Fields of Mistria ’s one big problem is that its day cycle is really quick — time moves fast, and before you know it, it’s 2 a.m. and you’ve passed out in the mines. The big new update released on Nov. 18 doesn’t adjust the cycle at all, but it has one new feature that I’ve found pretty helpful: animal mounts. If you’ve met certain requirements, you’ll be able to unlock a purple horse called Mistmare. After a windstorm, Hayden will ask for help in finding his weathervane, and while you look for it, you’ll stumble on a new statue. That’s where you’ll unlock Mistmare for 100 essence. There are customization options that’ll come later, but the benefits of Mistmare are immediate. She’s a horse, and horses are faster than humans. You can ride her anywhere outside, which is wildly helpful for getting around Fields of Mistria ’s big map more quickly. Again, it doesn’t solve the game’s problem with short days, but I’ve found myself passing out much , much less when I stay too late in the mines; I just jump on Mistmare and rush back to the comforts of my own bed instead of crawling through Mistria at a walking speed that feels like a glacier’s pace when you’re racing the clock. According to the Fields of Mistria wiki, the length of an in-game day is 12 minutes and 30 seconds of real-world time. It goes by especially fast when you’ve got a lot of animals to tend to; it’s very easy to spend half of the day going from barn to barn collecting eggs or milk, petting the animals, then feeding them. Put that on top of a relatively slow walk speed and you may find little time to do other chores, like watering and harvesting crops, fighting monsters in the mines, or growing relationships with the other Mistrian residents. Mistmare can’t help in a lot of those areas, save decreasing the time it takes to get around the town, but she is helpful for harvesting crops, too: After unlocking Mistmare, you can unlock other abilities by giving essence to the horse statue. Two hundred essence increases your mount’s movement speed by 10%, while 190 essence will give your mount the ability to harvest crops and dig spots simply by running over them. No extra clicks! (Unrelatedly, 205 essence lets you ride any large animal that you’ve got more than five hearts with.) Overall, Mistmare is a small part of the big update, but one that’s been a perfect quality-of-life improvement that’s made the already exceptional early access game even better. Alongside this adjustment, the big addition is romance: You can now earn up to six hearts with single residents, plus there’s a new, romantic Shooting Star Festival in summer. I’m in spring in my game, so I’ve yet to try out the festival, but I’m also working on romancing March, Celine, and Juniper to invite one of them to join me on the mountain peak. I’ve yet to trigger any new romance quests — I’m stuck at five hearts with all three — but I’ve enjoyed seeing new dialogue while working my way through the seasons. Fields of Mistria is still in early access, and NPC Studio expects the game to stay there for at least a year. Beyond the big content updates, the studio issues smaller ones that fix bugs and such. Gaming Impressions PC Fields of Mistria
BIG TEN THIS WEEKIs ‘Glicked’ the new ‘Barbenheimer’? ‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator II’ collide in theatersCT REIT: A Very Appealing Dividend Yield With A Low Payout Ratio
Quest Partners LLC Has $491,000 Position in IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV)CBS Countersues Sony in ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Jeopardy!’ Fight
Croatia's President Zoran Milanovic will face conservative rival Dragan Primorac in an election run-off in two weeks' time after the incumbent narrowly missed out an outright victory on Sunday, official results showed. The results came after an exit poll, released immediately after the polling stations closed, showed that Milanovic, backed by the opposition left-wing Social Democrats, had scooped more than 50 percent of the first round vote and would thus avoid the January 12 run-off. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.AP Business SummaryBrief at 1:32 p.m. ESTBest New Meme Coins to Invest in for Long Term Profits: BTFD Presale Turns Dips into Huge Gains as DOGS and Just a CHILL GUY Thrive
Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton tries to rediscover joy of basketball despite early season losses
NEW YORK: Investors are expecting more gains for the US stock market in 2025 after two straight standout years, fueled by a solid economy supporting corporate profits, moderating interest rates and pro-growth policies from incoming president Donald Trump. The benchmark S&P 500 up over 23 percent year-to-date, even with a recent speed bump, and is on pace for its second straight year of gains exceeding 20 percent, lifted by megacap tech stocks and excitement over the business potential of artificial intelligence. Investors are more confident about the economy than this time a year ago, with consumers and businesses having absorbed higher interest rates and the Federal Reserve now lowering them - albeit by not as much as hoped. Corporate profits are also expected to be strong, with S&P 500 earnings projected to rise 14 percent in 2025, according to LSEG IBES. On the other side of the ledger, inflation remains stubborn, and Wall Street is wary of a rebound that could lead the Fed to change course on its easing cycle. Indeed, stocks pulled back sharply on Wednesday after the central bank projected fewer rate cuts next year as it braced for firmer inflation. Such prospects could become more likely if Trump implements tariffs on US imports that lead to higher consumer prices. Stock valuations, meanwhile, are around their steepest levels in more than three years, leaving greater potential for turbulence. “We’ve been on quite the tear coming off the lows back at the end of 2022. It’s been pretty eye-watering,” said Garrett Melson, portfolio strategist at Natixis Investment Managers. “Animal spirits... are certainly running pretty wild right now, but you might need to temper that a little bit as you start to move through the year,” said Melson, who thinks the stock market could still produce solid gains of around 10 percent in 2025 if not the returns of the prior two years. Wall Street firms are mostly projecting gains for the market next year, with S&P 500 year-end targets ranging from 6,000 to 7,000. The index was last hovering around 5,900. Optimistic investors can point to a bull market that is neither old nor over-extended, by historic measures. The current bull market for the S&P 500 that began in October 2022 is less than half as long as the average length of the 10 prior ones, according to Keith Lerner, co-chief investment officer at Truist Advisory Services. The S&P 500’s roughly 64 percent gain during this latest run trails the 108 percent median gain and 184 percent average rise of the prior bull markets, according to Lerner. “If you zoom out a little bit, yes, we have a lot of gains, but if you look at a typical bull market, it suggests that we still have further gains to go,” Lerner said. Other historic signs also bode well. The S&P 500 has gained an average of 12.3 percent following the eight instances of back-to-back 20 percent annual gains since 1950, according to Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group, compared to a 9.3 percent overall average increase over that time. The index increased six of the eight times. Bolstering the upbeat sentiment is the prevailing sense on Wall Street that the economy has weathered the rate hikes the Fed implemented starting in 2022 to quell inflation. A Natixis Investment Managers survey conducted in recent weeks found 73 percent of institutional investors said the US will avoid a recession in 2025. That’s a sharp turnaround from a year ago, when 62 percent projected such a downturn in the coming year. Citigroup’s economic surprise index, which measures how economic data performs versus expectations, has been solidly positive for the past two months, another rosy sign for investors. Adding to expectations of a solid economy, Trump is expected to pursue an agenda that includes tax cuts and deregulation that supports growth. “We’re leaving 2024 on pretty good footing, and we think there is some re-acceleration in 2025,” said Sameer Samana, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. “Markets tend to front-run the economy, so they will position for that economic re-acceleration sooner rather than later.” However, stocks are also leaving 2024 at elevated valuations: The S&P 500 is trading at nearly 22 times expected earnings over the next 12 months, according to LSEG. That is well above its long-term average of 15.8, and not far from the 22.6 level it reached earlier this month, its highest since early 2021. Investors maintain that valuations can stay high for long periods and do not necessarily indicate imminent declines. But future gains may rest more on earnings growth, while higher valuations could make stocks more easily rattled by any disappointments. Risks include policy uncertainty such as Trump’s expected push to raise tariffs on imports from China and other trading partners, which analysts estimate could hurt corporate profits. Higher tariffs could also increase inflation, which is another worry for investors. The pace of inflation has fallen dramatically since hitting 40-year highs in 2022, but remains above the Fed’s 2 percent target. The latest reading of the consumer price index found a 2.7 percent annual inflation rate. “How low we can get rates is really going to be dependent on how low we can get inflation,” said Michael Reynolds, vice president of investment strategy at Glenmede. “If we see inflation settling out to the 3-ish percent range, we think the Fed’s not going to be as aggressive next year.” Glenmede is recommending investors take a neutral posture on overall portfolio risk, including for equities. “Investors should be what I would call cautiously optimistic,” Reynolds said. “We ... have an economy that’s showing signs of late-stage expansion alongside valuations that are pretty rich.” — Reuters
Canadian Western Bank delays earnings release without saying why
“Barbenheimer” was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn’t stopped people from trying to make “Glicked” — or even “Babyratu” — happen. The counterprogramming of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” in July 2023 hit a nerve culturally and had the receipts to back it up. Unlike so many things that begin as memes, it transcended its online beginnings. Instead of an either-or, the two movies ultimately complemented and boosted one another at the box office. This combination of images shows promotional art for "Gladiator II," left, and "Wicked." And ever since, moviegoers, marketers and meme makers have been trying to recreate that moment, searching the movie release schedule for odd mashups and sending candidates off into the social media void. Most attempts have fizzled (sorry, “Saw Patrol” ). This weekend is perhaps the closest approximation yet as the Broadway musical adaptation “Wicked” opens Friday against the chest-thumping sword-and-sandals epic “Gladiator II.” Two big studio releases (Universal and Paramount), with one-name titles, opposite tones and aesthetics and big blockbuster energy — it was already halfway there before the name game began: “Wickiator,” “Wadiator,” “Gladwick” and even the eyebrow raising “Gladicked” have all been suggested. “'Glicked' rolls off the tongue a little bit more,” actor Fred Hechinger said at the New York screening of “Gladiator II” this week. “I think we should all band around ‘Glicked.’ It gets too confusing if you have four or five different names for it.” As with “Barbenheimer," as reductive as it might seem, “Glicked” also has the male/female divide that make the fan art extra silly. One is pink and bright and awash in sparkles, tulle, Broadway bangers and brand tie-ins; The other is all sweat and sand, blood and bulging muscles. Both films topped Fandango’s most anticipated holiday movie survey, where 65% of respondents said that they were interested in the “Glicked” double feature. Theaters big and small are also pulling out the stops with movie-themed tie-ins. B&B Theaters will have Roman guards tearing tickets at some locations and Maximus popcorn tubs. Marcus Theaters is doing Oz photo ops and friendship bracelet-making. Alamo Drafthouse is leaning into the singalong aspect (beware, though, not all theaters are embracing this) and the punny drinks like “Defying Gravi-Tea.” This image released by Universal Pictures shows Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande in a scene from the film "Wicked." “Rather than it being in competition, I think they’re in conversation,” “Gladiator II” star Paul Mescal said. “This industry needs a shot in the arm. Those films gave it last year. We hope to do it this year.” And the hope is that audiences will flock to theaters to be part of this moment as well. It's a sorely needed influx of could-be blockbusters into a marketplace that's still at an 11% deficit from last year and down 27.2% from 2019, according to data from Comscore. “Competition is good for the marketplace. It’s good for consumers,” said Michael O'Leary, the president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “Having two great movies coming out at the same time is simply a multiplier effect.” “Glicked” is currently tracking for a combined North American debut in the $165 million range, with “Wicked” forecast to earn around $100 million (up from the $80 million estimates a few weeks ago) and “Gladiator II” pegged for the $65 million range. “Barbenheimer” shattered its projections last July. Going into that weekend, “Barbie” had been pegged for $90 million and “Oppenheimer” around $40 million. Ultimately, they brought in a combined $244 million in that first outing, and nearly $2.4 billion by the end of their runs. It’s possible “Glicked” will exceed expectations, too. And it has the advantage of another behemoth coming close behind: “Moana 2,” which opens just five days later on the Wednesday before the Thanksgiving holiday. “Glickedana” triple feature anyone? This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Pedro Pascal, left, and Paul Mescal in a scene from "Gladiator II." “These are 10 important days,” O'Leary said. “It’s going to show the moviegoing audience that there’s a lot of compelling stuff out there for them to see.” There are infinite caveats to the imperfect comparison to “Barbenheimer,” as well. “Wicked” is a “Part One.” Musicals carry their own baggage with moviegoers, even those based on wildly successful productions (ahem, “Cats”). “Gladiator II” got a head start and opened internationally last weekend. In fact, in the U.K. it played alongside “Paddington in Peru,” where that double was pegged “Gladdington.” “Gladiator” reviews, while positive, are a little more divided than the others. And neither directors Ridley Scott nor Jon M. Chu has the built-in box office cache that Christopher Nolan’s name alone carries at the moment. The new films also cost more than “Barbie” ($145 million) and “Oppenheimer” ($100 million). According to reports, “Gladiator II” had a $250 million price tag; “Wicked” reportedly cost $150 million to produce (and that does not include the cost of the second film, due next year). The narrative, though, has shifted away from “who will win the weekend.” Earlier this year, Chu told The Associated Press that he loves that this is a moment where “we can root for all movies all the time.” Close behind are a bevy of Christmas releases with double feature potential, but those feel a little more niche. There’s the remake of “Nosferatu,” the Nicole Kidman kink pic “Babygirl” and the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown.” The internet can’t even seem to decide on its angle for that batch of contenders, and none exactly screams blockbuster. Sometimes the joy is just in the game, however. Some are sticking with the one-name mashup (“Babyratu”); others are suggesting that the fact that two of the movies feature real-life exes (Timothée Chalamet and Lily-Rose Depp) is enough reason for a double feature. And getting people talking is half the battle. When in doubt, or lacking a catchy name, there’s always the default: “This is my Barbenheimer.” Associated Press journalist John Carucci and Film Writer Jake Coyle contributed reporting. Last summer, Malibu's iconic blonde faced off against Cillian Murphy and the hydrogen bomb in the unforgettable "Barbenheimer" double feature. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!Every Time The Simpsons Predicted New Technology And Got It Right
Big Ten slate features Indiana-Ohio State showdown and Penn State-Minnesota matchup Things to watch this week in the Big Ten Conference: Game of the week This marks the 98th matchup between these two teams, but it's only the fourth time both teams have been ranked. Although Indiana is unbeaten, its soft schedule means the Hoosiers aren't assured of making the 12-team field if they lose this game. The only team with a winning record that Indiana has beaten is Washington (6-5). Ohio State needs a win to have a realistic shot at a rematch with top-ranked Oregon in the Big Ten championship game. Ohio State has beaten Indiana 28 straight times since the Hoosiers posted back-to-back victories in 1987-88. The undercard This is likely Penn State's biggest obstacle on its way to a potential playoff berth. The Nittany Lions' lone remaining regular-season game is a Nov. 30 home matchup with Maryland (4-6, 1-6). Minnesota has had an extra week to prepare this game since its 26-19 loss at Rutgers on Nov. 9, which snapped a four-game winning streak. Penn State and Minnesota have split their last four meetings, with the home team winning each time. Impact players Penn State DE Abdul Carter has multiple tackles for loss in each of his last three games. He ranks second among all Bowl Subdivision players in tackles for loss (17 1⁄2). Southern California RB Woody Marks rushed for a career-high 146 yards in a 28-20 win over Nebraska. Marks has six 100-yard rushing performances this season. Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai is the first Scarlet Knight to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since Ray Rice did it three straight years from 2005-07. Monangai has run for 1,028 yards this season and rushed for 1,262 yards last year. Oregon OLB Matayo Uiagalelei recorded a sack and had a game-clinching interception as the top-ranked Ducks won 16-13 at Wisconsin last week. He has 8 1⁄2 sacks this season to rank second in the Big Ten. Inside the numbers Four of the top seven Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks in passer rating are from the Big Ten. Indiana's Kurtis Rourke is second, Ohio State's Will Howard is third, Penn State's Drew Allar is fifth and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel is seventh. ... Illinois QB Luke Altmyer has thrown 18 touchdown passes with only three interceptions. The only Power Four quarterback with a better touchdown/interception ratio while throwing at least 10 touchdown passes is Clemson's Cade Klubnik, who has 26 touchdowns and four interceptions. ... Rutgers' three Big Ten wins matches its largest total since joining the league in 2014. Rutgers also had three conference wins in 2014, 2017, 2020 and 2023. A victory Saturday over No. 24 Illinois would give Rutgers three straight Big Ten wins for the first time. ... Washington's 31-19 win over UCLA was its 20th straight home victory, representing its second-longest such streak in school history. The Huskies won 45 straight home games from 1908-17. ... Wisconsin heads to Nebraska this week having won its last 10 matchups with the Cornhuskers. Now don't get upset Penn State justifiably is favored on the road against Minnesota, but Bet MGM's 12 1⁄2-point spread seems way too big. Expect this game to have a single-digit margin.The extraordinary turnaround leaves Pep Guardiola’s side winless in six games. Manchester City’s crisis deepened as they surrendered a three-goal lead late in the game to draw 3-3 against Feyenoord in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola’s side at least avoided the indignity of a sixth successive defeat in all competitions but alarm bells continue to ring at the Etihad Stadium after a dramatic late capitulation. A double from Erling Haaland – the first from the penalty spot – and a deflected effort from Ilkay Gundogan, all in the space of nine minutes either side of the break, looked to have ensured a return to winning ways. Yet Guardiola was left with his head in hands as Feyenoord roared back in the last 15 minutes with goals from Anis Hadj Moussa, Sergio Gimenez and David Hancko, two of them after Josko Gvardiol errors. City almost snatched a late winner when Jack Grealish hit the woodwork but there was no masking another dispiriting result. It was hardly the preparation City wanted for Sunday’s crunch trip to Liverpool, and the Feyenoord fans took great delight in rubbing that fact in. They sung the club anthem they share with Liverpool, You’ll Never Walk Alone, and chanted the name of their former manager Arne Slot, the current Reds boss. Guardiola arrived at the ground with a cut on the bridge of his nose and, once again, his side have been struck a nasty blow. Despite not being at their best, they had dominated early on against what seemed limited Dutch opposition. They threatened when a Gundogan shot was deflected wide and Haaland then went close to opening the scoring when he turned a header onto the post. Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther gifted City another chance when he passed straight to Bernardo Silva but Grealish’s fierce volley struck team-mate Phil Foden. Foden forced a save from Wellenreuther but City had a moment of alarm when Igor Paixao got behind the defence only to shoot tamely at Ederson. Nathan Ake missed the target with a header but some luck finally went City’s way just before the break when Quinten Timber, brother of Arsenal’s Jurrien, was harshly adjudged to have fouled Haaland. The Norwegian rammed home the resulting spot-kick and City returned re-energised for the second period. They won a corner when a Matheus Nunes shot was turned behind and Gundogan fired the hosts’ second – albeit with aid of a deflection – with a firm volley from the edge of the box. City turned up the heat and claimed their third soon after as Gundogan released Nunes with a long ball and his low cross was turned into the net by a sliding Haaland. It seemed City were heading for a morale-lifting victory but a couple of Gvardiol errors changed the script. The Croatian, who had a torrid time in Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing by Tottenham, first horribly misplaced a backpass and allowed Moussa to nip in and round Ederson. Ordinarily that 75th-minute reply would have been a mere consolation and City would close out the game, but Gvardiol had another moment to forget eight minutes from time. Again he gave the ball away and Feyenoord pounced. The ball was lofted into the box and Jordan Lotomba fired a shot that glanced the post and deflected across goal, where Gimenez chested in. Ederson then blundered as he raced out of his area and was beaten by Paixao, who crossed for Hancko to head into an empty net. Amid some moments of unrest in the crowd, when objects were thrown, City tried to rally in stoppage time. Grealish had an effort deflected onto the bar but the hosts had to settle for a draw.
Social media users lambasted Alpine for its extravagant farewell to Brad Pitt in Abu Dhabi, contrasting it with the company's light-hearted treatment of Esteban Ocon's exit. Spanning five years with Alpine, Ocon secured an unforeseen Grand Prix victory in 2021 and landed on the podium three additional times. Yet after signing to race for Haas next year, Ocon was abruptly replaced by Jack Doohan for the season's final race, receiving nothing more than a terse statement from his former team. This became glaringly obvious when Alpine lavishly celebrated Pitt, currently filming his F1 movie , taking part in its last event at the paddock, accompanied by a celebratory group photo with the actor. Sydney Thomas shares Jake Paul message she received at Mike Tyson bou - Boxing - Sports - Daily Express US NASCAR CEO weighs in on Michael Jordan lawsuit with damning message for 23XI owner The 60-year-old has spent months filming the highly anticipated 'F1' sports drama, set to release next summer, portraying the character Sonny Hayes. He even featured in the Ferrari team snapshot in Yas Marina along with co-star Damson Idris and has made appearances at various other races during the filmmaking process. Alpine's preference for a significant goodbye for Pitt versus the minimal acknowledgment of Ocon provoked ire among F1 devotees. Twitter user @NotFifthGear remarked: "Alpine gave 'Sonny Hayes' a better farewell than their only race winner in F1...". While @rosbergcore pointed out: "Can say goodbye to Brad Pitt but not the driver that gave you your last win?" @laeberkas posted: "You guys suck really bad. Like you literally gave him a better farewell than Ocon." DON'T MISS Carlos Alcaraz names his future wife and how many kids they will have Dale Earnhardt Jr. had strict broadcast rule before accepting new job Tony Stewart makes career announcement after NASCAR legend became dad Meanwhile, @HoodieUce added: "Listen it's no secret I'm not Esteban's biggest fan but it's not great optics for you to give a farewell to an actor and not the guy who spent five seasons at the team." Despite the disappointment surrounding his departure, Ocon remained composed, sharing his thoughts about moving on to Haas and his upcoming test in Abu Dhabi: "The plan was always to race one last time this weekend and personally say goodbye to you all [Alpine staff] next week," he posted. "I was looking forward to both of those things. This is not how I wanted things to end. That said, the world of F1 is small and I am sure I will see many of you again soon."
Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100AI In Entertainment: 19 Practical And Ethical ChallengesConor McGregor's online rant as he vows to appeal court decision