lucky me mac and cheese
Cyber Pandora’s boxEditorial: Operation Holiday sets out to help those in need
“Gladiator II” asks the question: Are you not moderately entertained for roughly 60% of this sequel? Truly, this is a movie dependent on managed expectations and a forgiving attitude toward its tendency to overserve. More of a thrash-and-burn schlock epic than the comparatively restrained 2000 “Gladiator,” also directed by Ridley Scott, the new one recycles a fair bit of the old one’s narrative cries for freedom while tossing in some digital sharks for the flooded Colosseum and a bout of deadly sea battle theatrics. They really did flood the Colosseum in those days, though no historical evidence suggests shark deployment, real or digital. On the other hand (checks notes), “Gladiator II” is fiction. Screenwriter David Scarpa picks things up 16 years after “Gladiator,” which gave us the noble death of the noble warrior Maximus, shortly after slaying the ignoble emperor and returning Rome to the control of the Senate. Our new hero, Lucius (Paul Mescal), has fled Rome for Numidia, on the North African coast. The time is 200 A.D., and for the corrupt, party-time twins running the empire (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger), that means invasion time. Pedro Pascal takes the role of Acacius, the deeply conflicted general, sick of war and tired of taking orders from a pair of depraved ferrets. The new film winds around the old one this way: Acacius is married to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, in a welcome return), daughter of the now-deceased emperor Aurelius and the love of the late Maximus’s life. Enslaved and dragged to Rome to gladiate, the widower Lucius vows revenge on the general whose armies killed his wife. But there are things this angry young phenom must learn, about his ancestry and his destiny. It’s the movie’s worst-kept secret, but there’s a reason he keeps seeing footage of Russell Crowe from the first movie in his fever dreams. Battle follows battle, on the field, in the arena, in the nearest river, wherever, and usually with endless splurches of computer-generated blood. “Gladiator II” essentially bumper-cars its way through the mayhem, pausing for long periods of expository scheming about overthrowing the current regime. The prince of all fixers, a wily operative with interests in both managing gladiators and stocking munitions, goes by the name Macrinus. He’s played by Denzel Washington, who at one point makes a full meal out of pronouncing the word “politics” like it’s a poisoned fig. Also, if you want a master class in letting your robes do a lot of your acting for you, watch what Washington does here. He’s more fun than the movie but you can’t have everything. The movie tries everything, all right, and twice. Ridley Scott marshals the chaotic action sequences well enough, though he’s undercut by frenetic cutting rhythms, with that now-familiar, slightly sped-up visual acceleration in frequent use. (Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo are the editors.) Mescal acquits himself well in his first big-budget commercial walloper of an assignment, confined though he is to a narrower range of seething resentments than Crowe’s in the first film. I left thinking about two things: the word “politics” as savored/spit out by Washington, and the innate paradox of how Scott, whose best work over the decades has been wonderful, delivers spectacle. The director and his lavishly talented design team built all the rough-hewn sets with actual tangible materials the massive budget allowed. They took care to find the right locations in Morocco and Malta. Yet when combined in postproduction with scads of medium-grade digital effects work in crowd scenes and the like, never mind the sharks, the movie’s a somewhat frustrating amalgam. With an uneven script on top of it, the visual texture of “Gladiator II” grows increasingly less enveloping and atmospherically persuasive, not more. But I hung there, for some of the acting, for some of the callbacks, and for the many individual moments, or single shots, that could only have come from Ridley Scott. And in the end, yes, you too may be moderately entertained. ‘GLADIATOR II’ 2.5 stars (out of 4) MPA rating: R (for strong bloody violence) Running time: 2:28 How to watch: In theatersDe'Vondre Campbell's mid-game quitting overshadowed the 49ers' offensive woesAI tool analyzes placentas at birth for faster detection of neonatal and maternal problems
Maharashtra will become a $1 trillion economy by 2028-2030, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said at the inaugural session of the World Hindu Economic Forum’s annual conference held on Friday at Mumbai. “We aspire to become a trillion dollar economy by 2028 - 2030, and for this we have formed an economic advisory council. We have had discussion on how to accelerate Maharashtra’s economic growth with the council,” Mr. Fadnavis said while speaking at the event. The statement assumes significance as the State’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) without accounting for inflation is ₹42.7 lakh crore or $500 billion, going by the numbers in the Budget document. Mr. Fadnavis met with chairperson of Tata Sons N. Chandrasekaran to discuss about the goal of reaching a $1 trillion economy. In his post on social media platform X, Mr. Fadnavis said, “N. Chandrasekaran ji , chairman of Tata Sons met me earlier today at my residence. He congratulated me and expressed confidence of a long term partnership between the Tata Group and the govt. of Maharashtra. We discussed various ways of accelerating Maharashtra’s growth. As the Chairman of Maharastra Economic Advisory Council, his work and that of 20 Top CEOs of Maharashtra resulted in a report that was submitted last year. This report is going to be a key enabler as we embark on the ambitious 1 trillion dollar economy goal for the State.” Speaking on the factors to reach the target, Mr. Fadnavis said that the speed of travel and speed of data will determine the growth. Mr. Fadnavis said stressing the need for India to become a player in the global supply chain. He highlighted the work undertaken in the 700 Km of greenfield road between Nagpur-Mumbai highway in a way that connects 16 districts to JNPT port. “These 16 districts will benefit from port-led development” he said. Mr. Fadnavis further asserted that the new Vadhavan port will be thrice as big as the JNPT port which currently handles 60% of India’s container traffic. “Even the world’s biggest ship can be anchored at this port,” he said adding that it would contribute to India’s aim of becoming a maritime power. He further lauded the government’s efforts in completing the 22 km sea link, connecting Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, within just five years. In the area of speed of data, Mr. Fadnavis suggested that “Mumbai and Maharashtra should be a data capital” asserting that nearly two-thirds of India’s data centre capacity is in Maharashtra alone and expressed confidence that this would increase in the future. Speaking about artificial intelligence, he referred to the technology as a positive disruption and underlined that it had to be embraced. “Technology is like a horse. If you sit on a horse and travel, it will increase our speed. We must not be afraid of the horse,” he said. Published - December 14, 2024 12:39 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Maharashtra / business (general)
Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to murder and weapons charges in UnitedHealthcare CEO's death
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Ramiro Enrique scored a first-half goal and that was all goalkeeper Pedro Gallese would need to lead Orlando City to a 1-0 victory over rival Atlanta United in an Eastern Conference semifinal at Inter&Co Stadium on Sunday. No. 4 seed Orlando City, in its first trip to the conference final, will host the seventh-seeded New York Red Bulls next Saturday or Sunday with a trip to the MLS Cup final on Dec. 7 on the line. The Red Bulls have made the playoffs in 14 straight seasons but never won the Cup. Orlando City grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute on an unassisted goal by Ramiro Enrique , who scored off a corner kick that struck the chest of teammate César Araújo near the goal. It was the first goal contribution for Enrique in seven playoff appearances. He scored eight times in the regular season - his second in the league. Gallese did not have to make a save in his 10th career postseason start — all with Orlando City. Three of his five shutouts in the playoffs have come in the past two seasons. He had eight clean sheets during the regular season. Brad Guzan saved three shots for Atlanta United. He has started 18 times in the postseason for Atlanta United following four starts for Chivas USA in 2006-07. RELATED COVERAGE Bruce Arena hired by San Jose Earthquakes to take over as coach and sporting director Lionel Messi earned more than the entire payrolls of 22 other MLS teams in 2024 Messi Mania helps drive record growth for MLS Atlanta United lost Daniel Ríos to concussion protocol four minutes into the second half and Ronald Hernández replaced him. Atlanta United has had the upper hand in the series during the regular season, posting an 11-4-7 record. Atlanta United won both matchups this regular season — 2-1 on the road and 2-0 at home. The two clubs had never met in the postseason. ___ AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer
TransMedics Appoints Gerardo Hernandez as Chief Financial Officer and Provides Updated 2024 Financial Outlook
Nothing's guaranteed, but Bucs need to win out to give themselves best shot to make the playoffsBipartisan Bill Introduced to Protect Consumers' Privacy and Vehicle Data
Las Vegas Grand Prix Puts Luxury on Overdrive and Delivers High-Octane HospitalitySource: Running back-returner Javon Leake staying put with Edmonton ElksNone
Fianna Fail and Fine Gael eye independent TDs as option to secure Dail majorityREADY FOR PRIME TIME?
SoFi Technologies ( SOFI 3.93% ) stock is finally back in the market's favor after declining for most of the year. SoFi doesn't fit neatly into a particular box; it's a bank, but not quite a bank stock . It's a tech-driven company, but a lot more. In some ways, it almost defines the fintech category , but it defies conventional labeling because its banking business provides a lot more stability than the classic fintech. So it isn't surprising that the market doesn't always know what to make of it. It's been fairly volatile since its initial public offering, and that's happening now. After falling for most of 2024, it's doubled over the past three months. There's a lot to unpack with SoFi. Let's jump in and try to make sense of the company and whether or not you should buy the stock now. The fintech bank stock SoFi, a fully digital bank, has consistently shown impressive growth and success in recent years. It started as a student loan cooperative and still targets the student and young professional demographics. It's an excellent niche that's ripe for picking, because these younger users don't necessarily relate to big, established banks that could offer intimidating and complicated services. SoFi aims to be the opposite of that -- everything is online and easy to use, and it's establishing its brand as the go-to for simple and functional financial services. This is drawing attention, and members have been joining at a rapid pace. There were 756,000 new members in the third quarter for a total of nearly 9.4 million, and that's how it's been going for years already. SoFi often touts its strategy of hooking younger customers with its ease of use, high rates, and low fees, and keeping them in the SoFi ecosystem as their needs evolve and increase. That leads to high engagement rates, more product adoption, higher sales, and scale. It added 1.1 million products in the quarter for a total of 13.7 million. Revenue growth accelerated in the quarter to 30% year over year, and that spilled into increased profitability. Net income was $58 million in the quarter, up from a loss last year, and it was the fourth consecutive quarter with positive net income on a generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis. Management is guiding for further strong growth and positive profits for the full year. More to the story That's a simplified version of what's going on, true as it may be. Here are some of the deeper and more complex layers that the market is watching and factoring into SoFi's stock price. SoFi is at its core a lending company. It has diversified into financial services and a white-label financial infrastructure business, but lending still accounts for the bulk of its business. The cross-selling strategy is working, but it's not just a way to generate higher revenue and increase engagement. It's been vital to the company's performance during a period of high interest rates and pressure in lending. For the past few quarters, management had warned that lending revenue for the year would be below 2023. Since lending is still most of the business, that was a letdown. Lending also accounts for most of the profits. So even though on a consolidated basis the company has been profitable, it was a precarious profitability. The non-lending segments continue to grow as a percentage of the whole, and they were both profitable in the third quarter. Together, financial services and tech platform were 49% of total adjusted revenue. The financial services segment has been outstanding, increasing 102% in the quarter, and management expects it to increase 80% for the full year. It also raised guidance across the board, and it now expects lending revenue to at least match 2023 levels. With interest rates finally being cut, that could generate even better results in the lending business in the near term. Where the stock is going If SoFi was valued like a regular bank stock, it would be astronomically expensive at the current price. It trades at a forward one-year P/E ratio of 60, whereas the typical bank trades for around 10. Banks are also usually valued by a price-to-book value , and a ratio higher than 1 could be expensive. SoFi's price-to-book ratio is 2.6. But the market understands that SoFi is a tech stock, and a growth stock. It's still in an aggressive growth stage, with high capital expenditures to capture market share and develop its platform. Most banks operate with lower growth rates, and their size allows them to easily cover their expenses with revenue. Since SoFi is expected to keep growing at high rates, it can carry a higher valuation. At the current price, there's enough room for SoFi stock to climb without becoming unreasonably expensive, and investors can feel comfortable taking a position right now if they plan to hold for the long term.
Riyadh Metro Successfully Delivered by Parsons-Led Joint Venture
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, has died at 100ATLANTA — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023, spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. People are also reading... “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who lost popularity after pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors. He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition, saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners. He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
The Australian sharemarket is tipped to open weaker despite a rally from some of the world’s largest technology companies that spurred a rebound on Wall Street. ASX 200 futures were down 15 points or 0.2 per cent at 8.183 at 7.15 AEDT, after the S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 1.7 per cent on Monday to post its best session in six months. Overnight, US stocks recovered from a wobble that was fuelled by weaker-than-expected data on US consumer confidence. While most companies in the S&P 500 retreated, Tesla and Nvidia drove a gauge of the “Magnificent Seven” megacaps up over 1 per cent. However, it was a thin trading session at the start of a holiday-shortened week, with volume roughly 20 per cent below the average of the past month. Wall Street recovered from an early wobble as the heavyweight technology stocks spurred a rebound. Credit: Bloomberg “Primary uptrends remain intact for equities despite the recent profit-taking,” Craig Johnson at Piper Sandler said. “Given the short-term oversold conditions, we expect a ‘Santa Claus Rally’ to be a strong possibility this year.” To Morgan Stanley’s Michael Wilson, negative breadth — when falling shares outnumber those that are rising — may not matter as much for high-quality stock indexes with robust price momentum. Earlier, stocks lost steam momentarily after data showed consumer confidence unexpectedly sank for the first time in three months on concerns about the outlook for the US economy. “The economic outlook is deteriorating,” said Neil Dutta at Renaissance Macro Research. “This was true before the Fed’s December confab and remains true. The risk of the Fed flip-flopping is quite high.” The S&P 500 added 0.4 per cent. The Nasdaq 100 climbed 0.7 per cent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average wavered. Qualcomm climbed after prevailing at trial against Arm Holdings’ claim that it breached a license for chip technology. Rumble soared on news that crypto stablecoin firm Tether will buy a stake in the video-sharing platform. Meanwhile, US retail giant Nordstrom is going private after the founding Nordstrom family, which owns a 33 per cent stake in the company, teamed up with Mexican retail investor El Puerto de Liverpool on the deal. Treasury 10-year yields advanced seven basis points to 4.59 per cent. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.3 per cent. The S&P 500 is on its way to record a stellar annual return and back-to-back years of more than 20 per cent gains. The index has risen about 25 per cent since the end of 2023, with the top seven biggest technology stocks accounting for more than half of the advance. “Last week’s action should mark the end of the recent pullback and allow a ‘Santa Claus Rally’,” said Jonathan Krinsky at BTIG. “We do think a deeper correction early in ’25 is likely, albeit from a new all-time high.” The prospect or not of a “Santa Claus Rally” during a seven-day period, which includes the last five trading days of the old year and the first two of the new one, continues to be a barometer of investors’ optimism into the new year. Bloomberg L.P.