Pelican Press

Stellantis delays Ram electric pickup trucks until 2025 Stellantis delays Ram electric pickup trucks until 2025 Stellantis’ Ram 1500 Revolution battery-electric concept pickup truck is introduced during a keynote address by Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavaras during CES 2023 at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on January 05, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller | Getty Images DETROIT — Stellantis is delaying the launch of its Ram electric pickup trucks from this year until the first half of 2025, as the transatlantic automaker continues testing the vehicles. CEO Carlos Tavares on Tuesday declined to disclose details about what caused the delays or specific timing on the electric trucks, which include an all-electric “REV” model and an extended-range “Ramcharger” that’s equipped with an electric generator and a gas engine. “We are just facing a very significant amount of workload, and we want to be very prudent in the way we validate the products, so we take our time, and we make sure that we manage the peak,” Tavares said during an online media event. “We don’t want to rush. … It’s better to take a few weeks more to validate properly than to rush and then to make mistakes in terms of quality. That’s what we are doing now.” Tavares said work needs to be completed on the Dodge Charger Daytona and Jeep Wagoneer S EVs, which are expected to be released by the end of this year, before turning to the new trucks. Stellantis’ upcoming electric pickups are the first that will be built on the company’s new “STLA Frame platform” for its larger trucks and Jeep SUVs. It is expected to be a “multi-energy platform” that’s capable of internal combustion engines and hybrids, as well as electric models using batteries, fuel cells and range-extended electric propulsion systems. Stellantis has said the Ramcharger extended-range electric vehicle can operate as a zero-emissions EV until its battery ***** and an electric onboard generator — powered by a 27-gallon, 3.6-liter V6 engine — kicks on to power the vehicle. The automaker reconfirmed plans Tuesday for the REV to be capable of 500 miles on a single charge as well as the Ramcharger’s expected class-leading range of up to 690 miles. “We are managing the peak between the products that we have ahead of us,” Tavares said. “[There’s a] huge product blitz coming to the U.S. market in the next few months.” 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona ***** Pack EV Dodge Stellantis’ U.S. EV offensive is set to begin at an inopportune time for the automaker, as President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to lower or repeal many Biden administration goals and funding for all-electric vehicles. Last week it was reported that Trump’s transition team is planning to ***** the $7,500 consumer tax credit for EV purchases as part of broader tax-reform legislation. Doing so would deliver on Trump’s campaign comments about removing such incentives and EV initiatives. Tavares, who has criticized governments for EV regulations but also has touted the benefits of them, said the company “will adapt” to any changes made by the Trump administration. Source link #Stellantis #delays #Ram #electric #pickup #trucks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bloober Team is ‘working on’ Silent Hill 2 PS5 Pro graphical issues Bloober Team is ‘working on’ Silent Hill 2 PS5 Pro graphical issues Bloober Team has said it’s working to fix graphical issues Silent Hill 2 players have been encountering on PlayStation 5 Pro. “Is the team aware of some issues on PS5 Pro?” the studio was asked on X this week. “Game is phenomenal so far btw. Just spreading awareness of graphical issues on PS5 Pro.” “We’re working on it!” Bloober replied. According to Digital Foundry, Silent Hill 2’s PS5 Pro upgrade delivers a boost in frame-rate on both quality and performance modes, creating a more stable 30 and 60 frames per second. However, it also introduces “some glaring image stability issues not found on the standard PlayStation 5 – and this looks to be another game with a troubled PSSR upscaling implementation”. We’re working on it! — Bloober Team (@BlooberTeam) November 18, 2024 The game’s latest patch, version 1.05, reportedly introduces issues on PS5 Pro across both modes, but most notably in performance mode. “Compared to the base PS5’s upscaling method (TSR), there’s often a visible downgrade in image quality: more visual noise, flicker, and temporal instability in movement,” the site states. “Most notably, walking around Silent Hill‘s streets, PSSR breaks the stability of the game’s Lumen reflections and GI. “On the 60fps performance mode, world reflections in puddles now jitter from left to right, with no anti-aliasing to disguise their pixellation. Still shots don’t do it justice; they break up during movement itself. “The second problem is the presentation of Lumen GI on PS5 Pro,” Digital Foundry continues. “Across the game’s early woodland route, the use of Lumen to simulate indirect lighting and shadow is affected: there are shimmering artefacts on shadowed elements, whereas on base PS5 they appear entirely stable.” Electronic Arts has also said that it’s “aware of issues with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor on PlayStation 5 Pro” and is “actively investigating” the matter. Source link #Bloober #Team #working #Silent #Hill #PS5 #Pro #graphical #issues Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

From beauty model to tech role model – this year’s most influential woman in *** tech From beauty model to tech role model – this year’s most influential woman in *** tech “My husband has to sew my buttons on – I still can’t sew,” confesses co-CEO of technology education charity Tech She Can, Sheridan Ash. This year’s Computer Weekly most influential woman in *** technology has always had a sense of wanting to right the injustice inflicted on women by gender stereotyping. “At school, the ****** had to do sewing or needlework or typing, and the boys did metalwork and woodwork. So I went to the local newspaper. I set up a petition. I got other pupils to stand outside the school with placards. Anyway, I got it changed. Hence, I can’t sew or type, but I’m great at welding,” says Ash. Computer Weekly attended the launch of the first Tech She Can research eight years ago, when it was still a part of Ash’s work at PwC. Ash has since left the professional services firm to focus on the technology education charity full-time, but like many women in the tech sector, her journey has not been linear. Ash left school at 16 with no qualifications, which she puts down, in part, to undiagnosed dyslexia. Not knowing what to do, she accepted a modelling job she was offered when window shopping with her mother in London. While this sufficed for a while, in her early 20s, Ash needed a career change for various reasons. After getting help with her dyslexia, she returned to education to study psychological sciences, then worked in the pharmaceutical industry before returning to school again to gain a master’s in business administration. Eventually, Ash was offered a job at PwC to implement the firm’s health and technology practice. Pushing for equality Ash has always been passionate about equality – hence wanting to weld at school – and in her role at PwC, she started to notice the diversity gap in the technology sector. “What was going wrong? Why was it so predominantly male?” she found herself wondering at the time. After the firm selected its first technology leader to sit on the board, the work Ash had done to collect data around diversity, both within PwC and the wider sector, began to pay off in a big way. The Tech She Can team She explains: “I worked directly for that technology leader. I wrote the whole technology and innovation strategy for the firm, and at the heart of that, I embedded the piece around diversity.” It was when working with the board of PwC eight years ago that Ash was inspired to commission the first piece of research on diversity, which eventually evolved into the Tech She Can movement. Ash says while there had been research at the time about the lack of women in the sector and the reasons for that, there was not enough around why younger ****** were overlooking jobs in tech. After asking thousands of young people between the ages of 18 and 24, Ash explains: “They said, ‘We know who Sheryl Sandberg is, and Ada Lovelace, but one’s been ***** a long time and the other’s a COO’. What they were looking for is relatable role models, people [in roles] they could see a pathway to.” The research also found ****** were less likely than boys to have technology suggested to them as a career option by others in their lives, such as teachers, parents or career advisors. ****** were also more likely to say they wanted a career that has a positive impact on society, but Ash speculates the digital native generations don’t see how technology can achieve that because it’s so embedded in their lives. She explains: “They wanted to have a positive impact on themselves, the community, their family, the *** and the wider world, and they didn’t understand the relationship between technology and doing that.” Recognising that no single person or organisation will be able to shift the dial alone, Tech She Can is focused on acting as a “bridge” between government, schools and industry. “We’re quite good at bridging that demand and supply [gap], along with [addressing] what’s putting ****** off, the perception issues and all of those things,” Ash claims. “Often, you don’t get [to hear] teachers’, schools’ and children’s voices.” Changing perceptions Tech She Can was launched as a charter with 18 partner organisations to collaborate on improving the pipeline of women going into technology roles. As part of this, it has become focused on helping educate children about tech careers. A common barrier between young ****** and tech careers is a lack of understanding about what a tech career involves, what roles are available, how to go about pursuing a tech career, and the kinds of people who work in the industry. This goes hand in hand with a lack of visible and accessible role models, as young women are less likely to be drawn to a career if they don’t see anyone like them in such roles. Photographer: Elyse Marks “I want to persuade ****** they have a role to play in making sure that the world isn’t just developed by a lot of white tech bros, that they could be part of making sure the world is a fit place for everybody, and that it is somewhere women are treated equally in creating that world” Sheridan Ash, Tech She Can Ash urges: “We’ve got to start changing these perceptions and addressing the inspiration and aspiration gaps very early on, and children’s understanding of what technology is and what roles and careers there are out there. Nobody seems to be doing that.” Tech She Can regularly visits schools and provides online learning to prepare young people for technology careers, educating them about possible roles and how technology will play a role in their future careers. It also helps government and industry “connect” with schools with the aim of closing the technology skills and diversity gaps. “We don’t teach the coding. We teach the inspiration, the aspiration, and show them how the technology they can use [translates into] careers and jobs.” Last year, Ash left PwC to pursue Tech She Can full-time, launching the initiative as a charity in partnership with co-CEO Claire Thorne. The programme has gone from strength to strength. It now has 200 member organisations, 800 registered “champions”, and has reached more than 130,000 children. At a time when so many organisations are stepping back when it comes to implementing diversity and inclusion in their technology remit, how does Tech She Can make sure those involved are not using it as lip service? “What we concentrate on is what we call our ‘strategic partners’, which are the people who fund us, and across all our partners we train champions to go into schools, we package up all our live lessons in a way that the champions can take them out and deliver them in person. In primary schools, they often do it to a whole assembly, and in secondary schools, it’s usually to individual classes.” During these sessions, the champions explain technology concepts, how they apply in the real world and what tech jobs involve, which over time has changed the way children perceive technology, the subjects they choose to study and what careers they consider in the future. Underpinning it all is data. For example, the organisation uses social mobility data to ensure it offers its services to schools that have the greatest need for it. Being Wonder Woman Wearing other hats, Ash is a non-executive director for several other organisations, leaning into her life-long need to help women achieve equality. But she still has moments when she needs to perform a Wonder Woman-style power pose to amp herself up. Portfolio images of Sheridan Ash as a teen beauty model We often talk about technology role models, and in Ash’s childhood, she aspired to be Wonder Woman. “She kicked the **** of the baddies,” she says. “She wanted to have a positive impact. She did good *****. And that felt right from a young age, whether I was conscious or not about what I wanted in life.” There is plenty of research highlighting the importance of role models for young women, especially in the technology space. Ash is a role model herself. Ash says she wants every young woman to know that not only is technology a “joyful” career, but it is going to be “one of the most important factors of shaping her world”. She says: “I want to persuade ****** they have a role to play in making sure that the world isn’t just developed by a lot of white tech bros, that they could be part of making sure the world is a fit place for everybody, and that it is somewhere women are treated equally in creating that world.” Source link #beauty #model #tech #role #model #years #influential #woman #tech Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Current Seasonal Activity Makes Even the Most Diabolically Boring Nightmare Dungeons Look Interesting Current Seasonal Activity Makes Even the Most Diabolically Boring Nightmare Dungeons Look Interesting Diablo 4‘s Season of Hatred Rising promised to spice up our endgame routine with the introduction of Realmwalkers—mysterious entities that stalk across Sanctuary offering portals to greater challenges and rewards. At least, that was the plan. A Realmwalker in Diablo 4: Season of Hatred Rising. | Image Credit: Blizzard Entertainment As it turns out, these new activities have accomplished something that seemed impossible just months ago: they’ve made Nightmare Dungeons look like the life of the party. And when players are getting nostalgic about running the same corridors over and over, you know something’s gone terribly wrong. The situation has, in fact, become so dire that browsing the game’s subreddit feels like taking a guided tour through the nine circles of player disappointment. Blizzard might want to take notes—this probably isn’t the kind of ***** they were aiming for. Diablo 4‘s Latest Seasonal Letdown The concept seemed promising enough: mysterious Realmwalkers appearing across Sanctuary every 15 minutes (or hourly in Nahantu for those who splurged on the Vessel of Hatred DLC), offering portals to special realms filled with challenges and treasures. It’s like a demonic version of door-to-door sales, except instead of vacuum cleaners, they’re supposedly peddling valuable Seething Opals and seasonal rewards. Unfortunately, much like those door-to-door salespeople, these Realmwalkers are proving to be more of an annoyance than an opportunity in Diablo 4. One frustrated player recently shared their experience: You know something’s amiss when World Tier 4, supposedly the pinnacle of both challenge and reward, feels more like a waste of time than an achievement: Comment byu/plantsandinsects from discussion indiablo4 Even the Realmwalkers themselves seem to have missed the memo about being intimidating adversaries. Rather than feeling like fearsome entities, they’re more like lost tourists wandering around Sanctuary: Comment byu/plantsandinsects from discussion indiablo4 The seasonal rewards aren’t faring much better in players’ estimations: Comment byu/plantsandinsects from discussion indiablo4 When players are actively avoiding new content in favor of activities they previously complained about, it’s a pretty clear sign that something’s gone seriously wrong with the risk-reward balance. The Eternal Grind Gets Grindier What is the point of video games, again? | Image Credit: Blizzard Entertainment The current situation has created an amusing paradox: players must choose between optimal progression and actually having fun. It’s the kind of choice that makes you wonder if someone at Blizzard has a particularly twisted sense of humor: Comment byu/plantsandinsects from discussion indiablo4 While grinding has always been a cornerstone of the Diablo experience, there’s a fine line between satisfying progression and tedious repetition. The current seasonal activity hasn’t just crossed that line—it’s somehow managed to make previous grinds look entertaining by comparison. The irony of the situation is impossible to ignore: Nightmare Dungeons, once considered the very definition of repetitive gameplay, are now looking like the more entertaining option. It’s quite an achievement, though probably not the kind Blizzard was aiming for with this season’s content. What’s your take on Diablo 4‘s current seasonal content? Are you still chasing Realmwalkers around Sanctuary, or have you retreated to the familiar comfort of Nightmare Dungeons? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Source link #Current #Seasonal #Activity #Diabolically #Boring #Nightmare #Dungeons #Interesting Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Google might have a ******** plan to beat Apple’s iPad – turn ChromeOS into Android and take over the tablet world Google might have a ******** plan to beat Apple’s iPad – turn ChromeOS into Android and take over the tablet world Google is apparently planning to transform ChromeOS into Android This new OS could be the best of both worlds for tablets It could be the OS to power a rumored Pixelbook laptop Google could be planning to completely change ChromeOS and essentially turn it into Android, in an effort to build an operating system that’s better suited to tablets – and poaching iPad buyers from Apple. Android Authority claims to have a source (as ever, an anonymous one) who describes a fresh initiative underway at Google which is a multi-year project to effectively transform ChromeOS into Android. This would come with some obvious benefits – instead of working across two operating systems, desktop (well, laptop) and mobile, Google would just have to develop the one multi-platform OS. And it’d address a serious problem Google has faced: Android’s ********, as it stands, to capture enough tablet market share, and specifically premium tablets, where Apple’s iPad very much holds court. This is an area where hybrid 2-in-1 Chromebooks have ******* to make a meaningful impact, too. So, the idea would be to forge a new path forward, one that makes better use of the development resources at Google. It’s debatable exactly what the end result might look like, mainly because it’s still early days, and Google probably doesn’t know itself yet – assuming this rumor is true in the first place. Or it’s an idea that Google is currently kicking around, but will eventually boot out of play. As Android Authority expects it to happen, this is about migrating ChromeOS to the Android platform – while obviously keeping enough of the desktop flavor of the current incarnation of ChromeOS to make it suitable for laptops and tablets. Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable ****** Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content. Analysis: An AI-infused Pixel laptop running Android? (Image credit: Future) Interestingly, we recently heard a separate rumor about Google mulling the resurrection of its Chromebook Pixel laptop range, which was canned a while ago now. So, the further theory is that this future laptop might run the new Android take on ChromeOS, when (or if, rather) it eventually arrives. How likely does this new rumor seem? It’s perhaps a firmer prospect than it would be otherwise simply due to the fact that Google is already moving in this direction. We saw evidence of this earlier in 2024 when the company merged parts of the Android OS with ChromeOS. So, the Android-ification of ChromeOS is already underway, in fact, and guess what one of the major drivers is here? If you said AI then award yourself with a pat on the back, because yes, what’s being ported over currently – which includes building the Android Linux kernel and Android frameworks into ChromeOS – is about ensuring AI features can benefit Chromebooks. More broadly, though, it’s easy to imagine this is leading down the very road this rumor pins down as Google’s ultimate destination. So, if we imagine a future Chromebook Pixel, or Pixelbook perhaps, it might run on what’s essentially a desktop-oriented flavor of Android, and it’ll likely bristle with AI features. With Google also getting the benefit of an OS that really fits a tablet – and doesn’t miss the mark in some respects, like Android for tablets, or Chromebook hybrid tablets (2-in-1 devices) on ChromeOS, neither of which are ideal for a slate. At that point, the battle to challenge the iPad could step up a gear. (Apple holds over half the tablet market, at around 55%, going by the latest global market figures from Statcounter – but the higher-end will be even more pronounced a win for Tim Cook’s firm). This seems to be the working theory for now at least, but it’s early days for these rumors – and even if Google is thinking along those lines, who knows where development of these projects might lead (if anywhere). You might also like Source link #Google #******** #plan #beat #Apples #iPad #turn #ChromeOS #Android #tablet #world Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

PA Supreme Court Orders Election Officials to Stop Counting ******** Ballots in Senate Dispute PA Supreme Court Orders Election Officials to Stop Counting ******** Ballots in Senate Dispute The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that election officials must stop counting invalidated ballots. The decision comes after the Bucks County Board of Elections voted 2-1 along party lines to include ballots that had been deemed ******** in the recount for the Pennsylvania Senate race. *********** Senator-elect David McCormick won 48.93% of the vote and Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey captured 48.50%, triggering an automatic recount. Democratic commissioners Diane Marseglia and Robert J. Harvie, Jr., voted on November 12th, 2024 to include the ******** ballots, while ********* commissioner Gene DiGirolamo voted no. The two commissioners agreed to include ballots lacking proper signatures and ballots that were either undated or incorrectly dated for the Senate race. They reasoned that ballots with an incorrect date did not indicate the voter was ineligible nor that the vote was illegitimate, NBC News reports. Marseglia is recorded on video of the voting session saying, “I think we all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country, and people violate laws anytime they want. So, for me, if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention to it.” The Democrat Bucks County Commissioners just voted to count misdated and undated mail in ballots to try and help Bob Casey and one of them straight up says that she knows it’s ******** but simply does not care. Dems are trying to steal an election in PA.pic.twitter.com/7KP4Qoy31b — Greg Price (@greg_price11) November 14, 2024 The *********** National Committee (RNC) and the *********** Party of Pennsylvania brought a lawsuit against Bucks, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties’ election boards that had previously voted to tabulate ballots lacking correct dates. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court said all 67 county boards of elections in the state must adhere to a Nov. 1st ruling by the high court that stipulated mail-in ballots must be properly dated to count in the Nov. 5 election. Pennsylvania GOP celebrated the ruling, writing on X, “This is a victory for election integrity and the rule of law. We shall continue to work hard and be vigilant!” We won! The PA Supreme Court issued a ruling today ordering that all 67 PA County Boards Of Election shall comply with their earlier ruling and SHALL NOT COUNT misdated and undated ballots. This is a victory for election integrity and the rule of law. We shall continue to… pic.twitter.com/V7PktrddP9 — Bucks GOP (@BucksGOP) November 18, 2024 *********** National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley responded to the ruling saying, “protect the vote.” MCCORMICK/CASEY RECOUNT UPDATE: Following our latest RNC lawsuit, today the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled yet again that undated ballots CANNOT BE COUNTED. No more excuses. Election officials in Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and other counties have absolutely no choice… — Michael Whatley (@ChairmanWhatley) November 18, 2024 “No more excuses. Election officials in Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and other counties have absolutely no choice but to ******* ******** ballots. We will hold them to it,” he wrote. “Protect The Vote!” “No more excuses. Election officials in Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and other counties have absolutely no choice but to ******* ******** ballots. We will hold them to it,” he wrote. “Protect The Vote!” Pennsylvanians deserve to trust that when they cast a vote legally, it is counted. Regardless of the final result, I am committed to ensuring Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard. — Bob Casey Jr. (@Bob_Casey) November 18, 2024 “Pennsylvanians deserve to trust that when they cast a vote legally, it is counted,” the senator continued in the post. “Regardless of the final result, I am committed to ensuring Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard.” Pennsylvania law dictates that a recount begins on Nov. 20 and the results must be reported to the Secretary of the Commonwealth by Nov. 27. Meanwhile, a petition calls for the impeachment of Marseglia and Harvie claiming they “purposely” took “actions to disenfranchise the voters of Bucks County.” The change.org petition has more than 2,600 signatures. ***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news.*** Source link #Supreme #Court #Orders #Election #Officials #Stop #Counting #******** #Ballots #Senate #Dispute Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Arslan Kaya’s Lost Inscription Links to Materan, the Great Mother Goddess Arslan Kaya’s Lost Inscription Links to Materan, the Great Mother Goddess The legendary Arslan Kaya monument (i.e., lion rock), features a heavily damaged inscription that has been difficult to decipher for ages, and is 2,600 years old. Now, a professor and archaeologist from the USA claims to have deciphered it, saying it spells out ‘ Materan,’ referring to a Mother goddess of the Phyrgians, whose worship flourished in Turkey between 1200 and 600 BC. Apart from weathering and erosion, the monument is also heavily damaged from looters and raiders. Let There Be Light! Dated to the first half of the 6th century BC, the inscription could only be rescued through capturing it in very precise light during specific times of the day, which enhanced its legibility. The research, carried out by Professor Mark Munn, a specialist in ancient Greek history and archaeology at Pennsylvania State University, has been published in the journal Kadmos, a platform for pre-Greek and Greek epigraphy. A view of the Arslankaya inscription at the Monument in Afyon, Turkey. (Ingeborg Simon/CC BY-SA 3.0) “Much depends upon the favorability of the light when photographs are taken,” Munn wrote in his journal article, reporting that these favorable conditions were in existence on the morning of the 25th of April 2024. He then corroborated his images with previous images and records of the same. The Phyrgians knew her “simply as the Mother,” Professor Munn told Live Science via email. “The Greeks knew her as the Mother of the Gods,” while the Romans called her “Magna Mater,” or “Great Mother.” At the time the Arslan Kaya monument was built, a kingdom known as Lydia (an Iron Age kingdom in western Asia Minor that flourished between 1180-547 BC), also worshipping Materan, ruled the area where it is found. The larger inscription likely revealed who commissioned the inscription, and who Materan was to them, and there are many possible candidates since she was so highly regarded throughout the region. Phyrgians: From the Land of Midas The Arslan Kaya monument ***** on top of an imposing rock formation in the Phrygian highlands, modern-day western Turkey. The structure had been carved into a volcanic peak, 15 meters (377.2 ft) high. There is a sculpted façade containing geometric details, and a small niche holding what ******** of the figure of the Mother Goddess; at the base there ***** what ******** of the inscription. Arslankaya, Phrygian monument near Afyon, Türkiye (Ingeborg Simon/CC BY-SA 3.0) There are strong architectural and decorative similarities with monuments from the Midas region, where the Phrygians hail from. LBV Magazine reports that the relief is represented by depictions of sphinxes and lions who symbolize protection and power, typical of Phrygian religious representations. It is interesting to note that Materan was the protector and central deity in Phrygian cosmology, revealing her profound importance to these people. When William Ramsay uncovered the monument and presented his findings to the Western world for the first time in 1884, it was thought the inscription was comprised of random letters, and was therefore patternless. A few years later, Alfred Körte suggested that the letters were ‘ μ.τματεραν,, but was admittedly uncertain. His work would form the basis of research and documentation by later historians, until the 1980s. Dissatisfied with previous research, Munn found marks that supported Körte’s interpretation, as he had emphasized the dividing points between words – a central feature of Phyrgian inscriptions. Yet, there is one distinctive element – the Arslan Kaya inscription features tall and angular text, indicative that perhaps that the Lydian empire was at its peak of power and influence when the inscription was created. Historians recording this era support the idea that religious patronage and political power went hand-in-hand, which is a feature of modern-day societies and nations too. Prior to the spread of organized religion, particularly Christianity and Islam a millennium and a half later, religious groupings were organized around cults. The deity known as Materan was likely used to substantiate the political domination of Lydia and their relationship with the subject people of Phrygia, in a unified continuum at whose center the cult of the Mother Goddess lay. In a counter-argument, some historians have proposed that what Munn offers in terms of research and analysis is neither ******** nor new. In fact, what Munn proposes today was loosely understood in the 19th century itself, and it is likely that debate will continue before a more decisive consensus can be established. Top image: The Arslan Kaya inscription, very deteriorated under the figures of the pediment. Source: Ingeborg Simon/CC BY-SA 3.0 By Sahir Pandey Source link #Arslan #Kayas #Lost #Inscription #Links #Materan #Great #Mother #Goddess Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Alien: Rogue Incursion new story trailer, gameplay details Alien: Rogue Incursion new story trailer, gameplay details The best looking Alien game in forever and you can only play it with technology strapped to your face. Creative Assembly set the bar for systemic A.I. and sustained tension with their oft overlooked masterpiece Alien: Isolation, and although news of a sequel has mercifully been revealed, there is a lingering sense that Alien: Rogue Incursion should have at least afforded players the option to choose how best to enjoy it. Source link #Alien #Rogue #Incursion #story #trailer #gameplay #details Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mullvad vs. Windscribe: the best VPN for monthly service Mullvad vs. Windscribe: the best VPN for monthly service Most virtual private network (VPN) services require an annual or longer subscription paid in advance to enjoy the lowest monthly cost. However, your needs may change over time and some VPNs like Mullvad and Windscribe offer more affordable prices with just a monthly commitment. Price isn’t the only detail that matters when shopping for the best VPN service. You want good performance, excellent privacy protection, and more. I’ve gone hands-on with both VPNs and found each offers quick, dependable download speeds at servers around the world. In this head-to-head comparison, I’ll explore the features, customer support, and security of Mullvad and Windscribe to help you decide which offers the best value. Specs Mullvad Windscribe Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android Devices 5 Unlimited Support Email Email, Chatbot Free version? No Yes Tiers and pricing Mullvad and Windscribe VPNs offer unique monthly pricing. Digital Trends Mullvad’s VPN pricing is remarkably simple. It costs 5 euros per month (about $5.31). The average subscription cost of most VPN services is double that amount, making Mullvad stand out from the crowd. While the leading VPNs offer good deals and provide great service, you’ll need to pay $40 to $100 upfront for a year of service. Most VPNs let you protect multiple devices, and Mullvad allows five simultaneous connections. That’s enough to run the VPN on your computer, phone, and tablet without toggling it on and off before switching devices. Despite the bargain price, Mullvad is a full-featured, fast VPN with apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. Windscribe also has cross-platform support and, within reason, allows you to connect unlimited devices. It offers several price tiers, including a more standard $9 monthly subscription and a $69 annual plan. The free version provides 2GB to 15GB of protected internet data each month. Besides the data restriction, the free plan can only connect to servers in 10 countries. The most interesting low-cost monthly option from Windscribe is the Build-A-Plan, which costs as little as $3 monthly. Subscribers can select three locations from a global list where they’ll get access to premium servers. More locations can be added for an additional $1 per month. That might sound ideal but there are some important considerations. Build-A-Plan doesn’t support port forwarding, which you might need if you host games, use VoIP applications, or do peer-to-peer downloading. Most notably, Windscribe’s standard Build-A-Plan has a data cap of 10GB per location. The minimum $3 plan provides 30GB per month. While you can combine this with the free plan to get up to 45GB, you’ll probably need more. Fortunately, you can switch to unlimited use for another $1 monthly. For $4 per month, you get full-time protection with Windscribe’s premium VPN servers in three countries and can add more as needed. Windscribe even lets you change the locations during the month and prorates your bill if you only use a partial month. Features I enjoyed good upload and download speeds on a nearby Mullvad VPN server. Digital Trends Low monthly fees are great but you probably don’t want to sacrifice access to fast servers in the locations you need. Mullvad and Windscribe are fast enough for global web browsing like I was a local and sufficient for high-quality streaming in most cases. Download speeds vary depending on the time of day, distance from the server, and load on the server. I tested each VPN for several days at varied times to get a sense of overall performance. Without a VPN, my Ethernet connection provides 900Mbps download and upload speed. Mullvad was generally faster, reaching up to 521Mbps down and 100Mbps up with a U.S. server. A closer ********* server measured only 149Mbps down and 39Mbps up. I measured the best Windscribe speed from a U.S. server. Digital Trends Windscribe’s best U.S. server scored 451Mbps down and 27Mbps up, nearly matching Mullvad for downloads but offering significantly slower uploads. For a nearby ********* server, Speedtest.net reported 157Mbps for downloads and 10Mbps. I tested the servers of both VPNs for locations in the U.K., France, Germany, and Australia. Mullvad did well in most overseas tests, supplying 264Mbps to 432Mbps downloads. Windscribe gave mixed results with 277Mbps downloads for France, but speeds in the mid-20s for the U.K. and Germany. Australia in very distant and I expected a slow connection. While Mullvad managed a respectable 24Mbps down, Windscribe surprised me by reaching 136Mbps. In summary, Mullvad seemed faster overall but it varies. Windscribe was sufficient in most locations but streaming could require buffering overseas. You’ll get more features with leading VPNs like Proton VPN or NordVPN. However, Mullvad and Windscribe also provide ad blocking, rudimentary malware protection, split-tunneling, and obfuscation. Support While Windscribe’s AI chatbot is quite helpful, human support is via email. Windscribe Customer service is always worth considering. I didn’t have any problems with Mullvad or Windscribe but I reached out to support to test how responsive it was. Mullvad’s help center has several articles covering common and esoteric topics. For account issues or other questions that require personal assistance, you can send an email. In my experience, support is relatively quick, taking eight hours to get a reply. Windscribe has a fairly intelligent chatbot to assist with issues and several support articles to look up an answer on your own. Windscribe mentions 24/7 support via chat, but I couldn’t reach a human agent online. After trying for a few minutes, I finally settled for email and the reply came a few hours later. I’d rate support roughly equally for Mullvad and Windscribe. Both were acceptable for inexpensive services. If you anticipate needing quicker help, Surfshark has fast, helpful live chat that’s available around the clock. Privacy and security Mullvad and Windscribe are open-source apps that anyone with coding experience and enough time can examine to ensure there aren’t any privacy or security loopholes in the software. However, we don’t have to rely on open-source policing. Independent audits have verified neither service keeps logs to track your online activity. Each company has a clean track record with no reported data breaches. Still, hackers are becoming more sophisticated. The best way to secure your data is to keep it offline. For absolute anonymity, Mullvad assigns a number when you create an account and you don’t have to provide your email address. Email is optional for Windscribe users also. If your VPN has no identifying data about you, there’s nothing to *****, steal, or provide to authorities making legal requests. Which VPN is right for you? Mullvad and Windscribe break the VPN mold with unique pricing and policies while offering enough features and global performance to be intriguing. If you want to break out of long-term VPN subscriptions or a constant hunt for the best VPN deal, both are worthwhile. Mullvad, a Swedish company, offers a full-service VPN in 47 countries for a little over $5 monthly, total anonymity, excellent privacy protection, and impressive server speeds worldwide. Windscribe matches Mullvad’s privacy policies and security despite its base in Canada, a Five Eyes country. With Build-A-Plan you can use a data-capped VPN with servers in three locations for just $3 monthly. A 30GB limit feels too restrictive for me, but you can upgrade to unlimited data for only $1 more. If you only want to access a few countries, Windscribe has the least-expensive monthly subscription plan. However, Mullvad has no limitations on its standard service. To unlock every feature and server for Windscribe, you’ll pay $9 monthly. That’s why Mullvad wins in this challenge to find the best VPN for monthly service. Source link #Mullvad #Windscribe #VPN #monthly #service Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

What the charts say about Nvidia before earnings What the charts say about Nvidia before earnings Since early last year Nvidia (NVDA) has become the Super Bowl of earnings and like the actual big game, it comes right at the end of the season. Here we are at the end of third-quarter earnings reporting season and markets are again on pins and needles waiting for Nvidia’s earnings Wednesday after the market close to see if this ***** in artificial intelligence and data center buildouts continues. We’ll talk about what we’re expecting after the report, and how we plan to hedge in the event that earnings fail to impress, much like we saw in the prior Q2 report. Fundamental outlook The analyst community is looking for Nvidia to report 75 cents in EPS on $33.13 billion in revenue, according to FactSet. The focus will be on the new Blackwell GPU that has been covered heavily with reports of it being sold out for the next 12 months, creating concerns of supply not meeting demand, as well as recent reports of the unit overheating. The concerns with Blackwell actually began in the prior quarter’s earning report that saw EPS beat consensus by just 5%, but still come in at amazing levels. Nvidia charts The prior quarter’s growth rates are coming down from astronomical levels of multiple hundreds of percentage points. As a result Nvidia sold off on Aug 28 from around the $130 level all the way down to $101.50. Since then the stock rallied back to and through $130 approaching $150. The stock has recently drifted lower ahead of Wednesday’s report to the mid-$140’s. I’m wondering if the earnings report does not knock the “Sox” (short for the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index) off investors, are we headed back down to the $130 key technical pivot level? The 50-day moving average is currently at $132.37. In the most recent rebalance at Inside Edge Capital Management, LLC we increased our holding in NVDA from 8% to 10% in our firm’s signature growth portfolio. In our dividend model we increased from 2.5% to 3.5% . Keep in mind that NVDA pays a small dividend and is over 7% of the S & P 500. However, in our more nimble speed boat of a portfolio “Active Opps” we are looking to hedge a possible move back to the $130 level against our holdings in the two slower moving portfolios. Hedge on Nvidia, just in case We’re looking at buying a Nov 22nd expiration $140 / $130 put debit spread, currently trading at $2.88. This means we’re looking to buy the $140 strike puts, sell the $130 strike puts, for a cost of $288 per spread giving us a maximum potential profit of $712.00 ($10 spread ****** premium paid $2.88 = $7.12). You would decide how many spreads to trade based on the size of your Nvidia holdings. If you hold 500 shares of NVDA and want to hedge the whole position down to $130.00, you would buy 5 spreads for a total cost of $1440.00 giving you a max possible profit of $3560. However, I still very much believe the AI ***** is in the early stages and this insurance policy I’m discussing will go unclaimed and premiums will be written off as capital losses. If NVDA is able to break through 100% Fib projection at $145.93, the Elliott Wave model shows the next upside target of $185.54. That target will be met as Nvidia is delivering on the Blackwell demand and revenues are moving through the $40 billion and $50 billion levels per quarter, which I’m thinking will be sometime next year. -Todd Gordon, Founder of Inside Edge Capital , LLC DISCLOSURES: (Gordon owns NVDA personally and in his wealth management company Inside Edge Capital. Charts shown are Deepvue.) All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. THE ABOVE CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY . THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSITUTE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY ANY SECURITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSET. THE CONTENT IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY INDIVIDUAL’S UNIQUE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ABOVE CONTENT MIGHT NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER SEEKING ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. Click here for the full disclaimer. Source link #charts #Nvidia #earnings Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

As bird flu spread continues, why the recent jump to pigs raises worries – National As bird flu spread continues, why the recent jump to pigs raises worries – National Bird flu has spread far and wide, infecting a range of species like chickens, skunks, cows, foxes and polar bears and renewing questions about what level of risk it poses to people as a B.C. teenager ******** in critical condition in hospital after being infected. But it’s the recent jump to pigs that has experts on high alert, as swine offer the perfect conditions for the virus to mutate, making it a potential threat to human health. Last month, ******* States health officials reported the first case of avian influenza A(H5N1) in a pig on a backyard farm in Oregon, marking the first time the virus had been detected in pigs in the country. Days later, officials confirmed a second pig on the farm had also tested positive. “With every species it jumps to, it elevates the risk,” said Kerry Bowman, a professor of bioethics and global health at the University of Toronto. “But pigs are particularly worrisome species. The risk has risen yet again.” Story continues below advertisement Pigs represent a particular concern for the spread of bird flu because they can become co-infected with bird and human viruses, which could swap genes to form a new, more dangerous virus that can more easily infect humans. “Pigs can work as a mixing vessel, as they can have both bird flu and human flu simultaneously. And these things could recombine,” Bowman said, adding that this could result in the emergence of a new influenza A virus with different properties. These “mixing vessel” events have happened in pigs in the past; it is believed to have caused the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic, Bowman said. Currently, the risk of bird flu ******** low, but Bowman said every time the virus jumps to a new species, it raises the risk. 2:12 H5N1 avian influenza: B.C. reports 1st suspected human case of bird flu Earlier this month, British Columbia health officials announced the first case of a human avian flu infection acquired in Canada, with the teenage patient still in critical condition in hospital. It is still not known how the teenager was exposed, but the strain is related to viruses found in flocks in an outbreak at B.C. poultry farms. Story continues below advertisement Most recently, the U.S. Centers for ******** Control and Prevention (CDC) on Nov. 15 confirmed a highly pathogenic form of bird flu in a person in Oregon. The infected person is linked to a previous outbreak tied to a commercial poultry operation in the state, where the virus has been confirmed in 150,000 birds. And on Monday, U.S. health officials confirmed the presence of bird flu in Hawaii, the first case of the virus in a domestic flock in the state since the current outbreak began in 2022. Human infection with avian influenza is rare and usually occurs after close contact with infected birds, other infected animals or highly contaminated environments. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. But that could change rapidly if the avian virus finds a suitable host in which to mutate, Bowman warned. Commercial pig farming is the real worry Because the virus was detected in a backyard pig, it doesn’t pose a significant threat at the moment, but the real concern ***** with its potential spread in commercial pig farms, Bowman said. Story continues below advertisement “Industrial livestock is a nightmare; animals are kept in incredibly tight conditions. So it would spread very quickly in a commercial endeavour. And the other thing that goes on with commercial farming is pigs are moved around and sold, so there’s more cause of spread there,” he said. Levon Abrahamyan, a virologist at the University of Montreal, echoed Bowman’s worries. “Fortunately it was not a commercial pig farm,” he said. “The pig was probably infected by a wild bird. The risk is low at this moment.” He explained that it would be very concerning if a large pig farm were found to be infected with avian influenza. In that case, every effort should be made to localize the outbreak and eliminate the virus to prevent further spread. Abrahamyan said it’s usually difficult for avian flu to jump from birds to humans or from pigs to humans. 1:59 Avian Flu spreads to cows, raising concerns about cross-species transmission This is because viruses have surface proteins (a key) that must match specific receptors on the surface of host cells (the lock) to enter and infect the cell. Story continues below advertisement If the virus’s key doesn’t fit the cell’s lock, it can’t infect the cell, Abrahamyan said. In the case of avian and pig flu strains, when two different strains (from birds and pigs) infect the same host, their genetic material can mix, he explained. This can create a new virus with a combination of “keys” that might fit locks on human cells more effectively. “And that can be a dramatic change, and then the human immune system is not ready for that type of change,” he added. This is exactly what happened in 2009, during the H1N1 pandemic, also known as the “swine flu.” In this case, Abrahamyan said there was genetic mixing from human, bird and pig viruses. The pigs acted as mixing vessels, leading to the creation of a new subtype that could infect humans, and created a global pandemic. Trending Now Organic carrots sold in Canada, U.S. recalled in deadly E.coli outbreak Canada Post says ‘parties remain far apart’ as strike continues How to prevent a pandemic There has been no evidence of person-to-person spread of bird flu so far. But if that were to happen, the ingredients for a potential pandemic could be there, scientists have said. Story continues below advertisement Bowman said he’s concerned that Canada is not doing enough in terms of testing and surveillance. “Bird flu is not going away and it’s going to keep spreading in more species,” Bowman said. “If we look at this within Canada, a lot of species have bird flu now, a lot of our wildlife has it and domestic species and wild birds … and with every species this elevates.” He stressed the need for more surveillance and timely testing and reporting. The ********* Food Inspection Agency has also been testing milk for signs of H5N1 in dairy cows. There has not yet been any indication of the virus in ********* cows, but bird flu has plagued many herds in the ******* States. 1:53 What risk do zoonotic ********* pose? The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) does wastewater testing for seasonal flu in several cities and towns across the country, including Toronto. But it doesn’t check specifically for H5N1 bird flu because it’s “not possible to differentiate positive wastewater signals that are due to wildlife versus human or livestock sources,” the agency told The ********* Press in an email. Story continues below advertisement “We also need incentives for people working with livestock, as many may not want to report it because they don’t want to deal with the problem. So we need more reporting and we need more surveillance,” Bowman said. Concerns about the availability of bird flu vaccines are also growing, experts say. Currently, there is no avian influenza vaccine available for public use in Canada, though there are some available globally. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious ******** Organization (VIDO), told The ********* Press that Canada should consider stockpiling H5N1 vaccines, similar to the U.S., rather than relying on agreements with manufacturers to supply them on demand. 2:22 Health Matters: U.S. to pay Moderna $176M to develop bird flu vaccine This is because deploying an H5N1 vaccine under existing contracts could take three to six months. Story continues below advertisement However, PHAC stated in an email to The ********* Press that it is not stockpiling H5N1 vaccines due to their limited shelf life, is only up to two years. In an email to Global News in July, PHAC stated it has “proactively met with pandemic influenza vaccine suppliers (e.g., GSK, Seqirus and Sanofi) with whom we have an agreement for domestic or off-shore vaccine manufacturing to discuss pandemic influenza vaccine preparedness activities in order to inform steps that could be taken against avian influenza.” –With files from Reuters and The ********* Press More on Health More videos Source link #bird #flu #spread #continues #jump #pigs #raises #worries #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Chromatic review: the best new way to play Game Boy games Chromatic review: the best new way to play Game Boy games “If you’re looking for a new way to play your Game Boy or Game Boy ****** games, ModRetro’s Chromatic is an excellent option.” ***** Excellent build quality Backlit screen Extremely faithful to Game Boy Plays exclusive games ***** Expensive Lacks features of similarly priced retro handhelds We’ve seen plenty of gaming handhelds that are meant to be the new portable vessel through which you play your Game Boy cartridges, but none have attempted to replicate the look and feel of the Game Boy as much as ModRetro’s Chromatic. This device is squarely aimed at those nostalgic for Nintendo’s iconic 1990s gaming handhelds, which helped define mobile gaming for the entire industry. The Game Boy Advance was my first handheld, but I always enjoyed using it to play games for the original Game Boy or Game Boy ******, such as the first two generations of Pokémon and Paperboy. The Game Boy app is the Nintendo Switch Online bonus I use the most; I find myself particularly drawn to the more arcade-centric puzzle games like Tetris or Alleyway. Looking back, the Game Boy might have the greatest game catalog of any handheld system, so there’s reason to still want to play those games today. While Nintendo Switch Online is handy for that, its catalog of games is at Nintendo’s whim. Nintendo is also cracking down on players who emulate its games, which creates a market for handhelds like the Chromatic that can play original Game Boy and Game Boy ****** cartridges. ModRetro’s Chromatic succeeds at that role with flying colors, all while being able to play original game cartridges of its own, even if it does trade some of the broader functionality of similar handhelds, like the Analogue Pocket. Just like Game Boy The Chromatic is built to replicate a classic Game Boy’s look and form factor. It sports a durable magnesium alloy brick shell that juts out in the back to provide space for batteries. It feels like a Game Boy in my hands and pocket, but it isn’t so weighty that it puts a strain on me. It takes AA batteries, but doesn’t guzzle them up, lasting over 8 hours at its default brightness. ModRetro didn’t add additional buttons to the front of Chromatic; it just has the A, B, Start, and Select buttons and D-pad that Nintendo’s old handhelds have. Its PBT buttons feel durable, which sets the Chromatic apart from some other Game Boy-inspired handhelds with comparatively low-quality buttons. There’s a place to plug in a link cable and a small wheel to adjust the volume on either side of the handheld. Tomas Franzese / Digital Trends When it comes to what’s improved, the Chromatic supports USB-C video out to PC, sports a 3.5mm headphone jack, and features a backlit screen. Its 2.56 inch, 160 x 144 pixel screen is custom and particularly impresses, as it authentically recreates the feeling of looking at a Game Boy ****** screen, albeit with the benefit of having a strongly backlit display that plays just fine outside. There’s also a menu button on the side to access system settings. If your Game Boy or Game Boy ****** isn’t working anymore and you don’t want to seek out a working one, the Chromatic is a worthy alternative for playing all of its games. Specs Chromatic Display 160×144 pixel 2.56″ IPS backlit LCD, Sapphire display front crystal Console 5.2”x3”x1.2” magnesium alloy thixomolded shell, 6.2 oz, PBT buttons, 3.5mm headphone output, USB-C lagless video out, FPGA-based architecture Compatibility Game Boy and Game Boy ****** game cartridges, Chromatic game cartridges, backward compatible link cable port and IR link Playing games on Chromatic Chromatic’s field-programmable gate array architecture allows it to play three different kinds of game cartridges: Game Boy, Game Boy ******, and Chromatic. Original Game Boy games get a ****** filter, which can be customized on bootup. Game Boy ****** games retain their look and feel on a similar screen. Chromatic cartridges are made specifically for use with this handheld. Tomas Franzese / Digital Trends The first wave of Chromatics are packaged with a unique version of Tetris made specifically for Chromatic. Tetris for Chromatic quickly became the default cartridge I kept in my handheld, as I could boot it up for a quick hit of classic Tetris whenever I was bored. The handheld gave me the renewed vigor to try out some other classic games, too, and I ran into no problems testing out games like Pokemon Gold, Paperboy, Yoshi’s Cookie, Alleyway, and Tomb Raider: The Nightmare Stone. At any time, I could hit that Menu button to adjust brightness, enable frame blending for Game Boy ****** games with transparency effects, and more, although I rarely found that I needed to. If your game cartridges work, the Chromatic will run them without issues. The Chromatic will be the primary way I play Game Boy and Game Boy ****** cartridges in the future, and I’m excited to see new games being made for the handheld. Only for Game Boy The Chromatic delivers precisely what it intends to, but is less ambitious than similar handhelds like the Analogue Pocket. At release, it retails for $200, which is pricey for the limited scope of what it offers. For just $20 more, the Analogue Pocket offers easy access to playing GBA games, more advanced display mode options, PocketOS features, and the option to purchase a dock or cartridge adapters for Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket ******, TurboGrafx-16, and Atari Lynx cartridges to enhance the handheld’s functionality further. Tomas Franzese / Digital Trends That prevents it from becoming the ultimate retro handheld gaming machine like the Analogue Pocket. Unless you have a backlog of Game Boy and Game Boy cartridges, plan on buying some, or are interested in upcoming Chromatic games like Chantey, ModRetro’s handheld probably won’t appeal to you. Still, I can appreciate a piece of technology with a specific, narrow focus that executes that without getting bogged down by other things. If you’re handheld gaming interests go far beyond Game Boy, though, the Chromatic probably isn’t the best cartridge-playing handheld for you. Thankfully, Game Boy and Game Boy ******’s library of games is strong, and there are plenty of people with nostalgia and tucke- away libraries of games just for Nintendo’s handhelds. We’ve also only got a small taste of what Chromatic-exclusive games can deliver. Those realities provide the Chromatic with enough of a reason to exist. If you don’t own an Analogue Pocket, but are looking for a new way to play your favorite Game Boy classics on a similarly built handheld with a backlit screen, then the Chromatic is a high-quality, well-built option. Digital Trends tested the Chromatic with a unit provided by ModRetro. Source link #Chromatic #review #play #Game #Boy #games Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft built a PC that can’t run local apps — Windows 365 Link starts at $349 and doesn’t come with storage Microsoft built a PC that can’t run local apps — Windows 365 Link starts at $349 and doesn’t come with storage Microsoft just launched the Windows 365 Link, a mini-PC designed to run Windows 365 Cloud PCs. The company said on its blog that it starts at just $349 and will connect quickly and securely to Windows 365 servers. This device is marketed toward businesses and enterprise customers, especially as these organizations sometimes replace their computers every two to five years. However, you should note that you still need a Windows 365 subscription, priced between $28 to $315 a month per user. Microsoft says that its 4v CPU option with 16GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, starting at $66 a month per user, is most popular for employees “who only use Microsoft Teams, browsers, or Microsoft applications.” That costs $1,584 over 24 months — and when you add the $349 initial cost for the hardware, you’re paying nearly $2,000 for a basic cloud PC. For just $1,299.99, you could get a Microsoft Surface Laptop powered by a Snapdragon X Elite chip, with a 15-inch touchscreen, the same memory size, and double the storage. Introducing Windows 365 Link: Satya Nadella at Microsoft Ignite 2024 – YouTube Watch On The specifications for the processor and memory are unknown. However, the Windows 365 Link features three USB-A ports, one USB-C port, one HDMI port, and one DisplayPort output. As a result, the device can accommodate up to two 4.K monitors. There’s a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting headphones and a Kensington lock port for security. Regarding connectivity, there’s one Ethernet port and Wi-Fi 6E with Bluetooth. The company claims that the Windows 365 Link gives you a security advantage, especially as its locked-down operating system means end-users cannot install apps and store data locally. This helps reduce security vulnerabilities by locking down the device. It also offers passwordless authentication via Microsoft Entra ID and multifactor authentication via the Microsoft Authenticator app, QR code, or USB security key. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Microsoft) (Image credit: Microsoft) Despite the higher price, a few enterprise users have found the Windows 365 Link helpful. They say it allows workers to quickly rotate between stations without bringing their computers while keeping their files and access secure in the cloud. Furthermore, Windows 365 Link makes it easier for IT departments to manage cloud-based software and hardware. Windows 365 Link makes no sense for individual users who have kept their computers for several years. But if you’re an enterprise with hundreds, if not thousands, of desk-bound workers that come and go, a cloud-based operating system might be an optimal solution for making it easier to manage your computer infrastructure while keeping everything secure. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. The Windows 365 Link won’t be available until April 2025; you can ask to join the preview program if you live in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, Japan, Australia, or New Zealand. Microsoft recommends interested users contact their Microsoft account team to join the program before December 15. Source link #Microsoft #built #run #local #apps #Windows #Link #starts #doesnt #storage Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Prosecutors urge judge to consider postponing Trump’s sentencing until after his presidency Prosecutors urge judge to consider postponing Trump’s sentencing until after his presidency CBS News 24/7 Live President-elect Donald Trump’s six-year New York ********* odyssey might need to continue for at least another four, prosecutors said Tuesday. Lawyers for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg wrote in a letter to Justice Juan Merchan that Trump should not be sentenced for his ******* until after he completes his second term in office. That would be the year 2029, more than a decade after the investigation into Trump’s coverup of a “hush money” payment began. This is a breaking story. It will be updated. Graham Kates Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering ********* justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at *****@*****.tld or *****@*****.tld Source link #Prosecutors #urge #judge #postponing #Trumps #sentencing #presidency Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Global equity returns disappearing as U.S. stock market rockets higher Global equity returns disappearing as U.S. stock market rockets higher The U.S. stock market has been having a party for most of November, but it hasn’t invited the rest of the world to join the fun. As the market turned mixed following early losses Tuesday, the S & P 500 and other major averages have posted solid gains during the month. The large-cap benchmark is up more than 3% in November, rallying around the presidential election that sent Donald Trump back to the White House for a second term. However, the U.S. market hasn’t been spreading the love. Global stocks have largely fallen as the U.S. has rallied, the result of a confluence of factors. “Non-US stocks’ [year-to-date] dollar-based returns have gone from respectable to terrible in just 7 weeks, partly due to currency and partly from underperforming local markets,” Nick Colas, co-founder of DataTrek Research, wrote in his daily market note Monday evening. “No major single-country equity index has offered a productive hiding place from Q4’s rest of world sell off.” The iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF (ACWX) serves as an effective proxy for the trend. The fund gauges how global stocks ****** U.S. equities are performing, and it features names such as Taiwan Semiconductor , Tencent and Novo Nordisk . ACWX .SPX 3M line International vs. domestic stocks ACWX has slid 1.7% in November and is now up just 5% year to date. The fund fell about 0.2% in morning trade Tuesday, underperforming the S & P 500 . The broad market index was marginally higher on the day and has soared nearly 24% year to date. One culprit has been U.S. dollar outperformance against its global counterparts. The dollar index has jumped more than 2% in November, and has climbed nearly 5% year to date. A strong greenback reduces the value of assets owned in foreign currency and makes ********* exports more expensive in other countries. That also can harm global companies domiciled in the U.S., but thus far hasn’t had a major impact. .DXY 3M line Dollar index The underperformance of global stocks might provide some temptation to ***** in at a time when they appear undervalued. But Colas cautioned against that, given Trump’s intention to launch another round of protectionist trade policies . “We continue to prefer US equities over rest of world stocks, even as the latter’s remarkable underperformance this year makes them statistically cheaper and non-US currencies are probably due for a bounce soon,” he wrote. “US government policy will be materially different next year from the last 4 years, and it will be difficult for global asset owners to justify incremental allocations to international equity markets until we know exactly how different it is,” Colas added. Source link #Global #equity #returns #disappearing #U.S #stock #market #rockets #higher Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Latest ****** Ops 6 Update Re-Adds Legacy XP Tokens Latest ****** Ops 6 Update Re-Adds Legacy XP Tokens · · November 19, 2024 A new update for Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 has been released, and in it comes several changes throughout the game. The biggest comes the re-re-adding of the legacy XP tokens to ****** Ops 6 after they were taken away on November 15. The tokens had been re-added to the game at the launch of ****** Ops 6 Season 1 in a move that Activision said was unintentional. They were quickly removed the following day, leading to fan backlash across numerous social media platforms. Now, four days later, they are back for all players. Aside from the XP tokens being returned, the new ****** Ops 6 update addresses a few UI concerns as well as fixed steering in vehicle scorestreaks. You can check out the full patch notes below. For a list of what developers Treyarch and Raven are working on, check out the complete list of known issues in ****** Ops 6. Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 November 19 Update Notes GLOBAL Legacy XP Tokens Updated ****** Ops 6 to support legacy XP token functionality Gameplay Improved hitmarker UI to help identify individual shots more easily. Cosmetics Addressed an issue where ******* sights would be misaligned with the Weaver Repairman Operator Skin equipped. Store Improved the loading of Tracer and Inspect preview videos for weapons. MULTIPLAYER Gunsmith Added several missing language translations when swapping attachments. Scorestreaks Improved steering in reverse with View-Based vehicle controls. UI Addressed an unintentional bug where MWII and MWIII camos could be applied to ****** Ops 6 weapons. Camos from previous titles were not designed for ****** Ops 6 weapons and attachments and are not supported due to visual inconsistencies. Addressed an issue where some Perk bags were not displaying when creating loadouts. Stability Various stability fixes. ZOMBIES GobbleGums Addressed an issue that allowed GobbleGums to persist indefinitely. UI Added additional information for the current saved game in the map selection menu. Stability Various stability improvements. 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 #Latest #****** #Ops #Update #ReAdds #Legacy #Tokens Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ancient 2,600-Year-Old Inscription in Turkey Finally Decoded: Here’s What it Means? Ancient 2,600-Year-Old Inscription in Turkey Finally Decoded: Here’s What it Means? A 2,600-year-old inscription engraved on a monument in Turkey, known as Arslan Kaya or “lion rock,” has been deciphered, according to research by Professor Mark Munn of Pennsylvania State University. This ancient carving, which has endured significant damage from weathering and looting, contains references to Materan, a goddess revered by the Phrygians, an ancient civilisation that thrived in the region between 1200 and 600 B.C. Materan, often simply called “the Mother,” was central to Phrygian religious beliefs. Monument Details and Historical Significance The Arslan Kaya monument is decorated with images of lions and sphinxes, which were symbols of strength and protection in Phrygian culture. The name Materan, deciphered through careful analysis of the damaged inscription, appears alongside a depiction of the goddess. Materan was later venerated by other cultures, known as “Mother of the Gods” by the Greeks and as “Magna Mater” or “Great Mother” by the Romans. At the time the inscription was created, the region was under the influence of the Lydian kingdom, which also held Materan in high regard. The inscription, believed to have been part of a longer text, may have detailed the commissioning party and explained the goddess’s significance. Challenges in Deciphering the Inscription The text has been the subject of scholarly debate for over a century. Munn utilised detailed photographs and historical records to piece together its meaning, noting that optimal lighting on April 25, 2024, played a crucial role in capturing the monument’s details. Rostyslav Oreshko, a lecturer at the Practical School of Advanced Studies in France, told LiveScience that Munn’s work affirms earlier readings from the 19th century, which identified the name Materan. Despite this, Oreshko emphasised that the study solidifies previous interpretations rather than offering entirely new insights. The deciphered inscription sheds light on the enduring cultural significance of Materan and highlights the Phrygians’ influence on subsequent civilisations. Source link #Ancient #2600YearOld #Inscription #Turkey #Finally #Decoded #Heres #Means Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Content creation just got cheaper – the Insta360 Link 4K webcam is now a huge 40% off for ****** Friday Content creation just got cheaper – the Insta360 Link 4K webcam is now a huge 40% off for ****** Friday Whether you’re a streamer on YouTube or Twitch or simply want to look sharp on video calls while working from home, ****** Friday is the best time to snap up a top-quality webcam. Fortunately, I’ve spotted the Insta360 Link 4K webcam available on Amazon in the US for just $179.99 (was $299.99), and available for £189.99 (was £318.99) on Amazon in the ***. With features such as AI-powered head-tracking that ensures you always stay in-frame, controls through hand gestures, and a 4K resolution, this one mustn’t be missed. Most video webcams built-in to laptops or monitors utilize a 1080p resolution at best – 4K is ideal for crystal-clear video conferences and streaming. Not in the US or ***? Scroll down to see the best Insta360 Link deals in your region! Today’s best Insta360 Link deal in the US Today’s best Insta360 Link deal in the *** It’s also important to note that there are dual noise-canceling microphones – worries of background noise while filming will be eliminated, making editing much easier within the audio department. For an early ****** Friday deal, it’s an absolute steal at 40% off for both regions – this will save you the trouble of shelling out more cash for a top-of-the-line webcam, as this offers virtually all the necessary features for serious content creation. More of today’s ****** Friday sales in the US Amazon: TVs, smart home & air fryers from $12.99 Apple: AirPods, iPads, MacBooks from $89.99 Best Buy: $1,000 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones Cheap TVs: smart TVs at Best Buy from $69.99 Christmas trees: top-rated trees from $54.99 Dell: best-selling Inspiron & XPS laptops from $279.99 Dreamcloud: mattress deals from $349 + free shipping Holiday: decor, lights, Christmas trees & PJs from $10.99 Home Depot: 40% off tools, appliances & furniture Lowe’s: holiday decor, appliances & tools from $17.31 Nectar: up to 50% off all mattresses Nordstrom: 46% off boots, coats, jeans & jewelry Samsung: $1,500+ off TVs, phones, watches & appliances Target: save on furniture, tech & clothing Walmart: cheap TVs, ****** vacs, furniture & appliances More of today’s ****** Friday sales in the *** Amazon: up to 68% off toothbrushes and TVs AO: savings on games consoles and appliances Argos: up to 50% off toys, Lego, TVs and gifts Boots: up to 50% off Dyson, *****-B and Philips Currys: early deals on TVs, appliances, laptops Dell: laptops, desktops, monitors from £299 Dyson: up to £150 off Ebay: up to 50% off refurbished tech EE: up to £600 off Samsung and Apple John Lewis: up to £300 off appliances and TVs LG: £1,000 or more off TVs and appliances Samsung: up to £600 off TVs, phones and tablets Very: up to 30% off phones, appliances & clothing Source link #Content #creation #cheaper #Insta360 #Link #webcam #huge #****** #Friday Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

New York prosecutors support pause New York prosecutors support pause Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media amid his trial on charges of covering up hush money payments linked to alleged extramarital affairs, at Manhattan ********* Court in New York City, on May 16, 2024. Angela Weiss | Via Reuters The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office told a judge Tuesday that it supported pausing the planned sentencing of President-elect Donald Trump in his ********* hush money case to give Trump’s lawyers time to argue that the case should be dismissed altogether. The DA’s office told Judge Juan Merchan they would continue opposing the dismissal bid, which is based on the claim that the case should be tossed out as a result of Trump’s election as president. Prosecutors asked Merchan to set a motion schedule on the defense’s dismissal request. Merchan has yet to rule on the filing by prosecutors. Trump’s spokesman Steven Cheung, in a statement Tuesday, said, “This is a total and definitive victory for President Trump and the ********* People who elected him in a landslide.” “The Manhattan DA has conceded that this Witch Hunt cannot continue. The lawless case is now stayed, and President Trump’s legal team is moving to get it dismissed once and for all,” Cheung said. The New York case is one of four ********* prosecutions against Trump whose fate is up in the air — or all but doomed — because of the ***********’s electoral win two weeks ago against Vice President Kamala Harris Trump was convicted in May in Manhattan Supreme Court of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records. Those records related to a $130,000 payment his then-personal lawyer Michael Cohen made shortly before the 2016 election to ***** star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence about a purported one-time ******* tryst with Trump a decade earlier. Merchan had been expected to rule on a dismissal request by Trump’s lawyers on Nov. 12 at the earliest. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office had opposed that request. But on the heels of Trump’s election win, the DA’s office told Merchan they wanted him to delay his ruling, to give them time to determine how that victory affected the case. Merchan gave them one week to do so. Former U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the courthouse after a jury found him guilty of all 34 felony counts in his ********* trial at New York State Supreme Court on May 30, 2024. Justin Lane | Via Reuters Before the ordered pause, Trump was scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 26. If the case is not dismissed, and Trump is sentenced, he is not expected to serve any potential jail sentence until after he leaves the White House more than four years from now. Two ********* cases against Trump in federal court are expected to be dismissed before he enters the White House, or shortly afterward. Trump has the power to order his attorney general to toss out those cases. The Department of Justice, which the AG leads, also has a policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents. Read more CNBC politics coverage In one of those cases, Trump is charged in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., with ******* related to his effort to undo his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. The judge there was considering the effect of the July ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on that case before special counsel Jack Smith asked her, after Trump’s election, to pause all proceedings for now. Smith also asked a federal appeals court in Atlanta to pause proceedings in his attempt to reverse the dismissal by Florida federal district court Judge Aileen Cannon of charges against Trump related to his retention of classified government records after leaving the White House. The appeals court granted that delay, which, like the one in Washington, was seen as a precursor to the DOJ dropping the case altogether. In a fourth ********* case, in Atlanta state court, Trump and more than a dozen co-defendants are charged with ******* in connection with their attempt to reverse his 2020 defeat by Biden in Georgia. Trump and some of the other defendants are appealing the trial court’s decision to allow Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the case despite having had a romantic relationship with a top prosecutor she assigned to the matter. On Monday, the Georgia Court of Appeals, without explanation, canceled ***** arguments until further notice in Trump’s appeal, which had been scheduled for Dec. 5. Source link #York #prosecutors #support #pause Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Escape from reality’ and travel the world until 2028: What to know ‘Escape from reality’ and travel the world until 2028: What to know If you are one of the many Americans planning an escape next year, this unique adventure might be exactly what you’re looking for. Residential cruise line Villa Vie Residences announced the Tour La Vie program which offers passengers the opportunity to live aboard its ship, the Villa Vie Odyssey, for up to four years. Villa Vie’s CEO, Mikael Petterson tells CNBC Make It the new program was planned before Election Day. And while is is not a reaction to the outcome, the offering is is well-timed. “Although our latest campaign Tour La Vie was put together before the results of the election, we feel we have a perfect product for those who’d want leave the country for any reason,” he said in an email statement. Early this month, CNBC reported that in a survey by Arton Capital, which advises the wealthy on immigration programs, 53% of ********* millionaires said they’re more likely to leave the U.S. after the election, no matter who wins. “Onboard, we may have differing political views, but our community comes together through our passion for exploring the world in a very real way that goes far beyond politics,” Petterson said. Here’s what we know about Villa Vie’s ‘4-Year World Cruise’ The Tour La Vie offers travelers four options: 1-Year Escape from Reality, starting at $49,000/year2-Year Mid-Term Selection, starting at $47,000/year3-Year Everywhere but Home, starting at $43,333/year4-Year Skip Forward, starting at $40,000/ year The “Skip Forward” trip will include more than 425 ports in over 140 countries across all seven continents. Villa Vie Odyssey Charles Mcquillan | Getty Images News | Getty Images The Villa Vie Odyssey just entered the second month of a 15-year tour around the world, after a series of delays. The cruise line initially offered residents three options for life aboard the ship: Own a Villa, Rent a Villa and a flex-plan called Endless Horizon. Amenities on the ship include a fitness center and spa, a business center, three restaurants, 5 bars and lounges and complimentary alcoholic beverages. A press release shared with CNBC Make It says passengers who join the Tour La Vie will have the flexibility to meet the ship at any scheduled port over the next four years. According to an itinerary available on Villa Vie’s website, the Odyssey arrived in the Caribbean on November 14 and will be there through the end of December. Want to earn more money at work? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Negotiate a Higher Salary. Expert instructors will teach you the skills you need to get a ******* paycheck, including how to prepare and build your confidence, what to do and say, and how to craft a counteroffer. Start today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 50% off through November 26, 2024. Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life. Source link #Escape #reality #travel #world Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Momo Film Co and Aview Images join together in producing two new films Momo Film Co and Aview Images join together in producing two new films There’s a lot of news related to Hollywood films every single day, so here are some upcoming ****** films movie fanatics might be interested to read about if they ever want to broaden their horizon. According to Variety, Taiwanese production house, Aview Images, formed a partnership with Singaporean film production company, Momo Film Co, and will work together in making two upcoming films. The two features include Nelson Yeo’s The Drought and Daniel Hui’s Other People’s Dreams. Yeo’s The Drought is a sophomore film featuring Kai, who has a difficult time retracting his genitals while his wife, Ling, despises his husband due to his impotence. Meanwhile, their widowed neighbor, Daming, grieves over his last three sons’ ****** while his mother secretly plans for another grandson. All of this takes place during the time of an uninhabitable drought. In Hui’s Other People’s Dreams, the film features two individuals who meet each other in Singapore as they run away from their gruesome past. They both start stealing without the public’s attention as a means to survive while they blend in with the rhythms of the dreaming city. Film producer and founder of Momo Film Co, Tan Si En, stated this will be the studio’s first co-production with Taiwan and how exciting it is to collaborate with talented filmmakers from Aview Images as well as working with the industry there. Aview Images founder, Kuek Shee Heng, expressed how excited it is for his studio to partner with Momo Film Co. The Malaysian producer also mentioned that the movies from Momo Film Co showcased Si En’s visionary approach clearly. He continued stating how Si En brought in two amazing directors to collaborate with them, which includes Nelson Yeo and Daniel Yui. Shee Heng also expressed his privilege that he and “Alice You, also the co-producer of these projects, are privileged to be part of this endeavor.” Source link #Momo #Film #Aview #Images #join #producing #films Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Perplexity takes aim at Google, Amazon with shopping tool Perplexity takes aim at Google, Amazon with shopping tool AI startup Perplexity has launched a new shopping feature that it describes as a “one-stop solution where you can research and purchase products.” Available initially for U.S.-based users of its paid Pro subscription tier, with plans to expand internationally soon, Perplexity Shopping is a shot across the bows of rival services like Google and Amazon as the company seeks to attract more users to its AI chatbot while building out related services like search and online shopping. “You can use it to research and make purchases on all things like building your library, buying electronics for throwing a party, and so on,” the San Francisco-based company said in a thread on X that also included a short video (below) showing the new feature in action. Introducing Perplexity Shopping: a one-stop solution where you can research and purchase products. It marks a big leap forward in how we serve our users – empowering seamless native actions right from an answer. Shopping online just got 10x more easy and fun. pic.twitter.com/gjMZO6VIzQ — Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) November 18, 2024 The video shows how you can enter queries in a conversational way, just as you would with any other AI chatbot. It also lets you refine results via follow-up responses like, “Under $100.” Perplexity Shopping includes features such as a one-click checkout, which is designed to save you time by having purchases fully processed within the app instead of being transferred across to the merchant’s site. “Just save your shipping and billing information through our secure portal and select ‘Buy with Pro’ to place your order,” the company explained, adding that all Buy with Pro orders come with free shipping. In cases where Buy with Pro isn’t available, you will be redirected to the merchant’s website to complete the purchase. The new tool also includes a Snap to Shop visual search tool that shows you relevant products in response to any images that you upload to help you to find an item even when you don’t have a name for it. In an apparent swipe at Google, Perplexity points out that its shopping suggestions aren’t sponsored, describing its results as “unbiased recommendations” that are powered by AI and based on in-platform reviews. “When you ask Perplexity a shopping question, you’ll still get the precise, objective answers you expect, plus easy-to-read product cards showing the most relevant items, along with key details presented in a simple, visual format.” Away from shopping, however, Perplexity recently revealed that it will start inserting ads into its general chatbot responses for users in the U.S. in the form of “sponsored follow-up questions and paid media positioned to the side of an answer.” Source link #Perplexity #takes #aim #Google #Amazon #shopping #tool Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dave Coulier defends John Stamos bald cap after fans call it ‘shallow’ gesture – National Dave Coulier defends John Stamos bald cap after fans call it ‘shallow’ gesture – National It can be difficult to know how to support a loved one going through a ******* diagnosis — a lesson John Stamos is learning in real time. In a gesture of support for his friend and Full House co-star Dave Coulier, who was recently diagnosed with “very aggressive” Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Stamos donned a bald cap and helped Coulier shave his head, sharing a carousel of photos to Instagram on Monday night to mark the ******* milestone. “Nothing like throwing on a bald cap and flexing some Photoshop skills to show some love and solidarity with my bro @dcoulier,” Stamos said in the caption. Story continues below advertisement “You’re handling this with so much strength and positivity—it’s inspiring. I know you’re going to get through this, and I’m proud to stand with you every step of the way. I love you.” Coulier revealed his ******* diagnosis to several publications last week, explaining that when he fell ***** with a chest cold last month he was surprised to discover a golf ball-sized lump in his groin that swelled up out of nowhere. He said he’d noticed enlarged lymph nodes in his armpits and neck during past respiratory infections, but this was different. More on Entertainment More videos “It swelled up immediately,” Coulier told Today. “I thought, ‘Wow, I’m either really *****, or my body’s really reacting to something.’” The father of one shared he is in the midst of doing chemo and is expected to finish his treatment by February. And while Stamos did what he thought was a kind gesture by cosplaying a bald person while shaving his friend’s head, some fans of the actors pointed out some problematic aspects to the show of solidarity. “**** bless Dave but is this really appropriate?” one person pointed out. “A bald cap is showing solidarity? You can just take your cap off and be ‘normal’ again. When people take this route they actually shave their head. I can’t help but feel that you’re using Dave’s diagnoses [sic] as a way to make yourself more likeable.” Story continues below advertisement “What a shallow gesture! Couldn’t even cut your hair off for your friend. And you made sure to post it on Instagram to get those likes too,” another person commented. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. “Uncle Jessie could never cut his hair,” another wrote, referencing Stamos’s famous thick, dark locks. FILE – John Stamos appears at the ********* Music Awards in Los Angeles on Oct. 9, 2018. Jordan Strauss / Invision via Getty Images Others, however, applauded the act and defended Stamos. “Awwww this is so cute … also, to anyone in the comments.. if Dave isn’t offended by this, you shouldn’t be either. And remember .. John is an actor and may need his hair for his JOB,” one person shared. “Standing in solidarity isn’t just shaving your head. Don’t be cruel, they are lifelong friends,” another argued. 5:16 Mathew Knowles on the growing need for support to ******* ******* survivors Previous Video Next Video Story continues below advertisement In this case, it seems like Coulier really appreciated the gesture from his former TV roommate. Responding to the backlash on Stamos’ post, he took to his own Instagram feed to defend his friend. Trending Now These were Canada’s top 10 stolen vehicles in 2023 These Canada-U.S. border crossing hours are changing next year. Here’s why “It’s our friendship (me and John) and this is how we are handling a very tough time. I’m a comedian and humor is what drives me,” he wrote Tuesday morning. “John knows how to cheer me up and I laughed out loud when he arrived wearing a bald cap – being a true loving friend and brother.” It’s important to remember, however, that just like every ******* is different, every ******* patient is different in how they best feel supported by their friends and family while navigating their difficult health circumstances. Story continues below advertisement In forums and social media feeds around the internet, ******* survivors have weighed in on how it made them feel when loved ones offered to shave their heads or alter their physical appearance in solidarity while they were undergoing ******* treatment. In a blog post for the University of Virginia Health System, one ******* ******* patient said she felt very supported when her friends threw her a party and all shaved their heads together. “It was so fun, and it made it so much easier to be a bald woman surrounded by other beautiful bald women! I still get a little teary thinking about the love and support I felt that night,” she said. However, the post reminds well-meaning loved ones that the intent of a supportive act doesn’t necessarily mean the impact will line up and, ultimately, you should check in with your loved one on how they will best feel supported. “I wore a wig so I wouldn’t have to feel like a ******* patient every time I looked in the mirror,” another ******* survivor explained in the post. “If someone (shaved their head) for me, I’d be reminded of the ******* every time I looked at them.” 5:45 New study highlights ********* men’s need for proactive health care Curator Recommendations Some Amazon Early ****** Friday deals have arrived–here are our faves The best gifts for kids (all parent-approved, too) &copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link #Dave #Coulier #defends #John #Stamos #bald #cap #fans #call #shallow #gesture #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Valuing Cava Stock Valuing Cava Stock Then, Motley Fool contributor Rick Munarriz joins Mary to check in on movie theater stocks, and to discuss what a $2.2 billion industrywide renovation plan might mean for moviegoers. Start Your Mornings Smarter! Wake up with Breakfast news in your inbox every market day. Sign Up For Free » Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon. This video was recorded on Nov. 13, 2024. Mary Long: I hope you’re hungry. You’re listening to Motley Fool Money. I’m Mary Long joined live and in person today from a co-working office in Denver, Colorado, with Tim Beyers. Tim, thanks for being here with me this morning. Tim Beyers: Thanks, Mary. Fully caffeinated, ready to go. Mary Long: Fully caffeinated, ready to go. We’ve got a Thanksgiving lunch prepared for us after this, I think and to just wet our appetites even more, we’re talking about three stocks that we’ll see if we get to the third, but what we’ve got lined up for us today are three companies, all of which I know that you’re big fans of, and they’re all food-related. With that, we can get right to it. First up, we got Cava reported earnings yesterday. Earnings nearly doubled, turning out $0.15 per share in the third quarter. That’s compared to $0.06 a share a year ago. Same-store sales grew 18% during the quarter. Traffic also up nearly 13%. Company now is targeting full-year adjusted EBITA of 121-126 million. That’s adjusted pretty far up from what they previously had. Wall Street is amped about this. Stock is up over 10% this morning last I checked. Any notes, sir? Tim Beyers: It’s unbelievable. They have what I’ll key on is that 18% increase in same-store sales, which is just absolutely bonkers. For those who don’t know what that means, you are essentially taking the sales per square foot at every location, and then you’re looking at the year-over-year difference in how they are performing. Up 18% like that is just astounding. For context here, Mary, for a fairly well-established restaurant, like 5% is awesome, 18% is outrageous. It just means that the existing locations are crushing it. The menu must be doing great. People are coming in and enjoying Cava. The argument here for Cava is that this is the company that is making Mediterranean eating in the ******* States a thing. They are the concept that is taking Mediterranean mainstream. Now, whether or not you think that’s real or not, I think that’s up for debate, but the numbers suggest that’s at least part of the conversation. Mary Long: Well, it’s not just those existing stores. They’re also rolling out new stores. The company opened 11 new restaurants within the quarter, 73 new restaurants within the past year. There’s now 352 Cava restaurants around the US. Tim, I’ve done some back-of-the-napkin math here, and I want your take on it. This company’s got a market cap of about $18.3 billion. Divide that by the total number of restaurants. Each restaurant location by that is valued at about $51 million. If you do that same math for Chipotle, obviously a massive company of stock that’s done really well for investors, each of its 3,437 locations is worth about $24 million. That feels crazy to me. What needs to happen for Cava’s valuation to come back down to earth or is $51 million per location, something that’s justifiable? Tim Beyers: Well, look, I don’t think you could say that, but at this stage of its life, it is going to be priced at an outrageous premium. Right now, I don’t think you can make a really good numerical valuation argument for Cava. The work that I did on this is that the free cash flow yield, which is for those who don’t know how to calculate that, you take the free cash flow, as you’ve defined it, divide it by enterprise value, which enterprise value is market cap plus debt ****** cash. Free cash flow, divided by enterprise value gets you a percentage. The higher the percentage, the cheaper the stock is. The lower the percentage, the more expensive it is. In the case of Cava, it is 0.2%. In other words, the amount of required growth baked into Cava is outrageous. It’s a lot of assumed free cash flow growth via new restaurant openings, expanding margins. The expectations here are very high. Can they meet those expectations I think there is a case for it, but we could talk about that. I can tell, you asked what needs to happen. We could start with they need to open a lot of restaurants, and those restaurants need to be profitable per square foot pretty quick. They been able to deliver that, will they continue to? Mary Long: During the earnings call, CEO and co-founder Brett Schulman talked about Mediterranean hospitality as an increasingly powerful differentiator. He talked about our obsession with screens about how we’ve lost 24 hours a month in personal connection. For those asking, how is this relevant to Cava, here’s a quote from Brett. He goes, “At Cava, we believe technology should enhance not replace the human experience, and we’re leveraging it to create warm personal moments across our physical and digital channels and to support our team members in engaging and connecting with our guests”. As someone who enjoys going to Cava and appreciates the experience part of a restaurant, that all sounds awesome to me. As an investor, everybody’s talking about AI and efficiency and technology. How is Cava balancing those two things, technology and experience and does anything about how they’re doing that stick out to you, particularly from the investment standpoint? Tim Beyers: Well, I think it has a lot to do with the loyalty program. They want more people coming into the restaurants and eating in the restaurants. That’s a big part of the Cava story. Right now, digital ordering and, digital as a channel for revenue for Cava, like you order on the app, you go and you pick it up and you leave. That’s only about 35% of the business. We’re not talking about Wingstop. We’re not talking about Domino’s, which are close to 70%. You order on the app. They try to get you they upsell you through the app. You get some additional things. You go in, you get it, you’re gone. You go eat at home. Cava wants you in the store. But what they want to do is use the digital channel and particularly the loyalty program to get you interested in the menu and engaging with the menu. If they know, for example, you are nuts for the Pita chips, they are experimenting now with new flavors with the Pita chips and you can imagine that they will maybe make an offer or make you one of the privileged few, Mary, you love the Pita chips. Mary Long: I do. Tim Beyers: There’s only a few locations in the Denver Metro area that are going to try something entirely new. You are invited because you are a Cava loyalty member and not everybody’s going to get access to this. That’s not the same thing as a coupon. That is not the same thing as giving you bonus points so you can get more free meals. That is trying to engage you, get you to a location, get you trying something that they want to find out whether or not this new thing that they’re trying actually is going to work with some of their most loyal customers. They’re going to use this loyalty program to do something interesting that may go systemwide. We don’t know. They’re calling this first-party data. They call it a first-party data platform, meaning they’re going to take all the data they can get about what guests do when they show up at a Cava location and build experiences that are customized to every guest that walks through the door. Will that allow them to increase sales per square foot? We don’t know, but that is their hypothesis for it. This is what Schulman roughly means. He’s not talking about, look, we’re going to get a whole bunch of orders through the digital channels. He’s saying, let’s use the digital channel to help us get to know our customer better and do things to engage them differently and more deeply. If he’s right about this if the hypothesis holds, then sure, you could see more visits, more spending per square foot, and maybe some appreciation and loyalty. When you have dollars to spend on going out, maybe you’ll spend a little bit more with Cava than you did previously. Mary Long: Why does Cava want to get people into the store so much? Because I can see another type of restaurant, I would say, that leans into the Wingstop, the Domino’s approach of, hey, we can shrink down our square footage. We can push this whole thing to digital. What is the value for them in getting more people? Tim Beyers: Well, I’ll give you only one example of this because Cava does sell some of its own branded product in grocery stores. You go into a store and you’re going to buy some of their sauces. It’s a little bit like this is a terrible analogy, but I’m going to use it anyway, I think it makes sense. You go into Alta Salon. What are the every time I am not even remotely the person that buys product at the barber? But people do, you go to the barber and you walk out not just with a haircut, you walk out with some product. That happens all the time. You go into a Cava store. Will you walk in there and get a meal? Will you also walk out with some sauces and maybe something else? You might. I don’t know that that’s going to happen all the time, but there are other things you can do to enhance the amount you will spend inside the Cava store because it isn’t just a place where you get cafeteria food and you’re gone. It is a flavor mart, where you can go in and buy not just your meal, but also some things you’ll bring home to try when you’re cooking your own food. Mary Long: I’m going to take advantage of having you here today and hop us in the way back machine to a couple days ago when Toast, another favorite company of yours that you follow quite closely, reported earnings. This was last week Toast for those that don’t know is a vertically integrated restaurant software and hardware company. They had a pretty great quarter, one could say. They posted a third-quarter profit of $56 million. That’s after having had a loss of $31 million a year before. Not only that, but they raised their EBITA forecast for the year quite significantly. All of this, Tim, a time when other data, not Cava’s data, but other data would suggest that people are eating out less, feeling a bit more sensitive toward how they spend their money. How is Toast able to grow so much despite macro headwinds that, again, aren’t necessarily affecting Cava, which we just talked about, but that are hitting other parts of the restaurant industry? Tim Beyers: It’s a great question. Two things can be true. I’ve said that so many times and two things can be true here. The Fintech business, which is driven by guests going to and spending dollars with restaurants, that there was a modest sequential decline in ****** payment volume. ****** payment volume is the amount of spend at restaurants that are using Toast. It’s a very important metric for them. They make some money. This is the win-win part of the business. When Toast clients make money, guests come in, spend money at Toast restaurants. They get a piece of that and so more traffic into more Toast restaurants is good for Toast. But on a ****** payments volume per location basis, sequentially, that was down slightly. There’s your macro headwind. However, restaurateurs are spending on toast. They want it. They are signaling that they want it and the subscription revenue, which is the steady state piece of toast business, you pay a subscription fee for how much toast you use inside your restaurants. Restaurateurs are they’re taking on more toast product. They’re adding it to more locations and that does not change. That, irrespective of the macro headwinds, if restaurateurs are saying, We need more Toast, we want it in more locations, that is business that is not variable. That is steady and growing and it is growing up into the right. This has been true for Toast for a really long time that restaurateurs see the value and what they do. They bring it into their restaurants, and so they pay the subscription fee to have it. The fintech fee, which is a bit more variable and is subject to macro. That’s going to bounce around a bit. But the core business, that subscription business is going absolutely gangbusters, Mary, and it just shows no sign of slowing. Mary Long: Speaking of showing no signs of slowing, you and Tim White have a show on Motley Fool Live called This Week in Tech, and this past Friday, on that show, you said that you think Toast can bring in annualized returns of almost 19% over the next 10 years. I asked you this question earlier about another company, but I’m going to ask it again to you of Toast. What has to happen for that to be? Tim Beyers: In this case, there are two primary drivers of value for toast. It is the number of locations and the average spend per location, the average that they get, revenue per location for the restaurant clients that they serve. I think it’s fair to estimate that toast is going to grow the average spend per location from about 40,000 per location today. That’s a restaurant customer. Spends about 40,000 per location. On Toast subscription fees annually, and transaction fees, as well, about 40,000. I think they can get that to 55,000. In other words, raising it at the historic rate of inflation, about 3.3% over 10 years. I think that’s absolutely possible, very reasonable, 127,000 locations today. I think they can triple that. I think they can get to 350,000 locations pretty easily. That’s not quite a triple. It’s a little bit less than that. I think they can do that without too much problem. If I’m right about that, that gets you to that number. It might come a little bit short, depends on how much dilution there is in the stock price, but I think that is very reasonable because, again, the amount of uptake of Toast in locations that are here in the ******* States, it has been accelerating, not decelerating. In the most recent quarter, added about 7,000 locations. Same quarter a year ago added about 6,000 locations. I’ll give you one other super quick story here. Tim and I were co working yesterday in downtown Littleton. We went into a small coffee shop. They had a non-toast point of ***** system and I just happened to ask, it was called SpotOn, I think. This is interesting. What is this, and do you like it? The person behind the counter unprompted said, “That’s not bad. It works with the backend operations of places like ours, but it’s not as good as toast.” I never mentioned toast. I didn’t say anything about it. I said, toast is a lot better. I like it a lot more. But this thing is OK. That is the thing. Look, it’s completely unscientific, but I love hearing that, and that happens all the time, unprompted. What do you think? I think toast is great. When you have somebody whose experienced, is using the product day to day, and they are an advocate for it, your cost to acquire new revenue goes down substantially, the amount of free cash flow you can generate goes up substantially, and you become a very interesting investment for the long-term. Mary Long: New locations seems to be the key for not just Cava, but also for toast, two very different businesses that play in similar hungry spaces. Tim Beyers, thanks so much for joining me today. I think we’ve got a thanksgiving meal prepped for us, so we should go eat. Tim Beyers: We need to eat. Thanks, Mary. Mary Long: A lot more may soon be coming to movie theaters near you. Up next, Fool contributor Rick Munarriz joins me for a look at what a new renovation budget might mean for movie theater stocks. MALE_1: Turning an idea into a small business doesn’t happen by accident. You need to be all in. At Constant Contact, we have the digital marketing tools you need to get the word out, close the *****, raise the funds, and gather a community around this thing you’ve built. Let’s do this together. Let’s send this, share this and shout this from the rooftops. Let’s segment this, automate this and AI this for real results fast. Let’s get out of this what we put into this. Let’s build this. Let’s grow this. Let’s win this. Get started today at constantcontact.com. Mary Long: Rick, earlier this fall, the other NATO, that is the National Association of Theater Owners, announced a $2.2 billion renovation plan that’s set to revamp a bunch of different parts of the theater experience from snacks to seating. There are eight large chains that are really behind this deal. We’re going to talk about three of them later on in the show, but basically, this plan will impact nearly 70% of theaters in North America, and it’s going to roll out over the course of three years. What returns can movie goers, people like you and I expect to get out of this $2.2 billion investment? Rick Munarriz: The product is technically they’re already getting better over time. Since the pandemic, we’ve seen reserve seating, mobile ordering, all these things that make the experience more friction free and enjoyable, have popped up across the major chains. Enhanced concession stand offerings. That makes sense for the exhibit and also for the customer to have more variety of what they can get. This NATO that we’re talking about here is basically the eighth largest theater chains, so it’s basically practically two thirds of the market. I’m just hoping that the $2.2 billion isn’t just going to reclining seats or flavored popcorn or premium S’mores Milkshakes, or anything like that. It’s going to go to improving projection systems, sound systems. The announcers also mentioned a bowling, arcades, and other leisure offerings, which I think makes sense to movie theater, but it’s great to have a place where you can go to even when there’s not a movie you want to see out there. The industry, it has come back from the initial pandemic slump, and it’s time to invest in keeping it that way, and I think this is a smart move right now. Mary Long: This is kicking things back to last summer with the Barbenheimer release. But around that, you had so many people talking about, what it’s experiences that get people to the movies. Exactly what you just mentioned, whether it’s a bowling alley or something else, that’s an experience that’s different than the Barbenheimer variety, but could also certainly serve too, to get people back in in-person in theaters. During COVID, this will come as no surprise to most listeners. Movie theater tickets sales sharply plummeted. In 2019, the average person was buying a little less than four tickets a year. In 2020, that number sank to less than 1.7 tickets per person per year to be exact. It’s up since then, but it’s still far below those pre pandemic levels. Do you think that these renovations that you just mentioned, updating the sound systems, the screen systems, etc. Is that enough to bring people back to the movies? Rick Munarriz: No one goes to ******* Stadium or Dodger Stadium because the seats are comfortable or the projections are nice. They led the Major League Baseball in attendance this year because they’re the winners. They went to the World Series, sorry. But content matters is what I’m saying. Same thing with baseball, same thing with entertainment. When Wicked or Moana 2 hit Sears later this month, folks are going to go even if they have to sit in a lightly padded bleacher seat or a bed of nails. Unfortunately, the theater chains themselves can’t control the quality of the films or even the pipeline of how quickly they’re made. Movie theaters also can’t control studios that make these movies wanting to stream their movies sooner even though they have tried to negotiate longer release windows. I think what they can’t control and what still matters, it’s not necessarily renovation, but innovation. I like what some companies are doing. Like Cinemark is doing with their D-BOX seats. These are motion sensitive seats. That this has historically been a hockey flash in the pan, gimmicky thing. But with D-BOX, they have control, so you can actually control the intensity of the experience you’re experiencing, or shut it off completely because they are really nice padded seats to begin with and more importantly, you can just put a couple of these in each theater screen. You don’t necessarily have that the entire theater have this one platform, which sabotaged previous efforts on that. I do think there will be renovation, but I’m more excited about the innovation that’s going to happen. Mary Long: We’re going to turn the spotlight onto a couple of different specific movie theater stocks. But before we get there, how loyal are movie goers to a particular theater chain? Is convenience and location the name of the game here? Are most folks going to just go to the theater that has the most convenient time for the movie that they want to see and is closest to them or are really loyal theater goers saying, no, I exclusively go to Cinemark screens, for instance? Rick Munarriz: I think your first scenario may have been true about five, 10 years ago, but I think things are different now. I know this is going to be controversial, but I think MoviePass was the best thing that ever happened to theater operators. It made theaters disrupt themselves. When MoviePass eventually went belly up and came back in this half-hearted effort that’s probably going to fail again. You had these companies come up and say, let’s do it ourselves. Regal Unlimited, AMC Stubs, A-List. These are monthly subscription plans where you can see almost as many movies as you want in a month, but basically the price of two individual admissions. Cinemark and Marcus, they have a lightly little more restrictive movie clubs, as they call them. But it’s still got anchoring you to that silver screen outing to a single brand, and I think that’s what people are doing. They’re signing up for these plans, and they’re saying, this is going to make a lot more sense. I think it is a lot more effective than the loyalty rewards programs that they have been in place for ages, the fact that they have these subscriptions where you’re no longer looking at the other theaters. You’re saying, I’m a member of this AMC brand, I’m a member of this Regal Unlimited. That’s the theater I’m going to go to. I’ll work my schedule around the times that it’s showing the movie and with so many screens, odds are they’re showing the movie you want to see, if it’s a big movie about every 30, 40 minutes. Let’s turn and focus on Cinemark, specifically for a second. Of the companies that we’re going to look at today, this is the largest one by market cap. It’s worth about $3.8 billion. They reported third quarter earnings at the end of October, saw record high revenue for that *******, about $922 million. That’s up 5% year over year, and up 12% from the third quarter of 2019. Operating margin nearly 18%, which is a big improvement from the 7% that they saw in that same quarter pre-COVID. What has the key to Cinemark’s seemingly successful turn around been? I think the key is simple. Again, big movies are now back in the theaters. Back in the pandemic, you mentioned like 2020, no one was going to the theaters. When Tenet came out, I said, well, I’m not going to miss this movie. Even then, I was maybe 12 people at a theater that would have been jam packed. That movie came out a year or two earlier or a year or two later. Studios are now putting out the big movies. You’re seeing this come out, you have a third Avatar movie coming out next year. Obviously, you have a big Lion King sequel and other movies coming out just before the end of this year. All these things are happening right now, and Cinemark has done what some of its competition has. Unlike Regal that basically went through bankruptcy reorganization or AMC that just went lavished on all these other projects. Cinemark has basically been sticking to its netting , make sure it’s operationally more effective, taking advantage of the fact that people are hungry for movies, willing to pay more for concessions, and it’s all paying off on the bottom line and the top line. Mary Long: Pre-COVID, Cinemark used to have a dividend. They paused that during the pandemic. What would you like to see happen before Cinemark reinstates that dividend? Rick Munarriz: Dividends, they’re cool again. Now with interest rates heading lower, it’s attractive to have a little yield that may be competitive with a short-term, fixed income that you can get elsewhere. Royal Caribbean, Disney, these are some of the companies that have brought back their dividends this year for the first time since pandemic. Cinemark’s long-term debt right now is basically back down to where it was in 2019, and its profitability is actually higher. I’ve seen enough. I think this is a good time for it to bring back its dividend. If it doesn’t, I think maybe they’re just looking at maybe a potential acquisition or two that maybe their money is better spent that way. I think that they know what they’re doing. When they don’t announce a dividend, it’s because it’s the best use of their money. Mary Long: A company that plays in this theater space, but also plays in different segments as well is Marcus. They’re a bit unique out of the companies that we’re looking at today because, again, they’re not just a theater company. They also have a hotel portfolio. Does that diversification make Marcus a more compelling investment opportunity than its other publicly traded competitors? Rick Munarriz: I’m not so sure about that. Again, to me, the movie theaters at Marcus are still 63% of the revenue it was last year, and multiplex incessions is its highest margin segment. If you’re investing in Marcus, the hotels are nice, but you better believe in Tinseltown, if you’re buying in Marcus. It does diversify the business in an interesting manner, but it also opens Marcus up more to the economic cycle. If money’s tight, you’re still going to go see that movie you’ve been dying to see for weeks at the local theater. But you’re probably going to scale back and cancel that weekend getaway. Corporate travel and related lodging is also going to take a hit in a recession. This isn’t monopoly where you need hotels to win the game. Mary Long: Another thing that separates Marcus apart is that, unlike a lot of its peers, this company owns a lot of the underlying real estate for the majority of its theaters. If this is an advantage, why is Marcus unique among its cohorts in following this path? Rick Munarriz: It’s probably for the same reason why a lot of us rent instead of owning our own homes and properties and apartments. It’s cheaper in the near term. When you’re a chain looking to expand as quickly and as cheaply as possible, especially in the scalable business, it’s what works. Marcus is essentially a real estate company. The others are in the movie business. One last point on this is that movie theater chains, they need foot traffic, and you’ll often find that these theater chains happen to be in shopping malls or strip malls that are owned by landlords where you have to pay if you want to play movies. Mary Long: We can’t talk about movie theaters without talking about AMC. This is the biggest theater company by footprint, and yet it posted a net loss of nearly $21 million for the quarter. By comparison, Cinemark and Marcus, which we talked about earlier on were both profitable over the same quarter. What’s going on? Rick Munarriz: AMC, they have great ideas, but unfortunately lousy **********. AMC Stub A-list, it’s the best of the movie subscription plans. It’s the only brand that could get away with selling its popcorn pre-packaged in retail stores the way it did a couple of quarters ago. It’s the only movie theater in chain that gets lampooned in SNL. However, its share count has been exploding. Cinemark’s share count in the last five years has grown by 32%, Marcus just 2%. For AMC, it’s exploded 24 fold since 2019, and that’s adjusted for the reverse split it did. It’s insane. This doesn’t explain the net loss, but again, it gets divided into so many shares, but there’s an arrogance to the shareholder dilution here that reflects in a lack of cost controls and prioritizing spending initiatives. I’m not sure Nicole Kibbin walking into an empty movie theater is as strong a selling point as AMC thinks it is. Mary Long: Are you buying any of these companies? Or are there other entertainment plays out there that you like a bit more than Marcus, Cinemark, AMC, or other movie theater plays that we haven’t talked about today? Rick Munarriz: I don’t own any of the theaters right now. Cinemark is the one that I find the most interesting of the ones we’ve talked about today. It’s making smart moves, and it’s trading at a forwards earnings multiple in the mid-teens, very attractive on that front, and the dividend is going to come back if that matters for you. One related, the most theater adjacent movie stock that I like is IMAX. To me, IMAX is a company. It’s more expensive, trading at higher multiples than Cinemark, but this is a company that cashes in on the one part of the movie business that’s actually working right now. If you’re probably familiar with IMAX, you go into theater, you pay a premium to see an IMAX screening of this movie that’s supersize screen, supersize sound with sometimes additional footage shot for these IMAX screenings from these directors that love IMAX. Right now, if you’re going to a movie theater, you’re going to be that’s a big action movie, big superhero movie, big horror movie, big animated film for kids. You’re not going to see the Indie film on IMAX. Again, if you’re putting out Indie films, you’re probably not distributing through theaters effectively now because those are the movies that people are willing to wait to watch at home two or three months later. I really like IMAX here. Mary Long: Rick, we’re recording this in early November. We’re heading into what some might consider peak movie season. Are there any movies on the slate, like the release slate this fall/winter that you are especially excited to go see in theaters? Rick Munarriz: There’s a lot of big movies coming out. Obviously, Wicked. Just by the end of this month, you’ll have the screen adaptation of the Wicked Musical getting a lot of hype. Moana 2 is also coming out right before Thanksgiving week after Wicked, and that movie is as far as Disney goes, it’s their highest, the most views that they’ve have seen for a trailer that they put out within 24 hours of putting out. There’s a lot of anticipation for that movie. Gladiator 2. In December, you have Mufasa, another Lion King entry. There’s going to be a lot of exciting big movies coming out. Again, there’s a lot of movies coming out, obvious studios are comfortable and they trust the movie theaters to amplify their voice in the future. I’m excited. There’s a lot of great movies. I’ll be in theater a lot. I live two blocks from an AMC, so I will be there for many of these films I just mentioned. Mary Long: There we go. Making good use of your loyalty pass. Rick, thanks so much for chatting with me today and for giving us some insight into what the movie theater industry looks like now and could look like in the years to come. As always, people on the program may have interest in the stocks they talk about, and the Motley Fool may have formal recommendations for or against, so don’t buy or sell stocks based solely on what you hear. All personal finance content follows Motley Fool editorial standards and are not approved by advertisers. The Motley Fool only picks products that it would personally recommend to friends like you. I’m Mary Long. Thanks for listening. We’ll see you tomorrow. Mary Long has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Rick Munarriz has positions in Royal Caribbean Cruises, Toast, and Walt Disney. Tim Beyers has positions in Chipotle ******** Grill, Toast, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Chipotle ******** Grill, Domino’s Pizza, Toast, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool recommends Cava Group and Wingstop and recommends the following options: short December 2024 $54 puts on Chipotle ******** Grill. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Valuing Cava Stock was originally published by The Motley Fool Source link #Valuing #Cava #Stock Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

As bird flu spread continues, why the recent jump to pigs raises worries – National As bird flu spread continues, why the recent jump to pigs raises worries – National Bird flu has spread far and wide, infecting a range of species like chickens, skunks, cows, foxes and polar bears and renewing questions about what level of risk it poses to people as a B.C. teenager ******** in critical condition in hospital after being infected. But it’s the recent jump to pigs that has experts on high alert, as swine offer the perfect conditions for the virus to mutate, making it a potential threat to human health. Last month, ******* States health officials reported the first case of avian influenza A(H5N1) in a pig on a backyard farm in Oregon, marking the first time the virus had been detected in pigs in the country. Days later, officials confirmed a second pig on the farm had also tested positive. “With every species it jumps to, it elevates the risk,” said Kerry Bowman, a professor of bioethics and global health at the University of Toronto. “But pigs are particularly worrisome species. The risk has risen yet again.” Story continues below advertisement Pigs represent a particular concern for the spread of bird flu because they can become co-infected with bird and human viruses, which could swap genes to form a new, more dangerous virus that can more easily infect humans. “Pigs can work as a mixing vessel, as they can have both bird flu and human flu simultaneously. And these things could recombine,” Bowman said, adding that this could result in the emergence of a new influenza A virus with different properties. These “mixing vessel” events have happened in pigs in the past; it is believed to have caused the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic, Bowman said. Currently, the risk of bird flu ******** low, but Bowman said every time the virus jumps to a new species, it raises the risk. 2:12 H5N1 avian influenza: B.C. reports 1st suspected human case of bird flu Earlier this month, British Columbia health officials announced the first case of a human avian flu infection acquired in Canada, with the teenage patient still in critical condition in hospital. It is still not known how the teenager was exposed, but the strain is related to viruses found in flocks in an outbreak at B.C. poultry farms. Story continues below advertisement Most recently, the U.S. Centers for ******** Control and Prevention (CDC) on Nov. 15 confirmed a highly pathogenic form of bird flu in a person in Oregon. The infected person is linked to a previous outbreak tied to a commercial poultry operation in the state, where the virus has been confirmed in 150,000 birds. And on Monday, U.S. health officials confirmed the presence of bird flu in Hawaii, the first case of the virus in a domestic flock in the state since the current outbreak began in 2022. Human infection with avian influenza is rare and usually occurs after close contact with infected birds, other infected animals or highly contaminated environments. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. But that could change rapidly if the avian virus finds a suitable host in which to mutate, Bowman warned. Commercial pig farming is the real worry Because the virus was detected in a backyard pig, it doesn’t pose a significant threat at the moment, but the real concern ***** with its potential spread in commercial pig farms, Bowman said. Story continues below advertisement “Industrial livestock is a nightmare; animals are kept in incredibly tight conditions. So it would spread very quickly in a commercial endeavour. And the other thing that goes on with commercial farming is pigs are moved around and sold, so there’s more cause of spread there,” he said. Levon Abrahamyan, a virologist at the University of Montreal, echoed Bowman’s worries. “Fortunately it was not a commercial pig farm,” he said. “The pig was probably infected by a wild bird. The risk is low at this moment.” He explained that it would be very concerning if a large pig farm were found to be infected with avian influenza. In that case, every effort should be made to localize the outbreak and eliminate the virus to prevent further spread. Abrahamyan said it’s usually difficult for avian flu to jump from birds to humans or from pigs to humans. 1:59 Avian Flu spreads to cows, raising concerns about cross-species transmission This is because viruses have surface proteins (a key) that must match specific receptors on the surface of host cells (the lock) to enter and infect the cell. Story continues below advertisement If the virus’s key doesn’t fit the cell’s lock, it can’t infect the cell, Abrahamyan said. In the case of avian and pig flu strains, when two different strains (from birds and pigs) infect the same host, their genetic material can mix, he explained. This can create a new virus with a combination of “keys” that might fit locks on human cells more effectively. “And that can be a dramatic change, and then the human immune system is not ready for that type of change,” he added. This is exactly what happened in 2009, during the H1N1 pandemic, also known as the “swine flu.” In this case, Abrahamyan said there was genetic mixing from human, bird and pig viruses. The pigs acted as mixing vessels, leading to the creation of a new subtype that could infect humans, and created a global pandemic. 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 How to prevent a pandemic There has been no evidence of person-to-person spread of bird flu so far. But if that were to happen, the ingredients for a potential pandemic could be there, scientists have said. Story continues below advertisement Bowman said he’s concerned that Canada is not doing enough in terms of testing and surveillance. “Bird flu is not going away and it’s going to keep spreading in more species,” Bowman said. “If we look at this within Canada, a lot of species have bird flu now, a lot of our wildlife has it and domestic species and wild birds … and with every species this elevates.” He stressed the need for more surveillance and timely testing and reporting. The ********* Food Inspection Agency has also been testing milk for signs of H5N1 in dairy cows. There has not yet been any indication of the virus in ********* cows, but bird flu has plagued many herds in the ******* States. 1:53 What risk do zoonotic ********* pose? The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) does wastewater testing for seasonal flu in several cities and towns across the country, including Toronto. But it doesn’t check specifically for H5N1 bird flu because it’s “not possible to differentiate positive wastewater signals that are due to wildlife versus human or livestock sources,” the agency told The ********* Press in an email. Story continues below advertisement “We also need incentives for people working with livestock, as many may not want to report it because they don’t want to deal with the problem. So we need more reporting and we need more surveillance,” Bowman said. Concerns about the availability of bird flu vaccines are also growing, experts say. Currently, there is no avian influenza vaccine available for public use in Canada, though there are some available globally. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious ******** Organization (VIDO), told The ********* Press that Canada should consider stockpiling H5N1 vaccines, similar to the U.S., rather than relying on agreements with manufacturers to supply them on demand. 2:22 Health Matters: U.S. to pay Moderna $176M to develop bird flu vaccine This is because deploying an H5N1 vaccine under existing contracts could take three to six months. Story continues below advertisement However, PHAC stated in an email to The ********* Press that it is not stockpiling H5N1 vaccines due to their limited shelf life, is only up to two years. In an email to Global News in July, PHAC stated it has “proactively met with pandemic influenza vaccine suppliers (e.g., GSK, Seqirus and Sanofi) with whom we have an agreement for domestic or off-shore vaccine manufacturing to discuss pandemic influenza vaccine preparedness activities in order to inform steps that could be taken against avian influenza.” –With files from Reuters and The ********* Press More on Health More videos Source link #bird #flu #spread #continues #jump #pigs #raises #worries #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]