Pelican Press

More than 100 women ****** and burned alive in DR Congo, UN says More than 100 women ****** and burned alive in DR Congo, UN says More than 100 female prisoners were ****** and then burned alive during a jailbreak in the Congolese city of Goma, according to the UN. Masses of prisoners broke out of Munzenze prison last Monday, after fighters from the M23 rebel group began to take over the city. Between 165 and 167 women were assaulted by male inmates during the jailbreak, an internal UN document seen by the BBC says. The report states that most of the women were killed after the inmates set fire to the prison. The BBC has not been able to verify the reports. Goma, a major city of more than a million people, was captured after the Rwanda-backed M23 executed a rapid advance through eastern DR Congo. The city was plunged into chaos, with bodies lying in the streets and missiles reportedly flying over residential homes. Footage from last week’s jailbreak showed people fleeing from the building as smoke rose in the background. Heavy gunfire could also be heard. In a separate video, people believed to be the escaped prisoners, filed through Goma’s streets. More than 2,000 people were killed as the M23 clashed with the Congolese forces and their allies, DR Congo’s government has said. The UN says at least 900 people were killed and almost 3,000 injured. It was unclear why the UN and DR Congo’s death tolls vary. Earlier this week, the rebels announced a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, however there have been reports of renewed fighting on Wednesday. Source link #women #****** #burned #alive #Congo Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Marvel Rivals Has a Lot of Mechanical Inconsistencies and NetEase Needs to Do Something About It Soon Marvel Rivals Has a Lot of Mechanical Inconsistencies and NetEase Needs to Do Something About It Soon When Marvel Rivals first came out in December 2024, it took the world by storm, and in the weeks since, it has managed to keep players interested. Due to the lessons it has learned from its hero shooter peers, the game was able to succeed even after games like Overwatch 2 had been there for years. Marvel Rivals was released on December 6, 2024. | Credit: NetEase Games. From its competitive system and swift bans for cheaters to its non-expiring battle passes and quick hero additions, the game does almost everything right. However, every game can never be perfect, and Marvel Rivals is not an exception. The game is infiltrated by a large number of mechanical inconsistencies, and NetEase needs to fix them quickly. There are a lot of mechanical inconsistencies in Marvel Rivals Moonknight’s Ult doesn’t disappear when he dies. | Credit: NetEase Games. A dedicated Marvel Rivals player has shared a post on Reddit that states that the game is going through a lot of mechanical inconsistencies. Any hero-shooter title should have balance and consistency throughout all of its heroes. If any certain norm is implemented, then it should be implemented for all the heroes; neither some specific ones nor some heroes should get better treatment than the rest. Now, what are these mechanical inconsistencies? The fan explains that when Cloak and Dagger die, their Ult vanishes, which is quite obvious because you have to recharge that Ult throughout the match with your kills and other aspects. But that’s not the case with Moon Knight, as his Ult doesn’t vanish even after his death. This is just one of the many examples of the inconsistency issues that the fans have been facing along with the controversial match-making system. Comment byu/nospimi99 from discussion inmarvelrivals Comment byu/nospimi99 from discussion inmarvelrivals Comment byu/nospimi99 from discussion inmarvelrivals Comment byu/nospimi99 from discussion inmarvelrivals Another inconsistency the fan pointed out is that when Rocket dies, his Ult doesn’t vanish, but his revival beacon disappears. This shouldn’t happen as he is a healer and those beacons are one of the most important aspects of any healer. Now, when it comes to other healers, their Ults might disappear after they die but not their healing abilities. There’s more. When Bucky kills a Loki clone, his Ult is reset; when Wolverine assaults it, his rage meter increases; and when a clone is in Thor’s bubble, a hammer is restored. However, Strange’s magic meter isn’t increased when he attacks a clone. Furthermore, there’s no reduction on Namor’s Monstro’s cooldown when he uses his primary fire to attack it. Additionally, there’s no effect on Psylocke’s ability cooldown when she shoots a clone. NetEase Games needs to work on these anomalies as soon as possible, otherwise it might be too late for Rivals. Marvel Rivals allegedly uses EOMM Marvel Rivals’ matchmaking system has stirred unreal controversy. | Credit: NetEase Games. In the realm of video games, there are various types of matchmaking systems, such as The Connection-based Matchmaking System (CBMM) is used in Destiny 2, while the Skill-based Matchmaking System (SBMM) is used in Call of Duty. Nevertheless, Marvel Rivals‘ alleged Engagement Optimized Matchmaking System (EOMM) was more controversial than any of the previous matchmaking methods. What is causing controversy with this method, then? In a nutshell, EOMM takes advantage of players’ feelings in order to boost studio profits. Often used in competitive online games, the controversial EOMM algorithm prioritizes player engagement over fairness. Instead of ensuring that matches are balanced, the system generates scenarios in which players experience a mix of wins and losses. By letting players feel both the thrill of winning and the agony of losing, EOMM games seek to maintain player interest. This system accomplishes that by assigning you to a team of players with lower skill levels, ensuring your defeat. It is said that making the players feel as though they are enjoying the game, forces them to buy more skins because they are thinking about the long-term benefits. The game’s obvious signs of EOMM include the disproportionate number of bots playing the round, which can change in tandem with their skill level if circumstances call for it, as well as the dramatic swings in wins and losses. It’s high time NetEase Games start fixing all of these persisting issues if it wants to stay at the throne, or else, it will get the treatment that the other hero-shooter titles have already got. Source link #Marvel #Rivals #Lot #Mechanical #Inconsistencies #NetEase Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bring it on Nvidia – AMD confirms new Radeon RX 9000 series GPUs will launch in early March, rivaling Team Green’s rumored RTX 5060 Ti and 5060 launch Bring it on Nvidia – AMD confirms new Radeon RX 9000 series GPUs will launch in early March, rivaling Team Green’s rumored RTX 5060 Ti and 5060 launch AMD looks set to hit back against Nvidia amid speculation of a March launch for the RTX 5060 Ti and 5060 The new Radeon RX 9000 series will launch in early March A press conference for the new GPU lineup is rumored to happen at the end of February CES 2025 showcased what to expect regarding this generation’s GPUs, with Nvidia taking the spotlight at the convention with its new RTX 5000 series GPUs (currently sold out) – and now, AMD is finally about to join the race after the initial reveal of its new GPUs. As reported by VideoCardz, AMD’s CEO Lisa Su confirmed the Radeon RX 9000 series GPUs will launch in March after previous reports that the lineup would, and just days after rumors of Nvidia’s RTX 5060 Ti and 5060’s potential launch began circulating. The RDNA 4 architecture for the upcoming GPUs promises to enhance ray tracing performance while utilizing Team Red’s new FSR 4 feature for greater image stabilization when upscaling. VideoCardz also recently relayed rumors of AMD holding an RX 9070 series press conference at the end of February – considering the activity from its main rival Nvidia, it’s about time for AMD to properly enter the picture and show us all how its new lineup of graphics cards stack up against Team Green’s. From what we’ve already seen, the Radeon RX 9070 XT doesn’t appear to be a midrange GPU, supposedly providing top-tier performance at native 4K without using FSR. Since Nvidia’s aggressive pricing for its premium GPUs could be a dealbreaker for many, AMD has the chance to gain an advantage in the GPU race with more affordable prices (especially if those initial performance results are accurate). Time for another showdown between Lisa Su and Jensen Huang… who, just incidentally, are actually cousins. (Image credit: AMD) Is this a reaction to speculation on Nvidia’s RTX xx60-class launch rumors? While it’s definitely possible that AMD had already planned for launch in March as most reports suggested, this feels like smart timing from Team Red. It’s obvious that Nvidia is in the lead with its RTX 5000 series GPU lineup (as it has been for a while now), and the rumors of an RTX xx60-class launch in March would directly rival AMD’s potential hype. The end of this month feels like the ideal time to unveil the new Radeon RX GPU lineup, but there’s also a strong chance that Nvidia will end up doing the same thing. We’ve only seen the RTX 5090, 5080, 5070 Ti, and 5070 (with the latter launching on a currently undisclosed date later this month), so it’s only a matter of time before we see the RTX 5060 Ti and 5060. Personally, I’m hoping AMD’s new GPUs can provide a strong alternative for gamers to Nvidia’s cards, as the GPU market is very much in need of competition – if strong competition comes in the form of high-tier performance at generous prices, it could lead to some potential RTX buyers turning their heads to reconsider. We’ll just have to wait and see what Team Red has in store for us… Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. You may also like… Source link #Bring #Nvidia #AMD #confirms #Radeon #series #GPUs #launch #early #March #rivaling #Team #Greens #rumored #RTX #launch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

David Hockney’s iPad paintings in new exhibition David Hockney’s iPad paintings in new exhibition David Hockney, the world renowned artist from Bradford, is showing 20 pictures of flowers at Salts Mill gallery in Saltaire, West Yorkshire. The illustrations were created digitally using an app designed for 87-year-old Mr Hockney. The free exhibition is the first time this artwork has been shown outside London and is part of the artist’s support for his home city’s culture celebrations this year. Source link #David #Hockneys #iPad #paintings #exhibition Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

N.S. woman plans surgery in United States after winning court case against province N.S. woman plans surgery in United States after winning court case against province By The Staff The ********* Press Posted February 5, 2025 10:22 am Updated February 5, 2025 10:29 am 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size A Nova Scotia woman who fought to have the provincial government pay for out-of-country treatment for a painful leg condition is preparing for her surgery with a New Jersey physician. Jennifer Brady won her appeal before the Nova Scotia Supreme Court in November after a years-long battle, drawing a public apology from the premier over how the province handled her case. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Her condition — lymphedema — causes tissue to swell from the accumulation of fluids normally drained through the body’s lymphatic system. Brady said in an interview Tuesday she met with her American surgeon this week, had images of her legs taken, and is expecting to receive a date for surgery in the next few months. Trending Now Donald Trump Jr. accused of killing rare, protected bird on trip to Italy Trump says Iran would be ‘obliterated’ if it assassinated him She says various approaches are being considered, including one where healthy lymph nodes are taken from one part of her body and transplanted into her legs. Story continues below advertisement Brady says the planned treatment gives her hope, adding that her main goal after recovery is to be able to walk on the beach with her children. This report by The ********* Press was first published Feb. 5, 2025. More on Health More videos &copy 2025 The ********* Press Source link #N.S #woman #plans #surgery #United #States #winning #court #case #province Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Truck Manager 2025 lets you build your own shipping fleet, out now on iOS and Android Truck Manager 2025 lets you build your own shipping fleet, out now on iOS and Android Truck Manager 2025 brings tycoon-level truck management to mobile Build your own fleet of trucks and customise them to carry all manner of cargo Plan out your finances, build up your staff and more Ever wanted to experience the open road? Got a fondness for eighteen-wheelers? Are spreadsheets your go-to form of recreation? Then rejoice, because the newly-released Truck Manager 2025 combines all of your passions and more! You can find it now on iOS and Android, and build your own trucking empire across the world. Unlike the simulator-type releases we’re all likely more familiar with, Truck Manager 2025 takes more of a macro-level view with an emphasis on tycoon aspects. You won’t be manually controlling your trucks but you do get to customise their type and look, before setting them on routes to deliver various cargo on both short and long-haul deliveries. Naturally, economic simulation is also a key component in helping you plot your routes or presenting unexpected challenges. Whether it’s staff wages, fuel prices or goods costs you’ll need to plan accordingly. Fortunately, you can also stack your company with all manner of high-level execs, managers and staff to help keep everything running smoothly. Keep on trucking I’m a little ambivalent about Truck Manager 2025. I can see the hints of AI-generated assets in the trailers and on some of the store content, and I’m unsure how well the folks behind this can actually hit all the ambitious features they promise. At the same time, I’m sure there’s no harm in giving it a go. The management genre is one which has been difficult to achieve properly on mobile, as it can either end up being a bit of a money grabber or simply a stripped-back version of the proper entry. That being said I think there’s a genuine hunger for top-level, highly-simulationist management tycoon games out there. If you want to see what else is out there in the management genre why not check out our rankings of the top tycoon games for iOS and Android? Source link #Truck #Manager #lets #build #shipping #fleet #iOS #Android Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

SpaceX Starship Flight 7 Explosion Raises Concerns Over Air Pollution SpaceX Starship Flight 7 Explosion Raises Concerns Over Air Pollution The explosion of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7 in mid-January has sparked discussions among experts about its potential environmental impact. The upper stage of the rocket, which weighed approximately 85 tons without fuel, exploded at an altitude of around 90 miles (146 kilometres). Fragments of the disintegrated spacecraft were reported to have fallen over the Caribbean. Preliminary estimates suggest that the event may have generated significant quantities of metal oxides and nitrogen oxides, pollutants known for their effects on Earth’s ozone layer and atmospheric composition. Scientists are evaluating the extent of contamination left in the upper atmosphere due to the mishap. Estimates of Emissions from the Explosion As reported by space.com, according to a preliminary assessment by University College London atmospheric chemistry researcher Connor Barker, approximately 45.5 metric tons of metal oxides and 40 metric tons of nitrogen oxides may have been released into the atmosphere during the incident. Barker noted to space.com over an email that the amount of metal pollution potentially generated was roughly a third of the annual influx of meteorite material into the Earth’s atmosphere. The figures remain rough estimates rather than definitive calculations of the environmental impact. Potential Risks to the Atmosphere Space debris expert Jonathan McDowell stated to Space.com that “many tons” of the spacecraft’s remains likely splashed into the ocean, reducing the potential airborne pollution. Unlike many satellites and traditional rocket stages made from aluminium, Starship’s stainless steel composition limits the production of aluminium oxides, which are known to impact the ozone layer and atmospheric reflectivity. With the increasing frequency of satellite re-entries and rocket launches, scientists are raising concerns about the cumulative impact of these pollutants. Research suggests that nitrogen oxides and metal particulates accumulating in the mesosphere and upper stratosphere could affect climate patterns and slow ozone layer recovery. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. OpenAI Introduces Deep Research in ChatGPT, an AI Agent That Can Conduct Multi-Step Research The Sims 1 and 2 Re-Released on PC, Legacy Collection Includes All Expansions Source link #SpaceX #Starship #Flight #Explosion #Raises #Concerns #Air #Pollution Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Raspberry Pi Pico Spacewar controller brings vintage space combat to the 21st century Raspberry Pi Pico Spacewar controller brings vintage space combat to the 21st century If there’s one thing that all Raspberry Pi are good for, it’s emulating classic games but this project doesn’t emulate the DEC PDP-1 minicomputer, instead it emulates the controllers. Today we’re delighted to share with you a cool Pico-powered controller system designed to control an emulator for the 1962 game Spacewar! developed for the PDP-1. When the past and the present collide! I’m working on a pair of Pi Pico powered Spacewar! controllers for an upcoming exhibition at the Chicago Gamespace. They appear as plug and play USB gamepads that can be used with a Javascript PDP-1 emulator to play an original version of the game from 1962. from r/raspberry_pi According to Tominator2000, this project was put together to share with others at a convention known as Chicago Gamespace. If you haven’t heard of Spacewar! before, we’ll catch you up to speed. Released in 1962, this game simulates flying through space and blasting oncoming threats using torpedoes. It was created for the DEC PDP-1 minicomputer that was initially developed in 1959 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The controls are operated entirely by just one Raspberry Pi Pico. In the demo video, we get a good look at the hardware setup which currently involves a breadboard, two analog controllers and a pushbutton. Tominator 2000 goes on to explain that the system is programmed to be plug and play and is recognized by devices as a USB gamepad thanks to USB HID emulation. The screen used for the emulator is round in appearance but is actually square with the edges wrapped in a bezel mimicking the PDP-1. The display has a resolution of 1024 x 1024 which is way more than the original and plenty to replicate the graphics for this classic game. The Spacewar! game is running on a Javascript-based emulator. The joysticks are driven using a library called PicoGamepad created by a Reddit user known as Jake_at_real_robots. The left joystick is programmed to rotate your vessel while the right stick is responsible for adjusting the thrust. The button is dedicated to firing torpedoes at your opponent. If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project, you can check out the demo video shared in the original project thread shared to Reddit. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Raspberry #Pico #Spacewar #controller #brings #vintage #space #combat #21st #century Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Langford and Beckenham bushfire: Nine homes saved as dozens of firefighters tackle blaze in soaring heat Langford and Beckenham bushfire: Nine homes saved as dozens of firefighters tackle blaze in soaring heat More than 75 firefighters have saved nine homes from a bushfire burning in the City of Gosnells. The fire broke out in Hester Park in Langford at about 1.30pm on Wednesday and by 4.30pm it had burnt through about three hectares of grassland and bush along the Canning River. Homes came under threat north of Canning River, including Highbury Court, Hersey Place, Packer Street, Tahiti Cove and surrounding roads. Department of Fire and Emergency Services incident controller Don Fazio said fire crews, including 75 on the ground firefighters, nine bushfire brigades and aerial support, worked in tough conditions to save nine homes from ember attack. “There were embers flying onto the houses, crews worked very very hard to save those nine homes,” he said. “It was extremely hot . . . it was very, very challenging conditions for our firefighters.” The bushfire was contained by 4pm but fire crews will remain overnight to monitor any outbreaks and strengthen containment lines. Camera IconThe warning is in place for people in the area bounded by Kenwick Link, Roe Highway, Spencer Road and Nicholson Road in Langford and Beckenham. Credit: DFES Authorities will investigate the cause of the fire, and whether it was connected to a blaze in the area on Tuesday. A warning was in place for people in the area bounded by Kenwick Link, Roe Highway, Spencer Road and Nicholson Road in Langford and Beckenham. A bushfire advice is also in place for parts of Beckenham bounded by Albany Highway, Roe Highway and Kenwick Link. While there is no immediate danger those in the area should be aware and keep up to date in case the situation changes. Camera IconThe bushfire was visible from a number of cameras around the area. Credit: Main Roads Source link #Langford #Beckenham #bushfire #homes #saved #dozens #firefighters #tackle #blaze #soaring #heat Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How Did Covid Change Your Life? How Did Covid Change Your Life? As the five-year anniversary approaches of the World Health Organization’s declaration of the coronavirus pandemic, The New York Times is interested in exploring the extent to which life has changed. (We also want to hear from you if you have lost someone to Covid or another cause of death in the last five years.) Have your daily routines changed? Do you make different decisions regarding your relationships? Has Covid changed your overall outlook, or did it for an extended ******* of time? Do you think of your life as having a prepandemic dividing line? When did your life start to feel “post”-pandemic — if it ever has — and why? We may reach out to hear more about your submission, but we will not publish any part of your response without contacting you first, and we will never publicly share your personal information. Source link #Covid #Change #Life Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nintendo shares more info on its Switch 2 direct – The Verge Nintendo shares more info on its Switch 2 direct – The Verge Nintendo shares more info on its Switch 2 direct The VergeThe Switch 2 Nintendo Direct Now Has a Time as Well as a Date IGNNintendo quietly teases first 3 Switch 2 launch games, and they all bang GAMINGbibleNintendo President Reveals Switch 2 Cross-Gen Plans GameRantNintendo Switch 2 Exclusives Are Essential to Its Success, Says CEO Wccftech Source link #Nintendo #shares #info #Switch #direct #Verge Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Patrick Mahomes vs. Tom Brady: If Chiefs win Super Bowl, there will be a new playoff GOAT Patrick Mahomes vs. Tom Brady: If Chiefs win Super Bowl, there will be a new playoff GOAT If Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl this Sunday in New Orleans, the debate is over. Mahomes would become the greatest playoff quarterback of all time. Tom Brady fans might not want to admit it, but they wouldn’t have to. A mountain of evidence points to Mahomes taking the mantle from him. Before diving into the debate, let’s clear one thing up: With all due respect to the other quarterbacks with four Super Bowl rings (Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw), this is a two-horse race. Mahomes has already won more playoff games than Montana (17-16), and Bradshaw’s statistical profile pales in comparison with Brady’s and Mahomes’. So it’s really down to two. And as you’re about to see, it’s actually down to one. Mahomes is in position to become the clear playoff GOAT. Admittedly, it’s shocking how little time it will have taken for the torch to be passed. Just two years after Brady announced his retirement, Mahomes is poised to do something Brady — or any other QB — never did: win a third consecutive Super Bowl. Just by getting to this stage, he’s already accomplished something Brady never did. No quarterback who had won back-to-back titles had ever even returned to the Super Bowl in their quest for a three-peat. Until Mahomes. If he wins Sunday, he’ll be a four-time champion before he turns 30 — once again, something no other quarterback has ever done. As you’ll see, the only argument in favor of Brady being the better all-time playoff QB than Mahomes is longevity. If you argue Brady is still the playoff GOAT because he won more rings (7-4 if Mahomes wins Sunday) in his 21 seasons as a healthy starter, that’s your prerogative. But just remember, Brady won 33 percent of the Super Bowls he was eligible to win; if Mahomes wins Sunday, he’ll be at 57 percent (4-of-7 as a starter). By the time Brady won his fourth title (at age 37), he was at 30 percent. By the time you’re finished reading this story, you will understand that a four-time Super Bowl champion Mahomes wins the argument in three of the primary categories you would use to settle this debate. Mahomes will have the higher peak (three-peat); his performance in the clutch far supersedes Brady’s; and he has easily been the superior statistical performer. Let’s start with that last point. If you just want to use stats to analyze Brady vs. Mahomes in the playoffs, this debate won’t last long. It’s Mahomes by a mile. Mahomes vs. Brady, Part 1 Stat Patrick Mahomes Tom Brady Playoff games (W-L) 20 (17-3) 48 (35-13) Win % 85% 72.9% EPA/Dropback 0.23 0.14 Dropback success rate 51.1% 49.8% TD/INT 5.4 2.2 Sack rate 5.2% 4% Yards/attempt 7.7 7.0 Passer rating 105.8 89.8 Rushing first downs + TDs 43 35 Fourth-quarter comebacks 6 9 Game-winning drives 7 14 As you can see, Mahomes has the advantage in just about every stat that’s indicative of quarterback success or is typically used in determining superiority. Brady’s only advantage comes in sack percentage and in the places where longevity matters (total wins, fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives). But Mahomes is already closing in on Brady’s game-winning drives total, despite playing in 28 fewer games. From an advanced metric standpoint, Mahomes’ 0.23 EPA is roughly equivalent to what Buffalo Bills superstar Josh Allen (0.24) posted during the regular season. That is to say, Mahomes plays at an MVP level in the playoffs. Brady’s mark of 0.14 nearly mirrors what Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (0.13) posted this season. It’s also worth pointing out what an asset Mahomes has been as a runner in the playoffs. Despite playing in 28 fewer games, he’s already tallied more rushing touchdowns and first downs than Brady — the original king of the QB sneak — ever did. And that’s with virtually no difference in passing volume. Mahomes averages 277.8 passing yards per game in the postseason, and Brady averaged 279.2. Taken on the whole, there’s pretty much no statistical argument for Brady. But Mahomes’ superiority goes beyond total stats. We all know Brady’s reputation in the playoffs was that if you gave him the ball in a had-to-have-it situation, he was going to make you pay. It was inevitable. Put another way: Before Mahomes, you could have won any GOAT QB argument in favor of Brady by simply asking: If you could pick any quarterback to win one playoff game, who would it be? The answer was Brady. It had to be. But not anymore. If you could pick any QB to win one big game, to lead your team down the field in a have-to-have-it situation, you pick Mahomes. He’s the new clutch king. The data speaks for itself. These are their playoff numbers in one-score games in the last five minutes and overtime: Mahomes vs. Brady, Part 2 Patrick Mahomes Tom Brady Total dropbacks (games) 71 (12) 156 (25) EPA/Dropback 0.49 0.27 Dropback success rate 58.1% 46.2% Total TDs 4 6 Turnovers 1 3 Yards per attempt 9.9 6.6 Sack rate 5.6% 2.6% Passer rating 119.6 82.6 Rushing first downs 5 2 The gap between Mahomes and Brady is even wider here. Look at the EPA. Brady raised his play to MVP level in these scenarios, but Mahomes goes to another planet. The greatest EPA regular season ever recorded (dating to 2000) was posted by Peyton Manning in 2004. He delivered 0.45 EPA, according to TruMedia. Brady’s historic 2007 season EPA was 0.41. Somehow, when it matters most, Mahomes is better than the best ever. Brady and the New England Patriots used to feel inevitable, but they don’t hold a candle to Mahomes and the Chiefs. Now, to get ahead of (at least) one argument Brady’s defenders will try to use, we’ve analyzed another set of data to prove the point. Eras. Some will say the early part of Brady’s career occurred before the league became so pass heavy. That’s somewhat fair. Though it’s impossible to assess what kind of numbers Brady might have posted if he had played in a more pass-happy league in the early part of his career, it’s at least worth mentioning the difference in eras isn’t quite as severe as you’d think. NFL teams in 2024 averaged 1.5 passing touchdowns and 217.6 yards per game. In 2000, Brady’s first year as a starter, teams averaged 1.3 passing touchdowns and 206.9 yards per game. QBs today complete a greater percentage of passes and throw fewer interceptions, but again, the numbers aren’t drastic. Still, let’s try to even things out a little. Let’s drop early-career Brady and his first three Super Bowls and use only his numbers from 2014 until his retirement, a span in which he won four Super Bowls. That’s an eight-year sample, similar to the seven years Mahomes has been the starter in Kansas City, with their time overlapping for five seasons (2018-22). So, let’s take a look at how the data stacks up now. Again, we’re looking at one-score playoff games in the last five minutes and overtime: Mahomes vs. Brady, Part 3 Patrick Mahomes Tom Brady Total dropbacks (games) 71 (12) 80 (13) EPA/Dropback 0.49 0.29 Dropback success rate 58.1% 51.9% Total TDs 4 3 Turnovers 1 2 Yards per attempt 9.9 7.7 Sack rate 5.6% 2.5% Passer rating 119.6 89.6 Rushing first downs 5 1 Brady saw an increase in his performance when dropping his 2001-13 data, but it’s clear his numbers still don’t stack up against Mahomes’. It’s a similar story if you move away from clutch situations and look at their playoff numbers as a whole. Mahomes wins in almost every significant category. Sure, it’s fair to suggest Mahomes’ metrics could fade as he ages. After all, few have ever held off time and aged as gracefully as Brady. Then again, haven’t we all learned by now that betting against Mahomes is a bad idea? GO DEEPER Super Bowl week top storylines: Chiefs’ shot at history, Saquon Barkley … and NFL refs OK, so when we said there was only one argument (longevity) in favor of Brady, that might have been a touch unfair. It should at least be mentioned that Brady is 2-0 against Mahomes in the playoffs, including a Super Bowl victory. However, for those keen to use that argument for Brady, let’s remember Eli Manning is 2-0 against Brady in the playoffs, including two Super Bowls, and no one would dare suggest Manning is the superior playoff quarterback. Two games are too small of a sample to determine much, and head-to-head matchups are too circumstantial to use as significant evidence. The truth is, the further you dive into this debate, the more the evidence stacks up for Mahomes over Brady. Here’s just a small sampling of further research: • With a win against the Eagles on Sunday, Mahomes will have won 10 straight playoff games, which would tie Brady’s record from 2001 to 2005. The difference, however, is Brady’s Patriots missed the playoffs entirely in 2002, whereas no one has beaten the Chiefs since the 2021 AFC Championship Game. • Mahomes already has the second-most wins in the playoffs when his team trails by double-digits (five). He’s only one behind Brady, but Mahomes is 5-2 when he has found himself down double digits, and Brady finished 6-8. • Mahomes’ teams have scored 595 points in his first 20 playoff games (29.7 points per game); Brady’s teams scored 455 (23.9) in his first 20. Want to adjust for era again? Mahomes’ 595 points are more than Brady’s teams scored in his last 20 playoff games, too (568). • Brady’s defenses only allowed 20.8 points per game in the playoffs, and Mahomes’ defenses have yielded 23.1. Once again, if you adjust for era and only count Brady’s playoff games from 2014 onward, Brady still got more help from his defenses. They allowed just 21.8 points per game. I understand those who want to stand by Brady and his seven championships. But if you had to pick one QB to win a Super Bowl, could you really pick against Mahomes? I couldn’t. If his Chiefs win Sunday, the debate will be over. Mahomes will be the greatest playoff quarterback of all time. And part of me wonders: Isn’t that just really saying he’s the greatest quarterback of all time? That’s an argument for another day. (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; photos: Rob Carr and Michael Owens / Getty Images) Source link #Patrick #Mahomes #Tom #Brady #Chiefs #win #Super #Bowl #playoff #GOAT Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dead by Daylight Reopens the Datamining Debate After Recent Event Leaks Because It’s a “terrible experience for anybody working on the game” Dead by Daylight Reopens the Datamining Debate After Recent Event Leaks Because It’s a “terrible experience for anybody working on the game” In the market of live-service gaming, few things spread faster than a good leak. Just ask the Dead by Daylight team, who recently watched their surprise announcement—the return of their massively successful 2v8 event—to get datamined and spread across the internet faster than a Nurse with maximum Blink charges. The Entity’s secrets never stay hidden for long. | Image Credit: Behaviour Interactive The relationship between developers and dataminers has always been complicated, like a toxic romance where one party keeps reading the other’s diary. But as these digital detectives continue to unearth hidden treasures from game files, we’re left wondering whether these premature discoveries are helping or hurting the games we love. For some studios, leaks have become an unofficial marketing strategy, driving engagement and speculation. For others, like Dead by Daylight’s dev team, it’s a frustrating violation of their well-thought-out reveal plans. And then there are those who’ve decided to fight fire with fire, turning the tables on the leak hunters in ways nobody saw coming. When datamining becomes a double-edged sword Some surprises are better left in the fog. | Image Credit: Behaviour Interactive The leak of Dead by Daylight‘s upcoming 2v8 event has reignited a debate that’s been simmering in the gaming community for years. Speaking to TheGamer, game director Mathieu Côté didn’t ****** words about the impact these premature revelations have on their work: I think the technical answer is it f**king sucks. And pardon my French here, but it’s terrible. It’s really, really a terrible experience for anybody working on the game. Yet, for many games, leaks have paradoxically become a powerful marketing tool. Take Fortnite, for instance, where the leaking community has practically become an unofficial arm of the game’s hype machine. Every new season brings a flood of discoveries from dataminers, keeping players engaged and speculating between official announcements. We’re working really hard to create amazing content. The marketing team works really, really hard to create a compelling narrative with teases and reveals that are going to be super exciting. And when all of this work is cheated out of its proper release, it is frustrating for everybody. It hurts. While Côté’s frustration is understandable, games like Genshin Impact have shown how leak culture can actually benefit a title’s longevity. The constant stream of leaked future content keeps players invested, knowing exactly what (or who) they’re saving their upgrade materials (and wallets) for. A new chapter in the great leak wars When the bait becomes better than the catch. | Image Credit: NetEase Games Just when we thought we’d seen every trick in the book, some developers are starting to flip the script. Marvel Rivals, barely two months old, has already made headlines for allegedly planting fake hero information in their game files. It’s like putting up ****** security cameras—you know someone’s watching, so why not give them something fun to look at? Of course, this is not to say that we don’t get where Côté’s coming from: There are other ways that people show their passion. There’s just never a good leak. It never helps. It’s never good. It always breaks something. But here’s the thing—leaks have become as much a part of gaming culture as questionable hitboxes and day-one patches. For every Apex Legends update that gets spoiled early, there’s a community of players more excited than ever to jump back in. It’s free marketing that money quite literally can’t buy. Perhaps the solution isn’t to wage war against the inevitable but to embrace it in creative ways. After all, if you can’t beat the dataminers, why not join them in their game? NetEase’s 4D chess move with Marvel Rivals might just be the beginning of a whole new meta in the developer-dataminer dance. What’s your take on game leaks? Do they enhance your gaming experience or rob you of those magical reveal moments? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Source link #Dead #Daylight #Reopens #Datamining #Debate #Event #Leaks #terrible #experience #working #game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Prevent missed chances to stop Axel Rudakubana Prevent missed chances to stop Axel Rudakubana The Prevent counter-extremism scheme wrongly concluded Southport killer Axel Rudakubana did not pose a serious threat, a government review has found. Security minister Dan Jarvis MP told the House of Commons Rudakubana had already discussed the Manchester Arena bombing and stabbing people when Prevent “prematurely” closed his case. The now convicted triple-killer was referred to Prevent three times between December 2019 and April 2021 due to his interest in terrorist attacks and school shootings. Rudakubana was 17 when he walked into a summer holiday dance workshop on 29 July last year, stabbing 11 children and two adults and killing nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar; Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and six-year-old Bebe King. Source link #Prevent #missed #chances #stop #Axel #Rudakubana Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

From Super Bowls to Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali to ‘last resort,’ the Superdome has seen it all From Super Bowls to Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali to ‘last resort,’ the Superdome has seen it all NEW ORLEANS — Spring 1982. Sixteen seconds left in the NCAA final, and a skinny freshman from North Carolina buries a jumper that delivers a championship and changes his life. He showed up in New Orleans that week as Mike Jordan. He left as Michael. By that point, the sprawling steel building that provided the stage for Jordan’s arrival into the national consciousness — the seven-year-old Louisiana Superdome — was used to gripping theater unfolding within its walls. In November 1980, as the seconds ticked away at the end of the eighth round of the world welterweight championship, boxer Roberto Durán, tired of chasing Sugar Ray Leonard around the ring, waved his glove at the referee and staggered to his corner. “No más, no más,” Durán muttered. It was the first time a world champ had voluntarily conceded the title in 16 years. Two years prior, the same stadium witnessed the last of Muhammad Ali’s 56 professional wins, a unanimous decision over Leon Spinks that took back the WBA heavyweight title. Pete Maravich ran the break here. Keith Smart’s jumper won Indiana the title here. Chris Webber called a timeout he didn’t have here. In 1978, the venue hosted the first prime-time Super Bowl. Thirty-five years later the lights went out in another. Tom Brady won his first here; Brady’s idol, Joe Montana, won his last here. In 1981 the Rolling Stones performed in front of 87,500 — then a record crowd for an indoor concert. The pope visited. Presidents, too. But for native New Orleanians, nothing will match the night Steve Gleason’s blocked punt helped make a city feel whole again. Not after the devastation wrought when Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29, 2005. As levees broke and parishes flooded, the Superdome became “a refuge of last resort” for displaced citizens. Thousands crammed inside with nowhere else to turn. The plumbing failed. The air conditioning failed. Vicious winds peeled off parts of the roof. ****** pooled on the floor. Blood stained the walls. One man reportedly jumped to his death from a stadium balcony. A city was left reeling, its citizens scarred, its iconic stadium battered. Twelve months later the Superdome was restored, and with it, New Orleans. Doug Thornton, executive president of ASM Global, the company that runs the stadium, watched Saints fans file through the gates the night of the home opener with tears rolling down their cheeks. “They never thought they’d get to come back in,” he says now. What followed was a moment so symbolic the team erected a statue to commemorate it. After forcing the Atlanta Falcons into a three-and-out on the first possession of the game, Gleason laid out to block a punt attempt by Michael Koenen. Saints teammate Curtis DeLoatch recovered the ball as it rolled into the end zone for a New Orleans touchdown that kicked off a cathartic celebration. “I’ve never been in a stadium louder than that,” ESPN’s Mike Tirico later told NFL Films. “Rebirth,” the statue commemorating Steve Gleason’s iconic 2006 punt block, was unveiled outside the Superdome in 2012. (Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images) The Superdome’s eighth Super Bowl arrives Sunday; no other stadium has hosted more than six. It’s a testament to the rarest of American sporting venues, one that has stood the test of time despite a host of factors fighting against its longevity, including architectural advances and the worst Mother Nature has to offer. More than that, amid the era of multibillion-dollar, state-of-the-art stadiums, fewer and fewer NFL franchises call downtown home. The Saints still do. And that’s how New Orleans prefers it. Stadiums that have hosted the most Super Bowls Stadium City Super Bowls Caesars Superdome New Orleans, La. 8 Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, Fla. 6 Orange Bowl Miami, Fla. 5 Rose Bowl Pasadena, Calif. 5 State Farm Stadium Glendale, Ariz. 3 Tulane Stadium New Orleans, La. 3 Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Fla. 3 Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, Calif. 3 “I’ve spent half my life in this building,” says Thornton, whose office for the last 28 years has been inside the since-renamed Caesars Superdome. “We’ve always joked that New Orleans viewed the Superdome as its living room. It’s where we watch our kids graduate high school. It’s where we come together for Saints games. For monster truck rallies. For all these major events we host every year like the Sugar Bowl. “People just revere this place.” Macie Washington tends bar at Walk-Ons a few blocks from the stadium. New Orleans without the Superdome? The thought lingers in her mind for a few moments. She grows quiet. She’s never considered it. “Everything that happens in the dome, we feel it here,” she says. “It’s the heart of our city.” Consider similar venues erected in the same era, during what was then a new wave of American ingenuity: Houston’s Astrodome (opened in 1965, closed in 2008), Detroit’s Pontiac Silverdome (opened 1975, closed in 2013); Seattle’s Kingdome (opened 1976, closed in 2000); Minneapolis’ Metrodome (opened 1982, closed in 2013), Indianapolis’ RCA Dome (opened 1984, closed in 2008). All but the Astrodome have been razed. The Superdome still stands, and thanks in part to a recent $557 million facelift that was spread across four NFL seasons, will have a different look for Super Bowl LIX. More than $100 million of that came directly from Saints owner Gayle Benson, according to Jay Cicero, president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. “If that’s not proof they wanna stay put, I don’t know what is.” Cicero doesn’t mean stay put in New Orleans. He means stay put in the Superdome. “To continue to plan and fund renovations in the stadium rather than tear it down and build a new one from scratch?” Cicero continues. “That just speaks to how important it is to New Orleanians.” GO DEEPER Roger Goodell lauds Saints’ transparency on connection to archdiocese Thornton says the original price tag for the building, way back in 1967, was around $42 million. But by its long-delayed 1975 unveiling, the cost had jumped to $160 million. It was a means to an end. The city wanted an NFL franchise. Legend has it longtime league commissioner Pete Rozelle told New Orleans businessman Dave Dixon — who spearheaded the push — that his city could have a team so long as it met one critical condition. “You better build a stadium with a roof because of all the thunderstorms,” Rozelle said. Dixon obliged. Louisiana erected the biggest domed stadium in the country. The building covers 13 square acres. At its apex, the roof is 273 feet from the floor. “Two million square feet under the roof,” Thornton marvels. “When it opened it was twice the size of the Astrodome.” It is also the NFL’s fifth-oldest active stadium and will climb to fourth after the Bills vacate Highmark Stadium in the coming years (and third if the Bears ever leave Soldier Field). The recent renovations, spurred by Benson and the Saints organization, have modernized the facility and opened up the concourses for easier movement. “It looks more like a nightclub now versus a coliseum,” adds Sam Joffray, who spent 25 years with the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and actually designed the stadium’s first website back in the mid-1990s. “It’s a pretty amazing example of what can happen if you keep reinvesting in a venue instead of tearing it down.” NFL’s oldest stadiums Franchise Stadium Year opened 1 Soldier Field 1924 2 Lambeau Field 1957 3 Arrowhead Stadium 1972 4 Highmark Stadium 1973 5 Caesars Superdome 1975 6 Hard Rock Stadium 1987 7 EverBank Stadium 1995 8 Bank of America Stadium 1996 9 Northwest Stadium 1997 10 M&T Bank Stadium 1998 One message is plastered throughout the city this week, from the beads volunteers are handing out at the airport to signage lining the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center: This is what we do. New Orleans prides itself in its ability to host major events, and at the center of that is the colossal stadium — a short walk from just about anywhere downtown — that transformed the city’s potential from the minute it opened. “The Superdome put New Orleans on the map,” Thornton says. “Before it was constructed, our major industries were oil and gas and shipping. Now, our major industries are tourism, oil and gas and shipping. “I always joke,” he continues, “that as soon as someone shows up for the Super Bowl here, they’re handed a hurricane from Pat O’Brien’s at the airport and they head to the French Quarter and they never leave.” Like Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Fenway Park in Boston, Wrigley Field in Chicago and Madison Square Garden in New York, the Superdome has forged a uniquely intimate relationship with a city and its residents. “We’re not the biggest market in the world. Actually we’re pretty small compared to most NFL cities,” Cicero says. “But we can compete for these major events and host these major events, and it starts with a truly amazing, amazing venue. The Superdome is just part of the fabric of New Orleans.” It’s why the Saints have no interest in finding a new home. It’s why the Super Bowl keeps finding its way back to New Orleans. “This community has such a way of putting its stamp on it,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said earlier this week when asked why The Big Easy remains such a consistent player in the league’s Super Bowl rotation. “I think the people here wrap their arms around it and make it better. I think we’ve realized that this is a place that is sort of perfect for the Super Bowl.” (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos: Aaron M. Sprecher, Manny Millan, Bob Rosato, James Drake / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) Source link #Super #Bowls #Michael #Jordan #Muhammad #Ali #resort #Superdome Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why I can’t stick with a game anymore (and maybe you can’t either) Why I can’t stick with a game anymore (and maybe you can’t either) 88323h ago(Edited 23h ago) First disclaimer. I run a 4090 in my P.C. My reply to the headline: Yet it is not going to be playing many games any time soon that look remarkably better… Higher frame rate? Absolutely. However it is a reality that the MASSIVELY higher powered P.C. hardware is ultimately utilized to play (pretty much) the same games as the consoles but with technically better ray tracing that many would be hard to see (and I DO LOVE path tracing – don’t get me wrong, I would love everything to have it) and still when compared to the PS5 Pro that often runs fidelity mode at 60fps, with the PC, we can get even higher. So yes, it outperforms it, but other than a higher frame rate (compared to what is generally already solid on the PS5 Pro), the games’ looks do not generally come anywhere close to reflecting the wild power divide between my PC and my PS5 Pro. Again, same games (mostly), and other than frame rates *above* 60, mostly look very similar unless one knows what to look for and even then, I can get really excited about the processing power required to do a certain thing, while acknowledging that the actual appearance is NOT that different from a purely practical perspective. We are very much at “diminishing returns” in the first place, but because games are not designed to only be playable on the highest end P.C. hardware, those capabilities are not really demonstrated as they could be and so the biggest difference typically remains the ability to run a VERY high frame rate vs. what most would still consider a good frame rate with the PS5 Pro. Nevemind the fact that developing for only the highest end P.C. components will not happen because only a minuscule percentage of P.C. users have that hardware in the first place. Source link #stick #game #anymore Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AMD shares drop 10% on disappointing data center revenue AMD shares drop 10% on disappointing data center revenue Lisa Su, chair and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices Inc., during the AMD Advancing AI event in San Jose, California, on Dec. 6, 2023. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Advanced Micro Devices shares fell more than 10% on Wednesday after the chipmaker under-delivered on Wall Street’s estimates for its important data center business. Shares traded at a 52-week low and were on pace for their worst session since October. AMD reported better-than-expected results on the top and bottom lines, but it also reported data center sales of $3.86 billion. That reflected 69% growth from a year ago but fell short of the $4.14 billion in sales expected by analysts polled by LSEG. The key unit, responsible for selling advanced chips for data centers, has benefitted in recent years from growing demand for its graphics processing units, as megacap technology companies race to develop advanced artificial intelligence tools. Data center revenue grew 94% for the full year to $12.6 billion, with $5 billion of those sales stemming from AMD’s AI-focused Instinct GPUs. The company is the second-largest producer for gaming after Nvidia, which has triumphed as the market leader in AI chips and ballooned in value to a nearly $3 trillion market value. “We believe this places AMD on a steep long-term growth trajectory, led by the rapid scaling of our data center AI franchise from more than $5 billion of revenue in 2024 to tens of billions of dollars of annual revenue over the coming years,” AMD CEO Lisa Su said on the earnings call with analysts. Source link #AMD #shares #drop #disappointing #data #center #revenue Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Sam Kerr tells London court the Claremont serial killer is behind her fear of cab drivers Sam Kerr tells London court the Claremont serial killer is behind her fear of cab drivers Sam Kerr has invoked the Claremont serial killer in her defence against criminal accusations in a London trial, claiming the notorious murders instilled a fear of cab drivers into a generation of Perth women. Source link #Sam #Kerr #tells #London #court #Claremont #serial #killer #fear #cab #drivers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How banned Yankees fan Austin Capobianco’s life has changed since his infamous World Series moment How banned Yankees fan Austin Capobianco’s life has changed since his infamous World Series moment Austin Capobianco has grown accustomed to the blowback. It’s been more than three months since the 38-year-old Connecticut man grabbed and pried open the glove of Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts in Game 4 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium. He’s received hundreds of texts and voicemails from strangers telling him to go to hell or worse. He’s been excoriated on social media — just one penance for a sin witnessed live on television by 16 million people and replayed countlessly online since. But this winter, not long before Capobianco would receive a letter from Major League Baseball indefinitely banning him from all MLB stadiums, the arrival of a different sort of delivery left him stunned. He answered a phone call from his brother, who told him that a box had arrived at the doorstep of their parents’ house in a sleepy suburb on the shoreline of Connecticut. There was no name on it. It had some weight. Wary to open it, a Google search of the return address led them to a company that specializes in sending anonymous packages filled with a particular substance. “It was poop,” Capobianco said. Someone had paid a company to anonymously send ****** to Capobianco. But since his name was still connected with his parents’ address online, it wound up there instead of at his apartment. Other anonymous packages were also sent to his office, where he and his four siblings work for their family’s food service supply and commercial kitchen design business. They went unopened. “All the stuff my family has had to deal with because of me,” Capobianco said. “The nonstop phone calls. The people sending me pictures of their ugly looking ********. The packages.” Capobianco says he regrets interfering with Betts and that he wishes the whole thing “never happened.” He’s disappointed that he’s been banned, but says that he understands the penalty. The diehard Yankees fan hopes he can get back in MLB’s good graces sooner than later so that he can return to Yankee Stadium. But he also wants to give his version of what happened that night. And he hopes that the constant stream of mostly anonymous vitriol will finally end. “Guys, you won the World Series,” he said. “Leave me alone.” Seated at an Italian restaurant in mid-January, nobody seems to recognize Capobianco. Dressed in a blue Moncler crew neck and a ****** beanie, rather than the all-****** flat brim Yankees hat and oversized gray jersey he’ll forever be associated with, he’s just another guy out for dinner in the Westchester County suburbs. On Oct. 29th of last year, he was also just another guy in the crowd, until he made a series of decisions that will likely follow him for a long time. Capobianco arrived at the stadium for Game 4 with his younger brother Darren, best friend John Hansen and another friend. They found their four seats in section 109, up against the wall in the right field corner — a ticket package Capobianco’s older brother has had the rights to for a little more than a decade. Almost right away, a dark cloud seemed to hang over the Bronx. In the first inning, Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil gave up a one-out double to Betts and then a home run to Freddie Freeman, who had sunk the Yankees with a 10th-inning walk-off blast in Game 1 and also homered in games 2 and 3. It felt like the embarrassment of a sweep happening on the Yankees’ own turf may be inevitable. Reeling and furious, they decided to regroup. They shuffled their seats, hoping it would bring “good juju,” Capobianco said. He slid from his customary spot on the far right of the ********* and into the seat second from the left. “I’ve never sat in that seat … in my life,” he said. Then, in the Yankees’ first at-bat of the game, Gleyber Torres made contact with a high and inside fastball. It screamed toward Capobianco and his crew at 91.1 mph. First the ball got past both of Hansen’s outstretched hands. Then it landed in the glove of Betts, whose left wrist was between Capobianco’s hands, which were forming a cup but didn’t appear to pass the wall and enter the field of play. What happened next was something nobody had ever seen before. Capobianco grabbed Betts’ glove with both hands, gritted his teeth and pulled it open just enough to fit his hand inside and knock the ball loose. As Betts tussled with Capobianco, Hansen gripped Betts’ right wrist. After the ball fell to the field, umpires ruled fan interference and called Torres out. Betts and the group briefly exchanged words. “Mookie was swearing at us,” Darren Capobianco said at the time. “Not good.” Austin Capobianco knew he was going to be ejected. “I didn’t know how bad it was,” he said, “but I knew it was bad.” Within a minute, Yankee Stadium security guards whisked away Capobianco and Hansen and told them they would be ejected from the game. At the time, Capobianco said, stadium security told them they would be allowed back for Game 5. The next afternoon, MLB announced that they would, in fact, be barred from the game, and the Yankees donated their tickets to a family whose child had *******. Capobianco and Hansen watched the rest of Game 4 and all of Game 5 from Billy’s Bar across the street from the stadium. “A million people wanted to take pictures,” he said. Capobianco now says he has never watched clips of his interference with Betts and he never will. When it shows on TV, he changes the channel. “I want nothing to do with that memory,” he said recently. But in the hours after the game, Capobianco seemed to embrace the notoriety. He did an interview with a reporter for ESPN. The next day, he appeared on a Barstool Sports podcast. “We always joke about the ball in our area,” Capobianco said at the time, according to ESPN. “We’re not going to go out of our way to attack. If it’s in our area, we’re going to ‘D’ up. … Someone defends, someone knocks the ball. We talk about it. We’re willing to do this.” But speaking to The Athletic, Capobianco and Hansen each said they had never planned to touch a player. They said the plan was to just knock down the ball to make sure it doesn’t become an out for the Yankees — and only if the ball was heading toward their seats and not the field of play. Hansen said that he was wrong for gripping Betts’ wrist and that he wasn’t trying to hurt him. He added that when he saw Betts making a move toward Capobianco, he just reacted, not realizing that Capobianco had control of his glove. “I was just trying to prevent something from escalating in literally half a second,” Hansen, who lives in Nashville, said. The following day, many were surprised when Capobianco had a famous supporter: Gronk. Capobianco attended the University of Arizona where he became friends with a freshman tight end named Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski called Capobianco a “fun dude,” though he added that what he did was “truly unacceptable.” “Him doing that represents him very well,” Gronkowski said on “Up & Adams” on Fanduel TV. “He is all in for his teams, he is all in for the Yankees. I remember him talking about the Yankees all the time, how he loves them so much. That describes him perfectly, doing whatever it takes to help his team out. He is a beauty.” Soon after the incident, Capobianco’s cellphone was blowing up, most of the calls either showing “No ID” or Southern California area codes. Many of the voicemails, which Capobianco shared with The Athletic, were vicious. “Have fun watching Game 5 from home, **** hat.” “F— you, you piece of s—. You’ve got karma coming to you. Watch your back, b—-.” “You’re a f—— ****** and a joke, *******.” Now, all Capobianco can do is wait. MLB’s letter last month noted that his “conduct posed a serious risk to the health and safety of (Betts) and went far over the line of acceptable fan behavior,” something that Capobianco says he understands. He badly hopes to be allowed back to Yankee Stadium in the near future, though he understands it might take a while. He grew up in Connecticut loving the Yankees and attending games at the old stadium with his dad. Capobianco said he tries to avoid his phone and doesn’t like social media. He spends most of his days working. He loves to travel. He’s thankful that what they did hasn’t hurt the Capobianco family business. “I’m a good dude who did a dumb thing on camera,” he said. Capobianco said he hopes at some point this year to reach out to MLB to ask what he could do to expedite the process of lifting his ban. He said the person who owns their season ticket package may be willing to donate tickets to some games to charity, like he said they have done at various times throughout the years. He added that he would be happy to do some sort of community service, too. However, the fans who ran onto the outfield and hugged Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuńa Jr. at Coors Field in August 2023 are still serving indefinite bans handed down by MLB. An MLB spokesman added that a fan seated near Capobianco and his group during Game 4 reported to the league “negative feedback regarding their conduct” before the Betts incident happened. While Betts’ initial public reaction to the incident at the time was subdued and he hasn’t publicly commented on the indefinite ban since it was leveled, he did let loose on Peacock’s “Back That Year Up 2024.” “I would really say ‘F— you guys,’” Betts said in late December. “I get them trying to get the ball. Cool. But you tried to grab my s—. I was in the moment. So I thought about throwing a ball at them. And then I realized, ‘Mook, you ain’t gonna do s—. Go back to right field.” Under the terms of the ban, Capobianco and Hansen aren’t allowed at any MLB stadium, and they can’t attend MLB-sponsored events. They’re allowed to attend minor-league games, unless the stadium is owned by a major-league team. More than anything, Capobianco hopes to simply fade from public consciousness. No more assumptions that this was premeditated. No more harassing calls or ****** voicemails. No more mysterious packages. “I’m a hero in Yankees land. I’m a villain in America,” he said. “I don’t really care. I just want to be forgotten about. That’s it. I want people to forget about me.” (Top photo of Capobianco and Hansen at Game 4: Al Bello / Getty Images) Source link #banned #Yankees #fan #Austin #Capobiancos #life #changed #infamous #World #Series #moment Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

How to delete users on PS5 How to delete users on PS5 You can have a ton of users on your PS5, ensuring that you and your entire friend and family group can access their content on the console. However, you may find a need to sometimes remove a user who no longer uses the console. Luckily, doing so is quick and simple, and we’ll tell you how to make it happen below. How to delete users on PS5 When you’re ready to delete an old user from your PS5, follow the instructions below. Step 1: Click the Settings gear in the upper right corner of the home screen. Step 2: Select Users and Account. Step 3: Select Delete Users at the very bottom. Step 4: Select the user you wish to remove. Step 5: Select Yes to delete the user and all of their saved data, screenshots, and video clips. Source link #delete #users #PS5 Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

I’m typing this on the world’s largest keyboard, a 178-key best designed to make you more productive I’m typing this on the world’s largest keyboard, a 178-key best designed to make you more productive In the past few years, the trend in keyboards has been toward smaller layouts with fewer and fewer keys. The vaunted numpad, which you can remap to become anything you want, is now gone from many models and there are many keyboards without arrow or function keys. But what about those of us who, like me, think that the best mechanical keyboards should be going in the opposite direction, adding more keys for macros and quick program launches? Today, I’m typing this article on a prototype build of the MechBoards Hyper7 R4, a 17.6-pound (8 kg)keyboard with 178 keys, the most of any keyboard on the market, perhaps the most ever made. The keyboard is being made and sold as part of a 500-unit production run by ***-based MechBoards. Most of the units in this run (the fourth incarnation) are already spoken for and headed to pre-orderers. But, as of this writing, some are still available at the company’s site. Because I tested a prototype and because this is a limited-production item at the end of its run, we’ve chosen not to give this product a star rating. The Hyper7 R4 is a beautiful and highly unique keyboard that makes you feel like the ultimate power user as soon as you put your hands on it. The keys are laid out in six different blocks, with a bottom set of three blocks that includes the alphanumeric keys and an upper of three blocks of programmable keys that are elevated and titled up at a roughly 45-degree angle. Placing this keyboard in front of my four-monitor desktop setup made me feel like I was ready to take over the world with the right combination of button presses. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Configurations of the Hyper7 R4 You can buy the Hyper7 R4 in a variety of configurations. There’s either an enclosed version – what I tested – or one where the PCB and plate above it are screwed together by standoffs in a more open-air look. If you get the enclosure – which I recommend – you get a choice of ******, Grey, Cream or Stainless Steel colorways. There’s a Classic layout which has a tiny space bar and five extra keys where the spacebar might be or the Modern layout, with a regular-size spacebar (which is what I tested). You also have to pay separately for the keycaps, stabilizers, and switches and you can choose whether or not to have your keyboard assembled or put it together yourself. I recommend having it assembled to avoid issues. Depending on whether you bring your own switches and stabilizers and build it yourself or not, you’re looking at a total price of between $350 and $650 or so. That’s a premium price for sure, but there’s nothing even close to the size of this keyboard on the market. Size and legends on the Hyper7 R4 The keyboard is sized at 23.4 x 8.7 x 2.6 inches (59.5 x 22 x 6.5 cm). By comparison, the Cooler Master MK770 (my usual daily driver) is just 15 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches (39 x 14 x 4 cm). The Hyper7 R4 weighs 17.6 pounds (8 kg) with the enclosure or 11 pounds (5 kg) without, compared to just 2.3 pounds (1 kg) for the MK770. Unlike many other keyboards on the market that have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, the Hyper7 R4 is strictly a wired affair with a single USB-C port on its back, along with a giant metal handle which you absolutely will need if you want to carry this heavy, metal object even short distances. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Below, you can see the Hyper7 next to a 60-percent keyboard, the Royal Kludge R65. The smaller keyboard, which is 1.41 pounds and 12.6 x 4.6 x 1.6 inches, looks like two or three of them could fit inside the Hyper7. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) For better or worse, the Hyper7 R4’s unique layout (even with the Modern layout we tested) takes a lot of getting used to, and it helps to have big hands. Styled after the 1970s Space Cadet keyboard, which was used on Lisp machines, but with a lot more keys, the Hyper7 not only has a lot of letters, numbers and functions, but it also has some very odd legends on its default keycaps. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) There are keys including those for “Symbol,” “Hold Input,” “Suspend,” and “Fun.” These might have made sense on the Lisp machines, some proprietary workstations used at MIT in 1978, but they don’t hold any meaning for most people in 2025. There are no keys by default for Ctrl, or the Windows key. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to remap any key using VIA, a free web-based utility that allows you to assign any key to any other key or even to a macro. VIA is a very popular utility and MechBoards provided a JSON configuration file that allows you to use it with its unique, 178-key layout rather than a standard 104-key or tenkeyless form factor. In the web UI, I needed to only click on a key on the key map and then choose another key to assign it to and this mapping is stored on the keyboard itself. Issues with the unique layout Unfortunately – and this has been a real downer for me in my testing – the size and shape and layout of keys doesn’t match what most people are used to. So, even if they are mapped to the function you need, they don’t feel the same to the touch. For example, on most keyboards, the Ctrl key is on the bottom left, two or three keys away from the spacebar and it’s an extra wide key, along with the Windows and Alt keys. On the Hyper7, there are five keys to the left of the spacebar: Alt, Hyper, SMOL, Next and Prior. So I mapped the Hyper key to be a Windows key and the SMOL key to be CTRL, but SMOL is a tiny, narrow key with two more keys to its left, which made it harder for me to hit with my muscle memory. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The worst situation for me was with the Backspace key, something I hit a lot in the course of my typing experience as I make typos. On a typical keyboard, there’s a very wide Backspace key to the right of the +/= key in the upper right corner of the alphanumeric block. On the Hyper7, there’s a key labeled BSP just to the right of the }/] key which defaults to backspace and then there’s another key labeled “Undo” that’s four keys to the right of the +/= key. In between the +/= and Undo are a \ key, a { key and a } key, all of which exist elsewhere on the keyboard, so they aren’t absolutely necessary. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Putting my fingers on the home row, with my index fingers on the J and F, I had a very hard time reaching either the BSP or Undo with my right pinky. I eventually remapped five keys in total to serve as Backspace (\,{,}, BSP and Undo) so I could avoid hitting the wrong one, but still none was conveniently located where my muscle memory expected and I got some muscle aches over time that made me really frustrated. The Hyper7, unlike any keyboard I’ve seen, is perfectly symmetrical, with the spacebar perfectly in the middle of the body, with an equal number of keys to its left and right. On most keyboards, the spacebar is a little offset to the left, with more keys to its right. However, here there are five keys on either side of it and each row above it has an equal number of keys to the left and right of the alphanumerics. For example, on the ASD row of a typical keyboard, there’s a Caps Lock key to the left and an Enter key to the right. But here there are three keys on either side of this row: Top, Mode and Function on the left and Return (Enter), Line and Page to the right. This wasn’t a major hassle, but the keys outside of the alphanumeric block were hard to hit by touch typing. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) In addition to the alphanumeric block with the spacebar, letters, numbers, and common punctuation, there are five other blocks of keys. To the left of the alphanumeric block is a 20-key block of function keys and a series of other keys labeled “Find,” “Write,” “Debug,” etc. Normally, you’d expect the Function keys (F1 – F12) to be above the number row, but here they are on the side, which was not too much of a hassle because I don’t hit them so often that I expect to do so with my hands on the home row. I mapped the Find, Write, keys, etc to function keys above F12 (Windows supports F13 – F24). To the right of the alphanumeric block is a numpad block with all the numbers, arithmetic operators, a delete key and a “Fun” key. In the upper right and upper left corners of the keyboard are two 8-key blocks. The left block has keys labeled Help, Macro, Local, Network, Close, Open and the F1 and F2 keys. The right block has Call, Reset, Suspend, Caps Lock and some symbol keys. The middle top section has 38 keys, some of which are wide – Terminal, Quote, Over-Strike – and some of which are narrow and have symbols on them. Some of the symbols could be useful for those who work across regions. For example, the legends show a Euro symbol, a Pound sign, and a Yen sign. By default, it doesn’t actually produce these symbols (I got ASCII codes instead) but they could be mapped to do so using VIA. Mapping keys with VIA VIA is a free, web-based app that allows you to remap the keys on any compatible keyboard and store the results on the keyboard, not in the OS. By default, VIA doesn’t have a 178-key map to match the layout of the Hyper7 R4, but MechBoards provided me with a JSON config file which I uploaded to VIA and was then able to see a complete map of the keys. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) When I clicked each key in VIA, I was able to either remap it to be another kind of key (a symbol, modifier, etc) or even map it into a macro. VIA has a tab that allows you to create macros within it, assigning text or keyboard combos to a key. I, for example, set one key to be the Linux command sudo apt-get update -y, which is what you need to type in Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi OS, or many other Linuxes to get an update. I could also have included a series of other keystrokes, such as hitting the tab key to navigate between fields. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) If you want to assign a key to launch an application or website, there are better ways than VIA to do this. You can use a scripting language – I prefer AutoHotKey – to assign a key or key combination to run an application, open a document, or run a program. With AutoHotKey, you can even assign custom macros based on the program that’s currently focused in Windows. For example, on my home PC, I have an AutoHotKey macro that selects Image->Crop from the menus in Photoshop Elements; the macro doesn’t fire or that key combo could do something else if I try it in another app. That’s not quite possible in VIA. So what would I do with all of the extra keys on the Hyper7 R4? I’d have dedicated keys to launch particular web tools I use daily: the direct URLs of my morning Google Meet meeting, my Gmail inbox and the Tom’s Hardware editorial calendar. I’d assign other keys to launch my favorite offline apps such as Notepad++, Photoshop Elements, and the Slack client. Finally, I’d assign frequently used pieces of text to yet more keys. These would be for Linux commands or pieces of PHP or JavaScript code that I use a lot. I have to type sudo a lot in front of commands whether I’m SSH connected to one of the best web hosting services or using a Linux VM in Windows. If I want to unzip a file in Linux, I have to type tar xzvf before a filename and I never remember all of the modifiers I need there. So assigning those commands to keys would help me type less and remember less. Hot swapping and tearing the Hyper7 R4 Down The Hyper7 R4 is hot-swappable, which means that no matter what switches you buy it with (or you could buy it with none), you can remove them and replace them with others of your choice. However, there are some issues with hot-swapping that make me recommend that, if you buy it, you buy it with the switches of your choice preinstalled. Our review unit, which is a close-to-final prototype, first came with Gateron Milky Yellow linear switches preinstalled. Since I’m a big fan of clicky switches, I immediately started swapping them out for my favorite switch, the clicky Kailh Box White V2. However, after spending a long time replacing every switch and putting the keycaps back on, I noticed that a high percentage of the keys did not work. Apparently, the PCB on the Hyper7 R4 can warp and sink too far below the plate after you pull switches out. This is because the switches are the only fastener holding the PCB to the plate above it and, if too many are taken out at once, the board starts to sink. It can’t fall down to the bottom of the case, because there are foam pads below it, but it can sink or bend such that not all of the switches can make contact with their sockets on the board, causing those keys not to register. In an attempt to fix the problem, and with the blessing of MechBoards, I opened the case to fix the sinking board problem. Inside, there are two foam pads that help dampen noise. There’s a connector that goes from the PCB to the USB port and there’s the PCB itself, which is really two PCBs, one for the top blocks and one for the bottom, connected by a ribbon cable. Image 1 of 5 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) With the case open, I held the PCB up to the plate with one hand while pushed in switches with the other hand and I think I did a decent job of preventing the board from sagging. However, after I had put all the switches in again, I tested the keyboard and many of the keys still didn’t register. Fortunately, MechBoards were eager to help and I shipped the review unit back to them, waited a few days and they sent it back to me with the Kailh Box White V2 switches on board. They said that a couple of the switch sockets were broken and that they had fixed them. After receiving the unit back, I tested again and all of the keys registered. My takeaway from this experience is that hot-swapping the key switches seems risky. It’s unclear to me whether the sockets broke as a result of my taking it apart or maybe they had broken before I got the keyboard the first time. However, the fact that the PCB can sink if it doesn’t have enough switches holding it up is enough for me to advise you to buy the Hyper7 R4 pre-assembled and make sure you get it with the choice of switches you want to stick with. Our prototype unit, after we got it back, had one small issue that was noticeable but not a deal killer. Some of the keycaps sat higher than others, leaving the letter J, for example, a little lower than the H key next to it. MechBoards said that this is not supposed to happen, but the height difference, though slight, was visible. Overall Typing Experience Your mileage as a typist will vary, depending on the size of your hands, the switches you choose, and how easily you get used to the Hyper7 R4’s unique keyboard layout. I found that, with the excellent Kailh Box White V2 switches, I was able to reach my usual typing speed of 101 wpm with about a 4.5 percent error rate. My real problem is not speed per se but some soreness in my right pinky and some frustration because reaching for the backspace key, even with it mapped to a cluster of five different keys, was such a hassle. Similarly, reaching for the right CTRL key, which I had mapped to the SMOL key, often led to errors for me. Even after using the keyboard with my desktop for a couple of weeks, I was still struggling, particularly with the Backspace key placement. If MechBoards builds an R5 version of the Hyper7, I’d like to see a layout that’s more typical of other keyboards, with the spacebar slightly offset to the left, a size-accurate set of Ctrl, Windows, and Alt keys and a Backspace key that’s to the right of the +/= key. The amount of keys is amazing, but the alphanumeric block would be much easier to navigate if it were more like other U.S. and *** keyboard layouts. On the bright side, the size of the keyboard was no hindrance at all, provided I used it on a desk that was deep enough to hold it. At my office, the desk space is limited so the Hyper7 R4 barely fit in my workspace and didn’t leave much room for my mouse. At home, however, I have a huge work table and had no problem sticking the keyboard in front of my four monitors. In fact, I was even able to put my favorite wrist rest – the HyperX Wrist Rest (full size) – in front of the keyboard. The wrist rest wasn’t long enough to match the entire Hyper7, but it fit nicely under the alphanumeric block, which is where I rest my wrists. Bottom Line The MechBoards Hyper7 R4 is a truly unique product that shows what’s possible if we focus our input devices on productivity, instead of compactness. This is a product that’s expensive, but one that promises a unique experience you won’t find anywhere else. However, if you have small hands or worry about retraining your muscle memory, you may find the layout of the alphanumeric keys challenging, as I did. If you can afford the keyboard and can get used to it, there’s a huge reward waiting for you in all those extra, reprogrammable keys. Source link #typing #worlds #largest #keyboard #178key #designed #productive Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

********* pupils die in Kauran Namoda ********* pupils die in Kauran Namoda At least 17 children have died in a fire at an Islamic school in northern Nigeria. Several other pupils were injured and rushed to health centres in the town of Kauran Namoda, Zamfara state, for treatment. It is believed that the fire broke out in a nearby house on Tuesday night and spread to the school while the children, believed to be teenagers, were sleeping. Local authorities and emergency responders were sent to the scene, but the fire had already resulted in significant casualties. Eyewitness Yahaya Mahi told BBC Hausa the location of the school made it difficult for those trying to stop the fire. “Even if the firefighters had come on time, reaching the house would’ve been difficult due to the tight road leading to the house,” he said. Local official Mannir Haidara said other Islamic schools would be inspected to make sure they were not a fire risk. ”We’ll take measures to prevent another occurrence of this nature,” he said. The father of one of the victims told BBC Hausa that he was devastated but his faith in God was comforting him at this time. Source link #********* #pupils #die #Kauran #Namoda Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The ‘miracle’ of Lindsey Vonn: How one of the great sports comebacks came to be The ‘miracle’ of Lindsey Vonn: How one of the great sports comebacks came to be CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Perusing the start list for the women’s alpine skiing World Cup, most of the numbers look the same. The document states the competitors’ names, nationality, bib number and year of birth. Some 42 of the 54 competitors were born in the 1990s, while 11 were born in the 2000s. And then there’s one woman who doesn’t quite fit the trend, her year sticks out a mile. It’s 1984, and it’s Lindsey Vonn. “This is history in the making,” the announcer boisterously proclaims as Vonn prepares to start her run down the white, gleaming slopes of Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. “Lindsey, Lindsey!” the crowd, one of the largest the event has ever hosted, chants. We may be deep in the Italian Dolomites but Vonn’s name and popularity go far across the globe. Only local favourite and Olympic gold medallist Sofia Goggia can command a rowdier din. There is a huge ovation as Vonn crosses the line in 20th in a downhill race (she was heading for the top five before a later error curtailed her progress) here on this Saturday in mid-January. She gives a double wave to the crowd, some of whom are proudly waving U.S. flags. When she leaves the course, there is a scrum of frantic people to walk through; she stops to sign their skis and their helmets, they yell her name and try and time their selfies so that Vonn is in the picture when she walks past. Lindsey Vonn skis down the Olympia delle Tofane run during the women’s downhill on Jan. 17, 2025, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. (Julian Finney / Getty Images) As the chief of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Anouk Patty, tells The Athletic: “You do a few laps with her here and you see that everybody is watching her. She transcends the sport.” It was in Cortina in 2019 that Vonn knew her skiing career was about to end, when her body was in so much pain that she couldn’t finish a race. And it will be in Cortina in 2026 at the Winter Olympics, if all goes to plan, that she brings the curtain down on what is certainly one of the greatest careers in the history of skiing, but perhaps also on one of greatest comebacks modern sport has witnessed. How on earth did we get here? This is the miracle of Lindsey Vonn. “Miracle” is the word Vonn uses when chatting to assembled media after her downhill run in Cortina. “The fact that I’m back here is a miracle in itself,” she says, her light, smiling, relaxed demeanor, complete with trademark fluffy double bobble hat, incessantly contradicting the unyieldingly steely determination that has characterised her career. “I was on pace for a top-five result and I have to be happy with that. … It has been six years and this is the fastest course with the most terrain that I’ve skied. The difference in speed for me was a lot, so it was hard for me to adjust. “My body can sustain a lot. I’m not like I was when I retired — I can take a hit. I’ve got titanium now.” How she was when she retired was, again in her own words, broken “beyond repair.” “My body is screaming at me to stop and it’s time for me to listen,” she said as she ended a glittering career of three Olympic medals (one gold in Vancouver in 2010), four World Cup titles and eight world championship medals. Five years later, a knee replacement took the pain away and gave her a second chance. But what did people think when she made her shock announcement of a comeback? “I thought: ‘She’s crazy’.” That was the reaction of Patrick Riml, who has known and worked with Vonn for the best part of a quarter of a century, including as alpine director of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association. Vonn answers questions at a press conference ahead of this month’s world championships in Saalbach, Austria. Her first race is Thursday’s super-G. (Jens Büttner / picture alliance via Getty Images) He is now Red Bull’s head of athlete special projects and, as part of a partnership with the U.S. team, is working closely with Vonn. “But also it wasn’t much of a surprise,” Riml adds of Vonn’s decision to return to the sport. “I’ve known her since 1999 and I know how crazy she is, obviously in a positive way. Her commitment and her dedication… when she sets herself a goal, it’s full-on and full-throttle. So yeah, she’s crazy, but the knee responded well and it soon made sense.” There are many questions to ponder around Vonn’s comeback at the age of 40, six years older than any of the 54 competitors she faced in Cortina. The main one, for someone who achieved pretty much all there was to achieve in the sport, is why? “Well, she was never planning on retiring in 2019, her body basically forced her to,” Riml adds. “It was never that she’d done everything she wanted and now it was time to do something different… it was forced by injuries.” In August, Riml travelled with Vonn to New Zealand, where she tried skiing again with her titanium knee. It couldn’t have gone any better. “With this new knee that’s now a part of me… I feel like a whole new chapter of my life is unfolding before my eyes,” she said on social media. “Everything went well and the plan was made to get a little more serious,” Riml adds. The pair had kept in touch during Vonn’s retirement, but there was never any question of her making a comeback, due to how she finished the sport in such considerable pain. “There were days when she could only have one single run because her knee was so sore,” he says. “Now with the partial knee replacement and feeling so well, and having a quality of life she didn’t have for a long time, she’s able to do things she couldn’t for many years. And she’s pain-free. “It’s not fun when you get up in the morning and your knee hurts… you might have perfect conditions for training, but you have to pull the plug after 10 minutes because her knee is so sore. “She’s enjoying it more now.” Vonn celebrates winning the World Cup downhill on Jan. 20, 2018, in Cortina. She’s won there, the 2026 Olympic venue, a record 12 times. (Tiziana Fabi / AFP via Getty Images) Vonn’s story is not unique among elite athletes in sport. There are many who find it hard to say goodbye. Rower Sir Steve Redgrave retired after his fourth successive Olympic gold medal in 1996 and gave, like Vonn, an unequivocal statement that he was done. “Anybody who sees me in a boat has my permission to shoot me,” the Briton famously said. Redgrave did come back (and wasn’t shot) to win a fifth gold in Sydney in 2000. But his misgivings about continuing, like with legends such as Muhammad Ali in boxing, Michael Jordan in basketball, Michael Schumacher in Formula One and Martina Hingis in tennis, all people who reached the very top of their sport and then came back for more, were more about mind than body. Vonn’s was almost exclusively physical. She needed to be fixed — and the replacement knee has been the catalyst behind her second lease of skiing life. The Minnesota native spent five post-retirement years enjoying working with her foundation and business, she played a bit of tennis, but she did all of it in pain. Even walking would be problematic. She took advice from Tom Hackett, of the renowned Steadman Clinic in Colorado, who has worked with the U.S. Ski Team. He helped lead her to Dr Martin Roche, an expert in complicated knee repair. Almost a year ago, in April 2024, Vonn had surgery on her right knee, in layman’s terms a partial knee replacement, with titanium alloy replacing a little bit of bone. After re-educating her own body and her knee, she could do physical activities that had been beyond her capabilities for years. It was then that she realised she would be able to ski again and the idea of a comeback for the most successful downhill skier of all time (with 43 World Cup wins) formed. Fast forward to winter and, 2,183 days after her last World Cup downhill, Vonn was back. The instant results, given her time away from the sport and her age, were incredible; 14th in St Moritz (Switzerland) in December and then sixth and fourth in St Anton (Austria) last month. Tracking Lindsey Vonn’s World Cup return Date Venue Discipline Pos. Time Behind lead Dec. 21 St. Moritz Super-G 14th 1:16.36 1.18 Jan. 11 St. Anton Downhill 6th 1:16.66 0.58 Jan. 12 St. Anton Super-G 4th 1:18.75 1.24 Jan. 18 Cortina d’Ampezzo Downhill 20th 1:35.63 1.68 Jan. 19 Cortina d’Ampezzo Super-G DNF N/A N/A Jan. 25 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Downhill DNF N/A N/A Jan. 26 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Super-G 13th 1:15.31 1.40 So well has it gone that Riml, her close confidant who consoled her after the Cortina downhill when that slight error ended her chances of a first podium finish since her comeback, says it hasn’t been challenging for him to help enable Vonn’s return. “I don’t think it’s a real challenge (for me),” he says. “We went up to Austria at 5 a.m. in October, it’s pitch dark and she’s there with the biggest smile on her face. “That’s pure passion for the sport and she’s so incredibly good at it, so the only challenge for me is getting her into a rhythm and the routines and a little more mileage in those legs.” Considering how impressed everyone has been with Vonn since her comeback, it may be a surprise to skiing outsiders that the initial reaction to ending her retirement was, well, mixed. Here’s a selection: Michaela Dorfmeister (two-time Olympic champion): “Vonn should see a psychologist; does she want to kill herself?” Pirmin Zurbriggen (four-time World Cup champion): “There is a risk Vonn will tear her artificial knee to pieces. I have the feeling that she hasn’t recognised the meaning and purpose of her other life in recent years — she has probably suffered from no longer being a celebrated champion.” Franz Klammer (Austrian skiing legend): “She’s gone completely mad.” Vonn was taken aback. But while some within the sport were frosty, the U.S. team welcomed her with open arms. Lauren Macuga, one of Team USA’s rising stars in skiing, says she’s benefitted from Vonn’s return to the slopes. (Kerstin Joensson / AFP via Getty Images) U.S. skier Lauren Macuga, who at 22 years old just won her first World Cup race, grew up watching Vonn. Macuga was born in 2002, two years after Vonn made her World Cup debut. “I always watched her growing up, and now I get to be on the team with her, it’s very cool,” she says. “She’s been so open about helping all of us. Any chance she gets she’s right there telling us what we can do to improve, where we need to be in the line. You can ask her anything and she’ll tell us. And it’s cool because she doesn’t have to, she could keep it all to herself and go on a one-woman train!” U.S. team boss Patty is grateful that Vonn is sharing her advice and experience with her teammates. With Vonn comes a roadshow all of its own — her own coaches and medical people, her own PR machine — and yes, when the U.S. team have finished their run in Cortina, they stay and watch their teammates while Vonn does her own thing. When you’re ******* than the sport, perhaps that’s an inevitability. But in what is ultimately an individual sport, Vonn has become de facto player-coach too. Patty explains: “You can hope for that to happen and encourage it, but at the end of the day it’s up to her to do it and for them to engage with it. She’s embraced the role of educating and teaching the next generation on how to be a really professional ski racer. “As a 40-year-old woman who’s doing one of the most gnarly sports out there, it’s not like it’s easy. It’s really intense with massive injuries and life-or-death situations. Coming back and doing that, it appeals to people who know nothing about the sport. We’ve all gone to points in our lives when age catches up, when the knees get a little creakier. “She’s blown that barrier away. It’s the Olympics next year and that retirement ceiling just got bumped up by eight-plus years.” There have been technical challenges, as well as mental and physical, and those will continue in the coming months as Vonn attempts to fine-tune her body and her skiing equipment in what is very much (well, as things stand) a 15-month venture, which takes in this week’s world championships and, in theory, ends in Cortina next February. “The knee has been absolutely fine, she feels better skiing now than she did five years ago,” Patty adds. “You can see much more symmetry in her balance and her turning. Before she retired she had to favour the knee a bit. That’s gone now, so technically she can ski a bit more smoothly and with more balance… “We have to keep reality in mind, but she’s surpassed all expectations. It’s been quite extraordinary, actually.” Riml adds: “People talk about talent… well, they all have talent. It comes down to dedication and willingness to do whatever it takes to be as fast as you can. That’s what she does. When she has a goal, everything else is put to one side… My only problem (with Lindsey) is holding her back. “People were very outspoken about how stupid this is. I think she’s already proved them wrong.” A view from the Olympia delle Tofane slope in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, where Lindsey Vonn hopes to race again at the 2026 Olympics. (Francesco Scaccianoce / Getty Images) In beautiful, picturesque Cortina they’re very much gearing up for next year’s Olympics, the second time the area has hosted the biggest event in winter sports. Images of Vonn and her competitors adorn buildings in the high street and Olympic rings proudly shine from the revamped Olympic Stadium. It’s the place where Vonn has already won 12 races, where she knew her career was supposedly over in 2019 and where she may enjoy the ultimate redemption story in 2026. “The funny thing is that when we started talking about this, the plan was, ‘Let’s see how it goes, we have a lot of work to do’,” Riml says. “And now look at her. I’m so excited about this, I can’t even tell you.” On Vonn’s official website, her considerable career achievements are listed in some detail; her Olympic triumphs, her world championship success, her endless victories and her comeback from a two-year injury layoff to break more records (yep, she’s done it before). The timeline ends in 2019. The comeback has not yet been written, but Vonn plans for there to be plenty of content. “To be actually competing here was definitely not what I anticipated,” she said this week ahead of the world championships in Austria. “I didn’t anticipate doing so well so quickly. This season has been about managing my expectations and I’m trying to continue doing that here.” But then she adds: “I’m fast, I’m competitive, I’m ready to compete for a medal.” Good luck managing those expectations. She’s bulletproof, nothing to lose, she is titanium… and the fairytale continues. (Top image: Getty; Francis Bompard/Agence Zoom, Mattia Ozbot) Source link #miracle #Lindsey #Vonn #great #sports #comebacks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

NYT Crossword: answers for Wednesday, February 5 NYT Crossword: answers for Wednesday, February 5 The New York Times has plenty of word games on its roster today — with Wordle, Connections, Strands, and the Mini Crossword, there’s something for everyone — but the newspaper’s standard crossword puzzle still reigns supreme. The daily crossword is full of interesting trivia, helps improve mental flexibility and, of course, gives you some bragging rights if you manage to finish it every day. While the NYT puzzle might feel like an impossible task some days, solving a crossword is a skill and it takes practice — don’t get discouraged if you can’t get every single word in a puzzle. If you’re having trouble completing today’s NYT Crossword, we’re here to help. We’ve got all the answers for today’s clues down below. Please enable Javascript to view this content NYT Crossword answers today New York Times Across 1 Distance traversed by an arrow : BOWSHOT 8 Cocksure : BRASH 13 Not the same : UNALIKE 14 “You got me there!” : TOUCHE 15 Obstacle in achieving one’s goal? : DEFENSE 16 Something acquired in a salon bed, perhaps : BASETAN 17 Added fuel to : FED 18 Opens, as a menu … or a description of this puzzle’s circled letters? : DROPSDOWN 20 Bang the drum for : TALKUP 23 Iridescent stone : OPAL 24 Cellular messenger : RNA 25 Verb often abbreviated to a letter : ARE 26 Oz., e.g. : AMT 28 Brief bit of time : SEC 30 Analytical thinker? : LEFTBRAIN 34 Old standard of tape : VHS 36 Doesn’t really matter : CARRIESNOWEIGHT 40 Himalayan ox : YAK 41 Steamed beverage with spices from the Indian subcontinent : CHAILATTE 42 Up to now : YET 44 One trained in CPR : EMT 45 Educational support grp. : PTA 46 Notes or Messages : APP 49 Place for a cooling pie : SILL 51 Is out : SLEEPS 54 Common assignment for editorial assistants … or a description of this puzzle’s circled letters? : SLUSHPILE 57 Judger of pitches : UMP 58 Furry wetlands growth : CATTAIL 59 Console device with triggers and thumbsticks : GAMEPAD 63 Summer hire, perhaps : INTERN 64 Tennis ******* since 1968 : OPENERA 65 Common reply to “Who’s there?” : ITSME 66 Appendage for a morning glory : TENDRIL Down 1 Pardner : BUD 2 Four quarters : ONE 3 Starchy food item named for a food it resembles : WAFFLEFRY 4 Smooth and glossy : SLEEK 5 One who practices bhakti and puja : HINDU 6 Gives the thumbs up : OKS 7 Up for a drive? : TEED 8 Climax in many a video game : BOSSLEVEL 9 Regretted : RUED 10 Hawke or Crowe : ACTOR 11 William ___, longtime editor of The New Yorker : SHAWN 12 Dye in some body art : HENNA 14 Chopitos and croquetas, e.g. : TAPAS 16 Knock on the noggin : BOP 19 “Damn you!” : ROTINHELL 20 Soft rock : TALC 21 Vicinity : AREA 22 Trim (down) : PARE 27 Like the French words for every weekday and month: Abbr. : MASC 29 Kind of seed : CHIA 31 Base for some lunches : TRAY 32 Modern transport service : BIKESHARE 33 Linguist Chomsky : NOAM 35 Fictional bandleader of the 1960s : SGTPEPPER 37 Good things to have about you : WITS 38 URL starter : HTTP 39 Oolong and rooibos, for two : TEAS 43 Easy basket : TIPIN 46 Character set for electronic communication : ASCII 47 Audience member who might be in on the trick : PLANT 48 Gentle strokes : PUTTS 50 Qualifier for many a rapper : LIL 52 Measure of brightness : LUMEN 53 Fix, as text : EMEND 55 Academic acronym : STEM 56 Showbiz quartet : EGOT 60 Central figure in a classic sci-fi series : APE 61 Filmmaker Aster : ARI 62 Indian lentil dish : DAL Source link #NYT #Crossword #answers #Wednesday #February Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How Smoot-Hawley Tariff sparked the ‘mother of all trade wars’ How Smoot-Hawley Tariff sparked the ‘mother of all trade wars’ QINGDAO, CHINA – NOVEMBER 8, 2023 – Container ships frequently enter and exit the Qianwan Container Terminal of Qingdao Port in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China, Nov 8, 2023. (Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images A trade war is brewing — and, if history is any guide, the U.S. economy may not be too happy about it. President Donald Trump levied a 10% tariff on all imports from China starting Tuesday. In response, China retaliated with its own tariffs of up to 15% on select U.S. imports, starting Feb. 10. Experts believe these are just the initial salvos of a broader trade war between the two nations. Meanwhile, the U.S. is on the precipice of a trade spat with Canada and Mexico. Trump has also threatened to impose tariffs on the European Union — and, if that happens, the nations have vowed retribution. “I will never support the idea of fighting allies,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Monday. “But of course, if the U.S. puts tough terms on Europe, we need a collective and robust response.” More from Personal Finance: Trump moves to abolish the education department The Fed holds rates steady. What that means for you IRS announces the start of the 2025 tax season The current animosity bears many similarities to an earlier episode in U.S. history — the Tariff Act of 1930 — which triggered an all-out trade war and exacerbated the Great Depression, according to economic historians. The law, known as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, was “one of the most controversial tariff acts ever enacted by Congress,” Doug Irwin, an economics professor at Dartmouth College and past president of the Economic History Association, wrote in 2020. It was also the last instance of a trade war involving the U.S., prior to Trump’s first term, said Kris James Mitchener, an economics professor at Santa Clara University who studies economic history and political economy. Smoot-Hawley sparked “the mother of all trade wars,” Mitchener said. What was the Smoot-Hawley Tariff? Hawley (left) and Reed Smoot in April 1929, shortly before the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act passed the House Source: Library of Congress If the Smoot-Hawley Tariff sounds vaguely familiar, it may be thanks to pop culture: The 1986 movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” has a memorable scene in which a high school teacher drones on in a crawling monotone voice about the tariffs. Among Smoot-Hawley’s chief aims was to safeguard U.S. farmers, who had expanded agricultural production during WWI but suffered after the war as European production came back online and prices collapsed, Mitchener said. However, Congress expanded the scope of the tariffs considerably, extending beyond agriculture to include all sectors of the economy. The law got its name from its chief Republican supporters in Congress: Rep. Willis Hawley of Oregon, chair of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. Reed Smoot of Utah, who chaired the Senate Finance Committee. Smoot-Hawley was “broad,” putting tariffs on roughly 25% of all goods imported to the U.S. — about 800 to 900 different types of goods, Mitchener said. If the U.S. puts tough terms on Europe, we need a collective and robust response. Mette Frederiksen prime minister of Denmark Herbert Hoover, who had run for president on a platform to help farmers with protective tariffs, signed the law in June 1930, ignoring a petition signed by more than 1,000 economists asking him to veto the bill. The law raised dutiable tariffs — tariffs on goods subject to import duties — by about six percentage points, on average, Mitchener said. While that may not sound like much, those duties sparked a trade war with major U.S. trading partners, which was perhaps their “most important ramification,” wrote Irwin of Dartmouth College. How did Smoot-Hawley provoke a trade war? Smoot-Hawley raised the average tariff on dutiable imports to 47% from 40%, Irwin said. Depression-era price deflation ultimately helped push that average to almost 60% in 1932, he added. Nine nations — Argentina, Australia, Canada, Cuba, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain and Switzerland — imposed retaliatory tariffs directed specifically at U.S. products, Mitchener said. “Canada, which was heavily dependent on the U.S. market, retaliated almost immediately and imposed tariffs significant enough to put a sizable dent into American exports,” Irwin wrote. That “****-for-tat response” with targeted tariffs is the hallmark of a trade war, Mitchener said. Other nations formed trade blocs that excluded the U.S., Irwin wrote. Ultimately, 35 governments lodged official protests against Smoot-Hawley, Mitchener said. The result: Global trade collapsed, exacerbating the Great Depression, which was the worst economic downturn in U.S. history, economists said. U.S. exports to retaliating nations fell by about 28% to 32%, said Mitchener. Further, nations that protested Smoot-Hawley also reduced their U.S. imports by 15% to 23%. It was “among the most catastrophic acts in congressional history,” according to a historical overview on the U.S. Senate website. Tariffs leading up to President Trump The U.S. reversed course after realizing how tariffs can fuel foreign policy issues and contribute to world wars, said Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics at the Stiefel Trade Policy Center of the CATO Institute. The global economy is “like an intricate choreographed dance,” Lincicome said. “Tariffs are just kind of throwing a wrench in that dance.” The average tariff rate for dutiable imports cratered from about 59% in 1932 to roughly 13% in 1950, and fell below 5% from the mid-1990s to 2015, according to a 2024 analysis by the CATO Institute. Meanwhile, the average tariff rate across all imports — which include products not subject to tariffs — fell from about 20% in 1933 to below 2% from 2000 to 2019. While presidents who preceded Trump, as well as President Joe Biden, have also used tariffs, they were enacted for different reasons and at different magnitudes, experts say. These have not been rationales used for tariffs in the past. Brett House professor of professional practice in the economics division at Columbia Business School Historically, “tariffs have been typically invoked by U.S. administrations when domestic industry has complained about competition from foreign suppliers,” said Brett House, professor of professional practice in the economics division at Columbia Business School. For instance, during President Barack Obama’s second administration in 2013, the International Trade Commission issued “anti-dumping duties,” or a form of tariff, on washing machines specifically from Mexico and South Korea. Years later, during his first term, Trump issued a tariff on washing machines as well, but it was global instead of narrowing it to specific countries. At the same time, Trump imposed other tariffs such as costs on steel and aluminum. Other presidents, including George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, had also put tariffs on steel, an industry that’s historically received federal protection, Irwin told CNBC. But Trump’s second term is unique in that he’s using tariffs in a “broad brush” manner — applied to all a nation’s goods, for example — something “no president in recent memory” has done, Irwin said. Additionally, “what is very distinct about Trump’s tariff policy is the supposed justification for it, which is to try to discipline Canada and Mexico for the flow of ******** drugs and undocumented people across their borders,” House said. “These have not been rationales used for tariffs in the past.” Will history repeat? The Smoot-Hawley-induced spat resembles today’s trade environment in a few key ways — including prominent trade partners calling for retaliation against U.S. policy, economists said. For example, before reaching 11th-hour deals to delay 25% tariffs for one month, officials in Canada and Mexico vowed to fight back. ********* President Justin Trudeau on Saturday warned that his country would implement a 25% tariff on about $107 billion of U.S. goods. They included duties on meat, dairy, produce and other food products, and beer, wine and spirits. China said it will impose 15% tariffs on coal and liquefied natural gas imports from the U.S., and 10% on American crude oil, agricultural machinery and certain cars. “We’re already seeing a trade war unfold,” Irwin told CNBC. Proposed tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico would shrink U.S. economic output by 0.4 percentage points and increase taxes on Americans by $1.1 trillion between 2025 and 2034, before accounting for any retaliation, according to an estimate by the Tax Foundation. Of course, “whether it becomes a trade war and history repeats in that [Smoot-Hawley] dimension depends on the response of our trade partners and/or whether Trump is bluffing to get some sort of concession,” Mitchener wrote in an e-mail. Source link #SmootHawley #Tariff #sparked #mother #trade #wars Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]