ocean water magical properties
Lawmaker faults critics of technology transfer commission billDalyn Wakely scores pair to lead Colts to 3-1 victory over Battalion
The 26-year-old man charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom on Tuesday, where he was denied bail and his lawyer said he’d fight extradition to New York City, where the attack happened. Luigi Nicholas Mangione was arrested Monday in the Dec. 4 attack on Brian Thompson after they say a worker at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, alerted authorities to a customer who resembled the suspected gunman. When arrested, Mangione had on him a gun that investigators believe was used in the attack and writings expressing anger at corporate America, police said. As Mangione arrived at the courthouse Tuesday, he struggled with officers and shouted something that was partly unintelligible but referred to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.” Mangione is being held on Pennsylvania charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Manhattan prosecutors have charged him with five counts, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. Here are some of the latest developments: Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Mangione mostly stared straight ahead during the hearing, occasionally consulting papers, rocking in his chair, or looking back at the gallery. At one point, he began to speak to respond to the court discussion but was quieted by his lawyer. Judge David Consiglio denied bail to Mangione, whose attorney, Thomas Dickey, told the court that his client did not agree to extradition and wants a hearing on the matter. Blair County (Pennsylvania) District Attorney Peter Weeks said that although Mangione’s fighting extradition will create “extra hoops” for law enforcement to jump through, it won’t be a substantial barrier to sending him to New York. In addition to a three-page, handwritten document that suggests he harbored “ill will toward corporate America,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Monday that Mangione also had a ghost gun, a type of weapon that can be assembled at home and is difficult to trace. Officers questioned Mangione, who was acting suspiciously and carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, as well as a U.S. passport, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Officers also found a sound suppressor, or silencer, “consistent with the weapon used in the murder,” she said. He had clothing and a mask similar to those worn by the shooter and a fraudulent New Jersey ID matching one the suspect used to check into a New York City hostel before the shooting, the commissioner said. Kenny said Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco and that his last known address is in Honolulu. Mangione, who was valedictorian of his Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a university spokesman told The Associated Press on Monday. Mangione comes from a prominent Maryland family. His grandfather Nick Mangione, who died in 2008, was a successful real estate developer. Mangione likely was motivated by his anger with what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain for corporate greed, said a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press. He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive health care system in the world and that the profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, which was based on a review of the suspect’s hand-written notes and social media postings. The defendant appeared to view the targeted killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO as a symbolic takedown and may have been inspired by “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, whom he called a “political revolutionary,” the document said. Police said the person who killed Thompson left a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side at 5:41 a.m. on Dec. 4. Eleven minutes later, he was seen on surveillance video walking back and forth in front of the New York Hilton Midtown, wearing a distinctive backpack. At 6:44 a.m., he shot Thompson at a side entrance to the hotel, fled on foot, then climbed aboard a bicycle and within four minutes had entered Central Park, according to police. Another security camera recorded the gunman leaving the park near the American Museum of Natural History at 6:56 a.m. still on the bicycle but without the backpack, police said. After getting in a taxi, he headed north to a bus terminal near the George Washington Bridge, arriving at about 7:30 a.m. From there, the trail of video evidence ran cold. Police did not see video of the suspect exiting the building, leading them to believe he likely took a bus out of town. Police said they are still investigating the path the suspect took to Pennsylvania. “We’ll be working, backtracking his steps from New York to Altoona, Pennsylvania,” Kenny said. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Barry Keoghan breaks silence after Sabrina Carpenter split as he begs trolls to stop the 'lies'
CanPay Launches Member Benefits Program, Partners with Cannabis Telehealth Platform NuggMD
None
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google on Wednesday unleashed another wave of artificial intelligence designed to tackle more of the work and thinking done by humans as it tries to stay on the technology's cutting edge while also trying to fend off regulatory threats to its empire. The next generation of Google's AI is being packaged under the Gemini umbrella, which was unveiled a year ago . Google is framing its release of Gemini 2.0 as a springboard for AI agents built to interpret images shown through a smartphone, perform a variety of tedious chores, remember the conversations consumers have with people, help video game players plot strategy and even tackle the task of doing online searches.
LONDON (AP) — A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros ($257,000) on Friday by a civil court jury in Ireland. Nikita Hand said the Dec. 9, 2018, assault after a night of partying left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer had called Hand a gold digger. The fighter, once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but now past his prime, shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men found him liable for assault after deliberating about six hours in the High Court in Dublin. He was mobbed by cameras as he left court but did not comment. He later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the verdict and the “modest award.” Hand's voice cracked and her hands trembled as she read a statement outside the courthouse, saying she would never forget what happened to her but would now be able to move on with her life. She thanked her family, partner, friends, jurors, the judge and all the supporters that had reached out to her online, but particularly her daughter. “She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice,” she said. “I want to show (her) and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.” The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand has done. Under Irish law, she did not have the anonymity she would have been granted in a criminal proceeding and was named publicly throughout the trial. Her lawyer told jurors that McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and took it out on his client. “He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” attorney John Gordon said in his closing speech. “A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is.” Gordon said his client never pretended to be a saint and was only looking to have fun when she sent McGregor a message through Instagram after attending a Christmas party. He said Hand knew McGregor socially and that they had grown up in the same area. She said he picked her and a friend up in a car and shared cocaine with them, which McGregor admitted in court, on the way to the Beacon Hotel. Hand said she told McGregor she didn't want to have sex with him and that she was menstruating. She said she told him “no” as he started kissing her but he eventually pinned her to a bed and she couldn't move. McGregor put her in a chokehold and later told her, “now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times,” referring to a UFC match when he had to admit defeat, she said. Hand had to take several breaks in emotional testimony over three days. She said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter and she feared she would never see her young daughter again. Eventually, he let go of her. “I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she testified. She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex with her. A paramedic who examined Hand the next day testified that she had never before seen someone with that intensity of bruising. A doctor told jurors Hand had multiple injuries. Hand said the trauma of the attack had left her unable to work as a hairdresser, she fell behind on her mortgage and had to move out of her house. Police investigated the woman’s complaint but prosecutors declined to bring charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely. McGregor, in his post on X, said he was disappointed jurors didn't see all the evidence prosecutors had reviewed. He testified that the two had athletic and vigorous sex, but that it was not rough. He said “she never said ‘no’ or stopped” and testified that everything she said was a lie. “It is a full blown lie among many lies,” he said when asked about the chokehold allegation. “How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings.” McGregor’s lawyer told jurors they had to set aside their animus toward the fighter. “You may have an active dislike of him, some of you may even loathe him – there is no point pretending that the situation might be otherwise,” attorney Remy Farrell said. “I’m not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch.” The defense said the woman never told investigators McGregor threatened her life. They also showed surveillance video in court that they said appeared to show the woman kiss McGregor’s arm and hug him after they left the hotel room. Farrell said she looked “happy, happy, happy.” McGregor said he was “beyond petrified” when first questioned by police and read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer more than 100 follow-up questions. The jury ruled against Hand in a case she brought against one of McGregor’s friends, James Lawrence, whom she accused of having sex with her in the hotel without consent.
Initial Roll-Out Provides Benefits for CanPay and NuggMD Customers in Pennsylvania LITTLETON, Colo. , Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Two leading cannabis technology companies announced a partnership that will make it easier for consumers to renew their medical cannabis recommendations in existing state-legal markets. The partnership is between CanPay , the largest legitimate payment network for cannabis retailers and consumers, and NuggMD, the largest telehealth platform for cannabis. Under the partnership, CanPay's consumer users who live in Pennsylvania will receive a 50% discount on medical cannabis recommendations when they renew using NuggMD's platform. The companies intend to soon apply it or a similar discount to patients in other states. This discount is the first offering in the CanPay Member Benefits program, which provides unique, exclusive discounts to CanPay users. In addition to the Member Benefits program, the payment network launched a rewards program in 2023 that allows users to win CanPay Points, which can be used to discount future purchases. To date, consumers have received more than $700,000 in CanPay Points. CanPay's easy-to-use app allows consumers to pay cannabis retailers with a simple debit from their checking account using the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network. Merchants with a compliant bank account at a CanPay-approved financial institution may join the CanPay network quickly and easily. CanPay's payment solution is built for traditional retailers as well as emerging markets and businesses in highly regulated industries. "The CanPay network is both large enough and diverse enough that other leading companies are finding significant value in providing exclusive discounts to our customers. We're kicking off our Members Benefit program with NuggMD, which provides valuable services to medical marijuana patients across the U.S.," said Dustin Eide, CEO of CanPay. "We plan to continue to offer new and exciting benefits to our customers through unique partnerships with companies that they know and love." Through this partnership, CanPay consumers in Pennsylvania will receive a code via the CanPay app to enjoy a 50% discount when renewing their medical cards through NuggMD. The exclusive benefit is expected to run through the end of January 2025. "We are committed to making medical cannabis recommendations easy and simple to secure because we believe that most cannabis use is rooted in wellness. Our partnership with CanPay reflects that commitment," said Bobby Brock, vice president of marketing at NuggMD. CanPay is accepted by 10 of the top 13 public company, multi-state operators (MSOs). The app's proprietary Purchase Power tool creates custom spending limits, with a maximum daily customer spending limit of $5,000. That's the highest advertised spending limit in the cannabis industry—and significantly higher than the amount of cash that a customer can withdraw from an ATM at one time. About CanPay CanPay, founded in 2016, is the largest multi-retail and ecommerce pay-by-bank payments network, seamlessly facilitating transactions between consumers' bank accounts and retail businesses. CanPay's easy-to-use payment solution is geared for traditional retailers as well as emerging markets and businesses in highly regulated industries. The CanPay team, with over 30 years of payments industry experience, set out to develop the most stable, reliable payment solution across retail sectors – one that saves both consumers and retailers money compared to traditional payment options, which rely on credit card networks that charge significant fees. CanPay's Purchase Power algorithm minimizes fraud, protecting retailers and consumers. The company continues to build its proprietary network of financial institutions, specialized technology providers, consumers and retailers – with the aim of making payments everywhere safe, simple, low-cost, transparent and even more rewarding. For more information, visit www.canpaydebit.com. About NuggMD NuggMD is the nation's leading medical marijuana technology platform, serving patients in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. They've connected over 2,000,000 patients face-to-face with their new medical marijuana doctors via their state-of-the-art telemedicine platform. They believe every human being has the right to explore the potential benefits of medical cannabis and are fully committed to helping each patient explore every option in their journey to wellness. For further information, visit https://www.nuggmd.com . CONTACT: canpay@allisonworldwide.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/canpay-launches-member-benets-program-partners-with-cannabis-telehealth-platform-nuggmd-302327398.html SOURCE CanPay
Stock market today: Losses for Big Tech pull US indexes lower