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UK spy agency releases annual Christmas card puzzle to uncover future codebreakersOhio State AD: Ryan Day ‘absolutely’ back in 2025
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Assistant Commissioner of Police Gary McKenzie, head of the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB), has successfully earned a Doctor of Psychology degree. Dr McKenzie pursued his studies at Atlantic International University through an online platform from September 2018 to October 2024. In an interview with Observer Online , Dr McKenzie expressed pride in his academic achievement, acknowledging the challenges of balancing his demanding role within the police force with his studies. This accomplishment adds to his impressive academic credentials, which include a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of London, earned in 2024. His educational journey began in 2006 when he earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Political Science from the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona. He later obtained an Associate of Science in Police Studies and Management from the University of Technology, Jamaica, in 2007. In 2013, he earned a Master’s degree from UWI and a postgraduate certificate in Road Safety for Low- and Middle-Income Countries from the University of Delft, Netherlands.Ahead of Ohio State's appearance in the College Football Playoff, head coach Ryan Day received a vote of confidence from his athletic director despite the Buckeyes' latest loss to Michigan. Ohio State AD Ross Bjork appeared on 97.1 The Fan in Columbus on Thursday, where a radio host asked him whether Day would be the Buckeyes' coach at the start of next season regardless of how the playoffs shake out. "Absolutely," said Bjork, who came to Ohio State from the same role at Texas A&M in July. "Coach Day and I have just hit it off so well. I've been really, really impressed. Every single time I've talked to him, I've learned something. He's innovative. He recruits at the highest level. He's got a great staff. There's always tweaks. There was tweaks after last year, right? You're always going to tweak things. You're always going to make adjustments. You're always going to make improvements." Bjork continued by addressing the "championship or bust" attitude held by some of the fanbase. "This whole mentality about -- and look, we live it, and we sign up for it -- but if you get fixated on the end result and not have the process fully baked every time, you're going to lose," Bjork said. "The mindset's going to lose because you're only fixated on one thing. And so what we have to do is this whole ‘championship or bust' mentality, you want that as the goal, but it has to be about the process. "To me, we've got to maybe change some conversations a little bit. I think we need to maybe just approach things a little bit differently." Day is 66-10 as Ohio State's coach and led the Buckeyes to one national championship game appearance, a 52-24 loss to Alabama to cap the 2020 season. Ohio State went 10-2 in the regular season but missed out on a place in the Big Ten championship game when rival Michigan defeated the Buckeyes 13-10 on Nov. 30. It was Michigan's fourth straight win in The Game, and Day is now 1-4 as a head coach against the Wolverines. At the time, Bjork released a statement of support for Day, and he doubled down during Thursday's radio hit. "He's great to work with. He totally gets it. He loves being a Buckeye, and so we're going to support him at the highest level throughout," Bjork said. "But here's the thing too, and the reason why we needed to say something after that game is we're still breathing. They're still alive. The season's not over. The book is not closed, right? And so we've got to have confidence. I mean, Ohio State should be confident every single day. We're Ohio State. "But we also have to make sure we stay to our values and we stick to what we believe in. And so to me, it's the process as much as it is about the end result." --Field Level Media
Max George reveals he will be spending Christmas in hospital due to heart issues
Virginia played a recurring role in President Jimmy Carter's long life , from his Navy stint in Norfolk in the 1940s when the young ensign sought to save money for a Buick, to a 1976 presidential debate at the College of William & Mary, and a 2019 Loudoun County stop in which he questioned the legitimacy of President Donald Trump's election. Carter, who died Sunday at 100, came out of nowhere to win the presidency in 1976, largely on his strength in the South, but Virginia was the exception — the one Southern state he did not carry. Forty years later, Virginia again was an outlier as the only Southern state that Trump did not carry in 2016. Carter took part in Virginia's first foray in the modern era of televised presidential debates. On Oct. 22, 1976, he faced off with President Gerald Ford at William & Mary’s Phi Beta Kappa Hall . The debate, moderated by ABC’s Barbara Walters, came 10 days before the election and drew an estimated 62 million viewers. Virginia reacts to death of former President Carter In April 1979, Carter became the first president to address Virginia Democrats' Jefferson Jackson fundraiser, touting his energy plan during an appearance at the Hotel John Marshall in Richmond. The 39th president was a frequent speaker at Virginia colleges and universities after he left office in 1981. Carter, who taught at Emory University in Atlanta following his presidency, kicked off a 1987 talk with students at the University of Virginia by referring to Thomas Jefferson: "When he left the White House (he) had better judgment than to become a professor at a college." Carter spoke fondly of his family's roots in Virginia. One of his ancestors, Thomas Carter, came to Virginia from England in 1635. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter — who died in November 2023 at 96 — married in July 1946. The Carters spent the first two years of their married life in Norfolk as Carter embarked on his Navy career, serving as an ensign on the USS Wyoming. Jimmy Carter and President Gerald Ford participate in a debate at the College of William & Mary in 1976. TIMES-DISPATCH During a campaign stop in Norfolk in September 1976, Carter said he and his wife moved to Norfolk four days after they were married in July 1946. Their first son, Jack — now 77 — was born at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth in July 1947. In November 1976, weeks after Carter was elected president, Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter Wilford Kale interviewed three Norfolk residents who had known the Carters in the 1940s. The Carters lived in the Bolling Square Apartments on Buckingham Avenue and were saving their money to buy a Buick. Their one-bedroom apartment rented for about $100 a month. Kale noted that in Carter's book "Why Not the Best?" the future president wrote that when he served on the Wyoming, he was paid $300 per month. Beyond the rent, he paid $54 for his food aboard the ship and $75 for a war bond, leaving $71. Donald Cottingham served as a junior officer with Carter on the Wyoming, a former battleship that had been converted as an experimental vessel on which the Navy tested prototypes of electronics, gunnery and other equipment. Cottingham said the ship was known as the "Chesapeake Bay Raider" because it headed out into the bay on a Monday and would return on a Friday. Cottingham said he and his wife, Christine, socialized with the Carters and other young couples during those postwar days. Christine Cottingham showed the reporter a small green autograph book that she used as a guest book at parties. One of the pages was marked "Mrs. and Mr. J.E. Carter Jr. Plains Ga. 5-12-48." Christine Cottingham said the Carters were not along one night when the young couples went to a familiar haunt at the Officers' Club, which they dubbed the "Wyoming Room." "We were having a ball, but the Carters were not with us. So, we decided to send them a collect telegram, saying that we would all be over soon to have a drink with them," she recalled. "It was about midnight, and we were all happy and having a good time," she said. "Well, we really didn't get over there until later and when we arrived" around 2 a.m., "our telegram was plastered on the front door (of the apartment complex) and written on it was: 'Go home. You are not welcome!' " The Carters left Norfolk in 1948, when he was accepted for submarine duty. "We weren't thinking of Jimmy or anyone else becoming president," Donald Cottingham recalled. "As ensigns, what we were thinking about was becoming lieutenant." When Carter’s father, James Earl Carter Sr., died in 1953, he was released from the Navy and returned to Plains, Georgia, where he took over the family’s peanut farming business. Carter served on the local board of education, in the Georgia state Senate from 1963 to 1967 and as Georgia’s governor from 1971 to 1975. As he contemplated a bid for national office, Carter came to Virginia and campaigned for Henry Howell's bid for governor in November 1973. During his 1976 presidential run, Carter made multiple campaign stops in Virginia, including to Alexandria and to Roanoke. He also made news when his campaign sent a mistaken missive to Lt. Gov. John Dalton, a Republican, thanking him for his supposed endorsement. Dalton, a future Virginia governor, wrote back: "The letter was obviously misdirected, as is your position favoring repeal of Virginians' right-to-work law and your running on a platform that is liberal, anti-defense, pro-busing and expensive." One of the notable aspects of Carter's 1976 campaign was that he spoke openly about his "born again" Christianity. In a June 1976 Richmond Times-Dispatch story about Carter's faith, Dwight C. Jones, then pastor of First Baptist Church in South Richmond and a future state delegate and Richmond mayor, said: "I think it's going to have an effect on the religious community. It's been a long time since we've heard a political candidate come out with that kind of explicit religious tone." Jones said Carter "has hit a major chord by campaigning in Black churches." But Jones added that he hoped Black people would "require an affirmation" from Carter on his stands that affect them "before we would run en masse to him." William & Mary government professor John McGlennon said Carter's debate in Williamsburg "came at a critical time in the 1976 campaign" as he worked to contrast himself with President Richard Nixon and Vice President Gerald Ford. "Carter carried his own luggage into the Williamsburg Lodge, where he and his staff prepared for the debate. The campus and community were buzzing with excitement about the attention coming with the debate, even if the student body was distinctly Republican, overwhelmingly favoring President Gerald Ford in a campus survey," McGlennon said in a statement on Sunday. In the 1976 post-Watergate presidential election, Carter won nationally, but narrowly lost Virginia to Ford by about 23,000 votes out of 1.7 million cast. (No Democrat would carry Virginia for president until Barack Obama in 2008.) U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., worked with Carter as a young law school graduate. “Jimmy Carter gave me my first job out of law school, and I have deeply admired his service since leaving the Oval Office," Warner said in a statement on Sunday. "His dedication to building homes through Habitat for Humanity has always brought back warm memories of my father, who also volunteered with the organization well into his eighties. Like much of the Greatest Generation, President Carter will be remembered by what he built and left behind for us — a model of service late into life, a tireless devotion to family and philanthropy, and a more peaceful world to call home.” During his presidency, Carter made appearances in Virginia related to politics, policy and recreation. Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter, campaigns ib Oct. 23, 1976, in the Old Town section of Alexandria. ASSOCIATED PRESS For example, in September 1977, he campaigned in Roanoke, Norfolk and Williamsburg with Howell, who was making his third and final unsuccessful bid for governor. In April 1979, Carter attended the Democratic fundraiser at the Hotel John Marshall. The former Navy man made multiple trips to Hampton Roads, including a Memorial Day trip to Norfolk in May 1980, where he spoke aboard the USS Nimitz and welcomed home the Indian Ocean Battle Group after a lengthy deployment. As for recreation, Carter went fishing off Virginia Beach twice as president and once at Camp Hoover, a camp in Shenandoah National Park. During his 1980 reelection bid, Carter was beset by troubles — from the Iranian hostage crisis, including a failed rescue mission — to rising inflation and a nomination challenge from Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. That March, Rosalynn Carter addressed Virginia Democrats' annual fundraising dinner at the Hotel John Marshall. She shook hands with a Goochland County Democrat who wore a lapel button that read: "Still for Carter, Despite Everything." Then-state Sen. Doug Wilder, D-Richmond, endorsed Carter for reelection, though he said Carter’s domestic performance was "dismal." President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter wave to reporters as they walk to a car that took them to visit Camp Hoover in the Virginia mountains on Oct. 25, 1978. The Carters flew by helicopter to the late President Herbert Hoover's fishing camp 100 miles west of Washington, D.C., to spend a short time there. Charles Tasnadi, Associated Press Late in the campaign, Carter made two trips to the Virginia suburbs. He signed a $48 billion education appropriations bill at the Loudoun County campus of Northern Virginia Community College . Then, he signed a $796 million mental health package at the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute in Fairfax County. In the 1980 election, Republican Ronald Reagan swamped Carter in Virginia by more than 135,000 votes — nearly 13 percentage points — as part of his national landslide. Wilder, the nation’s first Black governor, met with Carter in Virginia while he was president and in Georgia after he left the White House. In a telephone interview on Sunday, Wilder credited Carter as "the first American president I knew of who spent significant time on the need to invest in Africa" and establish independent nations there. "I was always impressed with his straightforward acumen," he said. Similarly, Wilder commended Carter, "a man of the South," for his appointment of Black people as judges and other high-ranking positions, such as Andrew Young, a former civil rights activist and congressman, as American ambassador to the United Nations in 1977, the first African American elevated to the position. "You pick a Black man to bring nations together, a Black man of the South, that was bold," the former governor said. Wilder said he was always impressed with Carter's intelligence and professional accomplishments, which he often hid beneath his image as a humble peanut farmer. Wilder "I feel that history will accord and afford him his rightful place in the pantheon of great world leaders," he said. Following his presidency, Carter tapped Virginia scholar Steven H. Hochman , who had helped research Dumas Malone's multi-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson, to help research his presidential memoir. In 1984, Carter delivered a lecture at Roanoke College, where he said the U.S. should work to reduce nuclear arsenals and to safeguard human rights. In July 2015, Carter visited the Costco on West Broad Street in Henrico County to sign copies of his book "A Full Life: Reflections at 90." During that stop, he had a reunion with former shipmate John Kaufman, 92, of Earlysville, after 68 years. Carter was 94 and his vice president, Walter Mondale, 91, when they appeared together in Loudoun County in 2019 for a donor retreat and auction at the Lansdowne Resort and Spa. Carter caused a stir in the Loudoun County appearance, when he suggested that Trump was an illegitimate president. "There's no doubt that the Russians did interfere in the election and I think the interference — although not yet quantified — if fully investigated would show that Trump didn't actually win the election in 2016," Carter told interviewer Jon Meacham at the time. "He lost the election, and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf." Trump, traveling in Japan, told reporters that Carter was a nice man, but "a terrible president." Trump posted on social media on Sunday: " The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude." President Jimmy Carter addresses the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz off the Virginia coast on May 26, 1980, upon its return from nine months in the Persian Gulf. The president said, “Your presence has been the major factor in protecting the lives of the 53 hostages still held.” Bob Daugherty, Associated Press In a 2015 interview with The Times-Dispatch, ahead of his book signing at the Henrico Costco, Carter said he wished he had done a few things differently. "I'm sorry I didn't send another helicopter to rescue the hostages in Iran, and I'm sorry that I didn't get a second term," Carter said. But the nation’s 39th president said he had few regrets. "I've had some regrets," he said, "but most of the time I have been overwhelmingly grateful and gratified at the way things have worked out in my personal and political life." Jimmy Carter and President Gerald Ford participate in a debate at the College of William & Mary in 1976. TIMES-DISPATCH Carter in Virginia, April 8, 1979 Masaaki Okada 09-25-1977 Jimmy Carter visits Virginia. Bob Jones 04-08-1979 Jimmy Carter in Virginia. Masaaki Okada 04-08-1978 Carter in Virginia Richmond Times-Dispatch In late October and early November 1973, Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter (left) visited Virginia to campaign for Henry Howell. BOB BROWN Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter, campaigns Oct. 23, 1976, in the old town section of Alexandria, Va., a Washington suburb. (AP Photo) Anonymous President Jimmy Carter shows off his catch after an excursion on the yacht Gannet in Virginia Beach, Va., on June 29, 1978. The Carters were hosted by Norfolk attorney Peter Decker, who owns the vessel. Carter’s wife Rosalyn and daughter are behind and at his side. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma) Barry Thumma President Jimmy Carter holds up two of the fish he caught off Virginia Beach, May 14, 1979. At left is Norfolk attorney Peter Decker who hosted the president. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty) Bob Daugherty FILE - President Jimmy Carter attends memorial services for eight servicemen killed in the unsuccessful attempt to rescue the American hostages from Iran, May 9, 1980, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File) Dennis Cook FILE - Jimmy Carter, left, and Gerald Ford, right, shake hands before the third presidential debate, Oct. 22, 1976, in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/File) STF President Jimmy Carter addresses the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz off the Virginia coast on May 26, 1980, upon its return from nine months in the Persian Gulf. The president said, “Your presence has been the major factor in protecting the lives of the 53 hostages still held.” Bob Daugherty, Associated Press President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter wave to reporters as they walk to a car that took them to visit Camp Hoover in the Virginia mountains on Oct. 25, 1978. The Carters flew by helicopter to the late President Herbert Hoover's fishing camp 100 miles west of Washington, D.C., to spend a short time there. Charles Tasnadi, Associated Press President Jimmy Carter lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Nov. 11, 1978 to commemorate Veterans Day. Carter was slated to speak after the wreath-laying at the cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington. Soldiers assisting Carter are unidentified. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz) Ira Schwarz Jimmy Carter, Democratic Presidential nominee, stands under the spot light during his audio check at the Beta Kappa Theater, Oct. 22, 1976, Williamsburg, Va., prior to his debate with President Gerald Ford. (AP Photo) Anonymous Jimmy Carter, Democratic Presidential nominee, stands under the spot light during his audio check at the Beta Kappa Theater, Oct. 22, 1976, Williamsburg, Va., prior to his debate with President Gerald Ford. (AP Photo) Anonymous 04-08-1979: President Carter, with Richmond Mayor Henry L. Marsh III, approaches the Hotel John Marshall. Don Long 09-06-1976 Jimmy Carter in Va. Richmond Times-Dispatch 04-07-1979: President Carter greets State Sen. Adelard Brault (left) upon his arrival in Richmond, while Lt. Governor Chuck Robb (right) son-in-law of the late President Lyndon Johnson peers over his shoulder. Also on hand are (center) Richmond Mayor Henry Marsh III and his wife. President Carter is making a brief visit to Richmond to attend a democratic fundraiser. amk/BennettBishop’s three knocks signify reopening of Notre Dame five years after blaze
FCC Issues FAQs for Lead Generation One-to-One Consent Rule
: Interest payments on India’s public and publicly guaranteed external debt in 2023 rose by 93 per cent, while total interest payment on external debt went up by 49 per cent. The South Asia region saw the biggest yearly increase in interest payments on PPG debt in 2023, rising 62 percent to US$12.5 billion. The increase was most noticeable in Bangladesh and India, whose interest payments increased by more than 90 percent in 2023, finds the World Bank. While the interest payment on external debt increased 49 per cent from $15.08 billion in 2022 to $22.54 billion, that on public and publicly guaranteed debt went up from $3.2 billion to $6.2 billion – up 93 per cent. Interest payment on non-guaranteed private sector external debt went up from $11.8 billion to $16.2 billion. Compared to a decade ago, the South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa regions had the steepest increase in interest payments. Interest payments increased fourfold and threefold, respectively, in the 2013–23 period, a much faster pace than Gross National Income and export revenue growth. Of the total external debt of $646 billion, public and publicly guaranteed debt accounted for $214 billion. Private debt accounted for 51 per cent, bilateral debt 16 per cent and multilateral debt 33 per cent. Japan is the largest provider of bilateral debt. As far as multilateral debt is concerned, World Bank-IBRD accounted for 11 per cent, ADB 11 per cent and other multilateral agencies 11 per cent. While the long-term debt stocks rose 7 per cent to $498 billion in 2023, short-term debt stocks declined marginally to $126.32 billion. Among low and middle-income borrowers, India was the top recipient of portfolio equity flows in 2023 with inflows of $21.4 billion, up from an outflow of $16.6 billion registered in 2022. In terms of volume, India was the top recipient of personal remittances among LMIC countries in 2023 with $119.5 billion.
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Mumbai: The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) is concerned over insurers' heavy dependence on parent banks for bancassurance sales and may come up with regulations to address it, according to sources. The regulator may ask life insurers to diversify their bank partnerships, curbing the dominance of parent banks, which in some cases contribute over 90% of total sales for their insurance subsidiaries. Insurers like Max Life , HDFC Life and SBI Life depend largely on their parent bank to sell products. The regulatory nudge is coming at a time when both the finance minister and Irdai chairman has expressed concerns over misselling of insurance products by banks. If a company relies on just one channel to sell insurance products, they may believe their business is doing well. However, regulators will monitor how things are going. It's important for the company to gradually reduce reliance on that one channel and start focusing on other ways to distribute their products, the source said. If implemented, the rules would follow stakeholder consultations and the issuance of an exposure draft, ensuring industry-wide feedback. 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Some insurers have diversified by investing in agency and digital channels. To bring down the reliance, the regulator has allowed open architecture where distributors can sell products of multiple life, general and health insurance. Nominations for ET MSME Awards are now open. The last day to apply is December 15, 2024. Click here to submit your entry for any one or more of the 22 categories and stand a chance to win a prestigious award. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )Data Journey on Aggressive Growth Track: Announces Purchase of Spartanburg Property from Greenidge Generation for $12.1 Million
HASHING IT OUT!: Jornaya’s Data Tech Victory Over CIPA Claims
The stock market crashed on Black Friday in October 1929. All the way through college, instructors repeated this fact. Black Friday evoked the aura of gloom and doom. Then, during the past 40 years, overzealous marketers decided to goose holiday sales by creating a new meaning for Black Friday. This one crashes your credit card while supposedly boosting the stock market. Every year at this time, people inexplicably stand in line at big-box stores waiting to save $20 to $100 on a TV, smartphone, tablet or new pair of snowshoes. It’s almost as if merchants slipped something into the water supply that turns consumers into shopaholics. This column explains technology, so what does that have to do with Black Friday (or more recently, Cyber Monday)? Many of the products offered at discounts on Black Friday are discontinued models that manufacturers and merchants eagerly desire to clear from the stock room to make space for the new models arriving in January. There’s nothing wrong with buying the current product rather than the forthcoming one. New models generally offer nominal improvements over the existing models. Most people won’t notice if the TV screen is 5 percent brighter or the laptop is 5 percent faster. You probably won’t see any improvements in snowshoes or bicycles. Most stores offer a limited number of Black Friday “door busters.” If they only have half a dozen in stock, and you’re the seventh person in line, then you’re out of luck. No snowchecks! Beware of “house brands.” These may be a good bargain all year round depending on what company actually manufactures them. Stores benefit from greater markups on house brands so they can afford to advertise them as teasers for Black Friday. Also be aware of custom models from major brands. When you try to compare the Samsung on sale at the big-box store with what looks like the identical model at a local retailer, you may not notice the model number is a digit or two different. This may mean nothing, or it may mean a lot. You are not privy to what is behind the screen. When a company such as Best Buy orders 50,000 of a certain custom TV, you can bet LG and Samsung will jump to keep the contents and price precisely where the jumbo retailer specifies. Even if you snare a real bargain at the big-box store, the onus is on you to transport it home, set it up and learn how to operate it. Obviously, this is easier with a laptop or food processor than a 65-inch TV. Most local merchants attempt matching the prices of big-box stores on standard model numbers. When you buy from locally owned merchants, they usually go the literal extra mile to deliver. They also often set up the product (and offer to haul the box away) and frequently provide brief tutorials on how to use the product. Should there be a problem with the gear, you won’t have to stand in line at a customer service counter for half an hour to have a rude person tell you it’s your problem. Depending on the equipment, manufacturers insist on directly servicing it, but at least the local shop will provide initial advice and, if necessary, advocacy with the manufacturer. Local Champaign-Urbana electronics retailers include, in alphabetical order: Glenn Poor’s Audio-Video, Good Vibes, Picture Perfect Technologies and Premier Sound & Design. There also are a few independent computer stores such as EP Computer, Illini Tech Center, Micro Systems, Ramjet and Simplified Computers. So, when Black Friday rolls around, relax. Savor your coffee or tea at the usual hour at home rather than shivering in a long line at a faceless national chain. Think about what your time is worth verses what you might save. Your best bargain is time to yourself and/or with your family at home, a true Thanksgiving.
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