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Heisman Trophy finalist and two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter was named The Associated Press Big 12 defensive player of the year while also being a first-team selection at wide receiver on Thursday. Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is the league's top offensive player. Kenny Dillingham, the 34-year-old in his second season at Arizona State, was the unanimous choice as Big 12 coach of the year after leading his alma mater to a championship and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils (11-2) went into their league debut as the preseason pick to finish last among the 16 teams. At cornerback, Hunter had 31 tackles, tied for the Big 12 lead with 11 pass breakups and was tied for second with four interceptions. On offense, he leads the Big 12 with 92 receptions and 14 receiving touchdowns, and is second with 1,152 yards receiving. His 21 catches of at least 20 yards are the most nationally. He is also the AP's player of the year. People are also reading... Sanders is the Big 12 passing leader, completing 337 of 454 passes (74.2%) for 3,926 yards and a school-record 35 touchdowns with eight interceptions for the Buffaloes (10-2) Arizona State freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is 11-1 as a starter, is the league’s top newcomer. The Michigan State transfer has 2,663 yards passing with 24 touchdowns and only five picks in 304 attempts. Mullen picked as UNLV coach LAS VEGAS — UNLV is reaching into the Southeastern Conference to keep momentum going for its 24th-ranked football team, hiring former Florida and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen on Thursday. He will be introduced in a news conference Friday morning. UNLV athletic director Erick Harper, in a news release, called Mullen "an innovator and nationally respected leader.” “The momentum of UNLV football continues to skyrocket with Coach Mullen coming aboard and is even more proof that our university is serious about success," Harper said. "Rebel Nation came alive while watching this program reach new heights the last two seasons and we are excited to keep it moving forward under the leadership of someone the caliber of Dan Mullen.” The 52-year-old Mullen replaces Barry Odom, who left for Purdue on Sunday after going 19-8 and helping the Rebels receive back-to-back bowl invitations for the first time in program history. UNLV will play California in the LA Bowl on Wednesday. Mullen, most recently an ESPN college football analyst, went 103-61 at Florida and Mississippi State. Rich Rodriguez back at West Virginia Rich Rodriguez is returning to West Virginia for a second stint as head coach at his alma mater. Athletic director Wren Baker announced the hiring on Thursday, 17 years after Rodriguez made a hasty exit for what became a disastrous three-year experiment at Michigan. “We are thrilled to welcome Coach Rich Rodriguez and his family back home,” Baker said in a statement. “Coach Rodriguez understands what it takes to win at West Virginia, and I believe he will pour his heart, soul and every ounce of his energy into our program. I am convinced Coach Rodriguez wants what is best for West Virginia, WVU and West Virginia football, and I am excited about the future of our program.” Rodriguez, who is the current coach at Jacksonville State, an architect of the spread offense and a polarizing figure in his home state, replaces Neal Brown, who was fired on Dec. 1 after going 37-35 in six seasons, including 6-6 this year. Arizona WR McMillan declares for draft TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona star receiver Tetairoa McMillan declared for the NFL draft following three stellar seasons. McMillan announced his decision Thursday on Instagram. “Now, it’s time to take the next step. ... I’m officially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft,” McMillan posted. “This is only the beginning.” McMillian is Arizona's all-time leader in receiving yards, finishing with 3,423 in three seasons, and is projected to be a first-round NFL draft pick. BRIEFLY FCS: The NCAA is taking its Football Championship Subdivision title game back to Tennessee. The FCS championship games at the end of the 2025 and 2026 seasons will be played in Nashville on the Vanderbilt campus. This season’s game will be played Jan. 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, which will host the game for a record 15th season in a row and was set for at least two more. OC: UCLA announced Tino Sunseri’s hiring as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Sunseri replaces Eric Bieniemy, who was fired on Dec. 5 after fielding one of the nation’s worst offenses this season. Sunseri spent one season as Indiana’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after following Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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DOHA — Foreign ministers from Arab nations and countries participating in the Astana Process have reiterated their call for all parties to pursue a political solution to end the Syrian crisis. The ministers gathered on Saturday in Doha to discuss the ongoing conflict and explore pathways for a sustainable resolution. The meeting brought together foreign ministers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq, alongside representatives from Iran, Türkiye, and Russia. In a joint statement, the ministers emphasized the urgent need to halt military escalations, protect civilians, and ensure uninterrupted humanitarian aid to all affected areas in Syria. They warned that the continuation of the Syrian conflict poses a severe threat to regional and international security and stability. The ministers underscored the importance of stopping military operations to pave the way for a comprehensive political process. They reaffirmed their commitment to a solution based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which provides a framework for ending the conflict and addressing the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people. During the meeting, the participants received a briefing from the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, who outlined the latest developments and ongoing efforts to promote dialogue among all stakeholders. The discussions reaffirmed the need for unified efforts to advance a political solution and prioritize the welfare of the Syrian population. The joint statement also highlighted the significance of ensuring the sustainable delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need and stressed the need for all parties to work together to mitigate the repercussions of the conflict on civilians. The meeting concluded with a call for collective international action to support peace and stability in Syria, in line with Security Council Resolution 2254. — Agencies < Previous Page Next Page >
The ultra-portable projector race heated up this year, and the LG Cinebem Q is the LG’s top contender. The tiny new projector has ultra-sharp 4K picture quality and a compact form factor, but that small size does mean it has underpowered speakers and needs a fairly noisy fan to keep it cool. The screen only peaks at 500 ANSI lumens, so compared to some other projectors, it won’t hold up that well in semi-lit rooms. This minuscule projector is geared toward being put away, pulled out and taken on the go, but during my testing, I’ve been using it full-time in my living room. The vivid colour impressed me, but I needed to tweak the settings heavily to get a picture quality I was happy with. Once I set it up, it was a treat to use, but an extra 500 ANSI lumens and a little more space for better fans and more ports would have made this machine perfect. I had to use the foot to tile the projector forward to make it hit my screen. I placed my unit on a shelf behind and to the left of my couch, and the CineBeam’s software did a good job of automatically adjusting the picture’s angle and the autofocus. The focus is what surprised me the most and was pin-sharp every time I moved it. The angle of the screen usually needs a little software keystone adjustment, but it was always very close to square. This adjustment is easy to do, but it’s a bit weird that LG’s projector-specific settings are labelled as ‘installation wizard’ instead of something more self-explanatory, like ‘projector settings.’ I also love the look of this projector and the integrated handle, which flips around to be the foot of the unit. It allows you to adjust its height in a really appealing way. That said, its small form factor limits it in a few ways, and I’m not sure it’s worth it. It gets hot and noisy and can’t fit in very great speakers, which doesn’t make it the perfect all-in-one projector it promises to be. Out of the box, the picture looked okay but rather dull, especially at full brightness. While I usually have my displays on the standard settings with a few tweaks to colour accuracy, I ended up using LG’s Vivid mode, which looked okay but that made it hard to dial in skin tones. On top of that, due to the limited brightness, HDR content did have a few moments where it looked more blown out than I would have liked. I also had to keep the brightness below 75 percent to retain a good contrast ratio. This means while the projector is rated for 500 lumens, you’ll actually be getting less since the picture’s contrast degrades a lot when you have it at 100 percent. LG’s motion-smoothing technology (TruMotion) is turned on by default and each app acts as its own input. This means you need to turn it off and then make sure to choose the option to ‘apply this to all inputs’ to make sure it’s off for every app. This also applies your colour settings across the board. Once you do this, motion smoothing also remains off, even when you plug and unplug the projector which is great since it’s meant to be portable and moved around. One of the main drawbacks I had with the system is that it’s pretty targeted at movies and TV shows. Since there is only one HDMI eARC port on the back, you can only plug in one thing at a time, which for me was usually my sound system. This meant when I wanted to play Xbox or Switch, I needed to unplug the sound and use the underwhelming speakers integrated into the projector. You can connect Bluetooth speakers or modern soundbars wirelessly to the CineBeam Q, but it would have been a lot more straightforward to simply install a second HDMI or even an AUX on the back. Especially since the speakers inside are barely passable. They’re 3-watt drivers, and they struggle to fill my living room even when maxed out at 100 percent. No matter what, you can still hear the gentle hum of the cooling fan while watching content when using the built-in speakers too. There is a USB-C port on the back that you can use for a USB-C to C display or to power the projector with a portable battery . I tried using a USB-C adapter and an HDMI-to-USB-C cable to use the port with HDMI devices like my Xbox, but neither worked. While I like the ability to power the projector over USB-C, the device still comes with an older-style barrel connector for plugging it into the wall. I think it would have made more sense to just use USB-C for wall and portable power, and then add two HDMI ports instead of the current port selection. Like many TVs’ built-in software, the CineBeam Q menus have more lag than you’d like. While it’s usually easy to say that you can skip this with something like an Apple TV box , you probably won’t want to on the CineBeam Q since it only has one HDMI port. Beyond the menu’s slowness, the projector only has an IR receiver for the remote on the back, so if you have the projector behind you as I do, the remote is even laggier since you need to point it directly at the projector for it to work. With my other projectors , the remotes connect through Bluetooth, and they’re much more seamless than the IR implementation. If you have the projector on a table in front of you, it’s better, but I don’t recommend this since you have to have a very stable table for your projector not to shake as you walk by it or use the table to hold snacks and drinks. The initial setup was also fairly annoying. When I tried to create an LG account on the projector so I could download apps, it kept failing. Then, I needed to go to the LG website on my computer to create one, then go back to the projector, and log in. I was able to get it working at the end of the day, but it was a lot more of a hassle than it should have been and not a great first impression. Finally, this last gripe is one that I have with all LG TVs and projectors except for the OLED lineup. With all projectors and NanoCell TVs, the screen savers you get with the TV are five pretty average stock images. They’re not terrible photos, but it’s really annoying that you can’t change them unless you have an OLED TV. On top of that, I find that there’s a lot of bloat in the WebOS software. It’s usable, but not as clean as Google TV, or Roku. While it hasn’t launched in Canada yet, it seems likely that LG will pump in more advertisements to its software over the next few years as well. This 48,000 mAh battery dropped down to 37 percent after one two hour movie. At the end of the day, this projector gets the job done, and from looking around, it appears that it’s often on sale for between $1,000 and $1,300, which is a pretty solid price for this picture quality. That being said, it’s not necessarily cheap, and buyers should be aware of the limitations a single HDMI port will offer if they plan to use a high-quality sound system and an external device like an Xbox or Apple TV. That said, being able to run it off USB-C power makes it really easy to take on the go if you want a projector to use when camping. The fact that the Bluetooth speakers worked without any noticeable sound lag was also reassuring. I would have also loved for LG to add a quarter-twenty screw jack on the bottom to make this easily mountable on a tripod to make it even more portable given its small size. Overall, if you can get this device for $1,000, you’ll be more than happy with it, and its small size makes it easy to store. Plus, it looks pretty solid. However, as I wrote above, be warned that the fans are louder than you’d want if you’re using it indoors and on a table in front of you. It’s also not very bright, and if I was given a choice, I’d buy a brighter 1080p projector at this price. The 4K sharpness is nice, but compared to my (more expensive) but brighter JMGO projector , you lose a lot of details in the shadows simply because the brightness and contrast on the CineBeam Q are quite lacklustre. The CineBeam Q is $1,274 on Amazon , but only $999 at Visions and if you can get it for an even $1,000 I think its fairly solid for that price.
Rethinking screen time: A better understanding of what people do on their devices is key to digital well-being
Kristina Johnson sells $449,025 in Cisco stockQatar tribune Uncertainty has been high in recent months on the back of the national election in the US, which was set to determine the fate and policy priorities of the largest economy globally. While most analysts have expected a significant reduction in overall uncertainty after the US election in November, uncertainty remains high. After an ample Trump victory with a Republican “sweep” – control of the Senate and House –, there are now questions whether Trump 2.0 would adopt a “maximalist” approach to controversial proposals, such as tariffs, the fiscal stance and migration. This brings significant consequences for global growth and inflation. As it is notoriously difficult to read too much into the tea leaves of US politics, particularly before the Trump administration starts, we turn to commodity markets to analyse what the price action from key tangible goods is telling us about the global economy. Commodities provide critical insights into the overall health of the global economy, given their importance for construction, transportation, manufacturing and foodstuff. This includes relevant information for trends on sentiment and inflation, with commodity prices often leading or confirming cyclical turning points. In our view, prices within the overall commodity complex seem to sustain a benign macro view of stable growth with continuous disinflation, despite recent concerns about Trump 2.0 potentially de-anchoring inflation expectations. Three factors support this position. First, broader commodity prices are still significantly below their recent peak in May 2022 but roughly stable on a year-to-date (YTD) basis. This is seemingly challenging both the narratives of a global economic re-acceleration or inflation pick-up and of an impending sharp slowdown. In fact, the price correction from the May 2022 peak without major volatility or resurgence in recent months suggests that the disinflation trend is intact. On the other hand, stable YTD prices point to resilient global consumption and investment. Importantly, the moderate increase of industrial metals YTD, in particular copper, expresses expectations about improving growth conditions in emerging Asia and particularly China, a large consumer of copper. Second, the copper-to-gold ratio, a traditional gauge for growth and inflation expectations as well as risk sentiment, seems to point to a moderate environment over the coming quarters. This comes in contrast to the view that Trump 2.0 would potentially increase both potential GDP and inflation, creating a strong “risk-on” behaviour for investors. Should that be the case, copper prices would have been gaining ground at a faster pace than gold, leading to an increase of the copper-to-gold ratio. Instead, the opposite has been happening. This suggests, if we only consider the commodity markets and its dynamics, an outlook of lower inflationary pressure with moderate growth. Third, strength in precious metals prices are likely reflecting higher geopolitical risk premium and institutional demand for non-jurisdictional assets, rather than anything more significant related to growth or inflation. Gold prices are close to all time highs, up 42% since May 2022 to close to USD 2,650/troy oz. However, silver prices, key as an input for the new economy (technology and clean energy industries), are more significantly below its recent highs and overall slightly underperforming gold. Should there be a major impulse for higher growth and inflation, silver prices would advance more rapidly than gold. All in all, despite concerns about Trump 2.0 bringing about unbalanced growth and inflation, commodity prices are suggesting a more constructive scenario of moderate growth and continuous disinflation. Most cyclical commodities are now stable at prices that are significantly below the recent peak, the copper-to-gold ratio continues to decline and gold is outperforming silver, pointing to a lack of pressure from excess overall demand or economic activity. — By QNB Economics Copy 08/12/2024 10BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents' stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the gates of the capital and that government forces had abandoned the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The capture of Homs is a major victory for insurgents, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama , as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said Homs falling into rebel hands would be a game-changer. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. For the first time in the country’s long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad's government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. The rapid rebel gains, coupled with the lack of support from Assad's erstwhile allies, posed the most serious threat to his rule since the start of the war. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad's chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.” In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria's border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Assad's status Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine . Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad's forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. In a statement issued late Saturday, the participants affirmed their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to the end of military activity and protect civilians.” They also agreed on the importance of strengthening international efforts to increase aid to the Syrian people. The insurgents' march Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama , the country’s fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists." The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. Diplomacy in Doha The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; and Josef Federman and Victoria Eastwood in Doha, Qatar, contributed to this report.
Belfast has enjoyed an incredible transformation in recent decades: from strife-torn city to one of Europe’s coolest new destinations, and its tourism boom is anchored around three “Ts”: Titanic, Thrones and Troubles. There’s Titanic Belfast, a brilliant immersive attraction in the very shipyard where the vessel was built; numerous filming locations for Game of Thrones fans; and the sobering tales and former hotspots of the Troubles, the sectarian conflict that beset Belfast between the late 1960s and 1998. Dolores Vischer leads the Belfast Music Walking Tour. Northern Ireland’s capital also increasingly strikes a chord with folk seeking culture, festivals and gigs. Home to more than 100 live venues – from opulent theatres and futuristic auditoriums to craic-fuelled pubs and the sportsfield where Bruce Springsteen played to a 40,000-strong crowd in May 2024 – Belfast was made a UNESCO City of Music in 2021, with the award providing impetus for up-and-coming local musicians and sparking a late career change for one resident in her 60s. “Music was always my passion – writing songs, playing drums, singing in a choir, so this was the perfect opportunity to follow that passion,” says Dolores Vischer, who swapped roles in publishing and communications to become a qualified guide to Belfast’s vibrant arts scene and musical heritage. We join her popular Belfast Music Walking tour, a leisurely music-themed stroll accompanied by a soundtrack, starting at the Ulster Hall, an elegant Victorian concert hall that has staged everyone from the Rolling Stones and AC/DC to Johnny Cash and Belfast’s own Van Morrison. “Led Zeppelin played Stairway to Heaven here for the very first time in 1971,” says Vischer, who points out Ulster Hall’s 1860s pipe organ and plaques honouring musicians. One is Ruby Murray, “Belfast’s first pop princess”. Explaining that her name was adopted for “curry” in Cockney rhyming slang, Dolores plays us Murray’s Softly Softly , No.1 in the UK singles charts in 1955. Tracks from other Northern Irish legends, plus emerging stars like Dani Larkin and Problem Patterns, float from Vischer’s portable speakers as we shuffle through Belfast, pausing at points of sonic interest, sometimes with our hips swaying and toes tapping. Ulster Hall is a lauded venue for live bands. We see teenagers taking turns to play the grand piano at 2 Royal Avenue, a new creative and community space in a domed former bank that was most recently a supermarket. “Gary Lightbody, frontman of Snow Patrol, said music is in Belfast’s DNA and I’d say we probably have more people who sing or play something than in most cities of this size,” says Vischer, before we jig by Kelly’s Cellars, a 300-year-old watering hole that hosts traditional Irish music. Around the corner, we take a pew in the First Church Belfast, founded by 17th-century Presbyterians and renowned for its spine-tingling concerts and acoustics. The Northern Ireland Opera, led by Australian-born director Cameron Menzies, previously of the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, occasionally performs here. We traverse the cobbled lanes of the Cathedral Quarter, an enclave of bars, hip cafes and Michelin-starred restaurants. Vischer shows us a black-and-white photograph of the area, looking distinctly more derelict, during the Troubles, and describes how Belfast’s music scene was kept alive in the 1970s and ’80s by punk bands such as Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones and Terri Hooley, founder of the Good Vibrations music shop and record label (he was portrayed by Game of Thrones’ Richard Dormer in 2013 film Good Vibrations ). Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter. Cathedral Quarter’s newest boutique hotel The Foundry is on the site of the Harp Bar, where punk bands played. It’s located next to arts hub The Black Box and is a saxophone’s throw from Berts Jazz Bar, Belfast’s only dedicated jazz bar-restaurant, inside the plush Merchant Hotel. After The Undertones’ rollicking Teenage Kicks , Vischer plays us Oh Yeah by Ash, a power-pop three-piece from Downpatrick, south of Belfast. Ash were just out of their teens, and already UK chart-toppers, when they played alongside U2 at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall in May 1998 to promote the Yes vote in the referendum for the Good Friday Agreement, a deal designed to end the Troubles and bring peace to the province. Later, we watch the Ulster Orchestra perform Star Wars scores at the Waterfront Hall, but first we hit the Oh Yeah Music Centre, a cherished grassroots music hub in a converted whisky warehouse. It’s home to recording studios, a vinyl store and an exhibition jammed with instruments, outfits and snaps of influential Northern Irish musicians, including Van Morrison, Them and Gary Moore. The centre also hosts intimate gigs. Ash launched their latest album, Race the Night, here last year. To round off the tour, we enjoy locally-brewed craft ales and an acoustic show by Aqua Tofana, a young Belfast-based singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer. The Oh Yeah Music Centre features exhibitions about Belfast’s musical history. You don’t have to walk far to catch a live act in Belfast – browse the listings or just follow your ears – but I’d recommend coming in early May when the city has a spring in its step and feels a bit like a mini-Edinburgh with several of its annual festivals running concurrently. These include the Festival of Fools (street theatre and acrobats), Hit The North (a street art festival) and the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival where, across multiple locations, you can catch musicians, comedians, poets, magicians, film screenings and book readings. Venues range from a riverside marquee to friendly backstreet boozers like The Sunflower, which sports a striking green security cage by its entrance, a relic of the Troubles, when patrons would have to be scrutinised by staff before they entered the bar. It’s purely ornamental now, a nod to the bad old days and a symbol of just how far buoyant Belfast has come. Five more things to do in and around Belfast Stormont Estate Stormont Estate, the site of Northern Ireland’s main Parliament Buildings. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto See where the politicians of Northern Ireland’s devolved government face off (and admire the decadent interior design) on a free tour of the neoclassical parliament building set amid parkland east of the city. See niassembly.gov.uk Mcconnell’s Distillery Reviving a whisky brand established in Belfast in 1776, this brand-new distillery offers tours and tastings in a converted wing of Crumlin Road Gaol, a once-notorious prison that has self-guided tours. See mcconnellsirishwhisky.com ; crumlinroadgaol.com Strangford Lough Edged by National Trust mansions, rolling hills and storybook villages, this island-speckled sea inlet south of Belfast was the backdrop for Bloodlands , a television drama starring James Nesbitt. It’s good for boat trips, kayaking and birding. See strangfordloughactivitycentre.com Hillsborough Castle Also south of Belfast is the royal family’s residence in Northern Ireland. Wander the manicured gardens and tour the Georgian property’s lavishly-furnished rooms, hung with paintings by artists including Anthony van Dyck, Joshua Reynolds and King Charles III. See hrp.org.uk/hillsborough-castle Antrim Coast From quaint fishing harbours to the hulking basalt columns of Giant’s Causeway, plus various Game of Thrones filming locations, the seaside north of Belfast is a delight. Follow the coast round to Londonderry, another once-troubled city reborn. See visitcausewaycoastandglens.com The details Fly Qantas flies to Belfast from Sydney and Melbourne via Perth or Singapore and London Heathrow. Alternatively, fly to Dublin with Emirates via Dubai and take an airport express coach (about two hours) to Belfast. If visiting Britain first, most city airports, including London, Manchester and Birmingham, have regular flights to Belfast. See qantas.com.au ; emirates.com/au Tour The Belfast Music Walking Tour is held fortnightly on Saturdays and costs £20 ($39). See creativetoursbelfast.com ; deetoursireland.com Stay The Merchant Hotel has rooms from around £239 ($469) a night. The centrally located Belfast Hometel has studios with kitchens from around £146 a night. See themerchanthotel.com ; room2.com/belfast Eat Run by celebrity chef Danny Millar, Stock has enticing seasonal menus and daily fish, meat and vegetarian specials. It overlooks St George’s Market, which sells fresh produce, cakes and arts and crafts, Friday to Sunday. At Home, a cosy restaurant behind Belfast City Hall, expect dishes such as rump of local Mourne lamb and roast monkfish with crab bouillabaisse. See stockbelfast.com ; homebelfast.co.uk More visitbelfast.com ; discovernorthernireland.com ; ireland.com The writer travelled as a guest of Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland.PORTLAND, Maine — Honey, they shrunk the catalogs. While retailers hope to go big this holiday season, customers may notice that the printed gift guides arriving in their mailboxes are smaller. Many of the millions of catalogs getting sent to U.S. homes were indeed scaled down to save on postage and paper, resulting in pint-sized editions. Lands’ End, Duluth Trading Company and Hammacher Schlemmer are among gift purveyors using smaller editions. Some retailers are saving even more money with postcards. Lisa Ayoob, a tech-savvy, online shopper in Portland, Maine, was surprised by the size of a recent catalog she received from outdoor apparel company Carbon2Cobalt. “It almost felt like it was a pamphlet compared to a catalog,” she said. Catalogs have undergone a steady recalibration over the years in response to technological changes and consumer behavior. The thick, heavy Sears and J.C. Penney catalogs that brought store displays to American living rooms slimmed down and gave way to targeted mailings once websites could do the same thing. Recent postal rate increases accelerated the latest shift to compact formats. The number of catalogs mailed each year dropped about 40% between 2006 to 2018, when an estimated 11.5 billion were mailed to homes, according to the trade group formerly known as the American Catalog Mailers Association. In a sign of the times, the group based in Washington rebranded itself in May as the American Commerce Marketing Association, reflecting a broadened focus. But don’t expect catalogs to go the way of dinosaurs yet. Defying predictions of doom, they have managed to remain relevant in the e-commerce era. Retail companies found that could treat catalogs with fewer pages as a marketing tool and include QR and promo codes to entice customers to browse online and complete a purchase. Despite no longer carrying an extended inventory of goods, catalogs are costly to produce and ship. But they hold their own in value because of growing digital advertising costs, helping retailers cut through the noise for consumers barraged by multi-format advertisements, industry officials say. In an unlikely twist, notable e-commerce companies like Amazon and home goods supplier Wayfair started distributing catalogs in recent years. Amazon began mailing a toy catalog in 2018. That was the same year Sears, which produced an annual Christmas Wish Book starting in 1933, filed for bankruptcy. Fans of printed information may rejoice to hear that apparel retailer J.Crew relaunched its glossy catalog this year. Research shows that the hands-on experience of thumbing through a catalog leaves a greater impression on consumers, said Jonathan Zhang, a professor of marketing at Colorado State University. “The reason why these paper formats are so effective is that our human brains haven’t evolved as fast as technology and computers over the past 10 to 20 years. We retain more information when we read something on paper. That’s why paper books remain relevant,” Zhang said. “The psychology shows that three-dimensional, tactile experiences are more memorable.” Pint-sized presentations still can work, though, because the purpose of catalogs these days is simply to get customers’ attention, Zhang said. Conserving paper also works better with younger consumers who are worried about the holiday shopping season’s impact on the planet, he said. Postal increases are hastening changes. The latest round of postage hikes in July included the category with the 8.5-by-11-inch size that used to be ubiquitous for the catalog industry. Many retailers responded by reducing the size of catalogs, putting them in a lower-cost letter category, said Paul Miller, executive vice president and managing director of the American Commerce Marketing Association. One size, called a “slim jim,” measures 10.5 by 5.5 inches. But there other sizes. Some retailers have further reduced costs by mailing large postcards to consumers. Lands’ End, for one, is testing new compact formats to supplement its traditional catalogs. This year, that included folded glossy brochures and postcards, along with other formats, Chief Transformation Officer Angie Rieger said. Maine resident Ayoob said she understands why retailers still use catalogs even though she no longer is a fan of the format. These days, she prefers to browse for products on the internet. “Everybody wants eyeballs. There’s so much out there — so many websites, so many brands,” Ayoob said. Targeting customers at home is not a new concept. L.L. Bean was a pioneer of the mail-order catalog after its founder promoted his famous “Maine Hunting Shoe” to hunting license holders from out-of-state in 1912. The outdoor clothing and equipment company based in Freeport, Maine, is sticking to mailing out regular-sized catalogs for now. “By showcasing our icons, the catalog became an icon itself,” L.L. Bean spokesperson Amanda Hannah said. “Even as we invest more in our digital and brand marketing channels, the catalog retains a strong association with our brand, and is therefore an important part of our omni-channel strategy, especially for our loyal customers.” Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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For years, patients in the U.S. health care system have grown frustrated with a bureaucracy they don’t understand . Doctors are included in an insurer’s network one year but not the next. Getting someone on the phone to help can be next to impossible. Coverage of care and prescriptions is often unceremoniously denied. This week’s fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has unleashed a wave of public feeling — exasperation, anger, resentment, helplessness — from Americans sharing personal stories of interactions with insurance companies, often seen as faceless corporate giants. In particular, the words written on ammunition found at the shooting scene — “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” echoing a phrase used to describe how insurers dodge claim payouts — amplified voices that have long been critical of the industry. “All of a sudden, I am fired up again,” said Tim Anderson, describing how his wife, Mary, had to deal with UnitedHealthcare coverage denials before she died from Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in 2022. Anderson said they couldn’t get coverage for machines to help his wife breathe or talk — toward the end, she communicated by blinking when he showed her pictures. The family had to rely on donations from a local ALS group, he said. “The business model for insurance is don’t pay,” said Anderson, 67, of Centerville, Ohio. “When Mary could still talk, she said to me to keep fighting this,” he added. “It needs to be exposed.” For Anderson and others, Thompson's death and the message left at the scene have created an opportunity to vent their frustrations. Conversations at dinner tables, office water coolers, social gatherings and on social media have pivoted to the topic, as police efforts to find the gunman keep the case in the news. Hans Maristela said he understands why the chatter is bubbling up. The 54-year-old caregiver in California was moved to comment on Facebook about UnitedHealthcare's reputation of denying coverage. As a Catholic, he said, he grieves Thompson's death and feels for his family, especially with the holidays around the corner. But he sees frustration with insurers even among his clients, most of them wealthy older people who've not been shielded from high out-of-pocket costs. “And then you know the CEO of this company you pay a lot of money to gets $10 million dollars a year, you won’t have a lot of sympathy for the guy," Maristela said, citing Thompson's compensation package that included base pay and stock options. “Health care is a business, I understand, but the obsession with share price, with profit, has to be reevaluated.” University of Pennsylvania researcher Michael Anne Kyle said she's not surprised by the growth of conversation around insurers. “People are often struggling with this by themselves, and when you see someone else talk about it, that may prompt you to join the conversation,” she said. Kyle studies how patients access care and said she's seen frustration with the system build for years. Costs are rising, and insurers are using more controls such as prior authorizations and doctor networks to manage them. Patients are often stuck in the middle of disputes between doctors and insurers. “Patients are already spending a lot of money on health care, and then they’re still facing problems with the service,” she said. Insurers often note that most of the money they bring in goes back out the door to pay claims, and that they try to corral soaring costs and the overuse of some care. In Ohio, Anderson said his initial reaction to the CEO shooting was to question whether it was connected to a coverage denial, like the ones he'd experienced with his wife. “I definitely do not condone killing people,” he said. “But I read it and said, 'I wonder if somebody had a spouse whose coverage was denied.’” It's something Will Flanary, a Portland-based ophthalmologist and comedian with a large social media following, saw online a lot in the shooting's immediate aftermath and found very telling. “It’s zero sympathy,” he said. “And the lesson to take away from that is not, ‘Let’s shame people for celebrating a murder.’ No, it’s: ‘Look at the amount of anger that people have toward this system that’s taken advantage of people and do something to try to fix that.’” Flanary's content, published under the name Dr. Glaucomflecken, started out as niche eye doctor jokes and a way to cope with his own experiences with two cancer diagnoses and a sudden cardiac arrest. But it has evolved, featuring character skits that call attention to and satirize the decisions of large health insurers, including UnitedHealthcare. He said he's never seen conversations around health insurance policy take off the way they did this week — and he hopes these new voices can help bring about change. “I’m always talking about how powerful social media can be with advocacy," he said, "because it really is the only way to put a significant amount of pressure on these corporations who are doing bad things for patients.” The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.Jubilation. Joy. Relief. Wonder. Pick your word for it — emotions, each and all of them felt by the masses, came pouring out as the clock struck zero inside Memorial Stadium. The Nebraska football program’s long eight-year bowl drought finally came to an end on a 50-degree November afternoon in downtown Lincoln. That achievement is worth celebrating on its own, but the way Nebraska got it done — dominating, rather than eking over the line against an opponent it knows well — made the accomplishment that much sweeter. Nebraska never trailed in a 44-25 win over Wisconsin on Saturday, securing the program’s first bowl game since the 2016 season. The victory also snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Badgers, and the four-game losing skid which NU entered the day with. For a Nebraska (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) senior class which had never made the postseason before, their level of play on the field matched the seriousness of the opportunity in front of them. Particularly on the offensive side of the ball, improvements from last week’s loss to USC were evident. Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, calling his second game as a member of the Nebraska coaching staff, dialed up a blistering six-play, 55-yard touchdown drive to start the game. A 45-yard kickoff return from freshman Jacory Barney Jr. set Nebraska up on the drive, with junior Heinrich Haarberg scoring the 5-yard run to secure NU’s early 7-0 lead. Having parted ways with its offensive coordinator during the week, Wisconsin, (5-6, 3-5) showed no ill effects from that shakeup as it immediately responded with a scoring drive of its own. Helped by a key missed tackle near midfield, Wisconsin found the end zone on a 4-yard passing score from Braedyn Locke to Bryson Green. After the initial scoring drive, Wisconsin took three of its next four possessions into Nebraska territory but came away with just three points from those chances. A Janiran Bonner fumble deep inside Nebraska territory set up Wisconsin with a prime scoring opportunity, but a three-and-out and delay of game penalty contributed to a 34-yard field goal sailing wide. The Badgers pushed across a 33-yard kick later in the half but also missed a second field goal from 41 yards out, a miss which resulted in a 10-play drive netting zero points. Not all of Nebraska’s first-half drives were perfect — the Huskers punted twice and fumbled once — but when things clicked, Wisconsin could do little to slow down the surging Nebraska offense. Nebraska utilized its quick passing game during its second touchdown drive, with a 27-yard gain from Emmett Johnson on a screen pass quickly being followed by a 21-yard Barney gain on a touch pass in the backfield. Running back Dante Dowdell capped off the eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive with a 12-yard rushing score in which Jahmal Banks and Nate Boerkircher sealed the edge with a pair of punishing blocks. Nebraska also took advantage of Wisconsin’s field goal miscues by scoring touchdowns immediately following both misses. An efficient drive just prior to the halftime break ended with a toe-tap catch from Banks in the back of the end zone, a 5-yard passing score from Dylan Raiola which extended Nebraska’s lead to 21-10. Taking the ball with just 17 seconds left in the half, Wisconsin could’ve kneeled out the clock but instead opted to give running back Tawee Walker a first down carry. NU’s Nash Hutmacher made Wisconsin regret that decision by jarring the ball loose for a Bager turnover. One completion later and Nebraska brought kicker John Hohl onto the field for a 37-yard try, one he dispatched to give the Huskers a 14-point halftime lead. The 24 first-half points scored by Nebraska marked the team’s second-most all season, and the most since NU’s win over Colorado in September. The Huskers came out firing after the halftime break, too, forcing a Wisconsin three-and-out prior to putting together a scoring drive of its own. While the Nebraska drive stalled out prior to the end zone, a 45-yard Hohl field goal gave the Huskers a three-score advantage, 27-10 in their favor. Unable to trust its kicker in a similar situation, Wisconsin instead opted to keep its offense on the field for a fourth down outside the NU red zone. Walker’s carry up the middle was stuffed by the Blackshirts, resulting in a turnover on downs midway through the third quarter. When Nebraska turned that opportunity into a touchdown of its own, the game just about escaped Wisconsin’s reach. Another well-executed scoring drive, this time a seven-play march down the field which took three-plus minutes, ended in a Dowdell 3-yard touchdown run. As Nebraska’s lead reached 34-10, it marked the most points NU has scored against a Big Ten foe under head coach Matt Rhule. Wisconsin did fire back with a touchdown drive late in the third quarter and another midway through the fourth quarter. A third made field from Hohl helped keep Nebraska’s lead safe to the end, though. Nebraska can take away many positives from its win over Wisconsin, with the all-around performance of Johnson at running back and its much-improved offense taking center stage. Most important of all was the fact that Saturday’s win meant six on the season, a mark Nebraska fans hadn’t celebrated since the 2016 season. That major season milestone now secured, Nebraska’s regular season will come to a close during a Black Friday matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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