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wild ace casino login register The 39th president of the United States has died at 100. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution confirmed the news with a post on X, stating the son of the former president said his father had died around 3:40 p.m. ET in his Plains home. People across the country and the world are reflecting on former President Jimmy Carter and his life, which was full of achievements. He died at the age of 100 at his longtime home in Plains, Georgia . While the 39th president will be remembered for setting a national energy policy and working on peace accords, it was his establishment of an agency aimed at responding to disasters that continues to impact many communities today. Since the country’s formation in the 1700s, local governments have faced disasters in which the needed response has been considered too great to handle. The federal government started providing aid and assistance in the early 1800s, but it wasn’t until Carter’s signing of Executive Order 12127 that an agency was solely tasked with responding to hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and other disasters. Before Carter was sworn in on Jan. 20, 1977, the country was reeling from natural disasters, with poor governmental responses that only made the catastrophes worse. In 1962, an extratropical cyclone slammed into the mid-Atlantic and became one of the most destructive storms ever to impact the states. The year 1964 brought the most powerful earthquake to ever strike North America, with a 9.2-magnitude quake shaking the ground underneath Alaska. Over the next five years, communities along the Gulf Coast would face double disasters from major hurricanes Betsy and Camille. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter speaks as he tours homes being built by Habitat for Humanity in Pascagoula, Mississippi, in May 2008 during rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina. (Photo by James Edward Bates/Biloxi Sun Herald/Tribune News Ser All these disasters caused extensive devastation and were responsible for killing hundreds of people, but a common theme emerged – poorly coordinated responses . According to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum , the president had universal support from governors and interest groups to form an agency to combat the problem. With the political will in hand, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was born on April 1, 1979. The agency was tasked with emergency management response and merged the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency, Federal Preparedness Agency, Federal Disaster Assistance Administration, Federal Insurance Administration, U.S. Fire Administration and half-a-dozen other programs. Gordon Vickery , a highly respected firefighter, who rose through the ranks to become the fire chief in Seattle, was selected as interim head of the then-2,400-person-strong agency. In the hours before the agency’s ramp-up, an accident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in Pennsylvania overshadowed the initial days of the agency and drew attention to inadequate preparedness surrounding highly volatile energy plants. Dangerous and now deadly severe weather is sweeping through the South Saturday evening, just hours after multiple tornadoes left damage in the southeastern part of Texas. Bill Bunting, Deputy Director of the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center join LiveNOW's Austin Westfall to give the latest weather update. The event would trigger one of many expansions of powers for the newly-formed agency. Carter signed Executive Order 12148 , which directed FEMA to develop a plan to respond to nuclear emergencies. Now, the agency, once solely tasked with emergency management responses, also gained civil defense responsibilities. These changes were far from the last for the agency with a then-$600 million budget. The position of leading FEMA appeared to become a preverbal carousel with three leaders in just two months. Stability among government ranks took a further hit when Carter lost his reelection campaign to former California Gov. Ronald Reagan. The changing of the guard at the White House did little to stop the trend of temporary appointments, as 1981 brought three additional heads to the agency. In addition to the change at the top, a political landslide gave the Regan administration the political power to change course on many aspects of government operations and that included FEMA. According to an agency history , developments in Cold War diplomacy contributed to more wartime hazard planning. The leader at the time, retired Army officer Louis Giuffrida, made it to be the longest-serving head of FEMA, but questionable actions and congressional investigation ultimately led to his resignation in 1985. The agency once again fell into the pattern where it was anyone’s gig, but a disaster known as Hurricane Hugo in 1989 served as a reminder of the importance of a functioning FEMA. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper called the ongoing disaster "catastrophic," as the state manages its worst flooding in a century. Search and rescue teams from 19 states, as well as the federal government, are on the ground trying to help residents. Cell phone service is down, and the governor's office reports more than 200 people have been rescued from flood waters so far. FEMA's Acting Director of Response and Recovery, Keith Turi, joins LiveNOW from FOX with the latest operation details. Hugo was the strongest storm to strike the U.S. coastline in two decades and came ashore in the Carolinas as a Category 4 hurricane with estimated winds of at least 135 mph. The storm produced $11 billion in damage, and FEMA was in charge of the response. A government history of the time period stated: "FEMA, the agency in charge of the response process, received most of the blame; FEMA, not Hurricane Hugo, was referred to as the real disaster." Again, the agency was the subject of congressional ridicule, with U.S. Sen. Ernest Hollings calling FEMA "the sorriest bunch of bureaucratic jackasses I’ve ever known." The administration of President George H.W. Bush pledged to set the course right on FEMA and searched high and low for its next head. The administration put their faith in Wallace Stickney from New England. No one could foresee that the agency would be tasked with its largest disaster in more than two years – Hurricane Andrew . The major hurricane made landfall on Aug. 24, 1992, as a Category 4 hurricane in South Florida. A NOAA reanalysis in 2004 upgraded the costliest hurricane ever to a Category 5. Similar to Hurricane Hugo, the response to the catastrophe was considered inadequate and had local, state and even some federal officials asking if the agency’s response made the disaster even worse. A federal investigation into the agency’s response found that plans for disasters were not adequate, local governments were overwhelmed and the movement of materials and personnel into the impact zone was too slow. The administration of President Bill Clinton brought a slew of new faces into the federal government, including James Lee Witt. The Arkansan knew a thing or two about emergency services and was appointed as the sixth permanent administrator of FEMA. Similar to other leaders of the agency, Mother Nature did not provide a grace period for Witt, as hurricanes, massive floods and West Coast earthquakes left few areas of the country unaffected. One of the largest disasters was the Great Flood of 1993, which impacted nearly a dozen states and caused damages of more than $15 billion across the Midwest. During the recovery, officials lauded FEMA’s response and confidence grew in Witt being the right person to lead the agency. Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter remains in home hospice after a series of hospital stays. Thomas Whalen, an associate professor of Social Sciences at Boston University joined LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow to discuss Carter's legacy. A series of disasters, including the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, proved the agency was at the beckoning of any municipality. Not long after the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, Clinton raised the FEMA position to cabinet-level status, underscoring the growing importance and reliability of the agency. During a 1998 interview , Witt was asked what adjustments were made that enabled outsiders to view FEMA in a more positive light versus the ridicule and scorn that had plagued it. "We worked hard at creating a more customer-focused agency," Witt said. "A major initiative was to provide customer service training to all FEMA employees, including senior management. This was a huge undertaking." After Witt’s reign, the agency would go on to have many ups and downs, including what news organizations reported was a botched response to Hurricane Katrina , which struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005. The major storm resulted in more than 1,300 fatalities and a damage figure that topped a 2023-cost-adjusted price tag of $191 billion. REPORT: 90% OF COUNTIES IN US EXPERIENCED AT LEAST 1 DISASTER IN PAST DECADE On significant anniversaries, FEMA leaders usually take to social media to reflect on the agency’s beginning, but on a daily basis, trainees are exposed to a message that reflects upon Carter’s role in its establishment. Located within FEMA training documents is a pledge that the commitment bestowed on the agency by Carter will never change. The passage reads: "On April 1, 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed the Executive Order that created the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). From day one, FEMA has remained committed to protecting and serving the American people. That commitment to the people we serve and the belief in our survivor-centric mission will never change." In many ways, the agency continues to follow one of the first lines ever uttered by the 39th president. During his inaugural address on that cold, 28-degree day in January, Carter boldly told the crowd of thousands: "To be true to ourselves, we must be true to others." The line was part of a 1,228-word speech that the White House Historical Association said was focused on rejecting mediocrity and restoring trust in the federal government. Read more of this story from FOX Weather.Hyderabad: Global IT and engineering solutions provider Techwave opened its second global delivery centre in Hyderabad, along with its first AI Engineering Hub , as part of plans to increase its headcount to around 6,000 in India by 2027. The facility, which is spread over 1 lakh square feet at Financial District, has a capacity to accommodate around 1,200 people, including the 100-seater AI Engineering Hub that will cater to over 300 global clients. Techwave currently has a global headcount of around 3,300, of which 2,000 are in Telangana between its GDCs in Hyderabad and Khammam. The US-based company is headquartered in Houston and also has a presence in Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, and Hungary, apart from India. "We plan to set up a facility in Warangal as well in Q1 of 2025 and plan to have a headcount of 1,000 each in Warangal and Khammam over the next 2-3 years. In India, we plan to house 6,000 out of our total expected global headcount of 7,000 by 2027," Damodar Rao Gummadapu, Co-Founder and Chairman, Techwave, told STOI on Saturday after the Telangana IT and industries minister D Sridhar Babu inaugurated the new GDC here. At Khammam, he said, the company is looking at ramping up the headcount to 800-1,000 people over the next year or so from the existing 400-odd techies, who support global clients in telecom and utilities with technologies such as 5G, as well as data analytics and data integration. He said at Warangal too, the teams will focus on supporting clients for global telecom and utilities. The teams in Hyderabad focus on digital transformation, building interfaces, data lakes, and application modernisation. The newly unveiled AIE will develop proof of concept (PoC) for clients primarily across sectors such as fintech, manufacturing, life sciences, telecom, and utilities, he added. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .

Huntsville committee hears where YWCA Muskoka has spent the town's donation dollars this yearAthabasca Oil Announces 2025 Budget Focused on Cash Flow Per Share Growth and Directing 100% of Free Cash Flow to Shareholder ReturnsWhen Bri Ramos was pregnant with her second child, she was already worried about the symptoms she experienced with her first. The lack of motivation or excitement. The that, up until having her first child, she never dealt with before. Then, she started having panic attacks in her second pregnancy. "I was like, 'Oh, here it goes again,'" Ramos, 36, told Business Insider. Her doctor saw Ramos "walking right into some bad postpartum" and took a proactive approach: prescribing Ramos Zoloft shortly after she gave birth. Ramos is one of the many mothers diagnosed with . found that diagnoses have doubled in the last decade. Dr. Nehaa Khadka, a maternal and child health epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente Southern California and lead researcher on the study, told Business Insider her team was surprised by how high the rise was. While it could be partly due to increased awareness and screening, there seems to be more at play. and are on the rise, and were turbocharged during the pandemic. Emerging cultural pressures or to can play a role too, therapists say. Behind the research, many say they still feel misunderstood, left in the dark, and lacking resources. Ramos, the founder and creative director of an ad agency, said one of the hardest postpartum adjustments for her was accepting a "new season" of her life. "So many women go through an identity crisis because it's like, 'I've been this high-achieving career woman, and now I am at home for the next six or 12 months taking care of a child,'" she said. She had to take time to figure out who she was as a mother, separate from her usual work routine. Not every working mom has the ability to take time off and transition into motherhood. There is no national paid maternity leave in the US; full-time working moms have to rely on their employers' individual policies. This puts mothers in a precarious position: if they can't take more time off to recover, their , putting their jobs on the line. When Stephanie Fornaro had her second child at 33, she had "just an overwhelming feeling of doom and sadness." She also felt resentment toward her husband when he went to work, leaving her fully in charge of their son. Because her symptoms were physically debilitating, she quit her software sales job for two years. Not working contributed to her depression, too. "When you're accustomed to a demanding job and 'performing' and then you go to a slower pace, and solitude, it's a major adjustment that I think many underestimate," Fornaro, 39, said. , potentially ignoring postpartum depression symptoms, can lead to quicker burnout — and leaving a career entirely. Justine Sterling Converse runs a women-owned event strategy and management company in Texas. She remembers many of her close friends in the industry jumping back into full-time work after taking three months of maternity leave. They all , unable to balance motherhood with working long hours and weekends. Once she started having children of her own, Converse realized how hard it was to return to full-time work so soon. "12 weeks is just when you're starting to have a routine with your baby," Converse, 40, and a mother of four, told BI. It was harder with postpartum symptoms. Converse was diagnosed with , something she hadn't heard of before. In her office of 10 full-time workers, she said about 75% of them have experienced postpartum depression, anxiety, or OCD. It's partly why her company policy includes 16 weeks of maternity leave and a 50% "transition" month for mothers to ease back into working full-time. Converse, who recently gave birth, is in a transition month herself and said it's been a huge help. "I willed myself to not go through postpartum again," Converse said. "And I still did." range from intense mood swings to thoughts of harming your baby. While it's common to feel "baby blues" when you first give birth, PPD is much more severe and can last for weeks or months. Still, it's one thing to know about postpartum depression. It's another thing to identify it in yourself when you experience new symptoms. "As a new mom, you're in survival mode," Fornaro said. She knew something was off, but didn't have the space and time to take stock of it all and see it for what it was. "Now, I can reflect and go, 'Wow, I really was struggling.'" Fear of judgment has kept some new parents from reporting their PPD, said Dr. Clayton Shuman, who led a on how the pandemic influenced a rise in postpartum depression rates. He said patients might hold back on sharing their symptoms like being unable to bond with their baby, "to avoid the stigma and guilt." Ramos believes more openness around the subject is helping. Out of her tight-knit friend group, four out of five women have had kids. All of them have had postpartum depression or anxiety, and openly discuss their symptoms. While Ramos experienced a lack of joy, a friend had intrusive thoughts about her newborn's health. In contrast, when Ramos' older sisters experienced PPD nearly two decades ago, one of them "just sat in her closet and cried." She thought her depressive symptoms were normal and, at the time, told no one. Postpartum symptoms , much longer than the three to four months of maternity leave many US full-time employees get. In contrast, like Greece and Iceland offer 26 weeks of leave or more. Some, like North Macedonia, if they need to, without fearing for their job security. For American mothers without as many federal safety nets, extra help makes all the difference. Fornaro's husband worried about her postpartum depression and offered to pay for a nanny, which she initially refused. "It took a lot of convincing and setting aside my pride," she said. Looking back, she said hiring extra help was the "best decision" for her family. Her nanny not only made every day more manageable, she offered crucial emotional support and helped Fornaro bounce back. In Ramos' experience, even the smallest interventions can radically change postpartum symptoms. She said she is grateful her doctor was so quick to diagnose her and prescribe medication; it made for a much smoother experience with her second child. "I'm just so thankful that I got to enjoy him being a baby and having fun with him," she said, remembering how overwhelmed she was when she had her daughter four years earlier. "I was just in a completely different state of mind." Read the original article on

Analysis: After pardoning son, Biden returns home to a credibility problemiCAD ( NASDAQ:ICAD – Get Free Report ) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Thursday. iCAD Price Performance Shares of ICAD opened at $1.54 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $1.54. iCAD has a 1-year low of $1.18 and a 1-year high of $2.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.87 million, a PE ratio of -11.85 and a beta of 1.47. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ICAD. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its position in iCAD by 55.6% in the first quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 21,286 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 7,604 shares during the last quarter. Perritt Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in iCAD by 14.2% during the 2nd quarter. Perritt Capital Management Inc now owns 159,900 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $208,000 after acquiring an additional 19,917 shares during the period. Essex LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iCAD in the 3rd quarter valued at $216,000. Finally, Perritt Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of iCAD by 7.5% in the first quarter. Perritt Capital Management Inc. now owns 139,983 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 9,717 shares during the period. 24.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. iCAD Company Profile iCAD, Inc engages in the provision of cancer detection and therapy solutions in the United States. It operates through two segments, Detection and Therapy. The company provides ProFound AI for digital breast tomosynthesis and 2D mammography; PowerLook, a density assessment solution; and ProFound Risk, a breast cancer risk analysis. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for iCAD Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iCAD and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) -The euro rallied on Thursday as French government bonds steadied a day after the collapse of France’s government, even as bitcoin soared to a record past $100,000, with investors cheering the nomination of a pro-cryptocurrency head to run the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The spread between French and German 10-year yields narrowed on Thursday to 76.9 basis points, the tightest gap since Nov. 22. That has helped support the euro. Despite Thursday’s gains, however, the euro was on track to post a loss this week, the fourth in the last five weeks. French President Emmanuel Macron met allies and parliament leaders on Thursday as he sought to swiftly appoint a new prime minister to replace Michel Barnier, who officially resigned a day after opposition lawmakers voted to oust his government. “The market is looking at the financial implications of the French government’s collapse. The takeaway seems to be that it’s not as impactful to the spending plans as initially thought, and that’s keeping the euro alive,” said Amo Sahota, executive director at FX consulting firm Klarity FX. “We saw a lot of similarities when Greece is going through a lot of political instability and that could be a major drag on the euro zone. We got two large economies within the euro zone with struggling governments: France and Germany and analysts are concerned about the euro and they have already lowered their projections as a result.” Germany was thrown into political disarray by the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition last month as well as disagreements over government spending. The euro was last up 0.6% at $1.0567, further moving away from the two-year low of $1.0332 hit at the end of November as traders braced for a drawn-out reckoning for France. In terms of technical factors, Shaun Osborne, chief FX strategist at Scotiabank in Toronto, said the positive short-term price action on Wednesday coupled with moderate gains through the low $1.05s on Thursday, have given “the euro a shot at extending a little higher to test key resistance and potential bull trigger at $1.0590.” Traders are also all but certain the European Central Bank will cut interest rates next week and are pricing in around 157 basis points of easing by the end of 2025. Meanwhile, bitcoin, the world’s best known cryptocurrency, has been on a tear since November on expectations that Donald Trump’s U.S. presidential election win will usher in a friendly regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies. It rose to an all-time high of $103,649 in Asian hours, boosted in part by President-elect Trump’s nomination of pro-crypto Paul Atkins to run the SEC. It was last up 1.3% at $99,147, taking its year-to-date gains to more than 130%. “With a better U.S. regulatory environment and next-generation stablecoins driving adoption in Europe, we believe bitcoin and the broader crypto market could continue to go from strength to strength,” wrote Arnoud Star Busmann, chief executive of Quantoz Payments, a Netherlands-based payments technology company. YEN ON THE RISE In Asia, the Japanese yen rose as high as 149.66 per dollar but was last up 0.4% at 150.01 as traders pondered whether the Bank of Japan will hike interest rates later this month. Analysts said comments from typically dovish policymaker Toyoaki Nakamura that he’s not opposed to rate hikes helped push the currency higher. Expectations had been growing that the BOJ will hike rates at its Dec. 18-19 meeting, bolstered by comments from Governor Kazuo Ueda, although media reports published on Wednesday suggested the BOJ may skip a rate hike this month. The South Korean won dipped slightly as the nation’s finance ministry said the government would activate 40 trillion won ($28.35 billion) worth of market stabilization funds after the chaos that followed President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration on Tuesday, which he rescinded hours later. The won was last down 0.2% at 1,413 per U.S. dollar. The dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against six rivals, fell 0.6% to 105.74. It extended losses after data showed initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 224,000 for the week ended Nov. 30. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 215,000 claims for the latest week. The spotlight will be on Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report for November, which is expected to show 200,000 jobs added in the month, according to a Reuters survey, after only 12,000 jobs were created in October, the lowest number since December 2020. Bets on Fed rate cuts held broadly steady, however, partly influenced by Wednesday’s weaker-than-expected services sector data and the higher-than-expected jobless claims. Markets are pricing in about a 70% chance of a 25-bp rate cut later this month, and a 30% chance of a pause. Currency bid prices at 5 December​ 09:06 p.m. GMT Descripti RIC Last U.S. Pct YTD Pct High Low on Close Change Bid Bid Previous Session Dollar 105.74 106.34 -0.54% 4.31% 106.37 105. index 69 Euro/Doll 1.0583 1.0509 0.7% -4.13% $1.059 $1.0 ar 509 Dollar/Ye 150.09 150.49 -0.29% 6.39% 150.76 149. n 69 Euro/Yen 158.85​ 158.29 0.35% 2.07% 159.38 157. 57 Dollar/Sw 0.8786 0.8847 -0.68% 4.41% 0.8852 0.87 iss 79 Sterling/ 1.2749 1.2702 0.38% 0.19% $1.2771 $1.2 Dollar 696​ Dollar/Ca 1.4026 1.4074 -0.33% 5.82% 1.4078 1.40 nadian 11 Aussie/Do 0.6449 0.643 0.31% -5.4% $0.6455 $0.6 llar 422 Euro/Swis 0.9298 0.9292 0.06% 0.13% 0.9322 0.92 s 91 Euro/Ster 0.8298 0.8277 0.25% -4.27% 0.83 0.82 ling 73 NZ 0.5883 0.5852 0.57% -6.87% $0.5886 0.58 Dollar/Do 49 llar Dollar/No 11.0336​ 11.0513 -0.16% 8.87% 11.0809 11.0 rway 11 Euro/Norw 11.6831 11.6168 0.57% 4.09% 11.692 11.6 ay 124 Dollar/Sw 10.8522 10.9227 -0.65% 7.8% 10.9454 10.8 eden 5 Euro/Swed 11.4844 11.4815 0.03% 3.23% 11.5235 11.4 en 83 (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Additional reporting by Harry Robertson in London and Ankur Banerjee in Singapore; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Tom Hogue, Sherry Jacob-Phillips, Susan Fenton, Frances Kerry, and Alexandra Hudson) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );NoneCal Ripken, Sr. Foundation opens new STEM center at Tinicum school featuring drones and free technologyLiberty Broadband Co. Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.44 (NASDAQ:LBRDP)

Back in the gameDOVER, Del. (AP) — Joshua Jones threw for one touchdown and ran for three as North Carolina Central wrapped up the regular season with a 52-10 win over Delaware State on Saturday. The defense also contributed a pair of touchdowns on interceptions, Eric Adams in the first quarter went 37 yards and C.J. Henry went 63 yards in the second. In all the Eagles (8-3, 4-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) had five takeaways. Jones had a pair of short scoring runs before the first defensive touchdown for a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. Jones was 11-of-15 passing for 199 yards and ran for 57. J'Mari Taylor rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown. Jaden Sutton ran for 113 yards and a touchdown for the Hornets (1-11, 0-5), who lost their 10th straight. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25 Get any of our free daily email newsletters — news headlines, opinion, e-edition, obituaries and more.

Tim Osborne, of Livermore, in grey, fences with Chris Schmaling, of Standish, on Saturday at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. Katie Langley/Portland Press Herald CAPE ELIZABETH — If you were walking in Fort Williams Park on Saturday afternoon, you might have noticed about a dozen medieval warriors engaged in heated fencing matches. The “citizens” of the Province of Malagentia — the local chapter of a national group of historical hobbyists and reenactors — hold regular meetups to fence and explore all facets of life in the Middle Ages. For many, the draw is more than the period-accurate garb or the thrill of beating their enemies in battle. “I like the sword fighting, but it’s the friends you meet along the way — it really is. It’s a really good community,” said a Waterboro-based participant who goes by the name Camille Des Jardins. “We didn’t fit in other places, and we fit here.” Greg Tremblay, of Boston, agreed. “(It’s) community — 100%,” said Tremblay, who plays under the name Gavin Kent. Malagentia is the local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism, or SCA, a group founded in 1966 with a focus on learning about and recreating the Middle Ages and Renaissance eras in the modern age. Most members have their own niche interests in the group, from traditional fencing practices to the Dutch masters of art. “Our goal is to educate people and encourage the exploration of things within that life. How did people cook? How did they dress? How did they make their swords?” said Collette d’Avingnon (her SCA name), of Biddeford. In addition to fencing and weaponry, players can take up activities like medieval dance, painting, cooking, woodworking, calligraphy and more. Des Jardins has the role of fencing instructor in the group. An SCA member for about 25 years, she dons a purple Elizabethan period-inspired outfit and armor. “I started fencing in college, and fencing is kind of the gateway for a lot of people,” Des Jardins said. “For years, I did nothing but fence, then I realized there’s other things. So now that I get involved, there’s dancing, there’s cooking, I do artwork.” Seth Wilhelm of Westbrook holding up a hockey jersey with the fencing chapter’s Malagentia seal. Katie Langley/Portland Press Herald Fencing practice meets each week at Payson Park in Portland in the summer months, and during winter at the Sullivan Gym at the University of Southern Maine. The friendly competition uses rapiers and daggers that are blunted at the end, so no one gets hurt. Touch your opponent’s limb, they can no longer use it. Hit them in an important artery, and they’re “dead.” Chris Schmaling, of Standish, who goes by Q in the SCA world, went up against Tim Osborne (also known as Rwuan), of Livermore. For Schmaling, SCA is a family affair. “My daughter has been doing this since she was 2 days old,” said Schmaling, who has been role-playing for about 25 years. Eli Parsons, of Portland, is a newcomer in the group. Parsons said he was hooked as soon as someone handed him a sword. “After COVID, I was looking for some kind of social club, something to get out and go do something,” Parsons said. “I happened to hear there was a sword fighting practice going on every Tuesday and I was like, ‘Let me check it out.’” Whether you’ve been in the organization for two decades or two days, SCA aims to be welcoming to all. “One thing that we really pride ourselves in is being accepting of people, so this is a place where anybody, it doesn’t matter where you come from, what you do ... we want you to come here and play and explore and feel safe doing so,” D’Avingnon said. We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors. « PreviousFormer India cricketer Vinay Kumar took to social media to mock Sanjay Manjrekar's comment about his bowling speed, questioning whether 120kmph was really considered medium pace. The former cricketer didn't hold back in his response, pointing out that he had consistently bowled at speeds higher than that throughout his career. "Sanjay bhai with due respect, your speed gun requires urgent servicing. 120KMPH Seriously? With God’s grace I take pride in my achievements, I am contented, satisfied and happy with my life," Vinay wrote on X. "Medium pacer like Vinay Kumar has worked really hard to become the 1st Indian fast bowler to take 100 IPL wickets also played for the country in all the formats. I take pride in my bowling. Anyways best wishes and regards," he added. Sanjay bhai with due respect, your speed gun requires urgent servicing. 120KMPH Seriously? With God’s grace I take pride in my achievements, I am contented, satisfied and happy with my life. Medium pacer like Vinay Kumar has worked really hard to become the 1st Indian fast... — Vinay Kumar R (@Vinay_Kumar_R) November 24, 2024 The recent post by Vinay Kumar was not made without reason. During his commentary on the first Test between Australia and India in Perth, Sanjay Manjrekar made a statement regarding the development of fast bowlers in India over the past decade. Manjrekar mentioned that the board regulated how much grass should be on the surface at the domestic level. "But I think that's gone, but what it also did was medium pacers like the Vinay Kumars, with no disrepect to him, were topping the wicket-taking charts because all they needed to do with grass on the pitch was put the ball at 120 kmph in the right area, and they got wickets," Manjrekar said. Vinay Kumar, who has represented India in one Test, 31 ODIs, and nine T20Is, was clearly not pleased with Manjrekar's comments. With a total of 48 international wickets and an impressive domestic career with 504 wickets in 139 first-class matches, including 442 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, Kumar felt compelled to respond. Additionally, his performance in the IPL, where he played 105 matches for four different teams and took 105 wickets, further solidified his credentials as a talented pace bowler. Also read| ZIM vs PAK: Zimbabwe stun Pakistan by 80 runs in rain-affected 1st ODI

300-plus unit San Jose housing tower could help fuel downtown revivalPresident-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that former Sen. David Perdue , R-Ga., had agreed to be nominated to be the next U.S. ambassador to China . “As a Fortune 500 CEO, who had a 40-year International business career, and served in the U.S. Senate, David brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform , noting that Perdue has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong and spent much of his career working in China and elsewhere in Asia. > Watch NBC Bay Area News 📺 Streaming free 24/7 “He will be instrumental in implementing my strategy to maintain Peace in the region, and a productive working relationship with China’s leaders,” Trump said. Perdue's nomination is subject to Senate confirmation. The bilateral relationship between the U.S. and China, the world’s two largest economies, is often described as the most important in the world. Ties reached their lowest point in decades in recent years, but both President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have been taking steps to improve them despite continuing disputes over trade, technology, human rights and the status of Beijing-claimed Taiwan. Trump, who takes office in January, started a trade war with China during his first term as president and has vowed to impose tariffs of 60% or more on all Chinese goods imported in his next one. Last week, he said he would impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods unless Beijing does more to stop the international flow of precursor chemicals for fentanyl. Perdue, who visited China as part of a congressional delegation in 2018, said in a Fox News commentary written with other senators after the trip that the U.S. needs to “wake up and do a better job competing with China.” “America’s outdated view of China could result in lost opportunities, or even worse, dangerous miscalculations or complacency,” the senators wrote. “We must have a long-term plan to compete and deal with China’s rising economic and geopolitical influence.” Perdue, 74, a former management consultant, was a Republican senator from Georgia from 2015 to 2021. He served on the Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees. He lost to Democrat Jon Ossoff in a runoff after the 2020 general election. In 2022, he ran for governor after Trump recruited him to challenge Republican Gov. Brian Kemp , who refused to help Trump overturn Georgia’s election results in 2020, when the state voted for Biden. Perdue lost to Kemp in the Republican primary by more than 50 percentage points. “David has been a loyal supporter and friend, and I look forward to working with him in his new role!” Trump said Thursday. Before he entered the Senate, Perdue had a long corporate career, including as president and CEO of Reebok and CEO of Dollar General and the North Carolina textile company PillowTex. The current U.S. ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns , told NBC News in October that U.S.-China competition would continue “into the next decade.” “It’s a very challenging relationship,” he said. “But it’s without any question the most consequential relationship that we Americans have with any other country.” Xi told Biden last month that he would work with the Trump administration and that “China’s goal of a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship remains unchanged.” This article first appeared on NBCNews.com . Read more from NBC News here:

NNA does not take into account dividends and interest, or growth from capital appreciation in investments. It is merely, money in, money out, and we watch it closely. All wealth management firms have a natural erosion in invested client funds. The biggest driver of this erosion is, of course, retirement. Many of our clients are retired and using the assets we manage to support their lifestyles. As our firm specializes in helping retirees with these strategies, we are continually sending hundreds of thousands of dollars out to many clients each month for income. Hopefully, in most environments these payments are supported by dividends, interest and realized capital gains, but because these sources do not count for NNA, on the firm level in order to maintain our firm growth metrics we must backfill these withdrawals with new clients or new deposits from existing clients. It’s just the way the business works. During a recent meeting with a business consultant, as they sliced and diced our firm-level performance data, a comment was made that our NNA had dropped some. The consultant further noted that the new deposit line was on the high end of expectations, but the outflows were also above trend, which is why the metric didn’t look great. “Do you have a client attrition problem?” was the probing question posed in response to the data. My response on that level was easy, we of course track that data carefully. “Nope, less than one tenth of one percent in 2024,” was my response. “The biggest driver of attrition is clients passing away, we’ll help the beneficiaries transfer if they already have an advice relationship,” I added. “Then why the outflows?” she asked. “Well, it’s their (the clients') money, and they’ve enjoyed two strong years of market returns. They keep buying things and paying things off," was my answer. She made a note. What I just described is a phenomenon called the wealth effect. The wealth effect is a behavioral economic theory suggesting people alter their financial and consumption behavior as the value of their assets rise. The wealth effect differs from conventional macroeconomic thought which focuses more on changes in income as the primary driver of consumer behavior. As a theory, the wealth effect is unconventional and therefore not without controversy. Some in the annals of academia would say the value of assets is merely correlated with increasing consumer confidence, rather than causational, and underlying it all is growing personal income and faster macroeconomic growth, which as a result drives asset (aka stock market) prices higher. But I’m not an academic. I provide wealth management and financial advice in the real world, to real people, and I can say definitively the wealth effect is valid, and it should be. The pursuit of wealth takes many behavioral and emotional forms. For some, the primary driver of this pursuit is security, as having money means the risk and insecurities life always serves up can be endured. For others, money equates to freedom, the primary benefit enabling choice in how to spend their time. Still others see wealth as a score card, an indicator of their abilities and success in their career, and some associate money with social status. In my experience, for most people money occupies a place at the center of a complex decision-making matrix combining multiple motivations. I find it fascinating. As an advisor, however, I view wealth primarily as a solver of problems. Sometimes problems are acute, such as college tuition bill due in three weeks, sometimes the problems are more subtle, such as how do I use my wealth to create an impact after I’m gone, and sometimes the problems look more like desires, such as how can I afford a lake house. All these examples require a strategy, and a stock market near all-time highs makes the strategies both evolve and easier to develop. This is the wealth effect. If at some point, the U.S. economy emboldened by government reform, peace overseas, new technologies and yes, high asset prices, were to enter a period of euphoria, let’s try to remember the problem-solving nature of wealth, as sometimes the best way to preserve gains in wealth is to take from appreciated assets and move it to other parts of life to improve lifestyles, relationships and everyday life. I love planning for the future, but it’s also important to realize the future unfolds one day at a time. Happy Thanksgiving.Lawmaker calls for adding ‘teeth’ to Kentucky’s new curbs on underage vapingNew Orleans (4-8) at New York Giants (2-10) Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox BetMGM NFL Odds: Saints by 5. Against the spread: Saints 5-7; Giants 3-9. Series record: Giants lead 17-15. Last meeting: Saints beat Giants 24-6 on Dec. 17, 2023, in New Orleans. Last week: Saints lost to Rams 21-14; Giants lost to Cowboys 27-20. Saints: overall (12), rush (10), pass (19), scoring (14) Saints defense: overall (30), rush (26), pass (29), scoring (19) Giants offense: overall (T26), rush (15), pass (31), scoring (32) Giants defense: overall (19), rush (29), pass (6), scoring (18) Turnover differential: Saints plus-2; Giants minus-8. Saints player to watch Derek Carr. The quarterback completed 23 of 28 for 218 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in the previous meeting and had a 134.8 quarterback rating. Giants player to watch Drew Lock. The veteran quarterback is going to make his second straight start with Tommy DeVito (forearm) hurt. He threw for 178 yards and ran for a career-high 57 yards in the loss to the Dallas. He scored on an 8-yard run and had a 28-yard scramble to set up another. He also made mistakes, throwing a pick-6 and losing a fumble on a scramble. Key matchup Saints offense vs Giants defense. The Giants defense is banged up. DT Dexter Lawrence (elbow) was put on injured reserve Monday and fellow starter Rakeem Nunez-Roches (neck) missed practice earlier in the week. Leading tackler and ILB Bobby Okereke is dealing with a back issue. Key injuries Saints: Tight end Taysom Hill's knee injury last week will sideline him the rest of the season. Running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) is eligible to come off injured reserve and could return to the lineup Sunday. Guards Cesar Ruiz (concussion) and Nick Saldiveri (knee) have been held out of practice this week. Center Erik McCoy (groin) , who sat out last week's game, returned to practice early this week on a limited basis. Guard Lucas Patrick (calf) has practiced on a limited basis after sitting out the past three games. Tyrann Mathieu (forearm) has returned to full practice this week after sitting out much of the second half of last week's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Giants: Lawrence and rookie TE Theo Johnson (foot) were placed on injured reserve and probably are out for the season. ... DeVito (forearm) and LT Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) missed the Dallas game but they are making progress this week. DeVito will back up Lock. ... Eluemunor and RT Evan Neal (hip) may be game-time decisions. ... CB Deonte Banks (ribs), Okereke (back) and Nunez-Roches (neck) are unlikely to play. WR Malik Nabers was added to the report Thursday with a nagging groin issue. Series notes The Saints have won two of the past three meetings. The Giants are winless in all six games at MetLife Stadium this season. Stats and stuff The Saints are 2-1 under interim coach Darren Rizzi, who was born in New Jersey and grew up a Giants fan. ... Carr ranks sixth among qualified passers with a 103.3 rating in 2024. ... WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling has had TD catches in his past three games. ... TE Juwan Johnson had five catches against the Rams. ... DT Bryan Bresee has a career-high 6 1/2 sacks and is looking for his third straight game with a sack. He had two sacks against New York last season. ... DL Chase Young has two sacks and three tackles for loss against the Giants in December. ... LB Demario Davis had 10 tackles and a sack in the previous meeting. ... CB Alontae Taylor is the only player with at least 10 passes defended and five tackles for loss in each of the past two seasons. ... Mathieu needs five tackles for his eighth straight season of at least 50 tackles. ... Giants: RB Tyrone Tracy ranks second among rookies with 619 yards rushing. He has run for four touchdowns. ... WR Malik Nabers has 75 catches for 740 yards. His reception total is the most by a rookie in his first 10 games. .... Wan'Dale Robinson has career-high 63 catches. ... OLB Brian Burns has a career-high eight passes defended and 10 tackles for loss. ... Okereke needs seven tackles for his fourth straight season of 100 or more tackles. ... S Tyler Nubin leads all rookies and ranks fourth among DBs with 93 tackles. ... The Giants have set an NFL record going 11 straight games without an interception. They have one interception this season. The NFL record for fewest in a season is two by the 2018 San Francisco 49ers. The fewest in a season by the Giants was six in 2022. Fantasy tip Look for running back Alvin Kamara to have a big game. He has 894 yards rushing on 206 carries and he has caught 59 passes for 450 yards. He has seven touchdowns, six rushing. The 29-year-old has had eight games of at least 100 yards from scrimmage this season and he is third in the league with 1,344 yards from scrimmage. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl The Associated Press

Spurs loss heaps pressure on Postecoglou, Manny Pacquiao in hall of fame, WNBA up tempo

Guidelines for visual health in the digital age released

A film set location, a big budget production, an audience bussed in - the prime minister's Plan for Change speech had all the hallmarks of big campaign moments past when Sir Keir Starmer used the event to launch his "first steps' set of promises - from cutting NHS waiting lists and setting up a new border command to tackle small boats - and his election-winning manifesto. Five months into government, on Thursday, he gathered his cabinet and crowd in Pinewood Studios to . But if it was meant to be a box office moment, it all felt a bit flat. Over the past 18 months, we've had three foundations, five missions, six first steps and now, on Thursday, six milestones, with a 42-page plan. Speak to the prime minister at the edges of these events, and he can make a compelling case for his missions and the clarity he has for government. But somehow it is getting lost in translation as the missions become the first steps, become milestones with three foundations to boot. It can be hard to find a narrative in what this government is trying to do. Thursday was an attempt to change that with six measurable milestones now set up so you, Whitehall and the cabinet, are all crystal clear about where they are heading. Some of them are a departure from manifesto pledges, others are not. Some of them are genuinely ambitious, others less so. The manifesto promise to have the fastest growing economy in the G7 is now an "aim" while the new milestone is to "raise living standards in every part of the United Kingdom, so working people have more money in their pockets" is a new target. The idea is to make the pledge more "human" but the PM wouldn't say how much he wanted to raise living standards - and household disposable income is already set to rise by the end of this parliament. Then on opportunity for all, in the run-up to the election the government promised to recruit 6,500 more teachers to improve teaching in state secondaries. Now the milestone they are asking to be measured on is a promise that 75% of five-year-olds are ready to learn in England when they start school against 67% today. There is a new milestone to fast-track planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects. There is a milestone to put a named bobby back on the beat in every neighbourhood, while the pledge to halve violence against women and girls has not been marked up as a milestone. Why are they doing it now and to what end? At its heart this is an attempt to give voters clear targets on which they can, to quote Starmer himself, "hold the government's feet to the fire". But it felt a bit like a rag bag of measures in which some past promises were pushed aside and others pumped up. The 1.5 million housing target, the pledge to return to the NHS standard of 92% of patients being seen for elective treatment in 18 weeks, the commitment to green power by 2030 are all ambitious. But things that are perhaps too risky or hard to meet have been dropped. One of the biggest omissions in the milestones was migration. This surprised me, not least because the prime minister had said clearly that the economy and borders were his two main priorities in government and a clear concern for voters. But instead of making it one of his milestone measures, for which the public can hold him accountable, the PM said securing borders was one of the "foundations" of his government. There is no metric on which to measure him beyond net migration coming down from record levels of 800,000 plus in the past couple of years. Perhaps he could have been more ambitious in setting a target to hit in terms of cutting legal migration or small boat crossings. Perhaps he could have committed to a deportation figure - something that Harriet Harman suggested he might have done on our episode of this week. But I suspect, in the end, Number 10 decided it was too risky to try to set targets. But with a disaffected electorate, high levels of scepticism, and a Reform party playing into that anti-politics sentiment, Starmer knows he must galvanise his government to try to deliver tangibles before the next election, and this speech will perhaps be looked back on as one aimed as much at Whitehall as it was you, the voter. He explicitly challenged the British state to deliver in this speech saying his Plan for Change was "the most ambitious plan for government in a generation" and would require a "change to the nature of governing itself" as he called on the state to become more dynamic, decisive, innovate, embracing of technology and artificial intelligence. "Make no mistake, this plan will land on desks across Whitehall with the heavy thud of a gauntlet being thrown down, a demand given the urgency of our times," he told his audience as he fired a warning shot to Whitehall. "I do think there are too many people in Whitehall who are comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline. Had forgotten, to paraphrase JFK, that you choose change not because it's easy, but because it's hard." 👉 👈 Starmer and his team know that without galvanising Whitehall and setting clear navigation through this mission and now measurable milestones, delivery will be hard. The plan is for stock takes on the missions and milestones in order to hold mandarins accountable. On the back of Starmer's milestones speech will come another from cabinet minister Pat McFadden on civil service reform. At the election, Starmer ran on a platform of promising change. Five months later, eyeing a sharp fall in opinion poll ratings, he is offering a concrete plan for change. For now voters seemed tuned out, with the pledges and targets being thrown at them failing to stick. I don't think Starmer or his team expect those polls to turn around any time soon. But they are adamant that if they can fulfil promises to build more homes and better infrastructure, cut NHS waiting lists, lift living standards, and give people a sense of greater security on their streets, they can turn the tide on the tsunami of cynicism they face. Starmer might not be the best storyteller, but in the end he'll likely be judged not on the flourish or rhetoric, but on whether he can actually deliver.

Vikings withstand Bears' furious rally, win on field goal in OT

NoneAP Business SummaryBrief at 5:26 p.m. EST