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Shots fired at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster Shots fired at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster (WHTM) – Shots were fired on the campus of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster on Sunday. In a statement on Sunday evening, the college said that “an incident” occurred and that shots were fired on the main campus. The school says “the current information is that shots were not aimed at people or buildings.” Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Pennsylvania State Police say no one was injured during the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact Lancaster Station at 717-299-7650. Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology security can be contacted by calling 717-391-7225. Founded in 1905, the school offers two-year associate degrees in 24 programs to more than 1,400 students. The main campus is located blocks from downtown Lancaster. This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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 ABC27. Source link #Shots #fired #Thaddeus #Stevens #College #Technology #Lancaster Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NTT, Nokia, Anritsu demo dynamic networking using IOWN APN NTT, Nokia, Anritsu demo dynamic networking using IOWN APN The Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) project has revealed that its all photonic network (APN) has been successfully applied to the mobile fronthaul between the antenna unit (Radio Unit, RU) and the distributed unit (DU) of a 5G radio access network (RAN) base station, demonstrating dynamic rerouting. Led by NTT, IOWN was created to meet the growing needs of the hyper-connected business world of the future, offering a future global communications infrastructure capable of enabling ultra-high-speed, high-capacity internet services utilising photonics-based technologies. In its mission, NTT is being supported by the likes of Ericsson, Nokia, Sony, Ciena, Intel, Nvidia, Microsoft, Orange, Telefónica and Google. It aims to address the almost exponentially rising demand for data and a commensurate rise in energy consumption due to the vast amounts of compute power required by future applications, in particular artificial intelligence (AI) and large language model (LLM) use cases. This network and information processing infrastructure includes terminals that can provide high-speed, high-capacity communication using technology focused on optics, as well as large computational resources. NTT’s IOWN APN infrastructure is being designed to enable high-capacity, low-latency and low-power consumption communications through end-to-end optical connections without converting optical signals into electrical signals. Explaining the background of the study, IOWN noted that with the rise of 5G technology, mobile traffic is increasing, leading to higher power consumption of base stations and communication facilities. Moreover, it said that the advent of 6G networks is expected to deliver even faster communications and large amounts of data transmission, further amplifying power consumption. As a result, IOWN stressed that improving power efficiency is an important issue for mobile carriers and mobile vendors. The new initiative aims to further reduce the power consumption of base stations and communications facilities while improving the reliability of the network through dynamic routing. Under the current fixed, point-to-point optical fibre connection (dark fiber) between RU and DU, operators run more DUs than necessary, and the connected DUs must always remain operational to maintain service. By leveraging the APN for the mobile front haul, IOWN says RUs can dynamically reroute connections to DUs, from a point-to-point physical connection between RU and the DU. This will enable all DU bases to function when the mobile traffic is high and allows the system to switch to fewer DUs when demand decreases, consolidating resources while maintaining service. Additionally, DU bases that are no longer needed due to the consolidation can be shut down to reduce power consumption – not just for communication equipment but also for the entire base including air conditioning. In the test, NTT provided an environment designed to enable verification and quality measurement of equipment and communications required for 5G mobile communications, including devices, RUs, and CUs/DUs. Nokia supplied IOWN APN equipment such as Flexible Bridge, APN-T, APN-G, and APN-I. Anritsu delivered measuring instruments to assess APN delay and to confirm normal operation of PTP/Sync-E. The latest work is said to confirm that in an environment where user traffic flows through two mobile fronthaul using the IOWN APN, the dynamic route change takes less than eight minutes and does not affect user traffic beyond the changed route. Traffic flows normally, even after the change. This achievement is said to allow flexible DU switching in response to mobile traffic fluctuation, enabling DU base consolidation and activation of only necessary DU base, reducing power consumption, Additionally, in the event of a route failure, routes can be swiftly switched to alternative DU base, thereby reducing the impact on services and contributing to improved network reliability. IOWN examined a procedure that optimally combines RU changes and APN route changes to minimise communication impact during dynamic route adjustments. It said it verified that dynamic route changes could be performed successfully using this procedure. For verification, the IOWN APN was applied at 30km between two mobile fronthaul points. The test environment simulated real-time user traffic while modifying the RU settings of the DU device and adjusting the optical path switching of the APN device. It assessed the time required for dynamic route changes, the impact on communication, and post-switching communication quality. The verification was conducted following the IOWN APN device configuration and transmission method from the IOWN Global Forum’s Proof of Concept (PoC) Reference, IOWN for mobile networks. IOWN said that verification tests confirmed that dynamic route changes can be completed in less than eight minutes over a transmission distance of 30 km. Communication quality was said to have remained unaffected, including data transfer speed and loss rate after switching. User traffic on the changed route was interrupted, but other routes remained unaffected. Power consumption was reduced by approximately 20% before and after changing the route. IOWN said the demonstration confirmed that dynamic rerouting can be successfully performed using IOWN APN for mobile fronthaul, enabling dynamic DU base operations during mobile traffic fluctuations and failures, reducing power consumption and service impact. It now plans to conduct a demonstration experiment on the power reduction effect of dynamic route changes and shorten the time required for dynamic rerouting to minimise the impact on service. These experiments will simulate real-world base station configuration, number of users, traffic and automatic route change decisions based on traffic prediction, aiming to achieve a highly power-efficient and resilient network. Source link #NTT #Nokia #Anritsu #demo #dynamic #networking #IOWN #APN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Demi Moore Wins Best Actress at SAG Awards After 47 Years in the Union, Tells Young Actors: ‘Don’t Lose Sight of the Human Connection’ – Variety Demi Moore Wins Best Actress at SAG Awards After 47 Years in the Union, Tells Young Actors: ‘Don’t Lose Sight of the Human Connection’ – Variety Demi Moore Wins Best Actress at SAG Awards After 47 Years in the Union, Tells Young Actors: ‘Don’t Lose Sight of the Human Connection’ VarietySAG Awards 2025: Why Demi Moore Took a Long Pause in Her Acceptance Speech – E! Online E! NEWSDemi Moore Rocks Her Edgiest Red Carpet Look Yet in a Drop-Waist Leather Gown at 2025 SAG Awards PEOPLEDemi Moore’s Leather Gown at the 2025 SAG Awards Had a Surprising Drop-Waist Silk Skirt InStyleSAG Awards: Demi Moore Emphasizes Need for “Human Connection” With ‘The Substance’ Win Hollywood Reporter Source link #Demi #Moore #Wins #Actress #SAG #Awards #Years #Union #Tells #Young #Actors #Dont #Lose #Sight #Human #Connection #Variety Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Looking for something new to spice up your game play? The Tinder of games is here | Games Looking for something new to spice up your game play? The Tinder of games is here | Games As any adult who loves video games knows, there are simply too many of them – 19,000 games were released in 2024 on PC games storefront Steam alone, not counting all the playable delights on consoles and smartphones. Most of us have backlogs of unplayed classics that make us feel guilty about buying newer games. Finding things that are actually good, meanwhile, can feel totally impossible. At least 50% of the questions people send in for this newsletter are a variant of “Help, what should I play?” We do our best to help, but even though it’s my job to know about games, I still don’t have infinite time to play them. Streamers play games all day, but even they usually specialise in particular games or genres and rarely stray outside them. Trying to Google recommendations these days leads you down a rabbit hole of hard-to-parse Reddit threads and misleading AI slop. Enter Ludocene, a new app launching on Kickstarter this week that hopes to solve this problem. It is described as Tinder for video games. When you load it up you’ll see a bunch of cards with game names, details and screenshots on them, as well as links to trailers, and you can sort them into yes/no piles. Based on what you say you like, it’ll show you new cards for games you may like to play. If you like the look of a game you can add it to your deck, so you remember to check it out later. You can easily see which games connect to each other, so it’s transparent where the recommendations come from. You can also select a particular expert – quite a few streamers, critics and other games media people have signed up already – to see their recommendations. Experts have their own cards too, showing a photo and a brief description of their background. The app’s recommendation engine is powered only by human recommendations, not by an algorithm that relies on player data, genre tags or AI. It’s based on a dataset put together over five years by the team behind Family Gaming Database, a recommendation site for parents. “Amazing games are so often buried in the mass,” says longtime games writer Andy Robertson, who’s leading the project. “I wanted a way to follow experts with similar tastes to mine so I could find the games I’m missing. The system needed to be flexible and simple, and not take itself too seriously … The combination of matching with games like you do on a dating app, and building a hand of favourite games like in a deck builder, was perfect. My hope is that this makes game discovery fun and effective again, and pays experts for their expertise.” Ludocene experts. Composite: Courtesy of Andy Robertson If it hits its Kickstarter goal, Ludocene will be free to use in its basic form, with no ads – there’ll be a cheap subscription model down the line to unlock extra features, for no more than £3 a month. “We don’t make any assumptions about how much knowledge you have,” Robertson says. “If you’ve only played Mario Kart and Minecraft you can dive in and start picking games. The system learns your tastes as you go and presents you with appropriate options. It really comes into its own when you pick more specific games for your deck. Whether that’s Elden Ring, Balatro, A Short Hike or Shadow of the Colossus, the system learns your taste and throws up ever more specific and niche suggestions.” I’m someone who loves a specific and niche suggestion. The current “if you like this, you might like that” game recommendation engines that you see on Steam and other storefronts are deeply lacking in the human touch that makes a recommendation meaningful. Ludocene caters to people who want a recommendation from an expert rather than a robot. Another splendid resource for discovering games I’ve recently come across is the Thinky Games website – a database and reviews site for puzzle lovers. It has a huge selection of games that you can search for by genre and platform, from phones to Nintendo Switch. Each game’s description is written by an actual human who has played the game rather than scraped from store data. I guess I would say this, as a games critic of nearly 20 years, but I truly believe in the value of person-to-person game recommendations, especially in this era of AI-driven outsourcing of the soul. (I haven’t signed up as a Ludocene expert, by the way, but I may well do so in future.) If you like the look of it, you can check out its Kickstarter page. What to play Keep Driving. Photograph: YCJY Games Remember The Oregon Trail, that classic educational game where you had to ride your wagon across 19th century North America while avoiding the ultimate end-of-level boss: dysentery? Well, Keep Driving is that, but set in the early 2000s and with fewer intestinal infections. You’ve just bought your first car and now you’re driving it across the country to a music festival. As you cruise, procedurally generated pixel landscapes drift by and hitchhikers thumb lifts, then tell you stories. It’s effectively a management role-playing game where you repair and feed your gas guzzler while managing your own need for food and sleep. You can finish in four hours, but there are multiple endings to discover on subsequent playthroughs. A fun concept, beautifully realised. Available on: PC Estimated playtime: eight hours plus skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Pushing Buttons Keza MacDonald’s weekly look at the world of gaming Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion What to read Diablo IV. Photograph: Blizzard “For years, Maciej ‘Groobo’ Maselewski stood as the undisputed champion of Diablo speedrunning.” Thus begins Ars Technica’s intriguing story of possible corruption in the shadowy world of the speed run – i.e. finishing games really quickly. A squad of modern-day speedrunning sleuths have been unable to replicate Grobo’s success even with state-of-the-art software tools. Expect a Netflix exposé soon. Grapefuit Games, the independent studio co-founded by artist and game creator Robert Yang, has written A Sports-Like Manifesto, which you can read on its website. It defines a sports-like game as one that features elements of a sport without attempting to simulate the whole universe around it in intricate detail. Frankly, mainstream sports sims are beginning to resemble humourless chimera, more concerned with licensing deals and player likenesses than gameplay, so I hope more developers take Yang’s approach. Keith is writing about this soon, but just a heads-up: a new memoir by veteran games writer Julian “Jaz” Rignall has just launched via Bitmap Books. The Games of A Lifetime is a look back at Rignall’s long career writing for magazines such as Zzap! 64, Computer & Video Games and Mean Machines, focusing on the games that stuck with him through the years. A fascinating read for veteran games mag aficionados. What to click Question Block Conker’s Bad Fur Day. Photograph: Rare This one comes from JohnnyBiscuits on BlueSky who asked: “Nightreign looks like a huge departure in format from Elden Ring and for FromSoft in general too – [I’m] interested in other examples where developers have got out on a limb like this, particularly with a well loved IP.” Ooh, good question, and it’s got me searching through my memory banks. As a ***** fan the first thoughts I had were of Virtua Fighter Kids, a strange comedy spin-off from Virtua Fighter 2 where all the combatants are children but with adult characteristics like facial hair, and Typing of the Dead, which turns horror shooter House of the Dead 2 into a typing sim. Or there’s Namco’s 16bit console title Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures, which reimagines the arcade maze game as a point-and-click adventure. I think, however, that the grandest about-turn in games history was Conker’s Bad Fur Day from Rare, which took the visual style of harmless family games such as Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country, and applied them to a wildly scatological, adult-orientated booze-n-swears fest. Surely the biggest image change since John Travolta’s machine gun-wielding assassin in Pulp Fiction. If you’ve got a question for Question Block – or anything else to say about the newsletter – hit reply or email us on *****@*****.tld. Source link #spice #game #play #Tinder #games #Games Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Anthony Albanese under pressure from to ditch Woodside project in exchange for ********* Labor government Anthony Albanese under pressure from to ditch Woodside project in exchange for ********* Labor government Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to face demands from the Greens and the teals to ditch Woodside’s North West Shelf project extension in exchange for supporting a ********* Labor government. The *********** reported that data was sent to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek regarding the impact on ancient petroglyphs in the area which could be enough to trigger the government to cancel the project. Both the Greens and the teals are set to demand an end to the project, and in turn support a ********* government. It comes as a junior federal minister hit back at Roger Cook and Reece Whitby’s insults slung during a fight over the handling of paperwork for the $30b project, defending the Commonwealth bureaucrats “who are doing their best for the country”. The Federal department pushed back by a month its deadline to decide whether the project’s lifetime should be extended to 2070. The WA department had already taken more than six years until it gave approval in December. The Federal department then needed updated information from WA for its own process, but didn’t receive this until February 5, after Ms Plibersek took the unusual step of personally writing to request it. “I suspect that there’s a nerdy little bureaucrat in an agency in Canberra somewhere who’s trying to cover his butt, that’s my suspicion,” Mr Whitby said last week of this explanation. Assistant Minister Tim Ayres told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday night he didn’t agree with that at all. “(I’m) not very impressed with people applying the sort of pejorative language like that to the work of very fine qualified Australians who are doing their best for the country,” he said. Senator Ayres also extended the attack to the Coalition, which has pledged to sack some 36,000 public servants if it wins the election, although is yet to detail where the cuts would fall. “We’ve increased the size of the department so that applications get done more speedily and that the environmental and other development questions are considered properly,” he told Liberal senator Jonno Duniam. Senator Duniam asked whether he would also characterise Mr Cook’s comment that he was “angry that . . . some boffin over in Canberra said we didn’t get the paperwork in time” as pejorative language. Senator Ayres — no doubt conscious the Premier is in election mode — replied that he was “a terrific bloke” who was entitled to make his own observations. “We, as a government, really enjoy working with the Western *********** Government. They’re a very fine State government doing a very fine job,” Senator Ayres said. Department officials also revealed that the Conservation Council of WA had filed a separate application to reconsider the Woodside approval. “We’re just turning our mind to that now to see if that’s substantive in nature,” environmental approvals division head Bruce Edwards said. He said the slow documentation from the WA department was the latest version of a rock art study, which ran to several hundred pages, and that the Commonwealth also still needed to seek legal advice. Deputy secretary Rachel Parry said Commonwealth officials had been engaged in an “process . . . with our WA colleagues since December, trying to get access to the information” so the decision was based on the latest data. The department is yet to hand a decision brief to Ms Plibersek. Source link #Anthony #Albanese #pressure #ditch #Woodside #project #exchange #********* #Labor #government Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Is PGA Tour 2K25 Coming To Xbox Game Pass? Is PGA Tour 2K25 Coming To Xbox Game Pass? PGA Tour 2K25 is 2K’s newest golf sequel, and its Xbox Game Pass and status is up in the air—like a well-struck golf shot. That’s why we’re here today to let you know if you need to pay your green fee, or if this one’s on the house. The golf game market is hotter than it’s ever been. EA Sports PGA Tour is the up-and-coming Pro making a big impression, but the PGA Tour 2K series is the evergreen veteran of the links. Take-Two’s newest golf title is PGA Tour 2K25—carrying on the company’s trend of biannual releases. 2K’s franchise has a healthy following of fans—myself included—but let’s see if the audience can grow thanks to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. Can You Play PGA Tour 2K25 on Xbox Game Pass? A warm welcome indeed. Credit to 2K PGA Tour 2K25 isn’t available as a day-one release on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service. Consider PGA Tour 2K25 a private membership. Not a single PGA Tour 2K25 trailer or prerelease gameplay video has made any mention of the sports title coming to Game Pass. It’s hardly a shock though. Few (if any) sports titles come to Game Pass on day one. I also can’t recall any 2K sports title doing this either. You must go through each PGA Tour 2K25 Edition and agonize over which one you want. Each Edition is TaylorMade for a different type of PGA Tour 2K fan. You must consider if you want the base game, extra content on top, or everything and more! Will PGA Tour 2K25 Come to Xbox Game Pass? Historical data suggests PGA Tour 2K25 isn’t coming to Xbox Game Pass later on. A quick browse of recent history shows neither PGA Tour 2K23 or 2K21 have come to Game Pass. I’m not sure if it has anything to do with it, but you can play EA Sports Tour on Game Pass. There might be some exclusivity rights there, maybe? Either way, if you’re hoping to play PGA Tour 2K25 through Xbox Game Pass, my advice would be to not sit around in the grandstand and wait for Game Pass to take the first shot. What will you do? Are you prepared to dive into your pocket to try out the new courses and features? Or will you wait for a ***** and bide your time for PGA Tour 2K25? We also have the Xbox Game Pass status of quite a few other titles for you to check out: Split Fiction, Monster Hunter Wilds, Avowed, Sniper Elite Resistance, and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #PGA #Tour #2K25 #Coming #Xbox #Game #Pass Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘I saw taxis as magical things’: *****’s pop-punk classic Crazy Taxi at 25 | Games ‘I saw taxis as magical things’: *****’s pop-punk classic Crazy Taxi at 25 | Games Kenji Kanno, director of *****’s legendary driving game Crazy Taxi, remembers the exact moment he knew the game had made a seismic impression. “I was going to Las Vegas for promotional work,” he says. “I got into the taxi and the driver drove me very fast, arriving at my destination quickly. At the end, he laughed and said: ‘I am the real Crazy Taxi!’ It was a strange experience.” Initially released in arcades, the zany, pop-punk drive-em’-up celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. Crazy Taxi was an addictive coin-swallowing thrill ride, the game’s eccentric cabbies continually yelling “Ready to have some fun?” and “Time to make some crazy money!” in the faces of perturbed-looking normies who simply wish to be chauffeured over to Pizza Hut. Driving green-haired Axel’s yellow 1960 Cadillac Eldorado so fast that its front bumper smashed into sunny San Francisco’s concrete hills was a memorable experience for all who played. (The Ford Mustang-driving Gena was my mum’s character of choice.) I remember losing an entire summer trying to master the “crazy dash” technique that allowed you to boost faster around corners on the critically acclaimed ***** Dreamcast version of the game (released in 2000 and running at an impressively fluid 60 frames-per-second), instead of going outside to play with my friends. Subsequent ports on the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox 360 drove sales of Crazy Taxi into the millions, creating a hit for ***** at a time where things weren’t easy, as the formerly dominant Japanese console manufacturer was on the edge of exiting that business. A memorable experience for all who played … Crazy Taxi. Photograph: ***** Rock band the Offspring provided turbo-charged guitar riffs for Crazy Taxi’s soundtrack, but that’s not the only thing that makes it feel like a time capsule from the turn of the millennium. This game captured the carefree hyperactivity of late 90s/early 00s pre-9/11 America; an era where many young people’s biggest worry was whether beer-swilling Stone Cold Steve Austin might retain the WWE world title. Despite its crossover success, Crazy Taxi had a lot of early detractors, Kanno remembers. “At the beginning of development, more than half of the project members were strongly opposed to the idea of a game about taxi drivers,” he recalls. The way Hollywood had historically framed cabbies made the concept of Crazy Taxi a tough sell for *****’s executives. In the words of Marcello Di Cintio, the author of Driven: The Secret Lives of Taxi Drivers: “Cabbies in pop culture have often been characters on the margins. The stereotype, then and now, is that cabbies had a window on the seedy side of urban life, and were part of a nocturnal world the rest of us don’t see. Drugs. Alcohol. Sex …” ‘What I wanted to express the most in Crazy Taxi was the dynamism of movie car chases.’ Photograph: ***** Kanno, though, was much more interested in the less sinister taxi drivers present in Luc Besson’s 1998 action-comedy film Taxi, as well as the challenge of turning the guy behind the steering wheel into someone more lovable. Crazy Taxi’s drivers are decidedly un-sinister, a bunch of grinning, colourfully dressed thrill-seekers who are the furthest thing from mundane. Kanno wanted the game to do for taxi drivers what Paperboy had done for, well, paperboys. “I told the team: ‘I think it is the job of games creators to make regular jobs look more cool! Even if this is a vision that no one has ever had before, then we should do it.’” Growing up, Kanno found taxis somewhat magical, he says. “In Japan, taxi doors open automatically. As a child, I wondered why taxi doors opened as you approached them, but my family’s car door stayed shut? This was so mind-blowing to me that I came to see taxis as these magical things.” When he got older, Kanno was obsessed with old Hollywood movies, and wanted to capture that same giddy tension and glamour presented in the iconic driving sequences in classics such as The Italian Job and The French Connection. A location such as San Francisco was perfect. “What I wanted to express the most in Crazy Taxi was the dynamism of movie car chases. I chose San Francisco because it is a city with so many undulations that you can constantly express that kind of action.” Unlike most racing games, Crazy Taxi makes you think on your feet rather than learn its tracks. (Echoes of this chaotic approach can be seen in The Simpsons: Road Rage, which basically took the Crazy Taxi concept over to Springfield.) “This is a game where players make split-second decisions in constantly changing situations,” Kanno says. “That’s why I made the other vehicles into obstacles. The design is not about memorising every course and taking the best line, but about the player navigating a constantly changing path.” A planned multiplayer mode was cut due to the technical limitations of the time. But the leaderboards still allowed for competitive, wait-your-turn battles between friends. For those who still struggle to last more than two minutes while playing Crazy Taxi (FYI: one rooftop shortcut is a gamechanger), is there any chance of a modern, multiplayer-enabled sequel? “I can’t say much,” replies Kanno. “But Crazy Taxi will make you smile again soon!” Source link #taxis #magical #Segas #poppunk #classic #Crazy #Taxi #Games Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Blue light has been linked to premature aging and dark spots. Here are 3 ways to protect your skin from screens. Blue light has been linked to premature aging and dark spots. Here are 3 ways to protect your skin from screens. You probably do your best to protect your skin from ultraviolet rays by slathering on sunscreen before going outside (and if you haven’t been, now’s a good time to start). But many people aren’t aware that the blue light from your computer and smartphone can also do a number on your skin. Research suggests that blue light, aka high-energy visible light, or HEV, could damage your skin like UV rays. And, if you spend hours every day parked in front of a computer or scrolling through your phone, you could be raising your risk of developing fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots on your skin, Dr. Ife Rodney, founding director of Eternal Dermatology + Aesthetics, tells Yahoo Life. That doesn’t mean you’re doomed to have older-looking skin if you have a desk job or a date with Instagram every night. But dermatologists say it’s important to take certain steps to protect your skin from your screens, just like you would from the sun. What is blue light? Blue light is on the visible light spectrum. It has a short wavelength and high energy, which can impact your eyes, stimulate your brain and influence how much your body secretes melatonin, a hormone involved in the sleep-wake cycle. But blue light can also impact your skin. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. Sunlight is the biggest source of blue light, although blue light can also be emitted by screens, fluorescent light and LED light, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). “Since we’re spending so much more time in front of the computer working from home, we may be putting ourselves at increased risk for blue light exposure,” Dr. Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, tells Yahoo Life. How does blue light affect your skin? The biggest potential impact of blue light is that it can age you. “Fortunately, blue light is not associated with skin cancers, but it has been shown to lead to premature aging and the development of dark spots,” Zeichner says. Blue light can also break down collagen and elastin, which help give skin its firmness and elasticity, Rodney says. “That can lead to fine lines and wrinkles over time.” While blue light doesn’t affect your skin as much as UVA, the light rays linked to premature skin aging, it “can penetrate the skin more deeply than UVB,” says Dr. Gary Goldenberg, a dermatologist in New York City. (UVB rays damage the outermost layers of the skin and are responsible for sunburns and are linked to skin *******, according to MD Anderson ******* Center.) A scientific review of research on the impact of blue light on skin concluded that this type of light could cause more general skin damage, which could speed up the aging process. “Skin protection may be crucial for protection against blue light,” the researchers concluded. How to protect your skin from your screens While dermatologists agree that blue light poses a real threat to your skin health, they also stress that there are things you can do to combat it. Here’s what they suggest. Wear sunscreen daily, even if you’re planning to be inside It seems weird, but there’s a reason for this. “A lot of patients ask me if they need to wear sunscreen if they work from home, and I explain that, yes, the blue light from computers can cause aging and discoloration of your skin,” Rodney says. Goldenberg suggests using a broad-spectrum physical sunscreen, such one that contains zinc oxide, that are especially good at blocking blue light. If you rely on makeup that contains sunscreen, you’ll still want to look for something that’s broad-spectrum. In a perfect world, though, you’d put on sunscreen and layer your makeup on top. “Reapply throughout the day,” Rodney says. Use a blue light filter on your devices There are filters or panels that you can put on your screens to help block blue light. “I think these are very helpful, especially if you’re spending extended time in front of a screen,” Rodney says. While these probably won’t be the most expensive devices you own, they also aren’t cheap. Ocushield’s anti-blue light iPhone screen protector, for example, is $47, while the bestselling VizoBlueX anti-blue light computer monitor protector is $50 on Amazon. Still, this shouldn’t be the only thing you do to protect your skin from blue light. “Blue light filters reduce light exposure by adjusting the screen’s color temperature,” Goldenberg says. “However, it does not completely eliminate skin exposure.” Dim your devices Most phones and computers allow you to customize the brightness to a level that feels right for you. While it won’t get rid of all blue light exposure, dimming the brightness a little can help reduce the blue light intensity you’re exposed to, Goldenberg says. Can you counteract blue light skin damage? Dermatologists say that using skincare products that contain antioxidants may help. Zeichner suggests applying an antioxidant product like a vitamin C serum to your face each morning. “Antioxidants like vitamin C help neutralize the free radicals caused by blue light exposure,” he says. (Free radicals break down collagen, raising the risk of wrinkles, Zeichner explains.) While antioxidant skincare won’t block out blue light or keep your skin from being initially damaged by the light, Rodney says, it helps work against the damage that’s been done. While you can only do so much about sitting in front of a screen if it’s your job, Goldenberg suggests cutting back on your exposure whenever you can. That may mean choosing to read a book instead of using your tablet or making an effort to put your phone away a little more than usual. “Decreasing screen time is highly effective for skin health,” Goldenberg says. Source link #Blue #light #linked #premature #aging #dark #spots #ways #protect #skin #screens Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Blasphemous is out now on iOS, bringing brutal grimdark action to your iPhone Blasphemous is out now on iOS, bringing brutal grimdark action to your iPhone Rip and tear… Oh, wrong game Blasphemous, the indie hack ‘n slash Metroidvania platformer, is out now on iOS It puts you in a world of brutal religious fanaticism as you battle through hordes of monsters Take on brutal bosses and challenging difficulty, with all DLCs included After a long wait, hit indie hack ‘n slash platformer Blasphemous has finally made the jump to iOS after first arriving on mobile via Android. Now, players on both iPhone and beyond can leap into the grimdark fantasy world of Blasphemous and start cutting their way to redemption, with all DLCs included. Set in a dark fantasy world fuelled by religious fanaticism, you’ll explore the land of Cvstodia in Blasphemous. A hardcore, side-scrolling hack ‘n slash with designs and difficulty reminiscent of Castlevania spliced with Dark Souls. Blasphemous has been rightfully praised for its visual design and challenging gameplay. Certainly, it’s fair to say that Blasphemous isn’t just about looks. Wielding a cursed sword and with an equally grim-looking appearance, Blasphemous offers hardcore, gorey hack ‘n slash action. And with an enormous non-linear world to explore, various bosses to fight and upgrades to collect, there’s plenty to keep you occupied in Cvstodia. Repent! Blasphemous is one of those releases that’s been hotly anticipated and demanded by players for pretty obvious reasons. This is a visually enthralling and brutally demanding platformer that’s sure to offer hours of playtime to even the most hardcore gamers. It seems as if there’s an ever-increasing wave of indies now realising the potential avenue that mobile presents. As with hits like Balatro and Vampire Survivors, I wouldn’t necessarily call mobile the promised land for devs of this stripe, but it seems as if it’s becoming increasingly clear that when indies strike gold their next step to build on that success should be a platform everyone has in their pocket. Speaking of releases in this vein, why not check out our list of the Top 7 Games like Dead Cells to find out where Blasphemous landed, and to see which other strange picks we’ve made? Source link #Blasphemous #iOS #bringing #brutal #grimdark #action #iPhone Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Jefferies upgrades Nike, says shares can jump more than 50% Jefferies upgrades Nike, says shares can jump more than 50% Jefferies thinks the risk-reward outlook over the next five year is strong for Nike , particularly as the company attempts to regain its crown in the athletic apparel market. Analyst Randal Konik upgraded shares to buy from hold and named Nike a top pick. He also lifted his price target by $40 to $115, which suggests shares could gain a whopping 50.3% from Friday’s close. Konik said now is the right time to aggressively scoop up Nike shares given its upside potential and that its stock price is near a “valuation trough.” Nike shares trade at about 23 times trailing earnings, well below a peak above 37 reached in late 2023. “As Nike turns back on its innovation engine, channel inventories will be rebalanced and wholesale distro will be increased setting the stage for accelerating unit volumes and healthier full-price sell through driving stronger revenue growth and rising margins against a backdrop of reduced Street expectations (that are now way too low),” Konik wrote in a Monday note to clients. He cited global consumers’ continued preferences towards comfort, which is supportive of general athletic footwear and clothing trends, as well as a Jefferies survey that indicates strong U.S. consumer demand for Nike products as catalysts for Nike’s future growth. “This underscores the brand’s ubiquity and suggests the brand is still very strong ahead of future innovations with NikeSKIMS and in the running category,” he said, referring to a collaboration between Nike and SKIMS, a clothing brand co-founded by Kim Kardashian. The leadership of new Nike CEO and company veteran Elliott Hill is also a major tailwind behind the company’s efforts to again outgrow the market, according to the analyst. “NKE’s strategic missteps, including reduced product innovation and overemphasis of Nike Digital, allowed competitors to gain share,” Konik said. “Hill is intimately engaged with current and lapsed retail partners. We think Hill has the right playbook; it worked a decade ago, so it’s highly likely to work again. NKE 5Y mountain Nike stock performance. Nike shares are up just 1.1% this year, after a roughly 26% decline over the past year. To be sure, Wall Street isn’t entirely convinced of Nike’s turnaround potential. Citi downgraded the stock to neutral and slashed its price target earlier this month, citing a disappointing meeting with the new CEO and concerns that topline pressures seem likely to continue in the near term. Source link #Jefferies #upgrades #Nike #shares #jump Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

First 750 schools named for free breakfast clubs in England First 750 schools named for free breakfast clubs in England The government has announced the first 750 schools to provide free daily breakfast clubs as part of a pilot scheme ahead of a planned England-wide roll-out. Starting in April, 180,000 pupils in England will be offered “healthy, varied and nutritious breakfasts” in schools before class, Labour said – with over a third of schools in the pilot scheme in deprived areas. Labour campaigned on a promise of free breakfast clubs in every English primary school and later tripled funding to £30m. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson sees the free clubs in all primary schools as vital to breaking “the unfair link between background and success” for students. Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Phillipson said the government had “massive demand” to take part in the pilot scheme, which will be used “to really test what works” ahead of a national roll-out. Breakfast clubs “will make such a big difference to children’s life chances, to parents’ ability to work,” she said. “The impact on children’s education, their attainment, their wellbeing is enormous,” she added. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has welcomed the news but voiced concern that funding could fall short. “It will be crucial that these concerns are addressed before the programme is rolled out across the country, to ensure that it does not place further pressure on already strained school budgets,” said NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman. Announcing the first 750 schools to join the pilot scheme, the Department for Education said breakfast clubs had “an important role to play in the government’s commitment to remove the stain of child poverty”. Devon tops the list with 25 schools in the programme, followed by England’s largest local authority, Birmingham, with 24. Both Wales and Scotland have programmes to provide free breakfasts to children in primary schools. Guidance sent to schools taking part in the pilot scheme says they will receive a set-up payment to cover equipment and material. Under the scheme, schools will then be reimbursed by the government based on attendance at the clubs – a school with 50% participation in the pilot scheme could get £23,000 a year, the government said. Newcastle upon Tyne Welbeck Academy; Our Lady and St Anne’s Catholic Primary School North Tyneside St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary, Wallsend; Langley First School; Ivy Road Primary School South Tyneside St Bede’s Catholic Primary School, South Shields; Ashley Academy; Stanhope Primary School Sunderland Barnwell Academy; Fatfield Academy; St Leonard’s Catholic Primary School, Silksworth; St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Sunderland; Hudson Road Primary School; Dame Dorothy Primary School; Richard Avenue Primary School Hartlepool St Helen’s Primary School; Greatham CofE Primary School Middlesbrough Pennyman Primary Academy; St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School Redcar and Cleveland Skelton Primary School; New Marske Primary School; Overfields Primary School; Lockwood Primary School Stockton-on-Tees Prior’s Mill CofE Primary School; Ingleby Mill Primary School; Holy Trinity Rosehill CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School; Ash Trees Academy; Green Gates Academy Gateshead St Joseph’s Catholic Infant School, Birtley County Durham Cleves Cross Primary and Nursery School Academy; Esh CofE (Aided) Primary School; St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Blackhall; St Wilfrid’s Catholic Primary School, Bishop Auckland; Moorside Primary Academy; Witton-le-Wear Primary School; Middlestone Moor Academy; Beamish Primary School; Cockfield Primary School; St Margaret’s Church of England Primary School; Prince Bishops Community Primary School; Croft Community School Darlington High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School Northumberland Morpeth Chantry Middle School; Morpeth Newminster Middle School; Malvin’s Close Academy; Croftway Academy; Mickley First School; NCEA Warkworth Church of England Primary School; Amble Links Primary School; Otterburn Primary School; Cambo First School; Shilbottle Primary School; Bothal Primary School; Hareside Primary School; Chollerton Church of England Aided First School; Holy Trinity Church of England First School Knowsley Blacklow Brow School; Eastcroft Park School; Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School; Hope Primary School – A Joint Catholic and Church of England Primary School Liverpool St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School; Fazakerley Primary School; New Heights High School St Helens Ashurst Primary School; Garswood Primary and Nursery School; Pace Sefton King’s Lander Primary Academy; St Monica’s Catholic Primary School Wirral Woodchurch Road Academy; Overchurch Junior School; Castleway Primary School; Leasowe Primary School; St Paul’s Catholic Primary School; Heygarth Primary School; The Observatory School Bolton Lever Edge Primary Academy; St Paul’s CofE Primary School, Astley Bridge; Devonshire Road Primary School; Kearsley West Primary School; Gilnow Primary School; Forwards Centre Bury Radcliffe Hall Church of England Methodist Primary School; Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School; St John with St Mark CofE Primary School Manchester Oasis Academy Harpur Mount; Manchester Communication Primary Academy; Crowcroft Park Primary School; Pike Fold Primary School; St Agnes C of E Primary School Oldham Richmond Academy; Greenhill Academy; Alt Academy; Westwood Academy; Northmoor Academy; Whitegate End Primary and Nursery School; St Agnes CofE Primary School; Greenfield St Mary’s CofE School Rochdale Bamford Academy Salford St Joseph the Worker RC Primary School; New Park Academy Stockport Outwood Primary School Tameside Greenfield Primary Academy; Hawthorns School Wigan St Mary and St John Catholic Primary School; Bickershaw CofE Primary School; St Stephen’s CofE Primary School Halton Palace Fields Primary Academy; Kingsway Primary Academy School; Hillview Primary School; St Martin’s Catholic Primary School and Preschool Warrington Bruche Primary School Academy; Beamont Primary School Lancashire Pendle Primary Academy; Maharishi Free School; Sharneyford Primary School; Rawtenstall Balladen Community Primary School; Morecambe and Heysham Torrisholme Community Primary School; Burscough Village Primary School; St Mary’s CofE Primary School Rawtenstall; Balderstone St Leonard’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School; Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School; Coppull St John’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School; Medlar-with-Wesham Church of England Primary School; Broughton-in-Amounderness Church of England Primary School; St Mary’s Catholic Primary School Euxton Blackburn with Darwen Audley Infant School Cheshire East Disley Primary School; Ashdene Primary School; Pott Shrigley Church School Cheshire West and Chester Over Hall Community School; St Bernard’s Roman Catholic Primary School; Victoria Road Primary School; Wolverham Primary and Nursery School; St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy; Winsford High Street Community Primary School; Hartford Manor Primary School & Nursery Cumberland Seaton Academy; Broughton Primary School; Castle Carrock School; Yewdale School; Arlecdon Primary School; Wigton Nursery and Infant School; Inglewood Infant School; Brook Street Primary School; Blackford CofE Primary School; Beckermet CofE School; Waberthwaite CofE School; Hallbankgate Village School; The Bishop Harvey Goodwin School (Church of England Voluntary Aided) Westmoreland and Furness Burton Morewood CofE Primary School; Yanwath Primary School; Lindal and Marton Primary School; Storth CofE School; Coniston CofE Primary School; Lindale CofE Primary School; Culgaith CofE School; Langdale CofE School; St Thomas’s CofE Primary School; Morland Area CofE Primary School; Selside Endowed CofE Primary School; Warcop CofE Primary School Barnsley Summerfields Primary Academy; Shawlands Primary School; Brierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Doncaster Armthorpe Shaw Wood Academy; Carr Lodge Academy; Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy; Bentley High Street Primary School; Edlington Victoria Academy; Rosedale Primary School; Park Primary School; Bawtry Mayflower Primary School Rotherham Coleridge Primary; Brookfield Junior Academy Sheffield Totley All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School; High Green Primary School; Carfield Primary School Bradford Dixons Marchbank Primary; Dixons Manningham Academy; Copthorne Primary School; The Academy At St. James; Beckfoot Priestthorpe Primary School & Nursery; Baildon Glen Primary School; Dixons Music Primary; Lady Royd Primary School; Ben Rhydding Primary School; Co-op Academy Delius Calderdale Scout Road Academy; Trinity Academy St Peter’s; St Joseph’s Catholic Primary Academy; Luddenden CofE School; Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School; Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School Kirklees Scissett Middle School; Field Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School; St Joseph’s Catholic Primary Academy; Manorfield Infant and Nursery School; Batley Grammar School; Scapegoat Hill Junior and Infant School Leeds Kippax Ash Tree Primary School; Christ Church Upper Armley Church of England Primary School; Cockburn Haigh Road Academy; Micklefield Church of England Primary Academy; Dixons Trinity Chapeltown; Robin Hood Primary School; Bankside Primary School; Park Spring Primary School; Bramley St Peter’s Church of England Primary School; Carr Manor Community School Wakefield Darrington Church of England Primary School; Featherstone North Featherstone Junior and Infant School; City of Kingston upon Hull; Longhill Primary School; Maybury Primary School; Neasden Primary School; Kingswood Parks Primary School; St Vincent’s Voluntary Catholic Academy; St Mary Queen of Martyrs VC Academy; Endsleigh Holy Child VC Academy; St Nicholas Primary School; Thorpepark Academy; Ings Primary School; St Charles Voluntary Catholic Academy; Broadacre Primary School; Ganton School East Riding of Yorkshire Our Lady and St Peter Catholic Primary School A Catholic Voluntary Academy; St Mary’s Catholic Primary School – a Catholic voluntary academy; North Cave Church of England Primary School; Newport Primary School; Welton Primary School; Leven Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School; Bugthorpe Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School; Willerby Carr Lane Primary School; Riverside Special School North East Lincolnshire Bursar Primary Academy; Western Primary School North Lincolnshire Oasis Academy Parkwood; Winterton Church of England Infants’ School North Yorkshire Leyburn Primary School; Riverside School, Tadcaster; Saxton Church of England Primary School; St George’s Catholic Primary School – a Catholic voluntary academy; St Peter’s Catholic Primary School – a Catholic voluntary academy; Linton-on-Ouse Primary School; Sheriff Hutton Primary School; Giggleswick Primary School; Leavening Community Primary School; Ingleby Greenhow Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School; Ruswarp Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School; Fylingdales Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School; Sharow Church of England Primary School; Askrigg Voluntary Controlled Primary School; Long Preston Endowed Voluntary Aided Primary School; Springwater School York St Paul’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Derbyshire Church Gresley Infant and Nursery School; North Wingfield Primary and Nursery Academy; Chaucer Infant School; ***** and Davys Church of England Primary School; William Rhodes Primary and Nursery School; Bradwell Junior School; Ashbourne Primary School; Morley Primary School; Barrow Hill Primary Academy; Bamford Primary School; Darley Dale Primary School; New Mills Primary School; Parwich Primary School; Lenthall Infant and Nursery School; Elton CofE Primary School; Eyam CofE Primary School; Rowsley CofE (Controlled) Primary School; Earl Sterndale CofE Primary School; Kirk Ireton C of E Primary School; Matlock Bath Holy Trinity CofE Controlled Primary School; Peak Forest Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School; Fitzherbert CofE (Aided) Primary School Derby Firs Primary School; Hardwick Primary School; Cavendish Close Junior Academy; Ash Croft Primary Academy; Cottons Farm Primary Academy; Carlyle Infant and Nursery Academy; Castleward Spencer Academy; Shelton Junior School Leicestershire Parkland Primary School South Wigston; Captains Close Primary School; Riverside Community Primary School Birstall; Griffydam Primary School; Worthington School; Oxley Primary School Shepshed; Witherley Church of England Primary School; Dorothy Goodman School Hinckley Leicester Merrydale Junior School; Braunstone Community Primary School; Woodstock Primary Academy; Heatherbrook Primary Academy; Abbey Mead Primary Academy; Buswells Lodge Primary School; Krishna Avanti Primary School; Avanti Fields School Nottinghamshire St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy; St Peter’s CofE Primary Academy, Mansfield; Normanton-On-Soar Primary School; William Lilley Infant and Nursery School; Hallcroft Infant and Nursery School; Larkfields Junior School; Misterton Primary and Nursery School; Arnold Mill Primary and Nursery School; Orchard Primary School and Nursery; Holly Primary School; Wood’s Foundation CofE Primary School Nottingham William Booth Primary and Nursery School; Crabtree Farm Primary School Lincolnshire St Hugh’s Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy; St Nicholas CE Primary Academy St Anne’s Church of England Primary School, Grantham; The Lincoln St Peter at Gowts Church of England Primary School; Newton-on-Trent CofE Primary School; Great Ponton Church of England School; The Marston Thorold’s Charity Church of England School; The Eresby School, Spilsby North Northamptonshire Gretton Primary Academy; Havelock Infant School; Havelock Junior School; Oakway Academy; Danesholme Infant Academy; Compass Primary Academy; Thrapston Primary School; Whitefriars Primary School; Great Doddington Primary West Northamptonshire DSLV E-ACT Academy; Spring Lane Primary School; Queen Eleanor Primary Academy; Braunston Church of England Primary School; Byfield School; Wootton Park School; Barry Primary School; Billing Brook Special School Birmingham Erdington Hall Primary School; E-ACT Nechells Academy; Mansfield Green E-ACT Academy; The Oaklands Primary School; St George’s Church of England Primary School; Yarnfield Primary School; Pegasus Primary School; Hillstone Primary School; Nonsuch Primary School; St Wilfrid’s Catholic Junior and Infant School; The Oaks Primary School; Ark Victoria Academy; Hall Green Infant School; Lozells Junior and Infant School and Nursery; Bellfield Junior School; Glenmead Primary School; Woodthorpe Junior and Infant School; World’s End Infant and Nursery School; St Patrick and St Edmund’s Catholic Primary School; Anglesey Primary School; Mapledene Primary School; Wilson Stuart School; Mayfield School; Langley School Coventry Keresley Grange Primary School; Joseph Cash Primary School Dudley Manor Way Primary Academy; Tenterfields Primary Academy Sandwell Corngreaves Academy; St John Bosco Catholic Primary School; St Mary Magdalene CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School; Shenstone Lodge School Solihull Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic Primary School; Kineton Green Primary School; Kingshurst Primary School Walsall Goldsmith Primary Academy; Rivers Primary Academy; King Charles Primary School; Pool Hayes Primary School; Oakwood School Wolverhampton Lanesfield Primary School; Penn Fields School Staffordshire Landau Forte Academy Greenacres; The Meadows Primary School; Shobnall Primary & Nursery School; Langdale Primary School; St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School; Landywood Primary School; Holy Trinity CofE (C) Primary School; The Fountains Primary School Stoke-on-Trent St Gregory’s Catholic Academy; Greenways Primary Academy; Alexandra Junior School; Alexandra Infants’ School; Milton Primary Academy; Co-op Academy Grove Herefordshire Longtown Community Primary School; Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School; Whitchurch CofE Primary School Worcestershire Oasis Academy Warndon; St Stephen’s CofE First School; Catshill First School; Meadows First School; Westacre Middle School; Upton-Upon-Severn CofE Primary and Pre School; Red Hill CofE Primary School; Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School; Sytchampton Endowed Primary School; Blackminster Middle School; Cookley Sebright Primary School; Bewdley Primary School; Riversides School Shropshire Oakmeadow Church of England Primary and Nursery School; Highley Community Primary School; Woodlands School Telford and Wrekin Lawley Primary School; St Matthew’s Church of England Aided Primary School and Nursery Centre Warwickshire The Nethersole CofE Academy; St James’ CofE Academy; Wolvey CofE Primary School; Goodyers End Primary School Luton Venture Academy; Denbigh Primary School; Parklea Primary School; William Austin Junior School; Someries Infant School and Early Childhood Education Centre Bedford The Hills Academy; Priory Primary School; Turvey Primary School; Hazeldene School; Riseley CofE Primary School; Greys Education Centre Central Bedfordshire Linslade School; Alameda Middle School; Etonbury Academy; Westoning Lower School; Meppershall Church of England Academy; Laburnum Primary School; Swallowfield Primary; Maulden Lower School; Moggerhanger Primary School; Shefford Lower School Cambridgeshire Buckden CofE Primary School; Peckover Primary School; Mepal and Witcham Church of England Primary School; Hartford Junior School; Hartford Infant and Preschool; Stapleford Community Primary School; Upwood Primary Academy; St Laurence Catholic Primary School; Great Wilbraham CofE Primary Academy; Meldreth Primary School; The Spinney Primary School; Kings Hedges Primary School Peterborough Northborough Primary School; St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School Essex Kents Hill Junior School; St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School, Colchester; Kirby Primary Academy; Pemberley Academy; Hilltop Infant School; Laindon Park Primary School & Nursery; King’s Ford Infant School and Nursery; Down Hall Primary School; Newport Primary School; St Andrew’s Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School; Dr Walker’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Fyfield; St Peter’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, South Weald; Radwinter Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School; Rodings Primary School; St Andrew’s CofE Primary School; Leverton Primary School; Upshire Primary Foundation School Southend-on-Sea Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School; St Helen’s Catholic Primary School; Heycroft Primary School Thurrock Shaw Primary Academy; Mossbourne Herd Lane Academy; Horndon-On-the-Hill CofE Primary School; Bonnygate Primary School Hertfordshire Flamstead End School; Hormead Church of England (VA) First School; Lodge Farm Primary School Norfolk Woodlands Primary Academy; St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery’ Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy; Heacham Infant and Nursery School; Blenheim Park Academy; St William’s Primary School; Kinsale Infant School; Brooke Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School; Forncett St Peter Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School; Duke of Lancaster School; Sheringham Woodfields School; John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea Suffolk The Beeches Community Primary School; Great Heath Academy; Long Melford Church of England Primary School; Beck Row Primary Academy; Henley Primary School; Somerleyton Primary School; Fressingfield Church of England Primary School; Charsfield Church of England Primary School; Occold Primary School; Howard Community Academy; Wetheringsett Church of England Primary School; Earl Soham Community Primary School; Priory School; Stone Lodge Academy; Riverwalk School Greenwich Fossdene Primary School; Saint Mary Magdalene Church of England All Through School; St Peter’s Catholic Primary School Hackney Thomas Fairchild Community School; Grasmere Primary School; Nightingale Primary School Islington Whitehall Park School; Laycock Primary School; Vittoria Primary School Kensington and Chelsea Ashburnham Community School; Fox Primary School Lambeth St Luke’s Church of England Primary School; Van Gogh Primary; St Helen’s Catholic Primary School; Henry Fawcett Primary School Lewisham Deptford Park Primary School; Downderry Primary School; Edmund Waller Primary School; Elfrida Primary School; Lucas Vale Primary School; Rushey Green Primary School; John Ball Primary School; Brent Knoll School Southwark The Belham Primary School; Crawford Primary School Tower Hamlets Chisenhale Primary School; St Luke’s Church of England Primary School Wandsworth The Alton School; Anglo Portuguese School of London Westminster Millbank Gardens Primary Academy Barking and Dagenham John Perry Primary School; William Ford CofE Junior School; Robert Clack School; Monteagle Primary School; Richard Alibon Primary School with ARP for Cognitive and Learning Difficulties: SEN Base Barnet Claremont Primary School; Ashmole Primary School; Tudor Primary School Bexley Willow Bank Primary School; Jubilee Primary School Furness Furness Primary School; St Margaret Clitherow RC Primary School; Preston Park Primary School; Donnington Primary School; St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School Bromley Warren Road Primary School; Hayes Primary School Croydon Chestnut Park Primary School; Oasis Academy Ryelands; Elmwood Junior School Ealing Downe Manor Primary School; Blair Peach Primary School; Wolf Fields Primary School Enfield Carterhatch Infant School; St Matthew’s CofE Primary School Haringey Holy Trinity CofE Primary School; St Mary’s Priory RC Infant School; Earlham Primary School Harrow The Welldon Park Academy; Weald Rise Primary School; Glebe Primary School Havering Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School Hillingdon St Matthew’s CofE Primary School; Pield Heath House RC School Hounslow Cavendish Primary School; The Rosary Catholic Primary School Merton St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School Newham Bobby Moore Academy; Brampton Primary School Redbridge Coppice Primary School Richmond upon Thames Nelson Primary School Sutton Cheam Park Farm Primary Academy; Cheam Common Junior Academy; Cheam Fields Primary Academy; Brookfield Primary Academy; Cheam Common Infants’ Academy Waltham Forest Salisbury Manor Primary School; Edinburgh Primary School; Ainslie Wood Primary School; Lime Academy Hornbeam Buckinghamshire St Mary’s Church of England School; Ashmead Combined School; Hawridge and Cholesbury Church of England School Milton Keynes Holmwood School; Brooksward School; The Willows School and Early Years Centre; St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School; Brooklands Farm Primary School East Sussex Seaford Primary School; St Thomas A Becket Catholic Primary School; Torfield School Hampshire St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School; Farnborough Grange Nursery & Infant Community School; The Ferns Primary Academy; Marlborough Infant School; Long Sutton Church of England Primary School; Rownhams St John’s Church of England Primary School; John Keble Church of England Primary School; Hordle CofE (VA) Primary School; Manor Church of England Infant School Portsmouth Court Lane Junior Academy Southampton Bevois Town Primary School; St John’s Primary and Nursery School Windsor and Maidenhead St Edward’s Royal Free Ecumenical Middle School, Windsor West Berkshire Francis Baily Primary School Reading Caversham Park Primary School; St Anne’s Catholic Primary School Slough Pippins School; Claycots School Kent Salmestone Primary School; Kingsnorth Church of England Primary School; Knockhall Primary School; Sunny Bank Primary School; Chilmington Green Primary School; Westmeads Community Infant School; Downs View Infant School; Laddingford St Mary’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School; St Edmund’s Church of England Primary School; Meadows School Medway St Helen’s Church of England Primary School, Cliffe Isle of Wight Gatten and Lake Primary School; Barton Primary School Oxfordshire Cholsey Primary School; Queen Emma’s Primary School; Botley School; Barton Park Primary School; Edward Feild Primary School; Marsh Baldon CofE Primary School; Checkendon Church of England (A) Primary School; St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Oxford Surrey Cross Farm Infant Academy; Mytchett Primary & Nursery Academy; Lakeside Nursery & Primary Academy; South Camberley Primary and Nursery School; The Vale Primary School; Kingfield Primary School; Shawley Community Primary Academy; West Ashtead Primary Academy; Hurst Park Primary Academy; Hatchlands Primary; Gosden House School West Sussex Baldwins Hill Primary School, East Grinstead; Holmbush Primary Academy; Clapham and Patching CofE Primary School; St Robert Southwell Catholic Primary School, Horsham; Westbourne Primary School; Parklands Community Primary School; The Meads Primary School; Birdham CE Primary School; Compton and Up Marden CofE Primary School; Rogate CofE Primary School; Nyewood CofE Junior School; Bishop Tufnell CofE Primary School, Felpham Bath and North East Somerset St Michaels Junior Church School; Peasedown St John Primary School City of Bristol Summerhill Academy; Oasis Academy New Oak; Nova Primary School; Chester Park Junior School; Briarwood School North Somerset Worle Village Primary School South Gloucestershire St Anne’s Church of England Primary School; Christ Church Hanham CofE Primary School Dorset Dorchester Middle School; Marshwood CofE Primary Academy; Bridport, St Mary’s Church of England Primary School; Durweston Church of England Primary School; Stoborough Church of England Primary School; St George’s Church of England Primary School, Langton Matravers; Cerne Abbas CofE VC First School; Powerstock Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Elm Academy; Malmesbury Park Primary School; Bearwood Primary and Nursery School Wiltshire Amesbury Archer Primary School; Hilmarton Primary School; Holbrook Primary School Swindon St Mary’s Catholic Primary School; Seven Fields Primary School; Wroughton Junior School Devon Broadclyst Community Primary School; East Worlington Primary School; St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Axminster; Bearnes Voluntary Primary School; Charleton Church of England Academy; Thurlestone All Saints Church of England Academy; Lew Trenchard Church of England Primary School; Dunsford Community Academy; Whipton Barton Junior School; Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School; Lifton Community Academy; Beaford Community Primary & Nursery School; St Sidwell’s Church of England Primary School & Nursery; Horwood and Newton Tracey Community Primary School; St Andrew’s Church of England Academy; Sandford School; Ilfracombe Infant and Nursery School; Shebbear Community School; Tavistock Primary & Nursery School; Stoke Canon Church of England Primary School and Pre-School; Goodleigh Church of England Primary School; St Catherine’s CofE Primary School; Glendinning Academy; Ellen Tinkham School; Bidwell Brook School Plymouth St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School; St Peter’s RC Primary School; Widey Court Primary School; Pilgrim Primary Academy; Pennycross Primary School Torbay St Michael’s Church of England Academy; Sherwell Valley Primary School Cornwall Trenance Learning Academy; St Ives Infant School; St Merryn School; Altarnun Primary School; Carclaze Community Primary School; Tregony Community Primary School; Luxulyan School; St Catherine’s CofE Primary School; Mount Charles School; St Francis CofE Primary School; Egloskerry Primary School; Jacobstow Community Academy; Gwinear Community Primary School; Community & Hospital Education Service Ap Academy; Penwith Alternative Provision Academy Gloucestershire The Rosary Catholic Primary School; Kemble Primary School; Grange Primary Academy; Bream Church of England Primary School; St Catharine’s Catholic Primary School; Calton Primary School; Kingswood Primary School; Stonehouse Park Infant School; Down Ampney Church of England Primary School; Huntley Church of England Primary School; Paternoster School; Battledown Centre for Children and Families; Belmont School; Sladewood Academy; The Shrubberies School Somerset St Mary’s & St Peter’s Church School; Shepton Beauchamp Church School; Castle Cary Community Primary School; West Pennard Church of England Primary School Source link #schools #named #free #breakfast #clubs #England Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Don’t buy a MacBook Air – a new M4 version is tipped to land within weeks Don’t buy a MacBook Air – a new M4 version is tipped to land within weeks The M4 MacBook Air release date could be imminent Apple Stores are getting ready and cutting stock of the M3 MacBook Air The new laptop is expected to bring modest improvements We’ve been hearing for months that Apple is going to launch a new MacBook Air with an M4 chip soon, and now it looks like the date is almost upon us. If you’ve been thinking about buying a MacBook Air, you’ll want to hold off for just a little longer. That’s because Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has claimed in his Power On newsletter that Apple Stores are preparing for the new MacBook Air to arrive. His evidence for this? Inventory of the M3 MacBook Air is apparently being wound down at Apple Stores, meaning there will soon be fewer units of the current model available to buy. This is usually a surefire sign that Apple is getting ready to launch a new device. After all, what’s the point in the company maintaining high stock levels of a product that will soon be superseded? It’s not the only clue. Gurman says that Apple’s marketing, sales and retail teams are now being prepared for the M4 MacBook Air release, which is expected to land at some point in March. Gurman’s track record is very good, so a launch within the next month does look increasingly likely. Hang on a little longer (Image credit: Apple) All of this means that you probably shouldn’t buy a MacBook Air right now. If you do, you’ll end up with an M3 model that will quickly be surpassed by the M4 version. As we’ve seen from the MacBook Pro and the iPad Pro, the M4 chip should be a decent upgrade over the M3, if not a groundbreaking one. In terms of performance, we’ll likely see some increased core counts, a more efficient Neural Engine, and improved memory bandwidth. Other than the new chip, the M4 MacBook Air isn’t expected to include many other new features. The design will almost certainly stay the same, as will the speakers. And while Apple is working on an OLED MacBook Air, it’s still a few years away from release. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Still, the M4 MacBook Air is enough of an upgrade to make it worth waiting for. If you’ve been itching to pull the trigger on a new MacBook Air, you’d do well to hang on just a few more weeks. You might also like Source link #Dont #buy #MacBook #Air #version #tipped #land #weeks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

An estimated 7000 dead in Congo fighting since January An estimated 7000 dead in Congo fighting since January Roughly 7000 people have been killed since January and 450,000 others have no shelter in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s east, the prime minister says. Source link #estimated #dead #Congo #fighting #January Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘We’re going to let this ride’: Bungie is keeping a Destiny 2 bug that makes some weapons available to all classes ‘We’re going to let this ride’: Bungie is keeping a Destiny 2 bug that makes some weapons available to all classes Bungie has decided not to fix a new Destiny 2 bug that unlocks certain weapons for all classes. The Heresy update for Destiny 2 was released earlier this month, and players soon discovered that it introduced a new bug affecting the game’s three Exotic Glaives. Until the update arrived, the Edge of Intent, Edge of Concurrence and Edge of Action weapons could only be used by Warlocks, Hunters and Titans respectively, but this has now changed. The bug allows every Exotic Glaive – as well as some of the older class-locked swords in the game – to be used by any class, a discovery that had some players experimenting with new loadout possibilities. Now Bungie has declared that after team discussions it’s decided that the bug, which wasn’t intentional, won’t be removed and will instead become part of the game. “On the backend, we shifted to a new way of creating weapons and rewards to help streamline some of the development process,” Bungie explained in its latest blog post. “While moving into this new paradigm, class lockouts for the Exotic Glaives and a handful of Swords were mistakenly removed. “We’ve been seeing some great celebrations with the removal of these constraints. Our first reactions were focused more towards fixing the issue as we want to retain strong class-based fantasies within Destiny, and the removal of class locks muddies the water a bit. As an example, it’s a bit weird to see a Warlock or a Hunter spawning a mini-bubble or seeing a Titan running like a ninja. “After some discussions between team members, we’ve arrived at a new decision: we’re going to let this ride. A fun example of a bug becoming a feature.” Bungie notes that some in-game animations “may look a bit weird” as a result of this, but concedes that it “can create fun opportunities for players to create videos, art, or other based on classes in different stances”. It also notes that while giving the Glaives to all classes can lead to “some interesting new buildcrafting opportunities”, it’s going to keep an eye on how they’re used, because it still wants the Glaives to “feel most powerful on the class they were originally designed for”. It’s also using player feedback on the bug to make plans for future animations, to cater for players who are using the newly class-unlocked Quickfang and Goldtusk Swords to play out “fantasies of being a ninja or sword master”. “Many thanks to all players who have been giving feedback after discovering the issue,” Bungie wrote. “While we won’t always look at weird bugs and decide to support them as a feature, this felt appropriate.” Source link #ride #Bungie #keeping #Destiny #bug #weapons #classes Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

India’s IT sector should overhaul business, create own language models, HCLTech CEO says India’s IT sector should overhaul business, create own language models, HCLTech CEO says By Haripriya Suresh and Akash Sriram MUMBAI (Reuters) – Indian IT firms need to rethink how they operate and the country needs to create its own language models as artificial intelligence technologies disrupt the sector, according to HCLTech CEO C Vijayakumar. The generative AI ***** has threatened to disrupt business models for Indian IT companies that largely serve clients in the United States for operations support, providing software as a service. “The underlying themes are not the same as cloud and digitization and other things … This is very different. The changes that AI is assuring are very different, and we need to be more proactive to even categorize our revenues to create completely new businesses,” Vijayakumar said at an industry event in Mumbai. Generative AI, which can write code for software among a plethora of tasks, is expected to speed up the timeline to develop products, improving efficiency of a company’s workforce. For an example, a five-year technology transformational program valued at about $1 billion at a very large financial services firm could be done in three-and-a-half years, Vijayakumar said. He also said India should build its own language models to cut down dependency on other countries and avoid impact from geopolitical issues. Large language models are trained on massive amounts of data to generate text and other content. “We should not assume that these (language) models will continue to be open source. I think these are going to be the coins on which the geopolitics is going to be played off,” Vijayakumar said, adding that countries could limit some usage beyond their boundaries. “To have a long-term competitive advantage, it makes a lot of sense to build and the costs are coming down. We need to find ways to very economically create a training infrastructure to train the models,” he said. IT industry executives also said the sector needs to avoid complacency to adapt and overcome challenges. “I think we have to be paranoid. We have to be non-complacent. That is the way we can manage to keep up with what’s going on in the industry,” Infosys CEO Salil Parekh said. (Reporting by Haripriya, Akash Sriram, writing by Sethuraman NR; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar) Source link #Indias #sector #overhaul #business #create #language #models #HCLTech #CEO Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is already being leaked and streamed online a month before release Assassin’s Creed Shadows is already being leaked and streamed online a month before release Copies of Assassin’s Creed Shadows are already being streamed and leaked online, a month before the game’s even out. Physical copies of Ubisoft‘s game appear to be out in the wild in the US, despite its official release date not being until March 20. As as result, players planning to buy the game are advised to be vigilant while online over the next month to ensure they don’t have any aspects of the game spoiled for them. It’s not immediately clear how the copies were acquired so early or how many are currently available, but X user @DannyStevens__, who claimed to have bought the game on Facebook Marketplace, posted photos of its box and installation screen, followed by photos and videos of the game playing. These have since been removed, but not before they were saved and reposted online. TheGamer also spotted a now-removed listing on US auction site Mercari which showed the seller holding multiple copies of the game in their hands. Each copy sold for $100. Some of those acquiring copies of the game have started sharing its contents online. VGC has already seen two Twitch streams showing the game, one of which is still available as an archive recording at the time of writing. VGC saw someone streaming the game on Twitch earlier today. Assassin’s Creed Shadows has faced numerous setbacks and issues over the course of its development, including content leaks. Originally planned for release last November, Assassin’s Creed Shadows was delayed until February 14, then delayed again to March 20. Details of the game were leaked earlier this month, when scans of an upcoming Assassins’s Creed Shadows art book were uploaded to a hentai website. Information about the first Assassin’s Creed Shadows expansion also leaked recently via an update to the game’s Steam product page. Titled Claws of Awaji, the DLC will reportedly introduce a new explorable area, a new weapon type and over 10 hours of additional content. Following a hands-on session with the game last month, VGC wrote: “If its narrative is smartly weaved through the larger package, Assassin’s Creed Shadows could prove to be a notable release for both fans of Valhalla and Odyssey’s country-sized sandbox, and those craving a more cinematic Samurai story.” Source link #Assassins #Creed #Shadows #leaked #streamed #online #month #release Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft changes Windows 11’s Start menu for the better (gasp) while introducing nifty new file sharing options Microsoft changes Windows 11’s Start menu for the better (gasp) while introducing nifty new file sharing options Windows 11 has a new preview build with some smart additions One of those is a fresh piece of the interface to make file sharing easier The other is a couple of neat new layouts for one part of the Start menu Windows 11 should be getting some useful changes to its interface, one of which makes sharing files easier, and the other introduces nifty new layout options for the Start menu. These moves are in testing right now, to be precise in Windows 11’s build 22635.4950 which is in the Beta channel. The new file sharing menu appears at the top of the screen whenever you’re dragging a file out of a folder on the desktop, and it features an array of icons, such as WhatsApp, My Phone, Microsoft Teams, and so on. Dropping a file on any icon will instantly share it via that medium. As for the Start menu, that change is for the ‘All apps’ page which as the name suggests lists all your apps, with the new options here being the grid and category views. The grid view sticks to an alphabetical ordering of your apps, as in the standard list view, except with the grid layout, you can fit more apps on with the layout extended out to the side, so there’s less scrolling to do (see the image below). (Image credit: Microsoft) Or a more different alternative is the category view where your apps are grouped into various categories and ordered by usage levels. So, for example, there are social apps, or productivity, or entertainment apps, a whole bunch of categories you can dive into, with your most-used apps highlighted in a box featuring their icons (again, see the pic below). (Image credit: Microsoft) This feature is still rolling out, so not every tester will see it yet (and it’s coming to the Dev builds, as well as the Beta channel). Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. That’s pretty much it for this preview build, although there’s one more addition on the accessibility front with File Explorer which is being graced with improved support for text size scaling with File Open or Save dialog boxes (and also with Wizard dialog boxes). Oh, and Microsoft has applied a number of bug fixes too, while there are some acknowledged issues, which are all listed in the usual blog post outlining the content of build 22635.4950. Analysis: Almost through testing now Of course, all this is just in testing, and if trialling any given element doesn’t work out, that feature may be dropped. I’d imagine that’s unlikely, though, as both these fresh introductions are useful and welcome touches. Easier file sharing has got to be good, and I can’t see anyone arguing with more choice in the Start menu layouts. After all, if you don’t want to have the ‘All apps’ panel look any different to the default list, you don’t need to go near the alternatives. It’s also worth bearing in mind that having reached the Beta channel, these features are not far from release now. There’s only one more step – final testing in the Release Preview channel – before this functionality is ready to be deployed to the finished version of Windows 11. Indeed, the move with the Start menu layouts was previously discovered by digging around in test builds in the past, so it’s good to see that coming to fruition (the above mentioned caveats taken into consideration). You may also like… Source link #Microsoft #Windows #11s #Start #menu #gasp #introducing #nifty #file #sharing #options Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Microsoft Cancels Leases for AI Data Centers, Analyst Says – Bloomberg Microsoft Cancels Leases for AI Data Centers, Analyst Says – Bloomberg Microsoft Cancels Leases for AI Data Centers, Analyst Says BloombergMicrosoft is cancelling data-center leases, Wall Street analysts say MarketWatchMicrosoft has cancelled data center leases in the US, TD Cowen says Investing.comMicrosoft reportedly cancels US data center leases amid oversupply concerns Business TodayHere is the TD data center note that has everyone buzzing ForexLive Source link #Microsoft #Cancels #Leases #Data #Centers #Analyst #Bloomberg Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fortnite’s Using Warning Signs to Troll Players Again and This Time It’s a Hot Tub That Punishes You for Breaking Rules Fortnite’s Using Warning Signs to Troll Players Again and This Time It’s a Hot Tub That Punishes You for Breaking Rules Fortnite’s back with its quirky additions; this time it is a hot tub with a warning sign stating that not more than 3 players are allowed to enter at a time. If players break the rule, something quite unfortunate happens to them. Epic Games has had a long history of including quirky trolling signs in the game. Image Credit: Epic Games Fortnite has long tended to interact with its players in unique ways. The game also once had a ‘No Emote Here’ sign atop a mountain. It is fun to see the developers’ attempt to the game interactive and enable players to feel a better sense of belonging to its world. Fortnite is back with its quirky warnings The 3 player max sign near this hot tub should be taken seriously. Image Credit: Epic Games The hot tub located at Outlaw Oasis gets super mad if you break the ‘no more than 3 people rule’ similar to other such instances as seen before in the game. Epic Games has had a history of incorporating these trolling signs into the game, enabling playful interactions with the game’s world. There has been a consistent inflow of such trolling signs in the game, increasing player interaction and giving players an extra tool to strategize against enemies. There’s a “3 Max” sign in a hot tub at Outlaw Oasis which gets mad at you if you don’t listen to it similar to the no dancing sign from last season lol pic.twitter.com/KdtWWdUXBC — finn (@FinnTheCoookie) February 21, 2025 Hot tub rules are sacred — Fortnite (@Fortnite) February 21, 2025 it was on a mountain and if you emoted it would launch you off the mountain — finn (@FinnTheCoookie) February 21, 2025 i love when fortnite is goofy like this — Arryh (@cookybitz) February 21, 2025 The player community’s response to this has been largely positive. Players are having a lot of fun engaging with these new elements in the game. The positive response from the player community strongly suggests that there will be various additions like this in the future. The developers’ attempt at trolling players has been proven successful. Fortnite is one of the most successful games on the market at the moment, and it is the little things like this that make all the difference. The game also has strict rules against cheating. Fortnite comes up with unique ways to engage with its player community Fortnite’s biggest punishment for breaking rules is ejecting you in the air. Image Credit: Epic Games Live-service games need to keep coming up with fresh and exciting ideas to stay relevant in the market and keep their player base intact. Fortnite has cracked the code on how to do that. Fortnite’s use of collaborations and crossovers through events and skins is one of the most popular in the battle royale genre. On top of it, the developer also knows how to spread small easter eggs across the map so that players do not ever get bored of exploring. These things are what make Fortnite a special game and contribute to its stronghold in the market. Do you like these additions in Fortnite? Let us know in the comments below. Source link #Fortnites #Warning #Signs #Troll #Players #Time #Hot #Tub #Punishes #Breaking #Rules Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Swan Districts legend and former *********** Test Cricket Keith Slater dies aged 89 Swan Districts legend and former *********** Test Cricket Keith Slater dies aged 89 Former Test cricketer and Swan Districts legend Keith Slater has died after a long illness aged 89. Slater was an all-rounder in more ways than one, bowling both off-spin and medium-pace. He was also useful with the bat averaging 21 including a match-saving century against Queensland when he opened. He played 74 first-class matches for WA. Slater became the first West *********** to play in an Ashes Test when he earned his baggy green in the third Test at Sydney in 1958-1959. He took the wickets of Peter May and Ted Dexter but never played Test cricket again because of concern over his bowling action. Chairman of selectors Don Bradman showed Slater a video of his action to illustrate the problem. He was later called for throwing while playing against New South Wales. On the football field, the star ruckman helped Swan Districts to the 1961 flag helping overcome East Perth legend Graham “Polly” Farmer to secure the team’s first premiership and earning him the Simpson Medal. The Swans completed a hat-trick of flags while he also helped WA to win the national carnival in Brisbane later that season. He played for WA 21 times. Camera IconCricketer and Footballer Keith Slater is on the Australia Day honours list. Credit: Trevor Collens/The West *********** He became captain-coach of Subiaco in the 1964 season in a shock move but would return to the Swans after three seasons before retiring at the end of the 1967 season. He kicked 199 goals in 166 games for the Swans and was named in their Team of the Century. In between his football and cricket commitments, he was also an A-grade baseball player for the Swan Districts Angels. In 2020 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia “for significant service to cricket, *********** rules football, and baseball, in Western Australia.” Off the field, he was co-founder of Slater-Gartrell Sports and served on the board of the West *********** Institute of Sports for several years and was for many years the voice of WA footy and cricket across radio and televison. Source link #Swan #Districts #legend #*********** #Test #Cricket #Keith #Slater #dies #aged Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

BT boosts interconnectivity with Equinix, broadens Optiva partnership BT boosts interconnectivity with Equinix, broadens Optiva partnership In a brace of moves designed to strengthen its enterprise communications offerings, BT has installed its Global Fabric across an international footprint of Equinix datacentres to interconnect customers with their digital value chain, and implemented B2B and B2B2X BT network communication services using Optiva’s application server technology. In the expansion of its Equinix partnership, BT said its primary aim is to help multinational organisations transform interconnectivity across their digital value chains, boosting innovation and accelerating business outcomes. The artificial intelligence (AI)-ready, Global Fabric network-as-a-service (NaaS) platform is now deployed in over 30 Equinix datacentres, set to grow to 40 in the next year. This, said BT, will span the world’s top 30 business locations, covering 95% of the world’s cloud interconnection traffic. When fully built out, Global Fabric will be available to customers internationally via 140 points of presence (PoPs) hosted in cloud locations across 40 countries. It will offer 74% direct coverage of hyperscaler clouds and pre-provisioned, high-bandwidth connectivity to over 700 datacentres. Equinix’s global platform is designed to connect multiple clouds hosting the apps, services and marketplaces underpinning the digital economy. It provides access to approximately 2,000 network services, approximately 3,000 cloud and IT services, over 400 content and digital media services, and more than 4,800 enterprises. BT regards the new agreement as enabling it to broaden its ability to offer its customers a comprehensive choice of the best locations for their business to digitally interconnect with partners, suppliers, customers and other stakeholders across their full value chain. It builds on BT Group’s existing quantum secure communications relationship with Equinix, following what it called the ***’s first datacentre-to-datacentre connection using the technology. Putting the deal intro context, Equinix cited its Global interconnection index, showing that digital ecosystems are growing exponentially, with as much as 80% of business-to-business sales interactions expected to occur in digital channels by the end of 2025. “Our partnership enables BT to offer its customers interconnectivity with the full Equinix global digital ecosystem of cloud and IT services, as well as hundreds of content and digital media services, and over 4,800 enterprises hosted at our datacentres globally,” said Arun Dev, global head of digital interconnection at Equinix. Matt Swinden, director of digital connectivity for business at BT, added: “Global Fabric combined with Equinix’s global ecosystem of infrastructure, cloud and digital service widens the choice we offer to customers of the best locations to interconnect their full business value chain. It will help make trading, partnering and operating a multinational business, better.” Meanwhile, the telco said that with the Optiva platform it can now advance enterprise service innovation by enabling future-proven business services, implementing B2B and B2B2X dynamic network communication services, advancing its capabilities to increase enterprise services and offer businesses “unmatched” flexibility and capabilities. In January 2024, BT Group selected Optiva for its next-generation Application Server upgrade to allow it to evolve from legacy technology, modernise services and increase 5G network coverage penetration with what it claims will be a “fully flexible” service creation. BT Group sees enterprise applications as essential for B2B services and cutting-edge consumer applications, which it said must be modernised in parallel with the network’s evolution. Optiva has implemented new interfaces and technologies to evolve a traditional network into a next-generation network. Furthering their joint vision, Optiva and BT assured that they will work to advance the platform by integrating B2B services to enhance and deliver their network convergence capabilities with added flexibility. Source link #boosts #interconnectivity #Equinix #broadens #Optiva #partnership Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

3 Tax-Free Funds Throwing Off ‘Stealth’ Dividends Up to 12% 3 Tax-Free Funds Throwing Off ‘Stealth’ Dividends Up to 12% Today we’re going to use a simple strategy to (legally!) beat the tax man. The key is a (too) often-ignored group of funds whose dividends are beyond the reach of the IRS. The low-risk assets behind this income stream really should be part of any income investor’s portfolio. And the three funds we’ll discuss below, which yield up to 7.3%, are a great place to start. Thanks to their tax-free status, their “real” yields will likely be considerably more for us. Enter “Boring But Beautiful” Municipal-Bond Funds Here’s the truth on taxes: If you’re an American and you receive any kind of income, you’re going to get taxed. This is a constant of life. But there is one exception: municipal bonds, the income from which is tax-free for most Americans. That tax-exempt status drives plenty of investors to muni bonds, making them a secret weapon for state and local governments and American industry, as these bonds fund many infrastructure and other public works projects around the country. It adds up to a big difference-maker for many folks. A municipal, or “muni,” bond yielding 4% might not seem impressive at first glance, but for someone in the top federal tax bracket, this 4% tax-free yield is equivalent to a taxable yield of 6.6%. And of course, the higher our “headline” muni-bond yields get, the ******* the taxable-equivalent yield: for that same taxpayer in the top federal bracket, for example, 5% yields turn into 8.3% on a taxable-equivalent basis. Creating Your Own “Tax-Free Income Machine” The best way to buy municipal bonds is through closed-end funds (CEFs), which give us three key advantages: Active management: The world of municipal bonds is challenging for individuals to access, so we want pros from well-established firms like BlackRock (NYSE:), Nuveen and others “running” our muni-bond portfolio for us. High yields: Plenty of muni-bond CEFs pay 4%, 5%, and more, which, as we just saw, translates into a ******* yield on a taxable-equivalent basis. Discounts to net asset value (NAV): Because CEFs have more or less fixed share counts for their entire lives, they can, and often do, trade at different levels than the per-share value of their portfolios, and regularly at discounts. That lets us buy our “munis” for 90, 85 and sometimes even fewer cents per dollar of assets, as we’ll see in a moment. With all that in mind, let’s go ahead and create a tax-free income portfolio with just three CEFs, all of which are diversified across municipalities, projects and credit ratings. Muni Pick #1: BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund (MQY) BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund (NYSE:) is notable for its consistent performance and ability to offer tax-free income for a long time, making it a great long-term hold. MQY’s Long History of Profits MQY currently trades at a 7% discount to NAV, so we’re paying 93 cents for every dollar of assets with this one. Cheap! Moreover, like all muni-bond funds, MQY dropped in 2022, as interest rates rose. But now, with rates having come down a bit, and likely to move lower over time, the fund is nicely positioned to grind higher, in addition to handing us a nice long-term (and of course tax-free) income stream. The kicker here is that MQY’s 5.9% yield—already attractive on its own—“converts” to a 9.8% taxable-equivalent yield for top income earners. Muni Pick #2: Nuveen AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund (NEA) Let’s carry on with Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal IF (NYSE:), known for its strong management team (Nuveen gets access to high-quality municipal-bond issuances early, which is possible thanks to the company’s deep contacts in the muni-bond world and the fact that the muni market is small). Like MQY, NEA trades at a discount (4.9% in this case) but its yield clocks in at a massive 7.6%, thanks in no small part to higher yields the fund has been able to lock in as interest rates rose and stayed elevated. And like MQY, this fund has a long track record of healthy total returns, especially for a stable asset class like munis. NEA Keeps Delivering Income and Gains Bear in mind, too, that thanks to NEA’s high yield, much of that return has come in the form of dividend cash. Muni Pick #3: RiverNorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund II (RMMZ) Finally, for further diversification in the muni-bond fund space, consider RiverNorth Managed Duration Municipal Income Fund II (NYSE:), which has an interesting method of managing duration and credit risk: It buys more individual municipal bonds when the muni market is hot, then leans more into buying other muni-bond CEFs when the market is cold and CEF discounts are unusually wide. RMMZ’s Clever Approach to Maintaining Income This fund also trades at a wide discount to NAV—7.4% today—which is yet again a nice bonus for a high-yielding fund. But the real standout stat is RMMZ’s yield: 7.2%. On a taxable-equivalent yield basis, that’s 12%. Plus, RMMZ’s discount to NAV has been eroding, giving investors who buy at a discount the potential to sell at a profit as the discount shrinks. RMMZ’s Discount Is Evaporating RMMZ is far from perfect: its payouts were cut at the start of 2025 by two-tenths of a penny, and if that were to happen again, its current yield would “fall” to around 7%, with little effect on that 12% taxable-equivalent yield for our top income earner! I don’t know about you, but that’s a pretty reasonable “downside” to me. The upside is that these funds all have diversified portfolios in municipal bonds, which sport just a 0.1% default rate across the asset class. The bottom line: If you need a tax break (and who doesn’t?), these are three funds worth serious attention. Disclosure: Brett Owens and Michael Foster are contrarian income investors who look for undervalued stocks/funds across the U.S. markets. Click here to learn how to profit from their strategies in the latest report, “7 Great Dividend Growth Stocks for a Secure Retirement.” Source link #TaxFree #Funds #Throwing #Stealth #Dividends Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Greek Troupe With Phallic Symbols Revives Ancient Phallephoria Under the Acropolis Greek Troupe With Phallic Symbols Revives Ancient Phallephoria Under the Acropolis Phallic symbols, which in ancient Greece symbolized the fertile nature, abound within the phalleforia procession, which is accompanied by the tunes of bagpipes, flutes and percussion. Credit: Screenshot/YouTube A cheerful and rather unconventional troupe dressed in traditional Dionysiac costumes and masks brightened a chilly February night in downtown Athens, as they re-enacted the ancient Greek procession of Phallephoria -with phallic symbols as it’s evident in the name being the true protagonists of the ritual taking place under the Acropolis. Echoing the Dionysian rituals from 1,700 years ago, Phallephoria is the re-enactement of the original ecstatic tradition, where people dress up as Satyrs, Maenands (Dionysus’ followers) and Silenus (companions and tutors to Dionysus), with the God of wine and ecstasy himself leading the procession. Phallic symbols, which in ancient Greece symbolized the fertile nature, abound within the procession, which is accompanied by the tunes of bagpipes, flutes and percussion. With funny dances and wine, the colorful procession becomes one with the people in the streets of the historic center of Athens, passing through Dionysiou Areopagitou promenade under the Acropolis, Plaka and Monastiraki. In ancient times, the procession would begin from the theater of Dionysus under the Acropolis, where all extant classical Greek plays were first presented, including Aristophanes’ comedies. Phallephoria is being revived for the past ten years during the Greek carnival days, or Apokries in Greek, which is celebrated across the country in late February. It is organized by the Association for the Research and Study of Hellenic Culture with the support of Greece’s National Tourism Organization. This year it took place on Sunday, February 23. According to researchers participating in the organization of Phallephoria, the phallus in ancient times was not only a symbol of fertility but was also used as a deterrent. Many ancient Greeks used to place phallic symbols outside their homes, believing they would protect them from evil powers. Phallic processions, called phallika in ancient Greece, were a common feature of Dionysiac celebrations, with the display of fetishized phalluses a common feature. In a famous passage in chapter four of the Poetics, Aristotle (384-322 BC) formulated the hypothesis that the earliest forms of comedy originated and evolved from “those who lead off the phallic processions,” which were still common in many towns at his time. Modern Greek carnival celebrations with phallic symbols tied to ancient Greece In Tyrnavos, the famous – or infamous – “Burani” custom is revived every year during the carnival days as it has been for at least a century now. It is a bold and lewd custom, one of the highlights of carnival celebrations every year. The “Burani” custom has revelers dancing around a cauldron of spinach soup while men holding giant fake ******** beat the women with them. The actual custom dictates that the ****** is filled with booze and men and women have to kiss the tip of it and then drink. The booze is tsipouro, a spirit that Tyrnavos is famous for. The custom has to do with fertility and the coming of Spring. Its roots most likely lie in ancient Dionysian celebrations. The Greek Orthodox Church disapproves of the custom, but this does not stop thousands of locals and visitors from reveling wildly. Source link #Greek #Troupe #Phallic #Symbols #Revives #Ancient #Phallephoria #Acropolis Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Perth-based project that could revolutionise horse ******** and performance receives massive funding grant Perth-based project that could revolutionise horse ******** and performance receives massive funding grant A potentially groundbreaking Perth-based project has received a major funding boost from Racing Australia with real hopes it could revolutionise horse ******** and performance. Source link #Perthbased #project #revolutionise #horse #******** #performance #receives #massive #funding #grant Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

New immigration enforcement operations underway in Los Angeles area – CNN New immigration enforcement operations underway in Los Angeles area – CNN New immigration enforcement operations underway in Los Angeles area CNNICE operation in Alhambra disrupted by local activists FOX 11 Los AngelesAnti-ICE activists patrol, disrupt raids throughout Los Angeles County KTLA Los AngelesICE agents may be planning a major operation in L.A. What are your rights? Yahoo Source link #immigration #enforcement #operations #underway #Los #Angeles #area #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]