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How to Start a Phone Case Printing Vending Machine Business?Dana Hull | (TNS) Bloomberg News Jared Birchall, Elon Musk’s money manager and the head of his family office, is listed as the chief executive officer. Jehn Balajadia, a longtime Musk aide who has worked at SpaceX and the Boring Co., is named as an official contact. Related Articles National Politics | Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’ National Politics | Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus National Politics | Biden vetoes once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal judgeships, citing ‘hurried’ House action National Politics | A history of the Panama Canal — and why Trump can’t take it back on his own National Politics | President-elect Trump wants to again rename North America’s tallest peak But they’re not connected to Musk’s new technology venture, or the political operation that’s endeared him to Donald Trump. Instead, they’re tied to the billionaire’s new Montessori school outside Bastrop, Texas, called Ad Astra, according to documents filed with state authorities and obtained via a Texas Public Information Act request. The world’s richest person oversees an overlapping empire of six companies — or seven, if you include his political action committee. Alongside rockets, electric cars, brain implants, social media and the next Trump administration, he is increasingly focused on education, spanning preschool to college. One part of his endeavor was revealed last year, when Bloomberg News reported that his foundation had set aside roughly $100 million to create a technology-focused primary and secondary school in Austin, with eventual plans for a university. An additional $137 million in cash and stock was allotted last year, according to the most recent tax filing for the Musk Foundation. Ad Astra is closer to fruition. The state documents show Texas authorities issued an initial permit last month, clearing the way for the center to operate with as many as 21 pupils. Ad Astra’s website says it’s “currently open to all children ages 3 to 9.” The school’s account on X includes job postings for an assistant teacher for preschool and kindergarten and an assistant teacher for students ages 6 to 9. To run the school, Ad Astra is partnering with a company that has experience with billionaires: Xplor Education, which developed Hala Kahiki Montessori school in Lanai, Hawaii, the island 98% owned by Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison. Ad Astra sits on a highway outside Bastrop, a bedroom community about 30 miles from Austin and part of a region that’s home to several of Musk’s businesses. On a visit during a recent weekday morning, there was a single Toyota Prius in the parking lot and no one answered the door at the white building with a gray metal roof. The school’s main entrance was blocked by a gate, and there was no sign of any children on the grounds. But what information there is about Ad Astra makes it sound like a fairly typical, if high-end, Montessori preschool. The proposed schedule includes “thematic, STEM-based activities and projects” as well as outdoor play and nap time. A sample snack calendar features carrots and hummus. While Birchall’s and Balajadia’s names appear in the application, it isn’t clear that they’ll have substantive roles at the school once it’s operational. Musk, Birchall and Balajadia didn’t respond to emailed questions. A phone call and email to the school went unanswered. Access to high quality, affordable childcare is a huge issue for working parents across the country, and tends to be an especially vexing problem in rural areas like Bastrop. Many families live in “childcare deserts” where there is either not a facility or there isn’t an available slot. Opening Ad Astra gives Musk a chance to showcase his vision for education, and his support for the hands-on learning and problem solving that are a hallmark of his industrial companies. His public comments about learning frequently overlap with cultural concerns popular among conservatives and the Make America Great Again crowd, often focusing on what he sees as young minds being indoctrinated by teachers spewing left-wing propaganda. He has railed against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and in August posted that “a lot of schools are teaching white boys to hate themselves.” Musk’s educational interests dovetail with his new role as Trump’s “first buddy.” The billionaire has pitched a role for himself that he — and now the incoming Trump administration — call “DOGE,” or the Department of Government Efficiency. Though it’s not an actual department, DOGE now posts on X, the social media platform that Musk owns. “The Department of Education spent over $1 billion promoting DEI in America’s schools,” the account posted Dec. 12. Back in Texas, Bastrop is quickly becoming a key Musk point of interest. The Boring Co., his tunneling venture, is based in an unincorporated area there. Across the road, SpaceX produces Starlink satellites at a 500,000-square-foot (46,000-square-meter) facility. Nearby, X is constructing a building for trust and safety workers. Musk employees, as well as the general public, can grab snacks at the Boring Bodega, a convenience store housed within Musk’s Hyperloop Plaza, which also contains a bar, candy shop and hair salon. Ad Astra is just a five-minute drive away. It seems to have been designed with the children of Musk’s employees — if not Musk’s own offspring — in mind. Musk has fathered at least 12 children, six of them in the last five years. “Ad Astra’s mission is to foster curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking in the next generation of problem solvers and builders,” reads the school’s website. A job posting on the website of the Montessori Institute of North Texas says “While their parents support the breakthroughs that expand the realm of human possibility, their children will grow into the next generation of innovators in a way that only authentic Montessori can provide.” The school has hired an executive director, according to documents Bloomberg obtained from Texas Health and Human Services. Ad Astra is located on 40 acres of land, according to the documents, which said a 4,000-square-foot house would be remodeled for the preschool. It isn’t uncommon for entrepreneurs to take an interest in education, according to Bill Gormley, a professor emeritus at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University who studies early childhood education. Charles Butt, the chairman of the Texas-based H-E-B grocery chain, has made public education a focus of his philanthropy. Along with other business and community leaders, Butt founded “Raise Your Hand Texas,” which advocates on school funding, teacher workforce and retention issues and fully funding pre-kindergarten. “Musk is not the only entrepreneur to recognize the value of preschool for Texas workers,” Gormley said. “A lot of politicians and business people get enthusiastic about education in general — and preschool in particular — because they salivate at the prospect of a better workforce.” Political Moves Musk spent much of October actively campaigning for Trump’s presidential effort, becoming the most prolific donor of the election cycle. He poured at least $274 million into political groups in 2024, including $238 million to America PAC, the political action committee he founded. While the vast majority of money raised by America PAC came from Musk himself, it also had support from other donors. Betsy DeVos, who served as education secretary in Trump’s first term, donated $250,000, federal filings show. The Department of Education is already in the new administration’s cross hairs. Trump campaigned on the idea of disbanding the department and dismantling diversity initiatives, and he has also taken aim at transgender rights. “Rather than indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material, which is what we’re doing now, our schools must be totally refocused to prepare our children to succeed in the world of work,” Trump wrote in Agenda 47, his campaign platform. Musk has three children with the musician Grimes and three with Shivon Zilis, who in the past was actively involved at Neuralink, his brain machine interface company. All are under the age of five. Musk took X, his son with Grimes, with him on a recent trip to Capitol Hill. After his visit, he shared a graphic that showed the growth of administrators in America’s public schools since 2000. Tuition Costs Musk is a fan of hands-on education. During a Tesla earnings call in 2018, he talked about the need for more electricians as the electric-car maker scaled up the energy side of its business. On the Joe Rogan podcast in 2020, Musk said that “too many smart people go into finance and law.” “I have a lot of respect for people who work with their hands and we need electricians and plumbers and carpenters,” Musk said while campaigning for Trump in Pennsylvania in October. “That’s a lot more important than having incremental political science majors.” Ad Astra’s website says the cost of tuition will be initially subsidized, but in future years “tuition will be in line with local private schools that include an extended day program.” “I do think we need significant reform in education,” Musk said at a separate Trump campaign event. “The priority should be to teach kids skills that they will find useful later in life, and to leave any sort of social propaganda out of the classroom.” With assistance from Sophie Alexander and Kara Carlson. ©2024 Bloomberg News. Visit at bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Ticket-splitting, veto override among NC's top political stories of 2024
Expect more affordable housing units in Alberta as the province spends $150 million for new developments. “I am pleased to announce that the Alberta Affordable Housing Partnership Program is opening for the next round of applications,” said Jason Nixon, Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister, on Friday.. With National Housing Day, the Alberta government is pledging to increase its efforts to address housing affordability in the province. From the start of 2024 up until October, the province saw an estimated $38,000 houses being constructed, which is more compared to last year. “The reality is though that while Alberta is having success we recognize that there are still many struggling to find housing and to meet their needs. Which is why we know there’s more that needs to be done,” said Nixon. Alberta saw an increase in population by about 200,000 last year. One organization stated that while the funding is a start, there’s still a lot more that needs to be done. “We didn’t have a real housing crisis and the government didn’t invest in affordable and community housing over the years the same way. And now we’re here and we’re trying to meet the growing demand, so we are playing catch up,” said Irene Martion-Lindsay, the executive director of Alberta Seniors and Community Housing Association. Martin-Lindsay also says that there has been a growing demand for the adult population needing affordable homes. “This has been happening for a while and it’s really hard for them to be prioritized, but the older adults that aren’t seniors that are in that 55 to 65, they’re really struggling because of the lower-end fixed income,” said Martin-Lindsay. This is not the first time Alberta invested in affordable housing, in 2022 the government put $189 million into supporting units and shelters within 15 communities. The province opens the application for the new housing development this Friday up until January 31, 2025.
Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the . He will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars’ worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while . Ferguson is already one of the FTC’s five commissioners, which is currently made up of three Democrats and two Republicans. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Related Articles The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions. “These changes likely will make the FTC more favorable to business than it has been in recent years, though the extent to which is to be determined,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, . Deals that were blocked by the Biden administration could find new life with Trump in command. For example, the new leadership could be more open to a proposed merger between the country’s two biggest supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons, which forged a $24.6 billion deal to combine in 2022. Two judges Tuesday night. The FTC had earlier this year to block the merger, claiming the deal would eliminate competition, leading to higher prices and lower wages for workers. The two companies say a merger would help them lower prices and compete against bigger rivals like Walmart. One of the judges said the FTC had shown it was likely to prevail in the administrative hearing. Yet given the widespread public concern over high grocery prices, the Trump administration may not fully abandon the FTC’s efforts to block the deal, some experts have said. And the FTC may continue to scrutinize Big Tech firms for any anticompetitive behavior. Many Republican politicians have accused firms such as Meta of censoring conservative views, and some officials in Trump’s orbit, most notably Vice President-elect JD Vance, have previously expressed support for Khan’s scrutiny of Big Tech firms. In addition to Fergson, Trump also announced Tuesday that he had selected Jacob Helberg as the next undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment.
US allocates US$725 million military aid package to Ukraine
After soaring in 2024, the stock market is approaching the end of December in a volatile fashion. On Friday, Dec. 20, artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia is down by 11% in a month. The stock is still up by 161% year to date, but that's a pretty sharp correction. If you have been looking for an opportunity to buy Nvidia shares at a lower price , this just might be the correction you've been waiting for. Even so, market darling Nvidia isn't my favorite stock pick right now. The shares are still pricey at 52 times trailing earnings or 58 times free cash flow, and there are lots of modestly priced alternatives out there. If you have $1,000 to invest after paying the holiday bills , here are two of my favorite stock-buying opportunities right now. Fiverr International 's ( FVRR 0.88% ) growth prospects are ridiculously undervalued, and Intel ( INTC 2.41% ) isn't used to playing the underdog, but I see great promise in its ongoing strategy shift. Fiverr's growth story is far from over Many investors saw Fiverr as a direct play on the coronavirus pandemic. Lots of people were stuck at home for months, with uncertain income sources and rising costs of living. Why not take advantage of a freelance services expert like Fiverr to bolster that aching wallet for a while? On the flip side, the same investors who rode Fiverr's stock to lofty highs in 2020 and 2021 have been avoiding the stock in recent years. The lockdowns are over, so the unique and temporary business opportunity is gone forever. Right? Well, no. As it turns out, Fiverr's business slowed down after the widespread return to offices, but it never stopped growing. The company is also quite profitable, especially in the shareholder-friendly realm of free cash flows . Yet, the stock has continued to lag behind the broader market in this bull market. Fiverr's shares are up by a measly 9% in two years, while the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) gained 55% over the same period. The stock trades at a very affordable 14.6 times free cash flows, and its forward-looking price-to-earnings valuation is also low. The company expects healthy revenue growth in 2025, driven by more optimistic market outlooks among small and medium-sized business owners. As a preview of what to expect in 2025 and beyond, Fiverr shares rose 35% in a week after crushing analyst targets in October's third-quarter report. That bullish price correction was a good start, but Fiverr's market makers have more work to do. All things considered, Fiverr's stock deserves a richer valuation. This growth story looks deeply undervalued, and I expect good news on that front in the near future. Intel's strategy shift deserves more respect Semiconductor giant Intel is trying out a very different business plan. And when I say "trying out," I mean that the company is pulling every available lever to make radical strategy changes. The company's capital expenses were about $15 billion a year before the COVID-19 crisis. Building one of the world's largest third-party chip manufacturing services isn't cheap, so those costs rose to approximately $25 billion in the last three years. Intel expects to have the second-largest external chip foundry in the world by 2030. This ambition is potentially good for Intel's business results and stock owners and serves an important market function. Most of Intel's chipmaking facilities are springing up in places like Arizona and Ohio, making advanced semiconductor manufacturing available on American soil. This is important for national security purposes. Due to a long-running exchange of American trade restrictions and border-crossing tariffs with the chip centers in China and Taiwan, this approach sets Intel up for long-term success. The company is currently unprofitable, and the stock trades at bargain-bin valuation ratios in this painful period . Technology genius Pat Gelsinger was recently forced to retire as large-scale Intel investors grew impatient with his extreme focus on long-term results. In my view, this imbalance between Gelsinger's clear-eyed legacy and an overly bearish market reaction adds up to a fantastic buying opportunity for Intel stock right now.
It’s Thursday, December 26, and the Houston Rockets (20-9) and New Orleans Pelicans (5-25) are all set to square off from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The Rockets are currently 9-5 on the road with a point differential of +7, while the Pelicans have a 2-8 record in their last ten games at home. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts. Game details & how to watch Rockets vs. Pelicans live today Date: Thursday, December 26, 2024 Time: 8:00 pm EST Site: Smoothie King Center City: New Orleans, LA Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page , along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game. Game odds for Rockets vs. Pelicans The latest odds as of Thursday: Odds: Rockets (-336), Pelicans (+264) Spread: Rockets -8 Over/Under: 221.5 points That gives the Rockets an implied team point total of 113.83, and the Pelicans 109.65. Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more! Expert picks & predictions for Thursday’s Rockets vs. Pelicans’ game Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals. Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Rockets & Pelicans game: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the New Orleans Pelicans at +8. Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 221.5. Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar! Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Rockets vs. Pelicans on Thursday · The Rockets have won 4 of their last 5 away games against teams with losing records · The OVER is 4-1 in the Pelicans’ last 5 division matchups · The Rockets have covered in 4 of their last 5 games against divisional opponents If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Bet the Edge is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick’s insight weekdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: - Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) - Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) - Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) - Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
New Delhi, Dec 22 In a rare show of co-operation between VK Saxena and the A dispensation, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Sunday visited Rangpuri Pahari to take stock of the area's civic amenities that were flagged by the lieutenant governor. Ahead of elections to the Delhi Assembly, due in February, Saxena had on Saturday shared a clip of his visit to Rangpuri Pahari, detailing the plight of people, especially women, in the area. The lieutenant governor had said it was extremely disappointing and distressing to witness once again the helplessness and pathetic life conditions of lakhs of people of the national capital. He had referred to the local women, citing their problems of living in the area, with streets lined by overflowing sewers and lack of basic facilities. Earlier, a similar situation was seen in areas such as Burari, Kirari, Kalandar Colony, Sangam Vihar, Mundka and Gokulpuri, among others, he had said. "I urge the former chief minister, current chief minister and ministers of the Delhi government to visit such areas to themselves witness the hellish conditions. They should take immediate steps to improve this pathetic condition," he had said. Responding to the concerns, A supremo and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal thanked Saxena for flagging the shortcomings, saying the Delhi government would take steps for improvements. "Earlier, the lieutenant governor had cited the bad condition of the Nangloi-Mundka Road. The road has been constructed and Chief Minister Atishi will soon inaugurate it. I urge the lieutenant governor to tell us about the shortcomings and we will correct them," Kejriwal said in a press conference. The lieutenant governor had called upon the stakeholders to come together and make Delhi great again. He had visited Rangpuri Pahari and Kapashera on the request of locals. He was accompanied by the BJP's former South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri. There are no drains, leading to silt- and dirty water-filled streets, non-existent roads, uncertain electricity supply and shortage of drinking water that forces women to carry water in buckets from tankers coming to the area once in seven to eight days, Saxena had said. The locals also complained of power cuts for eight to 10 hours every day as well as huge power bills, contrary to the claims of free electricity by the Delhi government, he had said. Saxena had also given suggestions to officials of agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board , to improve the situation. He had also assured the locals that a sanitation drive would begin and he would personally monitor the progress of steps being taken to improve the civic amenities. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
SEBI takes strict action in front running case, bars 9 entities, seizes over Rs 21 croreIn Civilization 7 , unlike previous games in the series, any leader can lead any civilization. So your choice of civilization is completely independent, allowing for a huge set of possible bonuses. And while your chosen leader will follow you all the way to the end, you'll choose a new civilization for each of the three acts: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Each civ comes with a unique ability, unique civics, at least two unique units, and one or more unique infrastructures (which is basically the new name for unique buildings). They also specialize in two of the six civ attributes (Cultural, Economic, Diplomatic, Expansionist, Militarist, and Scientific). Here are all of the civs we know about so far: Age: Antiquity Historical context: Founded in the 1st century CE and hitting its height around the 500s, the Aksumite Empire was based around what is now Northern Ethiopia, and was considered by some an equal to Rome and Persia. Attributes: Cultural, Economic Unique ability: Kingdom of Natural Wealth. All resources that produce Gold produce more of it. Unique military unit: Dhow. An early naval unit with increased strength on coasts and the ability to create a naval trade route. Unique civilian unit: Tankwa. A trade ship that cannot be pillaged and has increased trade route range. Unique improvement: Hawlit. Produces culture for each adjacent wonder, but can only be built on flat land. Our advice: The Asksumites are poised to dominate in coastal trade, with safe shipping lanes and an advantage in coastal naval combat. Saving up some gold for later ages while your culture flourishes seems like a wise plan. Age: Antiquity Historical context: One of the oldest complex agricultural civilizations, they're known today for some rather large triangles and many of the earliest depictions of furries and scalies. Fun fact: Cleopatra lived closer to the present day than to the last time you finished an entire campaign of Civ on Marathon speed. Attributes: Cultural, Economic Unique ability: Gifts of Osiris. Tiles on navigable rivers give more Production. Unique military unit: Medjay. Infantry with increased strength in friendly territory, and an even higher bonus for being stationed in an owned settlement. Unique civilian unit: Tjaty. Produced in any city with a Necropolis, granting one of several randomized historical figures with unique bonuses. It's like if a loot box was a guy with a cool hat. Basically you're replacing one of the standard Great Person lists (in this case the Vizier) with a unique, Egypt-specific list that is better. Unique quarter: Necropolis. Gain Gold every time a wonder is completed in this city. Unique building: Mastaba. Produces Culture, as well as bonus Gold for adjacent Desert tiles. Unique building: Mortuary Temple. Produces Gold, as well as bonus Happiness for adjacent navigable rivers. Our advice: Settling near navigable rivers is obviously a must. But beyond that, Egypt is deceptively flexible, and could fit a lot of different playstyles. Even if you want to play aggressively, it may be better to let your enemies come to you first, so you can take advantage of your home turf combat bonuses. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Age: Antiquity Historical context: The starting point for the majority of national myths that seek to set everything West of the Levant as a special, cool place where all the special-est, coolest people came from, they are credited with the Olympics, Western philosophy, and some pretty damn impressive beards. Attributes: Cultural, Diplomatic Unique ability: Demokratia. Increased Influence (that'd be the new diplomatic currency in Civ 7) on Palaces. Unique military unit: Hoplite. Increased strength when adjacent to another Hoplite. Unique civilian unit: Logios. Similar to Egypt's Tjaty, this is like a unique Great Person that can spawn as one of several randomized historical figures with different bonuses. Aristotle, Plato, Sappho—the gang's all here. They replace the vanilla Scholar and can only be built in cities with an Acropolis. Unique quarter: Acropolis. For every city-state you are suzerain of, your Parthenon building produces extra Gold. Unique building: Parthenon. Produces Culture, as well as bonus Influence if placed on rough terrain. Unique building: Odeon. Produces Happiness, as well as bonus Culture for each adjacent quarter. Our advice: The Greeks are definitely set up to master the Culture game, but you could also get some early conquest done with Hoplites if you make the most of their formidable formation fighting. Building a league of city-states should also be a major priority. Age: Antiquity Historical context: The Han dynasty of China reigned from the 200s BCE to the 200s CE, laying many of the foundations for later Chinese civilization and even giving their name to the Han ethnicity that most Chinese people identify with today. Attributes: Diplomatic, Scientific Unique ability: Nine Provinces. The Capital and new Towns gain two population the first time they get a growth event, instead of just one. Unique military unit: Chu-Ko-Nu. You've seen these guys, I'm sure. It's like a repeater crossbow. They have a zone of control (which most ranged units do not) to prevent other units from simply marching right past them, and higher defense than other early archers. While they can engage from up to one tile away, they also get increased strength at point-blank range. Unique civilian unit: Shì Dàfū. It's another one of those loot box guys, replacing the Scholar just like Greece's Logios, and representing a variety of important figures in early Chinese history from Laozi to Meng Ke (known as Mencius to Western scholars). Unique improvement: Great Wall. We're back to building this thing in individual segments. Each one gives Culture, as well as bonus Happiness for each adjacent Great Wall segment. Also increased combat strength for defenders on the same tile. Wall segments have to be built in a continuous line. They can eventually loop around, but they can't branch off. Our advice: A very defensible capital and early bonuses to population growth give you a lot of options, and as usual for a Chinese civ in Civ, they will be a natural pick for a Science-focused playstyle, albeit one that now depends a bit more on RNG. Age: Antiquity Historical context: The Khmer Empire was founded around 800 CE, making it one of the youngest starter civs in Civ 7, centered on what is today Cambodia. They came to control most of mainland Southeast Asia at their height. Attributes: Expansionist, Scientific Unique ability: Ksekam Chamnon. Urban districts next to rivers retain the output of any natural resources they were built on top of. Unique military unit: Yuthahathi. A cavalry unit with increased combat strength but reduced speed. It cannot be damaged by floods. Unique civilian unit: Vaishya. A merchant that cannot be damaged by floods and ignores movement penalties in flooded tiles. Unique improvement: Baray. Produces Food, increasing based on the number of floodplains within the borders of the settlement it is built. You can only build one per settlement and it must be on flat ground. Our advice: Natural disasters from Civ 6's Gathering Storm expansion are getting folded into the base game in Civ 7, and the Khmer are particularly well-equipped to survive and thrive with the natural flood cycles. Boosted food production and lower opportunity costs for urbanization will allow them to pursue many different strategies. Age: Antiquity Historical context: Founded in 322 BCE, the Maurya Empire grew to be the largest empire in South Asia up to that point. Controlling land from what is now Afghanistan all the way to the Bengal Delta, they were the cultural and political predecessors of most Indian subcontinent civilizations that came after them. Attributes: Militaristic, Scientific Unique ability: Dhamma Lipi. When you unlock Mysticism in the civics tree, you can choose an additional Pantheon bonus to represent your diverse religious beliefs. Unique military unit: Purabhettarah. A cavalry unit that has increased strength when fighting fortifications. Unique civilian unit: Nagarika. A settler that gives bonus Happiness on city halls. Unique quarter: Matha. Increases Happiness in the city where it is built. Unique building: Dharamshala. Produces Happiness, as well as bonus Science for every adjacent quarter. Unique building: Vihara. Produces Happiness, as well as bonus Culture for adjacent mountains. Our advice: Indian civs tend to focus on growth in Civ, and the Maurya seem to be no exception. But rather than speeding things up with food, they provide a lot of ways to keep your population centers happy. So you might grow slower, but the maximum population you can manage is greater. They are well-equipped for conquest and aggressive settling, as well as culture and science. Age: Antiquity Historical context: Less of an empire than a series of related societies that existed mainly in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula from at least 2000 BCE, they were renowned for their early discoveries in astronomy and the development of a complex writing system. Attributes: Diplomatic, Scientific Unique ability: Skies of Itzamna. Palaces produce bonus Science for every adjacent tile with vegetation. Unique military unit: Hul'che. A ranged unit that can see and move through tiles with vegetation as if they were open land. Unique civilian unit: Jaguar Slayer. A replacement for the Scout that can place a hidden Jaguar Trap on vegetation tiles. Enemy units that enter the tile take damage and immediately end their movement. Unique quarter: Uwaybil K'uh. Gains bonus production every time you research a technology. Unique building: Jalaw. Produces Happiness, as well as bonus Culture for every adjacent quarter. Unique building: K'uh Nah. Produces Science, with a bonus for every adjacent tile with vegetation. Our advice: Mayans were my pick for the best Science civ in Civ 6, and they still definitely lean in that direction. Though, as with other civs we've seen so far, it seems like their bonuses are more focused on giving you extra bonuses for doing science rather than making your science go faster. They also seem like they're going to be one of the most difficult and advanced civs, since you have to preserve the natural spaces around you to make the most of their bonuses. Age: Antiquity Historical context: Arising some time around 800 CE, the Mississippian cultures built the largest pre-Columbian city we know of in what is now the United States at Cahokia, as well as most of the examples of monumental architecture from that region. They went into decline some time before European contact for what are still poorly-understood reasons. Attributes: Economic, Expansionist Unique ability: Goose Societies. All buildings produce bonus Food for each adjacent resource. Unique military unit: Burning Arrow. An archer with increased strength against fortified districts and siege units. Its attacks apply a burning status to the targeted tile that deals damage to units on the burning tile for a number of turns. Unique civilian unit: Watonathi. A merchant that gains bonus Gold for every resource you gain access to when it creates a trade route. Unique improvement: Potkop. Produces Gold, as well as bonus Food for every adjacent resource, and must be built on flat land. Our advice: The Burning Arrow is a really interesting early game unit, letting you do some battlefield control that no one else has access to, which makes the Mississippians a really interesting pick for a militaristic playstyle. Otherwise, their ways to get bonus food will enable a lot of different playstyles. Age: Antiquity Historical context: The Achaemenid Persian Empire was founded in 550 BCE and was one of the great powers of the ancient world. At its height, they controlled land from India all the way to modern Libya and had a complex system of local governors. Attributes: Economic, Militaristic Unique ability: Hamarana Council. Infantry units have increased combat strength when attacking. Unique military unit: Immortal. A melee infantry unit that heals for a small amount after defeating an enemy unit. Unique civilian unit: Hazarapatis. A replacement for the Commander that starts with the Initiative promotion, allowing your units to move after "unpacking" from a commander. (In Civ 7, Commanders basically scoop up all of your adjacent units onto its tile to make armies easier to move, but you can't fight without unpacking them.) Unique improvement: Pairidaeza. Produces Culture and Gold, but cannot be built adjacent to one another. Our advice: Being able to sustain a conquest with self-healing Immortals lends itself to being very aggressive very early. You always want to be going on the attack, even when defending. I haven't played around with it yet, but I also think that having all your commanders start with Initiative is going to be huge. The Persians might be the best early warmonger civ. Age: Antiquity Historical context: Come on, even FPS players know this one. They built some roads and aqueducts. They did some conquests with their legions. They did a lot of arguing in elaborate spaces, and eventually had their government overthrown by a dictator. We can probably learn from at least a couple of those things, even today. Attributes: Cultural, Militaristic. Unique ability: Twelve Tables. Bonus Culture on all districts in the Capital and in Towns. The notable thing here is that it does not apply to Cities that are not the Capital, which encourages building a single, super tall capital and keeping all your other settlements as Towns. Unique military unit: Legion. A melee infantry unit that gains increased strength for every Roman-specific tradition you have adopted into your Government. Unique civilian unit: Legatus. A Commander that is able to found new settlements after gaining enough promotions. Unique quarter: Forum. Produces Cultures, as well as bonus Gold for every Roman-specific tradition you have adopted into your Government. Unique building: Temple of Jupiter. Produces Happiness, as well as bonus Culture for adjacent Happiness-producing buildings. Unique building: Basilica. Produces Gold, as well as Influence for adjacent Culture buildings. Our advice: Rome can certainly conquer, but they seem to be, perhaps, even better as a culture/settler rush civ this time around. The playstyle of all roads leading back to Rome with Towns serving as your outposts means you'll need to be extra careful building and defending your capital for maximum imperium. Age: Exploration Historical context: The third Islamic Caliphate, established in 750 CE, they oversaw the flourishing of culture and science known as the Islamic Golden Age and ultimately repelled the Crusades. At their height, their territory stretched from Tunisia to modern Pakistan. Attributes: Cultural, Scientific Unique ability: Medina. When a Specialist is created, you gain Gold for each population living in a rural district in that city. Unique military unit: Mamluk. A cavalry unit that gets increased combat strength for every population in urban districts when occupying a settlement. Unique civilian unit: Ālim. A unique Great Person created in a city with an Ulema, which can appear as one of several important figures from the Islamic Golden Age such as Ibn Sina and Ibn Fadlan. Unique quarter: Ulema. All specialists in the city where it's built produce bonus Science. Unique building: Madrasa. Produces Science, with a bonus to Science for each adjacent quarter and Science building. Unique building: Mosque. Produces Happiness, with a bonus to Happiness for adjacent Culture buildings and bonus Culture for adjacent Happiness buildings. If you don't already have the ability to do so, this will unlock the ability to found a Religion. Our advice: The Abbasids may be the real Science powerhouse in Civ 7, with pretty decent bonuses to Gold and Culture as well. Mamluks are specialized for urban fighting, so you'll not only want to urbanize your own settlements, but focus on attacking highly urbanized ones. Age: Exploration Historical context: A Tamil empire founded in Southern India in 848 CE, they came to command a large trade empire with bases as far away as modern Indonesia, and were influential in the spread of Hinduism into Southeast Asia. Attributes: Diplomatic, Economic Unique ability: Samayam. You get an extra trade route from every trade agreement. Unique military unit: Kalam. A naval unit that can attack twice per turn. Unique civilian unit: Ottru. A naval commander replacement that reduces the strength of all military units within its command radius. Unique quarter: Five Hundred Lords. Increases the range of your trade routes. Unique building: Manigramam. Produces Happiness, with a bonus to Happiness for each adjacent trade building and bonus gold for each adjacent quarter. Unique building: Anjuvannam. Produces Gold, with a bonus to Gold for adjacent coasts and navigable rivers, and a bonus to Production for naval units. Can only be built on the coast. Our advice: Unsurprisingly, the Chola are highly specialized to be a maritime trade empire. In addition to supporting a formidable navy, the Ottru will also aid with coastal land battles. Beyond that, they aren't particularly biased toward any specific victory objectives. Age: Exploration Historical context: While the Hawaiian islands may have been settled by Polynesians as early as the 100s CE, they were united into a single kingdom in 1795 by king Kamehameha. So far, very little has been announced about this civ beyond the name. Age: Exploration Historical context: A powerful Hindu kingdom that existed in modern-day Indonesia from the late 1200s through the early 1500s. Its rise to power saw it allying with and then betraying Kublai Khan's forces when they invaded Java in 1293. Attributes: Economic, Cultural Unique ability: Negara. All Cities except the Capital have an increased Specialist Limit. After the Exploration Age, the Specialist Limit increase goes away, and the Specialists become inactive until you increase the Specialist Limit. Unique Quarter: Pura. Receive a Relic when completed. Unique Building: Candi Bentar. Receive a Culture Adjacency for Coast and Navigable River tiles. Unique Building: Meru. Ageless. Receive a Happiness Adjacency for Mountains and Wonders. Increased Happiness on Natural Wonder tiles. Unique civilian unit: Pedanda. Unique Missionary Unit. Receive Culture when you convert a Settlement to your Religion. Requires a Temple. Unique military unit: Cetbang. Unique Naval Unit. Has increased Combat Strength against Naval Units. Can pillage tiles at range with a reduced Movement cost. Associated Wonder: Borobudur. Adds Happiness. Increase Happiness on Quarters. Must be built adjacent to a Coast tile. Age: Exploration Historical context: Established in 1368, the Ming dynasty restored Chinese rule to China after a period of Mongol domination under the Yuan, founded by Genghis Khan and his successors. They were responsible for expanding the Great Wall of China into what we know it as today. Attributes: Economic, Scientific Unique ability: Great Canon of Yongle. You gain increased Science in the capital, but decreased Science per turn for every social policy you have added to your government. Unique military unit: Xunleichong. A melee infantry unit that also has a ranged attack, they gain bonus strength in flat terrain with no vegetation. Unique civilian unit: Mandarin. A replacement for the Merchant that gives you a large amount of Gold every time you build a road. Unique improvement: Ming Great Wall. Like the Han equivalent, it can only be built in a single, continuous line. Produces Gold for every adjacent fortification (including other Great Wall segments). Our advice: The Ming still excel in Science, but things get a bit trickier due to the social policy restriction. It's sort of an interesting way to model their later decline. Luckily, their focus on Gold should make up for this, or allow you to pivot to a different strategy entirely. Age: Exploration Historical context: Under Genghis Khan and his heirs in the 1200s, the Mongol Empire created a vast confederation of steppe people across Eurasia that controlled the largest land empire, by area, in history. They ruled all the way from Southern China to parts of modern Turkey and Romania. Attributes: Expansionist, Militaristic Unique ability: Bokh. When capturing a settlement, you get a copy of the strongest cavalry unit you can currently build. However, you have -50% production toward Settlers. You also gain victory points for the conquest victory objective differently from other civs. Unique military unit: Keshig. A ranged cavalry unit with increased movement that heals after defeating enemies. Unique civilian unit: Noyan. A Commander replacement with increased movement, it grants improved Flanking ability to cavalry units. Unique improvement: Ortöö. Produces Gold, and resets the movement allowance for any unit that lands on it. Can't be placed on rough terrain, vegetation, or rivers. Our advice: Hoo boy. This is gonna be fun. As you'd expect, the Mongolians are honed for fast conquests and controlling large land areas. Sustaining assaults with Keshigs will be trivial if you know what you're doing, but remember that they're probably not sufficient on their own to win sieges. Creating networks of ortöös will allow you to move startlingly fast across the open plains, but rocky, coastal areas, forests, and rivers will present strategic obstacles. Age: Exploration Historical context: In 1066, William the Bastard and a bunch of his bandit friends crossed the channel to seize the Kingdom of England on a dubious claim and make our eventual language of global communication way more complicated than it needed to be. Attributes: Diplomatic, Militaristic Unique ability: Normannitas. Land units get +1 movement when embarked, and +5 strength when adjacent to a coast. Unique military unit: Chevaler. A cavalry unit with increased strength against any unit that has less movement speed. Unique civilian unit: Sokeman. A Settler replacement that automatically builds a wall when a new town is created. Unique quarter: Donjon. Creates a Chevaler for free when built. Unique building: Motte. Produces Happiness if built on rough terrain, and functions as a fortification. Unique building: Bailey. Produces Culture for adjacent walls, and functions as a fortification. Our advice: Castles. That's it, that's the post. The Normans excel at protecting their outposts and building up defensive infrastructure, while also enjoying some residual benefits to amphibious warfare from their viking—with a lower-case v because it's a job and not an ethnicity but I realize I may have lost that battle for good—roots. They don't really excel at anything besides warfare though, just like William and his pack of pillagers. Age: Exploration Historical context: A North American people originally from what is now Ohio, and the namesake of the town where this author went to high school, they formed the core of a great confederacy that represented one of the most concerted Native efforts to curb US Westward expansion, under their chief Tecumseh. Attributes: Diplomatic, Economic. Unique ability: Nepekifaki. Settlements next to navigable rivers produce more Food on river tiles, but settlements that are not next to a navigable river produce less. Unique military unit: Kispoko Nena'to. A melee infantry unit with increased strength for every Empire Resource you possess. (The currently known Empire Resources include Gold, Iron, Ivory, Marble, and Wine.) Unique civilian unit: Hoceepkileni. A Missionary replacement that has increased movement, and that can cross rivers without ending its movement. Unique improvement: Mawaskawe Skote. Produces food, as well as bonus Gold for every adjacent resource. Can only be placed on tiles with vegetation, and not adjacent to another Mawaskawe Skote. Our advice: This is another one of those river valley boom civs, with the added twist that you can have a very deadly army if you manage to accumulate a lot of resources through expansion and trade. They aren't particularly biased toward any specific victory type. Age: Exploration Historical context: Founded in the 1430s, the Songhai Empire conquered much of inland West Africa, with its center in what is today the country of Mali. They were influential in the spread of Islam to sub-Saharan Africa. Attributes: Economic, Militaristic Unique ability: Tarikh al-Sudan. +15 trade route range for cities on navigable rivers. Trade ships can't be plundered while sailing on navigable rivers. Unique military unit: Gold Bangles Infantry. (Stats not yet shown.) Unique civilian unit: Tajiro. (Stats not yet shown.) Unique infrastructure: Caravansarai. (Stats not yet shown.) Our advice: We don't have the full picture of Songhai yet, but they seem tooled to be a strong inland trade civ, with the ability to secure routes overland and via rivers. Judging by their attributes and their historical reputation, they will also likely turn out to be a strong military civ. Age: Exploration Historical context: This civ represents the Spanish Empire as it existed from 1492 onwards. At the forefront of the European Age of Discovery, it came to control territory from modern-day Canada all the way down to Chile and Argentina, supported by influential religious missions and a powerful armada. Attributes: Expansionist, Militaristic Unique ability: Sigio de Oro. You get a 15% discount on converting a Town into a City, increasing to 30% if that town is considered part of the "Distant Lands." Unique military unit: Tercio. An infantry unit that has increased strength, and grants any adjacent units an additional +3 strength against cavalry (not stackable). Unique civilian unit: Conquistador. Another unique type of Great Person, which can appear as a number of significant figures from the Age of Exploration such as Christopher Columbus or Hernán Cortés. They each have a unique ability that can only be activated in "Distant Lands" (far from your starting Homelands), and start with the ability to cross ocean tiles. Unique quarter: Plaza. Produces bonus gold in the settlement where it's built for every settlement you own in Distant Lands. Unique building: Casa Consistorial. +5 Culture, and an additional +1 for every adjacent quarter and wonder. Can only be built in your Homelands next to a coast. Unique building: Casa de Contratación. +5 Gold, and an additional +1 for adjacent navigable rivers, resources, and wonders. Can only be built in your Homelands. Our advice: If you guessed the Spanish would be focused on exploration and overseas colonization, you would have guessed right. They will benefit greatly from settling tons of towns and cities in places distant to their capital, and should have a fairly easy time doing so. Culture seems to be their forte, but with all that imperial Gold coming in, you can probably go for any strategy you want. We haven't seen much about the Modern Age civs yet other than their names, but here's a little bit of historical context for each. Buganda : The Baganda people of modern Uganda (I know, this is a lot of similar-sounding proper nouns—the people are Baganda, the kingdom is Buganda, and the modern state is Uganda) unified under a single king in the 1200s, and it retains the status of a traditional kingdom under the Ugandan state to this day. They were one of the most powerful states in East Africa from the 1700s up until they were eventually colonized by the British in 1884. France: This civ is based on the First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte. It only lasted for about three years, but in that time, managed to conquer the lion's share of continental Europe before succumbing to a coalition of a bunch of other nations who didn't like that very much. Japan: This civ represents the Japanese Empire, which lasted from the Meiji Restoration of 1868 up until their defeat in World War II in 1945. It was a time of great nationalism, expansionism, and militarism. So, like the French, I think we can expect them to have a pretty aggressive playstyle. Mexico: Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, at the time controlling most of Central America and much of what is now the Western and Southwestern United States. This civ is simply described as representing the "modern nation," rather than any specific historical government like the French and Japanese civs. Mughal Empire : A little bit of a stretch for the label of "Modern," the Mughal Empire existed from 1526 until it was finally absorbed into the British Raj in 1867. At its height, it controlled nearly all of modern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and even parts of Afghanistan. They had a very effective military for the time, so this will probably be yet another aggressive modern civ. Since any of these civs can be played with any leader, be sure to also check out our Civilization 7 Leaders guide to start planning how you'll mix and match your way to global pre-eminence.
Growing to 4.2M people in Metro Vancouver 'a bit too much' without a plan: Mike HurleyKate Bush shares Christmas message to fans: “A Monet Christmas to all!”Soaring demand forces Edmonton's Food Bank to tighten restrictions on client visitsSAN DIEGO, Nov. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that purchasers or acquirers of The Toronto-Dominion Bank ("TD Bank") TD securities between February 29, 2024 and October 9, 2024, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), have until Monday, December 23, 2024 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff of the TD Bank class action lawsuit. Captioned Tiessen v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank , No. 24-cv-08032 (S.D.N.Y.), the TD Bank class action lawsuit charges TD Bank and certain of TD Bank's top executives with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you suffered substantial losses and wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the TD Bank class action lawsuit, please provide your information here: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases-the-toronto-dominion-bank-class-action-lawsuit-td.html You can also contact attorneys J.C. Sanchez or Jennifer N. Caringal of Robbins Geller by calling 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at info@rgrdlaw.com . CASE ALLEGATIONS : The Toronto-Dominion Bank offers its products and services in the United States under the "TD Bank" and "America's Most Convenient Bank" brand names. The TD Bank class action lawsuit alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose material adverse facts concerning the true state of TD Bank's anti-money laundering ("AML") program; pertinently, TD Bank concealed or otherwise minimized the significance of the failures of TD Bank's AML program and made no indication that the imposition of an asset cap or other punitive or compliance measures would be imposed that would undermine TD Bank's continued growth for the foreseeable future. The TD Bank class action lawsuit further alleges that, on October 10, 2024, TD Bank unveiled the resolutions reached from U.S. investigations, which included, in addition to the punitive payment of $3.09 billion, both an asset cap, preventing TD Bank's U.S. subsidiaries from exceeding a collective $434 billion, a reflection of TD Bank's assets as of September 30, 2024, and further subjects TD Bank to more stringent approval processes for its product, service, and market rollouts. Further, the U.S. Department of Justice, in their own corresponding release, highlighted the significance of TD Bank's failures as "the largest bank in U.S. history to plead guilty to Bank Secrecy Act program failures and the first U.S. bank in history to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering," the complaint alleges. On this news, TD Bank's stock price fell by more than 10%, according to the TD Bank class action lawsuit. THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS : The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased or acquired TD Bank securities during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the TD Bank class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the TD Bank class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the TD Bank class action lawsuit. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff of the TD Bank class action lawsuit. ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER : Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is one of the world's leading law firms representing investors in securities fraud cases. Our Firm has been #1 in the ISS Securities Class Action Services rankings for six out of the last ten years for securing the most monetary relief for investors. We recovered $6.6 billion for investors in securities-related class action cases – over $2.2 billion more than any other law firm in the last four years. With 200 lawyers in 10 offices, Robbins Geller is one of the largest plaintiffs' firms in the world and the Firm's attorneys have obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history, including the largest securities class action recovery ever – $7.2 billion – in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. Please visit the following page for more information: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/services-litigation-securities-fraud.html Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices. Contact: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP J.C. Sanchez, Jennifer N. Caringal 655 W. Broadway, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101 800-449-4900 info@rgrdlaw.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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