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Our trust in society is eroding. We need to ****** back Our trust in society is eroding. We need to ****** back A recent scandal over food hygiene ratings shows how deception destroys trust within society. We need to ****** back, says Jonathan R. Goodman Source link #trust #society #eroding #****** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Exclusive: get $150 off the best Shark cordless vacuum with this ****** Friday promo code Exclusive: get $150 off the best Shark cordless vacuum with this ****** Friday promo code Head to Shark right now and you can get the PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum with Auto-Empty Base for $349.99 (was $499.99) using our exclusive coupon code TR150. This code expires at the end of the day on Saturday, so you’ll need to be speedy to take advantage of it. The ****** Friday deals are really hotting up now, and this one is well worth taking advantage of. The PowerDetect line just launched in September, and it combines powerful suction with clever automation features to save you effort and maximize battery life (it’s due to be added to our official best Shark vacuum guide when that next gets an update). Our code is on the version with the auto-empty base (scroll down for a full explainer on that). If you just want the vacuum, and not the base, you can pick that up for $299.99 (was $429.99) at Shark. Get the full low-down in our Shark PowerDetect cordless vacuum review. Given that it’s so new, we weren’t necessarily expecting discounts on this line in this year’s ****** Friday vacuum sales. It’s good value for money even at full price, and even more of a steal with these early deals. Today’s best Shark cordless vacuum deal Do I need the auto-empty base? This promo code is on the PowerDetect Cordless with an auto-empty base. As well as providing somewhere for you to store this vacuum while it charges, the dust cup will automatically empty, via a sealed system, into a larger bin in the base when you dock it. This not only saves time and effort, but it also means far fewer chances for dust and allergens to escape back into the air, because you’ll only need to manually empty it occasionally. Shark has added a handy anti-odor puck to the base to ensure it stays smelling fresh, even when full. It’s a clever and useful idea that we haven’t spotted anywhere else yet (although we suspect we might see auto-empty bases appearing with the next generation of best cordless vacuums). More of today’s ****** Friday sales in the US Amazon: TVs, smart home & air fryers from $12.99 Apple: AirPods, iPads, MacBooks from $89.99 Best Buy: $1,000 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones Cheap TVs: smart TVs at Best Buy from $69.99 Christmas trees: top-rated trees from $54.99 Dell: best-selling Inspiron & XPS laptops from $279.99 Dreamcloud: mattress deals from $349 + free shipping Holiday: decor, lights, Christmas trees & PJs from $10.99 Home Depot: 40% off tools, appliances & furniture Lowe’s: holiday decor, appliances & tools from $17.31 Nectar: up to 50% off all mattresses Nordstrom: 46% off boots, coats, jeans & jewelry Samsung: $1,500+ off TVs, phones, watches & appliances Target: save on furniture, tech & clothing Walmart: cheap TVs, ****** vacs, furniture & appliances Source link #Exclusive #Shark #cordless #vacuum #****** #Friday #promo #code Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

****** Friday deals bring the Echo Buds down to only $25 ****** Friday deals bring the Echo Buds down to only $25 Our choice for best budget open design earbuds is currently discounted for ****** Friday. Right now, you can pick up the Amazon Echo Buds for just $25, down from $50 — an all-time low price that makes an affordable option that much more accessible. Amazon released its most recent generation of Echo Buds in 2023 and impressed us with its level of quality for an open earbud option. The semi-in-ear style allows for more ambient noise and might be more comfortable depending on your ear shape. The earbuds have some solid perks such as multi-device connectivity and a solid five hours of music playback. You can increase their life by another hour if you turn wake word off. You’ll get up to 20 hours of charge with the case. Amazon As an Amazon device, the Echo Buds are also equipped with Alexa, so you can ask the assistant to play music, call someone, set a reminder or one of the many other standard tasks. Plus, you can use the Alexa app to set tap controls for muting your mics and changing your music. Speaking of music, these earbuds have 12mm drivers and a crisp overall sound (though the open nature hurts the bass quality). Be careful, though, when working out as their low IPX2 water resistance rating means sweat could be a problem. Check out all of the latest ****** Friday and Cyber Monday deals here. Source link #****** #Friday #deals #bring #Echo #Buds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Super-bright ****** holes could reveal if the universe is pixelated Super-bright ****** holes could reveal if the universe is pixelated Artist’s representation of a galaxy with a brilliant quasar at its centre NASA, ESA and J. Olmsted (STScI) Space-time, the so-called fabric of physical reality, may be made of tiny, discrete pieces stitched together. A preliminary analysis of the way matter orbits quasars suggests we could find evidence of this cosmic quilt in the universe’s most extreme neighbourhoods. Much of the understanding we have of the make-up of our universe comes from probing matter at smaller and smaller scales. Think of fluids, says Jonathan Gorard… Source link #Superbright #****** #holes #reveal #universe #pixelated Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Android Switch App for iOS Users Launched; Google Says Improved Data Transfers Coming to More Phones in 2025 Android Switch App for iOS Users Launched; Google Says Improved Data Transfers Coming to More Phones in 2025 Google is making it easier for iPhone owners to switch to Android smartphones. The company has rebranded its data transfer tool that helps users on iOS move their information and accounts, and it is now called Android Switch. Meanwhile, Google has also confirmed that a useful delayed data transfer feature introduced on the Pixel 9 series will also make its way to other Android phones in 2025. The company also says that data transfers from iOS to Android when using a cable will now be considerably faster. Google Rebrands Data Transfer Tool to ‘Android Switch’ As part of its efforts to streamline the process of switching from iOS to Android, Google says its Data Restore Tool is now called ‘Android Switch’. The listing for the app on the App Store and Google Play store has already been updated with the new name, a refreshed icon, and the description refers to it as “Google’s official transfer app”. The redesigned Android Switch app can transfer a user’s chats, calendars, contacts, Wi-Fi networks, Google account, and other data from an iPhone to a new Android device. It also shows users how to disable iMessage when switching away from iOS — an essential step that must be completed before a one can begin receiving SMS messages (or RCS messages, in supported regions) from other users. According to Google’s FAQ page, users will be able to transfer contacts, calendar events, and on-device photos and videos using a cable or the cloud. However, if they want to transfer messages, apps, on-device music, and notes, they will need to transfer their data using a cable. Google also says that users who use a cable to transfer data from their iPhone to a new Android phone using the Android Switch app will benefit from a 40 percent increase in transfer speeds, which appears to be a considerable jump in performance over the last year. The company didn’t share any details on how it managed to improve transfer speeds when using a cable. When the Pixel 9 series was launched, Google also introduced the ability to quickly complete an initial setup process so users can get faster access to their smartphone, then start the data transfer process at a later stage. While this feature is currently limited to the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google says it will be available on more Android phones in 2025. Source link #Android #Switch #App #iOS #Users #Launched #Google #Improved #Data #Transfers #Coming #Phones Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Craig O’Donoghue: Fremantle Dockers add more interstate recruits at AFL Draft as talent outweighs location Craig O’Donoghue: Fremantle Dockers add more interstate recruits at AFL Draft as talent outweighs location Eight of Fremantle’s last 10 picks at the national draft have come from interstate, but their history tells us that they are happy to focus on talent instead of worrying about the go-home factor. Source link #Craig #ODonoghue #Fremantle #Dockers #add #interstate #recruits #AFL #Draft #talent #outweighs #location Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Real History Behind Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator II’ and Life as a Fighter in the Ancient Roman Arena The Real History Behind Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator II’ and Life as a Fighter in the Ancient Roman Arena Meilan Solly Senior Associate Digital Editor, History To mark the opening of the Colosseum in 80 C.E., the Roman emperor Titus staged a staggering spectacle, flooding the arena with water and bringing in “horses and bulls and some other domesticated animals that had been taught to behave in the liquid element just as on land,” according to the Roman historian Cassius Dio. “He also brought in people on ships, who engaged in a sea ****** there.” The stakes were high: In most naumachiae, as these mock naval battles were called, the participants were prisoners of war or convicted ********** who were expected to ******—perhaps to the ******—for the crowd’s amusement. This potentially fatal predicament takes center stage in Gladiator II, Ridley Scott’s new sequel to his blockbuster 2000 film, Gladiator. In the movie’s trailer, an archer takes aim at an ****** soldier, ******* an arrow that sends the man plunging over the side of his ship—and into the waiting jaws of a shark. (Despite Scott’s insistence that the Romans would have had no trouble trapping “a couple of sharks in a net from the sea,” historians have pointed out that no evidence supports the animal’s presence in the ancient amphitheater.) Aquatic apex predators aren’t the only challenge faced by Gladiator II’s Lucius Verus (played by Paul Mescal). The film, which takes place around 20 years after the events of Gladiator, also pits Lucius against a rhinoceros, a monkey and hordes of fellow gladiators, not to mention an invading army, power-hungry politicians and multiple ghosts from his past. The secret son of Maximus, the eponymous gladiator portrayed by Russell Crowe in the 2000 movie, Lucius must retrace his father’s footsteps, achieving fame as an enslaved fighter driven by his ******* for revenge against his family’s killers. Gladiator II | Official Trailer (2024 Movie) – Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington Much like its predecessor, Gladiator II takes a relatively loose approach to history, compressing timelines, borrowing real historical figures’ names but little of their stories, and inventing other characters entirely. As historian Allen Ward wrote in 2001, the first Gladiator was both “the best of films” and “the worst of films,” igniting the public’s interest in the ancient world while perpetuating many of the myths surrounding the era. “Certainly creative artists need to be granted some poetic license, but that should not be a permit for the wholesale disregard of facts in historical fiction and costume dramas,” Ward added. “In most cases, the easily determined factual details would not have made Gladiator less interesting or exciting, and the record of Commodus’ reign contains characters and events that could easily make what is now a good story even better history.” While University of Chicago historian Shadi Bartsch has criticized Gladiator II as “total Hollywood *********,” the director himself is more sanguine, to put it charitably, about historical accuracy in Hollywood. When historians criticized his 2023 film Napoleon for taking artistic liberties with the historical record, Scott told the New Yorker that they needed to “get a life.” Even if Gladiator II doesn’t present a wholly accurate portrait of the political machinations of the Roman Empire, its depiction of ********* as entertainment reflects striking realities of the ancient civilization’s culture, including the social chasm between the free spectators and the enslaved gladiators, and the sheer brutality of everyday life. Drawing of a naumachia, or staged naval battle Public domain via Wikimedia Commons “One of the things that’s very hard for us to appreciate [today] is how very fragile life was in antiquity and how common it was to see extreme suffering and very early deaths,” says Kathleen M. Coleman, a classicist at Harvard University. “Because we can keep people alive for so long and through all kinds of childhood illnesses, … life has a premium now in our society that it couldn’t have had in antiquity, and that may affect people’s tolerance of *********.” Here’s what you need to know about the real history behind Gladiator II, from characters’ historical counterparts to the likelihood of a gladiator dying in the arena, ahead of the film’s arrival in theaters across the ******* States on November 22. How Gladiator II is connected to Gladiator The original Gladiator opens in 180 C.E., with the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius choosing Maximus, then a general, as his successor. ****** at being passed over, Marcus’ son Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix) murders his father and seizes power. After Maximus refuses to pledge his loyalty to the new emperor, he is sold into slavery, becoming a gladiator who must ****** to secure his freedom. Maximus makes a name for himself in the amphitheater, reconnecting with his former lover, Commodus’ sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), and forging alliances with the emperor’s enemies along the way. In the film’s climactic final battle, Maximus ****** Commodus but is mortally wounded himself. He uses his dying breaths to call for political reform, encouraging onlookers to return to the democratic ideals of the Roman Republic. Maximus Reveals Himself to Commodus (Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix) | Gladiator (2000) Lucius, the main character of the sequel, appears in Gladiator as Lucilla’s son. He idolizes Maximus but is unaware that the former general is also his father. After Maximus’ ******, Lucilla sends Lucius to Numidia, a territory in northwest *******, to protect him from imperial intrigue. There, he builds a new life for himself, eventually marrying and starting a family. At the beginning of Gladiator II, he is forced to return to Rome after an army led by the fictional general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invades Numidia, ****** Lucius’ wife and son, and sells him into slavery as a gladiator. Like Maximus and Lucius, most gladiators were enslaved men, prisoners of war, convicted ********** or individuals otherwise rejected by society. But free Romans could also volunteer to ****** in the arena. A new recruit would relinquish “all his rights over his own body and his own life and ******,” says Coleman. “He took an oath of allegiance to his owner and trainer, who then had the discretion to decide what would become of him.” Though gladiators had no social standing, the scholar adds, they “could redeem themselves to a certain extent by earning some admiration for expert fighting.” Looking out at the audience during a match at the Colosseum, Lucius recognizes his mother, Lucilla (Nielsen, reprising her role from Gladiator), who is now married to none other than the general who murdered his family. Commodus may be gone, but in his place are the co-emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), brothers who revel in the “brutality, cruelty and wastefulness” of ancient Rome with no regard for their subjects, as Scott tells Vanity Fair. Denzel Washington rounds out the cast as Macrinus, a charismatic arms dealer who harbors a secret agenda as he guides Lucius to gladiatorial greatness. “There is an authoritarian power that is parading as if it were still somehow the vestiges of a *********** government,” Nielsen says to Vanity Fair. L to R: Fred Hechinger as Caracalla, Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius and Joseph Quinn as Geta in Gladiator II Aidan Monaghan / Paramount Pictures The real historical figures behind Gladiator II The Gladiator franchise’s characters are a blend of fact and fiction. The four emperors depicted in the films—Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, Caracalla and Geta—are all based on real Roman rulers. Lucilla, the daughter of Marcus and sister of Commodus, did have a son named Lucius Verus, but he ***** young and couldn’t have been the secret child of a general turned gladiator, as Maximus himself is fictional. Though Gladiator II suggests that Lucilla was alive and well during the ****** reign of Caracalla and Geta in the early 200s, she was actually ********* in 182 after conspiring to overthrow Commodus. A bloodthirsty emperor who “devoted most of his life to ease and to horses and to combats of wild beasts and of men” that were often held in the Colosseum, according to Cassius Dio, Commodus was such an unpopular leader that his advisers paid a wrestler to strangle him in his bath in 192. A bust of Emperor Commodus J. Paul Getty Museum via Wikimedia Commons A bust of Marcus Aurelius Daniel Martin via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 Commodus’ ******* didn’t inspire a return to the ideals of the Roman Republic, as shown in Gladiator. Instead, it sparked a civil war in which five separate men claimed the title of emperor in just one year. Military commander and politician Septimius Severus emerged victorious, defeating his rivals for the throne by 197. With control of his kingdom secure, the emperor turned his attention to military campaigns, first against Parthia (based in modern-day Iran and Iraq) and then the British tribes north of Hadrian’s Wall. “It’s very interesting to think about Rome as a military power [whose] borders are policed by the armies, and it is around the … limit of the empire that we have military fort after military fort, and we’re starting to realize that so many of these had an amphitheater attached,” says Coleman. Designed to entertain the troops and frighten the ******, the displays of sheer power that took place in these arenas were “most evident when they were enacted through physical strength, so *********,” Coleman explains. Still, she adds, “the extent to which Rome’s militant ethos required stiffening people’s morale by having them watch these [matches] is not fully understood.” Severus invested his two sons with imperial authority during his lifetime, naming the elder, Caracalla, co-emperor in 198 but leaving the younger, Geta, to wait for the title until 209. Upon Severus’ ****** in 211, the brothers gained ****** control of the Roman Empire, but they detested each other and found themselves caught in a struggle for power. “Typically, Geta has been presented as the intellectual interested in civil administration, while Caracalla’s wish was for glory in battle,” writes History Extra. After just ten months, Caracalla gained the upper hand by ordering a group of centurions to ***** Geta, reportedly while their mother held him in her arms, trying to protect him. A dynastic portrait of Severus; his second wife, Julia Domna; and his sons, Caracalla and Geta (whose face is erased) Public domain via Wikimedia Commons After murdering his brother, Caracalla sought to erase all traces of him, though some likenesses and records of Geta survived. The fratricide overshadowed Caracalla’s achievements, including the passage of an edict granting all free men in the Roman Empire citizenship and the construction of a luxurious public bath complex that bore the emperor’s name. “Caracalla always justified himself by claiming that his brother had plotted against him,” historian François Chausson tells CNRS News. “Why not believe him? The fact that Geta was ******* in this struggle to the ****** is no token of innocence. The inferiority, dictated by protocol, from which the younger brother suffered could have fueled bitterness for years. The two brothers had not received the same favorable treatment from their father.” A bust of Macrinus José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 Caracalla’s own downfall arrived in 217, when he was stabbed to ****** while urinating on the side of the road, supposedly by a legionary acting on the orders of Macrinus, who soon succeeded him as emperor. While Gladiator II depicts Macrinus as a scheming gladiator trainer who was once enslaved by Marcus Aurelius, no evidence supports this characterization. Born in modern-day Algeria as a member of the equestrian social class, which was directly below the senatorial class, Macrinus rose to prominence as a lawyer and bureaucrat before assuming control of the Praetorian Guard, the personal protectors of the emperor. He relied on the support of his soldiers to claim the throne despite his lowly origins, becoming the first Roman emperor who didn’t belong to the senatorial class. During his 14-month reign, Macrinus settled “disputes on the borders of the empire … through diplomacy rather than through warfare”—a stark departure from Caracalla’s belligerent approach to foreign policy, writes historian Andrew G. Scott. But Macrinus lost the army’s favor by reducing pay for new recruits, and in 218, the legion abandoned him for Elagabalus, a teenager whose mother and grandmother claimed he was the illegitimate son of Caracalla. Roman forces captured and ********* both Macrinus and his young son, sending their heads to Elagabalus as trophies. Life as a gladiator Hollywood films like Gladiator and Gladiator II tend to present their lead characters as tragic heroes doomed to ****** to the ****** at the whims of an emperor in no-holds-barred battles against men and wild beasts alike. In truth, says Coleman, a strict set of rules enforced by a referee governed gladiatorial bouts, and just 5 percent of gladiators ***** in violent combat. The majority of matches ended in a draw, with both fighters earning a reprieve at the discretion of the spectators. “Gladiators were very expensive because they had [to undergo] special training,” Coleman says. “They had to be kept alive and well fed. … They [were] a capital investment, so it wasn’t in their owners’ or trainers’ interests for them to be *******.” The first recorded gladiatorial games took place in 264 B.C.E., during the ******** of a prominent Roman aristocrat. According to Coleman, historians are unsure whether the Romans borrowed the idea from another culture on the Italian Peninsula, but they do have reliable records of what gladiators’ daily lives looked like. Housed in barracks, these ancient fighters learned how to spar in front of a crowd and use different types of weapons and armor depending on the type of gladiator they were training to be. The murmillo, for instance, wore a Gallic-style helmet adorned with fish imagery and wielded a rectangular shield to protect himself. The scantily clad retiarius sported just an arm and a shoulder guard, but this lightweight armor enabled him to move around easily with his trident, offering an advantage over opponents weighed down by heavy equipment. A third-century C.E. mosaic depicting a ****** between two gladiators named Simmachius and Maternus Ángel M. Felicísimo via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 Though the Gladiator films depict fighters clashing with both humans and animals, real gladiators who specialized in defeating other men wouldn’t have battled beasts, too. Instead, trained hunters known as venatores faced off with elephants, lions, bears and other wild creatures, whose carcasses were then given away as meat to eager spectators. Animals also fought other animals: In 80 C.E., at the inauguration of the Colosseum, a rhinoceros reportedly sparred with a bull, a bear, a buffalo, a lion and two cattle. Novelty was key to retaining audience members’ attention, says Coleman. In addition to forcing beasts to battle, organizers recruited a select few female gladiators and staged increasingly ambitious spectacles like the naumachiae. The success of these displays hinged on the dehumanization of the combatants involved, especially those who were enslaved and therefore viewed as property. When a vast chasm between the free audience members and the enslaved gladiators existed, “you had one person on one side of it and everybody else on the other side of it,” Coleman says. “The objectification of the people in the arena was made possible by [the crowd] detaching themselves from any fellow feeling with [the gladiators]. But at the same time, there is this interest in seeing them ****** professionally because they’re highly trained and specially armed, and they had a following.” As historian Ward put it in 2001, many modern observers find the first Gladiator film “offensively violent, ******* and gory. Unfortunately, life in the ancient world in general was much more violent and gruesomely ******* than life in modern industrial democracies.” A retiarius stabs at a secutor with his trident in this mosaic from a villa in Nennig, Germany. TimeTravelRome via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 2.0 Get the latest History stories in your inbox? Filed Under: Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Rome, Animals, Based on a True Story, ******, Entertainment, ********* History, Film, Games and Competition, Kings, Movies, *******, Roman Empire, Slavery, Warfare Source link #Real #History #Ridley #Scotts #Gladiator #Life #Fighter #Ancient #Roman #Arena Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Catch Up On Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure With These Blu-ray Deals Catch Up On Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure With These Blu-ray Deals There’s no shortage of great anime series to binge on, but if you’re looking for a wacky action romp, then Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is an easy recommendation. Luckily, several of Blu-ray box sets are on ***** for ****** Friday, so if you’ve been looking to jump into this cult-classic collection, this is the best time to do so. While not every box set is on *****, the deals make for a fairly comprehensive collection of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Blu-rays to pick up. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is adapted from Hirohiko Araki’s manga for the same name. It chronicles the history of the Joestar family, with each arc focusing on a different member in its sprawling lineage, and each arc features its own unique themes and tone–from martial arts epics to supernatural ******* mysteries and ****** thrillers. They’re also packed with fun homages to musicians and bands, with references to icons like Led Zeppelin, Dolly Parton, Kenny Loggins, and more sprinkled throughout the entire series. If you want to start at the beginning, you can grab a set that includes the first two seasons, Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency. Phantom Blood tells the story of Jonathan Joestar and his evil adopted vampire brother Dio Brando, and its sequel sees Jonathan’s descendant, Joseph Joestar, take on the seemingly invincible shape-shifters known as the Pillar Men. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure From there, you can pick up Blu-ray releases of various other story arcs, including the Stardust Crusaders, Diamond is Unbreakable, Golden Wind and more. Check out the complete list of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Blu-ray deals below. For more anime and manga deals, be sure to check out Amazon’s ****** Friday *****. You’ll also find more deals on games, electronics, and more on GameSpot’s ****** Friday deals hub. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure ****** Friday Blu-ray Deals Source link #Catch #Jojos #Bizarre #Adventure #Bluray #Deals Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft is again nagging Windows 10 users to buy a new machine – a Copilot+ PC to be precise, for the ‘ultimate Windows 11 experience’ Microsoft is again nagging Windows 10 users to buy a new machine – a Copilot+ PC to be precise, for the ‘ultimate Windows 11 experience’ New ad suggests Windows 10 users buy a Copilot+ PC This is part of a raft of full-screen adverts pushing Windows 11 upgrades Expect the nagging to intensify next year, sadly Windows 10 users are receiving a new advert prompting them not just to upgrade to Windows 11, but to get that OS on a new PC – specifically a Copilot+ PC. By now, those with a Windows 10 computer are used to being encouraged to upgrade to Windows 11 (assuming their device is up to the hardware requirements) with full-screen pop-ups informing them about support for the older OS running out next year. This has taken a fresh twist, however, with a new full-screen advert that Windows Latest noticed on one of its Windows 10 PCs (and a virtual machine running the older operating system). In this effort, Microsoft is specifically pushing Windows 10 users to “do more with a Windows 11 PC,” referring to buying a new one, and that for the “ultimate Windows 11 experience” you should purchase a Copilot+ PC. Microsoft confirmed to Windows Latest that it’s pushing a bunch of Windows 11 upgrade adverts in this full-screen, in-your-face style, and that the features offered with a Copilot+ PC – which has additional AI functionality exclusive to these devices – are also part of the persuasion tactics employed here. (Image credit: Microsoft) Analysis: Glossing over some major issues As noted, this is part of a broad campaign to get Windows 10 users upgrading to Windows 11 on a compatible PC, and we’ve seen a fair few of these messages on our older Windows 10 computer throughout this year. In fact, we’ve lost count of the number of times this has happened, but we haven’t seen an ad pushing Copilot+ PCs – not yet anyway. Doubtless as 2025 rolls onwards, we’ll be seeing even more of this kind of badgering from Microsoft. Buying a new PC is an idea Microsoft has been pushing elsewhere for those whose machine isn’t compatible with Windows 11’s hardware requirements – likely due to a lack of TPM, or having an older processor. However, as we’ve discussed in the recent past, this glosses over some truly worrying issues about a ton of old PCs heading to the scrapheap when Windows 10 hits End of Life in October 2025. Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable ****** Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content. You won’t see a full-screen Windows 10 pop-up about a potential looming environmental disaster, as flagged up by multiple third-parties in the past year or two, that’s for sure. One concession Microsoft has made, this time around on the OS merry-go-round, is that consumers can finally purchase extended support with Windows 10, albeit only for a year, effectively granting a stay of ********** until October 2026 – which is at least something. You may also like… Source link #Microsoft #nagging #Windows #users #buy #machine #Copilot #precise #ultimate #Windows #experience Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Greensboro mayor explains loose leaf collection after complaints Greensboro mayor explains loose leaf collection after complaints GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The City of Greensboro announced a year ago it wouldn’t use the giant vacuum trucks to get leaves curbside anymore, but the reality of the decision didn’t set in until the seasons changed and the leaves started piling up. The complaints started trickling in on social media and to the city council. Now, they’re at a fever pitch. Mayor Nancy Vaughan says she’s heard from many people about the situation. Even a second grader during a school visit raised his hand to ask if she would fix the leaf collection. She says the new procedures are the fix. “It’s about to fit all those leaves in one can, so it’s a little disappointing the city isn’t doing more to pick the leaves up,” said Julie Buchanan, a Greensboro resident. “It was a great bonus, and I feel like we pay enough in tax dollars that it should be covered.” FOX8 took those concerns to the mayor. Vaughan says the change was in the interest of safety. “Roads were down to one lane of traffic, kids walking to school, joggers, people with strollers, dog walkers. It really made it very hazardous … Leaving big piles like that in the street is very bad for the stormwater system,” Vaughan said. This year, the city has picked up almost 200,000 more pounds of leaves than the same time last year using the new system. “I understand that there are people unhappy with this, and I understand there are people who are very vocal, but there are also people who don’t see this as a critical service for the city of Greensboro,” she said. Other cities have also cut loose-leaf collections, including Charlotte and Durham. “We don’t shovel people’s sidewalks. We don’t plant people’s flowers. Why should we pick up leaves that fall on private property?” Vaughan said. Misinformation about possible fines has also added fuel to the *****. People don’t have to worry about leaves on their street, but dumping all of your leaves in the street would be a problem. “Nobody is going to get ticketed or fined for leaves that fell organically in the street in front of their house,” Vaughan said. If you’ve dumped a bunch of leaves in the street, you’re given two weeks to clean them up. If they’re still there after that, you could then get a $75 fine. “We would love if they would reconsider leaf-pickup,” Buchanan said. That’s not likely. The trucks have been sold. Private businesses are offering their services to pick up leaves, and others are choosing to mulch the leaves themselves. “I think you are going to see cities and towns across the state cut back on loose leaf collection,” Vaughan said. If you have a physical issue that prevents you from rolling the big bin of leaves out on leaf pickup days, the city will make arrangements to help you just like they do with the trash bins. You can call them at (336) 373-CITY or (336) 373-2489. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. Source link #Greensboro #mayor #explains #loose #leaf #collection #complaints Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

We Just Know Shadow Will be Cooler Than Sonic- After Cyberpunk 2077, Keanu Reeves and Toshiyuki Morikawa’s Reunion Will Make Sonic 3 Legendary We Just Know Shadow Will be Cooler Than Sonic- After Cyberpunk 2077, Keanu Reeves and Toshiyuki Morikawa’s Reunion Will Make Sonic 3 Legendary This holiday season, Sonic the Hedgehog will make his big-screen comeback in his most exciting adventure to date. According to the movie’s synopsis, Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails team up to battle Shadow, a formidable new foe who possesses powers unlike anything they have ever encountered. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is hitting the theatres on December 20, 2024. | Credit: Paramount Pictures. In order to stop Shadow and save the planet, Team Sonic must find an unlikely alliance because their skills are completely outmatched. In the new film, Ben Schwartz reprises his role as Sonic the Hedgehog, Colleen O’Shaughnessey plays Miles “Tails” Prower, and Idris Elba plays Knuckles the Echidna. However, the whole anticipation is revolving around Shadow. Shadow Will be Voiced by the Power Duo of Cyberpunk 2077 in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077 was voiced by the power duo behind Shadow. | Credit: CD Projekt Red. Jim Carrey’s two Doctor Robotnik characters and Keanu Reeves’ Shadow are among the twelve Sonic the Hedgehog 3 character posters that Paramount Pictures has made public. According to game lore, Professor Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of the series’ primary antagonist Doctor Eggman, created Shadow, a ****** hedgehog that has undergone anthropomorphic changes. Fans are already hyped up with the inclusion of Keanu Reeves for the voice acting of Shadow in the upcoming movie. However, this hype broke free when Paramount Japan released the *********-dubbed trailer of the upcoming movie. In this trailer, Toshiyuki Morikawa comes up as the ********* voice actor of Shadow. Now, this Reeves-Morikawa duo reminds us of the glory days of Cyberpunk 2077. In this popular RPG title, Morikawa voiced Johnny Silverhand in the ********* dub, which was originally voiced by Keanu Reeves. Silverhand was a blockbuster character in the game. Hence, we hope this duo will keep their legacy alive in the upcoming movie as well through Shadow. The Backstory of Shadow the Hedgehog Shadow will make his theatrical debut in the upcoming movie. | Credit: Paramount Pictures. Although it may appear that way at first glance, Shadow isn’t your stereotypical “evil” Sonic the Hedgehog. Since he made his debut in the Dreamcast game Sonic Adventure 2 in 2001, this antihero may be the only positive outcome of that misguided console. Hero and Dark were the two halves of the game’s plot. Sonic and his friends Tails and Knuckles are followed in the first section of the game, while the antagonist of the series, Doctor Eggman, who collaborates with Shadow, is followed in the second. Naturally, a large portion of *****’s early game marketing emphasized the contrast between Sonic and Shadow. While one hedgehog was a good, angelic one, the other was a much more cunning and dangerous adversary. Fans soon discovered, however, that Shadow’s “bad” persona is simply the way he presents himself. Over the course of Sonic Adventure 2‘s Dark plot, a much more tragic and complex character gradually emerges. About fifty years ago, Doctor Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of Doctor Eggman, created Shadow. He was born in the Space Colony Ark, a space station located far above Earth, where Robotnik was studying immortality in an attempt to treat his granddaughter Maria’s terminal illness. As the “Ultimate Life Form,” Shadow is immune to all illnesses and wounds, and Robotnik made a valiant attempt to give Maria Shadow’s powers. Source link #Shadow #Cooler #Sonic #Cyberpunk #Keanu #Reeves #Toshiyuki #Morikawas #Reunion #Sonic #Legendary Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Realme GT Neo 7 Series Launch Timeline Leaked; Said to Get 7,000mAh Battery Realme GT Neo 7 Series Launch Timeline Leaked; Said to Get 7,000mAh Battery The Realme GT Neo 7 has recently become a topic of interest in the rumour mill. The smartphone was recently spotted on a certification website, hinting at an imminent launch. Earlier leaks had suggested several key details about the handset, while recent reports hint that the Realme GT Neo 7 series is likely to debut in China soon. The lineup could include a base and an SE variant. Some important features of the Realme GT Neo 7 series phones have been tipped as well. Realme GT Neo 7 Series Launch, Features (Expected) The Realme GT Neo 7 will be the first handset in the series to launch in China, according to a Weibo post by tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from ********). He claimed that the mid-range offering would be a “performance ******” with a powerful chipset and battery performance alongside the “strongest waterproof” and durability in the segment. Another tipster, Smart Pikachu suggested in a Weibo post that a Realme GT Neo 7 series model, which is expected to launch in China in December, will likely have a large, display. This could be the base GT Neo 7 variant. The post adds that another model with a 6.5-6.6-inch flat screen is currently being tested and could be unveiled next year. The latter handset may be the SE version. In another Weibo post tipster Smart Pikachu hinted that the Reame GT Neo 7 phone will likely carry a 7,000mAh battery. If true, it will be an upgrade over the 5,500mAh battery of the preceding Realme GT Neo 6. The battery details of the GT Neo 6 SE successor have not yet been tipped. Notably, the Realme GT Neo 7 was recently spotted on China’s 3C certification site with support for 80W wired SuperVOOC charging. Previous leaks claimed that the handset could support up to 100W fast charging. It is expected to get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC with overclocked CPU cores and a 1.5K resolution display. Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details. Source link #Realme #Neo #Series #Launch #Timeline #Leaked #7000mAh #Battery Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia (NVDA) stock slumps despite Q3 earnings beat Nvidia (NVDA) stock slumps despite Q3 earnings beat POLAND – 2024/11/13: In this photo illustration, the NVIDIA company logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Piotr Swat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Nvidia shares dropped in U.S. premarket trading Thursday after the tech giant’s third-quarter earnings ******* to impress investors. Shares of the chipmaker slumped 3.21% at around 5:03 a.m. ET, following the Wednesday release of Nvidia’s quarterly results, which beat on both the top and bottom lines. Revenue came in at $35.08 billion, up 94% year-on-year and exceeding the $33.16 billion forecast by LSEG analysts. Earnings per share was 81 cents adjusted, also above analyst expectations. Other chipmakers fell on the back of the market reaction to Nvidia’s third-quarter results. Shares of Intel, Qualcomm and Micron Technology all lost 1% or more in value, while AMD declined 0.6%. The slump in Nvidia also had a knock-on effect on ********* semiconductor firms. ASML, a key chip equipment supplier, dropped 0.9%, while compatriot Dutch chip firm ASMI fell 0.5%. Chipmakers BE Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics and Infineon slipped 0.8%, 0.7 and 0.6%, respectively. Several notable chip names were also in negative territory in Asia. TSMC, which makes Nvidia’s high-performance graphics processing units, eased as much as 1.5%. Contract electronics manufacturer Foxconn dropped 1.9%. Why are Nvidia shares falling? Nvidia has largely cornered the market for the high-powered chips powering the world’s most advanced artificial intelligence models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Despite nearly doubling sales year-on-year, Nvidia’s third-quarter results showed a slowdown from previous quarters. Nvidia previously reported growth of 122% in the second quarter, 262% in the first quarter, and 265% in the fourth quarter of 2023. Derren Nathan, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said in emailed comments Wednesday that the dip in Nvidia’s share price “suggests even outstanding isn’t enough for some investors,” adding that he expects the stock to bounce back once markets open. “NVIDIA’s generated stellar gains for shareholders over many years now, and right now it’s pretty hard to see any major holes in the investment case,” Nathan added. Analysts are looking ahead to the much-anticipated launch of Nvidia’s next-generation chip called Blackwell. On the firm’s earnings call, CEO Jensen Huang said that demand for the chip is exceeding supply. – CNBC’s Kif Leswing contributed to this report Source link #Nvidia #NVDA #stock #slumps #earnings #beat Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Gran Turismo 7 update 1.54 out now, adds PS5 Pro enhancements and five new cars Gran Turismo 7 update 1.54 out now, adds PS5 Pro enhancements and five new cars Gran Turismo 7 receives PS5 Pro enhancements and improved PSVR2 visuals in the latest update. Source link #Gran #Turismo #update #adds #PS5 #Pro #enhancements #cars Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

US Department of Justice wants Alphabet to sell Chrome browser US Department of Justice wants Alphabet to sell Chrome browser Following on from winning its antitrust case against Alphabet, the parent company of Google, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) is now seeking to force the search engine giant to offload its Chrome browser. The landmark US court ruling from August 2024 declared that Alphabet had illegally sought to maintain its hold on the online search market. Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Alphabet’s strategy of paying billions to ensure the Google search engine was the default search available on Samsung and Apple smartphone devices was anti-competitive. The DoJ has been looking to curb Alphabet’s strategy to preload Android devices with Google products, and suggested the use of “behavioural and structural remedies” to prevent Google from using products such as its Chrome internet browser, Play app store and Android operating system to “advantage” Google Search. Bloomberg has now reported that the DoJ is looking to ask the judge to force Alphabet to sell the Google search engine as remediation. In response, Kent Walker, president of global affairs and chief legal officer at Google and Alphabet, posted a blog describing the DoJ’s proposals as “staggering”, “interventionist” and micromanagement of Google search. “The DoJ chose to push a ******** interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership,” he said. “DoJ’s wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court’s decision. It would break a range of Google products – even beyond Search – that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives.” Walker spoke about how the remedy would “endanger the security and privacy of millions of Americans, undermine the quality of products, and disclose personal search queries to unknown foreign and domestic companies”. He claimed the remedy would damage Mozilla’s Firefox business, as it “depends on charging Google for Search placement”. Walker also warned that Alphabet would “chill our investment in artificial intelligence [AI], perhaps the most important innovation of our time, where Google plays a leading role”. In October, the tech giant began ramping up efforts to link government intervention with the development of AI. “There are enormous risks to the government putting its thumb on the scale of this vital industry – skewing investment, distorting incentives, hobbling emerging business models – all at precisely the moment that we need to encourage investment, new business models and ********* technological leadership,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, vice-president of regulatory affairs, in a blog post. The ruling follows on from the Court of Justice of the ********* Union upholding a fine of €2.4bn imposed on Google for ****** of its dominant position in shopping comparison services. Among the big questions that will ultimately determine Google’s fate is who president-elect Donald Trump hires to lead the department when he takes office in January 2025. Commenting after the results of Trump’s win in the US presidential election, Daniel Castro, vice-president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank for science and technology policy, said the new administration should focus on creating a pro-innovation regulatory environment that supports AI adoption, collaborating with Congress to pass a light-touch regulatory framework for consumer data protection. He called on the incoming *********** administration to “enact legislation that preempts state efforts to create a patchwork of digital policies that hamper interstate commerce, such as on digital taxation, content regulation and children’s online safety”. Source link #Department #Justice #Alphabet #sell #Chrome #browser Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

When Alistair Brownlee helped brother Jonny over finish line in Mexico When Alistair Brownlee helped brother Jonny over finish line in Mexico Alistair Brownlee helps his exhausted brother Jonny over the finish line in a dramatic end to the Triathlon World Series in Mexico in 2016. Source link #Alistair #Brownlee #helped #brother #Jonny #finish #line #Mexico Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Amazon ****** Friday deals include the ***** Max 11 tablet for a record low of $140 Amazon ****** Friday deals include the ***** Max 11 tablet for a record low of $140 The Amazon ***** Max 11 tablet is on ***** for just $140, which is a record low price. This early ****** Friday deal brings the price down from $230, which is a savings of nearly 40 percent. That’s a whole lot of tablet for not so much money. This is a fairly recent entry into Amazon’s library of tablets, having just been released last year. The ***** Max 11 boasts a large 11-inch LCD screen, a slim aluminum frame and plenty of smart home controls. Of course, it integrates with Alexa for voice controls. This is the cooler and more refined sibling of the ***** 10 and ***** 8 tablets. Amazon The tablet uses an octa-core MediaTek processor and weighs just over a pound. There’s a fingerprint sensor, support for WiFi 6 and 4GB of RAM. It runs ***** OS 8, which allows for split-screen and picture-in-picture features. This lets users slam some emails while, say, keeping an eye on a YouTube video. The tablet integrates with a keyboard and stylus, but those cost extra. There are some minor downsides. First of all, this is an ad-supported model that’ll throw advertisements on the lock screen. In my experience, these are surprisingly unobtrusive. I hate ads and barely notice them. This ***** is also for the 64GB version. That’s not a whole lot of room but the tablet does come with a microSD reader for up to 1TB of additional storage. Check out all of the latest ****** Friday and Cyber Monday deals here. Source link #Amazon #****** #Friday #deals #include #***** #Max #tablet #record Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Oppo Announces Android 15-based ColorOS 15 Globally with Find X8 Series: Compatible Models Oppo Announces Android 15-based ColorOS 15 Globally with Find X8 Series: Compatible Models ColorOS 15 — the new operating system (OS) for Oppo smartphones — was launched globally on Thursday, a month after its introduction at the Oppo Developer Conference in China. It is based on Android 15 and brings enhancements to visual elements with new themes, detailed animations, and texture interpretation. The update makes it easier to transfer files between Oppo smartphone and iPhone models, taking advantage of the new O+ Connect app. It supports a range of artificial intelligence (AI) features for enhancing images and increasing productivity. ColorOS 15 Compatible Models Oppo says ColorOS 15 is available out-of-the-box on the new Find X8 series which comprises the Find X8 and the Find X8 Pro. It will be rolled out to Oppo Find N3, Find N3 Flip, and Reno 11 Pro 5G in November. The entire release timeline and list of models compatible with the ColorOS 15 update is as follows: Release ******* Smartphone November 2024 OPPO Find N3, OPPO Find N3 Flip, OPPO Reno 11 Pro 5G December 2024 OPPO Reno 12 Pro 5G, OPPO Reno 12 5G, OPPO Reno 12 FS 5G, OPPO Reno 11 5G, OPPO Reno 11 F 5G, OPPO K12x 5G, OPPO F25 Pro 5G, OPPO F27 5G, OPPO Pad 3 Pro, OPPO Pad 2 Q1 2025 OPPO Find N2 Flip, OPPO Find X5 Pro, OPPO Find X5, OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ 5G, OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G, OPPO Reno 11 A, OPPO F27 Pro+ 5G Q2 2025 OPPO Reno 12 FS, OPPO Reno 12 F, OPPO Reno 11 FS, OPPO Reno 8 T, OPPO Reno 8 T 5G, OPPO F23 5G ColorOS 15 Features According to Oppo, ColorOS 15 brings a refreshed user interface (UI) and new Flux themes, enabling users to create personalised home and lock screen combinations with layouts, effects, themes, and wallpapers. It features dynamic motion effects for everyday actions such as charging and fingerprint access. The company says ColorOS 15 results in up to 18 percent better response time and up to 40 percent more control stability. This is courtesy of the Luminous Rendering Engine which is claimed to run parallel animation effects. The update brings an improved Trinity Engine with a smart caching system for optimisation of the CPU and system performance. Oppo says it can improve the overall system smoothness by 22 percent while also increasing the battery life by up to 12 minutes. A big part of ColorOS 15 is the range of AI features on offer. It gets AI Clarity Enhancer which is claimed to upscale low-resolution images into high-definition snapshots. Further, it comes with AI Unblur for removing blur, AI Eraser for unwanted object removal, AI Best Face and AI Clear Face for correcting and enhancing facial features, and AI Studio for adding artistic styles and textures to photos. For improved productivity, the update features an AI Toolbox, using which, users can summarise web articles, draft emails, get ideas for social media captions, rephrase text, and get chat suggestions. They can also get translation and document summaries using the AI Docs feature. Oppo says it has enabled AI functionality in the voice recorder which can now transcribe and summarise recordings, while the Notes app also gets an AI assistant. Additionally, ColorOS 15 incorporates Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro and 1.5 Flash large language models (LLMs) across language, assistance, and search, and brings support for Circle to Search. Another notable addition is the O+ Connect app which makes transferring files, such as photos, videos, and documents between Oppo devices and iPhone models a quick and seamless process, as per the company. Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details. Source link #Oppo #Announces #Android #15based #ColorOS #Globally #Find #Series #Compatible #Models Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Target Results Are Not a Retail Bellwether: Why the Dip Is a Buy Target Results Are Not a Retail Bellwether: Why the Dip Is a Buy Target had a lackluster quarter and lowered its guidance, sending its share price to the bargain basement. Critical support aligns with the recent lows and the low end of a long-term trading range and will likely hold. Results and guidance are weak but can sustain the capital return in 2025. While Target (NYSE:) has been a bellwether of retail sector health in recent years, it is not today. The company’s lackluster results are due to its operational quality and lack of relevance in an environment where consumers are budget-conscious. Results from other retailers, including Walmart (NYSE:), The TJX Companies (NYSE:), and Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:), show them growing, sustaining margin strength or widening margin and providing a healthy outlook for these trends to continue. The take on consumer health ex-Target is that strong labor trends point to a healthy spending season, with growth likely above the consensus estimates. Target Results Aren’t All Bad: Shares Move to Rock Bottom Price Point Target’s results are weak compared to the analysts’ forecasts and the industry average, but not all bad for investors. The company sustained growth with revenue of $25.67 billion, up 1.15 year-over-year. The gain was made on a 0.3% comp driven by a 2.4% increase in traffic and a 10.8% increase in digital sales. Regarding brick-and-mortar traffic, beauty, food and beverage, and dailies remain areas of strength. The margin news is also mixed with compression, compounding the top-line weakness. The ****** margin contracted by 20 bps and the operating margin by 60 due to higher inventory costs, supply chain costs, and digital fulfillment. The net result is an adjusted EPS of $1.85, 2000 basis points shy of the consensus but still sufficient to sustain the company’s financial health and capital returns. The guidance is equally bad, with comps expected to be flat compared to last year and positive forecasts from its competitors. However, the guidance also calls for EPS sufficient to sustain the capital return program if it dampens the outlook for the pace of buybacks. The full-year adjusted EPS target of $8.90 is $.60 shy of the consensus reported by MarketBeat.com but provides a sustainable dividend payout ratio of 52%. Target’s Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Can Sustain Capital Returns Capital return in Q3 included $516 million in dividends and another $354 in buybacks. The dividend is worth more than 3.5% in annualized return, with shares trading near long-term lows. The buybacks reduced the share count, down 0.2% for the quarter, and are expected to continue, if at a reduced pace, until earnings quality improves. The cash flow and balance sheet highlights are good. The company’s cash flow was negative for the quarter but offset by YTD strength; cash is up, inventory is up, current and total assets are up, and liabilities are flat. Long-term debt leverage ******** low at only 1x equity, and equity is rising, up by 15% compared to last year. Analyst Sentiment Weighs on Target Stock Price The initial response from analysts isn’t good, including two downgrades and price target reductions, but it could be worse. The new ratings are Hold, down from Buys, with targets of $108 and $130. The mid-point of that range aligns with the recent stock price lows and may provide a floor for the market. If not, this stock could set new lows and move significantly lower from there. In that scenario, Target’s shares could enter a sustained downtrend from which it may never recover. The likely scenario is that support will hold at the bottom of the trading range, which aligns with a long-term moving average that has provided support before. In this scenario, Target’s stock price may wallow near current levels until more news is available. Because economic headwinds are expected to ease in 2025 and tailwinds to develop, Target’s business and stock price could begin to improve by the middle of next year. Original Post Source link #Target #Results #Retail #Bellwether #Dip #Buy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Monk Who Waves the Greek Flag at Fighter Jets The Monk Who Waves the Greek Flag at Fighter Jets Monk Joseph waiving at a Hellenic Airforce aircraft on Mount Athos. Public Domain A Greek monk at Mount Athos, the holy mountain of Orthodoxy, has been waving the Greek flag for years. He does so each time a military plane passes over his monastery. Whenever Monk Joseph hears the sound of an aircraft, he stands close at the edge of a cliff above the Aegean and waves a huge Greek—or sometimes Byzantine—flag at the Greek Air Force pilots flying over the peninsula of Athos in northern Greece. The pilots fly low in response to the monk’s special greeting, paying respect to the man known among the Greek Air force circles as the patron of pilots. But how did this strange yet fascinating greeting begin? Some years ago, when Monk Joseph traveled to the island of Skyros for a local fair, he also visited the airbase of the island. A pilot recognized him as the monk living on a Mount Athos top that happens to be a turning point for aircraft. After their acquaintance, the pilot used to fly low each time over that point so that he could greet the monk in this special way. Monk Joseph waved to the pilot with a huge Greek flag Then the monk would wave back in response until one day Joseph took a huge Greek flag and started waving it back at the pilot. From that moment on, the story of the monk spread rapidly within the circles of the Hellenic Air Force, and, soon, one pilot after the other flying over the area flew closer to the ground to greet the monk. The story of the humble monk and the pilots circulated on the internet and has become popular around the world. In every photo, the monk stands at the edge of a steep cliff with a huge flag in his hands while the pilots’ faces flying by are close enough to be recognized. Sometimes, the peculiar greeting is met by navy ships sailing close by the point where the hermit resides. Many pilgrims who have happened to be at the scene have also joined Monk Joseph in his greeting ceremony. The hermit has now become a sort of patron or protector of pilots. He waves at them before they head to their air missions and waits for them to return and greet him in their own special way. Many pilots have visited the monk in his cell and presented him with souvenirs including an Air Force uniform with his name sewn on the garments. “I love them all like my children,” said the hermit Joseph in a conversation. “I have also met some up close.” “Every day, when I hear the sound of airplanes, I dash from my cell,” he revealed. “I go out and wave the Greek flag. I weep with emotion, as these young lads always, following any mission in the Aegean, come to greet me so that I may give them my blessing.” “I have watched too many battles,” Joseph said recently. “I felt ***** and pride. But the feeling I get after each engagement when they pass over my hermitage to greet me is indescribable…Some of the pilots came here and found me. We embraced, we talked, they opened their hearts. They revealed their problems. I feel that my words are words of ****, and will make them even more courageous to defend everything in our Greece.” Born in Corinth sixty-four years ago, Joseph was the son of a priest originally baptized as Christos. Before he became a monk, he was known to the world as Christos Bairaktaris. He comes from the village of Agios Vasilios in Corinth, and the Greek Air Force has embraced him as part of its own family. In 1983, at the age of twenty-five, he decided to become a monk at the Monastery of Megisti Lavra on Mount Athos. From there, he was sent to the cell of Saint Minas in the location known as Vigla, where he would be responsible for taking care of the 19th-century small *******. It is said that Joseph’s cell looks over the very point where the Persian military commander Mardonius lost half of his fleet at sea in 492 BC. Joseph is not fond of media attention or flashlights, so he only shares his thoughts and words with the visiting pilgrims. He is one of the most well-known cantors of Mount Athos and often chants in churches and metropoles outside the monastic community of Athos. He also attends religious fairs around the country. “He is a saintly man, a biblical personality, who whenever anyone comes to meet him, opens a window to a world of goodness and love,” said George Vazouras, a pilot who visits him often. Source link #Monk #Waves #Greek #Flag #Fighter #Jets Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Serbia arrests 11 over railway station roof collapse Serbia arrests 11 over railway station roof collapse Eleven people have been arrested in Serbia in connection with a roof collapse at a train station in the northern city of Novi Sad that ******* 15 people and severely injured two others. The suspects, who have not been identified, face charges of committing ********* acts against public security, causing public danger and irregular construction work, the Higher Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad said on Thursday. They face up to 12 years in prison. Serbian media reported that Goran Vesic, who resigned as construction minister after the collapse, was among those detained. Vesic said on X he went in voluntarily. The arrests came after a wave of protests erupted over the tragedy demanding that those responsible be brought to justice and punished. Many in Serbia believe that the roof collapse earlier in November was the result of *********** and lack of transparency that led to sloppy work in the renovation of the station building. Opposition politicians behind the protests said they were sceptical of the announced arrests and called for the case to be handled by organised ****** prosecutors. “They (prosecutors) have avoided mentioning the deaths of the people and *********** and those are key,” said Borislav Novakovic, a former mayor of Novi Sad. “For the past 20 days all suspects could influence witnesses, tamper with evidence and alter documentation.” Opposition MPs and other protesters on Wednesday clashed with police outside the court building in Novi Sad for a third day in a row, demanding indictments over the roof collapse and the release from detention of activists who were jailed during earlier rallies. Serbia’s authoritarian President Aleksandar Vucic described opposition protests on Thursday as “*******” and “brutal ********* by certain political factors”. Vucic said “we will defeat the thugs and bullies … we are not afraid”. The railway station building in Novi Sad was built in 1964. It was renovated twice in recent years as part of a wider infrastructure deal with ******** state companies. The huge roof collapsed on November 1. Initially, 14 people ***** and three were severely injured, but one of the injured people ***** on Sunday. Source link #Serbia #arrests #railway #station #roof #collapse Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Metaphor: ReFantazio Gets First Big Discount For ****** Friday Metaphor: ReFantazio Gets First Big Discount For ****** Friday There are many great ****** Friday game deals, including the biggest discount yet for the excellent Metaphor ReFantazio. The acclaimed RPG is down to just $50 on PS5 and Xbox Series X at Amazon, a nearly 30% price cut from its $70 list price. Metaphor ReFantazio is a narrative-focused RPG featuring an intriguing tale that covers the race to crown a new king in a fantasy land of swords and sorcery. Fans of other Atlus RPGs like Persona and Shin Megami Tensei will recognize the game’s focus on social interactions and strategic turn-based battles, but Metaphor’s unique high fantasy setting, bold art direction, and epic musical score all represent bold new directions for the studio. The result is one of Atlus’ best games, earning a rare 10/10 score here on GameSpot, with reviewer Jessica Cogswell noting that “Metaphor: ReFantazio combines Atlus’ skill in crafting emotionally charged RPGs with brilliant plot twists, a keen sense of adventure, and fantastical idealism to create one of its greatest games yet.” More Atlus RPG ****** Friday deals Several other Atlus games are included in Amazon’s ****** Friday discount you’re looking for even more meaty RPGs to get you through the long winter nights, including the latest entries in the Persona series. Persona 3 Reload launched earlier this year for $70, but it’s on ***** for $25 while Persona 5 Royal is available for as little as $20 (was $60). Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is also getting a ****** Friday price cut to $25 (was $60). This is an enhanced version of the 2021 game featuring sharper visuals and several quality-of-life upgrades–so if you’ve ever wanted to experience a Pokemon-like adventure set in a wasteland inhabited by warring factions of angels and demons, this is a good time to do so. Persona 3 Reload Persona 5 Royal Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Source link #Metaphor #ReFantazio #Big #Discount #****** #Friday Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Finds Organic Molecules on Mars NASA’s Perseverance Rover Finds Organic Molecules on Mars NASA’s Perseverance rover, currently exploring Mars’ Jezero Crater, has detected carbon-based molecules that may hint at ancient life on the Red Planet. These findings, reported last summer, were made using SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals), an advanced instrument capable of identifying potential organic compounds. While the discovery has raised hopes within the scientific community, questions about its accuracy remain, as researchers consider alternative explanations for the data. Detection of Organic Molecules and Its Challenges The SHERLOC instrument utilises two techniques: ultraviolet luminescence and Raman spectroscopy. Dr Ken Farley, Project Scientist for the Perseverance mission, explained that SHERLOC can detect organic matter potentially present in Mars’ environment. Luminescence, while highly sensitive, lacks specificity, as non-organic materials can also produce similar signals. Raman spectroscopy provides more precise chemical fingerprints, but its sensitivity is limited. This combination allows researchers to hypothesise about the presence of organic molecules, but uncertainties in the data complicate definitive conclusions. Potential Alternative Explanations A study published in Science Advances posited that the detected signals could originate from inorganic substances, such as defects in minerals like phosphate and silicate or the presence of cesium ions. Dr Eva Scheller, a planetary scientist at MIT and co-author of the study, highlighted that multiple chemical compositions can produce similar spectral patterns. Such overlaps, known as degeneracy in spectroscopy, make it challenging to interpret data reliably. The original researchers also acknowledged these alternative explanations, underscoring the inherent difficulties of remote Mars analyses. Implications and Future Investigations While the presence of organic molecules might not confirm life, Jezero Crater’s history as an ancient lakebed increases the significance of the discovery. Both Farley and Scheller agree that a Mars Sample Return mission could provide the clarity necessary to determine whether these compounds originated from biological or abiotic processes. Until then, debates surrounding the findings are expected to continue, illustrating the evolving nature of scientific inquiry. Source link #NASAs #Perseverance #Rover #Finds #Organic #Molecules #Mars Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Android Switch App for iOS Users Launched; Google Says Improved Data Transfers Coming to More Phones in 2025 Android Switch App for iOS Users Launched; Google Says Improved Data Transfers Coming to More Phones in 2025 Google is making it easier for iPhone owners to switch to Android smartphones. The company has rebranded its data transfer tool that helps users on iOS move their information and accounts, and it is now called Android Switch. Meanwhile, Google has also confirmed that a useful delayed data transfer feature introduced on the Pixel 9 series will also make its way to other Android phones in 2025. The company also says that data transfers from iOS to Android when using a cable will now be considerably faster. Google Rebrands Data Transfer Tool to ‘Android Switch’ As part of its efforts to streamline the process of switching from iOS to Android, Google says its Data Restore Tool is now called ‘Android Switch’. The listing for the app on the App Store and Google Play store has already been updated with the new name, a refreshed icon, and the description refers to it as “Google’s official transfer app”. The redesigned Android Switch app can transfer a user’s chats, calendars, contacts, Wi-Fi networks, Google account, and other data from an iPhone to a new Android device. It also shows users how to disable iMessage when switching away from iOS — an essential step that must be completed before a one can begin receiving SMS messages (or RCS messages, in supported regions) from other users. According to Google’s FAQ page, users will be able to transfer contacts, calendar events, and on-device photos and videos using a cable or the cloud. However, if they want to transfer messages, apps, on-device music, and notes, they will need to transfer their data using a cable. Google also says that users who use a cable to transfer data from their iPhone to a new Android phone using the Android Switch app will benefit from a 40 percent increase in transfer speeds, which appears to be a considerable jump in performance over the last year. The company didn’t share any details on how it managed to improve transfer speeds when using a cable. When the Pixel 9 series was launched, Google also introduced the ability to quickly complete an initial setup process so users can get faster access to their smartphone, then start the data transfer process at a later stage. While this feature is currently limited to the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google says it will be available on more Android phones in 2025. Source link #Android #Switch #App #iOS #Users #Launched #Google #Improved #Data #Transfers #Coming #Phones Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

5 Dividend ETFs to Buy and Hold Forever 5 Dividend ETFs to Buy and Hold Forever Dividend ETFs provide ************* investors with steady income, long-term growth potential, and diversification, making them ideal for a hands-off, buy-and-hold strategy. Top options like VOO, XLU, SDY, JEPI, and SCHD cater to diverse goals, from market-wide exposure to high-yield income and defensive plays. These ETFs combine consistent payouts and growth potential, offering a stable foundation for compounding investments over the long term. For ************* investors seeking steady income and long-term growth, dividend ETFs offer a reliable “buy and hold” strategy. These funds provide diversification, consistent payouts, and the ease of passive management, making them ideal for a stable, hands-off portfolio. With careful selection, dividend ETFs can be a cornerstone of a traditional investment plan, delivering income and growth for years to come. So, let’s explore five top dividend ETFs for the traditional long-term investor who wants to compound their investment over time. 1. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF Nears 52-Week High with Over 300% Returns Since 2011 Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSE:) is a flagship ETF that tracks the , offering exposure to 500 of the largest U.S. companies. With a low expense ratio of 0.03% and a dividend yield of 1.1%, VOO provides a cost-effective way to invest in the U.S. stock market’s overall performance. Year-to-date, VOO is up over 24%, trading near its 52-week high, and has delivered over 300% returns since its 2011 launch, excluding dividends. With $568 billion in assets under management and a 96.4% U.S. market exposure, VOO is a staple for stability and long-term growth. 2. Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund: Defensive and Steady Income The Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:) focuses on the utilities sector, which is known for its defensive characteristics and steady income. This ETF holds electric, multi-utilities, and gas utility companies, providing a current dividend yield of 2.56%. Year-to-date, XLU has gained over 27%, driven partly by increased energy demand from AI and data centers, which has sparked renewed interest in power generation and nuclear energy. With a low expense ratio of 0.09%, solid dividend yield, and upward momentum, XLU ******** a solid pick for ************* investors seeking stable income and growth in a thriving sector. 3. SPDR S&P Dividend ETF: Focused on Dividend Growth Leaders The SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (NYSE:) is designed for income-focused investors by tracking companies with a history of increasing dividends for at least 20 consecutive years. Its diverse portfolio of 133 holdings includes top-holding blue-chip names like Chevron (NYSE:), Realty Income (NYSE:), and Kenvue (NYSE:). The ETF boasts a 2.29% dividend yield and has gained nearly 12% year-to-date. With 95.5% U.S. exposure and a balanced sector allocation across industries such as , utilities, and , SDY offers a combination of stability and consistent income growth. 4. JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF Offers Steady Income with Lower Market Volatility JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (NYSE:) stands out for its high yield, currently at 10.7%, making it a favorite among income investors. The fund employs a covered call strategy, selling options on low-volatility, value-oriented large-cap stocks to generate premium income while reducing overall portfolio risk. JEPI has delivered an 8% return year-to-date, which climbs into the high teens when factoring in its monthly dividends. With an expense ratio of 0.35%, JEPI appeals to investors seeking a steady income stream with less exposure to market volatility. 5. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF Combines Income and Growth for Long-Term Investors Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSE:) is a leader in dividend growth investing, delivering impressive returns by tracking the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index. This ETF focuses on companies with at least ten consecutive years of uninterrupted dividend payments and strong financial fundamentals. Since its inception in 2011, SCHD has delivered an average annual return of 13.4%, outperforming the S&P 500’s 11% over the same *******. With its disciplined investment strategy, SCHD combines income and capital appreciation, making it a top choice for *************, long-term investors. The Bottom Line Dividend ETFs like VOO, XLU, SDY, JEPI, and SCHD offer stability, consistent income, and long-term growth potential, making them ideal for ************* investors. Whether prioritizing market-wide exposure, sector-specific plays, or high-yield strategies, these ETFs provide an excellent foundation for a buy-and-hold portfolio that can stand the test of time. Original Post Source link #Dividend #ETFs #Buy #Hold Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]