super 8 game
I truly believed in my heart this would be a close game, even though the Panthers are a worse team on paper. Well, the Buccaneers did manage to play up to potential and the Panthers looked like a team missing their top players on offense and defense. One of the most complete team performances since they played the Chargers. To start with what little bad there was in this game, Tykee Smith had a low-key awful game. He looked like he didn’t even belong on the football field. Just constantly got burnt and let guys run past him or wasn’t playing the zone coverage correctly. I like him a lot, but this was just a bad day for him. The DBs as a whole weren’t great, but he stood out in particular. Trey Palmer absolutely played himself off the team for next year. He is doing almost nothing on offense and now cannot play special teams. He had a couple good plays as punt returner, but then decided to not keep doing that. Instead of letting the ball bounce at the twenty or just fair catching it, he decided to catch the ball off a bounce and run it all the way backwards to the five. What a truly inspiring performance. This is on top of the brain dead mistakes he made as a punt returner against Dallas. And with his lack of offensive production, he basically provides nothing. It surprisingly wasn’t all bad on ST. We saw what was easily the best punt of the year by Browning. I believe it went for over 40 yards and really flipped the field. In fact, I believe it was after the Trey Palmer boneheaded mistake. And the Bucs got their first special teams TD since 2012 off a blocked punt. It was kinda hard to figure this one out and the broadcast didn’t seem to mention it, but that seems to be the last time. Point is, it has probably been over a decade since this last happened, so good stuff. Not only that, but it was JTS on the block. One of the few good plays he has had. The star of the show was easily Baker Mayfield. When you throw five TDs, it certainly is a good day. But it was more than that. Baker was making smart decisions with the football. Something that had been driving many fans and analysts insane was him holding on to the ball and taking bad sacks. This time, he was throwing the ball away or just checking it down. No dumb throws or holding on to the ball for too long. Just safe and efficient football. He also fed Mike Evans, which is good because the Panthers were starting a bunch of nobodies in the secondary. Hell, even Devin Culp and Payne Durham had solid games. Bucky of course had a good game, nothing shocking there. He did manage to get over 1000 rushing yards, the first time that has happened for the Buccaneers since Doug Martin back in 2015. He also broke fifty more tackles in this game and just showed a lot of great vision as a rusher. It seems like Rachaad White has been firmly displaced as the RB1 on the team, and with the performance he had, not hard to wonder why. I was actually shocked how little touches he had this game. The defense outside the first drive and the two minute drill was really good. They had Bryce Young under a lot of pressure and really kept them in check. The run game for the Panthers was essentially a joke. They had 39 yards and most of that came in garbage time. The offense as a whole barely had 200 yards, so it was a stifling performance. With that said, the two TD drives for the Panthers had a lot of terrible defense, a lot of that falling on the coverage called by Bowles. Like I said at the start, this was a dominating win. It showed what the Buccaneers can do when they are consistent and playing up to potential. The real question is if this can be kept up when the playoffs roll around. They won’t exactly be facing the Panthers when January football comes into town. This article first appeared on Bucs Report and was syndicated with permission.
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The Transformative Justice Collection (TJC) has been issued a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulations Act (POFMA), shared the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in a statement published on Nov. 26. This is the organisation's fourth time being issued a POFMA direction. Concurrently, a targeted correction direction was also issued to TikTok Pte Ltd. These correction directions were issued on the instructions of the Minister for Digital Development and Information and the Second Minister for Home Affairs, in response to false statements made on TJC's social media posts on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok on Nov. 20, 2024, said MHA. TJC's post on Instagram included activists Kokila Annamalai and Rocky Howe as collaborators. What the statements were about TJC referred to cases involving three prisoners — Rosman bin Abdullah, Roslan bin Bakar, and Pausi bin Jefridin — who had been arrested for drug trafficking, and sentenced to death. In its posts on Facebook, TikTok, and X on Nov. 20, TJC claimed that the three prisoners were executed without regard for their intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, MHA said. "This is not true," said MHA, adding that "The Court had considered the evidence [the prisoners] produced and rejected their assertions." The prisoners had made post-appeal applications on the basis that they suffered from an abnormality of mind that substantially impaired their mental responsibilities for their acts, said MHA. Each of these applications were dismissed. Prisoners on death row for 14 years The three prisoners TJC posted about had each been on death row for 14 years, TJC said in its posts. Responding to this, MHA said the duration was "significantly longer" due to the legal applications taken out by the three prisoners. MHA highlighted that each of the three had been applicants or co-applicants in multiple legal proceedings. Referring to the proceedings involving Pausi and Roslan, MHA said many of these were found to be unmeritorious, and "a deliberate attempt to stymie the carrying out of their punishments". MHA also responded to other aspects of TJC's post regarding the scheduling of executions, as well as the prisoners' involvement in a case regarding the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC)'s handling of prisoners' letters . TJC's previous correction directions TJC's previous POFMA correction directions were issued on Aug. 8 and Aug. 11 for having made other false statements concerning prisoners on death row. A third POFMA correction direction was issued on Oct. 11 in response to posts about the treatment of anti-death penalty activists and the legal processes for prisoners awaiting capital punishment about a case concerning Mohammad Azwan bin Bohari. Issued a "POFMA Correction Direction" and "Targeted Correction Direction" Similar to its previous correction directions, the latest instruction requires TJC to insert a correction notice against the original posts. A link to the government's clarification must also be added. TikTok will also be required to communicate a targeted correction notice to all end-users in Singapore who have accessed TJC's TikTok post. In its statement, MHA also advised members of the public to refrain from speculation and from spreading unverified rumours. Related stories Top image from Pexels and MHANoneSavion Williams rushed for two touchdowns and Josh Hoover threw for 252 yards as TCU pulled away from Arizona in the second half, winning 49-28 on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas. The Horned Frogs (7-4, 5-3 Big 12) scored touchdowns on five consecutive possessions, starting late in the first half after the Wildcats (4-7, 2-6) pulled within 14-13. Williams carried nine times for 80 yards, scoring on runs of 1 and 20 yards in the first half. Hoover completed 19 of 26 passes, with one touchdown and one interception, before being pulled midway through the fourth quarter when the Frogs were up by 21. TCU took control after leading 21-13 at halftime, going up 35-13 on a 38-yard reception to JP Richardson midway through the third. Arizona kept its hopes alive, ending a 15-play, 75-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hunter on fourth down on the first play of the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion made it 35-21. But the Horned Frogs responded with another TD drive, capped by a 6-yard run by Cam Cook for a 42-21 advantage. Arizona added a 70-yard fumble return touchdown with one minute to go for the game's final score. Tetairoa McMillan caught nine passes for 115 yards to become the Arizona career leader in receiving yardage with 3,355. He surpassed his receivers coach, Bobby Wade (3,351), at the top spot. The Wildcats' Noah Fifita completed 29 of 44 passes for 284 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, which happened on the game's first snap. TCU promptly scored on a 4-yard run by Trent Battle, and Williams added a 1-yard TD run late in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead. But the Wildcats fought back, getting a 17-yard touchdown reception by Hunter and field goals of 53 and 43 yards from Tyler Loop to climb within 14-13 with 1:55 go before halftime. That's almost how the half ended, but the Horned Frogs converted third-and-18 on the ensuing drive and then gained 24 yards on third-and-25 to the Arizona 20. That set up a 20-yard run by Williams on fourth-and-1 with 13 seconds left for a 21-13 lead. --Field Level Media
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NEW DELHI: The finance ministry has told Parliament that the Centre's thrust is on improving the quality of public spending, while strengthening the social security net for the poor and needy. In the statement on deviation from the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act targets, the ministry also said that govt remained committed to pursue the glide path for fiscal consolidation and it will lower fiscal deficit to under 4.5% by next financial year. It said since July, when the regular budget was presented, the global economic environment has become gloomier due to further escalation of conflict. "Given the prevailing global economic and security environment, it is necessary for govt to retain (a) fair degree of flexibility in conducting its fiscal policy so as to be able to respond to any fallout from adverse global events," the ministry said in the nine-page document. Pointing to the numbers on non-debt receipts, fiscal deficit and revenue deficit during the first half of the current financial year, the ministry said the numbers were within the limits prescribed under FRBM rules. While revenue receipts (51.8% of budget estimates) were higher than the five-year moving average, total receipts (43.8%) of the govt were lower. Expenditure was also below the five-year moving average, resulting in the first half fiscal deficit being 29.4% of budget estimate against the five-year moving average of 63.8%. The comment on the quality of expenditure ties in with govt's efforts to focus on higher capex in recent years and cut on wasteful expenditure, besides targeting subsidies better. Even in the next budget, the Centre is expected to retain the emphasis on its spending pattern. Ready to Master Stock Valuation? ET’s Workshop is just around the corner!
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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey gambling regulators have handed out $40,000 in fines to two sportsbooks and a tech company for violations that included taking bets on unauthorized events, and on games that had already ended. In information made public Monday, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement fined DraftKings $20,000. It also levied $10,000 fines on Rush Street Interactive NJ and the sports betting technology company Kambi. According to documents released by the state, Rush Street accepted 16 bets worth $1,523 in Nov. 2021 on a college basketball game between the University of North Carolina-Asheville and Tennessee Tech University after the game had already concluded with a UNC victory. Kambi told the enforcement division that a trader had failed to manually remove that game from its betting markets, saying it had stopped receiving messages from its own sports data provider due to a network connectivity error. Kambi said it has updated its guidelines and retrained its traders to prevent a recurrence. Kambi, which is based in Malta, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday. Rush Street declined comment, and DraftKings had no immediate comment Monday. DraftKings stopped using Kambi in 2021. In March 2022 Rush Street took seven bets totaling just under $2,900 on three Magic City Jai Alai games after the results were already known. Kambi told the division it experienced a connectivity issue that allowed the bets to be accepted after the games were over. An explanation of what Kambi did to address the situation was blacked out in documents released by the division. A month earlier Rush Street took 13 wagers worth $8,150 with pre-match odds on a Professional Golf Association match after the event had already begun. In this case, Kambi told the division a newly hired trader failed to enter the correct closing time time for bets on the event. The trader and a supervisor underwent retraining. DraftKings was fined for taking bets on unapproved events including Russian basketball for nine months in 2020 and 2021. It eventually voided over $61,000 in bets and returned the money to customers after being directed to do so by the state. In this case, Kambi told the division it misidentified this particular Russian basketball league as one that was approved for wagering in New Jersey. DraftKings told the state it did not catch the error, either. In 2020, DraftKings accepted 484 wagers on unapproved table tennis matches. Kambi incorrectly enabled the events for wagering without conditions required by the state, the division said. In Feb. 2022, the division said DraftKings took pre-season NFL bets involving specific players but did not give the state specific information on what information was to be included in the bets, drawing 182 wagers worth nearly $7,000 that were later voided and refunded to customers. Follow Wayne Parry on X at www.twitter.com/WayneParryACNo wallet, no phone, no problem: How you could pay with just your palm in future
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Most ruling party lawmakers were boycotting a parliamentary vote Saturday to deny a two-thirds majority sought by the opposition to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law , as protests grew nationwide calling for his removal. The likely defeat of the motion is expected to intensify public protests calling for Yoon’s ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a survey suggesting a majority of South Koreans support the president’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative party, but it is also determined to oppose Yoon's impeachment apparently because it fears losing presidency to liberals. Impeaching Yoon would require support from two-thirds of the National Assembly, or 200 of its 300 members. The opposition parties who brought the impeachment motion have 192 seats, meaning they need at least eight additional votes from Yoon’s People Power Party. The opposition-controlled parliament began a vote earlier Saturday, but only three lawmakers from PPP took part with opposition members. If the number of lawmakers who cast ballots doesn't reach 200, the motion will be scrapped at midnight, according to National Assembly. Opposition parties could submit a new impeachment motion after a new parliamentary session opens next Wednesday. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik urged ruling party members to return to the chamber to participate in the vote, stressing that it was closely watched by the nation and also the world. “Don’t make a shameful judgment and please vote based on your convictions,” Woo said. “I plead to you, for the future of the Republic of Korea.” Earlier Saturday, Yoon issued a public apology over the martial law decree, saying he won’t shirk legal or political responsibility for the declaration and promising not to make another attempt to impose martial law. He said would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country's political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office." “The declaration of this martial law was made out of my desperation. But in the course of its implementation, it caused anxiety and inconveniences to the public. I feel very sorry over that and truly apologize to the people who must have been shocked a lot,” Yoon said. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has struggled to push his agenda through an opposition-controlled parliament and grappled with low approval ratings amid scandals involving himself and his wife. In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a “den of criminals” bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.” The turmoil resulting from Yoon’s bizarre and poorly-thought-out stunt has paralyzed South Korean politics and sparked alarm among key diplomatic partners, including neighboring 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. Tuesday night saw special forces troops encircling the parliament building and army helicopters hovering over it, but the military withdrew after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn the decree, forcing Yoon to lift it before daybreak Wednesday. The declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea. Eighteen lawmakers from the ruling party voted to reject Yoon's martial law decree along with opposition lawmakers. The passage of Yoon’s impeachment motion appeared more likely Friday when the chair of Yoon’s party called for his removal on Friday, but the party remained formally opposed to impeachment. On Saturday, tens of thousands of people packed streets near the National Assembly, waving banners, shouting slogans and dancing and singing along to K-pop songs with lyrics changed to call for Yoon’s ouster. A smaller crowd of Yoon’s supporters, which still seemed to be in the thousands, rallied in separate streets in Seoul, decrying the impeachment attempt they saw as unconstitutional. Lawmakers on Saturday first voted on a bill appointing a special prosecutor to investigate stock price manipulation allegations surrounding Yoon’s wife. Some lawmakers from Yoon’s party were seen leaving the hall after that vote, triggering angry shouts from opposition lawmakers. If Yoon is impeached, his powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to remove him from office. If he is removed, an election to replace him must take place within 60 days. Opposition lawmakers say that Yoon’s attempt at martial law amounted to a self-coup, and drafted the impeachment motion around rebellion charges. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, told reporters that Yoon’s speech was “greatly disappointing” and that the only way forward is his immediate resignation or impeachment. On Friday, PPP chair Han Dong-hun, who criticized Yoon's martial law declaration, said he had received intelligence that during the brief period of martial law Yoon ordered the country’s defense counterintelligence commander to arrest and detain unspecified key politicians based on accusations of “anti-state activities." Hong Jang-won, first deputy director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing Friday that Yoon called after imposing martial law and ordered him to help the defense counterintelligence unit to detain key politicians. The targeted politicians included Han, Lee and Woo, according to Kim Byung-kee, one of the lawmakers who attended the meeting. The Defense Ministry said it had suspended the defense counterintelligence commander, Yeo In-hyung, who Han alleged had received orders from Yoon to detain the politicians. The ministry also suspended the commanders of the capital defense command and the special warfare command over their involvement in enforcing martial law. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who has been accused of recommending Yoon enforce martial law, has been placed under a travel ban and faces an investigation by prosecutors over rebellion charges. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho has testified to parliament that it was Kim Yong Hyun who ordered troops to be deployed to the National Assembly after Yoon imposed martial law. Kim Tong-hyung And Hyung-jin Kim, The Associated PressNissan 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. 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. 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. The internet is rife with fake reviews. Will AI make it worse? Researchers and watchdog groups say the emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow people to efficiently produce detailed and novel online reviews has put merchants, service providers and consumers in uncharted territory. Phony reviews have long plagued many popular consumer websites, such as Amazon and Yelp. But AI-infused text generation tools enable fraudsters to produce reviews faster and in greater volume, according to tech industry experts. The deceptive practice is illegal in the U.S. and becomes a bigger problem for consumers during the holiday shopping season, when many people rely on reviews to buy gifts. A tech company and watchdog group that uses software to detect fake reviews says AI-generated reviews have multiplied. Romanian lawmakers narrowly approve new pro-European coalition during period of political turmoil BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian lawmakers have voted narrowly in favor of a new pro-European coalition government led by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The move on Monday could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in the 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party, the center-right National Liberal Party, the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government on Monday night. Government regulators close investigation into Ford Focus recalls Government safety regulators are closing an investigation into two previous recalls of the Ford Focus after determining that Ford Motor Co. has satisfied its concerns. Ford recalled around 1.5 million Ford Focus sedans from the 2012-2018 model years in 2018 because they could lose power. The issue was a malfunctioning canister purge valve and software that didn’t adequately detect when it was stuck open. Ford fixed the software in two separate recalls, but after cars continued to stall, the government opened an inquiry last year. Earlier this fall, Ford offered to replace the canister purge valve on all of the vehicles, satisfying regulators' concerns. AI will eavesdrop on world's wildest places to track and help protect endangered wildlife PUERTO JIMÉNEZ, Costa Rica (AP) — A biologist hid 350 audio monitors across Costa Rica’s tropical rainforests to spy on endangered spider monkeys in order to help protect them. But she had to go back to collect the data and feed those sounds into artificial intelligence systems that can recognize monkey calls. Now tech giant Microsoft's philanthropic arm is hoping to supercharge AI-assisted wildlife research with new solar-powered devices that can capture sounds, images and other wilderness data for a year or more without human intervention. Researchers say more AI wildlife surveillance is urgently needed to monitor the health of species at risk of extinction.
Great Osobor scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and had three assists in 18 minutes of playing time as Washington wrapped up nonconference action with a 90-53 rout of NJIT on Sunday afternoon in Seattle. Zoom Diallo came off the bench to contribute 12 points and a game-high five assists for the Huskies (9-4), and Wilhelm Breidenbach, who missed Monday's 79-70 upset loss to Seattle U., added 10 points and five rebounds. Sebastian Robinson led the Highlanders (2-12) with 16 points, Tim Moore Jr. scored 14 and Ari Fulton added 11. NJIT, which suffered its third consecutive defeat and dropped to 0-9 on the road, played without leading scorer Tariq Francis (18.6 ppg) because of an ankle injury. The Huskies shot 34 of 61 from the field (55.7 percent) and were 10 of 24 from 3-point range. NJIT was 19 of 51 (37.3 percent) and just 3 of 17 from distance. Washington forced 13 turnovers while committing just five, leading to a 17-4 edge in points off miscues. The Huskies also had sizable advantages in points off the bench (47-4), in the paint (42-24) and in fastbreak scoring (17-0). The Huskies led 46-26 at the half as Osobor, Breidenbach and Mekhi Mason each scored seven points. Osobor scored the game's first five points and Mason made a 3-pointer to give the Huskies an 8-2 lead. A jumper by Mason extended the lead to 26-16 with 8:30 left in the first half. The Huskies continued to pull away, with Jase Butler capping an 8-0 run with a 3-pointer to make it 42-22 with 2:29 remaining before the intermission. A 9-0 run gave Washington its first 30-point lead of the day at 60-30 with 15:24 still to play. The Huskies led by as many as 40 on Luis Kortright's fastbreak layup at the 7:09 mark. Mason, Kortright, Christian King and KC Ibekwe all scored nine points for Washington. Washington resumes Big Ten Conference play Thursday when Maryland makes a trip to the West Coast. The Highlanders have one more nonconference game before opening America East play Jan. 9. --Field Level MediaBlack Friday can do one in my opinion. Don’t be sucked in by the so-called deals, when there’s reports aplenty that retailers ramp up prices ahead of the event to pretend slash them and suck you in to buying more things you probably don’t need. I know the marketing and PR push around the event is hard to avoid in the news, on social media, in shop windows and life in general. But you must know by now that it’s just more clever marketing to keep us all in this bleak spiral of consumerism that’s ruining our planet. I often hear from retail bosses about how they provide the goods on their shelves because that’s what their customers want - but if that’s really the case then why do they employ clever PR people and marketers who’ve really done their psychology homework in a bid to keep us buying more and more and more. In reality, all any of us really need is a warm and happy home; nutritious food in our bellies and clean water to drink; clothes that suit the season; as well as community, friends, family connections and something to do that keeps us sane, feeling loved an fill us with some purpose. We don’t need ‘buy one get one free’ on things we don’t need; bathroom cupboards full of creams that promise this, that or the other; wardrobes filled with hundreds of garments and shoes or enough toys to fill the family’s main room at home and the latest hot gadgets - no matter what the ads say. Yet in a bid to fill the void left by loneliness, hopelessness and unfulfillment in our everyday lives because we simply don’t have the time for family and friends and the world seems stuck in a doom spiral; we all rush to buy more stuff for that quick hit of happiness instead of examining our real problem. It’s like we’re all little zombie hamsters stuck on an endlessly cycling wheel of working, buying, using and discarding. I know that in the world our ancestors shaped for us, we need to work to make money to feed ourselves, keep a home and have a family if that’s what you want. But when did incessant consumerism become our factory setting? When did it stop mattering how much we use up and throwaway - even if we are sending it to charity shops to alleviate our shame. If we don’t soon stop - the imagined world of Wall-e will be real for all of us. We’ve already seen it in the mounting mountains of waste in far flung places around the world where our discarded clothes and shoes are piled high in deserts, rivers and on beaches - because we somehow stupidly think that sending it to the poorest places on Earth with the fewest environmental protections that it will be treated in a way that doesn’t pollute the planet. It’s time to wake up people. I know it’s nice to buy new things - I feel that joy too. But when are we going to take responsibility for the burden we are putting on the planet and stop buying things we don’t need? Yes COP29 was a major cop out - and world leaders yet again failed to deliver a date to phase out all fossil fuels and provide the poorer countries in the world with the money they need to put in renewables and turn their backs on fossil fuels. Yes, billionaires have a much bigger carbon footprint than most of us put together, buy far more stuff, have much bigger houses and probably a jet and yacht they never tire of using. But the only thing we can control is what we do personally - so let’s not turn a blind eye to our own weaknesses because we see others doing worse. We all have a hand in the mess our planet is becoming - not just the rich, not just the fossil fuel execs and not just the politicians and that’s because we are all blindly buying into the world we’ve let them create for us. When elections come around - do we vote in the Greens en mass because we know they will take the decisions that need to be made for the best of the planet we call home? No, we don’t. That’s because we’re all sitting here thinking we can carry on as usual, as the world falls down around us, and someone else will fix it for us. They won’t. As long as we keep buying massive cars, huge houses and all the clothes and shoes and devices you want and taking cheap flights five times a year while turning a blind eye to the mess we are leaving in our wake - we are all to blame. We are among the millions of consumers on which this world now rotates - and as long as we keep buying into the reality that we need more of everything, nothing will ever change. But, what if we didn’t? Imagine the power we would wield. Retailers will no longer be able to use the excuse they are supplying what the customer wants. So say ‘no’ to a new phone every year, don’t upgrade your TV every time a new model appears and for the love of God, stop with these hauls from Shein and TikTok and wherever else you are buying clothes stitched together by kids using materials that are killing their corner of the world. We can and must do better - because while we’ve had some devastating floods locally - we’re yet to see the worst of what the climate crisis has in store for us and if we don’t change our ways, we all deserve a share of the blame. Well Ulster Wildlife have just made that idea possible through an amazing partnership with the An Creagán Centre in Co Tyrone. If you head along to their festive event on Saturday, December 7 you could come home with a real that will also help restore Haughey’s Bog to the way it should be. Sitka spruce trees are not supposed to grow in bogland, but after years of peat extraction that allowed the area to dry out they have started to take over. Now families across NI are being invited to come and cut one down to take it home - while helping restore the bog to help in the fight against the climate crisis because intact bogs store carbon emissions. Participants will learn about these restoration efforts while getting to pick and cut a real Christmas tree to take home! Bryan Ward, Senior Peatlands Officer with Ulster Wildlife said: “This is a unique opportunity to make a difference while creating special festive memories. While we wouldn’t typically encourage single-use Christmas trees, in this case, removing the invasive Sitka spruce is vital for the recovery of this precious peatland habitat.” The event is from 10.30am-1pm, with pre-booked time slots. Booking is essential . There is no charge for this event, but a suggested donation of £10 will help support the local nature conservation charity’s vital work to bring nature back. If you are interested in getting involved, email or call 028 9045 4094. To remove this article -Smartwatches have become an essential part of our daily lives and they integrate some advanced technology into our routines. They serve a multitude of functions from tracking fitness metrics to managing notifications and if you’re looking for the best of the best, the Galaxy Watch Ultra stands out as a top contender alongside the Apple Watch Ultra . This great device does more than just count steps, it acts as a smartphone on your wrist. This Black Friday offers an unique opportunity to get the Galaxy Watch Ultra at an all-time record low price . Originally retailing for $649, it is now available for just $189, thanks to an instant discount combined with a trade-in offer . You can get an instant savings of $160 off, and if you trade in an old smartphone or smartwatch, you can save an additional $300. This deal applies across all color options and band types, you can fully customize the watch on Samsung’s website. See Galaxy Watch Ultra LTE at Samsung.com More Than Just a Watch The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is packed with advanced technology that caters to both fitness enthusiasts and casual. It features a robust 47mm titanium frame that ensures durability but also houses a fabulous 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits (very easy to read in any lighting condition). The watch is equipped with an advanced BioActive Sensor that tracks heart rate, blood oxygen levels and even body composition. For those who enjoy outdoor activities, the Samsung watch includes dual-frequency GPS for accurate location tracking and its 10 ATM water resistance rating allows you to swim or dive without worry. The Galaxy Watch Ultra supports various sports modes including running, cycling, swimming and even multisport tracking for triathletes. One of the much appreciated features of the Galaxy Watch Ultra is its ability to monitor your sleep patterns and detect potential sleep apnea risks: Samsung’s AI-driven health tips also offer personalized wellness recommendations based on your activity levels and sleep quality . The watch also includes a Quick Button, which allows you to start workouts or activate features like the emergency siren with just a press. Beyond its impressive specifications, this Samsung smartwatch is designed for ease of use. The watch runs on Google’s Wear OS 5 with Samsung’s One UI 6 interface and provides a smooth user experience (even for newcomers) with customizable options for notifications and apps. You can easily navigate through your favorite apps or respond to messages directly from your wrist without needing to reach for your phone. The watch also supports gesture controls so that you can answer calls or control music playback with simple hand movements . The Galaxy Watch Ultra’s pricing this Black Friday is truly exceptional; such deep discounts have never been seen even on previous Samsung models. Make sure you grab yours before it runs out of stock. This is one of our favorite deals for this Black Friday . See Galaxy Watch Ultra LTE at Samsung.comMicrosoft has quietly announced the end of an era, with the Xbox Avatar Editor going away early next year. "Due to low engagement and our shift in focus towards delivering other player experiences, the Xbox Avatar Editor app will no longer be available starting on January 9, 2025," the company wrote in its FAQ about the feature. The latest approach to personalizing avatars launched in 2018 . The Xbox Avatar Editor allowed players to customize cartoon versions of themselves with both a free and purchased library of cosmetics. The options gave a lot of room for diversity and personal expression, so that you really could create a clear likeness of yourself, or whatever self you wanted to show to the Xbox community. Microsoft said it will refund players for Xbox Avatar Editor purchases made between November 1, 2023 and the app's end date. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Microsoft introduced avatars to player accounts back in the Xbox 360 era. These Xbox Original Avatars will not be impacted by the editor app's departure; they'll continue to appear for players using those old school images as well as on Xbox 360 hardware. If you created an avatar that you want to preserve as your profile photo on the Xbox into the future, you can use the Avatar Editor app until the shutdown date to save a picture to your account. The Xbox support forums have a full explainer on how to create or upload your profile photo.