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#u#K@ptpLT0{uDz9+%#|.i3X_d<0"Qr+U,B=:00c4 'v@B6?QI{Д!?J8DrJ!/3^ g'3"h먋Former President Jimmy Carter Dies At 100Former Manchester United winger Nani has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 38. The Portuguese forward , who won the European Championships with his country, joined United in 2007 for a fee of £21m from Sporting. His arrival coincided with the arrival of his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford . He would eventually leave Manchester in 2015 but not before making 230 appearances for the club, scoring 41 goals and grabbing 70 assists. While at United, he also won four Premier League titles, the Champions League , the Club World Cup, two Carabao Cups and four Community Shields. READ MORE: Nani fires warning to United players READ MORE: Nani has told United to give Amorim two things After United, he moved to Fenerbahce and his career would take him all over the world, playing in the likes of Spain with Valencia, Italy with Lazio, USA with Orlando City before eventually returning to Portugal in the summer with Estrella Amadora. After featuring ten times for them and scoring one goal, Nani took to social media to announce his retirement and hinted at his future plans. In his statement, he said: "As everyone knows, everything comes to an end. And, at this moment, I’ve taken the time to make a very important decision. "Perhaps the most important decision of my professional life, which is the decision to stop playing as a professional player. I’m going to, as they say, hang up the boots. Nani celebrates scoring for Manchester United "But I do so with a sense of duty fulfilled, mission accomplished - as an athlete, as a teammate, and as a professional. I believe it was a beautiful career, a career filled with many achievements. "And for that reason, the time has come when it’s important to make this decision. The opportunties that have come my way now indicate that I’m ready to move forward in these new paths. "For instance, the academy I’m building here for young people, where I’ll be able to work alongside them and enjoy these wonderful moments. The difficult moments I’ve recently experienced - like losing my father not long ago - made me realise that I want to spend more time with my family. "I want to make the most of my time with my children, my wife, my mother, my siblings, cousins, uncles and aunts. They also need me, and I need to be with them because it’s very important. "I couldn’t leave without sharing this message with you and thanking everyone who helped me achieve all my goals, all those titles, all those battles and overcome every obstacle that appeared in my path. Football has given me so much, it has brought me so many opportunities, and I believe that, at this moment, my duty is to give back everything football has given me. "I now have a great opportunity to do so. So, a big hug to everyone. Thank you, and see you soon."WASHINGTON: Jimmy Carter, the earnest Georgia peanut farmer who as US president struggled with a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis but brokered peace between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, has died, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Sunday (Dec 29). He was 100. A Democrat, he served as president from January 1977 to January 1981 after defeating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford in the 1976 U.S. election. Carter was swept from office four years later in an electoral landslide as voters embraced Republican challenger Ronald Reagan, the former actor and California governor. Carter lived longer after his term in office than any other US president. Along the way, he earned a reputation as a better former president than he was a president - a status he readily acknowledged. His one-term presidency was marked by the highs of the 1978 Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, bringing some stability to the Middle East. But it was dogged by an economy in recession, persistent unpopularity and the embarrassment of the Iran hostage crisis that consumed his final 444 days in office. In recent years, Carter had experienced several health issues including melanoma that spread to his liver and brain. Carter decided to receive hospice care in February 2023 instead of undergoing additional medical intervention. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, died on Nov. 19, 2023, at age 96. He looked frail when he attended her memorial service and funeral in a wheelchair. Carter left office profoundly unpopular but worked energetically for decades on humanitarian causes. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 in recognition of his "untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." Carter had been a centrist as governor of Georgia with populist tendencies when he moved into the White House as the 39th U.S. president. He was a Washington outsider at a time when America was still reeling from the Watergate scandal that led Republican Richard Nixon to resign as president in 1974 and elevated Ford from vice president. "I'm Jimmy Carter and I'm running for president. I will never lie to you," Carter promised with an ear-to-ear smile. Asked to assess his presidency, Carter said in a 1991 documentary: "The biggest failure we had was a political failure. I never was able to convince the American people that I was a forceful and strong leader." Despite his difficulties in office, Carter had few rivals for accomplishments as a former president. He gained global acclaim as a tireless human rights advocate, a voice for the disenfranchised and a leader in the fight against hunger and poverty, winning the respect that eluded him in the White House. Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts to promote human rights and resolve conflicts around the world, from Ethiopia and Eritrea to Bosnia and Haiti. His Carter Center in Atlanta sent international election-monitoring delegations to polls around the world. A Southern Baptist Sunday school teacher since his teens, Carter brought a strong sense of morality to the presidency, speaking openly about his religious faith. He also sought to take some pomp out of an increasingly imperial presidency - walking, rather than riding in a limousine, in his 1977 inauguration parade. The Middle East was the focus of Carter's foreign policy. The 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, based on the 1978 Camp David accords, ended a state of war between the two neighbors. Carter brought Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland for talks. Later, as the accords seemed to be unraveling, Carter saved the day by flying to Cairo and Jerusalem for personal shuttle diplomacy. The treaty provided for Israeli withdrawal from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the establishment of diplomatic relations. Begin and Sadat each won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.By the 1980 election, the overriding issues were double-digit inflation, interest rates that exceeded 20% and soaring gas prices, as well as the Iran hostage crisis that brought humiliation to America. These issues marred Carter's presidency and undermined his chances of winning a second term. HOSTAGE CRISIS On Nov 4, 1979, revolutionaries devoted to Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, seized the Americans present and demanded the return of the ousted shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was backed by the United States and was being treated in a US hospital. The American public initially rallied behind Carter. But his support faded in April 1980 when a commando raid failed to rescue the hostages, with eight US soldiers killed in an aircraft accident in the Iranian desert. Carter's final ignominy was that Iran held the 52 hostages until minutes after Reagan took his oath of office on Jan 20, 1981, to replace Carter, then released the planes carrying them to freedom. In another crisis, Carter protested the former Soviet Union's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan by boycotting the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. He also asked the U.S. Senate to defer consideration of a major nuclear arms accord with Moscow. Unswayed, the Soviets remained in Afghanistan for a decade. Carter won narrow Senate approval in 1978 of a treaty to transfer the Panama Canal to the control of Panama despite critics who argued the waterway was vital to American security. He also completed negotiations on full US ties with China. Carter created two new US Cabinet departments - education and energy. Amid high gas prices, he said America's "energy crisis" was "the moral equivalent of war" and urged the country to embrace conservation. "Ours is the most wasteful nation on earth," he told Americans in 1977. In 1979, Carter delivered what became known as his "malaise" speech to the nation, although he never used that word. "After listening to the American people I have been reminded again that all the legislation in the world can't fix what's wrong with America," he said in his televised address. "The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America." As president, the strait-laced Carter was embarrassed by the behavior of his hard-drinking younger brother, Billy Carter, who had boasted: "I got a red neck, white socks, and Blue Ribbon beer." "THERE YOU GO AGAIN" Jimmy Carter withstood a challenge from Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination but was politically diminished heading into his general election battle against a vigorous Republican adversary. Reagan, the conservative who projected an image of strength, kept Carter off balance during their debates before the November 1980 election. Reagan dismissively told Carter, "There you go again," when the Republican challenger felt the president had misrepresented Reagan's views during one debate. Carter lost the 1980 election to Reagan, who won 44 of the 50 states and amassed an Electoral College landslide. James Earl Carter Jr was born on Oct 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, one of four children of a farmer and shopkeeper. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946, served in the nuclear submarine program and left to manage the family peanut farming business. He married his wife, Rosalynn, in 1946, a union he called "the most important thing in my life." They had three sons and a daughter. Carter became a millionaire, a Georgia state legislator and Georgia's governor from 1971 to 1975. He mounted an underdog bid for the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination, and out-hustled his rivals for the right to face Ford in the general election. With Walter Mondale as his vice presidential running mate, Carter was given a boost by a major Ford gaffe during one of their debates. Ford said that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration," despite decades of just such domination. Carter edged Ford in the election, even though Ford actually won more states - 27 to Carter's 23. Not all of Carter's post-presidential work was appreciated. Former President George W Bush and his father, former President George HW Bush, both Republicans, were said to have been displeased by Carter's freelance diplomacy in Iraq and elsewhere. In 2004, Carter called the Iraq war launched in 2003 by the younger Bush one of the most "gross and damaging mistakes our nation ever made." He called George W. Bush's administration "the worst in history" and said Vice President Dick Cheney was "a disaster for our country." In 2019, Carter questioned Republican Donald Trump's legitimacy as president, saying "he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf." Trump responded by calling Carter "a terrible president." Carter also made trips to communist North Korea. A 1994 visit defused a nuclear crisis, as President Kim Il Sung agreed to freeze his nuclear program in exchange for resumed dialogue with the United States. That led to a deal in which North Korea, in return for aid, promised not to restart its nuclear reactor or reprocess the plant's spent fuel. But Carter irked Democratic President Bill Clinton's administration by announcing the deal with North Korea's leader without first checking with Washington. In 2010, Carter won the release of an American sentenced to eight years of hard labour for illegally entering North Korea. Carter wrote more than two dozen books, ranging from a presidential memoir to a children's book and poetry, as well as works about religious faith and diplomacy. His book Faith: A Journey for All, was published in 2018.
On November 23, Saturday, renowned filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma made an appearance on the sets of L2: Empuraan, the much-anticipated sequel to the hit Mohanlal starrer Lucifer. The visit reunited the Satya director with actor Mohanlal, who had starred in the director’s 2002 Bollywood crime drama Company, the film that had also marked the veteran actor’s Hindi debut. Ram Gopal Varma posted a selfie with Mohanlal with a caption that read, “Memories of COMPANY..Met the one and only Mohanlal after a long long time.” The director also took to X handle to share his thoughts on actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran, where he wrote, “Me the DIRECTOR watching an ACTOR direct. Prithviraj sir, if you take away our job also, what will we do? (sic)” Thiruvananthapuram Schedule Wrapped Up Recently The director recently took to his social media to announce that the film's team had wrapped up their Thiruvananthapuram schedule of shoot. Earlier, the makers had to stall the Gujarat schedule abruptly due to torrential rains in the state. The team had shifted to Hyderabad for the next leg of the shoot, which the director had announced through his social media. The team has completed the schedule on a war footing and moved on to Thiruvananthapuram. Billed as one of the most expensive films ever in Malayalam, Empuraan has also been extensively shot across Kerala, Chennai, Ladakh, the UK, and the US. It is backed by Aashirvad Cinemas and Lyca Productions. A Highly-Anticipated Sequel Empuraan, the sequel to Lucifer (2019), sees the return of Mohanlal as Khureshi-Ab'raam aka Stephen Nedumpally. Along with him, the likes of Prithviraj, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, and Indrajith Sukumaran are also reprising their roles from Lucifer. It is scripted by Murali Gopy, who penned the first part as well. The core team from Lucifer, including cinematographer Sujith Vaassudev and music director Deepak Dev, have also been retained. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Malayalam, Entertainment News and around the world.
Q. I recently retired as a customer service specialist in the healthcare industry. I loved my work, the connection to people and feeling I made a difference. I have been slow to look for volunteer work. When I finally decided to do so, I could not find the right fit. Any suggestions? L.G Great news, you made the decision to volunteer. In addition to doing good for individuals or organizations, volunteering in later life has many personal benefits, and that’s for the volunteer. Here are a few reasons to volunteer: Promotes physical and mental health. We know aging ultimately is a declining and gradual process. Volunteering can counter the risk of decline of one’s physical health, reducing risks of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment and even mortality. That’s according to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine . The National Institute on Aging reports that volunteering also can affect cognitive aging by keeping the brain engaged, thereby lowering the risk of dementia. Prevents loneliness. Social isolation is a major challenge for many older adults and is considered a public health crisis , according to the U.S. Surgeon General. Volunteering can be part of the solution by providing opportunities to socialize and even make best friends. It can support those suffering from depression. Those who volunteer report their depression is shorter compared to those who do not volunteer, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service . Provides a feeling of purpose. For many, retirement can be a period of relief and at the same time, uncertainty about one’s purpose. In the workplace, purpose typically is well defined. In retirement, not so much. Volunteering can be a reason to get up in the morning, to make a difference or have an opportunity to learn something new. It can help a person feel recharged and needed. Reduces the rate of aging. Individuals age at different rates. According to a study by Associate Professor Cal Halverson at Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, even a small amount of volunteering is linked to slowing the acceleration of biological aging among retirees, even more than for working folks. Volunteers in the study just aged a bit slower. Bridges the generation gap. Interacting with younger generations provides older adults the opportunity to share life lessons. At the same time, younger generations can offer older adults a new way of looking at life that incudes technology. Respect and affirmation are most often shared by both. Here are a few resources that promote intergenerational relationships. CoGenerate, a nonprofit organization, features new multigenerational initiatives and research. See https://cogenerate.org/ . Then there is Sages and Seekers that connects young people with vetted older mentors for weekly virtual conversations. Eldera is a global virtual village where generations come together to connect, learn from each other, have fun and at the same time, create a better future. Now ask yourself a few questions. What do I love to do? Is it working with older adults, children or those with challenges? Do I prefer an outdoor volunteer experience as opposed to spending time in an office, workroom or even remotely. Do I want a hands-on experience or working at a board or policy level?? How many hours a week or days do I want? Am I comfortable making a commitment? Most communities are rich with volunteer resources. One example is the South Bay, Harbor and Long Beach Volunteer Center. It connects volunteers to over 20 organizations that need and welcome volunteers in areas of gardening, education, those with special needs, history and the arts. Also check out Volunteer Match with opportunities linked to your geographic area. AmeriCorps Seniors , a network of volunteer programs for Americans 55 years and older, is another option. Volunteers work in their community and are engaged in academic tutoring and mentoring, elder care, disaster relief, and more. They also are the umbrella organization for the Foster Grandparent Program, RSVP and Senior Companion Program. And don’t forget to check volunteer opportunities at your local hospital, library, school district, botanical gardens as well as art museums. Use your network. If you know someone who has an interesting volunteer position or experience, meet with that individual and learn about possibilities. Finding the right volunteer position takes research, networking and more than that, it involves taking a risk. Know you have nothing to lose. One thing is clear, whatever you chose, you are bringing your life experience and knowledge with you. So, before you even begin, you are an asset. Stay well, enjoy the holiday season and know, “No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of others.” ~ Joseph Addison, English poet, playwright and politician. (1672-1719). Helen Dennis is a nationally recognized leader on issues of aging and the new retirement with academic, corporate and nonprofit experience. Contact Helen with your questions and comments at Helendenn@gmail.com . Visit Helen at HelenMdennis.com and follow her on facebook.com/SuccessfulAgingCommunityNEW YORK (AP) — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about COVID-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. “Chuck was a dear friend and brother and a tremendous man of faith, life will not be the same without him,” Young wrote. Woolery, with his matinee idol looks, coiffed hair and ease with witty banter, was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978. In 1983, Woolery began an 11-year run as host of TV’s “Love Connection,” for which he coined the phrase, “We’ll be back in two minutes and two seconds,” a two-fingered signature dubbed the “2 and 2.” In 1984, he hosted TV’s “Scrabble,” simultaneously hosting two game shows on TV until 1990. “Love Connection,” which aired long before the dawn of dating apps, had a premise that featured either a single man or single woman who would watch audition tapes of three potential mates and then pick one for a date. A couple of weeks after the date, the guest would sit with Woolery in front of a studio audience and tell everybody about the date. The audience would vote on the three contestants, and if the audience agreed with the guest’s choice, “Love Connection” would offer to pay for a second date. Woolery told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2003 that his favourite set of lovebirds was a man aged 91 and a woman aged 87. “She had so much eye makeup on, she looked like a stolen Corvette. He was so old he said, ‘I remember wagon trains.’ The poor guy. She took him on a balloon ride.” Other career highlights included hosting the shows “Lingo,” “Greed” and “The Chuck Woolery Show,” as well as hosting the short-lived syndicated revival of “The Dating Game” from 1998 to 2000 and an ill-fated 1991 talk show. In 1992, he played himself in two episodes of TV’s “Melrose Place.” Woolery became the subject of the Game Show Network’s first attempt at a reality show, “Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned,” which premiered in 2003. It shared the title of the pop song in 1968 by Woolery and his rock group, the Avant-Garde. It lasted six episode and was panned by critics. Woolery began his TV career at a show that has become a mainstay. Although most associated with Pat Sajak and Vanna White, “Wheel of Fortune” debuted Jan. 6, 1975, on NBC with Woolery welcoming contestants and the audience. Woolery, then 33, was trying to make it in Nashville as a singer. “Wheel of Fortune” started life as “Shopper’s Bazaar,” incorporating Hangman-style puzzles and a roulette wheel. After Woolery appeared on “The Merv Griffin Show” singing “Delta Dawn,” Merv Griffin asked him to host the new show with Susan Stafford. “I had an interview that stretched to 15, 20 minutes,” Woolery told The New York Times in 2003. “After the show, when Merv asked if I wanted to do a game show, I thought, ‘Great, a guy with a bad jacket and an equally bad mustache who doesn’t care what you have to say — that’s the guy I want to be.”’ NBC initially passed, but they retooled it as “Wheel of Fortune” and got the green light. After a few years, Woolery demanded a raise to $500,000 a year, or what host Peter Marshall was making on “Hollywood Squares.” Griffin balked and replaced Woolery with weather reporter Pat Sajak. “Both Chuck and Susie did a fine job, and ‘Wheel’ did well enough on NBC, although it never approached the kind of ratings success that ‘Jeopardy!’ achieved in its heyday,” Griffin said in “Merv: Making the Good Life Last,” an autobiography from the 2000s co-written by David Bender. Woolery earned an Emmy nod as host. Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Woolery served in the U.S. Navy before attending college. He played double bass in a folk trio, then formed the psychedelic rock duo The Avant-Garde in 1967 while working as a truck driver to support himself as a musician. The Avant-Garde, which toured in a refitted Cadillac hearse, had the Top 40 hit “Naturally Stoned,” with Woolery singing, “When I put my mind on you alone/I can get a good sensation/Feel like I’m naturally stoned.” After The Avant-Garde broke up, Woolery released his debut solo single “I’ve Been Wrong” in 1969 and several more singles with Columbia before transitioning to country music by the 1970s. He released two solo singles, “Forgive My Heart” and “Love Me, Love Me.” Woolery wrote or co-wrote songs for himself and everyone from Pat Boone to Tammy Wynette. On Wynette’s 1971 album “We Sure Can Love Each Other,” Woolery wrote “The Joys of Being a Woman” with lyrics including “See our baby on the swing/Hear her laugh, hear her scream.” After his TV career ended, Woolery went into podcasting. In an interview with The New York Times, he called himself a gun-rights activist and described himself as a conservative libertarian and constitutionalist. He said he hadn’t revealed his politics in liberal Hollywood for fear of retribution. He teamed up with Mark Young in 2014 for the podcast “Blunt Force Truth” and soon became a full supporter of Donald Trump while arguing minorities don’t need civil rights and causing a firestorm by tweeting an antisemitic comment linking Soviet Communists to Judaism. “President Obama’s popularity is a fantasy only held by him and his dwindling legion of juice-box-drinking, anxiety-dog-hugging, safe-space-hiding snowflakes,” he said. Woolery also was active online, retweeting articles from Conservative Brief, insisting Democrats were trying to install a system of Marxism and spreading headlines such as “Impeach him! Devastating photo of Joe Biden leaks.” During the early stages of the pandemic, Woolery initially accused medical professionals and Democrats of lying about the virus in an effort to hurt the economy and Trump’s chances for reelection to the presidency. “The most outrageous lies are the ones about COVID-19. Everyone is lying. The CDC, media, Democrats, our doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust. I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election. I’m sick of it,” Woolery wrote in July 2020. Trump retweeted that post to his 83 million followers. By the end of the month, nearly 4.5 million Americans had been infected with COVID-19 and more than 150,000 had died. Just days later, Woolery changed his stance, announcing his son had contracted COVID-19. “To further clarify and add perspective, COVID-19 is real and it is here. My son tested positive for the virus, and I feel for of those suffering and especially for those who have lost loved ones,” Woolery posted before his account was deleted. Woolery later explained on his podcast that he never called COVID-19 “a hoax” or said “it’s not real,” just that “we’ve been lied to.” Woolery also said it was “an honor to have your president retweet what your thoughts are and think it’s important enough to do that.” In addition to his wife, Woolery is survived by his sons Michael and Sean and his daughter Melissa, Young said.NEW YORK — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about COVID-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. “Chuck was a dear friend and brother and a tremendous man of faith, life will not be the same without him,” Young wrote. Woolery, with his matinee idol looks, coiffed hair and ease with witty banter, was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978. In 1983, Woolery began an 11-year run as host of TV’s “Love Connection,” for which he coined the phrase, “We’ll be back in two minutes and two seconds,” a two-fingered signature dubbed the “2 and 2.” In 1984, he hosted “Scrabble,” simultaneously hosting two TV game shows until 1990. “Love Connection,” which aired long before the dawn of dating apps, had a premise that featured either a single man or single woman who would watch audition tapes of three potential mates and then pick one for a date. A couple of weeks after the date, the guest would sit with Woolery in front of a studio audience and tell everybody about the date. The audience would vote on the three contestants, and if the audience agreed with the guest’s choice, “Love Connection” would offer to pay for a second date. Woolery told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2003 that his favorite set of lovebirds was a man aged 91 and a woman aged 87. “She had so much eye makeup on, she looked like a stolen Corvette. He was so old he said, ‘I remember wagon trains.’ The poor guy. She took him on a balloon ride.” Other career highlights included hosting the shows “Lingo,” “Greed” and “The Chuck Woolery Show,” as well as hosting the short-lived syndicated revival of “The Dating Game” from 1998 to 2000 and an ill-fated 1991 talk show.
WHETHER you're looking for stocking stuffers or treats for your guests, Dollar Tree has just the thing. Shoppers can now stock up on their favorite festive -flavored candy at a low price . Perfect for gift-giving or hanging on your tree Dollar Tree has added some bargain candy that shoppers are scooping up. Fans can now pick up a 12-pack of Natural Peppermint-Flavored Christmas Candy Canes for just $1.25 from Dollar Tree . The holiday treats are created by the hard candy company Coastal Bay Confections. So whether you need a last-minute treat for your child's stockings or you're looking for a palette cleanser after your Christmas dinner, these candy canes may be worth a buy. Read More On Dollar Tree They shouldn't send your kids into too much of a sugar rush either, with just 24% sugar. Plus, shoppers can save over 80% by opting for the Dollar Tree version over Target . The Yum Earth Christmas Candy Canes are available at Target for $7.49. This means shoppers will be paying more and receiving less bargain for their buck as the Target buy only contains 10 candy canes. Most read in Money However, the pricier buys are free of artificial dyes and high fructose corn syrup. They are also non-GMO, vegan-friendly, and certified USDA organic. These candy canes received an average rating of 4.4 stars out of five from customers. They were awarded an average of 3.9 stars out of five for product value. IN THE COMMENTS However, customers rated the flavor even higher with taste coming in at 4.6 stars out of five. A total of 73% of shoppers said they would recommend the candy canes. Impressed shoppers shared their thoughts on the treats in the review section. Despite the name of the store, Dollar Tree recently added items that cost more than $1 to its inventory. Most items at the store cost no more than $1.25, but items in the Dollar Tree Plus section cost up to $5. Dollar Tree introduced Plus aisles to 100 locations in 2019 as part of an effort to diversify its products. By 2022, Dollar Tree had added the items to over 1,500 locations. "We believe testing additional price points above $1 for Dollar Tree products will enable us over time to expand our assortments, introduce new products and meet more of our customers’ everyday needs," president and CEO Michael Witynski said in a statement . "Our brand promise is that customers get great value for what they spend at Dollar Tree. We will continue to be fiercely protective of that promise, regardless of the price point." "I’m so happy to finally have holiday treats! They’re yummy and taste just how I remember candy canes tasting," wrote one buyer. "I am so happy I found these candy canes," said another Target customer. "My daughter can't have anything with red dye but she LOVES candy canes. "I was in the store the other day and walked past these and I was so happy! "I don't understand some of the other reviews saying they don't taste good, they taste EXACTLY like the ones with the red dye. I would recommend them." Read More on The US Sun Shoppers may also score five items from Dollar Tree for $1.25 to elevate your holiday decor. Plus, Dollar Tree has a $5 Christmas tree in two colors that shoppers say is the ‘best fake in the world.’Praga Bohema: The $1.5 Million Czech Supercar That’s Redefining Performance
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Trump uses image of Jill Biden to sell his perfumes and colognesChuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of 'Love Connection' and 'Scrabble,' dies at 83
McLean, Duax lead FGCU over Florida International 60-59ASX copper ( ) is marching higher today. Shares in the dual-listed Canadian-based (ASX: XKO) copper miner, which joined the ASX on 8 April, closed yesterday trading for $10.58. In morning trade on Thursday, shares are changing hands for $10.77 apiece, up 1.8%. For some context, the ASX 300 is up 0.2% at this same time. As you can see on the chart above, this puts the Capstone Copper share price up 9.3% since it began trading on the Aussie exchange. And according to the analysts at Citi, the ASX copper stock could charge far higher from here as we head into 2025. Commenting on Citi's positive outlook for Capstone Copper, analyst Kate McCutcheon said (quoted by ), "We see positive earnings on execution of growth projects and upward revisions to copper prices." The broker commenced coverage on the ASX copper stock with a buy rating and a share price target of $13.60. That's 26.3% above the current Capstone Copper share price. Part of Citi's bullish outlook stems from its forecast US$10,000 per tonne copper price. The red metal is currently trading for US$9,217 per tonne, having kicked off 2024 at US$8,545 per tonne. Copper prices reached highs above US$10,890 per tonne on 21 May. With Citi expecting global demand for the red metal to remain robust amid the world's ongoing push to low-carbon energy sources, the broker forecasts prices will rebound in 2025. And Capstone could be well-placed to take advantage. McCutcheon said that relative to other ASX copper stocks, the miner's growth ambitions of 400,000 tonnes per year is "a standout". She highlighted the importance for Capstone to deliver on its guidance under its incoming CEO. Capstone reported its September quarterly on 31 October. The ASX copper stock achieved copper production of 47,460 tonnes at cash costs of $2.83 per pound for the three months. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation ( ) came in at $120.8 million for Q3 2024, up from $62.8 million for Q3 2023. The 92% year on year earnings boost was driven by higher copper production and a higher realised copper price. Commenting on the improved results delivered by the ASX copper stock, CEO John MacKenzie said: The third quarter marked an important step in the transformation of our business, with tangible delivery on our peer leading growth. Our operations in Chile exhibited meaningful milestones... We expect Q4 to be our strongest quarter of the year, providing a glimpse of the future Capstone with a larger production base and lower unit operating costs.
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Jimmy Carter never needed redemption
Shopping on Temu can feel like playing an arcade game. Instead of using a joystick-controlled claw to grab a toy, visitors to the online marketplace maneuver their computer mouses or cellphone screens to browse colorful gadgets, accessories and trinkets with prices that look too good to refuse. A pop-up spinning wheel offers the chance to win a coupon. Rotating captions warn that a less than $2 camouflage print balaclava and a $1.23 skeleton hand back scratcher are “Almost sold out.” A flame symbol indicates a $9.69 plush cat print hoodie is selling fast. A timed-down selection of discounted items adds to the sense of urgency. Pages from the Shein website, left, and from the Temu site, right. Welcome to the new online world of impulse buying, a place of guilty pleasures where the selection is vast, every day is Cyber Monday, and an instant dopamine hit is always just a click away. By all accounts, we’re living in an accelerating age for consumerism, one that Temu, which is owned by the Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, and Shein, its fierce rival , supercharged with social media savvy and an interminable assortment of cheap goods, most shipped directly from merchants in China based on real-time demand. The business models of the two platforms, coupled with avalanches of digital or influencer advertising, have enabled them to give Western retailers a run for their money this holiday shopping season. A Christmas tree ornament purchased on Temu. Software company Salesforce said it expects roughly one in five online purchases in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada to be made through four online marketplaces based or founded in Asia: Shein, Temu, TikTok Shop — the e-commerce arm of video-sharing platform TikTok — and AliExpress. Analysts with Salesforce said they are expected to pull in roughly $160 billion in global sales outside of China. Most of the sales will go to Temu and Shein, a privately held company which is thought to lead the worldwide fast fashion market in revenue. Lisa Xiaoli Neville, a nonprofit manager who lives in Los Angeles, is sold on Shein. The bedroom of her home is stocked with jeans, shoes, press-on nails and other items from the ultra-fast fashion retailer, all of which she amassed after getting on the platform to buy a $2 pair of earrings she saw in a Facebook ad. Neville, 46, estimates she spends at least $75 a month on products from Shein. A $2 eggshell opener, a portable apple peeler and an apple corer, both costing less than $5, are among the quirky, single-use kitchen tools taking up drawer space. She acknowledges she doesn’t need them because she “doesn’t even cook like that.” Plus, she’s allergic to apples. “I won’t eat apples. It will kill me,” Neville said, laughing. “But I still want the coring thing.” Shein, now based in Singapore, uses some of the same web design features as Temu’s, such as pop-up coupons and ads, to persuade shoppers to keep clicking, but it appears a bit more restrained in its approach. Shein primarily targets young women through partnerships with social media influencers. Searching the company's name on video platforms turns up creators promoting Shein's Black Friday sales event and displaying the dozens of of trendy clothes and accessories they got for comparatively little money. But the Shein-focused content also includes videos of TikTokers saying they're embarrassed to admit they shopped there and critics lashing out at fans for not taking into account the environmental harms or potential labor abuses associated with products that are churned out and shipped worldwide at a speedy pace. Neville has already picked out holiday gifts for family and friends from the site. Most of the products in her online cart cost under $10, including graphic T-shirts she intends to buy for her son and jeans and loafers for her daughter. All told, she plans to spend about $200 on gifts, significantly less than $500 she used to shell out at other stores in prior years. “The visuals just make you want to spend more money,” she said, referring to the clothes on Shein's site. “They're very cheap and everything is just so cute.” Unlike Shein, Temu's appeal cuts across age groups and gender. The platform is the world’s second most-visited online shopping site, software company Similarweb reported in September. Customers go there looking for practical items like doormats and silly products like a whiskey flask shaped like a vintage cellphone from the 1990s. Temu advertised Black Friday bargains for some items at upwards of 70% off the recommended retail price. Making a purchase can quickly result in receiving dozens of emails offering free giveaways. The caveat: customers have to buy more products. Despite their rise, Temu and Shein have proven particularly ripe for pushback. Last year, a coalition of unnamed brands and organizations launched a campaign to oppose Shein in Washington. U.S. lawmakers also have raised the possibility that Temu is allowing goods made with forced labor to enter the country. More recently, the Biden administration put forward rules that would crack down on a trade rule known as the de minimis exception, which has allowed a lot of cheap products to come into the U.S. duty-free. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to slap high tariffs on goods from China, a move that would likely raise prices across the retail world. Both Shein and Temu have set up warehouses in the U.S. to speed up delivery times and help them better compete with Amazon, which is trying to erode their price advantage through a new storefront that also ships products directly from China. 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