60 jilibet

60 jilibet NoneRIVERHEAD, N.Y. — The New York architect facing murder charges in a string of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach killings was charged on Tuesday in the death of a seventh woman. Rex Heuermann pleaded not guilty to killing Valerie Mack, whose remains were first found on Long Island in 2000. Mack, 24, had been working as an escort in Philadelphia and was last seen by her family that year in New Jersey. Some of Mack’s skeletal remains were initially discovered in Manorville, New York; authorities found more of her remains about 50 miles west, in Gilgo Beach, more than 10 years later. They were unidentified until genetic testing revealed her identity in 2020. Human hair found with Mack’s remains was sent for testing earlier this year and found to be a likely match with the genetic profile of Heuermann’s daughter, prosecutors said in court papers. His daughter is not accused of any wrongdoing and would have been 3 or 4 years old when Mack died. Heuermann, 61, is charged with killing six other women whose remains were found on Long Island. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. “The lives of these women matter,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a news conference with Mack’s parents and other victims’ relatives. “No one understands that more than the families.” Mack’s parents didn’t speak. Four other victims’ relatives gave the Macks roses and hugs and, through an attorney, expressed their sadness and solidarity. “They were, and they are, loved. And they are missed every day by those who knew them and who had a strong bond with them,” said Gloria Allred, who represents the families of Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor and Megan Waterman. Outside of court, Heuermann’s lawyer Michael Brown disputed evidence presented in Mack’s death, saying the DNA technology used to connect her and other victims to Heuermann has never been deemed reliable in a New York case. He also argued that Tierney’s office has yet to produce proof any victims’ DNA was found in Heuermann’s home, including the many weapons and tools seized during recent searches of the property. “There’s something a little weird about these allegations,” Brown said. “Something that doesn’t sit right.” The investigation into the Gilgo Beach killings dates back to 2010, when police searching for a missing woman found 10 sets of human remains in the scrub along a barrier island parkway, prompting fears of a serial killer. Over the years, investigators used DNA analysis and other clues to identify the victims, many of whom were sex workers. Police also began reexamining other unsolved killings of women on Long Island. The case has dragged on through five police commissioners, more than 1,000 tips, and doubts about whether there was a serial killer at all. Heuermann, who lived with his wife and two children in Massapequa Park on Long Island and commuted to a Manhattan architecture office, was arrested on July 13, 2023. At that point, he was charged with murdering Barthelemy, Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello. Earlier this year, he was charged in the deaths of three other women — Brainard-Barnes, Taylor and Sandra Costilla. In a June court filing, prosecutors said they had recovered a file on a hard drive in Heuermann’s basement that he used to “methodically blueprint” his killings — including checklists with tasks for before, during and after, as well as lessons for “next time.” In court papers on Tuesday, prosecutors said the document, which was created the same year as Mack’s murder, includes details that align with her case. For example, it names “Mill Road” — a road near where Mack’s first remains were found — under the heading “DS,” which investigators believe stands for “dump site.” The document also lists “foam drain cleaner” under “Supplies.” Prosecutors say that on Oct. 3, 2000, Heuermann’s phone records appear to show him making two calls to a Long Island plumbing company, and he paid another company the following month to check his mainline drain. In recent searches of Heuermann’s home and office, authorities say they found old magazines and newspapers with articles about the Gilgo Beach killings and investigation that prosecutors believe he kept as “souvenirs” or “mementos.” Among them was a July 29, 2003, copy of the New York Post that included an article about the investigation into Mack and Taylor’s remains. Tierney said Tuesday that evidence points to Heuermann’s home as the scene of the killings — in most cases, when his family was out of town. Heuermann’s estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, said in a statement that she still does not believe her husband was capable of committing the crimes he’s accused of. The couple’s now grown children said in a separate statement they remain “steadfast in observing the legal process play itself out, no matter how long it takes or how difficult it is.” Authorities have still not charged anyone in the deaths of some other people whose remains were found on Long Island. Among them is an unidentified male victim who died in 2006 and likely presented outwardly as a female, and Karen Vergata, whose remains were discovered in 1996 but only identified through new DNA analysis in 2022.

My love of movie scoundrels has been sorely tested this year. When I was young, I daydreamed of exotic heists, slick con artists and lovable crooks I’d seen on screen. For most of my moviegoing life, I’ve been a sucker for larceny done well. Most of us are, probably. Related Articles Movies | ‘Nightbitch’ review: Amy Adams goes feral in a cautionary tale of love and parental imbalance Movies | Review: Angelina Jolie glides through ‘Maria’ like an iceberg, but a chilly Callas isn’t enough Movies | ‘Sweethearts’ review: Breakup-focused romcom is largely engaging Movies | Making ‘Queer’ required openness. Daniel Craig was ready Movies | 18 most anticipated movies in holiday season 2024 But now it’s late 2024. Mood is wrong. In the real world, in America, it’s scoundrel time all the time. Maybe Charles Dickens was right. In “American Notes for General Circulation” (1842), the English literary superstar chronicled his travels and detected a widespread, peculiarly American “love of ‘smart’ dealing” across the land. In business and in politics, Dickens observed, slavish admiration of the con men among them “gilds over many a swindle and gross breach of trust.” And here we are. It’ll pass, this scoundrel reprieve of mine. In fact it just did. All it took was thinking about the conspicuous, roguish outlier on my best-of-2024 list: “Challengers.” It’s what this year needed and didn’t know it: a tricky story of lying, duplicitous weasels on and off the court. The best films this year showed me things I hadn’t seen, following familiar character dynamics into fresh territory. Some were more visually distinctive than others; all made eloquent cases for how, and where, their stories unfolded. “All We Imagine as Light,” recently at the Gene Siskel Film Center, works like a poem, or a sustained exhalation of breath, in its simply designed narrative of three Mumbai hospital workers. Fluid, subtly political, filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s achievement is very nearly perfect. So is cowriter-director RaMell Ross’ adaptation of the Colson Whitehead novel “The Nickel Boys,” arriving in Chicago-area theaters on Jan. 3, 2025. “Nickel Boys,” the film, loses the “the” in Whitehead’s title but gains an astonishingly realized visual perspective. If Ross never makes another movie, he’ll have an American masterpiece to his credit. The following top 10 movies of 2024 are in alphabetical order. Both a mosaic of urban ebb and flow, and a delicate revelation of character, director and writer Payal Kapadia’s Mumbai story is hypnotic, patient and in its more traditional story progression, a second feature every bit as good as Kapadia’s first, 2021’s “A Night of Knowing Nothing.” Mikey Madison gives one of the year’s funniest, saddest, truest performances as a Brooklyn exotic dancer who takes a shine to the gangly son of a Russian oligarch, and he to her. Their transactional courtship and dizzying Vegas marriage, followed by violently escalating complications, add up to filmmaker Sean Baker’s triumph, capped by an ending full of exquisite mysteries of the human heart. As played by Adrien Brody, the title character is a visionary architect and Hungarian Jewish emigre arriving in America in 1947 after the Holocaust. (That said, the title refers to more than one character.) His patron, and his nemesis, is the Philadelphia blueblood industrialist played by Guy Pearce. Director/co-writer Brady Corbet’s thrillingly ambitious epic, imperfect but loaded with rewarding risks, was shot mostly in widescreen VistaVision. Worth seeing on the biggest screen you can find. Opens in Chicago-area theaters on Jan. 10, 2025. Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor play games with each other, on the tennis court and in beds, while director Luca Guadagnino builds to a match-point climax that can’t possibly work, and doesn’t quite — but I saw the thing twice anyway. In Bucharest, production assistant Angela zigzags around the city interviewing people for her employer’s workplace safety video. If that sounds less than promising, even for a deadpan Romanian slice-of-life tragicomedy, go ahead and make the mistake of skipping this one. llinca Manolache is terrific as Angela. Like “Do Not Expect Too Much,” director Agnieszka Holland’s harrowing slice of recent history was a 2023 release, making it to Chicago in early 2024. Set along the densely forested Poland/Belarus border, this is a model of well-dramatized fiction honoring what refugees have always known: the fully justified, ever-present fear of the unknown. A quiet marvel of a feature debut from writer-director Annie Baker, this is a mother/daughter tale rich in ambiguities and wry humor, set in a lovely, slightly forlorn corner of rural Massachusetts. Julianne Nicholson, never better; Zoe Ziegler as young, hawk-eyed Lacy, equally memorable. I love this year’s nicest surprise. The premise: A teenager’s future 39-year-old self appears to her, magically, via a strong dose of mushrooms. The surprise: Writer-director Megan Park gradually deepens her scenario and sticks a powerfully emotional landing. Wonderful work from Aubrey Plaza, Maisy Stella, Maria Dizzia and everybody, really. From the horrific true story of a Florida reform school and its decades of abuse, neglect and enraging injustice toward its Black residents, novelist Colson Whitehead’s fictionalized novel makes a remarkable jump to the screen thanks to co-writer/director RaMell Ross’s feature debut. Cousins, not as close as they once were, reunite for a Holocaust heritage tour in Poland and their own search for their late grandmother’s childhood home. They’re the rootless Benji (Kieran Culkin) and tightly sprung David (Jesse Eisenberg, who wrote and directed). Small but very sure, this movie’s themes of genocidal trauma and Jewish legacy support the narrative every step of the way. Culkin is marvelous; so is the perpetually undervalued Eisenberg. To the above, I’ll add 10 more runners-up, again in alphabetical order: “Blink Twice,” directed by Zoe Kravitz. “Conclave,” directed by Edward Berger. “Dune: Part Two ,” directed by Denis Villeneuve. “Good One ,” directed by India Donaldson. “Hit Man,” directed by Richard Linklater. “Joker: Folie a Deux,” directed by Todd Phillips. “Nosferatu,” directed by Robert Eggers, opens in Chicago-area theaters on Dec. 25. “The Outrun,” directed by Nora Fingscheidt. “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat,” directed by Johan Grimonprez. “Tuesday,” directed by Daina O. Pusić. Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

Broncos hope to continue playoff push when they meet the banged-up Raiders

An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — The New York architect facing murder charges in a string of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach killings was charged on Tuesday in the death of a seventh woman. Rex Heuermann pleaded not guilty to killing Valerie Mack, whose remains were first found on Long Island in 2000. Mack, 24, had been working as an escort in Philadelphia and was last seen by her family that year in New Jersey. Some of Mack’s skeletal remains were initially discovered in Manorville, New York; authorities found more of her remains about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west, in Gilgo Beach, more than 10 years later. They were unidentified until genetic testing revealed her identity in 2020. Human hair found with Mack’s remains was sent for testing earlier this year and found to be a likely match with the genetic profile of Heuermann’s daughter, prosecutors said in court papers. His daughter is not accused of any wrongdoing and would have been 3 or 4 years old when Mack died. Heuermann, 61, is charged with killing six other women whose remains were found on Long Island. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. “The lives of these women matter,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a news conference with Mack's parents and other victims' relatives. “No one understands that more than the families.” Mack's parents didn't speak. Four other victims' relatives gave the Macks roses and hugs and, through an attorney, expressed their sadness and solidarity. “They were, and they are, loved. And they are missed every day by those who knew them and who had a strong bond with them,” said Gloria Allred, who represents the families of Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor and Megan Waterman. Outside of court, Heuermann’s lawyer Michael Brown disputed evidence presented in Mack’s death, saying the DNA technology used to connect her and other victims to Heuermann has never been deemed reliable in a New York case. He also argued that Tierney’s office has yet to produce proof any victims’ DNA was found in Heuermann’s home, including the many weapons and tools seized during recent searches of the property. “There’s something a little weird about these allegations,” Brown said. “Something that doesn’t sit right.” The investigation into the Gilgo Beach killings dates back to 2010, when police searching for a missing woman found 10 sets of human remains in the scrub along a barrier island parkway, prompting fears of a serial killer. Over the years, investigators used DNA analysis and other clues to identify the victims, many of whom were sex workers. Police also began reexamining other unsolved killings of women on Long Island. The case has dragged on through five police commissioners, more than 1,000 tips, and doubts about whether there was a serial killer at all. Heuermann, who lived with his wife and two children in Massapequa Park on Long Island and commuted to a Manhattan architecture office, was arrested on July 13, 2023. At that point, he was charged with murdering Barthelemy, Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello. Earlier this year, he was charged in the deaths of three other women — Brainard-Barnes , Taylor and Sandra Costilla . In a June court filing, prosecutors said they had recovered a file on a hard drive in Heuermann’s basement that he used to “methodically blueprint” his killings — including checklists with tasks for before, during and after, as well as lessons for “next time.” In court papers on Tuesday, prosecutors said the document, which was created the same year as Mack’s murder, includes details that align with her case. For example, it names “Mill Road” — a road near where Mack’s first remains were found — under the heading “DS,” which investigators believe stands for “dump site.” The document also lists “foam drain cleaner” under “Supplies.” Prosecutors say that on Oct. 3, 2000, Heuermann’s phone records appear to show him making two calls to a Long Island plumbing company, and he paid another company the following month to check his mainline drain. In recent searches of Heuermann’s home and office, authorities say they found old magazines and newspapers with articles about the Gilgo Beach killings and investigation that prosecutors believe he kept as “souvenirs” or “mementos.” Among them was a July 29, 2003, copy of the New York Post that included an article about the investigation into Mack and Taylor’s remains. Tierney said Tuesday that evidence points to Heuermann’s home as the scene of the killings — in most cases, when his family was out of town. Heuermann’s estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, said in a statement that she still does not believe her husband was capable of committing the crimes he’s accused of. The couple’s now grown children said in a separate statement they remain “steadfast in observing the legal process play itself out, no matter how long it takes or how difficult it is.” Authorities have still not charged anyone in the deaths of some other people whose remains were found on Long Island. Among them is an unidentified male victim who died in 2006 and likely presented outwardly as a female, and Karen Vergata , whose remains were discovered in 1996 but only identified through new DNA analysis in 2022. ___ Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed from New York.ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan-based Coherix is expanding its industry-wide engineering workshop program designed to improve the application of adhesives and sealants in product-manufacturing operations. The company plans to double the number of workshop sessions offered in 2024 from three to six next year and increase potential enrollment for automotive and consumer-electronics engineers from 70 up to 200. Sponsored by the , the unique workshop brings together engineers from a variety of industries to discuss and discover solutions to common dispensing issues seen in production environments. Systems integrators, robot suppliers, dispensing equipment suppliers, material suppliers and end users all come together in one room to share first-hand experiences and converse about the latest technologies and methods for adhesive dispensing in manufacturing environments. Next year's first workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23 at the Coherix Technical Center, 3980 Ranchero Drive in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Registration and additional information is available online . Enrollment is free of charge but limited. The Total Dispensing System Engineering Workshop (TDSE) is moderated by Terry Taylor, an engineer with more than 25 years of dispensing-system experience. Taylor manages . "The development of trouble-free dispensing systems is an extremely complex process that includes robots, fixturing, adhesive-dispensing equipment and process-control measures along with a host of other factors," said Dwight Carlson, Coherix chairman and CEO. "It's been an art form up until now, but we hope these workshops will inject more science and inter-company cooperation into the process." Carlson added that the TDSE Workshop is designed to help participants develop solutions to a variety of common adhesive and sealant dispensing issues. "Due to the overwhelming interest these workshops generated last year from customers, partners and the dispensing industry in general, we decided to more than double enrollment capability in 2025," he noted. In 2025 Coherix is offering TDSE workshops in January, March, May, July, September and November, registration and details can be found on the . Workshop discussion topics will include: A pioneer in the development of 3D-enabled adaptive-process-control technology, Coherix provides high-performance adhesive-dispensing inspection technology to global OEMs, tier-one suppliers, line builders, dispensing-equipment companies and vision-system integrators in a variety of industries. The company recently introduced industry-first technology to monitor and adjust the application of adhesives on extremely small assemblies found in automotive electronic-control modules, cell phones, medical systems and other electronic devices. The Coherix 3D MiniTM can check adhesive beads as small in width as two human hairs faster and more effectively than 2D systems currently in use. Nearly 150 of the world's leading automakers and tier-one automotive suppliers are Coherix customers with more than 4,500 dispensing systems equipped with Coherix 3D computer-vision technology installed on manufacturing and assembly lines around the world. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the company also has operations in China, Germany, Japan, Mexico and Singapore. More information is available at . View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE CoherixNEW YORK (AP) — In a string of visits, dinners, calls, monetary pledges and social media overtures, big tech chiefs — including Apple's Tim Cook , OpenAI’s Sam Altman , Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg , SoftBank's Masayoshi Son and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — have joined a parade of business and world leaders in trying to improve their standing with President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office in January. “The first term, everybody was fighting me,” Trump said in remarks at Mar-a-Lago . “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.” Tech companies and leaders have now poured millions into his inauguration fund, a sharp increase — in most cases — from past pledges to incoming presidents. But what does the tech industry expect to gain out of their renewed relationships with Trump? During an interview Tuesday, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said the incoming Trump administration seems more interested in hearing about issues that are important to the industry than the Biden administration. “Put all the politics aside, everybody wants to reboot some things," said Benioff, who stressed he strives to stay nonpartisan because he also owns Time magazine. ”We are just at a very exciting moment, it’s a new chapter for America. I think we should all have our best intentions going forward. I think a lot of people realize there is a lot of incredible people like Elon Musk in the tech industry and in the business community. If you tap the power and expertise of the best in America to make the best of America, that’s a great vision." A clue to what the industry is looking for came just days before the election when Microsoft executives — who’ve largely tried to show a neutral or bipartisan stance — joined with a close Trump ally, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, to publish a blog post outlining their approach to artificial intelligence policy. “Regulation should be implemented only if its benefits outweigh its costs,” said the document signed by Andreessen, his business partner Ben Horowitz, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the company's president, Brad Smith. They also urged the government to back off on any attempt to strengthen copyright laws that would make it harder for companies to use publicly available data to train their AI systems. And they said, “the government should examine its procurement practices to enable more startups to sell technology to the government.” Trump has pledged to rescind President Joe Biden’s sweeping AI executive order, which sought to protect people’s rights and safety without stifling innovation. He hasn’t specified what he would do in its place, but his campaign said AI development should be “rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.” Trump's choice to head the Interior Department, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, has spoken openly about the need to boost electricity production to meet increased demand from data centers and artificial intelligence. “The AI battle affects everything from defense to healthcare to education to productivity as a country,′′ Burgum said on Nov. 15, referring to artificial intelligence. “And the AI that’s coming in the next 18 months is going to be revolutionary. So there’s just a sense of urgency and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration′′ to address it. Demand for data centers ballooned in recent years due to the rapid growth of cloud computing and AI, and local governments are competing for lucrative deals with big tech companies. But as data centers begin to consume more resources, some residents are pushing back against the world’s most powerful corporations over concerns about the economic, social and environmental health of their communities. “Maybe Big Tech should buy a copy of ‘The Art of The Deal’ to figure out how to best negotiate with this administration,” suggested Paul Swanson, an antitrust attorney for the law firm Holland & Hart. “I won’t be surprised if they find ways to reach some accommodations and we end up seeing more negotiated resolutions and consent decrees.” Although federal regulators began cracking down on Google and Facebook during Trump’s first term as president — and flourished under Biden — most experts expect his second administration to ease up on antitrust enforcement and be more receptive to business mergers. Google may benefit from Trump’s return after he made comments on the campaign trail suggesting a breakup of the company isn’t in the U.S. national interest, after a judge declared its search engine an illegal monopoly . But recent nominations put forward by his transition team have favored those who have been critical of Big Tech companies, suggesting Google won’t be entirely off the hook. Cook’s notoriously rocky relationship with the EU can be traced back to a 2016 ruling from Brussels in a tax case targeting Apple. Cook slammed the bloc’s order for Apple to pay back up to 13 billion euros ($13.7 billion) in Irish back taxes as “total political crap.” Trump, then in his first term as president, piled on, referring to the European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who was spearheading a campaign on special tax deals and a crackdown on Big Tech companies, as someone who “really hates the U.S.” Brussels was eventually vindicated after the bloc’s top court rejected Apple’s appeal this year, though it didn’t stop Cook from calling Trump to complain, Trump recounted in a podcast in October. Altman , Amazon and Meta all pledged to donate $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural fund. Salesforce's Benioff said Tuesday that he won't be donating money to the inauguration because of his ties to Time, which named Trump as its “Person of The Year” — a decision that landed picture of the president elect on the magazine's cover. “I think we just donated that photo,” Benioff said as he chuckled. “He can use the Time magazine cover for free.” During his first term, Trump criticized Amazon and railed against the political coverage at The Washington Post, which billionaire Bezos owns. Meanwhile, Bezos had criticized some of Trump’s past rhetoric. In 2019, Amazon also argued in a court case that Trump’s bias against the company harmed its chances of winning a $10 billion Pentagon contract. More recently, Bezos has struck a more conciliatory tone. He recently said at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York that he was “optimistic” about Trump’s second term, while also endorsing president-elect’s plans to cut regulations. The donation from Meta came just weeks after Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago. During the 2024 campaign, Zuckerberg did not endorse a candidate for president, but voiced a more positive stance toward Trump. Earlier this year, he praised Trump’s response to his first assassination attempt. Still, Trump in recent months had continued to attack Zuckerberg publicly. And Altman, who is in a legal dispute with AI rival Elon Musk, has said he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence in the incoming administration. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the company earlier this year alleging that the maker of ChatGPT betrayed its founding aims of benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. “We have two multi-billionaires, Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who are tasked with cutting what they’re saying will be multiple trillions of dollars from the federal budget, reducing the civil service, the workforce,” said Rob Lalka, a business professor at Tulane University. Musk, he said, has a level of access to the White House that very few others have had -- access that allows him to potentially influence multiple policy areas, including foreign policy, automotive and energy policy through EVs, and tech policy on artificial intelligence. “Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s headquarters with a sink and then posted, ‘let that sink in,‘” he said. “Elon Musk then posted a status update on X, a picture of himself with a sink in the Oval Office and said, 'Let that sink in.′" —— Associated Press writers Kelvin Chan, Michael Liedtke, Matt O'Brien, Barbara Ortutay and Sarah Parvini contributed to this report.In Montreal author Jacob Wren’s new novel, Dry Your Tears to Perfect Your Aim, the protagonist is an earnestly neurotic and well-meaning writer from a First World country who travels to a fragile utopian liberated zone that is being bombed by his government. Some of his narrative is an account of what he experienced among the revolutionary activists he met there, especially the women fighters and organizers, and some is a pained reflection on whether it is legitimate for him to be among these militants. Is he a genuine ally, or an opportunistic tourist gathering up material for his next book? What are the responsibilities of a sympathetic visitor among a beleaguered population that suffers beneath bombs he indirectly funds through his taxes? The American muckraker Lincoln Steffens famously said after visiting Russia during their revolution that “I have seen the future and it works.” Wren’s protagonist might represent an update on that assertion for the post-modern political pilgrim. – “I have seen the future and it is a disrupted, self-conscious narrative with an unreliable narrator who is more interested in his own inner life, such as it is, than in the revolution he came to support.” The fictional liberated zone is largely based, according to the author, on Rojava, the three semi-independent Kurdish cantons of North Syria, and the political thought of Kurdish insurgent Abdullah Ocalan with other elements drawn from experiences of the Spanish revolution of the 1930s, the Nicaraguan Sandinistas and the Argentinian Neighborhood Assembly Movement of 2001-03. An explicit pro feminist commitment and focus on local autonomous organizing drawn from these historic models is reflected in life in the “thin strip of land” portrayed in Wren’s novel. The protagonist spends time among the revolutionaries, sits in on committee meetings and popular assemblies, donates his never very competent labor to work projects in the liberated zone. He learns to shoot, although never very well, and is captured by the enemy on his first armed patrol. Held and tortured by the enemies of the revolution, the protagonist experiences all the Kafkaesque horrors of this period through the dulling lens of his depression. He returns home and tries to turn his experiences into literature, the book we are currently reading. Wren’s protagonist is not the first visitor from safer, more privileged parts of the world to visit revolutions in progress, and to wrestle, with varying degrees of success, with the ethical puzzles that permeate this strange, somewhat difficult but in the end important work of fiction. Lord Byron and other Romantics travelled to the Greek revolution in the 1820s and American Transcendentalist author Margaret Fuller reported sympathetically on revolutionary struggles in Rome in 1849. Lincoln Steffens was not the only America based radical who travelled to support the Russian revolution. Louise Bryant and John Reed also visited Russia during the revolution there and reported rapturously from the front lines. Emma Goldman , the great anarchist thinker and activist, was a pro-Bolshevik visitor at first, but realized sooner and more clearly than many other Western fans the profound flaws in democratic process that marred the Russian revolution and later turned the phrase “really existing socialism” into a bitter joke. Later, Canadian icon Norman Bethune lent his medical skills to the Spanish Republic when it was attacked by fascists in the 1930s and later provided similarly useful help to Mao’s forces during the Chinese revolution. I am not aware of any of these earlier political pilgrims agonizing about personal authenticity or legitimacy in the way Wren’s protagonist does. Still later, many Western sympathizers travelled to observe and participate in the Cuban revolution or to support the Sandinistas in Nicaragua or the Zapatistas in Mexico. A notable figure among these pilgrims was American feminist/ poet/activist Margaret Randall , who lived and worked in Cuba and Nicaragua for years and has written extensively about those experiences, including several books that critique these revolutions for their failure to fully integrate feminists perspectives, including Cuban Women Now: Interview with Cuban Women (1974), Sandino’s Daughters: Testimonies of Nicaraguan Women in Struggle (1981), Sandino’s Daughters Revisited: Feminism in Nicaragua (1994), and Gathering Rage: The Failure of 20th Century Revolutions to Develop a Feminist Agenda (1992). Randall may well be the figure among the crowds of political pilgrims the West has sent to foreign revolutions who has most successfully managed the inherent ethical dilemmas of the political pilgrim, the problems that so vex Wren’s unhappy protagonist. None of this is to dismiss the real if modest literary success of Wren’s odd little novel. It is difficult to portray depression and torpor in ways that do not depress and immobilize the reader, and in large measure Wren pulls off that difficult task, while incorporating some of the currently popular themes of auto fiction. He is unlikely to find a large audience with this book, but some readers will find it fascinating, and use it as an invitation to tough reflection about their own political and literary work. Worth a look and some thoughtful examination. For the Kurds from whom some inspiration for this novel was taken, they are once again facing adversity, but also opportunity, as the oppressive regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad has begun disintegrating in recent weeks . Support rabble today! We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year. rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today. Nick Seebruch, editor Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet. Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today. Nick Seebruch, editor Support rabble.ca

Men’s basketball: CU Buffs sharing the wealth on offenseGreg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster, has died from cancer, according to a statement from family released by CBS on Friday. He was 78. “He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten,” his wife Marcy Gumbel and daughter Michelle Gumbel said in a statement. In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues. Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties. In 2001, he announced Super Bowl XXXV for CBS, becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to call play-by-play of a major sports championship. David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Greg Gumbel as breaking barriers and setting standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness. “A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time," said Berson. RELATED STORY | Richard Parsons, prominent executive who led Time Warner and Citigroup, dies at 76 Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when it regained the contract in 1998. He hosted CBS’ coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during its four-year run broadcasting the national pastime. But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumbel hosted CBS’ NFL studio show, “The NFL Today” from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004. He also called NFL games as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005, leaving that role after the 2022 season.Attorney Daniel Schowengerdt finds his commute between Iola and Kansas City to be surprisingly productive. “Sometimes clients want to have an hour-long conversation, and it’s difficult to find that time during the work day,” he said. The one-hour, 25-minute drive gives him more time to connect with clients and continue to build personal relationships that he considers vital to the success of his new law firm. Schowengerdt launched DS Law about a month ago, splitting his time between Iola and Kansas City, his hometown. About two-and-a-half years ago, he and his family moved from Iola to the city — actually, it’s the edge of the city where “I can still see cows,” he said. He maintains a commitment to practicing in Iola and is temporarily renting office space at Manbeck Law, 10 E. Jackson St. Previously, he and Bob Johnson Jr. were partners in business. “Working with Bob was great,” Schowengerdt said. “We did some great work together and I respect everyone in that office. I’m just going to expand in a different direction.” Wherever that new direction takes him, Schowengerdt said, “I’ll always come back to Iola.” “Iola is a special place. It’s where we raised our kids. I have clients who are parents of kids I coached T-ball and soccer. My paralegal is in Iola. My bank is in Iola. I still get my haircut there.” TECHNOLOGY makes it possible for his new, dual law practice. The COVID-19 pandemic forced court systems to adapt to modern practices such as remote hearings and Zoom meetings. All cases are filed electronically. Status hearings are conducted virtually. Attorneys, particularly those in rural areas such as Southeast Kansas, who once found themselves driving from one county courthouse to another can now appear remotely. That saves time and money, especially for clients who don’t have to pay for that time. Many attorneys practice in communities outside of their home city. Across the state it’s becoming more common for an elected county attorneys to represent multiple counties. Schowengerdt uses technology to his benefit. He can meet with clients virtually, via a phone call or text, Facetime or Zoom. For those who need to meet in person, he’s in Iola on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And, of course, he has more time to talk during his commute. “I really haven’t minded the drive at all. That was my biggest question, can I make this drive for the next 15 years?” he said. “Sometimes I’ll pull up in my driveway and spend another 20 minutes on the phone because we haven’t finished the conversation.”

WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her agency will need to start taking “extraordinary measures,” or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling , as early as January 14, in a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday afternoon. "Treasury expects to hit the statutory debt ceiling between January 14 and January 23," she wrote in a letter addressed to House and Senate leadership, at which point extraordinary measures would be used to prevent the government from breaching the nation's debt ceiling — which was suspended until Jan. 1, 2025. The department in the past deployed what are known as “extraordinary measures” or accounting maneuvers to keep the government operating. Once those measures run out, the government risks defaulting on its debt unless lawmakers and the president agree to lift the limit on the U.S. government’s ability to borrow. "I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States," Yellen said. FILE - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a visit to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in Vienna, Va., on Jan. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) The news came after Democratic President Joe Biden signed a bill into law last week that averted a government shutdown but did not include Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s core debt demand to raise or suspend the nation’s debt limit. Congress approved the bill only after a fierce internal debate among Republicans over how to handle Trump's demand. “Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” Trump said in a statement. After a protracted debate in the summer of 2023 over how to fund the government, policymakers crafted the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which included suspending the nation's $31.4 trillion borrowing authority until Jan. 1, 2025. Notably however, Yellen said, on Jan. 2 the debt is projected to temporarily decrease due to a scheduled redemption of nonmarketable securities held by a federal trust fund associated with Medicare payments. As a result, “Treasury does not expect that it will be necessary to start taking extraordinary measures on January 2 to prevent the United States from defaulting on its obligations," she said. The federal debt stands at about $36 trillion — after ballooning across both Republican and Democratic administrations. The spike in inflation after the COVID-19 pandemic pushed up government borrowing costs such that debt service next year will exceed spending on national security. Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate in the new year, have big plans to extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts and other priorities but are debating over how to pay for them. Many consumers may remember receiving their first credit card, either years ago in a plain envelope, or months ago from a smartphone app. Still other consumers may remember their newest card, maybe because it's the credit card they're now using exclusively to maximize cash back rewards or airline miles. But for most consumers, there's also a murky in-between where they add, drop and generally accumulate credit cards over time. Over the years, consumers may close some credit card accounts or leave some of their credit cards dormant as a backup form of payment, or perhaps left forgotten in a desk drawer. In the data below, Experian reveals the changes in consumers wallets in recent years. U.S. consumers, on average, carry fewer cards today than they did in 2017, when the typical wallet held 4.2 active credit cards. As of the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, consumers carried 3.9 cards on average. This average is up slightly since the early days of the pandemic, when consumers reduced their average credit card debt and number of accounts as the economy slowed. As Experian revealed earlier this year, credit card balances are still climbing, despite (and partially because of) higher interest rates. And while average balances are increasing, they are spread across fewer accounts than in recent years. Alternative financing—including buy now, pay later plans for purchases—may account for at least some of this discrepancy, as consumers gravitate toward these newer financing methods. In general, residents of higher-population states tend to carry more credit cards than those who live in states with fewer and smaller population centers. Nonetheless, the difference between the states is relatively small. Considering that the national average is around four credit cards per consumer, the four states with the fewest cards per consumer (Alaska, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming) aren't appreciably different, with "only" about 3.3 credit cards per consumer. Similarly, the four states on the higher end of the scale where consumers have 4.2 or more credit cards are Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey and Rhode Island. The disparity in average credit card counts is more apparent when the population is segmented by age, thanks in part to Generation Z, many of whom have yet to receive their first credit card. The average number of credit cards for these consumers was two, less than half of what older generations keep on hand. The average number of credit cards held by each generation follows the familiar pattern seen in credit card balances, which tend to increase in a consumer's middle age. It's not surprising that the number of credit card accounts follows a similar climb throughout young adulthood and middle age, then drops off in the retirement years. No matter how many credit cards you may have at the moment, keep in mind that the number of accounts has little if any bearing on one's FICO Score. Far more important is how consumers manage those accounts. This is easily demonstrable by quickly stepping through some of the factors that affect your credit scores . Longer credit histories do tend to have a positive effect on a consumer's credit score, but it's not something you can rush. Adhering to on-time payments and managing amounts owed will go far in improving credit scores, even absent a lengthy credit history. While accounts closed in good standing remain on your credit report for 10 years, canceling your oldest credit card account still has the potential to shorten your credit history when it is eventually removed. The impact of its removal depends on any other active credit cards in your credit file. Ultimately, the number of cards a particular individual carries is a personal decision. Justifications can be found for carrying a travel rewards card, a cash back card, a balance transfer card, a card for business transactions and other types of credit cards that other consumers may not have either the need or qualifications for. However, keeping track of numerous credit cards, whether or not a consumer is actively using all of them, can be a mentally taxing exercise. Not only that, credit card fees can add up and dull the benefit of carrying several credit cards. Organized consumers can benefit greatly from a wallet full of specialized cards, but for those seeking a more zen-like financial future, some judicial pruning may be in order. Methodology: The analysis results provided are based on an Experian-created statistically relevant aggregate sampling of our consumer credit database that may include use of the FICO Score 8 version. Different sampling parameters may generate different findings compared with other similar analysis. Analyzed credit data did not contain personal identification information. Metro areas group counties and cities into specific geographic areas for population censuses and compilations of related statistical data. This story was produced by Experian and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Adrian Butler Elected to PRA Group Board of Directors

Second round washed out at the Australian PGAChoate Celebrates 125th AnniversaryChinese detonation engine in test flight for supersonic passenger jet

NEW YORK (AP) — A slide for market superstar Nvidia helped pull U.S. stock indexes down from their records. The S&P 500 fell 0.6% Monday, coming off its 57th all-time high of the year so far. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.6% from its own record. Nvidia was the market’s heaviest weight after China said it’s probing the chip giant for potential antitrust violations. Stocks in Hong Kong jumped after top Chinese leaders agreed on a “moderately loose” monetary policy. Prices for oil and gold rose following the ouster of Syrian leader Bashar Assad. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. NEW YORK (AP) — A slide for market superstar Nvidia on Monday is helping to pull U.S. stock indexes down from their records. The S&P 500 fell by 0.3% in afternoon trading, coming off its 57th all-time high of the year so far. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 57 points, or 0.1%, as of 1:53 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite pulled back 0.3% from its own record. Nvidia's drop of 2.1% was by far the heaviest weight on the S&P 500 after China said it's investigating the company over suspected violations of Chinese anti-monopoly laws. Nvidia has skyrocketed to become one of Wall Street’s most valuable companies because its chips are driving much of the world’s move into artificial-intelligence technology. That gives its stock’s movements more sway on the S&P 500 than nearly every other. Nvidia's fall overshadowed gains in Hong Kong and for Chinese stocks trading in the United States on hopes that China will deliver more stimulus for the world's second-largest economy. Roughly half the stocks in the S&P 500 also rose. The week’s highlight for Wall Street will arrive midweek when the latest updates on inflation arrive. Economists expect Wednesday’s report to show the inflation that U.S. consumers are feeling remained stuck at roughly the same level last month. A separate report on Thursday, meanwhile, could show an acceleration in inflation at the wholesale level. They’re the last big pieces of data the Federal Reserve will get before its meeting next week on interest rates. The widespread expectation is still that the central bank will cut its main interest rate for the third time this year. The Fed has been easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high since September to offer more help for the slowing job market, after bringing inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Lower interest rates can ease the brakes off the economy, but they can also offer more fuel for inflation. Expectations for a series of cuts from the Fed have been a major reason the S&P 500 has set so many all-time highs this year. On Wall Street, Interpublic Group rose 5.8% after rival Omnicom said it would buy the marketing and communications firm in an all-stock deal. The pair had a combined revenue of $25.6 billion last year. Omnicom, meanwhile, sank 9.3%. Macy’s climbed 1.5% after an activist investor, Barington Capital Group, called on the retailer to buy back at least $2 billion of its own stock over the next three years and make other moves to help boost its stock price. Super Micro Computer rose 4.6% after saying it got an extension that will keep its stock listed on the Nasdaq through Feb. 25, as it works to file its delayed annual report and other required financial statements. Earlier this month, the maker of servers used in artificial-intelligence technology said an investigation found no evidence of misconduct by its management or by the company’s board following the resignation of its public auditor . In the oil market, a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rallied 2% to $68.56 following the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar Assad, who sought asylum in Moscow after rebels. Brent crude, the international standard, was mostly unchanged at $71.05. The price of gold also rose 1% amid the uncertainty created by the end of the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule. In stock markets abroad, the Hang Seng jumped 2.8% in Hong Kong after top Chinese leaders agreed on a “moderately loose” monetary policy for the world’s second-largest economy. That’s a shift away from a more cautious, “prudent” stance for the first time in 10 years. A major planning meeting later this week could also bring more stimulus for the Chinese economy. U.S.-listed stocks of several Chinese companies climbed, such as a 13.1% jump for electric-vehicle company Nio and a 9.1% rise for Alibaba Group. Stocks in Shanghai, though, were roughly flat. In Seoul, South Korea’s Kospi slumped 2.8% as the fallout continues from President Yoon Suk Yeol 's brief declaration of martial law last week in the midst of a budget dispute. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.19% from 4.15% late Friday. ___ AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. Stan Choe, The Associated PressALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they're using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they're using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they’re using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul, a Democrat, signed the bill last week after it was passed by state lawmakers earlier this year. The law requires state agencies to perform assessments of any software that uses algorithms, computational models or AI techniques, and then submit those reviews to the governor and top legislative leaders along with posting them online. It also bars the use of AI in certain situations, such as an automated decision on whether someone receives unemployment benefits or child care assistance, unless the system is being consistently monitored by a human. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. State workers would also be shielded from having their hours or job duties limited because of AI under the law. State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, called the law an important step in setting up some guardrails in how the emerging technology is used in state government. Advertisement

Greg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster, has died from cancer, according to a statement from family released by CBS on Friday. He was 78. “He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten,” his wife Marcy Gumbel and daughter Michelle Gumbel said in a statement. In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues. Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties. In 2001, he announced Super Bowl XXXV for CBS, becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to call play-by-play of a major sports championship. David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Greg Gumbel as breaking barriers and setting standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness. “A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time," said Berson. RELATED STORY | Richard Parsons, prominent executive who led Time Warner and Citigroup, dies at 76 Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when it regained the contract in 1998. He hosted CBS’ coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during its four-year run broadcasting the national pastime. But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumbel hosted CBS’ NFL studio show, “The NFL Today” from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004. He also called NFL games as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005, leaving that role after the 2022 season.

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