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BTI: Almost 40% Total Return Over The Past Year? What About CAGR? Investors in leading tobacco company British American Tobacco ( NYSE: BTI ) have enjoyed a solid year in 2024. BTI garnered a total return of almost 40% over the past year, surpassing the A Unique Price Action-based Growth Investing Service Sign up now for a Risk-Free 14-Day free trial! JR Research is an opportunistic investor. He was recognized by TipRanks as a Top Analyst. He was also recognized by Seeking Alpha as a "Top Analyst To Follow" for Technology, Software, and Internet, as well as for Growth and GARP. He identifies attractive risk/reward opportunities supported by robust price action to potentially generate alpha well above the S&P 500. He has also demonstrated outperformance with his picks. He focuses on identifying growth investing opportunities that present the most attractive risk/reward upside potential. His approach combines sharp price action analysis with fundamentals investing. He tends to avoid overhyped and overvalued stocks while capitalizing on battered stocks with significant upside recovery possibilities. He runs the investing group Ultimate Growth Investing which specializes in identifying high-potential opportunities across various sectors. He focuses on ideas that has strong growth potential and well-beaten contrarian plays, with an 18 to 24 month outlook for the thesis to play out. The group is designed for investors seeking to capitalize on growth stocks with robust fundamentals, buying momentum, and turnaround plays at highly attractive valuations. Learn more Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.Federal Gov’t To Enforce Compliance With Land Administration LawsThe Long Game: John McEntee on his vision for shaping the conservative movement over the next decade
The US State and Treasury departments said they hit Georgian Dream party founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili with penalties “for undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of the Russian Federation”, according to a statement. The designation of Mr Ivanishvili is the latest in a series of sanctions the US has placed on Georgian politicians and others this year. Those sanctions include freezes on assets and properties those targeted may have in US jurisdictions or that might enter US jurisdictions as well as travel bans on the targets and members of their families. “We strongly condemn Georgian Dream’s actions under Ivanishvili’s leadership, including its ongoing and violent repression of Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, human rights activists, and opposition figures,” the State Department said in a statement. “The United States is committed to promoting accountability for those undermining democracy and human rights in Georgia.” Mr Ivanishvili is a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia and served briefly as Georgia’s prime minister. In 2012, he founded Georgian Dream, Georgia’s longtime ruling party. Critics have accused Georgian Dream of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted towards Moscow. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBT+ rights, prompting the European Union to suspend Georgia’s membership application process indefinitely. In October, Georgian Dream won another term in a divisive parliamentary election that has led to more mass protests. Last month, the country’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, announced a four-year suspension of talks on Georgia’s bid to join the European Union, fuelling further public outrage.
Posts area Latest 1 of 1 Go to latest Pinned post from 4.46am ‘Adult crime, adult time’ the focus before first parliament sitting By William Davis The LNP government has met for its first party meeting since the election, with leader David Crisafulli focusing attention on fulfilling his key campaign pledge by Christmas. The new Queensland premier met with colleagues at Parliament House from about 4pm on Monday before the first sitting day this week. Premier David Crisafulli addresses his LNP colleagues on Monday. Credit: William Davis “The first thing we’re going to be discussing is the Making Queensland Safer laws,” Crisafulli said. “There’s a lot of hard work to do in the next couple of weeks. “I want Queenslanders to know we’re serious about serving them and being a good government.” Latest posts Latest posts 5.24am Minister admits housing policy is ‘not a silver bullet’ Housing Minister Clare O’Neil has welcomed the passage of the government’s key housing policy, while acknowledging there’s more work to do. In questioning O’Neil, Nine’s Today host Sarah Abo noted that the 40,000 people who would be assisted over four years via the help-to-buy scheme “barely skims the surface” when considering that “there is not a single city or region across Australia where the average income earner can even afford to buy a house right now”. Housing Minister Clare O’Neil arrives at question time on Monday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen O’Neil agreed the policy was “not a silver bullet” but that “it was never meant to be”. “One of the things I want your viewers to know, is just be really wary about the snake oil salesmen in this housing debate who are pretending that there’s one thing we can do to fix the whole problem,” O’Neil said. “The truth is, we’ve had generations-in-the-making housing crisis in our country that’s been building for more than 30 years, and it requires our government to do lots of things differently.” O’Neil said the government was trying to build more homes, get a better deal for renters, and help more Australians into homeownership. “It’s a big, complex program and it’s going to take some time.” Read more about the passage of the housing bill here. 5.19am Long-running Queensland energy project now tipped to cost $9 billion A 1100-kilometre transmission line connecting the North-West Minerals Province to the electricity grid near Townsville could cost up to $9 billion to build. That is the latest price tag put on Copperstring 2032 by government-owned corporation Powerlink, as Nine News political reporter Tim Arvier reported on Monday night. The $9 billion includes a $2 billion contingency, and capitalised interest costs of $800 million, and follows a previous cost blowout to $6.2 billion, announced by the then Labor government in August. While documents provided to the LNP government suggest Powerlink made the higher estimate in August, Labor told Arvier that Treasury was behind the estimate of $6.2 billion. 5.03am Passage of social media ban a ‘test’ for Dutton’s leadership: minister By Josefine Ganko The bill to ban social media for children under 16 will be a “test” for Peter Dutton’s leadership, says Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth. Speaking on Nine’s Today , Rishworth said there was bipartisan support for the bill, but that Dutton was losing control of his caucus. “Just a couple of weeks ago, Peter Dutton said he would facilitate this important piece of legislation and support the government. And now we see our senators defying him,” she said. “So this is a test for Peter Dutton and his leadership.” Loading Also on Today was Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, who said there were still concerns about digital ID laws and privacy. “We do want strong, robust laws to protect kids under 16 on social media platforms. “We’ve been out of the blocks before the government on this. We need to get the legislation right so it does actually get the outcomes we want. “And we need to make sure that those protections exist in the legislation.” Read more about the debate within the Coalition on the ban here. Advertisement 5.00am Social media giants attack ‘rushed’ consult for ban Social media companies, including Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta, have taken aim at the “rushed” consultation process for the ban on children under 16. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland introduced the world-leading reform to parliament last Thursday, which she said would make the online environment better for young people. The consultation period for groups and individuals to make submissions closed on Friday. A Senate committee held a one-day hearing on Monday and is due to report back on Tuesday. In submissions to the inquiry, several groups, including social media companies, pointed to the short notice period. Loading Snap Inc. wrote that “the extremely compressed timeline” had allowed stakeholders little more than 24 hours to provide a response, which “severely” constrained thorough analysis and informed debate. X, formerly Twitter, also criticised the “unreasonably short time frame of one day”, writing that it has “serious concerns as to the lawfulness of the bill”. Meta, which owns Facebook, wrote that there had been “minimal consultation or engagement” and urged the government to wait for the results of the age assurance trial before progressing with the legislation. TikTok said that despite the “time-limited review”, there was a range of “serious, unresolved problems” that the government must clarify to ensure there wouldn’t be unintended consequences for all Australians. AAP 4.46am ‘Adult crime, adult time’ the focus before first parliament sitting By William Davis The LNP government has met for its first party meeting since the election, with leader David Crisafulli focusing attention on fulfilling his key campaign pledge by Christmas. The new Queensland premier met with colleagues at Parliament House from about 4pm on Monday before the first sitting day this week. Premier David Crisafulli addresses his LNP colleagues on Monday. Credit: William Davis “The first thing we’re going to be discussing is the Making Queensland Safer laws,” Crisafulli said. “There’s a lot of hard work to do in the next couple of weeks. “I want Queenslanders to know we’re serious about serving them and being a good government.” 4.43am Final days of spring bring the heat The temperature in Brisbane is going to come close to 30 degrees today, on a partly cloudy day with the mere chance of a morning shower. The city is predicted to be warmer in the days to come, with the likelihood of showers stronger later in the week. Here’s the seven-day outlook: Advertisement 4.41am Headlines of what’s happening elsewhere Stories making the rounds further afield this morning: Treasurer Jim Chalmers has revealed the budget bottom line is getting worse before the looming federal election, with warnings he faces a $27 billion blowout over the next four years. Labor has gained a crucial concession from the Greens after a year of dispute over a $5.5 billion housing plan, but other bills are on the brink of defeat after Senate crossbenchers blasted Labor for trying to rush through changes on various issues. Social media companies including Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta have taken aim at the “rushed” consultation process for the proposal ban on children under 16. In the US, Special Counsel Jack Smith asked a federal judge to dismiss the case accusing President-elect Donald Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. And Israel’s cabinet will meet on Tuesday to approve a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, with expectations that an accord could be announced “within hours”. 4.37am The top stories for this morning Good morning, thanks for joining us for Brisbane Times’ live news blog. It’s Tuesday, November 26, and we’re expecting a partly cloudy day and a top temperature of 29 degrees. In this morning’s local headlines: Ahead of the return of parliament, Brisbane Times state politics reporter Matt Dennien has analysed official diaries to determine who the new ministers scheduled the most meetings with before their election victory last month. Brisbane home prices are forecast to rise by 9 to 14 per cent next year – the highest capital city increase apart from Perth. Police are investigating the death of a child in Innisfail in Far North Queensland on Monday afternoon. The Brisbane Lions have added their voices to a campaign by local charity Beyond DV for men to take the lead in eliminating violence against women. And Grant Howard has been a coal miner since he left school, now based in the Bowen Basin in Queensland. At the weekend he was arrested at a protest, trying to hasten the end of his industry. Latest 1 of 1 Latest Most Viewed in National Loading
FARGO — It was an all-timer in the Fargodome on Saturday afternoon when North Dakota State edged South Dakota State in the FCS playoffs semifinals. A physical, quality, entertaining football game won 28-21 by the Bison over their archrivals thanks to a near-miraculous one-handed touchdown catch by Bryce Lance and a game-clinching sack of Jackrabbits quarterback Mark Gronowski shared by Jaxon Duttenhefer and Loshiaka Roques . It was the 13th semifinal NDSU has played in the last 14 years, a remarkable run that frankly has left a portion of the Bison's fan base a bit bored. How many times can you see the same movie and be entertained? We the media, present company obviously included, are guilty of the same entitled thinking. The thing is, every time you think the Bison can't top the entertainment value of what the program has accomplished previously ... they top it. Or at least come close. Saturday was special for many reasons, not the least of which was that NDSU's seniors ended the season for their heated rivals. The defeat also ended the careers of a large group of talented, winning seniors from SDSU. It ended a two-year run at the top of FCS by the Jackrabbits. And it sent the Bison to Frisco, Texas, for another national title game — instead of the Jackrabbits. After the Jackrabbits utterly dominated the series from the spring 2021 season through 2023, winning four straight regular-season matchups to win the Dakota Marker trophy plus a national championship game following the 2022 season, the pendulum swung back to NDSU this season as the Bison won back the Marker and took the semifinal game. "We're back, baby!" Bison head coach Tim Polasek told a national television audience after the game. We're not sure the Bison went anywhere, considering the only time they haven't made the semifinals since 2011 was the comical and unnecessary spring 2021 season. But to Polasek's point, it sure feels like NDSU reclaimed a little swagger. Factor in all of that, plus the fact the game-winning TD on Cam Miller's 10-yard pass to Lance was a once-in-a-lifetime one-handed snare on which the receiver had to somehow get a foot down in the end zone, and you get one of the great all-time semifinal games in NDSU's FCS history. With the ramp-up to the championship game against Montana State still a week away, let's jump in the time machine and rank all the Bison semifinal games from 2011 until Saturday from worst to first. And there really can't be a "worst" since it's a national semifinal game. While some Bison fans would automatically rank NDSU's two defeats in the semis as worst — in 2016 to James Madison at the dome and 2023 at Montana — the outcome isn't necessarily the point. Both of those games were supremely entertaining and just happened to not go NDSU's way. No, we'll rank the games based on things like entertainment value, drama, meaning, historical significance and background story more than outcome. But, of course, outcome has to matter some. It's strictly a feel thing. Your list might be completely different than this one, and that's OK. Depends on what you value. Ranking NDSU's semifinal games in ascending order: 13. New Hampshire 2013 — Zzzzzzzzz. Snoozefest. Unseeded New Hampshire upset two seeded teams to earn the right to play one of the best teams in FCS history. The 2013 Bison beat Kansas State to start the season and rolled through the schedule with one close game. Media types on the field prior to the game saw a New Hampshire team whose offensive and defensive linemen looked smaller than NDSU's quarterbacks ( Brock Jensen and Carson Wentz ). Jensen threw a pick-six early for a 7-0 Wildcats lead, but the Bison scored the next 52 points. Final score: NDSU 52, New Hampshire 14. 12. Richmond 2015 — What was expected to be a semifinal rematch of 2014's championship game between the Bison and Illinois State got blown up when the second-seeded Redbirds lost in the quarterfinals to Richmond. So instead of traveling for the semis to play a higher-seeded foe, NDSU hosted the seventh seed. The result was predictable. Eric Perkins ran back a punt 88 yards for a touchdown just before halftime for a 26-0 lead, while the defense shut down the Spiders to the tune of 209 total yards. Final score: NDSU 33, Richmond 7. 11. Montana State 2019 — The Bobcats under Jeff Choate were just getting started trying to build a national championship contender and came to Fargo as the fifth seed. Unfortunately for them, the Bison had an all-time team en route to a 16-0 season that included a bevy of future NFLers like Trey Lance , Christian Watson , Dillon Radunz , Cordell Volson , Derrek Tuszka and Jabril Cox . The teams traded early touchdowns before Watson scored on a 75-yard pass from Lance and a 70-yard jet sweep on back-to-back touches in the second quarter. Game over. Final score: NDSU 42, Montana State 14. 10. Sam Houston 2014 — Coach K.C. Keeler's first shot at NDSU was 7-3 for the Bison at halftime before the John Crockett and King Frazier began to roll in the running game and wore down the Bearkats. Frazier scored on a 33-yard run to make it 14-3 in the third quarter and after a three-and-out by Sam Houston, Crockett busted the next play for a 55-yard TD run to break open the game. At the end of the third quarter, then-offensive coordinator Tim Polasek called the same power running play up the middle six straight times for Crockett to break the Bearkats' spirit. Final score: NDSU 35, Sam Houston 3. 9. Sam Houston 2017 — Keeler and the Bearkats came back to Fargo three years later and the result was far worse. After Sam Houston took a 3-0 lead on the game's first possession, Bruce Anderson ran all over the place, often untouched — the only reason this game was deemed more entertaining than the previous Sam Houston appearance at the dome — and he scored four consecutive touchdowns in the first half. Included were runs of 62, 37 and 33 yards plus a 23-yard pass from Easton Stick . NDSU led 41-3 at halftime. Seth Wilson ran for 194 yards, Anderson had 183 and the Bison had 472 as a team. Final score: NDSU 55, Sam Houston 13. 8. Georgia Southern 2011 — Hard to believe the first FCS semifinal game in the Fargodome, the one to send the Bison to Frisco for the first time, would rank this low on the list. It was Brock Jensen's "Flu Game." But after leading only 14-7 at halftime, Jensen's 55-yard TD run broke things open and NDSU overwhelmed blueblood Georgia Southern by rushing for 314 yards. The Eagles came north confident, but were swamped by an intense and raucous dome atmosphere for which they appeared unprepared while the Bison defense handled their option running attack. Final score: NDSU 35, Georgia Southern 7. 7. South Dakota State 2018 — This game wasn't close at the end, but was a two-score game until late in the third quarter when Bruce Anderson broke a 41-yard touchdown run — stiff-arming a Jackrabbits safety to the turf in the process. It was popular head coach Chris Klieman's final game in the Fargodome as he had accepted a job at Kansas State earlier in December. The Fargodome crowd let its love for Klieman and all-time great quarterback Easton Stick be known late in the game and afterward as Klieman stayed on the field and applauded the fans. The Bison dominated late, rushing for 443 yards including 147 yards and three TDs by Stick. That the Bison thumped their archrivals for a trip to Frisco only added to the storyline. A special semifinal, despite the lopsided score. Final score: NDSU 44, SDSU 21. 6. Incarnate Word 2022 — The Bison again were spared a semifinals road trip as the third seed when seventh-seeded Incarnate Word beat No. 2 Sacramento State in the quarterfinals. But if the idea was that NDSU's path to Frisco was greased by the upset, that was quickly quashed. It was an insane back-and-forth game. Behind outstanding quarterback Lindsey Scott , the Cardinals took a 16-0 lead and looked to be going in for another touchdown before a fumble near the Bison goal line changed the tide. The Bison offense rallied, the defense tightened and NDSU somehow led 17-16 at halftime. The Bison went up 24-16 early in the third quarter and looked to be gaining control, but Scott led two TD drives and the Cardinals went ahead 29-24. The Word took a 32-27 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but a 31-yard run by Kobe Johnson and a 2-point conversion gave NDSU a 35-32 lead with 8:11 left. The game wasn't secured until Dawson Weber picked off Scott with a little over a minute remaining. NDSU won despite being outgained 539-333. A snowstorm limited attendance and only 12,569 saw the game, which might be No. 1 on any other program's list of all-time great playoff games. Final score: NDSU 35, Incarnate Word 32. 5. at Montana 2023 — One of two losses that make the top five, but it was undeniably a classic. The unseeded Bison shocked Montana State in the second round and walloped South Dakota in the quarterfinals to earn a trip to Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula to face the second-seeded team. In a tough environment before more than 25,000 fans, Cam Miller hit Eli Green on a 9-yard touchdown pass with less than minute remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime 16-16. Wildcat quarterback Cole Payton went 25 yards for a score on the first play of OT to give NDSU the advantage, but Montana countered quickly to send the game to a second OT. Eli Gillman's 13-yard run gave the Grizzlies the lead and a tipped pass on a trick play resulted in a two-point conversion to give Montana a 31-23 lead. TK Marshall scored on a 2-yard run that gave the Bison a chance, but NDSU's own trick pass play was incomplete, setting off an epic Grizzlies celebration. Final score: Montana 31, NDSU 29. 4. James Madison 2016 — NDSU's first semifinal loss in the FCS. The Bison had won a record five straight national championships and beat Iowa of the Big Ten to start the season. But James Madison came to Fargo as the most talented team in the country and NDSU had lost some key players to injury. It turned out to be a slobberknocker. Dukes running back Khalid Abdullah ran through NDSU early and the visiting team took a shocking 17-0 lead. But the Bison clawed back to tie it 17-all with 5:53 left in the third quarter. The intensity and energy inside the Fargodome was as high as it had ever been and when Robbie Grimsley intercepted a Bryan Schor pass at midfield with 4:42 left in the third, and the building seemed in danger of falling down from the cheer made by the sold-out crowd. NDSU couldn't capitalize, though, and James Madison scored on its next two possessions, including a 25-yard TD pass from Schor to John Miller with 6:59 left, to take an insurmountable 27-17 lead. NDSU's title run was over and James Madison went on to win the national championship. Final score: James Madison 27, NDSU 17. 3. James Madison 2021 — It's tough to choose between this game and Saturday's victory over SDSU at the No. 2 and 3 spots, but given the level of rivalry between the Bison and Jacks this remarkable game had to be slotted third. The Dukes and Bison had developed a good playoff rivalry since that 2016 meeting, with NDSU winning two instant classics over JMU in Frisco to take national titles in 2017 and 2019. And this game took on special meaning because James Madison had announced its intentions to go FBS, so it would be the Dukes' last ride in FCS. NDSU took a 13-0 halftime lead, which included a touchdown pass from Cam Miller to fullback Hunter Luepke , but James Madison scored two TDs in the third quarter for a 14-13 aided by a blocked punt. Miller and Luepke struck again early in the fourth quarter to take back the lead and the Bison defense hung on from there. The iconic play: With James Madison threatening to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, cornerback Destin Talbert leaped high into the air and intercepted a Cole Johnson pass with one hand in the end zone. The Bison defensive line later sacked and harassed Johnson as time ran out to secure the victory and trigger a wild celebration in the dome. Final score: NDSU 20, James Madison 14. 2. South Dakota State 2024 — When asked about it after the game, NDSU coach Tim Polasek slotted this one No. 2 on the list. As he should have. The Jackrabbits had taken the mantle of the best team in FCS in 2022 and 2023, winning back-to-back national titles and dominating their matchups with the Bison. After putting much emotional and physical capital into beating SDSU in the regular season to stop the tide in the Dakota Marker game, NDSU had a chance to end their rival's FCS dominance in the semifinals at the dome. Leading 14-7 in the second quarter, it looked like the Jackrabbits were ready to take control. But Cody Huisman forced a fumble on SDSU running back Amar Johnson and the Bison recovered, and cashed in with a touchdown to tie the game 14-14. Bryce Lance had three touchdown catches, including two in the second half, as the Bison reclaimed their place over SDSU — at least for this season. Final score: NDSU 28, SDSU 21. 1. Georgia Southern 2012 — The original and the best playoff all-timer for NDSU, this game coined the term "Georgia Southern loud" for the volume of the sold-out dome crowd. The Eagles came to Fargo for the second straight year in the semifinals and had an uber-talented team led by quarterback Jerrick McKinnon . Trailing 20-16 with less than 4 minutes remaining, NDSU faced fourth down and 3 from the Georgia Southern 5. If the Eagles held, they'd win the game. After three excruciating timeouts, Brock Jensen ran a quarterback draw and powered into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. The play is known in Bison lore as "Fourth and Frisco." NDSU led 23-20 with 3:05 left, but the game wasn't over. A 40-yard pass on fourth-and-11 put the Eagles in range to try a game-tying field goal with seconds left. But NDSU blocked a 50-yard attempt by Drew Ruggles and the Bison survived for their second straight trip to Frisco, where they defeated Sam Houston for the second straight time for a second straight national championship. Final score: NDSU 23, Georgia Southern 20.FEMA under investigation over Trump supporter discrimination
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — “My Driver and I” was supposed to be made in 2016, but was scuttled amid Saudi Arabia's decades-long cinema ban. Eight years later, the landscape for film in the kingdom looks much different — and the star of “My Driver and I” now has an award. Roula Dakheelallah was named the winner of the Chopard Emerging Saudi Talent award at the Red Sea International Film Festival on Thursday. The award — and the glitzy festival itself — is a sign of Saudi Arabia's commitment to shaping a new film industry. “My heart is attached to cinema and art; I have always dreamed of a moment like this,” Dakheelallah, who still works a 9-5 job, told The Associated Press before the awards ceremony. “I used to work in voluntary films and help my friends in the field, but this is my first big role in a film.” The reopening of cinemas in 2018 marked a cultural turning point for Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy that had instituted the ban 35 years before, under the influence of ultraconservative religious authorities. It has since invested heavily in a native film industry by building theaters and launching programs to support local filmmakers through grants and training. The Red Sea International Film Festival was launched just a year later, part of an attempt to expand Saudi influence into films, gaming, sports and other cultural fields. Activists have decried the investments as whitewashing the kingdom’s human rights record as it tightly controls speech and remains one of the world’s top executioners. With FIFA awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia this week, Lina al-Hathloul, a Saudi activist with the London-based rights group ALQST, said Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman “has really managed to create this bubble where people only see entertainment and they don’t see the reality on the ground.” These efforts are part of Vision 2030, an ambitious reform plan unveiled in 2016 to ease the economy's dependence on oil. As part of it, Saudi Arabia plans to construct 350 cinemas with over 2,500 movie screens — by this past April, across 22 cities, it already had 66 cinemas showing movies from the local film industry, as well as Hollywood and Bollywood. (The Red Sea International Film Festival attracts a host of talent from the latter industries, with Viola Davis and Priyanka Chopra Jonas also picking up awards Thursday.) The country's General Entertainment Authority last month opened Al Hisn Studios on the outskirts of Riyadh. As one of the largest such production hubs in the Middle East, it not only includes several film studios but also a production village with workshops for carpentry, blacksmithing and fashion tailoring. “These facilities, when they exist, will stimulate filmmakers,” said Saudi actor Mohammed Elshehri. “Today, no writer or director has an excuse to imagine and say, ‘I cannot implement my imagination.’” The facilities are one part of the equation — the content itself is another. One of the major players in transforming Saudi filmmaking has been Telfaz11, a media company founded in 2011 that began as a YouTube channel and quickly became a trailblazer. Producing high-quality digital content such as short films, comedy sketches and series, Telfaz11 offered fresh perspectives on Saudi and regional issues. In 2020, Telfaz11 signed a partnership with Netflix to produce original content for the streaming giant. The result has been movies that demonstrate an evolution on the storytelling level, tackling topics that were once off-limits and sensitive to the public like secret nightlife in “Mandoob” (“Night Courier”) and changing social norms in “Naga.” “I think we tell our stories in a very simple way, and that’s what reaches the world,” Elshehri says of the changing shift. “When you tell your story in a natural way without any affectation, it will reach every person.” But the films were not without their critics, drawing mixed reaction. Social media discoursed ranged from pleasure that Saudi film were tackling such topics to anger over how the films reflected conservative society. As Hana Al-Omair, a Saudi writer and director, points out, there are still many stories left untold. “We certainly have a long time ahead of us before we can tell the Saudi narrative as it should be,” she said, acknowledging that there are still barriers and rampant censorship. “The Goat Life,” a Malayalam-language movie about an Indian man forced to work without pay in Saudi Arabia, is not available on Netflix's platform in the country. Movies that explore political topics or LGBTQ+ stories are essentially out of the question. Even “My Driver and I,” featured at the Red Sea festival alongside 11 other Saudi feature-length films, was initially too controversial. It centers on a Sudanese man in Jeddah, living away from his own daughter, who feels responsible for the girl he drives as her parents are absent. It was initially blocked from being made because of the relationship between the girl and the driver, filmmaker Ahd Kamel has said, even though it's not a romantic relationship. Now in 2024, the film is a success story — a symbol of the Saudi film industry's evolution as well as the growing role of women like Kamel behind the camera and Dakheelallah in front of it. “I see the change in Saudi cinema, a very beautiful change and it is moving at a wonderful speed. In my opinion, we do not need to rush,” Dakheelallah said. “We need to guide the truth of the artistic movement that is happening in Saudi Arabia.”Power supply to Basti village restored after MLA interventionConor McGregor Regrets Cheating on Dee Devlin, Thanks Family For Support
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A study of hot spots for collisions between ships and whales around the world, including Canadian waters, offers a map for measures to prevent the deadly strikes that could drive some species to extinction, one of the British Columbia-based authors says. Chloe Robinson said reported strikes represent a fraction of their true extent, and a lack of protection measures leaves whales vulnerable as global shipping expands. The study found shipping takes place across 92 per cent of the ranges for humpback, blue, fin and sperm whales worldwide, but measures to reduce vessel strikes have been implemented in less than seven per cent of high-risk areas. “That could really spell, you know, potential extinction for some of these species,” said Robinson,director of whales for Ocean Wise, a B.C.-based organization that provided data for the paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Science. “A recent study estimated anything up to 20,000 whales are killed a year through ship strikes, globally, and that’s just an estimate, a best-case estimate.” Robinson said she was surprised to see Swiftsure Bank, off the west coast of Vancouver Island, emerge as a risk hot spot for strikes of fin, blue and humpback whales. The area is a “migration highway” for humpbacks, she noted. The study also identified a hot spot for the same three species in the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. “This is something that Ocean Wise has been looking into because a lot of the management measures occur offshore and not sort of within the Gulf of St. Lawrence itself and even the St. Lawrence Seaway, (which) leads down to the Great Lakes,” she said. “That was a huge hot spot, which was really interesting for me.” Robinson said there have been smaller studies on the risk of ship strikes in different regions, but the study published Thursday is the first to map the distribution of the four whale species, using a variety of data sources, then compare it with the Automatic Identification System, a tool used for tracking vessels worldwide. “This was really the first of its kind to map these two on top of each other,” she said. The researchers found the highest levels of risk in the Indian, western North Pacific and Mediterranean, while it also identified high-risk areas in the eastern North Pacific, North and South Atlantic Ocean along with the South China Sea. The Southern Ocean was the only region that did not contain any ship-strike hot spots due to low levels of shipping, despite high use by whales, the study found. Robinson said the findings support a strong case for maritime authorities to adopt measures such as whale alert systems, speed limits and no-go zones. “We know where there are areas where there are lots of whales and lots of ships, so this is where we need to target for management,” she said in an interview. Robinson said Canada is home to many “eyes on the water” and researchers exploring innovative techniques for monitoring whales. But the country lacks mandatory mitigation measures, and it’s not alone. “Next to none of the measures globally are mandatory. So, having voluntary measures (is) great, provided people comply,” Robinson said. Ocean Wise launched an alert system in 2018 that notifies large vessels of the presence of whales in Pacific Northwest waters, and Robinson said about 80 per cent of mariners from Washington state up to Alaska have signed up. The WhaleReport alert system mainly functions in what she describes as “inshore” waters around busy ports in Seattle, Vancouver and Prince Rupert. The Port of Vancouver has also seen a high rate of compliance for its ECHO program, Robinson noted. The program encourages vessels to take voluntary steps, such as slowing down or staying farther away from whales, in order to reduce underwater noise and the potential for strikes in busy shipping areas. Robinson favours a multi-pronged approach to reducing ship strikes, but she said one single measure she believes could have a big impact would be equipping vessels with an infrared camera to detect whales within several kilometres. “Maybe some mariners ... respond better to knowing there 100 per cent is a whale 200 metres in front of your vessel, versus, ‘slow down, there might be a whale here.’” Robinson said such cameras can cost betweenUS$50,000 and $75,000. But the cost was a “drop in the bucket” of major companies’ profits, she said. The cameras also present a public-relations opportunity for businesses to advertise themselves as operating in a more whale-friendly manner, Robinson said. “I know people who have had to go and have therapy after killing a humpback whilst at the helm,” she added. “I think there’s a lot to be said (for) the long-term benefits of this kind of technology.” The study also found areas with lower traffic that could provide refuge for whales, especially with added protections. It shows the Arctic Ocean, for example, has very few high-risk areas for vessel strikes, and Robinson said some researchers view it as potential sanctuary. But without protections, Robinson said Arctic waters could become the next high-risk hot spot as sea ice melts with climate change, opening up shipping routes. “Knowing the plans to expand shipping routes into these areas to cut shipping time, make things faster, right through prime whale habitat, I think this is a really good opportunity to get ahead of the issue before it becomes an issue,” she said. Whales play crucial roles in their ecosystems, including cycling nutrients that support other species, and they’re a boon for tourism, Robinson said. They’re also “magical” creatures that people feel connected to, she said, and they remain vulnerable after many species were hunted to the brink of extinction. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2024.(The Center Square) – House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has opened an investigation into the Federal Emergency Management Agency over reports that it discriminated against supporters of Donald Trump. Comer said whistleblower reports suggest anti-Trump discrimination is rampant and has been going on for years. “[O]n the condition of anonymity, a FEMA official stated that the practice avoiding ‘white or conservative-dominated’ areas is an ‘open secret at the agency that has been going on for years,’” Comer said in a letter to FEMA. The investigation comes after FEMA fired one of its hurricane response supervisors after news went viral that she told her workers to avoid “Trump houses.” However, that employee has publicly said she was only following orders and acting according to the culture at FEMA. Comer and more than two dozen Republican lawmakers sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell demanding documentation, from internal policies to spending figures to incident reports. Lawmakers have pointed toward more anonymous sources backing up the fired employee’s claims. “Additionally, another whistleblower contacted the Committee during the hearing," the letter said. "This individual informed the Committee that a FEMA contractor warned a disabled veteran’s family in Georgia to remove Trump campaign materials from their home because FEMA supervisors viewed Trump supporters as domestic terrorists. At a hearing this week, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., pointed to 35 of his constituents who shared similar stories with him. Lawmakers grilled Criswell over the discrimination reports at the hearing as well as FEMA’s recent focus on Diversity Equity and Inclusion efforts, something FEMA named as its number one goal in its latest strategic report. Lawmakers also raised concerns about the agency spending hundreds of millions of dollars on helping migrants. Defenders of FEMA have said the migrant funds do not take directly from disaster relief, while critics insist it shows missplaced priorities for the emergency relief agency. “In the fiscal year of 2023, FEMA spent nearly a billion dollars, $789 million, to shelter illegals in the United States,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., said at the hearing, as The Center Square previously reported . “This past year it was $641 million, and this money is largely distributed through NGOs...and this was to house illegal aliens," she added. "Not Americans, who by the way all that money, that comes from Americans bank accounts when they write their checks to pay their taxes." At the hearing this week, Criswell also said she will request the Inspector General investigate the question of political discrimination at FEMA. She also said she does not think this fired employee is indicative of a broader problem in the agency but is looking into it. Criswell said FEMA workers went back to the homes that were skipped over by the fired employee and promised to ensure it doesn't happen again. “The Committee is in the process of investigating these claims,” the Oversight letter said. “If they are true, they would corroborate concerns that political discrimination extends beyond [the fired FEMA employee]. Furthermore, they suggest an apparent culture, whether sanctioned or not, within FEMA to politically discriminate against disaster survivors, specifically those who support President-elect Donald Trump.”
Dear Rusty: My wife will reach her full Social Security benefit at 66.5 years of age which is just under two years away for her now. If she were to begin to get her monthly check now (i.e. early), would that prevent her from being eligible for the spousal benefit to receive half of what I am currently drawing? Signed: Curious Husband Dear Curious: If your wife claims her own SS retirement benefit now (e.g., at 64.5 years), and you are already collecting your own SS benefit, then she will be automatically deemed to be filing for her spousal benefit immediately when she claims her own benefit (she does not have the option to defer claiming her spousal benefit until later). This is a change made by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which requires all those first claiming SS to file for ALL benefits they are eligible for when they claim. What that would mean is that your wife’s benefit now, including her spousal boost from you, would be actuarially reduced by the number of months early she claimed. Her own SS retirement benefit would be permanently reduced by about 15%, and her “spousal boost” (the additional amount she would get as your spouse) would be reduced by about 19%, yielding a combined benefit which is roughly 42% of your full retirement age (FRA) SS benefit. The only way your wife can get half (50%) of your FRA benefit entitlement is by waiting until her own full retirement age (66 years and 10 months) to claim. Note too that your wife’s spousal benefit will be based on your FRA entitlement, so if you claimed earlier or later than your own full retirement age, her spousal benefit will still be based on your FRA entitlement. Also, your wife should be aware that anyone who claims early is subject to Social Security’s “earnings test,” which limits how much can be earned while collecting early benefits. Thus, if your wife is working, she will be restricted on how much she can earn before Social Security takes away some of her benefits. FYI, the earnings limit changes annually, but for 2025 it is $23,420 and, if that is exceeded, SS will take away $1 in benefits for every $2 over the limit. And, FYI, the earnings limit goes up a lot during the year FRA is attained, and the earnings test no longer applies once full retirement age is reached. I hope this answers your question, but if you have need additional information, please feel free to contact us directly at SSAdvisor@amacfoundation.org , or call us at 1-888-750-2622. Russell Gloor is an Association of Mature American Citizens certified social security advisor. To submit a question, visit amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory or email ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org .Thanksgiving Travel Latest: Airport strike, staff shortages and weather could impact holiday travelAn invisible hand in Ayungin
We talk about Morse code, named after its inventor, Samuel Morse. However, maybe we should call it Vail code after Alfred Vail, who may be its real inventor. Haven’t heard of him? You aren’t alone. Yet he was behind the first telegraph key and improved other parts of the fledgling telegraph system. The story starts in 1837 when Vail visited his old school, New York University, and attended one of Morse’s early telegraph experiments. His family owned Speedwell Ironworks, and he was an experienced machinist. Sensing an opportunity, he arranged with Morse to take a 25% interest in the technology, and in return, Vail would produce the necessary devices at the Ironworks. Vail split his interest with his brother George. By 1838, a two-mile cable carried a signal from the Speedwell Ironworks. Morse and Vail demonstrated the system to President Van Buren and members of Congress. In 1844, Congress awarded Morse $30,000 to build a line from Washington to Baltimore. That was the same year Morse sent the famous message “What Hath God Wrought?” Who received and responded to that message? Alfred Vail. Telegraphs were first proposed in the late 1700s, using 26 wires, one for each letter of the alphabet. Later improvements by Wheatstone and Cooke reduced the number of wires to five, but that still wasn’t very practical. Samuel Morse, an artist by trade, was convinced he could reduce the number of wires to one. By 1832, he had a crude prototype using a homemade battery and a relatively weak Sturgeon electromagnet. Morse’s original plan for code was based on how semaphore systems worked. Messages would appear in a dictionary, and each message would be assigned a number. The telegraph produced an inked line on a paper strip like a ticker tape. By counting the dips in the line, you could reconstruct the digits and then look up the message in the dictionary. Morse’s partners, Vail and a professor named Gale, didn’t get their names on the patents, and for the most part, the partners didn’t take any credit — Vail’s contract with Morse did specify that Vail’s work would benefit Morse. However, there is evidence that Vail came up with the dot/dash system and did much of the work of converting the hodgepodge prototype into a reliable and manufacturable system. For example, Morse’s telegraph used a pencil to mark paper, while Vail used a steel-pointed pen. The sending key was also Vail’s work, along with other improvements to the receiving apparatus (we’ve seen some nice of this key). As you may have noticed, the length of Morse code characters is inversely proportional to their frequency in English. That is, “E,” a common letter, is much shorter than a “Z,” which is far less common. Supposedly, Vail went to a local newspaper and used the type cases as a guide for letter frequencies. It is worth noting that the code in question isn’t the one we use today. It was “American Morse Code” which was used most often by railroads. The modern International Morse Code is somewhat similar, but several differences exist. The most notable is that dashes are not always the same length. An L is a “long dash,” and a zero is an even longer dash (you occasionally hear this as shorthand on the ham bands if the sender uses a straight key). In addition, some letters use longer than normal spaces. For example, the letters “A” and “B” are exactly like modern code, but the letter “C” is two dots, a double space, and another dot. An “O” is a dot, a double space, and another dot. The gaps and different lengths caused problems with long cables, which led to Friedrich Gerke developing a derivative code in 1848. His code is essentially what we use today and uses a fixed length for dots, dashes, and spaces. There is one exception. The original Gerke code used the long-dash zero. Most of the letters in the International code are the same as the ones in the Gerke code, although when International Morse was codified in 1865, there were a few changes to some letters and numbers. The telegraph was a huge success. By 1854, around 23,000 miles of lines were in operation. Western Union formed in 1851, and by 1866, there was a trans-Atlantic cable. Vail, however, was not a huge success. Morse took on an influential congressman as a partner and cut Vail’s shares in half. That left the Vail brothers with 12.5% of the profits. In 1848, Vail was disillusioned with his $ 900-a-year salary for running the Washington and New Orleans Telegraph Company. He wrote to Morse: He died less than 11 years later, in 1859. Other than researching genealogy, we didn’t find much about what he did in those years. Like most inventions, you can’t just point to one person who made the leap alone. In addition to Vail and his assistant William Baxter, Joseph Henry (the inductor guy) created practical that were essential to the operation of the telegraph. In fact, he demonstrated how an electromagnet could ring a bell at a distance, which is really all you need for a telegraph, so he has some claim, too. Part of the Speedwell Ironworks is now . It might not be a coincidence that the U.S. Army Signal Corps school was located in New Jersey at Camp Alfred Vail in 1919. Camp Alfred Vail would later become Fort Monmouth and was the home to the Signal Corps until the 1970s. These old wired telegraphs made instead of a beep. Of course, wired telegraphs would give way to radio, and telegraphy of all kinds would mostly succumb to digital modes. However, you can still find the occasional .(The Center Square) – House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has opened an investigation into the Federal Emergency Management Agency over reports that it discriminated against supporters of Donald Trump. Comer said whistleblower reports suggest anti-Trump discrimination is rampant and has been going on for years. “[O]n the condition of anonymity, a FEMA official stated that the practice avoiding ‘white or conservative-dominated’ areas is an ‘open secret at the agency that has been going on for years,’” Comer said in a letter to FEMA. The investigation comes after FEMA fired one of its hurricane response supervisors after news went viral that she told her workers to avoid “Trump houses.” However, that employee has publicly said she was only following orders and acting according to the culture at FEMA. Comer and more than two dozen Republican lawmakers sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell demanding documentation, from internal policies to spending figures to incident reports. Lawmakers have pointed toward more anonymous sources backing up the fired employee’s claims. “Additionally, another whistleblower contacted the Committee during the hearing," the letter said. "This individual informed the Committee that a FEMA contractor warned a disabled veteran’s family in Georgia to remove Trump campaign materials from their home because FEMA supervisors viewed Trump supporters as domestic terrorists. At a hearing this week, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., pointed to 35 of his constituents who shared similar stories with him. Lawmakers grilled Criswell over the discrimination reports at the hearing as well as FEMA’s recent focus on Diversity Equity and Inclusion efforts, something FEMA named as its number one goal in its latest strategic report. Lawmakers also raised concerns about the agency spending hundreds of millions of dollars on helping migrants. Defenders of FEMA have said the migrant funds do not take directly from disaster relief, while critics insist it shows missplaced priorities for the emergency relief agency. “In the fiscal year of 2023, FEMA spent nearly a billion dollars, $789 million, to shelter illegals in the United States,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., said at the hearing, as The Center Square previously reported . “This past year it was $641 million, and this money is largely distributed through NGOs...and this was to house illegal aliens," she added. "Not Americans, who by the way all that money, that comes from Americans bank accounts when they write their checks to pay their taxes." At the hearing this week, Criswell also said she will request the Inspector General investigate the question of political discrimination at FEMA. She also said she does not think this fired employee is indicative of a broader problem in the agency but is looking into it. Criswell said FEMA workers went back to the homes that were skipped over by the fired employee and promised to ensure it doesn't happen again. “The Committee is in the process of investigating these claims,” the Oversight letter said. “If they are true, they would corroborate concerns that political discrimination extends beyond [the fired FEMA employee]. Furthermore, they suggest an apparent culture, whether sanctioned or not, within FEMA to politically discriminate against disaster survivors, specifically those who support President-elect Donald Trump.”
Victor Wembanyama plays 1-on-1 chess with fans in New York