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Bizarre test shows light can actually cast its own shadow Bizarre test shows light can actually cast its own shadow The shadow of a laser beam appears as a horizontal line against the blue background Abrahao et al. (2024) Light normally makes other objects cast shadows – but with a little help from a ruby, a beam of laser light can cast a shadow of its own. When two laser beams interact, they don’t clash together like lightsabers in Star Wars, says Raphael Abrahao at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. In real life, they will simply pass through each other. Abrahao and his colleagues, however, found a way for one laser beam to block another – and make its shadow appear. The crucial ingredient was a ruby cube. The researchers hit this cube with a beam of green laser light while illuminating it with a blue laser from the side. As the green light passed through the ruby atoms, it changed their properties in a peculiar way that then affected how they reacted to the blue light. Instead of letting the blue laser pass through them, the atoms affected by the green light now blocked the blue light, which created a shadow shaped exactly like the green laser beam. Remarkably, the researchers could project the blue light on a screen and see this “shadow of a laser” with the ****** eye. Abrahao says he and his colleagues had a long discussion of whether what they created really qualified as a shadow. Because it moved when they moved the green laser beam, they could see it without any special equipment and they managed to project it onto commonplace objects, like a marker, they ultimately decided in the affirmative. Historically, understanding shadows has been crucial for understanding what light can do and how we can use it, he says, and this experiment adds an unexpected technique into scientists’ light-manipulation toolbox. Tomás Chlouba at the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg in Germany says the experiment uses known processes to create a striking visual demonstration of how materials can help control light. The ruby’s interactions with the laser, for instance, are similar to those of materials used in laser eye surgeries, which must be able to respond to laser light by blocking it if it gets dangerously intense. Topics: Source link #Bizarre #test #shows #light #cast #shadow Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mark Zuckerberg releases cover of Get Low with rapper T-Pain | Mark Zuckerberg Mark Zuckerberg releases cover of Get Low with rapper T-Pain | Mark Zuckerberg Facebook and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg has collaborated with US music star T-Pain on a cover of Get Low by rap group Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz. Zuckerberg said he recorded the track, under the band name Z-Pain, as a tribute to his wife, Priscilla Chan, in honour of their “dating anniversary”. “Get Low was playing when I first met Priscilla at a college party, so every year we listen to it on our dating anniversary,” the 40-year-old wrote on Instagram. “This year I worked with T-Pain on our own version of this lyrical masterpiece.” Zuckerberg told followers the track was available on Spotify, signing off the post with “Love you P”, referencing his wife. The post included a photo of lyrics, an album cover in which T-Pain and Zuckerberg are both holding up acoustic guitars, and several photographs of the pair in a recording studio. The US entrepreneur shared Chan’s reaction to the song on his Instagram story, in which she laughed and described it as “so romantic”. “21 years later, I can’t get quite as low, but it brings back a lot of fun memories,” she said. Meanwhile, singer-songwriter and music producer T-Pain, real name Faheem Najm, wrote on Instagram: “Z-Pain has arrived … Get Low by zuck and me out now.” Get Low was released in 2002 by Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz from the rap group’s Kings Of Crunk album. Source link #Mark #Zuckerberg #releases #cover #rapper #TPain #Mark #Zuckerberg Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Diamond necklace linked to Marie Antoinette sells for $4.8m Diamond necklace linked to Marie Antoinette sells for $4.8m A necklace thought to be linked to a scandal that prompted the downfall of the doomed French queen Marie Antoinette has been sold at auction for $4.81m (£3.8m). The Georgian piece contains about 500 diamonds and was bought for almost double the amount estimated by Sotheby’s auction house. “It was an electric night,” said Andres White Correal, a jewellery specialist from Sotheby’s, adding the unnamed female buyer was “ecstatic”. The jewels were sold on Wednesday evening at an auction in Geneva. White Correal said the buyer “said something beautiful to me: ‘I’m exceptionally happy that I won this lot; but I don’t own it, I’m merely the custodian until the next person will come along’.” “There is obviously a niche in the market for historical jewels with fabulous provenances. “People are not only buying the object, they are buying all the history that is attached to it.” Marie Antoinette was born in Austria in 1755 and sent to France to be the child bride of the future King Louis XVI. The last queen of France was guillotined in 1793 at the age of 37, along with her husband at the height of the French Revolution. It is believed some of the jewels in the necklace sold on Wednesday were the original ones at the centre of the “affair of the diamond necklace” scandal in the 1780s, that may have hastened Marie Antoinette’s demise. Jeanne de la Motte, a noblewoman fallen on hard times, pretended to be French Queen and tricked a cardinal into giving her the necklace, without paying. When Marie Antoinette, who had no knowledge of the transaction, was contacted about the absence of the final payment, the cardinal was arrested but declared innocent. La Motte was found and branded with a V, for voleuse (thief) – with a hot iron. Although Marie Antoinette was found to be blameless, her reputation is thought to have been tarnished by the affair and she was unpopular among the French people, who accused her of being wasteful and a dangerous influence on the king. Jewels from the original, which was set with 650 diamonds and weighed around 2,800 carats, were sold piecemeal on the ****** market. A jeweller working on London’s Bond Street confirmed he bought more than half of them for £10,000 shortly after their disappearance, Sotheby’s said. Some experts say the age and quality of the diamonds in the necklace sold on Wednesday point to a match with the originals. The necklace was previously worn by the Marquess of Anglesey at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, and it was also worn 16 years earlier at King George VI’s crowning. It was part of the Anglesey family jewellery collection for about 100 years before it was sold to a private ****** collector in the 1960s. Source link #Diamond #necklace #linked #Marie #Antoinette #sells #4.8m Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Crunchyroll Holiday ***** Is Offering Big Discounts On Some Of the Best Anime Blu-Rays The Crunchyroll Holiday ***** Is Offering Big Discounts On Some Of the Best Anime Blu-Rays Crunchyroll has launched its Holiday ***** event, a promotion that features new items on ***** every week. For the first week, the anime and manga hub is offering dozens of Blu-rays for *****, and many of these have been marked down by up to 50%. These include not only modern shows like ******* on Titan and ****** Clover, but also classic anime films, original video animations, and limited-edition releases that include extra goodies with the main attraction. We’ve rounded up some of the top picks below, including classic shows like ****** Lagoon, an action-packed series about a team of mercenaries who often find themselves caught in the middle of explosive situations. If you’re looking to watch a few older films but in glorious 1080p, Crunchyroll is also offering steep discounts on the 1988 Appleseed OVA, A Wind Named Amnesia, and Akira. These projects all come from a time when animation was done by hand, and the crafted look really shines on Blu-ray with these remasters. Crunchyroll Holiday ***** Some of the anime on ***** at Crunchyroll right now For anyone looking to do some early Christmas shopping, there are some really good deluxe box sets to check out. Great Pretender is a fantastic show about high-stakes heists, and the deluxe edition comes with a 129-page art book, 10 art cards, and a double-sided A3 poster inside of the colorful slipcase box. The first Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood box set contains 30 episodes from the series loaded up in a special box illustrated by the series creator Hiromu Arakawa, as well as an art book full of sketches and concept art from the anime. If you’re after some live-action deals, you can also check out specials on a new Blu-ray release of Gladiator before its sequel arrives, and Demolition Man is getting a 4K overhaul. If you’re a fan of the Sylvester Stallone action film, this one looks set to be the definitive version as it comes with new special features, collectibles, and more. Source link #Crunchyroll #Holiday #***** #Offering #Big #Discounts #Anime #BluRays Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

An Asteroid Burned Up Over California Just Hours After Being Spotted An Asteroid Burned Up Over California Just Hours After Being Spotted An asteroid measuring roughly one metre in diameter impacted Earth’s atmosphere on October 22, 2024, only hours after its initial detection. Discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Hawaii, the object — named 2024 UQ — approached the planet undetected by global impact monitoring systems before disintegrating over the Pacific Ocean off California’s coast. The ********* Space Agency’s (ESA) Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre later confirmed the event in its November newsletter, reporting that tracking data for the asteroid did not reach monitoring systems until after the impact had already taken place. Limited Tracking Data Due to Detection Timing According to ESA’s November newsletter, 2024 UQ had been picked up by ATLAS’ sky-monitoring telescopes. However, the asteroid was only identified as a moving object minutes before it entered Earth’s atmosphere due to its location between two adjacent sky fields in the survey system. This detection delay meant that essential tracking data was delayed and unavailable for impact monitoring centres, which track potential near-Earth object (NEO) threats. Confirmation of the asteroid’s impact was made possible by data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) GOES weather satellites and NASA’s Catalina Sky Survey, which recorded flashes that confirmed the entry of 2024 UQ. Third Imminent Impact Event in 2024 This incident marked the third imminent impactor event in 2024. In January, a similar object designated as 2024 BX1 burned up over Berlin, while another asteroid, 2024 RW1, exploded above the Philippines in September, with footage of the fireball captured by local observers. These instances underscore the rarity yet growing frequency of small asteroids entering Earth’s atmosphere undetected. Bottom link Astronaut Sunita Williams Refutes Health Concerns Amid ISS Mission Global Efforts to Monitor Near-Earth Objects Planetary defence ******** a priority as space agencies worldwide develop systems to track potentially hazardous objects. In addition to projects like ATLAS and the Catalina Sky Survey, NASA’s upcoming NEO Surveyor mission aims to use infrared technology to enhance detection capabilities. ESA’s NEO Coordination Centre continues its work on tracking near-Earth objects, while deflection experiments, including NASA’s DART mission in 2022, are also underway to test potential asteroid redirection strategies. Source link #Asteroid #Burned #California #Hours #Spotted Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Intel’s postponement of the Magdeburg fab was made in “close coordination” with the ******* state — the company will reevaluate the project in two years to decide its final fate Intel’s postponement of the Magdeburg fab was made in “close coordination” with the ******* state — the company will reevaluate the project in two years to decide its final fate Intel and the state of Saxony-Anhalt, whose capital city, Magdeburg, was supposed to host Intel’s Fab 29, have confirmed that both parties are still interested in the project even if Intel delayed its construction due to its financial woes. The state government of Saxony-Anhalt said that Intel’s decision on its Magdeburg factory was made in “close coordination” and “reflects the strategic orientation of both partners to jointly evaluate the framework conditions and potential schedules and adapt to market needs,” reports the ******* outlet HardwareLuxx (machine translated). Despite the delay, Intel retains ownership of its Magdeburg property, and it will investigate the project again in a couple of years to “ensure optimal alignment with market demand.” Furthermore, Intel’s training program will continue, ensuring everyone involved will be supported and qualified for their programs. The company will also continue talking with local organizations and institutions through the state government. Two top Intel executives, Naga Chandrasekaran, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Intel Foundry Manufacturing and Supply Chain, and Christoph Schell, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Office of Intel, recently visited the area and met with Saxony-Anhalt representatives. Schell said, “The cooperation with the state of Saxony-Anhalt is based on a ****** long-term commitment to the region and on meeting the needs of our customers in Germany and throughout Europe in the future.” The Magdeburg Fab was supposed to be Intel’s most advanced fab, slated to produce a 1.5nm chip by 2027. However, because of its financial troubles, the company moved back its operational launch from 2029 to 2030. This doesn’t guarantee that Intel will build the Magdeburg Fab, as some analysts believe it would cancel the project entirely. The company says it will conduct another evaluation in 2026 to check the feasibility of the site. This delay also means that the company won’t receive the €10 billion subsidy that Germany allocated, with the money potentially going back to the federal government. It’s also unclear whether the company would still receive the same amount in the future or if it will need to renegotiate with the ******* government before it could receive funding again. But, at the very least, we’re encouraged by the fact that Intel has not abandoned its Magdeburg project yet. Hopefully, it could restart this fab once the company turns the page and returns to profitability. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Intels #postponement #Magdeburg #fab #close #coordination #******* #state #company #reevaluate #project #years #decide #final #fate Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Here’s the deflation breakdown for October 2024 — in one chart Here’s the deflation breakdown for October 2024 — in one chart As inflation has throttled back from pandemic-era highs, consumers have seen prices decline outright for many household items. This dynamic, known as deflation, generally doesn’t occur on a broad, sustained scale in the U.S. economy: With limited exceptions, businesses are generally loath to lower prices once they’ve increased, economists said. But some pockets of the economy — largely, prices for physical goods from new cars to appliances, sporting goods, consumer electronics and certain apparel — have deflated over the past year, according to the consumer price index. “We are seeing [deflation] to some extent,” said Stephen Brown, deputy chief North America economist at Capital Economics. Largely, prices have pulled back as pandemic-era contortions in supply and demand dynamics unwind, economists said. The U.S. dollar has also been relatively strong against major global currencies, making it cheaper to import goods from overseas. But supply chains have “normalized” and deflation has “moderated to a pretty significant degree” as a result, said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s. Where there has been deflation Prices for some categories — like furniture and bedding, men’s clothing, cosmetics and used cars and trucks — are down from October 2023, but they’ve rebounded somewhat in recent months, according to CPI data. That said, used cars and trucks should see a resumption of deflation since “wholesale prices have fallen recently, and supply and demand continues to improve in the sector,” Bank of America economists wrote on Monday in a research note. Energy prices and electronics Gasoline prices are also “way down,” Zandi said. They’ve declined more than 12% in the past year, according to CPI data. Drivers paid $3.05 a gallon, on average, at the pump as of Nov. 11, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Consumers “could get more relief there because global oil prices are soft,” Zandi said. That softness may be in anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed policies around China, said Zandi. Those may include tariffs of at least 60% on goods imported from China, a nation with a huge appetite for oil. If Trump’s policies were to negatively affect the ******** economy, they’d also likely dampen China’s oil demand. Other energy commodities refined from oil have also seen huge price declines. Fuel oil prices, for example, are down over 20% in the past year, a trend that should contribute to lower prices elsewhere such as for airfare, economists said. Food prices are also generally underpinned by their own unique supply-and-demand dynamics, economists said. Turkey, snacks and bacon are about 4% cheaper than they were a year ago, for example. Lower energy prices can also take pressure off food prices, as it costs less to transport and distribute food to grocery store shelves. Consumer electronics have also seen big price declines: Computers, video equipment and smartphones are respectively 5%, 10% and 9% cheaper than they were a year ago, according to CPI data. But consumers might not experience those lower prices at the store: They may only exist on paper. That’s due to how the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures inflation for certain consumer goods like electronics, economists said. Technology continually improves, meaning consumers get more for their money. The BLS treats those quality improvements as a price decline, giving the illusion of falling prices on paper. Source link #Heres #deflation #breakdown #October #chart Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mohamed Al Fayed’s brother Salah also abused Harrods staff, women say Mohamed Al Fayed’s brother Salah also abused Harrods staff, women say Getty Images / BBC Salah Fayed, left, bought Harrods with Mohamed Al Fayed and another brother in 1985 One of Mohamed Al Fayed’s brothers also abused women who worked at the Harrods department store, according to three ex-employees who have made allegations including ******* ******** and trafficking to the BBC. The women allege that Salah Fayed abused them in London, the south of France and Monaco between 1989 and 1997. One woman believes she was ****** by Salah after she was drugged. All three women say they were also ********* assaulted or ****** by Mohamed Al Fayed, then chairman of the company. Harrods, which came under new ownership in 2010, said in a statement that the new claims point to the “breadth of ******” by Al Fayed and “raise serious allegations” against his brother. Salah Fayed, who ***** of pancreatic ******* in 2010, was one of three Fayed brothers who purchased the luxury Knightsbridge department store in 1985. Mohamed added the Arabic “Al” prefix to his surname some time in the 1970s. One of the three women, Helen, has waived her right to anonymity. She was 23 and had been working at her “dream” job in Harrods for almost two years when Mohamed Al Fayed ****** her in a Dubai hotel room. Months later, when Mohamed offered her some personal assistant work with his younger brother, she saw it as an escape route – but instead she says she was drugged by Salah and believes she was then ****** by him while unconscious. “He [Mohamed Al Fayed] shared me with his brother,” she says. Helen says she was drugged by Salah and describes the moment she woke up afterwards Helen is speaking for the first time, after feeling silenced for 35 years, in part because of a Harrods non-disclosure agreement that she was told to sign. “They’ve stolen a part of me,” she says. “It’s changed the course of my entire life.” The BBC has also spoken independently to two other women who say they were abused by both Mohamed and Salah. They say they were trafficked abroad and tricked by Salah into smoking ****** ********. “He was trying to get me hooked on ****** so he could do whatever he wanted to me,” one of the women told the BBC. Warning: this story contains details of ******* ********* Like many of the women who have told the BBC they were abused by Mohamed Al Fayed, Helen says she was spotted by him on one of his routine walks of the Harrods shop floor. On a business trip to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in February 1989, she was unnerved to find she had been booked to travel alone with Al Fayed and to stay in his hotel suite, while the rest of his entourage were staying in a separate accommodation. On the first evening, Helen was in her bathroom getting ready for bed when Mohamed Al Fayed appeared in the mirror behind her without warning. “It was like out of a horror film,” Helen says. “I was in my nightie and he grabbed my hand, started pulling me out the bathroom. I was really trying to stop him, but I couldn’t.” She says he took her into his room, pushed her onto the bed and climbed on top of her. “He ****** me that night,” she says. Helen says she was terrified to find herself so far from home and unable to talk to anyone about what had happened. She was told to sign a Harrods non-disclosure agreement two months after the trip – the BBC has seen this document. Helen says this, and the ***** of reprisal, stopped her from speaking out for more than three decades. Over the next few months, Helen began making plans to leave Harrods. “I didn’t want to see his face again,” she says. So when Al Fayed asked her to do some filing work for his brother, Salah, at his Park Lane home, she saw it as a way out. Handout Helen, pictured at a wedding in 1988, says Salah had seemed more friendly than his brother “I’d met Salah and he seemed really friendly, he didn’t seem in the slightest bit like his brother.” After working for two days with Salah, Helen recalls him offering her a glass of champagne to thank her. “Within a few sips I was starting to feel a bit groggy, but I can’t describe it as ******. It was a really dizzy and weird feeling. I wasn’t feeling right.” Salah began playing music and Helen felt “it was definitely time to go, he was getting too cozy”. Helen says Salah pressured her to “just have one puff” of a ***** containing ****** ********. “This will make you feel better,” she remembers him telling her. “That’s the last thing I knew of that whole evening,” she says. She recalls waking up lying on a settee in a completely different room, with double vision and her whole body shaking. Salah was sitting at her feet holding a glass of water and a tablet, looking “nervous and panicky”, she says. As she got up, she noticed her jeans’ button was undone and her belt was missing. Helen recalls feeling a sensation between her legs and discovering ******. “It wasn’t just in one place, it was in another.” She adds: “I knew then what had happened. I knew.” Helen says Salah Fayed then made a call to his brother, Mohamed, in front of her to let him know she would not be going to work at Harrods that day. Their conversation was in Arabic, and Helen says all she could hear “was them laughing to each other”. Because she was still feeling the effects of the drugs, Helen says she needed help walking back to her own apartment. As Salah was walking her home, he suggested they make a stop to visit a friend. The first thing Salah’s friend said to her, she recalls, was: “Hi Helen, how are you this morning?” She says she did not know the man and when she looked at Salah quizzically, she says he told her: “He saw you last night.” Helen decided to leave. “I just needed to be on my own. As I shut the door, I could hear those two men laughing.” Helen now believes that Salah’s friend also ****** her that night while she was unconscious and feels sure that she was ****** vaginally and anally. “That’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to say,” says Helen. Shortly after, Helen resigned from Harrods. Getty Images Two of the women say they were lured to Monaco with deceptive offers of work and then abused Two other women working at Harrods say they believe the way they were brought to Monaco and the south of France to be abused by Salah would now be considered trafficking, because they were lured with deceptive offers of work and ********* exploited. Rachael was 23 and working at Mohamed Al Fayed’s private office in 1994, when she was rung by the Harrods human resources team and offered a position as personal assistant to Salah. On starting the job, Rachael says she was not given any personal assistant work to do and instead felt like a “companion”, attending dinners and “getting to know him”. One night in Monaco, Rachael says she woke up “petrified” to find Salah getting into her bed. She lay awake frozen in ***** all night and in the morning he left. During her time working as his personal assistant, Rachael recalls being introduced to older men by Salah who she says “********* propositioned” her. She now wonders: “Was I there to be passed around?” She says Salah encouraged her to smoke “hubbly bubbly” – a hookah pipe used to smoke flavoured tobacco – but she later discover it contained ****** ********. Rachael says she felt his goal was to get her addicted to make it easier to ****** her. She had been told that if the role with Salah did not suit her, she could return to Harrods. She went back, but Rachael says 18 months later she was lured to Mohamed Al Fayed’s Park Lane home where he ********* assaulted her. A third woman, who we are calling Rebecca, says she was also ********* assaulted by Mohamed Al Fayed in Park Lane. It was 1997 and she was aged 19, working at Harrods. She was later asked by him to go to Monaco to work as a personal assistant for his younger brother, Salah, but on her arrival, she found there was very little work to do. In Monaco, she recalls, Salah put her on the phone to his brother, Mohamed, who she says asked: “Is my brother looking after you?” He ended the call by telling her to “just have fun”. She remembers experiencing a “really uncomfortable feeling” in her stomach at that moment. “It’s like the penny was dropping, the expectation is that you’re there for a job, and actually you’re just there as a potential piece of meat.” Rebecca says she was pressured to sit with Salah in a hot tub in his Monaco apartment where he ********* assaulted her. She also told the BBC he had encouraged her to smoke what he told her was “tree resin” from a homemade *****. In fact, it was ****** ********. Harrods said it “supports the bravery of these women in coming forward” and urged them to make claims to the company’s compensation scheme. It said it hoped they are also looking at “every appropriate avenue to them in their pursuit of justice”, including the police and the Fayed family and estate. In her final days at Harrods, Helen remembers a new girl starting who seemed “so young and naive”, like she once had been. Finishing a shift together away from the office, Helen says she confided in her and warned her about Mohamed Al Fayed. Looking back, she says she is pleased she did what she could to try to dissuade her from staying. “I told her he’d be trying to have **** with her, he’d be touching her, putting her under pressure. I did tell her that I’d been ****** by him. She looked horrified but I don’t know to this day whether she stayed or left.” Before she left, Helen says she was given cash which, at the time, she thought was a normal severance procedure – now she thinks it was to keep her quiet. She says what she thought would be her dream job ended up leaving her with lifelong trauma. “It’s taken 35 years to speak, that’s how frightened I’ve been of speaking,” she says. “I want to stand up for victims of ******, whether corporate or domestic, to let them know that they can speak up too.” If you have information about this story that you would like to share please get in touch. Email [email protected].***. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. Source link #Mohamed #Fayeds #brother #Salah #abused #Harrods #staff #women Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Atomfall’s Release Date Has Been Announced Atomfall’s Release Date Has Been Announced Rebellion has releaved the release date for its upcoming survival-action game Atomfall. The studio has announced that Atomfall will launch on March 27, 2025. The game will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. It’ll also be available on day one on Game Pass. “Set in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster, Atomfall tasks players with solving the mystery of what happened at the Windscale nuclear power station,” Rebellion’s Associate Head of Design Ben Fischer wrote about the game. “To solve this, you will need to navigate military encampments, delve through abandoned bunkers below ground, and risk your life in Pagan ruins.” HELP INSIDER GAMING: Take Our 2024 Reader Survey When it launches, the game will come in two editions: Standard and Deluxe. The Standard Edition of the game will be available both physically and digitally, and those who pre-order it will get a Basic Supply Bundle as a bonus. This bundle will “allow you to uncover additional items and supplies as you explore the game world, including an exclusive melee ******* variant, additional loot caches and an item recipe.” The Atomfall Deluxe Edition comes with an Enhanced Supply Bundle that includes “an exclusive ******* variant, metal detector skin and character upgrades”. Those who pre-order the Deluxe Edition will get three days early access to the game along with the post-launch Story Expansion. In his preview of the game over the summer, Insider Gaming’s Grant Taylor-Hill said that Atomfall is a “very open” game where how you act around other characters in the world actually matters. “In conversations, you can choose from what might be several choices, each of which can lead a different way,” Taylor-Hill wrote. “If you want to be stealthier, you’ll put enemies on edge, and if you go in guns blazing, you’ll quickly draw an entire force down upon you.” The full game is expected to take anywhere from 20-30 hours to complete “depending on how you approach the game”. Are you interested in picking up Atomfall now that you know the release date is in March? Let us know down below, and join the discussion in the official Insider Gaming forums. For more Insider Gaming, check out what requested feature is coming to Pokemon TCG Pocket in January. And 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 #Atomfalls #Release #Date #Announced Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

People prefer AI-generated poems to Shakespeare and Dickinson People prefer AI-generated poems to Shakespeare and Dickinson Readers rated AI-mimicry of Shakespeare’s poems above the author’s real works North Wind Picture Archives / Alamy Most readers can’t distinguish classic works by poets such as William Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson from imitations generated by artificial intelligence. And when asked which they prefer, they often chose the AI poetry. “Over 78 per cent of our participants gave higher ratings on average to AI-generated poems than to human-written poems by famous poets,” says Brian Porter at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. Porter and his team prompted OpenAI’s… Source link #People #prefer #AIgenerated #poems #Shakespeare #Dickinson Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Seven tips to be better at Call of Duty ****** Ops 6 – from professional players | Call of Duty Seven tips to be better at Call of Duty ****** Ops 6 – from professional players | Call of Duty Let me guess: you recently bought Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6, strayed into the multiplayer mode and now you’re being mercilessly pummelled by hundreds of teenagers with suggestive usernames? Don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal. Call of Duty has always been the arcade twitchfest of the online shooter scene, but ****** Ops 6 has a whole new feel thanks to its omni-movement system, which lets you *****, roll and sprint in every direction. And the weapons have all been completely redesigned. It is, as Olivia Rodrigo put it, brutal out there. So I asked two excellent pro players – Ethan “Fifakill” Pink and Liam “Jukeyz” James – for their tips. Instead of laughing and pointing at me, they agreed. Use the right **** If you’re just getting into CoD, stick with the ******** rifles or submachine guns [SMGs] – they suit the smaller maps and intense engagement speed in ****** Ops 6. “My favourite ******** rifle [AR] is probably the Model L, although it’s so good professionals have agreed not to use it – they’ve moved to the AMES,” says Jukeyz. “The SMG would be the Jackal which feels fun to use, or the KSV which is *******, but pretty over-powered”. Meanwhile Fifakill recommends the Kompakt 92. “It has a super high ***** rate and very good movement speed, you can absolutely ******** with it. But if you’re more of a mid-range player, I’d say the Model L ******** rifle is a really good option. It will take a while to unlock, but it’s worth the effort – super TTK [time to *****] and very low recoil.” Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 Photograph: Activision Become a Gunsmith tinkerer Gunsmith is where you can add modifications to your *******, and it’s vital for giving you the edge in encounters. “For the majority of players, it’s best to start by reducing recoil,” says Fifakill. “Focus on attachments that reduce horizontal recoil – if the **** is bouncing up or down it’s pretty simple to correct. But with left and right, while you’re trying to track an ****** player, that’s more difficult.” Jukeyz prioritises aim-down sight speed (how quickly you can get the **** into an aiming position), but also suggests attaching a vertical foregrip to counter recoil. “I’d also suggest the Gunfighter wildcard,” adds Fifakill. “It gives you eight attachments per ****, so you can have it all: better movement, a ******* mag and less recoil.” Perk yourself up ****** Ops 6 allows you to choose from 20 perks which give you buffs in specific areas. They’re split into three categories – Enforcer (red), Recon (blue) and Strategist (green) – and if you pick three from the same type you get a bonus speciality perk. “I’ve been running the red perks because that gives you a super speed bonus and you get extra health re-gen after you make a ***** – it really benefits you if you’re trying to run and ****,” says Fifakill. “If you’re trying to push for ****** run three red perks: I like Gung ***, ********* and Double Time. If you’re a slower player I’d go for blue perks and the speciality for that is useful. And if you’re an objective player then run the three green perks.” Jukeyz favours Dexterity, ********* and then Double Time: “And because they’re all red, it gives you the Enforcer speciality, which means ******** enemies gets you a temp buff to movement speed and health re-gen. It’s perfect for ARs or SMGs.” Maximise your XP Earning experience points [XP] unlocks new items and scorestreaks so levelling up fast is a good idea. “Use BankRoll as perk three,” suggests Jukeyz. “Once you’re getting double or triple ******, you’ll unlock UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), Counter UAV and HARP (High-Altitude Reconnaissance Plane) a lot quicker. If you have all three activated at once, you get so much Assist XP from teammates using them all over the map. It’s constant XP.” Use a monitor and headphones Stop playing on the giant OLED television in your living room: the response time will be slower than a dedicated monitor and it’s hard to see everything on the screen while also checking your minimap and ammo count. Both our ***** use a 27-inch monitor, with a 1440p resolution and at least 144Hz refresh rate. Also, switch from speakers to a headset. “I use JBLs,” says Fifakill. “But as long as you have a headset that has decent spatial audio you should be fine, and there are in-game settings you can tweak, for example, enabling Dolby Atmos which will help you to hear where footsteps are coming from.” Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 – team up. Photograph: Microsoft Be a team player Call of Duty multiplayer is a team game, so you need to think tactically even when you’re with a bunch of strangers. “If you really want to win an Objective mode (a multiplayer mode such as Control or Hardpoint which has a specific goal) on a public server, focus on spawn points,” says Fifakill. “It’s about going ahead to a new area where you know an objective is going to be and try to lock down the spawn point at that position for your team. It’s not the most glamorous role, but it’s useful. It means when the objective arrives, your team is going to be spawning close by, so you can get reinforcements a lot faster.” Jukeyz recommends a more social approach. “A bit of communication is a good start,” he says. “Who’s watching what, who’s taking the hard point. Get friends to play with you, or start chatting to people you meet in public servers who you think are good. Get a bit of structure with your gameplay – even shouting ‘left’ or ‘right’ (to indicate threats or where to run), is a start.” Use the minimap Fifakill reckons he spends 70% of a match watching the minimap, which becomes a lot more viable once you’ve learned the maps inside out. Watch for red markers which show the position of rival players and ****** *****; watch where your teammates are running, listen out for anything they ‘ping’ (mark on the map). Or as Jukeyz puts it: “pay attention to everything”. Fifakill and Jukeyz are on Twitch and YouTube Source link #tips #Call #Duty #****** #Ops #professional #players #Call #Duty Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Socceroos still confident Popovic style can deliver Socceroos still confident Popovic style can deliver With their bid for direct World Cup qualification in the balance, the Socceroos are confident their improving form under Tony Popovic has them well-placed to deliver a clutch away win over Bahrain. The Socceroos will have to quickly move on from Thursday night’s 0-0 home draw with Saudi Arabia, when a lack of clinical edge proved costly, ahead of taking on Bahrain in Riffa on Tuesday (Wednesday morning AEDT). Bahrain beat Australia 1-0 on the Gold Coast in the disastrous start to the campaign under Popovic’s predecessor Graham Arnold. With group C particularly tight, the reverse fixture looms as a pivotal one. “Of course, it’s important,” Popovic said. “But we take the point from today, we move forward. It’s another positive result, not the three points that we wanted. “We know it’s a huge game in Bahrain and we need a much better performance than we had here, where we lost 1-0. “So if we can improve that performance, then we’ve got a chance to win.” The horrendous home performance against Bahrain was the beginning of the end for Arnold, who finished up after the subsequent 0-0 draw with Indonesia. But in three games under Popovic, the Socceroos have gone unbeaten. “You can feel the structure of the team is clearer, the game plan,” midfielder Jackson Irvine said. “We can feel on the pitch that we can see exactly what it is we’re trying to do. “And listen, we know it’s gonna be a totally different game for us on Tuesday night, but we’re working within a framework that allows us to play. “We’ve played against a very deep block against China, we’ve had to defend deep against Japan and now tonight, almost man-against-man kind of style game from the Saudis. “We’re facing totally different ways of football, but we’re still sticking to what we’re trying to do, and we’re finding solutions, good enough solutions, probably should have won us the game.” Both Irvine and midfield partner Aiden O’Neill lamented a lack of clinical finishing – which will be crucial against a Bahrain defence expected to hunker down. Attacker Riley McGree insisted Australia were “only going in the right direction”, as did goalkeeper Joe Gauci. “We’re definitely in a better spot than where we were a few months ago, that’s for sure,” Gauci said. “I think we have more belief in ourselves and our style of play and real confidence in the way that we’re going to do things. “We’re going to continue to build as a group. “And I think as the performances and the games keep coming, and we get towards the latter stages of this qualification process, you’re going to see a new and improved Socceroos every time we step onto the field.” The Socceroos will wait on an update on Nishan Velupillay (ankle) and Popovic said it was “too early” to think about a potential replacement for the Melbourne Victory attacker. But they will regain key creative outlet Craig Goodwin from suspension. Source link #Socceroos #confident #Popovic #style #deliver Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Amazon shuts down Freevee after 5 years Amazon shuts down Freevee after 5 years Amazon’s ad-supported video on demand service, Freevee, is shutting down after five years of operation. This comes after rumors were squashed of this very thing. Deadline reports the service is getting “phased out,” but this doesn’t mean the end of the core of the service. It seems the service’s content, which has largely already been migrated to Prime Video, will remain free for non-Prime subscribers, though new episodes are a different story, it seems. Discussions surrounding Freevee’s future largely stemmed from the introduction of ads into Prime Video, which at the time was the biggest difference between the two, but with the service dabbling in the ad-supported model, it just made no sense as to why Amazon would keep both services and funding new shows for both. Prime Video has been on an upswing with content, especially as it continues to produce top-notch TV adaptations of video games, like Fallout, which has a second season on the way, and the upcoming **** of War series. Source link #Amazon #shuts #Freevee #years Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Who is Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s new national intelligence director? Who is Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s new national intelligence director? Reuters Tulsi Gabbard – a former Democrat congresswoman who joined the *********** Party to back Donald Trump – is the president-elect’s pick for director of national intelligence. The wide-ranging role would mean she oversees US intelligence agencies like the CIA, FBI and the National Security Agency (NSA), which focuses on intelligence gathering. The nomination has raised questions over Gabbard’s lack of experience in intelligence as well as accusations that she has in the past amplified Russia ***********. She will require Senate confirmation to take up the role. If she is confirmed to the role Gabbard would manage a budget of more than $70bn (£55bn) and oversee 18 intelligence agencies. But the nomination has sparked criticism in some quarters. Reacting to the appointment on X, Democrat Virginia congresswoman member of the House Intelligence Committee Abigail Spanberger said she was “appalled at the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard”. “Not only is she ill-prepared and unqualified, but she traffics in *********** theories and cozies up to dictators like Bashar-al Assad and Vladimir ******,” she said. Who is Tulsi Gabbard? A military veteran who served with a medical unit in Iraq, Gabbard has set a number of political precedents in her career. She was first elected to the Hawaii State Legislature aged 21 in 2002, the youngest person ever elected in the state. She left after one term when her National Guard unit was deployed to Iraq. Gabbard went on to represent Hawaii in Congress from 2013 until 2021 – becoming the first Hindu to serve in the House. She previously championed ******** causes like government-run healthcare, free college tuition and **** control. These issues were part of her 2020 run for the Democratic presidential nomination – which she eventually dropped out of, endorsing Joe Biden. In 2022 she left the Democrat Party and initially registered as an independent – accusing her former party of being an “elitist cabal of warmongers” driven by “cowardly wokeness”. Becoming a contributor to Fox News, she was vocal on topics such as gender and freedom of speech and became an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump before joining the *********** Party less than a month ago. Controversial remarks on Syria and Ukraine In 2019, during Gabbard’s bid to secure the Democratic presidential nomination she was criticised by rivals after receiving apparently favourable coverage on Russian state media. In the same year, she also faced criticism for her perceived support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seen as a key Russian ally. She said Assad “is not the ****** of the ******* States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the ******* States” – and defended meeting him in 2017, during Trump’s first term. In that same year, she said in an interview with CNN that she was “sceptical” that the Syrian regime was behind a chemical weapons ******* which ******* dozens of people. Trump said there could be “no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons”. In 2019, Gabbard did also describe Assad as a “brutal dictator”. Gabbard has also made a string of controversial statements relating to Russia and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Writing on social media on the day Russia invaded, she said the war could have been prevented if had the US and its Western allies had recognised Russia’s “legitimate security concerns” about Ukraine’s bid to join Nato. The following month, she said it was an “undeniable fact” that there were US-funded biolabs in Ukraine that could “release and spread deadly pathogens” as she called for a ceasefire. In response, *********** senator Mitt Romney said Gabbard had embraced “actual Russian ***********”. On Russian TV her nomination as intelligence director is being framed as likely to complicate Washington’s relations with Ukraine. Rossiya 1 correspondent Dmitry Melnikov said that her nomination “does not bode well for Kyiv”, noting that in the past she “openly accused the Biden administration of provoking Russia”. The channel’s presenter also pointed out that Gabbard had “strongly criticised Zelensky and called for dialogue with Russia”. Additional reporting BBC Monitoring’s Karine Mirumyan Source link #Tulsi #Gabbard #Trumps #national #intelligence #director Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Best Pokémon TCG Pocket Electric Deck Best Pokémon TCG Pocket Electric Deck Our best Pokémon TCG Pocket Electric deck handpicks the best and strongest lightning-charged Mon out there. Electric-type Pokémon are some of the most visually impressive and striking, and I’ve put together the most complete Electric Deck to use against AI or real-life trainers. The beauty of Pokémon is the veritable smorgasbord of cool-looking, devastating creatures. Pokémon has many different elemental types, tons of eye-catching moves, and strategies concerning weaknesses. This leads us nicely to Pokémon TCG Pocket’s Electric types and how they are utilized. Electric Pokémon have strengths and weaknesses like everyone else, but the type has one of the strongest sets of cards in the collecting game. Thanks to special EX cards and easy starters, you can build a strong deck, and become the scourge of almost anyone in Pokémon Pocket. Best Electric Deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket Focus your efforts on Pikachu packs. Credit to The Pokémon Company The best Electric Deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket requires multiple Pikachu EX, Zapdos EX, Voltorb, Electrode, Pincurchin, Item, and Supporter Cards. Our Electric Deck is honestly as good as anyone’s in the Pokémon Pocket scene. It’s hard to build, yes, and you need luck on your side when opening the best packs. However, if you can assemble this well-constructed Electric deck, your chances of success drastically go up, and it can render PvP into an exercise in futility for your opponent. Here’s the full deck and how to get it. Card Name Card Type How To Get Pikachu EX Pokémon Pikachu Genetic Apex Booster Pack Pikachu EX Pokémon Pikachu Genetic Apex Booster Pack Zapdos EX Pokémon Pikachu Genetic Apex Booster Pack Zapdos EX Pokémon Pikachu Genetic Apex Booster Pack Voltorb Pokémon Pikachu Genetic Apex Booster Pack Voltorb Pokémon Pikachu Genetic Apex Booster Pack Electrode Pokémon Pikachu Genetic Apex Booster Pack Electrode Pokémon Pikachu Genetic Apex Booster Pack Pincurchin Pokémon Any Booster Pack Pincurchin Pokémon Any Booster Pack Giovanni Supporter Mewtwo Genetic Apex Booster Pack Sabrina Supporter Charizard Genetic Apex Booster Pack Sabrina Supporter Charizard Genetic Apex Booster Pack Professor’s Research Supporter Shop Purchase Professor’s Research Supporter Shop Purchase Poké Ball Trainer Shop Purchase Poké Ball Trainer Shop Purchase Potion Trainer Shop Purchase Potion Trainer Shop Purchase X Speed Trainer Shop Purchase To start, you need two Pikachu EX and Zapdos EX cards—these are the foundation of this Electric deck. You need to focus your efforts on opening Pikachu packs as this is how you can get both cards, and we all know the lottery of opening packs in Pokémon TCG Pocket—so fingers crossed for you. This deck requires Pokémon from Pikachu packs, so concentrate on this booster, free packs—get all the other cards too—and the deck is set. Best Electric type alternatives in Pokémon TCG Pocket The trio of Tynamo, Eelektrik, and Eelektross is a great evolution set to throw into the mix if you’re missing some cards for the best Electric Deck, and you can gamble on the regular Holographic Zapdos if you’re feeling lucky. Getting the four EX cards is tough, so alternatives are needed as a backup. I like to mix things up with Tynamo and its evolutions because if the cards fall in your favor, Eelektross is a low-key monster. 140 HP and its Thunder Fang ******* doing 80 damage and a coin flip to paralyze are big-time attributes. I’m not as fond of the normal Zapdos as it does “30 damage to one of your Benched Pokémon,” but it can be played from the get-go, and its one ******* does 100 damage. Why is Electric Deck so Powerful in Pokémon TCG Pocket? This Electric Deck is so powerful in Pokémon TCG Pocket because the EX cards can be played straightaway if you draw them, their main attacks deal high amounts of damage and don’t require much energy, their HP is high, and the retreat cost for each card is only one. At times, the other Pokémon in this Deck are there to look pretty. However, aside from the EX cards, Voltorb and Electrode are straightforward cards with low costs and solid damage output, and Pincurchin is an ace in the ***** thanks to its “Thunder Shock” ******* capable of paralyzing opponents. The Trainer and Supporter cards are ubiquitous across best decks, so there’s not too much out of the ordinary there. What do you think of our best Electric Deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket? Let us know, and if you want more Pokémon TCG Pocket guides, check out how to get Mew, as well as an explainer of the legendary **** Pack. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Pokémon #TCG #Pocket #Electric #Deck Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Amazon launches fixed pricing to treat hair loss, erectile dysfunction Amazon launches fixed pricing to treat hair loss, erectile dysfunction A worker delivers Amazon packages in San Francisco on Oct. 24, 2024. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Amazon on Thursday announced Prime members can access new fixed pricing for treatment of conditions like erectile dysfunction and men’s hair loss, its latest effort to compete with other direct-to-consumer marketplaces such as Hims & Hers Health and Ro. Shares of Hims & Hers fell as much as 17% on Thursday, on pace for its worst day. Amazon said in a blog post that Prime members can see the cost of a telehealth visit and their desired treatment before they decide to proceed with care for five common issues. Patients can access treatment for anti-aging skin care starting at $10 a month; motion sickness for $2 per use; erectile dysfunction at $19 a month; eyelash growth at $43 a month, and men’s hair loss for $16 a month by using Amazon’s savings benefit Prime Rx at checkout. Amazon acquired primary care provider One Medical for roughly $3.9 billion in July 2022, and Thursday’s announcement builds on its existing pay-per-visit telehealth offering. Video visits through the service cost $49, and messaging visits cost $29 where available. Users can get treatment for more than 30 common conditions, including sinus infection and pink eye. Medications filled through Amazon Pharmacy are eligible for discounted pricing and will be delivered to patients’ doors in standard Amazon packaging. Prime members will pay for the consultation and medication, but there are no additional fees, the blog post said. Amazon has been trying to break into the lucrative health-care sector for years. The company launched its own online pharmacy in 2020 following its acquisition of PillPack in 2018. Amazon introduced, and later shuttered, a telehealth service called Amazon Care, as well as a line of health and wellness devices. The company has also discontinued a secretive effort to develop an at-home fertility tracker, CNBC reported Wednesday. — CNBC’s Annie Palmer contributed to this report. Source link #Amazon #launches #fixed #pricing #treat #hair #loss #erectile #dysfunction Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Onion buys Alex Jones’s Infowars at auction The Onion buys Alex Jones’s Infowars at auction Satirical news publication The Onion has bought Infowars, the media organisation headed by *********** theorist Alex Jones, for an undisclosed price at a court-ordered auction. The Onion said that the bid was secured with the backing of families of victims of the Sandy ***** Elementary School *********, who won a $1.5b (£1.18b) defamation lawsuit against Jones for spreading false rumours about the victims. A judge in Texas ordered the auction in September, and various groups – both Jones’s allies and detractors – had suggested they would bid for the company. Jones founded Infowars in 1999. He has vowed to continue broadcasting using a different platform. Ben Collins, a former NBC News journalist who is chief executive of The Onion’s parent company, said on X: “We’re planning on making a very ******* website.” In a rambling video message posted Thursday morning, Jones called the takeover a “total ******* on free speech”. “I don’t know what’s going to happen but I’m going to be here until they come in and turn the lights off.” Source link #Onion #buys #Alex #Joness #Infowars #auction Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Gearbox, Bethesda and Epic veterans reveal their new multiplayer ‘suburban invasion’ game Gearbox, Bethesda and Epic veterans reveal their new multiplayer ‘suburban invasion’ game Ruckus Games, the studio set up by Gearbox, Bethesda and Epic Games veterans, has shown off its upcoming debut title. The currently unnamed project is described as a “session-based suburban invasion game combining RPG elements, crafting, town building and more”. Ruckus Games was set up in 2021 following the departure of a number of senior staff members from Gearbox. The studio is led by CEO and game director Paul Sage (who was creative director on Borderlands 3 and The Elder Scrolls Online). Its debut game will see Scott Kester in the art director role. Kester was the art director on Borderlands 3. “This new title will offer co-op for up to four players in an evolving world that will be updated with new emergent content over time,” the studio says. “Set in a reminiscent era amid the backdrop of the ********* heartland, players are thrust into the shoes of everyday people forced to become heroes when the town comes under *******. It is not clear what is behind the strange events, and things don’t quite seem to add up.” The studio recently secured $19 million of Series A funding to continue development on the game. “Notably, the investors were sold on Ruckus’ premiere project after playing a mere 20 minutes of its vertical slice demo – an especially impressive feat for a prototype made by only 14 people across 12 months,” it claims. The game will feature a “large roster of playable characters” and will allow the player to create “thousands of unique makeshift ******* combinations”, including a toaster which shoots saw blades and a power washer turned into a flamethrower. The studio says that in 2021 its members “saw an industry willing to take risks on huge budgets and recycled mechanics but unwilling to take risks on new gameplay and experiences for players,” and therefore left to form Ruckus Games. “We want games where people have fun from the get-go,” Sage said in a statement. “Games that are physical, joyous, and just a ***** good time to be shared with others. We can’t wait to show you what we have in store.” Source link #Gearbox #Bethesda #Epic #veterans #reveal #multiplayer #suburban #invasion #game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A smart way to follow value investor David Einhorn into his latest play that generates income to boot A smart way to follow value investor David Einhorn into his latest play that generates income to boot Value investing is an investment strategy that involves buying stocks that appear to be undervalued by the market. The goal is to find companies trading below their intrinsic or book value, often using financial metrics like the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, price-to-book (P/B) ratio, or cash flow analysis. Value investors believe these companies are undervalued due to temporary issues, market overreactions, or broader economic conditions. Still, they expect the stock’s price to reflect the company’s true worth eventually. The approach is long-term, as value investors wait for the market to recognize the company’s actual value, which may take time. This method was popularized by investors like Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett, who advocate for buying strong, financially sound companies at a “discount.” By focusing on fundamentals rather than short-term market fluctuations, value investing emphasizes patience, discipline, and a deep understanding of a company’s financial health and market position. On a podcast earlier this year, well-known hedge fund manager David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital lamented that modern-day passive investors pay no attention to “value” of the companies they buy. On Wednesday at CNBC’s “Delivering Alpha” event , one of the opportunities he identified was the seemingly moribund agricultural equipment manufacturer CNH Industrial, whose share price has remained essentially unchanged over the past ten years. CNH is indeed trading at a seemingly cheap multiple. At just 9 times forward earnings, CNH is trading at a considerable discount to competitors such as Deere & Co (17.5x forward) and Agco Corp (13.2x), which in turn are considerably “cheaper” than either the industrial select sector index (27x) or the S & P 500 (25.3x). Investors who haven’t paid attention to value before now might see this as a juicy opportunity. The problem is that CNH is a “cyclical stock.” Cyclical companies operate in industries sensitive to economic cycles (e.g., automotive, construction, and commodities). They often trade at a discount because their earnings and revenues depend highly on the broader economic climate. These companies typically see reduced product demand during economic downturns, leading to lower profitability. Investors discount these companies because of the risk and uncertainty in their earnings potential. Agricultural equipment companies’ fortunes tend to follow agricultural commodity prices. Farmers buy new combines when crop prices are high and invest less when they fall. CNH ALL mountain CNH Industrial, long-term Einhorn’s point is that even though many crops, such as corn, wheat, and soybeans, have fallen precipitously from their highs a couple of years ago, equipment does eventually wear out and require replacement regardless, and the cycle may be nearing a bottom. Perhaps, but there’s another reason CNH might appeal to investors: yield. The company’s current dividend yield is about 4.6%, but it only pays it once per year. CNH will go ex-dividend on May 12th, 2025. The trade So what can a yield-seeking investor do in the meantime? A cash-covered put strategy is an options trading approach where an investor sells options on a stock they are willing to buy at a specified price while setting aside enough cash to cover the purchase if the option is exercised. Here’s how it works: Sell a put option : The investor sells a put option for a stock, agreeing to buy the stock at the option’s strike price if the option is exercised. In return, they receive a premium (the price of the option) from the buyer. Set aside cash : The seller must keep enough cash in their account to buy the shares if the option is exercised. This cash “covers” the obligation to purchase the stock. Outcome Scenarios : If the stock price stays above the strike price, the option expires worthless, allowing the investor to keep the premium as profit. If the stock price falls below the strike price, the option buyer will likely exercise it, obligating the seller to buy the stock at the strike price. A cash-covered put is a relatively ************* strategy, often used by investors willing to own the stock at a lower price and want to generate income through the premium. As of Wednesday’s close, an investor could sell the December $10 strike puts for 25 cents. While that may not seem like a lot of premium, that 2.5% of the current stock price for selling an essentially “at the money” put that expires in just over a month, or more than 20% annualized. If the share price is higher today, the bid for those puts is likely to fall, but provided the effective annualized yield is greater than 15% or so, repeatedly selling puts can represent an attractive way to generate yield on stocks like this that one would like to purchase at a slightly lower price. DISCLOSURES: (None) 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 #smart #follow #investor #David #Einhorn #latest #play #generates #income #boot Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Banana-free areas requested’ over Swedish minister’s phobia ‘Banana-free areas requested’ over Swedish minister’s phobia A Swedish minister’s phobia of bananas has reportedly led to government officials asking for rooms to be free of the fruit. Local media outlet Expressen has quoted from leaked emails it has seen, in which staff working for minister Paulina Brandberg ask for any bananas to be removed before official visits. Brandberg, the country’s gender equality minister, is said to have posted on X in 2020, saying she has the “world’s weirdest phobia of bananas”. The posts have since been deleted. Fellow Swedish politician, Teresa Carvalho, also said on X that she too had bananaphobia, and was ******* with Brandberg on the issue. Although uncommon, bananaphobia can be triggered by seeing or smelling the fruit and can cause serious symptoms like anxiety and nausea. Emails reportedly sent in advance of official visits, including to a VIP lunch, ask for “no bananas” to be allowed on certain premises and refer to Brandberg having a “strong allergy” to the fruit. In a response to Expressen, the ******** party minister confirmed it was phobia, but described the impact it has on her as “sort of an allergy” and “something I’m getting professional help for”. BBC News has contacted Brandberg’s office for comment. Carvalho, MP and Social Democratic spokesperson for legal policy, said she suffered “from the same ailment” as Brandberg, and told her: “We may have had many tough debates about conditions in working life, but on this issue we stand ******* against a common ******.” As with many rare phobias, causal factors for people with bananaphobia can be hard to determine, but experts say it can often stem from childhood. Source link #Bananafree #areas #requested #Swedish #ministers #phobia Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Biggest Risk for the Sequel Can ***** the Franchise to a Point of No Return The Biggest Risk for the Sequel Can ***** the Franchise to a Point of No Return Hogwarts Legacy‘s enormous success set high expectations for a sequel. With over 30 million units sold, Warner Bros. has confirmed that Hogwarts Legacy 2 is not only in development but is a top priority. But this anticipated sequel comes with a twist that may make or break it. Just how closely tied will the sequel be to the HBO reboot? | Image Credit: Warner Bros. Warner Bros. has also confirmed that the storyline will connect with the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series. This is a risky move. The first game was set a century before the events of Harry Potter. So will the sequel just abandon it and be a time skip? And what if the TV series flops? Hogwarts Legacy 2 Might Not Be the Sequel You Expect It to Be Warner Bros. has been eyeing a revival for the Harry Potter franchise for a while. And not just because Hogwarts Legacy sold over 30 million copies to date. Warner Bros. has prioritized the sequel to the gameand intends for it to connect with the HBO series, which will be a “faithful adaptation” of J.K. Rowling’s novels. Comment byu/LollipopChainsawZz from discussion inGamingLeaksAndRumours While the HBO series will revisit familiar characters and narratives, Hogwarts Legacy 2 could lose its unique storyline and appeal by focusing on synergy with the show. It could easily drive away fans of the first game who appreciated its standalone narrative. One of the core issues is that the two projects represent different eras within the wizarding world. The first Hogwarts Legacy was set a century before the events of Harry Potter’s life, offering players a fresh perspective without relying on established canon. Comment byu/KingdomHeartsII from discussion inHarryPotterGame Tying the sequel closely to the show might limit this freedom, as it could necessitate a more modern setting that aligns with the Harry Potter series timeline. Forcing a connection could strip the game of its identity and charm. What if fans have to watch the HBO show to fully understand Hogwarts Legacy 2? This would make the sequel less accessible to those who are not committed to following both forms of media. The Sequel Should Stick To What Worked So Well Image Credit: Avalanche Software Another potential issue with connecting the game to the HBO series is the responses each medium could receive. Hogwarts Legacy was a massive success for many reasons, but it had a neutral playing field. Comment byu/LollipopChainsawZz from discussion inGamingLeaksAndRumours A safer approach for the sequel would be to retain its historical context and avoid stepping directly into the well-trodden territory of the books. A unique setting that’s separate from what fans already know will ensure that the game series maintains its individuality while offering new stories and characters. The upcoming HBO series will face scrutiny due to fans’ deep attachment to the original books and movies. Given that this series aims to be a faithful retelling of the books, ******** to live up to fan expectations could negatively impact its reception. If the show does not meet fans’ high standards, the negative reception might also affect Hogwarts Legacy 2, especially if the connection between the two is big. Warner Bros. may inadvertently tie the game’s success to factors beyond the control of the game developers. It’s a high stakes decision for Warner Bros. For a series with the scope and legacy of Harry Potter, cross-media storytelling can be a powerful tool. But it is also a double-edged sword. Hogwarts Legacy was a phenomenon in its own right. If mishandled, the sequel will be the only thing that fans remember, just ask Game of Thrones about that. Source link #Biggest #Risk #Sequel #***** #Franchise #Point #Return Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Rise of the Golden Idol review – a gruesome, bizarre and brilliant 1970s detective game | Games Rise of the Golden Idol review – a gruesome, bizarre and brilliant 1970s detective game | Games A ghoulish scene: a shadowy figure has just shoved someone into a high-voltage circuit box. The victim is stuck at the moment of ******, sparks flying as their body convulses; downstairs, everyone is frozen in surprise at the moment the lights went off. Scrutinising this scene, you must determine who everyone is, where they are, why they are there, and of course, who committed this *******. You examine faces and objects, go through everyone’s pockets to see what they have on them, read notes and signs and letters for clues. Eventually you piece it together, filling in a report with missing words that explains exactly who, what, when, where and why. Rise of the Golden Idol is an alternate-reality 1970s detective game where each individual scene, once solved, tells you something about a ******* mystery. It’s a sequel to The Case of the Golden Idol, set 300 years after that game’s age-of-exploration mystery, but following the trail of that same cursed object. Some of these scenes are relatively innocuous, even funny, like the drive-in cinema where an unexpected ***** sends the cosplaying customers scrambling for the exit. Others are gruesome: in the opening case, a strangling plays out on an infinite loop like an Instagram boomerang story. Intentionally grotesque art style … Rise of the Golden Idol. Photograph: ****** Gray Games Solving these cases is supremely satisfying, though you’d better hope you have a good memory for names and faces. Scenes might have 10 or more people in them, and I needed a notebook to keep track. There are increasingly obvious hints on offer when you get stuck, but as the game warns, using them robs you of the pleasure of using your deductive reasoning. Nonetheless, when I had figured out the main thrust of a case but couldn’t get someone’s surname straight, I was glad of the button that showed me which blanks were filled in incorrectly on my reports. It’s the strangeness of Rise of the Golden Idol that makes it so memorable: the intentionally grotesque art style, the characters’ asymmetrical faces and crazy, shifting eyes, the backgrounds daubed as if with paint pens. The murders and robberies and other ******* here are bizarre, the tableaux unsettling in their eternal two-second movement loops. I found it hard to get a scene out of my head until I had solved it, leaving me poring over my phone screen for half an hour at a time, thinking, cross-referencing and noting things down. Where is that character’s glance leading me? Why is that rug **********? Where did that stain come from? The larger story that arises from these details is very much worth all the effort. Between chapters, your fill-in-the-blank case reports turn into fill-in-the-blank summaries of everything you’ve learned from the last few cases, helping you to draw the connections that make the story crackle with intrigue. This isn’t a game that you can play with your mind on something else; it requires you to pay very close attention, to focus your thoughts, and see what your brain can do. I was pleasantly surprised by my own power of reasoning. The ****** scenes are so weird that you never know where this game is going to take you, but you’ll always have what you need to figure it out. Rise of the Golden Idol is out now; £16.75, or included with a Netflix subscription Source link #Rise #Golden #Idol #review #gruesome #bizarre #brilliant #1970s #detective #game #Games Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Canada Post: No agreement so far as work stoppage deadline nears – National Canada Post: No agreement so far as work stoppage deadline nears – National The clock is ticking for Canada Post and its workers’ union to reach an agreement to avoid a potential work stoppage. Canada Post has said it intends to continue operating despite having issued a lockout notice to the ********* Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), which has served its own strike notices for both the urban operations unit and the rural and suburban mail carriers (RSMC) unit. “Canada Post has notified the union that unless new agreements are reached, the current collective agreements will no longer apply as of Friday,” Lisa Liu, a Canada Post spokesperson told Global News on Tuesday. Liu said the notice was required to be filed with the union and the labour minister to “make the changes to our operations starting Friday, if needed.” The union will also be in a legal position to begin strike activity, as of 12:01 a.m. eastern on Friday, but it’s unclear what job action could look like. Story continues below advertisement When issuing its own 72-hour strike notices Tuesday morning, CUPW did not say if workers would walk off the job. 2:01 2 port worker stoppages, looming Canada Post strike have country in turmoil not seen in decades Both sides have been engaged in talks for almost a year in an attempt to reach collective agreements. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Canada Post says the looming job action could impact millions of Canadians and businesses who rely on their service. Amid the uncertainty of a work stoppage at the national postal service, other courier services are already preparing for an influx of deliveries and making contingency plans. The potential work stoppage has retailers, especially small businesses, worried ahead of the busy holiday season. Trending Now Police say missing Wisconsin kayaker faked his ******, fled to eastern Europe Still trying to see Taylor Swift in Toronto? Last-minute tickets priced as high as $33K “This is one of the main suppliers for parcel delivery for retail, and it couldn’t come at the worst time during the holiday season,” Matt Poirier, vice-president of federal government relations for the Retail Council of Canada, told Global News in an interview Wednesday. Story continues below advertisement 1:41 As possible Canada Post strike looms, who could see biggest impact? The ********* Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) said on Thursday that it is disappointed by the potential for another work stoppage impacting small businesses, urging both sides to come to an agreement. “Small firms depend on a reliable postal service, and they need mail and parcel delivery service provided by Canada Post to remain fully operational,” Corinne Pohlmann, executive vice-president of advocacy at CFIB, said in a statement. If a work stoppage does occur, it won’t be the first time for Canada Post, as the most recent rotating strikes were held in 2008 and 2011. More on Lifestyle More videos &copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link #Canada #Post #agreement #work #stoppage #deadline #nears #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Live updates as the Jennings Creek Wildfire continues to ***** in New Jersey and New York Live updates as the Jennings Creek Wildfire continues to ***** in New Jersey and New York Firefighters’ efforts to contain the Jennings Creek Wildfire continued on Thursday morning after nearly a week of burning. Here is the latest information on the ongoing *****. Check back throughout the day for updates. Jennings Creek Wildfire is 50% contained The Jennings Creek W76272954007ildfire has burned through 2,283 acres in New Jersey alone, reaching 50% containment *****-wide as of approximately 7 p.m. Wednesday, according to the most recent update posted on X by the NJ Forest ***** Service. This is up from 30% containment Wednesday morning, despite harsh weather conditions creating an elevated risk for the spread of wildfires throughout the day. Two residential structures in New Jersey remain threatened and zero structures are evacuated. Local roads as well as all trails in the Long Pond Ironworks State Park, Tranquility Ridge and the Ringwood Manor section of Ringwood State Park are closed. The cause of the ***** is under investigation. Battle continues against the largest wildfire in the state this fall The Jennings Creek Wildfire, which has grown to about 5,000 total acres spanning Passaic County into Orange County, New York, has become the largest of more than 500 wildfires reported in the state this fall, according to state officials. So far this year, close to 1,300 wildfires have scorched more than 11,000 acres across the state, significantly higher than the yearly average since 2000 which stands at 1,071 wildfires and about 4,000 acres burned. The remote, mountainous and rocky terrain in the area of the ***** has posed a challenge to firefighters over the course of the seven-day battle, with strong winds making it even ******* on some days. Volunteer firefighters from Sussex, Morris, Passaic and Bergen counties have all been on the ground, accompanied by helicopters, planes and drones that provide real-time visuals of the *****’s progression. Local residents ***** wildfire damage to their homes Residents of Ringwood and West Milford who live near the Jennings Creek Wildfire have been living on edge throughout the week as alerts have gone off regularly to keep them up to date on the nearby *****. Some have considered packing up and leaving while others are contemplating what they may need to take if they did in fact have to leave. Many of them sighed a slight breath of relief when firefighters announced that about 30% of the ***** was contained. Residents of Sheehan Drive and the western end of Peter’s Mine Road in Ringwood said that the smoke was at times unbearable. Fundraising, donations for firefighters and local community members Wayne Mann, a Ramapough Nation leader, was out in the community Tuesday and Wednesday, delivering masks to Ringwood residents impacted by smoke. The New Jersey Highlands Coalition also provided $1,700 for masks and water for rescue workers. If you would like to donate to the Coalition’s efforts, visit [Hidden Content]. Funds will be used to support the Turtle Clan of the Ramapough Lenape Nation as well as the numerous municipal ***** companies that are on site of the *****. Next update on the NJ/NY wildfire The next update will be provided by the NJ Forest ***** Service on their social media accounts at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. The NJ Forest ***** Service and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation will also be providing updates at in in-person press conference at noon on Thursday. Wildfire map To track wildfires around the state as well as smoke, red flag warnings and more, visit the New Jersey wildfire, smoke map at [Hidden Content]. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Jennings Creek Wildfire continues burning Thursday: live updates Source link #Live #updates #Jennings #Creek #Wildfire #continues #***** #Jersey #York Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Victor Wembanyama becomes fourth-youngest NBA player with 50-point game as Spurs top Wizards Victor Wembanyama becomes fourth-youngest NBA player with 50-point game as Spurs top Wizards Add a 50-point game to the growing legend of Victor Wembanyama. The San Antonio Spurs sophomore star reached the milestone before the midway point of the fourth quarter as the Spurs pulled away from the Washington Wizards in a 139-130 win in San Antonio on Wednesday. Wembanyama pulled off the feat in 32 minutes of game time, hitting 18-of-29 shots and eight 3-pointers along with six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. 50 POINTS FOR WEMBY AND COUNTING There is still six minutes left in the game @NBApic.twitter.com/EMGKtNSO2k — The Athletic (@TheAthletic) November 14, 2024 Wembanyama entered Wednesday with a career-high 40-point game in late March against the New York Knicks. At 20 years, 314 days old, Wembanyama becomes the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to reach 50 points in a game, trailing Brandon Jennings, LeBron James and Devin Booker. Before Wednesday’s game, Wembanyama’s second season was off to a slower start than his rookie campaign, averaging 19.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game with lower field goal and 3-point percentages than 2023-24. With Wednesday’s win, the Spurs improved to 6-6. The team has been coached on an interim basis by assistant Mitch Johnson for the past seven games since coach Gregg Popovich suffered a mild ******* on Nov. 2, a medical update shared by the team Wednesday. A HISTORIC night for Wemby. Career-high 50 PTS Career-high 8 3PM Fourth-youngest player to score 50 First Spurs player with 50+ PTS and 5+ 3PM pic.twitter.com/mCSSssKWPQ — NBA (@NBA) November 14, 2024 Wembanyama’s historic ********* run after poor start Wembanyama’s first 50-point game comes right as he’s starting to get hot this season. After struggling with his jumper early — making only 21.4 percent of his seven 3-point attempts per game through his first eight games — he’s been on ***** for his last three. The 7-foot-4 prodigy has made at least six 3s in each of his last three games and hit an absurd 20 of his 36 3-point attempts in that time. Wembanyama’s the first center to ever hit at least 20 3s in a three-game span, per Basketball-Reference. As far as I can tell, he’s the first player over 6-foot-9 to ever hit 20 3s in a single three-game stretch. — Sam Vecenie, senior NBA writer Wemby cooked the Wizards bigs all night It is, of course, worth noting that the Wizards might be the team in the league least-equipped to deal with Wembanyama. They’re 2-8 this season with the 26th-ranked defense in the NBA. On top of that, the matchup just does not feed into their hands. The Wizards’ starting center, rookie Alexandre Sarr, is not strong enough to body up Wembanyama and keep him from getting to the basket. However, their backup center, Jonas Valančiūnas, is not quick or flexible enough to stay in front of his drives. Each had moments where Wembanyama was able to get free from them either off of the bounce or off the ball to ***** a 3. All of that led to several highlight-reel moments where Wemby would drive using an impressive array of eurosteps or crossovers to separate and either score at the rim or get fouled. Even when the Wizards bigs were able to wall him up and stop his drive, he also showcased a couple of impressive midrange jumpers with his high release point allowing the French phenom to ***** over the top of defenders who were merely 7-foot tall. Given his success, this game was probably the best encapsulation of why Wembanyama is such a mismatch problem league-wide. He has the propensity to get smoldering hot from 3, but then can also drive and ******* when the Spurs need a shot, or when he gets an opportunity in space on an empty side of the court. And let’s not forget his ability to ****** the offensive glass and create extra points via put-backs or tip-outs. He only had one of those tonight, but typically he’s creating a significant number of points beyond that per game. — Vecenie Where does this leave the Spurs early in the season? Largely through the early part of the season, the team’s defense led by Wembanyama has kept them afloat. Coming into tonight, they were eighth in defensive rating league-wide, allowing just 110.3 points per 100 possessions. Wembanyama has been the biggest piece of that defensive structure, dissuading opponents nightly from even attempting shots on the interior due to his length. With Wembanyama in the game, Spurs’ opponents only ****** 56.3 percent at the rim, a number that would be the best mark league-wide if he played all 48 minutes per game. He’s been that dominant on the interior. Following this win, the Spurs are tied for 10th in the West and look dangerous as a potential spoiler for a Play-In Tournament berth if Wembanyama stays healthy all season. They have wins over the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings, and have been competitive in every game outside of a loss on the road to the Rockets. — Vecenie Required reading (Photo: Ronald Cortes / Getty Images) Source link #Victor #Wembanyama #fourthyoungest #NBA #player #50point #game #Spurs #top #Wizards Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]