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MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich fans protested against Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi during the teams’ Champions League match on Tuesday. The supporters held up several banners making clear their opposition to the Qatari businessman during the first half of Bayern’s 1-0 win. One banner showed Al-Khelaifi’s face with a line over it, another accused him of being “plutocratic” with an expletive, and more banners read: “Minister, club owner, TV rights holder, UEFA ExCo member & ECA chairman all in one?” The 51-year-old Al-Khelaifi is unpopular among the Bayern fans for his influence on European soccer as chairman of the European Club Association, Qatar Sports Investments — the owner of PSG — and the Qatari state-owned BeIN media group. Bayern fans had long protested against their own club’s sponsorship deals with Qatar, which was accused of human rights abuses before it hosted the 2022 World Cup. The fans eventually got their way last year when Bayern’s long-running sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways was not renewed. The Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported at the time that the decision came from Qatar, whose emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was unhappy with the Bayern fans’ constant criticism and the club’s failure to distance itself from their protests. Kim Min-jae’s first-half header was enough for Bayern’s victory, its seventh straight without conceding across all competitions. PSG forward Ousmane Dembelé was sent off early in the second half. Source: APBody found in Shaler being treated as homicideWe must think historically to cool down our post-election emotions. Historical perspectives clarify our recent presidential election and lower its post-election temperature. Let’s start with feudalism, of kings and lords, which we inherited from our Anglo-European past which had ruled the known world for over a millennium. Then, the American Revolution came and overthrew feudalism and ushered in a new democratic system, governed by ourselves and leaders chosen by us according to our own precepts of freedom. This post-feudal new world lasted for over two centuries — until this past Nov. 5. Contrary to its conventional images of the Dark Ages and oppression, a few scholars have considered feudalism as an ideal system of social order and as a pre-modern community of peace and harmony. As historical fact, this idyllic feudalism, where lords and peasants lived in good order and harmony, came to its end: Earth-shaking events were coming in waves, most notably in scientific discoveries, religious revolts, radical perspectives in Renaissance and Enlightenment, and the emboldening New World — which told feudal rulers that their time was up. Two types of responses, quite fateful for their historic consequences, emerged from feudal societies to face the inevitable “modern” world: One from the Old World and the other from the New World. The Old World, mostly European, decided to welcome the new developments by prudently combining their existing tradition, religion and habits with the new ways of thinking — half-feudal and half-democratic — that would accommodate the changes without destroying their old system. With this new combination, where society is modern but people think traditional, the Old World kept its community and social order in a form generally known as “social democracy” which continues today in most European nations. The New World produced a rather different response. With the backdrop of open land and physical distance from the Old World, the American colonies chose a completely radical break from feudalism. Following the Revolution, the New World realized humanity’s fondest dream of “liberal democracy” (emphasizing individual liberty, unlike Europe’s social democracy), as the new model for idealized self-governance and America’s own self-image as “the Shining City on a Hill.” Liberal democracy satisfied the restless American soul for nearly two centuries, first with wide open frontier society of freedom and equality and later with consumer capitalism to its heart’s content. No nation on Earth or in history had enjoyed the range of physical comfort and convenience like post-World War II American consumers. The age of affluence was upon America, which created an entirely new kind of human generations and personality: The typically solitary American consumer lived in a post-human society, always restless in search of something better for himself. He wanted everything he consumed to be better than before, faster and louder, more thrilling and pleasing. Article continues after... Cross|Word Flipart Typeshift SpellTower Really Bad Chess Hollywood responded with the entertainment revolution, expanding three television channels to 3,000 with cable TV, then to three million with the internet to meet the new demands. America even conquered the time-and-space limitations of nature: entertainment was now always available across time and space — night or day, here or yonder, at will. Upon the consumer’s instant command, movie stars sang, danced, and told jokes and athletes ran and jumped — all to please the new lord. In this society where everything seemed possible and available, the line of sanity between reality and fantasy blurred, and the largely frivolous “choices” covered up the harsh conditions of powerlessness for the masses under the liberal-democratic version of the American Dream. Liberal democracy is both a blessing and a curse. As a blessing, it allows maximum individual indulgences. As the curse, the very nature of individual choice makes it difficult for us to control the consequences of our own choice. Such a system requires a high degree of citizen intelligence and social consciousness. It’s like giving a child a loaded gun and expecting a happy ending. With the gun, the child already possesses the power not to be responsible, like those who struggle with credit cards, even with pre-set limits. No such systems ever survived their own indulgences, and America’s libertine (woke?) anything-goes culture — expertly orchestrated by America’s best and brightest — could not moderate its own civic degeneration. These master psychologists, working for politicians and corporations, kept us deep in our own cesspool, flailing with minor daily irritations that morphed into major political wraths. Under Democrats, life was a sweet dream only in illusion or hypocrisy as our economic cruelty did not (and does not) allow such fantasies to become reality. With the world’s largest wealth-poverty gap, individual lives can improve indefinitely only in Hollywood dreams and Disney fantasies. Soon Democrats, already characterized as an “elitist” party, were seen as largely unrelated to the actual daily lives of working Americans. Still dreaming of the pre-capitalist era, liberal America had become ungovernable and its lives unlivable. The stage was now set for Donald Trump who promised to clear the liberal swamp with his imperial magic wand. Back in power, he is remaking everything in America except money and entertainment. This way, Trump is having the best of both worlds — populist and capitalist: He gets votes from dumb masses and dollars from smart billionaires. Democrats are just in shock and awe of his genius. As democracy replaced feudalism, Trump’s imperial democracy is replacing liberal democracy. In this new era that began on Nov. 5, we have taken our first baby steps, like Adam and Eve after the fall, toward an entirely unknown future — both foreboding and expectant. There, waiting for us is the judgment on the liberal fruit of indulgence that we had picked and consumed, a gift from the capitalist-serpent who whispered to us that we could live “as gods.” Historians would write the rest. Jon Huer, columnist for the Recorder and retired professor, lives in Greenfield and writes for posterity.
Factbox-TikTok decision coming soon as Jan. 19 divestment deadline loomsNEW YORK -- A ransomware attack that hit a major software provider last week caused disruptions for a handful of companies over recent days, from Starbucks to U.K. grocery giant Morrisons. Blue Yonder, which provides supply chain technology to a range of brands worldwide, said that it experienced disruptions to services it manages for customers on Thursday, which the third-party software supplier determined to be "the result of a ransomware incident.” Some systems went offline, impacting clients using Blue Yonder's software. A spokesperson for Starbucks, for example, said that the chain's ability to manage barista schedules and track hours was disrupted — meaning store leaders across North America are currently being instructed to use manual workarounds. Starbucks maintained that the outage is not impacting how customers are served and that ensuring workers get paid for all hours worked is a top priority. While the company continues to work towards full recovery, the spokesperson added that Starbucks was able to process payroll again as of Tuesday morning. Two of the U.K.'s biggest grocers, Morrisons and Sainsbury's, were also affected — with both telling CNN over the weekend that they had turned to contingency plans to keep operations flowing. A spokesperson for Morrisons confirmed to The Associated Press that the outage “impacted our warehouse management systems for fresh and produce” and that it was continuing to operate on back up systems Tuesday. Sainsbury's, meanwhile, said Tuesday that its service was restored. Blue Yonder declined to disclose how many of its customers were impacted by the hack. In a statement sent to the AP, a spokesperson maintained that it had notified “relevant customers” and would continue to communicate as needed. The spokesperson also maintained that recovery efforts were still underway — noting that Blue Yonder "has been working diligently together with external cybersecurity firms to make progress,” including the implementation of several defensive and forensic protocols. Blue Yonder's website touts an extensive global roster of customers — including Gap, Ford and Walgreens. Walgreens and Gap were not impacted following the ransomware attack, spokespeople for the companies said. Ford shared that it was investigating whether the incident affected its operations earlier this week, but had no further updates when reached Tuesday. Blue Yonder, based in Arizona, is a subsidiary of Japan’s Panasonic Corp. Panasonic acquired the supply chain software firm in September 2021.NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Coach Brian Callahan is sticking with Mason Rudolph at quarterback for a second straight game to see if the Tennessee Titans can build on the veteran who's played in four of their highest scoring games this season. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Coach Brian Callahan is sticking with Mason Rudolph at quarterback for a second straight game to see if the Tennessee Titans can build on the veteran who's played in four of their highest scoring games this season. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Coach Brian Callahan is sticking with Mason Rudolph at quarterback for a second straight game to see if the Tennessee Titans can build on the veteran who’s played in four of their highest scoring games this season. Callahan said Tuesday that he thinks Rudolph earned another chance to play despite a 38-30 loss to Indianapolis. “Obviously the one interception was probably his only really poor moment,” Callahan said. “The rest of it was pretty well executed on his part and operated in a drop-back passing game and had to fight his way back through it. And it was good to see, so we’ll let him take another crack at it.” Rudolph is 2-4 in the six games he’s played in this season. That includes coming in for an injured Will Levis on Sept. 30 in a 31-12 win at Miami, and he tried to rally the Titans in a turnover-plagued 37-27 loss to Cincinnati before being selected as the starter last week. Rudolph, who is in Tennessee on a one-year deal, was 23 of 34 for 252 yards with two touchdown passes and three interceptions. One went off running back Tony Pollard’s hands with the final pick coming on the last play of the game after Rudolph led a rally from a 38-7 deficit in the final 18 minutes. Rudolph’s ability to avoid sacks is a key piece of sticking with him over Levis, the 33rd pick overall in the 2023 draft. The quarterbacks’ stats are similar with Rudolph having eight TD passes and eight interceptions, completing 63.8% of his passes with a 78.8 passer rating. That’s similar to Levis completing 63.7% of his passes with 12 TD passes and 12 interceptions. But Levis has been sacked 40 times compared to just seven for Rudolph. “He’s got the ability to avoid the negative play when it comes to sacks,” Callahan said of Rudolph. “He gets the ball out. He knows where to go with it quickly.” That means Rudolph gets a chance Sunday when the Titans (3-12) visit the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12) to see if he can guide the offense to more than the six points Levis managed against their AFC South rival in a 10-6 loss on Dec. 8 in Nashville. Rudolph said he knows he put the Titans defense in a bad spot with some turnovers. “I’m ready to prove that I can take care of the ball better and keep scoring points,” Rudolph said. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Holiday adjustment The Titans held a walk-through Tuesday with Callahan giving the team Wednesday off for Christmas. An injury report won’t be released until Wednesday, and Callahan said it’ll likely be lengthy. RG Dillon Radunz, who was knocked out of last week’s game with an injury, will be on that report. Lineman Jaelyn Duncan, who hurt a hamstring badly enough early in his first start at right tackle Oct. 20 that he wound up on injured reserve, will be available. Callahan said he is excited to see Duncan play. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Advertisement Advertisement
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‘Insult to Kerala’: CM denounces attacks on Christmas celebrationsThe opposition leader, Inia Seruiratu, Lynda Tabuya and Barbara Malimali The Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption reiterates its commitment to impartiality and evidence-based decision-making. It is assuring the public that all investigations and subsequent actions are conducted without bias or any form of favour or fear. This comes in response to the statement released by the opposition leader, Inia Seruiratu, regarding recent events involving the former Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection, Lynda Tabuya. Seruiratu raised concerns about the influence of FICAC Commissioner Barbara Malimali in closing the investigation into Tabuya’s false declaration. He called for an investigation into whether Tabuya exerted any influence over Malimali to end the case, stressing the importance of maintaining the integrity of Fiji’s anti-corruption institutions. According to the FICAC statement, the Commission had received a complaint, referred by the office of the Supervisor of Elections, on 5th April this year, alleging that Tabuya had failed to declare her spouse’s income and business affiliations as required by section 24 of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act. A subsequent investigation was authorized by former acting deputy commissioner of FICAC, Francis Puleiwai, on 24 April this year, and an inquiry was conducted. The investigation confirmed that Tabuya’s marriage to Robert Semaan had been formally and legally dissolved in December 2016. Investigators then made a recommendation for closure of the file on August 5th this year. Former ADC Puleiwai formally closed the file on August 12th this year. It says that neither party was represented by Barbara Malimali during the divorce case between Semaan and Tabuya while Malimali was in private practice.
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The results alone were impressive. Stratford’s Lauren Manders was the fastest Canadian woman and 10th fastest woman overall in the 25-29 age group at the recent World Triathlon Championships in Torremolinos, Spain. But there was more to her story. Two days before she was set to fly overseas, Manders was hit by a car while on her bike on a highway outside of Stratford. The driver, who was later charged, accelerated out of a stop sign and smashed into the back end of Manders’ ride. “I’m lucky to be alive,” she said. “It could have been a lot worse. It went through my mind that two years of training were out the window.” Battered and bruised, doctors cleared Manders to compete, though her bike needed emergency repairs to replace both tires and other parts before it accompanied her to Europe. “It goes to show you can do everything right and something always happens,” she said. The crash nearly derailed Manders’ progress after competing in her first triathlon in 2017. She finished 35th among women in her age group that year, a feat that was surpassed in 2023 when she placed 17th in Germany. Manders’ expectations were even higher this time. Regimented workouts with Luke Veens from the Stratford Performance Academy over the past 24 months left her feeling physically and mentally strong leading up to the 2024 event. “It’s always nice going into a race feeling like you couldn’t do anything more to prepare yourself,” she said. “I’ve done races in the past where you’re not prepared and you can feel that mentally. With this race . . . I knew I was looking really good for worlds this year.” Manders completed the one-kilometre swim before jumping on her rebuilt bike for 20 kilometres. She navigated mental roadblocks and multiple crashes on the technical course before finishing the race with a five-kilometre run in less than 20 minutes, which was another goal. “That was not a fun race. It was very painful,” she said. “It wasn’t the bike that won me the race, it was the run. I was working really hard this summer on getting my run faster, and that’s what came through on race day.” The 29-year-old qualified for next year’s triathlon worlds in Australia but is instead going to focus on training for a Half Ironman in 2025, an event that includes two kilometres of swimming, 90 kilometres on the bike and a 21-kilometre run. After what she’s overcome, don’t bet against Manders’ resilience. “I didn’t let myself process the car accident until after the race,” she said. “What was more satisfying was all my hard work coming together on the day. “Everything was worth it. I’ve never dug so deep in a race before, and that was worth it to me.”