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Credit card debt hits record $1.17 trillion, New York Fed finds Credit card debt hits record $1.17 trillion, New York Fed finds Collectively, Americans now owe a record $1.17 trillion on their credit cards, according to a new report on household debt from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Credit card balances rose by $24 billion in the third quarter of 2024 and are 8.1% higher than a year ago. Despite that increase, credit card delinquency rates improved — with 8.8% of balances transitioning to delinquency over the last year, compared with 9.1% in the previous quarter, the New York Fed found. That change could “suggest that rising debt burdens remain manageable,” the New York Fed researchers said on a press call Wednesday. “Overall, balance sheets look pretty good for households,” the researchers added. Credit card debt has remained stable over the last two decades; however, in the years since the pandemic, households largely spent down their excess savings, which sparked a rebound in credit card balances. Consumer spending continues to remain strong, despite high borrowing costs. But now, growth in credit card balances has slowed, a separate quarterly credit industry insights report from TransUnion also found. The average balance per consumer stands at $6,329, rising only 4.8% year over year — compared with an 11.2% increase the year before and 12.4% the year before that, TransUnion found. More from Personal Finance:28% of credit card users are paying off last year’s holiday debtHoliday shoppers plan to spend more while taking on debt2 in 5 cardholders have maxed out a credit card or come close In the last three months, 42% of Americans said their total debt hasn’t changed, while 28% of have seen their debt rise, according to another survey by Achieve, which helps consumers manage debt. Of the latter group, most said the increase was due to the ongoing difficulty of making ends meet. Others cited general overspending and a lost job or reduced wages. Achieve polled 2,000 adults with one or more kinds of consumer debt in October. “Across the board, unemployment is low and wages have risen, but those macroeconomic conditions aren’t felt equally across the population, especially for consumers who live in areas where the impact of inflation is the greatest,” Brad Stroh, Achieve’s co-founder and co-CEO, said in a statement. Credit card rates still top 20% Meanwhile, credit cards have become one of the most expensive ways to borrow money. Lower-income households, who had to stretch to cover price increases, have been hit especially hard after the Federal Reserve’s string of 11 interest rate hikes lifted the average credit card rate to more than 20% — near an all-time high. Even as the Fed lowers its benchmark, the average credit card rate has barely budged. For those with variable rate debt, such as credit cards, “it’s obviously going to help if rates come down,” the New York Fed researchers said. However, “the borrowing amount is more important than the interest rate,” they added. Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO Source link #Credit #card #debt #hits #record #trillion #York #Fed #finds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Hearthstone’s 2025 Roadmap Includes StarCraft Crossover, Return To Un’Goro Crater Hearthstone’s 2025 Roadmap Includes StarCraft Crossover, Return To Un’Goro Crater Hearthstone’s next mini-set is a StarCraft crossover: one that will reimagine the various units of Blizzard’s beloved sci-fi RTS in card form. In addition to this, Blizzard announced an entire year’s worth of Hearthstone expansions in one go and a dramatic change to the game’s Arena mode, giving players a full picture of what to expect in 2025. Yes, Blizzard made the bold move of announcing a StarCraft crossover during its Warcraft 30th anniversary direct–a livestream that also celebrated 10 years of Hearthstone. The crossover is the largest mini-set Blizzard has ever done for its digital card game, with 49 total cards. To learn more, GameSpot sat down with Hearthstone senior game designer Cora Georgiou and game designer Leo Robles Gonzalez ahead of the direct to talk about what it was like adapting StarCraft into card game form, the upcoming changes to Arena, and all of the expansions coming next year. Gonzalez said the development team is trying to be a bit more “adventurous,” given that the game is a decade old and its players are eager to see new things. That’s one of the reasons it went big on the upcoming StarCraft mini-set. “I think we’re trying to swing pretty hard here,” Gonzalez said. “It’s the first time we’ve ever done something this deeply outside of Warcraft.” Different classes will be able to use a specific StarCraft hero. Each StarCraft faction will have its own set of cards, some of which can be used by any class and others that are class-specific. Warriors, Paladins, and Shamans, for example, can use Jim Raynor and take full advantage of Terran cards, while ****** Knights, Hunters, Warlocks, and ****** Hunters can embrace the Zerg swarm with Kerrigan. Meanwhile, Mages, Priests, Rogues, and Druids can use the powers of Artanis, with a focus on powerful, high-mana-cost Protoss units that can be made cheaper. Gonzalez said adapting StarCraft into the card game wasn’t all that different from adapting Warcraft (both involve lots of research). The main difference was instead of looking to specific characters for card ideas, the team had to draw inspiration from StarCraft’s iconic units. Gonzalez said it was also important to capture that feeling of StarCraft’s gameplay. Kerrigan will be usable by ****** Knights, Hunters, Warlocks, and ****** Hunters. “The gameplay of it–there’s micro and there’s macro–and it was really important to us to make sure that the macro of, ‘What is your game plan overall with one of the three factions’… does that feel quintessentially like them?” Gonzalez said. “That’s not something we had to super duper think about with the average Warcraft character.” The Heroes of StarCraft mini-set will release in January 2025, but the StarCraft crossover was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to Hearthstone announcements. Blizzard also revealed a full 2025 roadmap with three upcoming expansions, as well a major shake-up to the game’s Arena mode. Arena, Hearthstone’s premium draft mode, has been largely unchanged since the game launched in 2014, but that will be changing soon. In the first half of 2025, Blizzard will change Arena in a big way by introducing two versions of Arena to choose from. Normal Arena will be similar to what exists now but sport faster runs while still letting players flex their competitive deck-building muscles. Another new version of the mode, the Underground Arena, will take things even further. The Underground will include players of all skill levels (in contrast to Normal Arena, which will still use a win-based matchmaking system), longer runs, and a new feature called “re-draft on loss” that lets players re-draft cards and edit their deck before going again in order to up their chances of winning. Both Arena modes will have their own ranked system. Georgiou said the splitting of Arena into two modes came as a result of wanting to create an easier entry point for newer players while simultaneously giving existing Arena players more challenge and higher stakes. The mode is currently difficult for new players to ***** into because of how heavy the competition can be, as many who specialize in Arena have been playing since Hearthstone first released. “It was really to raise that ceiling for players who want that but also lower the floor a little bit so Arena can be a place that is welcoming for all types of players again,” Georgiou said. Hearthstone’s 2025 roadmap. Hearthstone’s first expansion set for the new year, Into the Emerald Dream, will transport players to the idealized, natural version of Azeroth as druidic defenders of the dream battle against the forces of the Old Gods. It’s something the Hearthstone team has long had in its “back pocket,” Georgiou said, and always knew would eventually be an expansion. It was actually in the running to be released last year, but the team pivoted to avoid stepping on the toes of World of Warcraft: Dragonflight’s Emerald Dream-themed update. The expansion’s mini-set, Druids of the Flame, will add the faction of corrupted elemental druids to further stoke the fires of battle. Its second expansion of 2025 is actually a sequel, a first in Hearthstone history–The Shrouded City. This set picks up where 2017’s Journey to Un’Goro set left off, as the explorer Elise hunts for a lost Tortollan city, with a Tortollan-themed festival mini-set coming later. The Hearthstone team actually invented the Tortollan race for the original Un’Goro set (which would later be added to WoW), and the upcoming expansion provided a great opportunity to further flesh out the backstory of the Tortollan and “peel back” some of the layers of the original Un’Goro expansion. “To be able to revisit an area that is so compelling that had so much that wasn’t explored before, and to be able to look at it in a new light, I think will be really, really fun,” Georgiou said. The third and final Hearthstone expansion for 2025, Heroes of Time, will explore alternative versions of Azeroth’s past, where players will find versions of legendary heroes as players “have never seen them before.” That will all lead to an epic battle at the end of time with the corrupted leader of the Infinite Dragonflight, Murozond. Given how much of an emphasis WoW has put on the Bronze Dragonflight and Chromie in recent years, it’s a little surprising Hearthstone hasn’t dived deep on alternate timeline shenanigans yet. But that’s worked out in the team’s favor. “I think doing it when there is so much to pull from in Hearthstone’s past feels like the perfect, pun half-intended, time to do it,” Gonzalez said. “There’s so many characters our fans love and characters from Warcraft that our fans might not even be super exposed to that are in that thematic bucket. It’s a really rich theme.” In other Warcraft news, Blizzard announced as part of the direct that its newly announced remastered versions of Warcraft 1 and 2, as well as a major 2.0 update for Warcraft 3: Reforged, are all available now. Source link #Hearthstones #Roadmap #Includes #StarCraft #Crossover #Return #UnGoro #Crater Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

World’s largest coral found in the Pacific near Solomon Islands World’s largest coral found in the Pacific near Solomon Islands Photograph by Manu San Félix, National Geographic Pristine Seas Local people had no idea the coral was there The largest coral ever recorded has been found by scientists in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The mega coral – which is a collection of many connected, tiny creatures that together form one organism rather than a reef – could be more than 300 years old. It is ******* than a blue whale, the team say. It was found by a videographer working on a National Geographic ship visiting remote parts of the Pacific to see how it has been affected by climate change. Manu San Felix, National Geographic Pristine Seas The coral measures 34 metres wide “I went diving in a place where the map said there was a shipwreck and then I saw something,” said Manu San Felix. He called over his diving buddy, who is also his son Inigo, and they dived further down to inspect it. Seeing the coral, which is in the Solomon Islands, was like seeing a “cathedral underwater”, he said. “It’s very emotional. I felt this huge respect for something that’s stayed in one place and survived for hundreds of years,” he said. “I thought, ‘Wow, this was here when Napoleon was alive’,” he added. Scientists on the expedition measured the coral using a type of tape measure under water. It is 34m wide, 32m long and 5.5m high. Globally coral is facing severe pressures as oceans warm with climate change. Often described as an “architect” of the seas, corals can join together to form vast reefs where fish and other species live. Coral reefs also underpin the livelihoods of one billion people including by supporting tourism or fishing, according to the World Economic Forum. Manu San Felix, National Geographic Pristine Seas Scientists say the newly discovered coral is in good health This specimen was found in deeper waters than some coral reefs, which may have protected it from higher temperatures at the sea surface. The discovery was announced at the same time as the UN climate talks COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan that are trying to make progress in tackling climate change. Mr Trevor Manemahaga, climate minister for the Solomon Islands at the summit, told BBC News that his nation would be proud of the newly-found coral. “We want the world to know that this is a special place and it needs to be protected,” he said. “We rely mostly on marine resources for economic survival so coral is very, very important […] And it’s very crucial and critical for our economy to make sure our coral is not exploited,” he said. Small island nations like the Solomon Islands are extremely vulnerable to climate change. Mr Manemahaga said he’s seen first-hand the effects of global warming on his nation, as it causes more powerful cyclones and erodes the coastline causing homes to fall into the water. photograph by Manu San Félix, National Geographic Pristine Seas Scientists calculated the age of the coral by measuring its growth Many developing countries at the talks are calling for more cash from richer nations to help them pay for their strategies to tackle climate change. Mr Manemahaga said that more finance for the Solomon Islands would help the country create more varied jobs that would mean fewer people worked in industries that damage coral reefs. Currently logging is a major part of the country’s economy – between 50-70% of the country’s annual export revenue – but it cauuses high levels of water pollution that damages coral in the area. Eric Brown, who is a coral scientist on the National Geographic research trip, says that the health of the coral was “looking pretty good”. “While the nearby shallow reefs were degraded due to warmer seas, witnessing this large healthy coral oasis in slightly deeper waters is a beacon of hope,” he said. The coral is a species called Pavona clavus and provides a home to shrimp, ******, fish and other marine creatures. The age of the specimen also means it acts like a window into the history into oceanic conditions in the past. Scientists hope to study it to learn more about how it has grown. A report this week found that 44% of corals living in warm waters are threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. That is an increase of a third since the species were last assessed in 2008. Source link #Worlds #largest #coral #Pacific #Solomon #Islands Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct: everything announced Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct: everything announced Blizzard Entertainment put on a big virtual event on Wednesday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Warcraft series in lieu of an in-person convention this year. The stream not only looked back at the history of the franchise in the form of a concert with a full orchestra but it also announced a remaster of Warcraft RTS, the first-ever Warcraft title, and updates for World of Warcraft Classic. Of course, modern World of Warcraft will also be getting some big updates, including the addition of a feature that players have asked about for decades. It was a surprisingly packed showcase (you forget sometimes just how many Warcraft games there are), so here’s a rundown of everything you might’ve missed. World of Warcraft: The War Within gets first major update Blizzard Entertainment World of Warcraft got its latest expansion, The War Within, in August, and it’s getting its first major content update soon. Undermine(d) will take players to the underground goblin city called, well, Undermine, where they’ll have to take down Xal’atath the Harbinger. It’ll feature a new dungeon and two new delves. But in a fun twist, Blizzard will introduce a ground mount with a new system that’ll let players drive so fast around Undermine. There will even be races so players can test out their driving skills. Blizzard says the update will release on November 23. Housing is finally coming to World of Warcraft Most MMOs these days have some sort of housing system, and now World of Warcraft is finally getting some of its own after 20 years. Blizzard just released a short teaser without any details, but it’ll be coming in the Midnight expansion, which is set to be officially revealed in summer 2025. World of Warcraft Classic returns to Mists of Pandaria World of Warcraft Classic is continuing along its nostalgic journey, with Blizzard announcing that it’ll be releasing the beloved Mists of Pandaria into the game. The 2012 expansion brought players to the Pandaria continent and introduced the pandaren — a joke race that soon took on a life of its own. To this day, it’s still the only faction-neutral races in the game. The expansion also allowed users to play the Monk class for the first time. Blizzard is remastering the original Warcraft RTS games While Warcraft is best known as the basis for the famous MMORPG, it started life as a series of real-time strategy titles in the 1990s. The first Warcraft Battle Chest during that decade bundled the original and expansion together, but this new one announced during the presentation has all the RTS titles. They’re now available to play for $40 (although this can change if you already own one of the games in the bundle). The graphics have gotten a huge upgrade, and Blizzard added some quality-of-life improvements, along with the ability to choose between classic and new graphics. More importantly, Warcraft 3: Reforged, the poorly-received remaster from 2020, is getting a 2.0 update to hopefully fix some issues. Everything else World of Warcraft Classic: 20th Anniversary Edition will allow Classic Era players to start fresh when it launches on November 21. ********* servers will also be available, and will also progress through the content updates into Burning Crusade Classic. You can also transfer your ********* character to a non-********* mode. The Heroes of Starcraft mini set is coming to Hearthstone. Hearthstone players are also getting three expansions in 2025, starting with Emerald Dream before heading into The Shrouded City and finally The Heroes of Time. Warcraft Rumble is coming to PC, with an open beta on December 10. Rumble is also getting a new feature where you can play two families at once. Source link #Warcraft #30th #Anniversary #Direct #announced Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

GOP holds onto House majority — clinching the trifecta GOP holds onto House majority — clinching the trifecta Republicans have achieved the government trifecta — keeping control of the House as well as winning the Senate and the presidency. It will be the first time Republicans have had full control of Congress and the White House since 2018. House Republicans have been quietly preparing their legislative agenda on tax cuts and other priorities for months, though an expected narrow majority will likely complicate those efforts, as well as Speaker Mike Johnson’s bid to hold onto the gavel in a January floor vote. The GOP held onto a slew of at-risk incumbents as results trickled in over the past week, and Republicans also picked up a few seats in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Colorado. But they still lost a handful of seats in New York and California. House control has been considered a toss-up for months. Though GOP leaders were publicly confident in their ability to retain the chamber, there were also deep fears as Republicans struggled to keep up with Democratic fundraising. Unlike in 2022, GOP leaders kept their election night estimates fairly modest. They also spent months hammering on a campaign message focused on the border and the economy, ******** that the two issues could be used as a wedge to squeeze vulnerable Democrats. Partisan redistricting has meant that there are fewer competitive seats to flip, limiting the true battleground districts to just a dozen or so races on both sides. Party leaders have acknowledged that the days of 30-plus-seat majorities are over for the foreseeable future. Republicans got some help this cycle by Democrats’ decision to pursue a less aggressive redistricting map in New York, which was at the heart of the ****** for House control. Similarly, a GOP-drawn map in North Carolina also helped offset Democratic gains elsewhere. “There’s only about 45 seats in the country that are truly competitive. … And so each one of them is very competitive and very expensive and our candidates are great,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told POLITICO ahead of Election Day. Beyond flipping Democratic seats, Republicans also managed to hold off Democrats’ reach targets that appeared to be in play in the final weeks of the campaign, including keeping endangered incumbents in Iowa and Wisconsin. Another major difference in the campaigns this year: Republicans were far more intentional with their candidate recruitment and which challengers they backed in the primaries than they were in 2022. House Republicans’ campaign arm worked closely with Trump, coordinating to boost candidates the party saw as the most likely to win the general election — a level of intervention that ultimately paid off. Vulnerable incumbent Republicans, namely Reps. Don Bacon (Neb.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), fended off primary opponents who would likely have been weak general election candidates. In Alaska, the party managed to coalesce behind one *********** this year to avoid problems they had in 2022 with the state’s ranked-choice voting system. (That race has not yet been called, though *********** Nick Begich leads Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola.) On the other side of candidate recruitment, Democrats’ relied on a handful of repeat candidates who narrowly lost in 2022. The party had thought they would benefit from existing campaign infrastructure and name ID among voters. But that didn’t work out for many candidates, and some were likely dragged down by a lack of enthusiasm for Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket. Source link #GOP #holds #House #majority #clinching #trifecta Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stargazing singer is beating his own expectations Stargazing singer is beating his own expectations BBC Stargazing singer Myles Smith has won BBC Introducing Artist of the Year When Myles Smith reflects on his journey – from an 11-year-old **** playing guitar and piano to a charting artist – he feels he’s continuously exceeded his own expectations. This year, the 26-year-old from Luton has had a top five single, played Glastonbury, smashed past one billion streams and just been named BBC Introducing’s Artist of the Year. “I guess it’s taken a long time. But I finally feel comfortable in my own skin and I feel proud of the music,” he says. When Myles speaks to BBC Newsbeat, he is in Montreal, one of the stops on his North America tour. “What I think this year’s taught me is that expectations are there for comfort. But very rarely are they exactly what we imagine. “My expectations when I started 2024 was not in a year to have played over 100 shows or the billion streams.” Myles says he will never take the opportunity for people around the globe to choose to listen to his music for granted. His breakout hit, Stargazing, has achieved worldwide acclaim, been platinum-certified and even featured on former US President Barack Obama’s summer playlist. “For me it was just about prioritising writing music that comes straight from the heart and trying not to filter too much of that brain to mouth barrier. “I just wanted to write something that was simple, but something that we all experience and feel at some point in life. “I feel like doing that, it resonated with so many more people around the world,” he says. Getty Images Myles says he’s grateful for the opportunity to perform to so many people around the world The song, which he says was made in about 15 minutes, has also found a home on TikTok. And Myles is well aware of how important the platform is to artists looking to break through. In 2020, during the coronavirus lockdown, Myles began posting covers, with his acoustic version of The Neighbourhood’s Sweater Weather going viral in 2022. “Social media in general is so significant to an artist’s journey,” he says. “Some people may feel that the onus to do social media is a pressure that isn’t needed. “And others may see it as an opportunity to really sort of find a community at a global scale.” Myles sees it as the latter. “We have the autonomy and control to be able to market ourselves how we ******* and in ways which are most authentic to us.” But there has been some criticism that TikTok’s influence is changing the way music sounds, with impacts on song lengths and styles. “I think that the idea that TikTok somehow diminishes the quality of music or somehow you have to fit the music within parameters is a myth for me personally. “It’s given me more freedom than ever to do what I want. And how I want to do it. “Times change all the time. One time you were cutting records on vinyl next it was on CD, then MP3 and digital… it’s about moving with the times,” he says. Myles performed at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in his hometown Luton While Myles accepts the “privilege” of being able to reach so many online and on tour, he feels it’s important to highlight the “other side”. Artists such as Rachel Chinouriri, The Last Dinner Party and CMAT have previously mentioned the financial challenges of touring, particularly in North America. Myles agrees that it “is super expensive” to tour, and feels live music more widely needs greater support. In the ***, Myles said the “thriving” small venue and grassroots scene took a hit post-Covid, and struggle to support artists in the way the used to. Such venues have often been an important starting point for artists who’ve gone on to superstardom, including Adele and Ed Sheeran. “[It’s] truly fundamental to an artist’s journey and luckily I was able to start my journey a long time ago,” says Myles. “I think that moving forward, thinking about support for musicians and thinking about how we can move forward and value the arts is an important conversation.” The other thing Myles is keen to do when thinking about his future is to “keep making music I love”. Myles is due to support Ed Sheeran in 2025, describing him as “one of my idols”. “I just want to have the most fun and the best year that I can. “Spend it with the people that I love the most. “And that is a priority for me now.” Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here. Source link #Stargazing #singer #beating #expectations Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

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

House Ethics Committee planned to vote Friday on whether to release report on Matt Gaetz House Ethics Committee planned to vote Friday on whether to release report on Matt Gaetz The House Ethics Committee, which has been conducting an investigation into ******* misconduct and obstruction allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, scheduled a vote for Friday on whether to release its report, according to three sources with knowledge of the committee’s work. Hours after President-elect Donald Trump said he planned to nominate Gaetz to be attorney general, Gaetz resigned his congressional seat, effective immediately. “I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress, to pursue the position of Attorney General in the Trump Administration,” Gaetz said in his resignation letter obtained by CBS News House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that there was about an eight-week ******* during which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could fill his seat by setting the date for a special election. Now that Gaetz has resigned, it is unclear whether the panel will vote on releasing the report, since Gaetz is no longer in Congress. There is precedent in Congress on the Senate side for an ethics committee report to become public after a member resigns from Congress, however. In 2011, this happened when Sen. John Ensign of Nevada resigned amid allegations that he tried to hide an extramarital affair. But it’s not clear that that would apply to the House, leaving open the possibility that the report on Gaetz would not be released. In June, the House Ethics Committee released a statement saying it was investigating a range of allegations against Gaetz, including ******* misconduct, illicit ***** use, and bribery. Multiple sources at the time told CBS News that four women had informed the House Ethics Committee that they had been paid to go to parties that included **** and drugs, and that Gaetz had also attended. The committee has Gaetz’s Venmo transactions that allegedly show payments for the women. Gaetz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has called the committee’s investigation a “frivolous” smear campaign. Some of the allegations of ******* misconduct under review by the committee were also the subject of a previous Department of Justice probe into Gaetz. Federal investigators sought to determine if Gaetz violated **** trafficking and obstruction of justice laws, but no charges were filed. The House Ethics Committee resumed its investigation into Gaetz in 2023, following the Justice Department’s decision not to pursue charges against him. Gaetz has long blamed then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, also a ***********, for the probe. And Gaetz later led the movement to sack McCarthy as speaker. Michael Kaplan Michael Kaplan is an award-winning reporter and producer for the CBS News investigative unit. He specializes in securing scoops and crafting long-form television investigations. His work has appeared on “60 Minutes,” CNN and in The New York Times. Source link #House #Ethics #Committee #planned #vote #Friday #release #report #Matt #Gaetz Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AFL fixture 2025: Fremantle Dockers season book-ended by finalists gauntlet AFL fixture 2025: Fremantle Dockers season book-ended by finalists gauntlet The Dockers will take part in a blockbuster Anzac Day double header when they host Adelaide on Friday, April 25 at 6.10pm WST, which will follow the traditional Collingwood and Essendon clash at the MCG. Source link #AFL #fixture #Fremantle #Dockers #season #bookended #finalists #gauntlet Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

WoW Classic Is Finally Getting Fresh Servers As Cataclysm Players Move To Pandaria WoW Classic Is Finally Getting Fresh Servers As Cataclysm Players Move To Pandaria World of Warcraft Classic players begging for fresh “vanilla” servers are finally getting their wish, with new servers set to go live on November 21 in celebration of WoW’s 20th anniversary. Meanwhile, those playing Cataclysm Classic will progress on to Mists of Pandaria in 2025. Blizzard announced the news as part of its Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct, along the way confirming in advance the new vanilla servers (****** the fresh ********* servers that are also coming) will automatically progress to The Burning Crusade Classic when the time comes. Blizzard said that just because TBC is already confirmed doesn’t necessarily mean these new servers will keep moving forward all the way to Cataclysm (the expansion players who have kept progressing from WoW Classic’s 2019 launch servers are currently on), but it’s hard not to get some sense of deja vu. In an interview with GameSpot, WoW Classic lead software engineer Nora Valletta and software engineer Kevin Vigue offered more details on what players starting from scratch on the fresh servers can expect, their thoughts on moving on to Mists of Pandaria, and what the team has learned from more experimental swings like Season of Discovery. Blizzard is using advances in server technology to have larger realms that can hold more players but fewer realms overall for this batch of new servers. In a departure from normal, there will not be dedicated role-playing or RPPvP servers as has usually been the case in the past, Valletta confirmed. Quality-of-life improvements, like the world buff-saving Chronoboon Displacer, faction balancing on PvP realms, and updates to make the original game’s punishing Honor PvP rank system less punishing, will be present at launch for these new servers, as will a ban (at least in North America and Europe) on the controversial practice of GDKP runs–something Blizzard first implemented in Season of Discovery. In a change from 2019, the game’s first raid, Molten Core, won’t launch for a few weeks. The new servers will additionally have a group-finder tool (similar to one that appeared in TBC, Vigue said) to help players find groups without the need of an add-on. A recent, unpopular change that saw Blizzard update the guild interface in WoW Classic and Season of Discovery to a more modern version will be reverted come the rollout of the new fresh servers, Vigue announced. Players will instead have the option of choosing between the more modern UI or its original appearance: a choice Blizzard doesn’t want to make a habit of offering but said felt right in regards to guilds. “We realized, especially once we saw the community reaction, ‘Yeah, there is something really nostalgic about the original UI and how it’s presented and what it means for that game experience,'” Vigue said. Adding to the sense of we’ve been here before is Blizzard’s announcement that Cataclysm Classic servers will move on in Summer 2025 to yet another “new” expansion, 2012’s Mists of Pandaria. Players may have already revisited Mists of Pandaria as part of modern WoW’s Mists of Pandaria Remix event earlier this year, but Valletta and Vigue said they think the two experiences are different enough to warrant another go around. WoW Classic’s 2025 roadmap. Mists of Pandaria Remix used the expansion as backdrop for players to collect exclusive cosmetics and gain new overpowered abilities that could almost one-shot even the game’s toughest bosses, but it still played like modern WoW, with all of its current class design, talents, and abilities. Mists of Pandaria Classic will instead play as it did when it first launched over a decade ago. Vigue and Valletta also raised the point that every expansion was some WoW player’s entry point into the MMORPG, and so Mists of Pandaria is, for some people, their “classic.” It’s an expansion that was perhaps under-appreciated in its time, but players now have fond memories of. “I think the fact that MoP Remix was so well received speaks to…how much people love Pandaria as a continent and as an expansion,” Vigue said. As for the currently ongoing WoW Classic Season of Discovery, Blizzard’s more experimental take on original WoW that was released towards the tail end of 2023, there’s still some new content coming down the pike. The game’s Naxxramas update will arrive later this winter. In addition to vanilla WoW’s final raid, it will add new “instanced” content in the form of a new encounter against the Scarlet Crusade as well as the Karazhan Crypts, which Blizzard originally teased back when it first announced Season of Discovery at BlizzCon 2023. Vigue and Valletta wouldn’t say whether the new content will be in the forms of raids, dungeons, or a combination of both, and instead said players will have to “discover” what’s in store themselves. Vigue and Valletta also wouldn’t comment on what may come next after Season of Discovery–the “team’s always cooking,” Valletta said–but did say they have learned a ton from the seasonal server in regards to how to create new content for a 20-year-old game while still trying to maintain its original feeling. “We’ve found Season of Discovery to be incredibly successful,” Valletta said. “I think part of what made it successful is that sense of…[the new content] is very much down to earth. It wasn’t massive, universe-ending world threats. It’s you, yourself, as that character in that world…You’re not some mighty fine champion hero who everybody knows and everything revolves around you, right? You exist in the world but the world is the main character, and you’re part of that.” All the WoW Classic news was just one part of the Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct. Blizzard also launched new remastered versions of Warcraft 1 and 2, announced a StarCraft mini-set for Hearthstone, and more. Source link #WoW #Classic #Finally #Fresh #Servers #Cataclysm #Players #Move #Pandaria Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

As President Xi inaugurates a huge ******** port in Peru, locals say they’re left out As President Xi inaugurates a huge ******** port in Peru, locals say they’re left out ******** President Xi Jinping is set to inaugurate a mega port on the Peruvian coast, a project expected to speed up trade between South America and Asia-Pacific. However, local residents are not amused that there are no opportunities for them. (AP Video: Cesar Barreto Mauricio Muñoz) Source link #President #inaugurates #huge #******** #port #Peru #locals #theyre #left Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

One Major *** Retailer Has Already Cut The Price Of The PS5 Pro One Major *** Retailer Has Already Cut The Price Of The PS5 Pro PlayStation released the PS5 Pro six days ago and while we don’t know the exact sales numbers, it feels safe to assume the more powerful version of the PS5 hasn’t been selling quite as well as PlayStation might have hoped. Source link #Major #Retailer #Cut #Price #PS5 #Pro Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The top gift to give this season? Travel— if you can figure out how The top gift to give this season? Travel— if you can figure out how Forget the headphones, the fuzzy slippers and the espresso machine that cranks out a cold brew. Globally, three out of four Gen Zs and millennials said that rather than a physical gift, they want a fun experience or trip this holiday season, according to an Amex Trendex survey. Gift givers are listening too. Half of consumers said they plan to buy a travel experience for someone this year, according to Accenture’s 18th Annual Holiday Shopping Survey published Thursday. But giving the gift of “travel” may be easier said than done. Chief among buyers’ complaints are needing to book exact dates (34%) and lacking details needed to book on behalf of another (29%), according to Accenture’s survey of more than 6,050 consumers across 10 countries. “Complex booking processes, coupled with the sheer number of choices and decisions travelers are faced with, could lead to lost revenue,” states Accenture’s report. To tell — or to surprise? Those skittish about locking in travel dates for another person can bypass the problem by surprising the gift recipient with the idea of the trip — and leaving the planning for later. One poster on Reddit said, “My brother & I surprised our mom with a trip to Italy for her 65th. We got her a Rick Steves Italy travel book, a travel purse and printed a little ‘plane ticket.’ … When she opened the gift [we] explained we would be going with her … on a date TBD but convenient for us all.” But for those who want to preserve the element of surprise, another Redditor explained how to use a simple ruse to extract available dates from the recipient — the poster’s father and his wife. Yet some caution against surprising anyone with a trip — and instead recommend planning with them and announcing later than you’re paying for all, or most of, the trip. Cards and certificates Still too complicated? Consider buying a gift voucher from an airline, hotel, cruise line or travel agency. Many companies sell gift cards directly from their websites, allowing buyers to choose physical or virtual cards — the latter ideal for last-minute shoppers — that the recipient can redeem at a later date. ********* Airlines lets buyers purchase multiple cards to be mailed to different addresses. Delta Air Lines allows buyers to personalize gift cards with photos and is shipping gift cards for free through Dec. 13. Marriott gift cards range from $25 to $2,000, and buyers can select a date for the company to email recipients their gifts. Hilton Honors members can buy or transfer points to others, which can be redeemed for free hotel stays, rental cars or rides on Lyft. Independent hotels brands, including Naumi and Mandarin Oriental, also sell gift cards. Royal Caribbean sells gift cards that can be redeemed for a cruise booking, but not pre-cruise purchases such as shore excursions, beverage packages and internet. However, these “will be available in the near future,” according to its website. Intrepid Travel, which specializes in sustainable tours for small groups, lets gift buyers purchase specific tours for another person. Road Scholar, a U.S. not-for-profit that plans educational trips for older travelers, sells gift certificates, starting from $50. Other websites offer gift cards that aren’t tied to specific brands, but reviews are mixed on some of those companies. With any voucher or gift certificate, buyers should check the fine print for restrictions. For example, Finnair gift cards expire in one year, while Airbnb gift cards aren’t available in every region. Buying an ‘experience’ Rather than offsetting costs of a trip, buying a travel “experience” is a way to upgrade someone’s vacation plans — while tapping into a key trend in travel today. If you’re buying for someone who has already scheduled a trip in 2025, ask where they are staying and look at the hotel’s website. Como Hotels and Resorts sells “gift experiences” in seven countries, from night snorkeling in the Maldives ($128) to truffle hunting in Tuscany ($324). The luxury Four Seasons hotel brand also sells gift cards that can be redeemed for spa treatments, meals and experiences, such as golfing in Costa Rica or chocolate-tasting in Istanbul — and you don’t need to be a guest of the hotel to redeem it. Sleuthing for travel dates and a hotel name can open opportunities to work directly with the hotel too, to schedule airport transfers, a special dinner or to have a bottle of Champagne delivered to the room. Travelers headed to Hawaii over Spring Break may not spring for a helicopter tour, but these can be purchased on their behalf on websites like Viator and Klook. For those with no plans, an experience closer to home may be a better option. A cousin studying in Paris may enjoy a macaron-making class, and a nephew who just started college may enjoy a haunted pub crawl in Austin, Texas. As for grandparents who may want to choose their own adventure, the website GetYourGuide sells gift cards for more than 60,000 tours and attractions worldwide. “They’re aren’t any restrictions,” the company’s website reads. “Just select an amount and let the giftee pick their perfect experience.” Source link #top #gift #give #season #Travel #figure Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How to gameshare on Xbox Series X How to gameshare on Xbox Series X This is a good week for strategy game fans subscribed to Xbox Game Pass because November’s first new additions to the service all fall within that genre. Two of them are real-time strategy game classics from Blizzard Entertainment, and the other is a strategic take on an arcade classic. If you’re playing on a console, these additions may not mean as much to you, but for Game Pass subscribers with access to a PC, these recently added strategy game games are well worth your time. StarCraft: Remastered StarCraft Remastered Announcement The original StarCraft is a monumental release for Blizzard Entertainment. It gave the studio a third pillar franchise alongside Warcraft and Diablo, was one of the first major esports games, and set a standard that most RTS games after it have tried to follow. In 2017, Blizzard released StarCraft: Remastered, updating the classics’ visuals, audio, and online features; that’s the version of StarCraft that has come to Xbox Game Pass. While there are more approachable RTS games nowadays, PC gamers should check out the original StarCraft if they’ve never played it before to better understand the foundational building blocks of the RTS genre. Source link #gameshare #Xbox #Series Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Homebuilder deal activity is surging, fueled by major ********* buyers Homebuilder deal activity is surging, fueled by major ********* buyers Exceptionally strong housing demand in the U.S. has large homebuilders in the driver’s seat and smaller builders ripe for takeover. The buyers are both domestic and *********. M&A activity in the single-family homebuilder space is having a record year in terms of dollar volume, and close to a record in the number of deals, according to Margaret Whelan, founder of Whelan Advisory and one of the biggest investment bankers in the builder space. “The big guys want to get *******. They want to get into more markets, more price points, more types of product, and as they’re doing that, they’re finding the most efficient way is through acquisitions,” she said. There have been a total of 19 homebuilder deals so far this year. Whelan says she alone has four more set to close by year end, and there could be more from others. The average number of deals across the industry over the last five years was 12 per year. The surge is the result of still-growing housing demand that reignited at the start of the pandemic thanks to record low mortgage rates and sudden new migration. But mortgage rates also caused a historic housing shortage. Homes were flying off the shelves in the first two years of the pandemic, when rates were low, but when interest rates rose, homeowners stopped selling so they wouldn’t have to trade a low mortgage rate for a higher one. That dynamic, sometimes called the mortgage rate lock-in effect, has exacerbated the housing shortage. Construction of a KB Home single family housing development is shown in Menifee, California, U.S., September 4, 2024. Mike Blake | Reuters The nation’s large homebuilders benefited from all of it, especially since they’ve been buying down mortgage rates to get customers in the door. Five years ago, builders accounted for 1 in 6 homes for *****. Now they make up 1 out of every 3, according to industry counts. The biggest builders have also gone from a 30% market share five years ago to 50% today. Public builders have clear advantages over smaller private builders. “Public builders have a lower cost of debt (less expensive to borrow) than private builders and generally don’t need to borrow to buy a large company,” wrote Danielle Nguyen, vice president of research with John Burns Research and Consulting. And it’s not just public builders in the U.S. Whelan said half of the deals she has done this year are with ********* buyers. “From their perspective, they have much lower growth at home than they have here, and they have much lower cost of capital. And because their capital is so cheap, they can afford to pay more, so an M&A process tends to be very competitive,” said Whelan. Some of the biggest builder deals this year involved ********* companies like Sekisui House, which purchased MDC Holdings. “The deal of the year was Sekisui buying MDC, which made them a top five builder. I expect Sumitomo Forestry and Daiwa House to follow suit, acquiring other big builders who are not gaining market share and having difficulty competing,” said John Burns, founder of John Burns Research and Consulting. Whelan said the ********* are particularly adept at value engineering the homebuilding process, in part through reverse engineering building plans to remove any waste. They often “build” the home first in 3-D imaging, reducing waste by as much as 20% to 30%, and use factories where they pre-cut all of the wood that’s going into the house, such as the trusses, frames, and wall panels, she said. “I think what we would love to see is that they would bring some of the efficiencies that they have at home in Japan that would make housing more affordable, more cost-effective. They’ve done it successfully in the U.S. auto industry,” Whelan said. Homebuilder M&A will likely continue into next year, as deals have a long lag time. The new Trump administration could also provide a boost. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to open up more federal land for homebuilding. He could also put pressure on state and local governments to loosen zoning regulations that have inhibited more growth. He has also, however, promised mass deportations, which could hit the builder workforce hard. Right now the highest costs for homebuilders are land and labor. Source link #Homebuilder #deal #activity #surging #fueled #major #********* #buyers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The best Christmas gifts in 2024 that cover everyone on your holiday list The best Christmas gifts in 2024 that cover everyone on your holiday list This time of year has a lot of merry and bright things to be excited about, but it can be stressful if you’re stumped on what to get your mom, dad, best friend, coworker or kids’ teacher as a holiday gift. Whether you enjoy or dread buying gifts for people, it’s safe to say we all want to give our loved ones things they will enjoy and appreciate. But there’s a lot of noise, junk and bad deals disguised as good deals to sift through as we get closer and closer to the holidays. Allow us at Engadget to help you through it. Here, you’ll find all of our holiday gift guides collected in one place, so you can more easily find the best Christmas gifts you need this year. Are you looking for white elephant gift ideas? Are you struggling to come up with a good gift for the father figure in your life? Are you just looking for a good board game to pick up for your own family? We’ve got you covered with gift ideas for all of those scenarios and more. We’ll update this post as more of our gift guides hit the internet, so check back for even more gift ideas throughout the season. Table of contents Best white elephant gift ideas According to legend, the King of Siam would give a white elephant to courtiers who had upset them. The recipient had no choice but to simply thank the king for such an opulent gift, knowing that they likely could not afford the upkeep for such an animal. It would inevitably lead them to financial ruin. This story is almost certainly untrue, but it has led to a modern holiday staple: the white elephant gift exchange. These gift ideas will not only get you a few chuckles, but will also make your recipient feel (slightly) burdened. Read more: The best white elephant gift ideas Best board game gifts We could all use more time away from screens of all types and sizes, and board games are a fun way to do that and bond with friends and family. You can find plenty of unique sets out there now, from word puzzles to whodunnits to calming playthroughs that showcase the beauty of the little things in life. From games with giant monsters to those with haunted mansions, we’re sure at least one of our suggestions will be a hit with you and your loved ones. Read more: The best board games to gift this season Best gifts under $50 We wouldn’t blame you if you try to do all of your tech shopping around the holidays. That’s when you can typically get the best sales, both on relatively affordable gear and (more importantly) on big-ticket items. But it would be wrong to think that only the most expensive tech is worth gifting. Since we at Engadget test a plethora of gadgets every year, we know that there are some hidden (and not so hidden) tech gems at lower price ranges — you just have to know where to find them. Read more: The best gifts under $50 that make great stocking stuffers Best gifts for gamers This year may not go down as one of the best years in gaming like 2023 did, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t a lot of great new releases. Between titles like Astro **** and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, there were plenty of games to keep even the most dedicated of gamers busy in 2024. And if you’re shopping for one, especially as a non-gamer, it can be tricky to navigate what’s worth buying. We’ve got you covered with these recommendations. Read more: The best gifts for gamers Best retro gaming gifts A million new video games seem to come out every week, but for some of us, nothing beats the classics. If you know someone who is way into retro gaming but don’t feel like hunting through eBay and local shops for gear to add to their collection, we’re here to help. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite gift ideas for the nostalgic gamer in your life, from video upscalers for old consoles to retro-themed books and artwork. Read more: The best retro gaming gifts for the holidays Best gifts for coffee lovers When it comes to making a great cup at home, coffee nerds are constantly learning and love to try new things. Whether the person you’re shopping for is a newly indoctrinated pour over lover or obsessive over every brewing parameter, we’ve compiled a list of the best gear for coffee geeks that you can get this holiday season. Read more: The best gifts for coffee lovers Best cooking gifts There are few things more rewarding than making good food for your friends and family. But after a while, it’s easy to get bored with the same tried and true recipes. And what better way to inject some fun into your favorite home chef’s routine than with a brand-new kitchen gadget? To help you find the right gift for the cook in your life, we’ve put together a list of our favorite kitchen gadgets across a wide range of prices and categories. Read more: The best cooking gifts Best tech toys for kids We’re all having a bit of a budget crunch this year, but the good news is that when it’s time to bestow presents on the young ones (or young at heart), you don’t have to break the bank. Our list of our favorite tech, science and design toys is stacked with items under $100, with plenty of reuse packed in so the fun can extend far beyond the holiday season. Read more: The best tech toys for kids Best gadgets for your pets In Engadget’s Slack rooms, our pets are high on the list of stuff we chat about — just behind work-adjacent tech stuff, insane current events, video games and food. We’ve bought plenty of high- and low-tech stuff to keep our furry friends fed, occupied, safe and happy and we’ve put together the best of what we tried here. Perhaps you’re shopping for your own very good boy or girl, or maybe you have a dutiful **** parent on your list — either way, the gadgets gathered here will make great gifts, according to the enthusiastic tail wags (or aloof meows) of our own fur *******. Read more: The best gadgets for your pets Best travel gifts Since the dawn of humanity, we have traveled. We’ve come a long way from on-foot journeys laden with animal hide satchels. But the goal of good travel gear is the same: Get you and your necessities to a destination in the highest level of comfort available. If you know someone who is always catching a flight, rides the train to work or is bravely embarking on a cruise, some new tech may just help them out. Read more: The best travel gifts Best gifts for remote workers There’s a pretty good chance you know at least one person who works remotely in some fashion. While the WFH life has its perks — nobody likes a long commute — it comes with its own set of challenges, from lacking pro-level equipment to dealing with household disturbances. If you’re looking to give a gift to someone who spends much of their time in their home office, we’ve rounded up a few techy gift ideas that should make their days a little more delightful, or at least easier to manage. Read more: The 19 best gift ideas for the remote worker in your life Check out the rest of our gift ideas here. Source link #Christmas #gifts #cover #holiday #list Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

One in three drop out from health T-level One in three drop out from health T-level Getty Images Over 30% of T-level students doing health and science leave the two-year course within 12 months Nearly one in three students doing a T-level in health and science drop out in their first year, according to a new report. The Education Policy Institute (EPI) says T-level students overall are 20% less likely to complete their qualification than students on other types of courses. Health students saw high levels of dropouts after botched exam papers in 2022, which saw the exam board responsible fined £300,000. A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said the findings showed overall student retention rates were “improving as providers grow more familiar with delivering the courses”. T-levels are now in their fifth year, after first being rolled out in 2020. They are two-year vocational courses taken after GCSEs, which focus on subjects like education, construction and IT, and include a work placement that makes up roughly 20% of the course. Just over 16,000 students started a T-level in 2023. Although 2024 figures are not yet available, enrolment numbers have been rising each year. But the rollout has drawn criticism from the regulator Ofsted, and the government’s education select committee, with issues varying from the quality of teaching to the availability of work placements. The latest EPI report also highlights a persistent issue with students dropping out of courses early. The dropout rate of first-year health and science students was 31%, the report said. Only legal, finance and accounting courses had a higher rate, with 33%. Aleasha Lancaster said three of her health T-level classmates dropped out after the exams fiasco in 2022. Ofqual said it had had to take “unprecedented” action against the exam board, NCFE, to get 1,200 students’ results recalculated, after it ******* to develop “valid question papers”. Aleasha, 20, said it was a “big shock” when questions about “the acidity of volcanoes” came up in her science exam, rather than the health-based questions she had been preparing for. Aleasha Lancaster Aleasha is now doing a mental health nursing course at Liverpool John Moores University The healthcare T-level is recognised by NHS Employers as one way young people can start their career in nursing, or other NHS roles. Aleasha has gone on to study mental health nursing at university, but said she and her classmates often felt like “guinea pigs”, having the course tested on them in real time. “I think that because the lecturers didn’t really know the course themselves, it was like the ****** leading the ******,” she said. She said the course was sometimes disorganised, and lacked structure. The EPI report also raised issues which many T-level students have found with using their qualification to get into university. Nursing shortages It comes after a warning from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) last month, that the number of people studying to become nurses has “collapsed” in each region of England. “Across the NHS alone there are tens of thousands of vacancies, and demand for services continues to rise,” RCN’s Prof Nicola Ranger said at the time. “We desperately need more people to join the profession, but the reality is nursing numbers are going in the wrong direction.” ***-wide Ucas data from August found 23,800 students were accepted on to nursing courses for this academic year – 340 fewer than last year and 6,350 fewer than in 2021. The EPI report found that nearly half of health and science T-level students who drop out early end up leaving education altogether. It also criticised the T-level transition programme (TLTP), a foundation year of study to help students prepare for the T-level, with only 2% of health and science TLTP students progressing to the full course. T-levels were launched by the former ************* government, which planned to make them the main route into vocational education by defunding alternative courses, like BTecs, with overlapping subject areas. Critics have warned that many students who might not be suited to T-levels could be left with fewer options for post-16 education if the alternatives are removed. The new Labour government said it would continue with T-levels, but it is considering whether to continue defunding other courses. The result of that review is expected before the end of the year. A spokesperson from the DfE said: “We welcome these findings that show T-level students are more likely to go onto advanced apprenticeships and other higher levels of study than other vocational qualifications.” Source link #drop #health #Tlevel Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

PS5 Price Cut For The Holidays Edited Out Of New Sony Trailer PS5 Price Cut For The Holidays Edited Out Of New Sony Trailer On November 12, Sony published a marketing trailer for the PlayStation 5 that ended with the announcement that the digital PS5 Slim would be marked down for the holidays. That trailer has since been edited and re-uploaded to remove all mention of the temporary discount. The trailer originally stated that the digital PS5 Slim would be on ***** until December 24 for $380. The system originally launched for $400 before Sony raised the price to $450. Bringing it down to $380 for the holidays is a nice offer, and hopefully it comes back. Microsoft already slashed the price of the Xbox Series X by $50 for the holidays. The video has since been re-uploaded, with many commenters poking fun at Sony for editing out mention of the deal. GameSpot has contacted Sony to try to find out what’s going on here. Companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo typically offer discounts on their consoles and games for ****** Friday and the wider holiday shopping season, and it’s expected Sony will eventually roll out a PS5 discount. In other PS5 news, if you spend $1,800 on high-end jewelry, you can get a free PS5. Sony just released the PS5 Pro, but the console is aimed at a very small tech-enthusiast market rather than the general consumer. Some analysts are predicting a grim holiday for new console sales. If you don’t want a PS5, Nintendo just announced its own set of ****** Friday deals, including discounts on Switch bundles. Nintendo is expected to announce the Switch 2 in the next few months. Source link #PS5 #Price #Cut #Holidays #Edited #Sony #Trailer Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AFL Draft 2024: Top West *********** draft hope Bo Allan a first-round lock after Melbourne invite AFL Draft 2024: Top West *********** draft hope Bo Allan a first-round lock after Melbourne invite Top West *********** draft prospect Bo Allan has cemented himself as a first-round lock after being invited to Melbourne next week. Source link #AFL #Draft #Top #West #*********** #draft #hope #Allan #firstround #lock #Melbourne #invite Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Lego Horizon Adventures Review – Beautiful Horizon | COGconnected Lego Horizon Adventures Review – Beautiful Horizon | COGconnected “Clocking in at a fairly short six-to-eight hours, Lego Horizon Adventures offers up frequent, brief bursts of fun with its excellent combat encounters. However, this is wrapped up in an experience that feels way too shallow and repetitive to recommend to anyone other than the most enthusiastic Horizon and Lego fans. It’s clear that the intention is to woo new, younger gamers to Sony’s flagship franchise, but if you already own Zero Dawn and Forbidden West on PlayStation, we can’t see any reason why you’d want to check this one out. Mind you, if all you’ve got is a Switch, then this endearingly light-hearted introduction will have to do for now. It could have been so much more, though.” – Ollie Reynolds | NintendoLife Source link #Lego #Horizon #Adventures #Review #Beautiful #Horizon #COGconnected Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Robotic AI performs successful surgery after watching videos for training Robotic AI performs successful surgery after watching videos for training Watching old episodes of ER won’t make you a doctor, but watching videos may be all the training a robotic surgeon’s AI brain needs to sew you up after a procedure. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University have published a new paper showing off a surgical ****** as capable as a human in carrying out some procedures after simply watching humans do so. The research team tested their idea with the popular da Vinci Surgical System, which is often used for non-invasive surgery. Programming robots usually requires manually inputting every movement that you want them to make. The researchers bypassed this using imitation learning, a technique that implanted human-level surgical skills in the robots by letting them observe how humans do it. The researchers put together hundreds of videos recorded from wrist-mounted cameras demonstrating how human doctors do three particular tasks: needle manipulation, tissue lifting, and suturing. The researchers essentially used the kind of training ChatGPT and other AI models use, but instead of text, the model absorbed information about the way human hands and the tools they are holding move. This kinematic data essentially turns movement into math the model can apply to carry out the procedures upon request. After watching the videos, the AI model could use the da Vinci platform to mimic the same techniques. It’s not too dissimilar from how Google is experimenting with teaching AI-powered robots to navigate spaces and complete tasks by showing them videos. Surgical ****** Transformer Demo – YouTube Watch On Surgical AI “It’s really magical to have this model and all we do is feed it camera input and it can predict the robotic movements needed for surgery. We believe this marks a significant step forward toward a new frontier in medical robotics,” senior author and JHU assistant professor Axel Krieger said in a release. “The model is so good learning things we haven’t taught it. Like if it drops the needle, it will automatically pick it up and continue. This isn’t something I taught it do.” The idea of an AI-controlled ****** holding blades and needles around your body might sound scary, but the precision of machines can make them better in some cases than human doctors. Robotic surgery is increasingly common in some instances. A ****** performing complex procedures independently might actually be safer, with fewer medical errors. Human doctors could have more time and energy to focus on unexpected complications and the more difficult parts of a surgery that machines aren’t up to handling yet. The researchers have plans to test using the same techniques to teach an AI how to do a complete surgery. They’re not alone in pursuing the idea of AI-assisted robotic healthcare. Earlier this year, AI dental technology developer Perceptive showcased the success of an AI-guided ****** performing a dental procedure on a human without supervision. You might also like Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable ****** Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content. Source link #Robotic #performs #successful #surgery #watching #videos #training Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fmr. DOJ official sounds off on Gaetz nomination Fmr. DOJ official sounds off on Gaetz nomination Dave Laufman, Former Top official in the National Security Division at DOJ joins Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House with continued reaction to the nomination of Matt Gaetz as Attorney General and what it will mean for the rule of law in America. Source link #Fmr #DOJ #official #sounds #Gaetz #nomination Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The most common Xbox Series X problems and how to fix them The most common Xbox Series X problems and how to fix them Like any other consoles, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S aren’t without issues. We all hate being interrupted when playing the best Xbox games with some technical glitch. This is even worse when you’re locked in on an intense multiplayer game with your headset on and are ready to go. Even after several years on the market giving Microsoft time to push out updates and fixes, there are still some issues that can crop up. In this guide, we’re going to cover the most common Xbox Series X problems, as well as how to fix them, including: Disc issues: Discs getting stuck in the disc drive, clicking from the disc drive or fan, or discs not playing at all. An Xbox Series X console that won’t turn on No signal to TV or corrupted image Console displaying incorrect resolution Audio crackling while playing Xbox 360 games not launching Inability to connect to your controller You can also keep up with all updates, known issues, and potential fixes directly from Xbox. Get in touch with Microsoft Before getting to any fixes, take note of the different contact options for Microsoft and Xbox support. There’s a robust support system in place, and for certain issues, you’ll need to contact Microsoft for a repair or replacement. If you have a smaller issue that we haven’t covered in this guide, you can ping us on Twitter @DigitalTrends so we can add it to this guide, as well as tag @XboxSupport. That seems to be the fastest support route. In addition to keeping support options handy, we recommend checking the Xbox Live status page frequently. You’ll find all online issues for the Microsoft Store, games, movies, apps, and more there. Problem: Discs getting stuck in the disc drive Some Xbox Series X units have a disc drive problem (the same problem responsible for the next two issues we’re going to discuss). The most concerning of these issues is the disc getting stuck halfway in the disc drive, sometimes accompanied by loud clicking sounds or grinding noises. I have an even worse problem What would be the best way to get a replacement pic.twitter.com/546UloBRkr — drknickel (@drknickel) November 11, 2020 Potential solution The problem here is with the disc drive itself, not with whatever disc is getting stuck. Because of that, we recommend getting in touch with Microsoft for a repair or replacement using the contact methods above. Thankfully, the issue doesn’t seem too complex. An early Reddit thread showed multiple Xbox Series X users having the same issue, attributing it to the dust cover that protects the disc drive. Users report that a small amount of force with the palm of your hand is usually enough to loosen this cover and allow the disc to slide in. We haven’t seen any videos of this fix working, and we haven’t encountered it ourselves. To be clear, we don’t recommend forcing a disc into your console. If it messes up anything in the disc drive, it’ll almost certainly void your warranty, and it may leave you with a broken game disc, too. Problem: Clicking from the disc drive or fan Discs getting stuck is the main issue Xbox Series X owners are experiencing, but some also are reporting a clicking sound from the console after inserting a disc or while installing a video game. Potential solution If the clicking is coming from your disc drive, the solution is simple. Some discs may cause a clicking sound in the disc drive when loaded. A good way to test if your disc is the problem is to insert it into another Xbox console — an Xbox One will work — and see if the issue persists. If it doesn’t, there’s a problem with your disc drive. Contact Microsoft to arrange a repair or replacement. If the sound is coming from the vent at the top of your Xbox Series X, we have some bad news. After experiencing a clicking sound from the fan, a Reddit user opened their Xbox Series X and found that a cable was hanging close to the fan, causing a clicking sound when the fan started to spin. Like the issue above, we don’t recommend taking your Series X apart. It will void your warranty, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could get hurt, too. Contact Microsoft using the methods above to arrange a repair or replacement instead. Problem: Discs won’t play at all Some Xbox Series X units won’t recognize discs at all. Note that this issue applies to all discs you insert, regardless of whether they’re Xbox One games, Blu-rays, or DVDs. If you’re having trouble with a particular disc, we recommend cleaning the disc with a damp microfiber cloth, letting it dry, then trying it on a different Xbox console. Potential solution If your console won’t recognize a disc when you insert it, or it tells you to insert a disc when you already have one in, there are two possible problems. Either there’s an issue with your power mode — which, according to Microsoft, affects a small number of consoles — or there’s a problem with your disc drive. You can solve the power issue yourself, thankfully. You need to change your power mode and perform a hard reset, which you can do by following these steps: Press the Xbox button on your controller. Select Settings (cog icon). Follow Profile & System > Settings > General > Power Mode & Start-Up. Under Power Mode, select Energy-Saving. Hold the Xbox button on your console for 10 seconds until it has completely shut down. Power on your Xbox Series X and try the disc again. If that doesn’t solve your problems, there’s an issue with the disc drive. Contact Microsoft to arrange a repair or replacement. Problem: Xbox Series X won’t turn on Image used with permission by copyright holder If your Xbox Series X won’t turn on, there’s probably an issue with the internal power supply. Microsoft says these issues usually come up after a power surge where the power supply will reset itself. Thankfully, there are some troubleshooting steps you can take to solve this problem before contacting Microsoft. Potential solution Before resetting your power supply, some standard troubleshooting is in order. First, make sure that the outlet the console is plugged into works by plugging another device in. If the outlet isn’t the problem, you can perform an internal power supply reset by unplugging the power cord of the Xbox Series X for 10 seconds, then plugging it back in. If that doesn’t solve your problem, and you’ve confirmed the outlet isn’t the issue, try a different power cord. If you still can’t power on your console, there’s an issue with the power supply that requires servicing. Contact Microsoft using the options above. Problem: No signal to TV or corrupted image The Xbox Series X supports 4K HDR at 120Hz with a variable refresh rate, which is enabled by the HDMI 2.1 standard. The included cable supports HDMI 2.1, along with its resolution and refresh rate features, but it may cause issues on your TV. In particular, if you have a TV that supports variable refresh rate from LG, Samsung, or Vizio, you may not see a signal or the signal may be corrupted. Potential solution Before doing anything with your Xbox, make sure your TV is updated to its latest firmware. Updates like these bring official support for external devices, and with the Xbox Series X using the latest tech, there’s bound to be some issues. A firmware update should solve this problem for most users. If you’re still having trouble and you can’t make out options on the screen, you’ll need to boot your console into safe mode. If you can see enough of the screen for navigation, you can skip this step. To put your console into safe mode, do the following: Eject any discs from your console. Press the Xbox button on your console for 10 seconds. Press and hold the Xbox + Eject buttons until you hear two beeps (continue holding until the second beep, which happens 10 seconds after the first). At this point, your console will be in low-resolution mode. Open the Settings menu and follow General > TV > Display Options > Video Modes. If you booted into low-resolution mode, change the resolution to match your TV. This issue comes up with 4K at 120Hz with variable refresh rate turned on. Microsoft recommends changing one of these to solve the problem. Potential compatible solutions include 1440p at 120Hz with variable refresh rate, 4K at 60Hz with variable refresh rate, and 4K at 120Hz without variable refresh rate. Any combination works, but you can’t have all three, at least right now. You’ll find the resolution and refresh rate options under the Display Options menu and variable refresh rate settings under Video Modes. If issues still persist, turn off variable refresh rate on your TV. Each TV is a little different, so consult your manual for the correct instructions. Problem: Console displaying incorrect resolution Depending on your TV or monitor, you will want to set your Series X to display at the best resolution possible. A wrong resolution can either fail to display an image or show you an image that is below the quality that you should be getting. Potential solution The only solution offered at the moment is to restart your console by holding down the Xbox button, shutting the system down, and turning it back on. Problem: Audio crackling while playing Some users report hearing a crackling or static-like sound while playing on their Series X. Usually, it occurs when using headsets, specifically when playing in parties and talking with friends over voice chat. There are two ways you can attempt to get a clear audio signal. Potential solution Press the Xbox button to open your guide Select Profile & System > Settings > General > Volume & Audio Output Lower the Other sound option to around 50% If the issue persists, it may be related to your hardware rather than a setting. In that case, you can try: Disconnecting and reconnecting your headset cable. Checking for obstructions in your controller audio port. If neither is successful, or you are using a wireless headset, you may need to contact the headset manufacturer for repair or replacement. Bug: Xbox 360 games not launching Certain Xbox 360 games will either not launch or immediately return players back to the home screen after launching. Note that this problem and its solution are exclusive to Xbox 360 games. If you’re having problems with Xbox One or Xbox Series X games, refer to the solutions above. Potential solution There isn’t a set reason for this issue, but it generally comes up with Xbox 360 games installed on an external hard drive that was used on an Xbox One. To solve it, you’ll need to clear your local Xbox 360 storage. Make sure you have a Game Pass account and that your saves have been backed up before performing the reset. After your saves are secured, perform these steps: Open the Settings menu. Follow System > Storage. Select Clear Local Xbox 360 Storage. Bug: Can’t connect controller Microsoft The wireless controller that comes with your new Xbox Series X may not connect to the console. Before moving to the solution, make sure that you’ve replaced the batteries in your controller and that it powers on. We also recommend trying other controllers with your gaming console to see if they work. Before getting to the solution, here’s a quick refresher on how to connect your Xbox Series X controller: Power on your Xbox Series X by pressing the Xbox button on the console. Turn on your controller by pressing the Xbox button on your controller. Press the Pair button on your console until the Xbox logo starts flashing rapidly (button right above front USB port). Press the Pair button on your controller until the Xbox logo starts flashing rapidly (button on the back of the controller, next to the USB port). If all is working correctly, the lights on your console and controller will move from a rapid pulse to a slow one before turning solid white. If they don’t, proceed to the solution. Potential solution A hard reset of your Xbox Series X should solve any controller connectivity issues. Hold down the Xbox button on the front of your console for 10 seconds, waiting until you hear and see the console shut off. Wait a few seconds more, then press the Xbox button again to power on your console. If your controller still won’t connect, use a USB cable to plug it directly into your Xbox using the USB port on the front. Your controller should power on and work, but if it doesn’t, there’s an issue with your controller. If your controller works wired but not wirelessly, and you’ve performed a hard reset and checked your batteries, contact Microsoft for a repair or replacement. Frequently Asked Questions Why is my Xbox Series X not working properly? If your Xbox Series X is not working properly, it could be a sign that some cached data has been corrupted and is slowing your performance. Fortunately, it’s an easy fix to clear the system cache: First, power down your Xbox. Next, unplug the power cord from the wall, and leave it unplugged for at least 30 seconds. Next, plug the cord back in, power up your machine, log in, and try using an app or a game. Alternatively, it may be a specific game that’s causing you issues. In this case, you’ll want to uninstall and reinstall the offending games. If this also doesn’t get your Xbox working properly, the next culprit may be an external drive connected to your console. Try unplugging it and playing. If your slowdowns and issues are gone, you’ve found the source of your problems. Try formatting your external drive according to the Xbox NTFS file system before using it again. Does the Xbox Series X have cooling issues? The Xbox Series X, if used correctly, should not have cooling issues. However, if the top vent on the console is impeded in any way, the Xbox may overheat. That’s because the air flow through the system flows through from the bottom and is expended out of the top. Just ensure that the vents are clear of blockage or debris. Source link #common #Xbox #Series #problems #fix Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Could ‘higher for longer’ make a return? Could ‘higher for longer’ make a return? U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell attends a press conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee on interest rate policy in Washington, U.S., November 7, 2024. Annabelle Gordon | Reuters This report is from today’s CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe here. What you need to know today U.S. inflation picks upThe headline inflation rate in the U.S. came in at 2.6% for October, in line with market expectations. Core inflation — which strips out prices of food and energy — held steady at 3.3%. The headline reading is higher than the Federal Reserve’s target, which might complicate the Fed’s easing path. Markets little changed after inflation dataU.S. markets were mostly rangebound after the October inflation reading, with the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising just 0.02% and 0.11%, respectively. The Nasdaq Composite ended the day with a 0.26% decline. Across the Atlantic, the pan-********* Stoxx 600 fell 0.13%. Bitcoin continues setting fresh recordsBitcoin continued to set fresh records on Wednesday, briefly crossing the $93,000 mark as traders assessed October inflation data. The cryptocurrency rose to a fresh record of $93,469.08, before paring some gains, and was last up at $90,476, according to Coin Metrics. Trump, on the campaign trail, has had a pro-crypto stance, promising to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet.” AMD announces layoffsChipmaker AMD will lay off 4% of its staff, or about 1,000 workers, as it tries to strengthen its position in the artificial intelligence chip space currently dominated by Nvidia. The firm had 26,000 employees at the end of last year, according to a U.S. SEC filing. AMD is the second-biggest producer of graphics processing units, or GPUs, behind Nvidia. [PRO] Wells Fargo urges caution on Trump trade Wall Street has been pumping money into the so called “Trump trade,” investing into companies and stocks tied to Trump’s campaign promises, but that doesn’t mean those bets will pay off, according to the Wells Fargo Investment Institute. The bottom line Shakespeare famously said: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.” With October’s inflation reading coming in line with expectations, the stage seems set for a final rate cut in December, bringing the Fed Funds rate to the central bank’s target of 4.25%- 4.5% that it had set in its so called “dot plot” released in September. It is important to note that the October reading is the first-time headline inflation has risen since March, and the 2.6% figure is higher compared to the Fed’s target of 2%. As such the path now is less clear for 2025. U.S. President Joe Biden will make his exit from the Oval Office on Jan. 20, and President-elect Donald Trump will make his entrance, with all his promises of tariffs and tax cuts. The one man then, that has to play many parts will be Fed President Jerome Powell. Going back to the “dot plot,” the Fed in September had expected that rates will be cut by another 100 basis points by the end of 2025, and another 50 bps by the end of 2026. However, as economists have said, Trump’s policies — if followed through — are likely to be inflationary, and with a projected *********** trifecta — control of presidency, Senate and House — the possibility that he will be able to enact what he promised is increasingly possible. What this means then, is that the Fed may be forced to slow or halt its easing path, if inflation ticks up again in a second Trump term. In short, the term “higher for longer” may rear its head, once again. Source link #higher #longer #return Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Grubhub just sold for a tenth of what it was worth during the pandemic Grubhub just sold for a tenth of what it was worth during the pandemic A startup called Wonder is now the new owner of Grubhub. The food delivery app announced its acceptance of the deal on earlier today. Wonder acquired Grubhub from the Dutch food company Just Eat Takeaway for $650 million. Pending regulatory approval, the deal will close early next year. Wonder also announced it has raised an additional $250 million in venture capital funding “to further its mission and growth.” Chicago software engineers Matt Maloney and Mike Evens founded Grubhub in 2004 as an online restaurant ordering service and an alternative to those paper menus that showed up on doorsteps and in junk mailings. The company merged with the automated food ordering and delivery company Seamless in 2013. in 2020 for $7.3 billion at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers for restaurant delivery apps started to drop once the pandemic became part of history and people started going out again. Legal troubles started in 2021 when Chicago took Grubhub and some of its competitors to court for alleged unfair business practices and fees. Companies like DoorDash eventually settled but Grubhub’s legal battle with Chicago is still raging in court, according to the . won a similar lawsuit against Grubhub in 2021 that ended with a $3.5 million settlement. The following year, Grubhub announced of its corporate staff. Wonder is a new fooddelivery company started by Marc Lore, a former Walmart executive who owns two professional basketball teams. Lowe previously founded Diapers.com and Jet.com. published a profile on Lore and his newest venture Wonder, which he said “could be the Amazon of food and beverage.” Wonder’s original focus was to get “its own restaurants up and running” and create a delivery service that offers “cheaper, quicker build-outs.” Maybe that’s because third-party food delivery services like Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber have seen their prices jump in the last couple of years, according to . Just in New York City, food delivery prices increased by 58 percent in just under a year, according to . A new law that went into effect at the end of last year raised the minimum wage for New York delivery drivers to $17.96 an hour. The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection reported that food delivery workers saw their wages increase by 64 percent and their tips decreased by 60 percent in just eight months. Source link #Grubhub #sold #tenth #worth #pandemic Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]