Pelican Press

House of Commons paralysis threatening government finances, Anand warns – National House of Commons paralysis threatening government finances, Anand warns – National Treasury Board President Anita Anand is warning that if the House of Commons doesn’t get back to regular business, some government departments might be in financial trouble. On Monday, Anand tabled a supplementary estimates request for $21.6 billion to fund programs including housing, dental care and the national school food program. One of the biggest-ticket items is $970.8 million for compensation adjustments for civil servants as a result of collective bargaining agreements. But some of the money requested by the government is to repay departments for what they’ve already spent, and it must be voted on by Dec. 10 in line with House procedures. 2:27 Conservatives say Liberals ‘paralyzed Parliament’ by refusing to hand documents to RCMP The civil ******** compensation adjustments, for instance, included one-time lump sum payments issued between April 1 and July 31 of this year. Story continues below advertisement “The smaller departments would be impacted disproportionately earlier on,” Anand told reporters Tuesday. “We are OK for the next three to four weeks, but we need to make sure that money flows to those smaller departments and then ultimately the larger departments, which also fuel so much of the government’s and the country’s business.” Anand said $3 billion of the supplementary estimates tabled on Monday are from legislated funding requirements — like $400 million in financial aid to Ukraine — and don’t require a vote. Those expenditures are not at risk. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. At issue, however, is that the House of Commons has been deadlocked for nearly two months as the Conservatives press the Liberals to hand over documents relating to hundreds of millions of dollars of misspending on a green-tech fund. The issue is the focus of an ongoing privilege debate, which the Conservatives have pledged to keep going until they get what they want. Privilege matters take precedence over all other House affairs, so government business is not proceeding. On Monday, ******** House leader Karina Gould said the Conservatives were “holding the government ********,” noting the government has handed over nearly 29,000 pages of documents. But on Tuesday, Conservatives were quick to accuse the Liberals of not being forthcoming. 3:14 Liberals accuse Conservatives of “witch hunt” over so-called ‘green slush fund’ Tory House leader Andrew Scheer shared with reporters a letter from Michel Bédard, the law clerk and parliamentary counsel, to House Speaker Greg Fergus that said the government withheld and redacted some pages — leaning on provisions of the Access to Information Act. Story continues below advertisement “Clearly, the government is picking and choosing which documents it hands over,” Scheer said. “We are yet again faced with a situation that the Trudeau Liberals are choosing to keep Parliament paralyzed with this scandal. They would rather grind Parliament to a halt than hand over documents related to this scandal to the RCMP.” Trending Now Organic carrots sold in Canada, U.S. recalled in deadly E.coli outbreak These Canada-U.S. border crossing hours are changing next year. Here’s why Although opposition parties could side with the Liberals to bring the privilege debate to an end, neither the NDP or the Bloc Québécois seem willing — with each of them on Tuesday calling on the Liberals to hand over the documents. “Right now what we see in the House is deplorable. But the Liberals are not being transparent and are not providing documents with essential information. Having documents completely redacted is not responsible,” said NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice, speaking to reporters in French. “And then we have Conservatives, who are doing systemic obstruction, who refuse to vote on their own motion and keep making amendments and sub-amendments to delay House work.” Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Gould said she’s always having discussions with the NDP and the Bloc, though she wouldn’t specifically say whether the government is trying to get support to end the privilege debate. 1:12 ************* MP pressures Liberals to provide ‘green slush fund’ documents The Bloc said it has not had any meaningful discussions with the Liberals on that front. Story continues below advertisement “Not really. There’s isn’t much happening on that. It’s pretty quiet,” Bloc House leader Alain Therrien said in French. “We don’t know what will happen with the supplementary estimates. We’re in a total impasse, total darkness. As far as negotiating for us to open up Parliament, (the Liberals) just have to provide the documents.” Fergus ruled last month that the government “clearly did not fully comply” with an order from the House to provide it with documents related to a now-defunct foundation responsible for doling out hundreds of millions of federal dollars for green technology projects. The Liberals said ordering the production of documents to be handed over to the RCMP blurs the lines between Parliament and the judicial system. The RCMP has said it likely would not be able to use the documents as part of any investigation, if they were obtained in this way. The Conservatives maintain the police should have access to all the information before they decide. More on Canada More videos &copy 2024 The ********* Press Source link #House #Commons #paralysis #threatening #government #finances #Anand #warns #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘I didn’t think I’d walk again after road ******’ ‘I didn’t think I’d walk again after road ******’ BBC Tom Hadden says he still lives with the physical and mental impact of the collision Tom Hadden’s life changed forever when he was involved in serious ****** on a rural road in County Tyrone. The 57-year-old was driving a bin lorry down a country road when another truck collided with his vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle denied speeding but a judge imposed a temporary driving ban after finding they were driving too fast. Seven years on, Tom Hadden says he still lives with the physical and mental impact of the collision. Hadden Family Tom had to learn to bend his knee and walk again Following the ******, he sustained multiple crushing injuries to his leg and was trapped in the lorry for an hour and a half while emergency services worked to free him. “I was in a lot of pain and I remember hearing the air ambulance landing and I knew it was serious, but thank **** they did, they saved my life,” he said. The Caledon native needed a number of serious surgeries on his leg. ‘I feared the worst’ He said: “I feared the worst and thought I wouldn’t walk again, but I was left in a metal frame right from ankle to my hip, I had to learn how to bend my knee and walk again. “It meant my working days are over and I have to live with the pain, but you just have to get on with it.” Hadden family These days Tom enjoys spending time with his granddaughter but has had a long road to recovery Mr Hadden added: “If my case shows anything, when it comes to rural roads, you have to be so alert when you’re on them, you have to prepare for what’s around every corner.” Rural roads are defined by police as roads with a speed limit greater than 40 miles per hour that aren’t motorways and dual carriageways. They make up around 75% of the total road network in Northern Ireland. PSNI Police publish detailed statistics of road traffic collisions (RTCs) in Northern Ireland The number of people ******* in road traffic collisions on rural roads in Northern Ireland increased by 57% in 2023, compared to 2022. Phillip McCullagh is temporary PSNI chief inspector in the Mid Ulster policing area. He said: “The reality is rural roads have their own issues, they’re often narrow, there is slow moving traffic like agricultural vehicles and tight bends, but there’s certain things we can all do to reduce the risk. “We call it the fatal five – don’t drive if you had alcohol or drugs, don’t use your phone, slow down, make sure everybody in the car has their seat belt on and pay attention to other road users and the road conditions.” PSNI Ch Insp Phillip McCullagh believes the focus of road safety should be on driver responsibility Figures for Northern Ireland show young drivers are over-represented in collision statistics. There were 192 people aged between 16 and 24 ******* or seriously injured in road traffic collisions in Northern Ireland in 2023. There have been calls by some road safety groups to implement Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) in Northern Ireland. This would put a set of restrictions on new drivers who have recently passed their practical test for an initial ******* of time. The infrastructure minister believes GDL can “deliver significant road safety benefits”. But John O’Dowd said he is waiting on details on further funding and legislation before making a final decision about its implementation here. ‘Broken bodies and broken families’ Dr Jonathan McCrea is from the Northern Ireland Board of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. He believes anything that can be done to improve driver safety has to be seen as a positive. The physiotherapist of 30 years has lost count of the amount of lives he has seen forever changed by a road traffic collision. “They lead to broken bodies, broken families and the last thing you want is having to be treated by someone like me, teaching you how to walk and stand again,” he said. Dr McCrea believes more could be done to educate the public about how to be safer on the road, including encouraging more young people to undertake advance driving courses at an early stage. Dr Johnnie McCrea has been a physiotherapist for 30 years “It’s just about being aware of your environment, so on a rural road it’s regulating your speed anticipating breaking distances and ****** corners, it’s in everybody’s hands to preserve their own lives and the lives of other people.” The Department for Infrastructure have been highlighting the impact on victims during Road Safety Week as part of their Share the Road to Zero initiative. In a statement to BBC News NI, John O’Dowd said: “I am deeply concerned at the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads. “These are mums, dads, sons and daughters who are not coming home to their families whose lives are shattered. “I appeal to all road users to think about their behaviour. Be mindful of others and proceed with care at all times, to ensure everyone gets home safe.” He added: “I would encourage everyone to share road safety messaging so it reaches as wide an audience as possible and to talk about it with friends and family –you could be helping to save a life.” Source link #didnt #walk #road #****** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Sony in talks to buy FromSoftware parent company Sony in talks to buy FromSoftware parent company Sony is looking to acquire Kadokawa, the parent company of Elden Ring developer FromSoftware, according to a new report. This news comes from Reuters, which wrote that discussions between Sony and Kadokawa are still “ongoing,” but could conclude over the next few weeks if both sides agree to a *****. The report is based on comments from two sources “close to the matter.” Sony already had an approximate 2% stake in the media company. This deal was announced in 2021, but in 2022, Kadokawa announced that Sony and Tencent bought around 30% of the company’s shares, with Sony holding around 14%. ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree | Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer There could be a number of reasons for a Kadokawa acquisition beyond just acquiring the developer of some of the decade’s biggest games. FromSoftware does have a history of partnering with Sony on exclusives such as Bloodborne for the PlayStation 4 and the 2020 ******’s Souls remake for the PlayStation 5. Sony’s previous deals with Kadokawa were made so the latter could leverage Sony’s resources to create new IP and maximize “the utilization of its existing IP in anime and game fields,” specifically as it pertains to FromSoftware. “FromSoftware will aim to proactively invest in development of more powerful game IP for itself to strengthen FromSoftware’s development capabilities and will seek to establish a framework that allows the expansion of the scope of its own publishing in the significantly growing global market,” Kadokawa’s announcement read. To sum that up, other companies like Bandai Namco currently publish FromSoftware games, and the deal was made to hopefully allow it to publish its own games in addition to potentially leveraging it for other properties. Kadokawa has its hands in video games, but also manga, anime, and film. It owns dozens of companies, including Danganronpa developer Spike Chunsoft and Delicious in Dungeon publisher Enterbrain. It also has a majority stake in Studio ENGI. Sony has already put a lot of money into growing its anime business with a $1.2 billion acquisition of anime streamer Crunchyroll. It also owns Aniplex, making it one of the biggest anime distributors outside Japan. So there are a lot of reasons a Kadokawa purchase would benefit Sony beyond just gaining the rights to some of the biggest games of all time, although that certainly would be a bonus. Source link #Sony #talks #buy #FromSoftware #parent #company Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

132 escaped hamsters run amok, ground Portuguese plane for 4 days – National 132 escaped hamsters run amok, ground Portuguese plane for 4 days – National Descrease article font size Increase article font size You’ve heard of snakes on a plane, but how about hamsters? A Portuguese airline was forced to ground one of its passenger planes last week after 132 hamsters broke free from their cages in the cargo hold and began running freely all over the aircraft, according to local media. The TAP Air Portugal flight from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada Airport on Nov. 13 was carrying a full flight of passengers as well as a host of small animals en route to a **** store in the Azores. Along with the hamsters were ferrets and birds. Upon arrival at its destination, baggage handlers opened up the cargo hold only to find the hamsters running amok. 0:31 Snake falls from upper compartment on plane to Mexico City Local news outlet Correio da Manhã reported that the hamsters had chewed through their carriers before going on the lam in the plane’s nooks and crannies. Trending Now These Canada-U.S. border crossing hours are changing next year. Here’s why These were Canada’s top 10 stolen vehicles in 2023 Story continues below advertisement There was a ***** that the escaped rodents could chew through the plane’s electrical wires if left to run through the aircraft for too long. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Photos acquired by The Telegraph and the New York Post show one of the hamsters being held in a worker’s hand and another being pulled out from a corner of the airplane. Workers spent four days scouring the plane for loose rodents. Once all 132 were recaptured the Airbus A320 finally returned to Lisbon on Sunday without passengers. Correio da Manhã reports that the plane will undergo a thorough inspection to make sure the rodents did not cause any damage. More on World More videos &copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link #escaped #hamsters #run #amok #ground #Portuguese #plane #days #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Rafael Nadal retires from tennis at Davis Cup after Spain lose to Netherlands Rafael Nadal retires from tennis at Davis Cup after Spain lose to Netherlands MALAGA, Spain — Rafael Nadal’s professional tennis career is over, his final match a 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands at the Davis Cup. That defeat, coupled with Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers losing the doubles rubber 7-6(4), 7-6(3) to Wesley Koolhof and Van de Zandschulp, saw Spain eliminated from the Davis Cup and with it came the end for Nadal, one of the sport’s most successful players of all time, who confirmed that he would retire at the Davis Cup in October. Nadal had flashes of his old self during the loss to Van de Zandschulp, but they were all too brief. A couple of aces in crucial moments. A snapped backhand overhead. A scampering chase after a lob that he got back with a spinning overhead while running away from the net. Ultimately his game proved too meek to survive a powerful, modern player like Van de Zanschulp. Strokes that once would have pelted ****** through the court ended up short, allowing the Dutchman to take the initiative off Nadal’s racket. With Nadal out it was left to Carlos Alcaraz to save him and to save Spain. Alcaraz got halfway there, winning his singles match, but then he and Marcus Granollers fell to Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof in straight sets in the doubles. Nadal sat with his teammates courtside, urging Granollers and Alcaraz on, standing and pumping his fists two at a time, trying to get them to hang in and give him one more chance at the court. The match came down to two tiebreaks. Koolhof and Van de Zandschulp played some their best tennis when it counted most, with the weight of saving Nadal’s career for another round pressing down on the Spaniards. The Dutch took the first one 7-4. In the second, Van de Zandschulp turned it on with a lunging stab of a volley that nicked the outside of the sideline and a blazing passing shot that sent the Dutch on to the win. Koolhof, 35, is also retiring here. He was not ready to go. He celebrated. Nadal stood and folded his arms. The end had come. Rafael Nadal retires from tennis Rafael Nadal won four Davis Cups with Spain. This one was not to be. (Clive Brunskill / Getty Images) When it was over, he tried to address the crowd in Spanish. The “Rafa, Rafa, Rafa” chant that has followed him around the world drowned him out. Then they let their hero speak. “I have felt super fortunate to receive so much,” he said. “It has been an incredible privilege, an honor that we have enjoyed. We achieved so many things,” he said, addressing members of Spain’s tennis team past and present. Alcaraz looked crestfallen on the sidelines. “Nobody ever wants to arrive at this moment — I am not tired of playing tennis,” Nadal said. “My body has arrived at a place where it cannot play anymore. I feel privileged to have extended my career longer than I expected. Thanks to life and to my team,” he added. Video tributes came in from legends and rivals: Serena Williams, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Conchita Martinez, Juan Martin del Potro. Spanish sporting royalty, including Ballon d’Or holder Rodri, former Spain captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas and striker Raul, and golfer Sergio Garcia lent their voices. David Beckham addressed Nadal – in Spanish. “I have tried to achieve my goals with respect, humility and appreciation for the good things I have experienced. I have tried to be a good person and I hope you have felt that. I leave the world of professional tennis having found many friends,” Nadal said. It is an end that has been coming for two years, with Nadal struggling for form and fitness since his last Grand Slam title at the 2022 French Open. He retires with 22 Grand Slam titles, second only to Djokovic in men’s tennis history with 24. He also won two Olympic gold medals — one in singles and one in doubles — and four Davis Cups, with a final total of 92 career singles titles. Now 38, Nadal made his debut in professional tennis in 2001 at a Futures event, which is the third rung of the ATP tour. He started playing Challengers (a rung up but still one below the main ATP Tour) towards the end of 2002, and then made his main tour and Grand Slam debut the following year, reaching the Wimbledon third round. Two years later he won his maiden Grand Slam at the French Open, the first of 14 titles at an event where he retires with a record of played 116, won 112, lost four. He won four French Opens in a row between 2005 and 2008, and after that fourth title he won his first non-clay major a few weeks later by beating Roger Federer at Wimbledon in a classic of the 2000s. GO DEEPER What’s it like to play Rafael Nadal on clay? We asked the players Nadal won his first *********** Open six months later in January 2009, but suffered his first-ever defeat at Roland Garros that year to Robin Soderling in the fourth round. He responded by winning five more French Opens in a row between 2010 and 2014 and completing the “career Grand Slam” at 24 by winning the 2010 U.S. Open. Injuries and a crisis of confidence saw him endure two barren years in 2015 and 2016, but with new coach Carlos Moya in tow he rebounded to win a 10th French Open and third U.S. Open in 2017. That “La Decima” title in Paris began another run of four straight Roland Garros titles, between 2017 and 2020, the last of which was a straight-sets battering of Djokovic, so often his bete noire. In 2022 he moved ahead of Federer in the men’s Grand Slams leaderboard by winning a 21st and 22nd major at the *********** and French Opens, with that 14th title in Paris proved to be his final Grand Slam. Though best known for a ferocious and indomitable will to win, Nadal was also one of the great shotmakers in tennis history and perhaps the most complete baseliner the sport has ever seen alongside Djokovic, propelled by his ripped forehand with so much topspin that it kicked high off the court and bamboozled opponents. His rivalries with Federer and Djokovic, who came to be known as the ‘Big Three,’ created some of the most memorable and high-quality matches in tennis history, each pushing the other to greater heights and creating three of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the process. Two of them have now bowed out. (Top photo: Oscar J. Barroso / Getty Images) Source link #Rafael #Nadal #retires #tennis #Davis #Cup #Spain #lose #Netherlands Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

First trailer for A Minecraft Movie delivers on iconic in-game moments First trailer for A Minecraft Movie delivers on iconic in-game moments A Minecraft Movie has dropped its first full-length trailer today, expanding on the blocky world hinted at by the released in September. While the game Minecraft gives players only the barest sense of direction, there will be a traditional story driving A Minecraft Movie. Jack ****** provides a voiceover about how his character, Minecraft mascot and stock avatar Steve, was drawn to the mines as a child and discovered the Overworld. He teams up with four other people, seemingly from the real world we know, to protect the Overworld from “dark forces” with their inventiveness and creativity. This all sounds like pretty standard fare for a video game movie — rag-tag group of misfits band together and learn the power of friendship. It’s unclear whether their foes will be baddies from the Nether or the End, because while those can be a pain, they canonically don’t seem interested in world domination. But I’m not here for a clever, compelling plot. The trailer is a sizzle reel of familiar in-game experiences, and that’s exactly what I want. Taming a wolf with a bone, making a chicken-roasting redstone machine and nighttime coming way faster than you want it to all get their due. The team certainly did their homework on that front. The art style they’ve chosen doesn’t speak to me, but I’m also willing to admit to some bias after hundreds of hours spent looking at the original source material. I’m also not sure if they’ll stick the landing on the humor and emotion or whether it’ll fall flat like an elytra that’s run out of juice. We’ll find out when A Minecraft Movie releases on April 5, 2025. Source link #trailer #Minecraft #Movie #delivers #iconic #ingame #moments Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Quordle today – hints and answers for Wednesday, November 20 (game #1031) Quordle today – hints and answers for Wednesday, November 20 (game #1031) Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles. SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. Your Quordle expert Your Quordle expert Marc McLaren Social Links Navigation Global Editor in Chief Quordle today (game #1031) – hint #1 – Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today? • The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*. * Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). Quordle today (game #1031) – hint #2 – repeated letters Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters? • The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1. Quordle today (game #1031) – hint #3 – uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today? • Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today’s Quordle answers. Quordle today (game #1031) – hint #4 – starting letters (1) Do any of today’s Quordle puzzles start with the same letter? • The number of today’s Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0. If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you’re not ready yet then here’s one more clue to make things a lot easier: Quordle today (game #1031) – hint #5 – starting letters (2) What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with? • M • T • B • L Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM. Quordle today (game #1031) – the answers (Image credit: Merriam-Webster) The answers to today’s Quordle, game #1031, are… Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable ****** Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content. There are not many words in the Wordle/Quordle dictionary that end in a Z. There’s BLITZ, GLITZ, HERTZ, WALTZ, WHIZZ and TOPAZ – and I think that’s probably it. Spotting the latter today may therefore have been a tricky task, because your brain won’t want to have considered it. ‘No, no, it will have said to you. Zs don’t end words, surely it will be an N or a Y or an R or a T?’ But when all probable answers are ruled out, you have to move to the improbable – and so it was today. That’s one of a couple of potentially difficult words in today’s game. MINTY could be NINTY too, while LAPEL has a repeated L and BRUSH could be CRUSH. You’ll have needed to work hard to solve them all, in short. How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know. Daily Sequence today (game #1031) – the answers (Image credit: Merriam-Webster) The answers to today’s Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1031, are… Quordle answers: The past 20 Quordle #1030, Tuesday 19 November: NINJA, PENCE, PAINT, FOIST Quordle #1029, Monday 18 November: ASCOT, BRINK, WEIRD, HOMER Quordle #1028, Sunday 17 November: STATE, BRAWN, SWORE, URBAN Quordle #1027, Saturday 16 November: NOTCH, BENCH, BUSED, FOUND Quordle #1026, Friday 15 November: PURER, TRUSS, TORCH, FORUM Quordle #1025, Thursday 14 November: EXALT, TASTE, CRONY, CLOUT Quordle #1024, Wednesday 13 November: YEARN, ELBOW, SURGE, PINEY Quordle #1023, Tuesday 12 November: CHORD, ATTIC, OLIVE, EIGHT Quordle #1022, Monday 11 November: COPSE, REGAL, GRUNT, GOODY Quordle #1021, Sunday 10 November: GROIN, FAULT, FERRY, SUITE Quordle #1020, Saturday 9 November: FLUME, THERE, ATOLL, SANER Quordle #1019, Friday 8 November: DELAY, NAVAL, MOLAR, SWARM Quordle #1018, Thursday 7 November: REPAY, SYNOD, LOATH, PITHY Quordle #1017, Wednesday 6 November: SASSY, DRUID, THREW, SLOSH Quordle #1016, Tuesday 5 November: BEGET, AMUSE, STONY, LOUSY Quordle #1015, Monday 4 November: CHILL, TACKY, GRAPH, PLAZA Quordle #1014, Sunday 3 November: QUIRK, HEART, ELBOW, KNOWN Quordle #1013, Saturday 2 November: SWUNG, FLOOR, PARER, CRUST Quordle #1012, Friday 1 November: FIFTY, GULCH, RECUT, TWEET Quordle #1011, Thursday 31 October: TWINE, RIGID, BELCH, AMEND Source link #Quordle #today #hints #answers #Wednesday #November #game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Rep. Brad Wenstrup, hero of June 2017 ********* at House GOP baseball practice, recalls that day Rep. Brad Wenstrup, hero of June 2017 ********* at House GOP baseball practice, recalls that day As Rep. Brad Wenstrup prepares for his retirement in six weeks, he often recalls one day in particular. He was prone on the ground, face down in the grass, with a baseball helmet on his head. The piercing sounds of screaming, gunfire and chaos surrounded him, persisting for several minutes. When it finally quieted, Wenstrup sprang to his feet and ran to his gravely injured colleague, GOP Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House majority whip, a few hundred feet away. With each stride that day in June 2017, Wenstrup said he was consumed by the memories of Iraq from 12 years earlier. And as Wenstrup, a decorated combat surgeon, made his run along the field to provide help to his colleague, Wenstrup pictured the patient he and his surgical team were not able to save 12 years earlier. This time would be different, Wenstrup hoped. He not only helped save the patient, but along with emergency responders, played a key role in heading off a political **************. File: ALEXANDRIA, VA – JUNE 15: ****** scene tape surrounds the Eugene Simpson Field, the site where a gunman opened ***** June 15, 2017 in Alexandria, Virginia. Mark Wilson / Getty Images Wenstrup, who was elected to Congress from suburban Cincinnati in 2012, helped treat Scalise, who had been shot by a gunman who opened ***** at a House *********** baseball practice just before their 2017 annual congressional baseball game against Democrats. “I saw the entry wound from the bullet, but I didn’t see an exit wound, so I knew he was in trouble,” Wenstrup said. “I had no doubt he was bleeding internally. I knew that if I couldn’t stop the bleeding, I at least needed to get him to drink fluids.” He began applying pressure to slow the bleeding and talking to Scalise to keep him alert and conscious. Scalise had suffered a shot to his hip. His femur was shattered and his pelvis severely damaged. Scalise recalled some of the immediate aftermath of the ********* and of Wenstrup’s care. He told CBS News, “He was putting pressure on the spot where the bullet went in. He then ultimately put a tourniquet on. And you know, later, my trauma surgeon told me that tourniquet saved my life.” Wenstrup had improvised a tourniquet with a belt and bandages to help slow the blood flow until Scalise was ushered away by emergency responders. File: House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R- La., right, is congratulated by Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, after throwing out the first runner of the night during the 57th annual Congressional Baseball Game at Nationals Park on June 14, 2018. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call After he was airlifted to George Washington University hospital for emergency surgery, Scalise would spend several days unconscious. Grueling rehabilitation and reconstructive surgeries helped Scalise walk again. With little fanfare last year, Wenstrup announced his retirement from Congress, which takes effect Jan. 3, 2025. Amid a wave of retirements of longtime members of Congress and a sea change in Washington after the 2024 elections, Wenstrup’s departure has been overlooked by some. But not by Scalise or by many of Wenstrup’s House colleagues. “He’s such a man of high integrity,” Scalise told CBS News. “He’s respected by his colleagues. He’s a chairman of a committee. He could have done even more things here in Congress, and his constituents would have elected him overwhelmingly. But he also knew it’s time.” The man who opened ***** on Scalise and his fellow Republicans was ******* after an exchange of gunfire with a Capitol Police protective detail assigned to Scalise, who was given an additional protection as a member of House leadership. Gunman James Hodgkinson acted alone and was not connected to terrorism, federal investigators determined. He was carrying an SKS rifle and a 9 mm handgun when he opened *****. Wenstrup is haunted by thoughts of the carnage that could have ensued if Scalise and the police unit had not been at the practice to protect the group. “There were 136 rounds fired. I don’t think most people know that,” Wenstrup said. “If Steve Scalise wasn’t there and didn’t take a bullet for all of us, then there’s no (security) detail there.” Wenstrup said the gunman could have ******* 20 to 30 members of Congress and staff.” As he performed the initial emergency medical triage on Scalise, Wenstrup recalled eerily similar images from 12 years earlier, when he was deployed as a military doctor at Abu Ghraib in Iraq. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves in Iraq in the months before the troop surge. One day, a soldier was grievously wounded nearby and was rushed to Wenstrup’s post for surgery. Wenstrup said the victim was a servicemember who had likely been hit by an improvised explosive device. “He was badly hit. There was no doubt about it, but he was still alive, and he was intubated and on the table,” Wenstrup recalled, sitting back in his chair and lowering the volume of his voice as he shared the account. “It was a blunt injury. There severed arteries internally and his blood pressure started dropping,” Wenstrup said, “We opened him up, went in and there was blood everywhere. And we couldn’t stop. We couldn’t stop it.” “We were just really distraught after that one,” Wenstrup said. “And that was going through my mind when I was with (Scalise) on that field.” He urged arriving medics to rush an IV to Scalise, to ensure he stayed hydrated. The flashbacks to Iraq and 2005 continued. But this was different from that patient 12 years earlier, Wenstrup told himself. Scalise had not suffered the same blunt force trauma. In a 2018 interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Scalise recalled, “In a weird way, your body kind of goes numb. You know, as bad as the wounds were, and obviously I know now how severe it was. At the time, I guess my body had been shutting down a lot of the real pain. And I was just thinking about what was going on at the moment.” The surgeons who saved Scalise at the hospital would credit Wenstrup with effective care at the ********* site, Scalise said. Wenstrup’s efforts to help save Scalise also had an untold impact on America, averting a would-be ************** and any cascading impact it would have inflicted upon the nation. Wenstrup said he and Scalise were casual acquaintances before the *********. They later became friends — and roommates at a house in Washington, D.C., sharing a living quarters on days when Congress is in session. “We are just very, very tight in our friendship,” Scalise told CBS News. “I’ve really gotten to know him and his wife. They’re just wonderful people.” Wenstrup’s congressional career is ending amid uniquely toxic politics in the House. His departure comes as members of Congress complain of a loss of civility and cross-party relationships. Some of his Democratic colleagues told CBS News that Wenstrup’s departure will deprive the House of another of its more civil members. “People will miss Brad up here, including me,” Rep. Greg Landsman, an Ohio Democrat told CBS News. “He leads with his heart and cares about making things happen for the people he serves. I love the guy.” But Wenstrup has engaged in some heated political battles, including in the closing months of his career. In June, a House subcommittee chaired by Wenstrup, held a charged and animated hearing questioning Dr. Anthony Fauci, focusing on Fauci’s response to the COVID pandemic. Wenstrup accused Fauci of running an office that was “unaccountable to the ********* people.” Wenstrup’s panel pursued Fauci’s personal emails and staged a two-day, 14-hour closed door deposition that Wenstrup characterized as “cordial” but pressing. Democrats accused Wenstrup’s subcommittee of spreading misinformation about Fauci. The subcommittee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Raul Ruiz of California, said in his opening statement, “After 15 months, the select subcommittee still does not possess a shred of evidence to substantiate these extreme allegations that Republicans have levied against Dr. Fauci for nearly four years.” Sitting at a small table in the lobby of his office suite in the Rayburn House Office Building, Wenstrup recalled his blistering testimony during hearings into the formation of the House Jan. 6 select committee, which investigated the Capitol siege. Wenstrup criticized Democratic leaders for not including a review of the baseball field ********* in the Jan. 6 committee’s work. “If the ********* ******* 20 to 30 members of Congress, it would have changed the balance of power in the House of Representatives against the will of the people. That’s an insurrection. You’re throwing around that word? That’s an insurrection, I said. So, if you’re truly interested in protecting this beautiful Capitol and those who work in here, then we should make this part of this commission as well.” Many of the other congressional Republicans who were on the field at the 2017 baseball practice ********* have long since departed, including those who were defeated in elections or retired. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who represented Florida, and former Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona are among those who have left. Wenstrup’s colleagues gave him a standing ovation on the House floor in September 2017, when Scalise returned to duties at the Capitol. But Wenstrup’s retirement contributes to an unexpected dynamic. Among the officeholders from the ********* spree who are still in the House is the man who was hit. Scalise is expected to serve another term in 2025 as the House majority leader. Scott MacFarlane Scott MacFarlane is a congressional correspondent. He has covered Washington for two decades, earning 20 Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards. His reporting has resulted directly in the passage of five new laws. Source link #Rep #Brad #Wenstrup #hero #June #********* #House #GOP #baseball #practice #recalls #day Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Alex de Minaur ready to lead *********** Davis Cup finals campaign in Spain Alex de Minaur ready to lead *********** Davis Cup finals campaign in Spain Alex de Minaur declared himself “fit and ready” to help Australia’s Davis Cup cause as captain Lleyton Hewitt outlined his burning ******* for change to the finals set-up which demanded some of his team “come all the way” to Spain at the end of a long year. Having bowed out of his maiden ATP finals appearance without a win, and seemingly still dealing with a lingering hip issue, *********** No.1 de Minaur was a late addition to the team adamant his body was “holding up”. Australia will take on the USA in their opening tie on Thursday night, looking to make a thirds straight Davis Cup final, with one of de Minaur’s ATP finals conquerors, Taylor ******, also fronting up after making a made dash from Italy along with finals winner Jannik Sinner. Despite the bulk load, de Minaur didn’t want to miss representing his country. “Yeah, look, I’m very happy to be back here,” he said. “Obviously it’s been a tough year with injuries, but I am feeling a lot better, and I’m feeling quite fit and ready to compete. “So obviously if my body was holding up, I was always going to put my hand up and be ready to come here and play for Australia. Camera IconAlex de Minaur in action against Taylor ****** at the ATP Finals. Credit: Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images Thanasi Kokkinakis is one of the players who has made the long trip to Spain, having won a Challenger Tour event in Sydney at the end of October. “Yeah, it’s been an interesting schedule. I have decided to play, but sometimes opportunities come along, and you just got to take them,” he said. “One thing is for sure, I’m fresh. I haven’t had too much miles under the legs the last sort of month or so. I’m good to go. If I get called upon, I’m good to go.” Alexei Popyrin, after a career-best year, is likely to take the second singles slot with de Minaur in Australia’s opening match in Malaga. Hewitt has been a strong advocate for reverting back to the old home and away system of Davis Cup ties, having played all their qualifying matches in the *** to make the finals. He once again voiced his ******* for Australia to host the finals given the strong Davis Cup history. “I think there has been some mistakes made in the last few years,” he said. “But for me, I think, yeah, we’d really like to hopefully host the Finals, as well. We’d like to get the opportunity to put a bid in for next year to be able to host the Finals in Australia. I think we deserve that. I have been working extremely hard with the Federation to be able to give us that opportunity. “It’s frustrating for these guys to always have to come all the way over to Europe every single year to play in the Finals. I know how special it was for me to win Davis Cup Finals in Australia. I think we all know how good a tradition our country has in this competition for well over a hundred years. We’ll see where that lands.” Source link #Alex #Minaur #ready #lead #*********** #Davis #Cup #finals #campaign #Spain Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Destiny 2 Adds The Easiest Way To Get Some Good Weapons–And They’re Right At The Tower Destiny 2 Adds The Easiest Way To Get Some Good Weapons–And They’re Right At The Tower Destiny 2 players who were waiting to start their week after the reset might have noticed something different this time around. Alongside Tess’ Eververse products–which include a sweet, new Blanka from Street Fighter mask–Guardians can visit Banshee-44 for some really good loot, but you have to have completed at least one dungeon and specific dungeons for certain weapons. The Tower’s gunsmith is brandishing top-tier weapons with really good roll perks attached to them on the second page of his menu. The Stasis-powered grenade launcher, VS Chill Inhibitor, is available but players need to have completed the Vesper’s Host dungeon in order to nab. The same goes for the Indebted Kindness sidearm with the Warlord’s Ruin dungeon. As for the rest, the Destiny 2 Team Twitter account ***** out the perks with the weapons available. They’re pretty solid, and it sounds like a possible weekly feature. Rose – Fluted Barrel, Accurized Rounds, Slideshot, Explosive Payload, Smooth Grip, Handling MW Multimach – Polygonal Rifling + Tactical Mag + Attrition Orbs + Kinetic Tremors + Reload MW Indebted Kindness – Smart Drift Control + Tactical Mag + Loose Change + Voltshot + Velocity MW Compass Rose – Corkscrew Rifling, Light Mag, Snapshot Sights, Slideshot, Handling MW Hothead (Adept) – Hard Launch + Impact Casing + Tracking Module + Clown Cartridge + Reload MW VS Chill Inhibitor – Countermass + Spike Grenades + Envious Arsenal + Bait and Switch + Reload MW “Starting Today, Banshee-44 has a small collection of weapons in the Tower with curated perk rolls. Our goal is to get you some perk combinations that were a bit ******* to earn due to the RNG perk issue that was fixed in our previous update,” the post read. Just eyeballing the perk combinations, the build for that Compass Rose is really wild, stacking up the range and stability, especially with Slideshot attached. Same with Hothead and the Clown Cartridge feature, which randomly overfills the ******* from its reserves. As of now, there’s no end date for when these will be available, but it sounds as if these are different from the usual randomly rotating items Banshee offers each week. Source link #Destiny #Adds #Easiest #Good #WeaponsAnd #Theyre #Tower Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Wednesday, November 20 (game #262) NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Wednesday, November 20 (game #262) Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. Your Strands expert Your Strands expert Marc McLaren Social Links Navigation Global Editor in Chief NYT Strands today (game #262) – hint #1 – today’s theme What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands? • Today’s NYT Strands theme is… For our furry friends NYT Strands today (game #262) – hint #2 – clue words Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system. NYT Strands today (game #262) – hint #3 – spangram What is a hint for today’s spangram? • Re-tail therapy? NYT Strands today (game #262) – hint #4 – spangram position What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches? First: left, 5th row Last: right, 2nd row Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM. NYT Strands today (game #262) – the answers (Image credit: New York Times) The answers to today’s Strands, game #262, are… LITTER BONE COLLAR KIBBLE BALL LASER CATNIP SPANGRAM: PETSUPPLIES My rating: Easy My score: Perfect I own a dog and a cat, or rather they own me, given that I spend my money on food, treats and other assorted PETSUPPLIES for them. And what do I get in return? Well, actually, from the dog, a lovely chocolate labrador, I get unconditional love. From the cat, meanwhile, I get… well, I get the honor of buying it food and treats and assorted PETSUPPLIES, and the sense that I should be very happy with that and nothing more. Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable ****** Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content. Anyway, this is a subject I’m all-too familiar with, so finding all of the answers was not a great problem. I spotted LITTER and BONE while I was hunting for hints to use in this column, then once I knuckled down and tried properly I got the likes of COLLAR and KIBBLE with no issues. It was one of the easier Strands puzzles (and few are that hard, to be honest). How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know. Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, 19 November, game #261) ****** TONGS FORK SPOON SKEWER SPORK CHOPSTICKS SPANGRAM: UTENSILS What is NYT Strands? Strands is the NYT’s new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It’s now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT’s games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile. I’ve got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you’re struggling to beat it each day. Source link #NYT #Strands #today #hints #answers #spangram #Wednesday #November #game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pentagon solves 1 UFO mystery but still probing cases of “large orange orb,” “large metallic cylinder” Pentagon solves 1 UFO mystery but still probing cases of “large orange orb,” “large metallic cylinder” The Pentagon office investigating UFOs, or what the government calls unidentified anomalous phenomena, resolved one of its most prominent cases — nicknamed “GOFAST” — its director told Congress in a hearing on Tuesday. (It’s the last one listed on the office’s website here). File: Previously unidentified anomalous phenomena. Screen grab of “GOFAST” video. (The UAP is the dot between two parallel lines below center) All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, Pentagon The GOFAST video was made public in 2017 and shows what appears to be an object flying at a high speed just above water, but Dr. Jon Kosloski, the director of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, told Congress the object depicted is not actually too unusual. “Through a very careful geospatial intelligence analysis and using trigonometry, we assess with high confidence that the object is not actually close to the water, but is rather closer to 13,000 feet,” Kosloski said. Kosloski did not identify the object, but he said that a “trick of the eye” called parallax made the object appear anomalous — or out of the ordinary — when it was not. He said a detailed report on parallax will be available on the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office website. The “GOFAST” video was recorded by a fighter jet from the USS Theodore Roosevelt off the East coast of the U.S. and made public in 2017. After providing examples to Congress of two other resolved cases the Defense Department calls “The Puerto Rico Objects” and “Mt. Etna,” Kosloski described cases his office is still actively investigating, notably, an “orange orb” and “a metallic cylinder.” These cases are likely part of the 21 cases that the recently released annual unidentified aerial phenomena report said contain enough information and data for the office to actively investigate. One case was reported by a law enforcement officer “out West” who observed “a large orange orb floating several hundred feet above the ground,” according to Kosloski. As the officer approached where he thought the orb would be, he saw “a blacker than ****** object” that was about the size of a Prius. When he reached a distance of 40-60 meters away from the object, it tilted 45 degrees and shot up vertically, traveling faster than any drone he had seen before. Just as it left his field of view, it emitted bright red and blue lights that lit up the inside of his vehicle “as brightly as if someone had set off fireworks just outside of his vehicle,” Kosloski told Congress. Another case was reported from the southeastern part of the ******* States after two cars driven by government contractors left a facility around 9 a.m. and saw “a large metallic cylinder about the size of a commercial airplane.” After they observed it for 15-20 seconds, it disappeared. “Obviously an object that large and stationary — unless it’s a blimp — is unusual but then disappearing, we can’t explain how that would happen,” Kosloski said. Eleanor Watson Eleanor Watson is a CBS News multi-platform reporter and producer covering the Pentagon. Source link #Pentagon #solves #UFO #mystery #probing #cases #large #orange #orb #large #metallic #cylinder Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Harris lost to Trump. She may have one last chance to defy him. Harris lost to Trump. She may have one last chance to defy him. Fresh from a devastating loss to Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris may now head to Capitol Hill to defy him in what could be her last major act in office. As President Joe Biden attempts to advance a crush of judicial confirmations before he leaves the White House, Democrats are bracing for the possibility of close calls in the process as they ambitiously seek to top the 234 judges Trump secured during his first term. That’s where Harris would come in. As the president of the Senate, Harris wields the constitutional power to provide a tie-breaking vote. Democrats’ slim majority has made Harris a go-to on this procedure throughout Biden’s tenure, having broken a record last year for casting the most decisive votes of any vice president in history. It is an issue so important to the president — and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. — that it came up last week when Harris and Biden met for lunch in their first post-election meeting, three sources with knowledge of the meeting said. “This is something they want to clear the decks on,” a senior aide to Harris said. “She will definitely be available for any tie votes,” a second senior aide said. “It is a big focus,” a third person familiar with internal dynamics said. With Harris leaving Tuesday for a respite in Hawaii, the votes aren’t expected to come up in the Senate until December, one of the sources said. A senior Harris aide said the vice president delayed her trip to California and Hawaii in the event that she would be needed for votes in the Senate to confirm judges. Harris was supposed to leave this past weekend but instead left Tuesday with the intention of returning to D.C. for needed votes. That aide, as well as a person familiar with planning, said the team determined she was not needed in D.C. right now but to expect a major battle over judicial nominees in December. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Tuesday said she had been told that Harris would be available to break judicial ties if needed. She would not say if she had personally spoken to Harris about it. “The goal is to fill every judicial nomination that we can,” Warren said. Schumer has been vocal about getting through these confirmations before Biden leaves office, several people with knowledge of the conversations said. He has made clear he would use the lame-duck session — the ******* between the election and when the new president is inaugurated — to confirm more judges, as Republicans did in late 2020. “We are going to use the lame duck to confirm judges. And we’re going to do everything we can to get as many judges done as possible, trying to overcome the *********** obstruction,” Schumer told NBC News in a recent interview. It’s something that’s already irking Trump, who signaled that Republicans should block any attempts by Democrats to further their judicial agenda. “The Democrats are trying to stack the Courts with ******** Left Judges on their way out the door. *********** Senators need to Show Up and Hold the Line — No more Judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!” Trump posted on Truth Social Tuesday. But Republicans — who famously pushed through a Trump Supreme Court appointment just one week before the 2020 election — do not have the power to stop it. GOP senators can slow the process down, but Democrats need a simple majority to overcome any obstruction and confirm judges. A senior Biden administration official working on judicial nominations noted that in the 2020 lame-duck session, after Trump had lost the election, Senate Republicans continued to confirm his judges. Confirming more judges is the top priority for Schumer and Senate Democrats before they relinquish power to the new Congress, which will be controlled by Republicans in both chambers. “We’ll confirm as many judges as possible in the lame duck,” Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said. The clash came to a head Monday after Democrats confirmed a judge to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Schumer kept the Senate in session until nearly midnight, holding another 18 roll-call votes over a six-hour span to tee up another seven confirmation votes on Biden-picked judges later this week. If they’re all confirmed, that would bring Biden’s total to 223 federal judges. That’s close to Trump’s final tally of 234 judges confirmed in his first term, a number that Democrats have set out to beat since they defeated him in the 2020 election. This summer, however, Schumer stopped short of guaranteeing it. The Biden administration official said the Trump number is beatable, arguing that there are enough pending nominees on the calendar or awaiting consideration in committee. “We could exceed the 234,” the official said. “This is not about beating Trump’s numbers. This is about getting good people on the bench. Is 235 within the realm of possibility? It is. But that’s not what’s driving it.” At this time, the White House has not announced plans to nominate judges to other unfilled vacancies. That includes various openings in red states that are subject to the “blue slip” courtesy, where home-state *********** senators must sign off before they get consideration. The senior administration official declined to discuss whether Biden has talked to Harris or Schumer about lame-duck confirmations. “I’m not going to get into conversations the president has had,” the official said. “But you can certainly assume this ******** a topic of discussion and engagement.” A Senate Democratic aide was heartened by the notion that Harris would be on call to break ties. “Hope she’s not needed,” the aide said. “But glad that’s an option while Dems have the majority.” This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Source link #Harris #lost #Trump #chance #defy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

PS6 Rumors Suggest Console Will Use AMD’s UDNA Architecture PS6 Rumors Suggest Console Will Use AMD’s UDNA Architecture · · November 19, 2024 The PlayStation 5 is four years old, and that means its time for rumors for the next-generation PlayStation 6 (PS6) to pick up more steam. According to a new rumor on a ******** forum from known hardware leaker zhangzhonghao, the PS6 will use AMD’s next-gen UDNA GPU architecture within the console. It’s the same architecture AMD will use in its Radeon 9000 series GPUs starting in 2026. It was also reaffirmed that the console itself will utilize either a Zen4 or Zen5 CPU. The CPU decision, however, ******** undecided, per the claim. Rumors of the PS6 using AMD is nothing new. It was reported in September that the system would stick with AMD over Intel in order to preserve features such as backward compatibility. Lastly, it was said that Sony’s PlayStation handheld, will also use AMD hardware. HELP INSIDER GAMING: Take Our 2024 Reader Survey It’s important to keep in mind that none of this has been confirmed by Sony in any capacity as its far too early for the company to begin publicly commenting on its next system. Insider Gaming has also yet to independently verify the legitimacy of the rumor, so, please, take the information with a grain of salt. As far as when to expect to see the PS6, the latest documents Insider Gaming has seen show a back and forth on a potential release year, though 2028 looks likely. There are also claims that Sony has two SoCs (Systems on a chip) in development for the next-gen console. What do you think of the latest PS6 rumors circling? Let us know down below, and join the discussion in the official Insider Gaming forums. For more Insider Gaming, check out our exclusive on what EA is doing to prevent another disastrous launch for the next Battlefield game. And don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #PS6 #Rumors #Suggest #Console #AMDs #UDNA #Architecture Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stock market today: Live updates Stock market today: Live updates Traders work on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) floor on November 12, 2024 in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images Stock futures hovered near the flatline on Tuesday evening, as investors looked toward a key earnings report from tech giant Nvidia. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked up by 56 points. S&P 500 futures were little changed, while Nasdaq 100 futures inched higher by less than 0.07%. Shares of Nvidia advanced nearly 5% during regular trading on Tuesday as investors anticipated its latest results. The jump in Nvidia shares helped lift the Nasdaq Composite to a 1% gain and the S&P 500 to a 0.4% advance. Investors are looking for more than just third-quarter earnings beats from Nvidia on Wednesday afternoon. They want details on demand for Nvidia’s Blackwell AI chips, which CEO Jensen Huang last month characterized as “insane.” How the semiconductor giant fares – given its market capitalization of $3.6 trillion – could set the tone for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite for the rest of the week. “Recently I’ve been sort of inclined to look for the broadening trade and fade some of these big names,” RBC Capital Markets head of U.S. equity strategy Lori Calvasina said Tuesday on CNBC’s “Fast Money.” “What I am generally seeing in my data is that even though the value trade fights back, the megacap growth names keep coming back and showing their earnings dominance.” Elsewhere, Comcast is expected to announce on Wednesday a spin off of its cable networks, including MSNBC and CNBC, a source familiar told CNBC’s Julia Boorstin on Tuesday. The separation is expected to take roughly a year, and the news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Comcast said on its third-quarter earnings call in October that it was weighing a separation of the networks. On the economic front, investors will also look toward commentary from Federal Reserve Governors Lisa Cook and Michelle Bowman, as well as Boston Fed President Susan Collins. — Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC. Source link #Stock #market #today #Live #updates Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bloober Team Got Snubbed at GOTY With Silent Hill 2, Their Next Horror Project Can Avenge Them Bloober Team Got Snubbed at GOTY With Silent Hill 2, Their Next Horror Project Can Avenge Them Few within our industry can achieve what the Bloober Team managed to pull off with Silent Hill 2’s Remake, bringing a timeless story about broken, ********** people from 2001 to the current era. James at the Observatory Deck in Silent Hill 2 – Image Credit: Bloober Team. Yet, for all that the game accomplished critically and commercially, it isn’t going to contend for the one award that matters more than any other, leaving many to feel as though the developer got robbed of a well-deserving shot at the GOTY Award. However, the ******* question that some now have is whether Cronos: The New Dawn, Bloober’s next title, can deliver what was lost this year. Silent Hill 2 May Not Get the GOTY Award, but Bloober Team Is Still Hard at Work on Its Next Title Laura in Silent Hill 2 – Image Credit: Bloober Team. Now, it’s already major news that the 2001 game’s remake scored five nominations across different categories at The Game Awards yet missed a spot as a Game of the Year contender. It’s been hard news to ******** for many, especially since an expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, secured a nomination in its place. Sure, while the DLC offers nearly 60+ hours of content—essentially acting as Elden Ring 2—it’s still fundamentally an expansion, and its inclusion has raised questions about whether such random decisions are ethical by nature. For Bloober Team, though, it’s hard to imagine how it must feel. After successfully delivering on what many called a near-impossible task, especially with all the previous doubt cast upon them, the studio’s efforts ultimately fell short of the industry’s highest accolade in the eyes of the jury. Thankfully, however, the team is spending no time wallowing over the news, and are still hard at work on their next title, Cronos: The New Dawn. Take, for instance, what Bloober’s Jacek Zieba said in an interview when asked about the game: “We started pre-production somewhere during the end of The Medium, the ideas and everything. When we finished The Medium, parts of the team were designated to start doing Cronos, so now it’s in an advanced state of production.” Honestly, it’s incredible how diligently Bloober, no matter the setback, is working on its next game right after Silent Hill 2’s release, all to ensure people understand that the studio isn’t a one-trick pony that can specialize in Silent Hill remakes, at the end of the day. Plus, from what we’ve seen so far, with the game blending survival horror, retro-futuristic aesthetics, and mechanics tied to time travel, this might just be the studio’s first independent hit, and what gets them revenge for everything that they faced this year, including the lack of a GOTY nomination. Here’s Why Cronos: The New Dawn Deserves to Be In Your 2025 Horror Gaming Wishlist One of the mutated creatures you’ll face in Cronos – Image Credit: Bloober Team. Speaking of the game itself, let’s give you a brief rundown of this one game in particular might be worth keeping in your next year’s wishlist. For starters, Cronos: The New Dawn has all the makings of a standout survival horror experience—a brutalist, retro-futurist world, humanity’s desperate attempts to survive a post-apocalyptic wasteland, nightmarish creatures, you name it. Next, there seems to be a unique flavor of time manipulation in this game that might see us investigating both the past and the future as we take on the game’s primary baddies, something that, for our money, sets the game apart within the genre. What excites us about the game, though, is how it feels like Bloober Team at its most creative and confident. For years, after all, the studio seemed to struggle to find its place within the horror genre after its Nintendo DS days. But now, riding high on the technical and artistic achievement that was Silent Hill 2, the studio feels well-equipped with the experience and resources required to truly push its creative boundaries. So, this might be Bloober’s most polished and daring work yet. If it manages to play its cards right all the way to its release, Cronos could very well turn out to be a GOTY contender next year. Will it actually win the award in the end? Who knows, but at the very least, it would be a sweet revenge for the travesty the Silent Hill 2 Remake is currently experiencing. But with all that said, do you agree that Bloober deserved better this year with everything that happened to it? Will Cronos manage to claim gaming’s top prize next year? Let us know in the comments below! Source link #Bloober #Team #Snubbed #GOTY #Silent #Hill #Horror #Project #Avenge Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Visa & Mastercard execs grilled by senators on high swipe fees Visa & Mastercard execs grilled by senators on high swipe fees The Senate Judiciary Committee convened on Tuesday for a hearing on the alleged Visa-Mastercard “duopoly,” which committee members from both sides of the aisle say has left retailers and other small businesses with no ability to negotiate interchange fees on credit card transactions. “This is an odd grouping. The most ************* and the most ******** members happen to agree that we have to do something about this situation,” committee chair and Democratic Illinois Sen. ***** Durbin said. Interchange fees, also known as swipe fees, are paid from a merchant’s bank account to the cardholder’s bank, whenever a customer uses a credit card in a retail purchase. Visa and Mastercard have a combined market cap of more than $1 trillion, and control 80% of the market. “In 2023 alone, Visa and Mastercard charged merchants more than $100 billion in credit card fees, mostly in the form of interchange fees,” Durbin told the committee. Durbin, along with *********** Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, have co-sponsored the bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act, which takes aim at Visa and Mastercard’s market dominance by requiring banks with more than $100 billion in assets to offer at least one other payment network on their cards, besides Visa and Mastercard. “This way, small businesses would finally have a real choice: they can route credit card transactions on the Visa or Mastercard network and continue to pay interchange fees that often rank as their second or biggest expense, or they could select a lower cost alternative,” Durbin told the committee. Visa and Mastercard, however, stand by their swipe fees. “We consider them incentives, some people might consider them penalties. But if you can adopt new technology that reduces the risk and takes ****** out of the system and improves streamlined processing, then you would qualify for lower interchange rates,” said Bill Sheedy, senior advisor to Visa CEO Ryan McInerney. “It’s very expensive to issue a product and to provide payment guarantee and online customer service, zero liability. All of those things, and many more, senator, get factored into interchange [fees].” The executives also warned against the Credit Card Competition Act, with Sheedy claiming that it “would remove consumer control over their own payment decisions, reduce competition, impose technology sharing mandates and pick winners and losers by favoring certain competitors over others.” “Why do we know this? Because we’ve seen it before,” Mastercard President of Americas Linda Kirkpatrick said, in reference to the Durbin amendment to the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which required the Fed to limit fees on retailers for transactions using debit cards. “Since debit regulation took hold, debit rewards were eliminated, fees went up, access to capital diminished, and competition was stifled.” But the current high credit card swipe fees for retailers translate to higher prices for consumers, the National Retail Federation told the committee in a letter ahead of the hearing. The Credit Card Competition Act, the retail industry’s largest trade association wrote, will deliver “fairness and transparency to the payment system and relief to ********* business and consumers.” “When we think of consumer spending, credit card swipe fees are not the first thing that comes to mind, yet those fees are a surprisingly large part of consumer spending,” Notre Dame University law professor Roger Alford said. “Last year, the average ********* spent $1,100 in swipe fees, more than they spent on pets, coffee or alcohol.” Visa and Mastercard agreed to a $30 billion settlement in March meant to reduce their swipe fees by four basis points for three years, but a federal judge rejected the settlement in June, saying they could afford to pay more. Visa is also battling a Justice Department lawsuit filed in September. The payment network is accused of maintaining an ******** monopoly over debit card payment networks, which has affected “the price of nearly everything,” according to Attorney General Merrick Garland. Source link #Visa #Mastercard #execs #grilled #senators #high #swipe #fees Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The PlayStation Portal remote player experience to evolve with new system update The PlayStation Portal remote player experience to evolve with new system update CrimsonWing6969d ago (Edited 69d ago ) @RaiderNation I’m just gonna drop some info on ya’. I’m not looking to go to war with you. I get how you’re defensive for a brand you’re passionate about. I was just adding a comment that differentiates the reaction to the Portal vs the Pro. As for price look at this: PS3 launch: $599 PS4 launch: $299 PS4 Pro: $399 PS5 launch: $499 PS5 Pro: $699… add $80 for a disc drive to play your physical games… oh and I think $40 for a stand, which both of those were included in the $499 PS5 base model. So really, if you want a true comparison: PS5: $499 (And the equivalent to that including drive and stand) PS5 Pro: $819 And check this out: A faster PC with better components for close to the same price. So, let’s think this through. If a better PC costs the same, what then should the PS5 Pro cost? Well, if I’m looking at Sony’s past with a mid gen upgrade including a drive being $100 more and for the same cost of the PS5 Pro you can make a better PC, I’d f*cking say the price should be $100 more including the ***** disc drive like in the PS4 Pro and including the stand. What’s your keyboard expertise on what the price should be? I’m really intrigued to know. Source link #PlayStation #Portal #remote #player #experience #evolve #system #update Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

I tried 4 different gaming mice. Only one was worth keeping I tried 4 different gaming mice. Only one was worth keeping I always thought picking the best gaming mouse for myself sounded simple enough. I’ve spent hours poring over graphics cards or processors, but mice? Not really. I always treated them as a straightforward pick and never spent too much time reading reviews. It helps that in the games that I play, even an average mouse can do just fine. Or so I thought. It was only once I got a high-end mouse suited to my needs that I realized what I’d been missing out on. Below, I’ll walk you through the three most recent mice I had to buy, why I no longer use them, and finally, the one mouse that has stuck around for the long haul. Logitech G703 Lightspeed Monica J. White / Digital Trends Out of the first three mice on this list, two of them broke within a few months. The Logitech G703 was the first one to go, and it ******* me in two ways — but before we got to that point, it was probably my favorite out of the three. The Logitech G703 Lightspeed is a wireless gaming mouse. It has a sleek design, but it’s fairly big, with some minor RGB lighting to add extra bling (and eat up your battery life). I use a palm grip and I found it comfortable, especially once I removed the extra weight that it comes with — I prefer a lighter mouse (which is funny, considering the mouse I ultimately ended up with is really heavy). It comes with a charging cable, and the battery life was perfectly adequate at first, but understandably, it deteriorated over time. I ended up charging it once every couple of days shortly before replacing it. In terms of other specs, it has a maximum sensitivity of 25,600 dots per inch (DPI), an acceleration of 40 grams, and a polling rate of 1,000Hz. At that point, it was probably the fastest gaming mouse I’ve ever owned, and I loved most things about it. The only thing I missed from previous mice was the ability to configure the scroll wheel; this one only comes with a single configuration, with no free scroll option, which is nice to have. Logitech I bought this mouse without reading up on it too much because it was recommended to me. After all, if a friend of mine managed to use it for two years without ********, then surely it’d serve me well, right? It didn’t, or at least not for long. Just a few months after I bought it — between seven to nine — I’d started noticing an issue that, while annoying in any situation, was a deal-breaker in games: ***** clicks. At first, I thought that it was just me, but testing various angles showed that a certain part of the left mouse button simply wasn’t registering inputs. I assume the switch must have been faulty, as I can’t believe that I broke it in such a short time. Looking through Reddit tells me that it’s a fairly common problem with this particular mouse, although reportedly, Logitech replaces the faulty mice without much hassle. Once the ***** clicks got too bothersome, I decided to cut my losses and moved on to my next mouse. Perhaps I should’ve gone through the process of returning this one, but I bought it on ***** and would have to go through Logitech, so I left it for later and never got around to it before the warranty expired. Razer Orochi V2 Monica J. White / Digital Trends The Razer Orochi V2 is a lightweight wireless gaming mouse. It’s suitable for various grip types, and I found it to be a good fit for a small hand. It’s pretty bare-bones, with no special bells and whistles, but that was mostly what I thought I wanted from a gaming mouse. It comes with a much more modest DPI than the mouse above, topping out at 18,000, and a maximum polling rate of 1,000Hz. Honestly, I found it to be perfectly adequate for my needs. I loved how lightweight it was, and it was super responsive — but there were a couple of things I disliked from the get-go. For starters, having to use batteries. I’m not a fan of batteries in peripherals for any number of reasons, from unnecessary electronic waste to having to constantly spend money on them and running out at the worst possible time. Give me a charging cable any day of the week. Razer Another thing is that I disliked how using this mouse felt. The clicks feel sort of stiff, and although the mouse is very responsive, it still felt odd compared to the Logitech I’d used before. Still, I liked it more than I disliked it, and I would’ve stuck to it if it didn’t fail on me. I bought this one on a whim. The $50 price tag felt like a sweet spot between “expensive” and “likely to break within a week.” I’ve owned Razer products before and found them to be rather durable — my keyboard is still going strong three years later (and trust me, I use it a lot), and an old Razer headset I used to own survived for well over six years, although the sound quality was always pretty average. What could go wrong? Well, unfortunately, something did go wrong. The mouse started registering left clicks twice instead of once. I was double-clicking all over the place, which quickly became a massive nuisance not just during games, but also during day-to-day work. In a hurry to get a mouse that actually worked, I bought my next pick. Logitech G305 Lightspeed Monica J. White / Digital Trends This mouse was also a spur-of-the-moment purchase based on two criteria: next-day delivery and its looks. Yes, I like colorful peripherals, and no, I’m not in the least bit ashamed of it. I never expected miracles. The G305 Lightspeed is a $30 wireless mouse that’s aimed at portable gaming. Much like the Orochi V2, I thought this one was well-suited to my grip style — in fact, I think the shape would make it comfortable for every grip type, although I’m not sure about how nice it would feel to use with larger hands. The 12,000 DPI is unimpressive compared to my previous two mice, but it has a good click latency, and the DPI can be configured with a high degree of precision. I also liked that it had six programmable buttons. On the other hand, the Logitech G305 Lightspeed was notably heavier than the Orochi V2, and having just ditched the Razer mouse, I definitely felt it as I switched back to Logitech. In addition, I still had the same problem of not liking having to use batteries. Those two complaints aside, I was honestly quite happy with the G305. The best part? Although the most affordable out of all three, this mouse didn’t fail on me. I’ve used it for about a year with no issues, and the only reason I finally decided to swap was that I wanted more out of a gaming mouse. This brings me to my current daily driver: The Razer Naga V2 Pro. Not bad, but I found better Monica J. White / Digital Trends I’m don’t consider myself to be a “********* gamer” in the conventional sense. Don’t get me wrong — I play a lot, but hardly ever do I play titles that rely heavily on a speedy mouse. But I do use my mouse a lot more than the average person probably does. I don’t just work at the same PC all day long, but then I often also spend time gaming once the workday is done on that same PC. As a result, my main criteria for mice in the past was that they either had to be affordable enough to frequently replace or sturdy enough to last me a long time. It was only this year that I decided I wanted to get more out of my mouse. I didn’t want to just keep buying the first mouse I came across on a whim; I wanted to make an informed decision the same way I do with every other peripheral or component in my PC. I also thought a bit more about the types of things I used my mouse for. I’m never going to play first-person shooters; it’s not just that I’m hopeless at them (although I am), but also that I don’t enjoy them. I’m also not too big on games like League of Legends. I primarily play MMOs, RPGs, and roguelikes. Considering that I sink hours into MMOs every single week, shopping for a mouse suited for that type of gameplay made sense. That’s how I came across the Razer Naga V2 Pro — a mouse with up to 20 programmable buttons. Expensive, heavy, big, and intimidating, this mouse didn’t seem like an obvious choice for me, but I had my eyes on the Razer Naga series ever since it first came out in 2009, so I felt tempted. Dozens of reviews and Reddit threads later, I splurged and bought it. I can’t say that I didn’t regret my decision at first, mainly because this mouse is a chore to set up and it weighs a ton. But now, almost two months later, I finally see the difference between using a random mouse and buying one that truly suits your needs. This was an expensive lesson to learn, what with the three (or more) gaming mice I tried at first, but I’m glad that I went the extra mile here. There’s no such thing as an inconsequential purchase when it comes to things you use every day. If you’re in the same boat as me, I recommend doing what I did — reading reviews from trustworthy sources and taking a little time to make your choice. Spur-of-the-moment decisions are often just not worth it. Source link #gaming #mice #worth #keeping Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump to pick Linda McMahon, former wrestling executive, to head Department of Education, sources say Trump to pick Linda McMahon, former wrestling executive, to head Department of Education, sources say Trump makes some Cabinet and senior staff picks Trump’s Cabinet and senior staff positions picks shake up Washington 03:36 President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pick Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive, to head the Department of Education, two sources familiar with the transition told CBS News Tuesday. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term, stepping down in 2019 to help with his 2020 reelection campaign. She is also currently a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald. Trump announced on Tuesday he picked Lutnick to be his commerce secretary. McMahon and her husband, wrestling entertainment magnate Vince McMahon — who cofounded the WWE and led it for decades before leaving the company in January following allegations of ******* misconduct — have been friends of Trump for over 20 years and are among his most prolific donors. President Donald Trump with Linda McMahon, the outgoing Administrator of the Small Business Administration, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, March 29, 2019. Joshua Roberts / REUTERS During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump promised to shut down the Department of Education, complaining that the agency’s budget is too large and that its staff is filled with “people that in many cases hate our children.” One of the smallest federal agencies, the Department of Education is responsible for the distribution of federal financial aid for education, collecting and disseminating data and research related to schools, and prohibiting discrimination in schools. Its funds account for less than 10% of the nation’s public school funding, which is primarily driven by state and local taxes. This is a developing story and will be updated. Graham Kates, Ed O’Keefe and Fin Gómez contributed to this report. Cara Tabachnick Cara Tabachnick is a news editor at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the ****** beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at *****@*****.tld Source link #Trump #pick #Linda #McMahon #wrestling #executive #Department #Education #sources Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mulberry cuts jobs in Somerset in ‘rebuild’ after sales plunge Mulberry cuts jobs in Somerset in ‘rebuild’ after sales plunge PA The fashion brand said it is completing an internal review, with the aim of creating a “leaner” operation The boss of luxury retail company Mulberry says he needs to “rebuild the business”, after sales dropped by almost a fifth in the past six months. The Somerset-based designer company told shareholders group revenues fell by 19% to £56.1m in the six months prior to 28 September. It added sales were challenging in the face of a “difficult trading environment and uncertain macroeconomic trends”. Newly appointed CEO, Andrea Baldo, says he has a “refreshed business strategy” and has cut 85 roles as part of the shake-up. The cuts, which impact about a quarter of its 350-strong workforce, have predominantly impacted its London design headquarters, as well as some Somerset office workers. Mulberry is among several firms to have been hit hard by a sharp decline in luxury spending worldwide. Revenues from its wholesale and franchise business dropped by 46% to £5.4 million, as it was particularly affected by partners in Italy and Denmark reducing their orders due to tough conditions. Meanwhile, *** revenues fell by 14% to £31.3 million amid “low consumer confidence”. The company also saw pre-tax losses widen to £15.7 million for the *******, compared with a £12.8 million loss a year earlier. It comes a month after Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group – which owns a roughly 37% stake in the company – ditched plans for a £111 million takeover offer. Mr Baldo said: “There is no question that our industry is facing a ******* of significant uncertainty, driven by a challenging and volatile macroeconomic environment that is impacting consumer confidence in several markets, particularly in our home country. “However, with the teams’ efforts on cost-cutting, a strengthened balance sheet, a renewed brand-first approach and a refreshed business strategy – details of which I’ll share in due course – I am confident we are making the right moves to bring Mulberry back to profitability.” Source link #Mulberry #cuts #jobs #Somerset #rebuild #sales #plunge Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

One of the best games of the year is coming to PlayStation One of the best games of the year is coming to PlayStation Annapurna Interactive If you’re a sicko for challenging puzzle games with a striking art style and a dreamlike setting, you’ll like Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. Players just got a new opportunity to play it too, as The Game Awards-nominated title is set to launch on PlayStation. Publisher Annapurna Interactive announced Tuesday that the game will be releasing on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on December 3, so you’ll only have to wait a couple of weeks to play it. It’s already available on Steam and Nintendo Switch. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes comes from Sayonara Wild Hearts developer Simogo, and is just as visually distinct as its predecessor. What makes it a standout in a sea of excellent indie games this year though is its intricate and unyielding puzzle gameplay, many of which require you to pull out some paper and scribble down notes as you work toward the center of a creepy hotel. No wonder it was nominated for Best Independent Game at The Game Awards in 2024. However, The Game Awards often snubs smaller titles. The Indie Game Award nominations were announced Tuesday, and Lorelei picked up two nominations: for Game of the Year and for Innovation. We expect it to show up at more awards shows as the season commences. Digital Trends’ Giovanni Colantonio said it was the “best video game [he’s] ever reviewed” in his review earlier this year. “Simogo’s cryptic adventure doesn’t just challenge players with intricately designed puzzles that are a devious delight to solve. It draws a parallel between the ways we deconstruct both fiction and reality, imposing our perspective onto both to try to make sense of that which we don’t understand. It’s a landmark work of interactive fiction that invites players to get lost in its labyrinth,” he wrote. Source link #games #year #coming #PlayStation Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Google brings more Gemini superpowers to Gmail and Docs Google brings more Gemini superpowers to Gmail and Docs Google has announced a laundry list of feature updates for Workspace users, with a focus on using its Gemini AI across products like Gmail, Docs, and Calendar. For folks who rely on the side panel in Gmail, there is some good news. Gemini can now directly access the Calendar information from within the inbox side panel and perform relevant actions. Let’s say you are drafting an email and need to reference your calendar entries; Gemini will now do that for you. You can ask it to check the schedule for a particular date, create an entry (one-off or recurring), and create a new event without leaving the Gmail interface. Google The new capability is helpful but not holistic. For example, Gemini in Gmail can’t perform tasks such as adding or removing a person from an event, showing attachments, synchronizing schedules to find the best spot for a meeting, specifying work location, or handling meeting rooms. Gemini in Gmail will be able to access Calendar details for paid Gemini users or subscribers of the Google One AI Premium plan. Moreover, it is limited to English language support at the moment. Google’s AI toolkit is also bringing image creation superpowers to Docs. Back in September, Google introduced the ability to upload full-bleed cover images in Docs. Users are able to pick from a curated gallery they can access from the new Cover Image option in Docs or upload from a local gallery. Now, users can use Gemini to directly create media that they can use as a cover image or even as inline photos. The text-to-image pipeline is handled by Google’s Imagen 3 image-generation model. Notably, users can create photorealistic images, as well. Google More importantly, users will also be able to specify not only the style of picture but also dictate the aspect ratio. To create images, just follow this path: Insert > Cover image > Help me create an image. In order to add an inline picture, this is the pipeline: Insert > Image > Help me create an image, then type in an image description. This feature has already started to roll out for business and education Gemini users, plus folks paying for the Google One AI Premium subscription plan. On a related note, Google has also finally launched the standalone Gemini app for iPhone users. Earlier this week, Google also added support for uploading Docs and Sheets directly from Google Drive while creating a custom Gem assistant. The updated list of document and text files now includes “TXT, DOC, DOCX, PDF, RTF, DOT, DOTX, HWP, HWPX, and Google Docs,” says Google. Source link #Google #brings #Gemini #superpowers #Gmail #Docs Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Los Angeles city and schools to make themselves migrant ‘sanctuaries’ Los Angeles city and schools to make themselves migrant ‘sanctuaries’ Los Angeles, the second largest US city, is setting itself up for a standoff with President-elect Donald Trump over immigration. On Tuesday, its city council is poised to pass a “sanctuary city” ordinance to bar using local resources to help federal immigration authorities. LA’s public school system is also set to declare itself a “sanctuary” for undocumented immigrants and LGBTQ students in a series of emergency resolutions. Trump, who will be sworn in in two months, has promised mass deportations once he returns to the White House. His chosen “border czar”, Tim Homan, has urged sanctuary cities to “get the ***** out of the way” of federal immigration crackdowns. The term “sanctuary city” has been popular in the US for more than a decade to describe places that limit their assistance to federal immigration authorities. Since it is not a legal term, cities have taken a variety of approaches to becoming “sanctuaries”, such as setting policies in laws or simply changing local policing practices. On the campaign trail, Trump often took aim at sanctuary cities and Homan, a former acting Immigrations and Customs Enforcement director Tom Homan, has repeatedly said that “sanctuary” city designations would not prevent the administration from carrying out its immigration policy goals. In an 11 November interview with Fox, Homan said “nothing will stop us from deporting migrant **********.” “We’re going to do the job with you, or without you,” he said. Last week, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released a draft of a sanctuary city ordinance that was called for more than a year ago. The council has expedited voting on it. Aimed at making a 2019 executive order into city law, it would “prevent federal immigration enforcement from being able to access city facilities or to use city resources in the pursuit of immigration enforcement”, council member Nithya Raman told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. It would also prohibit some data sharing. Officials in a number of other cities, including Boston and New York City, have similarly promised that local resources would not be allocated to helping federal immigration enforcement issues. Since Trump was elected the first time, dozens of school districts have declared themselves “sanctuaries” or “safe havens” to reassure students they will not be deported. The Los Angeles school district – roughly 140 miles (225km) from the country’s southern border with Mexico – will vote on a series of emergency resolutions onexplicitly aimed at combatting what the board’s president, Jackie Goldberg, has described as an anti-immigrant and LGBTQ sentiment from the incoming president. “We’re not going to be running in *****,” she said, according to the LA Times. “We’re going to ****** you, every inch of the way.” One resolution to reaffirm “our commitment to immigrant students, families and staff” describes this month’s presidential vote as “the election of the candidate who campaigned on an anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ+ agenda.” The board is also proposing a new high school course aimed at educating students about current events and extending non-discrimination policies, which already apply to students, to their families, as well as employees and their relatives. Under US federal law, public schools must enrol any student within their respective jurisdictions. But much of the oversight is left to the states and local districts. In California, home to a sizeable population of mixed families with undocumented members, officials are forbidden from asking students about immigration status. Source link #Los #Angeles #city #schools #migrant #sanctuaries Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Sony will trial cloud streaming for the PS5 Portal Sony will trial cloud streaming for the PS5 Portal Sony that it will run a beta test for cloud streaming on its PlayStation Portal gaming handheld. The feature will begin rolling out in an update today, with Europe due to get it starting on Wednesday. Only PlayStation Plus Premium members will be able to access cloud streaming during the beta test, but it’s a promising sign that Sony is finally working on this function, even though it took a year to get here. Adding cloud gaming to the Portal addresses one of the big critiques in our of this handheld, which didn’t seem to have an obvious target audience. More than 120 titles from the PS5 Plus Game Catalog will be available in the beta test. That covers a range of games including Dave the Diver, Ghost of Tsushima, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Monster Hunter Rise and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. No games from the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 3 will be supported during the beta, but maybe those will join the roster whenever the feature is more broadly available. Portal owners might also want to know that this update adds a couple tweaks to audio and volume controls. But let’s be honest, cloud gaming is really the point. Source link #Sony #trial #cloud #streaming #PS5 #Portal Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]