99 bet exchange
Formula 1 expands grid to add General Motors' Cadillac brand and new American team for 2026 season
NASA delays Artemis moon missions once again
See latest naira to dollar exchange rate against US dollar euro, pound
From VOA Persian: Dozens of Iranian journalists voice ‘strong opposition’ to mandatory hijab law
WASHINGTON , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Shield AI, the defense technology company building autonomy for the world, has announced it is expanding its work with Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR , a leading provider of AI systems, to develop and deliver large-scale command and control of autonomous uncrewed systems, including operations in GPS- and communications-denied environments. With Warp Speed, Palantir's manufacturing OS for American re-industrialization, Shield AI is doubling down on its commitment to delivering scalable, AI-powered solutions to protect service members and civilians. By leveraging Shield AI's advanced Hivemind software development kit, along with Palantir's suite of powerful software solutions—including enterprise resource planning, geospatial intelligence, and operational decision-making tools—the partnership combines the strengths of both companies to address the most critical defense challenges. "Shield AI and Palantir have both built technology products proven in the most demanding environments," said Brandon Tseng , Shield AI's President, Co-founder, and former Navy SEAL. "Our partnership is about bringing together Palantir's software dominance and Shield AI's expertise in autonomy to deliver the best possible outcomes for customers. It's exciting to scale up what we've been working on together in this next chapter of our partnership." This announcement builds on work Shield AI and Palantir showcased at the Association of the U.S. Army's (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Expo in October, where the companies demonstrated the integration of Shield AI's Hivemind with Palantir's Gaia. This integration created a unified command-and-control system for autonomous systems. Hivemind's proven autonomy capabilities—demonstrated on platforms like the V-BAT , F-16, MQM-178 Firejet, and Nova quadcopter—now seamlessly integrate with Gaia's geospatial intelligence tools, enabling real-time mission execution and precision targeting. "The American Industrial Base needs Warp Speed," said Shyam Sankar , Palantir's Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President. "Shield AI stands out in their field, having achieved mission impact and product results where others have struggled. This partnership, and Shield AI's deploying of our newly announced manufacturing OS will enable faster and better delivery to customers, and ultimately aid in the defense of the West." About Palantir Technologies Inc. Foundational software of tomorrow. Delivered today. Additional information is available at https://www.palantir.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements may relate to, but are not limited to, Palantir's expectations regarding the amount and the terms of the contract and the expected benefits of our software platforms. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made and were based on current expectations as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management as of that time with respect to future events. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond our control. These risks and uncertainties include our ability to meet the unique needs of our customer; the failure of our platforms to satisfy our customer or perform as desired; the frequency or severity of any software and implementation errors; our platforms' reliability; and our customer's ability to modify or terminate the contract. Additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties is included in the filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise. Media Contact Lisa Gordon, media@palantir.com About Shield AI Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company whose mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. In pursuit of this mission, Shield AI is building the world's best AI pilot. Its AI pilot, Hivemind, has flown jets (F-16; MQM-178 Firejet), a vertical takeoff and landing drone (MQ-35 V-BAT), and three quadcopters (Nova, Nova 2, iPRD). The company has offices in San Diego , Dallas , Washington DC and abroad. Shield AI's products and people are currently in the field actively supporting operations with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. allies. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram. Media Contact Lily Hinz , media@shield.ai View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shield-ai-and-palantir-technologies-deepen-strategic-partnership-and-announce-deployment-of-warp-speed-302324396.html SOURCE Shield AI © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.No. 9 Kentucky, focused on getting better, welcomes Jackson St.
NoneWASHINGTON , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Shield AI, the defense technology company building autonomy for the world, has announced it is expanding its work with Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR), a leading provider of AI systems, to develop and deliver large-scale command and control of autonomous uncrewed systems, including operations in GPS- and communications-denied environments. With Warp Speed, Palantir's manufacturing OS for American re-industrialization, Shield AI is doubling down on its commitment to delivering scalable, AI-powered solutions to protect service members and civilians. By leveraging Shield AI's advanced Hivemind software development kit, along with Palantir's suite of powerful software solutions—including enterprise resource planning, geospatial intelligence, and operational decision-making tools—the partnership combines the strengths of both companies to address the most critical defense challenges. "Shield AI and Palantir have both built technology products proven in the most demanding environments," said Brandon Tseng , Shield AI's President, Co-founder, and former Navy SEAL. "Our partnership is about bringing together Palantir's software dominance and Shield AI's expertise in autonomy to deliver the best possible outcomes for customers. It's exciting to scale up what we've been working on together in this next chapter of our partnership." This announcement builds on work Shield AI and Palantir showcased at the Association of the U.S. Army's (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Expo in October, where the companies demonstrated the integration of Shield AI's Hivemind with Palantir's Gaia. This integration created a unified command-and-control system for autonomous systems. Hivemind's proven autonomy capabilities—demonstrated on platforms like the V-BAT , F-16, MQM-178 Firejet, and Nova quadcopter—now seamlessly integrate with Gaia's geospatial intelligence tools, enabling real-time mission execution and precision targeting. "The American Industrial Base needs Warp Speed," said Shyam Sankar , Palantir's Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President. "Shield AI stands out in their field, having achieved mission impact and product results where others have struggled. This partnership, and Shield AI's deploying of our newly announced manufacturing OS will enable faster and better delivery to customers, and ultimately aid in the defense of the West." About Palantir Technologies Inc. Foundational software of tomorrow. Delivered today. Additional information is available at https://www.palantir.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements may relate to, but are not limited to, Palantir's expectations regarding the amount and the terms of the contract and the expected benefits of our software platforms. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made and were based on current expectations as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management as of that time with respect to future events. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond our control. These risks and uncertainties include our ability to meet the unique needs of our customer; the failure of our platforms to satisfy our customer or perform as desired; the frequency or severity of any software and implementation errors; our platforms' reliability; and our customer's ability to modify or terminate the contract. Additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties is included in the filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise. Media Contact Lisa Gordon, media@palantir.com About Shield AI Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company whose mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. In pursuit of this mission, Shield AI is building the world's best AI pilot. Its AI pilot, Hivemind, has flown jets (F-16; MQM-178 Firejet), a vertical takeoff and landing drone (MQ-35 V-BAT), and three quadcopters (Nova, Nova 2, iPRD). The company has offices in San Diego , Dallas , Washington DC and abroad. Shield AI's products and people are currently in the field actively supporting operations with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. allies. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram. Media Contact Lily Hinz , media@shield.ai View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shield-ai-and-palantir-technologies-deepen-strategic-partnership-and-announce-deployment-of-warp-speed-302324396.html SOURCE Shield AI
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina Democratic Party sued on Friday to block the potential removal of tens of thousands of ballots tallied in an extremely close state Supreme Court race, saying state election officials would be violating federal law if they sided with protests initiated by the trailing Republican candidate. The lawsuit filed in Raleigh federal court comes as attorneys for Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin also went to state courts on Friday to attempt to force the State Board of Elections to act more quickly on accusations contained in the protests. The board tentatively planned to hold a public hearing on the protests next Wednesday, according to a board email provided with Griffin's motion. Griffin wants a final decision from the board earlier. Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs leads Griffin by 734 votes following a machine recount of over 5.5 million ballots cast in their Nov. 5 election. A partial hand recount began this week and is nearly complete. But Griffin, joined by three other GOP state legislative candidates, contend that well over 60,000 ballots shouldn't have counted, casting doubt on election results. Among their complaints: voter registration records of some voters casting ballots lack driver’s license or partial Social Security numbers, and overseas voters never living in North Carolina have run afoul of state residency requirements. The Democratic Party's lawsuit said that some of the protests represent “systematic challenges to voter eligibility” that counter a federal law's prohibition of what's essentially removing people from voter registration lists retroactively after an election. The lawsuit wants a judge to declare federal law and the Constitution prevents the votes from being discarded and to order the election board — a majority of its members Democrats — to comply. “No North Carolinian deserves to have their vote thrown out in a callous power grab,” state party Chair Anderson Clayton said in a written statement. According to state law, a board considering an election protest could correct a ballot tally, direct another recount or order a new election. Griffin's attorneys filed requests Friday for judges to demand that the board issue final rulings by late Tuesday afternoon. They were filed in Wake County Superior Court and at the Court of Appeals — the same court where Griffin serves. Usually three members on the 15-judge court — second only to the Supreme Court in state's jurisprudence — hear such motions. “Public trust in our electoral processes depends on both fair and efficient procedures to determine the outcome of our elections. By failing to give a timely decision, the State Board continues to undermine the public interest,” Griffin attorney Troy Shelton wrote. Attorneys for Riggs separately on Friday also responded to Griffin's actual protests before the board, saying they should all be denied. Griffin led Riggs — one of two Democrats on the seven-member court — by about 10,000 votes on election night, but that lead dwindled and flipped to Riggs as tens of thousands of qualifying provisional and absentee ballots were added to the totals through the canvass. Riggs has declared victory. The three Republican legislative candidates joining Griffin's protests all trailed Democratic rivals after the machine recounts. One is GOP Rep. Frank Sossamon, who trails Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn by about 230 votes. Should Cohn win, Republicans would fall one seat short of retaining its current veto-proof majority in both chambers. That would give more leverage to Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Stein in 2025. The Associated Press has not called the Supreme Court race and two of the three legislative races highlighted in the protests.AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:58 p.m. EST
CMG LAWSUIT NOTICE: Chipotle Mexican Grill Investors are Notified of the Upcoming January 10 Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit – Contact BFA Law (NYSE:CMG)I've had to be tough. Just ask my mum ... I've cut her winter fuel payment! Chancellor Rachel Reeves talks difficult decisions, taxpayers' cash and public sector pay By JASON GROVES Published: 10:33 AEDT, 7 December 2024 | Updated: 10:39 AEDT, 7 December 2024 e-mail 5 View comments Ministers thinking of trying to winkle more money out of Rachel Reeves in the coming months might want to ponder her steely approach before they turn up at the Treasury with begging bowls. For the Chancellor, it can be revealed today, cut her own mum’s winter fuel payment in the Budget – and is happy to defend the decision. Ms Reeves is set to fire the starting gun next week on the first ‘zero-based’ review of government spending for almost two decades. It will involve a line-by-line examination of every item of Whitehall spending, with ministers ordered to root out waste and ditch projects of questionable value. In comments designed to demonstrate a break with the profligacy of previous Labour administrations, she says ministers will be ‘getting a grip of government waste and getting value for money for every pound of taxpayers’ money spent’. She added: ‘In the end, it’s taxpayers’ money that’s being spent on these things. It’s not government money. I’m the Chancellor, but it’s not my money. It’s taxpayers’ money. And I’ll treat that with respect.’ Public sector unions, whose members enjoyed a bumper pay rise after the election in Labour’s first act of largesse, are also put on notice that they should not expect another one unless they embrace reforms designed to boost productivity. The inflation-busting payouts of the summer were due, Ms Reeves says, to the last government’s failure to be sufficiently clear to the public sector pay bodies about the state of the finances. ‘Going forward, any real-terms increases in public sector pay – so above inflation – has to be accompanied by productivity improvements. That’s the only way it’s affordable,’ she says. Rachel Reeves is set to fire the starting gun next week on the first ‘zero-based’ review of government spending for almost two decades It will involve a line-by-line examination of every item of Whitehall spending, with ministers ordered to root out waste and ditch projects of questionable value She met with Jason Groves on an early train to her adopted city of Leeds where she is taking part in events to mark the annual Small Business Saturday The spending review, which will fix the Government’s priorities for the rest of this parliament, is the Chancellor’s next big battle. But she has not yet finished fighting the previous one. Her Budget – the biggest tax-raising event in modern British history – has triggered a gigantic backlash, that is still making noise five weeks after the event. Read More Labour's tax bomb budget causes business confidence to crash to lowest levels since Covid Farmers are on the march over a raid on inheritance tax that threatens to break up family farms, pensioners are writing angry letters about the loss of the winter fuel payment and, most worryingly for the Chancellor, business is in revolt over her £25 billion raid on National Insurance, warning it will cost jobs and fuel inflation. And what about that winter fuel decision – did she really cut the payments to her mum and dad? Yes, is the answer, with the Chancellor arguing that her parents, both former teachers, can afford to lose the money and will benefit from investment in the NHS. ‘I don’t think it’s right that my mum and dad got the winter fuel payment,’ she says. ‘My mum reads your paper, so be careful what you write! ‘She’s on a decent pension and you know, my mum and dad use the NHS as well, which is getting £22.6 billion more over the next couple of years for health spending.’ She reveals that her mother sent her a text message recently to ask her to congratulate Health Secretary Wes Streeting after her appointment for a routine operation on the NHS was brought forward to well within the 18-week waiting target. Such tributes are apparently not automatic from the Reeves matriarch. ‘You can ask my sister (fellow Cabinet minister Ellie Reeves) as well – we don’t always get positive feedback from our mum!’ Ms Reeves acknowledges that the ‘level of tax paid is really important for business’ but insists that political and economic stability is even more critical. At times in recent weeks the Chancellor has appeared taken aback by the level of anger her measures have triggered, but she insists she had always expected it At times in recent weeks the Chancellor has appeared taken aback by the level of anger her measures have triggered, but she insists she had always expected it. ‘If you’re going to raise taxes, then, of course, there are going to be people who are unhappy,’ she says. ‘I understand that.’ She also believes that business leaders will ultimately get over their anger at her tax raid and welcome the ‘stability’ she has brought to the public finances. And she suggests many would have done the same if they had been doing her job. ‘When chief executives or chief financial officers come into a business and they inherit what we inherited as a government, you have three choices as a business leader. You can either sort of sweep that under the carpet, hope that something turns up. You can say, right, okay, well, I’ll take some action and I’ll come back to it next year, or you can wipe the slate clean on what my predecessor has left me, take some difficult decisions, take the flak for that, but then be able to move on, focus on my plans to turn it around, this business.’ Read More Keir Starmer says there COULD be more tax rises to come after Budget mega-raid Ms Reeves acknowledges that the ‘level of tax paid is really important for business’ but insists that political and economic stability is even more critical. ‘What happened in the last parliament was interest rates going through the roof, their borrowing costs going through the roof, money in the pockets of their customers being hit, inflation going through the roof,’ she says. ‘That lack of stability was a disaster for business. That’s what businesses told me. That’s why they backed us at the election, because they saw me and they saw this changed Labour Party as the best route to restoring economic stability, and that’s what we’ve done.’ We meet on an early train to her adopted city of Leeds where she is taking part in events to mark the annual Small Business Saturday. The headlines are dominated by Keir Starmer’s refusal to rule out future tax rises despite the Chancellor’s pledge to the CBI that she was ‘not coming back with more borrowing or more taxes’. She is happy to repeat the phrase, but adds a qualification on possible future tax rises, saying: ‘I can’t tie my hands in that way, but we’ve moved to annual budgets. I’m not going to be going back in the spring. That’s what the previous government did. They did a Budget and then come back six months later. ‘But I’m never going do a Budget like that again. That’s a reset, once-in-a-parliament moment. It was not the Budget I wanted to deliver, but bringing stability back to the economy and making sure that the public finances are on a firm footing is the number one priority for me.’ Future spending on consultants will be halved, with the Chancellor arguing that it is time to start leaving more of the work to the civil service ‘But I’m never going do a Budget like that again. That’s a reset, once-in-a-parliament moment', Ms Reeves said The focus now is on beating anaemic growth forecasts, which she acknowledges are not good enough. The Chancellor’s war on waste will involve new efficiency targets for all departments. An order has gone out that ‘all non-essential consultancy and comms spending should be cancelled’. Future spending on consultants will be halved, with the Chancellor arguing that it is time to start leaving more of the work to the civil service. The Prime Minister was in retreat yesterday after suggesting that too many civil servants are ‘comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline’ – comments which triggered a furious response from the Whitehall Blob. Ms Reeves, who is married to a senior civil servant, is more diplomatic. ‘It’s about political leadership,’ she says. ‘It’s not a civil service decision not to have a zero-based review for 17 years. That’s a political decision.’ After the Budget, the Chancellor was dubbed ‘Rachel Thieves’ and mercilessly mocked online over some unfortunate creativity with her past CV. Surely that hurts a bit? After 14 years as an opposition MP, she insists she is ‘happy to take the brickbats’. Rachel Reeves NHS Wes Streeting Labour Share or comment on this article: I've had to be tough. Just ask my mum ... I've cut her winter fuel payment! Chancellor Rachel Reeves talks difficult decisions, taxpayers' cash and public sector pay e-mail Add commentSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s governing party chief expressed support Friday for suspending the constitutional powers of President Yoon Suk Yeol for imposing martial law this week, in a bombshell reversal that makes Yoon’s impeachment more likely. Opposition parties are pushing for a parliamentary vote on Yoon’s impeachment on Saturday, calling his short-lived martial law declaration an “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup.” But they need support from some members of the president’s People Power Party to get the two-thirds majority required to pass the impeachment motion. The turmoil resulting from Yoon’s nighttime martial law decree has frozen South Korean politics and caused worry among neighbors, including fellow democracy Japan, and Seoul’s top ally, the United States, as one of the strongest democracies in Asia faces a political crisis that could unseat its leader. During a party meeting, PPP leader Han Dong-hun stressed the need to suspend Yoon’s presidential duties and power swiftly, saying he poses a “significant risk of extreme actions, like reattempting to impose martial law, which could potentially put the Republic of Korea and its citizens in great danger.” Han said he had received intelligence that Yoon had ordered the country’s defense counterintelligence commander to arrest and detain unspecified key politicians based on accusations of “anti-state activities” when martial law was in force. “It’s my judgment that an immediate suspension of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s official duties is necessary to protect the Republic of Korea and its people,” Han said. Impeaching Yoon would require support from 200 of the National Assembly’s 300 members. The opposition parties that jointly brought the impeachment motion have 192 seats combined. PPP has 108 lawmakers. If Yoon is impeached, he would be suspended until the Constitutional Court rules on whether to remove him from office or restore his presidential power. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country’s No. 2 official, would take over presidential responsibilities. The Defense Ministry said it suspended the defense counterintelligence commander, Yeo In-hyung, who Han alleged had received orders from Yoon to detain the politicians. The ministry also suspended Lee Jin-woo, commander of the capital defense command, and Kwak Jong-geun, commander of the special warfare command, over their involvement in enforcing martial law. In a closed-door briefing to lawmakers, Hong Jang-won, first deputy director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, said Yoon called after imposing martial law and ordered him to help the defense counterintelligence unit to detain key politicians. The targeted politicians included Han, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung and National Assembly speaker Woo Won Shik, said Kim Byung-kee, one of the lawmakers who attended the meeting. Kim said Hong told lawmakers he ignored Yoon’s orders. The spy agency’s director, Cho Taeyong, questioned Hong’s account. Cho told reporters that such an order would have come to him, rather than Hong, and that he never received any orders from Yoon to detain politicians. Han earlier said he would work to defeat the impeachment motion even though he criticized Yoon’s martial law declaration as “unconstitutional.” Han said there was a need to “prevent damage to citizens and supporters caused by unprepared chaos.” Thousands of protesters have marched in the streets of Seoul since Wednesday, calling for Yoon to resign and be investigated. Thousands of autoworkers and other members of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union, one of the country’s biggest umbrella labor groups, have started hourly strikes since Thursday to protest Yoon. The union said its members will start on indefinite strikes beginning on Dec. 11 if Yoon was still in office then. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho promised the ministry’s “active cooperation” with an investigation by prosecutors into the military’s role in Yoon’s martial law enforcement. He said military prosecutors will also be involved in the investigation. He denied media speculation that Yoon and his military confidantes might consider imposing martial law a second time. “Even if there’s a demand to enforce martial law, the Defense Ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff will absolutely not accept it,” Kim said. Kim became the acting defense minister after Yoon’s office on Thursday accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who has also been banned from traveling while he is investigated over the imposition of martial law. Opposition parties and Han allege that it was Kim Yong Hyun who recommended that Yoon declare martial law. During a parliamentary hearing on Thursday, Kim Seon Ho said Kim Yong Hyun also ordered troops to be deployed to the National Assembly after Yoon imposed martial law. Han leads a minority faction within the ruling party, and 18 lawmakers in his faction voted with opposition lawmakers to overturn Yoon’s martial law decree. Martial law ultimately lasted about six hours, after its quick overrule by the National Assembly forced Yoon’s Cabinet to lift it before daybreak Wednesday. The main liberal opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said in a televised speech Friday that it was crucial to suspend Yoon as “quickly as possible.” Lee said Yoon’s martial law enforcement amounted to “rebellion and also a self-coup.” He said Yoon’s move caused serious damage to the country’s image and paralyzed foreign policy, pointing to criticism from the Biden administration and foreign leaders canceling their visits to South Korea. Yoon has made no immediate response to Han’s comments. He hasn’t made public appearances since he made a televised announcement that his martial law decree was lifted. Prosecutor General Shim Woo Jung told reporters the prosecution plans to investigate rebellion charges against Yoon following complaints filed by the opposition. While the president mostly has immunity from prosecution while in office, the protection does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason. It wasn’t immediately clear how the prosecution plans to proceed with an investigation on Yoon. The Democratic Party is also considering filing a complaint against PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, whom the opposition party accuse of attempting to facilitate Yoon’s martial law enforcement. Choo, a Yoon loyalist, had asked party lawmakers to convene at the party’s headquarters rather than the National Assembly after martial law began. That meant fewer lawmakers were present for parliament’s vote on lifting martial law.
Published 5:35 pm Friday, December 6, 2024 By Peggy Keener What very popular American magazine links its history to Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette? You’re never going to get this, so I’ll tell you. The Saturday Evening Post. The age of the magazine will surprise you. It was first published in 1821. And it used the same printing shop at 53 Market Street in Philadelphia where Franklin’s gazette was published. The owner of the Ladies’ Home Journal, Cyrus H.K. Curtis, bought the fledgling Post for $1000 in 1897. Under his ownership, the magazine grew to become the most widely circulated weekly magazine in the United States. Much of its popularity was due to the forty-year leadership of its editor, George Lorimer. From 1920 through the 1960s, the Post was one of the most influential magazines among the American middle class, with fiction, non-fiction, cartoons and features that reached two million homes every week. Each issue featured several original short stories and often included an installment of a serial which appeared in successive issues. Most of the fiction was written by popular writers. The opening pages of the stories featured paintings by leading magazine illustrators and poetry by famous poets was included. Even Jack London’s best known novel The Call of the Wild was first published in serialized form in 1903. Publication in the magazine launched careers and helped artists and writers to stay afloat. P.G. Wodehouse confessed, “The wolf was always at my door,” until the Post gave him his first break in 1915 by serializing Something New. The Post was published weekly from 1897 to 1963. During the 1960s, however, the magazine’s readership began to decline. In 1969, it folded. Then two years later it was revived as a quarterly publication with, surprisingly, an emphasis on medical articles. Currently it is published six times a year with a smaller overall format. But, let’s look back. Who among us can forget the human interest pieces, the illustrations, the reader’s letter column, the poetry and the gag cartoons? Even now when one of us hears the name “Hazel,” our thoughts immediately flip back to Ted Key’s audacious, out-spoken maid who never held her thoughts in check while fervently emphasizing them with a whirl and shake of her feather duster. Furthermore, the cover illustrations were so excellent that they are still popular today as posters and prints. You’re not a thoroughbred American if you don’t know the name Norman Rockwell as his art will forevermore be iconic Americana. It was a sad day for all of us when the Post began to lose its popularity. The cause could be blamed on television which competed for advertisers’ and readers’ attentions. The public’s taste in fiction was also changing along with its conservative politics that appealed to fewer and fewer people. Prominent authors also began drifting away to newer magazines that offered more money and status. William Emerson began as editor-in-chief of the new format in 1965 and remained in that position until the magazine’s demise in 1969. By then, a specialist in troubled firms, Martin Ackerman, stepped in as president of the Curtis Publishing Company after he lent the business $5 million. Although it was still in dire financial straits, Ackerman made the bold move to reduce printing costs by canceling the subscriptions of nearly half of its readers. In exchange, he gave them free subscriptions to Life Magazine. For this questionable boost to their readership, Life paid Curtis $5 million, with the hope of easing the company’s mounting debts. The move was also widely seen as an opportunity for Curtis to abandon older and more rural readers who were less financially linked to the Post’s advertisers. But even these cut throat (and some would say heartless) tactics didn’t save the magazine. The February 1969 issue turned out to be its last. By then it had lost $5 million in 1968 and would lose a projected $3 million in 1969. The only good thing was that every employee received the promise that the Post would help them find a new job. But, the magazine didn’t stay dead for long. Indianapolis industrialist, Beurt SerVaas, relaunched it in 1971 as a quarterly magazine. He claimed it would revive itself as a nostalgic magazine. Then twelve years later, it changed again with its core focus being health and medicine. Now, years later, the Post’s range of topics are not only broad, but suitable for the general public ... including (thank goodness) the aged and the country folk! As of 2018, the complete archive of the magazine is available online. I would be amiss, however, if I were to finish this column without another mention of America’s beloved Norman Rockwell. His illustrations of the American family, as well as life from a rural bygone era, became icons as familiar to us today as the first time we saw them on the Post covers. In 1916, Rockwell was discovered by a Post editor. At that time he was an unknown 22-year-old New York City artist. The magazine promptly purchased two illustrations from Rockwell and used them as covers. They were so successful, three more pieces were immediately ordered. These would turn into a fifty-year career with the Post, in which Rockwell produced more than 300 covers! You may be interested in learning that the Post also employed a Nebraska artist, John Philip Falter. In time he became known as “a painter of Americana with an accent on the Middle West.” Falter brought out some of the homeliness and humor of Middle Western town and home life. Between 1943 and 1968, he produced 120 covers, ceasing only when the magazine began displaying photographs on its covers. I am now a subscriber to the “new” Post. I will freely admit that my heart still skips a beat when I see it in my mailbox. Even today it brings back the nostalgia of the 1950s. There were six in my family who all wanted their turn at reading it first. This was obviously an impossibility, so we all sort of, kind of patiently/impatiently awaited our turn. In those days the magazine was a large publication and I remember having trouble keeping it on my short lap. And then there was Hazel ... that Hazel! ... who always came as a shock to me as I couldn’t imagine anyone being so cocksure of herself. Our mothers would have set us straight in no short order if we kids had dared to say any of Hazel’s outrageous outbursts. We couldn’t have pulled them off anyway, because not only did we not dare to do so, but none of us owned a feather duster!Mosaic Co. stock falls Thursday, underperforms marketAP Business SummaryBrief at 4:38 p.m. EST
'Unacceptable is one word': B.B. Comer football uses 3-7 season as motivation
Former President Obama promoted ‘pluralism’ during a speech at the Obama Foundation's Democracy Forum. Conservatives on social media blasted former President Obama after his first speech since the presidential election in which he lamented polarization in politics. During a speech Thursday at the Obama Foundation's Democracy Forum, Obama made the case that if "one side" attempts to cement "a permanent grip on power" through "suppressing votes," "politicizing" the military or weaponizing the judiciary and criminal justice system to target opponents, "a line has been crossed." "Pluralism is not about holding hands and singing ‘Kumbaya,’" Obama said. "It is not about abandoning your convictions and folding when things get tough. It is about recognizing that, in a democracy, power comes from forging alliances and building coalitions and making room in those coalitions not only for the woke, but the waking. "Purity tests are not a recipe for long-term success." ‘DEPORTER-IN-CHIEF’ OBAMA SURPASSED DEPORTATIONS UNDER TRUMP’S FIRST TERM Former President Obama and President-elect Trump (AP Images) Obama’s speech quickly drew strong criticism from conservatives. "It’s over for Obama," journalist Miranda Devine posted on X . "The spell is broken. Donald Trump vanquished him, Biden, Harris, the Bushes, the Cheneys. All of them, with a spring in his step." "Ever since his last minute desperate smear of Trump with the ‘very fine people on both sides’ lie, Barack Obama has been slowing realizing his status as false prophet of the Democrat party is no more," conservative radio host Buck Sexton posted on X. EAGLES' JALEN HURTS WOULDN'T GOLF WITH OBAMA AND MADE A DISPUTED EXCUSE WHY: 'HE DIDN'T WANT THESE PROBLEMS' Former President Obama during the Obama Foundation's 2024 Democracy Forum Dec. 5, 2024, in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) "Obama turned our politics into ‘if you disagree with me, you are a bad person,’" Republican communicator Matt Whitlock posted on X . "Few people did more to pave the way for Trump. So he can take a seat." "By voting in a democratic election, millions of people proved they hate democracy," author Jon Gabriel posted on X . "Yes, this Obama fellow is quite the intellect." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP President-elect Trump waves at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden Nov. 16, 2024, in New York, with Kid Rock, Dana White and Elon Musk. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) "Setting aside the unbelievable hypocrisy here, this is also the guy who’s launching a project to lessen our political divisions. Being the problem — way up on his high horse, looking down disappointedly at the unwashed masses — while publicly lamenting the problem is peak Obama," Fox News contributor Guy Benson posted on X. Obama, in his remarks, insisted he is "convinced that if we want democracy as we understand it to survive," people must work for a renewed dedication to pluralist principles. "Because the alternative is what we've seen here in the United States and in many democracies around the globe. Not just more gridlock. Not just public cynicism. But an increasing willingness" among "politicians and their followers to violate democratic norms. To do anything they can to get their way. To use the power of the state to target critics and journalists and political rivals and to even resort to violence" to obtain and retain power. Fox News Digital's Alex Nitberg contributed to this report Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.