Speaking to Natalie Portman for Interview magazine, she said: "I've grown up being taught that your private life and your inner life is so precious, and that it really needs to be protected. "Because in this business, and especially today with social media and how much access we have to each other, it's important to protect that inner life. And to me, when you go on set is the only time you let that out. You have all your super-private feelings in your backpack, and you go to work and the scene starts and you let it out." The 'Nosferatu' star - who has been dating rapper 070 Shake since early 2023 - also tries to live a "normal life" whenever she is not working on a project or promoting a film she has been in. She said: "But I also think it's important for me to, when I'm not shooting or promoting something, have a very normal life. You and I have always connected about that. I love going to the butcher and the grocery store and having dinner at my friends' houses. Or, having a lazy morning with my boyfriend. Those things are always going to be the center of my life. Even if I'm working really hard, those things will never lose their value. That's when things get dangerous, when you don't see those things as valuable anymore."
Microsoft 365 Copilot Will Reportedly Stop Using OpenAI Models Exclusively
On a Twitter account where she shared occasional selfies, life updates and memes, Sara Mason, 26, posted about a man in a motorcycle helmet being outside her home the night of Wednesday, Dec. 18, less than 20 minutes before police were called to the scene. "Trying not to be scared suburban white woman about the dude waiting outside of my house for a .... While now? Wanting to speak to my brother while wearing a motorcycle helmet (drive in a car)," she posted at 9:22 p.m. Within a minute, she added, "He like left but will probably be back. Anyway." Mahomet police were called at 9:41 p.m. to the residence on Riverside Court, where they discovered Mason, who was pronounced dead at the scene; and her mother, 61-year-old Janis Mason, and brother, 23-year-old Caleb Mason, who both died a little later after being taken to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana. It does not appear that Sara Mason recognized John R. Lyons, 24, the man police suspect in the triple homicide. Lyons fled to suburban Chicago, where he was killed in a confrontation with police in Berwyn. Champaign County court records indicate that in June, Lyons filed a lawsuit alleging Caleb Mason had harmed him in some way and requesting compensation in an amount between $15,000 and $50,000. Mahomet police Chief Mike Metzler said Lyons knew one of the victims. Police reports thus far have not included details about whether Lyons was wearing a motorcycle helmet. However, on Thursday, Dec. 19, far-right political pundit and streamer Nicholas Fuentes posted that an armed individual who arrived at his house late Wednesday night wearing a motorcycle helmet had "committed a triple homicide in southern Illinois." "Last night an armed killer made an attempt on my life at my home, which was recently doxed on this platform," Fuentes wrote. He said the killer broke into his neighbor's home in Berwyn, where police said Lyons broke in and killed two dogs while attempting to evade arrest. Fuentes posted multiple clips of footage from Ring security cameras that show a man in brown pants, a blue coat and a white motorcycle helmet who is carrying a firearm and crossbow. In the footage, the man gets out of a car while wearing a motorcycle helmet and appears to ring the doorbell and knock on the front door, then attempt to gain access through multiple entry points. The only audio in any of the clips is while the man is at the front door and apparently says "Yo, Nick." Timestamps on footage Fuentes posted indicate the events around his home in Berwyn beginning at 11:29 p.m., about one hour and 50 minutes after police were called to the home in Mahomet. About 10 minutes later, at 11:38 p.m., Berwyn police responded to a report of a man with a gun.The pope is kicking off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome's patience VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Tuesday opens the 2025 Holy Year. It kicks off a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. That will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. At the start of Christmas Eve Mass, Francis pushes open the great Holy Door at the entrance of St. Peter’s Basilica. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee, in which the Catholic faithful make pilgrimages to Rome. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope. Bethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas during the war in Gaza BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem's economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war. Middle East latest: Bethlehem marks a somber Christmas Eve amid war in Gaza TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Palestinian city of Bethlehem is preparing for another somber Christmas under the shadow of war in Gaza. Most festivities cancelled and crowds of tourists absent in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the devastating 15-month war with Israel are struggling to protect themselves from the wind, cold and rain. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count. 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. Meanwhile, the flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that 1,447 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed. Twenty-eight flights were canceled. Millions of travelers are expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers through Jan. 2. Major storm pounds California's central coast, blamed for man's death and partially collapsing pier SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A major storm has pounded California’s central coast bringing flooding and high surf that was blamed for fatally trapping a man beneath debris on a beach and later partially collapsing a pier, tossing three people into the Pacific Ocean. The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet Monday as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest. Some California cities have ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon. Forecasters have warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day. Medellin Cartel victims demand truth and justice as cartel boss Fabio Ochoa walks free in Colombia BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — The return of the notorious drug trafficker Fabio Ochoa to Colombia, following his deportation from the United States, has reopened old wounds among the victims of the Medellin cartel, with some expressing their dismay at the decision of Colombian authorities to let the former mafia boss walk free.Some of the cartel victims said on Tuesday that they are hoping the former drug lord will at least cooperate with ongoing efforts by human rights groups to investigate one of the most violent periods of Colombia’s history, and demanded that Colombian prosecutors also take Ochoa in for questioning. Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. Amsterdam court sentences 5 men over violence linked to Ajax-Maccabi soccer game THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An Amsterdam District Court has issued sentences of up to six months in jail against 5 men who were involved in violent disorder after a soccer match between the Dutch club Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in November. The riots caused an international outcry and accusations of deliberate anti-Semitic attacks. The violence following a UEFA Europa League match left 5 people in hospital. More than 60 suspects were detained. The court on Tuesday sentenced one man to 6 months in prison, another to 2 1/2 months, two to 1 month and one to 100 hours of community service. France has a new government, again. Politics and crushing debt complicate next steps PARIS (AP) — France’s president and prime minister have managed to form a new government just in time for the holidays. Now comes the hard part. Crushing debt, pressure from the nationalist far right, wars in Europe and the Mideast. The hallenges abound for President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Francois Bayrou. They already had a tumultuous 2024. The most urgent order of business is passing a 2025 budget. Financial markets, ratings agencies and the European Commission are pushing France to bring down its deficit. It is threatening the stability and prosperity of all countries that share the euro currency. Legendary Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal dies at age 90 NEW DELHI (AP) — Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker known for pioneering a cinema movement that tackled social issues in the 1970s, has died after chronic kidney disease. He was 90. His contribution to cinema was recognized as a director, editor and screenwriter. He came into the limelight with films that challenged mainstream Bollywood by dealing with the social realities of a poor nation. He also was a mentor to top Indian actors. India's prime minister says he is “deeply saddened” by Benegal's death.ORCHARD PARK — Kyle Juszczyk was inches from the goal line. Matt Milano’s arms were wrapped around his waist, but his legs were still pumping. And then Taylor Rapp made a quick right jab at the ball, jarring it from Juszczyk’s grasp as it rolled to Christian Benford’s waiting hands. Juszczyk’s fumble came on the first drive of the second half with the San Francisco 49ers trailing 21-3. But the 49ers moved the ball during the first half, started the second with a 60-yard kickoff return and could sniff the end zone. Instead they came away with nothing and lost 35-10. It wasn’t a turnover, Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich insists. It was a takeaway and the Bills have created one in every game this season, seemingly always at the right moment. The Bills are second in takeaways (one behind the Pittsburgh Steelers) and 11 of their 24 forced turnovers have come on their side of the field. It might seem like fool’s gold, luck or a dangerous way to play. But in a flukey statistic, the Bills are consistently among the NFL leaders under coach Sean McDermott. In fact, the Bills have 212 takeaways since 2017 and no other team in the league has 200. The Bills have finished in the top-10 in takeaways each year since 2018, finishing in the top-four since 2021. Meanwhile, Buffalo’s 130 interceptions since 2017 are one behind the New England Patriots, while finishing no worse than eighth since McDermott took over. “You get what you emphasize,” Babich said. “... I think what happens is kind of when you walk in this door, that standard is kind of like a cloud just sitting over the top of us of, they know, even in practice, as simple as it is, if we don’t take the ball away, we make sure we understand that that’s not good enough.” The #Bills won their fifth AFC East championship in a row, while the #Sabres followed three wins with four losses to remain predictably unpredictable. @billhoppe.bsky.social dig into it all. fireside.fm/episode/sMvb... [image or embed] Emphasis or not, it’s up to the players to force turnovers and a large piece of that comes down to the type of players the Bills place in their defense. Both McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane have spoken at length about finding football players with instincts rather than eye-popping workout results. When the Bills can’t draft those players, they find them in free agency or in the draft. Rapp had 10 takeaways in four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, while cornerback Rasul Douglas had 11 in the 2 1⁄2 seasons with the Green Bay Packers before being traded to the Bills last season. There are some instincts that cannot be taught, but the Bills have been able to develop and strengthen instincts for players who are in the system for a longer period of time. The Bills teach players to be aware of the ball, to not just make a tackle, but swipe at the ball while doing so. In a scenario like Rapp’s forced fumble, the Bills teach players that the first man’s responsibility is to make a tackle and the second man goes for the ball. “I’d say for me, like, as far as, like, my mind being on the ball more often than it was when I was a younger player,” said Bills cornerback Taron Johnson, who has four forced fumbles in the last two seasons after recording four in his first five years combined. “So I’m looking for opportunities, more opportunities to take the ball away than I was when I was younger.” Turnover consistency has been steady despite the Bills slightly tweaking their defensive philosophy in recent years. During McDermott’s first five seasons, the Bills blitzed on more than 30% of passing plays and that number has dropped to 21.5% over the last three seasons, including 17.5% this year under Babich, the third-lowest rate in the league. Early in McDermott’s tenure, the Bills were one of the best teams in the league at disguising coverages, changing what the quarterback was seeing pre-snap compared to when he actually had the ball. They still do their share of disguising, but now the Bills try to attack the quarterback with four rushers and play a soft zone in the secondary until opponents cross midfield. “We always talk about rush and coverage working together,” Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard told GNN Sports. “So we do our part on the back end of disguising the picture or studying routes and understanding concepts that makes them hold it a little bit, which in turn gives the D-line a better chance to get back there and affect them. When that happens, then the ball comes to us.” If the Bills can affect the quarterback with four rushers, not only can they prevent more big plays, but more areas in the secondary are covered. But it’s not a simplistic defense, in fact, it’s one of the most complex in the NFL . Being comfortable with the different communications and disguises takes time. The Bills had the same safety pairing for most of McDermott’s first seven seasons and the system has largely been the same for his entire run. Even without Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde (until Wednesday ) the Bills still had plenty of experience on defense. Fifteen players have been with the Bills at least three seasons, with eight having at least four. “The more comfortable you are in the system, the better you can disguise because you know your issues in certain defenses and certain coverages,” said Bills practice squad quarterback Mike White, who played against the Bills for three seasons with the Dolphins and Jets. “But it’s interesting. You know what they’re going to play, they know you know what they’re going to play, but they still do a good job of disguising and get you to just second-guess for a minute.” It’s a brand of defense many teams have adopted in the NFL, which is why rushing yards are up and passing yards are down. The Bills have given up the fewest 30-yard passes (79) and the fewest passes of 50 yards or more (14) since McDermott became coach. “That’s part of our philosophy and who we are,” said Bernard, who has nine takeaways in 26 games as a starter. “I think that standard has just been set since before I got here. So buying into that and believing that and I think everybody on this defense believes in that.” NOTES: WR Keon Coleman (wrist) and S Taylor Rapp (neck/shoulder) wore red non-contact jerseys and were limited in practice Thursday. ... TE Dalton Kincaid (knee), TE Quintin Morris (shoulder/groin) and WR Curtis Samuel (foot) were also limited.
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Results of this year’s NAPLAN test have been released, offering parents a snapshot of schools’ performances in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy. The Age’s interactive guide to results allows families to search their school’s results in this year’s exams, sat in March by more than 300,000 students from years 3, 5, 7 and 9 across Victoria. As the education sector reacted on Wednesday to the publication of the results, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) chief executive Stephen Gniel told radio 3AW that the ultimate goal of NAPLAN was to support improvements in educational outcomes. “We keep doing the best we can and providing this kind of information so that schools and the broader community can really get behind education and support those kids,” Gniel told the station. He said ACARA rarely saw schools that “gamed the system” to improve results. “We don’t see a lot of that ... most people are focused on making sure we know how kids’ literacy and numeracy skills are tracking,” he said. Gniel highlighted the performance this year of schools in under-privileged areas. “Those are schools that are serving, really challenging communities ... and they’re punching above their weight,” he told 3AW. Victorian Principals Association deputy president Deborah Grossek said NAPLAN data allowed schools to deeply analyse how their students were performing. “We can actually look at whether there are gaps in learning, and we relate that to our teaching program and what we need to teach,” Grossek, principal of Glendal Primary School in Glen Waverley, told ABC radio this morning. But she said the results only partly contributed to how the public perceived a school. “It’s only part of what they hear in the community about whether a school is a good school or not, whether they’re inclusive, whether they’ve got a good student wellbeing program and so on,” Grossek said. “It’s probably a small part of the puzzle,” she added. The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here .
Historic opportunity to ‘break the cycle of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’ – says PBPNEW HAVEN, Connecticut — China's engineering prowess has been nothing short of extraordinary. From world-class infrastructure and eco-friendly cities to space systems and high-speed trains, China's impressive accumulation of state-of-the-art physical capital has played a dominant role in driving its economy. But China's physical engineering accomplishments on the supply side have not been transferable to social engineering efforts on the demand side, especially in stimulating consumer demand. The disconnect arises out of the modern Chinese political system, which emphasizes stability and control. While this focus has enabled the country to become the world's "ultimate producer," it has not been successful in uncovering the DNA of the Chinese consumer. Social engineering through government diktat stands in sharp contrast to the incentive-based, free-wheeling, individualistic spirit that shapes human behavior and consumption patterns in the West. With the household consumption share of Chinese gross domestic product (GDP) remaining below 40 percent, compared to around 65 percent in advanced economies, China has little to show for its long-standing rhetoric on consumer-led rebalancing. The American experience, as famously documented in John Kenneth Galbraith's "The Affluent Society," decodes the DNA of a consumer society. Key characteristics include upward mobility of income and wealth, open communication and dissemination of information, individualism and freedom of choice, diminished inequality of lifestyles, intergenerational wealth transfers, and, ultimately, the ability to elect political representatives. Western consumerism is very much an aspirational proposition. That raises a fundamental question: is China's political system incompatible with modern consumer culture? That question seems all the more pertinent in the face of China's newfound techno-authoritarianism, which seems at odds with the basic freedoms on which consumerism is based. Recent technological advances (especially in facial recognition and other forms of surveillance), in conjunction with a social credit system and tightened censorship, are all but antithetical to the consumer society as we know it in the West. Ultimately, it is far easier to mobilize the state's machinery to exert influence over producers than it is to allow basic freedoms to empower consumers. That goes back to the early days of the People's Republic when China's producers were under the strict control of the State Planning Commission. And it is true again today as the pendulum of Chinese economic power has swung back from the once-dynamic and entrepreneurial private sector toward state-owned enterprises. The tightening of government controls over Chinese society over the past decade is especially at odds with its goal of spurring consumption. In 2013, shortly after taking office, President Xi Jinping introduced a "mass line" education campaign to address four "bad habits" — formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance — that he believed were key sources of social decay and corruption of the Communist Party of China. This effort, initially viewed as an offshoot of Xi's signature anti-corruption campaign, has since taken on a life of its own. Xi sharpened his focus on bad habits in 2021 when a regulatory crackdown on internet platform companies targeted not only Chinese entrepreneurs like Alibaba's Jack Ma but also the so-called lifestyle excesses associated with video games, online music, celebrity fan culture and private tutoring. Such state-directed social engineering suggests that the Chinese authorities have little tolerance for the sense of possibility and optimism embedded in the DNA of Western consumer societies. Another example of this mismatch between ambition and regulatory mindset can be found in China's repeated attempts to address the demographic headwinds behind a shrinking labor force, which is set to decline through the end of this century, owing to the legacy of the now-abandoned one-child family-planning policy. The Chinese government recently announced measures to boost birth rates, including improved support for childbirth, expanded childcare capacity and other efforts to build a "birth-friendly" society. Yet this is only the latest in a series of actions following the adoption of a two-child policy in 2015 and a three-child policy in 2021. Despite these efforts, China's fertility rate remains far below the replacement rate of 2.1 live births per child-bearing woman. Polling data point to two reasons: concerns over sharply rising child-rearing expenses and deeply entrenched small-family cultural norms. This latter point underscores the behavioral aspects of the problem — namely, that a generation of younger Chinese have grown accustomed to one-child families. This very human resistance to the government's attempted coercion of family-planning practices is not dissimilar to Beijing's strategy to push for increased consumer demand. The key to unlocking China's consumer potential is to convert fear into confidence, a transition that requires nothing short of a fundamental shift in the mindset framing households' decision-making. But this is precisely where the government has been stymied. Incentivizing human behavior is radically different from requiring state-directed banks to boost lending for infrastructure projects or state-owned enterprises to invest in property. Admittedly, I am providing a Western perspective on a Chinese problem, and experience has taught me that such problems need to be examined from China's own perspective. Even so, increasing consumption goes to the very essence of the human experience: can there ever be a flourishing consumer culture with Chinese characteristics that contradicts the aspirational ethos underpinning Western societies? The ultimate solution to China's chronic underconsumption problem may well hinge on these deep considerations of human behavior. A recent meeting of China's Central Economic Work Conference hinted at yet another big consumption stimulus to come. But if Chinese authorities remain steadfast in tightening control over social norms and the human spirit, then all the stimulus in the world — from trade-in campaigns to social-safety-net reforms — could be for naught. Stephen S. Roach is a faculty member at Yale University and former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia. He is also the author of "Unbalanced: The Codependency of America and China" (Yale University Press, 2014) and "Accidental Conflict: America, China and the Clash of False Narratives" (Yale University Press, 2022). Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2024 www.project-syndicate.org
High price paid for David Jiricek an acceptable investment for Wild GM Bill Guerin