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How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday, 11/27/2024genie in a bottle costume 。

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For many across the Middle East, the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire came as a relief: the first major sign of progress in the region since war began more than a year ago. But for Palestinians in Gaza and families of hostages held in the territory, the news appeared only to inaugurate a newer, grimmer period of the conflict there. For them, it marked yet another missed opportunity to end fighting that has stretched on for nearly 14 months. Palestinians had hoped that any ceasefire deal with Hezbollah would include a truce in Gaza as well. The families of people kidnapped when Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel in October 2023, meanwhile, wanted part of the agreement to include returning their loved ones. Instead, the ceasefire was confined only to the fighting in Lebanon . “We feel this is a missed opportunity to tie in the hostages in this agreement that was signed today,” said Ruby Chen, whose son, Itay Chen, was taken hostage from an Israeli military base and has been declared dead. As much as they were intertwined, the two wars have been very different. In Lebanon, Israel said its aim was to drive Hezbollah back from the countries’ shared border and end the militant group’s barrages into northern Israel. The ceasefire that took effect Wednesday is intended to do that. In Gaza, Israel’s goals are more sweeping . Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been resolute in insisting that Hamas must be completely destroyed and Israel must retain lasting control over parts of the territory. Months of talks have failed to get Netanyahu to back down from those demands — or to convince Hamas to release hostages under those terms. For Palestinians in Gaza, that means continuing misery under an Israeli campaign that has demolished much of the territory and driven almost the entire population from their homes. Hundreds of thousands are going hungry while living in squalid tent cities as the second winter of the war brings cold rains and flooding. ”They agree to a ceasefire in one place and not in the other? Have mercy on the children, the elderly and the women,” said Ahlam Abu Shalabi, living in tent in central Gaza. “Now it is winter, and all the people are drowning.” Palestinians feel resigned to continued war The war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants attacked Israel from Gaza, killing around 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has rained devastation on the Palestinian territory, killing over 44,000 people, according to local health officials. The officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and fighters in their count, say over half of the dead are women and children. Hezbollah began firing into Israel a day after Hamas’ attack in solidarity with the Palestinian militant group. The two sides have exchanged near-daily barrages since. Moving thousands of troops to its northern border, Israel ramped up bombardment of southern Lebanon and launched a ground invasion there two months ago, killing many of Hezbollah’s leaders . Palestinians now fear Israel’s military can return its full focus to Gaza — a point that Netanyahu made as he announced the ceasefire in Lebanon on Tuesday. “The pressure will be more on Gaza,” said Mamdouh Younis, a displaced man in a central Gaza tent camp. Netanyahu, he said, can now exploit the fact that “Gaza has become alone, far from all the arenas that were supporting it, especially the Lebanon front.” Israeli troops are already engaged in fierce fighting in Gaza’s north , where a two-month offensive has cut off most aid and caused experts to warn a famine may be underway . Strikes all over the territory regularly kill dozens. In signing onto the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah reversed its long-held position that it wouldn’t stop its barrages across the border unless Israel ends the war in Gaza. “This could have a psychological impact, as it will further entrench the understanding that Palestinians in Gaza are alone in resisting against their occupiers,” said Tariq Kenney Shawa, a U.S. policy fellow at Al-Shabaka, a Palestinian think tank. Hamas may dig its heels in It also leaves Hamas — its capabilities already severely damaged by Israel’s offensive — to fight alone. Hamas official Osama Hamdan appeared to accept Hezbollah’s new position in an interview Monday. “Any announcement of a ceasefire is welcome. Hezbollah has stood by our people and made significant sacrifices,” Hamdan told the Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen, which is seen as politically allied with Hezbollah. Khalil Sayegh, a Palestinian analyst, said the ceasefire could make Hamas even less popular in Gaza, by proving the failure of its gambit that its attack on Israel would rally other militant groups to the fight. “It’s a moment where we can see the Hamas messaging become weaker and weaker, as they struggle to justify their strategy to the public,” said Sayegh. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire could help force Hamas to the negotiating table because it would show the group that the “cavalry is not on the way.” But Hamas experts predicted that it would only dig in both on the battlefield and in talks. Hamas has insisted it will only release all the hostages in return for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. “I expect Hamas will continue using guerrilla warfare to confront Israeli forces in Gaza as long as they remain,” said Shawa. Hostage families lose hope Dozens of Israelis thronged a major highway in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, protesting for the return of the hostages as the country waited to hear if a ceasefire in Lebanon had been agreed. Around 100 people taken hostage are still held in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the other hostages seized by Hamas were released during a ceasefire last year. Ricardo Grichener, the uncle of 23-year-old hostage Omer Wenkert, said the ceasefire with Hezbollah showed how the Israeli government was openly disregarding the hostages. Even though Israel has inflicted greater damage on Hamas in Gaza than on Hezbollah in Lebanon, he said “the decision to postpone a deal in Gaza and release the hostages is not based on the same military success criteria.” The most recent effort to wind down the war stalled in October. U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he would begin a renewed push, but his administration is now in its waning days after the reelection of former President Donald Trump. “This ceasefire doesn’t concern our hostages. I believe that Netanyahu forgot about them, and he just wants to keep fighting in Gaza,” said Ifat Kalderon, clutching a photo of her cousin, Ofer Kalderon, who is a hostage and a father to four. “Ofer yesterday had his 54th birthday. His second birthday in Gaza,” she said. “It’s unbelievable that he’s still there.”None

Freelance photographer arrested on Capitol riot charges

ANIR: Creativity, Integration and ProactivityEconomists at two Southern California universities see new reasons to worry ahead, namely policies from the nation’s next president. They warn in new forecasts released this week that the economy may stumble in 2025 because of controversial policies promised by President-elect Donald Trump. Economist James Doti, president emeritus at Chapman University, said the economy “still appears to be strong,” even though a long period of declining inflation could reverse course under Trump. A year ago, Doti’s reading of the tea leaves showed “very slow growth” and no recession in 2024. Today, he’s sticking to a similar tale of “slow growth” that now extends through 2025. New to the mix is “some upward pressure” on inflation due to proposed tariffs and mass deportations Trump has vowed to launch after his inauguration in January. Economist Jerry Nickelsburg at UCLA agreed with Doti’s analysis. “The underlying fundamentals of the economy are strong. They have been for some time, which is why we did not say that we were going to have a recession in 2023 or 2022,” said the director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast. “Now, that doesn’t mean that geopolitical events or different policies from Washington that are not in our forecast couldn’t generate a recession. It’s just not in the data right now.” Both economists said Trump is inheriting a strong economy that will grow more slowly than previously forecast while it adjusts to new national economic policies. The clarity of post-presidential election forecasts at Chapman and UCLA are clouded by Trump’s plans to implement several economic policies promised during his 2024 campaign. Among the most controversial policies are new or increased tariffs on the nation’s largest trading partners – including Canada, China and Mexico. Policies also include mass deportations, tax cuts and deregulation. Doti believes Trump’s vow to deport of 500,000 to 1 million undocumented immigrants and 10%-25% tariffs on imported goods could push inflation closer to 3% than the Fed’s desired 2% level. How these policies manifest is not necessarily clear, considering practical, legal and political constraints on implementation, according to Nickelsburg. The UCLA professor of economics said this month’s forecast was one of the most difficult ones he’s ever written, with the exception of a recession prediction four years ago as the COVID-19 pandemic began. “When we did our March forecast in 2020, we had no idea how the pandemic was going to play out, and so there was a great deal of uncertainty then as well as now,” he said. “Economic policy in Washington is changing in a pretty fundamental way, so that increases uncertainty until we get some clarity as to what policies are going to be implemented.” Meanwhile, UCLA predicts a slowdown in interest rate cuts as the federal government grapples with those new policies. Nickelsburg sees the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates by 25 basis points at its board of governors meeting Dec. 18. He expects a pause on cuts until 2026 when the economy has absorbed the impacts of tariffs. The Fed could end up with interest rates hovering between 4% and 4.25% in 2026, he said. Doti has a different take, saying the Fed won’t cut rates in December and will instead take a wait-and-see approach. He expects the central bank will make only two, 25 basis-point cuts in 2025. “The reason we don’t think there’ll be a cut in rates next week is because we still have high inflation (2.7% for the year ended in November 2024), and it’s above the Fed’s target range of 2%, and GDP growth is at 2.8%, and job growth has still been very strong,” Doti said. “Given the Fed’s cautious approach, it’ll hold back on making further cuts.” Growth in gross domestic product, used to measure the nation’s economic health, is expected to fall to 1.4% by the end of 2025 from 2.8% in the 2024’s third quarter, he said. Both economists said the state of housing in California is showing financial strain. On the construction front, residential permits in California are forecast to rise by 12.9% in 2025, despite continuing high mortgage rates, Doti said. He argued that high mortgage rates may indirectly spur new construction. “There is a paucity of resale homes on the market because homeowners don’t want to sell and lose their sweetheart locked-in mortgages,” he said. “That has led to a sharp drop in resale home sales. The dearth of resale homes on the market is buttressing demand for new homes, often available for sale at heavily subsidized financing rates.” Nickelsburg said normalization is slowly returning to the California housing market, but potential construction cost increases due to tariffs and labor shortages could slow that process. “Builders should be responding with new development given existing homes sales are at depression levels,” said Nickelsburg. Both forecasts raised concerns about the jobs picture. Doti sees economic growth in California hampered by population losses, which he blames on the state’s regulatory and tax burdens, which have led people and businesses to leave for cheaper states like Florida and Texas. California’s job growth is forecast to rise 4.6% to 18.2 million in 2025, up from 17.4 million in 2019, but trailing U.S. job growth of 5.9% over the same period. The flight of people from the state also has lowered retail sales tax revenue, prompting some cities to raise sales tax rates in order to replenish budgets left with financial gaps. Data from Chapman showed fewer people are shopping, which translates to less tax revenue for cities. For the year-period that ended June 30, 2024, retail sales fell 4% in Orange County, 2.3% in Los Angeles County, 1.2% in the Inland Empire and 0.8% in San Diego County. For Nickelsburg, the big unknown on jobs will be the mass deportation and tariff policies of the incoming president, and their impact on a wide of industries including agriculture, construction, leisure and hospitality, retail trade and transportation and warehousing industries. Taken together, the deportations and tariffs will raise the prices for many goods and services, and potentially cause product shortages and higher labor costs as jobs go unfilled, he argued. “The uncertainty regarding the future path of unemployment is more elevated than usual because the impact of mass deportations on unemployment is not well understood due to limited empirical research on the subject,” according to Nickelsburg. Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast, using various graphs and charts to explain his predictions and projections, at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast, using various graphs and charts to explain his predictions and projections, at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast, using various graphs and charts to explain his predictions and projections, at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast for the U.S., California and Orange County at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer) Economist James Doti, the President Emeritus and Rick Muth Family Chair in Economics at Chapman University, delivers his annual economic forecast, using various graphs and charts to explain his predictions and projections, at the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)

NoneHow major US stock indexes fared Wednesday, 11/27/2024Hamdan bin Mohammed launches Middle East’s first-of-its-kind drone delivery system at Dubai Silicon OasisAfter being ejected from Sarnia City Council’s budget meeting for disruptive personal attacks against the mayor and fellow members, Councillor Bill Dennis says he will apologize to get back to work. “Was it right to get personal?” he asks in an interview with the Journal. “No, it’s never right. Believe me, I’ve been reminded about that by my mother and my wife for the last week or so.” During the November 26 virtual meeting, Councillor Dennis told Mayor Mike Bradley to “f– off,” calling him a “drunk,” a “cokehead,” a “damned crook,” and a “joke.” He called Councillor Adam Kilner a “joke as a pastor,” a “fruitcake,” and repeatedly said “kiss my a–.” Councillor Dennis’s outburst transpired when council members called for order when he became increasingly heated in delivering his opinions and was calling out Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Chris Carter. In the November 26 meeting, the topic of fees for consultants had arisen and Councillor Dennis was objecting to the amount spent. CAO Chris Carter and other staff provided insights contrary to the councillor’s perceptions of the issue. They described how consultant allocations are for specialized project staff, specifically trained individuals, such as architects or structural engineers, that are not full-time city staff. Using these individuals as consultants rather than as permanent staff offsets increases to the long-term operating budget. Councillor Dennis referenced $3 million as the price tag for these consultants, but city staff demonstrated that those numbers were closer to $2.17 million 2024 and $1.6 million for 2025, the budget year in question. Councillor Dennis became upset at CAO Carter for allegedly failing to provide him with those numbers before the budget meeting, and disputed the 2024 numbers. He said, “It’s been very typical of you for the last six months. I’m an elected official. I asked for that information and you never gave it to me.” As an example of out-of-control spending on consultant fees, Councillor Dennis brought up a proposal from the previous council meeting (a motion, it should be noted, that did not pass by unanimous vote) that would have seen marketing consultants hired for approximately $35,000 to inform how much to charge for naming rights for the Progressive Auto Sales Arena. Mayor Bradley interrupted and asked Councillor Dennis if he had a motion. He responded “Cut it in half, cut the damn thing in half.” He continued, “These guys, the reason they go to consultants all the time is most of the senior staff isn’t from here, most of them don’t live here, they have no idea...” At this point, Councillors Anne Marie Gillis and Adam Kilner called for order, which agitated Councillor Dennis even more. He called them “sellouts.” Mayor Bradley ruled that his behaviour was unacceptable, at which point Councillor Dennis began to hurl invective. The meeting came to a halt and resumed a short time later with Councillor Dennis expelled. “It’s the first time in 36 years I’ve used the rules of order to expel a member,” says Mayor Mike Bradley speaking to the Journal. “This is conduct so beyond slanderous toward various individuals, including staff, including councillors, and this is not the first time.” The incident highlights the ongoing friction between Councillor Dennis and other council members, city staff, and members of the public, as concerns continue to be raised about his conduct in and out of meetings. Regarding Councillor Dennis’s conduct, Mayor Bradley tells us, “Everywhere I go, people say to me, ‘If I did that in the workplace, I’d be gone in 20 seconds.” At the same time, the Ontario government has just introduced legislation that will give municipalities tools to potentially remove councillors who violate the Code of Conduct. Councillor Dennis has three times been previously found to be in violation of Council’s Code of Conduct by the Integrity Commissioner. In a post on social media, Councillor Dennis identified himself as the subject of a workplace harassment complaint filed at city hall in the spring. This complaint is what led to council meetings returning to virtual format, as well as the directive to Councillor Dennis that all of his communication with city staff go through CAO Carter. “Protecting your employees in the workplace, it’s paramount,” says Mayor Bradley. Regarding CAO Carter, Councillor Dennis says, ”If I become mayor he’s fired. Day one, he’s fired. It’s the first act I’ll do. He knows that, so he’s doing everything in his power to make me look bad.” “When I’m questioning the CAO, I get all these idiots jumping in and saying ‘point of order, point of order,’” he says, referring to fellow council members. “That really bugs the hell out of me. I’m entitled to ask him questions, to bring my points up. Then, of course, they bait me. They don’t like me. I don’t like them and that’s fine. In October, Councillor Dennis filed a $200,000 lawsuit alleging that CAO Carter has been deliberately undermining him. The lawsuit also names the corporation of the City of Sarnia. “We’ve had to engage two different legal groups to respond to this,” says Mayor Bradley. “The amount of money taxpayers are spending defending two lawsuits. Tens and tens of thousands of dollars.” Communications Manager for the city, Steve Henschel, tells the Journal, “It would be inappropriate to provide any comment related to, or that could be perceived to be related to, any ongoing legal matter or Occupational Health and Safety investigation.” The Employee Code of Conduct for city staff states, “Employees shall treat all Members of Council with professionalism and courtesy, must not favour, nor be seen to favour, the interests of one Member over the interests of Council as a whole.” Regarding his conduct during the November 26 meeting, Councillor Dennis says it was unfortunate that he lost his cool, but says, “People are hung up on that, they should be hung up on the fact some of these clowns on Council are making decisions that are destroying our city.”

Emergencies and life support: rural GPs train up to face every challenge

A local woman who’s on President Biden’s clemency list was sentenced to federal prison for participating in a large-scale fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. Lawrence woman Luz Perez DeMartinez — federal prison #15968-049 — is one of the 1,499 people whose federal sentences were commuted by Biden on Thursday. DeMartinez, 32, was sentenced five years ago to 11 years in federal prison for participating in a large-scale fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. DeMartinez, who pleaded guilty, was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine. The feds in court had said a drug trafficking organization, led by Sergio Martinez, sold fentanyl to customers from various New England states, including New Hampshire. DeMartinez, the wife of the organization’s leader, facilitated various financial aspects of the drug business, the feds said. Her primary role was to collect, count and process hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits generated by drug sales. She also paid salaries to some of the organization’s employees, and collected money to post bail for certain employees who were arrested. She wired drug proceeds out of the country. “The Martinez drug trafficking organization facilitated the sale of large quantities of lethal fentanyl to residents of New Hampshire,” then-New Hampshire U.S. Attorney Scott Murray said during the sentencing in 2019. “This was a large-scale criminal enterprise that reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits and caused untold misery to its customers and their families. These sentences should serve as warning that long federal prison terms await those who choose to distribute fentanyl in New Hampshire.” The case was a collaborative investigation that involved several agencies, including the: DEA; Massachusetts State Police; Massachusetts AG’s Office; Essex DA’s Office; Haverhill Police; Methuen Police; Lowell Police; and many more. Revere man Manuele Scata is another local on Biden’s clemency list. He was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for trafficking oxycodone after agents found nearly 2,000 oxy pills, a loaded gun and a machete in his vehicle. Biden on Thursday commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people who are “serving long prison sentences – many of whom would receive lower sentences if charged under today’s laws, policies, and practices,” the president said in a statement. “These commutation recipients, who were placed on home confinement during the COVID pandemic, have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance,” Biden added. The outgoing president also pardoned 39 people who have “shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer.”As 2025 approaches, the landscape of technology is rapidly evolving. This includes a spotlight on humanoid agents. This past year, the development of robots has surged with innovations that once seemed far-off now becoming imminent. The long-anticipated release of fully autonomous humanoids—previously confined to industrial settings—is possibly approaching. This is the view of deep tech investor Anders Indset , who has told Digital Journal: “We stand on the brink of a new era as these machines become increasingly sophisticated and capable.” Indset argues: “ Humanoid robots like Tesla’s Optimus are designed for industrial applications, capable of performing tasks in manufacturing and logistics. Elon Musk has indicated that Optimus will become a cornerstone of the company, with Optimus Gen 3 likely to debut by the end of 2024. With the integration of advanced software, visuals, and cameras tied to the Tesla ecosystem—similar technologies pushing for autonomous vehicles and robot taxis—the possibilities for these robots in 2025 are limitless.” The focus on AI agents has attracted significant investment, according to Indset, with record-high “dry powder” of $250 billion in the Bay Area alone directed toward the convergence of AI models and robotics. Indset explains: “Boston Dynamics is not alone in this race; they have introduced fully autonomous working partners that move beyond pre-programmed functions. The humanoid’s shift from hydraulic systems to electric capabilities indicates a move toward enhanced physical and mental performance, closely mimicking the human musculoskeletal system.” Notable examples in humanoid robotics include Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, which has demonstrated impressive agility, and Hanson Robotics’ Sophia, known for her advanced conversational abilities and emotional expressions. These robots, Indset thinks: “showcase the potential for humanoid agents to engage meaningfully with humans, enhancing customer service, healthcare, and education. Similarly, UBTech’s Walker and Agility Robotics’ Digit highlight the industry’s push towards creating robots that can navigate complex environments while performing intricate tasks.” The cost of employment is likely to be a driver. Indset observes: “Today, human labour accounts for approximately 50% of the global GDP, a staggering $42 trillion. As humanoid robots begin to take on roles in construction, logistics, and manufacturing, they will also address the needs of a growing aging population—estimated at 700 million individuals requiring home care in 2.3 billion households worldwide. The demand for assistive technologies will drive the integration of humanoid agents into daily life, providing support to the elderly and enhancing their quality of life.” The issue of technological innovation is not without its concerns. Drawing these out, Indset says: “However, the reliance on foundational AI models presents risks for these companies. The integration of self-hosted models and the potential for AI errors remain significant challenges. If AI fails, the humanoids, while designed to replicate human capabilities, may not achieve the desired outcomes. The ethical and social implications of humanoid agents must also be addressed, particularly concerning job displacement, privacy concerns, and the potential misuse of technology.” So, what does the future hold for humanoid robots? Indset’s view is: “As we approach 2025, we can anticipate the widespread adoption of AI in robotics, enhanced human-robot interactions, and the rise of Robotics as a Service (RaaS) models, making advanced robotic solutions accessible to more industries. These developments indicate a transformative period for the robotics industry, where humanoid agents will reshape our interactions with technology and expand the possibilities for AI applications across different domains.” Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.