Pelican Press

A bearish healthcare stocks bet using options as lagging sector hit by RFK scrutiny concerns A bearish healthcare stocks bet using options as lagging sector hit by RFK scrutiny concerns President-elect Donald Trump selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department, the ******* States’ top health agency. This cabinet appointment has created jitters among various healthcare stocks. I want to find a way to hedge my healthcare exposure and also capitalize on further potential downside in the lagging healthcare sector by using options in Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) . XLV SPY YTD mountain Health Care Select SPDR vs SPDR S & P 500 Trust, YTD Despite the mixed year-to-date performance of the top 3 holdings in XLV (which make up nearly 30% of XLV), Eli Lily, UnitedHealthcare, and Johnson & Johnson are names I still like and own. However, I do want to hedge this exposure as uncertainty surrounding policy “shaping” persists. Investors will want better understanding on what companies are potentially in RFK’s crosshairs. The trade I want to buy a put spread to express my short-term bearish view on healthcare. In this trade I bought the higher priced (more expensive) put and sold a lower price (less expensive) strike to help offset the overall expense of this debit spread. Bought XLV $143 12/20/24 put option for $2.00 Sold XLV $136 12/20/24 put option for $0.50 This spread will cost an investor $1.50 per one lot or $150 XLV was trading roughly $143 when this spread was bought DISCLOSURES: (Long LLY, UNH, JNJ , long this put spread in XLV.) All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. THE ABOVE CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY . THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSITUTE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY ANY SECURITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSET. THE CONTENT IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY INDIVIDUAL’S UNIQUE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ABOVE CONTENT MIGHT NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER SEEKING ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. Click here for the full disclaimer. Source link #bearish #healthcare #stocks #bet #options #lagging #sector #hit #RFK #scrutiny #concerns Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

What to know about boxing’s controversial ****** between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul What to know about boxing’s controversial ****** between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul Squid Game, Stranger Things and Bridgerton were all Netflix originals — next up for the streaming giant is Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul in the ring. Netflix’s first live boxing event is expected to attract millions of viewers later this week, despite Paul, 27, being a YouTube-sensation-turned-boxer and the fact Tyson, once the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, is 58 years old. While there is a lot of money at stake (the exact details of who is earning what have not been made public), the controversial ****** has been frowned upon by members of the boxing community, with British promoter Eddie Hearn describing it as “disrespectful” to the sport. Purists will regard the card’s co-main event as the truer form of boxing — and the better quality ******. The world’s two best female boxers, Katie Taylor (who Hearn promotes) and Amanda Serrano, meet in a rematch two-and-a-half years after their brutal first bout, with Taylor putting up her IBF, WBC and WBO super-lightweight titles on the line in what has been called the richest ****** to date in women’s boxing. Katie Taylor (left) and challenger Amanda Serrano pose after the final press conference ahead of their upcoming ****** (Ed Mulholland/Getty Images) How to watch As Netflix bids to make a breakthrough in live sport, this will be the streaming giant’s first foray into boxing. The streaming services’s live sports portfolio already includes two NFL games on Christmas Day this year as part of a three-season deal and, from 2025, WWE’s weekly show, Raw. Netflix has over 280 million subscribers in more than 190 countries who can all access the ****** at no extra cost, meaning that, unusually for big boxing events these days, this is not a pay-per-view offering. The action all takes place at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, on Friday, November 15. At the time of publication, the event had yet to sell out. Starting from 8pm ET (1am Saturday, *** time), the card consists of four bouts. While there has yet been no official announcement, Tyson and Paul are expected to start their ring walks at approximately 11pm ET (4am ***). What are the rules? The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), which regulates combat sports in the U.S. state, has sanctioned the bout so it will count on the fighters’ records as a professional match. However, their gloves will weigh four ounces more than those used by professional heavyweights (10oz), offering greater protection, and the eight scheduled rounds will last two minutes each, rather than the traditional three in men’s professional boxing. Is this just a publicity stunt? Mike Tyson, left, and Jake Paul face each other at a press conference on Wednesday (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images) The ******, originally scheduled for July but postponed because Tyson had a stomach ulcer, has certainly attracted plenty of attention. In one corner is Tyson, widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in history but also one of sport’s most controversial figures. In his boxing prime, the self-styled “baddest man on the planet”, was the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990, and is still the youngest world heavyweight champion in history, winning the title at 20. Yet, his turbulent life story has a dark side. He was convicted of ***** in 1992 and sentenced to six years in prison, serving three before being released on parole. After his release, he regained the WBA and WBC titles, joining a select few heavyweights, including Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, to win those belts back. In 1997, he was disqualified during his Las Vegas rematch with Evander Holyfield — eight months earlier, he had lost his regained WBA title to his compatriot — for biting his opponent’s ear. He was fined $3million and had his Nevada boxing license revoked for a year. At Wednesday’s pre-****** news conference, Paul jokingly wore ear covers. Now approaching his sixties, Tyson is decades beyond his peak. He was beaten by Irish journeyman Kevin McBride in his last professional bout 19 years ago, while his most recent exhibition ****** in 2020 against Roy Jones Jr ended in an unofficial draw. But at the media session yesterday, Tyson repeatedly said: “I’m ready”. When asked in August why he was getting back in the ring, Tyson responded: “I don’t know, that’s the funny question. Because I can.” “Who else is he going to ****** to make this happen?” added Tyson, remarking at the crowd that had gathered for that press conference. “We’ve got a YouTuber fighting the greatest fighter that ever lived.” This is a bout which taps into different generations and demographics, given Paul’s appeal to younger audiences. But Paul, who has 20 million subscribers on YouTube, also hopes to become a respected boxer. What are their records? Tyson’s professional record is 50-6 with 44 knockouts and two no-contests, while Paul is 10-1 with seven knockouts, though most of his opponents have been former UFC fighters not boxers and also include fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib and Nate Robinson, an ex-NBA basketball player. His one loss came last year to fellow novice professional Tommy Fury, who is the half-brother of former world champion heavyweight Tyson Fury and previously appeared on British reality TV show Love Island. But Paul isn’t lacking in confidence and there has been plenty of trash talk over these last few months. “I’m here to make $40million (£31.1m) and knock out a legend,” he said in August. “I’m the anti-hero and people will love me soon enough once they realise what I’ve done for this sport and who I truly am…” he continued. “I’m here to make history.” What are others saying? Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn told the BBC this ****** was “dangerous, irresponsible, and disrespectful to boxing” and said he would leave the arena before the Tyson-Paul ****** starts. Accomplished boxing writer Donald McRae wrote in British newspaper The Guardian: “The idea that he (Paul) should share a ring with the most renowned boxer the world has seen since Muhammad Ali is an embarrassment.” But Tyson Fury told the YouTube channel ProBoxingFans: “Anyone who doesn’t think it’s a fantastic event is jealous.” He added that he “appreciated” Tyson for boxing on at his age and Paul for “bringing so many eyeballs to boxing”. At least there is Taylor-Serrano… Taylor and Serrano trade punches in April 2022 (Sarah Stier/Getty Images) Headlining a sell-out at Madison Square Garden in New York, Taylor retained her world lightweight titles against Serrano in a 2022 ****** considered one of the greatest female bouts ever. Taylor, 38 and from the Republic of Ireland, then lost to England’s light-welterweight champ Chantelle Cameron before winning a rematch this time last year. Serrano, a 36-year-old Puerto Rican, is the unified champion at featherweight (so is stepping up two divisions for this ****** at light-welter, where the weight limit is 14lb higher) and has won five contests at that level since the 2022 loss to Taylor, most recently beating Stevie Morgan with a second-round stoppage. She has held world titles across nine weight classes — a record for a female boxer. “Legacy is very important,” said Serrano at the Wednesday press conference. “But my goal is to motivate and inspire these young ******, the new generation in this sport, that you can do anything you put your mind to. If you believe in yourself, have a great team, you can go far. “When I say how much I make, it’s not bragging, it’s to show these women we can make it, we’re capable of making it, we’re capable of breaking records. Just strive for excellence and you will achieve it.” (Top photo: Timothy A. Clary/ AFP via Getty Images) Source link #boxings #controversial #****** #Mike #Tyson #Jake #Paul Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Super Micro faces deadline to keep Nasdaq listing after 85% plunge Super Micro faces deadline to keep Nasdaq listing after 85% plunge Charles Liang, chief executive officer of Super Micro Computer Inc., during the Computex conference in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. The trade show runs through June 7. Annabelle Chih | Bloomberg | Getty Images Super Micro Computer could be headed down a path to getting kicked off the Nasdaq as soon as Monday. That’s the potential fate for the server company if it fails to file a viable plan for becoming compliant with Nasdaq regulations. Super Micro is late in filing its 2024 year-end report with the SEC, and has yet to replace its accounting firm. Many investors were expecting clarity from Super Micro, when the company reported preliminary quarterly results last week. But they didn’t get it. The primary component of that plan is how and when Super Micro will file its 2024 year-end report with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and why it was late. That report is something many expected would be filed alongside the company’s June fourth-quarter earnings but was not. The Nasdaq delisting process represents a crossroads for Super Micro, which has been one of the primary beneficiaries of the artificial intelligence ***** due to its longstanding relationship with Nvidia and surging demand for the chipmaker’s graphics processing units. The one-time AI darling is reeling after a stretch of bad news. After Super Micro ******* to file its annual report over the summer, activist short seller Hindenburg Research targeted the company in August, alleging accounting ****** and export control issues. The company’s auditor, Ernst & Young, stepped down in October, and Super Micro said last week that it was still trying to find a new one. The stock is getting hammered. After the shares soared more than 14-fold from the end of 2022 to their peak in March of this year, they’ve since plummeted by 85%. Super Micro’s stock is now equal to where it was trading in May 2022, after falling another 11% on Thursday. Getting delisted from the Nasdaq could be next if Super Micro doesn’t file a compliance plan by the Monday deadline or if the exchange rejects the company’s submission. Super Micro could also get an extension from the Nasdaq, giving it months to come into compliance. The company said Thursday that it would provide a plan to the Nasdaq in time. A spokesperson told CNBC the company “intends to take all necessary steps to achieve compliance with the Nasdaq continued listing requirements as soon as possible.” While the delisting issue mainly affects the stock, it could also hurt Super Micro’s reputation and standing with its customers, who may prefer to simply avoid the drama and buy AI servers from rivals such as Dell or HPE. “Given that Super Micro’s accounting concerns have become more acute since Super Micro’s quarter ended, its weakness could ultimately benefit Dell more in the coming quarter,” Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi wrote in a note this week. A representative for the Nasdaq said the exchange doesn’t comment on the delisting process for individual companies, but the rules suggest the process could take about a year before a final decision. A plan of compliance The Nasdaq warned Super Micro on Sept. 17 that it was at risk of being delisted. That gave the company 60 days to submit a plan of compliance to the exchange, and because the deadline falls on a Sunday, the effective date for the submission is Monday. If Super Micro’s plan is acceptable to Nasdaq staff, the company is eligible for an extension of up to 180 days to file its year-end report. The Nasdaq wants to see if Super Micro’s board of directors has investigated the company’s accounting problem, what the exact reason for the late filing was and a timeline of actions taken by the board. The Nasdaq says it looks at several factors when evaluating a plan of compliance, including the reasons for the late filing, upcoming corporate events, the overall financial status of the company and the likelihood of a company filing an audited report within 180 days. The review can also look at information provided by outside auditors, the SEC or other regulators. Last week, Super Micro said it was doing everything it could to remain listed on the Nasdaq, and said a special committee of its board had investigated and found no wrongdoing. Super Micro CEO Charles Liang said the company would receive the board committee’s report as soon as last week. A company spokesperson didn’t respond when asked by CNBC if that report had been received. If the Nasdaq rejects Super Micro’s compliance plan, the company can request a hearing from the exchange’s Hearings Panel to review the decision. Super Micro won’t be immediately kicked off the exchange – the hearing panel request starts a 15-day stay for delisting, and the panel can decide to extend the deadline for up to 180 days. If the panel rejects that request or if Super Micro gets an extension and fails to file the updated financials, the company can still appeal the decision to another Nasdaq body called the Listing Council, which can grant an exception. Ultimately, the Nasdaq says the extensions have a limit: 360 days from when the company’s first late filing was due. A poor track record There’s one factor at play that could hurt Super Micro’s chances of an extension. The exchange considers whether the company has any history of being out of compliance with SEC regulations. Between 2015 and 2017, Super Micro misstated financials and published key filings late, according to the SEC. It was delisted from the Nasdaq in 2017 and was relisted two years later. Super Micro “might have a more difficult time obtaining extensions as the Nasdaq’s literature indicates it will in part ‘consider the company’s specific circumstances, including the company’s past compliance history’ when determining whether an extension is warranted,” Wedbush analyst Matt Bryson wrote in a note earlier this month. He has a neutral rating on the stock. History also reveals just how long the delisting process can take. Charles Liang, chief executive officer of Super Micro Computer Inc., right, and Jensen Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., during the Computex conference in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Annabelle Chih | Bloomberg | Getty Images Super Micro missed an annual report filing deadline in June 2017, got an extension to December and finally got a hearing in May 2018, which gave it another extension to August of that year. It was only when it missed that deadline that the stock was delisted. In the short term, the ******* worry for Super Micro is whether customers and suppliers start to bail. Aside from the compliance problems, Super Micro is a fast-growing company making one of the most in-demand products in the technology industry. Sales more than doubled last year to nearly $15 billion, according to unaudited financial reports, and the company has ample cash on its balance sheet, analysts say. Wall Street is expecting even more growth to about $25 billion in sales in its fiscal 2025, according to FactSet. Super Micro said last week that the filing delay has “had a bit of an impact to orders.” In its unaudited September quarter results reported last week, the company showed growth that was slower than Wall Street expected. It also provided light guidance. The company said one reason for its weak results was that it hadn’t yet obtained enough supply of Nvidia’s next-generation chip, called Blackwell, raising questions about Super Micro’s relationship with its most important supplier. “We don’t believe that Super Micro’s issues are a big deal for Nvidia, although it could move some sales around in the near term from one quarter to the next as customers direct orders toward Dell and others,” wrote Melius Research analyst Ben Reitzes in a note this week. Super Micro’s head of corporate development, Michael Staiger, told investors on a call last week that “we’ve spoken to Nvidia and they’ve confirmed they’ve made no changes to allocations. We maintain a strong relationship with them.” Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO Source link #Super #Micro #faces #deadline #Nasdaq #listing #plunge Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Palantir: Consider 3 Moves for Capitalizing on Market Momentum Palantir: Consider 3 Moves for Capitalizing on Market Momentum As soon as trading started on Tuesday, Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:) stock price shot up, gaining nearly 20 percent within half a day. The excitement around PLTR was already sparked on Monday evening when CEO Alex Karp not only presented impressive quarterly figures but also made his usual bold statements about the company’s apparent bright future. Palantir raised its profit expectations for the current fiscal year yet again – not a surprising move given the company’s double-digit percentage growth in revenue and net income in just the third quarter. After being added to the in late September, Palantir also has excellent news for its shareholders regarding the coming months. “Palantir is for Winners!” “We absolutely eviscerated this quarter,” Alex Karp proudly stated on Monday evening in the company’s report on the latest business results. He dismissed criticism of Palantir’s business model and surveillance technology, which is used by entities like the ******** and Ukrainian military, leaving no doubt about his staunch US patriotism. Earlier in October, the tech tycoon declared to the media that he had “no problem if our enemies ****,” referring to the ******* States’ geopolitical adversaries. Karp also expressed strong ****** in ********* innovation. According to him, Palantir owes its exceptional quarterly results to a U.S.-driven AI revolution which is now fully underway. Karp’s praises for the ******* States are unsurprising and quite savvy from a business perspective. The US government ******** Palantir’s most important client: out of $726 million in revenue, $320 million came from federal contracts, an increase of 40 percent from the previous year. Karp’s enthusiasm for the leading role of North America in Artificial Intelligence seems sincere, as he believes the US lead will only widen: “The world will be divided between AI haves and have-nots. At Palantir, we plan to power the winners”. A Strong Quarter for Palantir – And Grand Plans Ahead What sparked such enthusiasm among Palantir’s investors, leading to a brief buying frenzy around PLTR on Tuesday? Unlike its peers, Microsoft (NASDAQ:) and Meta (NASDAQ:), whose stock prices fell despite strong earnings, Palantir not only posted excellent quarterly results on Monday but also offered optimistic forecasts for the near future. Between July and September, Palantir generated $726 million in revenue, a 30 percent increase compared to the third quarter of the previous year. The latest forecast for the fourth quarter projects revenues between $767 and $771 million. Previously, analysts expected around $741 million for the winter months. Palantir exceeded expectations not only with its forecast for Q4 but also with the confirmed figures for Q3. Wall Street had expected $0.09 earnings per share, while Palantir delivered $0.10 – a 43 percent increase from the prior year’s quarter. Net income rose by 56 percent to $242 million, surpassing analyst estimates of approximately $222 million. Despite rising income in both the public and private sectors, Palantir faces a minor setback as these two pillars drift further apart. Government business, historically Palantir’s strong segment, grew by a third to $408 million, while private sector revenue, up 27 percent to $317 million, lags slightly. A significant factor for this may be Palantir’s recent seven percent decline in international commercial revenue due to sluggish sales in Europe. “Huge Demand for AI”: Inclusion in the S&P 500 Just the Beginning? After reporting its first adjusted profit in the spring, Palantir now meets the criteria for inclusion in the S&P 500, with its listing finalized on September 23. The software company attributes this success primarily to a strong performance in the U.S. market, which Alex Karp openly admires: “It is the speed with which institutions in the ******* States, in particular, have adopted our platforms and artificial intelligence capabilities more broadly that has been, and we believe will continue to be, the driver of our growth,” he wrote in a letter to investors. And indeed, Palantir’s growth engine seems to be humming strongly. For the current year, the company projects an adjusted operating income of about $1.05 billion, while analysts had previously expected around $980 million. Source link #Palantir #Moves #Capitalizing #Market #Momentum Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Javier Milei visits Trump, Elon Musk as DOGE takes shape Javier Milei visits Trump, Elon Musk as DOGE takes shape President-elect Donald Trump and Argentina’s President Javier Milei at Mar-a-Lago on November 14, 2024 Courtesy presidential office of Argentina Self-described anarcho-capitalist President Javier Milei of Argentina became the first foreign leader to visit President-elect Donald Trump since he won a second term, arriving in Florida on Thursday to attend a gala dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, where Milei was a VIP speaker. “The world is a much better place, and the winds of freedom are blowing much stronger,” now that Trump had been elected, said Milei. He called Trump’s Nov. 5 victory, “The greatest political comeback in all of history, defying the political establishment even at the risk of his own life.” Milei also name-checked another attendee in the gala crowd: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. “I would like to thank the great Elon Musk for the wonderful job he has been doing to save humanity,” Milei said through an interpreter. Milei’s presence in Florida on Thursday, and his warm words for Trump and Musk, offer a glimpse of what is an evolving, and important, dynamic between the two ********* billionaires and a leader who has promised to save Argentina’s long-struggling economy through “shock therapy” — deep spending cuts and slashing regulations. Musk and Milei are already big fans of each other. They’ve met several times, and Milei has been to the Tesla factory and posted photos of the two together. A photo Milei posted in September shows Musk sporting a “dark MAGA” hat, Trump’s campaign logo written in ****** on ******. Photos from the Thursday gala posted on social media showed Musk, Milei and Trump together, all smiles. Musk has spent the last week at Mar-a-Lago, acting as one of Trump’s closest advisors as the president-elect fills his Cabinet with unexpected picks — several of whom have promised to bring their own kind of shock therapy to the federal agencies they’ve been chosen to lead. Trump has also announced that Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a “Department of Government Efficiency,” that will be dedicated to drastically cutting the federal budget. The announcement fulfilled Trump’s campaign promise to give Musk a major role advising his administration on government spending. Despite the name, the DOGE will not be a federal agency, acting instead as an outside advisory panel to the White House Office of Management and Budget. Still, Musk claims he can cut $2 trillion out of the roughly $6.75 trillion U.S. budget. The only place where cuts on this scale have been implemented in recent years is Argentina, under Milei. “All government spending, it either becomes inflation or direct taxation. The Department of Government Efficiency is going to fix that,” Musk said at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally last month. To understand the origins of Musk’s notion of reducing the federal budget by a third, consider what Milei has accomplished. Since taking office last December, Milei has cut Argentina’s federal spending by 32%, according to the Center for Argentine Political Economy, or CEPA. In a country where annual inflation rates have topped 300% and destabilized the nation, this October, inflation in Argentina hit its lowest level since 2017: 2.7% Read more CNBC politics coverage Much of Milei’s agenda comes down to eliminating federal spending. And according to Milei, Musk has turned to Argentina’s leadership to find out how. “The U.S. has noticed and is following our example,” Milei said at a Meta Day Argentina conference Tuesday in Buenos Aires. “Musk is speaking to [Minister of Deregulation] Federico Sturzenegger about how to deregulate the U.S. economy.” In Argentina, Milei reduced the number of ministries by 13, leaving only nine. More than 30,000 public sector workers were fired. He halted all infrastructure projects. The drastic cuts have had equally drastic consequences, throwing Argentina’s economy into a deep recession. Argentina’s GDP fell by more than 5% in the first quarter of 2024. However, the World Bank estimates that the worst is over, and that by the end of the year, the overall contraction will be roughly 3.5%. The bank also predicts that Argentina’s GDP will grow 5% in 2025. To be sure, cuts of this magnitude would likely be much ******* to ******** in America than they were in Argentina. To start, Argentina’s national budget is much smaller than the U.S. at approximately $101 billion, which is less than the budget of New York City. But unlike Milei, it’s not clear whether ********* voters have given Trump a mandate to cut spending like Argentine voters gave their president. Reducing the federal budget was Milei’s No. 1 campaign promise; he frequently carried a chainsaw around with him on the campaign trail as a symbol of his determination to eliminate bloated government spending. Milei won his election last year by 10 points, suggesting that a significant majority of voters were on board with his plan. Trump, meanwhile, campaigned on securing the border and improving the economy, but mostly through tax cuts and tariffs. Fiscal restraint did not figure prominently into Trump’s campaign platform. This reality has not gone unnoticed by the markets. Since Trump’s election, there’s been a notable rise in long-term U.S. interest rates, suggesting the possible return of the so-called bond vigilantes. Coined by Ed Yardeni of Yardeni Research back in 1983, the phrase “bond vigilantes” refers to the notion that if fiscal and monetary authorities won’t control their spending, the bond market will, by imposing much higher borrowing costs. Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Sylvester Stallone’s name. Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO Source link #Javier #Milei #visits #Trump #Elon #Musk #DOGE #takes #shape Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The 12 NFL teams that could have new starting quarterbacks in 2025 The 12 NFL teams that could have new starting quarterbacks in 2025 As the 2024 season enters the stretch run, some teams will confront the reality that they might not have a solution at the sport’s most important position: quarterback. It’s not unusual for a handful of teams to make a change behind center during the offseason, but what’s a little different about this upcoming offseason is that the options are not great. There are few viable options set to hit free agency in March, and there is no sure thing in the 2025 draft class. With that in mind, The Athletic’s beat writers for 12 teams potentially contemplating a QB change weighed in on why it might — or might not — happen, and who could be taking the first snaps of the 2025 regular season. Current starting quarterback: Kirk Cousins Potential 2025 starting quarterback: Kirk Cousins Cousins has been everything Atlanta had hoped for when it signed him to a four-year deal worth up to $180 million in the offseason. He’s ninth in EPA per dropback, and the Falcons are top-10 in the league in both EPA (ninth) and offensive DVOA (eighth). The only reason there’s any question about next year’s starter is because Atlanta selected Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft, calling their long-term commitment to Cousins into question — under these circumstances, quarterback is going to be an offseason topic every year in Atlanta. This is not the time to make a change, though. It makes no sense on the field or for the finances, because cutting Cousins after this year would result in a $65 million *****-money hit. — Josh Kendall Current starting quarterback: Bryce Young Potential 2025 starting quarterback: Bryce Young? Andy Dalton? Someone with ties to Dave Canales (i.e. Russell Wilson, Geno Smith)? Considering the Panthers gave up the farm for the No. 1 pick in 2023, you’d think they’d want Young to have every opportunity to prove he can be a franchise QB. But Dave Canales wasn’t in Charlotte when the Panthers drafted Young, and there are signs he’s not sold on him. Canales has already benched Young once and came back to him only after Dalton sprained his thumb in a fender bender. When Young led back-to-back wins over New Orleans and the Giants — matching his win total from his rookie season — Canales declined to immediately name him the starter for the following game. So it wouldn’t be surprising if Dalton is behind center again, with Canales and the other decision-makers gauging whether the 37-year-old could be a bridge in 2025. Canales also has ties to Smith and Wilson if either becomes available. The Panthers could draft Cam Ward, who’s starring for GM Dan Morgan’s alma mater, Miami, and bring in someone like Justin Fields as a bridge. — Joseph Person GO DEEPER NFL Draft 2025 Big Board: Travis Hunter takes No. 1 spot, 4 QBs in updated top 50 Current starting quarterback: Deshaun Watson, with Jameis Winston currently filling in Potential 2025 starting quarterback: Geno Smith? There are as many as 15 candidates who could start for the Browns next season. It won’t be Watson, but that’s only part of the story. Watson is under contract for two more seasons with salary-cap hits of $72.9 million each year that are fully guaranteed. There’s ***** money beyond that, too, that could only be erased if the Browns cut Watson and accelerate the 2025 and ’26 cap hits. Seattle would save $25 million by cutting Smith in early 2025, so maybe the Browns take on Smith as a bridge quarterback and potential lottery ticket. Winston doesn’t have a contract for next year, and second-year backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson is just a backup. If the Browns can’t draft a blue-chip prospect, look for a veteran bridge quarterback to lead the room. Cleveland is likely shopping in the Smith / Daniel Jones / Winston / Drew Lock aisle. — Zac Jackson Current starting quarterback: Anthony Richardson Potential 2025 starting quarterback: Anthony Richardson The Colts aren’t quitting on Richardson. After benching the 22-year-old six starts into this season and turning to 39-year-old Joe Flacco, Indianapolis has once again restored Richardson as their QB1. Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Richardson used his two-week benching to become a better pro and will start the rest of the season. Richardson’s development path hasn’t followed the trajectory the Colts were hoping for through his first 10 starts, but remember, he’s still very young. Steichen said this week that the Colts believe Richardson is “going to be our franchise quarterback.” And even if Steichen and the front office wanted to pivot this upcoming offseason, consider this: The No. 1 QB on Dane Brugler’s latest Big Board is Miami’s Cam Ward, who is three days younger than Richardson. — James Boyd GO DEEPER QB Betrayal Index: Lamar Jackson acing his toughest test; Justin Herbert finally gets a break Current starting quarterback: Gardner Minshew II Potential 2025 starting quarterback: Shedeur Sanders The Raiders signed Minshew this offseason to compete with incumbent starter Aidan O’Connell. While Minshew won the job after a training-camp battle, the results have been disastrous. He’s made seven starts and has been benched in three of them — twice for O’Connell and once for Desmond Ridder. The Raiders were prepared to go back to O’Connell for good in Week 7, but he suffered a broken thumb that has him on injured reserve. It’s highly unlikely that any of Minshew, O’Connell and Ridder emerge as the long-term answer. The Raiders need to find their quarterback of the future next offseason, and the best way to do that is through the draft. — Tashan Reed Current starting quarterback: Matthew Stafford Potential 2025 starting quarterback: Matthew Stafford (if not, it’s really anyone’s guess) Before Rams fans come after me for the suggestion — Stafford did lead the team to a Super Bowl and a better-than-expected 2023 campaign and when he’s on, he’s on — it bears reminding that he will be 37 in February and essentially restructured his contract this summer to reflect a one-year deal with the opportunity to renegotiate after this season. The big question is, will either he or the Rams want to do that? Stafford seems to be aging in reverse, so it’s fair to think he’d still want to play football. But in any financial commitment moving forward — to any veteran player currently on their roster — the Rams also will have one eye fixed on upcoming contracts for homegrown ascending stars in the coming years. Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Kobie Turner and Byron Young are all potential candidates for early contract extensions (after the 2025 season). Could the Rams operate year-to-year with Stafford understanding the potential of a healthy roster with him at quarterback, and think cheaper after 2025? Possibly. It will be an interesting spring. — Jourdan Rodrigue GO DEEPER NFL head coach candidates 2025: Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel, Deion Sanders top star-studded list Current starting quarterback: Sam Darnold Potential 2025 starting quarterback: J.J. McCarthy The Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year, $10 million contract for a reason — they viewed him as a quarterback with upside, capable of bridging the transition from Cousins to the rookie McCarthy. McCarthy’s torn meniscus provided Darnold with a full season to prove his worth as a starter. Nine games in, the results are about what you’d expect. Darnold’s arm talent and athleticism have led to highs, but his turnover tendency has brought lows, too. The Vikings would not be 7-2 without him, but their ceiling might be higher with a quicker processor and better decision-maker. Another team’s willingness to take a flier on Darnold in 2025 as a starter, plus the Vikings’ ******* to see McCarthy in action, makes a change here probable. — Alec Lewis Current starting quarterback: Daniel Jones Potential 2025 starting quarterback: Cam Ward It’s over for Jones in New York. The Giants will bench him soon and then cut ties with him at the end of the season. The Giants tried to draft his replacement this past offseason but couldn’t move up and decided against selecting the likes of Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy or Bo Nix, all of whom were still on the board when New York picked wide receiver Malik Nabers at No. 6. Right or wrong, the Giants now have no choice but to draft a quarterback, and at the moment, they are in prime position to do it. At 2-8, New York has a great chance of landing a top-three pick in the 2025 draft. —Dan Duggan GO DEEPER 2025 NFL Draft: Projection model ranks 5 teams most likely to pick No. 1 Current starting quarterback: Aaron Rodgers Potential 2025 starting quarterback: Aaron Rodgers Rodgers returning is far from a lock — I’m not even sure I would put it at 50 percent at the moment. But there are a few unknown factors at play here: Who the Jets’ GM will be, who the head coach will be, and whether owner Woody Johnson takes a role in the Trump administration again, leaving his brother Christopher Johnson to run the show. About that last part, If Christopher Johnson is running things it increases the odds that Rodgers would be willing to return since they are very close. Though that will also depend on what the likely new GM wants to do; running it back with a 41–year-old in decline, and the circus that comes with Rodgers, isn’t very appealing for many. Earlier this week Rodgers alluded to wanting to play in 2025, though it was more of a tepid statement than a full-on guarantee. If not Rodgers, my prediction would be Tyrod Taylor or a 2025 rookie. — Zack Rosenblatt Current starting quarterback: Russell Wilson Potential 2025 starting quarterback: Russell Wilson The Steelers created one of the most unique quarterback rooms in the league last offseason when they signed Wilson, traded Kenny Pickett and acquired Justin Fields. What comes next may be even more significant. Getting Wilson for just $1.2 million and Fields for only a conditional sixth-round pick made both additions low-risk, low-cost investments. However, both quarterbacks will be free agents at season’s end. The Steelers will need to decide, long-term, which quarterback they believe in and how far they’re willing to go to make him the future of the franchise. While Wilson is playing on the veteran minimum in Pittsburgh, he’s still making $39 million this year due to contract guarantees from the Denver Broncos. Wilson, who turns 36 later this month, has also said he wants to play another five or six seasons. Will he be willing to accept far less than the $40 million he made in 2024? Will he take a short-term deal or look for one last big contract? And ultimately, what will his market be? From the team’s perspective, it is possible the Steelers saw enough from Fields during his 4-2 start to the season to think they can be the team to unlock the potential of the 2021 first-round pick, who will be 26 next season. — Mike DeFabo Current starting quarterback: Geno Smith Potential 2025 starting quarterback: Geno Smith Smith’s agent tried to engage the Seahawks in extension talks this offseason, with no success. Smith’s deal expires after 2025 and his cap hit in what will be his age-35 season is scheduled to be $38.5 million. Quarterback play is low on the list of reasons the Seahawks are not projected to make the playoffs, but if they fall short, general manager John Schneider and coach Mike Macdonald will put all options on the table, including a signal caller change. But the reason Smith projects as the 2025 starter is due to an underwhelming free agent class, Sam Howell (Smith’s current backup) not being very good, and the Seahawks likely falling outside the top 10 of the draft’s first round (our model predicts a 7-10 record). It’s unclear whether Seattle would extend Smith in the offseason, but as this exercise illustrates, there will likely be a lot of QB-needy teams ahead of Seattle in the draft, which limits the team’s options. — Michael-Shawn Dugar Scoop City Newsletter Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox. Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox. Sign Up Current starting quarterback: Will Levis Potential 2025 starting quarterback: Cam Ward Levis shouldn’t be ruled out as some kind of factor in 2025, perhaps as part of a competition with a rookie, but this season of discovery hasn’t gone well for him. Levis doesn’t protect the ball (or himself) well enough, he sees too many things late and misses too many that he does see on time. Barring a late-season surge — which Levis will get every opportunity to manufacture — the Titans need to pivot. Does GM Ran Carthon feel urgency to land a veteran after taking Levis in 2023, and after heavy losing in his first two seasons on the job? The Titans have to get it right, they’re going to pick very high and the veteran pool is underwhelming. The guess here is a dip into a QB draft class that, as The Athletic analyst Dane Brugler has noted, is less than stellar. — Joe Rexrode (Top photo: Illustration by Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic, photos by Doug Murray / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Chris Unger / Getty Images, Mitchell Leff / Getty Images) Source link #NFL #teams #starting #quarterbacks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Amazon drops the price of the Ninja Creami ice cream maker ahead of ****** Friday Amazon drops the price of the Ninja Creami ice cream maker ahead of ****** Friday ****** Friday deals offer opportunities to pick up holiday gifts for less but also treat-yourself items you’ve been eyeing. One of our favorite gadgets that falls under that category is the Ninja Creami, a favorite kitchen gadget of ours that scored a 90 in our review. Ninja ****** Friday deals seem to already be in full swing because you can grab the ice cream maker for $50 off right now, for a final price of $180. That’s not too far away from its record low price, making it a solid deal. While it isn’t quite the season for ice cream in North America, there’s never truly a bad time to enjoy it. Ninja Our favorite ice cream maker is back on ***** for ****** Friday. The Ninia Creami is as easy to use as a food processor, and it can be yours for $180. $180 at Amazon This is a more compact ice cream machine than many other household models. The Ninja Creami is very easy to use as well, since it operates in a similar way to a food processor. You’ll need to make a liquid ice cream base and then freeze it, ideally for 24 hours. You can then use the machine to blend in flavors. Cleaning up is a cinch if you have a dishwasher, since everything aside from the machine component is safe to place alongside your dishes on the racks. On the downside, it is a rather noisy machine. We estimate that the volume is somewhere between that of a food processor and a countertop blender running at full speed. It’s fairly tall too at 16 inches, so you’ll want to make sure you have enough space for the Ninja Creami before buying it. Otherwise, we have no major complaints, other than the design not being overly attractive. As such, we gave it a score of 90 in our review. The Ninja Creami has seven one-touch programs, but if you’d prefer an 11-in-1 deluxe model, you’re in luck: that’s on ***** too. At $220, it’s $30 off. It supports 24 oz tubs that hold 50 percent more ice cream than those in the original Ninja Creami. The Deluxe model also has a dual processing feature. This allows you to add two different mix-in flavors to the same base. So you can, for instance, add sprinkles to the top part and cookies to the bottom. Check out all of the latest ****** Friday and Cyber Monday deals here. Source link #Amazon #drops #price #Ninja #Creami #ice #cream #maker #ahead #****** #Friday Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘A fork in the road’: laundry-sorting ****** spurs AI hopes and fears at Europe’s biggest tech event | Artificial intelligence (AI) ‘A fork in the road’: laundry-sorting ****** spurs AI hopes and fears at Europe’s biggest tech event | Artificial intelligence (AI) This year’s Web Summit, in Lisbon, was all about artificial intelligence – and a ****** sorting laundry. Digit, a humanoid built by the US firm Agility Robotics, demonstrated how far AI has come in a few years by responding to voice commands – filtered through Google’s Gemini AI model – to sift through a pile of ********* T-shirts and place them in a basket. It wasn’t a seamless demonstration but the enthusiastic response, nearly two years on from the launch of ChatGPT, reflected the excitement about all things AI that pervaded Europe’s biggest annual tech conference. Talk of a bust in the AI ***** could not be heard over the shouts of encouragement for Digit as it pondered different shades of garment. Nonetheless, the voices of caution were there, discussing familiar themes such as safety, jobs and the climate, as AI comes to influence a huge range of industries. Here are some of the event’s discussion points about AI. Job security A key debate was: if millions of jobs are going to be displaced by AI, will they be replaced by new roles for humans as the technology creates fresh opportunities? The possibility of entry-level jobs becoming casualties of displacement was raised a lot. Speakers talked about these jobs being affected in professional industries such as law, finance and even tech because AI tools, particularly AI “agents” that can carry out tasks autonomously, will be able to do relatively simple work, such as initial checking of contracts or handling queries from potential clients. Sarah Franklin, the chief executive of Lattice, a US tech firm that provides a platform for company HR departments, said the shape of workforces would change as a result. Entry-level jobs formed the base of a workforce that narrowed as people filtered upwards into management and executive roles, she said. “AI can make this more of a diamond shape, where the entry levels are ******* to get.” She added: “The pace of innovation is outpacing education. That is a dangerous future if we don’t rapidly invest in ensuring that everyone is proficient with AI, especially entry-level workers.” And then there is the question of replacing those eliminated jobs. Digit is being used in warehouses by GXO, a US logistics company, to lift boxes and place them on conveyor belts. According to the chief executive of Agility Robotics, Peggy Johnson, a new role could be created managing teams of Digits doing physical work. “Employees who were previously doing this physical work, appreciate the fact that they can hand that off to Digit,” she said. “Then it allows them to do a number of other things, one of which is to be a ****** manager.” The climate AI’s impact on the climate, most notably through the energy-hungry datacentres used to train and operate AI models, prompted warnings that competition for energy supply could pit tech firms against communities. “I think there are real concerns to be raised about the implications for the climate and the implications for local communities that are also dependent on these energy infrastructures,” said Sarah Myers West of the AI Now Institute, which produces AI policy research. She added that coal plants were being kept open to meet energy demand for datacentres in the US, while renewable energy resources could be diverted to AI firms and related infrastructure rather than for broader public use. Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, acknowledged the issue in a keynote speech. “We can’t afford to just build datacentres and consume electricity without regard for what it means for a local community or for a country or for planet Earth,” he said. Microsoft admitted this year that energy use related to its datacentres was endangering its “moonshot” target of being carbon negative by 2030. Startups were a feature of the summit and climate-oriented investors regard the AI ***** as a source of demand. Shawn Xu, a partner at the US-based Lowercarbon Capital, a venture capital fund that invests in companies combating the climate crisis, said datacentres were “an opportunity to expand clean energy”. Lowercarbon’s investments include the *** business InRange, which connects rooftop solar sites to datacentres. Edith Yeung, a general partner at the US VC firm Race Capital, said energy would be a focus of investment next year. “For 2025, AI strategy is energy strategy. It is a very critical pillar for AI infrastructure.” skip past newsletter promotion A weekly ***** in to how technology is shaping our lives Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Safety For all the AI boosterism, the event gave prominence to Prof Max Tegmark, a leading voice in the warnings about unrestrained development of the technology. Tegmark, an AI specialist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told a sizeable crowd that the industry was at a “fork in the road” where it could develop artificial general intelligence – AI systems that match or exceed human intelligence – that resulted in a “reasonable chance we’ll all be ***** in 10 years” or living in a “dystopia” where humans are totally disempowered. Will AI replace the creators? The Peaky Blinders creator, Steven Knight, said creative professionals would be at the “forefront” of a battle between AI and humanity. However, computers would lose because they could not create the unexpected, he said. The issue was highlighted last month when it emerged the *** broadcaster ITV was advertising for a £95,000-a-year job involving the use of AI to “shape the future of content creation”. Knight described AI’s approach to creative work as “taking previous experience, precedent, and presenting it in a different way”, and said the human approach to art souunded similar, but was “more than that”. “When a creative human being creates something new, the reason it works is because it’s not expected.” Knight was speaking alongside Marco Bassetti, the chief executive of the TV production group Banijay, which has launched a creative fund for ideas using AI. “There are a lot of things that AI can do in order to improve creativity. It can cut a lot of time in finding an idea,” he told the Guardian. However, he added, humans still had the edge, and compared AI to a tool that helps make the finished product. “If you have a brush, it doesn’t mean you are able to do a painting.” However, one experienced creative figure pointed to the emergence of AI products, such as Runway, that can generate convincing video images quickly. “I think you’re going to see an enormous negative impact on the WPPs of the world and the big [advertising] holding companies. It’s not that they haven’t understood what’s going to happen, but would your start point really be: ‘I’ve got 100,000 employees who have no experience in AI’? No, it wouldn’t be,” said David Jones, the chief executive of Brandtech Group, an advertising startup using generative AI to create marketing campaigns. Where next for the *****? There was talk of the race to ever-more-powerful AI slowing, after reports that initial tests of unreleased models have been underperforming relative to expectations. The recent breakthroughs have been more than enough to spur the launch of new companies, such as the British biotech startup Healx, which uses AI to search for cures for rare *********, and Luminance, another *** firm, that offers companies a tailored AI model to do legal work. Kanu Gulati, a partner at Khosla Ventures, a California VC firm whose investments include the ChatGPT developer OpenAI, said companies were emerging that, even if they didn’t build the models, were taking advantage of them. This was a key – and necessary – development for investors and tech firms looking for a return on their multibillion dollar investments in AI breakthroughs. “New business models can now get created,” Gulati said. Source link #fork #road #laundrysorting #****** #spurs #hopes #fears #Europes #biggest #tech #event #Artificial #intelligence Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Warren Buffett’s New Focus: 4 Stocks Now Form 64% of Portfolio Warren Buffett’s New Focus: 4 Stocks Now Form 64% of Portfolio Berkshire Hathaway’s (NYSE:) investment portfolio underwent significant changes in the third quarter of 2024, with Warren Buffett’s conglomerate reducing its exposure to major tech and banking stocks while reinforcing its position in traditional consumer businesses. The company’s latest 13F filing reveals a $13.6 billion decrease in total portfolio value to $266.38 billion, marking a notable shift in investment strategy amid evolving market conditions. Berkshire Portfolio Adjustments and Holdings The Omaha-based investment giant made several strategic moves during the quarter, most notably reducing its Apple (NASDAQ:) stake by 25%, selling 100 million shares of the tech giant. Despite this reduction, Apple ******** Berkshire’s largest holding, anchoring a concentrated portfolio where the top four positions – Apple, ********* Express (NYSE:), Bank of America (NYSE:), and Coca-Cola (NYSE:) – represent 64% of total investments. The company also significantly trimmed its Bank of America position by approximately 235 million shares, while maintaining steady positions in ********* Express and Coca-Cola. New additions to the portfolio included Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:) and Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:), signaling a strategic pivot toward established consumer businesses. Berkshire’s portfolio adjustments suggest a more defensive investment stance, with a noticeable shift away from technology and traditional banking exposure. The decision to maintain positions in consumer staples and consumer financial services, while reducing stakes in tech and traditional banking, indicates a careful rebalancing of risk in response to market conditions. This repositioning appears to reflect concerns about tech sector valuations and traditional banking fundamentals. Berkshire’s Value-Oriented Approach Continues The latest moves reflect Berkshire’s renewed emphasis on value investing principles, favoring companies with strong cash flows and established market positions over high-growth technology stocks. New investments in Domino’s Pizza and Pool Corporation, combined with maintained positions in consumer staples, demonstrate a preference for businesses with predictable revenue streams and robust market presence. This strategic shift suggests a more cautious outlook on market conditions and a return to Berkshire’s traditional value-oriented investment philosophy. The reduction in major tech holdings, coupled with selective exposure to financial services and increased investment in consumer businesses, also suggests a strategic repositioning for an uncertain economic environment. Berkshire’s moves could influence other institutional investors’ strategies and market sentiment, particularly regarding tech valuations and the banking sector’s outlook. ****** Neither the author, Tim Fries, nor this website, The Tokenist, provide financial advice. Please consult our website policy prior to making financial decisions. This article was originally published on The Tokenist. Check out The Tokenist’s free newsletter, Five Minute Finance, for weekly analysis of the biggest trends in finance and technology. Source link #Warren #Buffetts #Focus #Stocks #Form #Portfolio Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Super Micro faces deadline to keep Nasdaq listing after 85% plunge Super Micro faces deadline to keep Nasdaq listing after 85% plunge Charles Liang, chief executive officer of Super Micro Computer Inc., during the Computex conference in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. The trade show runs through June 7. Annabelle Chih | Bloomberg | Getty Images Super Micro Computer could be headed down a path to getting kicked off the Nasdaq as soon as Monday. That’s the potential fate for the server company if it fails to file a viable plan for becoming compliant with Nasdaq regulations. Super Micro is late in filing its 2024 year-end report with the SEC, and has yet to replace its accounting firm. Many investors were expecting clarity from Super Micro, when the company reported preliminary quarterly results last week. But they didn’t get it. The primary component of that plan is how and when Super Micro will file its 2024 year-end report with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and why it was late. That report is something many expected would be filed alongside the company’s June fourth-quarter earnings but was not. The Nasdaq delisting process represents a crossroads for Super Micro, which has been one of the primary beneficiaries of the artificial intelligence ***** due to its longstanding relationship with Nvidia and surging demand for the chipmaker’s graphics processing units. The one-time AI darling is reeling after a stretch of bad news. After Super Micro ******* to file its annual report over the summer, activist short seller Hindenburg Research targeted the company in August, alleging accounting ****** and export control issues. The company’s auditor, Ernst & Young, stepped down in October, and Super Micro said last week that it was still trying to find a new one. The stock is getting hammered. After the shares soared more than 14-fold from the end of 2022 to their peak in March of this year, they’ve since plummeted by 85%. Super Micro’s stock is now equal to where it was trading in May 2022, after falling another 11% on Thursday. Getting delisted from the Nasdaq could be next if Super Micro doesn’t file a compliance plan by the Monday deadline or if the exchange rejects the company’s submission. Super Micro could also get an extension from the Nasdaq, giving it months to come into compliance. The company said Thursday that it would provide a plan to the Nasdaq in time. A spokesperson told CNBC the company “intends to take all necessary steps to achieve compliance with the Nasdaq continued listing requirements as soon as possible.” While the delisting issue mainly affects the stock, it could also hurt Super Micro’s reputation and standing with its customers, who may prefer to simply avoid the drama and buy AI servers from rivals such as Dell or HPE. “Given that Super Micro’s accounting concerns have become more acute since Super Micro’s quarter ended, its weakness could ultimately benefit Dell more in the coming quarter,” Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi wrote in a note this week. A representative for the Nasdaq said the exchange doesn’t comment on the delisting process for individual companies, but the rules suggest the process could take about a year before a final decision. A plan of compliance The Nasdaq warned Super Micro on Sept. 17 that it was at risk of being delisted. That gave the company 60 days to submit a plan of compliance to the exchange, and because the deadline falls on a Sunday, the effective date for the submission is Monday. If Super Micro’s plan is acceptable to Nasdaq staff, the company is eligible for an extension of up to 180 days to file its year-end report. The Nasdaq wants to see if Super Micro’s board of directors has investigated the company’s accounting problem, what the exact reason for the late filing was and a timeline of actions taken by the board. The Nasdaq says it looks at several factors when evaluating a plan of compliance, including the reasons for the late filing, upcoming corporate events, the overall financial status of the company and the likelihood of a company filing an audited report within 180 days. The review can also look at information provided by outside auditors, the SEC or other regulators. Last week, Super Micro said it was doing everything it could to remain listed on the Nasdaq, and said a special committee of its board had investigated and found no wrongdoing. Super Micro CEO Charles Liang said the company would receive the board committee’s report as soon as last week. A company spokesperson didn’t respond when asked by CNBC if that report had been received. If the Nasdaq rejects Super Micro’s compliance plan, the company can request a hearing from the exchange’s Hearings Panel to review the decision. Super Micro won’t be immediately kicked off the exchange – the hearing panel request starts a 15-day stay for delisting, and the panel can decide to extend the deadline for up to 180 days. If the panel rejects that request or if Super Micro gets an extension and fails to file the updated financials, the company can still appeal the decision to another Nasdaq body called the Listing Council, which can grant an exception. Ultimately, the Nasdaq says the extensions have a limit: 360 days from when the company’s first late filing was due. A poor track record There’s one factor at play that could hurt Super Micro’s chances of an extension. The exchange considers whether the company has any history of being out of compliance with SEC regulations. Between 2015 and 2017, Super Micro misstated financials and published key filings late, according to the SEC. It was delisted from the Nasdaq in 2017 and was relisted two years later. Super Micro “might have a more difficult time obtaining extensions as the Nasdaq’s literature indicates it will in part ‘consider the company’s specific circumstances, including the company’s past compliance history’ when determining whether an extension is warranted,” Wedbush analyst Matt Bryson wrote in a note earlier this month. He has a neutral rating on the stock. History also reveals just how long the delisting process can take. Charles Liang, chief executive officer of Super Micro Computer Inc., right, and Jensen Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., during the Computex conference in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Annabelle Chih | Bloomberg | Getty Images Super Micro missed an annual report filing deadline in June 2017, got an extension to December and finally got a hearing in May 2018, which gave it another extension to August of that year. It was only when it missed that deadline that the stock was delisted. In the short term, the ******* worry for Super Micro is whether customers and suppliers start to bail. Aside from the compliance problems, Super Micro is a fast-growing company making one of the most in-demand products in the technology industry. Sales more than doubled last year to nearly $15 billion, according to unaudited financial reports, and the company has ample cash on its balance sheet, analysts say. Wall Street is expecting even more growth to about $25 billion in sales in its fiscal 2025, according to FactSet. Super Micro said last week that the filing delay has “had a bit of an impact to orders.” In its unaudited September quarter results reported last week, the company showed growth that was slower than Wall Street expected. It also provided light guidance. The company said one reason for its weak results was that it hadn’t yet obtained enough supply of Nvidia’s next-generation chip, called Blackwell, raising questions about Super Micro’s relationship with its most important supplier. “We don’t believe that Super Micro’s issues are a big deal for Nvidia, although it could move some sales around in the near term from one quarter to the next as customers direct orders toward Dell and others,” wrote Melius Research analyst Ben Reitzes in a note this week. Super Micro’s head of corporate development, Michael Staiger, told investors on a call last week that “we’ve spoken to Nvidia and they’ve confirmed they’ve made no changes to allocations. We maintain a strong relationship with them.” Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO Source link #Super #Micro #faces #deadline #Nasdaq #listing #plunge Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Week 12’s top 10 college football games: Tennessee-Georgia showdown, Playoff implications abound Week 12’s top 10 college football games: Tennessee-Georgia showdown, Playoff implications abound One of the more fascinating subplots in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff is how all of these realigned and suddenly crowded conference races are factoring into that Playoff picture. Sure, Tennessee–Georgia is a massive game for the 12-team bracket, but so is LSU–Florida. And Arizona State–Kansas State. And Clemson–Pitt. And a number of other matchups up and down the schedule. So let’s rank the top 10 games of Week 12, starting with honorable mentions and counting down. Honorable Mention: UCLA at Washington (Fri.), No. 25 Tulane at Navy, Virginia at No. 8 Notre Dame, Boston College at No. 14 SMU, Nebraska at USC, Cincinnati at Iowa State, No. 18 Washington State at New Mexico (All point spreads come from BetMGM; click here for live odds. All kickoff times are Eastern and on Saturday unless otherwise noted.) 10. No. 23 Missouri (7-2) at No. 21 South Carolina (6-3), 4:15 p.m., SEC Network One of only two ranked matchups this week, though oddly this one won’t have much impact on the SEC or CFP races, despite Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz’s message following last week’s wild win over Oklahoma. Eli Drinkwitz on miraculous win over Oklahoma: “This keeps us in the Playoff hunt. “That’s right, I said it, Playoff hunt!” pic.twitter.com/CxB1WzfL6y — SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) November 10, 2024 The Athletic’s Playoff projection model gives both teams a less than 1 percent chance of winning the conference or reaching the CFP, but each is still battling to stay ranked, which could impact others. The Ole Miss and LSU resumes would benefit from a South Carolina victory, while Texas A&M is rooting for Mizzou. The only guaranteed winner is Alabama, which beat both of these teams. Line: South Carolina -14 9. No. 20 Clemson (7-2) at Pitt (7-2), noon, ESPN A few weeks ago this looked like it would be a showdown of ACC contenders. Then Clemson lost to Louisville and Pitt dropped two in a row, the Panthers crashing out of the CFP rankings in the process. Now both teams are fighting just to stay in the ACC picture, and neither has a Top-25 win on the resume. Clemson is tied with Miami with one conference loss, but if both teams win out, the Hurricanes would have the tiebreaker. The Tigers can boost their overall resume with a rivalry win over currently ranked South Carolina in the regular-season finale but will still need help to make the ACC title game. Pitt needs an upset over Clemson to avoid a three-game skid after a 7-0 start. Line: Clemson -11.5 8. No. 13 Boise State (8-1) at San Jose State (6-3), 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network Boise State is still on track to win the Mountain West and claim one of the five automatic Playoff bids, and running back Ashton Jeanty is on pace to finish the regular season with the second-most rushing yards in a single season, behind only Barry Sanders in 1988. Jeanty had 209 rushing yards and three touchdowns in last week’s win over Nevada, adding to his FBS-leading total of 23 rushing touchdowns. The Broncos face a San Jose State team in its first year under Ken Niumatalolo and in second in the Mountain West in yards per game allowed. San Jose State is fresh off an impressive win over Oregon State. Line: Boise State -14 7. Arizona State (7-2) at No. 16 Kansas State (7-2), 7 p.m., ESPN Kansas State is ahead of No. 17 Colorado in the CFP rankings thanks to a narrow head-to-head win in October, but the Wildcats are a game behind the Buffs in the Big 12 standings after suffering a second league loss against Houston a couple of weeks ago. Even if K-State gets the help it would need elsewhere to reach the Big 12 championship, the rest of the schedule is a challenge: Arizona State, Cincinnati and at Iowa State, all three of which enter this weekend with winning records. The Sun Devils expect to get stud running back Cam Skattebo back from injury after he missed the win over UCF. The senior is eighth in the FBS at 125.4 rushing yards per game. Line: Kansas State -7.5 6. No. 22 LSU (6-3) at Florida (4-5), 3:30 p.m., ABC If you’re wondering why this game, between two teams that got thumped last week, is this high on the list, it’s because there ******** a rather plausible roadmap by which LSU can still make the SEC Championship Game. But that would require the Tigers to win out the rest of the regular season, starting with a trip to Gainesville. Florida hopes to have freshman quarterback DJ Lagway back from injury, and LSU is in need of serious defensive soul-searching after getting diced up by mobile quarterbacks Marcel Reed and Jalen Milroe in back-to-back losses, allowing a combined 80 points and 11 rushing touchdowns to Texas A&M and Alabama. Line: LSU -4 5. No. 1 Oregon (10-0) at Wisconsin (5-4), 7:30 p.m., NBC The Ducks beat Idaho by 10 and Boise State by 3 on a last-second field goal to start the season. Since then, aside from the 1-point win over Ohio State, Oregon’s seven other victories have all been by at least 21 points — which is why it’s surprising this spread is only 13.5. The Badgers, coming off an idle week, have lost two in a row, including a 32-point loss to Iowa. Oregon has a chance to start 11-0 for only the second time in program history and first since 2010 when the Ducks reached the national championship and lost to Auburn. That was also the same season Wisconsin defeated No. 1 Ohio State. Line: Oregon -13.5 4. Kansas (3-6) at No. 6 BYU (9-0), 10:15 p.m., ESPN BYU’s dream season continued with an incredible comeback win over Utah in the Holy War rivalry last Saturday, followed by a three-spot climb up the CFP rankings Tuesday. The Cougars are one of four remaining undefeated teams in the FBS and alone atop the Big 12 standings. They meet a Kansas team that has disappointed this season but looked much improved in recent weeks. The Jayhawks, winners of two of their last three, scored 45 points in a win over then-ranked Iowa State last weekend and can continue to play spoiler with BYU and Colorado up next. Line: BYU -2.5 3. Utah (4-5) at No. 17 Colorado (7-2), noon, Fox A year after dominating headlines as a 4-8 team that finished last in the Pac-12, Colorado is a top-20 team with a Heisman Trophy favorite in two-way star Travis Hunter, as well as a clear path to win the Big 12 and reach the Playoff. The Buffs are still commanding plenty of attention (including Deion Sanders co-hosting a new talk show!), but they’ve earned it with their play. It’s created an ideal scenario thus far for the Big 12: unbeaten BYU and media darling Colorado at the top of the standings, with the potential for a conference-championship clash and possibly even room for both to reach the Playoff, if things break right. That starts with the Buffs hosting a 10 a.m. local time kickoff against a Utah team coming off that devastating and contentious rivalry loss to BYU. Line: Colorado -11.5 GO DEEPER It’s on college football’s adults to tone down rising tide of officiating call-outs 2. No. 3 Texas (8-1) at Arkansas (5-4), noon, ABC Texas is up to No. 3 in the CFP rankings largely on the strength of a one-loss record. The Longhorns have mostly passed the eye test, like last week’s blowout win over Florida, but have zero Top-25 wins, with their best victory coming on the road at Vanderbilt. Still, quarterback Quinn Ewers looked healthy and sharp against the Gators, and Texas controls its own destiny in the SEC and will reach the league championship if it wins out, starting with Saturday’s road trip against a pesky, humbled and well-rested Arkansas. The Hogs are coming off an idle week following an embarrassing home loss to Ole Miss and expect to have dynamic quarterback Taylen Green healthy. A victory for Texas won’t change the resume criticism, but that won’t matter if it keeps stacking wins. Line: Texas -12.5 1. No. 7 Tennessee (8-1) at No. 12 Georgia (7-2), 7:30 p.m., ABC This is an elimination game for Georgia, which dropped out of the Playoff field in Tuesday’s rankings and would surely be cooked with three losses. However, a win by the Dawgs — who are double-digit favorites — drags the Vols down to the quagmire of two-loss teams in SEC play, setting the table for some title-game tiebreaker nightmares. Among the eight teams entering the weekend with either one or two losses in the SEC standings, there are only two games remaining that pit those teams against one another: this one, and Texas at Texas A&M on Nov. 30. A lot could change before that, but Saturday’s result will be impactful. Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is questionable, with ESPN’s Pete Thamel reporting that Iamaleava is in concussion protocol after leaving last week’s win against Mississippi State. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has had his own non-injury issues, throwing 12 interceptions over his past six games. Line: Georgia -9.5 (Photo of Georgia’s Cash Jones and Ole Miss’ Jared Ivey: Justin Ford / Getty Images) Source link #Week #12s #top #college #football #games #TennesseeGeorgia #showdown #Playoff #implications #abound Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

*********’s Creed Shadows Battle Pass Allegedly Leaks, Showing Off Futuristic And Mythological Cosmetics *********’s Creed Shadows Battle Pass Allegedly Leaks, Showing Off Futuristic And Mythological Cosmetics Images for an *********’s Creed Shadows battle pass have allegedly leaked online, showing off a selection of rewards that players will supposedly be able to unlock when the open-world game launches next year. If it is legitimate, this will be the first time that an *********’s Creed game has had a battle pass for players to work through. The images and datamined information suggest that players will be able to progress through a free tier via a series of daily missions in the new Animus hub, unlocking a variety of cosmetics to equip their characters and weapons with. While Ubisoft hasn’t officially confirmed the existence of a battle pass, the company has issued a DMCA takedown on the Reddit thread gathering up the images–which were originally uncovered by dataminer Fraxiswinning–and on social media platforms. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. What The ***** Is Going On With Ubisoft? | Spot On Size:640 × 360480 × 270 Want us to remember this setting for all your devices? Sign up or Sign in now! Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. This video has an invalid file format. Sorry, but you can’t access this content! Please enter your date of birth to view this video JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter Some of the cosmetics include futuristic ******* skins and armor alongside mythological mounts and resources that players can use inside the game, and one of the other leaked images shows co-protagonist Yasuke standing inside the Animus hub. While the battle-pass system will be new to *********’s Creed, the idea of cosmetic gear in the game is something that has been around for many years now. The Ubisoft Connect app has regularly offered unlockable gear for completing in-game challenges, and recent games featured a seemingly immortal merchant named Reda who traded rare equipment to players in exchange for elusive–but easy to buy with actual cash–resources like Opals. Originally scheduled to launch in October, *********’s Creed Shadows was delayed to February 14, 2025 so that its developers would have more time to polish the game. The new entry in the series will also lay the groundwork for future games, as it’ll be integrated inside the *********’s Creed Infinity hub, an in-universe Animus where the ongoing modern-day narrative will play out. *********’s Creed boss Marc-Alexis Coté recently spoke about this aspect of *********’s Creed Games, and how Ubisoft is aiming to introduce a new direction for the storylines set in modern times. Source link #Assassins #Creed #Shadows #Battle #Pass #Allegedly #Leaks #Showing #Futuristic #Mythological #Cosmetics Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Time is rapidly running out for Windows 10, as Microsoft shuts down Beta testing channel Time is rapidly running out for Windows 10, as Microsoft shuts down Beta testing channel Microsoft has deployed one final preview build to the Beta test channel The Beta channel is being closed down, leaving only Release Preview now This effectively means Windows 10 won’t get any more new features Microsoft has just dropped the guillotine on the Beta channel for Windows 10, a testing platform that was only recently resurrected earlier this year. The news was delivered as part of a new Beta preview in the usual blog post from Microsoft detailing the changes with build 19045. In fact, this build is being released simultaneously to both the Release Preview and Beta channels for Windows 10 22H2, but it marks the end of the road for the latter. Microsoft explains: “The Beta channel and Release Preview channel will receive the same Windows 10 build today just like we’ve been doing since June. However, this will be the last time we release a Windows 10 build to the Beta channel as we will be shutting down the Beta channel for Windows 10.” Those Windows 10 testers who are currently in the Beta channel will be moved over to the Release Preview builds. As for the work done in build 19045, it consists of some bug fixes, with the only actual change feature-wise coming to the Beta channel. Don’t get excited, though, as Microsoft’s parting gift to Windows 10 is the Start menu now showing adverts (or ‘suggestions’ as the software giant puts it) for apps from the Microsoft Store which are from a “small set of curated developers” apparently. Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable ****** Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content. Boo, hiss, etcetera – though you can turn off the ‘Show suggestions occasionally’ for the Start menu (head to Settings > Personalization > Start). (Image credit: Shutterstock / Wachiwit) Analysis: Time is running out for Windows 10 The Beta channel only came back to life in June 2024, as a platform for testing and continuing active development of Windows 10 – albeit in a limited fashion – so it was only briefly resurrected for not even half a year before getting the axe again. This means that changes such as the above Start menu tweak won’t be coming to Windows 10 any longer (though in the case of this addition from Microsoft, you might be glad to see the back of active development for the older OS). Effectively, this is Microsoft putting Windows 10 on ice, without saying as much – and that’s no surprise. After all, Windows 10 only has 11 months left on the clock before it runs out of support, so feature additions don’t make much sense at this point. Going forward, all we’ll have is the Release Preview channel for testing, the final stage of Insider builds before the release version of Windows 10, where minor fixes and bug squashing will be carried out. Don’t expect anything new, in short, though we suppose Microsoft could still surprise us – this has happened in the past, after all, when the software giant announced an effective feature freeze, only to thaw that move with some reasonable-sized feature drops. At any rate, the shuttering of the Beta channel is another reminder that if you are on Windows 10, you should be starting to consider your End of Life options. Whether that’s upgrading to Windows 11 somehow, or an entirely alternative approach like one of the more Windows deserter-friendly Linux distros, perhaps. You may also like… Source link #Time #rapidly #running #Windows #Microsoft #shuts #Beta #testing #channel Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

François Hollande calls for a ******* Europe after Trump election win François Hollande calls for a ******* Europe after Trump election win French President Francois Hollande delivers a speech as he attends the inauguration of the new ‘Sud Europe Atlantique’ (South Europe Atlantic) high-speed rail line, linking Tours and Bordeaux, on February 28, 2017, in Villognon, central France. Yohan Bonnet | AFP | Getty Images Former French President François Hollande underlined the importance of Europe sticking together in the face of U.S. protectionism on issues like security and trade. President-elect Donald Trump’s election win last week has fueled fears of an impending economic nightmare for the ********* Union after he threatened to impose an additional 10% in tariffs on these nations. This would come at a time when traditional economic powerhouse Germany is dealing with an economic malaise and a political vacuum after its coalition government collapsed. There are also concerns over the Ukraine war and whether the U.S. could pull funding for the war-torn nation — leaving ********* allies to foot the bill. Hollande told CNBC’s Charlotte Reed Wednesday that Europe must be worried. “Europe is today a continent that is not *******. So what will be absolutely essential is the reaction to what Trump wants to do, particularly the U.S. disengaging from the ********* continent,” he said. “This is what France, Germany, Poland and the ******* Kingdom, the four main countries that invest in defense, will do. If these four countries react together, both in relation to the security issue, the Ukraine issue and even the trade issue, then Europe will be respected. Otherwise it will be pushed aside,” he added. Despite Germany and France seeing significant political volatility this year, Hollande said there could still be a “broad political consensus” in these major ********* nations, no matter who is in charge, that could “firmly resist what Donald Trump may undertake.” Ukraine peace? Hollande, the former socialist leader of France, led the nation between 2012 to 2017 and briefly crossed over with Trump’s first term. He recalled that Trump was often a man of his word. Trump has previously boasted he could “end the war” in Ukraine in 24 hours if elected, signaling that he would pull the plug on funding in order to force the country into a negotiated settlement with Russia. Analysts say Ukraine could then be pushed into a “bad peace” with its powerful neighbor, and potentially forced to relinquish almost 20% of its territory in the south and east that’s currently occupied by Russian forces. Hollande predicted that Trump will try to propose a peace with Russian President Vladimir ****** that will exclude Ukraine from the negotiations, which could potentially allow Russia to take territories it already occupies. “Are we going to let it happen? We must not let it happen,” Hollande said. “Because it would set an extremely serious precedent where force had prevailed over law.” —CNBC’s Silvia Amaro and Holly Ellyatt contributed to this article. Source link #FrançoisHollande #calls #******* #Europe #Trump #election #win Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Netanyahu aide investigated by police over 7 October timeline Netanyahu aide investigated by police over 7 October timeline The Chief of Staff to ******** Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being investigated by police over allegations of altering documents relating to the 7 October ****** ******* to portray his boss in a more favourable light. Tzachi Braverman, one of Netanyahu’s closest advisors, was questioned by the ******** police Lahav 433 major ******* unit for over five hours on Thursday, according to reports in ******** media. Detectives have confirmed an investigation is under way. The accusation is focused around two telephone calls that Netanyahu received as the ****** cross border raid was unfolding on 7 October 2023. Braverman is suspected of having altered the documented time when Netanyahu first received an update on the ******* via a telephone call from his military secretary at the time, Major General Avi Gil. The chief of staff is accused of changing the time from 06:40 to 06:29. He denies having altered the transcript of the call other than to change the time. “I know that the first call was received at 06:29, that’s why I insisted on changing it,” he is reported to have told detectives during the interrogation. While Gil had phoned Netanyahu at 06:29, as the ****** ******* began, Netanyahu did not give any instructions, telling him instead to phone again in 10 minutes, at 06:40, according to a report in the Haaretz newspaper, It was only during the second phone call for which Braverman allegedly altered the time stamp to appear as though it was the first, that Netanyahu ordered Gil to hold a situational assessment on the developing ****** invasion, Haaretz reported. The allegation is that Braverman altered the time, in order to give the impression that the prime minister had acted more urgently and more decisively. The chief of staff denies that. The 7 October ******* was the biggest military and intelligence ******** in *******’s history. Several senior military officials have already resigned over it. Netanyahu has consistently denied any personal ********. His critics though, believe it is the prime minister who was ultimately responsible for the ******** to prevent the deadliest ******* on the country since the foundation of the State of ******* in 1948. Various investigations are under way into the military and intelligence failures and Netanyahu has rejected claims he is stalling on demands for a full-scale inquiry. This potential scandal is in its infancy. But it could go on to seriously undermine the prime Minister’s position. And it comes at a time when Netanyahu is mid-way through a trial facing *********** charges. He is due to testify in that trial next month, having ******* to have the case thrown own, believing it is a political witch-hunt. Source link #Netanyahu #aide #investigated #police #October #timeline Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Real Madrid’s internal tensions: 25 injuries, concerns over running stats and divisive Pintus Real Madrid’s internal tensions: 25 injuries, concerns over running stats and divisive Pintus Real Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last weekend but the game summed up their misfortunes this season. Yes, it got Madrid back to winning ways after their third defeat of the season a few days earlier against AC Milan, and this was important given they only lost two in the whole of the 2023-24 campaign. But in that victory against Osasuna, Rodrygo, Eder Militao and Lucas Vazquez were all injured, deepening a worrying crisis of personnel. Madrid now have nine players unavailable because of injury. Militao tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) for the second time in two seasons, and Rodrygo and Vazquez will miss around a month with muscle injuries. Right-back Dani Carvajal and promising centre-back Joan Martinez have also suffered ACL injuries this term — and the same happened to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba last year, as well as Militao. Seventeen players have been injured this season, sometimes more than once. Those injuries have caused friction within the Madrid dressing room. Tensions have emerged within Carlo Ancelotti’s backroom staff, including over the team’s physical preparation. Among other things, The Athletic has learned: Physical trainer Antonio Pintus has become a divisive figure behind the scenes, with some of his approaches considered to be old-fashioned Some in the dressing room aren’t pleased by the media attention he has garnered in recent seasons There is disagreement within the coaching staff over the importance of how far Madrid’s players are running in games Assistant coach and head of set pieces Francesco Mauri has displayed temperamental behaviour on the touchline and behind the scenes Sources close to Pintus blame Madrid’s injury problems on several factors, including the club’s intense schedule. The people working at Real Madrid, or close to those who work for the club, who spoke to The Athletic for this piece did so on condition of anonymity to protect their jobs or relationships. Real Madrid were contacted for comment. Here, we explain the internal divisions behind the scenes. GO DEEPER When were things last this bad for Real Madrid? Ancelotti is without nine injured players: Alaba, Martinez, Carvajal, youth centre-back Jacobo Ramon, Militao, Courtois, Aurelien Tchouameni, Vazquez and Rodrygo. Madrid’s players have suffered 25 separate injuries in the first three months of the season. Real Madrid’s 25 injuries this season Player Number of injuries Type of injuries 2 Two adductor muscle injuries 1 ACL and meniscus 1 Adductor muscle 3 Two muscle injuries, ACL and meniscus 1 ACL (from last season) 1 (at least) Muscular problems 3 Hip 1 ACL 1 Muscle strain 2 Foot, ankle sprain 1 Knee sprain 1 Muscle 1 Ankle sprain 1 Thigh muscle 1 Neck 3 Muscle, back problems 1 Muscle Players have continued to play despite discomfort. That was the case with Tchouameni, who had a longstanding foot injury before his latest absence with an ankle problem. Jude Bellingham has experienced issues with his left shoulder since last season. The injury crisis has led to doubts about Pintus in the dressing room, as Spanish outlet Relevo first reported. Militao suffered a second ACL injury in two seasons in the game against Osasuna (Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Pintus is an Italian fitness trainer who worked for clubs including Chelsea, Juventus and Inter Milan before arriving at Real Madrid in 2016. His first spell at the club lasted until 2019 and he re-joined in 2021 when Ancelotti returned. Madrid president Florentino Perez called him to give him the job the second time around. Media reports — including from The Athletic — regularly highlight Pintus as a significant figure. During Madrid’s pre-season training camp in 2023, Bellingham told Real Madrid TV: “Pintus loves to ***** us… but yes, I love him. He’s a great guy”. Pintus has regularly used special masks to record and analyse his players’ oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, personalising their training programmes accordingly. On their tour of the ******* States this year, The Athletic reported how he had been collaborating with NASA to help astronauts on their missions. From this summer, Pintus’ title changed from first-team fitness coach to head of performance. That promotion came with an improved contract and followed interest in the Italian from elsewhere. But Pintus’ relationship with Ancelotti has become strained in recent months. Some within the dressing room say one of the main reasons for this is Pintus not taking responsibility for key decisions — including the recovery of injured players. Pintus’ physical trainers and the rest of Ancelotti’s coaching staff disagree on the team’s physical intensity in games. Independent data seen by The Athletic suggests they are 19th of 20 in La Liga this season for distance covered per 90 minutes as a team. One of the reasons behind this may be that they often enjoy more possession than their opponents, so the ball is doing the running for them. But Ancelotti and others think that Madrid’s players aren’t running as much as last season and that they have to increase their distance covered in kilometres — something the club’s directors have highlighted to the squad. The staff disagree among themselves how important this is, however, with some claiming that the most important metric is distance covered at maximum intensity. GO DEEPER How much does the distance a team run affect their chances of a win? To give an example of how the two can vary, data seen by The Athletic from the 4-0 win against Osasuna shows Madrid’s overall distance covered was the second lowest of the league season, but they recorded their second-highest distance at a high intensity. Some point to a lack of physical work outside of games. They give the example of Kylian Mbappe’s recent trip to Sweden after he was not called up to the France squad for the October international break due to fitness concerns over a recent thigh injury. While Mbappe was away, he agreed with Pintus to do some low-intensity exercises. Pintus then called Mbappe to Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground a day before the club’s other internationals were due to return. The club posted photos of that session, although according to one source, the forward only ran for a short *******. Pintus’ approach has proved divisive (Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images) People familiar with the environment describe Pintus as a trainer who adapts physical work to the preference of individual players, but that sometimes this isn’t very intense. Some players feel comfortable with him, but some key figures in the team think more regular work is needed. Some of the exercises he gives the players are also considered old-fashioned by other people involved in player preparation. Others who are close to Pintus’ thinking say the intense schedule and the lack of a proper pre-season can help explain the injury problems. They point out that Girona had 12 first-team injuries at one point in October. People familiar with the environment also say Pintus appears to have become distanced from the rest of the coaching staff and does not seem to want to share much information about his work, which makes it difficult to coordinate with the team. Madrid’s physical team consists of Italian Giuseppe Bellistri, Frenchman Sebastien Devillaz, who monitors the players’ metrics, and readaptation coach Jose Carlos Parrales. Ancelotti decided to move his son-in-law Mino Fulco from the role of nutritionist and assistant to performance manager to try to improve the connection with the rest of the staff — but there ******** a sense of mistrust. Some of those close to the dressing room don’t appreciate Pintus’ public prominence, feeling he appears mainly in a positive light but does not take the same responsibility when there are problems. Multiple people said they are also wary of his close relationship with Perez, the club president. One person who works for a Real Madrid first-team player explained this to The Athletic by saying: “He’s a friend of Florentino’s — he’s like his right arm.” Pintus himself is unhappy with leaks from within the dressing room. People familiar with the dressing room environment say Pintus is distant but polite with Ancelotti and nobody in the dressing room questions the head coach’s ******* to keep things civil. Ancelotti has insisted to his staff that they have to stay calm on the bench. Those close to Pintus say there are no issues between him and Ancelotti. Carlo’s son and assistant coach Davide is also praised for how he manages these situations. In the last training session open to the media before the Osasuna win, Carlo and Pintus could be seen in fluid discussion while they put players through their paces. Davide Ancelotti with his father Carlo (Alberto Gardin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) A senior Madrid source stressed to The Athletic that Pintus has the club’s support — but the debate over his methods isn’t the only sign of heightened tensions within the coaching staff in recent weeks. Injuries to youth players Martinez and Ramon when training with the first team have been a cause for concern. Sources involved with the team’s physical preparation say they are less developed than those in the senior squad. The increase in injuries has forced the club to move fitness coach Ruben Cipriano from the youth setup to the first team to work alongside Parrales. According to multiple sources, the assistant coach and head of set pieces Francesco Mauri has also been displaying temperamental behaviour — on the touchline and behind the scenes. Francesco is the son of Carlo Ancelotti’s former longstanding physical coach, Giovanni Mauri, and has risen to become an essential part of the first team alongside Davide Ancelotti. Both Davide and Francesco are highly rated as coaches within the Madrid setup. They have been friends since childhood and have been tasked with leading first-team training sessions for the past four years. The former took charge of set pieces last season, an area in which Madrid excelled at both ends of the pitch as they won a La Liga and Champions League double. But in recent weeks, Francesco’s behaviour has upset several coaches. Francesco Mauri (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images) Someone who works with a Real Madrid first-team player told The Athletic: “Francesco has said several things that have upset Carlo a lot, but as he is like his father because he has grown up with Davide, there have been no major problems. “There have been things he has said and done on the bench that if someone else does, they would be kicked off the bench.” He has become increasingly vocal on the touchline during games. In the closing stages of Madrid’s 3-2 win against Alaves in September, he left for the dressing room after members of the opposition bench complained about his behaviour, which they considered excessive. Sources close to Mauri say this followed a heated discussion after Endrick avoided a red card. They say Mauri acknowledges he is a temperamental person and has at times gone too far, but that this is part of a personality he creates to counter the calmer instincts of the Ancelottis. But there has been more friction between Davide and Mauri than previously. Mauri has started a course to become a head coach and it is unclear whether they will continue working together after Madrid. Davide and Mauri have aspirations to be a first-team coach, with the latter interested in the prospect of one day managing in Major League Soccer. As long as players continue to suffer injuries and Ancelotti’s squad becomes more depleted, there will be intense scrutiny on the club’s medical and fitness departments. This is not the first time, either. In November last year, Madrid removed Niko Mihic from his position as head of medical services, despite Perez’s trust in him. Mounting injury problems — and dissatisfaction among the rest of the staff and squad with his methods — led to that decision, and Felipe Segura replaced him. Mihic, considered by those around the first team squad to be extremely close to the president, ******** involved at the club. Within the dressing room, there is a feeling that further changes will be made to the organisational structure at Madrid. In the meantime, there is no sign that tensions behind the scenes will ease soon. (Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton) Source link #Real #Madrids #internal #tensions #injuries #concerns #running #stats #divisive #Pintus Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

GTA Trilogy Developers Respond to Credits Being Removed GTA Trilogy Developers Respond to Credits Being Removed · · November 15, 2024 Grove Street Games’ lead has addressed the removal of their name from the credits of the GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition. Fans pointed out that it was only partially removed. Spotted by Eurogamer, Thomas Williamson, the head of Grove Street Games, recently addressed the removal of his company from the credits of the GTA Trilogy following the latest update. You can find his complete statement below.: “Speaking entire hypothetically: It’s a ***** move to remove primary developers from credits in an update, especially when an update includes hundreds of fixes that were provided by those developers that stayed out of players’ hands for years.” Several fans responded to Williamson’s post, highlighting that Grove Street Games has not been entirely removed from the GTA Trilogy’s credits. They mentioned that the developers are still credited in the final credits but have been removed from the initial splash screen. Recently, the GTA Trilogy received a significant update for both PC and consoles, introducing new game features and enhancements. Key highlights of this update include a new “Classic Lighting” mode and improved animations, which greatly enhance the visual quality of the games. This update removed Grove Street Games from GTA Trilogy’s opening credits. In other news, read about how Shawn Fontenot almost quit the role of Franklin Clinton in GTA 5. Also, Take Two isn’t worried about GTA 6’s performance on the Series S. What are your thoughts on the GTA Trilogy developers’ response? What are your thoughts on GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition’s new update? Let us know in the comments or our new community forum! For more information from Insider Gaming, read about Phil Spencer revealing why Xbox isn’t working on a mid-gen refresh. Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #GTA #Trilogy #Developers #Respond #Credits #Removed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Maker builds Raspberry Pi-powered Rick and Morty watch to remotely control smart home Maker builds Raspberry Pi-powered Rick and Morty watch to remotely control smart home Raspberry Pi controlled smart homes are cool enough on their own but Donutsorelse has kicked things up a notch with this awesome Rick and Morty-themed wrist watch control system! This Raspberry Pi wearable is integrated with AI for a seamless experience, enabling Donutsorelse to control a variety of smart home services in his home—as well as a few Rock and Morty easter eggs, like an awesome Mr. Meeseeks box. I Let AI Control My Smart Home | Rick and Morty Invention – YouTube Watch On According to Donutsorelse, this was part of a Halloween costume in which he was dressed up as Rick. The idea was to create something that wasn’t just useful but also complimented the costume with features that would behave just like one of Rick’s many inventions. This meant the integration of AI to help with sentence interpretation when registering voice commands. Donutsorelse is using the word “butler” as a keyword to trigger commands. The Raspberry Pi is working alongside a DFRobot Unihiker board which is responsible for listening for audio input. It’s connected to a Blues Notecarrier F card, adding remote support which means you can use the device pretty much anywhere as long as it has a signal—presumably in this universe, at least. There is also a Flask server at play that manages the various requests and integrates the AI API. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Donutsorelse) (Image credit: Donutsorelse) The Raspberry Pi used in this project is a Compute Module 4 as part of an M5Stack CM4Stack Development Kit but Donutsorelse insists you could use a Raspberry Pi 3 B instead. It’s working alongside the DFRobot Unihiker which has a touchscreen and the BluesNotecarrier F that provides the cellular wireless support. A Python script is responsible for managing much of the overall workflow. It utilizes OpenAI to help with understanding voice requests. This makes it possible to say things like “Butler, turn on all of the lights.” instead of requiring specific explanations like “Butler, turn on the living room light, turn on the hallway light, turn on the kitchen light.” If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project, you can check out the build details over at Hackster. There you’ll also find lots of information about its assembly as well as the source code. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Maker #builds #Raspberry #Pipowered #Rick #Morty #watch #remotely #control #smart #home Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Jefferies says these cheap stocks can see sharp postelection gains Jefferies says these cheap stocks can see sharp postelection gains Select cheap names could be poised to jump in a postelection market, according to Jefferies. The market went on a tear in the week following President-elect Donald Trump’s win at the polls, with the S & P 500 , Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average touching fresh highs Monday. The rally has taken a breather since then, however. Indeed, after the 2016 and 2020 election, names with the cheapest valuations eventually performed well, while momentum plays lagged, Jefferies equity strategist Steven DeSanctis noted. This was especially the case for small-cap and midcap companies versus their larger peers, he added. To identify solid plays that could be poised for strong performance after the election, Jefferies searched for buy-rated names that were in the cheapest quintiles based on the firm’s valuation model. It then zeroed in on names with higher beta, as well as those with recent upward revisions. Higher beta names are more volatile compared to the market, but they can offer a greater reward for those willing to take the risk. “The cheapest names have lagged in November, since June 30th, and really since the start of the year. The rolling 12-month difference between Q1 and Q5 has moves back to what we would consider a pretty extreme level, thus we see cheaper being better going forward,” DeSanctis added. Here are a few of the names Jefferies turned up. Alcoa is a stock that has recently gotten cheaper but could outperform next year, particularly as the company may benefit from tightening aluminum and alumina markets, Jefferies found. The firm’s $50 price target suggests 21% potential upside for the stock, which has gained 21% this year. “Aside from our expectation of rising prices for the commodities it produces, Alcoa is also taking measures to continue its operational improvements under new mgmt,” the note read. “This stock is under-owned, in our view, and is poised to outperform in 2025.” William Oplinger, Alcoa’s CEO, recently told CNBC that he expects strong aluminum demand in the near and long term. He highlighted continued strength in the packaging industry and automotive and transportation businesses, as well as in building construction spurred by lower interest rates around the world. Looking ahead, the executive added that aluminum is crucial to the energy transition as it is used in electrical conductors, photovoltaic cells and electric vehicles. Jefferies included cruise operator Carnival in the list, saying it likes the company for several reasons, including the fact that Carnival’s bookings for next year are at an all-time high. Further, the company’s efforts to decrease its financial leverage would accelerate in a lower interest rate environment. The company’s CEO Josh Weinstein is also “an agent of change,” the firm added. Jefferies’ $26 price target on the stock suggests nearly 7% potential upside for Carnival shares from its latest close. Carnival’s stock is up 31% year to date, and it reached a fresh 52-week high on Thursday. ******* Airlines , financial technology company SoFi and retailer Boot Barn also made the cut. ******* Airlines is among the strongest names on the list, as its shares have more than doubled in 2024. Source link #Jefferies #cheap #stocks #sharp #postelection #gains Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Thune faces first loyalty test: What to do with Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks Thune faces first loyalty test: What to do with Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks A series of controversial Cabinet picks have become an early test for how Senate leader-in-waiting John Thune will balance proving his loyalty to Donald Trump with the interests of his wide-ranging conference. So far, he seems to be giving the president-elect wide deference. Trump hasn’t finished his selections yet, but three picks for some of the most influential roles in the Cabinet are already prompting anxiety among GOP senators who must decide whether to confirm them: Matt Gaetz for attorney general, Pete Hegseth for secretary of Defense and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence. And POLITICO first reported another pick Thursday afternoon: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services secretary. Broadly, *********** senators, led by Thune (R-S.D.), say Trump should be allowed to fill out his Cabinet the way he wants — though a couple are openly expressing doubts, especially on Gaetz. Nominees can only afford to lose three votes on the Senate floor and still get confirmed. “We don’t know until we start the process,” Thune said about Gaetz’s chances of getting confirmed. “And that’s what we intend to do with him and all the other potential nominees.” The wait-and-see approach isn’t a ringing endorsement, and Thune will have his work cut out for him if he moves forward on confirming each nominee. In addition to publicly aired doubts from Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Thursday he wanted to see a House Ethics Committee report on Gaetz that details an investigation into several allegations against the attorney general nominee, including that he had **** with a minor. The chair of that panel has indicated the report won’t be released now, because Gaetz resigned from the House on Wednesday night. The Department of Justice conducted its own investigation as part of a **** trafficking probe and, according to Gaetz’s lawyers and DOJ officials, decided not to bring ********* charges. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing. There are issues with Hegseth, Gabbard and Kennedy, too. Combat veteran Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) has said Hegseth needs to “explain” his recent comments on a podcast that “we should not have women in combat roles.” Gabbard has sparked concern within the intelligence community due to her sympathetic views on autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir ****** and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. And some senators have dodged questions about confirming Kennedy — who has touted for years the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism — before reports of his official pick. There’s a general theory on Senate-confirmed nominations that new presidents will offer a sort of sacrificial lamb, a nominee meant to go down to make others look better or provide cover to purple-state senators to approve others. But GOP leaders said they don’t think that’s Trump’s intention here, and regardless, more than one ******** could sour Thune and Trump’s relationship early in the term. Thune has vowed to advance Trump’s agenda, and his nominees are the first test on how effectively he can deliver. “He’s got a hard job,” said one GOP senator, granted anonymity to speak candidly. “Be careful what you ask for. He knew it was going to be hard. He knew President Trump was going to put people in there that people [were] going to question.” But, the senator noted, Thune ******** responsible for getting members “on the same page, and that’s tough as Republicans.” Compare it to 2017, when *********** senators had a slightly slimmer majority to confirm Trump’s picks in his first term. At the time, Trump had to withdraw his secretary of Labor nominee Andrew Puzder after it became clear he didn’t have the votes in a 52-48 Senate majority. Puzder faced multiple accusations of misconduct, most notably his admission that he did not pay taxes on the services of an undocumented immigrant who worked for him for years. Puzder was the only Cabinet nominee that Trump had to pull in his first year, though he was far from alone over the four-year term. Senate Republicans, even those closely aligned with Trump, aren’t eager to hop into another bruising series of confirmation fights — or deal with cascading withdrawals again. And in a further sign of the general levels of deference to Trump, leading GOP senators aren’t actively pushing back on suggestions that the president-elect use recess appointments for picks that may not have the votes in the Senate. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said she doesn’t think there’s been “any serious discussions on how to move forward on a recess appointment, because hopefully it’ll prove unnecessary.” Republicans frequently brushed off questions about confirming the controversial nominees by pointing to the need for a thorough vetting process. And some argued that even if that process turned up negative information on nominees, it was in Trump’s best interest to find out before they were confirmed. “We need to have a complete vetting of the nominees — not only so we know that the nominee is qualified but also to protect the president,” Cornyn said. “I’m sure it’s not in his best interest to have any surprises.” “I don’t have any preconceived notions about it,” Cornyn later added about Kennedy’s planned nomination to HHS. But he said he’s “sure” Kennedy’s strong anti-vaccine position “will come up.” With regards to Gabbard, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) — a close Trump ally — noted that “we have different foreign policy positions at times” but that he intended to give broad latitude to the president-elect in selecting his government. “I’m gonna do with Trump what I do with everybody: Let you pick your people,” he told POLITICO. “Defer to your choice, unless it’s too far.” Collins, who voted against multiple Trump nominees in his first term, said she “can’t imagine” that the issues contained in the House Ethics Committee’s report about Gaetz wouldn’t “become public, either through the committee’s extensive investigation or the FBI report or questions asked by committee members at Mr. Gaetz hearing.” “Mr. Gaetz is an example of where the Senate’s role is critical to take a look at allegations and at his fitness for a very important job,” Collins added. And Murkowski, after saying Wednesday that Gaetz was not a “serious” pick, declined to weigh in on Trump’s selections on Thursday, saying she needs to meet with her constituents. Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who’s broken with Trump on occasion, said he needed to learn more about each of the picks, especially Gaetz. “I don’t know enough to be concerned right now,” he told reporters. “I think it would be responsible for me to learn more about each of these nominees.” Others in the conference said nothing, even an adverse report from the House Ethics Committee, would shake their confidence and willingness to confirm Gaetz as attorney general. “He’s very talented, and anyone who has spent any time with him knows he’s very smart and capable. I’m going to vote to confirm him,” said Sen.-elect Jim Banks (R-Ind.). “I’m not gonna speculate about what [the Ethics report] says or what it doesn’t say, because we don’t know what it says.” Joe Gould contributed to this report. Source link #Thune #faces #loyalty #test #Trumps #controversial #Cabinet #picks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Five guilty of murdering Bristol teens Five guilty of murdering Bristol teens Family handout Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, had been friends since nursery A group of teenagers and a man have been found guilty of murdering two best friends in a case of mistaken identity. Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, were stabbed to ****** yards from Mason’s front door in Knowle West, Bristol, on 27 January. Anthony Snook, 45, Riley Tolliver, 18, and two boys, 17 and 16, had all denied *******. A 15-year-old boy admitted murdering Mason but denied ******** Max, however a jury at Bristol Crown Court found each member of the group guilty of both murders. The jury of nine men and three women took 18 hours 45 minutes deliberating before returning the verdicts. As the jury foreman returned the verdicts none of the defendants showed any reaction from the dock. They sat impassively and stared straight ahead. Members of Mason and Max’s families, who were sat in the public gallery, cried as the guilty verdicts were given. Other relatives cheered and punched the air. Snook will be sentenced on 19 November, with the four teenagers due to be sentenced on 16 December. During the trial, the court heard Max and Mason each received fatal stab wounds from two machetes. One of the weapons used had a blade length of 42cm (16.5in), while a second was 41cm (16in). CCTV captured the moments before the “horrific” stabbing The jury was told how Max and Mason had been wrongly identified as being responsible for throwing bricks at a house in the neighbouring Hartcliffe area earlier that evening. The five accused had set off from Hartcliffe heading to Knowle West “*****-bent on revenge”, Ray Tully QC told the court. Snook, from Hartcliffe, Bristol, claimed he “didn’t know” the teenagers were going to ***** the boys when he drove them to the area in his Audi Q2. Mr Tully said the four younger defendants were all armed and argued all five people were responsible for their deaths, which the jury accepted. During the trial, the jury was shown CCTV captured from Mason’s home. It showed the Audi slow down as it passed Max arriving at Mason’s home in Ilminster Avenue shortly after 23:00 BST on the Saturday night. The car then drives out of frame, and Max and Mason leave the house together. Seconds later, the same camera captures the Audi reappearing and four people jump out, chasing the boys down the road, before inflicting the fatal injuries in an ******* lasting 33 seconds. ‘Absolutely petrified’ Members of the community rushed to Max and Mason who collapsed in the street to try and save them before paramedics arrived. The friends ***** in hospital within 15 minutes of each other in the early hours of Sunday morning. Det Sup Gary Haskins, head of Avon and Somerset Police’s major ****** investigation team, said: “These were two boys going about their business just out being friends. “They were cut down in the prime of their lives. They must have been absolutely petrified. “They were attacked for no reason whatsoever by individuals they didn’t know. “Unfortunately in the course of running away from their attackers they sustained injuries… so severe sadly they succumbed to those injuries. They were unsurvivable injuries.” Det Supt Haskins said that within 59 minutes of the ******* on Max and Mason, Snook was in custody. “He [Snook] was the ****** who could have changed the course of this incident. “He’s the one that could have stopped this from happening.” He added: “These individuals, as a collective, went after those two boys. “They armed themselves together, they travelled together, they travelled back from the ******* together, and they were intent on causing harm to whoever they came across.” Source link #guilty #murdering #Bristol #teens Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Volleyball players, coach sue San Jose State, Mountain West for allowing transgender athlete Volleyball players, coach sue San Jose State, Mountain West for allowing transgender athlete A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in Colorado against the Mountain West and its commissioner, Gloria Nevarez, seeks emergency injunctive relief that would declare a transgender San Jose State women’s volleyball player ineligible for the upcoming conference tournament in Las Vegas on Nov. 27-30. The plaintiffs include San Jose State co-captain Brooke Slusser, assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose and two former Spartans players, as well as players from four other conference schools. They allege that the school and conference violated the U.S. Constitution and Title IX by allowing a transgender athlete to play for a women’s sports team and by suppressing free speech rights of those that spoke out in protest. San Jose State University, its head volleyball coach Todd Kress, and two school administrators, as well as the trustees board for the California State University system, are also named as defendants. The controversy flared in September when Slusser, who transferred to San Jose State prior to the 2023 season, joined a federal lawsuit challenging the NCAA’s transgender policy and went public with assertions about her teammate’s gender identification. In the lawsuit, Slusser said the teammate, who was also her roommate, “was born male and identifies as a ‘transgender woman,’” and came out to her during a conversation in April. Slusser has since spoken with numerous media outlets about her experience with her teammate. The Athletic is not naming the athlete because the athlete has not publicly identified. A Mountain West spokesperson did not return a message seeking comment. “The Mountain West Conference prioritizes the best interests of our student-athletes and takes great care to adhere to NCAA and MW policies,” the conference said in a Thursday statement. “While we are unable to comment on the pending litigation of this particular situation, we take seriously all concerns of student-athlete ******** and fairness.” In October, Nevarez told the Associated Press: “The student-athlete (in question) meets the eligibility standard, so if a team does not play them, it’s a forfeit, meaning they take a loss.” “We have not been served with the lawsuit. We obtained a copy of the 132-page document late Wednesday afternoon,” SJSU said in a statement. “We will not comment at this time.” As the season began, several schools — Southern Utah, Boise State, Utah State, Wyoming and Nevada — forfeited matches with the Spartans. The lawsuit alleges that the Mountain West’s handbook did not originally include a policy for transgender athletes, but added one on Sept. 27, around the same time the controversy exploded, that stated that schools would have to forfeit if they refused to play a match. The lawsuit also alleges that San Jose State officials in an April 2024 meeting instructed players not to speak about their teammate’s **** or gender identity outside of the team. According to the complaint, shortly after Slusser first went public, an administrator reminded her that “speaking disrespectfully against the school or the NCAA would be against your letter of intent and could affect your scholarship,” which she took as retaliation. Two of the plaintiffs, former San Jose State walk-ons Elle Patterson and Alyssa Sugai, said in the lawsuit that they lost potential scholarship opportunities to their transgender teammate in previous seasons because they were not getting as much playing time while playing the same position. Patterson told her coaches she could not afford to pay her own way for another season and left the team. Sugai transferred. Neither knew the player identified as transgender when they arrived on campus, they said in the lawsuit. “The reason that (the transgender athlete) outperformed Sugai was not effort but was Retained Male Advantage, which Sugai could not match because Sugai is a woman,” the suit says. The lawsuit says Batie-Smoose, an associate head coach under Kress for two seasons, observed that Kress was becoming “hostile” toward Slusser and herself after she raised concerns about ”preferential treatment” for the transgender athlete. On Oct. 29, Batie-Smoose filed a Title IX complaint with San Jose State, the Mountain West and NCAA alleging discrimination against women and gave an interview to an *********** website. Days later, the school suspended her. The NCAA’s transgender participation policy, adopted in 2022, states that transgender women may compete on women’s teams after completing one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment if they meet their sport’s standard for documented testosterone levels prior to regular-season competition. (Photo: David Buono / Icon Sportswire 2023) Source link #Volleyball #players #coach #sue #San #Jose #State #Mountain #West #allowing #transgender #athlete Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘We are devastated’: *** indie games show WASD is permanently cancelled ‘We are devastated’: *** indie games show WASD is permanently cancelled *** games industry show WASD has been permanently cancelled as the company behind the event enters liquidation. Citing skyrocketing industry costs, the event, which showcased the best of the ***’s independent games industry is no more. Co-founder David Lilley told the BBC: “increasing costs and less demand for stand space means running events is just not viable for us anymore.” Independent publishing label Lost in Cult commented on the news: “We are devastated to hear the news about WASD. “Our first ever bookstand was at WASD. We got eyes on our work from people who otherwise would not have come across us in online spaces. ” WASD was formed in the wake of EGX Rezzed, another ***-based industry show that also focussed on independent games. WASD was one of the ***’s last video game events open to the public. EGX, the ***’s largest gaming show, is now part of MCM Comic-****, with both shows being held together. Fans who attended the event earlier this year claimed that the EGX portion of the show was much smaller than in previous years, with little support from larger publishers. The official website for WASD went offline earlier this year, leading many to suspect that the future of the event was in peril. BAFTA-winning roguelike Vampire Survivors was shown off at the event’s inaugural show. Source link #devastated #indie #games #show #WASD #permanently #cancelled Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

IT leaders raise concerns over IT security overspend IT leaders raise concerns over IT security overspend IT leaders say they are overspending on cyber security tools, a survey of 800 IT leaders from Flexera has found. The poll reported that 31% of the IT decision-makers who took part in the survey ranked IT security tools as the top area of overspending. This represents a six-point increase from last year’s survey (25%). Even though reducing IT security risks ranked second (28%) behind artificial intelligence (AI) in terms of priorities over the next 12 months, the findings suggest that the conversations around the inflation of security tools and difficulties in integrating separate tooling together are ongoing. Last year, analyst IDC surveyed 503 IT decision-makers in North America looking at cloud-native application protection platforms; data security; endpoint detection and response; extended detection and response; network security; next-generation firewall; security information and event management; security service edge; and vulnerability and exposure management. The respondents had anywhere from 41 to 60 security tools in their environment, with 25% reporting 21 to 40 tools. Beyond IT security tools, the Flexera survey found that 68% of IT leaders say business units are spending far more on cloud and software as a service (SaaS) than they are aware of. According to those surveyed, the estimated average amount of overspending across cloud, software, SaaS and hardware is around 20-25%. When asked about their top IT spending challenges, 45% said it was controlling growth in IT spend; for 40%, the biggest challenge was tackling IT spending efficiency and avoiding waste; and 39% saw their biggest challenge as managing price hikes from their software providers. Flexera said the responses suggest that IT leaders ******* more thorough visibility across their entire technology investment, yet are continually juggling unknowns as they seek to determine the best course of action to correct overspending and better balance their piece of the budget. The survey results also suggest that AI is redefining IT leaders’ priorities. Almost half (48%) of the IT leaders polled put integrating AI as their top priority for the next 12 months. “While IT leaders are facing a myriad of challenges and opportunities, artificial intelligence seems to pose the biggest potential gains in the short- and long-term,” said Conal Gallagher, chief information officer at Flexera. “There’s an extraordinary expense required of AI projects, creating an even greater sense of urgency to not only understand the impact of the investment, but to quickly demonstrate returns that advance core business objectives,” he added. “AI is not only disrupting and transforming IT – for example, creating more focus on compute resources and data quality – but planting the seeds to change the way we all work. It’s no surprise that IT is at the forefront of recognising and ushering in this disruption, helping to be a guiding force for their organisations.” Source link #leaders #raise #concerns #security #overspend Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Wood says ARK Innovation fund shouldn’t be ‘huge slice of any portfolio’ Wood says ARK Innovation fund shouldn’t be ‘huge slice of any portfolio’ Cathie Wood, CEO of Ark Invest, speaks during an interview on CNBC on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, February 27, 2023. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Cathie Wood is defending her underperforming ARK Innovation exchange traded fund following a rocky stretch. “We have a volatile fund,” she told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Friday. “We should not be a huge slice of any portfolio. We are more of a satellite strategy now, although we think this is the way the world is going.” Shares of the technology fund have lost near two thirds of their value from their pandemic heyday, when market excitement and the meme stock craze drove shares to nearly $160 and led the fund to more than double in 2020, soaring 149%. Since then, the fund has underperformed, fueling skepticism over the Ark Invest CEO’s investment strategies. Shares are up 2.8% this year, far behind the S&P 500’s 24% gain, and over the past three years have lost about 23% annually, according to FactSet data. Wood acknowledged that several “interesting behaviors” during the Covid-19 pandemic sent ARKK shares higher, but asserted that many of the technologies and research underpinning her firm’s investments are “much more advanced.” She called out the multiomics life sciences and health care sectors as the biggest drag on the fund. This should change as new genome therapy editing companies such as Intellia Therapeutics emerge as providing alternative ********-curing methods. “We think we’re a very good complement to the broad-based benchmarks out there, because we don’t look anything like them,” she said of her fund. “And truth will win out.” Source link #Wood #ARK #Innovation #fund #shouldnt #huge #slice #portfolio Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]