Energy Drink Company Curated Art Basel Rubbish, Selling Pieces of Art For A Good Cause MIAMI , Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucky Energy , known for its full-flavor, deliciously refreshing energy drinks, kicked off its first-ever Art Basel appearance with an unforgettable activation that was as trashy as it was inspiring. Dubbed "Trashy Art," the activation featured models picking up garbage outside the Miami Beach Convention Center on days 1 and 2 of the art fair. The brand curated 30-40 pieces of this rubbish and sold them on ArtBaselTrash.com . All pieces went on sale for $13 - typically an unlucky number, but the brand finds that the most unlucky moments encourage us to "create our own luck." Proceeds of the sale will go towards DonorChoose. "Lucky Energy is a beverage and entertainment company that draws inspiration from pop art and fashion, so showing up in this format at Art Basel is an important milestone for us," said Lucky Energy Founder and CEO Richard Laver . Our "Talking Trash" initiative is a unique expression of our brand identity - it challenges conventional thinking and encourages deeper reflection. We believe it will resonate with our audience, who appreciate our delicious beverages, humor, and charm. Developed by Lucky Energy's in-house team, the website sold tickets to a Miami Heat Game, an unopened can of Lucky Energy Drink with lipstick on the rim, a long piece of black hair (rumored to belong to a famous sister that was once married to a rapper), an empty can of Redbull and more. "As the saying goes, 'art is art is art.' Art exists as its own entity, regardless of definition. With this insight, we ask, why can't trash fall into that category if everything is Art?" said Hamid Saify , CMO of Lucky Energy. "Our depiction of Art was designed to spark conversation and curiosity. As a brand, rethinking cultural norms is in our DNA. When told we can't or shouldn't, we are inspired to prove otherwise. We aim to instill that same 'can do' attitude and motivation in people, giving them the fuel they need to keep going. To make their own luck. This is why we are committed to supporting social causes, with the proceeds of "Trashy Art"' and an additional donation to funding a Miami -based kid's art program through DonorsChoose." Richard Laver founded Lucky Energy after experiencing tragic lows and dizzying heights; he launched the company to inspire people to persevere and keep going as he learned to do. He's the youngest survivor of the Delta 191 flight that killed his father and 136 others. After surviving the crash at just 12 years old, Laver suffered from depression and was homeless by 27. He eventually found the love of his life, Michelle, but during the premature birth of their first child, Kate, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and would need a feeding tube for nourishment. Through a medley of medical complications, he founded Kate Farms (now the #1 recommended plant-based tube-feeding formula) to save her life. In thinking about his next chapter, Laver landed on creating a cleaner alternative to the energy drinks on the market. To learn more about Lucky Energy and Trashy Art, visit www.luckybevco.com and follow @luckyenergyofficial on social media. Please contact Valeria Carrasco at valeria@hallettsconsulting.com with any questions. ABOUT Lucky Energy Drink Lucky Energy is a cleaner, better-for-you energy drink company founded by serial beverage entrepreneur Richard Laver . The brand creates high-quality products to motivate people to keep going . The product line features five flavors—with 5 super ingredients, including maca and beta-alanine, 0 sugar, 0 aftertaste, and only 5 calories. Products are available on Amazon. For more information, visit www.luckybevco.com and follow @luckyfckenergy on social media. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/talking-trash-lucky-energy-debuted-at-art-basel-302329542.html SOURCE Lucky Beverage Company
NoneStocks closed higher on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains, including chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Honda’s U.S.-listed shares rose sharply after the company said it was in talks about a combination with Nissan in a deal that could also include Mitsubishi Motors. Eli Lilly rose after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. Major stock indexes rose on Wall Street in afternoon trading Monday, after a choppy start to a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average recovered from an early slide to gain 29 points, or 0.1% as of 3:40 p.m. Eastern time. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 0.8%. Gains in technology and communications stocks helped outweigh losses in consumer goods companies and elsewhere in the market. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, rose 3.3%. Broadcom climbed 5.5% to also help support the broader market. Walmart fell 2% and PepsiCo slid 1.2%. Japanese automakers Honda Motor and Nissan said they are talking about combining in a deal that might also include Mitsubishi Motors. U.S.-listed shares in Honda jumped 13.4%, while Nissan slipped 0.2%. Eli Lilly rose 3.5% after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first and only prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Department store Nordstrom fell 1.6% after it agreed to be taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. The Conference Board said that consumer confidence slipped in December. Its consumer confidence index fell back to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Wall Street was expecting a reading of 113.8. The unexpectedly weak consumer confidence update follows several generally strong economic reports last week. One report showed the overall economy grew at a 3.1% annualized rate during the summer, faster than earlier thought. The latest report on unemployment benefit applications showed that the job market remains solid. A report on Friday said a measure of inflation the Federal Reserve likes to use was slightly lower last month than economists expected. Worries about inflation edging higher again had been weighing on Wall Street and the Fed. The central bank just delivered its third cut to interest rates this year, but inflation has been hovering stubbornly above its target of 2%. It has signaled that it could deliver fewer cuts to interest rates next year than it earlier anticipated because of concerns over inflation. Expectations for more interest rate cuts have helped drive a roughly 25% gain for the S&P 500 in 2024. That drive included 57 all-time highs this year. Inflation concerns have added to uncertainties heading into 2025, which include the labor market's path ahead and shifting economic policies under an incoming President Donald Trump. "Put simply, much of the strong market performance prior to last week was driven by expectations that a best-case scenario was the base case for 2025," said Brent Schutte, chief investment officer at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.59% from 4.53% late Friday. European markets were mostly lower, while markets in Asia gained ground. Wall Street has several other economic reports to look forward to this week. On Tuesday, the U.S. will release its November report for sales of newly constructed homes. A weekly update on unemployment benefits is expected on Thursday. Markets in the U.S. will close at 1 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday for Christmas Eve and will remain closed on Wednesday for Christmas.
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The support comes after Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CCRD) against Baldoni and others on Friday (December 20) alleging sexual harassment and a social media “retaliatory campaign” during and after the production of Sony’s summer hit . Baldoni’s lawyer has called the allegations “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious.” Lively and Baldoni star in the romantic drama, which deals in part with domestic violence. Baldoni also directed the film, and Lively was also one of the producers. In a statement to NBC News on Monday (December 23), Heard, who in 2022 was in the spotlight during her defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp (once a client of one of the PR companies named in Lively’s complaint), said: “Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying ‘A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.’ I saw this first hand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive.” On X, Feig, who directed Lively in , said: “All I can say is she’s one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with.” On Instagram Stories, Amy Schumer posted “I believe Blake” and Gwyneth Paltrow put Lively’s hair care line on her Christmas wish list. Colleen Hoover, author of the novel on which is based, posted to Lively on Instagram: “You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.” Over the weekend, America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel, Lively’s co-stars in , posted a statement on Instagram: “As Blake’s friends and sisters for over twenty years,” said the statement, “we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation.” The statements on the case came as the over the weekend about the dispute. The piece said documents including email exchanges between Baldoni and PR representatives hired around the release of “show an additional playbook for waging a largely undetectable smear campaign in the digital era.” The piece quoted a statement from Lively saying, “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.” Also at the weekend, Baldoni was dropped as a client by talent agency WME, which continues to represent Lively. As well as Baldoni, Lively’s CCRD complaint names production company Wayfarer Studios, producer Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, crisis manager Melissa Nathan, The Agency Group PR, Jennifer Abel, RWA Communications, Jed Wallace and Street Relations Inc. The complaint details an agreement that Lively’s representatives negotiated laying out terms under which the actress would return to work on after the resolution of the 2023 SAG/AFTRA strike. The complaint states that Lively, “never sought out conflict with Wayfarer, Ms Baldoni, or Mr Heath, but instead consistently attempted to speak up for a safe and respectful workplace privately in the hopes of protecting herself, as well as the cast and crew, without jeopardizing a Film that she believed could make a difference in peoples’ lives. In response, Mr Baldoni, Mr Heath, and those working for them, sought to destroy Ms Lively and anyone else who knew the truth. Ms Lively’s discovery of the full extent of the retaliatory campaign launched by the Wayfarer Parties has left her with no choice.” Baldoni’s lawyer responded to the complaint with a statement saying, in part: “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”
DALLAS (AP) — Juan Soto gets free use of a luxury suite and up to four premium tickets behind home plate for regular-season and postseason New York Mets home games as part of his record $765 million, 15-year contract that was finalized Wednesday. The Mets also agreed to provide personal team security for the All-Star outfielder and his family at the team’s expense for all spring training and regular-season home and road games, according to details of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press. Major League Baseball teams usually provide security for player families in seating areas at ballparks. New York also agreed to assist Soto's family for in-season travel arrangements, guaranteed Soto will have uniform No. 22 and included eight types of award bonuses. Soto's suite will be valued at the Mets' prevailing prices, presumably for tax purposes, and after 2025 he can by each Jan. 15 modify or give up his suite selection for the upcoming season. He can request the premium tickets, to be used by family members, no later than 72 hours before the scheduled game time. The Yankees had refused to offer Soto a free suite. “Some high-end players that make a lot of money for us, if they want suites they buy them ... whether it's CC (Sabathia), whether it’s (Aaron) Judge, whether it’s (Gerrit) Cole, whether it’s any of these guys," general manager Brian Cashman said. "We've gone through a process on previous negotiations where asks might have happened and this is what we did and we’re going to honor those, so no regrets there." Cashman said the Yankees have a shared suite for player families and a family room with babysitting. Soto gets a $75 million signing bonus, payable within 60 days of the agreement’s approval by the commissioner’s office. The deal for the 26-year-old, which tops Shohei Ohtani's $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers, was reached Sunday pending a physical that took place Tuesday. Soto receives salaries of $46,875,000 each in 2025 and 2026, $42.5 million in 2027, $46,875,000 apiece in 2028 and 2029 and $46 million in each of the final 10 seasons. Soto has a contingent right to opt out of the agreement within three days of the end of the 2029 World Series to become a free agent again, but the Mets have the an option to negate the opt-out provision by increasing the yearly salaries for 2030-39 by $4 million annually to $50 million and raising the total value to $805 million. If the club exercises its option to negate the opt-out provision, Soto can make his opt-out decision by the fifth day after the World Series. He has a full no-trade provision and gets a hotel suite on road trips. Soto would receive a $500,000 bonus for winning his first Most Valuable Player award and $1 million for each MVP award. He would get $350,000 for finishing second in the voting and $150,000 for finishing third through fifth. Soto was third in the AL voting this year. He would earn $100,000 for each All-Star selection and Gold Glove, $350,000 for World Series MVP and $150,000 for League Championship Series MVP. Soto would get $100,000 for selection to the All-MLB first or second team, $150,000 for Silver Slugger and $100,000 for the Hank Aaron Award. Award bonuses are to be paid by the Jan. 31 after the season in which the bonus is earned. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbTax Loss Harvesting: Optimize Your Investment Portfolio and Minimize TaxesBoonsong release stirs flap
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No. 24 Arizona is coming off consecutive defeats for the first time in the Tommy Lloyd era when it faces undefeated Davidson on Wednesday to begin the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas. Arizona (2-2) lost at Wisconsin 103-88 on Nov. 15 and followed that with a home loss against Duke 69-55 on Friday. The Wildcats have dropped 15 spots in the Associated Press Top 25 poll in two weeks. Arizona's record is .500 this early in a season for the first time since it was 3-3 to start the 2017-18 schedule. "I've got work to do, so let's get to work," said Lloyd, in his fourth year as Arizona's head coach. "Let's see where we're at in a month, and if we're still struggling, you know what I'll do? I still got work to do, but I'm gonna get to it." Arizona shot 39.6 percent from the field against Duke, and just 26.1 percent (6 of 23) from 3-point range. The Wildcats were outrebounded by 43-30 and their 15 turnovers led to 19 points. Jaden Bradley led Arizona with 18 points and KJ Lewis added 12. Preseason All-American Caleb Love had eight points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field, including 1-of-9 from 3-point range. Arizona made only one field goal in the last 5:39 as Duke pulled away after its lead was trimmed to six points. "We didn't play great," Lloyd said. "Now we need to take a step back and figure out why. Are there some schematic problems? Are there some problems with how our personnel is kind of put together? "We got to figure out what our certainties are, and the things we have to have, and then over the course of the next couple of days, if there's adjustments we need to make, we need to figure out what those are." Davidson is 4-0 after a 15-17 record last season, in which it lost its last six games to put an end to postseason hopes. A 93-66 win over visiting VMI on Friday followed a 91-85 win at Bowling Green and 76-70 victory over visiting East Tennessee State. The two wins by 10 points or fewer are important because Davidson was 6-12 in such games last season. It was 4-11 in games decided by five points or fewer. "The goal (is) to get better," Davidson head coach Matt McKillop said after the season opener. "We talk about fighting to win every possession. I think we had to figure out what that really felt like with the lights on." Davidson made 13 shots from 3-point range in the win over VMI. Reed Bailey had 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Bobby Durkin added 19 points, including 17 of them and a career-best five 3-pointers in the first half. Bailey leads Davidson in scoring (19 points per game) and rebounding (7.8). Durkin is shooting 57.9 percent (22 of 38) from the field and 54.2 percent (13 of 24) from 3-point range. By contrast, Arizona's Love is shooting 32 percent (16 of 50) from the field and 21.4 percent (6 of 28) from beyond the arc. Bradley leads Arizona with 15.5 points per game. He is shooting 50 percent (24 of 48) from the field and is 35.7 percent (5 of 14) from 3-point range. --Field Level MediaDecember 23, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread by Renée LaReau, University of Notre Dame How can human rights groups criticize governments' human rights violations without appearing racist or fueling racism toward diaspora groups? Research by a University of Notre Dame human rights expert sheds light on the complex relationship between race and human rights, especially as it plays out between human rights groups and governments. "If public criticism by a human rights group, known as shaming, could be perceived as racist, it could threaten these organizations' impartial, unbiased reputations," said Zoltan Búzás, associate professor of global affairs at the University of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs. "Maintaining a reputation for fairness is critical for enabling these organizations' important work: raising funds, recruiting volunteers and mobilizing Americans to pressure their representatives against human rights violations ." In a study published in the American Journal of Political Science , Búzás and Lotem Bassan-Nygate of Harvard University found that when shaming by human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, included anti-racist cues denouncing racism , survey respondents perceived the shaming as less racist. For example, a February 2022 Amnesty report labeling Israel an "apartheid state" but condemning antisemitism and clarifying that its criticism was aimed at the government, not Jewish people, reduced perceptions of racism by 5% when compared to a report with no anti-racist cues. "Human rights organizations should seriously consider emulating Amnesty's use of anti-racist cues in shaming messages," Búzás said. "Although shaming with such cues is slightly less effective at mobilizing the public against human rights violators than shaming without cues, the price seems worth paying to lower perceptions of racism." The researchers conducted two U.S. survey experiments involving nearly 7,000 respondents and interviews with 11 individuals from the prominent human rights organizations Amnesty International, Oxfam and Human Rights Watch. Survey results showed that shaming of the Israeli and Chinese governments for human rights violations reduced support for the governments themselves but did not increase antisemitism or anti-Asian sentiment. "If shamers face a racial dilemma, it is less about how to shame without fueling racism, and more about how to shame without appearing racist," said Búzás, though he noted that more research is needed to explore the issue of fueling racism among diasporas. The researchers also investigated "countershaming"—when targeted governments accuse human rights organizations of racism—and found that governments can partially win back foreign support by making accusations of racism. In the case of China, for example, racial countershaming by the Chinese government increased overall support by nearly 3%, almost completely eliminating the adverse effects of shaming. Búzas recently shared the study's findings with several prominent human rights organizations in a meeting at the Keough School's Washington Office. Future research on this topic should explore additional tactics for minimizing perceptions of racism beyond anti-racist cues, Búzás said. "These cues are just one instrument," he said. "Organizations could also look into internal reform such as diversifying their staff and their boards, creating strong accountability mechanisms and embracing inclusive organizational cultures. This question of developing and protecting a good reputation came up repeatedly and deserves more sustained study. "Ultimately, however, human rights organizations should strive to become genuinely anti-racist organizations, rather than simply engage in superficial reputation management." More information: Zoltán I. Búzás et al, Race, shaming, and international human rights, American Journal of Political Science (2024). DOI: 10.1111/ajps.12938 Journal information: American Journal of Political Science Provided by University of Notre DameUS lawmakers voted Wednesday after fraught negotiations to move forward with a contentious 2025 defense budget that raises troops' pay but blocks funding of gender-affirming care for some transgender children of service members. The centerpiece of the $884 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) -- which was green-lit by the Republican-led House of Representatives but still needs Senate approval -- is a 14.5 percent pay increase for junior enlisted service members and 4.5 percent for other personnel. But talks over the 1,800-page-plus text were complicated by a last-minute Republican intervention to prevent the military's health program from covering gender-affirming care for children of service members if it results in "sterilization." "Citizens don't want their tax dollars to go to this, and underaged people often regret these surgeries later in life," Nebraska Republican Don Bacon told CNN. "It's a bad hill to die on for Democrats." Gender-affirming health care for children is just one of multiple fronts in the so-called "culture wars" that polarize US politics and divide the country, with Republicans using the issue as a cudgel against Democrats in November's elections. The funding block angered progressives, and prompted the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee to come out against the legislation. "As I said a few days ago, blanketly denying health care to people who need it -- just because of a biased notion against transgender people -- is wrong," Adam Smith, who represents a district in Washington state, said in a statement. "The inclusion of this harmful provision puts the lives of children at risk and may force thousands of service members to make the choice of continuing their military service or leaving to ensure their child can get the health care they need." Smith slammed House Speaker Mike Johnson for pandering to "the most extreme elements of his party" by including the transgender provision. The must-pass NDAA -- a bill that Congress has sent to the president's desk without fail every year since 1961 -- cleared the chamber in a 281-140 vote and now moves to the Senate, with final passage expected next week. The topline figure is one percent above last year's total and, with funding from other sources, brings the total defense budget to just under $900 billion. Some foreign policy hawks on the Republican side of the Senate wanted $25 billion more for the Pentagon but they are still expected to support the bill. "The safety and security of the American people is our top priority, and this year's NDAA ensures our military has the resources and the capabilities needed to remain the most powerful fighting force on the planet," Johnson told reporters. ft/mlm
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