He has made a monumental history; breaking barriers and shattering shells not just as the current richest man globally but the wealthiest man to ever walk the surface of Planet Earth! By crossing the hitherto unreachable threshold of $400 billion (£345 billion) and going ahead to hit a staggering net worth of a mouth-watering $500 billion as at December 2024 he is richer than both Microsoft CEO, Bill Gates and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos with their combined net worths that is according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index (BBI). Reading through these recent epochal achievements the million-naira question that gripped the mind of yours truly concerns what he has done differently to achieve these feats. That one unique man under discourse is none other than Elon Musk, the South African -American business icon whose rare innovations in cutting -edge technologies through Space X, Tesla, Neuralink and the Boring Company have revolutionalised the way we live. While Space X, his private aerospace engineering company is a game – changer and pioneering space exploration and satellite internet, Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturing company is raking in the dollars due to expanding patronage. There are certainly several significant lessons to glean from Musk as individuals, who want to be better at our various businesses and professional ventures, more so in the new year of 2025. One of such important factors is to understand that all the veritable ideas of the life – changing inventions and innovations that have led to the production of electricity, air conditioner, refrigerator, television, traffic light, motorcycles, cars, aeroplane, cell phone, lap top, internet connectivity and such others as even tooth brush, all emanated from man’s mindset. The mind, according to the famous motivator, Norman Vincent Pearle is made of two parts- the subconscious and the conscious. Whereas, thoughts, ideas, wishes, and dreams are like seeds sown into the fertile field of the subconscious mind, the eventual decisions and actions taken are products of our conscious mind. The lesson hereby is the imperative of having a firm control of our mindset, as Musk has done. Once that is achieved one is able to open the horizon of the mindset. That of course, is what transpired in that of great scientists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Isaac Newton, Pythagoras, Marie Curie, and our own Silas Adekunle and Prof. Philip Emeagwali. To them and other creative minds including artists, poets, novelists, film makers and creative chefs the word impossible does not exist. Not at all! That perhaps, explains why Musk thinks that going to Planet Mars is a possibility, travelling from New York City to London through an underground tunnel, taking but a few hours is a possibility. So, it is up you to come to terms with the difficulties you have had in the past years, including 2024 and muster the mental will to break the limitations that have held you captive. If Elon Musk could think about spaceships that travel much faster than those currently in place and work on the ideas, why not you? What it means therefore is to master your mind, but do so with a Positive Mental Attitude ((PMA) as Vincent Pearle admonished. With such a PMA you should be able to identify your God-given talents, skills and passion. What is it that you do so effortlessly while others find it an uphill task to achieve? What gives you that inner joy, contentment. and eventual fulfilment in life? What, as the renowned American media mogul, Oprah Winfrey asked is that passion you can easily display even without being paid for it? Whatever it might be that is what you should identify and cash on to make not just a living but a reasonable one at that. Is it to be a tailor, hair dresser, teacher to the ignorant, nurse to sick, and lawyer to defend the defendless? Is it to clean the dirty environment? Or perhaps, you love to play football as Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman do? What about finding it engaging to repair to repair broken down vehicles, television sets, and cell phones? It does not matter what. Even it could be to be a comedian and crack other people ‘s ribs. Recall that our own popular actress, Mercy Johnson once hawked pure water along some Lagos streets, while the now world acclaimed singer, Patorankin also hawked rat killers in the same city streets. Even ace comedian Ali Baba once trekked all the way from Ikorodu to Victoria Island in search of a white-collar job. But unknown to them they had tremendous talents hidden deep within them. So, like gold and diamond that are not found floating on the surface of the soil, we all have to dig deeper to bring out the pearls within, hone them from their rustic appearance to glow and shine for the world to see, admire and learn from. Year 2025 is the time to do so. Yet, to succeed you to do away with all forms of negativity. Say goodbye to doubts, don’ts, discouragement and delays. Those are the devilish doctrines that often lead to frustrating failures in life. That is the salient reason great scientists turn deaf ears to such demeaning and dehumanising principles. For instance, Isaac Newton was told by one of his science teachers that he was a failure and would amount to nothing in life. Similarly, Charles Darwin the man whose father laughed at as only good at chasing rabbits in the field did not listen to his bearer when he came up with his brilliant scientific research on the ‘Origin of Species’ and the history making ‘Evolution Theory’ way back in 1859. Even the Wright Brothers who were told by friends to forget the “crazy idea” of flying their airplane, that it would never work defied all negativity when they did what was then thought as impossible at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, precisely on December 17, 1903. What it means therefore, is not to listen to discouraging remarks of the traducers. They are nothing but destiny destroyers. Doing away with all forms of discouragement is one step forward towards achieving your goals come 2025. After that is the deployment of the unfailing principles of positivity, ‘can do it’ spirit, team work with those who believe in your vision, focus, and being a problem -solver with your creativity and innovations. Yes, you can! It takes vision of what exactly you want to achieve as your goals and within set timeframe, in addition to the practical application of the four C principles of character, courage, confidence, and commitment. Not left out are the 3 H philosophies of honour, honesty of purpose, humility, integrity, in addition to continuous learning and the ability to adapt to the dynamics of life. As Benjamin Franklin rightly noted: ” Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning”. For all these to come to pass there is the need to make sacrifices of energy, time and valuable resources. And that is because success is not served a la carte or on a platter of gold. That brings to the fore the significance of the persistent pursuit of your set goals. You must therefore, never give up. Instead, turn your stumbling blocks into stepping stones, as the late Chinese Kung Fu actor, Bruce Lee once admonished, to lift you to higher grounds. To do that you must muster the courage to keep going forward, against all odds. For instance, the legendary American politician, Abraham Lincoln ( of blessed memory ) failed twice in business, several times as a politician but he did not give up. Eventually, fate smiled on him as he was sworn in as America’s 16th president. In a similar spirit of doggedness, the scientists who worked on producing Dolly, the first ever cloned sheep failed 277 times! What could have happened if they gave up at the 276th attempt? The answer is obvious. It would also be recalled that Elon Musk ‘s fortunes fell to $137 billion in 2022 but he did not cave in. Today, he is the history maker. The message is crystal clear- never give up. As Ray Kroc the man who bought the franchise of Mc Donald aptly stated: ” persistence pays”. So, as 2025 is placed before us as an empty canvas before a painter, what we make of it would be determined by our vision, passion, self-belief in our dreams, experiences and how well we deploy our senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing, thinking and the critical decisions we make. But one unfailing principle in our choices is that of being problem-solvers with the power of creativity. Interestingly, that is exactly what Elon Musk has done with 13% share in Tesla, and 42% share in Space X, which as at December 2024 was valued at $350 billion. In addition, he owns 79% share in X Corp by his $ 44 billion acquisition in 2022. Going forward, we must be futuristic in the running of our businesses, upgrading the processes with cutting -edge technologies as Musk has wisely done. But firstly, ” know thyself and to thyself be true.” Welcome to 2025, your best year ever!Even with access to blockbuster obesity drugs, some people don't lose weight
‘Saturday Night Live” alum Kyle Mooney’s directorial debut “Y2K” makes for a fascinating test case for Gen Z’s appetite for all things 2000s. His comedic sensibility, honed through throwback TV parodies on “SNL,” is at once broad and hyper-specific. In the nostalgia piece “Y2K,” he hits the big signposts that will delight the younger generation craving the simpler times of a pre-9/11 world, but he also gets granular with late-’90s music, fashion and culture in a way that one could only understand if they actually lived through it. Zoomers just won’t pick up everything he’s putting down, and that may work against this otherwise exuberant and somewhat messy teen horror-comedy. Mooney and co-writer Evan Winter fuse the “big party” teen-comedy formula to “The Terminator” for their “Y2K” script, but it also feels like they just wrote down everything they could remember from the late-’90s era and threw it at the wall: Enron, the Macarena, PalmPilots, Limp Bizkit, the swing revival. Some are quite obvious and on the nose, others more arcane. Add in some teen-movie tropes, a list of outrageous horror-movie kills and a “TRL”-friendly soundtrack, and that’s essentially the movie. Jaedan Martell, one of the preeminent horror-movie sad boys (see: “It,” “The Lodge,” etc.), plays Eli, a dorky kid who loves his ebullient best friend Danny (Julian Dennison) and has a crush on Laura (Rachel Zegler), whom he hopes to kiss at the big 1999-2000 New Year’s Eve party after he finds out she’s broken up with her college boyfriend (Mason Gooding). But in a bit of revisionist history, the Y2K bug is real — so real, in fact, that all electronic devices and appliances band together into freakish robotic monsters in order to kill the teens, enslave the parents and achieve “the singularity.” Despite the deep wealth of millennium culture on display, “Y2K” doesn’t necessarily feel lived-in — it’s a bit too wink-wink, nudge-nudge with it, and it feels forced, especially with the wall-to-wall needle drops. There are fun nods to era-specific tribes and trends with quick nods to the swing kids, ravers and rap-rock skater types, but where Mooney and Winter’s approach excels is in the deep cuts for the real ’90s-heads out there, like Daniel Zolghadri’s character as CJ, a conscious hip-hop kid, wearing baggy khakis and a bucket hat, scolding his peers for their “corporate” music taste. Mooney is also a standout as Garrett, a burnout video-store clerk with white-guy dreads, who represents jam-band stinky-hippie culture. But references like this will likely sail right over the heads of a Zoomer audience — you simply had to be there in order to get it. Still, there’s something kind of profound in contemplating the year 2000, even if it is refracted through this silly lens. In the 24 years since, it’s been decades of terrorism, war, political instability, a widening wealth gap and rapid technological advancements that have rewired our culture, our brains and how we relate to one another. Perhaps 2000 was indeed a fundamental switch, which Mooney has zeroed in on through the imperfect but amusing “Y2K.” Ultimately, his project is a success, because he made this millennial — who was age 16 in 1999 — profoundly nostalgic for what seems a more innocent time. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Revolution Medicines Announces Closing of Upsized Public Offering of Common Stock and Pre-Funded Warrants and Full Exercise of Underwriters' Option to Purchase Additional SharesLike a football off McBride's helmet, the Cardinals aren't getting many lucky bounces these days
Bitcoin shot past $100,000 for the first time on Thursday, taking the limelight away from stock markets that wavered as investors tracked political crises in France and South Korea. Oil prices fell modestly despite a move by the OPEC cartel and its allies to extend their supply cuts amid concerns about oversupply. Wall Street's main stock indexes retreated from records, while Paris and Frankfurt forged higher despite political uncertainty in Paris. Bitcoin reached a high of $103,800.45 before dipping below the symbolically important level to $99.154 near 2200 GMT. The digital asset has now soared more than 50 percent since the election of Donald Trump, who has vowed to make the United States the "bitcoin and cryptocurrency capital of the world". "Bitcoin smashed through $100,000 as the Trump Trade powered on with force," noted Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell. The historic level was broken after Trump picked crypto proponent Paul Atkins to take over as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the markets regulator. Atkins is founder of risk consultancy firm Patomak Global Partners, whose clients include companies in the banking, trading and cryptocurrency industries. Atkins "is unlikely to be as anti-crypto as his predecessor Gary Gensler", said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB trading platform. "Thus, politics is driving bitcoin. We doubt that the rally will stop here," she added. Stock markets struggled for direction ahead of important US jobs figures on Friday. Aaron Clark, an equity portfolio manager at GW&K, said investors "are probably not willing to step in" ahead of Friday's November employment data. "We've seen record inflows into equities," said Clark, who thinks the market could be poised for additional gains later in December. Paris closed higher despite the historic no-confidence vote that ousted the government of French Prime Minister Michel Barnier. President Emmanuel Macron vowed to name a new prime minister in the coming days to prevent France from sliding deeper into political turmoil, rejecting growing pressure from the opposition to resign "The French political crisis failed to knock European indices off course," said Coatsworth, an analyst at AJ Bell. Frankfurt was also in the green but London was flat. Most Asian stock markets finished higher but Seoul closed in the red. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol clung to power Thursday, his party announcing they will oppose an impeachment motion after his short-lived imposition of martial law stunned the world. Sign up to get our free daily email of the biggest stories! "The silver lining we think is that the swift reversal of the martial law underscores the resilience of South Korea's institutions," said analysts at BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions. "For now, we expect limited implications for the economy and financial markets as the Bank of Korea and the ministry of finance have responded swiftly by reassuring investors," they added. New York - Dow: DOWN 0.6 percent at 44,765.71 (close) New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.2 percent at 6,075.11 (close) New York - Nasdaq: DOWN 0.2 percent at 19,700.26 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 8,349.38 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.4 percent at 7,330.54 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.6 percent at 20,358.80 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.3 percent at 39,395.60 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.9 percent at 19,560.44 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 3,368.86 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0591 from $1.0511 on Wednesday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2760 from $1.2701 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 150.09 yen from 150.59 yen Euro/pound: UP at 82.97 from 82.75 pence Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $72.09 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.4 percent at $68.30 per barrel burs-jmb/arp
Delta Air Lines Inc. stock outperforms competitors on strong trading day
Underperforming Pacers welcome struggling WizardsHe has made a monumental history; breaking barriers and shattering shells not just as the current richest man globally but the wealthiest man to ever walk the surface of Planet Earth! By crossing the hitherto unreachable threshold of $400 billion (£345 billion) and going ahead to hit a staggering net worth of a mouth-watering $500 billion as at December 2024 he is richer than both Microsoft CEO, Bill Gates and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos with their combined net worths that is according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index (BBI). Reading through these recent epochal achievements the million-naira question that gripped the mind of yours truly concerns what he has done differently to achieve these feats. That one unique man under discourse is none other than Elon Musk, the South African -American business icon whose rare innovations in cutting -edge technologies through Space X, Tesla, Neuralink and the Boring Company have revolutionalised the way we live. While Space X, his private aerospace engineering company is a game – changer and pioneering space exploration and satellite internet, Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturing company is raking in the dollars due to expanding patronage. There are certainly several significant lessons to glean from Musk as individuals, who want to be better at our various businesses and professional ventures, more so in the new year of 2025. One of such important factors is to understand that all the veritable ideas of the life – changing inventions and innovations that have led to the production of electricity, air conditioner, refrigerator, television, traffic light, motorcycles, cars, aeroplane, cell phone, lap top, internet connectivity and such others as even tooth brush, all emanated from man’s mindset. The mind, according to the famous motivator, Norman Vincent Pearle is made of two parts- the subconscious and the conscious. Whereas, thoughts, ideas, wishes, and dreams are like seeds sown into the fertile field of the subconscious mind, the eventual decisions and actions taken are products of our conscious mind. The lesson hereby is the imperative of having a firm control of our mindset, as Musk has done. Once that is achieved one is able to open the horizon of the mindset. That of course, is what transpired in that of great scientists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Isaac Newton, Pythagoras, Marie Curie, and our own Silas Adekunle and Prof. Philip Emeagwali. To them and other creative minds including artists, poets, novelists, film makers and creative chefs the word impossible does not exist. Not at all! That perhaps, explains why Musk thinks that going to Planet Mars is a possibility, travelling from New York City to London through an underground tunnel, taking but a few hours is a possibility. So, it is up you to come to terms with the difficulties you have had in the past years, including 2024 and muster the mental will to break the limitations that have held you captive. If Elon Musk could think about spaceships that travel much faster than those currently in place and work on the ideas, why not you? What it means therefore is to master your mind, but do so with a Positive Mental Attitude ((PMA) as Vincent Pearle admonished. With such a PMA you should be able to identify your God-given talents, skills and passion. What is it that you do so effortlessly while others find it an uphill task to achieve? What gives you that inner joy, contentment. and eventual fulfilment in life? What, as the renowned American media mogul, Oprah Winfrey asked is that passion you can easily display even without being paid for it? Whatever it might be that is what you should identify and cash on to make not just a living but a reasonable one at that. Is it to be a tailor, hair dresser, teacher to the ignorant, nurse to sick, and lawyer to defend the defendless? Is it to clean the dirty environment? Or perhaps, you love to play football as Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman do? What about finding it engaging to repair to repair broken down vehicles, television sets, and cell phones? It does not matter what. Even it could be to be a comedian and crack other people ‘s ribs. Recall that our own popular actress, Mercy Johnson once hawked pure water along some Lagos streets, while the now world acclaimed singer, Patorankin also hawked rat killers in the same city streets. Even ace comedian Ali Baba once trekked all the way from Ikorodu to Victoria Island in search of a white-collar job. But unknown to them they had tremendous talents hidden deep within them. So, like gold and diamond that are not found floating on the surface of the soil, we all have to dig deeper to bring out the pearls within, hone them from their rustic appearance to glow and shine for the world to see, admire and learn from. Year 2025 is the time to do so. Yet, to succeed you to do away with all forms of negativity. Say goodbye to doubts, don’ts, discouragement and delays. Those are the devilish doctrines that often lead to frustrating failures in life. That is the salient reason great scientists turn deaf ears to such demeaning and dehumanising principles. For instance, Isaac Newton was told by one of his science teachers that he was a failure and would amount to nothing in life. Similarly, Charles Darwin the man whose father laughed at as only good at chasing rabbits in the field did not listen to his bearer when he came up with his brilliant scientific research on the ‘Origin of Species’ and the history making ‘Evolution Theory’ way back in 1859. Even the Wright Brothers who were told by friends to forget the “crazy idea” of flying their airplane, that it would never work defied all negativity when they did what was then thought as impossible at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, precisely on December 17, 1903. What it means therefore, is not to listen to discouraging remarks of the traducers. They are nothing but destiny destroyers. Doing away with all forms of discouragement is one step forward towards achieving your goals come 2025. After that is the deployment of the unfailing principles of positivity, ‘can do it’ spirit, team work with those who believe in your vision, focus, and being a problem -solver with your creativity and innovations. Yes, you can! It takes vision of what exactly you want to achieve as your goals and within set timeframe, in addition to the practical application of the four C principles of character, courage, confidence, and commitment. Not left out are the 3 H philosophies of honour, honesty of purpose, humility, integrity, in addition to continuous learning and the ability to adapt to the dynamics of life. As Benjamin Franklin rightly noted: ” Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning”. For all these to come to pass there is the need to make sacrifices of energy, time and valuable resources. And that is because success is not served a la carte or on a platter of gold. That brings to the fore the significance of the persistent pursuit of your set goals. You must therefore, never give up. Instead, turn your stumbling blocks into stepping stones, as the late Chinese Kung Fu actor, Bruce Lee once admonished, to lift you to higher grounds. To do that you must muster the courage to keep going forward, against all odds. For instance, the legendary American politician, Abraham Lincoln ( of blessed memory ) failed twice in business, several times as a politician but he did not give up. Eventually, fate smiled on him as he was sworn in as America’s 16th president. In a similar spirit of doggedness, the scientists who worked on producing Dolly, the first ever cloned sheep failed 277 times! What could have happened if they gave up at the 276th attempt? The answer is obvious. It would also be recalled that Elon Musk ‘s fortunes fell to $137 billion in 2022 but he did not cave in. Today, he is the history maker. The message is crystal clear- never give up. As Ray Kroc the man who bought the franchise of Mc Donald aptly stated: ” persistence pays”. So, as 2025 is placed before us as an empty canvas before a painter, what we make of it would be determined by our vision, passion, self-belief in our dreams, experiences and how well we deploy our senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing, thinking and the critical decisions we make. But one unfailing principle in our choices is that of being problem-solvers with the power of creativity. Interestingly, that is exactly what Elon Musk has done with 13% share in Tesla, and 42% share in Space X, which as at December 2024 was valued at $350 billion. In addition, he owns 79% share in X Corp by his $ 44 billion acquisition in 2022. Going forward, we must be futuristic in the running of our businesses, upgrading the processes with cutting -edge technologies as Musk has wisely done. But firstly, ” know thyself and to thyself be true.” Welcome to 2025, your best year ever!
Where Will Realty Income Stock Be in 3 Years?A look at how some of Trump's picks to lead health agencies could help carry out Kennedy's overhaul Donald Trump's health team picks include a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All could play pivotal roles in fulfilling an agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans’ health, from health care and medicines to food safety and science research. In line to be Trump's health secretary is anti-vaccine organizer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He says his task is to “reorganize” federal health agencies. They employ 80,000 scientists, researchers, doctors and other officials, and effect Americans’ daily lives. Trump raced to pick many Cabinet posts. He took more time to settle on a treasury secretary WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump launched a blitz of picks for his Cabinet, but he took his time settling on billionaire investor Scott Bessent as his choice for treasury secretary. The Republican not only wanted someone who jibes with him, but an official who can execute his economic vision and look straight out of central casting while doing so. With his Yale University education and pedigree trading for Soros Fund Management before establishing his own funds, Bessent will be tasked with a delicate balancing act. Trump expects him to help reset the global trade order, enable trillions of dollars in tax cuts, ensure inflation stays in check, manage a ballooning national debt and still keep the financial markets confident. Israeli strikes in central Beirut kill at least 20 as diplomats push for a cease-fire BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanese officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 20 people and injured dozens in central Beirut, as the once-rare attacks on the heart of Lebanon’s capital continue without warning. Diplomats are scrambling to broker a cease-fire but say obstacles still remain. The current proposal calls for a two-month cease-fire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon in the months of fighting that have turned into all-out war. Voters rejected historic election reforms across the US, despite more than $100M push JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Election reform advocates had hoped for a big year at the ballot box. That's because a historic number of states were considering initiatives for ranked choice voting or to end partisan primaries. Instead, voters dealt them big losses in the November elections. Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and South Dakota all rejected proposed changes to their voting systems. In Alaska, a proposal to repeal ranked choice voting appears to have narrowly fallen short. The losses in many states came even though election reform supporters raised more than $100 million, easily outpacing opponents. Supporters say they aren't giving up but plan to retool their efforts. The week that upped the stakes of the Ukraine war KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — This past week has seen the most significant escalation in hostilities Ukraine has witnessed since Russia's full-scale invasion and marks a new chapter in the nearly three-year war. It began with U.S. President Joe Biden reversing a longstanding policy by granting Kyiv permission to deploy American longer-range missiles inside Russian territory and ended with Moscow striking Ukraine with a new experimental ballistic weapon that has alarmed the international community and heightened fears of further escalation. US reels from rain, snow as second round of bad weather approaches for Thanksgiving week WINDSOR, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. is reeling from snow and rain while preparing for another bout of bad weather ahead of Thanksgiving that could disrupt holiday travel. California is bracing for more snow and rain while still grappling with some flooding and small landslides from a previous storm. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for California's Sierra Nevada through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at high elevations. Parts of the Northeast and Appalachia are also starting the weekend with heavy precipitation. Meanwhile thousands remain without power in the Seattle area after a “bomb cyclone” storm system roared ashore the West Coast earlier in the week, killing two people. Even with access to blockbuster obesity drugs, some people don't lose weight Most people taking popular drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight have shed significant pounds. But obesity experts say that roughly 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not see robust results with the new medications. The response to the drugs varies from person to person and can depend on genetics, hormones and differences in how the brain regulates energy. Undiagnosed medical conditions and some drugs can prevent weight loss. Experts say it can take experimentation to help so-called nonresponders find results. Fighting between armed sectarian groups in restive northwestern Pakistan kills at least 37 people PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A senior Pakistani police officer says fighting between armed sectarian groups in the country's restive northwest has killed at least 37 people. The overnight violence was the latest to rock Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and comes days after a deadly gun ambush killed 42 people. The officer said Saturday that armed men torched shops, houses and government property overnight. Gunfire is ongoing between rival tribes. Although Sunnis and Shiites generally live together peacefully in Pakistan, tensions remain in some areas, especially Kurram. Hydrate. Make lists. Leave yourself time. And other tips for reducing holiday travel stress Travel, especially during the holiday season, can be stressful. But following some tips from the pros as you prepare for a trip can make for a smoother, less anxious experience. One expert traveler suggests making a list a week before you go of things you need to do and pack. Cross off each item as you complete it during the week. Another tip is to carry your comfort zone with you. That could mean noise-canceling headphones, playlists meant to soothe airport travelers, entertainment and snacks from home. Carry a change of clothes and a phone charger in case of delays. Stay hydrated. Leave extra time. And know your airline's rules. Downloading the airline's app can help with that. Andy Murray will coach Novak Djokovic through the Australian Open Recently retired Andy Murray will team up with Novak Djokovic, working with him as a coach through the Australian Open in January. Murray’s representatives put out statements from both players on Saturday. Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam champion who has spent more weeks at No. 1 than any other player in tennis history. Murray won three major trophies and two Olympic singles gold medals who finished 2016 atop the ATP rankings. He retired as a player after the Paris Summer Games in August.
Even with access to blockbuster obesity drugs, some people don't lose weight Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press Nov 23, 2024 6:10 AM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message FILE - Donna Cooper holds up a dosage of Wegovy, a drug used for weight loss, at her home, March 1, 2024, in Front Royal, Va. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File) Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all but $25 to $50 of the monthly cost. For Griffin, the hardest part of using the new drugs wasn’t access. It was finding out that the much-hyped medications didn’t really work for her. “I have been on Wegovy for a year and a half and have only lost 13 pounds,” said Griffin, who watches her diet, drinks plenty of water and exercises regularly. “I’ve done everything right with no success. It’s discouraging.” In clinical trials, most participants taking Wegovy or Mounjaro to treat obesity lost an average of 15% to 22% of their body weight — up to 50 pounds or more in many cases. But roughly 10% to 15% of patients in those trials were “nonresponders” who lost less than 5% of their body weight. Now that millions of people have used the drugs, several obesity experts told The Associated Press that perhaps 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not respond well to the medications. It's a little-known consequence of the obesity drug boom, according to doctors who caution eager patients not to expect one-size-fits-all results. “It's all about explaining that different people have different responses,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital The drugs are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists because they mimic a hormone in the body known as glucagon-like peptide 1. Genetics, hormones and variability in how the brain regulates energy can all influence weight — and a person's response to the drugs, Stanford said. Medical conditions such as sleep apnea can prevent weight loss, as can certain common medications, such as antidepressants, steroids and contraceptives. “This is a disease that stems from the brain,” said Stanford. “The dysfunction may not be the same” from patient to patient. Despite such cautions, patients are often upset when they start getting the weekly injections but the numbers on the scale barely budge. “It can be devastating,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company FlyteHealth. “With such high expectations, there’s so much room for disappointment.” That was the case for Griffin, who has battled obesity since childhood and hoped to shed 70 pounds using Wegovy. The drug helped reduce her appetite and lowered her risk of diabetes, but she saw little change in weight. “It’s an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “You want it to work like it does for everybody else.” The medications are typically prescribed along with eating behavior and lifestyle changes. It’s usually clear within weeks whether someone will respond to the drugs, said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Weight loss typically begins right away and continues as the dosage increases. For some patients, that just doesn't happen. For others, side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea force them to halt the medications, Dushay said. In such situations, patients who were counting on the new drugs to pare pounds may think they’re out of options. “I tell them: It's not game over,” Dushay said. Trying a different version of the new class of drugs may help. Griffin, who didn't respond well to Wegovy, has started using Zepbound, which targets an additional hormone pathway in the body. After three months of using the drug, she has lost 7 pounds. “I'm hoping it's slow and steady,” she said. Other people respond well to older drugs, the experts said. Changing diet, exercise, sleep and stress habits can also have profound effects. Figuring out what works typically requires a doctor trained to treat obesity, Saunders noted. “Obesity is such a complex disease that really needs to be treated very comprehensively,” she said. “If what we’re prescribing doesn’t work, we always have a backup plan.” ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? 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Article content The great National Hockey League contradiction of sports, celebration and politics is upon us. We have already begun the daily Alexander Ovechkin watch, the giant leap as he makes his way toward the career goal-scoring lead in hockey history. This all comes at a time when the league couldn’t — or wouldn’t — find a place for a Russian team in its major in-house tournament in February. It will be Ovechkin — yay — in the days and months to come, game by game, as he chases down Wayne Gretzky for a record none of us thought was possible. It will be Ovechkin — yay and Russia boo. All in the same convoluted sentence. All happening in a season in which Kirill Kaprizov of Minnesota and Nikita Kucherov of Tampa Bay are among the leading candidates for the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player in the NHL and the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin signing a contract making him the highest paid goaltender in hockey history. Russian hockey is alive and well, individually. But it’s not alive in any team concept internationally. Ovechkin has been a long-time supporter of Russian president Vladimir Putin. So has the Stanley Cup-winning goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky, who was just named Russian athlete of the year. We like their hockey but don’t care much for their politics or the war that continues in Ukraine. Ovechkin has had an incredible run since entering the NHL in 2005. His 868 goals are 266 more than anyone who has played during his time. Sidney Crosby is second in goals at 602, as of Saturday. Steven Stamkos and another Russian, Evgeni Malkin, are the only others within 300 goals of Ovie’s totals. In Gretzky’s career, he finished 186 goals ahead of Mike Gartner, 281 and 284 ahead of Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier. Ovechkin, in his time, is individually more of a dominant goal-scorer than Gretzky was in his time. And there’s a certain discomfort that goes along with it all in current times. I can cheer for Ovechkin the hockey player, while at the same time feel disdain for his politics and those of his leader and country. Sports and politics mix, whether we want them to or not. Rarely are they as separate as they should be or as they seem right now while Ovechkin works his way to a mark that may never be equalled. THIS AND THAT There is nothing wrong with Mitch Marner that a playoff series against Detroit or Buffalo or Pittsburgh wouldn’t solve. Marner has 13 goals this season, 10 of them against teams that won’t be in the playoffs. He has six playoff goals in his past 37 playoff games ... Marner, having a terrific season, still ranks below Mikko Rantanen and Kucherov in scoring among right wingers ... The Florida Panthers’ second line has Sam Bennett centring Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. Not sure anyone would relish playing against them in a best-of-seven series in April ... If Auston Matthews doesn’t play for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Americans will still have Jack Hughes, Jack Eichel and Dylan Larkin at centre. But it becomes a tougher matchup, depending on what Canada does with Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Crosby as either their first three centres, or two of the top three with one of Crosby or MacKinnon going to the wing ... Nearing the halfway point of the NHL season, Cale Makar leads all defencemen in scoring. But he’s also been on the ice for 37 even-strength goals-against. That’s significantly more than Victor Hedman and Gustav Forsling with 24, and Darnell Nurse, if you can believe this one, at just 15 ... A Canadian network would be wise to snap up fired Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde for panel work, at least for the short term. Lalonde was sharp on TV in the playoffs between periods a few years back ... Outdoor hockey games are wonderful spectacles for the city in which they take place. But as a must-see TV event, they’ve kind of lost their way. I can’t imagine there are a lot of people waiting for this Chicago-St. Louis outdoor event ... When I first met Scott Arniel, he was playing left wing on a line in Winnipeg with Dale Hawerchuk and Paul MacLean. All three of them became coaches, and Arniel is now a coach of the year candidate in the NHL with the Jets ... The last talk I had with Hawerchuk was when he was coaching Barrie of the OHL. He was telling me all about his underrated centre, Mark Scheifele. He said NHL scouts had him rated too low and he was going to be a good one. The great Hawerchuk, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 57, was right on Scheifele. HEAR AND THERE I had this conversation with a Blue Jays front office man after they traded Teoscar Hernandez to Seattle following the 2022 season. “Would you pay Teoscar $20 million a year?” I was asked. I said I would not. He said neither would the Jays. Since then, Hernandez has won a World Series in Los Angeles and has recently signed to remain with the Dodgers for the next three years at an average of $22 million a season. And the Jays remain in need of a power bat for the outfield. Which means two things: 1) Don’t expect financial advice from me; 2) don’t trust whatever financial advice you might get from the Blue Jays front office, either ... A question to ask yourself, Mr. Edward Rogers. How is it the Blue Jays keep offering more money for free agents, but aren’t signing any? What does that say about the perception of the franchise around Major League Baseball and those operating it? ... This has not been the best of years for shareholders of Bell or Rogers Communications, the former majority owners of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Bell stock is down 36.5% on the year. Rogers stock is down 35%. Netflix stock, by the way, is up 85% on the year and 227% over the past two years ... This was Thursday in the NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 45 points for Oklahoma City and teammate Lu Dort had 13 against Indiana. Meanwhile, Andrew Nembhard and Ben Mathurin combined for 41 for the Pacers. That’s 99 points scored by four Canadians in the same game. Not sure that’s ever happened before ... Some things in life don’t make sense: The Raptors are a better three-point shooting team on the road than the 24-5 first-place Thunder is ... Simon Benoit is hardly a sexy name among NHL defencemen, but few are on the ice as much as he is while being scored upon so infrequently. SCENE AND HEARD My favourite sporting things of 2024, in no particular order: The Paris Olympics; Paris itself; Roland Garros Stadium; everything that is Summer McIntosh ; the American League Championship Series; the Patrick Mahomes comeback in the Super Bowl; the Stanley Cup final, never mind the result; Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Vladdy Guerrero Jr.; the unlikely Argos; Matthews’ almost 70-goal season; Andre De Grasse and his 100-metre teammates in the 4 x100 relay at the Olympics; Team USA vs. Serbia in men’s basketball, the greatest game I’ve ever seen; Steph Curry ... Terrible time to be a sports fan in Chicago. The Bears stink. The Blackhawks stink. The White Sox stink. The Bulls aren’t any good. Not much to care about in one of the great sporting towns in America ... It’s wonderful for the hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg to be named The Canadian Press male athlete of the year. But I don’t quite understand how you can compare a hammer thrower — a singular event in athletics with a very small competitive field — with an NBA star such as Gilgeous-Alexander, who plays 82 games, plus playoffs. Or McDavid or MacKinnon, who played more than 100 NHL games in the calendar year ... The challenge for Leafs coach Craig Berube in the second half of the NHL season: Finding the right defensive partner for Morgan Rielly. He hasn’t had the right partner since Ron Hainsey was a Leaf ... First baseman Pete Alonso, a good player, not a great one, seems to be pricing himself out of the free-agent market in baseball. Even the high-priced Mets seem to be willing to walk away from Alonso ... Brendan Shanahan takes a lot of heat for his time running the Leafs, but consider this: Steve Yzerman is six years in as GM in Detroit, nowhere near the playoffs; Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs in a lifetime. Shanahan missed the playoffs once, hasn’t missed since drafting Matthews ... Don’t know where Darko Rajakovic rates as an all-time coach — probably near the bottom — but his tantrum in Memphis the other night is an all-time unforgettable Raptors moment ... So many tough questions this time of year. What presents to keep, which to return, which games to watch when you’re not screaming about junior hockey. Are you watching the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl or the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl? ... And good luck to all those playing fantasy football championship games on Sunday. I started the wrong kicker two weeks ago. Cost me and my partner a title shot. AND ANOTHER THING There are four sound candidates for MVP in the NFL, although if you watch enough television these days, you would think there is only one: Josh Allen. It’s a quarterback’s job to produce wins and Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City have the most in the league. Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson has combined yardage of 4,807 passing and rushing in Baltimore, which blows everyone else away. The giant Allen is unstoppable, having run for 11 touchdowns and passed for 3,549 yards with the Bills. And Saquon Barkley is in contention for all-time numbers as a running back, leading the Philadelphia Eagles. In any given year, any one of the four could, or should, be MVP. This year it will come down to Allen or Jackson, and a sound case could be made right now for either quarterback ... It drives me a little batty when I see Tkachuk or Steelers wide receiver George Pickens dangling or chewing on their mouthguard, rather than keeping it where it should be. We try to convince kids about the necessity of mouthguard usage. This kind of example doesn’t help ... Wonder how many owners in sports are paying attention to what the Suns are doing in Phoenix, charging $2 at concession stands for water, soda, hotdogs, and popcorn? A small popcorn at Cineplex is $9 now. And you wonder why people don’t go to movies anymore ... It’s highly possible that Cody Bellinger will be batting next to Giancarlo Stanton in the Yankees batting order this coming season. Bellinger, by the way, is married to Stanton’s old girlfriend ... The NBA was excited to have five million people watching games on Christmas Day on television, especially those up against NFL games on Netflix for the first time. But follow me here for a second: The U.S. is 10 times the size of Canada. A five-million-person audience in the U.S. is about half a million Canadians. By my translation, the NBA audience in the U.S. at Christmas is basically equal to the average CFL audience in Canada throughout the season ... Happy birthday to Ray Bourque (64), Myles Garrett (29), Bill Lee (78), George Parros (45), Julio Rodriguez (24), Sean Payton (61) Theo Epstein (51), Adam Vinatieri (52) and B.J. Ryan (49) ... And hey, whatever became of Jonathan Toews? ssimmons@postmedia.com twitter.com/simmonssteveFrance's toppled government adds to the European Union's bigger political problems