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Top 5 Biotech Stocks Dominating Retail Investor Conversations In 2024T he world is reeling from the chaos of disasters, pandemic, war, conflicts, political unrest, hunger, and deprivation, for the people and children who are trying to restart and rebuild their lives and communities. We pray for spiritual grace, healing, love, forgiveness, and lasting world peace. We count our blessings and release all negative vibes. Here’s my annual list of wishes for the children. They are future citizens, and they deserve to inherit a better world. 1. A home with loving parents who will guide and care for them. That all parents will lead by example and teach their kids good manners, family and spiritual values. That all children will be safe from domestic violence and abuse. 2. Good health. That all children, especially those in the rural areas and the marginalized communities, will have proper nourishment and medical and dental care in order to grow strong and healthy. That the essential vaccines to combat diseases will be available to all children in remote and devastated areas. 3. A pollution-free environment — clean air, pure drinking water, open fields, and parks with trees and flowers. That they may appreciate nature and learn how to protect the rivers, seas, lakes, and forests. 4. Quality education. That the public school system will be upgraded with dedicated teachers, more classrooms equipped with internet facilities, and books for students. That all kids will be given the opportunity to study and have the chance to excel. 5. Mental health care. That there will be enough psychologists and guidance counselors to help and protect adolescents with their issues such proper mental health care. Many children suffer from depression and anxiety. Some are desperate and take extreme risks. There should be a holistic psychospiritual treatment program to address this growing situation. 6. A comprehensive sports program for national and international competitions. That kids will learn the values of friendly competition, and the art of winning and losing gracefully. 7. A gender discrimination-free society that will encourage girls and boys to become leaders in school and later in their chosen professions. That they would have the resources from government and the private sector to fulfill their goals. 8. A progressive national arts and culture program and outreach projects to elevate and enhance the consciousness of children. 9. More education grants and financial stipends for good scholarships for deserving students. The appropriate work opportunities and support, both local and international, graduates. 10. Quality and balanced programming on television with more educational and entertaining shows. That producers will not exploit aspiring young performers. That there be proper protection for minors and performers who come out in shows. That all children and adolescents be protected. That social media content would be elevated to a higher level. 11. An accelerated science, math, and technology educational program to equip all future graduates with the necessary IT skills to compete in the international markets. 12. A stable economy. Jobs and livelihood opportunities for parents so that their children can go to and stay in school. Children should not be made to work in sweatshops or beg on the streets. Illegal child labor factories and armies are forbidden. 13. A country with visionary national and local leaders. An efficient, transparent government that is free from corruption. Integrity, compassion, and delicadeza (a sense of pride, honor, propriety, decorum, and/or decency) are some of the best qualities the officials should have. 14. A safe, crime-free, drug-free, abuse-free environment. That all kids be protected from the menace of incest, physical and emotional abuse, and the scourge of drugs. The internet is now being used by predators to exploit children and expose them to sexual abuse. 15. That children not be used as soldiers in areas of armed conflict. 16. Freedom of expression. That children have the right to be themselves. That adults realize that children need respect, and they are entitled to be heard. That there be open communication with parents and teachers or mentors. 17. Innocence. That they have a happy childhood and the chance to enjoy being a child. That they have time to play, study, rest, and heal. Above all, time to grow up at their own pace. A Happy, Prosperous and Healthy New Year to all! Maria Victoria Rufino is an artist, writer, and businesswoman. She is president and executive producer of Maverick Productions. mavrufino@gmail.com
Deadly attack on journalists underscores danger for media in HaitiJudge rejects request to sideline a San Jose State volleyball player on grounds she’s transgenderNoneThe Onion's rejected purchase of Infowars in an auction bid supported by families of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting dealt them a new setback Wednesday and clouded the future of Alex Jones' conspiracy theory platform, which is now poised to remain in his control for at least the near future. What's next for Infowars and Sandy Hook families' long-sought efforts to hold Jones accountable over calling one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history a hoax was unclear, after a federal judge in Houston late Tuesday rejected The Onion's winning bid for the site . U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston said he did not want another auction but offered no roadmap over how to proceed. One possibility includes ultimately allowing Sandy Hook families — who comprise most of Jones' creditors — to return to state courts in Connecticut and Texas to collect on the nearly $1.5 billion in defamation and emotional distress lawsuit judgments that Jones was ordered to pay them. “Our hope is that when this process ends, and it will end, and it will end sooner rather than later, is that all assets that Alex Jones has available are paid to the families, and that includes Infowars, and that as a result of that process Alex Jones is deprived of the ownership and control of the platform that he’s used to hurt so many people,” Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, said in a phone interview Wednesday. The families, meanwhile, were preparing the mark the 12th anniversary of the Dec. 14 shooting. Why was The Onion bid rejected? The sale of Infowars is part of Jones’ personal bankruptcy case , which he filed in late 2022 after he was ordered to pay the $1.5 billion. Jones was sued for repeatedly saying on his show that the 2012 massacre of 20 first graders and six educators was staged by crisis actors to spur more gun control. Lopez said there was a lack of transparency in the bidding process and too much confusion about The Onion's bid. He also said the amount of money offered in the only two bids was too low and there needed to be more effort to try to raise as much money possible from the selling of Infowars' assets. The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, submitted a $1.75 million cash offer with plans to kick Jones out and relaunch Infowars in January as a parody . The bid also included a deal with many of the Sandy Hook families for them to forgo $750,000 of their auction proceeds and give it to other creditors. Lopez called it a complex arrangement that led to different interpretations of the bid's actual value as well as last-minute changes to a proposed sale order. The other bidder was First United American Companies, which runs a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements and planned to let Jones stay on the Infowars platforms. It offered $3.5 million in cash and later, with Jones, alleged fraud and collusion in the bidding process. Lopez rejected the allegations, saying that while mistakes were made there was no wrongdoing. Christopher Murray, the trustee who oversaw the auction, said he picked The Onion and its deal with the Sandy Hook families because it would have provided more money to Jones' other creditors. What happens next? The next steps remained unclear Wednesday. The judge directed Murray to come up with a new plan to move forward. Murray and representatives of The Onion did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The judge said there was a possibility there could be a trial in 2025 to settle Jones' bankruptcy. He said Murray could try to sell the equity in Infowars' parent company. He also said Murray could abandon the efforts, which could allow the Sandy Hook families to return to the state courts where they won their lawsuits against Jones and begin collection proceedings against him. The judge said he wanted to hear back from Murray and others involved in the bankruptcy within 30 days on a plan to move forward. Mattei, who represented the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit, said everyone is waiting to see what plan the trustee comes up with. Jones, meanwhile, continued to allege fraud and collusion on his show Wednesday and threatened legal action over what he called an attempted “rigged auction.” On the social media platform X, he called the judge's ruling a “Major Victory For Freedom Of The Press & Due Process." “I don’t want to have to go after these people, lawsuit-wise, but we have to because if you don’t then you’re aiding and abetting and they do it to other people. They made some big mistakes," he said. Sandy Hook families to mark shooting anniversary It's a solemn and heartbreaking week for relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The 12th anniversary is Saturday, and some of the victims' relatives were traveling to Washington, D.C., to attend the annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence on Wednesday evening. The families usually mark the anniversary out of the public eye. Many of the families said their lawsuits against Jones bought back the unbearable pain of losing their loved ones, as well as the trauma of being harassed and threatened by believers of Jones' hoax conspiracy. Relatives said they have been confronted in public by hoax believers and received death and rape threats. Robbie Parker, whose 6-year-old daughter Emilie was killed, testified at the Connecticut lawsuit trial in 2022 that the decade of abuse his family suffered made them move across the country to Washington state, and even there he was accosted in person. The families have not received any money from Jones since winning the trials. Jones has been appealing the $1.5 billion in judgments, and has since conceded that the shooting did happen. Last week, a Connecticut appeals court upheld most of the judgment in that state but reduced it by $150 million. Associated Press writer Juan A. Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.