
Sarah Ferguson has lifted the lid and given a rare insight into her daughters' children's lives with a major Christmas update. The Duchess of York, 65, is well and truly in the festive spirit and like most grandmothers she is ready to spoil her grandchildren this festive season “with sweets, toys and treats”. "Grannies exist to spoil their grandchildren, don't they? I'll be stuffing their stockings with sweets, toys and treats. I think I'm as excited as they are," the Duchess told Hello! Sarah - affectionately dubbed Fergie by fans and friends - is grandmother to Princess Beatrice ’s daughter Sienna, three, and stepson Wolfie, eight, as well as Princess Eugenie ’s sons, August, three, and one-year-old Ernest. And soon, Fergie will become a grandmother again as Beatrice, the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, is currently pregnant with her and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's second child, with the baby set to be born in early spring. When the pregnancy announcement was made in October, Eugenie was quick to take to social media to congratulate her sister and share a heartfelt message. Sarah is not one to leave her Christmas shopping to the last minute as the Dutchess plans a “long way ahead” and she even has an adorable annual Christmas tradition. She said: "I spot things I think people would like throughout the year and stash them away. “Every year I also like to get special baubles made for everyone's tree." Just a couple of days ago, Fergie shared a glimpse of her family outing at Windsor Great Park , in new footage she shared on her social media accounts. With the big day fast approaching, it is likely that the Prince and Princess of Wales will spend this Christmas at Anmer Hall, a Georgian country house gifted to the couple by Queen Elizabeth II after their wedding in 2011. Former BBC royal correspondent, Jennie Bond described possible Christmas scenes with the Wales family. She told OK! Magazine : "I think it is in their own family home that the Waleses let the kids run riot. So I think they'll probably be tearing open their stockings and racing around their home at some ungodly hour on Christmas morning – just like kids up and down the country."
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Anthropic said Friday that longtime backer Amazon had pumped an additional $4 billion into the artificial intelligence startup, doubling its investment in the firm known for its GenAI chatbot Claude . Amazon will maintain its position as a minority investor and will be Anthropic’s main training partner for AI models, the startup said. Amazon, which is Anthropic’s primary cloud partner, is fiercely competing with Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google to offer AI-powered tools for its cloud customers. The e-commerce company’s increased investment in Anthropic underscores the billions of dollars funneled into AI startups over the past year, as investors look to capitalize on a boom in generative AI technology, which became popular with the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022. Microsoft-backed OpenAI last month raised $6.6 billion from investors, which could value the company at $157 billion and cement its position as one of the most valuable private companies in the world. Anthropic plans to train and deploy its foundational models on Amazon’s Trainium and Inferentia chips.The intensive process of training AI models requires powerful processors, making securing pricey AI chips a top priority for startups. Nvidia currently dominates the market for AI processors and counts Amazon among its long list of so-called hyperscaler customers. Still, Amazon has been working to develop its own chips through its Annapurna Labs division, which Anthropic said it was “working closely with” to aid in developing processors. Britain’s competition regulator had said in September that Amazon’s partnership with Anthropic would not be referred for a deeper probe as it did not fall under its jurisdiction. Anthropic, co-founded by former OpenAI executives and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, said last year it had also secured a $500 million investment from Alphabet, which promised to invest another $1.5 billion over time. The startup also uses Alphabet’s Google Cloud services as part of its operations.
Türkiye beat Hungary 92-66 in EuroBasket 2025 qualifiersThere is more that connects these two words than the fact that they rhyme. Christmas is the most anticipated time of the year for so many families but with this special time comes a unique set of emotions and relationship realities. It is this once-a-year occasion that drives our need for more empathy than at any other point in the year – for ourselves and for each other. Often mistaken as an ability, we are born with more or less of, empathy is actually a pro-social skillset that we all possess in order to be able to connect to those around us. It is a neurological skillset and not a mindset. At this time of year, as we share our humility and compassion with others, it is our ability to deeply understand the perspectives of others that allows us to gain both strength and unity. So how do you ensure that you are getting it right? Read on below as global expert Mimi Nicklin shares her top tips for harmony and understanding as the holidays roll out. Five habits for higher levels of empathy this festive period: Your in-laws, your neighbours and even strangers who need a friendly face and might be celebrating alone – whoever you connect with, make those people you speak to feel like they are the only person in the room. Phrases like “what I’m hearing you say is....” make the speaker feel encouraged and understood, as well as ensuring you can really hear what is being communicated to you. Listen up, listen in and try to blur out some of the background noise so you can really connect as people. It’s easy to smile lots when things are going well but when tension rises, try to remember that the majority of our communication is nonverbal so being conscious of your body language promotes calmer and connection around you. Lean inward and ensure your body language is open – with uncrossed arms and an encouraging smile and eye contact. These small changes to your stance will go a great distance to creating cohesion between the people in the conversation, whatever the topic. We are naturally wired to empathise, both for individual and group success, and yet so often we spend our time with a group of people, in a shared physical environment, but barely connecting beyond the topic at hand. This Christmas take an active focus to connect with the feelings and emotions of those around you with a more committed approach to imagining how they feel. Focus on asking questions and really hearing the answers rather than jumping into giving advice. This will help all of us gain insight into the other person’s reality and ensure we listen to truly understand, and not just to reply. Our best memories come from the heart and not from the wallet. Let’s focus on our shared experience beyond the gifts and investments we make for the big day. Creating memories can link to the things we read, the stories we create, the films we share or the music we dance to. Specifically, we know that reading drives our empathy up and allows us (and our kids) to tune into the realities of others in a deeper way. Kindness is the response with which we react to empathy. Once you have understood another, choose kindness above all else. It’s been a long 11 months for many people and a little more kindness, a little more often will take us a long way to showing our shared understanding and connection to those around us. Just like Tiny Tim in the famous festive story, A Christmas Carol, let’s focus on empathy and friendship above all else this year – however challenging that might be in any given tense festive moment. Tiny Tim managed to turn old Scrooge and get him to feel optimism and empathy, giving the old humbug a second chance at life, so let’s connect together and give Christmas 2024 its chance to shine.
Mickey, Minnie, Goffy and WembyGo Thumzup! Thumzup Media Corporation Since January 1, 2024, Thumzup has grown from 183 advertisers to 554 as of October 31, 2024, underscoring the platform's escalating appeal across diverse business sectors. This substantial growth of Thumzup's innovative approach to digital advertising is indicative of a broader shift in the industry towards more direct and rewarding forms of consumer engagement. Traditional advertising models are increasingly seen as intrusive and ineffective, prompting advertisers to seek out more organic and user-centric ways to connect with their audiences. Thumzup's platform capitalizes on this trend by turning everyday social media users into brand ambassadors, thereby fostering authentic interactions and building brand loyalty. "Our platform's capability to engage consumers directly through social media and reward them for their endorsements has met with enthusiastic response from a wide spectrum of businesses,” stated Thumzup Chief Executive Officer Robert Steele. "This includes retailers, restaurants, home furnishings, clothes, coffee shops and consumer brands in beverages and breakfast cereals. The Thumzup platform is continuing to resonate with advertisers, and we are thrilled by the continued adoption of our platform.” The Thumzup app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play . About Thumzup ® Thumzup Media Corporation (Thumzup) is democratizing the multi-billion dollar social media branding and marketing industry. Its flagship product, the Thumzup platform, utilizes a robust programmatic advertiser dashboard coupled with a consumer-facing App to enable individuals to get paid cash for posting about participating advertisers on major social media outlets through the Thumzup App. The easy-to-use dashboard allows advertisers to programmatically customize their campaigns. Cash payments are made to App users/creators through PayPal and other digital payment systems. Thumzup was featured on CBS Los Angeles and in KTLA . Legal Disclaimer This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include, without limitation, statements about its potential growth, impacts on the advertising industry, plans for potential uplisting, and planned expansion. These statements are identified by the use of the words "could," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "may," "continue," "predict," "potential," "project" and similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that these plans, objectives, expectations or intentions will be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience and present expectations or projections. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and the trading price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly. Forward-looking statements also are affected by the risk factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Company Contact Thumzup Investor Relations [email protected] 800-403-6150 Media Contact Jessica Starman [email protected] Attachment Go Thumzup!
It’s the season of giving and in kind donation drives are usually in full swing throughout the holiday and winter months. But while you may have the best intentions and there’s no wrong way to give, there are some items that are more in demand and more useful to those in need as well as shelters that serve them. Maritza Sanchez, the executive director of the Red Door Family Shelter says food remains the number one priority. Non perishable items like pasta, rice, canned tuna, corn, beans, lentils and soup are usually at the top of the list. “There’s a lot of food insecurity and at the Red Door Family shelter, we are very fortunate that we receive funding from the City of Toronto and for our other shelter, from the province. However, it’s not sufficient funding to meet all the needs of the families that we support on a daily basis,” she says. “For the families that leave the shelter, we support them as well for two years afterwards, and they rely heavily on our food bank. And at times, unfortunately, the food bank can be empty. So that is one of our biggest goals, is to always have the shelves stocked with food for those families that depend on that.” For the winter season, Sanchez says coats and gloves are always welcome, but most shelters are always in need of personal hygiene and care items as well as cleaning and household products. Most wanted items include: Sanchez says items must be new and unused and when donating hygiene items, it’s best to ensure they are unscented. “One of the things that is kind of new for us is that we’re also trying to fill the need of diverse cultures and ethnicities, and therefore the requirement for culturally appropriate type of products is high. We would like things like shea butter, castor oil, things that people might not be thinking about, but there’s a lot of families and especially women that rely on those kind of products and they’re not easy to get and they can be very expensive,” she says. Family shelters that house children are also in need of diapers, baby wipes and infant formula. Sanchez says people tend to donate smaller sized diapers for infants more often, but they also need larger sizes for toddlers. For formula, accessible brands readily available in grocery stores are preferred. If you’re looking to donate toys for the kids, keep in mind that space in shelter rooms across the city is limited. “Donors have the best intention and they’ll give a child a big truck [for example] and unfortunately they’re not able to accommodate that without causing inconvenience to the family. And even for those families that move out, they’re moving into tight quarters usually because the rents are so high, trying to get a big apartment these days, it’s almost impossible in Toronto,” says Sanchez. When donating directly to those who are unhoused or sleeping outside street nurse Madison Joyce with Street Nurses Network Toronto says the main principles to keep in mind are warmth, safety and accessibility. The most common items needed include: “If you’re looking at giving food items, definitely think about things that are easy on the teeth, easy to prepare, lightweight and compact when possible and also temperature stable,” she says. Also keep in mind the realities of living outdoors, like lack of storage and kitchen tools. “You want to think about not using any extra tools. So what are you going to take if you’re going camping or on a hike, say for instance — you don’t have access to a fridge and you don’t have access to the tools that you might need. You don’t have a can opener, you don’t have a microwave. You’ve got what’s on your body,” she says. “[So try to make sure] that whatever you do give people, they can prepare in that context or it’s easy to carry with them. Prepared food is an option as well. I would also consider something along the lines of a reusable cutlery set. That’s something that could be really handy for folks because even if they get these meals prepared and handed out, they might not be able to eat them [without utensils].” Food items that are most suitable to donate to those living outdoors include: “[If they] might be able to access a microwave or boiling water, I’d think about things like instant noodles, instant soups, instant oatmeal, instant coffee,” she says. For winter, moisturizer, lip balm, lozenges and facial tissue are also useful. Joyce adds that donations don’t always have to be monetary or in kind. “Giving information about local drop-ins and meal programs can be really handy,” she says. For business owners with brick and mortar stores who want to help, Joyce suggests lending a safe warm space and access to a bathroom. “Barriers are higher than ever, but there’s always things that we can do to help support folks,” she says. “One thing everybody can afford is compassion.”
Businesses in Springfield, Holyoke and Northampton are among 180 getting shares of $26 million from the state’s Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund . The Cannabis Control Commission provides free technical assistance through its own Social Equity Program. The program helps cannabis entrepreneurs in communities that have been disproportionately harmed by past marijuana prohibition. Grants range from $25,000 to $500,000 in four tiers based on whether the recipient has a license or is applying for one. Companies in Tier 1 are just entering the cannabis industry and receive up to $25,000. Stories by Jim Kinney
Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Wemby
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — JuJu Watkins scored 21 points to lead No. 6 Southern California to a 66-53 win over Oregon in the Big Ten opener for both teams on Saturday. Watkins was 6 for 15 from the field, including 3 of 9 on 3-pointers, in 28 minutes before fouling out. Kiki Iriafen added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Trojans (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten). Deja Kelly scored 16 points and Peyton Scott added 13 to lead the Ducks (7-3, 0-1). Oregon led 13-12 after the first quarter, but USC scored the first 18 points of the second quarter and never trailed again. The Trojans built the lead to 40-19 at halftime with 15 points from Watkins. Scott opened the third quarter with four straight points, but USC scored five straight points right after and kept the lead in double digits the rest of the way. USC: The Trojans won their fourth straight since a loss to No. 10 Notre Dame. USC returns to nonconference play over the next three weeks, including a trip to No. 2 UConn. Oregon: The Ducks started the season 6-0 and moved up to No. 23 in the AP poll but have now lost three of four games. Kelly scored to put Oregon up 13-12 early, but USC held the Ducks scoreless for more than five minutes to start the second quarter while scoring 18 straight points. Watkins had a seven-point run of her own within that span. USC outrebounded Oregon 45-31, including 34 defensive rebounds. The Trojans are averaging nearly 12 more rebounds per game than their opponents on the season. USC hosts Fresno State on Tuesday night, and Oregon hosts Air Force on Dec. 17. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketballFormer Boise State coach Chris Petersen still gets asked about the Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma on the first day of 2007. That game had everything. Underdog Boise State took a 28-10 lead over one of college football's blue bloods that was followed by a 25-point Sooners run capped by what could have been a back-breaking interception return for a touchdown with 1:02 left. Then the Broncos used three trick plays that remain sensations to not only force overtime but win 43-42. And then there was the marriage proposal by Boise State running back Ian Johnson — shortly after scoring the winning two-point play — to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics that was accepted on national TV. That game put Broncos football on the national map for most fans, but looking back 18 years later, Petersen sees it differently. “Everybody wants to talk about that Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl game, which is great how it all worked out and all those things,” Petersen said. “But we go back to play TCU (three years later) again on the big stage. It's not as flashy a game, but to me, that was an even better win.” Going back to the Fiesta Bowl and winning, Petersen reasoned, showed the Broncos weren't a splash soon to fade away, that there was something longer lasting and more substantive happening on the famed blue turf. The winning has continued with few interruptions. No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for another trip to the Fiesta Bowl, this time in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year's Eve. That success has continued through a series of coaches, though with a lot more of a common thread than readily apparent. Dirk Koetter was hired from Oregon, where Petersen was the wide receivers coach. Not only did Koetter bring Petersen with him to Oregon, Petersen introduced him to Dan Hawkins, who also was hired for the staff. So the transition from Koetter to Hawkins to Petersen ensured at least some level of consistency. Koetter and Hawkins engineered double-digit victory seasons five times over a six-year span that led to power-conference jobs. Koetter went to Arizona State after three seasons and Hawkins to Colorado after five. Then when Petersen became the coach after the 2005 season, he led Boise State to double-digit wins his first seven seasons and made bowls all eight years. He resisted the temptation to leave for a power-conference program until Washington lured him away toward the end of the 2013 season. Then former Boise State quarterback and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin took over and posted five double-digit victory seasons over his first six years. After going 5-2 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he left for Auburn. “They just needed consistency of leadership,” said Koetter, who is back as Boise State's offensive coordinator. “This program had always won at the junior-college level, the Division II level, the I-AA (now FCS) level.” But Koetter referred to “an unfortunate chain of events” that made Boise State a reclamation project when he took over in 1998. Coach Pokey Allen led Boise State to the Division I-AA national championship game in 1994, but was diagnosed with cancer two days later. He died on Dec. 30, 1996, at 53. Allen coached the final two games that season, Boise State's first in Division I-A (now FBS). Houston Nutt became the coach in 1997, went 4-7 and headed to Arkansas. Then Koetter took over. “One coach dies and the other wasn't the right fit for this program,” Koetter said. “Was a really good coach, did a lot of good things, but just wasn't a good fit for here.” But because of Boise State's success at the lower levels, Koetter said the program was set up for success. “As Boise State has risen up the conference food chain, they’ve pretty much always been at the top from a player talent standpoint,” Koetter said. “So it was fairly clear if we got things headed in the right direction and did a good job recruiting, we would be able to win within our conference for sure.” Success didn't take long. He went 6-5 in 1998 and then won 10 games each of the following two seasons. Hawkins built on that winning and Petersen took it to another level. But there is one season, really one game, no really one half that still bugs Petersen. He thought his best team was in 2010, one that entered that late-November game at Nevada ranked No. 3 and had a legitimate chance to play for the national championship. The Colin Kaepernick-led Wolf Pack won 34-31. “I think the best team that I might've been a part of as the head coach was the team that lost one game to Nevada,” Petersen said. "That team, to me, played one poor half of football on offense the entire season. We were winning by a bunch at half (24-7) and we came out and did nothing on offense in the second half and still had a chance to win. “That team would've done some damage.” There aren't any what-ifs with this season's Boise State team. The Broncos are in the field of the first 12-team playoff, representing the Group of Five as its highest-ranked conference champion. That got Boise State a bye into the quarterfinals. Spencer Danielson has restored the championship-level play after taking over as the interim coach late last season during a rare downturn that led to Andy Avalos' dismissal . Danielson received the job full time after leading Boise State to the Mountain West championship . Now the Broncos are 12-1 with their only defeat to top-ranked and No. 1 seed Oregon on a last-second field goal . Running back Ashton Jeanty also was the runner-up to the Heisman Trophy . “Boise State has been built on the backs of years and years of success way before I got here,” Danielson said. "So even this season is not because of me. It’s because the group of young men wanted to leave a legacy, be different. We haven’t been to the Fiesta Bowl in a decade. They said in January, ‘We’re going to get that done.’ They went to work.” As was the case with Danielson, Petersen and Koetter said attracting top talent is the primary reason Boise State has succeeded all these years. Winning, obviously, is the driving force, and with more entry points to the playoffs, the Broncos could make opportunities to keep returning to the postseason a selling point. But there's also something about the blue carpet. Petersen said he didn't get what it was about when he arrived as an assistant coach, and there was some talk about replacing it with more conventional green grass. A poll in the Idaho Statesman was completely against that idea, and Petersen has come to appreciate what that field means to the program. “It's a cumulative period of time where young kids see big-time games when they're in seventh and eighth and ninth and 10th grade and go, ‘Oh, I know that blue turf. I want to go there,’” Petersen said. 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-football
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