Jilted boxer who threatened to kill woman over Facebook avoids jailThese 2 under-the-radar ASX ETFs could be top long-term buys
The ( ) share price has sunk close to 40% in 2024 to date. Since 10 December 2024, the has dropped more than 10%. The has significantly underperformed the (ASX: XJO) this year – the index has risen more than 5% this year. That means Fortescue shares have underperformed by more than 40%! When it comes to cyclical businesses like Fortescue, past performance is certainly not a reliable indicator of future returns. The market doesn't know what's going to happen next month or next year. We just need to decide if today's value is attractive or not. Let's first examine the iron ore price as it has a key influence on Fortescue shares. According to , the iron ore price has fallen below US$105 per tonne but remains above US$100 per tonne. Trading Economics noted that ongoing economic uncertainty in China, combined with a lack of specific details about proposed financial stimulus from the Asian superpower, has been a negative for sentiment. China is the key buyer of global iron ore. While demand is challenged, supply continues to grow over time. Trading Economics noted that ( ) recently resumed operations at two of its Western Australian mines after a temporary halt because of heavy rain. The iron ore price plays a key role in Fortescue's profitability because of its focus on the commodity and mining operating leverage. Mining costs don't change much month to month, so a rise in the iron ore price can largely flow to . But, a reduction in the iron ore price cuts heavily into profit generation. Near the start of 2024, the iron ore price was going above US$140 per tonne – it has fallen significantly since then. Broker UBS estimates the iron ore price could be US$100 per tonne in 2025, US$95 per tonne in 2026 and US$90 per tonne in 2027. In other words, the iron ore price is projected to slowly decline. The outlook is uncertain, particularly if incoming US President Trump's tariffs hurt China's economy. However, it's also possible that China could launch significant stimulus to boost its economy and offset tariff headwinds, which could then be helpful for the iron ore price and Fortescue shares. This isn't the sort of flip-of-the-coin investment I like to make where there are quite a few opposing potential outcomes. But the lower Fortescue share price gives us a bit more safety. It's also important to note that the size of the possible dividends in the next few years is very dependent on what happens with the iron ore price. Over the past few years, I have expressed the opinion that it is better to wait to invest in ASX iron ore shares when the iron ore price is below US$100. This tends to result in a more favourable ASX share valuation. Since the iron ore price is currently above US$100 per tonne, I would prefer to wait for a lower Fortescue share price. However, I believe it is getting close to being an attractive investment.Furious Cucurella changes cleats after slipping twice to concede early goals, then helps Chelsea win
No, Mexico did not pledge to stop migrant caravans after Trump tariff threat | Fact checkManhattan police have obtained a warrant for the arrest of 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione , suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson . Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, while carrying a gun, mask and writings linking him to the ambush. Mangione is being held without bail in Pennsylvania on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Late Monday, Manhattan prosecutors charged him with five counts, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. Here's the latest: The White House condemns the ‘horrific’ killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says “violence to combat any sort of corporate greed is unacceptable” and the White House will “continue to condemn any form of violence.” She declined to comment on the investigation into the Dec. 4 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson or reports that writings belonging to the suspect, Luigi Mangione, said insurance companies care more about profits than their customers. “This is horrific,” Jean-Pierre said of the fatal shooting of Thompson as he walked in Manhattan. Mangione leaves the courthouse He didn’t appear to say anything as deputies led him to a waiting car outside. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issues a statement on the shooting “I’m deeply grateful to the men and women of law enforcement whose efforts to solve the horrific murder of Brian Thompson led to the arrest of a suspect in Pennsylvania,” Gov. Hochul said in the statement. “I am coordinating with the District Attorney’s Office and will sign a request for a governor’s warrant to ensure this individual is tried and held accountable. Public safety is my top priority and I’ll do everything in my power to keep the streets of New York safe.” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will issue a governor’s warrant for Mangione so he can stand trial in NY That’s according to a spokesperson for the governor who said Gov. Hochul will do it as soon as possible. From wealth and success to murder suspect, the life of Luigi Mangione took a hard turn Luigi Nicholas Mangione, the suspect in the fatal shooting of a healthcare executive in New York City, apparently was living a charmed life: the grandson of a wealthy real estate developer, valedictorian of his elite Baltimore prep school and with degrees from one of the nation’s top private universities. Friends at an exclusive co-living space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Hawaii where the 26-year-old Mangione once lived widely considered him a “great guy,” and pictures on his social media accounts show a fit, smiling, handsome young man on beaches and at parties. Now, investigators in New York and Pennsylvania are working to piece together why Mangione may have diverged from this path to make the violent and radical decision to gun down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a brazen attack on a Manhattan street. The killing sparked widespread discussions about corporate greed, unfairness in the medical insurance industry and even inspired folk-hero sentiment toward his killer. ▶ Read more about Luigi Mangione Pennsylvania prosecutor will work with NY officials to return suspect Peter Weeks, the Blair County district attorney, says he’ll work with New York officials to try to return suspect Luigi Mangione there to face charges. Weeks said the New York charges are “more serious” than in Blair County. “We believe their charges take precedent,” Weeks said, promising to do what’s needed to accommodate New York’s prosecution first. Weeks spoke to reporters after a brief hearing at which a defense lawyer said Mangione will fight extradition. The defense asked for a hearing on the issue. In the meantime, Mangione will be detained at a state prison in western Pennsylvania. What New York officials will do to bring Mangione back there Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said Tuesday it will seek a Governor’s warrant to secure Mangione’s extradition to Manhattan. Under state law, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul can issue a warrant of arrest demanding Mangione’s return to the state. Such a warrant must recite the facts necessary to the validity of its issuance and be sealed with the state seal. It would then be presented to law enforcement in Pennsylvania to expedite Mangione’s return to New York. District attorney says Mangione contesting extradition will create ‘extra hoops’ to jump through But Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks says it won’t be a substantial barrier to returning Mangione to New York. He noted that defendants contest extradition “all the time,” including in simple retail theft cases. In court, Mangione said he understood his rights Dickey, his defense lawyer, questioned whether the second-degree murder charge filed in New York might be eligible for bail under Pennsylvania law, but prosecutors raised concerns about both public safety and Mangione being a potential flight risk, and the judge denied it. Mangione will continue to be housed at a state prison in Huntingdon. Defense lawyer Thomas Dickey told the court Mangione wants a hearing on the extradition issue He has 14 days to challenge the detention. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have a month to seek a governor’s warrant out of New York. Mangione’s demeanor in court Mangione, wearing an orange jumpsuit, mostly stared straight ahead at the hearing, occasionally consulting papers, rocking in his chair, or looking back at the gallery. At one point, he began to speak to respond to the court discussion, but was quieted by his lawyer. Suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO is contesting his extradition back to New York Luigi Mangione, 26, has also been denied bail at a brief court hearing in western Pennsylvania. He has 14 days to challenge the bail decision. An account on X that appears to belong to Mangione was still up as of Tuesday That’s with some intervention from owner Elon Musk. The account, which hasn’t posted since June, was briefly suspended by X. But after a user inquired about it in a post Monday, Musk responded “This happened without my knowledge. Looking into it.” The account was later reinstated. Other social media companies such as Meta have removed his accounts. According to X rules, the platform removes “any accounts maintained by individual perpetrators of terrorist, violent extremist, or mass violent attacks, as well as any accounts glorifying the perpetrator(s), or dedicated to sharing manifestos and/or third party links where related content is hosted.” Mangione is not accused of perpetrating a terrorist or mass attack — he has been charged with murder — and his account doesn’t appear to share any writings about the case. Mangione shouted and struggled with officers as he arrived in court He shouted something that was partly unintelligible, but referred to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.” He’s there for an arraignment on local charges stemming from his arrest Monday. Mangione arrives at court in Pennsylvania He was dressed in an orange jumpsuit as officers led him from a vehicle into the courthouse. Local defense lawyer Thomas Dickey is expected to represent the 26-year-old at a Tuesday afternoon hearing at the Blair County Courthouse. Dickey declined comment before the hearing. Mangione could have the Pennsylvania charges read aloud to him and may be asked to enter a plea. They include possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. In New York, he was charged late Monday with murder in the death of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Brian Thompson. Bulletin says Mangione likely motivated by anger toward ‘parasitic’ health insurance companies Mangione likely was motivated by his anger with what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain with corporate greed, said a a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press. He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive healthcare system in the world and that the profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, based on a review of the suspect’s hand-written notes and social media postings. He appeared to view the targeted killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO as a symbolic takedown, asserting in his note that he is the “first to face it with such brutal honesty,” the bulletin said. Mangione called “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski a “political revolutionary” and may have found inspiration from the man who carried out a series of bombings while railing against modern society and technology, the document said. Police say they found ‘written admissions about the crime’ in Luigi Mangione’s belongings A felony warrant filed in New York cites Altoona Officer Christy Wasser as saying she found the writings along with a semi-automatic pistol and an apparent silencer. The filing echoes earlier statements from NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny who said Mangione had a three-page, handwritten document that shows “some ill will toward corporate America.” Mangione is now charged in Pennsylvania with being a fugitive of justice. McDonald’s customer: ‘My one friend thought he looked like the shooter’ A customer at the McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested said one of his friends had commented beforehand that the man looked like the suspect wanted for the shooting in New York City. “It started out almost a little bit like a joke, my one friend thought he looked like the shooter,” said the customer, who declined to give his full name, on Tuesday. “It wasn’t really a joke, but we laughed about it,” he added. Manhattan prosecutors have obtained a warrant for Mangione’s arrest The warrant on murder and other charges is a step that could help expedite his extradition from Pennsylvania. In court papers made public Tuesday, a New York City police detective reiterated key findings in the investigation he said tied Mangione to the killing, including surveillance footage and a fake ID he used to check into a Manhattan hostel on Nov. 24. Police officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, found that ID when they arrested Mangione on Monday. Mangione is being held without bail in Pennsylvania on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Late Monday, Manhattan prosecutors charged him with five counts, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. Mangione doesn’t yet have a lawyer who can speak on his behalf, court officials said. Pennsylvania authorities release photos of Luigi Mangione at McDonald’s and in cell Images of Mangione released Tuesday by Pennsylvania State Police showed him pulling down his mask in the corner of the McDonald’s while holding what appeared to be hash browns and wearing a winter jacket and ski cap. In another photo from a holding cell, he stood unsmiling with rumpled hair. The suspect’s cousin, a Maryland lawmaker, is postponing a fundraiser Mangione’s cousin, Maryland lawmaker Nino Mangione, announced Tuesday morning that he’s postponing a fundraiser planned later this week at the Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore, which was purchased by the Mangione family in 1986. “Because of the nature of this terrible situation involving my Cousin I do not believe it is appropriate to hold my fundraising event scheduled for this Thursday at Hayfields,” Nino Mangione said in a social media post. “I want to thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support. My family and I are heartbroken and ask that you remember the family of Mr. Thompson in your prayers. Thank you.” The search for the suspect involved dogs, drones and scuba divers Officers used New York City’s muscular surveillance system . Investigators analyzed DNA samples, fingerprints and internet addresses. Police went door to door looking for witnesses. When an arrest came five days later , those sprawling investigative efforts shared credit with an alert civilian’s instincts. A customer at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania noticed another patron who resembled the man in the oblique security-camera photos New York police had publicized. Suspect is expected to be eventually be extradited to New York He remains jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. By late Monday evening, prosecutors in Manhattan had added a charge of murder, according to an online court docket. It’s unclear whether Luigi Nicholas Mangione has an attorney who can comment on the allegations. Asked at Monday’s arraignment whether he needed a public defender, Mangione asked whether he could “answer that at a future date.” The Associated Press
Drones, planes or UFOs? Americans abuzz over mysterious New Jersey sightings
49ers QB Brock Purdy, DE Nick Bosa out, Brandon Allen to start at Green Bay
Justice and rights in a tech-driven worldLOS ANGELES (AP) — The leader of a Southern California white supremacist group was sentenced Friday to two years in federal prison for inciting violence at California political rallies in 2017. Robert Paul Rundo, 34, pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Riot Act, the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles said. “Hate and violence are antithetical to American values and tear at our community. It is therefore critical that we protect the civil and constitutional rights of our community against those who promote divisiveness," U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. Rundo's attorney didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Prosecutors say Rundo co-founded the Rise Above Movement, which they describe as “a combat-ready, militant group of a new nationalist white supremacy and identity movement.” He and two others were accused of planning and engaging in violence at gatherings in Huntington Beach, Berkeley and San Bernardino in 2017. Rundo was arrested in 2018 for inciting violence at California protests and at a deadly riot in Charlottesville, Virginia. A federal court dismissed the charges in 2019, but they were reinstated by a federal appeals court in 2021. Rundo had left the United States after the charges were dismissed and was extradited last year from Romania when they were reinstated.SpaceX, an American space technology company, has secured a Pentagon contract to expand Ukraine's access to a more secure, militarised version of its Starlink satellite network. Source : Bloomberg Details : The contract stipulates that 2,500 Starlink terminals currently in Ukraine will be granted access to Starshield, in addition to the 500 terminals already connected to the service. Starshield is a secure, encrypted communication system developed for Starlink that is designed to be more resistant to hacking and jamming. "A total of 3,000 terminals are provided service via the two contracts," the Space Systems Command’s Commercial Satellite Office told Bloomberg News. The contracts have a common goal of facilitating "internet connectivity in Ukraine". The contract is scheduled to be implemented by 2025. The contract was signed back in August 2024. Bloomberg notes that the Space Systems Command refused to disclose the value of the new contract, although a previous agreement with the US European Command for 500 terminals was worth about US$40 million. Support UP or become our patron !
BALTIMORE — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has seen progress with the state’s expansive Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education initiative and is now looking to refine key parts of the program, addressing the teacher shortage in Maryland and scaling back collaborative time in schools. At this week’s Maryland Association of Counties Conference in Cambridge, Moore announced plans to introduce an education bill during the 2025 Maryland legislative session that ideally will address an ongoing teacher shortage in the state. The governor’s office reports that 4% of the state’s teacher positions are unfilled, meaning nearly 1,600 classrooms don’t have an experienced educator leading students . In addition, approximately 6,000 educators are teaching under provisional certification and are not fully trained and licensed . “This piece of legislation will take aim at the single biggest challenge that we face in education, and that’s the ongoing Maryland teacher shortage,” Moore said at the conference “If we don’t get a high-quality, high-trained and dedicated teacher in every classroom, the Blueprint itself is bound to fail.” Moore said his legislation will address the teacher shortage by building off the foundation of the Educator Shortage Act that is geared toward strengthening the teacher training pipeline. The governor also plans to issue another reform to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future that includes increased time for educators to engage in curriculum planning, grading and professional development outside of the classroom. However, Moore said the state needs to scale back this part of the program to keep instructors in the classroom and further strengthen the teacher pipeline. The state needs an estimated 15,000 more teachers to implement collaborative time successfully. “This year, I will propose a pause in the implementation of the collaborative time provisions in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future,” Moore said. “Our goal is to give school districts time – time and space – to recruit and retain enough teachers to make this plan actually work. And while we pause collaborative time, I will also be proposing new short-term grants to schools and districts that want to experiment with collaborative time models to make sure that it works for your own, individual jurisdictions.” “It ensures that our educators have additional breathing room to work together to sharpen their skills and better support our students,” he said. “Let’s be clear: Teachers should be treated like professionals and be empowered to work together outside of class.” Diamonté Brown, president of the Baltimore Teachers Union, said her group is adamantly against the pause. She said the governor should be more focused on decreasing the workload because of the staff shortage. “We do agree that there is a teacher shortage,” Brown said. “We believe a way to address the teacher shortage is to retain the teachers you currently have by decreasing the workload, improving working conditions, and making certain that teachers are being compensated and other school staff members are being compensated properly. And continue to keep competitive wages and desirable working conditions so you can attract not just teachers but other staff members to our school districts.” Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, who is a member of the Senate Education, Energy, and Environment Committee, understands Moore’s reasoning with the pause in collaboration. “I have been working with local school superintendents, boards of education and county officials on their recommendations to address the many challenges that they are facing with the implementation of the Blueprint education policies,” Carozza said. “I am interested in understanding the fiscal and classroom implications of the Governor’s announcement to pause the teacher collaboration program. “My understanding is that the pause in the teacher collaboration program would give teachers more time in the classroom with their students, and I appreciate the Governor’s focus on the teacher shortage.” Moore said the state will implement the parts of the Blueprint that work, including investments in preschool and early education and a focus on early literacy and tutoring. The state will put a pause on the elements of the Blueprint that need a closer look or require laying a stronger foundation for full implementation. Moore said lawmakers will continue to craft and pass legislation to elevate education and make necessary adjustments as we see fit. “To win the decade, we need to provide a world-class education to every student,” Moore said. “That will continue to be our pledge and our push.” However, funds for Blueprint could be an ongoing challenge. Last month, Maryland lawmakers were warned about an impending $2.7 billion deficit they’ll need to resolve for the next budget year, which could prompt a debate over whether they should make deep budget cuts or raise taxes. Some transportation-related fees were part of the $63 billion final budget agreement in order to stave off some cuts to the transportation budget and to secure additional funding for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The education plan is by far the biggest driver of the state’s long-term budget problems. Starting in the 2028 fiscal year, about $2 billion for Blueprint needs are unfunded , a figure that grows to $3.2 billion in the 2030 fiscal year. Kalman R. Hettleman, an education policy analyst and advocate, agrees that a teacher shortage is a challenge in Maryland and across the nation. However, Hettleman sees more pressing challenges with the Blueprint for Maryland, mainly with funding. “The Blueprint was underfunded from the start because of politics and taxes,” said Hettleman, a former member of Maryland’s Kirwan Commission on education reform and the Baltimore City school board. “The major areas of underfunding, for example, are the basic necessities of effective schools – class size, interventions for struggling learners, and support services, including mental health and behavior.” Hettleman said the urgent first step in the next session of the General Assembly is to add to and/or reprioritize existing funding to provide more adequate and equitable funding over the next several years. This can occur without any overhaul of the structure of the Blueprint, he said. However, according to Hettleman, the phase-in priorities in the Blueprint funding must be re-examined and revised so more funding will be available in the early years of the transition for students of color, students who struggle financially or are at an academic disadvantage. ©2024 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
By MIKE CATALINI CHATHAM, N.J. (AP) — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It’s unclear if it’s drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Related Articles National News | FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup National News | OpenAI whistleblower found dead in San Francisco apartment National News | Judge rejects an attempt by Trump campaign lawyer to invalidate guilty plea in Georgia election case National News | Texas’ abortion pill lawsuit against New York doctor marks new challenge to interstate telemedicine National News | US military flies American released from Syrian prison to Jordan, officials say Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, the saga of the drones reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights. This week seems to have begun a new, higher-profile chapter: Lawmakers are demanding (but so far not getting) explanations from federal and state authorities about what’s behind them. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey’s new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X. But perhaps the most fantastic development is the dizzying proliferation of conspiracies — none of which has been confirmed or suggested by federal and state officials who say they’re looking into what’s happening. It has become shorthand to refer to the flying machines as drones, but there are questions about whether what people are seeing are unmanned aircraft or something else. Some theorize the drones came from an Iranian mothership. Others think they are the Secret Service making sure President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster property is secure. Others worry about China. The deep state. And on. In the face of uncertainty, people have done what they do in 2024: Create a social media group. The Facebook page, New Jersey Mystery Drones — let’s solve it , has nearly 44,000 members, up from 39,000 late Thursday. People are posting their photo and video sightings, and the online commenters take it from there. One video shows a whitish light flying in a darkened sky, and one commenter concludes it’s otherworldly. “Straight up orbs,” the person says. Others weigh in to say it’s a plane or maybe a satellite. Another group called for hunting the drones literally, shooting them down like turkeys. (Do not shoot at anything in the sky, experts warn.) Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings. She said she first posted photos online last month wondering what the objects were and became convinced they were drones when she saw how they moved and when her son showed her on a flight tracking site that no planes were around. Now she’s glued to the Mystery Drones page, she said. “I find myself — instead of Christmas shopping or cleaning my house — checking it,” she said. She doesn’t buy what the governor said, that the drones aren’t a risk to public safety. Murphy told Biden on Friday that residents need answers. The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” “How can you say it’s not posing a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people are uneasy.” Then there’s the notion that people could misunderstand what they’re seeing. William Austin is the president of Warren County Community College, which has a drone technology degree program, and is coincidentally located in one of the sighting hotspots. Austin says he has looked at videos of purported drones and that airplanes are being misidentified as drones. He cited an optical effect called parallax, which is the apparent shift of an object when viewed from different perspectives. Austin encouraged people to download flight and drone tracker apps so they can better understand what they’re looking at. Nonetheless, people continue to come up with their own theories. “It represents the United States of America in 2024,” Austin said. “We’ve lost trust in our institutions, and we need it.” Federal officials echo Austin’s view that many of the sightings are piloted aircraft such as planes and helicopters being mistaken for drones, according to lawmakers and Murphy. That’s not really convincing for many, though, who are homing in on the sightings beyond just New Jersey and the East Coast, where others have reported seeing the objects. For Seph Divine, 34, another member of the drone hunting group who lives in Eugene, Oregon, it feels as if it’s up to citizen sleuths to solve the mystery. He said he tries to be a voice of reason, encouraging people to fact check their information, while also asking probing questions. “My main goal is I don’t want people to be caught up in the hysteria and I also want people to not just ignore it at the same time,” he said. “Whether or not it’s foreign military or some secret access program or something otherworldly, whatever it is, all I’m saying is it’s alarming that this is happening so suddenly and so consistently for hours at a time,” he added. Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.It was an accident. My finger hit the wrong button and, in a flash, all my “sent” messages disappeared from their e-mail folder. I panicked. I looked in Trash. They were all there. I copied and pasted them back into the Sent folder. But, the next day, they were gone. I looked all over my desktop for them. I called Apple Support, then Spectrum, then Apple again. Nobody could retrieve them. I had backed up my desktop on Time Machine about 20 days before, but now, all those messages were encrypted and I would have to read them one at a time to know what I had. And there was still no way to get them back into the Sent folder. The genie got out of the lamp. The bird had flown. I consoled myself that much of that information also resided in other specified folders, but it still bothered me to no end that a foolish mistake had wiped them all out. And then, I remembered one of the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous: We’re all human, so we all foul up. And Alexander Pope’s famous saying: “To err is human. To forgive, divine.” Grace is a divine gift that we allow ourselves to participate in. Grace allows us to forgive ourselves for being human, for being fallible. For making mistakes. But the incident also left me with a lingering dread, although briefly, of technology. Now, as you can imagine, this couldn’t possibly last longer than 48 hours. Practically everything I do, from writing this column to the music I listen and play along to, to the soundscapes I create, to navigating my car all rely on technology. And, unlike many folks in my age group, I am on intimate terms with it, which gave me even more cause to pause and reflect. It’s one thing to rely on technology for certain things: your car, your phone, a GPS, texting, voice mails. It’s when we rely on technology for everything that we come closer to trouble. In the play “Inherit The Wind,” Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee write this speech for Colonel Drummond: “Progress has never been a bargain. You have to pay for it...You can have a telephone, but you lose privacy and the charm of distance. Madam, you may vote...but you lose the right to retreat behind the powder-puff or your petticoat....you may conquer the air, but the birds will lose their wonder and the clouds will smell of gasoline.” And, as Mark Twain said: “They have taken a thousand luxuries and turned them into necessities.” We didn’t know how much we would rely on our phones to take and make calls, track our appointments, take pictures of our grandchildren, text a relative in Florida, keep track of the weather or learn about the latest scandal until they became our caretakers and, in some sense, our keepers. And towards the end of the election cycle, it seemed to me that technology was getting a little glitchy, like somebody was tampering with the wires. I am hardly anti-technology. I am against technological abuse. And I see examples of that every day, from folks not looking up when they cross the street to misinformation and name calling online to the spin newscasters place upon a story that’s more entertainment than actual news. Walter Cronkite must be spinning in his grave. On a walk during a lovely October afternoon, Joan found a book about “unplugging” from digital technology. I went online and found these suggestions from another author, Seff Bray, who quoted some famous writers , including one of my favorites, Anne Lamott. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” - Anne Lamott “Technology should improve your life, not become your life.”- Billy Cox “Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.”- Cal Newport “The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug.” - Pico Iyer So, it’s not just me. Many people seem to have experienced information/sensory overload and are thinking a cleanse is a good idea. We can’t derive everything from technology, and, in many ways, it robs from us many more things than it bestows upon us. It’s here to stay, so figuring out how to strike a balance between our digital lives and a walk in the sun on a beautiful October afternoon with your loved one should become of paramount importance to each of us. I may have lost some emails, but I gained a new perspective about how important they are or are not to me. You know my feelings about “saving” artifacts from the ravages of time and digitizing them. But, as Joan often reminds me, hard drives aren’t forever either. I plan to gift my granddaughter with some of mine after I pass, but who knows what kind of technology we’ll be looking at in ten or fifteen years? If Elon Musk has his way, humans won’t even be necessary in order to keep the race alive. Ever read “R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots)” in high school? I did. Let me tell ya...it doesn’t end well for the humans! RECOMMENDED • silive .com The National Council of Negro Women, Staten Island Section, honors beloved founder Dec. 6, 2024, 6:00 p.m. On ‘Giving Tuesday,’ $75K campaign launched for Staten Island autism empowerment food truck Dec. 3, 2024, 5:40 p.m. Hold those magnificent grey heads high! Comments may be submitted to “Talk To The Old Guy” on Facebook.
Trump threatens to try to take back the Panama Canal. Panama's president balks at the suggestion