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Satirical newspaper The Onion made waves when it moved to buy the assets of Infowars , the far-right conspiracy theory webcast of Alex Jones, from a bankruptcy auction. But there was a sudden, unexpected wrinkle in the sale, reported 404 Media on Tuesday: lawyers for tech billionaire Elon Musk objected to a specific piece of the sale. The complaint, wrote Jason Koebler, is that the sale includes Infowars' accounts on Musk's X social media platform, previously known as Twitter — and Musk's legal team wants it to be clear they actually own those accounts, not The Onion or Infowars, and all people and organizations on the platform have a "license" to use it, not ownership of anything on it. "X Corp. does not object to the proposed sale as a general matter , but objects to any proposed sale or other purported transfer of any account used by Jones or FSS that is maintained on the X platform (“X”)," the company wrote in court documents. This is a "highly unusual" argument, noted data privacy journalist Joseph Cox on Bluesky. "In the objection, Elon Musk’s lawyers argued that X has 'superior ownership' of all accounts on X, that it objects to the inclusion of InfoWars and related Twitter accounts in the bankruptcy auction, and that the court should therefore prevent the transfer of them to The Onion," wrote Koebler. This argument, he added, serves as a stark reminder to internet users that " you do not own your followers or your account or anything at all on corporate social media , and it also highlights the fact that Elon Musk’s X is primarily a political project he is using to boost, or stifle, specific viewpoints and help his friends." ALSO READ: Merrick Garland and his 'Justice' Department should never be forgiven Infowars, a conspiracy-angled show that funds itself largely with Jones' side hustle of selling branded nutritional supplements and survival gear, has been in financial limbo ever since Jones was found liable for $1.5 billion over the harassment campaign he waged against families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims; he has for years baselessly claimed this massacre was staged by the government with child actors. After months of wrangling in which Jones tried to worm his way out of paying the amount, he agreed for his company to be liquidated as part of the judgment — while ranting about the injustice of it to his audience in real time. The Onion recently gained a new CEO in former NBC reporter Ben Collins, under a newly formed company known as Global Tetrahedron — an inside joke reference to a satirical Onion article about a corporation that buys the entire economy and all world governments.AS we approach the end of another year, many of us are left reflecting on the goals we set and the progress we've made. The reality, however, is that life rarely unfolds according to our plans, especially when it comes to personal finance. Perhaps you started the year with ambitious goals — to save more, invest in your future or finally pay off those lingering debts. Yet, as 2024 draws to a close, you might be feeling a mix of pride in what you've achieved and disappointment in what remains unfinished. But here's the truth: there's still time to turn things around, and more importantly, there's time to end the year feeling strong, proud and financially secure. Register to read this story and more for free . Signing up for an account helps us improve your browsing experience. OR See our subscription options.Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel says he was surprised by reports of Shaq Barrett's unretirement plan
The mystery surrounding at least one of the unexplained drones causing Americans to look toward the night sky in recent days was solved late Saturday evening, when Boston police arrested two men for flying their unmanned aerial device too close to Logan Airport. According to police, 42-year-old Robert Duffy of Charlestown and 32-year-old Jeremy Folcik of Bridgewater were arrested Saturday on Long Island, after officials noticed the drone on their monitoring systems. “The incident began earlier that evening, at 4:30 p.m., when a Boston Police Officer specializing in real-time crime surveillance detected an Unmanned Aircraft System operating dangerously close to Logan International Airport. Leveraging advanced UAS monitoring technology, the Officer identified the drone’s location, altitude, flight history, and the operators’ position on Long Island,” the Boston Police Department said in a Sunday statement. After rallying officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Massachusetts State Police, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Federal Communications Commission, and Logan Airport Air Traffic Control, the Boston Police Harbor Patrol Unit was dispatched to the Boston Harbor Islands, where they allegedly found Duffy and Folcik, along with another man on the closed Long Island Health campus. All three attempted to flee on foot, according to police, but the arrested pair were caught and a drone found in their possession. The third man, according to police, is “believed to have fled the island in a small vessel.” Police say that all three were engaging in seriously dangerous behavior. “Operators are prohibited from flying drones over people or vehicles and must be aware of airspace restrictions. Even small drones pose significant risks, including the potential for catastrophic damage to airplanes and helicopters. Near-collisions can cause pilots to veer off course, putting lives and property at risk,” they said. Both Duffy and Folcik will appear in Dorchester District Court on charges of trespassing, police said.( MENAFN - Jordan Times) AMMAN - The 16th Arab conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic energy kicked off in Amman on Sunday, with Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh attending the event on behalf of Prime Minister Jafar Hassan. The conference, organised by the Arab Atomic Energy Agency in cooperation with the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC), attracted scientists, researchers and experts from across the Arab world to discuss advances in nuclear technology and its peaceful applications, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. In his keynote address, JAEC Chairman Khaled Toukan stressed the importance of the conference as a platform for collaboration where Arab experts can share achievements, explore challenges and promote innovation. Toukan highlighted Jordan's progress in nuclear energy, particularly through the Jordan Research and Training Reactor (JRTR), which has become a "cornerstone" of the Kingdom's nuclear programme. The reactor has a vital role in the production of radiopharmaceutical isotopes, including iodine-131, which is used to diagnose and treat thyroid cancer. It now supplies all national nuclear medicine centres with isotopes that meet international standards, he said. Toukan also provided an update on uranium mining in central Jordan, where an estimated 41,000 tonnes of uranium ore is undergoing detailed economic and technical evaluation. Highlighting Jordan's role in scientific research, Toukan discussed the SESAME (Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East) facility, which now operates five beamlines. He added that SESAME researchers have completed 367 laboratory projects, resulting in 127 publications in leading scientific journals, noting that a sixth beamline, focusing on soft X-ray technology, is expected to be operational by mid-2025. Speaking at the event, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit highlighted the region's growing energy needs, predicting a 70 per cent increase in electricity capacity by 2050. The conference has attracted more than 150 Arab scientists and researchers, as well as international experts from renowned institutions, to share findings on topics such as water resources, food security, health, environmental sustainability, nuclear safety, advanced reactor technologies and materials science. During the five-day event, participants will explore cutting-edge innovations, including advanced reactor designs, nuclear applications in health and environmental management, and the role of nuclear technology in meeting the growing demand for clean energy. MENAFN15122024000028011005ID1108995663 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
( MENAFN - Jordan Times) AMMAN - The Vocational Training Corporation (VTC), in collaboration with German International Cooperation, launched on Sunday the second phase of its dual vocational training programme in Germany. This new phase follows the success of the first phase, which included three specialisations: electrical technician/renewable energy, bakery, and electric/hybrid vehicle maintenance, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. The second phase introduces 11 new training programmes aimed at broadening opportunities for young Jordanians, including: general electrician, car maintenance technician, refrigeration technology electrician, metal industries technician, health systems installation and maintenance technician, heating and air conditioning technician, carpenter, audiology technician, optics technician, dental technician, textile cleaning machine operator, baker, and pastry chef/confectioner. As part of the programme, proficiency in the German language at level A2 is a prerequisite, the VTC said, noting that the preparatory phase includes a five-month German language course up to level B1, delivered by accredited institutions, as well as career guidance sessions to prepare participants for careers in the skilled trades sector to be held in Jordan. Eligibility criteria for applicants include being a Jordanian citizen aged 18 to 34, holding at least a Grade 11 diploma, having a minimum of A2-level proficiency in German, and committing to a 3.5-year vocational training programme in Germany. The vocational training phase in Germany offers participants the opportunity to train at accredited vocational centres and gain hands-on experience with German private-sector companies. The programme follows Germany's renowned vocational training system and provides participants with a monthly stipend of at least 934 euros, health insurance throughout the duration of training, and an annual increase in stipend. To be eligible for the German phase, applicants must successfully complete the B1-level German language course, pass the necessary language exams, obtain an accredited B1 certificate, and secure a training position with a German company following interviews with employers. VTC Director-General Ahmad Gharaibeh stressed that the project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, is designed to provide young Jordanians with vocational training that leads to stable employment. The programme is part of the Partnerships for Development project on labour migration (PAM), which is implemented by German International Cooperation on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. It is carried out in partnership with the German Federation of Skilled Trades and the VTC. For more details and inquiries, the VTC invited interested individuals to contact the VTC's hotline at 0799958106 or to register via MENAFN15122024000028011005ID1108995665 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.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. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.I f 2024 was the year of large language models (LLMs), then 2025 looks like the year of AI “agents”. These are quasi-intelligent systems that harness LLMs to go beyond their usual tricks of generating plausible text or responding to prompts. The idea is that an agent can be given a high-level – possibly even vague – goal and break it down into a series of actionable steps. Once it “understands” the goal, it can devise a plan to achieve it, much as a human would. OpenAI’s chief financial officer, Sarah Friar, recently explained it thus to the Financial Times : “It could be a researcher, a helpful assistant for everyday people, working moms like me. In 2025, we will see the first very successful agents deployed that help people in their day to day.” Or it’s like having a digital assistant “that doesn’t just respond to your instructions but is able to learn, adapt, and perhaps most importantly, take meaningful actions to solve problems on your behalf” . In other words, Miss Moneypenny on steroids. So why are these automated Moneypennys suddenly seen as the next big thing? Could it have something to do with the fact that the tech industry has spent trillions of dollars building colossal LLMs with – as yet – no plausible return on that investment in sight? That’s not to say that LLMs are useless; for people whose work involves language they can be really helpful. And computer programmers find them very useful. But for many industries, at the moment they still look like a solution in search of a problem. The arrival of AI agents may change that. Using LLMs as the basic building-blocks of virtual agents that can efficiently carry out many of the complex task-sequences that constitute “work” in organisations everywhere might prove irresistible. Or so the tech industry thinks. And so, of course, does McKinsey, the mega-consultancy that provides the subliminal hymn sheet from which CEOs invariably sing. Agentic AI, burbles McKinsey , “is moving from thought to action” as “AI-enabled ‘agents’ that use foundation models to execute complex, multistep workflows across a digital world” get adopted. If that is indeed what is going to happen, then we may need to rethink our assumptions about how AI will change the world. At the moment we are mostly obsessed about what the technology will do to either individuals or humanity (or both). But if McKinsey & Co are right then the more profound longer-term impact might come through the way AI agents change corporations – which, after all, are really machines for managing complexity and turning information into decisions. The political scientist Henry Farrell, an astute observer of these things, has sussed this possibility. LLMs, he argues , “are engines for summarising and making useful vast amounts of information”. Since information is the fuel on which large corporations run, they will adopt any technology that provides a more intelligent and contextual way of handling information – as opposed to the mere data that they currently process . So, says Farrell, corporations “will deploy LLMs in ways that seem dull and technical, except to those immediately implicated for better or worse, but that are actually important. Big organisations shape our lives! As they change, so will our lives change, in a myriad of unexciting seeming but significant ways.” At one point in his essay, Farrell likens this “dull and technical” transformative impact of LLMs to the way the humble spreadsheet reshaped large organisations. This provoked a genteel outburst from Dan Davies, an economist and former stock analyst whose book The Unaccountability Machine was one of the nicest surprises of this year. He points out that spreadsheets “made a whole new style of working possible for the financial industry in two ways”. First, it enabled the creation of much bigger and more detailed financial models, and therefore a different way of budgeting, compiling business plans, assessing investment options, etc. And second, the technology enabled one to work iteratively. “Rather than thinking about what assumptions made the most business sense, then sitting down to project them, Excel [Microsoft’s spreadsheet product] encouraged you to just set out the forecasts, then sit around tweaking the assumptions up and down until you got an answer you could live with. Or, for that matter, an answer that your boss could live with.” The moral of that story is clear. The spreadsheet was a revolutionary technology when it first appeared in 1978, just as ChatGPT was in 2022. But now it’s a routine, integral part of organisation life. The advent of AI “agents” built from GPT-like models looks like following a similar pattern. In turn, the organisations that have absorbed them will also evolve. And then the world may eventually rediscover that famous adage attributed to Marshall McLuhan’s colleague John Culkin: “We shape our tools and then the tools shape us.” Talking economics Transcript of a fascinating interview with the remarkable economist Ha-Joon Chang, on economics, pluralism and democracy. AI or A-nay “The phoney comforts of AI scepticism” is a vigorous essay by Casey Newton on the two “camps” in the arguments about AI. What Trump did next “I have a cunning plan...” Charlie Stross’s blogpost is a sketch for a truly dystopian story about the aftermath of Trump’s inauguration.
Goodbye to Walmart's social policies: the retailer changes hiring rules
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Santa Cruz Wharf partially collapses in heavy surfThere's a fine line between a Superman fan and a Superman snob. I fall into the former category, but I can't deny some snobbery when recommending which Superman content you should watch before flying into Director and DC head revival, which is set to execute a perfect hero landing in theaters on July 11, 2025. My love of the Superman franchise predates its major film history to the late 1960s and early 70s when I would race home from grade school every day to catch afternoon reruns of the original starring George Reeves. To watch it now is to see how far special effects have come but also to understand the roots of almost every Superman film and TV project to follow it. The character's basic goodness and earnestness were never easy to convey in comic books, but there was something about George Reeves' portrayal and the trusty storylines that set the template for how even people who never picked up a Superman comic book came to perceive Krypton's last son. I'm not suggesting you go back and watch all 104 episodes of the series that ran from 1952 to 58 (though you could do worse), but I do have strong feelings about the collection of film series that would follow after a 20-year pause and that have continued to this day. Not every Superman movie is equal, and justice should be served in your superhero-viewing habits. These are the Superman movies you should watch and in what order, and those you'd do best to avoid according to Superman's Number One Fan (or just me.) The OG Superman Few movies hold up for years after their release, let alone decades but is that kind of film. Released in 1978 and introducing us to Christopher Reeve's almost-too-perfect dual depiction of the iconic alien hero and the adorably awkward Clark Kent, , which you can stream on Max, Hulu, and Prime Video, has perhaps, the best movie tagline of the last century: "You'll believe a man can fly." And I did. Sure, it was all wires, projection screens, miniatures, slo-mo, and sped-up filming. Even so, Director Richard Donner used every trick in the 1978 special effects playbook to make Superman's first true big-screen outing convincing, and it worked. It's a true comic-book film that somehow avoids being two-dimensional and completely hokey. Much of that comes down to Reeve's performance. The man simply embodied this other-worldly character – right down to how he "flew" in key sequences, instinctively banking his body like an airplane. The movie is long but doesn't feel that way because it's a true hero's journey from babyhood to confident person of the hour. It has action, danger, a love story, and even comedy. That's a lot for one movie, and yet it works completely. With the exception of Superman and Lois' first flight and the spoken-word music, it's a perfect film. The rest of the music, courtesy of the legendary John Williams, is exemplary (echoes of it appear even in Gunn's upcoming movie). That sense of wonder, excitement, and the basic goodness of the titular character is not something I've felt before or since. It's required viewing to assess anyone else's take on the Man of Steel. Take II Normally, on a list like this, I might jump around a bit and show you something newer that offered a fresh perspective on the character first created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, both of whom lived long enough to see their creation make it to the big screen. But there's no need for that. Your next stop on the Superman movie tour is (Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime). Perhaps it's because these movies were shot back to back, with only the director changing midway through the Superman II shoot. Donner was replaced by Richard Lester, who had a penchant for slapstick. Even so, Donner's fingerprints are all over the sequel, which deftly continues the story of Superman's growth as an alien among humans. By this time, he's so enchanted by Lois Lane that Superman gives up his powers just to be with her. Superman II works not only because of Clark Kent's realization that he serves more than just himself but also because of the high-stakes conflict between him and General Zod. Terence Stamp's Zod, Sarah Douglas' Ursa, and Jack O'Halloran's Non all appeared briefly at the start of . It's a rare situation where the two films were planned together, which allowed for story and thematic consistency rarely found among sequels. There is some argument about whether this or the original is the better film, but for our purposes, a good long evening watch of both films in order is more than enough preparation for James Gunn's take on the Kal-El. However, if you're hungry for more, let me steer you to my next recommendation. Skip it There are a few good moments in , which you can stream on , , and , and that improbably stars the late comedian Richard Pryor. I especially enjoyed when evil Superman (too much red Kryptonite) faced off with his still good alter ego, Clark Kent. I swear only Christopher Reeves could've pulled that off and somehow made it believable. Unfortunately, the rest of the film has Director Richard Lester's keystone cops sensibility all over it. It's full of unnecessary site gags and often makes our hero look confused or like he's staring in a different movie from the rest of the cast. In other words, skip this Superman flight. As for (Max, Hulu, Prime), the less said about it, the better. Christopher Reeves didn't want to be there, and it shows. Half of one or all of the other Here, we reach a fork in the road. I have much to say about Zack Snynder's 2013 (Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video), and some of it is good, but it's not a completely watchable film. So let's put that aside for now and talk about the first reboot: 2006's (Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video). I like this movie, though I have trouble remembering many of its beats, and that's a problem. At issue is its slavish devotion to the source material, specifically . Most of the cast, including Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor but with the possible exception of Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, appear to be trying to recreate all the characterizations from the 1978 film. Even Brandon Routh, who does a fine job as the title character, sounds weirdly like Christopher Reeves. Still, it's a good and full Superman story that mostly holds together and has some brilliant set pieces, like Superman saving everyone on a nose-diving passenger airplane by bringing it to rest, tail up, in the middle of a ball field (most of the ideas in this movie were essentially, "That was a cool thing they did in '78. How can we do it bigger?"). Yes, there are too many instances where director Bryan Singer tries too hard to show how far special effects technology has come since 1978. I'll point you to the closeup of a bullet bouncing off Superman's eye. It's more gross than spectacular. Even so, I see this film as a nice bridge between Superman of the 20th Century and the Supermans of this new, more digitally-savvy one. A manner of steel Zack Snyder's can be credited with dragging Superman into the 21st Century. 1978's Superman seemed to be caught between the 1940s and 1970s, and lived in modern times, but everything about the look was still last century. presents a modern, though incredibly dour, Superman. He's not a comic book character; instead, he is a bit of a tortured hero who hides his abilities in the shadows. All that said, I love the first half of this movie. Henry Cavill looks and feels the part. He's an expert at conveying heroic optimism and super-powered rage, sometimes within one scene. The movie is dark – almost gray – making much of it feel flat and uninspired. Still, the storyline was solid, and the quick appearance of a truly powerful Zod and his cohorts was breathtaking. Things devolve when Superman battles Zod and carelessly destroys Metropolis. It's not just what they did; it's how Snyder shot it. The action is unwatchable because it's indecipherable. I rarely zone out during action sequences, but Snyder lost the plot and my interest – also, way to kill the potential of a Zod-based rematch, Snyder. So watch the first half and then, perhaps, switch to... Oh dear. I cannot in good conscience recommend the abysmal and ridiculous (what stops the battle is too dumb to be repeated). You can stream it on Max and Amazon Prive video if you must. which features Cavill's Superman, is no better (look out for that CGI-awayed mustache). If you're desperate, you could finish although I do not recommend it, or try because Pryor is entertaining. Otherwise, I suggest you look at some of the full-length cartoon efforts like (on Tubi or rentable on Prime Video) or , (Max, Hulu, Prime). It's based on the wild 1993 Death (and rebirth) of Superman comic book series, which was intended to save the flagging franchise (it did). TV is full of Superman depictions, some series, like (Clark as a young and not-yet Super-man and streamable on Hulu and Disney Plus), and more recently, the just-wrapped . But I can't put them on this list because a series commitment is more than is required to prepare for the next big-screen Superman adaptation. Granted, the history of Superman on film is like an old sidewalk: long, uneven, and sometimes treacherous. Gunn's film could go either way. The trailer looks fantastic, and David Corenwet is instantly believable even in these fleeting glimpses as the Man of Steel, but introducing a very involved CGI Krypto is a risk. On the other hand, the beat-up and bloodied Superman calling for his help is instantly compelling. Imagine if, a year from now, this is the Superman movie I recommend you watch first. Remember, if you want to watch any of these films, check out some of our .
NIL market surges to $1.67 billion, calls for federal regulation growCANCUN, Mexico (AP) — Brayon Freeman had 26 points in Bethune-Cookman's 79-67 victory over North Dakota on Tuesday night. Freeman added three steals for the Wildcats (2-4). Tre Thomas added 17 points while shooting 4 for 12 (4 for 5 from 3-point range) and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line while he also had six rebounds. Daniel Rouzan went 5 of 10 from the field to finish with 10 points. The Fightin' Hawks (3-3) were led in scoring by Treysen Eaglestaff, who finished with 20 points. Mier Panoam added 19 points for North Dakota. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by and data from .
TORONTO — Everything changed for Kia Nurse when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament in the 2021 WNBA playoffs. The basketball star from Hamilton was locked in as starter for a team in the semifinals. She’d been selected as an all-star just two years prior. But in one awkward fall three years ago, she was plunged into the depths of surgery and rehab. Nurse would miss the entire 2022 season due to the injury. She signed with the Seattle Storm for the 2023 campaign before a trade landed her with the Los Angeles Sparks last season. Meanwhile, Nurse represented Canada at the Paris Olympics in August, but she struggled as the team failed to reach the knockout round for the second straight time. The common thread throughout Nurse’s recent basketball journey? She just hasn’t quite felt like herself. “I still love basketball with all of my heart, and it's my favourite thing that I get to do. And I'm so privileged to be able to say that I get to do it as a job,” Nurse said. "But the last two years for me have been just really rocky, up and down.” Nurse, 28, will become a WNBA free agent as of Feb. 1. For now, she’s continuing her Raptors broadcast work with TSN and, on Monday, announced a new playing gig. In February, Nurse will join fellow WNBAers Alysha Clark and Sydney Colson among 37 others for Athletes Unlimited’s third basketball season in Nashville. Athletes Unlimited was founded as a women’s professional softball league in 2020 before expanding to basketball, volleyball and lacrosse. Its 24-game hoops campaign switches teams weekly and concludes by crowning a season-long individual champion. Players earn points through a fantasy-style system that rewards team successes like wins as well as individual accomplishments from made three-pointers to steals to drawn fouls. Outside of the unique scoring system, the game looks like traditional basketball — a major appeal to Nurse as she attempts to tap back into her roots. “I am not proud of my performance at the Olympics and not necessarily proud of how I’ve been playing over the last two years. I just have goals of finding my true love of the game and kind of coming back and being stronger physically, being more fit and just ultimately having a good year,” Nurse said. When Nurse’s career began in 2018, many WNBA players would ply their trade overseas during the off-season as a way of staying in shape and making additional money. But over the past half-decade — and perhaps expedited by Brittney Griner’s 2022 detainment in Russia — more options have emerged stateside, including Athletes Unlimited. “The (WNBA) now has a lot of the teams that have practice facilities, so they have full-time player development, practice-facility access and that's a big piece as well. But now ultimately we have these leagues at home like AU,” Nurse said. Athletes Unlimited will not be the only professional women’s basketball operation in North America this winter. A three-on-three league called Unrivaled, founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, will tip off in January in Miami. Nurse said Unrivaled was an option for her, but she preferred Athletes Unlimited. “I wanted a place where I'm happy with basketball again, really happy with myself and how I'm playing and a having a little more confidence boost from what I've had over these last two years. And I feel like AU, for me, that five-on-five setting was a big piece of it,” Nurse said. The timing of the Athletes Unlimited schedule — deep enough into the WNBA off-season but with enough leeway to fine tune things before the 2025 campaign begins — also stood out to Nurse. Ahead of AU, Nurse said she moved her training from Toronto to Hamilton, where she could stay closer to home and avoid the long highway drives. And following two seasons in which Nurse’s WNBA teams suffered a combined 61 losses, she’s hoping to find a landing spot in free agency with a winning franchise. “I want to ... have an opportunity make a deep playoff run, be kind of like an X-Factor player, somebody who can go out there, be a three-and-D player, can help make winning plays,” she said. Nurse said she and fellow WNBA veteran Bridget Carleton have discussed what went wrong in Paris and how it can be fixed ahead of Los Angeles 2028. Management changes have already occurred with the retirement of GM Denise Dignard and a mutual parting with head coach Victor Lapena. The national team recently met up in Toronto for an informal training camp where Nurse and Carleton aimed to lay the groundwork for the culture they hope to create over the next four years. “Getting back to the basics and just enjoying playing for Canada Basketball, but also creating a really strong, bonded culture where everybody does what they need to do for our team to win," she said. "We understand our roles (and) we understand the commitment piece of it because now there's so much going on and people are all over the place." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2024. Myles Dichter, The Canadian PressReport: One other AFC contender tried to claim Diontae Johnson