NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Javon Small scored five of his 31 points in overtime and Tucker DeVries added key free throws late in regulation and finished with 16 points as West Virginia beat No. 3 Gonzaga 86-78 in the Battle 4 Atlantis on Wednesday. Small's layup with under 2 minutes left in OT gave West Virginia a 79-75 lead. After a Gonzaga miss, Sencire Harris hit two free throws to make it a six-point lead. With 27.1 seconds left, Harris made a steal and scored on a dunk for an eight-point lead, putting the game out of reach. Amani Hansberry scored a career-high 19 points and Toby Okani added 10 for West Virginia (3-2). Braden Huff scored 19 points and Khalif Battle 16 for Gonzaga (5-1). Gonzaga showed its depth, outscoring the West Virginia bench 30-2. West Virginia’s only loss was by 24 points at Pitt, but the rebuild under Darian DeVries is showing promise. Gonzaga turned it over at midcourt late in regulation when Tucker DeVries poked it away from Nolan Hickman and raced the other way before getting fouled. DeVries made two free throws with 5.9 seconds left to tie it at 71-all. Battle inbounded the ball and got it back, but lost control on a drive as time expired. The shorter Mountaineers outrebounded Gonzaga 42-36 and shot 50% in the second half, battling the Zags to a draw in the paint. Nembhard had 12 assists and just one turnover in 43 minutes, but was 1 of 10 from the field. West Virginia will play Louisville on Thursday in the winner's bracket. Gonzaga faces No. 14 Indiana on the consolation side. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballTrump brings back government by social media
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Conor Bradley destroyed Kylian Mbappe in every way and Alexis Mac Allister was a prime Luka Modric against the actual Luka Modric. Liverpool are good. Real Madrid are bad. Whether you love, hate or are indifferent towards Liverpool, we were all Conor Bradley. An academy lad who’s the most second of second fiddles in his position at the club, playing his first ever Champions League game against the reigning champions and champion of all champions, and he clears out the best footballer in the world – albeit The Artist Formerly Known As Kylian Mbappe on this showing and others this season – with a glorious man and ball challenge to produce the sort of roar from a crowd typically reserved for game-winning goals. Spine tingles and ‘ooofffss’ all round. It’s a sure red card if he gets it wrong but not having the time or headspace in an already fervent atmosphere to make a risk assessment worked in his and Liverpool’s favour, with his and his team’s level rising a couple of notches on the back of a tackle every fat dad bellowing from the stands or watching at home would loved to have made on a footballer we can all agree could do with a good (fair) kicking once in a while. Bradley very nearly opened the scoring himself before playing a key role as the Reds deservedly took the lead. Alexis Mac Allister had played two similarly brilliant lofted passes in the first half to cause chaos in the Real Madrid defence and the best of the lot found Bradley’s perfectly-timed run in the 51st-minute, with Thibaut Courtois producing another excellent save to palm the full-back’s header away, having denied Darwin Nunez twice in the first half. Mac Allister was playing like a prime Luka Modric against a less-than prime Luka Modric. In a fraught, end-to-end, exhausting game in which neither team seemed able or even willing to try to string more than three or four passes together, the Argentinian had time and space on the ball, consistently made the right decisions and always looked the best bet to make the difference. He picked the ball up in the pocket in front of the Madrid defence, played a neat pass into Bradley, who acted as a wall on the right side of the box to pop the ball straight back into the midfielder, who took a touch and fired his shot into the far corner. Ally McCoist got a tad carried away with what we would suggest was a relatively simple first-time pass from Bradley to assist that goal, nicely weighted though it was, but the 21-year-old’s other contributions allow the frankly unbelievable thought to creep in that Liverpool might just be alright without the most talented right-back English football has ever seen . And it was hard to watch Mbappe consistently failing to release himself from the pocket of a full-back working as hard as Bradley without the ball and so effectively with it and think anything other than Liverpool would actually have been worse off with Trent Alexander-Arnold on the pitch in his place. Cue midfield transition chat... MORE LIVERPOOL FEATURES ON F365 👉 Trent Alexander-Arnold ‘tarnished’ by Real Madrid move? Only by idiots... 👉 Five next moves for Salah ranked on likelihood include leaving Liverpool for Barcelona 👉 Culture wars, ref justice and how the league might look if Mo Salah didn’t exist We were utterly convinced we were going to go two for two in our penalty predictions. It was really poor from Andy Robertson to concede Madrid’s penalty, turning his back as Lucas Vasquez faked a cross, but after the game Mbappe had had, after the season he’s had, Coimhin Kelleher was always going to make what was a good (because penalty saves must always be called such) but comfortable save. As Mohamed Salah stepped up to take the penalty he won by turning Ferland Mendy inside out we were bracing ourselves for a Never In Doubt-like cliche from Darren Fletcher, before the Egyptian failed to even hit the target to remind us of an average penalty record that sees him miss one of every five (44 scored; 11 missed). For once this game wasn’t about him. There was next to no danger of a Madrid comeback anyway but Cody Gakpo put the game beyond doubt with quite the leap and header from a Robertson corner as defenders stood and watched. And while this is undoubtedly a Big Win for Liverpool, which maintains their 100 per cent record in the Champions League and all but secures their automatic qualification, this was a Madrid side well short of its best, both in terms of performance and personnel. No Vinicius Junior, no Rodrygo, no Eder Militao, no David Alaba, no Aurelien Tchouameni, no Dani Carvajal. That’s an injury list to rival that of Manchester City, who look set to feel the full force of Liverpool on Sunday. If winning is a hard habit to break, Arne Slot’s side are in 20-a-day territory right now. After the final whistle, Rio Ferdinand claimed – entirely reasonably for once – that “Liverpool are the team to beat in Europe right now”. There was also effectively no Mbappe, who likely had no idea who Conor Bradley was when he rocked up at Anfield. But having enjoyed nothing other than a faceful of turf courtesy of the full-back, he now knows exactly who Conor Bradley is.
I paid into Social Security and Medicare my whole working life thinking they would be there for me when I retired. Now I keep hearing our benefits are about to be cut and the fund will cease to exist in 6-10 years! I'm sure there are solutions out there. Why not take the wage cap off so all wages are subject to Social Security and Medicare tax? I think we spend way more on defense than needed; some of that spending could go toward ensuring seniors have the retirement we worked so hard for and paid into for all those years. Seems Congress is very happy to give tax breaks to the wealthy and big business but can't seem to spare any money for retired American workers, money that is rightfully theirs in the first place. It's not an entitlement. We put our money into this fund so we would have money for our retirement. It is our money and not a handout. No matter what your politics are, if you are receiving Social Security, you need to contact our elected representatives and let them know we are deeply concerned about this issue. Seniors don't want excuses, we want solutions. If the people we voted into office can't fix this problem, they do not deserve our vote. So when it Is time to vote in 2026 for who will represent us, vote with your Social Security benefits in mind. Sue Delaney lives in Perham, Minn.Report: Iowa CB Jermari Harris opts out of rest of season
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India has circulated a proposal for the financial arrangement to implement a global legally binding instrument on phasing out plastic pollution, currently being negotiated in South Korea’s Busan where the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5) is being held . India’s proposal suggests that parties under the agreement, shall establish a mechanism for providing financial and technical assistance, including the transfer of technologies to developing countries from developed countries. This is for achieving a “just transition” towards sustainable production and consumption of plastics. The mechanism is to enable their compliance with control measures as specified under the treaty. The compliance, by developing countries with respect to control measures shall be linked to provision of the incremental cost as assessed by the Subsidiary Body under the treaty, the proposal seen by HT states. This proposed mechanism will include a new dedicated multilateral fund. It may also include other means of multilateral, regional and bilateral co-operation. Countries are expected to agree on an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in seas and oceans by end of this week. INC Chair Luis Vayas circulated a non-paper in late October this year that captures common ground among INC members on which they are likely to agree to. This non-paper has a preamble which lists the reasons for phasing out plastics. It also lists exemptions that may be allowed. And it discusses plastic product design, supply (this is to do with managing the supply of primary polymers to achieve sustainable levels of production and consumption), emissions, plastic waste management, just transition, finance to aid transition, and implementation and monitoring. Chair Luis Vayas clarified on Monday that the Non-Paper is entirely bracketed (which means every aspect is up for discussion) , and has been proposed as a “starting point for negotiations”. “This session is a pivotal opportunity to deal with one of the most pressing global environmental problems. Plastic waste is about 80% of all marine pollution, with an estimate of 8 to 10 million MT entering oceans annually. Plastic production soared from 2.3 million tonnes in 1950 to 448 million tonnes 2015. The economic and environmental costs of this are profound. Microplastics impact human organs and are associated with serious health risks including cancers,” said Vayas during a press conference on Monday. The world is producing twice as much plastic waste as two decades ago, with the bulk of it ending up in landfill, incinerated or leaking into the environment, and only 9% successfully recycled, according to a 2022 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report. Almost half of all plastic waste is generated in OECD countries, according to the Outlook. Plastic waste generated annually per person varies from 221 kg in the United States and 114 kg in European OECD countries to 69 kg, on average, for Japan and Korea. Most plastic pollution comes from inadequate collection and disposal of larger plastic debris known as macroplastics, but leakage of microplastics (synthetic polymers smaller than 5 mm in diameter) from things like industrial plastic pellets, synthetic textiles, road markings and tyre wear are also a serious concern. More than 99% of plastic is made from fossil fuels. If plastic’s life cycle were a country, it would be the fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. If plastic production continues as planned, by 2050 the accumulation of greenhouse gas emissions from plastic could use 10-13% of our entire remaining carbon budget, according to Break Free From Plastic.
Lawmakers call for progress on marijuana law before end of Biden administrationThe West High boys basketball team unofficially got its season underway Tuesday night when the Wolf Pack hosted Edison in their Sac-Joaquin Section Foundation game. The Wolf Pack secured a hard-earned 59-55 win against the Vikings despite being shorthanded with two key players -- All-League senior Omari Smith (illness) and freshman Jayden Richardson (hand injury) -- on the sidelines. The hosts were led by junior transfer Monte Shelton with 20 points. 10 of those came in the third quarter when the Wolf Pack tightened the screw on both sides of the ball to pull away from Edison — drawing praise from head coach Brandon Parks. Parks was pleased with the way his new-look side overcame the injuries and played complimentary basketball to make up for the departure of four starters who graduated last year. Elsewhere, junior Joseph Jordan chipped in with 9 points, as did sophomore Jamir Snowden. Senior Joe Florez had an impact off the bench with seven rebounds. Senior Sean Wilson added 10 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. The Foundation games are a benefit, with admission fees to the games supporting year-end scholar-athlete awards. The games do not count on teams’ official records. The Wolf Pack’s official curtain raiser is slated for next Tuesday when West is set to host McNair. Contact Arion Armeniakos at aarmeniakos@tracypress.com , or call 209-830-4229.
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Doctored images have been around for decades. The term "Photoshopped" is part of everyday language. But in recent years, it has seemingly been replaced by a new word: deepfake. It's almost everywhere online, but you likely won't find it in your dictionary at home. What exactly is a deepfake, and how does the technology work? RELATED STORY | Scripps News Reports: Sex, Lies, and Deepfakes A deepfake is an image or video that has been generated by artificial intelligence to look real. Most deepfakes use a type of AI called a "diffusion model." In a nutshell, a diffusion model creates content by stripping away noise. "With diffusion models, they found a very clever way of taking an image and then constructing that procedure to go from here to there," said Lucas Hansen said. He and Siddharth Hiregowdara are cofounders of CivAI, a nonprofit educating the public on the potential — and dangers — of AI. How diffusion models work It can get complicated, so imagine the AI – or diffusion model – as a detective trying to catch a suspect. Like a detective, it relies on its experience and training. It recalls a previous case -– a sneaky cat on the run. Every day it added more and more disguises. On Monday, no disguise. Tuesday, it put on a little wig. Wednesday, it added some jewelry. By Sunday, it's unrecognizable and wearing a cheeseburger mask. The detective learned these changes can tell you what it wore and on what day. AI diffusion models do something similar with noise, learning what something looks like at each step. "The job of the diffusion model is to remove noise," Hiregowdara said. "You would give the model this picture, and then it will give you a slightly de-noised version of this picture." RELATED STORY | Scripps News got deepfaked to see how AI could impact elections When it's time to solve the case and generate a suspect, we give it a clue: the prompts we give when we create an AI-generated image. "We have been given the hint that this is supposed to look like a cat. So what catlike things can we see in here? Okay, we see this curve, maybe that's an ear," Hiregowdara said. The "detective" works backward, recalling its training. It sees a noisy image. Thanks to the clue, it is looking for a suspect — a cat. It subtracts disguises (noise) until it finds the new suspect. Case closed. Now imagine the "detective" living and solving crimes for years and years. It learns and studies everything — landscapes, objects, animals, people, anything at all. So when it needs to generate a suspect or an image, it remembers its training and creates an image. Deepfakes and faceswaps Many deepfake images and videos employ some type of face swapping technology. You've probably experienced this kind of technology already — faceswapping filters like on Snapchat, Instagram or Tiktok use technology similar to diffusion models, recognizing faces and replacing things in real time. "It will find the face in the image and then cut that out kind of, then take the face and convert it to its internal representation," Hansen said. The results are refined then repeated frame by frame. The future and becoming our own detectives As deepfakes become more and more realistic and tougher to detect, understanding how the technology works at a basic level can help us prepare for any dangers or misuse. Deepfakes have already been used to spread election disinformation, create fake explicit images of a teenager, even frame a principal with AI-created racist audio. "All the netizens on social media also have a role to play," Siwei Lyu said. Lyu is a SUNY Empire Innovation Professor at the University of Buffalo's Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and the director of the Media Forensics Lab. His team has created a tool to help spot deepfakes called "DeepFake-o-meter." "We do not know how to handle, how to deal, with these kinds of problems. It's very new. And also requires technical knowledge to understand some of the subtleties there," Lyu said. "The media, the government, can play a very active role to improve user awareness and education. Especially for vulnerable groups like seniors, the kids, who will start to understand the social media world and start to become exposed to AI technologies. They can easily fall for AI magic or start using AI without knowing the limits." RELATED STORY | AI voice cloning: How programs are learning to pick up on pitch and tone Both Lyu and CivAI believe in exposure and education to help combat any potential misuse of deepfake technology. "Our overall goal is that we think AI is going t impact pretty much everyone in a lot of different ways," Hansen said. "And we think that everyone should be aware of the ways that it's going to change them because it's going to impact everyone." "More than just general education — just knowing the facts and having heard what's going to happen," he added. "We want to give people a really intuitive experience of what's going on." Hansen goes on to explain CivAI's role in educating the public. "We try and make all of our demonstrations personalized as much as possible. What we're working on is making it so people can see it themselves. So they know it's real, and they feel that it's real," Hansen said. "And they can have a deep gut level feel for tthe impact that it's going to have." "A big part of the solution is essentially just going to be education and sort of cultural changes," he added. "A lot of this synthetic content is sort of like a new virus that is attacking society right now, and people need to become immune to it in some ways. They need to be more suspicious about what's real and what's not, and I think that will help a lot as well."Honda Shine, Unicorn and SP 125: The best bikes for Indian riders