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blackjack online free Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more When the power goes out or off-grid adventure calls, two modern solutions allow you to continue accessing electrical power: portable generators and power stations. These devices both provide mobile power — serving as a power supply for individual items or backup to your home's primary energy source — and are designed with portability in mind, thanks to their (relatively) compact shape and weight, as well as wheels and handles for easy transport. Portable generators convert gasoline or propane into electricity and offer a high output that's perfect for power-hungry appliances and equipment for construction sites, food trucks, and prolonged power outages. Power stations — essentially large rechargeable batteries — provide silent, emission-free energy that's well-suited to camping, outdoor events, and those who prefer clean indoor backup power. Whether you're interested in preparing for extreme weather events or want to maintain power access during outdoor recreation activities, one of these mobile units will get the job done. It just comes down to identifying which of these will best suit your needs. What are portable generators In the words of Nate Wade, merchandise manager at Batteries Plus , “a portable generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.” By using an internal combustion engine to power an alternator, these machines essentially allow you to use fuel (either gasoline, propane, or diesel) to generate electricity — to power a range of electronic devices. Unlike larger fixed generators, portable generators are designed to be easily transported, featuring sturdy carrying handles for smaller models and wheeled bases for larger machines. This mobility makes them particularly useful for areas without easy access to power. According to Wade, outdoor events (powering lighting and sound systems), construction job sites where temporary power is needed for tools or equipment, as well as a backup power source in the event of an outage at home, are all typical use cases for a portable generator. Portable generators can vary in terms of overall power output (measured in watt-hours (Wh)), from larger 5000-watt versions that can power larger appliances like refrigerators for 8-12 hours to smaller items like lights and fans for 10+ hours on a 2000-watt model. With standard outlets identical to those in your home, you can plug in smaller devices like smartphones and tablets as well. Conventional generators: These run at full capacity at all times, regardless of the electrical output required. This makes them louder than inverter generators and less efficient. Wade added that they’re also cheaper, “letting you back up essential functions with higher wattage demands without breaking the bank.” Inverter generators : Built with advanced technology, inverter generators have the ability to adjust their power output to match demand. This makes them more efficient, producing less emissions and overall noise than conventional generators. “Inverter generators are also more compact and lightweight and are ideal for powering delicate electronics,” says Wade. Portable generator pros and cons Read more in our guide to the best portable generators . What are power stations A power station (also called a portable power generator) is a rechargeable battery system that can power electronic devices and appliances. According to Wade, these devices store electricity in built-in rechargeable batteries and “can be charged via wall outlets, solar panels, or even car chargers”. They typically feature multiple output options like AC outlets, USB ports, and DC outputs for a variety of charging options. Wade explained that some power stations use lithium-ion batteries while others use newer battery chemistries like lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). These newer batteries provide increased thermal stability — naturally increasing their overall safety — and a longer lifespan than standard lithium-ion options. Their quiet operation and portability make power stations ideal for off-grid activities like camping or road trips that benefit from reduced noise levels. Since they don’t generate any fumes, they’re also ideal for indoor use, which is especially convenient for powering phones, laptops, and other electronics in an emergency. While there aren’t specific types of power stations (like portable generators), they do come in a range of capacities, which can help customers determine which is best for their needs. Small (under 300Wh): These compact models are best for charging smaller items like laptops, smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets. Medium (300 - 1000Wh): In addition to smaller items, these can power small appliances like small fans, CPAP machines, LED lights, and coffee makers. Large (over 1000Wh): These power stations can handle high-draw appliances like refrigerators, electric grills, window unit AC units, or multiple smaller items at once. (Although actual runtime depends on the amount and wattage requirements of the item's drawing power). Portable generator vs. power stations: The differences The main difference between portable generators and power stations is their power source. Generators run on fuel, such as gas or propane, while power stations run on stored battery power. This means that generators are more suited to power outages since their power source does not rely on access to a working power grid. When power stations are depleted in an outage, they must either source energy from another power station or use a solar panel system — both of which are much less convenient to source than gas or propane. Portable generators also generally cost much less than power stations. Prices of both can vary depending on the capacity and functionality, but in general, power stations cost roughly two to three times more than generators of similar wattage. Keep in mind that generators require additional fuel costs to keep them running, which is typically much higher than power stations (based on the average electricity rate of $.12/kWh). Solar charging has no direct cost but requires a solar panel investment. Overall capacity is another big difference, with portable generators typically offering more watt hours than power stations. Wade explains that this means “generators offer higher power output for longer periods, while power stations are more suited to small devices and shorter usage times”. Noise and emissions are the clearest differences between the two options. The combustion engine of a portable generator produces high noise levels and potentially deadly carbon monoxide ( much more than an automobile ). Because of these factors (particularly the high risk of carbon monoxide poisoning), generators cannot be used indoors. Power stations run with almost zero noise and no emissions and can be used indoors without issue. Generators are also generally much larger, heavier, and more challenging to transport than power stations. This superior portability makes power stations much more convenient to store when not in use and to carry to and from a vehicle or different area of your home. The bottom line In a nutshell, while generators are more powerful and run longer, power stations are significantly easier to use and maintain. For those whose top priority is emergency use in a power outage and who don’t want to be hindered by limited runtime or slow solar charging, a portable generator is the best choice. Just make sure you’re comfortable handling the maintenance requirements and aware of the carbon monoxide risk (these emissions can affect those inside your home, even when used within 20 feet of a window). If convenient transport and short-term, portable power is your goal, go with a power station. Just make sure that their limited capacity is still sufficient to power your items.Eversource Energy stock underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitors

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2024 in pop culture: In a bruising year, we sought out fantasy, escapism — and cute little animals

NEW YORK — I’ll get you, my pretty! And your little pygmy hippo, too! Forgive us the shameless attempt to link the fantasy hit “Wicked” to the delightful Moo Deng. But, hear us out — there’s something the two have in common as the year draws to a close. Escapism. Whether we found it on the yellow brick road, or in videos from a Thailand zoo, or perhaps in unlikely Olympic heroes, we gravitated toward fantasy and feel-good pop culture moments this year. There were new trends, as always. “Brat summer” became a thing, as did “demure, mindful.” And for some inexplicable reason, we became obsessed with celebrity lookalike contests. There were breakups — Bennifer is, again, a thing of the past — and reunions: Oasis, please try to stay together for the tour. Yet some things stayed, remarkably, the same: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé kept on breaking records and making history. So, after a year where much changed but some things held steady, here’s our annual, very selective trip down pop culture memory lane: It starts as a cheery tweet from a beloved “Sesame Street” figure: “ELMO is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The answers hint at something deeper and more worrisome. “Not great, Elmo. Not great,” says one milder reply. Doing much better is the viral phenomenon called “BARBENHEIMER,” which makes its awards season debut at the GOLDEN GLOBES. But perhaps the most poignant moment comes from neither film: LILY GLADSTONE, first Indigenous winner of best actress in a drama for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” begins her remarks in the language of her tribe, Blackfeet Nation. Valentine’s Day — a perfect time to settle into a sweet love saga via TikTok. Only that’s not quite what we get with “Who TF Did I Marry?,” REESA TEESA’s depressing, fascinating, 50-part account of her disastrous marriage with a man who lied about absolutely everything. Meanwhile, if you're looking for a single week that encapsulates peak SWIFT cultural dominance, try this: she begins with the Grammys in Los Angeles (becoming the first artist to win album of the year four times AND announcing a new album), then heads to Tokyo for four tour dates, then jets back just in time for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas — where she shares a passionate smooch with boyfriend TRAVIS KELCE on the field of victory. “What was I made for?” BILLIE EILISH sings at the OSCARS, channeling BARBIE. And what was KEN made for? Not entirely clear — but it's clear RYAN GOSLING was made to play him. His singalong version of “I’m Just Ken” is one of the most entertaining Oscar musical moments in years. Still, Christopher Nolan's “OPPENHEIMER” prevails, a rare case of the top prize going to a blockbuster studio film. Will it happen again in 2025? CYNTHIA ERIVO and ARIANA GRANDE sure hope so; as presenters, they make a sly reference to their upcoming juggernaut, “WICKED.” Speaking of marketing, people are obsessed with that bizarre “DUNE” popcorn bucket. And BEYONCÉ carves her space in country music with “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” which will make her the first Black woman to top the Billboard country chart. Tennis, anyone? The game’s been around for centuries, but it’s having a cultural moment right now, helped mightily by “CHALLENGERS,” the sweaty romance triangle starring ZENDAYA, MIKE FAIST and JOSH O'CONNOR (40-love? More like 40-sex.) Elsewhere, a new era dawns: At midnight, SWIFT drops “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT," then drops another 15 songs two hours later. The fascinating and disturbing “BABY REINDEER,” the story of a struggling comedian’s extended encounter with a stalker, debuts on Netflix. It’s MET GALA time — or as it's known in 2024, another early marketing moment for “WICKED.” ERIVO and GRANDE make fashion waves on the carpet and then musical ones at dinner, with a soulful performance of “When You Believe.” If the “Wicked” tour is in full force, another one stops in its tracks: JENNIFER LOPEZ cancels her summer tour amid reports of both poor ticket sales and trouble in her marriage to BEN AFFLECK. It’s been an eventful year for J.Lo, who's released an album and movie called “THIS IS ME ... NOW" — both reflections on her renewed love with Affleck. Welcome to BRAT SUMMER! CHARLI XCX releases her hit “Brat” album, with its lime green cover, and launches a thousand memes. Collins Dictionary defines “brat,” its word of the year, as “characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.” At the celeb-heavy SWIFT shows in London, we see PRINCE WILLIAM shaking it off, which is either charming or cringe, you decide. Even better: KELCE dons a top hat and tux and performs for one night. At another stadium across the pond, METS infielder JOSE IGLESIAS delights the crowd with his cheery number “OMG.” Bonjour, it’s OLYMPICS time! In Paris! An audacious opening ceremony along the Seine is punctuated by a fabulous CELINE DION, perched on the EIFFEL TOWER, singing her heart out — in the rain, too. Controversy swirls over a scene critics feel mocks Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (organizers say it does not). Olympic stars are born — including French swimming superstar LEON MARCHAND, rugby player ILONA MAHER, and bespectacled “Pommel Horse Guy” gymnast STEPHEN NEDOROSCIK, who nets two bronze medals and comparisons to Clark Kent. Also capturing hearts: yep, MOO DENG, born this month. Her name means “bouncy pork.” This is them ... now: BENNIFER is no more. After two decades, two engagements and two weddings, J.Lo files for divorce. One union dissolves, another returns: OASIS announces a reunion tour. Everyone seems to want to get in on TikToker JOOLS LEBRON's “DEMURE, MINDFUL” act — even the WHITE HOUSE press team. Back at the Olympics, in the new sport of breaking, we meet Australia’s RAYGUN, arguably neither demure nor mindful with her “kangaroo” move. Cute animal alert: SHOHEI OHTANI’s perky pooch DECOY does a great “first pitch” in his Major League Baseball debut. One of the year’s biggest breakout artists, CHAPPELL ROAN, withdraws from a music festival after speaking out about frightening fan interactions. And more on the price of fame: In an excruciating moment, “Bachelorette” JENN TRAN, the franchise’s first Asian American lead, is forced to sit through a painful viewing of her proposal to her chosen suitor, after tearfully explaining how he’d later dumped her over the phone. Tran is keeping busy though — she’s announced as part of the new “Dancing with the Stars” lineup. Also on the list: rugby player Maher, and Pommel Horse Guy! Also, ANNA SOROKIN, dancing with an ankle monitor. Online fandom, meanwhile, is shaken when X is temporarily suspended in Brazil and celebrity stan accounts post tearful farewells, revealing to many across the globe that their favorite accounts are run by Brazilians. “Dune” Chalamets! “Wonka” Chalamets! Thousands gather in Manhattan for a TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET lookalike contest, and things really get interesting when Chalamet himself shows up. He doesn’t enter the contest, though, and with his mustache, he may not even have won. The trend continues with contests for JEREMY ALLEN WHITE, ZAYN MALIK and — in a very Washington version — Kennedy scion JACK SCHLOSSBERG, who's been gathering a following with some interesting social media posts. Turning to basketball, who’s that dancing with USHER? Why it’s ELLIE THE ELEPHANT, the now-viral NEW YORK LIBERTY mascot. MAYA RUDOLPH does a pretty good KAMALA HARRIS laugh on “Saturday Night Live,” but you know who does it better? HARRIS herself. The Democratic candidate makes a surprise cameo three days before the U.S. presidential election, following in the footsteps of HILLARY CLINTON, SARAH PALIN and others. Elsewhere in television, Bravo announces that “VANDERPUMP RULES,” the Emmy-nominated reality show that has lived through countless scandals, is entirely recasting its 12th season — apart from namesake LISA VANDERPUMP. As for MOO DENG, she doesn't have her own TV series yet, but our favorite pygmy hippo is generating plenty of merch. And THAT brings us back to ... “WICKED”! Director JON M. CHU’s emerald-hued fantasy remains very very popular, to quote one of its buzzy show tunes, dancing through life and defying gravity at the multiplex. Moviegoers also come for “GLADIATOR II” and, in a veritable tidal wave, Disney's “MOANA 2,” which beckons us back to the seas of Oceania. Once again, 2024 seems to be telling us: Give people some whimsy, a place to escape, maybe some catchy tunes — and no one knows how far they’ll go.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Northern California was under a rare and brief tsunami warning alert Thursday that tested local emergency notification systems after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook part of the state. The National Weather Service canceled its alert after roughly an hour and before the tsunami was expected to arrive. In that hour, some cities and counties ordered evacuations while others relied on social media and text messages to inform people of the warning. Some people headed for higher ground, while others drove to the beach to get a better view. People took to social media to figure out why a warning was issued and then canceled so quickly, and how the NWS determines when to send alerts. Here are answers to more questions. What exactly is a tsunami? The word for tsunami comes from the Japanese characters for harbor and wave. It's a series of extremely long waves set in motion when energy from an earthquake causes the ocean floor to suddenly rise or fall, according to the National Weather Service . How common are they in California? Since 1800, California's shores have been struck by more than 150 tsunamis, most of them minor, according to the California Geological Survey. Phones buzzed Thursday when the National Weather Service issued its warning just minutes after the quake struck west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County. It read in part: “You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now.” Why was there an alert if there wasn't a large tsunami? The National Weather Service Bay Area posted on the social platform X early Friday that the region doesn't get tsunami alerts often and “there are lot of questions, frustration, and even some anger” about Thursday's event. A warning alert is the most serious of four tsunami alerts, including a watch alert for a possible tsunami and an advisory alert telling people to stay out of the water and away from the shore. The last time California received a warning alert was 2011 when an earthquake in Japan caused about $100 million in damages along the California coast. Basically, a distant, offshore earthquake or other trigger event gives scientists more time to analyze data and confirm that a large tsunami was generated before sounding a warning. But Thursday’s earthquake was local and close to the coast, forcing a hasty high-level alert in order to give people the maximum time to prepare as tsunami waves can travel very fast, up to 500 mph (800 kph) in the deep ocean, the NWS wrote. “By the time we actually observe it, it may be too late, because it's right there in our back doors,” said Dalton Behringer, a meteorologist with NWS Bay Area, on Friday. Scientists used the time Thursday to monitor buoys and get more information on the earthquake itself, he said. They canceled the alert after seeing little sea-level change and determining the quake was a strike-slip type of temblor that shifts more horizontally and is less prone to cause tsunamis, he said. “These things happen so infrequently for us, I think it just caught a lot of people off-guard,” he said. How did Northern California respond? Authorities in Eureka, the biggest city in Humboldt County, sent texts and went door-to-door to order businesses in high-risk areas to evacuate, said City Manager Miles Slattery. He said only a small portion of the city was at risk, and Thursday's test run showed evacuees need to work on leaving by foot, rather than by car. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the commuter light-rail system known as BART stopped traffic in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland, and the San Francisco Zoo’s visitors were evacuated. Responses varied as fire and police in Berkeley evacuated certain areas of the city while in San Francisco, officials sent alerts and messages on social media telling residents to stay away from water, beaches, harbors, marina docks, and piers. “Move at least one block inland,” said the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management. Emergency personnel in vehicles with public address systems also went to make sure no one was on beaches and other low-lying areas. But some critics said San Francisco should have sounded its loud emergency sirens, which have been off-line since 2019 for repairs. In San Mateo County, just south of San Francisco, officials considered but decided against sounding its tsunami warning sirens after receiving more comprehensive information from the NWS that any tsunami would affect coastlines north of the Golden Gate Bridge, said Michelle Durand, a spokesperson for the county. Fire and police cleared the beaches while emergency personnel gathered to monitor the situation, she said, which “prioritized both public safety and the prevention of unnecessary panic.” Janie Har, The Associated Press'The View' co-host Sunny Hostin said that the wave of jokes and celebration of what appears to be the targeted assassination of a UnitedHealthcare CEO shows how many Americans feel about the healthcare system. One of the co-hosts of ABC's "The View" suggested on Friday that jokes about the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson show Americans’ frustration with the healthcare system. Following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, some far-left journalists and social media users were quick to offer celebratory, mocking or sneering reactions to his shocking death. Former Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz was among the most prominent voices, writing a post titled " Why ‘we’ want insurance executives dead ," doubling down on her many social media posts seeming to celebrate and justify Thompson's murder. Co-hosts of "The View" expressed their shock about the murder, but some argued these responses were not a surprise. Co-host Sunny Hostin offered her thoughts on the assassination of the United Healthcare CEO. UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER COMES AMID INSURANCE COVERAGE CONTROVERSIES "You know, I think what has shocked me the most is the anger that is being reflected against this man, who is a father and a husband, who was murdered," co-host Sunny Hostin said. "I mean, I was looking at some of the social media comments, and I try to stay away from social media, but it said some of the comments were ‘thoughts and deductibles to the family.’ One of the comments was, ‘Unfortunately, my condolences are out of network.’ And so, I think it really — isn’t that something? I think it’s reflective about how people are feeling about their healthcare." She went on to discuss how Americans are taking their anger about the healthcare system on Thompson. "If you look at this particular CEO, while he made $10 million a year, which is not actually unusual for a company this size, this particular health company, United Healthcare, is the largest company responsible for Medicare programs for people over the age of 65," Hostin added. "And our country is one of the only countries that doesn’t have universal healthcare, and we don’t take care of our elderly and people are feeling the pinch. We talk about that all the time," she said. "I think people are really angry at the healthcare system and, unfortunately, it’s translating to this father." Bullets lie on the sidewalk at the scene outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (Stefan Jeremiah/AP) Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin later responded that she had seen some prominent figures on the far-left who were celebrating the killing, but refused to amplify their rhetoric. "If you want to effect change in this country, it is a democracy," she said. "Organize, activate, get out and talk to people, talk your congressman. Violence is absolutely never the answer and to single out one individual because you have an issue with a company or entire industry that’s been fraught for decades." "Don’t vote for Republicans," co-host Joy Behar advised, "Because they wanna overthrow Obamacare." Later, co-host Ana Navarro referenced an Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield policy change that would have revised its billing standards for anesthesia treatment and not pay for those services after a set time limit for a given operation, going on to cite how both the elderly and children are impacted by difficulties within the healthcare system. "So I think there’s a lot of frustration in this country, and, you know, we have to have a national conversation," she said. FORMER WAPO REPORTER SAYS ‘WE WANT THESE EXECUTIVES DEAD’ AFTER THE MURDER OF INSURANCE CEO Hours after news broke of Thompson's murder, Lorenz wrote on the social media site Bluesky, "And people wonder why we want these executives dead," alongside an article about the Blue Cross Blue Shield anesthesia policy. Lorenz went on to share images of Blue Cross Blue Shield CEO Kim Keck and reposted others' calls for health insurance executives to be targeted. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP After the backlash, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield backtracked on imposing the anesthesia policy. Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Alexander.hall@fox.com.

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GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Treysen Eaglestaff's 19 points helped North Dakota defeat Waldorf College 97-57 on Sunday night. Eaglestaff shot 6 of 11 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 6 from the line for the Fightin' Hawks (6-9). Mier Panoam added 13 points and six rebounds. Zach Kraft had 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. Gene Noble led the way for the Warriors with 12 points and six rebounds. Emmanuel Ferguson scored 10 and Ugo Ejiofor pitched in with nine points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Hyderabad: To tackle concerns regarding illegal construction in Hyderabad, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) plans to introduce an online portal to monitor violations and impose heavy penalties on property owners. According to the TOI report, this move follows the Telangana High Court’s recent directive for stricter action against illegal constructions, which include unauthorized floors, road encroachments, deviation from approved plans, and violations of building codes, such as construction without proper approvals or occupying government or private land. In the past five years, over 2.5 lakh writ petitions have been filed in the Telangana High Court over the past five years regarding illegal constructions in Hyderabad. During GHMC’s Prajavani program, around 40 to 50 percent petitions were regarding illegal constructions in Hyderabad. This year alone, TOI reports that GHMC has demolished over 1,000 illegal structures. However, enforcement is often delayed until complaints are lodged, and many property owners manage to evade scrutiny. GHMC Commissioner K Ilambarithi stated that guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) are being developed to tackle illegal constructions in Hyderabad. Property owners ignoring orders against illegal constructions will face criminal charges under Section 223 of the BNS along with a 400 percent penalty on the original fee. The new online portal will track complaints from the initial notice to the final actions including the sealing and demolition of properties. GHMC also plans to work with the stamps and registration department to update the EC system, marking properties with illegal constructions in Hyderabad. This would alert potential buyers, creating a deterrent for owners engaged in unauthorized building activities. Officials further informed TOI that many property owners bypass regulations by obtaining permits for smaller structures and later adding illegal floors or converting residential spaces into commercial establishments to evade higher tax rates.Global Stock Footage Software Market Size, Share and Forecast By Key Players-Shutterstock, Getty Images, Pixabay, Adobe, Pexels

AP Business SummaryBrief at 5:00 p.m. ESTENGLEWOOD, Colo. — John Elway says any remorse over bypassing Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL draft is quickly dissipating with rookie Bo Nix's rapid rise, suggesting the Denver Broncos have finally found their next franchise quarterback. Elway said Nix, the sixth passer selected in April's draft, is an ideal fit in Denver with coach Sean Payton navigating his transition to the pros and Vance Joseph's defense serving as a pressure release valve for the former Oregon QB. "We've seen the progression of Bo in continuing to get better and better each week and Sean giving him more each week and trusting him more and more to where last week we saw his best game of the year," Elway said in a nod to Nix's first game with 300 yards and four touchdown throws in a rout of Atlanta. For that performance, Nix earned his second straight NFL Rookie of the Week honor along with the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. "I think the sky's the limit," Elway said, "and that's just going to continue to get better and better." In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Elway also touted former coach Mike Shanahan's Hall of Fame credentials, spoke about the future of University of Colorado star and Heisman favorite Travis Hunter and discussed his ongoing bout with a chronic hand condition. Elway spent the last half of his decade as the Broncos' GM in a futile search for a worthy successor to Peyton Manning, a pursuit that continued as he transitioned into a two-year consultant role that ended after the 2022 season. "You have all these young quarterbacks and you look at the ones that make it and the ones that don't and it's so important to have the right system and a coach that really knows how to tutelage quarterbacks, and Sean's really good at that," Elway said. "I think the combination of Bo's maturity, having started 61 games in college, his athletic ability and his knowledge of the game has been such a tremendous help for him,'" Elway added. "But also Vance Joseph's done a heck of a job on the defensive side to where all that pressure's not being put on Bo and the offense to score all the time." Payton and his staff have methodically expanded Nix's repertoire and incorporated his speed into their blueprints. Elway lauded them for "what they're doing offensively and how they're breaking Bo into the NFL because it's a huge jump and I think patience is something that goes a long way in the NFL when it comes down to quarterbacks." Elway said he hopes to sit down with Nix at some point when things slow down for the rookie. Nix, whose six wins are one more than Elway had as a rookie, said he looks forward to meeting the man who won two Super Bowls during his Hall of Fame playing career and another from the front office. "He's a legend not only here for this organization, but for the entire NFL," Nix said, adding, "most guys, they would love to have a chat with John Elway, just pick his brain. It's just awesome that I'm even in that situation." Orange Crush linebacker Randy Gradishar joined Elway in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, something Elway called "way, way overdue." Elway suggested it's also long past time for the Hall to honor Shanahan, who won back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver with Elway at QB and whose footprint you see every weekend in the NFL because of his expansive coaching tree. Elway called University of Colorado stars Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders "both great athletes." He said he really hopes Sanders gets drafted by a team that will bring him along like the Broncos have done with Nix, and he sees Hunter being able to play both ways in the pros — but not full time. Elway said he thinks Hunter will be primarily a corner in the NFL but with significant contributions on offense: "He's great at both. He's got great instincts, and that's what you need at corner." It's been five years since Elway announced he was dealing with Dupuytren's contracture, a chronic condition that typically appears after age 40 and causes one or more fingers to permanently bend toward the palm. Elway's ring fingers on both hands were originally affected and he said now the middle finger on his right hand is starting to pull forward. So, he'll get another injection of a drug called Xiaflex, which is the only FDA-approved non-surgical treatment, one that he's endorsing in an awareness campaign for the chronic condition that affects 17 million Americans. The condition can make it difficult to do everyday tasks such as shaking hands or picking up a coffee mug. Elway said what bothered him most was "I couldn't pick up a football and I could not imagine not being able to put my hand around a football." Get local news delivered to your inbox!Organised crime gangs lurking on motorways send cargo thefts soaring by half to £102m - with 'homegrown' groups blamed for majority of raids on lorry drivers to seize luxury brands

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Bryce Thompson scored 17 points, Marchelus Avery had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Oklahoma State beat Miami 80-74 on Friday in the consolation bracket of the Charleston Classic. Oklahoma State (4-1) will play in the fifth-place game on Sunday, while Miami (3-2) will try to avoid going winless in the tournament. Oklahoma State led 43-27 at halftime after making 8 of 15 from 3-point range, while Miami was just 8 of 27 overall. Four different Cowboys made a 3-pointer in the first half, with Brandon Newman making three. Thompson banked in a shot early in the second half to give Oklahoma State a 20-point lead at 49-29. Miami, which opened the game by missing 7 of 8 shots, went 1 for 8 from the field to begin the second half. Miami trailed by double figures the entire second half until Matthew Cleveland made a difficult shot in the lane while being fouled. He made the free throw to pull the Hurricanes within 75-67 with 49 seconds left. Arturo Dean restored a double-digit lead by making two free throws at 43.8. Thompson reached the 1,000 career points with the Cowboys on a shot in the lane with 13:01 left in the second half to give Oklahoma State a 55-38 lead. Nijel Pack scored 20 points and Brandon Johnson had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Miami. Cleveland finished with 11 points, and Lynn Kidd and Paul Djobet each had 10. Miami will play either VCU or Nevada at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday

Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’Prosus is acquiring online travel agency Despegar.com for US$1.7-billion (R32-billion) as the Dutch technology investor seeks to expand its online commerce presence in Latin America. Despegar’s board approved the offer of $19.50/share, a 33% premium to the closing price on 20 December, Prosus said in a statement on Monday. “This acquisition demonstrates our strategy to build value by creating high-quality ecosystems of complementary technology businesses,” Prosus CEO Fabricio Bloisi said. “We will accelerate Despegar’s growth by leveraging the extensive customer touchpoints within our portfolio.” Prosus parent Naspers was an early investor in Tencent Holdings, and Prosus is now scouring the globe for companies in an effort to replicate its success with the Chinese internet firm. Bloisi, who prior to taking the helm at Prosus in July ran its Latin American iFood delivery service, stands to earn a $100-million moonshot pay package if he can double the company’s value in four years. The group has sold off some investments since Bloisi took over, including a stake in Indian online food delivery firm Swiggy during its initial public offering and its holding in China’s Trip.com for about $1.5-billion. This is its first big acquisition under Bloisi, although more deals are expected as he seeks rapid growth. Despegar operates in 19 countries and handles over 9.5 million transactions a year. The company did $5.3-billion in gross bookings in its 2023 financial year. The deal, which is expected to close during the second quarter of 2025 pending regulatory approval, will add to Prosus’s e-commerce portfolio in Latin America, where it also has a classified business OLX, iFood and events platform Sympla. Upon completion, the group will have about 100 million customers and over $500-million in e-commerce earnings before interest and tax in Latin America, according to a Prosus presentation. Read: Naspers plans more IPOs after Swiggy success Prosus has redoubled its efforts to deploy the company’s capital, focusing on sectors including online food, classifieds, payments and fintech, Prosus chief investment officer and president Ervin Tu said last month. Prosus, through Naspers, made a blockbuster investment in Tencent in 2001, when it paid $34-million for nearly half of the company. Today, it owns about a quarter of the firm, which has a market value of about $480-billion. The group’s investment in the Chinese tech giant has distorted Prosus’s stock price and created a gap between the value of the stake and the rest of the group’s businesses. — (c) 2024 Bloomberg LP Get breaking news from TechCentral on WhatsApp. Sign up here"VyStar Credit Union Earns Top 3 Nationally on Computerworld's 2025 Best Places to Work in IT List"

As Head of the FBI, Kash Patel Could Offer January 6 Rioters Retribution Against Their EnemiesPLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Newly married and sworn as a Naval officer, Jimmy Carter left his tiny hometown in 1946 hoping to climb the ranks and see the world. Less than a decade later, the death of his father and namesake, a merchant farmer and local politician who went by “Mr. Earl,” prompted the submariner and his wife, Rosalynn, to return to the rural life of Plains, Georgia, they thought they’d escaped. The lieutenant never would be an admiral. Instead, he became commander in chief. Years after his presidency ended in humbling defeat, he would add a Nobel Peace Prize, awarded not for his White House accomplishments but “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” The life of James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th and longest-lived U.S. president, ended Sunday at the age of 100 where it began: Plains, the town of 600 that fueled his political rise, welcomed him after his fall and sustained him during 40 years of service that redefined what it means to be a former president. With the stubborn confidence of an engineer and an optimism rooted in his Baptist faith, Carter described his motivations in politics and beyond in the same way: an almost missionary zeal to solve problems and improve lives. Carter was raised amid racism, abject poverty and hard rural living — realities that shaped both his deliberate politics and emphasis on human rights. “He always felt a responsibility to help people,” said Jill Stuckey, a longtime friend of Carter's in Plains. “And when he couldn’t make change wherever he was, he decided he had to go higher.” Carter's path, a mix of happenstance and calculation , pitted moral imperatives against political pragmatism; and it defied typical labels of American politics, especially caricatures of one-term presidents as failures. “We shouldn’t judge presidents by how popular they are in their day. That's a very narrow way of assessing them," Carter biographer Jonathan Alter told the Associated Press. “We should judge them by how they changed the country and the world for the better. On that score, Jimmy Carter is not in the first rank of American presidents, but he stands up quite well.” Later in life, Carter conceded that many Americans, even those too young to remember his tenure, judged him ineffective for failing to contain inflation or interest rates, end the energy crisis or quickly bring home American hostages in Iran. He gained admirers instead for his work at The Carter Center — advocating globally for public health, human rights and democracy since 1982 — and the decades he and Rosalynn wore hardhats and swung hammers with Habitat for Humanity. Yet the common view that he was better after the Oval Office than in it annoyed Carter, and his allies relished him living long enough to see historians reassess his presidency. “He doesn’t quite fit in today’s terms” of a left-right, red-blue scoreboard, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited the former president multiple times during his own White House bid. At various points in his political career, Carter labeled himself “progressive” or “conservative” — sometimes both at once. His most ambitious health care bill failed — perhaps one of his biggest legislative disappointments — because it didn’t go far enough to suit liberals. Republicans, especially after his 1980 defeat, cast him as a left-wing cartoon. It would be easiest to classify Carter as a centrist, Buttigieg said, “but there’s also something radical about the depth of his commitment to looking after those who are left out of society and out of the economy.” Indeed, Carter’s legacy is stitched with complexities, contradictions and evolutions — personal and political. The self-styled peacemaker was a war-trained Naval Academy graduate who promised Democratic challenger Ted Kennedy that he’d “kick his ass.” But he campaigned with a call to treat everyone with “respect and compassion and with love.” Carter vowed to restore America’s virtue after the shame of Vietnam and Watergate, and his technocratic, good-government approach didn't suit Republicans who tagged government itself as the problem. It also sometimes put Carter at odds with fellow Democrats. The result still was a notable legislative record, with wins on the environment, education, and mental health care. He dramatically expanded federally protected lands, began deregulating air travel, railroads and trucking, and he put human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy. As a fiscal hawk, Carter added a relative pittance to the national debt, unlike successors from both parties. Carter nonetheless struggled to make his achievements resonate with the electorate he charmed in 1976. Quoting Bob Dylan and grinning enthusiastically, he had promised voters he would “never tell a lie.” Once in Washington, though, he led like a joyless engineer, insisting his ideas would become reality and he'd be rewarded politically if only he could convince enough people with facts and logic. This served him well at Camp David, where he brokered peace between Israel’s Menachem Begin and Epypt’s Anwar Sadat, an experience that later sparked the idea of The Carter Center in Atlanta. Carter's tenacity helped the center grow to a global force that monitored elections across five continents, enabled his freelance diplomacy and sent public health experts across the developing world. The center’s wins were personal for Carter, who hoped to outlive the last Guinea worm parasite, and nearly did. As president, though, the approach fell short when he urged consumers beleaguered by energy costs to turn down their thermostats. Or when he tried to be the nation’s cheerleader, beseeching Americans to overcome a collective “crisis of confidence.” Republican Ronald Reagan exploited Carter's lecturing tone with a belittling quip in their lone 1980 debate. “There you go again,” the former Hollywood actor said in response to a wonky answer from the sitting president. “The Great Communicator” outpaced Carter in all but six states. Carter later suggested he “tried to do too much, too soon” and mused that he was incompatible with Washington culture: media figures, lobbyists and Georgetown social elites who looked down on the Georgians and their inner circle as “country come to town.” Carter carefully navigated divides on race and class on his way to the Oval Office. Born Oct. 1, 1924 , Carter was raised in the mostly Black community of Archery, just outside Plains, by a progressive mother and white supremacist father. Their home had no running water or electricity but the future president still grew up with the relative advantages of a locally prominent, land-owning family in a system of Jim Crow segregation. He wrote of President Franklin Roosevelt’s towering presence and his family’s Democratic Party roots, but his father soured on FDR, and Jimmy Carter never campaigned or governed as a New Deal liberal. He offered himself as a small-town peanut farmer with an understated style, carrying his own luggage, bunking with supporters during his first presidential campaign and always using his nickname. And he began his political career in a whites-only Democratic Party. As private citizens, he and Rosalynn supported integration as early as the 1950s and believed it inevitable. Carter refused to join the White Citizens Council in Plains and spoke out in his Baptist church against denying Black people access to worship services. “This is not my house; this is not your house,” he said in a churchwide meeting, reminding fellow parishioners their sanctuary belonged to God. Yet as the appointed chairman of Sumter County schools he never pushed to desegregate, thinking it impractical after the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board decision. And while presidential candidate Carter would hail the 1965 Voting Rights Act, signed by fellow Democrat Lyndon Johnson when Carter was a state senator, there is no record of Carter publicly supporting it at the time. Carter overcame a ballot-stuffing opponent to win his legislative seat, then lost the 1966 governor's race to an arch-segregationist. He won four years later by avoiding explicit mentions of race and campaigning to the right of his rival, who he mocked as “Cufflinks Carl” — the insult of an ascendant politician who never saw himself as part the establishment. Carter’s rural and small-town coalition in 1970 would match any victorious Republican electoral map in 2024. Once elected, though, Carter shocked his white conservative supporters — and landed on the cover of Time magazine — by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Before making the jump to Washington, Carter befriended the family of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., whom he’d never sought out as he eyed the governor’s office. Carter lamented his foot-dragging on school integration as a “mistake.” But he also met, conspicuously, with Alabama's segregationist Gov. George Wallace to accept his primary rival's endorsement ahead of the 1976 Democratic convention. “He very shrewdly took advantage of his own Southerness,” said Amber Roessner, a University of Tennessee professor and expert on Carter’s campaigns. A coalition of Black voters and white moderate Democrats ultimately made Carter the last Democratic presidential nominee to sweep the Deep South. Then, just as he did in Georgia, he used his power in office to appoint more non-whites than all his predecessors had, combined. He once acknowledged “the secret shame” of white Americans who didn’t fight segregation. But he also told Alter that doing more would have sacrificed his political viability – and thus everything he accomplished in office and after. King's daughter, Bernice King, described Carter as wisely “strategic” in winning higher offices to enact change. “He was a leader of conscience,” she said in an interview. Rosalynn Carter, who died on Nov. 19 at the age of 96, was identified by both husband and wife as the “more political” of the pair; she sat in on Cabinet meetings and urged him to postpone certain priorities, like pressing the Senate to relinquish control of the Panama Canal. “Let that go until the second term,” she would sometimes say. The president, recalled her former aide Kathy Cade, retorted that he was “going to do what’s right” even if “it might cut short the time I have.” Rosalynn held firm, Cade said: “She’d remind him you have to win to govern.” Carter also was the first president to appoint multiple women as Cabinet officers. Yet by his own telling, his career sprouted from chauvinism in the Carters' early marriage: He did not consult Rosalynn when deciding to move back to Plains in 1953 or before launching his state Senate bid a decade later. Many years later, he called it “inconceivable” that he didn’t confer with the woman he described as his “full partner,” at home, in government and at The Carter Center. “We developed a partnership when we were working in the farm supply business, and it continued when Jimmy got involved in politics,” Rosalynn Carter told AP in 2021. So deep was their trust that when Carter remained tethered to the White House in 1980 as 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, it was Rosalynn who campaigned on her husband’s behalf. “I just loved it,” she said, despite the bitterness of defeat. Fair or not, the label of a disastrous presidency had leading Democrats keep their distance, at least publicly, for many years, but Carter managed to remain relevant, writing books and weighing in on societal challenges. He lamented widening wealth gaps and the influence of money in politics. He voted for democratic socialist Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in 2016, and later declared that America had devolved from fully functioning democracy to “oligarchy.” Yet looking ahead to 2020, with Sanders running again, Carter warned Democrats not to “move to a very liberal program,” lest they help re-elect President Donald Trump. Carter scolded the Republican for his serial lies and threats to democracy, and chided the U.S. establishment for misunderstanding Trump’s populist appeal. He delighted in yearly convocations with Emory University freshmen, often asking them to guess how much he’d raised in his two general election campaigns. “Zero,” he’d gesture with a smile, explaining the public financing system candidates now avoid so they can raise billions. Carter still remained quite practical in partnering with wealthy corporations and foundations to advance Carter Center programs. Carter recognized that economic woes and the Iran crisis doomed his presidency, but offered no apologies for appointing Paul Volcker as the Federal Reserve chairman whose interest rate hikes would not curb inflation until Reagan's presidency. He was proud of getting all the hostages home without starting a shooting war, even though Tehran would not free them until Reagan's Inauguration Day. “Carter didn’t look at it” as a failure, Alter emphasized. “He said, ‘They came home safely.’ And that’s what he wanted.” Well into their 90s, the Carters greeted visitors at Plains’ Maranatha Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday School and where he will have his last funeral before being buried on family property alongside Rosalynn . Carter, who made the congregation’s collection plates in his woodworking shop, still garnered headlines there, calling for women’s rights within religious institutions, many of which, he said, “subjugate” women in church and society. Carter was not one to dwell on regrets. “I am at peace with the accomplishments, regret the unrealized goals and utilize my former political position to enhance everything we do,” he wrote around his 90th birthday. The politician who had supposedly hated Washington politics also enjoyed hosting Democratic presidential contenders as public pilgrimages to Plains became advantageous again. Carter sat with Buttigieg for the final time March 1, 2020, hours before the Indiana mayor ended his campaign and endorsed eventual winner Joe Biden. “He asked me how I thought the campaign was going,” Buttigieg said, recalling that Carter flashed his signature grin and nodded along as the young candidate, born a year after Carter left office, “put the best face” on the walloping he endured the day before in South Carolina. Never breaking his smile, the 95-year-old host fired back, “I think you ought to drop out.” “So matter of fact,” Buttigieg said with a laugh. “It was somehow encouraging.” Carter had lived enough, won plenty and lost enough to take the long view. “He talked a lot about coming from nowhere,” Buttigieg said, not just to attain the presidency but to leverage “all of the instruments you have in life” and “make the world more peaceful.” In his farewell address as president, Carter said as much to the country that had embraced and rejected him. “The struggle for human rights overrides all differences of color, nation or language,” he declared. “Those who hunger for freedom, who thirst for human dignity and who suffer for the sake of justice — they are the patriots of this cause.” Carter pledged to remain engaged with and for them as he returned “home to the South where I was born and raised,” home to Plains, where that young lieutenant had indeed become “a fellow citizen of the world.” —- Bill Barrow, based in Atlanta, has covered national politics including multiple presidential campaigns for the AP since 2012.None