luck rabbit and steel

No. 24 Arizona is coming off consecutive defeats for the first time in the Tommy Lloyd era when it faces undefeated Davidson on Wednesday to begin the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas. Arizona (2-2) lost at Wisconsin 103-88 on Nov. 15 and followed that with a home loss against Duke 69-55 on Friday. The Wildcats have dropped 15 spots in the Associated Press Top 25 poll in two weeks. Arizona's record is .500 this early in a season for the first time since it was 3-3 to start the 2017-18 schedule. "I've got work to do, so let's get to work," said Lloyd, in his fourth year as Arizona's head coach. "Let's see where we're at in a month, and if we're still struggling, you know what I'll do? I still got work to do, but I'm gonna get to it." Arizona shot 39.6 percent from the field against Duke, and just 26.1 percent (6 of 23) from 3-point range. The Wildcats were outrebounded by 43-30 and their 15 turnovers led to 19 points. Jaden Bradley led Arizona with 18 points and KJ Lewis added 12. Preseason All-American Caleb Love had eight points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field, including 1-of-9 from 3-point range. Arizona made only one field goal in the last 5:39 as Duke pulled away after its lead was trimmed to six points. "We didn't play great," Lloyd said. "Now we need to take a step back and figure out why. Are there some schematic problems? Are there some problems with how our personnel is kind of put together? "We got to figure out what our certainties are, and the things we have to have, and then over the course of the next couple of days, if there's adjustments we need to make, we need to figure out what those are." Davidson is 4-0 after a 15-17 record last season, in which it lost its last six games to put an end to postseason hopes. A 93-66 win over visiting VMI on Friday followed a 91-85 win at Bowling Green and 76-70 victory over visiting East Tennessee State. The two wins by 10 points or fewer are important because Davidson was 6-12 in such games last season. It was 4-11 in games decided by five points or fewer. "The goal (is) to get better," Davidson head coach Matt McKillop said after the season opener. "We talk about fighting to win every possession. I think we had to figure out what that really felt like with the lights on." Davidson made 13 shots from 3-point range in the win over VMI. Reed Bailey had 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Bobby Durkin added 19 points, including 17 of them and a career-best five 3-pointers in the first half. Bailey leads Davidson in scoring (19 points per game) and rebounding (7.8). Durkin is shooting 57.9 percent (22 of 38) from the field and 54.2 percent (13 of 24) from 3-point range. By contrast, Arizona's Love is shooting 32 percent (16 of 50) from the field and 21.4 percent (6 of 28) from beyond the arc. Bradley leads Arizona with 15.5 points per game. He is shooting 50 percent (24 of 48) from the field and is 35.7 percent (5 of 14) from 3-point range. --Field Level MediaMOSCOW: Russia’s central bank kept interest rates at 21 percent on Friday despite surging inflation, a surprise decision that follows criticism from the country’s political and business elite over the effects of higher borrowing costs on the economy. Moscow has struggled to rein in inflation, which has soared during the Kremlin’s almost three-year offensive in Ukraine. Prices are rising fast across the Russian economy, pushed up by massive government spending on the military campaign and deep labor shortages. Most economists had expected a rate hike to be announced Friday, but the bank appeared to have heeded harsh criticism by Russia’s business and political establishment, most of which does not want to see them rise further. The “unexpected” decision could show the central bank is “putting on a brave face amid unsustainable political pressure “, said Alexander Kolyandr, a researcher at the US-based Center for European Policy Analysis. “The test for the regulator’s independence—so far preserved by the Kremlin—will come at the next rate meeting,” he told AFP. This is set to be held on February 14, days before the third anniversary of Moscow’s Ukraine offensive. At his year-end press conference on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin had said he hoped the central bank would make a “balanced” decision that would “meet the demands of today”. He also said prices rises were “unpleasant and bad” but the sanctions-hit economy was stable. Over the last 18 months, the central bank has hiked rates aggressively in the face of a slumping currency and stubborn price rises. Central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina said at a press conference on Friday that the economy was already seeing “harsh monetary and credit conditions that should ensure the slowing of inflation in the coming quarters”. Lending growth rates fell sharply in November and the central bank needs time to see if this trend becomes long-lasting, Nabiullina said. “Therefore we paused raising the interest rate” and at the next meeting “will assess the expediency of raising it further”, she said. Annual inflation is estimated to have increased to 9.5 percent as of December 16, more than twice the government’s four-percent target. The Russian economy is facing a cocktail of headwinds as its offensive on Ukraine nears the three-year mark. The central bank has predicted a sharp slowdown in growth next year—to below 1.5 percent, from over 3.5 percent this year. Alongside high inflation and labor shortages, Western sanctions have sent the value of the ruble plunging and growth is set to slow next year. That has raised concerns about the possibility Russia could see a period of stagflation—low growth and high interest rates—something economists see as tricky for policy makers to deal with. High interest rates have so far had only limited impact in bringing down prices, but have triggered a backlash among borrowers and businesses. “The economy can’t survive like this for long,” German Gref, CEO of Russia’s largest lender, state-run Sberbank, said this month. Even Putin’s closest allies have complained. Sergei Chemezov, head of the Rostec military-industrial conglomerate and a close friend of the president, described interest rates above 20 percent as “madness”. Nabiullina on Friday defended the central bank, saying it “takes decisions based on our assessment of the situation and our forecast”. “It’s not immediately obvious that the central bank’s decision today was driven by external pressure on policymakers, but it’s worth noting that criticism against aggressive monetary tightening has increased recently,” said Liam Peach, senior emerging markets economist at London-based research group Capital Economics. “This will be something to watch in the coming months if the central bank becomes a bit less responsive to the latest inflation developments,” Peach said. — AFPluck rabbit and steel 。

NoneJurors end 1st day of deliberations without a verdict in the YSL gang and racketeering trial

Walmart's DEI rollback signals a profound shift in the wake of Trump's election victory

ABÚ ZABÍ, Spojené arabské emiráty--(BUSINESS WIRE)--XI 26, 2024-- Summit o umělé inteligenci s otevřeným zdrojovým kódem v Abú Zabí, který pořádá Technologický inovační institut („Technology Innovative Institute“, TII), globální centrum aplikovaného vědeckého výzkumu, odstartoval kritickými rozhovory, které budou formovat globální agendu v oblasti umělé inteligence. Summit, který se dnes a zítra koná v hotelu St. Regis Saadiyat Island za účasti více než 300 účastníků, se sbližuje s rostoucím mezinárodním zaměřením na tah a tlak mezi umělou inteligencí s otevřeným a uzavřeným zdrojovým kódem. Tato tisková zpráva obsahuje multimediální prvky. Celou zprávu najdete zde: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241126463688/cs/ Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute Inaugurates Open-Source AI Summit with Critical Discussions on the Future of AI (Photo: AETOSWire) „Když se mluví o AI, existují dvě zásadní možnosti,“ řekl J. E. Faisal Al Bannai, generální tajemník Rady pro výzkum pokročilých technologií a poradce prezidenta SAE. „Můžete využít model umělé inteligence s uzavřeným zdrojovým kódem, který patří společnosti. Ta jej kontroluje, včetně dat, která jí poskytnete. Inovace začínají a končí u nich. „Alternativně můžete využít model s otevřeným zdrojem, který roste v rámci komunity. Inovujeme společně a kdokoli a kdekoli k němu může přistupovat a stavět na něm. Má-li se umělá inteligence stát součástí struktury naší společnosti – a ona se stane –, musí se země, společnosti i jednotlivci rozhodnout, kdo ji bude řídit. Otevření modelů Falcon AI bylo příspěvkem TII světu.“ Dr. Najwa Aaraj, výkonná ředitelka společnosti TII, která summit zahájila, řekla: „Summit o umělé inteligenci s otevřeným zdrojovým kódem v Abú Zabí je rozhodujícím momentem pro globální diskusi o umělé inteligenci. Falcon, stejně jako ostatní modely s otevřeným zdrojovým kódem, spojuje vědce, vývojáře a inovátory s cílem urychlit technologický pokrok jako katalyzátor celosvětových změn. Těšíme se na to, jaký dopad bude mít, zejména když budeme pokračovat v naší spolupráci s nadací Falcon Foundation.“ Program summitu pokračoval diskusemi renomovaných řečníků, včetně Dr. Belgacema Haba, viceprezidenta společnosti Adeia Corporation v USA, který hovořil o výzvách, jež umělá inteligence vytvořila v oblasti výroby polovodičů. Prof. Philip Torr, profesor a hlavní vědecký poradce Oxfordské univerzity ve Spojeném království, hovořil o tom, kdo by měl vlastnit umělou inteligenci, dotkl se možných nevýhod i regulace a tvrdil, že z dlouhodobého hlediska výhody umělé inteligence s otevřeným zdrojovým kódem převažují nad riziky. Dr. Hakim Hacid, hlavní výzkumný pracovník výzkumného centra umělé inteligence TII, řekl: „Věříme, že umělá inteligence s otevřeným zdrojovým kódem je cestou vpřed, ale není to zdaleka jednoduché – existují výzvy a otázky týkající se kontroly, politiky, výpočetního výkonu a hardwaru, které musíme vyřešit. Proto jsme na tento summit svolali tolik světových odborníků a budeme v tom pokračovat i v dalších letech ve spolupráci s nadací Falcon Foundation. Tyto rozhovory jsou klíčové.“ Mezi pozdějšími řečníky budou Dr. Natalia Vassilieva, viceprezidentka a provozní technická ředitelka společnosti Cerebras Systems v USA, Dr. June Paik, zakladatelka a generální ředitelka společnosti FuriosaAI v USA, Dr. Armand Joulin, ředitel výzkumu ve společnosti Google DeepMind ve Francii, a Dr. Michal Valko, hlavní inženýr modelu Llama ve společnosti Meta Paris ve Francii. Budou hovořit o stupních otevřenosti umělé inteligence, udržitelných výpočtech umělé inteligence, vytváření kompaktnějších LLM, využívání základních modelů pro důvěryhodné algoritmy a dalších tématech. Dr. Jingwei Zuo z TII bude hovořit o Falcon Mamba, prvním modelu jazyka stavového prostoru, který byl vytvořen s využitím zcela nové architektury a spuštěn na začátku tohoto roku. Summit vyvrcholí panelem vedeným společností TII o její vizi pro umělou inteligenci s otevřeným zdrojovým kódem. Řada Falcon AI LLM TII si získala celosvětové uznání. Řada byla zahájena uvedením Falcon 40B, prvního LLM s otevřeným zdrojovým kódem ve Spojených arabských emirátech, v květnu 2023. Od té doby se následující modely Falcon trvale řadí mezi nejlepší modely umělé inteligence s otevřeným zdrojovým kódem na světě, jak potvrzuje nezávislý oborový žebříček Hugging Face. Nový model Falcon se očekává do konce roku 2024. *Zdroj: AETOSWire Text této zprávy v původním, zdrojovém jazyce je oficiální verzí. Překlad této zprávy do jiných jazyků poskytujeme pouze jako doplňkovou službu. Text zprávy v původním, zdrojovém jazyce je jedinou právně závaznou verzí této tiskové zprávy. Zdrojovou verzi najdete na businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241126463688/cs/ CONTACT: Victoria Meven victoria.meven@edelman.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES FRANCE UNITED KINGDOM UNITED ARAB EMIRATES NORTH AMERICA EUROPE MIDDLE EAST INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SCIENCE SOFTWARE OTHER SCIENCE RESEARCH HARDWARE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY OTHER TECHNOLOGY SOURCE: Technology Innovation Institute Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/26/2024 04:55 PM/DISC: 11/26/2024 04:56 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241126463688/cs

Every 18 months or so, the Moon perfectly aligns with our view of the Sun, obscuring the face of the star. Although it lasts for a few minutes, a total solar eclipse is the perfect opportunity for scientists to probe the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere, known as the corona, which is usually hidden by the star’s light. An upcoming mission aims to recreate this naturally occurring event on a much more regular basis, with one spacecraft covering the Sun for the other. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 is gearing up for launch on Wednesday at 5:38 a.m. ET. The double-satellite mission will liftoff from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, riding on board the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) PSLV-XL rocket. The launch will be live-streamed on ESA Web TV , with the ISRO broadcast beginning around 30 minutes before liftoff. Why are there two satellites? While the two satellites will launch together, the pair are set to separate about 18 minutes after liftoff to begin an extremely precise demonstration of formation flying. The satellites will launch to an extremely elliptical orbit around Earth, flying at a distance of 492 feet (150 meters) from one another. The satellites must maintain that distance with an accuracy down to a single millimeter to pull off the mission. “Proba-3 is very different because our satellites will be flying just one and a half football fields away from each other during active formation flying. And their relative positions will be maintained precisely to just a single millimetre for six hours at a time,” Damien Galano, Proba-3 mission manager, said in a statement . The two spacecraft will form one giant virtual telescope, with one casting a precisely controlled shadow on the other, blocking out the Sun’s light from view so that the other spacecraft, equipped with an optical instrument, can view the star’s corona. The mission’s active formation flying will take place at the top of its orbit, around 37,282 miles (60,000 kilometers) away from Earth. At that distance, Earth’s gravity won’t have as big of an effect on the spacecraft and less fuel will be required to shift their positions. “Early simulations showed we would need to make so many positioning adjustments with our thrusters that our propellant would be exhausted swiftly; the mission would have been over in about half an hour!” ESA’s Frederic Teston said in a statement . The spacecraft will take 19 hours and 36 minutes to complete one orbit around Earth, carrying out observations of the corona during a six-hour window of each orbit. Proba-3’s elliptical orbit takes it as close as 372 miles (600 kilometers) to Earth, going around in an elongated loop to expend as little fuel as possible during maneuvers. Ideally, the mission would be situated in one of the Sun-Earth Lagrange points, where the gravitational forces of the two bodies keeps an object in place in its orbit. But that would have required a larger budget; Proba-3 is considered a low-cost mission, according to ESA. Why do we study the Sun’s corona? The corona is a million times fainter than the Sun. The outermost region of the Sun’s atmosphere extends millions of miles into space, and hides the biggest mystery surrounding Earth’s host star. The solar corona heats up to around 2 million degrees Fahrenheit (around 1 million degrees Celsius), which is roughly 200 times hotter than temperatures on the surface of the Sun. The high temperatures of the corona are rather counterintuitive, and astronomers are not sure how the outer layers of the Sun are heated. Aside from its mysteries, the Sun’s corona also drives solar wind and coronal mass ejections, two main components that govern space weather. The charged particles in the corona escape into space, and can sometimes have an effect on satellites in orbit, as well as communication systems on Earth . What are the Proba missions? The Proba missions derive their name from a Latin word that implies the phrase, ‘let’s try,’ and also stands for PRoject for OnBoard Autonomy. The low-cost, small satellite missions seek to test new technologies and concepts in spaceflight. ESA has launched three other Proba missions thus far, with one currently observing the Sun. Proba-2 launched in 2009, and was originally meant to spend two years in a Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit but is still going more than 15 years later. Similarly, Proba-3 has an expected lifespan of two years. The limiting factor for the mission is propellant, with its cold gas thrusters required to make small pulses every 10 seconds during the satellites’ six-hour active formation flying phase. For a technology demonstration mission, the team has high hopes for the pair of tiny spacecraft. “When I first heard about it, Proba-3 seemed like science fiction technology,” Andrei Zhukov, principal investigator of Proba-3’s main instrument, said in a statement. “But the real-life design will truly deliver excellent science.”Middle East latest: Lebanon closes all its land border crossings with Syria except oneIn what is possibly the most high profile loss of this general election, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly lost his seat in the early hours of Monday morning. After two days and 13 counts, the Fianna Fáil minister lost out to Taoiseach Simon Harris's running mate Edward Timmins. The pair had been battling it out for the final seat but, having gotten just 6% of first preferences and with transfers strongly favouring Mr Timmins, Mr Donnelly just could not close the gap. In the hours before he lost the Wicklow seat, Mr Donnelly said that his chances of re-election were hampered by a strong "government vote" for Mr Harris and the loss of a seat in the constituency changes. In the months before the election, there were signs that Mr Donnelly was somewhat nervous about his chances. The decision to run him as the sole Fianna Fáil candidate in the constituency appeared to indicate that the party shared his concern. LIVE: GE24 updates Scroll for live results in your area Cork East Cork North Central Cork North West Cork South Central Cork South West Kerry Clare Limerick City Limerick County Tipperary North Tipperary South Waterford Dublin Bay North Dublin Bay South Dublin Central Dublin Fingal East Dublin Fingal West Dublin Mid West Dublin North West Dublin Rathdown Dublin South Central Dublin South West Dublin West Dun Laoghaire Carlow/Kilkenny Kildare North Kildare South Laois Longford/Westmeath Louth Meath East Meath West Offaly Wexford Wicklow Wicklow/Wexford Cavan/Monaghan Donegal Galway East Galway West Mayo Roscommon/Galway Sligo/Leitrim This weekend was not the first time Mr Donnelly faced a long and anxious wait to find out his fate. In 2020, he was not elected until the 15th count — failing to meet the quota. It was a tough election but, on that occasion, he scraped through. When the Government was eventually formed over four months later, Mr Donnelly took on the role of minister of health. The position has long been considered to be something of a poison chalice as, due to decades of mismanagement of the HSE, it means anyone who takes the position inherits a wealth of complex problems. However, it should be noted that the last three taoisigh — Simon Harris, Leo Varadkar, and Micheál Martin — all held the position prior to leading their respective parties and the country. When you add the fact that a large part of Mr Donnelly's four years in health was spent trying to contend with a global pandemic and its ripple effect across the entire health sector, it is difficult to come out unscathed. Mr Donnelly was also dogged by the enormous money pit that the new children's hospital has become, along with the number of children suffering while waiting for years to undergo spinal surgery. While the hospital was signed off by the outgoing taoiseach, the cost of the project continued to spiral, the completion date was pushed back multiple times, and relations between the Government and BAM deteriorated under Mr Donnelly's watch. Mr Donnelly said BAM had committed to a June 2025 completion deadline, but this has been met with great scepticism by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) and members of the opposition. The resignation of the interim chief executive of Children's Health Ireland days before the country went to the polls cast further doubt on the minister's promises. In October, Mr Donnelly told Cabinet that the number of children waiting more than four months for surgery is expected to fall from 129 to 87 by the end of this year. It was too little, too late for the parents and the electorate. No doubt, over the coming weeks Mr Donnelly will be trying to figure out where it all started to go wrong. Going by election results, his decline began when he joined Fianna Fáil. In 2011, a relatively unknown 35-year-old Stephen Donnelly was elected as a Wicklow TD taking 9% of first-preference votes. At this time he worked closely with now-Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore, whom he had encouraged to enter politics. The two shared a busy office in Greystones and were well received by their constituents. Ahead of the 2016 election, the Wicklow duo were the founding members of the Social Democrats —with Mr Donnelly serving as co-leader alongside Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall. It was at this time that Mr Donnelly hit his popular peak. Running as a Social Democrats TD on the promise of ensuring transparent governance and providing a strong economy that can underpin our society and communities, Mr Donnelly took 20% of the first-preference vote in Wicklow and was elected on the first count. Just seven months later, Mr Donnelly made the shock announcement that he was leaving the party he had helped to establish — but had not decided whether he would continue as an independent TD or join a party. "Ultimately, I couldn't ask people to believe in something I no longer believed in myself. Having tried, and failed, to get it working, the only honest option left was to step down," he said of the Social Democrats. The following year, he made his choice and announced he was joining Fianna Fáil — a party he had been vocally critical of in the past. This did not sit well with some of those who had elected him as a Social Democrats TD, which had been positioned as an alternative to the centrist parties of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. One of the reasons Mr Donnelly gave for leaving the Social Democrats was that he had "hoped to create something fresh, outward-looking, and brave". People then watched him join a party that has been in and out of power since the founding of the State, a party they did not view as fresh and brave. As a result, Mr Donnelly saw his first preferences share plummet from 20% to 7%. In four elections, Mr Donnelly has campaigned as an Independent, a Social Democrat, and a Fianna Fáiler. His inconsistency in his position may make voters wary of where he will stand in five years' time. Perhaps now, it is the electorate that feels he is asking people to believe in something that he is no longer sure of himself.

Dejounte Murray is rejoining the Pelicans vs. Toronto and drawing inspiration from his mother METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Dejounte Murray plans to return to the New Orleans Pelicans ' lineup on Wednesday night for the first time since fracturing his left hand in a season-opening victory over Chicago on Oct. 23. Brett Martel, The Associated Press Nov 26, 2024 3:13 PM Nov 26, 2024 3:35 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message FILE - New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray dribbles against the Houston Rockets during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game, Oct. 15, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith, File) METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Dejounte Murray plans to return to the New Orleans Pelicans ' lineup on Wednesday night for the first time since fracturing his left hand in a season-opening victory over Chicago on Oct. 23. And when Murray takes the court against the Toronto Raptors , his mother will be on his mind. After practice on Tuesday, Murray discussed his impending return and disclosed more details about the previously unspecified “personal matters” that caused him to leave the team during the final days of the preseason. His mother had a stroke, he said. “It was tough to leave and go deal with that. As she got better, she wanted me to come play,” Murray said of his last-minute decision to start against Chicago. He added that his hand injury near the end of that game was God's way of telling him, “‘Nah, you need to stay with your mom.’” “I was more concerned about my mother. That was my priority,” Murray continued. “I wasn’t really worried about my recovery.” Murray's mother has recovered well, he said, while he is “healthy and ready to help this team.” “I’m ready to hoop. Play for my mother — she’s going to be watching," Murray said. “I’m ready to compete, bring that winning spirit.” The Pelicans (4-14) certainly could use the help, having lost 14 of 16 games since opening the season with a pair of victories. Injuries have ravaged the roster. At times, all five starters have been out. Star power forward Zion Williamson has missed 12 games this season — one with an illness and 11 with a hamstring injury. Herb Jones has been sidelined by a shoulder strain and Brandon Ingram's status is in doubt after he sat out practice on Tuesday with calf soreness that also sidelined him during a loss on Monday night at Indiana. But at least two starters — Murray and fellow guard CJ McCollum — are expected to play against the Raptors. “I don’t care how many games we’ve lost. I just know every time I step on the floor I feel like we can win games,” said Murray, who had 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in his lone game with the Pelicans. "That’s just my mentality, and I feel like it can carry over to a lot of guys.” ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA Brett Martel, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Basketball Same old story in Philadelphia with Paul George and Joel Embiid out again against Houston Nov 26, 2024 1:32 PM NBA says Hawks violated player participation policy by sitting Trae Young for Cup game Nov 26, 2024 11:41 AM Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton tries to rediscover joy of basketball despite early season losses Nov 26, 2024 10:45 AMHONEYWELL AND BOMBARDIER SIGN LANDMARK AGREEMENT TO DELIVER THE NEXT GENERATION OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY; HONEYWELL UPDATES 2024 OUTLOOK