It was well known that Dr. Albert Starr was one of the world’s top few cardiovascular surgeons, (“ Dr. Albert Starr, Oregon co-inventor of the first successful artificial heart valve, dies at 98, ” Dec. 20) . I gave anesthesia for his pediatric cases at OHSU Hospital. It takes someone on the inside with a fascination for the technology and clinical aspects to appreciate and tell you just how good the man was. He was a perfectionist in every move. This led him to inspire greater efforts in all who were in his team. He never gave up. Henry Casson, Portland To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion .The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appointed Cabinet Minister Aman Arora, MLA from Sunam, as the new president of the party’s Punjab unit on Friday (November 22, 2024), replacing Bhagwant Mann. Mr. Mann, who has served as the Chief Minister of Punjab and led the State unit since 2017, announced the leadership changes. Amansher Singh Sherry Kalsi, a legislator from Bathinda, has been appointed as the working president. In a statement, Mr. Mann said: “Aman Arora and Sherry Kalsi are capable leaders who will take the organisation to new heights. Together, they will ensure that AAP continues to grow stronger in Punjab.” Mr. Arora, a two-time MLA from Sunam, is a senior party leader. He secured his seat in the 2022 Assembly election with the highest margin of victory in the State, demonstrating strong grassroots support and widespread appeal. The party statement added that these appointments reflect AAP’s commitment to bringing in energetic and results-driven leaders to strengthen the organisation at all levels. This change in leadership comes just a day before the results of the byelections for four Assembly constituencies in Punjab are to be announced. . Following the party’s disappointing performance in the recent Lok Sabha election in Punjab — the only full-fledged State where the AAP is in power — the byelections are being viewed as a crucial test for the party to regain its political dominance. AAP initially came to power in Punjab with a substantial majority, winning 92 out of 117 Assembly seats in 2022. However, its poor showing in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls was a significant setback for the party, particularly for Chief Minister Mann, who led the campaign. Published - November 23, 2024 04:16 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Aam Aadmi Party / Punjab
Sentinel Opinion: Creative lawmaking; Creating, splitting House committees makes sense to address key issues
Buying a house in 2025: your how-to guide
Greg Gumbel, the popular CBS broadcaster who spent decades on the airwaves covering a multitude of sports, died Friday. He was 78 years old. His family : It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved husband and father, Greg Gumbel. He passed away peacefully surrounded by much love after a courageous battle with cancer. Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace, and positivity. He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten. Greg's memory will forever be treasured by his family, dearest friends, colleagues and all who loved him. — Marcy & Michelle Gumbel CBS Sports also released a statement praising Gumbel's impact on the world of sports. A statement from CBS Sports on the passing of Greg Gumbel — CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) For more than two decades, Gumbel was a regular in CBS's coverage of both the NFL and college basketball, always providing a welcoming face in either the broadcast booth or the studio host's chair. He retired from NFL coverage in 2022 but continued handling the college hoops side of the job until this year. Gumbel stepped away from covering the 2024 NCAA tournament, with " " presented as the reason why. A New Orleans native and baseball player at Loras College, Gumbel when his younger brother Bryant, a legendary journalist and broadcaster in his own right, told him about a weekend sportscaster opening at WMAQ-TV in Chicago. He auditioned and got the job, staying there until ESPN came calling in 1981. He worked as a "SportsCenter" anchor during the network's early days, then found further stints at MSG Network, CBS and NBC before returning to CBS. Among the milestones of Gumbel's career is being the first Black person to call play-by-play in a major American sports championship, having taken the microphone for Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. There are few popular American sports that Gumbel hadn't spent at least some time in. Beyond the NFL and college basketball, he called MLB games for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and NBC. He called NBA games for ESPN, NBC and CBS. He did the Winter Olympics, NASCAR and the World Figure Skating Championships. It was the kind of career that every young sports broadcaster dreams about, going from pioneer to legend with fans always happy to see him on their television. Gumbel's peers in sports media quickly posted several tributes after news of his death broke, praising both his capabilities as a broadcaster and his kindness as a person. So sad to hear about the passing of Greg Gumbel. Whether hosting or calling games Greg did it with passion poise and made it look effortless. One of the best ever RIP — trey wingo (@wingoz) Greg Gumble was so very kind to me during my time with CBS Sports and the years since. He LOVED his family, sports and live music. RIP. Cancer Sucks — Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) RIP Greg Gumbel. One of the friendliest guys in the history of a venomous industry. — Damon Bruce (@DamonBruce) RIP to Greg Gumbel, the host of College Basketball for as long as I can remember. When I think of Selection Sunday and the CBS College Basketball studio show, he is always the first thing that comes to mind and had understated greatness. He was 78 years old — Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) Sad news. Praying for the Gumble family. — Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson)1 2 3 4 5 6 Patna: As temperatures plummet and a chilly winter settles over the city, sales of heating appliances such as geysers, blowers and heaters are surging. Local traders anticipate this upward trend to persist through December and January, driven by the growing need for warmth and comfort. "Demand for winter appliances is encouraging this year," said Kundan Kumar, manager of a prominent electronics showroom. "We have seen a 15% increase in geyser sales across various categories compared to last year. Domestic buyers particularly favour geysers with capacities between 10 to 25 litres, priced between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000." Kumar said geysers in the market range from 3 litres for basic use to 100 litres for commercial purposes with prices ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 30,000. High-end products are also gaining traction, especially among health-conscious customers. "Oil heaters, which use OFR (oil-filled radiators) technology, are becoming popular," Kumar said. "These heaters operate with diathermic oil to transfer heat, ensuring they don't burn oxygen or deplete room humidity," he added. With prices ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000, oil heaters are considered a superior alternative to traditional electric blowers, which cost between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000. Adding to the excitement is the rising demand for hot-and-cold air conditioners — versatile appliances that cater to both summer and winter needs. "These ACs have seen a 50% increase in demand recently," Kumar said. "Priced between Rs 45,000 and Rs 70,000, they offer the dual advantage of cooling in summer and heating in winter, making them a smart investment for extreme weather conditions," he added.
HONOLULU (AP) — KyeRon Lindsay and Terence Harcum each scored 16 points as Murray State beat Loyola Chicago 71-68 on Wednesday for seventh place at the Diamond Head Classic. Lindsay also had five rebounds and four steals for the Racers (7-6). Harcum went 5 of 10 from the floor, including 2 for 6 from 3-point range, and 4 for 6 from the line. AJ Ferguson shot 4 of 8 from the field and 2 for 4 from the line to finish with 11 points. The Ramblers (9-4) were led by Miles Rubin, who posted 16 points and three blocks. Des Watson added 12 points and Sheldon Edwards had 10 points. Lindsay scored eight points in the first half and Murray State went into halftime trailing 36-34. Harcum led the way with 10 second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
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DALLAS — Dallas HERO , an organization backed by GOP donors who helped pass two propositions in last month's election, is now threatening to sue the city of Dallas due to one of those propositions passing. In a statement issued Wednesday, the group said the city has failed to enforce a state law forbidding camping on public property, such as homeless camps. Because of the passing of Proposition S last month , which was devised by Dallas HERO and allows for residents to sue the city for violations of laws, the group is now threatening the city to address the issue or face legal action. The city has 60 days to address this issue before legal actions are pursued. A Supreme Court decision recently upheld the constitutionality of camping bans and affirmed the state and local government's authority to enforce them. "Despite this ruling, the City of Dallas has failed to enforce Texas Penal Code § 48.05," Dallas HERO said in a statement. "This lack of enforcement not only undermines public safety and the accessibility of shared spaces but also hinders efforts to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with necessary services and resources." Opponents of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold bans on sleeping outside argue the law allows governments to punish people with no other place to go. “Sleep is a biological necessity, not a crime,” said Justice Sonia Sotomayor in her dissent of the ruling. “Homelessness is a reality for so many Americans.” The group has recommended the city implement a plan to enforce the law, as well as provide updates to the community on how they plan to enforce it and ensure local policies, regulations and ordinances are aligned with Texas laws. "Ignoring the law isn’t an option," Dallas HERO concludes. "This timeline provides the city with an opportunity to act proactively, restoring public trust and addressing this critical issue before litigation is pursued." WFAA has reached out to the City of Dallas for comment but has not heard back as of Wednesday afternoon. Related Articles Most of the 18 Dallas ballot propositions pass Yes or no? Here are the propositions North Texas voters approved and denied 'Dallas voters sent a resounding message': Mayor Eric Johnson addresses passage of ballot proposal requiring hiring of more cops in State of the CityAP News Summary at 4:52 p.m. EST
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Snoop Dogg has nearly as many ties to football as he does to rap music. The entertainer coached youth football for years and created the Snoop League, an after-school program for inner city Los Angeles youths. Snoop has been a guest analyst on football broadcasts and his son, Cordell Broadus, played Division I football. When Snoop took his latest step, becoming the sponsor of a bowl game, he had a demand: Find a way for all players in the game to receive name, image and likeness (NIL) money. “This was Snoop's idea,” said Kym Adair, executive director of the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice. “He was having conversations with people he knows in the college football world and I got a call that said he wants us to be the first bowl to make this commitment and that's what we did.” The beneficiaries are Colorado State and Miami (Ohio), who will conclude their seasons Saturday at Arizona Stadium in the Arizona Bowl. The bowl is classified as a 501(c)(3), so all revenue goes to charity. And, being one of the few bowls not tied to ESPN, it opens the door for unique sponsorship opportunities. The bowl was previously sponsored by Barstool Sports and the digital media company used its own cast of characters on the broadcast, which was streamed on its digital platforms. Snoop Dogg takes over this year. The rapper/entertainer is the latest celebrity to sponsor a bowl, following the footsteps of Jimmy Kimmel and Rob Gronkowski at the LA Bowl. And, Snoop being Snoop, he wanted to put his own spin on his own bowl. “College football fans are exhausted by the constant talk around NIL, conference realignment, coach movement, transfer portal and super conferences,” Snoop said in a video posted on social media. “So it’s time that we get back to the roots of college football — when it was focused on the colleges, the players and the competition, the community, the fan experience and the pageantry.” With that will be an NIL component. The bowl can't pay players just for playing in the bowl, but both teams participated in football clinics on Friday and will get paid for their services. Other bowls have given single players NIL opportunities, but this is believed to be the first to offer it to every player on both teams. “I love the fact that the Arizona Bowl is unique and tries new things, and obviously having Snoop here is unique,” Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said. “The NIL component, it’s the future. It’s what football has become now. We think it’s fantastic for our kids and then the interaction with the kids is the hidden gem of the whole thing.” The NIL component of the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl comes a month after a similar effort in The Players Era Festival basketball tournament in Las Vegas. The eight-team tournament said it paid out $9 million in NIL money to participating players for activities outside the competition. It also offered $50 million in NIL opportunities over the next three years for services and activities compliant with NCAA regulations. Are the Players Era Festival and Arizona Bowl the start of a new future? It is not out of the question in big-time college athletics, where schools are already preparing for the era of revenue sharing with players next year. “Revenue sharing between the players and the athletic departments is already on the horizon, so whether that takes the place of these types of arrangements or they're completely separate has yet to be determined," Adair said. "We're just trying to be flexible, ahead of the curve and make an impact any way we can.” Just the way Snoop wants it. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballThe PlayStation 5 has entered the latter stage of its lifecycle, Sony announced back in February. The fourth anniversary of the console has been marked by impressive victories and surprising setbacks . 2024 felt like an inflection point for the PS5, with Sony unofficially turning the page on the PS4 and paving the way for the next era of its first-party blockbuster exclusives. It was another lowkey great year for what is increasingly becoming the default high-end gaming console. There were excellent updates to the PS5 home screen UI, a slew of great exclusive games from second- and third-party partners, and an entire update to the console in the form of the $700 PS5 Pro. PS VR2 became platform agnostic, a 30th Anniversary celebration unveiled nostalgic accessories for longtime fans, and the base tier of PS Plus continued to deliver plenty of premium freebies. The lack of a new big-budget first-party game and the abysmal failure of Concord sent up red flags, but not major hurdles to a platform that soared to 65.5 million units sold last month. All of this as an executive shakeup saw Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan replaced by co-CEOs Herman Hulst and Hideaki Nishino , reporting up to Sony COO Hiroki Totoki. Highly respected long-time PlayStation veteran Shuhei Yoshida, one of the last familiar faces in the top ranks of the console maker , also announced he was leaving in a year when PlayStation went very quiet, with just a few State of Play livestreams and no major summer showcase. The next phase of PlayStation is coming, and 2024 showed that even seeming “off years” can still deliver for players in spades. The Hardware After tons of reporting, rumors, and speculation, 2024 was the year Sony finally launched the PS5 Pro . Its hefty price tag promised no-compromises gaming, with upscaled 4K resolution at 60fps thanks to a more powerful GPU and new machine learning technology called PSSR. The results so far have been good to mixed, with some games looking more gorgeous than ever while certain third-party releases struggle to play nice with PSSR and studios race to amend their PS5 Pro updates in the face of unexpected visual downgrades . This has put the device, at least early on, firmly into the “nice but unnecessary” category of upgrades. Denser visual detail at higher framerates and greater ray-tracing options bring the PS5 console experience into closer parity with mid-level PC gaming, but don’t quite offer the “oh shit!” moments that might make even longtime fans feel the need to run out and immediately pick one up. That’s especially the case when even the base PS5 continues to perform so well and feel perfectly adequate in the near-term. This could be another indication that the console arms race is slowing to a crawl, with future generations yielding even more granular improvements. But the PS5 Pro’s PSSR tech also provides a glimpse at where console manufacturers could leverage AI to try to make up ground. Sony recently announced a partnership with AMD called Project Amethyst to “support broad work and machine learning across a variety of devices” in an effort that would pay dividends for other companies as well. The company is also reportedly already working with AMD on the PS6. For now, the PS5 still isn’t getting a price drop. In fact, it actually became more expensive this year in certain regions, including Japan. The DualSense controller also received a stealth price hike. A temporary Black Friday sale took the PS5 all-digital price down to $375, only $25 less than what it launched at in 2020. The PS5 got better in 2024, but not cheaper. The Software The PS5 interface received a notable refresh this year in the form of a new customizable welcome hub . The default module when you start up the console comes with new backgrounds and a bunch of tiles that can be swapped in with various widgets, from trophies and controller battery life to news about wishlisted games, console storage, and who’s online. It’s a seemingly small touch that goes a long way toward making the PS5 ecosystem easier to parse, navigate, and engage with, and it might just be the start of a bold new era for the system’s UI. There were a few other updates to the firmware in 2024. Adaptive charging made the console more energy-efficient for newer PS5 models, including the Slim and Pro, and party share now lets you circulate session invites directly on social media and other messaging apps. There’s still no great way to directly share screenshots and gameplay footage on social media after Sony cut integration with X (formerly known as Twitter), though the PlayStation App is getting closer to being the remote second screen for the PS5 it deserves to be. But the biggest software update of all this year didn’t come to the PS5 at all—it came to the PlayStation Portal. The not-quite-a-gaming-handheld peripheral can now play a growing list of games directly from the cloud rather than needing to stream them from a home console strictly as a remote play device. This change essentially doubles the value of the $200 accessory, and potentially serves as a bridge to a future in which a full-fledged Sony handheld reportedly in development can play new games natively as well. The Networks and Services This portion of our annual PlayStation report card usually focuses almost exclusively on the services portion of the equation, but 2024 showcased some significant lapses in network functionality. While it still pales in comparison to the infamous 2011 PSN outage, the services were down intermittently for almost a full day back in the fall . It was a reminder of how much of the platform relies on constant connectivity to deliver on its promise, from multiplayer-only games to always-online single-player campaigns. Any outage, no matter how brief, is also notable in the context of Sony charging $10 a month for the ability to play online. PlayStation Stars , a smaller rewards initiative incorporated into the PS app rather than the console itself, nevertheless raised questions when it was offline for multiple weeks over the summer with no real explanation from Sony as to why the service had gone down. Coupled with issues with activity cards and various high-profile firmware bugs, the normally quite stable PS5 platform wobbled more than usual in 2024. PS Plus’ Netflix-like library of downloadable games was on much firmer footing, however. PS Plus Premium, the most expensive of the service’s three tiers at $160 per year, added a bunch more PS classics to help round out its back catalog. Subscribing fans finally got access to the Sly Cooper trilogy, the first two Legacy of Kain games, Dino Crisis , and a bunch of other old-school favorites. For the program’s price, though, there still really needs to be a better alternative for accessing the vast reservoir of PS3 exclusives. Insomniac’s WW2 alien shooter trilogy Resistance also arrived on Premium, but only via streaming. And while the middle tier—PS Plus Extra—continues to be hit-or-miss with what great games are added or rotated out , the base PS Plus catalog continues to be full of bangers. 2024 saw the addition of A Plague Tale: Requiem , Nobody Saves the World , Immortals of Aveum , Tunic , Sifu , Borderlands 3 , Streets of Rage 4 , Little Nightmares II , and the Dead Space remake, just to name a few. At the same time, we’ve gotten fewer and fewer high-profile day-one PS Plus releases. Animal Well was a GOTY contender but Foamstars and Quidditch Champions were both duds. Still, the cumulative library competes with the best of what Extra has and offers a great way to catch up on many of the best games of recent years. The Games Sony’s impressive first-party studios mostly took a backseat in 2024 with two important exceptions: Astro Bot and Concord . The first, from Asobo Studio, married the whimsy and creativity Sony’s Japan Studio was once synonymous with to the high bar of quality and production values showcased by the company’s more recent big-budget blockbusters. Astro Bot was announced in May and won best game at The Game Awards 2024 just seven months later. It’s a top-tier action platformer that also shows how the DualSense controller’s haptic gimmicks can transform the feel of otherwise familiar gameplay. Coupled with Lego Horizon Adventures , Sony demonstrated a new family-friendly range outside of the grim, violent prestige games that have defined its brand in years prior. Concord , meanwhile, was an Icarus moment for Sony’s first-party live service initiative. The hero shooter from Firewalk Studios had a development budget of over $200 million, sources told Kotaku earlier this year , which culminated in a fine but forgettable multiplayer experience which failed to attract players so spectacularly at launch that Sony yanked the plug less than two weeks later with full refunds and a complete server shutdown. The company closed the studio it had purchased only the year prior and promised to incorporate the learnings from the debacle into its ongoing strategy. How Sony, renowned since the middle of the PS4 generation for quality checks and proactive player feedback, failed to spot any warning signs and instead ploughed full speed ahead either speaks to the overall challenge, complexity, and random luck of making live-service hits or to serious blindspots within PlayStation Studios. 2024 also saw the shutdown of London studio and mobile game maker Neon Koi, as well as the cancellation of multiple unannounced projects and hundreds of cuts across various studios, including Bungie. It all comes as the larger game industry grapples with high costs and delayed development timelines in a release climate that’s more competitive than ever. Yet where Concord crashed, Helldivers 2 soared . Arrowhead Game Studios’ squad-based, ragdoll-physics alien shooter is one of the bestselling games of the year, especially on PC. Despite controversies around the required PSN login on Steam, nerfs to fan-favorite builds and battle pass gear, and a mid-year slowdown in new content, the game has delivered a fascinating, evolving storyline like a sci-fi D&D campaign made up of millions of players, all while continuing to push out regular new updates . It was a game worth buying a PS5 for, and not because it relied on the typical Sony blockbuster’s mix of expensive cinematic narratives and lush production values. What might have seemed like an otherwise quiet year for the PS5 was bolstered by other console exclusives both big and small, like Granblue Fantasy: Relink , Rise of the Rōnin , Stellar Blade , Silent Hill 2 , and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth . The mix of action adventure, open world, RPG, and survival horror went a long way to rounding out an otherwise sparser release calendar compared to the post-covid high-water mark set by 2023. Xbox’s multiplatform strategy also saw critically acclaimed hits like Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment arrive on PS5 alongside multiplayer juggernaut Sea of Thieves and the open-world survival sim Grounded . and the biggest 2024 game that wasn’t available on PS5, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle , will still arrive their early next year. The PS5 might be heading into the latter stage of its lifecycle, but it feels like the best years are still in front of it. Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsuhima 2, titled Ghost of Yotei , was revealed earlier this year for a 2025 release, and Naughty Dog finally teased its first new, non- Last of Us project in a long time. It’s called Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and promises a bold new sci-fi direction for the premier PlayStation studio that may also see it return a bit to its action-adventure roots. Fans are also still waiting on reveals for Santa Monica’s new not- God of War project, and leaks suggest Bend Studio will offer Sony’s next risky experiment in live-service gaming. Plus a multiplayer Horizon Zero Dawn game could be arriving as early as next year, and Insomniac’s Wolverine has been dark for a while as well. Sony recently promised at least one new single-player blockbuster every year. 2024 didn’t have one, and it still turned out to be a great year for the platform. .Vice President Advocates for Service-Oriented Education to Boost Democracy and Equality
Odisha Solar Investor Conclave: IREDA Sanctions Over Rs. 3,000 Crore; CMD Commits Support for State 10 GW RE Target
NoneChina sanctions 7 US companies over support to Taiwan military