Pelican Press

Las Vegas man who called 911 for help ******* by police in his home Las Vegas man who called 911 for help ******* by police in his home A 43-year-old father was fatally shot by police in Las Vegas after he called 911 for help while fighting off an intruder in his home. The family of Brandon Durham, including his 15-year-old daughter who was hiding in a nearby room when her father was *******, have asked for the officer to be fired. Mr Durham’s teenage daughter said she was “disgusted” with Las Vegas police as they treated him like “the suspect” not “the victim”. A lawyer for Alexander Bookman, the officer who shot Mr Durham, said he committed no *******. The incident last week brought police shootings back into the spotlight, occurring just days before the Justice Department opened an investigation into the ****** of Sonya Massey, who was fatally shot in July by an officer inside her home in Illinois. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Mr Bookman, 26, had been placed on paid administrative leave while they conduct an internal review of the 12 November incident. Mr Durham had called 911 to report that two people were ********* outside and were trying to break into his home, police said in a press statement. Officers responding to the report found cars with broken windows outside. They also noticed damage to the house and heard yelling from inside, police said, prompting Mr Bookman to kick down the front door to enter. Body camera footage released by the police shows Mr Bookman walking through the home with his **** drawn, while screaming and ******** can be heard out of view. Turning the corner of an L-shaped hallway, the officer finds a shirtless Mr Durham wrestling over a ****** with a woman wearing a ski mask, later identified as 31-year-old Alejandra Boudreaux. Mr Bookman yells, “hey, drop the ******, drop the ******”, seconds before ******* a shot hitting Mr Durham and sending him and Ms Boudreaux to the ground. Mr Bookman then fires five more shots at Mr Durham and says “put your hands up”, body-worn camera footage released by police showed. Mr Durham was pronounced ***** on the scene. Ms Boudreaux was arrested and charged with four counts, including home invasion with a deadly *******. “I am disgusted in how the Metropolitan Police told my father, after ******** him, to stay down,” Mr Durham’s daughter told local news. “I’m disgusted that the Metropolitan Police will allow me to live fatherless for the rest of my life.” The family’s attorney has asked for an immediate arrest warrant for Mr Bookman. “Unlike a civil case, in which an individual’s negligence is at issue, ********* cases require proof of a person’s ********* intent,” David Roger, general counsel for the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, said in a statement to CNN. “While Mr. Durham’s ****** is tragic, Officer Bookman was doing his job and did not intend to commit a ******.” Citing a police report, local news outlets said Mr Durham and Ms Boudreaux were previously in a romantic relationship. Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said police did not find a **** on the scene, despite multiple reports of shots fired. The similar details between Mr Durham’s ****** and that of Sonya Massey, the Illinois woman who was shot and ******* by police in her home after calling for help, have renewed calls for police reform. Source link #Las #Vegas #man #called #******* #police #home Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How to fix reputation in Stalker 2 How to fix reputation in Stalker 2 Unless you played any of the previous games, it might come as a surprise to learn just how many immersive sim elements are in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. In a lot of ways, it is closer to a more ********* Fallout game than a pure FPS title, with lots of loot, quests, and characters to meet and talk to. One somewhat hidden mechanic is the reputation system. Stalker 2 won’t stop you from opening ***** on anyone you want, but not without consequence. Upset someone from a particular group, and you’ll find yourself being hunted by them until you do something about it. There are enough things in Stalker 2 trying to ***** you so if you accidentally angered a group and want to get back in their good graces, here’s how you can fix your reputation. How to fix your reputation in Stalker 2 GSC Game World If you’ve intentionally or accidentally shot or hurt a friendly NPC from one of the main groups in Stalker 2, you will instantly be put on their “****** on sight” list if it lowers your reputation enough. Thankfully, there are ways to get yourself a second or third chance, but only two. The first way is easiest, but takes a while. So long as you don’t keep attacking that group and avoid them so they don’t see and open ***** on you, eventually, they will forget the whole thing ever happened and forgive you. You can speed this process up by finding a bed and sleeping a couple of days. While they won’t ****** you on sight any more, they won’t fully forgive you. If you want to repair your reputation faster, you need to head to a location where that group has a leader and talk to them. You won’t be attacked going into a major town, so don’t worry about that. Once you find one of these leaders (there can be more than one), you will need to discuss what it will cost to be forgiven. Whether coupons or time is more valuable is up to you, but you need to spend one if you care about working with that faction again. Source link #fix #reputation #Stalker Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia expects to sell more Blackwell chips than previously anticipated Nvidia expects to sell more Blackwell chips than previously anticipated After a quarter where Nvidia’s sales nearly doubled, investors and analysts are wondering how long the chipmaker can keep this kind of growth going now that it has a $140 billion annual revenue run rate. Those hopes fall on Blackwell, which is Nvidia’s name for a family of server products based around its next-generation AI chip. CEO Jensen Huang and CFO Colette Kress gave investors several new data points on how Blackwell’s launch is shaping up on a call with analysts on Wednesday. The duo emphasized that the rollout is on track, and they signaled that Blackwell sales over the next few quarters will be limited by how many chips and systems Nvidia can make, not how much it can sell. “Blackwell production is in full steam,” Huang said. “We will deliver this quarter more Blackwells than we had previously estimated.” The company’s positive comments on Blackwell are one reason why the stock is only down 1%, despite the company missing elevated expectations from bullish investors who anticipated Nvidia would significantly exceed its own forecasts. Huang and Kress’s comments also addressed fears about shipment delays that were spurred by reports that said Nvidia was making ongoing engineering changes to its systems to address problems. Some of Nvidia’s most important end-customers have already received some Blackwell chips, the company confirmed on Wednesday. Microsoft, Oracle and OpenAI have posted pictures of Blackwell-based server racks on their social media accounts, and on Wednesday, the company said 13,000 Blackwell chips have already been shipped to customers. “There’s still a lot of a lot of engineering that happens at this point,” Huang said. “But as you see from all of the systems that are being stood up, Blackwell is in great shape.” Those sample chips aren’t the bulk of the shipments that the company is expecting to make. They’re early versions intended to allow customers to start testing and get their systems and software ready for the volume shipments, which will start in Nvidia’s current quarter. “We will we’ll ship more Blackwells next quarter than this [quarter], and we’ll ship more Blackwells the quarter after that than than our first quarter,” Huang said. In July, Nvidia said it expected “several billion dollars” of Blackwell revenue in its current quarter, and on Wednesday, the company said it expects the amount of Blackwell sales for this quarter to be higher than its original forecast. Huang also said that Microsoft will soon start to preview its Blackwell-based systems to cloud customers. A limiting factor to producing more Blackwell systems is the amount of components that Nvidia’s suppliers can provide, Huang said. Additionally, it takes time to ramp up the velocity of a manufacturing process that has gone from zero shipments to billions of dollars of shipments in a few months. “It is the case that demand exceeds our supply, and that’s expected as we’re in the beginnings of this generative AI revolution,” Huang said. He also named some of Nvidia’s “great partners,” including TSMC, Amphenol, Vertiv, SK Hynix and Micron. “Almost every company in the world seems to be involved in our supply chain,” Huang said. Nvidia said that Blackwell’s ****** margins will be lower in the coming months than the 73.5% it reported in the third quarter, but the company said that margin will increase as the product matures. Huang pointed out that Blackwell comes as just the chip itself or in configurations that include an entire rack and other components. Nvidia’s overall message on Wednesday was that its new Blackwell chip is in short supply because companies like OpenAI need the fastest GPUs available as quickly as possible to develop next-generation AI models. As Blackwell rolls out, Nvidia’s current AI chips, which it calls Hopper, will be relegated to serving AI models, not creating new ones. Nvidia said that Blackwell sales will eventually exceed those of Hopper. “You see now that at the tail end of the last generation of foundation models, we’re at at about 100,000 Hoppers,” Huang said. “The next generation starts at 100,000 Blackwells.” WATCH: Nvidia can still grow even with Amazon and Microsoft entering the space: Susquehanna’s Chris Rolland Source link #Nvidia #expects #sell #Blackwell #chips #previously #anticipated Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Farewell Liam’ and ‘*** defies ******’ ‘Farewell Liam’ and ‘*** defies ******’ Some of Thursday’s front pages are dominated by the ******** of One Direction star Liam Payne. The Mirror has the headline “farewell, Liam” alongside photos of his former bandmates and ex-partner Cheryl. The Metro opts for the same headline. Payne ***** on 16 October after falling from the third floor of a hotel room in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. The Sun has the headline “All For One”, with photos of Cheryl, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik. The i says “*** defies ****** as Ukraine fires British missiles into Russia”. Downing Street has not confirmed the reports but Defence Secretary John Healey said Ukraine’s actions “speak for themselves”. The Daily Mail says it is the first time *** weapons have been used on Russian territory since 1919. The FT also leads on Ukraine ******* ***-supplied missiles at targets inside Russia for the first time. It also has a story on how Ford plans to cut 4,000 jobs in Europe as it struggles with a drop in demand for electric vehicles. The Guardian also leads on the Ukraine attacks inside Russia with *** missiles. Below that it has a photo of Harry Styles at Liam Payne’s ********. The Daily Star claims that thousands of Britons want to treat themselves to £150,000 nuclear bunkers in case World War III breaks out. The Telegraph leads with reports that the military will be hit with £500 million worth of cuts. Writing for the paper, ex-defence secretary Ben Wallace warned that cuts would send a message to adversaries that the ***’s defences are weakening. Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. Related Internet Links Daily Express Daily Mail Daily Mirror Daily Star Daily Telegraph Financial Times Guardian Independent Metro Sun The i Times Source link #Farewell #Liam #defies #****** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apple ****** Friday deals include the 10th-gen iPad for a record low of $280 Apple ****** Friday deals include the 10th-gen iPad for a record low of $280 Apple ****** Friday deals have started popping up, and this is your chance to grab a new iPad for much less than usual. Our top pick for the best iPad for those on a budget, the 10th-gen iPad has dropped to $280, which is a record low and a $70 discount. The 10th-gen iPad is only slightly thicker and heavier than the iPad Air. It looks similar to the iPad Air, too — the tablet no longer has the Home button that its predecessor did, and it has a ******* screen with smaller bezels. Apple The device is powered by Apple’s A14 Bionic chip, which was first seen on the iPhone 12 and is powerful enough that we could edit RAW photos in Lightroom when we tested the tablet. When we ran a test for battery life, we discovered that the model could play movies continuously for 11 hours and 45 minutes on a single charge. Unlike previous models with Lightning ports, this one comes with a USB-C port for charging. Apple moved its front-facing camera to its landscape edge, as well. The company gave it a larger display, measuring 10.9 inches, so it doesn’t feel as cramped as previous models even with a lot of apps. While the iPad Air does have a better display overall with its lamination and anti-reflective coating, the 10th-gen iPad’s isn’t bad at all seeing as it costs significantly less, especially with this discount. Check out all of the latest ****** Friday and Cyber Monday deals here. Source link #Apple #****** #Friday #deals #include #10thgen #iPad #record Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

ChatGPT just improved its creative writing chops ChatGPT just improved its creative writing chops Sanket Mishra / Pexels One of the great strengths of ChatGPT is its ability to aid in creative writing. ChatGPT’s latest large language model, GPT-4o, has received a bit of a performance boost, OpenAI announced Wednesday. Users can reportedly expect “more natural, engaging, and tailored writing to improve relevance & readability” moving forward. GPT-4o got an update The model’s creative writing ability has leveled up–more natural, engaging, and tailored writing to improve relevance & readability. It’s also better at working with uploaded files, providing deeper insights & more thorough responses. — OpenAI (@OpenAI) November 20, 2024 GPT-4o, not to be confused with 01 (formerly Project Strawberry), is OpenAI’s latest publicly available model, surpassing GPT-4 and GPT-3.5. GPT-4o was first released in May 2024 and offers users double the performance at half the resource cost of its direct predecessor, GPT-4-Turbo, as well as state-of-the-art benchmark results in voice, multilingual, and vision tasks. Not only is it more efficient than older versions but it offers a host of additional capabilities. The model’s rapid response pace makes it especially useful for real-time translation and conversation applications. For example, ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode would not be possible without the near-instantaneous text, voice, and audio inference that GPT-4o offers (and that previous models did not). GPT-4o boasts improved reasoning skills over its predecessors as well, able to interpret a user’s spoken tone and intention, understand unique aspects of their tone, pace, and mood, and reply in kind. While GPT-4o is technically available to every OpenAI subscriber level, including the free tier, it is not available for unlimited use. Free-tier users will find that they can only access the new model a handful of times on ChatGPT before being shunted down to interact with the smaller GPT-4o-mini model. Plus, Teams, and Enterprise subscribers have a rate limit roughly five times higher. GPT-4o-mini is based on the same training data as its larger sibling, but leverages fewer variables (not to mention fewer compute resources) in its inference operations. Being lighter-weight and more responsive, GPT-40-mini has proven useful in a variety of small-scale applications including computer code generation. OpenAI claims GPT-4o mini is “the most capable and cost-efficient small model available today,” per CNBC, out-performing competitors like Google’s Gemini 1.5 Flash, Meta’s Llama 3 8b, or Anthropic’s Claude 3 Haiku in a variety of benchmarks. According to data from Artificial Analysis, 40-mini scored 82% on the MMLU reasoning benchmark, topping Gemini by 3% and Claude 3 Haiku by 7%. Source link #ChatGPT #improved #creative #writing #chops Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

House committee fails to reach agreement on whether to release Matt Gaetz report House committee fails to reach agreement on whether to release Matt Gaetz report House committee fails to reach agreement on whether to release Matt Gaetz report – CBS News Watch CBS News The House Ethics Committee will keep its report of an investigation into ******* misconduct allegations against former Rep. Matt Gaetz sealed for the time being after it was unable to reach a decision Wednesday on whether to release it. Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial pick for attorney general, was on Capitol Hill today attempting to win support among Senate Republicans. Nikole Killion has the latest. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On Source link #House #committee #fails #reach #agreement #release #Matt #Gaetz #report Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Grassroots group brightens holidays for Ukrainian families in B.C.’s Okanagan Grassroots group brightens holidays for Ukrainian families in B.C.’s Okanagan Anna Vartanian was happy to put a gift under the Christmas tree that will eventually make its way to a Ukrainian child at a special event Tuesday night. “Each child wants to have a present, especially at Christmas,” said Vartanian, who fled the war in Ukraine with her family. “It’s a very magical day for all children. It’s a full circle moment for the mother of three who in 2022 was the recipient of these gifts herself after fleeing her home in war-torn Ukraine. 2:08 Ukrainian refugees in the Okanagan dealing with mental health challenges Now living in Kelowna, she remembers well how it felt to receive the presents for her children. Story continues below advertisement “It’s very supportive, it’s very helpful and wonderful,” she told Global News. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. The gifts that piled up under the tree are for a toy drive that a grassroots organization calling itself ‘Hearts and Hands 4 Ukraine’ launched three years ago. “The war had started in Ukraine and we just thought they have no family, they have no one here so why don’t we become their family,” said an emotional Mohini Singh, one of the organization’s founders. The pre-Christmas event at a private home attracted nearly 150 people hoping to brighten the holidays for the newcomers, many of whom still have family members in Ukraine where the war continues. “All you have to do is listen to the news and see what is happening in Ukraine and the people that come here are escaping and a lot of them come with very little,” said Gary Campbell, who has attended the event and donated toys since its inception. “And you know this is Canada. We like to support people.” Trending Now Paul Bernardo parole hearing ‘working to accommodate’ victims’ families in person Susan Smith denied parole 30 years after drowning her 2 children 1:47 Sharing Ukrainian culture through food in the Okanagan This year, the toy drive will support nearly 200 Ukrainian children in the Central Okanagan. Story continues below advertisement “That Christmas tree is spilling over with gifts,” Singh said. “It really represents the spirit of Kelowna, the kindness and generosity of the people in this city.” Vartanian said she will never forget the warm reception her family received after arriving in Kelowna. “Very welcomed because when you come to a new country you don’t know people and you see a group of people who are very supportive, who want to help,” Vartanian said. The support is critical during times of crisis — and especially at Christmas time when many people’s emotions are heightened. Those who missed the event but would still like to donate a toy can do so at the Ukrainian Orthodox Parish at 1935 Barlee Road in Kelowna. More on World More videos Source link #Grassroots #group #brightens #holidays #Ukrainian #families #B.C.s #Okanagan Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stalker 2 Dev Admits It’s “Rough Around The Edges,” But Is “Committed” To Fixes Stalker 2 Dev Admits It’s “Rough Around The Edges,” But Is “Committed” To Fixes Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is out now, but it seems players should expect a bumpy ride, as even its developer is warning that it is “rough around the edges.” In a heartfelt message posted to social media, Ukrainian developer GSC Game World said the 15-years-later sequel, developed during Russia’s ongoing invasion, is a “love letter to Ukraine” and a “project of endless love and passion” from the team. However, GSC also didn’t sugar coat the state of the game at launch. A message from the GSC Game World Team. Before you step into the Zone, we’d like to take a moment to share something from the heart. pic.twitter.com/wuLRAkq7Ba — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) November 20, 2024 “Stalker 2 is a massive game,” GSC Game World said in its statement. “We understand that in such a game, there may still be rough edges: we literally haven’t released anything of this scale before.” Numerous reviews, including GameSpot’s Stalker 2 review, took notice of the game’s technical problems, reporting numerous visual bugs and frequent crashes. GameSpot reviewer Richard Wakeling said the game’s “torrent of technical issues” ultimately hampers the game’s oppressive atmosphere. The first-person shooter combines elements of military sims and survival horror, as players attempt to survive a Chornobyl exclusion zone filled with mutants, hostile humans, and strange anomalies. GSC Game World, for its part, said it’s committed to the game and making improvements. “We’re absolutely committed to being here, monitoring your feedback, and quickly fixing any issues that need our attention,” GSC said in its statement. “In the first days after release, we’ll be working with hotfixes, rolling them out as precisely as possible, but as frequently as we can.” Larger updates and additional improvements will come over time, GSC said, which will include free in-game content. A content roadmap for Stalker 2 will be revealed in December. “We have big plans for the Stalker universe,” GSC said. “In a way, today is both a return and the beginning of a grand new journey.” Stalker 2 is available on Xbox Series X|S and PC, where it’s also available via Game Pass. Source link #Stalker #Dev #Admits #Rough #Edges #Committed #Fixes Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Iceland volcano erupts for tenth time in three years Iceland volcano erupts for tenth time in three years More volcanic activity is occurring on the Reykjanes peninsula, some 30km southwest of Iceland’s capital Reykjavik. Source link #Iceland #volcano #erupts #tenth #time #years Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Path of Exile 2 announces Early Access price Path of Exile 2 announces Early Access price Grinding Gear Games has revealed the price for interested players to get Early Access to Path of Exile 2 at the strong price of $30. The plans will release tomorrow during a live event detailing what is available in the game as it launches. As announced on its forum, the new packs, dubbed Supporter Packs, will introduce Early Access keys and replace current Core Supporter Packs, which include cosmetics and points to spend on specific mechanics, like storage and other customization features. Unlike our usual tiers of core supporter packs, Early Access packs will begin at $30 USD. — Path of Exile (@pathofexile) November 19, 2024 Path of Exile 2 launches to Early Access early next month following a brief delay earlier this month. It’s not clear how long the game will remain in the state, but with the ambition behind the developer — 100 bosses, 240 active skills, 1,500 Passives, and more, it’s gonna take a while, we’re sure. Path of Exile 2 Early Access starts on December 6 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Source link #Path #Exile #announces #Early #Access #price Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Asia markets live: Nvidia results, Adani charges Asia markets live: Nvidia results, Adani charges CNBC Pro: HSBC names 3 ‘underappreciated’ ****** stocks to watch in 2025 — giving one 63% upside potential ****** markets will look “very different” in 2025 in light of China’s new policy measures, the slowing Indian economy and Southeast ****** countries’ investments into new infrastructure, according to HSBC. Still, several stocks can “benefit from these changes in Asia as they are best positioned to capture growth from these opportunities and that our analysts like from a bottom-up perspective,” the bank’s analysts noted. “In highlighting these stocks, we decided to look outside of consensus ideas, which are generally well owned, and our aim is to highlight quality stocks that are relatively underappreciated,” they said, naming three of their top ideas. CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here. — Amala Balakrishner ‘Significant corrections’ followed stock markets this stretched in the past, Deutsche Bank says The stock market has always pulled back when valuations are stretched as they are now, according to Deutsche Bank macro strategist Henry Allen in a note to clients this week. “[T]urning points can happen quickly, and … when valuations are stretched to start with, there can be limited scope for further gains,” Allen noted. “[E]xamples of high returns through history have often been followed by sizeable reversals.” The bank cited lofty current readings in the Cyclically Adjusted Price-to-Earnings (CAPE) ratio developed by economist Robert Shiller, arguing that “the CAPE ratio for the S&P 500 has only been higher on two other occasions in the last century” than it is today. During the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s and the ******* before the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, “there was little scope for further gains since valuations were already so stretched to start with, and they were each followed by a significant correction,” Allen wrote. “Indeed, on both the occasions the CAPE ratio has got as high as it is today, there was then a significant correction.” — Scott Schnipper Fed Governor Bowman says inflation progress has ‘stalled’ Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman said Wednesday that progress on bringing inflation back to the central bank’s goal has slowed. “We have not yet met our inflation goal and, as I noted earlier, progress in lowering inflation appears to have stalled,” Bowman said in remarks in West Palm Beach, Florida. “I see greater risks to the price stability side of our mandate, especially while the labor market ******** near full employment, but it is also possible that we could see a deterioration in labor market conditions.” Recent data has indicated that the Fed has neared its 2% inflation target, though the all-items consumer price index nudged higher in October and the core rate indeed has held steady around 3.3% since August. Inflation concerns caused Bowman to vote against the half-percentage-point interest rate cut in September, though she did vote for the quarter-point reduction earlier this month, which she would have preferred for the initial move. The policymaker said she approaches her role “in an independent way, relying on facts, analysis, my own experience and judgment,” and with the inflation mandate in mind. “In some cases, this approach has led me to depart from the views of my colleagues,” she said. — Jeff Cox Fed Governor Cook expects more rate cuts as inflation eases Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook said Wednesday that she sees inflation continuing to ease while the labor market “******** solid” despite some recent signs of weakness. Consequently, she expects the central bank to continue lowering its benchmark interest rate, though the path ahead is uncertain. “Going forward, I still see the direction of the appropriate policy rate path to be downward, but the magnitude and timing of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks,” Cook said in remarks at the University of Virginia. While inflation, particularly at the core excluding food and energy, ******** above the Fed’s goal, she expects progress to continue as housing services prices, such as rent, slow their ascent. — Jeff Cox Source link #Asia #markets #live #Nvidia #results #Adani #charges Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Review | TheXboxHub S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Review | TheXboxHub Review – S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl – one of the most immersive, grittiest, most brutal of games, for multiple reasons. Source link #S.T.A.L.K.E.R #Heart #Chornobyl #Review #TheXboxHub Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Could Trump reinstate forgiven student debt? Here’s what experts say Could Trump reinstate forgiven student debt? Here’s what experts say Mementojpeg | Moment | Getty Images Since President Joe Biden took office, the Education Department has canceled the federal student loans of nearly 5 million people, totaling $175 billion in relief, according to the White House. It has done so mostly by improving existing student loan relief programs that had long been plagued by problems, including the Public Service Loan Forgiveness initiative and income-driven repayment plans. Those borrowers should be in the clear, experts say. “Any regulatory changes must be prospective only,” meaning that eliminations to loan forgiveness programs would only impact new borrowers, explained Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, a nonprofit that helps borrowers navigate the repayment of their debt. “They aren’t allowed to change regulations retroactively,” she added. For that reason, even borrowers who have been pursuing forgiveness under an income-driven repayment plan or a program like PSLF, but have not yet received that relief, may be safe. The terms of a loan, which are spelled out in the master promissory note federal student loan borrowers sign when they take out the debt, can’t be change in the middle of repayment, experts said. In June, U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree in Wichita, Kansas, described student loan forgiveness as having an “irreversible impact,” in his decision to block one of the Biden administration’s relief measures. More from Personal Finance:****** Friday deals aren’t always the best28% of credit card users are still paying off last year’s holiday tabHere’s who can ‘easily afford’ holiday costs The retraction of student loan forgiveness is incredibly rare, Kantrowitz writes in a recent article in The College Investor. For example, in February, some borrowers saw their debts reinstated under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Yet that only occurred because the debt cancellation was granted through an error, and the borrowers were not yet eligible for the relief. “Don’t worry,” Kantrowitz said. “The president does not have the legal authority to reinstate forgiven loans.” Still, borrowers should keep a record of the notices they’ve received about their forgiven debt, and any loan documents showing a $0 balance, Kantrowitz said. In a new report, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau cites, among the errors reported by student loan borrowers, “balance reinstatements,” in which a loan servicer tacks a loan balance back on to one’s account. Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO Source link #Trump #reinstate #forgiven #student #debt #Heres #experts Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Rubber Duck: Idle Squad Game is out now on iOS and Android, bringing yellow bullet heaven action Rubber Duck: Idle Squad Game is out now on iOS and Android, bringing yellow bullet heaven action Give bathtime a boost with the newly-released Rubber Duck: Idle Squad Game A mixture of auto-battler and bullet heaven, ******** hordes of enemies with a squad of rubber ducks Find it now on the iOS App Store and Google Play! Would bathtime really be the same without rubber ducks? These cutesy floating critters have been gracing bathtubs around the world since time immemorial. But what happens when the chips are down and action is needed? Well in real life we probably wouldn’t recommend it, but in Rubber Duck: Idle Squad Game you turn to this feathered anatidae! Rubber Duck: Idle Squad Game is an intriguing mix of squad-based auto battler and bullet heaven. You’ll assemble a squad of diverse rubber duckies with different themes and abilities, before pitting them against waves of enemies and bosses to ********. While nobody will dub Rubber Duck a groundbreaking new step in the field of interactive media, what it does offer is quite well done. Cutesy graphics, approachable gameplay and a genuinely fun little twist on a genre that, speaking personally, I feel has been done to ****** lately. Rubber Duck: Idle Squad Game is out now on iOS and Android! Duck, you ******* Yes like I said this isn’t exactly groundbreaking and has probably been done before. But Rubber Duck: Idle Squad Game, to me, looks to be a genuinely decent entry in the genre with plenty to offer. I think the mixing of auto-battler and bullet heaven game is a fun one, and it means that there’s plenty of action on-screen that you don’t usually get beyond tapping to activate ultimates in the former genre. Whether or not it’ll be able to distinguish itself outside of that though, will be up to how Rubber Duck does when it gets into your hands. If you’re looking to get more recommendations for top new releases and get ’em fast, you should also be checking in on our new site, PocketGamer.fun! Featuring plenty of fantastic, interesting new releases, there’s always something new to add to your to-play list. Source link #Rubber #Duck #Idle #Squad #Game #iOS #Android #bringing #yellow #bullet #heaven #action Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ukraine Strikes Inside Russia With U.S. Missiles Ukraine Strikes Inside Russia With U.S. Missiles The next two or three months in Ukraine are likely to be exceedingly violent, in a war that has already been the deadliest in Europe in the past 80 years. Marc Santora, who has been reporting from Ukraine since the beginning of the war with Russia, explains why. Source link #Ukraine #Strikes #Russia #U.S #Missiles Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

William Shatner’s Captain Kirk returns one last time in an eight-minute short film William Shatner’s Captain Kirk returns one last time in an eight-minute short film William Shatner, who once sparred with Engadget , has finally reprised his most famous role. Captain Kirk is back in the short film 765874 – Unification. This eight-minute story is live now on YouTube and follows the events of Star Trek: Generations, which was the last time Shatner donned his Starfleet uniform. The short was made by a graphics company called OTOY, along with Paramount and Shatner himself. It technically exists to honor the 30th anniversary of Generations, but it also acts as a proper send-off to the first Star Trek captain. Now it’s time to get into spoiler territory, for those who haven’t seen a 30-year-old movie. Captain Kirk is *****. He ***** on an uninhabited planet after trying to stop Malcolm McDowell from unleashing an extra-dimensional time ribbon called the Nexus on an unwitting solar system of innocent folks. You know the drill. It’s Star Trek! Anyways, the short follows Kirk after dying on that planet. Is it the after-life or maybe the residual effects of the Nexus? We don’t know. There’s no dialogue to help us along. Instead, a de-aged Kirk, sometimes played by Sam Witwer, wanders an otherworldly realm until he eventually finds an old friend. It’s surprisingly touching, particularly for ****-hard Trek fans. The emotional depth is enhanced by the soundtrack, which is helmed by veteran Star Trek composer and MCU director Michael Giacchino. I knew it was him in like five seconds. The music reminded me of Lost, which was another show scored by Giacchino. Barring some new life extension technology, this is likely the last time we’ll see Shatner’s Kirk. The man is 93 years old. Paul Wesley has stepped into Shatner’s space boots to portray a younger version of the captain on . Despite his advanced age, Shatner . Source link #William #Shatners #Captain #Kirk #returns #time #eightminute #short #film Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Quordle today – hints and answers for Thursday, November 21 (game #1032) Quordle today – hints and answers for Thursday, November 21 (game #1032) Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles. SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. Your Quordle expert Your Quordle expert Marc McLaren Social Links Navigation Global Editor in Chief Quordle today (game #1032) – hint #1 – Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today? • The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*. * Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). Quordle today (game #1032) – hint #2 – repeated letters Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters? • The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2. Quordle today (game #1032) – hint #3 – uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today? • No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers. Quordle today (game #1032) – hint #4 – starting letters (1) Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter? • The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0. If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you’re not ready yet then here’s one more clue to make things a lot easier: Quordle today (game #1032) – hint #5 – starting letters (2) What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with? • R • E • C • B Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM. Quordle today (game #1032) – the answers (Image credit: Merriam-Webster) The answers to today’s Quordle, game #1032, are… Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable ****** Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content. EAGER is one of those annoying words that always trips me up in Quordle. I see the -AGER pattern and immediately think ‘I need a consonant, then. L for LAGER, P for PAGER or W for WAGER.’ But no, there is a vowel that goes there too, it’s E for EAGER, and I always fail to consider it. Fortunately the other words here were fairly simple solves for me, although ****** is a difficult word in isolation; BBI for the final three letters is not common at all (in fact, I don’t think there are any other words that have that format). BRASH might have caused problems depending on which letters you had ruled out (TRASH and ****** are alternatives), but all told this was a straightforward Quordle. How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know. Daily Sequence today (game #1032) – the answers (Image credit: Merriam-Webster) The answers to today’s Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1032, are… Quordle answers: The past 20 Quordle #1031, Wednesday 20 November: MINTY, TOPAZ, BRUSH, LAPEL Quordle #1030, Tuesday 19 November: NINJA, PENCE, PAINT, FOIST Quordle #1029, Monday 18 November: ASCOT, BRINK, WEIRD, HOMER Quordle #1028, Sunday 17 November: STATE, BRAWN, SWORE, URBAN Quordle #1027, Saturday 16 November: NOTCH, BENCH, BUSED, FOUND Quordle #1026, Friday 15 November: PURER, TRUSS, TORCH, FORUM Quordle #1025, Thursday 14 November: EXALT, TASTE, CRONY, CLOUT Quordle #1024, Wednesday 13 November: YEARN, ELBOW, SURGE, PINEY Quordle #1023, Tuesday 12 November: CHORD, ATTIC, OLIVE, EIGHT Quordle #1022, Monday 11 November: COPSE, REGAL, GRUNT, GOODY Quordle #1021, Sunday 10 November: GROIN, FAULT, FERRY, SUITE Quordle #1020, Saturday 9 November: FLUME, THERE, ATOLL, SANER Quordle #1019, Friday 8 November: DELAY, NAVAL, MOLAR, SWARM Quordle #1018, Thursday 7 November: REPAY, SYNOD, LOATH, PITHY Quordle #1017, Wednesday 6 November: SASSY, DRUID, THREW, SLOSH Quordle #1016, Tuesday 5 November: BEGET, AMUSE, STONY, LOUSY Quordle #1015, Monday 4 November: CHILL, TACKY, GRAPH, PLAZA Quordle #1014, Sunday 3 November: QUIRK, HEART, ELBOW, KNOWN Quordle #1013, Saturday 2 November: SWUNG, FLOOR, PARER, CRUST Quordle #1012, Friday 1 November: FIFTY, GULCH, RECUT, TWEET Source link #Quordle #today #hints #answers #Thursday #November #game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Is nuclear power regaining energy? Is nuclear power regaining energy? Getty Images A number of countries including the *** are building new nuclear power stations A decade ago, it seemed as though the global nuclear industry was in an irreversible decline. Concerns over safety, cost, and what to do with radioactive waste had sapped enthusiasm for a technology once seen as a revolutionary source of abundant cheap energy. Yet now there is widespread talk of a revival, fuelled by tech giants Microsoft, Google and Amazon all announcing investments in the sector, as well as the growing pressures on wealthy nations to curb their carbon emissions. But how real is the comeback? When commercial nuclear power was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s, governments were seduced by its seemingly unlimited potential. Nuclear reactors could harness and control the same awesome forces released by atomic ****** – to provide electricity for millions of homes. With a single kilogram of uranium yielding some 20,000 times as much energy as a kilogram of coal, it seemed like the future. But the technology also inspired public *****. And that ***** seemed to be justified by the Chernobyl disaster, which spread radioactive contamination across Europe in early 1986. It fuelled widespread public and political opposition – and slowed the growth of the industry. Another accident, at the Fukushima Daichi plant in Japan in 2011, re-energised concerns about nuclear safety. Japan itself shut down all of its reactors in the immediate aftermath, and only 12 have since restarted. Germany decided to phase out nuclear power altogether. Other countries scaled back plans to invest in new power plants, or extend the lives of ageing facilities. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, this led to the loss of 48GW of electric power generation globally between 2011 and 2020. Getty Images The Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 raised new fears about the safety of the global industry But nuclear development did not stop. In China, for example, there were 13 nuclear reactors in 2011. There are now 55, with another 23 under construction. For Beijing, scrambling to meet rapidly growing electricity demand, nuclear had, and still has, a vital role to play. Now interest in the sector seems to be growing elsewhere once again. This is partly because developed countries are hunting for ways to meet energy demand, while striving to meet emissions reduction targets under the Paris Agreement. With 2024 projected to be the warmest year on record, the pressure to cut carbon emissions is mounting. A renewed focus on energy security, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has also been a factor. South Korea, for example, recently scrapped plans to phase out its large fleet of nuclear power stations over the next four decades – and will build more instead. And France has reversed plans to reduce its own reliance on nuclear energy, which provides 70% of its electricity. Instead, it wants to build up to eight new reactors. In addition, last week the US government reaffirmed at the ******* Nations Climate Change Conference, or Cop29, held in Azerbaijan, that it intends to triple nuclear power generation by 2050. The White House had originally pledged to do this on the side lines of last year’s conference, Cop28. A total of 31 countries have now agreed to try to triple their use of nuclear power by 2050, including the ***, France and Japan. Also at Cop29, which ends on Friday, 22 November, the US and *** announced that they would collaborate to speed up the development of new nuclear power technology. This follows after it was agreed in the final statement or “stocktake” of last year’s Cop28 that nuclear should be one of the zero or low emission technologies to be “accelerated” to help combat climate change. But hunger for clean power is not just coming from governments. Technology giants are striving to develop more and more applications that use artificial intelligence. Yet AI relies on data – and data centres need constant, reliable electricity. According to Barclays Research, data centres account for 3.5% of electricity consumption in the US today, but that figure could rise to more than 9% by the end of the decade. In September, Microsoft signed a 20-year deal to buy power from Constellation Energy, which will lead to the reopening of the infamous Three Mile Island power station in Pennsylvania – the site of the worst nuclear accident in US history, where a reactor suffered a partial meltdown in 1979. Despite its tainted public image, another reactor at the plant continued to generate electricity until 2019. Constellation’s chief executive Joe Dominguez described the deal to reopen it as a “powerful symbol of the rebirth of nuclear power as a clean and reliable energy resource”. Other tech giants have taken a different approach. Google plans to buy energy produced from a handful of so-called Small Modular Reactors or SMRs – a nascent technology intended to make nuclear energy easier and cheaper to deploy. Amazon is also supporting SMR development and construction. SMRs themselves are being promoted, in part, as a solution to one of the biggest drawbacks facing nuclear power today. In western nations, new power stations have to be built to exacting modern safety standards. This makes them prohibitively expensive and complicated to build. Hinkley Point C is a good example. Britain’s first new nuclear power station since the mid-1990s is being built on a stretch of remote coastline in southwest England. It is meant to be the first of a batch of new plants to replace the country’s ageing reactor fleet. But the project is running some five years behind schedule and will cost up to £9bn ($11.5bn) more than planned. It is not an isolated case. The US’s newest reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia opened seven years late, and cost more than $35bn – well over double their original budget. SMRs are designed to solve this problem. They will be smaller than traditional reactors, using standardised parts that can be assembled quickly, at sites close to where the power is needed. But while there are some 80 different designs under development globally, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the concept has yet to be proven commercially. Getty Images Microsoft’s need for electricity will see the Three Mile Island nuclear power station, pictured, restart Opinions about nuclear power remain highly polarised. Supporters claim the technology is indispensable if climate targets are to be reached. Among them is Rod Adams, whose Nucleation Capital fund promotes investment in nuclear technology. “Nuclear fission has a seven-decade history showing it is one of the safest power sources available,” he explains. “It is a durable, reliable source of power with low ongoing costs already, but capital costs have been too high in Western countries.” Opponents though, insist nuclear power is not the answer. According to Professor M.V. Ramana of the University of British Columbia, it is “a folly to consider nuclear energy as clean”. It is, he says, “one of the most expensive ways to generate electricity. Investing in cheaper low-carbon sources of energy will provide more emissions reductions per dollar.” If current trends do herald a new nuclear age, one old problem ********. After 70 years of atomic power, there is still disagreement over what to do with the accumulated radioactive waste – some of which will remain hazardous for hundreds of thousands of years. The answer being pursued by many governments is geological disposal – burying the waste in sealed tunnels deep underground. But only one country, Finland, has actually built such a facility, while environmentalists and anti-nuclear campaigners argue that dumping waste out of sight and out of mind is simply too risky. Solving that conundrum may be a key factor in dictating whether there really will be a new age of nuclear power. Source link #nuclear #power #regaining #energy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Buying ****** Ops 6 Or Playing With Game Pass Comes With A Nice Bonus For Warzone Buying ****** Ops 6 Or Playing With Game Pass Comes With A Nice Bonus For Warzone Activision has revealed that Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 players can get a nice bonus in Call of Duty: Warzone. A new trailer called “Maximize Your Gameplay” confirms the people who buy ****** Ops 6 receive a 30% XP boost in the free-to-play battle-royale title. GameSpot understands that people who play through Game Pass can also get the XP boost. The fine print in the trailer specifies that the 30% XP boost is only available during the seasonal content for ****** Ops 6, which suggests it’ll end in time for 2025’s inevitable Call of Duty game. Still, the 30% XP boost should last for nearly a year, which is a nice perk if you want to spend $70 to buy the game. In other XP news, the legacy double XP tokens that were removed from ****** Ops 6 have been reinstated, and that’s good news for people hoping to level up faster. Season 1 of Call of Duty continues to add new content to the game, with Ranked Play mode arriving to multiplayer on November 21. In other related news, Call of Duty is now more popular on Xbox than it is on any other platform for the first time in over a decade. Source link #Buying #****** #Ops #Playing #Game #Pass #Nice #Bonus #Warzone Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Thursday, November 21 (game #263) NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Thursday, November 21 (game #263) Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. Your Strands expert Your Strands expert Marc McLaren Social Links Navigation Global Editor in Chief NYT Strands today (game #263) – hint #1 – today’s theme What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands? • Today’s NYT Strands theme is… You’re getting warm NYT Strands today (game #263) – hint #2 – clue words Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system. NYT Strands today (game #263) – hint #3 – spangram What is a hint for today’s spangram? • Watch the flames dance NYT Strands today (game #263) – hint #4 – spangram position What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches? First: left, 5th row Last: right, 5th row Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM. NYT Strands today (game #263) – the answers (Image credit: New York Times) The answers to today’s Strands, game #263, are… POKER CHIMNEY BROOM FLUE HEARTH SCREEN MANTEL SPANGRAM: FIREPLACE My rating: Easy My score: Perfect This will date me, but does anyone else remember those wonderful Busytown and Lowly Worm books by Richard Scarry? I loved these as kids, poring over the illustrations in search of all of the different named objects and characters. Playing Strands sometimes feels like a similar exercise. “Today’s theme, children, is FIREPLACE. Now name as many words as you can that are related. Yes, CHIMNEY, that’s a good one. Oh well done, you got BROOM!” Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable ****** Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content. That is the point of Strands, I guess, but equally it’s more challenging when the puzzle is a little more creative – for instance when it involves pairs of things, or phrases, or logic in some way. Just naming things is a lot easier, and Strands is not a difficult game at the best of times. We’re 250-plus games in now, and I don’t think I’ve ever ******* one. Contrast that with Connections, where I fail regularly, and you can see the problem. Anyway, there’s no major problem with today’s game, it’s just a little straightforward to hold the attention for longer than a few minutes. Maybe that’s no bad thing, given how busy we all are, though. How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know. Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 20 November, game #262) LITTER BONE COLLAR KIBBLE BALL LASER CATNIP SPANGRAM: PETSUPPLIES What is NYT Strands? Strands is the NYT’s new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It’s now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT’s games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile. I’ve got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you’re struggling to beat it each day. Source link #NYT #Strands #today #hints #answers #spangram #Thursday #November #game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Matt Gaetz ethics report release uncertain after panel deadlocked Matt Gaetz ethics report release uncertain after panel deadlocked Getty Images Pressure has mounted on the ethics committee to release its findings into Gaetz A congressional ethics committee has ******* to reach an agreement over whether to release a report on alleged ******* misconduct by Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the US Department of Justice. The House committee met for two hours behind closed doors on Wednesday, as calls grew for details of its investigation into Gaetz, a former Florida congressman whose nomination to serve as attorney general has proved controversial. “There was no consensus on this issue,” Democratic Representative Susan Wild told reporters, adding that a vote had been taken but the bipartisan committee remained split along party lines. She said they would meet again on 5 December. It is unclear whether they could release the report into Gaetz, who denies any wrongdoing, before then. Pressure has mounted on the ethics committee to release its findings, as members of the Senate begin meeting with Gaetz ahead of a hearing when they will vote on whether to confirm him as attorney general. “They’ve been going great,” Gaetz said of the meetings on Wednesday. “Senators been giving me a lot of good advice. I’m looking forward to a hearing.” The ethics committee had been preparing to vote on the report’s release before Gaetz’s abrupt resignation from the House, which came just after Trump’s nomination, the New York Times reported. His departure cast doubt on whether the report would see the light of day, because having resigned he is no longer under congressional jurisdiction and the committee only investigates House members. The committee Chairman Michael Guest, a ***********, told reporters on Wednesday that he had “some reservations” about releasing the report because it is still going through the review process. He told CNN the committee would consider releasing it publicly or sending it directly to the Senate Judiciary Committee, but it ******** uncertain whether it will leave the committee at all. Reporters and members of the media packed the hallway outside the room where members of the committee met on Wednesday. Most lawmakers remained tight-lipped as they passed the gauntlet of journalists on their way out of the meeting. Speaking to MSNBC afterward, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, a Democrat, said he had ****** “we will get to the right solution”. Gaetz, 42, is a lawyer who made a name for himself on Capitol Hill and cable news as a right-wing rabble rouser. He is a staunch defender of Trump and led a successful effort to oust *********** House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year. Some of Gaetz’s former House colleagues have voiced support for his nomination, including Speaker Mike Johnson, who called him a “reformer” who would “bring a lot to the table”. But Gaetz also has been dogged by allegations of impropriety in recent years. The US justice department previously investigated him for allegations he had a ******* relationship with a 17-year-old girl and violated **** trafficking laws. But the case was dropped and Gaetz, who denied the allegations, was never charged. In June, the ethics committee announced it was investigating several allegations against Gaetz, including that he “engaged in ******* misconduct and illicit ***** use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favours to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct”. Two women testified to the committee that Gaetz paid them “for ****”, their lawyer, Joel Leppard, told CBS this week. One of the women also testified that she witnessed the then-congressman having **** with a minor during a party in 2017, the lawyer said. Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and says the accusations are politically motivated. “***** were weaponised to try to ******** me,” Gaetz posted on X on Friday. “These ***** resulted in prosecution, conviction, and prison. For the liars, not me.” Trump showed no sign of backing down on his cabinet pick this week. “Matt Gaetz will be the next attorney general. He’s the right man for the job and will end the weaponisation of our justice system,” Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfieffer said in a statement. Meanwhile, Senators of both parties have spoken in favour of accessing the ethics report. ***** Durbin, an Illinois Democrat and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, demanded that the other committee “preserve and share” the report with his panel. “Make no mistake: This information could be relevant to the question of Mr Gaetz’s confirmation as the next attorney general of the ******* States, and our constitutional responsibility of advice and consent,” Durbin said. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa *********** who also sits on the judiciary committee, said: “I think that if they want a speedy consideration of this nomination, we’ve got to have as much transparency as we can have.” North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher makes sense of the presidential election in his twice weekly US Election Unspun newsletter. Readers in the *** can sign up here. Those outside the *** can sign up here. Source link #Matt #Gaetz #ethics #report #release #uncertain #panel #deadlocked Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stalker 2 studio outlines plans to smooth the game’s ‘rough edges’ Stalker 2 studio outlines plans to smooth the game’s ‘rough edges’ GSC Game World has acknowledged Stalker 2‘s “rough edges” and pledged to make improvements to the newly released title. Following a lengthy and highly challenging development cycle, which included the studio partially relocating from Kiev to the Czech Republic following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the post-apocalyptic shooter launched today for Xbox Series X/S, PC and Game Pass. While reserving praise for the game’s setting and side stories, VGC’s Stalker 2 review said the game suffered from “constant performance issues” and “an uncountable number of bugs”. In a message published on X today, GSC Game World said it’s “incredibly proud” of its “love letter to Ukraine”, before stating that its work on the game is far from complete. “We understand that in such a game, there may still be rough edges: we literally haven’t released anything of this scale before,” it said. “We’re absolutely committed to being here, monitoring your feedback, and quickly fixing any issues that need our attention. “In the first days after release, we’ll be working with hotfixes, rolling them out as precisely as possible, but as frequently as we can. Then, we’ll switch to larger updates that include constant improvements. There will also be free in-game content – we’ll share its roadmap later in December. “We have big plans for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe,” it continued. “In a way, today is both a return and the beginning of a grand new journey. We’re blessed to have you before, we’re blessed to have you now. The Zone belongs to you. Have fun.” A message from the GSC Game World Team. Before you step into the Zone, we’d like to take a moment to share something from the heart. pic.twitter.com/wuLRAkq7Ba — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) November 20, 2024 At the time of publishing, Stalker 2 has scores of 74 (PC) and 81 (Xbox Series X/S) on review aggregation site Metacritic. The game has got off to a strong start on Steam, reaching a peak of over 113,000 players. Source link #Stalker #studio #outlines #plans #smooth #games #rough #edges Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Absurd’: Aussie doctor behind ‘******** capsule’ speaks out ‘Absurd’: Aussie doctor behind ‘******** capsule’ speaks out An *********** right-to-**** activist behind a new so-called “******** capsule” has spoken out for the first time after the pod’s first-ever user was instead allegedly strangled. Philip Nitschke said he was not present for what was reportedly the first ever use of the “Sarco” capsule by a chronically ill US woman in a Swiss forest on September 23. Despite Dr Nitschke claiming the pod worked as planned, people were arrested following the 64-year-old’s ****** amid reports she may have been strangled. Those claims were rejected by the South ***********-born humanist and founder of pro-euthanasia group Exit International in an interview with the Associated Press. “It is absurd because we’ve got film that the capsule wasn’t opened. She got in herself, pressed the button herself,” Dr Nitschke told the US wire service this week. Camera IconThe so-called ‘******** capsule’ cost $1.5m to develop and build. Credit: NewsWire Dr Nitschke said the head of Exit International’s Swiss affiliate, Florian Willet, was present for the ****** and called police who later took him into custody. The activist said he was compelled to speak out because he was “desperate” about the plight of Mr Willet, who could remain bars on remand for weeks. Other people were also arrested after the woman’s ******, including a journalist with a Dutch newspaper, but were later released. The “Sarco” cost $1.5m to develop according to Dr Nitschke and allows a person sitting reclined in a seat to push a button that floods the chamber with nitrogen gas. Within minutes, the user is supposed to slip into unconsciousness before they **** of suffocation. Camera IconExit International founder and director Philip Nitschke said the woman’s ****** was ‘dignified’. Credit: Supplied Dr Nitschke said the pod’s first user was a woman from the US Midwest who had “compromised immune function” that made her “subject to chronic infection”. In a separate interview, Dr Nitschke said Mr Willet, who was the only person present for the ******, had told him it had been “peaceful, fast, and dignified”. But, on October 26, Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reported the Swiss prosecutor had indicated in court that the woman might have actually been strangled. Dr Nitschke said he had been told the pod’s use would be legal in Switzerland, one of the few countries foreigners can come to legally end their life. Source link #Absurd #Aussie #doctor #******** #capsule #speaks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Dark Ages and ****** Stranding 2, PC Master Race Must Abandon Nvidia in 2025 The Dark Ages and ****** Stranding 2, PC Master Race Must Abandon Nvidia in 2025 The godfathers of the gaming industry are about to make a return with exciting new installments in the form of *****: The Dark Ages and ****** Stranding 2. Both of these series have had their ups and downs in the last couple of years, but they want to make a comeback against all odds. 2025 is packed with many exciting releases. (Image via Microsoft) With an undisclosed 2025 release date, it’s going to be a while before you get your hands on both these games. However, you must prepare your gaming rig to maximize the performance of these games. The best way to go about that is by picking the right graphics card, and that space is currently owned by Nvidia, not AMD. The Hot Pick For All Games in 2025 is Nvidia Once Again Nvidia is the leader when it comes to the gaming industry. (Image via Nvidia) Putting Nvidia up against AMD for GPU comparison is basically looking at a constant cycle of software-based enhancements, and massive gains, thanks to the rival chip designers’ constant efforts to gain the upper hand. However, in the last couple of years, many in the community have felt that the tide has turned in favor of AMD. It’s often been stated that Team Red’s graphics cards offer better performance than Team Green’s and are perfect for budget gaming builds that are looking to maximize performance and reliability. Nvidia started the year with a large shift that addressed the biggest criticism regarding the pricing of the RTX 4000 Series GPUs. It released 3 GPUs in quick succession: the RTX 4070 Super, the RTX 4070 TI Super, and the RTX 4080 SUPER. All of these replace the old RTX 4000 series cards at different price tags. While AMD didn’t directly respond to this with newer entries in 2024, it has opted for price cuts to keep RX 7000 series GPUs more competitive in the market in terms of price-to-performance ratios. It’s clear from day one that Team Green is ahead when it comes to raw power efficiency for gaming and other tasks. If you’re someone who’s not restrained by budgets and wants to game without any restrictions in 2025, Nvidia is the correct pick. Even in 2024, Team Green’s 4000 series brought us 3rd generation-ray tracing cores offering the fastest ray tracing experience to date. Seriously, you can hop onto any AAA games, such as Cyberpunk 2077, and witness Nvidia’s Path Tracing SDK abilities yourself. Also, Nvidia’s DLSS 3.0/3.5 is a total game changer as it brings massive performance boosts through features such as Frame Generation and optical flow acceleration. This makes high-resolution ray tracing even better on the older generation of graphics cards. The company’s approach to DLSS also ensures that you get tightly integrated performance in games such as Minecraft RTX and Portal RTX. Keep in mind that these benefits come with the current 4000 series. Rumors are already up in the air that Team Green is planning to bring the 5000 series to the table next year, which will take all the benefits we’ve mentioned above to the next level. Nvidia Has Emerged as The World’s Most Valuable Company The company continues to break records. (Image via Nvidia) Last month, Nvidia’s value ended up at $143.71 per share, alongside a $3.4 trillion market cap that put it right alongside Apple. The two tech-companies would switch the top spot as the world’s most valuable company. However, reports suggest that Nvidia has overtaken Apple with a total market value of $3.54 trillion as of October 25. This surge in the company’s market value comes from it being a leader in computing parts that are used for AI development purposes. The use of AI in the world of gaming is a polarizing topic, but the development of all the technologies behind it seems to be great for Team Green as long as it continues to deliver the best processors and other parts for gamers. Only time will tell if Nvidia will hang on to its position as the world’s most valuable company, but considering the fact that the next generation of graphics cards is on the horizon, the future is looking bright for the company. With that said, are you planning to pick Nvidia as your GPU for gaming in 2025? Let us know in the comments below. Source link #Dark #Ages #****** #Stranding #Master #Race #Abandon #Nvidia Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]