what does 9/9 mean
A court in Cambodia on Thursday (Nov 21) sentenced activist Ny Nak (pic) to two years in prison for incitement and defamation, authorities and his lawyer said, the latest jailing of a dissident critical of the government. At least two dozen government critics, from environmental and labour activists to opposition politicians and journalists, were arrested in Cambodia in the first seven months of this year, a sharp increase on 2023, according to human rights monitor Licadho. In full: https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2024/11/21/cambodia-jails-another-govt-critic-for-defamationIs ‘Glicked’ the new ‘Barbenheimer’? ‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator II’ collide in theatersThree major stock market indexes hit all-time highs Monday as investors breathed a sigh of relief over President-elect Donald Trump's selection of a hedge-fund founder to serve as his Treasury Secretary . The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 440.06 points, or 0.99%, for the day to close at a record 44,736.57. The S&P 500 and the Russell 2000 also all reached intra-day highs, with more than three of four S&P 500 stocks trading higher during the session, according to CNBC . Government bond yields and the U.S. dollar index both fell, leading Quincy Krosby, chief global strategist at LPL Financial, to call the movements a "textbook" positive reaction to Trump's pick of Scott Bessent to head the Treasury Department . "You can't ask for a better reception from the market," Krosby told CNBC. "This is the market applauding." In an interview published Sunday, Bessent, founder of Key Square Capital Management, told the Wall Street Journal that he planned to follow through on Trump's pledges to cut taxes and reduce federal spending. Before his selection, Bessent also told CNBC that he'd "recommend that tariffs be layered in gradually." Trump has proposed a 60% tariff on goods from China and 20% from everywhere else. "If you take that price adjustment coupled with all the other disinflationary things President Trump is talking about, we're going to be at or below the 2% inflation target again," Bessent told CNBC earlier this month. Carol Schleif, chief investment officer of BMO Family Office, said Monday that investors had been worried that other candidates for the job would take a hard line on tariffs and spending, with less concern for their potential impact on the stock market, Reuters reported. "Bessent understands a lot of different asset classes and is going to help Trump stay very sensitive to market reactions," she said. "Markets are pretty self-centered. They want to make sure people are paying attention to them or they throw a tantrum."
With just enough time for the turkey to digest, hunters across the Valley will take to the woods Saturday when the statewide firearms deer season begins. The Pennsylvania Game Commission anticipates more than half a million hunters will head out Saturday hoping to harvest a deer. Beginning Saturday, this year's deer season continues on Sunday, then runs from Dec. 2 through 14, excluding only Sunday, Dec. 8, according to the game commission. This is arguably the busiest time of year for local sporting goods stores. Steve McNeal, owner of The Little Sportsman Shop in Northumberland said his shop has been "really busy the last couple weeks." Though ammunition prices have gone up, it has been much easier to get despite the stocking difficulties faced during the pandemic. "We're very well stocked," McNeal said. Many hunters no longer go to sporting goods stores to get their hunting licenses, and instead do so online, according to the local store owner. McNeal said he thinks many hunters enjoy the season change giving them an extra two days in the woods. Formerly, the season would have started on Monday, Dec. 2. "If you're going to spend $1,000 on a rifle and getup and you work during the week, you're able to get more out of that investment," McNeal said. The owner's son, Logan McNeal, "runs the place," his father said. Logan McNeal said a few new calibers of rifle have come out since last season. He mentioned 400 legend as a "big one." While some people have been wary of the new rifles, others have jumped on the train and have been seeking them throughout the past few weeks. "It's finally a season they can use it," Logan McNeal said. John Hoffman, who works at The Little Sportsman Shop, said he's not only been busy helping customers, but has been getting ready for the start of the season himself. Hoffman said he's been sighting in his rifles and getting his gear and clothing out and ready to go. Hunters are allowed one antlered deer per year, plus one antlerless deer for every Wildlife Management Unit (WMU)-specific antlerless license or Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permit, the game commission said. According to game commission data, across all of the 2023-24 deer seasons, hunters harvested an estimated 430,010 white-tailed deer. The statewide buck harvest was estimated at 171,600. The antlerless harvest was estimated at 258,410. The regular firearms deer season accounted for the largest part of these totals as firearms hunters took an estimated 254,710 deer, the commission said.A bankruptcy judge on Monday delayed a hearing in conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ effort to stop the satirical news outlet The Onion from buying Infowars, keeping the auction sale up in the air for at least another few weeks. Jones alleges fraud and collusion marred the bankruptcy auction that resulted in The Onion being named the winning bidder over a company affiliated with him. A trustee overseeing the auction denies the allegations and accuses Jones of launching a smear campaign because he didn't like the outcome. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez had been scheduled to hear an emergency motion to disqualify The Onion's bid on Monday, but put it off until either Dec. 9 or Dec. 17. That's also when the judge will hear arguments on the trustee's request to approve the sale of Infowars to The Onion. Lopez said it made sense to have one hearing on both requests. “I want a fair and transparent process and let’s just see where the process goes," Lopez said. Lopez could ultimately allow The Onion to move forward with its purchase, order a new auction or name the other bidder as the winner. At stake is whether Jones gets to stay at Infowars’ studio in Austin, Texas, under a new owner friendly to him, or whether he gets kicked out by The Onion. The other bidder, First United American Companies, runs a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements. Jones continues to broadcast his show from the Infowars studio, but he has set up a new location, websites and social media accounts as a precaution. The trustee shut down the Austin studio and Infowars' websites for about 24 hours last week after The Onion was announced as the winning bidder, but allowed them to resume the next day, drawing more complaints from Jones. Jones declared bankruptcy and liquidated his assets after he was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion to relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. He was ordered to pay damages for defamation and emotional distress in lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas after he repeatedly said the 2012 shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators was a hoax staged by actors to increase gun control. Proceeds from the liquidation are to go to Jones’ creditors, including the Sandy Hook families who sued him. Last year, Lopez ruled that $1.1 billion of the Sandy Hook judgments could not be discharged in the bankruptcy. On Monday, he denied a request from Sandy Hook families to make the full $1.5 billion not dischargeable, meaning the debt cannot be wiped clean. Also Monday, lawyers for the social media platform X objected to any sale of the accounts of both Jones and Infowars, saying X is the owner of the accounts and it has not given consent for them to be sold or transferred. Jones' personal X account, with 3.3 million followers, was not part of the auction, but Lopez will be deciding if it should be included in the liquidation. Jones has praised X owner Elon Musk on his show and suggested that Musk should buy Infowars. Musk has not responded publicly to that suggestion and was not among the bidders. Jones was permanently banned from Twitter in 2018 for abusive behavior, but Musk restored Jones’ account on the platform he has since renamed X in December last year. Jones alleges The Onion’s bid was the result of fraud and collusion involving many of the Sandy Hook families, the humor site and the court-appointed trustee. First United American Companies submitted a $3.5 million sealed bid, while The Onion offered $1.75 million in cash. But The Onion's bid also included a pledge by Sandy Hook families to forgo some or all of the auction proceeds due to them to give other creditors a total of $100,000 more than they would receive under other bids. The trustee, Christopher Murray, said that made The Onion's proposal better for creditors and he named it the winning bid. Jones and First United American Companies claimed that the bid violated Lopez’s rules for the auction by including multiple entities and lacking a valid dollar amount. Jones also alleged Murray improperly canceled an expected round of live bidding and only selected from among the two sealed bids that were submitted. Jones called the auction “rigged” and a “fraud” on his show, which airs on the Infowars website, radio stations and Jones' X account. He filed a counter lawsuit last week against Murray, The Onion's parent company and the Sandy Hook families in the bankruptcy court. In a court filing on Sunday, Murray called the allegations a “desperate attempt” to delay the sale of Infowars to The Onion and accused Jones, his lawyers and attorneys for First United American Companies of a “vicious smear campaign lobbing patently false accusations.” He also alleged Jones collaborated with First United American Companies to try to buy Infowars. Lopez’s September order on the auction procedures made a live bidding round optional. And it gave broad authority to Murray to conduct the sale, including the power to reject any bid, no matter how high, that was “contrary to the best interests” of Jones, his company and their creditors. The assets of Infowars' parent company, Free Speech Systems, that were up for sale included the Austin studio, Infowars' video archive, video production equipment, product trademarks, and Infowars' websites and social media accounts. Another auction of remaining assets is set for Dec. 10. Jones is appealing the $1.5 billion in judgments citing free speech rights, but has acknowledged that the school shooting happened . Many of Jones’ personal assets, including real estate, guns and other belongings, also are being sold as part of the bankruptcy. Documents filed in court this year say Jones had about $9 million in personal assets, while Free Speech Systems had about $6 million in cash and more than $1 million worth of inventory. Dave Collins, The Associated Press
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How Trump’s bet on voters electing him managed to silence some of his legal woesSleep Number Investor Demands Independent CEO Search Weeks after chair and CEO Shelly Ibach announced plans to retire in 2025, the company’s largest shareholder, Stadium Capital Management, expressing its lack of confidence in the current board to find her replacement. The Connecticut-based investment group is calling for several board directors to be replaced, and for an independent CEO search. The group made a in September 2023, which led to the appointment of in November, 2023, expanding the board to 12 members. But following ongoing losses and continued struggles for the mattress maker and retailer, Stadium remains unsatisfied, and on Monday, its public pressure grew harsher. “Given that these are the same directors who have overseen massive value destruction and failed to hold Ms. Ibach accountable for far too long, shareholders cannot trust the board as currently constructed to get this decision right,” Stadium Capital’s investment committee said. “A decision that will define the future of Sleep Number.” Stadium, which owns 11.7% of company shares, blamed Ibach for “a colossal destruction of shareholder value.” The group said it remains convinced a turnaround is possible, but not under current leadership. On Monday afternoon, shares of Sleep Number were trading at $14.85 per share, down considerably from a peak of over $142 a share back in March 2021. The company’s stock value has largely declined since that time. Sleep Number has reported losses in every quarter of 2024 so far, and for all of 2023. In response to the criticism, Sleep Number late Monday said the company and three of its board directors have engaged in more than a half dozen meetings with Stadium Capital’s principals and invited them to join a meeting with independent executive search firm Korn Ferry, which was engaged to find a new CEO. According to Sleep Number, Stadium did not participate in that meeting. “Stadium’s demand to insert itself in this process risks disrupting and delaying the search and could discourage qualified individuals and reduce the candidate pool, without any benefit to the Company or shareholders,” . “While we openly welcome input into the process from Stadium and other shareholders (and have received such input), we will not deviate from the approach our expert advisors have recommended because Stadium demands to have outsized influence.”Mbappe, Vinicius and Bellingham on target as Real Madrid beats Atalanta 3-2. Liverpool wins again