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https www jilihot ph m login A digital camera may have been on a holiday gift wish list of a Gen Z in your life this season. If you're wondering why someone between the ages of 12 and 17 would want an outdated piece of technology, you're probably not doomscrolling enough, because digital point-and-shoots are trendy again and Gen Z is driving up their popularity in the same way they have with vinyl and film cameras . "We are seeing more young people looking for things like point-and-shoot cameras, which we literally can't keep on the shelves," said Evelyn Drake, who works at The Camera Store, a Calgary-based business along 11th Avenue S.W. Alongside brand new gear, the shop also sells second-hand cameras. Drake says they've been hearing from a lot of young customers who are gravitating toward a photography experience that's completely off their phones. "Hopefully manufacturers are really going to take note of that and start making more of them, because I think that there's a really big opportunity here," she said. "There's been more of a trend for the young Gen Z generation to look for different ways to express themselves with photography." Digital cameras trend again On TikTok, #digitalcamera has over 287,000 posts. Additionally, searches for the term "digital camera" have been on an upward trend in Canada for the past five years, peaking near the end of this year, according to Google Trends . For comparative purposes, the image on the left was taken with a Nikon Coolpix S33 digital camera, while the image on the right was taken with an iPhone 13 at the same time in December. (Lily Dupuis/CBC) There's been extensive reporting on how Gen Z loves the vibe of so-called retro digital cameras , or how the generation's fascination lies within the nostalgia of a simpler, more affordable technological time , but perhaps the news cycle hasn't dug deep enough. Some say the why behind Gen Z's affinity for yesterday's technology is more profound than just aesthetics. When everything is digital, why we long for media we can hold in our hands Based in Amsterdam, Sofia Lee is the co-founder of @digicam.love — an Instagram account and online community with over 13,000 followers — and the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute (CARI), an online community that analyzes design and visual culture. Lee believes blaming nostalgia for the surging popularity of digital cameras among Gen Z doesn't tell the full story. "I think it's ironic that Gen Z is stereotyped as being the most logged-on generation, when a lot of their countercultural tech practices indicate the need to break away and create a space that is separate from the internet," said Lee. The aversion to smartphone photography, according to Lee, also comes from the fact that the images have become so HD and highly processed that they no longer feel like true pictures. Using a digital camera means "it's not uploaded instantly to the internet the way a phone image can be," she says. "It also undergoes a significantly more primitive set of algorithmic transformations in order to produce the JPEG image." 'Being intentional with consumption' It's no secret that today's young people are more connected than ever — according to data from Statistics Canada, younger Canadians reported higher-than-average usage rates for various online activities, and in 2022, over 99 per cent of Canadians aged 15 to 24 reported using the internet. But as younger generations become increasingly online, so too does the need to touch grass . Veronica Garcia is a 26-year-old based in Calgary who uses a Nikon Coolpix S4100 — a compact digital camera that launched in early 2011 . "I love this thing.... The way I use it, I feel like it helps me be more in the moment instead of it being like a phone," she said, adding that a phone in 2024 has become so much more than just a device for calls. Garcia says most elder Gen Zs grew up in a time before the smartphone dominated everything, but also have been around for the transition to a new digital age. Is the flip phone back? Why some people are switching to dumbphones Trend Forecast '25 They'd rather have dumbphones than brain rot She says she first had unrestricted access to the internet at 13 years old, and it's been a big part of her life ever since. "It's been over a decade of the worms in my brain," she says, describing how being chronically online contributes to overall brain rot (Oxford's 2024 word of the year ). And Garcia's own tech habits aren't limited to photography. She also uses a little black flip phone as her daily cellphone, which she affectionately calls a "dumbphone," as well as a portable MP3 player to listen to music and a 2001 -era Canon ZR30MC digital camcorder for videos. "It's really just that shift toward being intentional with consumption and just how you spend your time on the screens that suck the soul out of you." Veronica Garcia holds up her nearly 25-year-old camcorder that she inherited from her dad. (Lily Dupuis/CBC) For Garcia, it's not really about being on-trend or conjuring up some nostalgia that romanticizes the past. On its most surface level, she says young people's affinity for digital cameras is a rejection of modernity. "Everything is political," said Garcia, adding that it's a small choice that ultimately helps her disconnect from big internet. Because people in their late 20s have had a front-row seat to the constantly evolving tech landscape, re-embracing these outdated machines might be a commentary on the pace of technology. Like vinyl, but for photos: Why film cameras are back in focus A photographer herself, Lee expects the renaissance of digital point-and-shoot cameras won't be short-lived among this younger generation of photographers, as she's watched the community of digicam users grow over the years. Lee and her other @digicam.love co-founders have organized over 60 meet-ups for point-and-shoot appreciators across the globe since they founded the page in 2018. "On one hand, there is a trend happening, of course. I think that that's undeniable," Lee said. "But I also think that we could say film photography was a trend.... As you can see now, it still exists."NEW YORK (AP) — Technology stocks pulled Wall Street to another record amid mixed trading. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% Monday after closing November at an all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1%. Super Micro Computer, a stock that’s been on an AI-driven roller coaster, soared after saying an investigation found no evidence of misconduct by its management or the company’s board. Retailers were mixed coming off Black Friday and heading into what’s expected to be the best Cyber Monday on record. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. NEW YORK (AP) — Technology stocks are pulling Wall Street toward another record amid mixed trading on Monday. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% in afternoon trading after closing its best month of the year at an all-time high . The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 86 points, or 0.2%, with a little more than an hour remaining in trading, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.9% higher. Super Micro Computer, a stock that’s been on an AI-driven roller coaster, soared 31.1% to lead the market. Following accusations of misconduct and the resignation of its public auditor , the maker of servers used in artificial-intelligence technology said an investigation found no evidence of misconduct by its management or by the company's board. It also said it doesn’t expect to restate its past financials and that it will find a new chief financial officer, appoint a general counsel and make other moves to strengthen its governance. Big Tech stocks also helped prop up the market. Gains of 1.8% for Microsoft and 2.9% for Meta Platforms were the two strongest forces pushing upward on the S&P 500. Intel was another propellant during the morning, but it lost an early gain to fall 1.1% after the chip company said CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired and stepped down from the board. Intel is looking for Gelsinger’s replacement, and its chair said it’s “committed to restoring investor confidence.” Intel recently lost its spot in the Dow Jones Industrial Average to Nvidia, which has skyrocketed in Wall Street's frenzy around AI. Stellantis, meanwhile, skidded following the announcement of its CEO’s departure . Carlos Tavares steps down after nearly four years in the top spot of the automaker, which owns car brands like Jeep, Citroën and Ram, amid an ongoing struggle with slumping sales and an inventory backlog at dealerships. The world’s fourth-largest automaker’s stock fell 6.3% in Milan. The majority of stocks in the S&P 500 likewise fell, including California utility PG&E. It dropped 3.7% after saying it would sell $2.4 billion of stock and preferred shares to raise cash. Retailers were mixed amid what’s expected to be the best Cyber Monday on record and coming off Black Friday . Target, which recently gave a forecast for the holiday season that left investors discouraged , fell 1.6%. Walmart , which gave a more optimistic forecast, rose 0.3%. Amazon, which looks to benefit from online sales from Cyber Monday, climbed 1.3%. The stock market largely took Donald Trump’s latest threat on tariffs in stride. The president-elect on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a group of developing economies if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. Trump said he wants the group, headlined by Brazil, Russia, India and China, to promise it won’t create a new currency or otherwise try to undercut the U.S. dollar. The dollar has long been the currency of choice for global trade. Speculation has also been around a long time that other currencies could knock it off its mantle, but no contender has come close. The U.S. dollar’s value rose Monday against several other currencies, but one of its strongest moves likely had less to do with the tariff threats. The euro fell amid a political battle in Paris over the French government’s budget . The euro sank 0.7% against the U.S. dollar and broke below $1.05. In the bond market, Treasury yields gave up early gains to hold relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed above 4.23% during the morning before falling back to 4.19%. That was just above its level of 4.18% late Friday. A report in the morning showed the U.S. manufacturing sector contracted again last month, but not by as much as economists expected. This upcoming week will bring several big updates on the job market, including the October job openings report, weekly unemployment benefits data and the all-important November jobs report. They could steer the next moves for Federal Reserve, which recently began pulling interest rates lower to give support to the economy. Economists expect Friday's headliner report to show U.S. employers accelerated their hiring in November, coming off October's lackluster growth that was hampered by damaging hurricanes and strikes. “We now find ourselves in the middle of this Goldilocks zone, where economic health supports earnings growth while remaining weak enough to justify potential Fed rate cuts,” according to Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide. In financial markets abroad, Chinese stocks led gains worldwide as monthly surveys showed improving conditions for manufacturing, partly driven by a surge in orders ahead of Trump’s inauguration next month. Both official and private sector surveys of factory managers showed strong new orders and export orders, possibly partly linked to efforts by importers in the U.S. to beat potential tariff hikes by Trump once he takes office. Indexes rose 0.7% in Hong Kong and 1.1% in Shanghai. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

The Eagles are looking to clinch the NFC East title while completing a rare sweep of the rival Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in Philadelphia. The Eagles (12-3) will have to play without starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, who sustained a concussion during last weekend's 36-33 loss at Washington that snapped their team-record 10-game winning streak. He was ruled out on Friday after missing practice all week. Backup quarterback Kenny Pickett suffered a rib injury against the Commanders, but he was a full participant at Thursday's practice and was limited on Friday. Pickett is expected to start, with Tanner McKee his backup on Sunday as Philadelphia tries to sweep Dallas for the first time since 2011. Meanwhile, the Cowboys (7-8) are clicking with their own QB2 at the controls. Cooper Rush has guided Dallas to wins in four of the last five games, throwing nine touchdown passes and just one interception in that span. The Cowboys are in the unfamiliar position of playing spoiler, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Two more wins would give Dallas its fourth straight winning season under fifth-year coach Mike McCarthy. "It's hard to win games in this league. It's definitely an end goal just to have a winning season," Cowboys right guard Brock Hoffman said. "... But definitely where we've been at on this journey, take it week by week, win these last two games, have a winning season, and it's definitely a big boost going into next season." The Eagles cruised to a 34-6 win over the Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, in the first meeting in Week 10, with Hurts throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for two scores. Rush finished with just 45 yards on 13-of-23 passing. Pickett replaced a woozy Hurts in the first quarter against Washington and finished the drive with a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown. "I thought it was so cool for our guys to have the confidence in (Pickett) to just hop in there and handle a third down, handle another completion, throw a third-down touchdown in the red zone," Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said Tuesday. "I thought that was a really cool moment." A sixth-round pick out of Stanford in 2023, McKee has yet to appear in a regular-season game. "I feel like I've always been preparing to be the starter and preparing to play, and so my preparation is going to stay the same," McKee said Tuesday. "And you know, I'm obviously excited for any opportunity that I do get, but we're going to take it day by day for those guys." No matter who plays QB, the Eagles likely will lean heavily on Saquon Barkley. With a league-leading 1,838 rushing yards, he needs 268 in the last two games to break Eric Dickerson's 1984 NFL single-season record of 2,105. Philadelphia's injury report Friday also included the team ruling out wide receiver Britain Covey (neck), who also returns punts, and running back Will Shipley (concussion), a contributor on kickoff return duty. Linebacker Nakobe Dean (abdomen) is doubtful after limited participation on Friday, while defensive end Bryce Huff (wrist) was a full participant and listed as questionable. He would need to be activated from injured reserve to play on Sunday. The Cowboys have shut down star wideout CeeDee Lamb for the rest of the season because of a sprained right shoulder. Also ruled out for Sunday are cornerbacks Kemon Hall (hamstring) and Amani Oruwariye (foot). Guard TJ Bass (thigh) is doubtful, while those with questionable status are wide receivers Jalen Brooks (knee) and Jalen Tolbert (finger), offensive tackles Chuma Edoga (toe) and Asim Richards (ankle), linebackers Eric Kendricks (calf) and Nick Vigil (foot), and safety Donovan Wilson (knee). --Field Level MediaThe end of the liberal WestHow major US stock indexes fared Tuesday, 11/26/2024

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Down by two shots with two holes to play, Jeeno Thitikul knew exactly what was needed to capture the biggest prize in women’s golf history. And another eagle-birdie finish — for the second straight day — made it happen. Thitikul claimed the record-setting $4 million first-place check by winning the CME Group Tour Championship on Sunday. It’s the biggest money prize in women’s golf history, bigger than even the winner’s shares in three of the four men’s major championships this year. “Today, standing here with the trophy, it’s more than I can ask for,” Thitikul said. Thitikul shot a 7-under 65 on Sunday and finished the week at 22 under, one shot ahead of Angel Yin (66). Yin had a two-shot lead walking to the 17th tee, only to wind up settling for the $1 million runner-up check. Yin — who missed the start of the season after breaking her leg over the winter — hardly sounded defeated after finishing second and more than doubling her 2024 earnings in four days. “I’m pretty awesome. ... I’ve learned that I just need to believe my myself and that’s what I did,” Yin said. Brooke Henderson (66) of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for eighth at 13-under overall. The win and the massive check came down to the 18th hole, Thitikul and Yin tied at 21 under after a back-and-forth day atop the leaderboard — both knowing a mistake would likely come at a $3 million cost. Both hit the fairway on 18. Thitikul’s approach was nearly perfect, stopping about 5 feet from the cup. Yin’s response stopped maybe 15 feet away, giving Thitikul the edge as they walked up the fairway. She was smiling broadly as she approached the green, almost as if she knew what was about to happen. Yin’s birdie putt just missed. Thitikul’s was dead center. And history was hers. Her plans for all that cash? “Definitely spend it,” Thitikul said. “That’s an honest answer, for sure. Definitely going to spend it for a little while.” She already had clinched a $1 million bonus this week through the Aon Risk-Reward Challenge, a competition based on how players score on a designated hole each week. In the end, it wound up as a whopping $5 million week for the 21-year-old from Thailand — and going 8 under on the Nos. 17 and 18 over the four days at Tiburon Golf Club made the difference. “All the hard work paid off,” said Thitikul, whose eagle-birdie close to Saturday’s round pulled her into a tie for the lead with Yin going into Sunday at 15 under. It didn’t take long on Sunday for Thitikul to jump in front, with birdies on two of the first three holes to grab a two-shot edge. Her lead vanished with a two-shot swing on the par-4 fourth; Yin made birdie, Thitikul bogey. It seemed like Yin grabbed control on the par-3 16th. Her birdie putt from across the green — about 25 feet — rolled in for a two-shot lead with two holes to play. But her second shot at the par-5 17th missed the green right, and the door was opened for Thitikul. The eagle-birdie finish Saturday gave her hope. The eagle-birdie finish Sunday gave her so much more — even though, it turns out, the second shot on the par 5 wasn’t one that she caught flush. It worked out anyway. “Just lucky enough,” Thitikul said. Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko (63) finished third at 17 under, her nine birdies coming in a 13-hole span. “I’m excited to be able to work hard this offseason and have another great 2025,” Ko said. Ruoning Yin (68) was alone in fourth at 16 under, and LPGA player of the year Nelly Korda (66) finished at 15 under along with Narin An (68). Ayaka Furue finished at 13 under, good enough to give her the Vare Trophy as the LPGA’s season-long scoring champion over Haeran Ryu. “I feel very happy to have this trophy in my hands,” said Furue, the first Japanese player to win the Vare. Lexi Thompson — a 15-time winner as a pro who plans to step away from full-time golf — finished at 2 under. It’s not clear how often Thompson plans to play in 2025 and beyond; that said, she returns to Tiburon the week of Dec. 9 for the Grant Thornton Invitational, where she’ll team with Rickie Fowler in the event featuring PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players. “I’m not going anywhere, guys.” Thompson said. “I’ll be back in two weeks.” There were two players who said they were retiring after Sunday’s round: Marina Alex, who shot 66 to finish at 12 under, and Ally Ewing, who closed with a 68 to wrap up the week at 11 under. “I’m happy to have ended on my best,” said Alex, a bottle of sparkling wine in her right hand, a bouquet of flowers in the other. Added Ewing: “I’ve been at peace with my decision. It’s just so nice to be able to share the walk with my family this week.” But in the end, the week belonged to Thitikul. And as the sun was setting over Tiburon on Sunday, she was ready for her offseason to begin with a well-deserved celebration. “Anybody hungry?” she asked. “I am.” With Sunday’s check in her pocket, she can dine anywhere she wants for a while. ___ AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf Tim Reynolds, The Associated PressSuper Micro report finds 'no evidence of misconduct'

WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop for the airline. The order, which prevented planes from taking off, was issued at the airline's request after it experienced trouble with its flight operating system, or FOS. The airline blamed technology from one of its vendors. As a result, flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 36% of the airline's 3,901 domestic and international flights leaving on time, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. Fifty-one flights were canceled. Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, a union representing American Airlines pilots, said the airline told pilots at 7 a.m. Eastern that there was an outage affecting the FOS system. It handles different types of airline operations, including dispatch, flight planning, passenger boarding, as well as an airplane's weight and balance data, he said. Some components of FOS have gone down in the past, but a systemwide outage is rare, Tajer said. Hours after the ground stop was lifted, Tajer said the union had not heard about any “chaos out there beyond just the normal heavy travel day.” He said officials were watching for any cascading effects, such as staffing problems. On social media, however, customers expressed frustration with delays that caused them or their family members to miss connecting flights. One person asked if American planned to hold flights for passengers to make connections, while others complained about the lack of assistance they said they received from the airline or gate agents. Bobby Tighe, a real estate agent from Florida, said he will miss a family Christmas Eve party in New York because his American flight was repeatedly delayed. The delays made him miss a connecting flight, leaving him the choice of going to his destination — Westchester, New York — on Christmas Day or taking another flight to Newark, New Jersey, that was scheduled to land Tuesday evening. He chose the latter. “I’m just going to take an Uber or Lyft to the airport I was originally supposed to go to, pick up my rental car and kind of restart everything tomorrow,” Tighe said. He said his girlfriend was “going through the same exact situation” on her way from Dallas to New York. Cirium noted that the vast majority of flights were departing within two hours of their scheduled departure time. A similar percentage — 39% — were arriving at their destinations as scheduled. Dallas-Fort Worth, New York’s Kennedy Airport and Charlotte, North Carolina, saw the greatest number of delays, Cirium said. Washington, Chicago and Miami experienced considerably fewer delays. Meanwhile, the flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that 4,058 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed, with 76 flights canceled. The site did not post any American Airlines flights on Tuesday morning, but it showed in the afternoon that 961 American flights were delayed. Amid the travel problems, significant rain and snow were expected in the Pacific Northwest at least into Christmas Day. Showers and thunderstorms were developing in the South. Freezing rain was reported in the Mid-Atlantic region near Baltimore and Washington, and snow fell in New York. Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions. That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have “interline agreements” that let them put stranded customers on another carrier’s flights. This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers automatic cash refunds for canceled or significantly delayed flights. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them. Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. That’s because finding a last-minute flight on another airline tends to be expensive. An American spokesperson said Tuesday was not a peak travel day for the airline — with about 2,000 fewer flights than the busiest days — so the airline had somewhat of a buffer to manage the delays. The groundings happened as millions of travelers were expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers through Jan. 2. Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA. “Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was $3.04 a gallon, down from $3.13 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state. Transportation-data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation’s highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington are the metropolitan areas primed for the greatest delays, according to the company.The Indiana State men’s basketball team will be looking for its sixth consecutive victory Sunday when it faces the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes will also be looking to extend a winning streak of their own after knocking off then No. 4 Kentucky 85-65 for their second consecutive victory last Saturday. Before that, the Buckeyes defeated Valparaiso 95-73 Dec. 17. ISU took a couple of days off during the holiday break before focusing in on Ohio State, but after the dominant 101-53 victory over NAIA opponent University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy, ISU gave a little bit of insight as to how it will approach Sunday afternoon’s matchup. Merritt Alderink said the Sycamores have to keep working hard and keep working as a team. Jahni Summers said they have to just do what they do every game and just go out there, execute and make shots and believe and be confident in themselves. The team has had a lot of belief in themselves as they spoke after the last game about being very talented and how that shows at practice. Summers is super excited for Sunday’s matchup. He said they all think and know they can play at that level. “I think that’s going to be a big game for us and a huge test for sure,” Summers said. Alderink said they just have to prepare. He touched on shooting the ball well, sharing the ball and playing well in transition and playing the pace like they do that they’re known for, he thinks they have a good shot at sticking with the Buckeyes. ISU head coach Matthew Graves indicated the team will take the same approach as they do every game. According to Graves, it’s more about playing to a standard. “When you have a standard of play that you want in your program it doesn’t matter who you’re playing and 80% of the focus is always going to be on us, how we play offensively, how we want to play defensively, the other 20% is scouting and adjustments and things like that,” Graves said. He said their players have done a great job in both areas. “They’ve invested in what we want to do and how we want to play, and I’ve seen the growth from being able to take scouting reports from earlier games in the season to now understanding personnel, understanding schemes, that growth has been really good,” Graves said. Graves said they need to feel like they can compete with whoever they’re going to play. “I know we’re going to have a great game plan, we’re going to have a laser focus, everybody gets excited to play a high major opponent, so I know they’re going to be excited, but again it goes back to that 80% of being who we are, executing what we do and being able to go out and accomplish that piece,” Graves said. “We’ll take care of the scouting and different things like that and have a great game plan.”

Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, has said that the government would not let anyone off named in the report of the Parliamentary Investigation Committee on Cooperative Fraud. Addressing the Tamu Journalism Award Distribution and Launching of the Gurung News.com Year Book Programme organized by Tamu (Gurung) Mediapersons' Association Nepal here today, Minister Gurung, who is also the government spokesman, expressed the government's determination to bring to justice anyone implicated in the cooperative fund misappropriation as per the report prepared by the Parliamentary Investigation Committee under lawmaker Surya Thapa's leadership. He said that no one was above the law and made it clear anybody whether they are the leaders or cadres of the Nepali Congress, the UML, Maoist or any other party would be brought to justice. Stating that all those named by lawmaker Thapa's report cannot be brought to justice simultaneously together now, Minister Gurung said, "We will not let off any one and take action against them turn by turn. Let those involved in cooperative fraud never think that they can escape the law. All will be arrested as per the law." He termed as unconstitutional the protest demonstration aimed at freeing Rabi Lamichhane, the President of Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP), who is in police custody in connection with investigation process on the charge of cooperative fraud. The government spokesman also expressed his objection over such acts which according to him are carried out with the objective of influencing the case which is being considered by the court, calling attention of the sides concerned not to carry out activities that are against the democratic conduct and process. "It is the RSP's responsibility to cooperate in the investigation process against its leader. It is not at all appropriate to seek to influence the investigation process by organizing sit-in and protest demos, until the Respected Court gives its verdict. I urge RSP to stand on the side of the rule of law and the due process, rather than the undemocratic acts," Minister Gurung reiterated.NoneMunich, December 25: Germany-based flying taxi startup Lilium recently shut down its operations and laid off nearly 1,000 employees. The layoffs were announced amid the startup's failure to get financing and exit insolvency. With this step, the company is expected to close its business permanently. According to a report by Business Insider, Lilium layoffs affected 1,000 individuals who supported the flying taxi startup. The report mentioned that "things are not going any further" with these laid-off employees. Lilium, an electric aircraft startup, raised USD 1 billion before going public. On December 24, Lilium announced that a consortium of investors was interested in buying its subsidiaries to help the company restructure and emerge from insolvency. Tech Layoffs 2024: 539 Companies Lays Off 1,50,034 Employees This Year, Yahoo, AMD, Ola Electric and Others Latest To Let Go Staff From November to December. However, Lilium founder Dr. Patrick Nathen posted on LinkedIn that the company was shutting down its operations after 10 years and 10 months. In his official post, Nathen started by crediting the company's existence to him and co-founders Daniel, Sebastian and Matthias. He said, "This is heartbreaking, and the timing feels painfully ironic." The Lilium layoffs affected 1,000 workers, and more than 200 workers would be laid off in the coming few days. Patrick Nathen said he was grateful for everyone who supported the company and wished everyone a peaceful and restful holiday during the turbulent times. He proudly said that Lilium was started by four of the founders with nothing but a dream, and they tried to go far with their journey despite facing hurdles. Hiring 2024: Online Job Postings Jumped 20% This Year With Over 12 Lakh Openings Amid Digital Adoption and SMB Sector Growth, Says ‘India at Work’ Report. German-based flying air taxi startup was developing VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft that could achieve 100 kilometres per hour speed; however, it was struggling for months, according to a report by TechCrunch. Despite making remarkable progress by going public in 2021 and announcing a merger with SPAC Qell, a blank-check company, Lilium was years away from delivering its flying taxis to the market. Lilium filed for bankruptcy in October after a failure to raise money from the German government. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 25, 2024 04:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com ).

Next-Level Gaming Revolution! Meet the MetaQuest 3 Pico4 Ultra.While commenting on one of my articles on recent developments in Syria an educated Sunni Muslim of India, (aged around 70) with having grasp on international affairs said: “You must understand that these Shia hardliners of Iran, if not checked, will even capture Makkah and Madinah.” But he was rendered speechless when I cut in to ask, “Why have Iranians not succeeded in installing a Shia ruler in nearby Bahrain when they are in majority there? Bahrain is ruled by a dictator belonging to a minority Sunni sect. How is it that the Sunnis, who form an overwhelming population of Saudi Arabia, would allow the Shia minority to occupy the two holiest sites of Islam thousands of kilometers away from the Iranian border? Even in Saudi Arabia Shias have a substantial population on its eastern coast much far away from Hejaz in the west.” I went on to explain: “Why only Bahrain? Iran could have easily placed a puppet government in its Shia-dominated northern neighbour, Azerbaijan, immediately after the dismemberment of the then-Soviet Union in December 1991. Iran could have exploited the situation that emerged after the collapse of the Communist Soviet Union as the United States was bogged down in Iraq after the first Gulf War of January- February 1991. Instead, Azerbaijan went on to become a trusted friend of Israel, the United States, and Turkey and thus constantly pose a big threat to Tehran.” This gentleman was wise enough to understand my point. But this is not the case with all the Sunnis around the world. The exaggerated phobia of Shia expansionism has deliberately been spread since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. As the revolution created a massive upsurge in the region–as it had happened later in the case of the Arab Spring of 2011–the monarchs, especially of Saudi Arabia, tried to deflect the attention of the people by whipping up this anti-Shia passion. The Salafi Ulema (clergy) more or less convinced of the rulers’ propaganda, which had an impact on the Sunni world. Gradually, many Sunnis around the world, who hailed the Iranian Revolution, became skeptic of the Shias. The West has a great interest in aggravating the rift therefore its media went all out to magnify the differences. Various international agencies fanned this tension. The Salafi hotheads, as far away as Pakistan, started a witch-hunt against the minority Shias. At several places Shias too responded—but they had some limitations as they were in the minority. Thus, the royal families of the Gulf countries distracted the attention of the masses from their dictatorial rule. But it is also a fact that Shias and Sunnis have been living together peacefully for quite a few centuries. The reality was that in Iraq and Bahrain the Sunnis were in power though they are numerically Shia dominated countries. Iraq would have remained a Sunni-ruled state for some more time had its ruler Saddam Husain not attacked fellow Sunni neighbour, Kuwait, on August 2, 1990. This was so even though Kuwait, like all the Sunni countries of the region, wholeheartedly supported Iraq in its eight-year-long war with Iran (1980-88). It was upon this that the United States-led army came to the rescue of Kuwait and liberated it in 1991. In 2003, that is after 9/11 the US captured the entire Iraq and dethroned Saddam, who was later executed. Had he not committed the folly of invading Kuwait the Americans would not have come and Iraq would not have become a Shia-ruled country. So, one cannot blame Iran for turning Iraq into a Shia-ruled country. May sound unbelievable now, but true: During the Yemeni Civil War between 1962 and 1970 Sunni Saudi Arabia and Jordan; Shia Iran (then ruled by Raza Shah) as well as Israel and Britain supported the Zaidi Shia ruler of the country, while Sunni Egypt and Communist Soviet Union backed the Left-leaning group which led a revolt. The eight-year-long bloodletting in the Yemeni civil war was fully exploited by Israel which attacked Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in 1967. It is said that some 70,000 Egyptian soldiers were in Yemen during that period of civil war. This is the stark reality. Though the Shia factor was played up after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, it is a fact that King Abdullah of Jordan in 2004 referred to the Shia Crescent from Damascus to Tehran via Baghdad. This was so even though Shias, like Sunnis, consider Alawites as disbelievers. So, there is no question of calling Syria a Shia-ruled country. It was the French who during the colonial rule wrongly categorized Alawites as Shia Muslims recruited a large number of them in the army and promoted them to high military positions. What King Abdullah did not say is that Baghdad became the capital of a Shia-ruled state After the US-led invasion a year before. Jordan was a close ally of the Western powers. Therefore, holding Iran responsible for the creation of this fictitious Shia Crescent was blatantly wrong. Abdullah was thus reading the script prepared by the Western masters. The reality is that Shias in general, whatever the differences they have with the Sunnis, always backed the cause of Palestinians, who were overwhelmingly Sunnis. This was so even though they were in the initial years of the creation of Israel not targeted by the Zionist state. Barring Lebanon, there is hardly any Shia population in the frontline states—Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Yet the Shias of Lebanon, even before the Iranian revolution, stood behind the Sunni Palestinians. And after the Revolution Iran and later another far-off Zaidi Shia country, Yemen, led a religious campaign for the liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. In contrast, the Saudis invaded Yemen, which caused widespread destruction and deaths of lakhs of people. The Gulf monarchies have an advantage. They have enormous amounts of wealth which they use not only to check the democratic forces within but also to foment trouble in other Arab countries. If Assad of Syria were barbaric and responsible for the massacres of their people, so were the Gulf despots, for example, Saudis in Yemen. But through money and power, they keep the masses in their own countries in good humour. There is less scope for economic distress, which plays a significant role in causing political upheaval—as in Syria which is not rich. They were alarmed by the Arab Spring of 2010-2011, which swept from Tunisia to Syria. With the help of money power, they supported various groups in respective countries. If they got rid of the first elected government of President Morsi in Egypt, the petrodollar of these Arab countries play a key role in fomenting trouble in Sudan, Syria, etc. Money power plays a big role in creating a favourable atmosphere for these rulers even in far-off Muslim countries. The ultra-Salafis of other countries were the primary beneficiaries. The Saudi ruling family tries to earn the goodwill of non-political Muslims of the world by posing as the custodians of Makkah and Madinah. The problem with Iran is that it has got overstretched as it is fighting on various fronts almost single-handedly. The revolution of 1979 inspired Shias across the world. When the revolution took place in Iran many Western scholars felt that the country would be thrown 1,400 years back, but it emerged as a powerful scientific and technological power. Yet it is also a fact that a sizable minority population within the country believes that Iran should not have poked its nose into Israeli affairs for no apparent gain. They are also of the view that the post-Revolution establishment has gradually become intolerant and is suppressing the voice of dissent. After the recent developments in Syria, the West would leave no stone unturned to back these elements and get rid of the present set-up. Whether it succeeds or not only time will tell.

Business News | Visionary Leaders Leading the Way to 2025: Driving Innovation and SuccessPresident-elect Donald Trump’s incoming government waste-cutters Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are catching heat from conservatives for the tech industry’s use of foreign-born workers. Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramasway, who will lead Mr. Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, defended the use of H-1B visas, arguing that the high-tech companies they operated needed to import workers to function. Silicon Valley has benefited from the visa program, which gives visas to specialized foreign workers, and South Africa-born Mr. Musk held an H1-B before becoming a U.S. citizen. Mr. Musk argued that America needs to double the number of engineers and that the number of “super talented” and “super motivated” engineers in the U.S. was “far too low.” He compared the H-1B visa program sports team bringing in new talent “to keep winning.” His electric vehicle company, Tesla, snatched up over 700 of the visas this year. “If you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be. That enables the whole TEAM to win,” Mr. Musk said on social media. It is an issue where Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy, who is a first-generation American whose parents immigrated from India, clash with Mr. Trump and his supporters. Conservative commentator Laura Loomer blasted the duo on X and later accused Mr. Musk, who owns the social media platform, of censoring her account. “I have been more loyal to President Trump and his agenda than ANYONE. And I have only been punished for it,” Ms. Loomer said on X. “Pay attention MAGA. This is how you will all be treated now that Big Tech has infiltrated MAGA. ’President Musk’ is starting to look real.” During Mr. Trump’s first term, he increased the wage requirement for H-1B visas far higher than what is typically paid to U.S. workers for the same jobs. The rule was blocked by a federal court. Mr. Trump also attempted to narrow the definition of “specialty occupations” that qualify for the vistas. He also temporarily suspended H-1B visas in 2020. President Biden eventually reversed changes Mr. Trump made to the program. How the president-elect may change the program during his second term, if at all, is unclear. However, Mr. Trump said on “The All-In Podcast” that he wanted foreign-born students graduating from American universities to “automatically” get green cards with their diplomas. The Washington Times reached out to Mr. Trump’s transition team for comment on what the president-elect plans for the H-1B program in his upcoming term. Still, Mr. Trump’s most ardent supporters came out swinging against Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy, who further fueled the social media firestorm by calling the issue a cultural problem that has “venerated mediocrity” in the U.S. “The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over ’native’ Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation),” Mr. Ramaswamy said on X. “A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture.” He argued that a “culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers.” His comments struck a nerve with conservatives, including former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, who also is a first-generation American whose parents immigrated from India. “There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture. All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have,” Ms. Haley said on X. “We should be investing and prioritizing in Americans, not foreign workers.” Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC. .

In the ‘00s, The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan looked at the disruptive nature of early social media platform MySpace and saw the death of the record label. It didn’t exactly work out that way — not with MySpace, not with Facebook, not with TikTok. In fact, the major music companies became adept at using these platforms to break artists and perpetuate their market power; if there’s a breakout song on TikTok, labels rush into an old-fashioned bidding war. While social media certainly disrupted the music business, it didn’t uproot the traditional record label model. There have been numerous other game-changers over the years that failed — on their own, at least — to radically alter how major labels do business, including independent distribution. After TuneCore launched in 2006, major labels continued to sign artists and own their intellectual property, albeit to broader “360” deals that incorporated more than recorded music rights. Nor did the advent of streaming by itself reshape the structure of major record labels. The artists with the most streaming success are involved with major labels in one way or another, be it a traditional record contract, a joint venture or, in rare cases like Taylor Swift , a distribution deal. Corgan may have misjudged social media’s sole impact on record labels, but he wasn’t entirely wrong about its ultimate influence. When combined, social media, independent distribution and streaming form a potent combination that has changed the balance of power and induced major labels to change how they promote music around the world. This dynamic isn’t exactly new, but it was never clearer than in 2024. This year, major labels have increasingly embraced the role of being service providers to those parties who prefer to remain independent and retain ownership of their intellectual property. A few years ago, Universal Music Group (UMG) was pouring money into superstar acquisitions such as Bob Dylan ’s and Sting ’s song catalogs. More recently, the company has been focusing on its artist services model. In the last three months alone, UMG acquired indie label group [PIAS] and agreed to acquire Downtown Music Holdings for $775 million, though the proposed deal has encountered opposition from the independent music community and will need to pass regulatory scrutiny before being finalized. The company also purchased Outdustry — which has an artist- and label-services arm that focuses on China, India and other high-growth emerging markets — and bought a stake in Chord Music Partners, giving UMG distribution and publishing administration duties for the more than 60,000 songs in the investment vehicle’s catalog. In fact, 2024 played out much like UMG CEO Lucian Grainge said it would. His January memo predicted the company would continue to expand globally and offer labels outside of mature markets a “full suite of artist services” while “acquiring local labels, catalogs and artist services businesses.” To be fair, UMG was already on that path: In 2022, it acquired m-theory’s artist services company and installed its founders, JT Myers and Nat Pastor , as co-CEOs of Virgin Music Group to expand Virgin’s independent music division globally. Warner Music Group (WMG) appears to have sensed the shifting landscape, too, as there has been a noticeable shift in messaging during Robert Kyncl ’s tenure as the company’s CEO. In the Stephen Cooper era, WMG was the music community’s leading investor in Web3 startups. In contrast, Kyncl has chosen to focus on expanding WMG’s footprint globally. WMG briefly signaled its interest in acquiring Believe in March and April after the French company announced a CEO-led effort to take the company private . Notably, Believe has a global label services business and a presence in developing markets that take advantage of the “glocalization” of local markets and global streaming platforms’ ability to help music travel across borders. WMG ultimately passed on pursuing Believe, but Kyncl has followed his peers’ interest in emerging markets, purchasing stakes in Indian companies Divo and Global Music Junction. The service model isn’t an entirely original approach. Grainge wrote that UMG is “creating the blueprint for the labels of the future,” but UMG is doing what major music companies have always done: following trends and buying independent companies that established a particular market. Sony Music already bought into the service model with The Orchard and AWAL, the latter purchased in 2022 for $430 million. Independents such as Believe, OneRPM and Symphonic Distribution have become established players by combining distribution and artist services, while investors have poured money into independents such as Create Music Group — which this year raised $165 million at a $1 billion valuation — and gamma, which is backed by $1 billion. But the well-established blueprint was never more of a hot commodity than in 2024. In the music business, nothing signifies the relevance of a business model like the major labels’ desire to buy it and integrate it into their systems — especially when the largest music companies feel they have no choice. The holy trinity of social media, independent distribution and global streaming platforms has given artists an alternative to the much-derided major label record contract. Artists who want to own their intellectual property and have more creative control have never had more of the tools necessary to be independent. That includes financing options, such as advances from well-funded independents or royalty advances from a new breed of financial services companies. When there’s no need for radio promotion and shelf space at brick-and-mortar retailers, the independent model looks a lot more attractive — not only for artists but for the major labels that have become increasingly keen on buying into it. Ironically, the major labels’ acceptance of the independents’ business model means the music business is becoming less independent. Trade groups such as the Association of Independent Music and IMPALA quickly spoke out against UMG’s agreement to purchase Downtown, just as they did with Sony Music’s purchase of AWAL. U.K. regulators ultimately concluded that AWAL was a “relatively small player” and that the deal did not substantially reduce competition. Time will tell if competition watchdogs feel the same about UMG’s much larger purchase of Downtown. In any case, the independents have proved that artist and label services businesses are a good fit for the modern music business. The next step was always going to be consolidation.

Las Vegas Grand Prix Puts Luxury on Overdrive and Delivers High-Octane HospitalityPIAA Class 3A football: Northwestern Lehigh’s defense is better with Jackson Huber in middle of it

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records Tuesday after Donald Trump’s latest talk about tariffs created only some ripples on Wall Street, even if they could roil the global economy were they to take effect. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to top the all-time high it set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 123 points, or 0.3%, to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6% as Microsoft and Big Tech led the way. Stock markets abroad mostly fell after President-elect Trump said he plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China once he takes office. But the movements were mostly modest. Stock indexes were down 0.1% in Shanghai and nearly flat in Hong Kong, while Canada’s main index edged down by less than 0.1%. Trump has often praised the use of tariffs , but investors are weighing whether his latest threat will actually become policy or is just an opening point for negotiations. For now, the market seems to be taking it more as the latter. The consequences otherwise for markets and the global economy could be painful. Unless the United States can prepare alternatives for the autos, energy products and other goods that come from Mexico, Canada and China, such tariffs would raise the price of imported items all at once and make households poorer, according to Carl Weinberg and Rubeela Farooqi, economists at High Frequency Economics. They would also hurt profit margins for U.S. companies, while raising the threat of retaliatory tariffs by other countries. And unlike tariffs in Trump’s first term, his latest proposal would affect products across the board. General Motors sank 9%, and Ford Motor fell 2.6% because both import automobiles from Mexico. Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo and other Mexican beer brands in the United States, dropped 3.3%. The value of the Mexican peso fell 1.8% against the U.S. dollar. Beyond the pain such tariffs would cause U.S. households and businesses, they could also push the Federal Reserve to slow or even halt its cuts to interest rates. The Fed had just begun easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high a couple months ago to offer support for the job market . While lower interest rates can boost the economy, they can also offer more fuel for inflation. “Many” officials at the Fed’s last meeting earlier this month said they should lower rates gradually, according to minutes of the meeting released Tuesday afternoon. The talk about tariffs overshadowed another mixed set of profit reports from U.S. retailers that answered few questions about how much more shoppers can keep spending. They’ll need to stay resilient after helping the economy avoid a recession, despite the high interest rates imposed by the Fed to get inflation under control. A report on Tuesday from the Conference Board said confidence among U.S. consumers improved in November, but not by as much as economists expected. Kohl’s tumbled 17% after its results for the latest quarter fell short of analysts’ expectations. CEO Tom Kingsbury said sales remain soft for apparel and footwear. A day earlier, Kingsbury said he plans to step down as CEO in January. Ashley Buchanan, CEO of Michaels and a retail veteran, will replace him. Best Buy fell 4.9% after likewise falling short of analysts’ expectations. Dick’s Sporting Goods topped forecasts for the latest quarter thanks to a strong back-to-school season, but its stock lost an early gain to fall 1.4%. Still, more stocks rose in the S&P 500 than fell. J.M. Smucker had one of the biggest gains and climbed 5.7% after topping analysts’ expectations for the latest quarter. CEO Mark Smucker credited strength for its Uncrustables, Meow Mix, Café Bustelo and Jif brands. Big Tech stocks also helped prop up U.S. indexes. Gains of 3.2% for Amazon and 2.2% for Microsoft were the two strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. All told, the S&P 500 rose 34.26 points to 6,021.63. The Dow gained 123.74 to 44,860.31, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 119.46 to 19,174.30. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady following their big drop from a day before driven by relief following Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary. The yield on the 10-year Treasury inched up to 4.29% from 4.28% late Monday, but it’s still well below the 4.41% level where it ended last week. In the crypto market, bitcoin continued to pull back after topping $99,000 for the first time late last week. It’s since dipped back toward $91,000, according to CoinDesk. It’s a sharp turnaround from the bonanza that initially took over the crypto market following Trump’s election. That boom had also appeared to have spilled into some corners of the stock market. Strategists at Barclays Capital pointed to stocks of unprofitable companies, along with other areas that can be caught up in bursts of optimism by smaller-pocketed “retail” investors. AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 11 a.m., Md.-Eastern Shore at Maryland;BTN 11 a.m., E. 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Richard Perry, Music Producer Behind Carly Simon’s ‘You’re So Vain,’ Dead at 82IWV Burros Youth Football Varsity finished the regular season 7-1, Junior Varsity 5-3, Sophomore 6-1, and Freshman 5-1. All four divisions earned spots in the VYFL Playoffs, with Varsity, Sophomore, and JV finishing as No. 2 seeds and having a first-round playoff bye. The JV Burros finished as the No. 4 seed and lost a close overtime game to the Western Talons in the opening round of the VYFL playoffs. The second round of the VYFL Playoffs saw the IWV Burros Varsity win a thriller over the Bishop Broncos and the Freshman Burros win over the Arvin Grizzlies. The Sophomore Burros lost to the Tehachapi Tomahawks in a close-fought game. Both Freshman and Varsity Burros teams advanced to the 2024 VYFL playoffs. The Freshman Burros beat the Tehachapi Tomahawks 12-0 to take home the championship and the Varsity Burros came out on top in another thriller 14-12 to win the Super Bowl against the Western Talons. Post season recap Freshman 8u 1st round - bye 2nd round- IWV-18, Arvin- 6 Superbowl- IWV- 12, Tehachapi-0 "The freshman football team capped off an incredible season with a 12-0 victory over a tough Tehachapi team. The game started off slow as both teams battled for momentum, but IWV burros defense set the tone early keeping Tehachapi scoreless with relentless pressure and smart play. 2nd half, the offense found its rhythm, delivering the points needed to secure the win. This Victor is a testament to the team's hard work, unity throughout the season. Going 8-1 and finishing the season winning against a great team 12-0 is an incredible accomplishment, and I could not be prouder of how these players stepped up week after week. This team not only showed talent but also heart, determination, proving what’s possible when we work together. Congratulations to the players for an unforgettable season!" - Freshman Head Coach Trevor Baker Sophomore 10u 1st round- bye 2nd round- IWV- 6, Tehachapi- 13 Sophomores had a great season finishing with an overall record of 7-2 just falling short in the second round of the playoffs to Tehachapi. Junior Varsity 12u 1st round- IWV-12, Western- 18 JV had a great season playing in a very competitive division with a lot of tough games. They finished with a record of 5-4 and were eliminated in the 1st round of playoffs against Western in a very exciting OT game. Varsity 14u 1st round- bye 2nd round- IWV- 24, Bishop- 22 Super Bowl- IWV- 14, Western- 12 "Talk about having a phenomenal season, The Varsity boys did a great job. Rallying back late in both games to come out on top. By far some of the best football I have ever seen and coached. These players had no quit in them always working hard each week trying to get ready for each opponent. Biggest thing I would like to say is the team’s ability to overcome adversity and how they dealt with it towards the end of the season. They never panicked handled themselves very maturely and professional. We had some major obstacles to overcome and they banded together as a team to figure out how to keep pushing. The team improved each and every week leading into playoffs. We played some of our best football in the post season play. When the opportunity presented itself, the kids really stepped up and performed. All season we talked about success and what it looks like. well, they were listening they deserve everything they have accomplished this season. Congrats and thank you to all of the Varsity players and staff for a job well done." - Coach Bird

The Tarkov wipe is almost here. What is likely to be one of, if not the final pre-wipe event in Escape From Tarkov has kicked off, signalling that the next Tarkov wipe is likely to launch within the next 48 hours. As announced on the official Escape From Tarkov social media accounts, the traditional fire sale pre-wipe event has kicked off, with traders selling a ton of their items for just a single rouble. This follows around a week of pre-wipe events that has included a lot of the other usual events we see each wipe, and some new ones, including the addition of smugglers . Now, if you head into Tarkov , you can buy almost everything from the traders for just a single rouble, or whichever currency they typically ask for. This means you have a day or so to build all your best weapons and finally get to try them out, or come up with some builds that you could use when the next wipe starts. However, everyone will also be in the same boat, so expect to see some very kitted out PMCs for the next few hours. Despite some worries, the fire sale event all but confirms that the next Escape From Tarkov wipe will launch this week . The fire sale is traditionally the last or penultimate pre wipe event we get, and each one tends to last around 24 hours, so that means the wipe is coming very soon. Urgent New Gmail Security Warning For Billions As Attacks Continue Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Clues And Answers For Wednesday, December 25 NYT ‘Strands’ Today: Hints, Spangram And Answers For Wednesday, December 25th After looking like this would be the case for a while, it is now all but confirmed that the next Tarkov wipe will arrive tomorrow, December 26, or Friday, December 27. I’d be putting my money on the 26th, given wipes tend to arrive on a Thursday, but last minute delays could push that back further. When the wipe does arrive there will obviously be some server downtime and then the usual issues with server loads when they do go back up, so even if it does launch on the 26 maybe don’t end your festive celebrations early in the hope you can jump into Tarkov first thing in the morning. But when you are able to get into Escape From Tarkov there will be a big new update that is set to add a lot of new toys . There will be new weapons, including a massive new sniper rifle that looks like one of the coolest weapons Tarkov has added for a while, and a mysterious new type of extraction we know very little about.Mass Effect project director says there's one DLC you should "make sure you play"