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p777 online casino North America’s top professional sports leagues have issued warnings to their players about a growing threat from high-tech, organized burglary rings, whose tools of choice are passports, cutting-edge technology and a 90-day calendar. The NBA memo, citing FBI intelligence, specifically linked the crimes to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that target “professional athletes and other high-net-worth individuals.” These groups are known for using “advanced techniques” such as pre-surveillance, drones, signal-jamming devices and other cutting-edge technology. The NFL highlighted the risks posed by what it called “organized and skilled groups” of burglars targeting wealthy athletes. While the warnings did not name victims, they were issued after the homes of athletes including Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis were recently burglarized. The tactics described in the memos bear a striking resemblance to a wave of break-ins targeting affluent residents in Southern California . Federal and local officials from Los Angeles and Orange County have reported a spike in break-ins by what they call “burglary tourists” — criminals from Central and South America who legally enter the U.S. on 90-day tourist visas under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). But instead of packing swimsuits and sunscreen, police said these individuals are armed with disguises, video equipment, trail cameras and Wi-Fi jammers. They target wealthy neighborhoods and gated communities before moving on to avoid detection. These “burglary tourists” have been at work for at least five years, but their operations have intensified in recent times as information about addresses and even pictures of properties have become increasingly accessible. “Transnational gangs might not know everything about the house that they are breaking into,” LAPD Chief of Detectives Alan Hamilton told NBC News on Friday. “But there’s always a possibility these suspects know who they are and monitor the athletes’ social media and movements.” Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley’s home was also burglarized in September while he was attending an NFL game, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported . Portis posted on Instagram on Nov. 3 saying his “prized possessions” were stolen from his home during his team’s game the previous day. Kelce’s and Mahomes’ homes in Kansas City were broken into hours apart in October. The burglars made off with $20,000 in cash and caused $1,000 in damage to Kelce’s home, according to a police report obtained by NBC affiliate KSHB of Kansas City . Mahomes has called the ordeal “frustrating” and “disappointing.” This trend has spread to other cities including Chicago, Houston and Dallas. “Law enforcement has long recognized this pattern of crimes across the Midwest,” Hamilton said. “It’s not something they have been immune to.” Law enforcement from coast to coast, including the FBI, has been tracking these criminal networks for years, with suspects linked to South American gangs appearing in nearly every state, Hamilton said. “It’s totally military”-level technology, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told NBC News over the summer. “People we’ve arrested here in Orange County have criminal records coming from the country of Chile.” If Southern California law enforcement has made progress in reducing these crimes, it may be driving more of these operations to other regions of the country. The NBA and NFL urged players to take preventive measures, such as activating alarm systems and surveillance cameras, securing valuables in safes and avoid oversharing on social media. “The FBI reported that, in most of the incidents, the homes were equipped with alarm systems that were not activated,” reads the NBA memo obtained by NBC News on Friday. “The FBI also reported that the homes were all unoccupied and, in most cases, no dogs were present.”

New Mexico man awarded $412M medical malpractice payout for botched injectionsAuthored by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, Last week, we discussed the impact of the Trump Presidency on the financial markets based on expectations of tax cuts, tariffs, and deregulation. Since then, the “Trump Trade” went into full swing, pushing the markets higher; however, as we noted, that the trading had gotten a bit ahead of itself, and we saw some consolidation and profit-taking that reverted the market to the 20-DMA. Such is unsurprising given the overbought conditions with a more extreme deviation from the 50-DMA. However, the market recovered somewhat this past week, with buyers entering and reversing early morning market declines. Notably, after holding support at the 20-DMA for several days, the market gained some traction late in the week. That buying pressure will likely reverse the short-term MACD sell signal, allowing the market to rally further next week. That action aligns with Friday’s Daily Market Commentary , wherein we noted the market seemed to be setting itself up for a pre and post-holiday trading bump into the end of the month. To wit: “The good news is that we just past the normal “weak” period for the market in November. While not always the case, on average, the market trends to trade better the week before and after the Thanksgiving holiday. If that turns out to be the case again this year, a retest of recent highs at 6000 seems likely.” While the trade into month-end tends to be positive, we expect to see another patch of weakness in early December as mutual funds complete their annual distributions. However, post that weakness, the bullish bias remains into year-end as professionals window dress their portfolios for year-end reporting. If you are underweight equities, consider minor pullbacks and consolidations to add exposure as needed to bring portfolios to target weights. Pullbacks will likely be shallow, but being ready to deploy capital will be beneficial. Once we pass the inauguration, we can assess what policies will likely be enacted and adjust portfolios accordingly. While there is no reason to be bearish, this does not mean you should abandon risk management. As we will discuss this week, the market forecasts for 2025 are exceedingly optimistic. It’s that time of year when Wall Street analysts begin trotting out their predictions for where the S&P 500 index will be by the end of the coming year. As is always the case, these market forecasts are ALWAYS higher , and this year is no expectation. Goldman Sachs and BMO have already forecasted that the market will rise to 6500 and 6700, respectively, by the end of 2025. However, one of the more interesting market forecasts came from long-time bear Michael Wilson of Morgan Stanley. This past week, he matched Goldman’s forecast of 6500 as a base case with a bullish case of 7400. That is interesting because Michael Wilson has been a long-time market bear. His basis for that call was quite interesting: “A potential rise in corporate animal spirits post the election (as we saw following the 2016 election) could catalyze a more balanced earnings profile across the market in 2025.” If you don’t understand the importance of “animal spirits, ” we discussed this in detail concerning Yardeni’s recent prediction of S&P 10000 by the end of the decade: “The term Animal Spirits” comes from the Latin term “spiritus animals ,” meaning “ the breath that awakens the human mind. Its modern usage came about in John Maynard Keynes’ 1936 publication, “The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money.” He used the term to describe the human emotions driving consumer confidence. Ultimately, the financial markets adopted the “animal spirits” to describe the psychological factors that drive investors to take action . This is why human psychology is essential in understanding the close linkage to short-term valuation measures. Note that this has nothing to do with underlying fundamentals; it is purely “sentiment” or “ hope” that things will improve. However, as investors, we must focus on the ultimate driver of market prices over time: earnings. Three very obvious facts about earning growth currently should concern investors heading into next year. First, as noted in last week’s Bull Bear Report , valuations on both a forward and trailing basis are significantly elevated. While this does NOT mean the market is about to crash, it does suggest that earnings have not kept up with investor’s expectations. The problem with elevated valuations is the risk an event occurs that causes investors to realign expectations with actual reality. Secondly, earnings expectations, which support Wall Street’s market forecasts, are very optimistic. Lastly, the equity risk premium currently suggests that investors are not getting “paid” for the risk they are taking. We last saw equity risk premiums at these levels heading into the “Dot.com” bubble. Let me reiterate that none of this data suggests a market crash is imminent. However, investors should be aware that given the current market conditions, the risk of disappointment in the future is much greater today than it was just two years ago. Here is the critical question for investors: “If the market is priced based on future earnings expectations, then how reliable are those estimates?” The chart below is from Yardeni Research and shows the evolution of earnings forecasts over time. You will notice that analysts’ initial forecasts were wrong in almost every case. In other words, if you bought stocks at the beginning of virtually every analyst’s annual forecast, based on the assumption that earnings would grow, you overpaid for investments virtually every given year. However, in most cases, you make money anyway, so why worry about it? The reason to worry is that over-estimation eventually leads to reverting events. The biggest single problem with Wall Street today and in the past is the consistent disregard for the possibilities of unexpected, random events. In a 2010 study by the McKinsey Group, they found that analysts have been persistently overly optimistic for 25 years. During the 25-year time frame, Wall Street analysts pegged earnings growth at 10-12% a year when, in reality, earnings grew at 6%, which, as we have discussed in the past, is the economy’s growth rate. This is why using forward earnings estimates as a valuation metric is so incredibly flawed—the estimates are always overly optimistic. As the McKenzie study noted, on average, “analysts’ forecasts have been almost 100% too high,” which leads investors to make much more aggressive bets in the financial markets. With valuations elevated, why are analysts once again pushing more optimistic forecasts? It’s a great question. Wall Street is a group of highly conflicted marketing and PR firms . Companies hire Wall Street to “market” for them so that their stock prices will rise, and with executive pay tied to stock-based compensation, you can understand their desire. The chart below is from the survey conducted by WSJ researchers, showing the main factors that play into analysts’ compensation. What analysts are “paid” to do is quite different from what retail investors “think” they do. If analysts are bearish on the companies they cover , their access to information about them is cut off. This reduces fees from the company to the Wall Street firm, hurting their revenue. Furthermore, Wall Street has to have a cus tomer to sell their products to—you. Talk about conflicted. Just ask yourself why Wall Street spends billions of dollars each year in marketing and advertising just to keep you invested at all times. Since optimism is what sells products, it is not surprising, as we head into 2025, to see Wall Street’s average expectation ratcheted up another 7.5% this year. Of course, comparing your portfolio to the market is often a mistake anyway. Unsurprisingly, earnings have grown at 7.5% over the last 70 years because the companies that make up the stock market reflect real economic growth. Stocks cannot outgrow the economy in the long term. “Since 1947, earnings per share have grown at 7.7% annually, while the economy expanded by 6.40% annually. That close relationship in growth rates should be logical, particularly given the significant role that consumer spending has in the GDP equation.” This correlation is more apparent when looking at corporate profits as a percentage of GDP versus stock prices. With future earnings already being revised lower for 2025, as seen below, and corporate profitability at risk due to less government stimulus and fiscal support, the risk of current market forecasts being overly optimistic is likely elevated. The problem with current forward estimates is that several factors must exist to sustain historically high earnings growth and record corporate profitability. Economic growth must remain more robust than the average 20-year growth rate. Wage and labor growth must reverse (weaken) to sustain historically elevated profit margins . Both interest rates and inflation need to decline to support consumer spending. Trump’s planned tariffs will increase costs on some products and may not be fully offset by replacement and substitution. Reductions in Government spending, debt issuance, and the deficit subtract from corporate profitability (Kalecki Profit Equation). Slower economic growth in China, Europe, and Japan reduces demand for U.S. exports, slowing economic growt h. The Federal Reserve maintaining higher interest rates and continuing to reduce its balance sheet will reduce market liquidity. You get the idea. While analysts are currently very optimistic about economic and earnings growth going into 2025, there are risks to those forecasts. For example, on December 7th, 2021, we wrote an article about the predictions for 2022. “There is one thing about Goldman Sachs that is always consistent; they are ‘bullish.’ Of course, given that the market is positive more often than negative, it ‘pays’ to be bullish when your company sells products to hungry investors. It is important to remember that Goldman Sachs was wrong when it was most important, particularly in 2000 and 2008. However, in keeping with its traditional bullishness, Goldman’s chief equity strategist David Kostin forecasted the S&P 500 will climb by 9% to 5100 at year-end 2022. As he notes, such will “reflect a prospective total return of 10% including dividends.” The problem, of course, is that the S&P 500 did NOT end the year at 5100. While analysts are currently rushing to “out-predict” the other guys, it is worth noting: In other words, after 15 straight years of a bull market advance, The “risk” of something derailing continued optimistic expectations has risen significantly. While the odds of a positive year in 2025 are more or less balanced, one should not dismiss the potential for a decline. With the current market already well advanced, pushing more extreme overvaluations, and significant deviations from long-term means, the risk of a decline is not minuscule. With this in mind, we suggest focusing on what is important to you: your specific goals, risk tolerance, and time frames, and conservatively growing your savings to outpace inflation. This is why we always focus on risk management . Greater returns are generated from managing “risks” rather than attempting to create returns. Although it may seem contradictory, embracing uncertainty reduces risk while denial increases it. Another benefit of acknowledging uncertainty is it keeps you honest. “A healthy respect for uncertainty and focus on probability drives you never to be satisfied with your conclusions. It keeps you moving forward to seek out more information, to question conventional thinking and to continually refine your judgments and understanding that difference between certainty and likelihood can make all the difference.” – Robert Rubin We can’t control outcomes; the most we can do is influence the probability of specific outcomes. Thus, managing risks daily and investing based on probabilities rather than possibilities is vital to capital preservation and investment success over time. I read most mainstream analysts’ predictions to gauge the “consensus.” This year, more so than most, the outlook for 2025 is universally, and to some degree exuberantly, bullish. What comes to mind is Bob Farrell’s Rule #9 , which states: “When everyone agrees...something else is bound to happen.” The real economy is not supportive of asset prices at current levels. The more extended prices become the greater the potential for a future market dislocation. For investors close to or in retirement, some consideration should be given to capital preservation over chasing potential market returns. Will 2025 turn in another positive performance? Maybe. But, honestly, I don’t know. As noted last week, the stock market reflects both challenges and opportunities. Therefore, we can take action to participate if the market continues its bullish trend but hedge against the risk of something going wrong. While there is no reason to be bearish, this does not mean you should abandon risk management.

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Domain Name System (DNS) Service Market to Exhibit a Remarkable CAGR of 11.70% by 2031, Size, Share, Trends, Key Drivers, Demand, Opportunity Analysis and Competitive OutlookMumbai: Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Monday amid unabated foreign fund outflows and weak trends in the global markets. The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex declined 142.26 points to 78,556.81 in early trade. The NSE Nifty dipped 48.35 points to 23,765.05. From the 30 blue-chip pack, Infosys, Mahindra & Mahindra, HCL Technologies, Titan, Power Grid, Tech Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Tata Motors were among the biggest laggards. Adani Ports, Zomato, UltraTech Cement and ITC were among the gainers. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 1,323.29 crore on Friday, according to exchange data. In Asian markets, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong were trading lower while Seoul quoted higher. US markets ended in the negative territory on Friday. Global oil benchmark Brent crude went up 0.07 per cent to USD 74.22 a barrel. The BSE benchmark climbed 226.59 points or 0.29 per cent to settle at 78,699.07 on Friday. The Nifty went up by 63.20 points or 0.27 per cent to 23,813.40.

Donald Trump 's showering praise on the late Jimmy Carter ... saying he did his best to improve the lives of his fellow Americans -- and, the country owes him a debt. The president-elect posted to his social media platform, Truth Social, Sunday ... only about an hour after the Carter Center announced the former president had passed away at 100. In his message, Trump writes that anyone who has been president knows it's a very exclusive club ... and, only members in its ranks can understand the responsibility of leading the country. DJT says JC faced numerous issues when he was president ... and, he did everything he could to "improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude." Trump says he and his wife Melania are thinking of the Carter family at this difficult time ... and, he urges his followers to keep them in their prayers. It's a stark change to Trump and Carter's relationship while the latter was still alive ... just two months ago, on Carter's 100th birthday , Trump called Joe Biden the worst president ever -- before saying Jimmy was "the happiest man because Carter is considered a brilliant president by comparison.” Carter passed away surrounded by family Sunday night after spenging nearly two years in hospice care. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, passed away last year at the age of 96. Tributes from all over the political world are pouring in for Carter ... including from President Joe Biden who called him an "extradordinary leader" and former president Barack Obama who wrote Jimmy taught the world "what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service." It seems Jimmy's bringing people from all sides of the political spectrum together.Ready Capital Co. ( NYSE:RC – Get Free Report ) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, December 17th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.25 per share by the real estate investment trust on Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Ready Capital has raised its dividend by an average of 61.0% per year over the last three years. Ready Capital has a payout ratio of 103.1% indicating that the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Analysts expect Ready Capital to earn $1.07 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 93.5%. Ready Capital Trading Down 4.1 % RC opened at $7.05 on Friday. Ready Capital has a 1-year low of $6.65 and a 1-year high of $10.71. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $7.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $7.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a PE ratio of -10.07 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In View Our Latest Report on Ready Capital Ready Capital Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Ready Capital Corporation operates as a real estate finance company in the United States. It operates through two segments: LMM Commercial Real Estate and Small Business Lending. The company originates, acquires, finances, and services lower-to-middle-market (LLM) commercial real estate loans, small business administration (SBA) loans, residential mortgage loans, construction loans, and mortgage-backed securities collateralized primarily by LLM loans, or other real estate-related investments. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Ready Capital Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ready Capital and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

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The Big Central Conference released its All-Division football teams for the 2024 season. You can find the selections for the United Silver Division below. NOTE : The selections were made by coaches from the conference and not reporters from NJ.com . If an athlete’s name is misspelled, please let us know and we will make the correction.. FIRST TEAM Jack Dally, Gov. Livingston, RB/OLB, Sr. Dylan Randis, Gov. Livingston, OL, Sr. Ryan Vapenik, Gov. Livingston, DT, Sr. Lucciano Santamaria, Gov. Livingston, QB, Sr. Michael Nelson, Gov. Livingston, LB, Sr. Ryan Honey, Gov. Livingston, WR/CB, Sr. AJ Perales, South Plainfield, DE/TE, Sr. Evan Brown, South Plainfield, DT/OL, Sr. Kaden Deakyne, South Plainfield, DL/OL, Sr. Lorenzo Fuscoletti, South Plainfield, DL/TE/LS, Sr. Dominic Massaro, South Plainfield, RB/DB, Jr. Dylan Oller, South Plainfield, LB/RB, Jr. Manny Perez-Quijano, Iselin Kennedy, DL/FB, Sr. Dylan Driz, Iselin Kennedy, LB, Sr. Brenden Denti, Iselin Kennedy, OL/DL, Sr. Richie Trotman, Iselin Kennedy, QB, Jr. Fiheem Howell, Iselin Kennedy, RB/DB, Jr. Grant Lorentzen, Iselin Kennedy, WR/KR, Jr. Aaron Potts, North Plainfield, WR/DB, Sr. Anthony Peneranda, North Plainfield, WR/DB, Sr. Caleb Henderson, North Plainfield, OL/DL, Sr. Chase Maurasse, New Brunswick, QB/LB, So. Michael Galindo, New Brunswick, OL/DL, Jr. SECOND TEAM Chris D’Amato, Gov. Livingston, LB, Sr. Sean Seccamanie, Gov. Livingston, DT, Jr. David Dorsett, Gov. Livingston, OT/DE, Jr. Ryan Balant, South Plainfield, QB, Sr. James Adams, South Plainfield, WR/DB/KR, Sr. Jack Jones, South Plainfield, LB, Sr. Lee Tobon, Iselin Kennedy, WR/DB, Sr. Jayden France, Iselin Kennedy, OLB, Sr. Justin Calderon, Iselin Kennedy, OL/LB, Sr. Johnnie Parker, North Plainfield, OL/DL, Jr. Z’Kye Knowles, North Plainfield, LB/FB, Jr. Zi’Young Brown, New Brunswick, RB/LB, Jr. RECOMMENDED • nj .com Super Football Conference: Freedom Red All-Division teams, 2024 Nov. 22, 2024, 1:23 p.m. Big Central Conference: Liberty Gold All-Division football teams, 2024 Nov. 27, 2024, 4:52 p.m. Mike Kinney can be reached at mkinney@njadvancemedia.com The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter)

CLEVELAND (AP) — Myles Garrett was in no mood to celebrate his birthday or making history. Garrett recorded two sacks to become the first NFL player with 14 sacks in four straight seasons, but the Cleveland Browns couldn't do anything on offense during a 20-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Garrett turned 29 and turned in another stellar performance in this dreadful season for the Browns (3-13), who had hoped to take another step after making the playoffs a year ago. But nothing has gone right in Cleveland, and now the team is facing another offseason of change. Garrett has 14 sacks this season and 102 1/2 in his eight-year career. He's making the case for a second consecutive NFL defensive player of the year honor. But there isn't any award that will ease the pain of his fourth double-digit loss season. “At the end of the day, we play for wins,” Garrett said. “The individual stuff is great. It's nice, you want to be remembered for all of the above. But cities remember you for wins and bringing championships back home. “That's always been my intention. So, I want to get back on track, want to get back to winning, whether it's the last one or whatever's in store next season.” Garrett recently made it clear that he does not want to be part of another rebuild in Cleveland, saying he wanted to see the team's plans to improve the roster. His comments opened the possibility that he could ask for a trade if he isn't satisfied with the Browns' outlook. After the Browns dropped their fifth in a row to finish 2-6 at home, Garrett said he never considered that it might be his last game in Cleveland. “I don't think about that kind of stuff,” he said. “My mission is to go out there and try to help this team win as a leader, as a brother, as a teammate. That's what I solely focus on. I'm not looking into the future. Next thing on my mind is recovery, looking at film, how can we improve going to the Ravens and try to play spoiler for them.” Garrett hasn't given up. For the second week in a row, he displayed extraordinary effort while chasing a scrambling quarterback without getting a sack. He won't quit. “He's the best pass rusher in the game,” Browns guard Joel Bitonio said. “You could ask all the players, all the coaches. He's probably the guy they fear going up against the most. He's dynamic. He's a special player. He's doing his thing. I hope we can get some stuff around him so he can win some games around here.” Garrett twice went into the medical tent during the game. He slowly walked to his locker to get dressed before turning on some music that brought a little life into an otherwise somber Cleveland locker room. Garrett laughed when asked if he's pushing himself to the end. “I'm just old,” he said. “I'm 29. I'm not going to be dragging myself through the finish line. I'll be fine by Friday, Saturday and be ready to go. I always am." AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic was the victim of a home burglary that occurred on Friday night, continuing a string of break-ins at notable athletes' houses. The Dallas Morning News reported that about $30,000 worth of jewelry was taken. "No one was home at the time, and thankfully Luka and his family are safe," Doncic's business manager Lara Beth Seager told ESPN and The Stein Line. "Luka has filed a police report, and an investigation is ongoing." It's been a rough week for Doncic, who is expected to miss at least one month after straining his left calf during a 105-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. Dallas is 7-2 in games that Doncic has missed this season. Athletes have been targets of burglaries as of late, as Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow, Minnesota Timberwolves veteran guard Mike Conley and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis have all had their homes broken into since the start of September. Both the NFL and NBA have told players to be on the lookout while stressing the importance of added security to their residences. Doncic, 25, has averaged 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.0 steals in 22 games (all starts) this season. --Field Level Media/ReutersBarkley eclipses 2K yards as Eagles clinch divisionA butterfly collector in Africa with more than 4.2 million seeks to share them for the future NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — What began as a childhood hobby more than six decades ago has led to what might be Africa’s largest butterfly collection in a suburb of Kenya’s capital. Steve Collins has a collection of 4.2 million butterflies representing hundreds of species. Now, running out of space and time, he hopes to hand it over to the next generation. One expert familiar with Collins and his work suggests that the collection should be digitized for global access. Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen returns to a tournament after a dispute over jeans is resolved NEW YORK (AP) — Top ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen is headed back to the World Blitz Championship on Monday. That's after its governing body agreed to loosen a dress code that got him fined and denied a late-round game in another tournament for refusing to change out of jeans. The International Chess Federation president said in a statement Sunday that he’d let World Blitz Championship tournament officials consider allowing “appropriate jeans” with a jacket, as well as other "minor deviations” from the dress code. Carlsen quit the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships on Friday. He said Sunday he would play — and wear jeans — in the World Blitz Championship. 'Sonic 3' and 'Mufasa' battle for No. 1 at the holiday box office Two family films are dominating the holiday box office, with “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” winning the three-day weekend over “Mufasa” by a blue hair. According to studio estimates Sunday, the Sonic movie earned $38 million, while “Mufasa” brought in $37.1 million from theaters in the U.S. and Canada. The R-rated horror “Nosferatu” placed third with an unexpectedly strong $21.2 million. Thanksgiving release holdovers “Wicked” and “Moana 2” rounded out the top five. Christmas Day had several big film openings, including the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” the Nicole Kidman erotic drama “Babygirl” and the boxing drama “The Fire Inside.” Charles Shyer, ‘Father of the Bride’ and ‘Baby Boom’ filmmaker, dies at 83 An Oscar-nominated writer and filmmaker known for classic comedies like “Private Benjamin,” “Baby Boom” and “Father of the Bride," Charles Shyer has died. He was 83. On Sunday his daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer told The Associated Press that he died Friday in Los Angeles. No cause was disclosed. Born in Los Angeles in 1941 to a filmmaker father, Shyer's big breakthrough came with co-writing “Private Benjamin” for which he and Nancy Meyers received an Oscar nomination. He and Nancy Meyers were frequent collaborators through their nearly 20-year marriage, including on the remake of “The Parent Trap," starring Lindsay Lohan. LeBron James at 40: A milestone birthday arrives Monday for the NBA's all-time scoring leader When LeBron James broke another NBA record earlier this month, the one for most regular-season minutes played in a career, his Los Angeles Lakers teammates handled the moment in typical locker room fashion. They made fun of him. Dubbed The Kid from Akron, with a limitless future, James is now the 40-year-old from Los Angeles with wisps of gray in his beard, his milestone birthday coming Monday, one that will make him the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. He has stood and excelled in the spotlight his entire career. Belgium will ban sales of disposable e-cigarettes in a first for the EU BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium will ban the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes as of Jan. 1 on health and environmental grounds in a groundbreaking move for European Union nations. Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke tells The Associated Press that the inexpensive e-cigarettes have turned into a health threat since they are an easy way for teenagers to be drawn into smoking and get hooked on nicotine. Australia outlawed the sale of “vapes” outside pharmacies earlier this year in some of the world’s toughest restrictions on electronic cigarettes. Now Belgium is leading the EU drive. Belgium's minister wants tougher tobacco measures in the 27-nation bloc. Charles Dolan, HBO and Cablevision founder, dies at 98 Charles F. Dolan, who founded some of the most prominent U.S. media companies including Home Box Office Inc. and Cablevision Systems Corp., has died at age 98. Newsday reports that a statement issued Saturday by his family says Dolan died of natural causes. Dolan’s legacy in cable broadcasting includes founding HBO in 1972, Cablevision in 1973 and the American Movie Classics television station in 1984. He also launched News 12 in New York City, the first U.S. 24-hour cable channel for local news. Dolan also held controlling stakes in companies that owned Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and the New York Knicks and New York Rangers sports franchises. Snoop's game: Snoop Dogg thrills the crowd in the bowl that bears his name TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Miami of Ohio beat Colorado State in the Arizona Bowl, but Snoop Dogg was the main attraction. The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop was much a spectacle as a football game. Snoop Dogg seemed to be everywhere all at once, from a pregame tailgate to the postgame trophy presentation. Snoop Dog donned a headset on Colorado State's sideline, spent some time in the broadcast and even led both marching bands as conductor during their halftime performance. Snoop Dogg saved the best for last, rolling out in a light green, lowrider Chevy Impala with gold rims and accents, the shiny Arizona Bowl trophy in his hand as fans screamed his name. Mavs star Luka Doncic is latest pro athlete whose home was burglarized, business manager says DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks is the latest professional athlete whose home has been burglarized. The star guard’s business manager tells multiple media outlets there was a break-in at Doncic’s home Friday night. Lara Beth Seager says nobody was home, and Doncic filed a police report. The Dallas Morning News reports that jewelry valued at about $30,000 was stolen. Doncic is the sixth known pro athlete in the U.S. whose home was burglarized since October. Star NFL quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City and Joe Burrow of Cincinnati are among them. The NFL and NBA have issued security alerts to players over the break-ins. Victor Wembanyama plays 1-on-1 chess with fans in New York Victor Wembanyama went to a park in New York City and played 1-on-1 with fans on Saturday. He even lost a couple of games. Not in basketball, though. Wemby was playing chess. Before the San Antonio Spurs left New York for a flight to Minnesota, Wembanyama put out the call on social media: “Who wants to meet me at the SW corner of Washington Square park to play chess? Im there,” Wembanyama wrote. It was 9:36 a.m. And people began showing up almost immediately.Hundreds of Titles Added To Xbox App For PC

The beginning of the end? A look back on the King's 2024

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (AP) — Randall Pettus II and Sam Vinson each scored 17 points as Northern Kentucky beat Kentucky State 85-59 on Saturday. Pettus also contributed five rebounds, six assists, and six steals for the Norse (1-4). Vinson shot 6 for 8 (3 for 4 from 3-point range) and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line and added four steals. LJ Wells shot 5 of 8 from the field and 2 for 4 from the line to finish with 12 points. The Thorobreds were led in scoring by Lavar Miller Jr., who finished with 19 points and four steals. Kentucky State also got 13 points and 10 rebounds from Ogien Ayo. Gregory Melvin also had 11 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .A FORBIDDEN seat on a plane has sparked huge debate among flyers who have been left baffled by the bizarre rule. Croatia Airlines passenger Sven Wöste took to Facebook to share a picture of the unusual seat. He wrote: "I was sitting in the last aisle of a Croatia Airlines plane on the window seat (31F). "The seat next to me was free and had a notice stitched in the cushion that this seat has to stay unoccupied." The confused passenger added that when he asked a flight attendant why no one could sit in the seat, they told him that it had no seat belt. But, this "made no sense" to Wöste who argued that the mounting for a seat belt was there and surely replacing a seatbelt is easier than stitching into a cushion. Over 1,200 people in the Dull Men's Club Facebook group took part in a lively debate in the comments about the permanently empty. "Wonder if it's for an extra flight attendant they may have to put on the plane last min?" one suggested. "Probably like an extra emergency seat for an airline worker or someone that absolutely needs to be on the flight when it's booked full," another said. "A lot easier to keep people out of a seat with no seatbelt, and they probably do have the extra belt stored on the plane to install if someone needs the seat." It is the "ejector seat," a third joked. Others noted how they now might keep an eye out for the window seat next to the forbidden one so they could have more room. One wrote in the comments: "I would LOVE to have this seat next to me on most flights...I could finally sit without bumping elbows with the next person." But, none of these suggestions were correct. Many cabin crew workers who saw the post explained the real reason for the seat and it is all to do with health and safety regulations. One crewmember explained: "Aircrafts are certified considering many factors. "One of them is the capacity to evacuate all passengers, using 50% of the exits, within 90 seconds." This means that while there is a capacity for 150 passengers on the plane, it is only certified with just 149 as only this number of people can evacuate the aircraft within the time limit. If someone had taken the unoccupied seat, in order to fly following the regulations, there would have to be two more over-wing exits which is much more costly. This has also been explained by Avioradar who had the theory confirmed by Airbus. Meanwhile, a flight attendant has revealed why passengers should stop queuing for the plane bathroom even if they are desperate.

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