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Banff, a destination for all seasons Banff, a destination for all seasons Steve Lyons has some recommendations for adventures in the latter half of the year Source link #Banff #destination #seasons Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

China detains suspect in human trafficking cases linked to online scam networks in Myanmar China detains suspect in human trafficking cases linked to online scam networks in Myanmar BEIJING (AP) — ******** authorities have detained a key suspect in human trafficking cases linked to online scam networks near the borders of Myanmar and Thailand, China’s Ministry of Public Security said, weeks after the high-profile disappearance of an actor sparked safety concerns. The suspect, surnamed Yan, was captured through the joint efforts of the ministry, the ******** Embassy in Thailand and Thai law enforcement officers, it said. Yan had returned to China on Saturday and an investigation is ongoing, it said in a statement late Sunday. It vowed to deepen law enforcement cooperation with other countries and spare no effort in arresting suspects in the scam networks. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. Earlier this month, ******** actor Wang Xing was lured by a promise of an acting opportunity and traveled to Thailand but instead was taken across the border into Myanmar, where police believe he was put to work in a call scam operation targeting ******** people, Thai police said. Wang was eventually sent back to China, but his case has sparked fears about travel to Thailand among many ********, clouding the Southeast Asian country’s tourism prospects during the Lunar New Year holidays, which begin Tuesday. Last week, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra used a video generated by artificial intelligence to assure ******** tourists that her government is boosting security and attaches great importance to the safety of tourists. But a series of recent human trafficking cases has already harmed Thai tourism. A concert by Hong Kong pop star Eason Chan in Bangkok in February was canceled due to safety concerns for ******** citizens. Users on China’s Weibo social media platform also expressed fears about visiting Thailand. Criminal activity has flourished in border areas of military-ruled Myanmar, where fighting has pitted armed ethnic groups against the army for decades. ******** authorities say they have cracked down on criminal syndicates in joint operations with neighboring countries, leading to thousands of people being returned to China, but those campaigns did not include arrests of ring leaders in Myanmar. People from Malaysia and the Philippines lured by job offerings in Myanmar have also been forced to work in call centers against their will. ******** investors operate casino complexes in Myanmar in what amounts to autonomous development zones in cooperation with Myanmar’s Border Guard Force, a militia belonging to the ethnic Karen *********. Source link #China #detains #suspect #human #trafficking #cases #linked #online #scam #networks #Myanmar Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

DeSantis, fellow Republicans in standoff over Trump agenda: ‘Mommy and daddy are fighting’ – POLITICO DeSantis, fellow Republicans in standoff over Trump agenda: ‘Mommy and daddy are fighting’ – POLITICO DeSantis, fellow Republicans in standoff over Trump agenda: ‘Mommy and daddy are fighting’ POLITICOSeveral bills filed ahead of Florida’s special session News 13 OrlandoDeSantis pushes Florida lawmakers to take action on ******** immigration, warns of consequences for defiance Fox NewsImmigration and other bills filed for special legislative session in Tallahassee Tallahassee Democrat Source link #DeSantis #fellow #Republicans #standoff #Trump #agenda #Mommy #daddy #fighting #POLITICO Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

iQOO Neo 10R India Launch Confirmed; May Come With 144Hz Screen, Support 90FPS Gaming iQOO Neo 10R India Launch Confirmed; May Come With 144Hz Screen, Support 90FPS Gaming iQOO Neo 10R is expected to launch in India soon as the company’s first smartphone sporting a special ‘R’ badge, Gadgets 360 exclusively reported on Friday. The company has now confirmed the phone’s launch and announced one of its key specifications. Meanwhile, a tipster has also shed light on details about the upcoming iQOO Neo 10R, suggesting that it may come with a 1.5K OLED screen, 6,400mAh battery, and haptics powered by the company’s X-axis linear motor. iQOO Neo 10R India Launch Confirmed In a post on X (formerly Twitter), iQOO CEO Nipun Marya announced that iQOO Neo 10R will launch in India “soon”. Further information shared on the company’s community forum confirms that the phone will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset which was unveiled in March last year. The upcoming iQOO Neo 10R is advertised as the “fastest smartphone in the segment”. Teaser images suggest it will have a dual rear camera setup and a two-tone design. More details about the handset will be released as the official launch date nears. iQOO Neo 10R Specifications (Expected) Meanwhile, tipster Abhishek Yadav (@yabhishekhd) suggests that the phone will come with a 1.5K OLED TCL C8 screen with a 120Hz refresh rate which may go up to 144Hz during gaming scenarios. Further, it may pack a 6,400mAh battery with support for 80W wired *** charging. This corroborates exclusive information shared by Gadgets 360 last week. Its Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor is tipped to be paired with LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. To handle the most graphically demanding games, the phone is speculated to get Adreno 735 GPU and X-axis linear motor for haptics. For optics, it is likely to be equipped with a dual rear camera unit, comprising a 50-megapixel camera with a Sony LYT-600 sensor and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens. The front camera is said to use a 16MP Samsung S5K3P9 sensor. Connectivity features on the iQOO Neo 10R may include Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 6, and NFC. It is tipped to have a thickness of 7.98mm and weigh 196g. Another report claims that the phone will support video recording at 4K 60 frames per second (fps). Meanwhile, its gaming performance could be capped at 90fps. Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details. Source link #iQOO #Neo #10R #India #Launch #Confirmed #144Hz #Screen #Support #90FPS #Gaming Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

******** AI model rockets to top of app charts ******** AI model rockets to top of app charts ******** artificial intelligence (AI) app DeepSeek has overtaken ChatGPT and other rivals to become the top-rated free application on Apple’s App Store in the US, *** and China. The app has surged in popularity since its launch in January, challenging the widely-held belief that America is the untouchable leader of the AI industry. It is powered by the open-source DeepSeek-V3 model, which its researchers claim was developed for less than $6m – significantly less than the billions spent by rivals. But this claim has been disputed by others in the AI space. After DeepSeek-R1 was launched earlier this month the company boasted of “performance on par with” one of ChatGPT maker OpenAI’s latest models – when used for tasks such as maths, coding and natural language reasoning. Silicon Valley venture capitalist and Donald Trump advisor Marc Andreessen described DeepSeek-R1 as “AI’s Sputnik moment”, in a reference to the first artificial Earth satellite that was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. Advanced chips power the training of AI models like ChatGPT and DeepSeek. But since 2021 the US government has widened its restrictions on advanced chips being sold to China. In order to continue their work without steady supplies of imported advanced chips, ******** AI developers have shared their work with each other and experimented with new approaches to the technology. This has resulted in AI models that require far less computing power than before. It also means that they cost a lot less than previously thought possible, which has the potential to upend the industry. Shares in AI-related companies based in the US, such as Nvidia, Microsoft and Meta were down on Monday morning. Some estimates put the cost of training DeepSeek at a fraction of the large US AI firms. “It can potentially derail the investment case for the entire AI supply chain, which is driven by high spending from a small handful of hyperscalers,” Singapore-based technology equity advisor Vey-Sern Ling told the BBC. But Wall Street banking giant Citi cautioned that while DeepSeek could challenge the dominant positions of American companies like OpenAI issues faced by ******** firms could hamper their development. “We estimate that in an inevitably more restrictive environment, US’ access to more advanced chips is an advantage,” its analysts said in a report. Last week, a consortium of US tech firms and foreign investors announced The Stargate Project, a company which is putting $500bn into AI infrastructure in Texas. The company was founded in 2023 by Liang Wenfeng in Hangzhou, a city in southeastern China. The 40-year-old, an information and electronic engineering graduate, also founded the hedge fund that backed DeepSeek. He reportedly built up a store of Nvida A100 chips, now banned from export to China. Experts believe this collection – which some estimates put at 50,000 – led him to launch DeepSeek, by pairing these chips with cheaper, lower-end ones that are still available to import. Mr Liang was recently seen at a meeting between industry experts and the ******** premier Li Qiang. Source link #******** #model #rockets #top #app #charts Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NBA 2K24 locker codes (January 2025) NBA 2K24 locker codes (January 2025) Updated January 20, 2025: Looked for new codes! You can finally live out your dreams of playing in the NBA. Immerse yourself in this realistic basketball experience, where each score brings your team closer to victory. Thanks to NBA 2K24 locker codes, you can unlock deluxe packs, player cards, and more. All NBA 2K24 locker codes list Active NBA 2K24 locker codes 100-INVINCIBLE-OR-GOAT-CARD — Invincible or a GOAT Series card (New) MyTEAM-INVINCIBLE-PLAYER-PACK — Invincible Deluxe Pack (New) MyTEAM-PLAYBOOK-THANK-YOU — 5 100 Overall Packs (New) TEAM-USA-2024-PLAYER — Invincible Deluxe Pack (New) MYTEAM-DM-BILL-WALTON-32 — 99 Bill Walton Card MyTEAM-NEXT-ROOKIE-PLAYER — 99 OVR ’24-’25 Rookie Player JERRY-WEST-44 — 100 OVR Jerry West card and Jersey HAPPY-4TH-OF-JULY-MyTEAM-8TE5Q — Fireworks Deluxe Pack NBA-2K25-COVER-ATHLETES — Invincible Jayson Tatum, Vince Carter, and a Dark Matter A’ja Wilson Coach Card TEAM-USA-OPTION-PACK-BALL-DROP — Invincible Option Pack SEASON-7-DM-MyTEAM — 99 Overall Option Pack MyTEAM-99-OVR-CHAMPIONS-PACK — 99 or 100 OVR previous NBA Champion MYTEAM-99-OVR-PLAYOFFS-PACK — Pack NEXT-ROOKIES-IN-MYTEAM — guaranteed 99 OVR Rookie Player Expired NBA 2K24 locker codes MYTEAM-PINK-DIAMOND-MAX-STRUS1 LUNAR-NEW-YEAR-JEREMY-LIN SEASON-7-DM-MYTEAM MYTEAM-DM-BILL-WALTON-32 MYTEAM-GALAXY-OPAL-RUDY-GAY MYTEAM-10-TOKENS-FOR-YOU 2K24-SZN6-GO-KIDD HOP-INTO-MYTEAM HAPPY-HOLIDAYS-MYTEAM-DIAMOND MYTEAM-NBA-PLAYOFFS-GO-OPTION MYTEAM-99-OVR-PLAYOFFS-PACK 2K24-XP-COIN-HOLIDAY 2K21-VC-25DAYS-GIFT 2K22-GET-MORE-BOOST 2K24-MYTEAM-MLK-HB3V BAD-BUNNY-2K24 2K19-SWEAT-2KL-25DAYS HAPPY-MLKDAY-2K24-SRC3 MYTEAM-99-OVR-CHAMPIONS-PACK GO-MARC-GASOL-33-IN-MYTEAM Related: NBA 2K Mobile codes and Mech Arena codes How to redeem locker codes for NBA 2K24 Now that you have NBA 2K24 locker codes, it’s time to follow our guide below to learn how to redeem them: Image by PC Invasion Image by PC Invasion Run NBA 2K24 on your device. Go to the MyTEAM mode in the menu. Select Community Hub and choose the Enter Locker Code tab. Type a code into the text box and confirm it to obtain your goodies. Don’t leave just yet before you bookmark this page! We expect more NBA 2K24 locker codes, so make sure you come back whenever you have the time to check our list for updates! PC Invasion is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy Source link #NBA #2K24 #locker #codes #January Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

St Ronans: RAC rescue helicopter responding to vehicle rollover on Great Southern Highway St Ronans: RAC rescue helicopter responding to vehicle rollover on Great Southern Highway It is believed one person has been seriously injured as the rescue helicopter makes its way to the scene. Source link #Ronans #RAC #rescue #helicopter #responding #vehicle #rollover #Great #Southern #Highway Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dance of Cards Review | TheXboxHub Dance of Cards Review | TheXboxHub Review – Dance of Cards is a deeply enjoyable take on the iconic game of poker, which avoids folding under the pressure of its own ambition. Source link #Dance #Cards #Review #TheXboxHub Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Swedish authorities board ship seized over Baltic Sea cable breach Swedish authorities board ship seized over Baltic Sea cable breach Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways By Johan Ahlander and Anna Ringstrom STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Swedish authorities boarded a Maltese-flagged ship seized in connection with the latest breach of cables running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea to begin an investigation into the matter, the country’s security police said on Monday. “We can confirm that persons from Swedish authorities have been on board the vessel to carry out investigative measures,” Swedish Security Services spokesperson Johan Wikstrom said. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. He declined to comment further on the investigation. The undersea cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged early on Sunday in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone, likely as a result of external influence, Latvia said. That prompted NATO to deploy patrol ships to the area and triggered a sabotage investigation by Swedish authorities. A Swedish prosecutor ordered the seizing of a ship as part of the investigation. Marine Traffic data showed that a coastguard vessel escorted the bulk carrier Vezhen to Swedish waters on Sunday where it later anchored. The Vezhen passed the fibre optic cable at 0045 GMT on Sunday. Television footage from Sweden’s TV4 showed the Vezhen anchored some 10 km south of the naval base in Karlskrona, in southern Sweden. Images showed that it appeared to have a damaged anchor. It was not clear that the Vezhen caused any damage and the Latvian navy said on Sunday that three ships were subject to investigation. Bulgarian shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgare, which listed the Vezhen among its fleet, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. NATO said last week it would deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and naval drones in the Baltic Sea to help protect critical infrastructure and reserved the right to take action against ships suspected of posing a security threat. Finnish police last month seized a tanker carrying Russian oil and said they suspected the vessel had damaged the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line and four telecoms cables by dragging its anchor across the seabed. (Reporting by Johan Ahlander and Anna Ringstrom; editing by Niklas Pollard and Bernadette Baum) Source link #Swedish #authorities #board #ship #seized #Baltic #Sea #cable #breach Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trillions of Comets Found in 74 Alien Star Systems, Unveiling Exocomets and Planetary Belts Trillions of Comets Found in 74 Alien Star Systems, Unveiling Exocomets and Planetary Belts A vast number of icy exocomets have been identified orbiting 74 star systems, unveiling a complex picture of planetesimal belts situated far from their parent stars. These belts, comprised of millimeter-sized particles generated by cometary collisions, highlight the intricate processes shaping planetary systems. Observations suggest that these cold, distant regions could play a crucial role in delivering water or impacting planetary environments, potentially influencing the habitability of nearby planets. Discovery Backed by Astronomical Observations According to findings published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, the discovery was facilitated by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile and the Submillimeter Array (SMA) in Hawaii. These instruments detected submillimeter radiation emitted by particles within the belts, where temperatures range between –250°C to –150°C. Dr. Luca Matrà from the University of Dublin, who led the study as part of the REASONS program, noted in a statement that exocometary belts are commonly found around at least 20 percent of planetary systems, serving as reservoirs of rocky and icy bodies. Patterns and Variations Observed Across Systems As reported by space.com, as per the research, the planetesimal belts range in age from newly formed to billions of years old and are located between tens and hundreds of astronomical units (AU) from their central stars. The study revealed that the depletion of pebble-sized particles occurs more rapidly in belts located closer to their stars. Sebastián Marino from the University of Exeter highlighted to space.com, the diverse structures of these belts, with some resembling narrow rings and others resembling wide disks. Implications for Planetary Systems and Water Delivery The study proposes that unobservable objects, potentially as large as 140 kilometres in diameter, exist within the belts. Scientists are investigating whether these belts contribute to the delivery of water to planets, potentially aiding or hindering life. Instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) could further explore these belts, providing insights into gaps or hidden planetary bodies. This ongoing research could deepen our understanding of planetary system evolution and the distribution of water in the cosmos. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Solar Storm Forecast to Trigger Northern Lights in Upper Midwest Marsupial Mole’s Evolutionary Mystery Solved: Genetic Study Links to Bilbies and Bandicoots Source link #Trillions #Comets #Alien #Star #Systems #Unveiling #Exocomets #Planetary #Belts Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Oil falls after Trump reverses Colombia sanctions threat – Reuters.com Oil falls after Trump reverses Colombia sanctions threat – Reuters.com Oil falls after Trump reverses Colombia sanctions threat Reuters.comView Full Coverage on Google News Source link #Oil #falls #Trump #reverses #Colombia #sanctions #threat #Reuters.com Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

DeepSeek’s iOS App Overtakes ChatGPT on App Store, Tech Leaders React to the Open-Source AI Model’s Rise DeepSeek’s iOS App Overtakes ChatGPT on App Store, Tech Leaders React to the Open-Source AI Model’s Rise DeepSeek for iOS has overtaken OpenAI’s ChatGPT to top the App Store’s “Top free apps” chart in the US. The eponymous ******** company released the open-source DeepSeek-R1 artificial intelligence (AI) model last week, which outperforms OpenAI’s o1 AI model in several benchmarks. This release has made the company and its AI chatbot the talk of the town, with several Silicon Valley tech leaders reacting to its sudden rise. Notably, the DeepSeek app is entirely free to use, with no subscription tiers announced so far. DeepSeek Overtakes ChatGPT Ever since OpenAI launched the ChatGPT for iOS app in May 2023, it has consistently been among the top free applications on the App Store and has remained the highest-ranked AI app on the platform. However, this throne was taken by the DeepSeek app recently as it reached the top of the chart. The rise is being attributed to the recent launch of the DeepSeek-R1 AI model. Notably, little is known about the Hangzhou-based AI firm which was founded in 2023 and has released several open-source large language models (LLMs). While US-based tech companies have also released open-source models, with Meta being a notable mention in the community, none comes close to the capabilities and scale of what the DeepSeek models offer. The company also claimed to have built the model with a cost of $6 million (roughly Rs. 51.8 crore), significantly cheaper than AI models of this scale. Several Silicon Valley-based tech leaders have reacted to the sudden rise of these models. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen called the R1 AI model “one of the most amazing and impressive breakthroughs I’ve ever seen,” while Perplexity AI Co-Founder and CEO Aravind Srinivas congratulated the ******** firm for becoming the first AI app to beat ChatGPT. In a LinkedIn post, Yann LeCun, one of the godfathers of AI and the current Vice President and Chief AI Scientist at Meta, said “Open source models are surpassing proprietary ones.” Holger Zschäpitz, a senior financial reporter at ******* free-to-air television news channel Welt, argued DeepSeek “could represent a big threat to US equity markets.” DeepSeek Is Not the Only One While DeepSeek has broken the trend of companies open-sourcing smaller and less capable AI models while keeping the frontier models under a proprietary paywall, it is not the only one. Another ******** firm, Kimi AI, announced the release of the Kimi k1.5 AI model. The company claims it is an “o1-level multimodal LLM that outperforms GPT-4o and Claude Sonnet 3.5 on several benchmarks”. Notably, Kimi AI has made the web version of its chatbot completely free to use with unlimited usage, similar to DeepSeek. The AI model can also perform real-time web searches, analyse up to 50 files across a diverse range of formats, and has image understanding capabilities as well. While its technical report is available on GitHub, it is currently not available in open-source. Source link #DeepSeeks #iOS #App #Overtakes #ChatGPT #App #Store #Tech #Leaders #React #OpenSource #Models #Rise Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

3 Chilling Horror Books to Read This Month, Including a Reissued Classic 3 Chilling Horror Books to Read This Month, Including a Reissued Classic By Uketsu; translated by Jim Rion The Japanese author Uketsu, according to his biography, “only ever appears online, wearing a mask and speaking through a voice changer.” His work mirrors the mysterious nature of his persona. STRANGE PICTURES (HarperVia, 236 pp., paperback, $17.99), the first of Uketsu’s novels to be translated into English, is a labyrinthine and multilayered horror mystery, full of cryptic images, about a series of deaths. The book opens with two college students in Tokyo reading a sad, abandoned blog that chronicles a portion of a man’s life. The blog is filled with personal details, including entries about the man finding out that he’s going to be a father and posts about the death of the man’s wife during labor. It also features mysterious drawings by the man’s wife. The students are convinced these drawings contain secrets and work to unravel them. But that’s just the beginning. In the past, a string of unsolved murders plagued the region. In one instance, a man was brutally beaten to death with a rock while hiking and painting. Among his things was an unusual drawing, sketched on the back of a receipt and rendered in a different style than his other work. Is the picture a clue like the drawings on the blog? Who’s responsible for the murders? Nine drawings hold the answers, but cracking the case is much more complicated than it seems. The novel is split into four parts. The third can feel repetitive, but the entire mystery is wonderfully complex and carefully crafted, so the misstep is easy to ignore. This is a story where revelations and new questions wait around every corner, and Uketsu keeps readers guessing until the very end. By Eric LaRocca Most people associate horror with fear, but great horror can also incite a deeply rooted sense of discomfort and revulsion. The work of the author Eric LaRocca does just that. Blacker than the blood of a fountain pen and unapologetically ******, AT DARK, I BECOME LOATHSOME (Blackstone Publishing, 230 pp., $25.99) shares the gruesomeness of LaRocca’s previous work while exploring the inner workings of a mind shattered by guilt and grief. Ashley Lutin lost his beloved wife to *******; then his young son went missing. The authorities are sure the boy is dead, but Ashley can’t accept that. He has nothing left to lose and the memories of the mediocre father he was haunt him. As a coping mechanism, Ashley has covered his face in piercings and is trying to help others by ushering them through a multistep ritual of death he created where, among other things, he buries people alive in a coffin for 30 minutes. His patrons hope that facing their mortality will be transformative. One night, Ashley connects online with a man named Jinx who is interested in the ritual. After setting up an appointment, Jinx shares a disturbing story of sex, violence and kidnapping. Later, when the two finally meet, Ashley learns that Jinx has much more to tell, forcing Ashley to reckon not only with a past he’d rather not face but also with the weight of all his recent decisions. LaRocca exploded onto the horror scene in 2021 with “Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke,” a brutal novella about ****** love and obsession that went viral because of the graphic content it contained and the twisted psyches it studied. “At Dark, I Become Loathsome” picks up those same themes, using them to fashion another unique, relentlessly depressive, strangely ******* and extremely violent novel about how pain changes people. By Craig Clevenger Craig Clevenger’s THE CONTORTIONIST’S HANDBOOK (Datura Books, 250 pp., paperback, $18.99) — originally published in 2002 and now reissued 23 years later — is one of those stories that defy categorization. It is a cult classic, a crime book and an understated horror narrative, all about a brilliant man who constantly reinvents himself to evade the law. John Dolan Vincent is a talented forger with an extra finger on one hand. He also suffers from horrible migraines and blackouts. Doctors haven’t been able to help, so John self-medicates. One night he accidentally takes too many painkillers, and when he wakes up, he’s in a hospital in Los Angeles where doctors think he tried to kill himself. As a result, he must undergo a psychiatric evaluation. But the hospital isn’t evaluating John; they’re evaluating Daniel Fletcher, one of the fake identities John adopted to outrun a criminal past. Now, however, both the thugs who hunt him and the authorities who want to detain him are encroaching. In order to get to safety, John must successfully trick the doctor evaluating him before time runs out. This novel is a master class in tension. John lived through a rough and traumatic childhood, and the evaluations force him to be someone else while he also contends with the deep wounds he carries. With its re-release, this superbly written and very entertaining novel is sure to make its mark on a new generation of readers. Source link #Chilling #Horror #Books #Read #Month #Including #Reissued #Classic Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

WAFL 2025: Former West Coast Eagle Coby Burgiel opens up on injuries, form and move to East Perth WAFL 2025: Former West Coast Eagle Coby Burgiel opens up on injuries, form and move to East Perth Luckless former West Coast Eagle Coby Burgiel has opened up on the injury frustrations and hardships he faced in his short stint in the AFL system. Source link #WAFL #West #Coast #Eagle #Coby #Burgiel #opens #injuries #form #move #East #Perth Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Analysis-Renewed inflation worries help drive oil price rally Analysis-Renewed inflation worries help drive oil price rally By Anna Hirtenstein LONDON (Reuters) – Investors are snapping up crude oil futures as a hedge against the risk that U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened trade tariffs will cause a resurgence in global inflation, adding momentum to a recent rally in oil prices sparked by a tightening of sanctions on Russia. Oil is a popular inflation hedge because energy is a important component of Consumer Price Index (CPI) baskets and also feeds into them indirectly through goods and services costs. That means, however, that the large-scale adoption of such a strategy could itself help push consumer prices higher. Fund managers have built up the largest net long position in crude oil futures in nine months, according to data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. “This is the best hedge at the moment…if inflation in the U.S. proves to be more resistant,” said Francesco Sandrini, head of multi-asset strategies at Amundi, Europe’s biggest asset manager overseeing 2.2 trillion euros ($2.29 trillion). Amundi is increasing its commodities holdings, buying oil and metals, he said. In an environment where U.S. stock markets came under pressure at the beginning of the year and benchmark Treasury yields hit 15-month highs, prices of oil and other commodities considered higher risk investments would typically be expected to fall, particularly as a stronger U.S. dollar made them more expensive for holders of other currencies. However, Brent crude and U.S. WTI futures prices are up around 5% and 4%, respectively, so far this year and recently traded at six-month highs. While oil traders are focused on a tightening of supply from a fresh round of sanctions on Russia’s energy industry, some investors are concerned inflation may pick up if Trump presses ahead with threatened tariffs on countries such as Mexico, Canada and China despite the new president’s vow to lower consumer prices. Money managers’ net long position in a basket of commodities that includes energy, metals and grains has risen close to a three-year high, an analysis of CFTC data by Saxo Bank shows, with crude contracts drawing the most demand. According to Goldman Sachs, compared to other commodities energy has historically provided the strongest inflation-adjusted returns when consumer prices have risen faster than expected. Energy forms 6.4% of the U.S. consumer price index (CPI) and 9.9% of the euro zone equivalent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Eurostat respectively. If inflation is accelerating, it is likely that energy prices are picking up, which can offset losses. However, Ilia Bouchouev, former president of hedge fund Koch Global Partners and author of Virtual Barrels: Quantitative Trading in the Oil Market, said inflation hedging can be a “vicious circle”. Story Continues “Investors buy oil futures to hedge against the effect of rising consumer prices, but this activity can push oil prices higher, fueling more inflation and more hedging trades, and so on.” ‘STICKY’ INFLATION Recent economic data, such as the U.S. jobs report, has also fanned inflation fears, with a January University of Michigan survey showing an uptick in consumers’ price expectations over both the short- and medium-term. “With strong growth combined with sticky inflation, markets are now expecting the Fed to be more cautious. Higher oil prices also don’t bode well for the inflation outlook,” said Shaniel Ramjee, co-head of multi-asset at Pictet Asset Management in London. As stocks and bonds fell in tandem, an unusual market phenomenon, demand rose for investments that are considered less likely to lose value at the same time. “Commodities are a good diversifier, up to a point,” said John Roe, head of multi-asset at Legal & General Investment Management. “But if the inflation scares lead to growth concerns, then suddenly they can get caught up in it,” he added, noting the impact on demand. The oil market rally has also pulled in momentum trading funds, according to Saxo Bank’s analysis, while Bouchouev noted that commodity trading advisors (CTAs), which typically trade on technical signals and had largely been betting on a fall in crude prices, were flipping their positions, helping to further boost prices. (Reporting by Anna Hirtenstein, additional reporting by Karin Strohecker, graphic by Ahmad Ghaddar, editing by Alex Lawler and Kirsten Donovan) Source link #AnalysisRenewed #inflation #worries #drive #oil #price #rally Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

5 Dumpling Recipes in Time for Lunar New Year 5 Dumpling Recipes in Time for Lunar New Year “They’re sticky, they’re round, they’re shaped like dumplings. So even if chocolate is not a traditional auspicious food, can we just say it is? Can we just say that these dumplings represent prosperity, and family unity, and all the goodness that is chocolate? All right, culture police, come at me! [LAUGHS]:” [UPBEAT MUSIC] “I’m Genevieve Ko, senior editor and columnist at ‘NYT Cooking.’ Welcome to Dumpling Week. It’s our first ever Dumpling Week. To celebrate the Lunar New Year with dumplings, I’m making chocolate sesame dumplings. And these have a sweet mochi wrapper encasing a molten chocolate filling. It’s almost like a truffle. These dumplings were actually inspired by dumplings that my kids loved when they were little. And so this is a grown-up version for them now that they’re a bit older. Thinking about the memories from Lunar New year, not just from my childhood, but from my kids’ childhood — childhoods? For my kids’ childhoods, I thought a lot about and I worried a lot about how far they would go from their culture. And at a certain point, I just realized that actually, the way that they celebrate Lunar New Year and understand it is, of course, going to change, and that one of those ways is, of course, through food. This mixing of cultures is really a part of this celebration. It’s part of the way that we celebrate Lunar New Year now.” [LIGHTHEARTED MUSIC] “The first thing I’m going to do is make the chocolate filling. These are basically really easy chocolate truffles. So you can see here, I’m just going to break up this chocolate bar into pieces. I don’t even bother with chopping. Or you can use chocolate chips, or you can do a mix. Put the chocolate in this metal bowl. Set it over simmering water. And when about 2/3 of the chocolate is melted, then you can take that off the heat. And then stir gently until the rest of the chocolate is melted. And then you’re going to add sweetened condensed milk, toasted sesame oil, and a pinch of sea salt. That’s going to give it a really great sweet, salty balance. And you’re going to stir really gently until it’s smooth again. You don’t want to stir too vigorously because that’s going to cause the chocolate to break. You just want to stir it really gently. And the sweetened condensed milk here gives the chocolate a really lovely creaminess and flavor, but it also helps it stay really stable. So you don’t even have to chill it at this point. All you have to do is scoop it into little ******. They don’t have to be perfect ******, but you do want them to be about the same size. So you want 16 ****** of chocolate. I find a melon baller is really great for this. Or you can just pinch off pieces with your hands and roll them into ******. If your kitchen is cold enough, you can just leave it all at room temperature. Otherwise, pop them in the fridge so that they stay stiff. Once that chocolate filling is done, we can go ahead and make the dough. If you have a scale, you definitely want to use that scale to measure flour here, because glutinous rice flour is really fine and very light. I’m going to bring 1/2 a cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan, and as soon as it comes to a boil, I’m turning off the heat and I’m stirring in more toasted sesame oil. This is going to both flavor the dough and actually keep it really tender. Start stirring this just-boiled water right into the flour. Keep stirring, and stirring, and stirring until this mixture forms these little bits that look like a mixture of pebbles, and gravel, and sand. Chopsticks really work best for this, but you can also use a fork. Once I’m at this point, I’m going to see if it’s cool enough now for me to handle. And it is. It’s nice and warm. If anything, oh my God, it feels really nice. It’s almost like a bath. [LAUGHS] Gather this dough, all these pebbles, and just squeeze them together, and form it into a ball. I’m going to let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes, just so that it can come to room temperature. And also, this is going to give the dough a chance to absorb the water that was added. And this water, because it was almost boiling, it actually precooked the flour a bit, which is exactly what we want. It’s been about seven minutes. And I can feel that the dough has had a chance to rest. It’s relaxed a bit. But I can also feel that it’s sticking. It’s sticking to my fingers. So I’m going to knead this dough on a floured surface until it doesn’t stick to my fingers anymore. I sometimes find that I don’t have to add any extra flour — that at this point, the dough is totally perfect. It really just depends on how dry my kitchen is or what the humidity is like in the air. It is pouring rain today, so it’s pretty humid. So I’m just going to knead flour into this dough. So it should almost feel a little sticky, but not actually stick to my fingers. I don’t actually want any flour to be sitting on the surface. So as long as it keeps getting absorbed into the dough, I’m just going to keep adding more. And the dough is now so smooth, and it really feels like playdough. It’s so soft, it’s so tacky, it’s ready to go. And I’m going to roll it into this log and cut it into 16 even pieces by cutting it in half first, cutting these halves in half until I get to 16 equal pieces. So these little dough ******, I definitely want to keep them covered with the same damp towel that I was using earlier for the dough, because if this dough dries out on the outside, it actually develops these weird cracks and dry bits. One of the important things with dumplings is that you always want to pinch out your dough so that the edges are way thinner than the center. You almost have a little, like, **** belly of dough in the middle. And then, as you move out towards the edge, it should get thinner, and thinner, and thinner because you’re pleating all those edges together. By doing it this way, you’re going to end up with an even layer of dough all around. So now that the dough is about a three-inch round, put one of these chocolate ****** in the middle and start pleating it. While holding it up, I’m going to just start pleating it on one side and keep going around in a circle, all the way around until I get to the other end. And it’s O.K. that the top is open, because now I’m just going to gather all that pleated dough and pinch it shut. Gather it pretty gently, because this dough is so soft and malleable that if I pinch it really hard, it’s going to get rid of those beautiful pleats. And if I have a little extra dough, I’m going to pull it off. But sometimes it depends on the size of your dough and ******. Sometimes when I don’t feel like going through all the pleating and I just want to get these done really quickly, or if I’m doing it with my kids and they don’t feel like pleating, I just bring the dough up around that chocolate filling. And you get all these natural pleats anyway. I’m just going to do that with all of my dough ****** and all of my chocolate ******.” [UPBEAT MUSIC] “I’m setting up with a wok and with bamboo steamers, but you can actually use any steamer you have if you just have an insert, as long as you have a flat bottom that you can line with either parchment paper or a silicone mat like this one that’s perforated. Putting eight on each level, because right is a really lucky, auspicious number for the Lunar New year, or all the time. I don’t actually want the water boiling super hard. I don’t want these to cook too quickly. This dough is quite delicate. And I also don’t want the chocolate to break. And I’m just going to keep checking these dumplings as they steam. And what I’m looking for is for the dough to become translucent. The dough actually is taking on this — it’s almost like a pearlescent quality. I don’t want them to go too long because then they’ll become totally translucent and collapse. These are ready. And while they are still warm and sticky, sprinkle the tops with ****** and white sesame seeds. I just love the nuttiness of both of them. So these are my chocolate sesame dessert dumplings. All right, so let’s see how our dumpling is. [GIGGLES]: So good and so sticky. Making homemade dumpling wrappers might feel like a project, and it is. But using glutinous rice flour, like, having this be the entry point is so great because it’s so forgiving. It’s wonderful. It’s malleable. Once you get past that sticky stage, it feels like a hug. Like, if dough can feel like a hug, it 100 percent does because it’s so soft, where it’s like sinking into a couch. All right. Thanks so much for joining me for making chocolate sesame dumplings. We are going to have this recipe in all of our Dumpling Week recipes on nytcooking.com.” Happy Lunar New Year! “Yay! They work.” “They do.” “Woo-hoo. Steamers are great. If you don’t have a bamboo steamer, you should get a bamboo steamer.” [LIGHTHEARTED MUSIC] Source link #Dumpling #Recipes #Time #Lunar #Year Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia falls 10% in premarket trading as China’s DeepSeek triggers global tech sell-off Nvidia falls 10% in premarket trading as China’s DeepSeek triggers global tech sell-off U.S. technology firms plunged in premarket trading, as ******** startup DeepSeek sparked concerns over competitiveness in AI and America’s lead in the sector, triggering a global sell-off. Shares of chip designer Nvidia, a huge beneficiary of the AI hype, were down 9.84% at 05:11 a.m. ET ahead of the market open. Netherlands-based chip companies ASML and ASM International tumbled 10.59% and 14.94% respectively in European trade, while in Asia, Japanese chip-related stocks were broadly lower. DeepSeek launched a free, open-source large-language model in late December, claiming it was developed in just two months at a cost of under $6 million — a much smaller expense than the one called for by Western counterparts. Last week, the company released a reasoning model that also reportedly outperformed OpenAI’s latest in many third-party tests. The developments have stoked questions about the amount of money big tech companies have been investing in AI models and data centers. “DeepSeek clearly doesn’t have access to as much compute as U.S. hyperscalers and somehow managed to develop a model that appears highly competitive,” Srini Pajjuri, semiconductor analyst at Raymond James, said in a note Monday. Japan chip stocks fall as DeepSeek’s challenge to U.S. AI dominance raises worries for Asian tech firms — CNBC’s Lee Ying Shan and Michael Bloom contributed to this story. This breaking news story is being updated. Source link #Nvidia #falls #premarket #trading #Chinas #DeepSeek #triggers #global #tech #selloff Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

iPhone SE 4 appears in new photos and video, notch and all – The Verge iPhone SE 4 appears in new photos and video, notch and all – The Verge iPhone SE 4 appears in new photos and video, notch and all The VergeApple Leaks Reveal iPhone SE Release Dates ForbesiPhone SE 4 shown off clear as day in new leaked video PhoneArenaThe latest iPhone SE 4 leaks will please small phone fans – as iPhone 16-level power is also rumored TechRadariPhone SE 4 Again Rumored to Feature A18 Chip MacRumors Source link #iPhone #appears #photos #video #notch #Verge Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Tangs, New Donor Royalty, Step Into the Spotlight The Tangs, New Donor Royalty, Step Into the Spotlight With major gifts to leading arts institutions, Oscar L. ***** and Agnes Hsu‐***** have recently landed in the center of New York cultural philanthropy. Source link #Tangs #Donor #Royalty #Step #Spotlight Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Book Review: ‘Shattered,’ by Hanif Kureishi Book Review: ‘Shattered,’ by Hanif Kureishi SHATTERED: A Memoir, by Hanif Kureishi In December 2022, in Rome, fate took Hanif Kureishi by the wrong hand. He was sitting in the living room of his girlfriend’s apartment, watching a soccer game on his iPad. Suddenly he felt dizzy. He leaned forward and blacked out. He woke up several minutes later in a pool of his own blood, his neck awkwardly twisted. Kureishi was 68. He was rendered, instantly, paralyzed below the neck, able to wiggle his toes but unable to scratch an itch, grip a pen or feed himself, let alone walk. Kureishi, who is British Pakistani, is a well-known screenwriter and novelist. His paralysis made international news, and many began to follow his updates on his progress, which he posted via dictation on social media. Now comes a memoir, “Shattered,” with further updates. The news this book delivers, as regards his physical condition, is not optimistic. He has progressed little. He wrestles mightily with who he is, now that he must rely on others for nearly everything except talking and breathing. His memoir is good but modestly so. It contains a great deal of ****** comedy but its most impressive emotion is regret — for things undone and unsaid earlier in his life. It’s hard to get across how counterculturally famous Kureishi was in the 1980s and ’90s. He wrote the screenplay for Stephen Frears’s raffish art-house film “My Beautiful Laundrette” (1985), about a young Pakistani man who is given a derelict laundromat in London by his uncle and hopes to turn it into a success. That movie arrived in the wake of Salman Rushdie’s “Midnight’s Children” (1981), the most influential novel of the late 20th century. Both were fresh and sharply drawn works about postcolonialism and its discontents, a topic that Rushdie and Kureishi dragged, alive and squirming, to the forefront of the culture. The men became friends. Kureishi photographed a bit better than Rushdie did. With his lion’s mane of dark curls, he resembled a pop star or a hipster prince more than a writerly mole person. Thus, it is one of the jokes in “Shattered” when Kureishi recalls the time a nurse asked, while plunging a gloved finger into his backside: “How long did it take you to write ‘Midnight’s Children’?” He replied that if he’d written “Midnight’s Children,” he would not be in the care of England’s public health system. In a darker parallelism, Rushdie too has written a recent memoir of horror and recovery. Kureishi wrote the screenplay for Frears’s next movie, the romantic comedy “Sammy and Rosie Get Laid” (1987), and then published his first and best-known novel, “The Buddha of Suburbia,” in 1990. He has since written many more screenplays and novels but none have so captured the conversation. When the press began to write about his accident, Kureishi says in “Shattered,” he began to feel like Huck Finn at his own ********. Most of the accounts of his life and career were flattering. There is a bit of that life and career in this memoir, but more often we are in the present tense, as in: “Excuse me for a moment, I must have an ****** now.” Bodily eliminations are a central topic. He learns to get over the humiliation of not being able to cope with these on his own. Caregivers always seem to be feeling around back there. At one point Kureishi cries out to his readers, “I now designate my ***** Route 66.” The importance of touch, of small physical kindnesses, is felt in nearly every paragraph. It has ever been true: Kindness is the coin of the realm, accepted everywhere. Looking back at his life, Kureishi writes: “I wish I had been kinder; and if I get another chance, I will be.” Remorse runs through this memoir’s veins like tracer dye. Kureishi stares hard at himself; he studies the blueprint of his own heart; he does not always like what he sees. He recalls being spoiled and self-centered and not, for example, welcoming the arrivals of his three sons. He hated taking them to sports events; he was used to doing what he wanted. While his girlfriend and later wife, Isabella, cares for him in his new state, he wonders if he would have done the same for her. He was often distant, to her and others. His injury has brought him so much good will from so many people; he wonders if he would have reacted similarly. Kureishi comes to feel “like a Beckettian chattering mouth, all I can do is speak, but I can also listen.” His favorite visitors are big talkers. Speaking takes a lot out of him. He remarks that “becoming paralyzed is a great way to meet new people.” While he is in rehab, trying to regain motor skills, Kureishi confronts the contingencies of all our lives. Those around him have suffered motorcycle crashes, falls from ladders and trampolines, dives into empty swimming pools, sports injuries, a litany of freak and not-so-freak accidents. Many incapacitated people, including famous ones like Christopher Reeve, have written books. The paralysis memoir with the most sophistication and sensitivity, that constantly taps into life’s mother lode, is “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (1997), by Jean-Dominique Bauby. He was 43, the editor of Elle France, when he suffered a brainstem stroke. He wrote his sumptuous book by blinking to select letters while the alphabet was recited to him. “Shattered” does not reach such heights. We confront the bare wood beneath the bark of Kureishi’s best earlier writing. But he is good and bracing company on the page. His book is never boring. He offers frank lessons in resilience, about blowing the sparks that are still visible, about ringing the bells that still can ring. SHATTERED: A Memoir | By Hanif Kureishi | Ecco | 328 pp. | $28 Source link #Book #Review #Shattered #Hanif #Kureishi Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Six Nations 2025: Scotland call up Alex Masibaka of Angouleme Six Nations 2025: Scotland call up Alex Masibaka of Angouleme Australia-born number eight Alex Masibaka, who plays for Angouleme in the second tier of French rugby, has received a shock call-up to Scotland’s Six Nations squad. The unheralded forward replaces Josh Bayliss, who is expected to miss the tournament after being added to the growing list of unavailable players when he was injured playing for Bath on Sunday. The 23-year-old – with a mother from Paisley and a father from Fiji – was born in Perth and played briefly for Western Force before being signed by French club Montpellier in 2022. The Top 14 side loaned him the following campaign to Pro D2 side Angouleme, where he has remained this season. Masibaka, who is 6ft 1in and 18st, has scored 12 tries in 30 games for the club in south-west France, where he plays with former England winger Jonny May. Scotland’s management have been tracking him since 2021 and want a closer look at his power and ball-carrying game. Their interest in Masibaka grew with the injury to Bayliss, who was so impressive in the autumn Tests. Head coach Gregor Townsend has Jack Dempsey and Jack Mann as his number eights in the squad but was limited in his other options when looking for a replacement for Bayliss. Source link #Nations #Scotland #call #Alex #Masibaka #Angouleme Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Venice in Winter, With a Poet as Our Guide Venice in Winter, With a Poet as Our Guide By 2 a.m. we were happily lost again. Dimly illuminated arches and doorways reflected off the green canal waters. My daughter, Vivian, 16, and I were on a lion hunt in Venice, an annual occurrence for six years now. If I felt slightly silly coming to this ancient tourist trap every year, I was comforted that arguably the world’s coolest tourist, the exiled Russian, Nobel Prize-winning poet Joseph Brodsky, did the same thing for 17 winters, resulting in what many regard as the ****** of travelogues, “Watermark,” published in 1992: 135 pages of vivid, profound, often funny impressionistic musings on the city Brodsky called “the greatest masterpiece our species ever produced.” Brodsky’s fascination with Venice was colored by his childhood in St. Petersburg (then named Leningrad), another city of canals, where he’d lived in a communal apartment on a bustling street lined with czarist palaces. “I, too, once lived in a city where cornices used to court clouds with statues,” he wrote. My own attraction was shaped by a Danish childhood next to the languorous waters of the Baltic Sea. As for Viv? Strolling the city is the only endurance sport we can both participate in as equals and where the setting trumps her phone screen. She is a warrior princess here. Venice recently made headlines for charging a 5 euro admission fee to stem the Disneyesque hordes of summer fanny packers. (The fee is supposed to double in April.) But on this March night the city was as tranquil and evocative as an ornate tomb. A whiff of frozen seaweed blew off the Adriatic. Viv mischievously pulled out her cellphone, but we use map apps only as a last resort. “Not yet,” I said, and she put it back into her pocket. We climbed the steps of yet another one of the city’s more than 450 bridges and peered around the next alley leading to a square where, lit up like an alter, was our lion. The marble beast called the “Piraeus Lion” was plundered from Athens’s main harbor in 1687 and was as familiar to Viv and me as the family dog. It has become a touchstone for many of our walks. The star of four mismatched marble lions guarding the Arsenale gate to the city’s ancient fleet, the beast’s ferocity was mitigated by our knowledge that runes were graffitied into its flanks by marauding Vikings — our kinsmen! I suppressed the usual desire to drone on about the lion’s 23-century history. Why kill intuitive beauty with data gleaned from tourist books? The real pleasure of wandering in Venice is to drown our egos in undefinable grandeur. “The city is narcissistic enough to turn your mind into an amalgam, unburdening it of its depths,” Brodsky wrote. “After a two-week stay — even at off-season rates — you become both broke and selfless, like a Buddhist monk.” ‘The imperative of cold and brief daylight’ Throughout the 1960s, Brodsky’s free-spirited personality and verses got him into hot water with the Soviet authorities, who subjected him to increasingly messy persecutions. The relatively unknown poet grew into an international cause célèbre until finally, in 1972, the Soviets booted him from the country with little more than a small leather suitcase in which he packed two bottles of vodka. He landed in Ann Arbor, Mich., at the University of Michigan, where he continued writing prolifically as a poet in residence. When he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987, the charismatic writer became a literary pop star, packing lecture halls around the world with his melodic readings. “Watermark” opens with Brodsky arriving for the first time in Venice’s main train station in 1972, hoping to seduce a Russian acquaintance. She rebuffed him, but he instead became seduced by the city whose smells, surfaces, moods and tastes he would detail as tenderly as a lover’s. “Love is an affair between a reflection and its object,” Brodsky wrote. “This is in the end what brings one back to this city.” He returned almost every winter, when he could enjoy Venice unclouded by tourists. “This is the season low on color and big on the imperative of cold and brief daylight,” he wrote. “Everything is harder and more stark.” ‘Part damp oxygen, part coffee and prayers” In the bohemian Dorsoduro neighborhood on the south bank of the Grand Canal, where some bars display “No Tourist” signs, I met the American expatriate painter Robert Morgan, 82, to whom Brodsky dedicated “Watermark.” After half a century in Venice, Mr. Morgan still works in his studio every day, painting sky blue cityscapes. He was introduced to Brodsky when both men were in their late 20s, creating a bond that lasted to the grave. “We took to each other because we were both single exiles in love with this place,” Mr. Morgan told me. “We walked and talked, often all night, without any big purpose, although we did tend to bump into a lot of women, cocktails and cicchetti.” Cicchetti are Venice’s version of tapas, which absolve Venice of two centuries of mediocre tourist restaurants. These snacks were also integral to Viv’s and my nightly foraging routine, where instead of dining at restaurants, we wandered bar to bar nibbling fresh cod, cottony finger sandwiches, pickled vegetables and other bites to be walked off until the next worthy spot. “Joseph joked that wherever he ate here, he knew he was eating better than the Soviet Council of People’s Commissars, who had given him so much trouble,” Mr. Morgan said. Mr. Morgan invited me up to his flat, with its bright paintings and flowers, tended to by his sparkling writer wife, Ewa, 52. Tea was served, gossip and stories shared. Brodsky’s playful spirit animated his octogenarian friend. “You could see him observing everything behind the ********** smoke and Irish ********,” Mr. Morgan said. “Always making mental notes even when entertaining an entire table.” I wandered 10 minutes east of the Morgans’ apartment to a dead-end street, Calle Querini, where, at No. 252, a salmon-colored house was the setting for a provocative literary encounter in “Watermark.” A marble plaque above the narrow front door explained that this was where the American poet Ezra Pound lived with his mistress, Olga Rudge, while broadcasting Fascist propaganda to the United States during World War II. Brodsky wrote about squeezing through this doorway in 1977, five years after Pound’s death, with his girlfriend, the writer Susan Sontag, for tea with Rudge, guarded by a three-foot phallic bust of Pound. Although Brodsky had translated Pound to Russian in his youth, Rudge’s pro-Mussolini utterances and the oppressive bust had Sontag and Brodsky hastily retreating back down this tiny street into the night. The bust is now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington. One morning after an all-night walk, Viv and I emerged on Piazza San Marco, Venice’s main square. The pale winter sun rose across the lagoon and the weak rays unexpectedly exploded off the five domes of San Marco, turning them into lighthouses against the leaden sky. Brodsky described winter mornings here as “part damp oxygen, part coffee and prayers,” and sure enough, the bells in the campanile began tolling for morning Mass while waiters pulled out tables and chairs from the surrounding cafes. This was our last stop, as it usually was for Brodsky, who often ended up lounging on these very chairs with a ********** and an espresso. Venice, forever Brodsky’s chain smoking and lifelong poor health felled him in New York at the age of 55. His Italian wife, Maria Sozzani, whom he had met just six years earlier when she was a student at one of his lectures, arranged for him to be buried on the cemetery island of San Michele just north of Venice. The ******** was not without one last drama in this dramatic man’s life. Mr. Morgan told me that he and Roberto Calasso, Brodsky’s Italian publisher, went to the cemetery before the cortege floated across the lagoon and discovered the grave was adjoining none other than Pound’s. “Roberto and I told the gravediggers there’s no way he could be buried there, and they hastily found a spot a few yards away. They were still digging when the coffin arrived.” On our last evening, Viv and I jumped on a vaporetto and crossed over to San Michele, whose cypress trees towered over the island’s walls like ghost sails. “I knew what water feels like being caressed by water,” Brodsky wrote sensually about sailing to this island of death. He often tarried here among the many exiled Russians’ tombs, notably the composer Igor Stravinsky and the ballet impresario Serge Diaghilev, where dancers still leave their worn slippers on his gravestone. Viv and I wandered over to the familiar rounded white marble headstone at the edge of the Protestant section, where two Ukrainian women in miniskirts despite the cold were taking selfies. Brodsky seduces even from the grave. San Michele closed at 6 p.m. and we headed back to the tiny jetty beyond the cemetery gates as Venice’s night lights set the medieval towers aglow across the lagoon. The evening fog danced across the walls and around the cypress trees like ballerinas. One of San Michele’s cemetery cats approached Viv while we were waiting for the vaporetto, which reminded me of a line from “Watermark”: “I would like to live my next life in Venice. To be a cat there, anything, even a rat, but always in Venice.” Source link #Venice #Winter #Poet #Guide Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Saudi Arabia looks to attract more foreign investment Saudi Arabia looks to attract more foreign investment Saudi Arabia will allow foreigners to invest in firms whose revenues rely on the Islamic pilgrimage – one of the top revenue sources for the oil-rich kingdom. Source link #Saudi #Arabia #attract #foreign #investment Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The 5 Best Full-Body Exercises, According to Trainers The 5 Best Full-Body Exercises, According to Trainers A well-rounded fitness routine — like a nutritious diet — brings wide-ranging benefits. Some exercises condition your cardiovascular system, while others strengthen muscles or boost your mobility and balance. And some do multiple things at once. Just as some superfoods offer more nutrients than others, some movements and exercises pack a more diverse punch. We asked six fitness experts — trainers, researchers, physical therapists and coaches — to share the most “nutritious” exercises. We then selected five that tick the most boxes, giving busy exercisers a ******* payoff per minute or rep. Some require special equipment and not all are for true beginners — but they all have a big return on investment. Trap Bar Deadlift Any deadlift strengthens your glutes, hamstrings and lower back. But some research suggests using a hexagonal-shaped trap bar instead of a barbell allows exercisers to lift heavier weights, leading to greater improvements in power and force. Plus, hoisting larger loads by the handles improves grip strength, which has been linked to longevity, said Ian Bonder, a kinesiology instructor at College of St. Mary in Omaha, Nebraska. The slightly different positioning makes the movement “kind of in between a squat and a hinge,” meaning you’ll also target your quads and other leg muscles, said Tyler Kallasy, a physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach in Arvada, Colo. And the position of the weight also limits the risk of lower back injuries. How to do it: Stand in the middle of the trap bar with your feet hip-width and the handles aligned with the middle of your feet. Push your hips back — as if you were trying to close a car door with your butt — and bend your knees slightly to grab the handles. Squeeze your glutes and tighten your abs as you push through well-planted feet to a standing position, straightening your hips and knees at the same time. Stand tall for a moment, then bring the bar back toward the floor with control, pushing your hips back and letting your knees bend naturally. Try for three to four sets of eight to 12 reps to start using a weight that feels moderate. Turkish Get-Up This multi-step move, which takes you from the floor to standing and back, is said to date back to 18th-century wrestlers and challenges a wide swath of muscles. “There are so many different stages,” each with its own perks, said Stephen Ranellone, an exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. This exercise will strengthen your core, shoulders, glutes, hamstrings, quads and hips. Because it requires flexibility, mobility and coordination, the move also trains your muscles and mind to work together, Mr. Ranellone added. And while it can feel overwhelming at first, it’s easy to break down into parts. How to do it: Lie on the floor with your right knee bent and your foot on the floor. Place your left arm on the ground and your left leg out to the side at about a 30-degree angle. Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell in your right hand straight over your chest. Push through your right leg and left arm and roll upward until you’re resting on your left elbow — or roll directly up to a straight left arm — before you lift your hips off the ground. Hold the bridge and sweep your left leg back until your left knee is on the floor under your hips. Lift your left hand and rise into a half-kneeling lunge. From there, swing your left leg forward and straighten your right leg to stand tall. Return to the ground by repeating the whole pattern in reverse: Step back with your left leg, lower to a kneeling position, windmill your left hand to the floor outside your left knee, and sweep the left leg out in front of the body, all while holding the weight overhead. Lower your hips to a seated position, then roll back down to the ground. Hill Repeats Adding climbs and descents to your regular cardio routine — like running or walking — can turn it into a fitness superfood. Climbing a moderate hill with a 7 percent grade, for instance, can elevate your heart rate by 15 percent. You’ll increase the intensity of the workout in a similar way to sprinting, but with less impact. Going uphill also demands more from your hamstrings and glutes, while downhills challenge your quads. And both uphill and downhill training can improve your proprioception — or your sense of where your body is in space — which can reduce your risk of falls. How to do it: Start by charging uphill while running or briskly walking for 30 seconds to one minute, then let off the gas as you go downhill for an equal amount of time. Work up to 10 to 15 times. Half-Kneeling Landmine Press It takes eight muscles to move and stabilize your shoulders, but just one exercise can strengthen them all. And while many people fear injury when performing overhead movements, neglecting this area is more likely to cause weakness, making everyday tasks like pulling dishes off a shelf or changing lightbulbs harder, Mr. Bonder said. Any overhead press will strengthen your shoulders, but we chose this variation because it strengthens other muscles beyond the shoulders and it’s beginner-friendly. Using a single arm causes your torso to rotate slightly, challenging your core and building stability, Dr. Kallasy said. And when one end of the bar is fixed, your arm follows an arc that gets shorter as you lift, meaning you don’t need as much range of motion to complete the rep, said Susie Spirlock, a physical therapist and strength coach in Charleston, S.C. How to do it: Place one end of a barbell in a corner with a towel underneath, or in a land mine hinge at the gym. Kneel on your right knee and grab the other end of the barbell with your right hand. Adjust your distance from the bar and the position of your elbow and hand to your comfort, Dr. Spirlock said. Push the bar up until you’re holding it overhead, letting your trunk lean forward as you do. Slowly lower and return the barbell back to your side. Repeat on the opposite side. Start with two to three sets of six to 10 reps per side, at a weight that leaves you feeling like you could do a few more. Weighted Carries Rarely does a movement so straightforward deliver so much. Simply picking up something heavy and toting it a few steps builds strength and stability throughout your body, especially in your core and upper back, offsetting the poor posture that often comes from staring at screens, said Robyn LaLonde, the head coach and owner of Edge Athlete Lounge in Chicago. Carries also increase bone density and boosts your heart rate. Plus, they’re simple, safe and accessible, she added. How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a kettlebell, sandbag or other heavy item (more than you can easily hoist over your head) on either side. Bend as if you’re sitting, grab one weight in each hand, then stand and walk smoothly for a set time or distance (50 feet is a good starting distance). The Ones That Didn’t Make the List Of course, our experts had far more than five responses, but tough calls had to be made. Burpees hit a lot of muscles, but can cause injury, especially when done quickly or tacked onto a demanding workout. Another popular suggestion was kettlebell swings — which boost strength, power and cardiovascular fitness. Stella Volpe, president of the American College of Sports Medicine pointed out that and high-intensity intervals on the rowing machine combine a huge cardio payoff with full-body strengthening. Or, row on a team to add another key nutrient to your workout, she said: a supportive community. Cindy Kuzma is a journalist in Chicago and a co-author of “Breakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big and Train Smart.” Source link #FullBody #Exercises #Trainers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

As Xbox Ends Exclusivity with Key Titles, Sony Must Adapt to Fuel Industry Expansion As Xbox Ends Exclusivity with Key Titles, Sony Must Adapt to Fuel Industry Expansion The gaming world is at a crossroads, and a significant shift might be on the horizon. Xbox, under the leadership of Phil Spencer, has started a revolution in which games should be accessible everywhere, signaling a potential end to the exclusivity model that has been at the heart of console wars. The company is taking a more inclusive approach. | Image Credit: Xbox In a recent interview, Spencer shared some more insights about the future of the platform and stated that their main goal is to allow gamers to play wherever they choose. Slowly but surely, this approach is gaining traction in the community, and the big question remains: Will Sony change? Xbox’s shift towards accessibility will end console wars The console wars might be taking a dramatic shift. | Image Credit: Microsoft Xbox brought this shift with last year’s marketing campaign ‘This is an Xbox,‘ showing that to be part of the console’s community, gamers don’t need to buy a console. Instead, they can play from any device, whether handheld, phone, PC, or even a TV, and still be part of the community. In an interview with GamerTag Radio, Spencer discussed how they are trying to move away from the notion of gatekeeping. He emphasized that the primary focus should be on delivering a great experience to players, regardless of the platform. We love our platform and our hardware but we’re not going to put walls up where people can engage with the great games our studios are building. By saying this, he reinforced that the company’s future will be about offering games that will show up in more places, highlighting the goal of a more inclusive gaming ecosystem. While the company will be continuing to create hardware, it will make the games accessible. I know some people always want me to join the console warring, but I strongly believe that @XboxP3 has the right approach. We decided a few years back not to make @wickedgame under Microsoft because back then we couldn’t have shipped it for PlayStation and Switch and since we… [Hidden Content] — thomasmahler (@thomasmahler) January 25, 2025 After seeing this interview, many insiders and developers have formed their own opinions. CEO of Moon Studios, Thomas Mahler, reflected on this new philosophy and agreed with this new strategy. He understood the importance of multiplayer and cross-play. Mahler went ahead and explained that modern consoles now have almost identical hardware, so porting games between platforms is easier. This is important because the cost of consoles is increasing, so making games exclusive will only prevent millions from accessing these games. You’d ultimately want everyone with a screen and a controller to be able to play all games in order to finally break through that barrier and make games available to everyone. His point is clear: the industry has been catering to small groups of gamers, and it’s time to break down the barriers that restrict access. To grow the gaming industry, games should be made available to as many people as possible: on any screen, with any controller. Will Sony adapt to this approach or continue on its own path? More companies need to understand inclusivity is the future. | Image Credit: Sony This is where Sony faces a crucial crossroads. If it continues to restrict its games to the PlayStation ecosystem, it may miss the opportunity to tap into a larger, more diverse audience that spans across different devices and platforms. Sure, PlayStation consoles have been selling well, and the company doesn’t need to change immediately. But over time, it will need to be open to change as gamers increasingly want to play their games on multiple platforms. In this regard, Xbox is leading the charge, and Sony doesn’t want to be left behind. Sony has historically been a fierce advocate for exclusivity with titles like The Last of Us and God of War serving as the major selling point for its hardware. The company has built a brand around these exclusive experiences, and changing course may not be simple. However, the pressure is slowly building. As Mahler noted, the future of the industry is shifting and the focus is shifting from selling more consoles to ensuring that games are accessible to everyone, regardless of the device they choose to play on. In the end, the gaming community is unified by one thing: a shared love for games. The division between platforms is becoming a relic of the past and it’s time for Sony to recognize this. Source link #Xbox #Ends #Exclusivity #Key #Titles #Sony #Adapt #Fuel #Industry #Expansion Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]