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2024 in pop culture: In a bruising year, we sought out fantasy, escapism — and cute little animals
Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful government panel has failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States on Monday sent its long-awaited report to President Joe Biden, a longtime opponent of the deal. Some federal agencies represented on the panel were skeptical that allowing a Japanese company to buy an American-owned steelmaker would create national security risks. That's according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump opposed the merger and vowed to block it. Nippon Steel says it is confident the deal will go ahead. Nissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automaker TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda have announced plans to work toward a merger that would catapult them to a top position in an industry in the midst of tectonic shifts as it transitions away from its reliance on fossil fuels. The two companies said they signed an agreement on integrating their businesses on Monday. Smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors agreed to join the talks. News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month. Japanese automakers face a strong challenge from their Chinese rivals and Tesla as they make inroads into markets at home and abroad. What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. Survey: Small businesses are feeling more optimistic about the economy after the election A survey shows small business owners are feeling more optimistic about the economy following the election. The National Federation of Independent Businesses’ Small Business Optimism Index rose by eight points in November to 101.7, its highest reading since June 2021. The Uncertainty Index declined 12 points in November to 98, following October’s pre-election record high of 110. NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said small business owners became more certain about future business conditions following the presidential election, breaking a nearly three-year streak of record high uncertainty. The survey also showed that more owners are also hoping 2025 will be a good time to grow. Heavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about one hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by an issue with a vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. The flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that more than 3,200 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed. Twenty-eight flights were canceled. Nordstrom to be acquired by Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group in $6.25 billion deal Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. Nordstrom shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, representing a 42% premium on the company’s stock as of March 18. Nordstrom’s board of directors unanimously approved the the proposed transaction, while Erik and Pete Nordstrom — part of the Nordstrom family taking over the company — recused themselves from voting. Following the close of the transaction, the Nordstrom Family will have a majority ownership stake in the company. Stock market today: Wall Street rallies ahead of Christmas Stocks closed higher on Wall Street ahead of the Christmas holiday, led by gains in Big Tech stocks. The S&P 500 added 1.1% Tuesday. Trading closed early ahead of the holiday. Tech companies including Apple, Amazon and chip company Broadcom helped pull the market higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.3%. American Airlines shook off an early loss and ended mostly higher after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue. Treasury yields held steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was little changed at 4.59% An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump won a return to the White House in part by promising big changes in economic policy — more tax cuts, huge tariffs on imports, mass deportations of immigrants working in the United States illegally. In some ways, his victory marked a repudiation of President Joe Biden’s economic stewardship and a protest against inflation. It came despite low unemployment and steady growth under the Biden administration. What lies ahead for the economy under Trump? Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics spoke recently to The Associated Press. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. American consumers feeling less confident in December, Conference Board says American consumers are feeling less confident in December, a business research group says. The Conference Board said Monday that its consumer confidence index fell back in December to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Consumers had been feeling increasingly confident in recent months. The consumer confidence index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market tumbled more than a dozen points to 81.1. The Conference Board says a reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future. Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week Stocks closed higher on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains, including chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Honda's U.S.-listed shares rose sharply after the company said it was in talks about a combination with Nissan in a deal that could also include Mitsubishi Motors. Eli Lilly rose after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Treasury yields rose in the bond market.Dreaming of a white Christmas?In the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff, the No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2) will play the No. 1 Oregon Ducks (13-0) in the Rose Bowl, starting at 5 p.m. ET in Pasadena, California. Ohio State is the favorite by 2.5 points. If you are searching for Buckeyes vs. Ducks tickets, information is available below. Ohio State vs. Oregon game info How to buy Ohio State vs. Oregon tickets You can purchase tickets to see the Buckeyes play the Ducks from multiple providers. Ohio State vs. Oregon betting odds, lines, spreads Odds courtesy of BetMGM Ohio State Buckeyes schedule Ohio State Buckeyes stats Oregon Ducks schedule Oregon Ducks stats This content was created for Gannett using technology provided by Data Skrive.VANCOUVER — A family of killer whales has made a rare trip into waters off downtown Vancouver for what an expert says was likely a "grocery shopping" hunt for harbour seals. Video shared on social media by False Creek Ferries shows the whales cruising past highrise towers at the entrance to False Creek on Sunday. Andrew Trites, director of the University of British Columbia's marine mammal research unit, has identified the whales as a family group of transient orcas consisting of a mother and her three offspring. He says it's the first time the 26-year-old mother, known as T35A, has shown up in downtown Vancouver with her offspring aged six, 11 and 14. Trites says the well documented family has previously been seen by marine researchers from Alaska to the Juan de Fuca Strait south of Vancouver Island. He attributes the pod's surprising downtown appearance to seals also changing their habits as they hide from orcas, forcing killer whales to hunt in backwater areas like False Creek. Trites says the video shows the whales moving quietly like "ghosts" to avoid alerting their prey. Killer whales have previously been spotted in False Creek, including in 2019, and in 2010 a grey whale swam all the way to the end of the inlet, near Science World. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2024. Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Dayan Nessah scored 19 off the bench to help lead George Washington past Virginia-Wise 102-62 on Sunday. Nessah shot 8 for 9, including 3 for 4 from beyond the arc for the Revolutionaries (11-2). Rafael Castro added 14 points while shooting 6 of 8 from the field and 2 for 3 from the line while they also had 14 rebounds. Darren Buchanan Jr. had 14 points and shot 5 of 10 from the field and 4 for 6 from the line. Bradley Dean led the Highland Cavaliers with 17 points. Lav Cvetkovic' added 14 points and two steals. Zy'Ever Wingfield also had nine points, seven rebounds and two steals. George Washington took the lead with 19:17 remaining in the first half and never looked back. The score was 40-27 at halftime, with Buchanan racking up 12 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
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NoneSubscribe to our newsletter Privacy Policy Success! Your account was created and you’re signed in. Please visit My Account to verify and manage your account. An account was already registered with this email. Please check your inbox for an authentication link. Support Independent Arts Journalism As an independent publication, we rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, consider becoming a member today . Already a member? Sign in here. We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, please join us as a member . When you hear the name Sandro Botticelli, you might be more likely to think of the Birth of Venus than the Birth of Jesus. But since it’s Christmas, now is a better time than ever to call attention to a lesser-known and somewhat ominous Botticelli painting depicting the latter. “Mystic Nativity” (1500), now held at the National Gallery in London, is the only work Botticelli ever signed. It re-emerged in the 1800s after centuries of obscurity, revealing a complex composition rife with symbolism. A cursory glance depicts an ordinary Christmas image. The Virgin Mary and Joseph dote over infant Jesus in his manger beneath the roof of an open-air wooden hut with their ox and donkey. Twelve angels circle above at the opening of the dome of heaven, and shepherds and the three kings eagerly observe and offer their prayers to the young family. But Botticelli’s painted inscription above the floating angels yields a cryptic, foreboding message in Biblical Greek: “I, Sandro, made this picture at the conclusion of the year 1500 in the troubles of Italy in the half time after the time according to the 11th chapter of Saint John in the second woe of the Apocalypse during the loosing of the devil for three and a half years then he will be chained in the 12th chapter and we shall see [...] as in this picture.” The “troubles of Italy” likely acknowledge the upheaval of Florence during the spiritual and de facto reign of Girolamo Savonarola, a fanatical preacher who aimed to morally reform the city with a global reputation for artistic output and lavish lifestyles. Savonarola condemned secular art and literature, decried the city as a corrupt and vice-ridden place bloated with material wealth, and, after warning of a great scourge approaching, saved the Florentines by convincing the French king and military to de-occupy and recede during the Italian War of 1494–98. He became regarded as prophetic , and thousands of Florentines would flock to listen to him preach. In one sermon, he purported that Florence could become the new Jerusalem if its civilians would part with and burn their luxuries, opulent fineries, and pagan or secular iconographies. Get the latest art news, reviews and opinions from Hyperallergic. Daily Weekly Opportunities Under Savonarola’s influence, Botticelli reoriented his practice from decorative to devout, which in turn inspired “Mystic Nativity.” Scholars discovered that the 12 angels at the base of the composition each hold a ribbon that was once inscribed with the 12 privileges or virtues of the Virgin Mary, sourced from a separate sermon Savonarola delivered about a vision he once experienced . The painting itself is rife with subtle premonitions: The sheet infant Jesus rests on evokes the shroud he would be wrapped in after his crucifixion, the mark of the cross is depicted on the hump of the donkey’s back, and the wooden hut he was born in sits in front of a cave where he would eventually be laid to rest in before his resurrection. Also noteworthy is Botticelli’s decision to include three angels embracing mortal men in the foreground — a motif usually relegated to renditions of the Last Judgment in accordance with the Second Coming of Christ. Another unusual aspect is that the three kings welcome Jesus empty-handed, rather than with gold, frankincense, and myrrh — perhaps influenced by Savonarola’s sermon, though it could be argued that the ultimate gifts are their prayers and devotion. Throughout the lower half of the painting, seven miniature devils flee into the fissures and crevices in their return to the underworld, with some impaling themselves on their own spears. Botticelli died in 1510, a decade after he created the painting, and both the work and the artist faded into obscurity despite his prominence and high regard during the Italian Renaissance. “Mystic Nativity” was snapped up at a low price by an English collector and Caribbean plantation owner named William Young Ottley in Rome during the 18th century. He brought the piece back to his home for private display in central London until his death, and the painting was auctioned off for less than £80 to another collector who loaned the work to the city of Manchester for the largest art show in the United Kingdom in 1857, where it was at last seen by millions and reignited a fervor for Botticelli. The National Gallery in London bought “Mystic Nativity” for £1,500 in 1878. The museum holds 14 of Botticelli’s paintings in its collections, and “Mystic Nativity” is on display alongside four other Botticelli works in a gallery devoted to Florentine art under the Medici family . We hope you enjoyed this article! Before you keep reading, please consider supporting Hyperallergic ’s journalism during a time when independent, critical reporting is increasingly scarce. Unlike many in the art world, we are not beholden to large corporations or billionaires. Our journalism is funded by readers like you , ensuring integrity and independence in our coverage. We strive to offer trustworthy perspectives on everything from art history to contemporary art. We spotlight artist-led social movements, uncover overlooked stories, and challenge established norms to make art more inclusive and accessible. With your support, we can continue to provide global coverage without the elitism often found in art journalism. If you can, please join us as a member today . Millions rely on Hyperallergic for free, reliable information. By becoming a member, you help keep our journalism free, independent, and accessible to all. Thank you for reading. Share Copied to clipboard Mail Bluesky Threads LinkedIn Facebook
Qatar tribune Jeff Galak The idyllic holiday scene — piles of presents, smiles all around — rarely matches reality. Who among us hasn’t faced the awkward silence of a gift that falls flat? Who hasn’t been disappointed by one we’ve received? Why then, do we get it wrong so often? Why are we so bad at giving gifts? I’ve researched these questions through the lens of social psychology, trying to understand the psychological science of gift giving in hopes of helping gift givers make better choices. And the good news is that after 10 years, we have some answers that could help every gift giver make better choices. The first thing to appreciate is that even though we all act as gift givers and gift recipients, we don’t typically do so at the same time: Even when exchanging gifts, we are thinking like a giver in advance, and then thinking like a recipient in the moment. This creates what is called an empathy gap. In short, when we are acting in one capacity, say as a gift giver, we typically do not consider or empathize with what it would be like to be a gift recipient. We apply a totally different psychology to gift giving than we do to gift receiving. This can be as simple as considering what matters most to gift givers and recipients. When we give gifts, what we tend to believe matters most is the moment of the gift exchange — the moment when a recipient unwraps their gift and sees it for the first time. We want that big “wow” moment where we see a huge smile and know that we’ve done a good job. The problem is that this moment, the big reveal, typically lasts for just a few seconds, but the recipient is stuck with the gift for much longer. What we know matters to the recipient, instead, is much less the moment of exchange, but rather the entirety of the gift’s ownership. Consider a novelty gift like a mug with a witty phrase like “World’s Best Procrastinator.” That’s sure to make someone chuckle when they see it, but then it’ll probably sit in their pantry collecting dust for who knows how long. Or consider a tchotchke that is intended to help decorate a home. It may spark excitement at first, but then the recipient is left with fitting it into the décor of their home ... no small task, and often an unwanted chore. Some gifts can leave a great first impression, but then fall flat later on. As gift givers, we need to think about the long-term implications of a gift, because that is what recipients truly value. As uninspired as it sounds, something like a toaster oven can be an amazing gift because it will be useful. It might not be the most exciting gift when it is opened, but your recipient will think fondly of you every time they use it. Beyond the useful, it’s important to consider that recipients care more about thoughtfulness than just about anything else. After all, what is a gift if not a way to show someone that you care about them and are thinking of them? What that implies, and what the science of gift giving endorses, is that cost is not what dictates how much a recipient loves a gift. In fact, research suggests that there is virtually no relationship between the price of a gift and how much a recipient likes it. Instead, what recipients value is something thoughtful. That can be a freshly baked batch of ********s, or a nicely framed photograph of a treasured shared past experience, or even just a sincerely written note on a holiday card. Science tells us that recipients value the care a giver puts into their gift, and not its cost. We can take this one step further and appreciate that thoughtfulness doesn’t come only on holidays and special occasions like birthdays. Instead, one can be thoughtful any day of the year! And what we’ve learned is that thoughtfulness on random days — not special occasions — is much easier to convey. A gift given out of the blue shows a recipient that they are being thought of not just on, say, their birthday, but all the time. These “just because” gifts are seen to be far more valuable to recipients than those that they receive at moments when they are expecting to be given gifts, such as holidays. Putting this all together, science shows us that the best way to give great gifts is to stop thinking like a gift giver, and instead start thinking like a gift recipient. We’ve all been in that role before, so consider what gifts worked for you and take it from there. Appreciate that being stuck with a bad gift is far from ideal and that the gifts we cherish most are the ones that make us feel cared for. If you can apply these lessons to your own gift giving, your recipients are sure to smile not just when they unwrap your gift, but when they treasure it for years to come. (Jeff Galak, co-founder of the GiftStar AI, is an associate professor of marketing and social and decision science at Carnegie Mellon University.) Copy 25/12/2024 10Taxing farm animals’ farts and burps? Denmark gives it a try
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The Philadelphia Phillies had a rather disappointing postseason after setting high expectations in the regular season. The team could look to make a splash in free agency in hopes of getting to the World Series in 2025. While making offseason predictions, theScore predicted that the Phillies would sign San Francisco Giants ace Blake Snell in free agency. "The Phillies haven't been afraid to spend in recent years, and they'll do it again this winter by luring two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell to Philadelphia," wrote theScore staff. "Adding Snell allows the reigning NL East champions to run out a top-tier starter every night." Spotrac projects Snell to sign a five-year, $131 million deal in free agency. He was an All-Star in 2018 and is a two-time Cy Young Award Winner. Last season he had a 3.12 ERA after signing late in the offseason and getting off to a shaky start. However, in 12 games after the All-Star Break, he had a 1.45 ERA and 103 strikeouts. He showed that he is still a true ace and one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball. The Phillies already have Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez in the rotation for next season. Adding Snell would give them the best rotation in baseball. The Phillies have not been shy of handing out big contracts. Snell is the type of player who can get the Phillies over the top and back in the Fall Classic. More MLB: Phillies could dump Alec Bohm and sign $119 million All-Star to replace him