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Pandas An An and Ke Ke celebrate their 1st Christmas in Hong Kong HONG KONG (AP) — A pair of five-year-old pandas, named An An and Ke Ke, celebrated their first Christmas early in a Hong Kong park, munching on special treats and looking cute for the cameras. An An, the male panda, was presented with an ice slab that had “Merry Christmas” written on it with sweet potato and carrots while Ke Ke, his female companion, got a snowman garnished with slices of carrot and apple in a special press event Monday before visitors streamed to the park. China sent the pair to Hong Kong in late September in a bid to boost tourism in the city. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Wemby: Spurs-Knicks Christmas game is also an animated one at Disney World NEW YORK (AP) — There’s a Christmas Day basketball game at Walt Disney World, featuring Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Wemby. While Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs are facing the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, an alternate animated telecast will have the teams playing in the Magic Kingdom, with some Disney characters participating. The special alt-cast, the first animated presentation of an NBA game, will be shown on ESPN2 and also stream on Disney+ and ESPN+. 'Squid Game' returns looking for win with season 2 The first season of “Squid Game” was Netflix's most-watched series and went on to win a variety of accolades including the Emmy Award for lead actor in a drama series for Lee Jung-jae and a directing award for Hwang Dong-hyuk. The show returns for its second season on Dec. 26 and is already nominated for a Golden Globe for best drama. It's rare for TV shows made in Korea to have more than one season but Lee describes Hwang as “a genius.” A third and final season has already filmed. Netflix is also invested in expanding its “Squid Game” universe with a reality competition series and an English-language version in development. In the ruins of a bombed-out church in Lebanon, there's now a tiny Christmas tree DARDGHAYA, Lebanon (AP) — A Christmas tree stands among the fallen stones in the ruins of a Catholic church in southern Lebanon that was hit by an Israeli airstrike during the war with Hezbollah. It's a small and modest tree. There are no lights because the war destroyed power lines. The ground is too uneven to set up the Nativity scene. The priest says his blood pressure went up and he lost his balance when he saw the church's destruction. Now he leads Mass in an underground room that serves as a temporary worship space. He tells the community it “is more like the cave where Jesus was born.” Burt, the huge Australian crocodile who had a cameo in ‘Crocodile Dundee,’ dies at 90 The Crocosaurus Cove reptile aquarium in Darwin, Australia, says the huge crocodile that rose to fame with a cameo in the movie “Crocodile Dundee” has died. The aquarium says Burt died over the weekend and was at least 90 years old. A saltwater crocodile, Burt was estimated to be more than 5 meters long. The 1986 movie stars Paul Hogan as the rugged crocodile hunter Mick Dundee. In the movie, American Sue Charlton, played by actress Linda Kozlowski, goes to fill her canteen in a watering hole when she is attacked by a crocodile, before being saved by Dundee. Elaborate holiday light displays are making spirits bright in a big way CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow might be enough to brighten some homes this holiday season. But others are adorned with thousands of blinking lights synched to blasting music. In Mesa, Arizona, 14 homeowners have been going all-out on holiday lights for 30 years, and those buying homes in the neighborhood often find the attics full of décor left behind by previous owners. In Santa Clarita, California, residents began coordinating their holiday lights to bring some joy to their community after an earthquake. And in Edmond, Oklahoma, those looking to the western sky will easily spot the Miranda family’s elaborate display featuring images and music from the movie “Wicked.” Santa braves the sticky heat of the Amazon jungle to bring gifts to children in Brazilian village CATALAO, Brazil (AP) — Santa Claus has braved the sticky heat of the Amazon rainforest this weekend, taking two boats to bring gifts to the children of a small village near the Brazilian city of Manaus. The visit was arranged by Amigos do Papai Noel, a Brazilian charity that has been taking gifts to children in the Amazon rainforest for the past 26 years. More than 600 children from different villages gathered in Catalao to receive presents from Santa, who dressed in his traditional nightcap, white gloves and red suit, while enduring the stifling jungle heat. NASA's Parker Solar Probe aims to fly closer to the sun like never before NEW YORK (AP) — A NASA spacecraft is about to make the closest approach to the sun. The Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 to get a close-up look at the sun. On Tuesday, Parker will pass within a record-breaking 3.8 million miles of the sun’s surface. That's nearly seven times closer to the sun than previous spacecraft. Scientists won’t hear from Parker until a few days after the flyby. It’ll continue circling the sun at this distance until at least September. Scientists hope to better understand what drives the solar wind and why the corona is so much hotter than the sun's surface. 174 Colorado skiers and snowboarders rescued after a lift cracks WINTER PARK, Colo. (AP) — Officials are investigating what caused a crack in a Colorado ski lift that forced the evacuation of over 170 stranded skiers and snowboarders. The evacuation happened Saturday on a gondola lift at Winter Park Resort. A spokesperson says the lift stopped automatically when a crack was detected in a structural piece of the lift. Passengers were lowered down by ropes over the course of about five hours. No injuries were reported during the rescues, which came at the start of the busy holiday season. 'Sonic 3' bests 'Mufasa: The Lion King' at the box office NEW YORK (AP) — In the holiday season battle of big-budget family movies, Paramount Pictures’ “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” sped past the Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” to take the top spot at the box office. The results came just ahead of the lucrative Christmas corridor in theaters. According to studio estimates, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” debuted with $62 million in ticket sales over the weekend. “Mufasa,” however, was humbled in its opening weekend, coming in notably shy of expectations. It returned just $35 million in domestic ticket sales.
Justice is supposed to be blind. But in the case of Luigi Mangione – the 26-year-old American who allegedly shot dead health insurance company CEO Brian Thompson in New York last week – it had its eyes wide open. Wide open and ogling: not long after Mangione’s arrest (in the appropriately American environs of a McDonald’s) the internet exploded with memes about how good-looking he is. The eyes have it: Images from Pennsylvania State Police showing Luigi Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona on December 9, where he was arrested and later charged with murder. Credit: AP It really is the (alleged) murder for the moment – executed on a midtown Manhattan street and instantly transformed into viral internet fodder, with the alleged perpetrator’s social media footprint mined to feed the relentless content beast. Mangione is an all-American princeling: Ivy League-educated, brawny and brainy. It was his distinctive full eyebrows that did him in – security camera footage of the suspect shows a pair of fine eyes and strong brows, framed by a COVID mask and a black hoodie. Days later, as he ate his hash brown in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, his eyes helped a member of the public to identify him and phone him in. Loading On social media, Jonathan Ness from the Queer Eye for a Straight Guy TV show joked that their next season could be devoted to Mangione, for a straight-guy makeover. But, Ness said, don’t worry – “the brows, [I] would never touch”. Memes proliferated about his hotness, with “If he’s fit, you must acquit” being just one example of the kind of thing being posted. There were shirtless photos, verbal accounts from his friends (who say he is lovely) and reports that he had suffered from terrible back pain, for which he had endured a spinal operation in June. The bullets that killed Thompson on December 4 were inscribed with the words “Deny”, “Defend” and “Depose”. This seems to be a reference to the reported behind-doors strategy of US health insurers, who use these tactics to not pay out insurance claims to patients, thereby maximising their profits. The “manifesto” reportedly found in Mangione’s backpack was a soup of anti-capitalist vigilantism and motherhood-statement morality about corporate America. It is shocking that an alleged murderer should be celebrated in this way, but not at all surprising. Gun violence in America is quotidian. It is a country with a long history of vigilantism. It also has a history of public fascination with killers possessing (alleged) sex appeal, from Charles Manson to the more recent case of the Menendez brothers . The lawlessness and moral glibness of the internet is the flipside to the United States’ culture of individual freedom. Loading In a perfectly American twist, the anti-capitalist crusader has been exploited for merchandising opportunities. T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags and mugs bearing Mangione’s image are available online. But we can’t blame the internet – we must look at why there is a market for Mangione merch, and why ordinary people, including those who presumably don’t have homicidal tendencies themselves, would cheer on a murderer. It doesn’t hurt that he’s beautiful. There is also the widespread rage many share over his cause. The US health insurance industry is a multibillion-dollar profit giant, funded by the sickness of the American people. Stories of its institutional cruelty are legion. Just this week it was reported that a different health insurer, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, had quietly announced it would impose time limits on anaesthesia during certain surgeries, in certain states . The company later backed down in the face of a public outcry. A paper by the Commonwealth Fund (an American research body dedicated to promoting “a high-performing, equitable healthcare system”) states that healthcare spending in the US, both per person and as a share of GDP, is “far higher” than other high-income countries. A poster depicting Mangione outside the Hilton Midtown Hotel in New York. Credit: AP But Americans are getting sicker. According to the Commonwealth Fund, “people in the United States experience the worst health outcomes overall of any high-income nation”. They are more likely to die younger, from avoidable causes, than people in peer countries. They have higher maternal and infant mortality rates, the highest rate of people with multiple chronic conditions among peer countries, and an obesity rate nearly twice the OECD average. Another Commonwealth Fund paper reported that “media investigations have found that insurers are becoming increasingly adept in using technology to deny payment of medical claims and pressure their company physicians to deny care during prior authorisation reviews”. It has been reported that UnitedHealthcare has the highest claim-denial rate (32 per cent) of all the private insurance companies. Loading The Manhattan shooting can be read as a cautionary tale illustrating the far-reaching consequences of economic inequality (not to mention a moment to give quiet thanks for the taxpayer-funded universal healthcare we enjoy in Australia). But the tasteless cheering over the assassination – a defenceless man shot in the back with no warning – is something more than that. It is a nihilistic expression of the hopelessness of American politics as a remedy for anything, not even something so fundamental as access to healthcare. President-elect Donald Trump has at least named the problem of America’s bad-health epidemic. But his tonic is his nominee to head the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr – an anti-vaxxer who advocates cooking in beef tallow (a heart disease-inducing saturated fat) because he says the seed-oil industry is poisoning us. Trump told Time magazine this week that he and RFK Jr will discuss ending some child vaccination programs . Trump suggested vaccines might be responsible for autism, a dangerous myth that has been widely debunked. In the embittered, conspiracy-laced realm of online radicalisation, there are no crucial distinctions between left and right. Instead, there is bipartisan agreement that politicians won’t help, and that democracy is an inefficient vehicle for generating social solutions. In the face of such nihilism, it doesn’t matter that violence only breeds more violence, and that Luigi Mangione will soon be last month’s meme, just another pretty person to scroll past. Jacqueline Maley is a columnist. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. License this article Crime USA Opinion Guns in America Healthcare Jacqueline Maley is a columnist. Connect via Twitter or Facebook . Most Viewed in World LoadingBy Stephanie Lai and Hadriana Lowenkron, Bloomberg News Donald Trump says he is selecting venture capitalist David Sacks of Craft Ventures LLC to serve as his artificial intelligence and crypto czar, a newly created position that underscores the president-elect’s intent to boost two rapidly developing industries. “David will guide policy for the Administration in Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency, two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness. David will focus on making America the clear global leader in both areas,” Trump said Thursday in a post on his Truth Social network. Trump said that Sacks would also lead the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology. In Sacks, Trump is tapping one of his most prominent Silicon Valley supporters and fundraisers for a prime position in his administration. Sacks played a key role in bolstering Trump’s fundraising among technology industry donors, including co-hosting an event at his San Francisco home in June, with tickets at $300,000 a head. He is also closely associated with Vice President-elect JD Vance, the investor-turned-Ohio senator. Sacks is a venture capitalist and part of Silicon Valley’s “PayPal Mafia.” He first made his name in the technology industry during a stint as the chief operating officer of PayPal, the payments company whose founders in the late 1990s included billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and investor Peter Thiel. After it was sold to eBay, Sacks turned to Hollywood, where he produced the 2005 satire Thank You for Smoking. Back in Silicon Valley, he founded workplace communications company Yammer, which was bought by Microsoft Corp. in 2012 for $1.2 billion. He founded his own venture capital firm, Craft Ventures, in 2017 and has invested in Musk-owned businesses, including SpaceX. Sacks said on a recent episode of his All-In podcast that a “key man” clause in the agreements of his venture firm’s legal documents would likely prevent him from taking a full-time position, but he might consider an advisory role in the new administration. A Craft spokeswoman said Sacks would not be leaving Craft. In his post, Trump said Sacks “will safeguard Free Speech online, and steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship.” Protecting free speech is a keen interest of Sacks. He regularly speaks about “woke” interests that try to muzzle unpopular opinions and positions. The new post is expected to help spearhead the crypto industry deregulation Trump promised on the campaign trail. The role is expected to provide cryptocurrency advocates a direct line to the White House and serve as a liaison between Trump, Congress and the federal agencies that interface with digital assets, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Trump heavily campaigned on supporting crypto, after previously disparaging digital assets during his first White House term, saying their “value is highly volatile and based on thin air.” The president-elect on Thursday said Sacks would “work on a legal framework so the Crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in the U.S.” During the campaign, Trump spoke at a Bitcoin conference, accepted crypto campaign donations and met with executives from Bitcoin mining companies and crypto exchanges multiple times. Trump’s desire to give priority to the digital asset industry is also reflected in his close allies and cabinet selections, including his Commerce secretary pick, Howard Lutnick, and Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent. On the AI front, Sacks would help Trump put his imprint on an emerging technology whose popular use has exploded in recent years. Sacks is poised to be at the front lines in determining how the federal government both adopts AI and regulates its use as advances in the technology and adoption by consumers pose a wide array of benefits as well as risks touching on national security, privacy, jobs and other areas. The president-elect has expressed both awe at the power of AI technology as well as concern over the potential harms from its use. During his first term, he signed executive orders that sought to maintain US leadership in the field and directed the federal government to prioritize AI in research and development spending. As AI has become more mainstream in recent years and with Congress slow to act, President Joe Biden has sought to fill that void. Biden signed an executive order in 2023 that establishes security and privacy protections and requires developers to safety-test new models, casting the sweeping regulatory order as necessary to safeguard consumers. A number of technology giants have also agreed to adopt a set of voluntary safeguards which call for them to test AI systems for discriminatory tendencies or security flaws and to share those results. Trump has vowed to repeal Biden’s order. The Republican Party’s 2024 platform dismissed Biden’s executive order as one that “hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology.” Sacks can be expected to work closely with Musk, the world’s richest person and one of the president-elect’s most prominent supporters. Musk is also a player in the AI space with his company xAI and a chatbot named Grok — efforts which pit him against Silicon Valley’s giants — and he stands to wield significant influence within the incoming administration. The appointment won’t require Sacks to divest or publicly disclose his assets. Like Musk, Sacks will be a special government employee. He can serve a maximum of 130 days per year, with or without compensation. However, conflict of interest rules apply to special government employees, meaning Sacks will have to recuse himself from matters that could impact his holdings. Sacks’s Craft Ventures is known more for enterprise software investing than for crypto, but it has made a few crypto investments, including BitGo and Bitwise. Still, Sacks has firm opinions on the sector. Speaking last month on All-In, Sacks praised a bill on crypto regulation that had passed in the U.S. House but not the Senate earlier this year. The Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act would regulate certain types of digital assets as a commodity, regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. “The crypto industry basically wants a really clear line for knowing when they’re a commodity and they want commodities to be governed, like all other commodities, by the CFTC,” he said on the November podcast. He also disparaged some of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s positions on crypto under its chair, Gary Gensler. “The days of Gensler terrifying crypto companies,” he said. “Those days are about to be over.” Earlier this week, Trump nominated crypto advocate Paul Atkins to lead the SEC. With assistance from Zoe Ma, Bill Allison, Sarah McBride, Anne VanderMey and stacy-marie ishmael. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(Bloomberg) — Some hedge fund managers are sounding the alarm on overvalued nuclear power stocks and scaling back exposure after a stunning rally this year. Sydney-based Tribeca Investment Partners and Segra Capital Management in Palm Beach, Florida, are among funds that have recently trimmed bets on nuclear technology developers and utilities. “The concern I have is some of this stuff has rallied hard,” said Guy Keller, a portfolio manager at Tribeca who oversees its long/short Nuclear Energy Opportunities Strategy. As a result, it makes sense to “bring my risk down.” Still, “I would never” build a short position “because you’re one data-center announcement away from blowing yourself up,” Keller said in an interview. Investing in nuclear power emerged as one of the hottest energy themes of the year. The rise of artificial intelligence and the huge data centers required to power it mean the future of nuclear is now firmly tied to the seemingly unstoppable rise of Big Tech. At the same time, more green-oriented investors have started to embrace nuclear as a necessary part of the low-carbon energy transition. Stocks swept up in the wave of enthusiasm include Constellation Energy Corp., which has almost doubled this year amid the revival of its shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear plant, and NuScale Power Corp., whose shares soared more than 800% until hitting a peak in late November. Lisa Audet, founder and chief investment officer of Greenwich, Connecticut-based Tall Trees Capital Management, said she remains “cautious” on small modular reactor developers like Oklo Inc. and NuScale, even after watching the share prices come down. Short interest as a percentage of shares outstanding currently stands at about 17% for Oklo and almost 15% for NuScale, according to IHS Markit data, compared with less than 1% for Constellation Energy. Small modular reactors are intended to be faster and cheaper to bring into service than large-scale plants, though the technology remains in development and the first commercial projects aren’t likely until the 2030s, according to the International Energy Agency. The rest of Wall Street is also turning more wary. A team of JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts published a 63-page report in October warning of the risk of hype surrounding nuclear stocks, even coining a specific term for the moment: “NucleHype.” Led by Jean-Xavier Hecker, head of ESG and sustainability for EMEA equity research, the report highlighted “inherent challenges” in the sector, including uranium supply-chain constraints and the amount of time it takes to develop nuclear power. Some hedge fund managers are seeing opportunities in other parts of the value chain. A “fragile and fragmented” supply chain for uranium “should lead to positive price pressures for the commodity in 2025,” said Arthur Hyde, a portfolio manager at Segra Capital, which manages $600 million of assets mainly in the nuclear and uranium space. Uranium prices have fallen about a third from their February peak, paring gains for the basket of producers and project developers in the $3.4 billion Global X Uranium ETF to 1.4% this year from almost 38% in 2023. Some mining companies are now oversold, Hyde said. However, nuclear-tech valuations are still “relatively lofty” and “you’re going to need a lot of good news to support those valuations into the new year,” he said. That led Segra Capital to scale back its holdings of US utilities and technology companies in the fourth quarter, and add to its exposure of producers and developers in the US, Canada and Australia. Tribeca’s Keller said most of his fund is tilted toward uranium assets, based partly on a bet that Big Tech will eventually expand its investments into the supply chains needed to power nuclear plants. “It’s not going to be long before they realize that they need to secure the upstream supply as well,” he said. “And again, it’s just going to take one deal and then all of the others will pile in.” Segra Capital and Tribeca, which has more than A$200 million ($127 million) in the nuclear and uranium sector, are constructive about the incoming Donald Trump administration’s stance on nuclear. “I’m fairly confident that the Trump administration will be—and is—pro-nuclear,” Keller said. —With assistance from Will Wade and John Cheng.
Former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber returning to Cleveland Guardians on 1-year deal, AP source saysMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With Penn State's strong push for a spot in the College Football Playoff still a couple of wins from completion, the biggest roadblock to a bid for the Nittany Lions in this favorable final third of their schedule has appeared with a trip to Minnesota . That's why this week, naturally, is too early for them to talk about making the inaugural 12-team tournament — as enticing as their prospects might be. “I think the quality of teams that we go in and play each week speaks for itself,” quarterback Drew Allar said. "But as far as rankings, it doesn’t really matter until it matters.” Penn State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) is fourth in both the AP poll and the CFP rankings this week, needing help for a long-shot hope of reaching the Big Ten title game because of a loss to now-No. 2 Ohio State on Nov. 2. In this new era of playoff expansion, the Nittany Lions are on firm footing for an at-large bid. Lose to the unranked Gophers (6-4, 4-3), however, and that ground could become shaky given the current collection of standout two-loss teams in the SEC. In case the Nittany Lions needed proof of the danger of letting focus diverge, coach James Franklin and his staff can call up the tape from Nov. 9, 2019. That's when an undefeated Penn State team came to Minnesota and lost 31-26 . The Nittany Lions lost again at Ohio State two weeks later and finished 11-2, one of several not-quite performances for this storied program that last went unbeaten in 1994 and hasn't been recognized as national champions since 1986. The Gophers were undefeated themselves after that game before losses to rivals Iowa and Wisconsin ended their Rose Bowl quest. This team isn't on that level of talent and success from five years ago, but the chemistry has been off the charts. Coach P.J. Fleck drew attention to some of the individual standout performances that fueled the signature victory in 2019 in meetings with players this week. “We need our best playmakers to play their best. Penn State’s going to need their playmakers to be their best. That’s what happens in November,” Fleck said. Tyler Warren has already shattered nearly every record for Penn State tight ends. The do-it-all senior become such a force his teammates insist he’s worthy of the Heisman Trophy, tracking toward the top of the NFL draft board for his position next spring. “He’s the best tight end in America, but he’s also the most complete tight end in America," Allar said. Warren is coming off a 190-yard performance at Purdue that included 63 yards on three rushes and 127 yards on eight receptions. “He has the ability to take a play that should be 2 or 3 yards and turn it into 30 or 40,” Gophers defensive end Danny Striggow said. Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter has 171⁄2 tackles for loss, the second-most in the FBS, and eight sacks to match the third-most in the Big Ten. He has a challenging matchup this week with Minnesota left tackle Aireontae Ersery across from him in a battle of projected first-round NFL draft picks. Gophers coaches told Striggow and his fellow defensive linemen a couple of seasons ago to relish the opportunity to face Ersery in practice. “That’s one of the best looks in the country that you’re going to get,” Striggow said. Carter has successfully made the transition from linebacker this season. “He is impacting the game in a number of ways, which creates opportunities for other guys on our defensive line and within our defense and causes a lot of headaches,” Franklin said. “He is becoming more and more of a leader every single day.” Allar and the Nittany Lions have paid particular attention to protecting the ball this week, given the Gophers have 16 interceptions, one short of the national lead. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar feels he’ll need to be especially accurate this weekend considering Minnesota has 16 interceptions on the season. “We’re just going to have to be disciplined and stick to our game plan,” Allar said. The Gophers have a strong group of departing players who will take the field at Huntington Bank Stadium for the final time, including Ersery, quarterback Max Brosmer, wide receiver Daniel Jackson, right guard Quinn Carroll, cornerback Justin Walley, kicker Dragan Kesich and Striggow. “It’s been good to reflect, but it’s not over yet," Striggow said. "Those short windows of reflection, I cut ’em out and then say, ‘We’ve got some more memories to make.’” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football .
( MENAFN - EIN Presswire) Fusion Frequencies at Miami Paramount World Center FilmGate Miami and WideWorlds joined forces during Miami Art Week to present Fusion Frequencies on the iconic LED screen at the Miami Paramount World Center. Jen Gordon FilmGate Miami +1 850-841-9020 email us here Visit us on social media: Facebook X LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above. MENAFN13122024003118003196ID1108991954 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.The 1% Club's latest episode had viewers furrowing their brows in bewilderment, particularly over a puzzling question that ignited discussions across social media. Lee Mack, the ITV show's host, challenged the contestants with a teaser: "Which of these groups of six symbols are in the same order whether you read them from left to right or from right to left? " offering five potential answers. But as the audience tuned in, many were adamant that the answer announced as correct, 'C', was erroneous, arguing fervently that 'A' was the actual solution. Twitter became the platform for their confusion and dissent. One perplexed viewer tweeted: "Baffled! I didn't understand this one at all," while another sought clarity, posting: "Can someone please explain how it's C? " A third insisted: "I said A and I still think A. I don't understand how it's not." Read more Flog It! star sparks concern after being bedbound in hospital for five weeks The debate continued with another tweet stating: "This is a trick question, A or C could be correct depending on the definition of right to left used," and an attempt to clarify came from a fan explaining: "Because it's how you read it. I thought it was A, too, but it starts as a Closed bracket, whereas C starts the same as the end. I hope that explains it." The question had fans perplexed (Image: ITV) Puzzle fans dived into a heated discussion, with one clarifying: "It's not about being mirrored; it's about what symbol is what. So A would be (from L-R): left bracket, right bracket, left bracket etc, but R-L it would be; right bracket, left bracket etc. which is difference. Whereas C is left arrow-right arrow-right arrow etc from both ends! " In the latest episode, four lucky contestants walked away splitting £97,000 after nailing the final question, leaving host Lee ecstatic for the winning group, as only two contestants missed out on the grand prize by giving wrong answers, reports the Mirror .
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A new department for Rock Island County will be moving into a former automotive repair shop. The newly created Fleet Management Department will be based in the building that housed the Ace Muffler Clinic for 55 years, a news release said. Ace Muffler closed in July of 2023. The county purchased the building for $550,000 in July of 2024, according to the Rock Island County assessor's website . Located at 1429 Fourth Ave., the building sits at the foot of the Centennial Bridge and across the street from the Rock Island County office building. The Fleet Service Center will provide maintenance oversight and routine service of the county's 175 vehicles from numerous offices and departments. Routine maintenance will include oil changes, tire rotation and replacement, alignment and brakes. People are also reading... "Centralized fleet management will ensure that county vehicles are routinely maintained, providing for efficiencies and longevity of the fleet," County Administrator Jim Grafton said. A fleet manager has been hired and additional personnel is expected to be hired in the next few weeks, the release said. Vehicle service is planned to start in January. The former Ace Muffler Clinic in Rock Island will house the Rock Island County Fleet Management Department. Hutchinson Engineering was hired to assist in establishing the new department. Hutchinson has consulted with other local governments, such as Scott County and the city of East Moline, to establish their own fleet management programs. "As we continuously seek ways to improve, Rock Island County is embracing a recognized best practice for local governments — consolidated fleet management," County Board Chairman Richard "Quijas" Brunk said. Drivers have been warned that they could risk serious engine damage if they fail to check their antifreeze levels during winter. Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms unveils the plaque signifying the rededication of Rock Island City Hall on Monday after the completion of a $2.25 million renovation project that included a complete remodel of city council chambers. While taking up carpets during the renovation, workers found terrazzo marble that was kept in place for the flooring to preserve the history of the building. In the city council chambers, a drop ceiling that kept hidden the original 1940s art deco ceiling and the original light fixtures was removed. The original ceiling was painted, and the original light fixtures now use LED lights which brightens the chambers. From left to right are Andrew Dasso, owner of Streamline Architects; Second Ward Ald. Randy Hurt; First Ward Ald. Moses Robinson Jr.; Fourth Ward Ald. Jenni Swanson; Adam Hass, vice president of Valley Construction; Craig DeVrieze, executive director of Illowa Construction Labor & Management Council; Mayor Mike Thoms; former Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert; Fifth Ward Ald. Dylan Parker; Sixth Ward Ald. Mark Poulos; Seventh Ward Ald. Bill Healy. The renovations were paid for with $2 million in ARPA funds and $250,000 from a surplus in the city's general fund. The offices of Community and Economic Development were part of the 2.25 million renovations of Rock Island City Hall. The terrazzo marble floors had been covered by carpet. To preserve the history of the building the floors were kept. Rock Island City Hall was built in 1940. This was the first renovation of the building in more than 84 years. Photos of the mayors of Rock Island hang on the wall inside Rock Island City Hall. Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms, left, and architect Andrew Dasso, right, show the new board room that sits behind city council chambers during an open house on Monday. The chambers had enough space for the builders to make a board room while at the same time only slightly lessening the city council chambers space. Old photos found around Rock Island City Hall are used to decorate the new board room that now sits behind city council chambers. This one is of the Rock Island County Courthouse. Old photos found around Rock Island City Hall are used to decorate the new board room that now sits behind city council chambers. Old photos found around Rock Island City Hall are used to decorate the new board room that now sits behind city council chambers. This one is of the Centennial Bridge, known early on as the Galbraith Bridge, and now call the Stanley Talbot Memorial (Centennial) Bridge. Tim Bain, Rock Island Information Technology Director, works with Sixth Ward Alderman Mark Poulos in the renovated city council chambers on Monday. The city held an open house for people to see the $2.25 million renovations done for the first time since the building opened in 1940. Current Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms greets former Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert during the open house held Monday for the public to see the $2.25 million renovations done to city hall. Schwiebert served as Mayor of Rock Island from 1989 to 2009. Renovated Rock Island City Council chambers. The 1940s art deco ceiling was hidden for many years by a drop ceiling. When workers took that ceiling down, they found the original ceiling and the original light fixtures. The original ceiling and original lights were kept in order to preserve the history of Rock Island City Hall. Photos: Rock Island shows off City Hall renovations Rock Island held an open house Monday so the public could view the $2.25 million in renovations to City Hall, which was built in 1940. Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms unveils the plaque signifying the rededication of Rock Island City Hall on Monday after the completion of a $2.25 million renovation project that included a complete remodel of city council chambers. While taking up carpets during the renovation, workers found terrazzo marble that was kept in place for the flooring to preserve the history of the building. In the city council chambers, a drop ceiling that kept hidden the original 1940s art deco ceiling and the original light fixtures was removed. The original ceiling was painted, and the original light fixtures now use LED lights which brightens the chambers. From left to right are Andrew Dasso, owner of Streamline Architects; Second Ward Ald. Randy Hurt; First Ward Ald. Moses Robinson Jr.; Fourth Ward Ald. Jenni Swanson; Adam Hass, vice president of Valley Construction; Craig DeVrieze, executive director of Illowa Construction Labor & Management Council; Mayor Mike Thoms; former Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert; Fifth Ward Ald. Dylan Parker; Sixth Ward Ald. Mark Poulos; Seventh Ward Ald. Bill Healy. The renovations were paid for with $2 million in ARPA funds and $250,000 from a surplus in the city's general fund. The offices of Community and Economic Development were part of the 2.25 million renovations of Rock Island City Hall. The terrazzo marble floors had been covered by carpet. To preserve the history of the building the floors were kept. Rock Island City Hall was built in 1940. This was the first renovation of the building in more than 84 years. Photos of the mayors of Rock Island hang on the wall inside Rock Island City Hall. Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms, left, and architect Andrew Dasso, right, show the new board room that sits behind city council chambers during an open house on Monday. The chambers had enough space for the builders to make a board room while at the same time only slightly lessening the city council chambers space. Old photos found around Rock Island City Hall are used to decorate the new board room that now sits behind city council chambers. This one is of the Rock Island County Courthouse. Old photos found around Rock Island City Hall are used to decorate the new board room that now sits behind city council chambers. Old photos found around Rock Island City Hall are used to decorate the new board room that now sits behind city council chambers. This one is of the Centennial Bridge, known early on as the Galbraith Bridge, and now call the Stanley Talbot Memorial (Centennial) Bridge. Tim Bain, Rock Island Information Technology Director, works with Sixth Ward Alderman Mark Poulos in the renovated city council chambers on Monday. The city held an open house for people to see the $2.25 million renovations done for the first time since the building opened in 1940. Current Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms greets former Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert during the open house held Monday for the public to see the $2.25 million renovations done to city hall. Schwiebert served as Mayor of Rock Island from 1989 to 2009. Renovated Rock Island City Council chambers. The 1940s art deco ceiling was hidden for many years by a drop ceiling. When workers took that ceiling down, they found the original ceiling and the original light fixtures. The original ceiling and original lights were kept in order to preserve the history of Rock Island City Hall. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! 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One of Baltimore’s most prominent families was thrust into the spotlight this week, when a son of the clan, Luigi Mangione , was arrested by Pennsylvania police and charged in the Dec. 4 fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson . Locally active in philanthropy, both via individual donations and through the Mangione Family Foundation, the Mangiones gave millions to Baltimore’s various institutions and nonprofits, including more than $1 million to the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and more to the American Citizens for Italian Matters, Baltimore Opera Company and others. Loyola University, which counts Mangione alumni among their ranks, has an aquatic center named after the family, and GBMC previously had a high-risk obstetrics unit, since closed, that bore their name. Their story is a uniquely American one: The Mangiones went from deep poverty to massive wealth in just three generations, with one cousin, Nino Mangione, now a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates. Despite an eventually deep portfolio of development properties and government contracting for 20 years, the family patriarch, Nicholas Mangione Sr. , said he still faced prejudice for his background when he attempted to buy land to build the Turf Valley Golf and Country Club, now the Turf Valley Resort, in Ellicott City. “Tongues started wagging,” Mangione told The Baltimore Sun in 1995. “People [were] wondering where an unknown Italian could get the money for a $5 million project. In those days, there were no Italians in real visible positions [in Howard County].” Mangione said the implication was that he must have backing from the mob, so he countered sharply. “People thought I needed money from the Mafia to buy this place. They asked me what family I belonged to,” he said. “I told them, ‘I belong to the Mangione family. The Mangione family of Baltimore County.’” The family is now defending its name again. On Monday, members released a statement on social media expressing dismay at Luigi Mangione’s arrest, saying they were stunned by the news. “We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved,” the family wrote . “We are devastated by this news.” The family did not respond to a request for comment via a family attorney or their foundation. From poverty to philanthropic elite How they went from the Depression-era streets of the city’s Little Italy to its philanthropic elite is straight out of a Horatio Alger novel. Nicholas Sr. was born in Baltimore’s Little Italy, and spent his first eight years in a one-room apartment with an outdoor privy, according to a 2008 Sun article. He earlier told The Sun his Italian immigrant father, Louis, could neither read nor write, and worked in the city water department until he died of pneumonia. Today, the Mangione family is a sprawling one, with a business empire to match: Nicholas Sr., made the beginning of the family’s fortunes in the post-World War II years as a bricklayer and contractor . He built up his business holdings throughout the following decades, with his wife, Mary , growing their family to include five sons, five daughters, and 37 grandchildren, including Luigi. The family’s holdings range from construction to commercial real estate to local radio station WCBM-AM and a majority stake in Lorien Health Services, which operates multiple assisted living facilities in Maryland. Aside from the Turf Valley Resort, with its 10,000-square-foot ballroom, 220-room hotel, and 85-seat amphitheater, the Mangiones also own the Hayfields Country Club in Cockeysville and a slew of companies registered in Maryland . Its family foundation had net assets of $4.4M as of its 2022 tax filing , the most recent on record. The Mangione Family Foundation’s stated focus is supporting, “Organizations for any of the following purposes: religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition (as long as it doesn’t provide athletic facilities or equipment), or the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.” Politically active across the aisle Politically, the Mangiones have been active across the aisle. Luigi Mangione’s parents, Louis and Kathleen Mangione donated $35,935 to state and local politicians from 2005 through 2023, according to data from the State Board of Elections. Half went to Nino Mangione ’s campaign account for his state delegate races from 2018 through 2023. Other donations went to Howard County executives Calvin Ball and Ken Ulman, both Democrats, and Allan Kittleman, a Republican, along with additional high-profile candidates of both parties, including former Govs. Martin O’Malley and Robert L. Ehrlich, and former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon. Large family The immense number of Mangiones also was briefly confusing for Baltimoreans on Monday. Aside from Nicholas Sr. and Mary Mangione’s 10 children and 37 grandchildren, city counts at least two other Mangione families, who were briefly inundated with phone calls from the media and queries from former schoolmates and acquaintances. One of Luigi Mangione’s two sisters is a physician at the University of Texas Southwestern, according to her LinkedIn profile. Another sister is a visual artist. Neither sister responded to requests for comment. His mother, Kathleen, comes from a family that owns a funeral home, the Charles S. Zannino Funeral Home in Highlandtown, the Baltimore Fishbowl reported , and now runs a travel agency, KZM Boutique Travel, which had removed its website as of Tuesday evening. His father, Louis was groomed to help take over the family’s business empire, according to a 2003 Washington Post article . Have a news tip? Contact Riley Gutierrez McDermid at rmcdermid@baltsun.com or Frank Gluck at fgluck@baltsun.com.
I love how the Aspen Skiing Co. sometimes opens the mountains earlier than the published date. The move strikes me as a benevolent gesture — a vital bone thrown to the locals — one with meat and marrow we can all chew on until the real soap opera of ski season begins. Aspen’s ski season is indeed a real-life docudrama; the greatest show on snow. It’s the relentless grind of winter, filled with thrills and spills of victory, hoots and hollers, camaraderie and the agony of “da feet” (and knees). As of 9 a.m. today, Aspen is officially, once again, a classic American ski town. Let the games begin! The recent snow has assuaged the very real fear of a no-snow year — a nightmarish scenario that I internally fret about every fall. This is the second year of Aspen Mountain’s top-to-bottom snowmaking capabilities. That’s significant. The affectionately nicknamed “manmade ribbon of death” begs speed, and is grossly emblematic of early season skiing to me. In the shadow of the World Cup’s impending absence, is now the time to reboot the heralded “24 Hours of Aspen” ski race? While driving into town one eerie October evening I couldn’t help but notice the lights of the snowmaking system on Golden Horn and Thunderbowl making an illuminated, fluorescent signature in a dogleg left arc. The spectacle reminded me of the Starlink satellite network streaking across the sky; a token of man’s technological mark shining over the land. Over the years, I’ve witnessed an ideological, technical and money-driven change in the ski industry. From the conglomerate resort entities, to their season passes, to day-ticket technology, to the equipment, to the clothing, to on-mountain dining, to the teaching techniques, to the chairlifts, to snow-management procedures, to the way the mountains are being skied, to lodging and transportation, to the workforce — every sector and component of the snow business has metamorphosed. Yet for me, the liberating feeling of skiing itself has stayed much the same as when I was a kid. I always marvel at that familiarity and simplicity of the very first run of the year: skiing effortlessly off of the lift and settling into those first few turns. Just like riding a bike. In an odd little way, ski season completes me. Maybe that has something to do with being fortunate enough to have hustled in the ski industry for the past 30-plus years. I feel blessed to work in the snow business, surrounded by outgoing, adventurous people — the majority of whom I can identify with — who eat, sleep and breathe skiing. As a testament, I still like skiing. The business part hasn’t forever ruined the fun for me. Yet. And, I really dig turning people onto the sport, and seeing their faces and hearing the unadulterated excitement and sense of accomplishment in their voices after conquering Homestead Road on Buttermilk for the first time. A couple of weeks ago on a sleepy Monday I was startled by the image of a guy walking through town carrying a pair of skis. My head was somewhere far, far away. Last Sunday while watching the Broncos, I performed a “dress rehearsal” for ski season, a little trick my old ski pal Larry Mayer hipped me to while we were riding the gondola one time. You suit-up for skiing, put your boots on, lay your skis out on the carpet, click-in, get down into a tuck and hold it for as long as you can. Recover and repeat. The exercise worked like a charm. Something inside of me shifted — mentally and physically — to get psyched to ski again. I’m definitely not in the ski shape I used to be. I was nearly hyperventilating just from buttoning my pants, then bending over and buckling my boots. Afterwards I performed a rudimentary early season ski tune, courtesy of my handy Swix tuning kit by deburring and sharpening the edges to a 90-degree bevel. I’m always experimenting with obscure waxing techniques. I’ve tried everything from Armor All to olive oil to Lemon Pledge furniture wipes. This time I applied some spray-on carnauba Turtle Wax to the thirsty bases of my fat sticks. My skis feel smooth; they smell nice, too. Either tune your skis yourself, or support your local ski shop and have them tuned professionally. You’ll be happy with the big difference that little bit of effort makes. Last year, I learned the hard way that at this stage in my ski career, when you live in a ski town the likes of Aspen, it’s best to let the skiing come to you as opposed to chasing early turns at other resorts. I like the concept, but the execution was a different beast entirely. Driving three-plus hours to ski, and three hours or more back, is for people in their 20s with Ikon Passes and Subarus. I’d like to take this opportunity to profusely thank everyone in mountain operations for getting the slopes ready for us. I’m acutely aware of all the hard work that goes into mountain preparation: mowing and clearing the runs during summer, ceremoniously igniting burn piles with napalm (smells like ... ski season), snowmaking and grooming, getting the chairlifts and gondola ready. Thanks also to the patrolmen and patrolwomen who make the terrain safe and inevitably the injured bodies off of the hill. The more people that get out and ski, the overall healthier and happier our community is. Here’s to a fun, successful and rewarding ski season, everyone. See you up there!