manual espresso machines such as the Gaggia Classic put you in control (Image credit: TechRadar)
Manual espresso machines often have a steam wand, which you use to heat and aerate milk in a pitcher. Technique is important here, but once you’ve got the knack, you’ll be able to produce silky foam with the texture of emulsion paint, which you can use to create latte art (provided you have the time and patience to practice).
Semi-automatic espresso machines, as the name suggests, sit somewhere in the middle. They may weigh and grind the beans for you, but require you to tamp the puck and insert the portafilter into the group set. They may have an auto milk frother, a manual steam wand, or nothing at all.
Finally, there are capsule-based coffee makers such as the best Nespresso machines. These use pods of ready-ground coffee, which the machine pierces and forces water through at high pressure. You don’t have to worry about grinding or weighing beans, making the whole process less messy; but you can’t customize your drink to great lengths and there’s a waste pod to dispose of every time.
3. What’s your budget?
Coffee makers vary hugely in price, so it’s good to know what you’ll be able to get for your money.
If you want to make espresso, automatic bean-to-cup coffee machines are the most expensive, often costing between $1,000 / £800 / AU$1,500 and $2,000 / £1,600 / AU$3,000. Semi-automatic coffee makers are often slightly cheaper, but manual machines are the most affordable way to make espresso. The De’Longhi Dedica Style EC685 is an excellent manual machine that has a list price of $349.95 / £199.99 / AU$399, and can often be found even cheaper.
Drip coffee makers usually cost significantly less, even if you opt for a premium model. The 60s-style Smeg Drip Filter Coffee Machine has a list price of $199.95 / £179 (about AU$300), and the KitchenAid Classic 5KCM1208 is $109.99 / £119 (about AU$170).
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How remote work can help you travel this holiday season
How remote work can help you travel this holiday season
Baona | E+ | Getty Images
Americans are determined to travel this holiday season — and certain workarounds are helping them take those trips.
The ability to work remotely is a major leg up when planning out itineraries.
About 49% of employed travelers are “laptop luggers” — those who plan to work at some point on their holiday vacation — up from 34% last year, according to the Deloitte holiday travel survey.
This flexibility allows workers to take trips they might not otherwise, or stretch their trips for longer, according to the survey.
While there are more laptop luggers across most age groups and income levels, Gen Zers, which Deloitte defines as those born between 1997 and 2012, and high earners make up the highest shares, at 58% and 52%, respectively, according to the survey.
Deloitte polled 4,074 ********* adults in September. Of that group, 2,005 were identified as holiday travelers.
The change in laptop luggers is “a pretty high jump. It’s almost across all income levels and age groups,” said Eileen Crowley, vice chair and U.S. transportation, hospitality and services attest leader at Deloitte.
More from Personal Finance: The best ways to save money this holiday season About 28% of credit card users are still paying off last year’s holiday tab ‘Slow shopping’ can save you money this holiday season
Since the pandemic, remote work has become a priority for job seekers, said Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter.
In the third quarter, 51% of surveyed job seekers said the ability to work from wherever they want is a top reason for remote jobs, up from 40.8% in the first quarter of 2022, according to ZipRecruiter data.
“The value to U.S. workers of being able to work from anywhere has clearly grown over the course of the great remote work experiment,” she said.
In addition to working during their trip, travelers are coming up with other workarounds such as driving instead of flying or cutting back on other expenses, experts said.
“People are willing to cut corners to save money, but they don’t want to skip the trip entirely,” said Ted Rossman, an industry analyst at Bankrate.
Who’s spending on holiday travel this year
High earners are driving holiday travel and spending trends this year, according to experts.
When it comes to holiday travel, 52% of shoppers with incomes of $100,000 or more said they can “easily afford” that expense, according to Morning Consult, a survey research firm. That is the highest share compared with mid- to low-income groups.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
“Higher-income consumers are not nearly as price sensitive,” Stacy Francis, president and CEO of Francis Financial, a wealth management, financial planning and divorce financial planning firm in New York City, recently told CNBC.
“They’re not nearly as budget conscious as people in lower-wage-earning brackets,” said Francis, a member of CNBC’s Financial Advisor Council.
Among generational groups, millennials, or those born between 1980 and 1996, have the highest budgets and longest travel planned. According to the report, millennials plan to take about 2.6 trips over the course of the holiday season and spend on average $3,927, per the Deloitte survey.
What’s making holiday travel possible this year
More than 4 in 5 holiday travelers, 83%, are finding ways to save money this holiday season, such as driving instead of flying, according to Bankrate.
“Most of these people are still traveling, they’re just doing so differently to cut some costs,” Rossman said.
Separately, about 50% of respondents are cutting back on other expenses and 49% are picking up discounts and deals, according to the 2024 Holiday Travel Outlook by Hopper, a travel site.
Among other strategies, 22% plan to travel on off-peak days and 21% are using credit card points or miles to cover some of the cost, the Hopper report found.
If you do plan to pull out your laptop and work during a holiday vacation, make sure to review your company’s rules around remote work, said Pollak. Some companies require employees to work from their home, from within the company’s home state or within the U.S. unless otherwise authorized.
“You risk getting your access shut off, being punished or even having your employment terminated if you try to work from elsewhere,” Pollak said.
Touch base with your manager or director about the idea as well, she said: “Some managers just care that you’re getting the job done and aren’t concerned how.”
Finally, you want to make sure the location you plan to work from has a strong electric grid or service and Wi-Fi is reliable.
“If you’re on the ***** for work, make sure you are somewhere where you can get it done,” Pollak said.
Spending on experiences such as travel and concerts spiked after pandemic-era lockdowns and restrictions because of pent-up demand from Americans, experts say.
Yet even after several years, travel “seems to be something that’s sticking,” said Deloitte’s Crowley: “People are placing value and making room in their budgets for travel.”
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Best Area 99 Landing Spots in Warzone Season 1
Best Area 99 Landing Spots in Warzone Season 1
Archie Atom has brought us a new Warzone Resurgence map called Area 99, and here are the best landing spots for this Nuketown playground.
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Trump transition team compiling list of current and former U.S. military officers for possible courts-martial
Trump transition team compiling list of current and former U.S. military officers for possible courts-martial
The Trump transition team is compiling a list of senior current and former U.S. military officers who were directly involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan and exploring whether they could be court-martialed for their involvement, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the plan.
Officials working on the transition are considering creating a commission to investigate the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, including gathering information about who was directly involved in the decision-making for the military, how it was carried out, and whether the military leaders could be eligible for charges as serious as treason, the U.S. official and person with knowledge of the plan said.
“They’re taking it very seriously,” the person with knowledge of the plan said.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Matt Flynn, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, is helping lead the effort, the sources said. It is being framed as a review of how the U.S. first got into the war in Afghanistan and how the U.S. ultimately withdrew.
A military transport plane launches while Afghans who cannot get into the airport to evacuate are stranded in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2021.
“Matt Flynn has nothing to do with the Trump transition team, much less leading any review concerning military justice matters,” said Mark S. Zaid, Flynn’s attorney. In a statement Zaid said that “no one has sought out Mr. Flynn’s views on this hypothetical legal scenario.”
NBC News did reach out to multiple officials on the Trump transition team about this story.
“The sources apparently pushing this story appear to be your typical selfish Washington, D.C. insiders seeking to gain better positioning for their own administration jobs,” said an individual with knowledge of the campaign.
President-elect Donald Trump has condemned the withdrawal as a “humiliation” and “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.”
It is not clear, though, what would legally justify “treason” charges since the military officers were following the orders of President Joe Biden to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
A 2022 independent review by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction blamed both the Trump and Biden administrations for the chaotic U.S. withdrawal in 2021.
Trump first reached an agreement with the Taliban in 2020 to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan, roughly 13,000 troops, and release 5,000 Taliban fighters from prison. The Biden administration then completed the withdrawal and badly overestimated the ability of Afghan government forces to ****** the Taliban on their own.
Trump’s choice for secretary of defense, Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, has criticized the withdrawal, saying the U.S. lost the war and wasted billions of dollars.
In his book “The War on Warriors,” Hegseth wrote, “The next president of the ******* States needs to radically overhaul Pentagon senior leadership to make us ready to defend our nation and defeat our enemies. Lots of people need to be fired. The debacle in Afghanistan, of course, is the most glaring example.”
Afghan applicants crowd into a cafe seeking help applying for the Special Immigrant Visas program in 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Hegseth calls the withdrawal a “humiliating retreat” and says leaders at the Pentagon were not held accountable for the deadly ******* at Abbey Gate, which ******* 13 U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians. Nor were they held accountable for a subsequent U.S. airstrike in Kabul that officials thought would ***** the Islamic State group leader behind the ******** ******* but instead ******* 10 innocent Afghans, including seven children, he wrote.
“These generals lied. They mismanaged. They violated their oath. They *******. They disgraced our troops, and our nation. They got people *******, unnecessarily,” he wrote. “And, to this moment, they keep their jobs. Worse, they continue to actively erode our military and its values — by capitulating to civilians with ******** agendas. They are an embarrassment, with stars still on their shoulders.”
The transition team is looking at the possibility of recalling several commanders to active duty for possible charges, the U.S. official said.
It’s not clear the Trump administration would pursue treason charges, and instead could focus on lesser charges that highlight the officer’s involvement. “They want to set an example,” said the person with knowledge of the plan.
Taliban fighters storm into the Kabul International Airport, wielding ********* supplied weapons, equipment and uniforms after the ******* States Military have completed their withdrawal, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 31, 2021.
Speaking to NBC News days before the election, Howard Lutnick, one of the two advisers leading the transition, said Trump learned after his first administration that he had hired Democratic generals, and he would not make that mistake again.
Former officials who worked in Trump’s first administration have said they advised Trump against policies they thought would weaken U.S. national security, such as withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria. And they advised against actions that they thought might violate the Constitution or inflame tensions domestically, such as deploying active-duty U.S. troops to quell protests after the 2020 police ******** of George Floyd.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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Neva (XS) Review | VGChartz
Neva (XS) Review | VGChartz
VGChartz’s Lee Mehr: “It’s basically a prerequisite for at least one Artistic Indie Game to thoroughly impress me each year. Anyone familiar with this phylum knows this song and dance already: bank an incredible amount of resources into an impressive visual design and emotional soundtrack. And, sure, it’s quite easy to see that Nomada’s sophomore effort would stick closely to that script, but it’s also tough for those expectations to work as a direct criticism when Neva works so ***** well. Its succinctness within its pacing, world-building, storytelling, and more all congeal to make something that Neva-r ceased to impress me.”
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Console repairer discovers groovy PS5 Pro heatsink structure — machined grooves thought to help prevent solder paste from leaking from the socket
Console repairer discovers groovy PS5 Pro heatsink structure — machined grooves thought to help prevent solder paste from leaking from the socket
Sony’s new PlayStation 5 Pro has quietly introduced a very interesting heatsink design change. Popular console repair YouTube channel TronicsFix discovered that the PS5 Pro heatsink isn’t glossy-smooth – it features a rectangular spiral surface detail.
The PS5 Pro Upgrade No One Is Talking About – YouTube
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TronicsFix postulates that the deliberately machined surface pattern was implemented to reduce the occurrence of dry spots and surface oxidation caused by liquid metal thermal interface material (TIM) migrating across the heatsink. He also reckons it slightly increases the contact surface area.
If you’ve ever tried to evenly spread liquid metal, you will probably be aware that the material likes to form pools. It is also much more susceptible to flowing where you don’t want it, compared to traditional pastes. Systems designed for liquid metal heatsinks will therefore use a seal or dam around the heatsink to make sure this electrically conductive substance can’t get out and contaminate or cause damage to other system components.
TronicsFix also thinks that the movement of liquid metal over time is exacerbated in PlayStation systems that are kept and used in their vertical orientation. We know Steve at Tronicsfix has repaired and tuned a considerable number of PS5s (and other consoles), so his observations probably aren’t far from the ground truth of the situation.
It is interesting to see Sony has implemented the rectangular spiral ‘grooves’ on the heatsink that interfaces with the AMD APU as in some ways it goes against conventional cooling wisdom. Extreme overclockers and tuning enthusiasts sometimes spend a lot of time ‘lapping’ the processor surface and making sure the heatsink is just as polished and flat – but liquid metal has shifted the goalposts. Sony must surely have A/B tested this new heatsink vs a mirror-smooth one and found it a worthwhile thermal design change to implement.
With the PS5 Pro’s boost in processing power – the much beefier GPU in particular – we assume these heatsink ‘grooves’ are one of the changes made to keep the specter of thermal throttling at bay.
The PS5 Pro was officially unveiled in early September but only started to become available to consumers earlier this month. Enthusiast and expert teardowns are still uncovering the secrets of the new design, but we learned most of the technical details from lead architect Mark Cerny during a launch live stream.
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1 Stock to Buy, 1 Stock to Sell This Week: Nvidia, Target
1 Stock to Buy, 1 Stock to Sell This Week: Nvidia, Target
• Fed speakers and Nvidia earnings will be in focus this week.
• Nvidia is a buy with another huge beat-and-raise quarter on deck.
• Target is a sell amid declining sales, downbeat outlook expected.
• Looking for more actionable trade ideas? Subscribe here for up 55% off as part of our Early Bird ****** Friday *****!
U.S. stocks finished lower on Friday, with the and Nasdaq notching their biggest one-day losses in two weeks, as a post-election rally ran out of steam and investors worried over the path of interest rates.
For the week, the S&P 500 fell 2.1%, while the tech-heavy declined 3.1%. The blue-chip lost 1.2% during the *******.
Source: Investing.com
The week ahead is expected to be an eventful one as investors continue to assess the outlook for the economy, inflation, interest rates and corporate earnings.
On the economic calendar, flash PMI readings on manufacturing and the services sector will grab attention on Friday, along with updates on the housing market.
That will be accompanied by a heavy slate of Fed speakers, with the likes of district governors Jeffrey Schmid, Lisa Cook, Michelle Bowman, and Beth Hammack all set to make public appearances.
Source: Investing.com
Expectations for a 25-basis point rate cut at the Fed’s December meeting stood at 63% on Sunday morning, according to the .
Elsewhere, in corporate earnings, Nvidia (NASDAQ:)’s results will be the key update of the week as the Q3 reporting season quiets down. Other notable names lined up to report earnings include Walmart (NYSE:), Target (NYSE:), TJX Companies (NYSE:), Ross Stores (NASDAQ:), Lowe’s (NYSE:), Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:), and Snowflake (NYSE:).
Regardless of which direction the market goes, below I highlight one stock likely to be in demand and another which could see fresh downside. Remember though, my timeframe is just for the week ahead, Monday, November 18 – Friday, November 22.
Stock to Buy: Nvidia
Nvidia is poised for significant gains this week, as the tech giant prepares to deliver another beat-and-raise quarterly earnings report amid surging demand for its AI chips.
The Santa Clara-based company is set to release its Q3 earnings after the market closes on Wednesday at 4:20PM ET, with expectations running high for another record-breaking performance. A call with CEO Jensen Huang is set for 5:00PM ET.
Market participants expect a sizable swing in NVDA shares following the print, as per the options market, with a possible implied move of 9.8% in either direction.
Source: InvestingPro
Investor sentiment is overwhelmingly bullish, as evidenced by 30 upward earnings revisions in the past 90 days, according to InvestingPro. Nvidia has consistently outperformed expectations, becoming a bellwether for the tech sector as growth prospects in artificial intelligence remain strong.
Consensus expectations call for Nvidia to post earnings per share of $0.74, rising 85% from EPS of $0.40 in the year-ago *******. Meanwhile, revenue is forecast to surge 82% annually to $33.1 billion, underscoring the company’s unmatched dominance in the AI chip market.
Of particular interest will be guidance for the current quarter, marking the debut of Nvidia’s next-generation Blackwell AI processor. CEO Jensen Huang has described demand for Blackwell as “insane,” setting the stage for better-than-expected forecasts.
NVDA stock ended Friday’s session at $141.98, just below its record high of $149.65 reached on November 12. Shares have soared 186.7% in 2024, making Nvidia one of the top-performing S&P 500 stocks of the year. At current levels, Nvidia has a market cap of $3.48 trillion, making it the most valuable company trading on the U.S. stock exchange.
Source: Investing.com
It is worth mentioning that InvestingPro’s AI-powered quantitative models rate Nvidia with a solid ‘Financial Health Score’ of 3.7 out of 5.0, highlighting its solid profitability and promising growth trajectory.
Be sure to check out InvestingPro to stay in sync with the market trend and what it means for your trading. Subscribe now and get up to 55% off and position your portfolio one step ahead of everyone else!
Stock to Sell: Target
In stark contrast, Target is facing a much more challenging outlook. The big-box retailer is grappling with high operating costs, shrinking margins, and stiff competition from rivals like Walmart.
Volatile traffic trends, seasonal weather challenges, and election impact uncertainties compound the retail giant’s struggles.
Target – which is the seventh largest brick-and-mortar retailer in the U.S. – is scheduled to release its third-quarter earnings report ahead of the opening bell on Wednesday at 6:30AM ET.
According to the options market, traders are pricing in a swing of around 9% in either direction for TGT stock following the print.
Source: InvestingPro
Wall Street projects earnings of $2.30 per share, marking a 9.5% increase from $2.10 a year earlier. Revenue is anticipated to grow marginally by 2% to $25.9 billion, highlighting weak consumer demand for discretionary goods like home furnishings and apparel.
Looking ahead, CEO Brian Cornell is likely to deliver cautious guidance for the all-important holiday quarter due to a difficult operating environment, competitive landscape, and ongoing discounting activity. External headwinds, such as weather disruptions and broader economic uncertainty, have further complicated the outlook.
With disappointing Q3 results and a cautious holiday outlook on the horizon, the stock’s downside risks outweigh potential rewards. Investors should avoid Target amid this challenging retail landscape.
TGT stock closed at $152.13 on Friday. Shares have underperformed the S&P 500 by a wide margin this year, gaining 6.8%. At current valuations, the Minneapolis-based retailer has a market cap of $70 billion.
Source: Investing.com
It should be noted that Target currently has a below average InvestingPro ‘Financial Health Score’ of 2.6 out of 5.0 due to lingering concerns over weakening profit margins and spotty sales growth.
Whether you’re a novice investor or a seasoned trader, leveraging InvestingPro can unlock a world of investment opportunities while minimizing risks amid the challenging market backdrop.
Subscribe now to get up to 55% off all Pro plans and instantly unlock access to several market-beating features, including:
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Disclosure: At the time of writing, I am long on the S&P 500, and the via the SPDR® S&P 500 ETF, and the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF. I am also long on the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSE:).
I regularly rebalance my portfolio of individual stocks and ETFs based on ongoing risk assessment of both the macroeconomic environment and companies’ financials.
The views discussed in this article are solely the opinion of the author and should not be taken as investment advice.
Follow Jesse Cohen on X/Twitter @JesseCohenInv for more stock market analysis and insight.
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‘Wear your seat belt’ begs woman after Lincolnshire car ******
‘Wear your seat belt’ begs woman after Lincolnshire car ******
A woman who defied the odds by walking again after a car accident is urging others to wear their seat belt.
Ellen Hogan, who was sat in the back, removed her seat belt to reach something on the floor moments before the car hit a tree just outside Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire in June 2022.
Ms Hogan, then 19, suffered a punctured lung, spinal fracture and a bleed on the brain, leaving her unable to walk or talk.
Now she wants others to learn from her experience after admitting her recovery was something “no one expected, not even my family”.
She said: “I couldn’t look after myself. I couldn’t go upstairs properly. It was really, really bad.
“For the first year I was so down, so depressed and low. I just thought I’m not going to be able to do anything.”
She worked hard on her recovery, begging physiotherapists at Hull Royal Infirmary to see her twice a day.
When she left hospital she moved in with her grandmother because she couldn’t take care of herself.
Ms Hogan, who lives in Lincoln, added: “I’ve come a long, long way. They all thought I’d be in hospital for six months and would have to live in a care home.”
She approached Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership (LRSP) to offer her experience as a way of educating others about seat belts.
To coincide with road safety charity Brake’s Road Safety Week, which launched today, Ms Hogan has also made a video telling her story to be shown in schools throughout the county.
Nick Matthews, from LRSP, said: “We are very proud of what she has achieved with this video.
“It’s not easy to talk on camera, especially about such a traumatic thing, but Ellen speaks with such honesty and her story is compelling.
“It’s a potentially life-saving message and using Ellen’s voice to reach people, both online and in schools, will really help convey the difference a seat belt makes.”
On average, 651 people are ******* or seriously injured nationally each year due to not wearing a seat belt, according to Lincolnshire Police.
If you are caught travelling in a vehicle without wearing one you could be given a fixed penalty notice of £100 on the spot.
Ms Hogan’s advice is: “If you are going to take your belt off, pull over.
“If I was driving, I wouldn’t be here right now and I have been told that by the emergency services.
“I was naive and silly. Big mistake. So please, wear your seat belt.”
Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
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Patapon spiritual sequel Ratatan gets new trailer confirming platforms
Patapon spiritual sequel Ratatan gets new trailer confirming platforms
Patapon spiritual successor Ratatan has received a new trailer confirming which platforms the game will be released on.
The trailer, which can be viewed below, announces that the forthcoming rhythm game will be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC.
The game was crowdfunded earlier this year, hit its ¥20 million ($137,000 / £108,000) funding goal within an hour of its launch and went on to raise over 10 times that initial goal.
“We are actually quite far along in the production cycle and feel very confident in getting everything into the game by April 2025!” developer Ratata Arts said in an FAQ earlier this year.
A PC beta is planned and will “most likely” take place in the latter half of next year, with console tests also under consideration but yet to be confirmed.
Originally released for PlayStation Portable in 2007, Patapon is a rhythm-based 2D platform / action game in which players command an army of cute anthropomorphic eyeballs known as “Patapons” that can be instructed to move forward, *******, defend and retreat by using a sequence of drum beats.
The game received two sequels on PSP, and the first two games were remastered with 4K visuals for PS4.
“The three main game concepts are over 100 cute characters fighting it out on screen, four-player simultaneous battles, and more adventure and roguelike elements than Patapon had,” producer Kazuto Sakajiri explained in a recent interview with VGC.
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McIlroy clinches World Tour and Race to Dubai double
McIlroy clinches World Tour and Race to Dubai double
Rory McIlroy has finished the 2024 season in style by adding his third World Tour Championship win after winning the sixth Race to Dubai title of his career.
The Northern Irishman was in the midst of a two-way tussle with Rasmus Hojgaard for the season-ending event when his Race to Dubai crown was confirmed, with both players locked on 13 under with five holes remaining.
McIlroy valiantly saved par at the 15th ***** before hitting his approach inside a foot at the next to card his first birdie in 11 holes and nudge ahead of his rival.
Hojgaard holed a clutch par putt at the 17th to remain one behind but when he ******* to find the cup with a birdie effort at the last, McIlroy had two attempts for victory.
He only needed one putt to seal the two-shot success at Jumeirah Golf Estates and complete the end-of-season double.
Australia’s Adam Scott finished with a share of third place, alongside Shane Lowry and Antoine Rozner after ******* a four-under-par 68. The trio were four shots adrift of McIlroy
McIlroy was pleased to “get over the line” after winning the World Tour Championship, telling Sky Sports: “It means a lot. I’ve been through a lot this year professionally and personally.
“It feels like a fitting end to 2024. I’ve persevered this year a lot, had close calls, wasn’t able to get it done. So to be able to get over the line…I hung on and got the job done.”
McIlroy only needed a top-11 finish on Sunday to reach the summit of the season rankings, with South ******** Thriston Lawrence, who finished in midfield, the only player able to deny him with a win in Dubai.
Lawrence’s challenge, however, never materialised and when he came home in one under par for the event, McIlroy secured his third successive Race to Dubai crown with five holes left in his final round.
The world No.3 joins Spanish great Seve Ballesteros in second place in the all-time list with six order of merit triumphs, with only Colin Montgomerie ahead of the pair with eight victories.
After securing his sixth Race to Dubai title, McIlroy said he was proud to be mentioned alongside Ballesteros, adding: “It’s really cool. I think everyone knows what Seve means to ********* golf, to Ryder Cup players.
“He means so much to ********* golf and for me to be mentioned in the same breath I am very proud.”
McIlroy said he was relishing the challenge of attempting to emulate Montgomerie’s Race to Dubai titles haul.
He said: “I’m up for it. I’ve just won my third in a row.
“I’ve made it my priority to give myself the best chance coming in to the end of the year to win the Race to Dubai and I don’t see that being any different for the foreseeable future.
“I will go for my seventh next year and try to chase Monty down.”
Another ***********, Min Woo Lee, carded a 70 to finish down the order with a three-under 285.
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As the Taurid Meteor Shower Passes by Earth, Pseudoscience Rains Down – and Obscures a Potential Real Threat from Space
As the Taurid Meteor Shower Passes by Earth, Pseudoscience Rains Down – and Obscures a Potential Real Threat from Space
Mark Boslough/The Conversation
With the Taurid meteor shower now hitting the night skies worldwide, look for what could be a celestial treat – you might see ********* stars, and maybe even fireballs, the biggest and brightest meteors.
As the full moon begins to wane after Nov. 15, the sky will be darker, due to diminishing moonlight, so finding the meteors will get easier. That said, the best visibility for the meteors through the rest of the month will come just before moonrise each night.
Beyond the light show, there is something else that scientists as well as onlookers have long wondered about: the possibility that ******* chunks are in the Taurid meteor streams, chunks the size of boulders, buildings or even mountains.
Bright Taurid fireball recorded by NASA All Sky Fireball Network station in Tullahoma, Tennessee, 2014. (NASA/CC BY-NC 2.0).
And if that’s true, could one of those monster-sized Taurid objects collide with Earth? Could they wipe out a city, or worse? Is it possible that’s already happened, sometime in our planet’s past?
This animation simulates the motion of the hypothetical Taurid meteor swarm through space.
As a physicist who researches the risk that comets and asteroids pose to the Earth, I’m aware that this is a subject where pseudoscience often competes with actual science. So, let’s try to find the line between fact and fiction.
Pig Pen, Glowing Tails and ********* Stars
Comet Encke is the so-called parent comet of the Taurid meteors. It’s relatively small, just over 3 miles (almost 5 kilometers) in diameter, and crosses inside Earth’s orbit and back out every 3.3 years.
The comet Encke photographed by Spitzer Space Telescope while moving between orbits of Jupiter and Mars, 2004. (NASA/JPL—Caltech/University of Minnesota/Public Domain).
As Encke moves, it sheds dust wherever it goes, like the Peanuts character Pig Pen. A meteor shower occurs when that debris lights up while entering Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds. Ultimately, they vanish into an incandescent puff of vapor with a glowing tail, creating the illusion of a “********* star.”
But dust isn’t all that breaks off the comet. So do ******* chunks, the size of pebbles and stones. When they collide with the air, they create much brighter fireballs, which sometimes explode.
Doomsday Showers
The “coherent catastrophism” hypothesis suggests that comet Encke was created when an even larger comet broke up into pieces; Encke survived as the largest piece. The hypothesis also suggests that other mountain-sized chunks broke off and coalesced into a large swarm of fragments too. If such a swarm exists, there is a possibility that those large chunks could one day hit Earth as it passes through the swarm.
But just because something might be physically possible doesn’t mean that it exists. Mainstream astronomers have rejected this theory’s most catastrophic predictions. Among other reasons, scientists have never observed high concentrations of these mountain-sized objects.
Despite the lack of evidence, researchers on the fringes of science have embraced the idea. They claim the Earth experienced a global catastrophic swarm 12,900 years ago; the impact, they say, caused continent-wide firestorms, floods and abrupt climate change that led to the mass extinction of large mammals, such as woolly mammoths, and the disappearance of early Americans known as the Clovis people.
Crater located near Winslow, Arizona, created by impact of Canyon Diablo meteorite. (Kevin Walsh/CC BY 2.0).
The evidence for a catastrophic cause of these events, most of which did not happen, is lacking. Nevertheless, the idea has gained a large following and formed the basis for the popular TV series “Ancient Apocalypse,” hosted by British author Graham Hancock.
The Tunguska Event
But even outlandish ideas can have elements of truth, and there are hints that some objects – more than just dust and debris, but less than doomsday size – indeed exist in the Taurid meteor stream, and that the Earth has already encountered them.
One clue comes from an event on June 30, 1908, when an enormous ********** in the sky blew down millions of trees in Siberia. This was the Tunguska event– an airburst from an object that may have been up to 160 feet (about 50 meters) in diameter.
The collision unleashed several megatons of energy, which is roughly the equivalent of a large thermonuclear *****. What happens is this: The incoming object penetrates deep into Earth’s atmosphere, and the dense air slows it down and heats it up until it vaporizes and explodes.
Could this object have been a Taurid? After all, the Taurids cross Earth’s orbit twice a year – not just in autumn, but also in June.
Here’s the evidence: First, the descriptions of the trajectory of the Tunguska airburst, as reported by eyewitness observers, is consistent with that of an object coming from the Taurid stream.
What’s more, the pattern of blast damage on the ground beneath an airburst depends on the trajectory of the exploding object. Supercomputer simulations show that the shape of the surface blast that would be caused by an exploding Taurid object matches the pattern of fallen trees at Tunguska.
Aftermath of 1908 Tunguska impact event in Siberia. (Leonid Kulik/Public Domain).
Finally, during the Taurid meteor shower in 1975, people observed large fireballs – and seismometers, previously placed on the Moon by Apollo astronauts, detected seismic events on the lunar surface. Scientists interpreted those events as impacts, presumably made by the Taurid meteors.
In 2032 and 2036, the Taurid swarm – assuming it exists – is predicted to be closer to the Earth than any time since 1975. That might mean the Moon, and perhaps the Earth, could be pelted again in those years.
There is time to figure this out. Scientists can expand their astronomical surveys to look for Tunguska-sized objects at the locations where they are predicted to be the next time they are in our vicinity.
Most scientists remain skeptical that such a swarm exists, but it’s the job of planetary defenders to investigate possible threats, even if the risk is small. After all, a Tunguska-sized object could conceivably demolish a major city and ***** millions; an accurate count of objects on a potential collision course is essential.
Put doomsday scenarios and ancient apocalypses aside. The real question, and still an open one, is whether a Taurid swarm could deliver more Tunguska-sized objects than would otherwise be expected. This would mean we have underestimated the risk from future airbursts.
Top image: Taurid meteor shower, Joshua Tree, California, 2015. Source: Channone Arif/CC BY 2.0.
The article ‘As the Taurid Meteor Shower Passes by Earth, Pseudoscience Rains Down – and Obscures a Potential Real Threat from Space’ by Mark Boslough was originally published on The Conversation and has been republished under a Creative Commons license.
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Where to Exchange Mini Medals in Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
Where to Exchange Mini Medals in Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
NoobFeed editor Joy Rahman writes – DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake successfully revitalizes a classic with stunning and enjoyable gameplay updates. While the frequent random battles and grind can be off-putting, the remake offers a fresh yet nostalgic experience.
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“Citizen” Bill Clinton – CBS News
“Citizen” Bill Clinton – CBS News
“Citizen” Bill Clinton – CBS News
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Former President Bill Clinton proudly wears the title of “citizen,” which is also the title of his new book, “Citizen: My Life After the White House.” He sits down with correspondent Tracy Smith to talk about making a difference outside of elected office. He also discusses the prospects of a second Trump administration; why he believes Democrats missed the mark in the 2024 presidential election; and whether or not America is ready for a female president.
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GOP legislators disappointed by approval of ********* rights measure
GOP legislators disappointed by approval of ********* rights measure
Nov. 17—*********** legislators from Northwest Montana are expressing dismay over the approval of a ballot initiative that codifies the right to an ********* in the state constitution but submit there’s little recourse available to alter the outcome aside from a federal ban.
The measure, CI-128, garnered the support of 58% of voters statewide in the Nov. 5 election with 344,410 ballots in favor and 251,846 against it. The ballot initiative enshrines a state Supreme Court ruling that determined the right to privacy protects the right to an *********.
Elizabeth Hubble, the director of the women’s, gender and sexuality studies program at the University of Montana, said the broad support for the initiative in a ***********-majority state “shows that people who hold very ************* beliefs still understand the importance of health care.”
The protection, according to Hubble, will make it difficult for anti-********* legislation to pass on a state level.
Rep. Amy Regier, R-Kalispell, who has been an anti-********* advocate throughout her political career, described the outcome as disappointing.
“There was a lot of false messaging as far as those wanting a yes vote,” she said. “The idea that people want government out of health care decisions, well the government regulates all sort of health care decisions.”
The initiative, per the ballot language, “would amend the Montana Constitution to expressly provide a right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to *********.”
It prohibits government from denying an ********* before fetal viability or an ********* done “to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health.” It also prevents the government from penalizing patients, health care providers or others who assist someone in “exercising their right to make and carry out voluntary decisions about their pregnancy.”
Sen. John Fuller, R-Kalispell, feels the measure’s language about providers gives immunity to “so-called health care professionals.”
More than 250 physicians statewide endorsed the initiative ahead of the election.
Like Fuller, Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, said the initiative was too broad, poorly defined and lacked restrictions.
“I think that the language in it wasn’t very good, and it will go much further than anyone anticipated,” said Glimm, predicting that the state judiciary could use the protections under CI-128 and expand them beyond standard reproductive health care.
Heading into the 2025 legislative session, Regier wants to bring forward an educational component in response to CI-128, whether that be pre-procedure acknowledgements or education about fetal development.
Generally, health professionals say fetal viability starts between 20 and 25 weeks. Most abortions nationwide occur in the first trimester before 13 weeks.
Rep. Courtenay Sprunger, R-Kalispell, plans to file a “fatherhood at conception” bill. The act would adjust child support responsibilities to begin at conception if there is no question of paternity, but the specifics are still being ironed out.
“The general premise is just the idea that I want to see both men and women held equally accountable for the life that they’ve created,” Sprunger said.
With legislation specifically targeting access to ********* now unconstitutional, Fuller suggested there may be other avenues to push forward the anti-********* agenda.
“When it comes to legislation regarding a constitutional amendment, there isn’t much a legislator can do,” said Fuller. “That needs to be litigated at the federal level, but of course that’s not my role.”
He holds hope that CI-128 is deemed as unconstitutional under the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment because it “denies due process to the child that is unborn.”
CI-128 ORGANIZERS collected over 117,000 signatures qualifying the initiative for the ballot, far exceeding the 60,000 signatures required.
Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights, the group behind the initiative, then raised nearly $12 million to support the measure, according to OpenSecrets, compared to just over $100,000 raised by groups against it.
************* leaning Flathead County was less supportive of the measure with roughly 31,000 both in favor and against. As of Wednesday, Flathead County voters placed just 61 more votes against the ballot measure than in support of it.
“The Flathead Valley is a great ************* stronghold,” Glimm said regarding the result.
Similarly, in the 2022 election, the Born Alive Infant Protection Act — which would have required medical providers to give life-saving care to infants at any stage of development — ******* by 6% of votes statewide. Voters in Flathead County voted for the initiative by 6%.
Measures on ********* access were decided by voters in nine other states this election as well. Out of 10 states, only three ******* to pass protections, leaving strict bans in place.
The election came more than two years after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an ********* and handing the decision to individual states.
President-elect Donald Trump indicated on the campaign trail that a federal ********* ban is off the table.
“I’m not in favor of an ********* ban, but it doesn’t matter because this issue has now been taken over by the states,” Trump said during a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at *****@*****.tld or 758-4459.
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Pelican News
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15 Years Later, No Left 4 ***** 2 Successor Has Replicated Its Secret *******
15 Years Later, No Left 4 ***** 2 Successor Has Replicated Its Secret *******
Left 4 ***** 2 is celebrating its 15-year anniversary today, November 17, 2024. Below, we look at how its cast and their interactions set it apart from its contemporaries and modern imitators alike.
Left 4 ***** 2 has been rightfully receiving its flowers for the past 15 years. The modding community has come up with everything from visual enhancements like improved blood textures to completely user-made campaigns. The last two DLCs for the game, Cold Stream and The Last Stand, were made by community members and officially endorsed by Valve. At the time of writing, there are over 45,000 players in-game on PC, and (if you somehow still don’t own it) you can play it for free during this anniversary weekend. As such, the Steam discussions are filled with dozens of threads about the Good Guy Nick Achievement, which can only be obtained when the game is on a free weekend, something that occurs every couple of years.
But there’s a special legacy Left 4 ***** has left behind: Valve’s shooter has been a catalyst for a new subgenre altogether. Games like Back 4 Blood and The Anacrusis follow the formula closely, which isn’t surprising considering the development teams include people who worked on Left 4 *****. Others, such as Warhammer: Vermintide, Deep Rock Galactic, and Aliens: Fireteam Elite iterate on the concept of a co-op shooter by leaning closer to its own worlds, taking inspiration from existing franchises or coming up with brand-new mechanics to stand out from the rest. Yet, as more developers are taking the genre in interesting new directions, there’s one crucial element that is often overlooked in these iterations.
The passage of time has not diminished Left 4 ***** 2’s strengths. The clever “AI Director” dictating and reacting to the pace and behavior of your group to the B-movie flair embedded in every corner are standouts. But if there’s one thing that entices me to return to the game, and a crucial aspect that none of the Left 4 *****-likes have managed to achieve to a similar degree, is the cast of characters and the personality each of them oozes.
This was a strong suit even in the first Left 4 ***** with Zoey, Francis, Louis, and Bill. From the moment you set foot on the first rooftop on your way to Mercy Hospital, the frequent character interactions are put front and center. The quips can be further extended (on PC) by using a conversation wheel to express yourself drawing from a pool of hundreds of lines for laughing, cursing, and thanking others. While neither game was ever story-driven, you get to learn more about the characters’ personalities thanks to these conversations, and how they interact with each other throughout the campaigns. As a result, I cared more for their survival within the world itself, and not just from a sole gameplay standpoint of reviving a friend during a horde rush. As time passed, I found Bill’s incidental role as a parental figure to be endearing, and Francis’ constant complaints became a running joke rather than making him an annoying character.
The cast of Left 4 ***** 2
Left 4 ***** 2 took this foundation further with Nick, Coach, Rochelle, and Ellis: Some smaller details include voice command shouts being louder or quieter when calling other characters’ names depending on the distance from each other, or the iconic Easter egg in the Dark Carnival campaign where the cast sings song excerpts if you interact with the microphone on stage during the final ******. But there’s a greater focus on highlighting the characters–unlike the first Left 4 ***** campaign, No Mercy, the group begins the sequel not knowing each other’s names in ***** Center. They’re eventually introduced to one another and establish a bond over the later episodes. The DLCs, as well as the integration of Left 4 ***** into Left 4 ***** 2, are proof of Valve extending the philosophy to the original cast as well, with The Passing uniting both groups in the same campaign, and The Sacrifice adding another sentimental layer as an overarching narrative involving Bill.
Looking back at all the late nights I’ve had playing with friends during the past 15 years, I believe the characters are responsible for tying the whole experience together. They remain singular in nature, resulting in a sense of personality that is yet to be matched. Some jokes and banter lines, such as Nick remarking on Ellis’ excitement over the carnival Kiddie Land by saying, “He’s like a five-year-old, with guns and a comprehensive grasp of every swear word in the English language,” and the multiple variants for friendly ***** reactions like Ellis’ “I am not a zombie, ****** the zombies!” never get tiresome.
As it stands, the future of Left 4 ***** is uncertain. In 2023, people found a mention of “Left4Dead3” in Counter-Strike 2’s files, albeit with the downside that, according to the files, the project’s priority is “none” for Valve. This follows a series of similar I Want to Believe mentions throughout the years in other titles like Half-Life: Alyx and Portal VR, including more concrete details in The Final Hours of Half-Life: Alyx documentary, where it was revealed that Left 4 ***** 3 was supposed to be an open-world game set in Morocco, only to be canceled due to game engine Source 2’s unfinished status at the time.
It’s hard to know if a third entry could capture the charm and chemistry of the existing characters with a new group once more. Despite having replayed the campaigns dozens of times over the years, however, I’m still discovering interactions by the cast. And even when I’m not, joining a lobby feels like revisiting old friends at this point. Picking a character in Left 4 ***** 2 doesn’t give you any different perks–each one of them can use all weapons, and their survival depends on your skills and cooperation with others alone. The game’s most noteworthy achievement, then, is giving importance to that decision regardless of its importance–choosing the eyes from which to see the apocalypse through is as memorable as your efforts to make it out alive with that character.
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Pelican News
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Archbishop candidates need ‘heads reading’
Archbishop candidates need ‘heads reading’
The Bishop of Gloucester, Rt Revd Rachel Treweek said any bishop thinking about becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury needs “their head reading”.
Justin Welby will step down after a damning report into prolific child abuser John Smyth associated with the ******* of England.
Bishop Rachel told BBC Radio Gloucestershire she did not want the “very, very difficult job” and any Bishop thinking about it should “look long and hard into the mirror and take some reality checks”.
She said Mr Welby’s decision was “absolutely the right thing to do” but that it “probably could have happened quicker”.
The report found that Mr Welby “could and should” have reported Smyth’s ****** of boys and young men to police in 2013.
It was not immediately clear when the archbishop would leave his post but the process of finding a replacement is likely to take at least six months.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the head of the ******* of England and leads 85 million Anglicans in 165 countries around the world.
“Anyone who wants to be the Archbishop of Canterbury absolutely needs their head reading,” Bishop Rachel said.
“You know, this is a very, very difficult job – stepping into the structures that do need to change.
“Any bishop who wants to be the archbishop, well, I think they might need to look long and hard into the mirror and take some reality checks.”
Smyth was accused of attacking dozens of boys, including those he met at ********** camps, in the *** in the 1970s and 1980s.
The independent report published last week found inaction from the ******* was a “missed opportunity” to bring Smyth to justice before his ****** in 2018.
The Bishop called it an “absolutely sickening report”, adding the focus needs to be on the victims and survivors who had had to wait years for the ****** to be fully exposed.
“I want to instil trust and ****** and say to victims and survivors that if you have been silenced, if you are carrying that weight today, then please do contact your diocesan safeguarding team,” she said.
She said safeguarding processes and training within the ******* had changed in recent years but independent oversight was needed.
“One of the things that this report and subsequent events has thrown up again is the very clunky governance we have within the ******* of England,” she added.
“We do not have quick decision making, there are too many different levels, groups, involved.
“We need to be able to move much more swiftly.”
Bishop Rachel was consecrated as the 41st Bishop of Gloucester in 2015.
She made history by becoming the first female diocesan bishop and the first female bishop in the House of Lords.
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Pelican News
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The Game Awards confirms that DLC, remakes and remasters will be eligible for Game of the Year
The Game Awards confirms that DLC, remakes and remasters will be eligible for Game of the Year
The Game Awards has confirmed that DLC will be eligible for all of its award categories ahead of the shortlists being announced on Monday.
This Monday, producer Geoff Keighley‘s annual award show will announce the shortlist for each of its categories. In an FAQ posted to the award show’s website, it has confirmed that DLC, expansions, remakes, and remasters are all eligible for the shortlists.
The website now reads: “The Game Awards aims to recognize the best creative and technical work each year, irrespective of the format of that content’s release.
“Expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes, and remasters are eligible in all categories, if the jury deems the new creative and technical work to be worthy of a nomination. Factors such as the newness of the content and its price/value should be taken into consideration.”
Jury members for The Game Awards were made aware of the inclusion of DLC, remakes, and remasters ahead of submitting their nominations.
The event’s 10th anniversary gala celebration will again take place at its traditional venue of the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, and be streamed live on various platforms.
The Game Awards 2023 broke the event’s viewership record with an estimated 118 million livestreams.
The 2023 event, which also took place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, was a major production featuring musical performances, celebrity guests, a host of game reveals and an awards show.
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#Game #Awards #confirms #DLC #remakes #remasters #eligible #Game #Year
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
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