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Boys Hockey: Buffalo doubles up WarriorsEdible Garden Enters Into Warrant Exercise Transaction for $3.0 Million in Gross ProceedsWhen Shylo Malcolm’s week in Cuba came to an end, she assumed her vacation romance was ending, too. Not that she wanted the romance to be over — far from it. Shylo just assumed all vacation flirtations have an obvious end date. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up,” Shylo tells CNN Travel today. To her surprise, the object of her affections, Frenchman Yann Dervaux, was keen to share numbers, emails and social media information. In fact, he told her they’d “stay in touch”. “Yeah, right,” Shylo thought. She was returning to her life in Ontario, Canada. Yann was going back to his home near Lille, France. Over 3500 miles (5600km) would soon stretch between them. Still, when Shylo boarded her flight back home, she surprised herself by not feeling sad. Instead, she felt a twinge of excitement. “I’d had such an amazing week, and maybe we wouldn’t see each other again, the future was uncertain,” recalls Shylo. “But I went to Cuba, had the best vacation, had fun with my friends, and I met him ...” Shylo’s trip to Cuba coincided with her 27th birthday in the summer of 2016. When she imagined turning 27, Shylo envisaged herself lounging on a beach, a drink in her hand, the sun’s warm rays on her skin. Shylo recruited two of her oldest and best friends — persuading them with the allure of beaches and cocktails aplenty. The trio picked a resort in coastal Varadero, Cuba, known for its stretch of sandy beaches and vibrant bars. “We were ready to have fun, party it up,” recalls Shylo. But when the trio arrived at their hotel late one June evening, Shylo had to swallow her disappointment. Nothing seemed to be open, and no one seemed to be around. It definitely wasn’t the party atmosphere she’d anticipated. Still, after walking around the resort, Shylo and her friends eventually tracked down the only bar at the resort showing signs of life. They walked inside and glanced around. It was pretty empty. A soccer game blared from a television, and a handful of guys were sitting, beers in hand, watching the screen. Shylo and her friends raised eyebrows at one another. This still was not the vibe they were after. But they decided if the party wasn’t coming to them, they would have to bring the party. So the trio went to the bar, ordered a round of fruity cocktails and grabbed a table. Before long, a couple of the guys in the bar turned their attention away from the soccer and to the group of women. “We all just started talking,” recalls Shylo. A couple of the men were German — Germany, it turned out, was the soccer team playing that evening. While the German guys were happy to chat to Shylo and her group, they were still half-watching the game. But one of the guys was French and less bothered by the soccer happenings. And when he mentioned he was French, Shylo was intrigued — she’d always been a bit of a Francophile, dreaming of visiting Paris. Helping matters, Shylo and her friends were all French speakers. Their high school had run a French immersion program, where some of the classes took place entirely in French. “My friends and I were excited to practise our French, since we hadn’t used it in years,” Shylo recalls. “Immediately we were having a good time.” The Frenchman — of course — was Yann, a 29-year-old tech expert who was in Varadero with a group of friends, all of whom had retreated to bed before Shylo and her friends turned up that night. Shylo thought Yann seemed friendly and sweet but didn’t immediately pinpoint him as a romantic prospect. Yann, on the other hand, fell for Shylo right away. “I remember I looked at Shylo, and she was beautiful,” he tells CNN Travel today. “And also attractive — the way she was speaking, and she seemed so happy.” More rounds of drinks were ordered. The soccer game ended, and the German guys left. But Yann, Shylo and her friends were still in full swing. “We ended up hanging out late that night,” says Shylo. “Then we went to the beach. I don’t even know what time it was. We were up into the early hours of the morning, hanging out as a group.” For Shylo, the prospect of a romantic connection with Yann didn’t cross her mind until the group got down onto the beach. Shylo’s two friends suggested a nighttime swim and immediately ran into the water and started frolicking in the ocean. Meanwhile, Shylo stood back. It looked fun, but she was more than a little apprehensive about the inky black water, illuminated only by moonlight. “I don’t like going into the water when I can’t see,” says Shylo. “Everyone was being spontaneous and going out into the ocean. And I was like, ‘No, I’m not going to do that’.” Noticing Shylo’s hesitance, Yann suggested they could go in together. He offered to give Shylo a piggyback to keep her at a decent distance from the murky depths. “Come, I’ll take you on my back,” he said, smiling. Something about Yann’s presence — teamed with Dutch courage from multiple rounds of fruity cocktails — reassured Shylo. She agreed, leaping onto his back. And that’s when it happened. Shylo realised Yann wasn’t just helping her counter her fear of the ocean. This was definitely flirting. As they waded into the water, laughing and splashing Shylo’s friends as they went, Yann started whispering “sweet nothings” in Shylo’s ear, telling her she was “très belle”. It was flattering, and Shylo allowed herself to get swept up in the moment. Still, deep down she remained a little sceptical, assuming Yann was a player who said that kind of thing to all the women he encountered. She figured he’d disappear as soon as they left the beach. But to her surprise, over the next week, Shylo kept crossing paths with Yann. Often Yann was out on day trips, exploring Cuba with his friends. Meanwhile Shylo and her travelling party enjoyed relaxing by the pool. “But we usually found each other, as a group, at night,” says Shylo. “And as the week went on, and we spent more time talking, feelings of romance were definitely there. We enjoyed each other company, and the chemistry between us was great, too.” “Little by little, we talked a little bit more in depth about our lives,” recalls Yann. “We hung out as a group, but Shylo and I were always side by side. I was attracted to her and I liked her joy, her way of thinking and every evening we were looking for each other so we could spend more time together.” Shylo and Yann’s friends were aware of their obvious connection. “My friends were like, ‘You’re on vacation, live it up,’” recalls Shylo. “They said, ‘You don’t know if you’re going to see him, but just have fun while you’re here, get to know him’. They were supportive in that way.” Meanwhile Yann’s friends could see he was falling for Shylo and teased him that it was a “crazy way” to meet someone. “But they were happy for me,” he says. As Yann and Shylo grew more comfortable with each other, they started spending more time with no one else around. It was exciting, but for Shylo, the excitement was also laced with a tinge of panic. “I was like, ‘I’m getting in over my head. I’m kind of screwing myself over’,” she recalls. ‘I thought, ‘This guy’s going to go back to France and he’s so nice and kind to me, but we’re going to go from seeing each other all the time to not seeing each other at all, and then I’m going to have to get over this guy that I just met’.” Shylo had to stop herself mourning the end of the connection before it began. She tried to enjoy the moment. Then, when it came to saying goodbye, things with Yann were left open-ended. That’s why Shylo figured they’d never see each other again. And assuming the worst was a bit of self-protection, as much as anything else. Yann was more hopeful. And when he told Shylo they’d “stay in touch,” he meant it. He looked her up on Facebook as soon as he got home from Cuba and sent a friend request. And when Shylo got home and checked her socials and emails, she spotted the Facebook notification. She was surprised but pleased — and the excitement she’d been tentatively feeling on the aeroplane spilled out into full on happiness. “I thought, ‘OK maybe he’s not going to totally disappear on me,’ ” she says. “This could work.” After all Shylo’s fears about the vacation romance not lasting and Yann dropping off the face of the Earth, staying in touch happened quite seamlessly, to her surprise. “We ended up talking every single day,” she recalls. “Sending pictures, lots of pictures.” In Cuba, they’d largely communicated in French. Now the messages were a mix of “broken French, broken English”. “Google Translate helped a lot,” says Yann. “We also had some video chat dates, although it was hard because of the time difference,” adds Shylo. On one of their video calls, when Yann was talking about France, an idea crossed Shylo’s mind. “I’d dreamt of going to Paris forever, and I was like, ‘This guy lives in France, maybe we could kill two birds with one stone, I could finally get to see Paris, and I could see this guy again’,” Shylo recalls. At first, Shylo dismissed the idea as “kind of crazy”. “We’d been talking for two months, and I met him once,” she says, “But then I just decided to look up flights, and I found some flights that weren’t too expensive.” When she mentioned the idea to Yann, he was immediately enthusiastic. He encouraged her to book the tickets. “I was really happy to have the opportunity to see her again,” Yann says. “We had shared great memories together when we met, I wanted to share these same moments again.” And so at the end of August 2016 — a couple of months after the Cuba trip — Shylo arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, ready to spend a few days there with Yann, before they went to Paris together. On the journey over, Shylo was wracked with nervous excitement about reuniting with Yann. “I was like, ‘OK, how is this interaction gonna be? Do we hug? Do we kiss?’ I was just going over, over and over it,” she recalls. In the end, their reunion was “a little awkward” but in a sweet way, as Shylo recalls it. “We were both kind of shy and didn’t know what to do,” says Shylo. “We had a little hug, and then started walking together. But then as the day progressed, we got more comfortable.” Yann was happy that they soon settled back into the easy conversation they’d enjoyed in Cuba. “When we were together over those Cuba evenings, we would always talk to each other, learn everything about each other,” he says. “And when we met in Europe, it was the same mood. We were very happy to see each other again.” It was also exciting for Yann and Shylo to spend time without any friends around, to see how they might work as a couple. “I wanted to see how it would be to be together, how you interact with each other,” says Yann. “It was really important to me to experience that.” Shylo was also encouraged by the fact she felt very cared for by Yann. She was a little apprehensive about being in Europe for the first time, but he made her feel at ease. “He took care of finding accommodation, and planned out activities,” she recalls. “I went for two weeks. And we packed a lot into those two weeks.” The highlight of the trip was the time Yann and Shylo spent together in Paris. “Every day he took me to nice restaurants,” Shylo recalls. “It was such an amazing time. It was like a dream come true for me. I’d been dreaming of it, and then getting to go with this guy who was so sweet. No one had ever spoken to me, how he spoke to me.” When Shylo’s time in Europe came to an end, there were no longer any question marks in her head about whether she and Yann would stay in touch. Yann promised to come and visit Canada a couple of months later, around the holiday season, and he kept to his word. “I wanted to see her as soon as possible,” says Yann. This trip happened to coincide with Yann taking a break between jobs, which allowed him to spend six weeks in Ontario with Shylo. “I took him to see all the things here,” says Shylo. “And because he was here for a longer period of time, we lived together.” It was a taste of what a life together full-time might look like. Shylo also introduced Yann to more of her loved ones, who had time to get to know him over the six weeks, including at a New Year’s Eve party that Shylo hosted. “Everybody loved him,” she says. From then on, Shylo and Yann saw each other every couple of months — visiting one another in France and Canada, and also travelling the globe together — taking vacations to destinations including the Dominican Republic, New Zealand and the UK. “We always had a really good time,” says Shylo, with Yann adding that the time they spent together was filled with “powerful moments.” In between, the time spent apart was always tough. “It’s just not the same, seeing somebody through the screen,” says Shylo. The couple navigated the ups and downs of long distance for some years. They enjoyed some incredible adventures together, but by 2019, they were looking for ways to be together longer term. “We needed to figure out how to close the distance,” says Shylo. Thanks to Shylo’s love of France, the couple had always imagined she might be the one to move. But by the time they came to discuss the idea more seriously, Shylo’s family ties to Canada made the thought of relocating across the world less appealing. “My family was growing at the time, both my sisters had young kids, and I was a little worried about missing out on them growing up, because we’re a pretty close family,” says Shylo. “We do all the holidays together. We do family dinners and stuff like that. So it would have been really hard for me to leave.” For the first time, the couple talked seriously about the idea of Yann relocating to Canada. Yann was open to the idea — he’d grown to love Ontario over the years. He started looking into the logistics of making this dream happen. “And then in November 2019, he came and never left,” says Shylo. It was an exciting step — and a little surreal that after almost four years of travelling across the globe to visit one another, Yann and Shylo were finally living together. It wasn’t always an easy transition. Speaking “Frenglish,” as Shylo describes it, sometimes led to miscommunication. “Add in that he’s a European White male and I’m a Canadian with Jamaican roots Black girl, we’ve definitely come across our share of differences,” she says. “But we manage it and talk things out and try to communicate a little more to avoid problems. “There was a lot of navigating to do. But I’m thankful that he is a very loving person, which is perfect for me.” Yann also highlights Shylo’s “kindness and joy” as some of his favourite traits of hers, as well as “the spontaneity, the projects and ideas she comes up with and so much more”. Navigating the challenges of living together full-time only made Shylo and Yann stronger. And in time, Yann became more anchored in Canada. He took English classes to perfect the language. He got a job he enjoyed in the tech world. He got closer to Shylo’s family and friends. Yann and Shylo felt more connected than ever. After a few years of living together in Canada, Yann and Shylo found themselves discussing marriage. It was something they’d talked about before, but as the pandemic waned, the couple began considering the prospect more seriously. “I said, ‘I don’t want to just be a girlfriend forever. It’s important for me, for us, to get married’,” Shylo recalls. “Then Yann started looking at rings, and he proposed with my whole family here, which was really nice.” The proposal, in early 2023, was a surprise for Shylo. Her family had gathered together under the guise of celebrating her sister’s birthday. “Almost everyone was in on it, letting me believe we were having a birthday gathering when in actuality, Yann was going to purpose,” says Shylo. “It perfect that everyone was there for this special moment.” “We were married a couple months later, because we’d already been together seven years. We felt like we didn’t need a long engagement.” The wedding took place in spring 2023, in Canada, with Yann calling it “a wonderful day”. “Shylo was beautiful,” he says. “We rented an Airbnb on a lake and kept it small to just immediate family and bestest friends,” adds Shylo. “It was a crazy day that went by so fast, but it turned out to be absolutely beautiful and everyone enjoyed themselves.” Today, Shylo and Yann are still basking in the joy of their wedding, having enjoyed an extended “extra honeymoon period,” as Shylo puts it. Shylo’s also busy with her business, designing, making and selling travel-themed gifts. She’s also got a blog, Simply Blessed Shy where she chronicles her travel adventures with Yann. “We travel really well together,” says Shylo. “And the fact that he loves travelling just as much as I do, it’s great. He’s my favourite travel buddy.” It’s fitting, says Shylo, that they met and fell in love while travelling. “We met on vacation, he was in France, and I’m from Canada, and we ended up choosing the same resort and being there for almost the same amount of time,” reflects Shylo. “I don’t know if it’s fate. Yann thinks it is. I guess it was meant to be.”

Bitcoin IV Author says Bitcoin is only commodity in human history whose supply is capped Inviting Bitcoin to Pakistan amounts to inviting cutting-edge, world-changing technology to Pakistan. Inviting Bitcoin to Pakistan amounts to inviting innovation to Pakistan. Embracing this groundbreaking technology will unlock a world of opportunities, driving economic growth, fostering financial inclusion, and positioning Pakistan as a forward-thinking player in the global digital economy. By leveraging Bitcoin, Pakistan can attract tech-savvy investments, create jobs, and modernise its financial infrastructure for a more inclusive future. Bitcoin is an extremely scarce asset. Bitcoin is the only commodity in human history -- along with certain other cryptocurrencies -- whose supply is capped. Bitcoin is digital gold. Bitcoin is borderless. Bitcoin is decentralised. Bitcoin is global. Bitcoin is peer-to-peer. Bitcoin is open-source. Bitcoin is pseudonymous. Bitcoin is immutable. Bitcoin is transparent. Bitcoin is a medium of exchange. Bitcoin is a unit of account. Bitcoin is resistant to censorship. Bitcoin is resistant to inflation. Bitcoin is programmable money. Bitcoin is community-driven. Bitcoin is an innovation catalyst. Bitcoin is a challenge to traditional finance. Bitcoin is about social change. Sovereign entities that hold Bitcoin include the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Bhutan, El Salvador, Venezuela, Finland, Georgia, Bulgaria, and Germany. The Bitcoin Act of 2024 (S 4912), a bill that proposes holding Bitcoins as a ‘Strategic National Reserve’, is pending in the United States Congress. RESBit, a similar bill to allocate up to five per cent of Brazil’s international reserves to Bitcoin, is pending at the Brazilian Congress. El Salvador has adopted Bitcoin as legal tender. Thailand, Philippines, Paraguay, Panama, South Korea, India, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Morocco, Tunisia, UAE, Qatar, France and Switzerland are all taking steps towards integrating cryptocurrencies into their financial systems. The State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) has invested $156 million in Bitcoin. The Florida State Board of Administration (SBA) is also exploring a similar investment. Additionally, the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS), the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA), and several cities and counties in Texas, Wyoming, and New York are considering making similar moves into cryptocurrency investments. MicroStrategy, Marathon Digital Holdings, Tesla, Coinbase Global, Block, Inc., Galaxy Digital, the Tezos Foundation, iShares Bitcoin Trust, Grayscale, Fidelity, and several other major corporations collectively own Bitcoin holdings valued at nearly a trillion dollars. For Pakistan, Bitcoin offers the potential to serve as a hedge against inflation, providing a store of value not tied to traditional fiat currencies. For Pakistan, Bitcoin can bring much-needed diversification, reducing reliance on traditional assets. By embracing this digital currency, Pakistan can foster technological advancement, opening doors to blockchain innovation and the digital economy. For Pakistan, Bitcoin can drive financial inclusion by providing unbanked populations access to secure and efficient financial systems. It promises to stimulate economic growth by creating new industries, job opportunities, and investments. Finally, Bitcoin could play a role in addressing Pakistan's debt challenges by serving as a high-value reserve asset, potentially improving the country’s fiscal stability and global financial standing. To be certain, Bitcoin is now mainstream, having evolved from a niche experiment into a globally recognised asset class and technology. Pakistan cannot afford to be left behind in embracing this transformative financial innovation, as doing so risks missing out on significant economic and technological opportunities. The writer is a columnist based in Islamabad. He tweets/posts @saleemfarrukh and can be reached at: farrukh15@hotmail.com

KyKy Tandy scored a season-high 21 points that included a key 3-pointer in a late second-half surge as Florida Atlantic roared back to beat Oklahoma State 86-78 on Thursday in the opening round of the Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C. Florida Atlantic (4-2) advances to play Drake in the semifinal round on Friday while the Cowboys square off against Miami in the consolation semifinal contest, also Friday. Oklahoma State led by as many as 10 points in the first half before securing a five-point advantage at halftime. The Owls surged back and moved in front with four and a half minutes to play. It was part of an 11-1 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Tandy that made it 75-68 with 2:41 remaining. Ken Evans added 14 points for Florida Atlantic, with Leland Walker hitting for 13 and Tre Carroll scoring 11. The Owls went 35-of-49 from the free throw line as the teams combined for 56 fouls in the game, 33 by Oklahoma State. Khalil Brantley led Oklahoma State (3-1) with 16 points while Robert Jennings added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Cowboys, who hit one field goal over a 10-minute stretch of the second half while having three players foul out. The Owls were up by as many as seven points in the early minutes and by 13-10 after a layup by Carroll at the 11:32 mark of the first half. Oklahoma State leapfrogged to the front on Abou Ousmane's layup off a Brantley steal, fell behind again on a 3-pointer by Evans and then responded on a 3-pointer by Jennings to take a 17-16 lead. From there, the Cowboys stoked their advantage to double digits when Jamyron Keller canned a shot from beyond the arc with five minutes to play in the half. Florida Atlantic got a layup and a monster dunk from Matas Vokietaitis and a pair of free throws from Walker in a 6-2 run to end the half to pull within 39-34 at the break. Jennings and Ousmane tallied seven points apiece for Oklahoma State over the first 20 minutes, as the Cowboys led despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor in the half. Carroll and Vokietaitis scored seven points apiece to pace the Owls, who committed 11 turnovers that translated to seven points for Oklahoma State before halftime. --Field Level MediaPublished 19:48 IST, December 28th 2024 The experts feel that Quantum teleportation, has the potential to bring a revolution in the world, which can completely change the way we communicate. In an era of classy mobile phones, laptops and tablets, fast internet access, WiFi, and mobile data, which are used as mediums to send messages, imagine being able to send information from one place to another instantly, without needing any physical medium or future technology. This may sound like science fiction, but researchers have made a groundbreaking achievement in Quantum teleportation, which has generated a ray of hope into the unthinkable. According to the reports, the research team led by Prem Kumar from Northwestern University in the Illinois city of the United States has successfully demonstrated quantum teleportation over standard fibre optic cable, carrying everyday internet traffic. The experts feel that the latest innovation, Quantum teleportation, has the potential to bring a revolution in the world, which can completely change the way we communicate. They believe that once it becomes reality, communication will become faster and more secure. Quantum Teleportation Is Made Possible By ‘Quantum Entanglement’ It is being said that Quantum teleportation is not about physically moving objects from one place to another, but rather about transferring information from one particle to another, regardless of the distance between them. This innovation has reportedly been made possible by "quantum entanglement," where two particles are connected in such a way that what happens to one instantly affects the other. Experts explained saying, think of entanglement like an invisible twin connection where two particles, even if miles apart, are linked in a way that what happens to one instantly affects the other. Unlike sending a physical object, you are sending the state or condition of a particle. Prem Kumar said, "This is incredibly exciting because nobody thought it was possible. Our work shows a path towards next-generation quantum and classical networks sharing a unified fibre optic infrastructure. Basically, it opens the door to pushing quantum communications to the next level." Scientists Used Specific Wavelength For Quantum Signal The study involved careful management of light scattering to ensure that delicate quantum information, carried by photons, could survive amidst the swarm of internet data. To achieve this, the scientists used a specific wavelength for the quantum signal and implemented filters to minimise interference from other data streams. "We carefully studied how light is scattered and placed our photons at a judicial point where that scattering mechanism is minimised," said Prem Kumar. The result was a successful teleportation of a quantum state of light, representing a significant leap towards integrating quantum communication with existing internet infrastructure. Notably, this was not just a simulation; it was done in real-world conditions, showcasing the practical viability of quantum communication alongside traditional data transmission. Quantum Teleportation Can Be As Fast As Light Speed One of the biggest appeals of quantum teleportation is that it can occur almost as fast as light travels. This development is a big step towards a quantum internet that could revolutionize traditional computing. From secure encryption methods to enhanced sensing capabilities, the potential for this technology remains immense. It could even potentially connect quantum computers on a global scale without needing specialized infrastructure. The implications of this breakthrough are vast, and researchers are excited about the possibilities. As Prem Kumar noted, "This is incredibly exciting because nobody thought it was possible. Our work shows a path towards next-generation quantum and classical networks sharing a unified fibre optic infrastructure." With this achievement, we are one step closer to a future where quantum communication and traditional internet coexist, paving the way for a new era in secure and fast communication. Updated 19:48 IST, December 28th 2024Builddirect Secures C$9.526 Million Revolving Credit Facilities From Royal Bank Of CanadaPolite, unmistakably cultured, and endowed with creativity, my London-based friend Achala Sharma becomes uncharacteristically stern when someone refers to the great Indian singer, the late Mohammed Rafi (1924-1980), merely as Rafi. Looking intently into the eyes of the offender, Achala ji, the former chief of Hindi BBC Radio Service, raises a finger and firmly states — her voice gone from supple to steely — “Rafi Saheb, please”. The emphasis upon the suffix leaves no doubt about her reverence for the maestro nor does it permit others to be any less respectful of him. Now, we all know Mohammed Rafi and it is only to check a few boxes of literary formality that I note that he was born in a village near Amritsar, spent a few years of his childhood in Lahore, and at the age of 14 arrived in Bombay (now Mumbai). He gave his first stage performance at age 13, recorded his first song for the Punjabi film, Gul Baloch, at age 20, and got his break in Hindi film industry at the age of 21 with a solo rendering in the 1945 movie Gaon Ki Gori. The rest, as they say, is history. The increasingly popular singer worked with all the great music directors of his time, starting from Shyam Sundar and Husn Lal-Bhagat Ram through Naushad, OP Nayyar, SD Burman, Shankar-Jaikishan, Chitragupta and C Ramchandra, to Laxmikanth-Pyarelal, Jaidev, C Arjun and Khayyam. He lent his voice as a playback singer convincingly to actors as diverse as Dilip Kumar and Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand and Bhagwan, and Balraj Sahni and Johnny Walker. All in all, he sang about 7,000 songs in 13 Indian and seven foreign languages. He won six Filmfare Awards, one National Award, numerous international prizes and recognitions and was honoured with Padma Shri. To be sure, such exceptional achievement deserves to be celebrated and cherished. However, far more striking than this enviable curriculum vitae is the breathtaking versatility of Mohammed Rafi’s creative praxis. He sang romantic songs, bhajans, qawwalis, comedic numbers, ghazals, semiclassical compositions, laments, “drunk hero” items, and patriotic anthems with comparable gusto and dexterity. His capacity to immerse himself in such broad range of human subjectivity was astonishing and made him stand heads and shoulders above the fellow singers not only of his era but of all times. Bracing for accusations of incompleteness, I list eight emotional experiences that Mohammed Rafi masterfully conveyed through his voice, noting that in each of them he could titrate the expression from subtle through lucid to outspoken. The resulting 24 variations of voice, uncannily, correspond to the date of his birth (December 24,1924)! Romance: From the sublime (Aap ke haseen rukh pe aaj naya noor hai, Bahaarein Phir Bhi Aayengi, 1966) through the impish (O mujhe dekh kar aap ka muskuraana, Ek Musafir, Ek Haseena, 1962) to the audacious (Yeh chaand sa roshan chehra, Kasmir ki Kali, 1964). Separation: From the pleading (O door ke musafir, hum ko bhi saath le le, Uran Khatola, 1955) through the resigned (Chal urh ja re panchhi, Bhabhi, 1957) to the tearjerker (Babul ki duaayein leti ja, Neelkamal, 1968). Heartbreak: From the anguished (Toote huye khwaabon ne hum ko yeh sikhaaya hai, Madhumati, 1958) through the regretful (Main yeh soch kar us ke dar se uthha tha, Haqeeqat, 1964) to the aching (Din dhal jaaye hai, raat na jaaye, Guide, 1965). Humour: From the ironic (Yeh hai Bombay, meri jaan, C.I.D, 1956) through the playful (Sar jo tera chakraaye, Pyaasa, 1957) to the bawdy (Suno suno Miss Chatterjee, mere dil ka matter ji, Howrah Bridge, 1958). Inebriation: From the defiant (Mujhe duniya waalon, sharaabi na samjho, Leader, 1964) through the sorrowful (Mehfil se uthh jaane waalo, tum logon par kya ilzaam, Chhandi ki Deewar, 1964) to the inconsolable (Koi saaghar dil ko behlaata nahin, Dil Diya Dard Liya, 1966). Self-awakening: From the soothing (Jaag dil-e-divaana, Oonche Log, 1965) through the insightful (Aaj puraani raahon se koi mujhe awaaz na de, Dil Diya Dard Liya, 1966) to the outrageous (Yahoo! Chaahey koi mujhe junglee kahe, Junglee, 1961). Religious: From Hindu devotion (Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj, Baiju Bawra, 1952) through Biblio-Islamic liturgy (Parvardigaar-e-aalam, tera hi hai sahaara, Hatim Tai, 1956) to the spiritually transcendent (man re , tu kaahey na dheer dharey, Chitralekha, 1964). Patriotism: From the celebratory (Yeh desh hai veer javaanon ka, Naya Daur, 1957) through the declarative (Apni aazaadi ko hum hargiz mita saktey nahin, Leader, 1964) to the exhortative (Awaaz do hum ek hain, Indian Film Division Documentary, 1962). How to account for such majestic ability of one person to submerge his individuality into so many and so varied affective states that we — all of us — feel it? The only explanation that comes to my mind is that such individual must have been deeply compassionate, empathic, and thus most fundamentally human at his core. This authenticity-universality paradox was evident in his private calm and public celebrity status as well as in his being a deeply patriotic Indian and a genuine world citizen. This last-mentioned dimension brings to my mind a song of Mohammed Rafi that I have not mentioned. Taken from the 1961 movie Mr. India, which I saw with my then 17-year-old brother Javed (Akhtar) in Bhopal’s Laxmi Talkies, the song opens with the following lines: “Mat poochh mera hai kaun vatan aur main kahaan ka hoon/ saara jahaan hai mera, main saarey jahaan ka hoon”. With the song echoing in my mind today, I want to burst out saying: “You are! Indeed, you are, Rafi Saheb”. The deference with which I will utter the word Saheb will surely please my good friend, Achala ji. Salman Akhtar is a US-based psychoanalyst and poet in Urdu. The views expressed are personal

Victor Wembanyama plays 1-on-1 chess with fans in New YorkWilliam H. Gates III Sells 70,000 Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Stock

An independent candidate has rocketed from nowhere to win the first round of Romania’s presidential election. Support for Călin Georgescu did not even register in the polls ahead of Sunday’s vote. And yet the provisional results suggest the UN official turned populist politician is heading to the run-off second round. Călin Georgescu doesn’t even have a political party. Ahead of the election result, Romanian media had mainly been focused on another far-right, pro-Trump candidate. Georgescu was largely under the radar. And his ideology is equally opaque. In one of his books, published in 2022, entitled “The Great Renaissance – Trust, Freedom, Sovereignty”, he talks about “Christianity applied in the real economy”. In an interview last year, he said climate change was invented “to impose a fear on the people”. Asked about the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine and global warming, he agreed with the interviewer that they are all conspiracies designed to “control the people”. Georgescu has also previously criticised Nato. He reportedly called a Nato missile programme in Romania a “shame of diplomacy”. So how did he manage to win the election? About a month ago, students alerted a popular Romanian news site, G4Media, to something strange happening on TikTok. Thousands of people were suddenly liking and tagging videos for a little-known candidate, Călin Georgescu, local journalist, Cristian Andrei Leonte, told Radio France International. Many of the accounts were from real people, others appeared to be bots, according to Leonte. His surprise win has given rise to questions over possible Russian interference. In neighbouring Moldova, the incumbent pro-EU president, Maia Sandu, said her re-election last month was hampered by “massive interference” from Russia, something that Moscow denied. Asked about the Romanian election result this morning, a spokesperson for the Kremlin said they “cannot say that we are that familiar with the world view of this candidate”. After a career working for United Nations agencies, Georgescu joined the far-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians party, but eventually left, standing as an independent in the presidential elections. His success comes off the back of a wave of support for far-right parties across Europe including national elections in the Netherlands and Austria and regional elections in Germany. In France, Marine Le Pen’s populist National Rally party is now the main de facto opposition. She is expected to stand again in the French presidential election in 2027. Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, was once a lone voice as the sole populist leader in the European Union. Now there is Giorgia Meloni in Italy and Robert Fico in Slovakia. It is not yet clear whether Georgescu would fit a similar mold. Romanians will head back to the polls for the run-off vote next month. It is expected that mainstream parties will gather around the centre-right’s candidate, Elena Lasconi, to try and keep Georgescu out of power.The 25-year-old Sweden international took his goal tally for the season to 12 in the 3-0 Boxing Day win over Aston Villa at St James’ Park, 10 of them in his last 10 Premier League games, after a challenging start to the new campaign. Isak managed 25 goals in a black and white shirt last season to further justify the club record £63million the club paid to bring him to Tyneside from Real Sociedad during the summer of 2022, but as delighted as he is with his big-money signing, head coach Howe is confident there is even more to come. Murph 🔗 Alex Isak Different game. Same link up. 💪 pic.twitter.com/OMhZf7dtKZ — Newcastle United (@NUFC) December 27, 2024 Asked where the former AIK Solna frontman currently ranks in world football, he said: “My biggest thing with Alex is I am evaluating his game on a daily and weekly basis and I just want to try to push him for more. “Everyone else can say where he is in the pecking order of world football. His game is in a good place at the moment. “My job is to not sit back and appreciate that, my job is to try and find areas he can improve, push him towards that and never stop pushing him. He has all the ingredients in there. Football never stops evolving and changing and he has to evolve with it. “There is a lot more to come from him. Our job is to help him deliver that. “Of course the main responsibility is for Alex to keep his focus, ignore the plaudits and keep helping the team, not be selfish. It is about Newcastle and he plays his part.” It is no coincidence that Newcastle have prospered as Isak has rediscovered his best form, and they will head for Manchester United – where they have won only once in the top flight since 1972 – on Monday evening looking for a fifth successive win in all competitions. He has scored in each of the last five league games having grown into the mantle of the Magpies’ main man, a role performed with such distinction in the past by the likes of Jackie Milburn, Malcolm Macdonald and Alan Shearer, and he has done so with the minimum of fuss. Asked about his character, Howe said: “He is calm, cool – he is what you see on the pitch. “He doesn’t get overly emotional, which for a striker is a great quality because that coolness you see and calmness in front of goal is part of his personality, part of what he is. He seems to have an extra half a second when other players don’t. “With Alex, the beauty of his attitude is that he wants to improve. We give him information and he is responsive. He is not a closed shop. “He is in no way thinking he has arrived at a certain place. He knows he has to keep adding to his game. The challenge is great for him to keep scoring freely as he is now.”

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Victor Wembanyama plays 1-on-1 chess with fans in New YorkWhen it comes to buying top Canadian stocks while they’re undervalued, a 10% discount may not seem that significant. After all, there are plenty of stocks, whether they are value stocks, growth stocks or dividend stocks, that trade at much larger discounts, enticing investors to buy now. However, although a significant discount may seem more attractive, often, the stocks that are most undervalued are also the stocks that are struggling the most. Furthermore, just because a stock has traded higher before, it doesn’t mean it will reach that level again, especially for lower-quality businesses facing significant headwinds. That’s why investors are much better off buying the highest-quality stocks on the market, ones with significant long-term potential. You may not get the same discount when buying the stock, but these businesses have far more potential five and 10 years down the road. Conversely, a stock that appears cheap but lacks significant growth potential might only rebound to its fair value, offering little opportunity for further gains or sustained increases in shareholder value over the long term. So, with that in mind, if you’re looking for top Canadian stocks to buy right now while they are off their highs, here are two of the very best. One of the best growth stocks in Canada to buy right now As I mentioned before a 10% discount may not seem like much, but for a stock like ( ) having the opportunity to buy while its off its high is a significant opportunity. Dollarama has been growing rapidly for years now, both from a share price standpoint and a business operations standpoint. It’s one of the best and most unique businesses because it can take advantage of cheap capital and grow its operations when the economy is strong. However, it also sees a massive boost in sales when the economy faces significant headwinds and consumers are looking to stretch their budgets. Therefore, it’s no surprise that in just the past five years, its sales have increased at a (CAGR) of 10.6%. Furthermore, its normalized (EPS) have increased at a CAGR of 16.3% over those five years. Plus, as Dollarama continues to grow its Canadian business, it’s also now looking for new ways to find growth, such as its investment in the Latin American discount retailer Dollarcity. So, with Dollarama stock now trading at a forward (P/E) ratio of just 31.6 times, down from the high of 35.3 times it just reached back in early November, it’s easily one of the best Canadian growth stocks to buy now. An impressive financial stock trading off its highs In addition to Dollarama, another top-notch Canadian growth stock to buy now is ( ), a stock that’s down more than 20% from its highs. For years goeasy has grown its business rapidly both by finding new avenues of growth, but also by managing its risk. As a financial stock that primarily offers consumer loans to borrowers with below-prime credit ratings, goeasy certainly has a tonne of potential as long as it can manage its risk, which is precisely what it’s done. With charge-off rates almost always within its target range, goeasy earns huge returns on its equity each quarter, increasing shareholder value rapidly. In fact, Dollarama is one of the best and most impressive stocks to buy in Canada, and goeasy’s growth over the last five years has significantly outpaced it. For example, in the last five years, goeasy has increased its revenue at a CAGR of 19.8% compared to Dollarama’s still impressive growth rate of 10.6%. In addition, goeasy’s normalized EPS has increased at an incredible CAGR of 31.9% compared to Dollarama’s growth rate of 16.3%. Therefore, with goeasy offering an even more significant discount, as well as a dividend of just under 2.9%, it’s easily one of the best growth stocks to buy now. Not only does it trade at a forward P/E ratio of just 8.5 times, which is actually below its five-year average of 10.5 times, but you can also earn passive income while you hold goeasy and wait for it to rally back to fair value and beyond.

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Eddie Howe says ‘a lot more to come’ from Newcastle striker Alexander Isak