Pelican Press

Cannes Film Festival Hit by Power Outage Ahead of Awards Ceremony – Variety Cannes Film Festival Hit by Power Outage Ahead of Awards Ceremony – Variety Cannes Film Festival Hit by Power Outage Ahead of Awards Ceremony VarietyCannes film festival impacted as major power cut hits southern France CNNPower outage hits Cannes Film Festival and traffic in southeastern France AP NewsFoul Play Suspected In Cannes Power Outage With Electricity Pylons Sabotaged DeadlinePower Cut Hits French Riviera on Final Day of Cannes Festival Bloomberg Source link #Cannes #Film #Festival #Hit #Power #Outage #Ahead #Awards #Ceremony #Variety Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Acer Vero B247Y 24-inch FHD IPS 120 Hz gaming monitor review: Colorful all-around value Acer Vero B247Y 24-inch FHD IPS 120 Hz gaming monitor review: Colorful all-around value Why you can trust Tom’s Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test. My reviews focus almost exclusively on the best gaming monitors, and this one is no different. However, there are displays aimed at the enterprise that perform equally well for entertainment. There are good deals outside the gaming category where you’ll find panels with fast refresh rates and Adaptive-Sync. One such product is a member of Acer’s Vero line, the B247Y. It’s a 24-inch IPS panel with FHD resolution, 120 Hz, and Adaptive-Sync. It also sports accurate color out of the box, a little extra gamut volume, and decent video processing. And it’ll set you back just $155. Let’s take a look. Acer Vero B247Y Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally Panel Type / Backlight IPS / W-LED, edge array Screen Size / Aspect Ratio 24 inches / 16:9 Max Resolution and Refresh Rate 1920×1080 @ 120 Hz Row 3 – Cell 0 FreeSync and G-Sync Compatible Native Color Depth and Gamut 8-bit (6-bit+FRC) / sRGB+ Response Time (GTG) 4ms Brightness (mfr) 250 nits Contrast (mfr) 1,000:1 Speakers 2x 2w or None Video Inputs 1x DisplayPort 1.2 Row 10 – Cell 0 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x VGA Audio 3.5mm input Row 12 – Cell 0 3.5mm headphone output USB None Power Consumption 13.3w, brightness @ 200 nits Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base 21.3 x 14.6-21 x 7.6 inches (541 x 370-533 x 193mm) Panel Thickness 2.6 inches (66mm) Bezel Width Top/sides: 0.24 inch (6mm) Row 18 – Cell 0 Bottom: 0.43 inch (11mm) Weight 12.1 pounds (5.5kg) Warranty 3 years Today’s best Acer Vero B247Y deals Acer Vero B247Y at Amazon for $143.87 IPS was once a premium category when TN ruled as the dominant panel technology. The resolution is Full HD 1920×1080, which means a pixel density of 92 ppi, not far below a 27-inch QHD screen’s 109 ppi. The picture is sharp and clean with higher-than-average contrast that I measured at over 1,300:1. You may like You won’t find extended color in this segment, but the B247Y has a little more gamut volume than typical budget screens, with over 116% coverage of sRGB. Accuracy is also excellent with no need for calibration to see a high-fidelity image. The only thing missing is HDR support. That’s also something rarely found for less than $200. Though the B247Y is marketed as an enterprise monitor, it has the two components needed for gaming, fast refresh, and Adaptive-Sync. The maximum 120 Hz refresh rate delivers a reasonably smooth moving picture, and Adaptive-Sync works over the DisplayPort input on AMD and Nvidia platforms. Gaming consoles connected via HDMI get it too, but only up to 75 Hz. Also included is blur reduction via backlight strobe with a two-level pulse width adjustment. I also discovered a frame rate counter in the menu, but no aiming points. Two internal speakers provide decent audio, or you can use the headphone jack. On the outside, the B247Y is a sleeper with simple styling and Acer’s usual high build quality standard. Not surprisingly, there are no USB ports or LED lighting. But hey, this monitor is $155. And it’s part of an enterprise product line, which means you might be able to convince your IT manager to buy one for your cubicle. Then, you can enjoy a solid image for work and decent gameplay performance for that lunchtime frag session. Assembly and Accessories The B247Y arrives in something of a plain brown wrapper, but there are some subtle graphics on the box to set it apart. It opens clamshell-style to reveal molded pulp forms instead of crumbly foam protecting the contents. The stand is in two pieces and is as solid as what you’ll find with more expensive monitors. The panel snaps on and includes fasteners for the 100mm VESA mount, should you wish to use an arm. Since three of these only cost $465, that’s a real possibility. The cable bundle consists of HDMI, DisplayPort and IEC for the internal power supply. And there’s a 3.5mm stereo cable for the audio input. Product 360 Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Acer) (Image credit: Acer) (Image credit: Acer) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Hefting the B247Y out of the box showed it to be lightweight but solidly constructed. Nods to style include a large Acer logo on the base and brushed textures molded into the plastic shell to offset the matte finish. Another Acer logo and a thin grill for passive cooling are in the back. Down in the corner is an OSD joystick and a single button to toggle power. The stand is as solid as anything I’ve seen packed with a premium display. It has a cable clip at the bottom and full ergonomics with 5/25 degrees tilt, 45 degrees swivel, 6.4 inches of height and a 90-degree portrait mode. Experienced video geeks and the more seasoned (older) among us will recognize the VGA port on the downward-facing I/O panel. That’s something rarely seen anymore, but it’s there if you need it. More modern interfaces include one each of HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2. What’s up with the two 3.5mm jacks? One is a headphone output, and the other is a stereo input. OSD Features The B247Y’s OSD is much like what one would see on any gaming monitor with signal info at the top, a gaming sub-menu and full calibration controls. Image 1 of 5 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Acer calls the first menu Performance, which is great if you want to hide the B247Y’s design intent from the accounting department. The video processing suite includes a two-level overdrive, Adaptive-Sync toggle and VRB which is a backlight strobe that works instead of AS and has two pulse width options. It reduces blur effectively but suffers from the phasing artifact common to this tech. FreeSync and G-Sync work just fine though, and I found the overdrive effective on its weaker setting. The extreme option caused visible ghosting. In the Picture menu is a very important setting that needs to be changed from the default. It’s called Max Brightness and when left off, it limits output to around 150 nits. That’s fine if you work in the dark, but if you have lights over your workspace, turn it on to engage the full peak potential of around 288 nits. You can also turn on dynamic contrast, which has a subtly positive effect and Super Sharpness, which adds a tiny bit of edge enhancement to the image. There are eight picture modes, all of which are fixed except User. This is typical of Acer monitors, where if you change any setting, it switches to User mode. The sRGB mode option has no effect since the B247Y is an sRGB monitor with just a little bonus color. Gamma comes in three presets and there are four color temps plus a user mode with gain and bias. Two-point white balance is something rarely seen at any price, impressive. You also get a grayscale mode and six-axis color sliders. Acer Vero B247Y Calibration Settings The B247Y looks just fine out of the box, and measures well too with no real need for calibration. Gamma isn’t quite ruler straight, but it is close to the mark. I adjusted the very precise RGB sliders for even better grayscale tracking. The sRGB gamut option doesn’t actually reduce the color gamut but that’s OK since it’s fixed to sRGB natively with just a bit of extra verve in every primary and secondary hue. I’ve provided my settings below. Swipe to scroll horizontally Picture Mode User Brightness 200 nits 59 Brightness 120 nits 19 Brightness 100 nits 8 (min. 85 nits) Contrast 47 Gamma 2.2 Color Temp User Gain – Red 54, Green 51, Blue 473 Row 7 – Cell 0 Bias – Red 50, Green 50, Blue 50 Gaming and Hands-on I’ve played many hours of many games on many premium monitors, so I’m not going to claim that the B247Y is one of those. But when I consider all the sub-$200 screens I’ve experienced, it delivers better gameplay than it has a right to. I have said many times that 144 Hz should be considered a starting point, but the B247Y makes the most of its 120 Hz with an excellent overdrive. There is a little motion blur, but not enough to keep it from being responsive and accurate. If I really looked for it, there was some smearing, but when I concentrated on firing and maneuvering, there were no distractions. The only thing I’d recommend avoiding is the VRB feature. It’s a backlight strobe with two pulse width options. Neither solves the phasing artifact, which is a distraction. You won’t need an expensive PC to peg the frame rate at 120 fps, so stick with Adaptive-Sync. It works perfectly with FreeSync and G-Sync systems. Image quality is excellent when comparing the B247Y to other IPS sRGB monitors. If you’re accustomed to a wide gamut OLED at home, playing games at work will be a less wondrous experience. But if you just want to blow off some steam by fragging your workmates during lunch, this monitor delivers the fun. And the internal speakers work well at both high and low volumes. They don’t have a wide frequency range, but they are clean and low levels are clear enough that you can hear the action without disturbing the cubicles nearby. For productivity, a 24-inch screen might be a little small on its own but since the B247Y is so inexpensive, why not get three? You can mount them on a nice arm and have a large-format desktop for around $600. That’s less expensive than a single ultra-wide display and easier to get from the IT department. If you don’t mind the lack of USB ports, it’s a great option. Takeaway: The B247Y offers solid gaming performance and excellent picture quality for a very low price. It’s inexpensive enough that putting two or three of them on your desk is still a budget-friendly option. Though there are faster monitors out there, the B247Y offers excellent balance with no need for tweaking. Just unpack and enjoy, with money left over for pizza. MORE: Best Gaming Monitors MORE: How We Test PC Monitors MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor Acer Vero B247Y: Price Comparison Source link #Acer #Vero #B247Y #24inch #FHD #IPS #gaming #monitor #review #Colorful #allaround Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

‘It’s going to be ugly’ say Whitehall insiders ‘It’s going to be ugly’ say Whitehall insiders Laura KuenssbergPresenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg•@bbclaurakBBC There is a joke, of sorts, doing the rounds in Whitehall, that soon government will be “the NHS and the army with the rest just bolted on”. For ministers fighting to keep cash to spend in their departments it’s not that funny. In a couple of weeks, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves will reveal what an insider described as “the last big set of decisions” before the next general election. It’s an open secret in Westminster billions will be found for health and defence. But the chancellor and her deputy, Darren Jones, are locked in conversations with Cabinet ministers about setting all government budgets all the way to 2029. Forget rows over winter fuel or ******** payments, the Spending Review sets the terms for everything. Much more than spats over spreadsheets, it’s a series of arguments about who and what the government is for. Who wins and who loses will set the political terrain for years to come. I’ve talked to nearly 20 ministers, advisers, and insiders about what’s going on behind closed doors. “It’s going to be ugly,” observes a Whitehall source. In case you’ve been living on Mars, ministers have said, again and again, government has to “live within its means”, and “there’ll be difficult decisions”. That’s all code for saying some bits of government spending will be hacked back. The paradox is that overall, the government is spending more – big tax rises in the autumn meant hefty cheques for public services. And the chancellor also changed the rules on how much she can borrow to spend on long term projects, what’s known as “capital spending”, giving her more than £100bn to dole out this time round. But because some kinds of spending – like health or defence – are getting significant extra cash, there’s a tight squeeze on day-to-day spending more or less everywhere else. Despite the vast budgets, one government source admits, “there are services in real danger”. Who, or what then, are the likely winners and losers? By late Friday more than half of government departments had reached a final agreement with the Treasury. No 10 claims evidence of “early and swift progress”. A member of the Cabinet praises Reeves and Jones for “genuinely trying to be collaborative”. That’s not a universal view. “It’s got quite spicy,” another source says, with some acute tensions, hardly surprising given there are billions at stake, and political reputations to make or break. There are literally thousands upon thousands of decisions, with us going “literally line by line,” one government insider says. But there is a rough rule of thumb. With day-to-day spending, the Treasury will be tight as a drum, but relatively generous when it comes to capital spending. So cash for new roads, power infrastructure, hospital buildings, and prison building will flow. Government is likely to try to create headlines from those big-ticket items – the expected approval of the new Sizewell C nuclear power station is one example. In the next few days, as if as a warm up, you’ll hear announcements about investing in new kit for health, construction jobs for housing, and water infrastructure. The Spending Review itself is likely to be followed by what sources describe as “infrastructure week”, a whole range of plans. One source said, “the capital budget’s OK, it’s the day to day where the really difficult conversations are”. And that means departments whose budgets are gobbled up by providing public services every day, like police officers, care for the vulnerable or primary schools, are likely to feel the heat. There are multiple arguments, planted like political landmines, any of which could explode across Whitehall before the review on 11 June. PA There is even a hunt for savings in Downing Street, which one source describes as “mad”, at a time when “if you are worried about delivery and grip, spend money in No 10!”. There are tensions over council budgets, depleted after years while demands on them grow. There’s uncertainty over cash to build affordable homes over the long term, and money earmarked to help deprived areas grow. There is worry the budget to insulate millions of homes might be raided. There’s concern that plans to improve police numbers and performance and halve violence against women and girls might not be allocated enough cash. And there’s a conversation about whether capping bus fares is really value for money. “The money is so difficult they are having big fights about small amounts,” one source says. Capping bus fares only costs about £200m – pennies when it comes to the overall government budget. “Only one in six passengers use it – so for £200m that money could be working harder,” another source tells me, “but the politics wrapped around it mean if you touch, it is a third rail”. Under pressure, different ministers and their teams are taking what could diplomatically be described as very different approaches. There are whispers of slammed doors, and tales of one cabinet minister refusing to take notes to meetings, and answering “no” to every suggestion or remark made by officials. Ministers will always want more for their departments and when money is tight, it’s not surprising the process is fraught. In conversation with some sources, you can hear worry in their voices about the effect decisions might have on the services the state provides. One cabinet minister told me, “We’re already so up against it – the core problem is that money is very, very tight.” But another said some colleagues “are being unrealistic about where the country is fiscally”. Some in government even say, “there is a lot of **** and waste”, suggesting some cuts, even reducing headcount among civil service that’s “grown out of control”, have been easy to find. Making the sums add up is the first part of the process. The second question is where this all fits into an unpopular government’s story. There is hope in senior circles that the review, together with big infrastructure plans, can be used to create a summer of good news, after many months of taking a pasting. EPA – EFE/Shutterstock Reeves’ deputy, Jones, wants to create “stories not spreadsheets” and has been regularly talking to groups of MPs about what’s being lined up for their area, evidence of what government is doing they can sell to frustrated voters. The tricky part, as one government sources suggests is that “day-to-day spending is what people notice… you don’t swing votes with long-term projects”. Remember it’s day-to-day spending that’s tight, long-term cash for capital that’s likely to flow. “There is huge pressure to have something to show for it in three-and-a-half years’ time,” the source adds. You can fill plenty of potholes before 2029. You can’t plan and build many power stations. There’s an appetite in pockets of government to have a much clearer explanation of why money needs to be saved, or else, one source warns, “it could be another political party sitting there – there needs to be an argument from a Labour Treasury, and Rachel needs to set that out”. And trying to save cash confronts two other realities. With the focus squarely on health, defence, and long term projects, what happens to all of the prime minister’s “missions” – remember them? “It’s really hard to see how the missions survive,” one source says, even though those ambitions were meant to define Sir Keir Starmer’s whole approach to government. And what about his supposed zeal for reform, rewiring the state? Enthusiasts would argue being short of cash is the best argument for making big change. But as an experienced Whitehall insider asks, “How do you avoid political momentum dropping out of everything else, if most departments are spending the next few years managing decline? How do you maintain political momentum in a world of down arrows?” Changes that might save lots of cash, and more importantly provide better services to voters in the long term, can cost money at the start. Sign up for the Off Air with Laura K newsletter to get Laura Kuenssberg’s expert insight and insider stories every week, emailed directly to you. In the coming weeks you’ll hear government sources boast about the importance of this Spending Review and say it’s disgraceful that the Conservatives swerved doing full audits for years. But process isn’t always good politics. The modern spending review was conceived by Gordon Brown in an era when he wanted to flaunt his largesse. New Labour had cash to splash, and spending reviews were big moments to show it off. In contrast, Sir Keir’s Labour confronts fragile public finances. Treasury sources argue, with obvious logic, that it’s helpful to spell out long-term financial plans so departments and the public know what’s coming. Yet there’s a risk the event of the Spending Review serves to highlight political division and cuts, rather than any pluses of Downing Street’s decisions. “I don’t really understand why they are doing it all,” one insider tells me, “maybe it’s about saying, ‘Oh look, we’re governing’, but it’s just importing bad choices into No 10 and 11”. The front pages are already featuring flashes of unhappiness, like the tussles between the Treasury and Angela Rayner, who’ll be with us in the studio tomorrow, alongside Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. Like many big political moments, the Spending Review presents huge possible reward, and huge possible risk, because the actual decisions being made will shape the services available to the public, and the fabric of the country for the next few years. But also, money talks. The financial choices being made right now will tell the government’s political story. Top images credits: Reuters, and PA / EPA – EFE/Shutterstock BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below. Source link #ugly #Whitehall #insiders Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

This new robot vacuum can hold two months’ worth of dust without the need for a bulky dock This new robot vacuum can hold two months’ worth of dust without the need for a bulky dock The 3i G10+ has a big onboard dust bin with dust compression It’s designed to hold up to two months’ worth of dirt in one go This removes the need for a bulky self-empty dock If your home is on the smaller side but you still want a robot vacuum, typically you need to make a choice: opt for a bulky dock with a big dust cup that the robovac can automatically empty into, or take a compact, charge-only dock and commit to manually emptying the bot’s small onboard bin on a regular basis. 3i has come up with a third option. Its newly announced G10+ robot vacuum has built-in dust compression, and aims to be the best robot vacuum for those with small homes. Inside, you’ll find a mechanical paddle that physically squishes the contents of the onboard dustbin as the bot goes about its cleaning, to maximise how much dirt it can carry. The onboard bin itself is also large at 950ml – ******* than that found on most cordless vacuums. You may like (Image credit: 3i) All that means that even though there’s nowhere for the robot to dump its dirt in the dock, it still shouldn’t need emptying too often. In fact, 3i suggests it can hold up to eight weeks’ worth of dust and debris… although that will vary by how much there is in your home that needs sucking up. (**** owners should expect to have to empty it more regularly, for instance.) If you’re worried about debris being stored for so long, 3i has added a built-in UV light to sterilize the bin’s contents. There are further benefits to this setup. The dust squishing happens in real time as the robot cleans, and it’s silent. You’ll never have to listen to the (sometimes noisy) sound of your robot vacuum auto-emptying every time it parks up. And there are no dock dust bags to dispose of, or to remember to buy. 3i isn’t quite the first robovac brand to explore the idea of dust compression, but it does look like the best current option for those with limited space. The Narwal Freo X Plus has onboard compression, but that model still comes with a bulky dock; one that has water tanks but no dust bag. The apparently-upcoming iRobot Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo offers dust compression and a charge-only dock, but I’m not convinced that one will actually make it on *****, given the company’s recent troubles. (Image credit: 3i) Elsewhere, the 3i G10+ features an extendable side brush and mop for effective edge cleaning (the latter via a mop pad with an unusual protrusion), and a very-decent 18,000 Pa of suction. There’s automatic carpet detection and intelligent suction and water flow adjustment based on the type of dirt the bot encounters, and the same LiDAR navigation system and AI-powered obstacle avoidance as 3i’s flagship model (the S10 Ultra). Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. It’s also relatively affordable – the list price is $499, but it’s launching with a discount that takes it down to $399 (usually an indicator that it won’t generally be sold at list price). One of the things that often bumps up the price of today’s flagship robot vacuums is a fancy dock that offers things like mop pad cleaning; if you don’t necessarily want those things but are still keen on an advanced robot vacuum, this could potentially be a great solution. The 3i G10+ robot vacuum goes on ***** at Amazon US on 29 May. We’re in the process of testing it, and will have a review live for you to read as soon as possible. You might also like… Source link #robot #vacuum #hold #months #worth #dust #bulky #dock Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Walyalup (Fremantle Dockers) dominate against Yartapuulti (Port Adelaide) in comprehensive victory Walyalup (Fremantle Dockers) dominate against Yartapuulti (Port Adelaide) in comprehensive victory It rained cats, dogs and goals at Optus Stadium on Saturday night as Walyalup (Fremantle) showcased their new found forward line efficiency to defy the weather and kick their third highest score of the season to beat Yartapuulti (Port Adelaide) by 49 points The Dockers extended their season record to 6-5 with the 15.10 (100) to 7.9 (51) victory despite spending a large portion of the game defending. They took over in the second half as Jackson ran amok. Rucking solo in the absence of Sean Darcy, Jackson had 21 disposals, eight clearances, 38 hit outs, eight score involvements and he kicked one goal in a brilliant display. Murphy Reid kicked four goals in another exciting performance from the first year forward and Caleb Serong had 29 touches after a quiet start. The Dockers scored from 45 per cent of their inside 50s despite despite Port having more chances for most of the night. Port went forward 56 times but the Dockers’ backline was too good and only allowed them to score from 29 per cent of their chances. Camera IconMurphy Reid. Credit: Janelle St Pierre/AFL Photos/AFL Photos via Getty Images On a wet night, the Dockers lost Cooper Simpson just eight minutes into the game after he courageously put his body on the line to help the team to score its first goal. Simpson was giving up height and weight to Logan Evans as they charged at a loose ball, but tucked his body up and crashed into his opponent to deny him the ball. It left Simpson with a shoulder injury that required him to be subbed out of the match, but Sam Switkowski kicked a goal just seconds later. Yartapuulti dominated territory with 20 inside 50s to Walyalup’s eight and a lot of that was due to their 5-1 performance at centre clearances. Yet the Dockers still led by two points at the first change. The home team had to start winning the ball to give their forwards more chances and ease the pressure on a defence which was under siege. Andrew Brayshaw and Serong had only eight touches and no clearances in an uncharacteristic start to the game. Camera IconCaleb Serong. Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images But everything changed in the second term. The Dockers kicked the first two goals of the quarter through Matthew Johnson and Michael Frederick and suddenly they led by 13 points. Walyalup had scored nine times from only 13 inside 50s and that was becoming the key to the game. Port hit back when Mitch Georgiades booted his third after a free kick but the Dockers quickly replied through Reid. Then came a huge moment as Alex Pearce crashed into Darcy Byrne-Jones as the Power forward attempted to mark. Scuffles ensued as tension rose but the Powe missed with the shot for goal. Byrne-Jones’ night was over and the Power desperately needed a goal to keep them in touch at half-time. Camera IconDarcy Bryne-Jones. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper/The Sunday Times Enter ******* Rioli who seized upon a late opportunity to reduce the deficit to only eight points. Jackson’s influence on the game was becoming profound though. He had 10 possessions and three clearances for the term and that was one of the key reasons the home team held the lead given Port led the inside 50 count 34-24. Then came the quarter where the Dockers showed their mettle. They kicked four goals to none and blew the margin out to a match winning 32 points. It was a quarter defined by 50m penalties. Switkowski took a mark on the wing and received a 50m penalty from an incident ahead of play, then he kicked truly. Camera IconSam Switkowski. Credit: Janelle St Pierre/AFL Photos/AFL Photos via Getty Images Joe Richards then had a chance of his own after a 50m penalty and missed with his shot. Just moments later, Pearce took a mark in the centre of the ground and the umpire advanced the ball again, but the Dockers captain converted his chance. When another 50m penalty was paid against Pat Voss for soccering the ball after Serong gave away a free kick for deliberately kicking the ball out of bounds, the Power desperately needed a goal. Yet Rory Atkins’ shot fell short and the Dockers scrambled it through for a rushed behind. In between all of those, Reid kicked another goal and then Jackson topped off his game with a brilliant goal. Jackson took a strong mark next to the boundary line and looked to have little chance to kick accurately given the tight angle. But he nailed the shot with a drop punt and turned to the crowd to celebrate.. Camera IconLuke Jackson dominated. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper/The Sunday Times The Power needed the first goal of the last quarter to have any chance but Voss guaranteed that didn’t happen. He kicked a long bomb inside the opening minute and now the Dockers led by 38 points. The Dockers could have decided to close the game down in the wet but they kept playing normally. Reid snapped his fourth, Michael Frederick ran down Finlayson from behind and the high energy remained. The Dockers have been criticised for their ball movement and defensive focus but this night showed they can score. It took until the last minute for them to draw level on inside 50s and they celebrated as Shai Bolton booted the goal that took their score to triple figures. FREMANTLE 3.3 6.6 10.8 15.10 (100) PORT ADELAIDE 3.1 5.4 5.6 7.9 (51) Goals – FREMANTLE – M Reid 4 I Dudley 2 S Switkowski 2 J Amiss L Jackson M Johnson M Frederick P Voss A Pearce S Bolton. PORT ADELAIDE – M Georgiades 3 W Rioli 2 J Finlayson M Bergman. Best: FREMANTLE – L Jackson C Serong M Reid H Chapman L Ryan C Wagner. PORT ADELAIDE – O Wines C Rozee M Bergman M Georgiades Z Butters. Injuries: FREMANTLE – C Simpson (shoulder). PORT ADELAIDE – D Byrne-Jones (concussion). Umpires: B Hosking A Whetton T Bryce P Bailes. Official Crowd: 40,466 at Optus Stadium. Source link #Walyalup #Fremantle #Dockers #dominate #Yartapuulti #Port #Adelaide #comprehensive #victory Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Tomb Raider 12 dev brings in “external partner” as Embracer delays mysterious AAA game to FY 2026/27 Tomb Raider 12 dev brings in “external partner” as Embracer delays mysterious AAA game to FY 2026/27 dveio9h ago @InUrFox What does “putting everywhere” actually mean? This book has so many pages. • Xbox was dying in revenue • Regulators put a 10 year deal on CoD • Microsoft had to give away the streaming • Spencer himself only offered 3 yrs initially And most importantly • Again, Xbox was dying in revenue Xbox have the benefit of their actual financial situation giving regulators and courts the impression they release games everywhere, what they actually do. But for reasons they can’t be proven guilty of anything in court. I’m not judging, it’s just what it is. IF the Series generation would have developed differently and was much more successful, I don’t hesitate any second to believe in what Spencer had originally planned to do: • Make everything Xbox exclusive • We today know that Spencer had also approached *****, From Software, CD Project, Nintendo, and even Valve was on their list of buyouts. MS are playing a card here everyone knows why they are doing it. Putting Doom “everywhere”, which even was it already before it got bought, ain’t a MS thing. It would had hurt them in many ways if they’d put it exclusively to Xbox. But, no matter what – it is what it is. Xbox bought themselves back into the game. And I think many people just don’t have very fond feelings towards this behaviour, wether on corporate nor private levels. Let’s see how they’ll run with it. In 2030, but most importantly after regulations will have expired we will learn better. Source link #Tomb #Raider #dev #brings #external #partner #Embracer #delays #mysterious #AAA #game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

ScanSnap iX1300 office scanner review ScanSnap iX1300 office scanner review Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test. ScanSnap iX1300: 30-second review I love the concept of the ScanSnap iX1300. It’s essentially a small auto-feed desktop scanner designed for home or small office use, and from the outset, it’s instantly apparent that it’s far removed from standard flatbed scanners, which rely on placing each individual document on the scanner to create a digital copy. The iX1300 offers several scanning options using the ScanSnap Home software, which, while I found it lacks the design flair of many consumer applications, does reflect the power of its business-orientated use. Unlike flatbed scanners, you can put a stack of A4 documents into the feeder at the top of the machine. Then using its innovative U-turn mechanism, it feeds each sheet through the system, scans it, and pulls it back out, neatly stacking the documents parallel to the feeder. This all helps to maintain a small desktop footprint. You may like The top feed is superb for documents and small quantities of photographs, accepting up to 20 sheets at a time, which should be adequate for most small offices. If you need to scan a batch of photographs, you can also do so, although the scanning quality is more suited to documents rather than high-quality imagery. The design of this small scanner is exceptionally neat. I found that the Wi-Fi and USB connectivity enabled plenty of flexibility over the positioning of the scanner. Its slimline design enabled it to sit beside my monitor without dominating space and then when not in use, I could fold down the lid, further decreasing the footprint. In my home office, where desk space is tight, I found using the Wi-Fi connection a great option, enabling me to place the iX1300 on a shelf, plugged into power, where it sat ready and waiting to go. I could then scan the documents in the same way as when the machine was by the side , although now the files were wirelessly sent to the cloud or a folder on my machine. The physical design is difficult to fault. In addition to the top-loading auto paper sheet feed, there’s a front slot for feeding documents that are not suited to the U-turn mechanism; here documents that are longer than A4 and objects up to 2mm thick can be fed in and scanned. In use, the scanner performs exceptionally well, feeding 20 sheets quickly. You can choose document types, create searchable PDFs, or save files as standard PDFs or JPEGs. You can also upload to Google Drive or other cloud services, making it easy to scan and share documents. The ScanSnap Home software helps you sort and organize files and while the design of the software looks a little dated, there’s no doubting the application’s functionality. While the iX1300 has limits—the 20-sheet capacity and moderate photo quality—these are all in balance for its intended use, offering speed and ease of use that make it one of the best scanners for office document scanning. ScanSnap iX1300 at Lenovo USA for $259.99 ScanSnap iX1300: Price and availability How much does it cost? From $249 / £249 When is it out? Available now Where can you get it? Directly from Rioch or Amazon.com While standard flat scanners can cost under £50 and offer high-quality image scanning, the ScanSnap iX1300 must offer a lot to justify its £249/$249 price tag. Its speed far exceeds that of flatbed scanners, and its functions suit a busy office better than a relaxed home environment. This scanner is available directly from Ricoh or from online retailers like Amazon. (Image credit: Alastair Jennings) ScanSnap iX1300: Specs Scanner Type: Dual Path, Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) + Single Feed (Return Scan), Duplex ADF Capacity: 20 x A4 80 g / m², 20 x Letter 20 lb Scanning Colour Modes: Colour, Greyscale, Monochrome, Automatic Detection: (Colour / Greyscale / Monochrome) Optical Resolution: 600 dpi Image Sensor Type: CIS x 2 (Front x 1, Back x 1) Light Source: 3 Colour LED (Red / Green / Blue) ScanSnap iX1300: Design Taking the iX1300 out of the box, it’s immediately apparent that this scanner is different. Unlike the flatbed scanners I use at work for documents and photographs, the iX1300 footprint doesn’t even meet the dimensions of a sheet of A4 paper. Opening the lid reveals an ingenious U-turn mechanism that feeds paper in, scans it, and returns it to a tray parallel to the original feed, all meaning that the machine takes up far less space than most home or office scanners. The neat design stands out when compared to other scanners, with Ricoh clearly considering office aesthetics. Available in pure white or optional ******, it looks stylish and more like a compact printer than a scanner. Setup is quick and easy and at 296 x 114 x 87mm and weighing 2kg, it’s easy to position and while compact, it has enough weight for stability during high-speed scanning. Testing on both a MacBook Pro M1 Max and an Intel NUC 9 Ghost Canyon, I was pleased that in both cases the setup was straightforward. The ScanSnap Home software installed easily on macOS and Windows, connecting via USB before offering a step-by-step guide through general as well as Wi-Fi setup. (Image credit: Alastair Jennings) Once set up, the feeder tray supports up to 20 A4 sheets or other documents. Documents are fed through the system round the U-turn mechanism, where they’re scanned, single- or dual-sided, and then returned. For items that can’t be bent, like older photographs, the iX1300 offers a front slot. It automatically grips documents up to 2mm thick and again can duplex scan both sides in one go. Once everything has been set up and a home found on my desk, getting started with scanning documents all proved to be fast and simple. The ScanSnap Home software automatically collated scanned sheets into a single PDF, streamlining the process. (Image credit: Alastair Jennings) ScanSnap iX1300: Features The ScanSnap iX1300 is designed for the home or small office, offering a compact design and an automatic document feeder (ADF). You can stack up to 20 sheets of A4 paper, which will be automatically scanned at up to 30 pages per minute. Another headline feature is the return scan slot, which is designed for plastic cards, receipts, and bifold A3 documents and, again, like the main scanning mechanism, offers duplex scanning, essentially the scanning of both sides of the document at once. One of the features that I like for the simplicity is that there is no dedicated on/off button. Opening the lid powers it on, and as you do so, the document feed extension automatically extends. Closing the lid powers it down. You can also feed documents into the return scan slot to wake the scanner. Any worries that the small size would affect its functionality were quickly dismissed as I started to use the scanner and I actually found that the features helped to make it extremely versatile, and the fact that it took up minimal space even when the feeder and tray are extended just ensured that it was left out ready for use, unlike my usual scanner, which, while small and thin, gets packed away when not in use. Another of the features that I really liked is that fact that it works across Windows, Mac, and Chromebooks and supports iPad, Fire Tablet, iPhone, and Android devices. Then there’s the ScanSnap Cloud that, through the test, enabled integration with Google Drive and is compatible with other cloud services. At the heart of the iX1300 is the ScanSnap Home software. While the interface of this looks a little dated, it works incredibly well and enables you to scan, edit, search, and organise files really easily. (Image credit: Alastair Jennings) ScanSnap iX1300: Performance Getting started with the ScanSnap iX1300 was easy enough, and once everything was installed and set to go, I began by placing some bills and bank statements into the scanner. One of the features I really liked was being able to use the automatic document feed so I didn’t have to lay them out sheet by sheet on my flatbed scanner. This is where the ScanSnap iX1300 really starts to become impressive and well worth its price tag. For example, I placed a bank statement with five sheets into the feeder. I selected the option to continuously scan all sheets in one go and opted for duplex scanning, so it scanned both front and back. When I hit scan, the sheets were fed very quickly through the scanner—in less than 10 seconds—and within a few more seconds, a PDF appeared in the ScanSnap Home software with all of the sheets combined into a single PDF. This PDF was extremely useful and meant I could shred the bank statement and have a digital copy for my records. Although these days we have online banking, which in most cases eliminates the need to scan paper bank statements, there are some bank accounts and documents that still use paper. Once the documents were scanned, the next step was to right-click on the PDF in the ScanSnap Home software and convert it into a searchable document. Once converted, I could open the document in Word or another application, where it was fully editable. Likewise, if I wanted to use it as a searchable PDF, it worked perfectly. During testing, I scanned multiple documents, including some legal papers I needed to review for certain clauses. The fact that I could quickly scan these paper documents, convert them into searchable files, and search through them again helped reduce the time spent reading through multiple sheets trying to find the needed paragraph. This initial use was exceptionally fast and effective for straightforward A4 document scanning. Just for this single feature, the ScanSnap iX1300 already seems like an essential tool for any home office and especially mine. I then considered my business needs and all the different paperwork I often handle—model release forms, health and safety forms, equipment rental forms, and various other documents needed for photo and video shoots. I could scan each folder, and in seconds, all documents were digitised and searchable. This meant that if I needed to scan the documents to see, for example, the location of camera two and who was responsible, the information was quickly available. The other major part of my work involves administrative tasks after the practical side of a photo or video shoot. This often includes documenting health and safety forms, risk assessments, and correlating business expenses and receipts, then matching those against Xero accounting software. Ordinarily, I use my mobile phone to photograph receipts and connect them to Xero at the time of purchase. However, this doesn’t always work due to time constraints and being busy. Instead, I often stuff all the receipts I collect throughout the day or week into a zipped pocket in my camera bag. Usually that’s where they stay until I have a dedicated administration day. With the iX1300, I was able to feed all these receipts through the front slot on the return scanner and quickly perform duplex scans of each receipt before uploading the JPEG files to Xero to link with expenses. This process, while a bit more manual, was much faster than using my phone to photograph shaky pictures of receipts. Once again, another functional feature of this document scanner that really stood out. Throughout using the ScanSnap iX1300, I was generally impressed with its functionality and usability. My only slight reservation was the ScanSnap Home software UX design, which just looks dated. It looks like office software rather than having the elegant design typical of home applications. However, it provides all the valuable data needed and is highly usable and easy to navigate. It would have been nice if the software also allowed you to convert documents—say, production documents into Word or equipment forms into Excel—directly from within the software. In most cases, though, you can convert them to searchable PDFs and then into Word, at which point most documents become fully editable. As I work in the photography sector, another feature I would have liked was better photo scanning. I loaded a series of 6×7 prints into the automatic document feeder, and while it was able to scan a decent number of standard photos, the results were not especially high-quality. Even at the highest quality setting, image contrast seemed a bit excessive, and there was some detail and tonal loss. However, for office use, such as scanning site photos, this scanner is ideal. If you’re thinking about scanning 35mm or 6×7 prints at high quality, a dedicated photo scanner would be much better. When it comes to day-to-day office tasks, the ScanSnap iX1300 is a superb office tool, helping to speed up workflow for administration and archiving valuable business documents. (Image credit: Alastair Jennings) ScanSnap iX1300: Final verdict (Image credit: Alastair Jennings) The ScanSnap iX1300 should be seen as an office essential. Its small size makes it especially convenient, particularly in mostly paper-free offices where occasional scanning is still required. The small size through the test enabled it to sit comfortably on my desk, ready to use, and with the Wi-Fi features, I had the option to pop it on a shelf, plugged into the AC mains, but ultimately out of the way. Scanning is fast and easy, using the U-turn mechanism for single or duplex scans, which also enabled it to save space with that small footprint. The 20-sheet limit on the autofeed is really due to the space, but still through the test I found this to be more than enough for all personal and business use. The return scan feeder also adds a little more flexibility for scanning plastic cards, business cards, and other non-standard materials. While photo scan quality is limited, the iX1300 excels at document scanning. It also automatically corrects skewed documents and offers paper guide adjustments for improved scan quality, which, in use, I found made a major difference to the overall quality of scanning. For any office, whether at home or a small business, this scanner can save hours compared to using a flatbed scanner. Should I buy a ScanSnap iX1300? Swipe to scroll horizontally Value The scanner is expensive compared to a flatbed but well worth it 4.5/5 Design Compact design with innovative features that make it incredibly fast and versatile 5/5 Features Auto sheet feeder, return document scan, and cloud compatibility offer great value 45/5 Performance Not designed for high-quality photos but excels at document scanning 4.5/5 Overall If you regularly scan documents, you should buy the ScanSnap iX1300 5/5 Buy it if… Don’t buy it if… For more options, we’ve rounded up the best scanner deals around. ScanSnap iX1300: Price Comparison Source link #ScanSnap #iX1300 #office #scanner #review Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Exclusive-Nvidia to launch cheaper Blackwell AI chip for China after US export curbs, sources say Exclusive-Nvidia to launch cheaper Blackwell AI chip for China after US export curbs, sources say By Liam Mo and Fanny Potkin BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -Nvidia will launch a new artificial intelligence chipset for China at a significantly lower price than its recently restricted H20 model and plans to start mass production as early as June, sources familiar with the matter said. The GPU or graphics processing unit will be part of Nvidia’s latest generation Blackwell-architecture AI processors and is expected to be priced between $6,500 and $8,000, well below the $10,000-$12,000 the H20 sold for, according to two of the sources. The lower price reflects its weaker specifications and simpler manufacturing requirements. It will be based on Nvidia’s RTX Pro 6000D, a server-class graphics processor and will use conventional GDDR7 memory instead of more advanced high bandwidth memory, the two sources said. They added it would not use Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s advanced Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology. The new chip’s price, specifications and production timing have not previously been reported. The three sources Reuters spoke to for this article declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to media. An Nvidia spokesperson said the company was still evaluating its “limited” options. “Until we settle on a new product design and receive approval from the U.S. government, we are effectively foreclosed from China’s $50 billion data center market.” TSMC declined to comment. MARKET SHARE PLUNGE China remains a huge market for Nvidia, accounting for 13% of its sales in the past financial year. It’s the third time that Nvidia has had to tailor a GPU for the world’s second-largest economy after restrictions from U.S. authorities who are keen to stymie ******** technological development. After the U.S. effectively banned the H20 in April, Nvidia initially considered developing a downgraded version of the H20 for China, sources have said, but that plan didn’t work out. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said last week the company’s older Hopper architecture – which the H20 uses – can no longer accommodate further modifications under current U.S. export restrictions. Reuters was unable to determine the product’s final name. ******** brokerage GF Securities said in a note published on Tuesday that the new GPU would likely be called the 6000D or the B40, though it did not disclose pricing or cite sources for the information. According to two of the sources, Nvidia is also developing another Blackwell-architecture chip for China that is set to begin production as early as September. Reuters was not immediately able to confirm specifications of that variant. Story Continues Nvidia’s market share in China has plummeted from 95% before 2022, when U.S. export curbs that impacted its products began, to 50% currently, Huang told reporters in Taipei this week. Its main competitor is Huawei which produces the Ascend 910B chip. Huang also warned that if U.S. export curbs continue, more ******** customers will buy Huawei’s chips. The H20 ban forced Nvidia to write off $5.5 billion in inventory and Huang told the Stratechery podcast on Monday that the company also had to walk away from $15 billion in sales. The latest export restrictions introduced new limits on GPU memory bandwidth – a crucial metric measuring data transmission speeds between the main processor and memory chips. This capability is particularly important for AI workloads that require extensive data processing. Investment bank Jefferies estimates that the new regulations cap memory bandwidth at 1.7-1.8 terabytes per second. That compares with the 4 terabytes per second that the H20 is capable of. GF Securities forecast the new GPU will achieve approximately 1.7 terabytes per second using GDDR7 memory technology, just within the export control limits. (Reporting by Liam Mo in Beijing and Fanny Potkin in Taipei, additional reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Brenda Goh and Edwina Gibbs) Source link #ExclusiveNvidia #launch #cheaper #Blackwell #chip #China #export #curbs #sources Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

ValueAct takes a stake in Rocket Cos. How the activist may help lift shares ValueAct takes a stake in Rocket Cos. How the activist may help lift shares FILE PHOTO: A banner celebrating Rocket Companies Inc., the parent company of U.S. mortgage lender Quicken Loans, IPO is seen on the front facade of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, U.S., August 6, 2020. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Company: Rocket Companies Inc (RKT) Business: Rocket Companies is a financial technology company consisting of mortgage, real estate and personal finance businesses. Its segments include Direct-to-Consumer and Partner Network. In the Direct-to-Consumer segment, clients can interact with Rocket Mortgage online, as well as with the company’s mortgage bankers. Rocket markets various brand campaigns and performance marketing channels to clients through its Direct-to-Consumer segment. It also includes title insurance, appraisals, and settlement services. Partner Network segment leverages its client service and brands to grow marketing and influencer relationships, and its mortgage broker partnerships through Rocket Pro third-party origination (TPO). The company’s personal finance and consumer technology brands include Rocket Mortgage, Rocket Homes, Amrock, Rocket Money, Rocket Loans, Rocket Mortgage Canada, Lendesk, Core Digital Media and Rocket Connections. Stock Market Value: $25.4B ($12.68 per share) Stock Chart IconStock chart icon Rocket Companies in 2025 Activist: ValueAct Capital Ownership: 9.99% Average Cost: $12.37 Activist Commentary: ValueAct has been a premier corporate governance investor for over 20 years. ValueAct principals are generally on the boards of half of ValueAct’s core portfolio positions and have had 56 public company board seats over 23 years. Additionally, the firm is a long-term, thoughtful and diligent investor known for creating value behind the scenes. ValueAct has previously commenced 106 activist campaigns and has an average return of 52.60% versus 21.27% for the Russell 2000. What’s happening ValueAct has taken a position in Rocket Companies (RKT). Behind the scenes Rocket Companies is a financial technology company consisting of mortgage, real estate, and personal finance businesses. In a highly fragmented industry, Rocket has steadily gained market share and is now the No. 1 originator of mortgages in the United States. This position has primarily been driven by a technology-first, assembly-line approach to mortgage processing. Unlike industry legacy methods where people and technologies are stretched over the entire process, Rocket has broken down the workflow into distinct stages and has dedicated people and technologies at each step. As a result, the company can originate a loan at about one third of the cost of peers and close loans in an average of 21 days versus 45 days for its competitors. However, the company’s share price has yet to reflect this clear competitive advantage, as shares are down over 29% since its initial public offering in August 2020. While Rocket is a great company, it is not a great stock. The primary reasons for this are its small float, controlled ownership and unnecessarily convoluted share class structure. Rocket’s founder Dan Gilbert retains over 80% of voting power through a preferred share class. The current public float of the company is only about 7% of the total voting power. Further complicating matters is that Rocket’s ownership has been spread across four different share classes – though in March, the company said it would reduce its share classes to two. These factors made the stock difficult to buy, leaving its investor base absent of many long-only institutional investors that are typically sought after by companies of this size and stature. The valuation gap that has resulted from this is clear, while Rocket trades at a single digit price-earnings multiple, comparable businesses like Schwab trade closer to 20 times. The float issue is in the process of being remedied, however. Rocket’s public float is set to increase to 35% from 7%, because of the company’s pending acquisitions of Redfin and Mr. Cooper. Additionally, the company will be collapsing its share structure from four to two. This will still leave it a controlled company with Dan Gilbert owning approximately 65%, but controlled companies do not scare ValueAct. On the contrary, the firm has delivered strong returns investing in many controlled companies such as Liberty Live Group, Meta Platforms, Martha Stewart Living, The New York Times, 21st Century Fox, Spotify and KKR. In these situations, ValueAct has delivered an average return of 96.15% vs. 21.12% for the relevant benchmark. While the significantly increased float and simpler capital structure should attract the broader base of long-term institutional investors who have thus far been sidelined, this is just a tailwind for stockholders, not a value-creator. Likewise, declining interest rates are a tailwind for Rocket as it accelerates mortgage refinancing. But the real value creator is for Rocket to continue its technological leadership which could be greatly accelerated with the assistance of artificial intelligence. There are two kinds of AI beneficiaries – the technology enablers (such as Nvidia, Amazon and Salesforce) and consumer class companies with business models that can be fundamentally improved through AI integration. As the market and technological leader in a highly fragmented industry, Rocket is well positioned to supercharge its already best-in-class mortgage assembly-line process by integrating AI to boost operational efficiency, profitability, and further expand its current pricing and timeline advantages over peers. Traditional banks should also have an easier time using AI to close the gap, as they have vastly more room for improvement than Rocket. However, AI is much more likely to be quickly adopted by companies like Rocket – companies that have embraced technology and the digital age – as opposed to older institutions that have historically been reluctant to adopt any sort of technological innovation. Throughout the AI revolution, we have observed across other consumer-based industries that the businesses that are already tech native (such as Tesla, Amazon and Spotify) are far better equipped to integrate AI in ways that meaningfully transform their businesses, and Rocket is in the driver’s seat to be this player in the mortgage industry. Moreover, Rocket has a relatively new CEO who wants to dominate the mortgage industry and is not afraid of technology, previously working at Intuit, PayPal, Groupon and Microsoft. If these value levers are properly executed, Rocket’s high single-digit share of the mortgage market should be able to grow to 15% to 20% organically and potentially higher if coupled with some accretive mergers and acquisitions. In the longer term, there’s no reason why this industry should remain so fragmented. Most digital consumer business markets eventually consolidate to a few major players with the winners commanding 30%-plus market share, and Rocket has a clear path to victory. This is not ValueAct taking a “flyer” on AI. First, ValueAct is a very thoughtful and diligent investor and doesn’t take “flyers.” Second, ValueAct has extensive experience from both sides of AI. The firm has been in the boardroom at companies like Microsoft and Salesforce, two of the largest developers of AI. And ValueAct has been active shareholders at companies like Spotify, The New York Times, Expedia and Recruit (Indeed.com) – some of the largest users and beneficiaries of AI. So, when ValueAct invests in AI, it isn’t just spitballing. Rather, the firm thoroughly understands AI and how its customers can use it. ValueAct makes investments like this because it likes the company for all of the reasons stated above. The firm takes board seats in approximately half of its core positions but does not go into an investment “needing a board seat” or even necessarily wanting a board seat. Moreover, as a sub $200 million investment, this is very small for ValueAct. But as the float increases and it grows its position – and as management gets to know the company better – we think with ValueAct’s financial expertise and AI experience, it would be natural for the firm to be invited on to Rocket’s board. Ken Squire is the founder and president of 13D Monitor, an institutional research service on shareholder activism, and the founder and portfolio manager of the 13D Activist Fund, a mutual fund that invests in a portfolio of activist 13D investments. Source link #ValueAct #takes #stake #Rocket #Cos #activist #lift #shares Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

How the U.S. clean energy ***** could go bust if Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ becomes law How the U.S. clean energy ***** could go bust if Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ becomes law Solar power CEOs believed the billions of dollars that they invested in Republican congressional districts would ultimately shield their industry from President Donald Trump’s threats to end federal support for renewable energy. But they may have been disastrously wrong. The tax bill that House Republicans passed this week is a “worse than feared scenario” for solar, analysts at the investment bank Jefferies told clients in a note. The legislation would terminate key tax credits that have supported the industry’s growth, triggering a broad sell-off of solar stocks on Thursday. The bill does still have to pass the Senate, where Jefferies expects the “unworkable” provisions to be undone. But in its current form, the tax bill effectively takes a “sledgehammer” to President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the Jefferies analysts said. The legislation would “upend an economic ***** in this country that has delivered an historic American manufacturing renaissance,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, CEO of the lobby group Solar Energy Industries Association. Hopper excoriated the tax bill as “willfully ignorant” of the role that solar power and battery storage is playing in meeting electricity demand from U.S. consumers and businesses. “If this bill becomes law, America will effectively surrender the AI race to China and communities nationwide will face blackouts,” she warned. Sunrun CEO Mary Powell told CNBC in an interview Thursday that the legislation could result in the loss of 250,000 jobs and would increase the cost of electricity for consumers. The rooftop solar installer had its worst performance ever Thursday, with shares dropping 37%. Trump, for his part, called on the Senate to pass what he calls the “one, big, beautiful bill” as soon as possible. “There is no time to waste,” the president said on his social media platform Truth Social Thursday. Clean energy ***** could bust Companies have invested more than $161 billion in large solar and battery storage projects since the IRA passed in 2022, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Rhodium Group. Solar and battery storage is the fastest growing energy source in the U.S., making up 81% of expected power additions to the grid in 2025, according to the Energy Information Administration. But the tax bill would basically kill the two tax credits that have done the most to enable the surge of solar power. It terminates the investment and electricity production credits for clean energy facilities that begin construction 60 days after the legislation is enacted or enter service after 2028. This also applies to wind power, which is growing at slower place in the U.S. “That’ll put a massive slowdown on the amount of clean energy that gets added to the grid,” said Ben Smith, associate director of Rhodium Group’s energy and climate practice. The deployment of clean energy to the grid could decline by 57% to 72% over the next decade, according to Rhodium. Clean energy projects also cannot claim the tax credits as early as next year if they receive “material assistance” from prohibited foreign entities. This mostly targets projects that source basic materials from China, such as glass for solar panels or cobalt and lithium for batteries, King said. “It really does serve in our estimation as a de facto repeal of the credit as early as next year,” he said. The manufacturing tax credit that has supported companies such as First Solar remains in place until 2031, though its also subject to the foreign entity restrictions. The tax bill is “disastrous” for the rooftop solar industry, Guggenheim analyst Joseph Osha told clients. It terminates tax credits for companies like Sunrun that lease solar equipment to customers. About 70% of the residential solar industry is using lease arrangements, Osha said. GOP senators could tweak bill But some Republican senators have pushed back on the legislation, raising at least some hope for the industry that the bill’s harshest provisions will be softened. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., told Politico that the tax bill acts like a blanket repeal of the tax credits. “I would expect that to change,” Capito told Politico on May 13. “There has been job creation around these tax credits.” Indeed, GOP congressional districts would get hit the hardest if the credits are terminated. Some 81% of IRA investment has gone to Republican districts, according to data from advocacy group E2. A slowdown in solar deployment would come at the same time that electricity demand is increasing due to the construction of artificial intelligence data centers, reindustrialization and the broader electrification of the economy. Renewables can be deployed the most quickly to meet demand right now because solar, battery storage and wind represent 92% of the power projects waiting for connection to the grid, according to Interconnection.fyi, an organization that tracks connection requests. Natural gas demand is also soaring in the U.S., but the wait time for new turbines is five to six years if an order is put in now, said Reid Ramdathsingh, an analyst at consulting firm Rystad Energy. While growth may slow, solar and batteries will continue to be deployed because there really isn’t an alternative, Ramdathsingh said. “The demand is there for energy,” he said. “Gas is not able to meet this demand in the short term. The biggest alternative to that gas generation that we would need in the next couple of years is renewables.” Source link #U.S #clean #energy #***** #bust #Trumps #big #beautiful #bill #law Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

TSMC custom employee-exclusive suitcases are sold online for as high as $16,700 TSMC custom employee-exclusive suitcases are sold online for as high as $16,700 TSMC’s new custom-designed employee-exclusive 20-inch suitcase is pretty awesome to behold. However, semiconductor analyst Ray Wang has observed that lucky owners are reselling them for up to US$16,700 (NT$500,000) on online marketplaces in Taiwan. TSMC custom-branded products are highly coveted inside and outside of its employee base. We have seen many new TSMC custom employee-exclusive products become collectors’ items, like TSMC Starbucks mugs and even co-branded snack products. Due to the rarity of TSMC-branded items and their restricted employee-only initial *****, even new releases can command significant premiums on resale marketplaces. A case in point is this premium-looking suitcase, a co-brand effort between TSMC and Eminent, which is worth a closer look. You may like You can’t be serious TSMC’s employee‑exclusive 20‑inch suitcase is already hitting resale sites for an eye‑watering NT$500,000—about US$15,500.I want one tho…… pic.twitter.com/8ylgDNobSZMay 23, 2025 We dug up listings like Mr Wang’s clipped from Taiwan’s Shopee platform and note that these subtly computer-chip-styled silver suitcases are made using Makrolon polycarbonate. The material’s ******* maker, Covestro AG, describes it as “extremely robust, lightweight with glass-like transparency and is impact resistant—even at low temperatures.” Image 1 of 6 (Image credit: Shopee Taiwan) (Image credit: Shopee Taiwan) (Image credit: Shopee Taiwan) (Image credit: Shopee Taiwan) (Image credit: Shopee Taiwan) (Image credit: Shopee Taiwan) In other details, we can see that the case measures 56 x 36 x 23cm and is characterized as a 20-inch suitcase. It weighs about 2.9kg (6.4 pounds) empty. This snazzy case is made in Taiwan (by Eminent) and comes with a decent 5-year warranty. Case can be grabbed much cheaper – but beware pre-orders During our perusal of the new TSMC suitcase listings, it quickly became apparent that this employee-exclusive can be had for much more reasonable money. However, some of the best prices were for pre-orders, which have a chance of not being fulfilled. Shockingly, the US$16,700 (NT$500,000) case seller didn’t even have a case in their possession. They promised that the case was “expected” before June 30. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Our hunt continued through the Shopee listings, and we found one reseller with actual stock (1 case) at US$334 (NT$10,000). The majority of other sellers were listing goods they didn’t yet have in their possession. Elsewhere in the listings, we were reminded how handsome the range of TSMC Starbucks co-branded coffee mugs was. There were also listings with TSMC sportswear accessories, TSMC-branded mobile phones (dumb phones, ironically), packs of Guai Guai, and more. Please don’t go and buy this stuff; save some for me… Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Source link #TSMC #custom #employeeexclusive #suitcases #sold #online #high Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump's top meme coin investors visit White House – ABC News Trump's top meme coin investors visit White House – ABC News Trump’s top meme coin investors visit White House ABC NewsWho Won a Seat at Trump’s Crypto Dinner? The New York TimesDonald Trump May Have Broken Federal Law at Meme Coin Dinner: Attorney NewsweekInfluencer who attended Trump’s memecoin dinner says he got a ‘Walmart steak’—and no access to the president YahooAt Trump’s $148 million meme coin dinner, ‘the food sucked’ and security was lax, attendee says CNBC Source link #Trump039s #top #meme #coin #investors #visit #White #House #ABC #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Three-word analysis of every Walyalup (Fremantle) player in Sir Doug Nicholls Round clash with Port Adelaide Three-word analysis of every Walyalup (Fremantle) player in Sir Doug Nicholls Round clash with Port Adelaide Walyalup (Fremantle) comfortably accounted for Yartapuulti (Port Adelaide) in the wet at Optus Stadium, muscling their way to a 49-point win. Here’s how we saw each Docker in three words! Source link #Threeword #analysis #Walyalup #Fremantle #player #Sir #Doug #Nicholls #clash #Port #Adelaide Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pete Hegseth restrictions on Pentagon press media Pete Hegseth restrictions on Pentagon press media Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a Cabinet meeting at the White House on April 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump convened a Cabinet meeting a day after announcing a 90-day pause on ‘reciprocal’ tariffs, with the exception of China. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images Bedeviled by leaks to the media during his short tenure, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a series of restrictions on the press late Friday that include banning reporters from entering wide swaths of the Pentagon without a government ******* — areas where the press has had access in past administrations as it covers the activities of the world’s most powerful military. Newly restricted areas include his office and those of his top aides and all of the different locations across the mammoth building where the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Space Force maintain press offices. The media will also be barred from offices of the Pentagon’s senior military leadership, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, without Hegseth’s approval and an ******* from his aides. The staff of the Joint Chiefs has traditionally maintained a good relationship with the press. Hegseth, the former Fox News Channel personality, issued his order via a posting on X late on a Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend. He said it was necessary for national security. “While the department remains committed to transparency, the department is equally obligated to protect (classified intelligence information) and sensitive information, the unauthorized disclosure of which could put the lives of U.S. service members in danger,” wrote Hegseth. The Pentagon Press Association expressed skepticism that operational concerns were at play — and linked the move to previous actions by Hegseth’s office that impede journalists and their coverage. “There is no way to sugarcoat it. Today’s memo by Secretary Hegseth appears to be a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America’s right to know what its military is doing,” it said in a statement Friday night. “The Pentagon Press Association is extremely concerned by the decision to restrict movement of accredited journalists within the Pentagon through non-secured, unclassified hallways.” Hegseth also said reporters will be required to sign a form to protect sensitive information and would be issued a new badge that more clearly identifies them as press. It was not clear whether signing the form would be a condition of continued access to the building. Two months ago, the department was embarrassed by a leak to The New York Times that billionaire Elon Musk was to get a briefing on the U.S. military’s plans in case a war broke out with China. That briefing never took place, on President Donald Trump’s orders, and Hegseth suspended two Pentagon officials as part of an investigation into how that news got out. The Pentagon was also embarrassed when the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently included in a group chat on the Signal messaging app where Hegseth discussed plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen. Trump’s former national security adviser, Mike Waltz, took responsibility for Goldberg being included and was shifted to another job. The administration has taken several aggressive actions toward the press since Trump took over, including FCC investigations into ABC, CBS and NBC News. Restrictions imposed on The Associated Press’ access to certain White House events earlier this year led to a court battle that is ongoing. The White House has also increased access for conservative media that are friendly to the president. Nevertheless, a study released earlier this month found that Trump had more frequent exchanges with reporters during his first 100 days in office than any of his six predecessors. Hegseth, however, has been far less available. He has yet to speak to the press in the Pentagon briefing room. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell has held only one Pentagon press briefing since Jan. 20. The Pentagon has taken other steps to make it more difficult for reporters, including taking office space away from eight media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and NBC. Source link #Pete #Hegseth #restrictions #Pentagon #press #media Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why Trump’s triple-down on attacking Harvard is meeting trouble in court Why Trump’s triple-down on attacking Harvard is meeting trouble in court The Trump administration already faces strong legal challenges to its attempts to freeze billions in grants to Harvard University, one brought by the school itself and another by the Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors. Likewise, the president’s desire to revoke the school’s tax-exempt status has not gone anywhere so far. Seemingly undaunted — or just desperate — the Trump administration has now tried a new route to retaliate against America’s oldest university: deny thousands of international students the ability to attend. But like those other actions, this one is already rightly facing stiff resistance in the courts. Before the ink was even dry on the order purporting to rescind the university’s ability to educate international students, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order preventing the order from going into effect. While the constitutional issues implicated by the administration’s actions are important, and clear, this one may be resolved on less weighty issues, simply because the administration has not followed the law required to take the action it wishes to take. As with another recent ruling, which prohibited the administration from going after the law firm Perkins Coie for activities the administration does not favor, the administration’s newest attack on Harvard is based on the university’s apparent “anti-American” values. As with two recent rulings, one which prohibited the administration from going after the law firm Perkins Coie, and another one issued Friday permanently enjoining the administration from punishing the law firm of Jenner & Block, the administration’s newest attack on Harvard is based on the university’s alleged “anti-American” values. Such actions, like the retribution against the firms, violate the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. But Burroughs and other courts that might review this action don’t even have to get to the deeper constitutional issues. It is a principal of American jurisprudence that when a court can resolve a case without reaching constitutional questions, it should do so. And though the university’s constitutional claims are strong, courts will have ample grounds to avoid those questions here. In fact, the effort by the Department of Homeland Security to punish Harvard in this way was so ham-handed that the purported rescission of the university’s ability to educate international students failed to follow the law and procedures required of the administration should it wish to take such action. Such legal and procedural requirements are quite clear. For example, the administration must give the school notice of the ways in which the university is in apparent violation of the rules governing the international visa program, and it must have valid and not pretextual reasons for doing so. The university then has a chance to challenge those allegations through several levels of administrative review and likely in court should that administrative review result in a decision against the university. The fact remains that the administration failed to follow the these legal and procedural protections governing the international student visa program. In addition, by terminating that program as it relates to Harvard with no process whatsoever, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also violated the federal Administrative Procedure Act, a federal law that is designed to bring reasoned judgment and procedural regularity to federal agency action. This procedural failure means that the weightier constitutional questions of whether the administration’s actions violate the university’s free speech or due process rights will likely be left to another day. Similar missteps took place under Trump’s first presidency. That administration’s attempts to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and to add a citizenship question to the U.S. census, among others, were both challenged successfully under the APA. Burroughs’ temporary restraining order against the administration’s policy was granted soon after Harvard filed its lawsuit seeking to halt it. The swift decision reflects the profound harm that this policy will cause to thousands of students and to Harvard’s educational and scientific mission. By granting it, it is also an implicit recognition that that the university is likely to succeed on the law of the underlying challenge. Here, Judge Burroughs will likely follow the path of Judges Beryl Howell and John Bates, who permanently enjoined the administration’s efforts to punish the law firm Perkins Coie and Jenner & Block, respectively, for speech and conduct that met with the president’s disapproval. Those rulings will likely echo in this decision as well, but not for the same reasons. Here, the failure of the administration to follow even the most basic of administrative steps required to take its desired action will likely doom the effort. That doesn’t mean the Trump administration can’t continue to tilt at windmills. But Harvard will still hold its constitutional-challenge cards in its hands. If it has to play them at some point, it will have a strong case on those grounds too. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Source link #Trumps #tripledown #attacking #Harvard #meeting #trouble #court Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Comprehensive Guide to Hunting Leviathans Just Dropped Comprehensive Guide to Hunting Leviathans Just Dropped Hell hath no fury like a Helldiver whose ride got blown up by a flying apartment complex. One particularly motivated member of Super Earth’s finest decided that “just ignore the Leviathans” wasn’t cutting it anymore. Their solution? Write what might be the most thorough enemy breakdown in Helldivers 2 history. We’re talking mathematical precision, damage calculations, and enough technical detail to make High Command proud. And now that we think about it, calling this guide “comprehensive” feels like calling managed democracy “slightly organized.” This thing is a masterpiece of vengeful documentation. When ignoring giant flying death machines isn’t an option The Helldivers 2 community’s been split on Leviathan tactics since the Heart of Democracy update dropped these Illuminate behemoths into Super Earth’s cities. Half the subreddit insists you should just run away and let them pass. The other half has been getting repeatedly demolished while trying to fight back. Enter our anonymous hero, armed with spreadsheets and righteous fury. Their guide breaks down everything from the Leviathan’s 15,000 HP pool to optimal Anti-Tank Emplacement positioning. They’ve calculated damage overflow mechanics, debunked community myths, and provided weapon-by-weapon effectiveness ratings: The guide (click the embed above to read the full thing) reveals some eye-opening truths. Those “three weak spots” everyone talks about? Only one actually exists. The front circle isn’t special—it’s still AP5 armor like everything else. And that Orbital Cannon everyone swears by? Takes 2-3 shots minimum, not the mythical one-shot kill. Most importantly, they’ve proven that ignoring these things isn’t always possible. Leviathans actively target generators on defense missions and spawn directly behind objectives. When one of these flying fortresses decides your missile silo needs to disappear, running isn’t an option. The author even added a postscript about mechs: Comment byu/qwertyryo from discussion inHelldivers Even the big guns have their limitations against these Illuminate monsters. Community rallies behind the anti-Leviathan movement Air support says nah. | Image Credit: Arrowhead Game Studios The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with fellow Helldivers finally getting the technical breakdown they needed. The guide’s mathematical approach resonates with players tired of guesswork and urban legends about weak points: Comment byu/qwertyryo from discussion inHelldivers But not everyone’s thrilled about the current state of, well, aerial support. Some divers have pointed out the obvious elephant in the room—or rather, the Eagle circling overhead. The sarcasm cuts deep because it highlights a genuine concern. Eagle-1 can level entire outposts, but apparently draws the line at apartment-sized alien warships. Comment byu/qwertyryo from discussion inHelldivers Eagle-1’s refusal to elaborate has become a running joke, but it also represents a real gameplay limitation. Players are left wondering why their air support ignores the biggest threats on the battlefield. High Command must have their reasons, though questioning military decisions is a fast track to a re-education camp. Comment byu/qwertyryo from discussion inHelldivers The guide’s impact extends beyond pure tactics. It’s created a movement of players who refuse to accept “just run away” as a viable strategy. When liberty is on the line, sometimes you have to stand and fight—even against flying fortresses. What’s your take on Leviathan hunting strategies? Drop your war stories and tactical insights below! Source link #Comprehensive #Guide #Hunting #Leviathans #Dropped Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

These oversold stocks could be due for a pop after this week’s market declines These oversold stocks could be due for a pop after this week’s market declines Stocks that investors dumped this week could make a comeback, according to one popular metric. All three of the major averages dropped more than 2% this week. On Friday, the S & P 500 posted a fourth consecutive losing session and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than 250 points after President Donald Trump called for a 50% duty on the European Union and threatened 25% tariffs on Apple for iPhones that are made outside the U.S. Although volatility remains in the market, one widely used technical analysis metric indicates that certain stocks look oversold after this week’s losses and could be due for a near-term bounce. Using the CNBC Pro stock screener tool , we identified the most oversold and overbought stocks this week by their 14-day relative strength index. A result below 30 suggests a stock could be oversold and see gains ahead, while an RSI above 70 indicates that a stock is overbought and could trade lower. Take a look at the oversold names below: A handful of consumer packaged goods giants are now considered oversold. Kraft Heinz , the maker of Heinz ketchup and Kraft macaroni and cheese, made the list with an RSI of 29.7. The stock lost 5% this week, bringing its year-to-date losses to 14%. Still, analysts have a consensus hold rating and a price target that suggests 16% upside ahead. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Kraft is spending $3 billion to upgrade its U.S. factories , its largest investment in its plants in a decade, in order to defend its market share. The news came even as the company has cut its sales and profit forecasts. Conagra Brands and Campbell’s are also considered oversold with an RSI of 29.3 and 29.6, respectively. Conagra dropped more than 2% this week, while Campbell’s slid 5.7%. Analysts’ price targets call for more than 20% upside for both stocks. In early May, Conagra announced an agreement with Hometown Food Company to divest its Chef Boyardee product line for $600 million in cash. Other oversold stocks include Carmax and UnitedHealth , which was was the most oversold stock last week. UnitedHealth’s RSI of roughly 22 this week is a step up from its reading of 14.9 last week, but the stock remains under pressure and is down more than 41% year to date. Here are this week’s overbought stocks: GE Vernova is the most overbought of the group with an RSI of 81.6. Shares of the energy equipment manufacturing company jumped 8.5% this week. It has surged 41% this year. CNBC’s Jim Cramer said this week that GE Vernova is “at the heart of every major power trend there is,” except for solar, and that the company could stand to benefit from hyperscalers’ power-hungry artificial intelligence tech developments. Big Tech data centers could eventually be powered by GE Vernova’s natural gas turbines, Cramer said. To be sure, analysts covering the stock think GE Vernova appears overvalued, and could see a decline of 11% from current levels. Other overbought stocks this week are Intuit , NRG Energy and GE Aerospace . Tax software giant Intuit, which has an RSI of more than 77, saw its stock pop 8% on Friday after the company posted strong quarterly results and guidance. Intuit posted a weekly gain of 7.4%, and it’s up more than 14% in 2025. Source link #oversold #stocks #due #pop #weeks #market #declines Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia CEO calls Trump’s re-industrialization policies ‘visionary’ Nvidia CEO calls Trump’s re-industrialization policies ‘visionary’ President and CEO of Nvidia Jensen Huang speaks at a forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on April 30, 2025. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images News | Getty Images Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Saturday praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to boost U.S. technology as the leading chipmaker announced a partnership with a group of Swedish businesses to develop AI infrastructure in Sweden. Nvidia will provide its latest generation AI data center platform to a group of Swedish companies, including telecoms gear maker Ericsson and drug developer AstraZeneca. Nvidia has announced a number of similar partnerships in recent weeks in Saudi Arabia and the UAE after the Trump administration rescinded a rule put in place by former President Joe Biden that would have restricted exports of AI chips. Huang, who had earlier called controls “a failure,” said Trump wanted U.S. firms to “win.” “American technology companies were very successful in China four years ago, we have lost about 50% of the market share and competitors have grown,” he said on Saturday in Norrkoping, where he was due to receive an honorary doctorate from Linkoping University. “The President would like American technology to win with Nvidia and American companies to sell chips all over the world and to generate revenues, tax revenues, invest and build in the United States,” he said. The Trump administration has introduced sweeping tariffs, saying they would stimulate growth, bring home manufacturing jobs and raise tax revenues. Many businesses and economists, though, have warned tariffs could have the opposite effect and lead to a recession in the United States and a global downturn by pushing up costs, upending supply chains and hurting consumer and business confidence. Huang said many policies related to re-industrialization were “very visionary.” “Manufacturing in the United States, securing our supply chain, having real resilience, redundancy and diversity in our manufacturing supply chain — all of that is excellent,” he said. Source link #Nvidia #CEO #calls #Trumps #reindustrialization #policies #visionary Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Amid the volatility, these high-quality assets offer solid yields Amid the volatility, these high-quality assets offer solid yields One place investors can turn to in this volatile market is agency mortgage-backed securities, according to Janus Henderson. The assets —debt obligations created out of a pool of mortgages and backed by the federal government — have historically been resilient in market selloffs, explained John Kerschner, head of U.S. securitized products and a portfolio manager at Janus. Stocks retreated on Friday after President Donald Trump resumed his threat of higher tariffs , this time leveled against Apple and the European Union . Treasury yields, which move inversely to prices, pulled back from their recent highs. Agency MBS are also relatively cheap compared to investment-grade corporate bonds, Kerschner pointed out. Spreads in corporates are still tight thanks to strong supply-demand dynamics, while agency MBS spreads are wider due to a challenging supply backdrop, he said. Premium over Treasurys “If people are concerned about the volatility in the markets, they’re concerned about what’s going to happen with tariffs and maybe this big tax bill that’s coming, it’s a place where you can get basically about 140 basis points more yield than Treasurys, with basically the same kind of credit that you’re going to get in U.S. Treasurys,” Kerschner said. Despite the turbulence that came with Trump’s initial tariff announcements in April, agency MBS as of April 30 had their best start to a year since 2020, he pointed out. The Janus Henderson Mortgaged-Backed Securities ETF currently has a 5.11% 30-day SEC yield and 0.22% expense ratio. JMBS YTD mountain Janus Henderson Mortgaged-Backed Securities ETF in 2025 BlackRock’s Rick Rieder also likes mortgage-backed debt and saw an opportunity to add the securities to the fund he manages, iShares Flexible Income Active ETF , when prices dropped during the April selloff. Cheapened by volatility “When rate volatility picks up, it can cheapen up mortgages,” said Rieder, Blackrock’s chief investment officer for global fixed income. “The liquidity of mortgages is great,” he added. “Quality is good.” BlackRock also has an ETF dedicated to investment-grade MBS, the iShares MBS ETF . The fund has a 30-day SEC yield of 4.22% and a 0.04% net expense ratio. MBB YTD mountain iShares MBS ETF in 2025 While supply may have recently weighed on the sector, Kerschner believes that should eventually even out. The Federal Reserve has been rolling agency MBS off its balance sheet, adding to supply, but banks have been pulling back from the market because they don’t like the interest-rate volatility, he explained. Reduced supply coming As a result, the Street is starting to take down its projections for mortgage supply this year, he said. Plus, interest rate volatility should come down since it appears like the Federal Reserve may hold off on rate cuts for the foreseeable future, Kerschner added. “Lower volatility, less concern about banks, or maybe even positive that banks are going to come in and buy more and then less supply [is] setting up for better technicals,” he said. Agency mortgages are also a big focus for Bryan Whalen, chief investment officer and generalist portfolio manager at TCW. The assets make up about 22.5% of one of the funds he manages, TCW Flexible Income ETF . The ETF has a 30-day SEC yield of 5.9% and a 0.40% total expense ratio. He sees an opportunity to get paid to wait while the assets, whose quality is the highest after Treasurys, appreciate in price. Typically, agency MBS trade at a spread over Treasurys that is less than corporate bonds. These days, they are about 65 basis points above corporates, he noted. “In an environment where yields are still bouncing around — and you’re not going to expect that to tighten in — but you are getting paid a decent income while you wait for an eventual remediation in the price and or in the spread,” Whalen said. That means investors should have a long-term view that interest rates will at some point come down and volatility will subside, he explained. “We’ll get through the ‘The Waiting Place’ and we’ll get to a steady-state yield curve that should also bring in, maybe, buyers that have … have certainly pulled back from the market in the last few years.” Source link #volatility #highquality #assets #offer #solid #yields Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Your new sofa could be the first sign tariff inflation is hitting home – The Washington Post Your new sofa could be the first sign tariff inflation is hitting home – The Washington Post Your new sofa could be the first sign tariff inflation is hitting home The Washington PostWhich big retailers have signaled tariff-induced price hikes? USA TodayHere’s what to buy before tariffs push up prices marketplace.orgRetailers won’t ******** Trump’s ‘eat the tariffs’ demand for much longer before hiking prices New York PostMajority of US companies say they have to raise prices due to Trump tariffs The Guardian Source link #sofa #sign #tariff #inflation #hitting #home #Washington #Post Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Homeowner Returns From Trip to Find Her Yard Professionally Mowed. Now, She Claims to Have Good Reason Not to Pay the Gardener Homeowner Returns From Trip to Find Her Yard Professionally Mowed. Now, She Claims to Have Good Reason Not to Pay the Gardener A woman returned home from a family trip to discover that the grass had been trimmed in her front and backyard Venting on Mumsnet, she shared that the previous owner of her house hadn’t mentioned their contract with a professional gardener “I told him no, sorry I’m not paying and he needs to take it up with them,” she said A woman is withering up amid a dispute with a gardener! The woman explained in a post on the U.K.-based forum Mumsnet that she purchased a house in December last year that had been standing empty for at least two years after no longer being used as a rental. Having been unaware of how the former owners managed the property’s large front and backyard, she “took ownership” of the gardening once settled in. “Anyway, I’ve been away for the last week with family and came home on Wednesday to freshly cut grass, weeds pulled, etc.,” the woman wrote. “I asked my neighbors if they had seen anyone but they were at work. “It turns out that the previous owners hired a company to do the work and hadn’t notified them that they’d sold the house last year,” she continued. “I only found this out yesterday as the gardener turned up with the invoice.” The PEOPLE App is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Elena Medoks/Getty Man mowing grass (stock image) The woman said she politely explained to the gardener that she wasn’t aware of the arrangement and he should contact the previous owners for payment. However, he soon was at her door again, claiming they were only willing to pay him half of the sum and she should pay the rest because she’s “the one benefiting from the work.” “I told him no, sorry I’m not paying and he needs to take it up with them,” the woman said. “I do feel bad for the gardener, but it’s their fault. I didn’t ask for this. They were awkward during the conveyancing process too so this doesn’t surprise me. AIBU [am I being unreasonable]?” Responses to the post were divided on whether or not the woman should pay the gardening invoice. “I think you ABU [are being unreasonable],” a commenter wrote. “If this happened to me, I’d be happy to pay half and ask the guy when he was free to come again! But I hate gardening, so… The gardener shouldn’t have to be put in an awkward position. It’s fair that the previous owners pay half although you are benefiting.” Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Vladimir Vladimirov/Getty Woman and man talking (stock image) Disagreeing, another said, “OP [original poster] is not ‘benefiting’ as she’s a person who is happy to do her own gardening! This is totally on the previous owners. They didn’t cancel the service, they owe the fee.” A third chimed in, “The previous owners should pay him in full. If they want you to pay them back half, then they should get in touch with you directly, not expect the gardener to be their messenger.” “For me, the issue sits with the previous owners AND the gardener,” another wrote. “The POs [previous owners] should have informed the gardener they were moving, and the gardener should have sent them a reminder text/email to say what date he was coming, which would have prompted a ‘oh we don’t live there anymore!’ response. Not your circus, not your monkeys.” Read the original article on People Source link #Homeowner #Returns #Trip #Find #Yard #Professionally #Mowed #Claims #Good #Reason #Pay #Gardener Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Goldman Sachs says buy these five stocks that are set to pop Goldman Sachs says buy these five stocks that are set to pop Goldman Sachs revealed recently several buy-rated stocks that analysts at the investment bank say are set to rise. The Wall Street firm says these companies are resilient and that investors should quickly buy them. CNBC Pro combed through Goldman Sachs research to find five stocks that it says have more upside. They include: Microsoft , KinderCare, Lyft, Woodward and Diamondback. KinderCare Buy the dip in shares of the early childhood learning company, according to analyst George Tong While KinderCare’s most recent earnings report was mixed, Goldman is doubliing down on the stock. “While sales cycles have elongated, the company noted healthy growth in parental inquiries, communications and tours, which create a healthy pipeline that can convert during the seasonally strong summer months,” Tong wrote. The bank also says it’s optimistic that there will be no changes in President Trump’s budget outline, which is a positive for the Child Care and Development Block Grant that assists low-income families. This in turn should help KinderCare revenue growth, Tong added. With shares down more than 34% this year, Tong urged clients to quickly accumulate shares. “KinderCare’s business model is resilient in an uncertain macro environment given child care services are essential, with broader demand outpacing supply,” he went on to say. Diamondback Energy The energy and natural gas company is firing on all cylinders, Goldman wrote recently. Analyst Neil Mehta sees a compelling entry point as shares are down about 17% this year. “As an industry cost-leader, FANG’s execution strength can continue to drive capital efficiency improvements over time in our view,” he wrote. Mehta likes Diamondback’s robust free-cash flow and understands shareholders have concerns about the price of oil. “Investors also highlight risks associated with waiting for a more constructive near- to medium-term oil price to add barrels given timing the market can be challenging,” he said. Still, Goldman is sticking with the stock. “We reiterate our Buy rating on FANG and remain constructive on FANG’s consistency of execution strength following strong operating and financial results in 1Q25,” the bank said. Woodward The aerospace and defense company is seeing robust demand, analyst Noah Poponak wrote, citing several catalysts ahead. Poponak recently held a series of meetings with Woodward’s investor relations team and came away feeling even more bullish about the stock. “Aerospace aftermarket fundamentals are strong, including units, price and pent-up demand,” the analyst wrote. Further, Poponak says military spending growth remains robust and aerospace manufacturing is picking up. “Industrial indicators are solid, including high levels of power demand,” he added. The bank has a Street high, 12-month price target of $229 on the stock, and Woodward remains a top pick and is on Goldman’s prestigious conviction buy list. “Multiple growth and margin drivers across the business,” Poponak added. Woodward shares are up 25% this year. KinderCare “While sales cycles have elongated, the company noted healthy growth in parental inquiries, communications and tours, which create a healthy pipeline that can convert during the seasonally strong summer months. … .KinderCare’s business model is resilient in an uncertain macro environment given child care services are essential, with broader demand outpacing supply.” Lyft “Strong Execution in a Stable Industry Backdrop. … .While short-term debates will likely stay rooted in industry trends around rideshare pricing, market share fluctuations, positioning against the [autonomous vehicle] theme and/or any changes in consumer discretionary behavior, we believe that shares are dislocated from LYFT’s earnings power in the next 2-3 years and upgrade the stock to Buy.” Read more about this call here. Diamondback Energy “As an industry cost-leader, FANG’s execution strength can continue to drive capital efficiency improvements over time in our view. … .Investors also highlight risks associated with waiting for a more constructive near- to medium-term oil price to add barrels given timing market can be challenging … We reiterate our Buy rating on FANG & remain constructive on FANG’s consistency of execution strength following strong operating & financial results in 1Q25.” Microsoft “With a strong presence across all layers of the cloud stack, including applications, platforms & infrastructure, MSFT is well-positioned, in our view, to capitalize on a number of long-term secular trends, such as Gen-AI, public cloud consumption, SaaS adoption, digital transformation, AI/ML, ***/analytics, & DevOps.” Read more about this call here. Woodward “Multiple growth and margin drivers across the business … Aerospace aftermarket fundamentals are strong, including units, price and pent-up demand … Aerospace OE is starting to improve. Defense growth is solid, and [joint direct attack munition] is unique for WWD. Industrial indicators are solid, including high levels of power demand.” Source link #Goldman #Sachs #buy #stocks #set #pop Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Traveling during Memorial Day weekend? Maps show where traffic could be the worst – USA Today Traveling during Memorial Day weekend? Maps show where traffic could be the worst – USA Today Traveling during Memorial Day weekend? Maps show where traffic could be the worst USA TodayWhat Travelers Should Know About This Messy Memorial Day Weekend The New York TimesMemorial Day weekend: Travelers pack Chicago roads, expressways, O’Hare and Midway airports; festivals, beaches open ABC7 ChicagoUDOT warns of traffic delays of up to 30-55 minutes this Memorial Day weekend KSL.comMemorial Day Weekend travel could break records. Here’s how to prepare for your trip NPR Source link #Traveling #Memorial #Day #weekend #Maps #show #traffic #worst #USA #Today Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Goldman Sachs says buy these five stocks that are set to pop Goldman Sachs says buy these five stocks that are set to pop Goldman Sachs revealed recently several buy-rated stocks that analysts at the investment bank say are set to rise. The Wall Street firm says these companies are resilient and that investors should quickly buy them. CNBC Pro combed through Goldman Sachs research to find five stocks that it says have more upside. They include: Microsoft , KinderCare, Lyft, Woodward and Diamondback. KinderCare Buy the dip in shares of the early childhood learning company, according to analyst George Tong While KinderCare’s most recent earnings report was mixed, Goldman is doubliing down on the stock. “While sales cycles have elongated, the company noted healthy growth in parental inquiries, communications and tours, which create a healthy pipeline that can convert during the seasonally strong summer months,” Tong wrote. The bank also says it’s optimistic that there will be no changes in President Trump’s budget outline, which is a positive for the Child Care and Development Block Grant that assists low-income families. This in turn should help KinderCare revenue growth, Tong added. With shares down more than 34% this year, Tong urged clients to quickly accumulate shares. “KinderCare’s business model is resilient in an uncertain macro environment given child care services are essential, with broader demand outpacing supply,” he went on to say. Diamondback Energy The energy and natural gas company is firing on all cylinders, Goldman wrote recently. Analyst Neil Mehta sees a compelling entry point as shares are down about 17% this year. “As an industry cost-leader, FANG’s execution strength can continue to drive capital efficiency improvements over time in our view,” he wrote. Mehta likes Diamondback’s robust free-cash flow and understands shareholders have concerns about the price of oil. “Investors also highlight risks associated with waiting for a more constructive near- to medium-term oil price to add barrels given timing the market can be challenging,” he said. Still, Goldman is sticking with the stock. “We reiterate our Buy rating on FANG and remain constructive on FANG’s consistency of execution strength following strong operating and financial results in 1Q25,” the bank said. Woodward The aerospace and defense company is seeing robust demand, analyst Noah Poponak wrote, citing several catalysts ahead. Poponak recently held a series of meetings with Woodward’s investor relations team and came away feeling even more bullish about the stock. “Aerospace aftermarket fundamentals are strong, including units, price and pent-up demand,” the analyst wrote. Further, Poponak says military spending growth remains robust and aerospace manufacturing is picking up. “Industrial indicators are solid, including high levels of power demand,” he added. The bank has a Street high, 12-month price target of $229 on the stock, and Woodward remains a top pick and is on Goldman’s prestigious conviction buy list. “Multiple growth and margin drivers across the business,” Poponak added. Woodward shares are up 25% this year. KinderCare “While sales cycles have elongated, the company noted healthy growth in parental inquiries, communications and tours, which create a healthy pipeline that can convert during the seasonally strong summer months. … .KinderCare’s business model is resilient in an uncertain macro environment given child care services are essential, with broader demand outpacing supply.” Lyft “Strong Execution in a Stable Industry Backdrop. … .While short-term debates will likely stay rooted in industry trends around rideshare pricing, market share fluctuations, positioning against the [autonomous vehicle] theme and/or any changes in consumer discretionary behavior, we believe that shares are dislocated from LYFT’s earnings power in the next 2-3 years and upgrade the stock to Buy.” Read more about this call here. Diamondback Energy “As an industry cost-leader, FANG’s execution strength can continue to drive capital efficiency improvements over time in our view. … .Investors also highlight risks associated with waiting for a more constructive near- to medium-term oil price to add barrels given timing market can be challenging … We reiterate our Buy rating on FANG & remain constructive on FANG’s consistency of execution strength following strong operating & financial results in 1Q25.” Microsoft “With a strong presence across all layers of the cloud stack, including applications, platforms & infrastructure, MSFT is well-positioned, in our view, to capitalize on a number of long-term secular trends, such as Gen-AI, public cloud consumption, SaaS adoption, digital transformation, AI/ML, ***/analytics, & DevOps.” Read more about this call here. Woodward “Multiple growth and margin drivers across the business … Aerospace aftermarket fundamentals are strong, including units, price and pent-up demand … Aerospace OE is starting to improve. Defense growth is solid, and [joint direct attack munition] is unique for WWD. Industrial indicators are solid, including high levels of power demand.” Source link #Goldman #Sachs #buy #stocks #set #pop Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Waratahs keep finals hopes alive in Super Rugby epic Waratahs keep finals hopes alive in Super Rugby epic Darby Lancaster has completed a match-winning hat-trick of tries in the last minute of extra time to keep the Waratahs’ Super Rugby Pacific finals hopes alive. Source link #Waratahs #finals #hopes #alive #Super #Rugby #epic Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]