Imperial Security: Hire Only The Top Security Officers 11-25-2024 09:24 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: Getnews / PR Agency: Content Hum Hire experienced and well trained officers for security and protection. In the contemporary world, where changes are occurring at a very fast pace, the need to protect businesses, societies, and people is becoming a priority. As a premier security service provider, Imperial Security has emerged as one of the most reliable security guard contractors in Calgary, Vancouver, and other regions. With more than 30 years in operation, the organisation has a wealth of knowledge and understanding in the provision of personalised security services. Using state-of-the-art equipment, Imperial Security provides full-time security services to avoid intruders and act quickly during security threats. Calgary, being an active business and residential centre, requires creative and reliable security solutions. Imperial Security meets the demand with highly skilled and professional guards who make sure that the clients' premises are secured twenty-four hours. From protecting business offices to retail stores to building sites, contractors employed by Imperial Security are able to solve security problems of any level of difficulty. Each security guard is well qualified as they have undergone full training and can respond to any emergency situation in a professional manner. There are no unlicensed, uninsured, and poorly trained guards patrolling the premises of a client who has hired Imperial Security. Since Imperial Security appreciates that all clients are different, it seeks to provide solutions that attend to the particular requirements of the client. Owing to the fact that Imperial Security is incorporated in all the provinces of Canada, as one of the top security guard contractors [ https://imperialsecurity.ca/everything-you-need-to-know-about-security-guard-contractors/ ], it is able to provide a broad outlook of its services while at the same time providing a flat understanding of the security dynamics in a region. A spokesperson for Imperial Security has mentioned, "Every customer is provided with individual security services according to their needs. Imperial Security's commitment to quality service has placed it in the lead when it comes to security services offered to business owners and residents of Calgary. Some of the features of Imperial Security include mobile patrols, which are not only practical but also a deterrent against crime while ensuring that any threats are responded to with speed. Technologies employed ensure that restricted areas are accessed solely by approved personnel." Organising security for the majority of high-profile occasions, as well as providing security to the residential complexes needed, are some of the major security services provided in this busy region by Imperial Security. The organisation's specialists systematically engage the clientele in order to identify weaknesses and follow this up with strategies on how such weaknesses would be addressed. The security in Calgary [ https://imperialsecurity.ca/calgary/security-guard-service/ ] is very delicately handled by Imperial Security so that the safety of the people living here and their properties is never jeopardised. The focus of Imperial Security on high standards and professionalism makes them a reliable provider of security services in Vancouver [ https://imperialsecurity.ca/vancouver/security-guard-service/ ]. The main reason why Imperial Security has been successful is their commitment to putting the needs of the customer first. Apart from providing their clients with real-time reporting apps and GPS tracking of patrol units among other services, Imperial Security takes technology very seriously in how they are able to provide so many services so efficiently. Media Contact Company Name: Imperial Security Email: Send Email [ http://www.universalpressrelease.com/?pr=imperial-security-hire-only-the-top-security-officers ] Phone: 1-877-221-2333 Address:Suite 2255, 4871 Shell Road Alderbridge Business Centre City: Richmond State: British Columbia V6X 3Z6 Country: Canada Website: https://imperialsecurity.ca/ This release was published on openPR.Dollar reigns with the support of higher yieldsIt's the same old story for women's tennis in New Zealand. The crowd at the women's ASB Classic draw left bitterly disappointed today, as Kiwi hopeful Lulu Sun crashed out in the first round, despite being a genuine contender for the title. The world No 40 and fourth seed went down 6-3 3-6 6-3 against Canadian Rebecca Marino in an entertaining match, albeit one punctuated by a lengthy rain delay in Auckland. Nothing like a home crowd 🫶🥹 #ASBClassic25 pic.twitter.com/GvzpBFu3h2 — ASB Classic (@ASB_Classic) December 30, 2024 Sun was born in Te Anau, raised in Switzerland and attended college in the United States. She switched allegiance from Switzerland to New Zealand earlier this year. The 23-year-old started the match strongly with two aces, but found trouble from then on finding the mark with her forehand. Marino broke to lead 3-1 and played the more consistent tennis to take out the first set. The rain came just after the start of the start of the second. The break seemed to favour Sun, who fought back to take the second set 6-3 and looked to be on course to take the match easily. Fight til the end 💪 #ASBClassic25 | @TennisNZ pic.twitter.com/2FgWttORml — ASB Classic (@ASB_Classic) December 30, 2024 But Marino came firing back with a love game to open the third set, then three break points off Sun's serve to take a 2-0 lead. Sun broke back but a bad double fault set up another break for Marino to make it 3-1, which became 5-1. Despite some late Sun heroics that kept the big crowd on the edge of their seats when she saved two match points, it was just a matter of time before the Canadian closed out the match. The result will be a very hollow feeling for Kiwi tennis fans, who have been waiting a generation for a contender in the women's singles. Sun will go on to bigger and better things, - unfortunately we'll have to wait another year to see if she can do it on home soil. In the day's earlier match on centre court, Danish fifth seed Clara Tauson advanced with a 6-2 6-3 win over Italian Lucrezia Stefani.
NoneBoeing Co. BA is back in the spotlight after a Boeing 737-800 operated by South Korea’s JejuAir crashed at Muan International Airport on Sunday, tragically killing 179 of 181 passengers and raising fresh questions about the aerospace manufacturer's safety record. What Happened : The crash comes amid Boeing’s ongoing challenges, including a 30% stock decline in 2024 and production restrictions imposed by federal regulators following January’s Alaska Airlines door plug incident on a 737 MAX aircraft, reported Associated Press on Sunday. JejuAir’s shares plunged 7.67% to 7,570 ($5.14) South Korean won following the crash, while Boeing’s stock, already down 28.22% year-to-date, faces uncertain trading as markets process the incident’s implications. Aviation consultant and former Delta Air Lines chief pilot Alan Price emphasized that the 737-800 involved in Sunday’s crash differs from the troubled MAX variant, calling it “a very proven airplane” with a strong safety record. “We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding flight 2216 and stand ready to support them. We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew,” Boeing wrote on X on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/TIrIUBw4RB See Also: Veteran Investor Bets Big On S&P 500 Hitting 7,000 By End Of 2025: These Sectors Could Lead The Charge Why It Matters : The incident adds to Boeing’s recent setbacks, including a seven-week machinists strike that disrupted production of key aircraft models and January’s FAA manufacturing oversight restrictions. The company has struggled to rebuild its reputation following two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people and led to $23 billion in losses. Under new leadership since CEO David Calhoun ‘s departure in August, Boeing has initiated safety improvement discussions among 70,000 employees. The cause of Sunday’s crash remains under investigation by South Korean authorities. Market analysts note that while distinct from previous 737 MAX issues, the crash could further impact investor confidence in Boeing as it competes with European rival Airbus for market share in the commercial aviation sector. Price Action : Boeing Co.’s stock is trading down 4.15% at $173.50 during Robinhood’s overnight trading service. On Friday, the stock closed at $180.72, up 0.19% for the day, before edging higher by 0.10% in after-hours trading to $180.90. Year to date, Boeing’s stock has fallen significantly, down 28.22%, according to data from Benzinga Pro . Boeing has a consensus price target of $197.85 from 23 analysts, with a high of $260 and a low of $85. The latest ratings from JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, and RBC Capital average $158.33, implying a 12.47% downside. Boeing’s 30-day average trading volume stands at 10.71 million shares, with a 52-week range of $137.03 to $264.66. The company has a market capitalization of $135.34 billion, and its 14-day Relative Strength Index is at 77.4, indicating overbought conditions. Read Next: Jimmy Carter, Former U.S. President, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Dies At 100 Disclaimer : This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
DRIVERLESS Knight Rider-style buses are set to hit UK roads in days as thousands brace for the terrifying new concept. The self-driving motors will soon be zooming along the streets of Central Milton Keynes. 6 Self-driving buses will be trialled in Milton Keynes next week Credit: smartcityconsultancy 6 David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight and K.I.T.T. a famously driverless car in Knight Rider Credit: Getty - Contributor 6 An inside look of one of the driverless vehicles Credit: smartcityconsultancy Photographs of the StreetCAV, a 'plug-and-play' shuttle, show a pod-like vehicle with bars and handles like any normal bus. Except it's almost impossible to tell which end is the front, because there's no space for a driver's seat. Instead, the entire pod has room for passengers, with seats along either side and a central door. Before it is given the green light, the buses will be trialled in the city centre in December, MK Citizen reported. read more in motors TOW THE LINE What the squares and circles on a car bumper are for HIDDEN GEMS Classic cars sat in barn for 40 years sell for 10 TIMES original value If successful, the vehicles should be ready to board its first passengers in 2025. The driverless shuttles are currently on display in the town's Smart City Experience Centre. Zenzic’s CAM Supply Chain UK programme was launched by the government to help bring the UK in the running for world-leader in development of self-driving vehicles. It has pumped money into the ambitious project, which will be lead by the Smart City Consultancy (SMCCL). Most read in Motors SHUT DOWN Crucial motorway bridge used by 80,000 Brits every day shuts in BOTH directions Biker's code 5 motorcycle hand signals every motorbike rider should know DRIVE TIME Plymouth Barracuda signed by F1 legend set to sell for eye-watering price CHEAP AS CHIPS Best cheap cars for new drivers as millions brace for huge rule change “The StreetCAV project has been going for some time now so we are absolutely thrilled that it is finally at a stage where we can reveal it to the world," Ian Pulford, CEO at SMCCL, said. “Thanks to the partners we’ve been fortunate to involve in the project, we truly believe we have developed a solution which can change the future of urban mobility while making our towns and cities smarter, greener, and more inclusive. "We have also worked rigorously to ensure public safety. Working closely with Milton Keynes City Council, BT and ECS, we will establish a city centre control room, connected by a specifically designed communications network, provided by CableFree, which will in-turn allow the Ohmio vehicles to be supervised and managed remotely. “It really has been a fantastic project to work on and we can’t thank all of our partners and funders enough for their continued work and support.” Tesla opens 17 ‘Self-Serve’ test centres so customers can try driverless EVs Mark Cracknell, program director at Zenzic, added: “We are proud to have supported the development of StreetCAV and to have worked with all of the partners involved in this pioneering project. “Should the trial prove a success, it could lay the foundations for a more connected, inclusive, and resilient transportation network not only for Milton Keynes, but for towns and cities across the globe. “It is a perfect example of how, by working more collaboratively and bringing together industry, academia and the public sector, the UK can lead the way in accelerating the self-driving revolution.” The Sun Online has reached out to Milton Keynes Council for comment. TICKET TO THE FUTURE Milton Keynes isn't the only town which could soon have driverless motors roaming around its streets. In early 2023, The Sun Online reported how self-driving, zero-emission shuttles will be piloted in Sunderland after receiving £6m in government and industry funding. The Sunderland Advanced Mobility Shuttle project added it would trial three self-driving Aurrigo Auto-Shuttles. A safety driver will be on board the shuttles just in case. These futuristic-looking vehicles will transport passengers on public roads between Sunderland Interchange, Sunderland Royal Hospital and the University of Sunderland City Campus. The initiative is led by Sunderland City Council in partnership with Aurrigo, Stagecoach, Angoka Ltf, Newcastle University and Bai Communications. The project has received a £3m government grant matched by industry pros - which totals £6m. Liz St Louis, director of Smart Cities at Sunderland City Council, said to Chronicle Live : "Leveraging the power of 5G technology and Sunderland’s leading smart city infrastructure. Read more on the Scottish Sun FESTIVE FIZZ Coca-Cola Christmas truck in Scotland: Dates, locations & all you need to know AND RELAX Scots seaside hotel with outdoor hot tub and firepit named UK's top spa resort "The focus of our ambitious project partners is underpinned by an ethos of leaving no one and nowhere behind. "Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) will provide huge social, industrial and economic benefits across the world and we’re hugely optimistic about a technology-fuelled future, powered by local expertise, right here in Sunderland." 6 Two young passengers take in the view from outside Credit: smartcityconsultancy 6 If successful, the buses will begin boarding passengers in 2025 Credit: smartcityconsultancy 6 A model of one of the buses in on display in Milton Keynes' Smart City Experience Centre Credit: smartcityconsultancy
Wicked Director Teases Dorothy’s Inclusion in Part Two By director Jon M. Chu has opened up about the possibility of Dorothy appearing in the film’s upcoming sequel, . What did Jon M. Chu say about Dorothy’s inclusion in Wicked: Part Two? Speaking to Variety following the film’s release, Chu was asked whether or not Dorothy — the iconic character from The Wizard of Oz — would appear in the film’s sequel, as she does in the musical that the films are based off of. While Chu wouldn’t give away any exact information, he did note it’s almost inevitable. “In the show, Dorothy is around. They have to intersect, and you can only tease it so much. I won’t say whether she’s a character, necessarily, in movie two. There’s a part of me that wants everyone’s Dorothy to be whatever Dorothy they want. And yet, there is interaction and some crossover. So I’ll leave that up to Part Two.” Dorothy does appear in the latter half of the Wicked musical, as the play intersects with the events of The Wizard of Oz. This is true of Gregory Maguire’s novel, as well. It’s unclear whether or not she’ll appear, although rumors have swirled about who could play her. The movies are directed by Jon M. Chu from a screenplay written by the musical’s book writer Winnie Holzman. It is based on Maguire’s bestselling novel and the Tony-winning stage musical. The ensemble cast is led by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who play Galinda Upland and Elphaba Thropp in the film, respectively. The rest of the cast includes Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz, Peter Dinklage as Doctor Dillamond, Bowen Yang as Pfannee, Keala Settle as Miss Coddle, Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp, Bronwyn James as ShenShen, Ethan Slater as Boq, and more. “The film tells the untold story of the witches of Oz: Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power; and Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart,” reads the official synopsis. “The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths.” Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.” Wicked: Part One is out now in theaters. The sequel, , is currently set for November 21, 2025. (Source: ) Anthony Nash has been writing about games and the gaming industry for nearly a decade. When he’s not writing about games, he’s usually playing them. You can find him on Twitter talking about games or sports at @_anthonynash. Share article
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Jim Goodwin has backed Dundee United’s search for “clarification” after the Tannadice outfit held talks with SFA head of refereeing Willie Collum. that discussions have taken place regarding the potential impact of the Key Match Incident (KMI) process on officials. The five-person KMI panel, which delivers its verdict on contentious VAR calls from the previous round of fixtures every Friday, And club insiders fear that may have made VAR Alan Muir more reticent about calling on-field referee Steven McLean to the monitor when Vicko Sevelj was on the end of a hefty challenge by Kilmarnock winger Danny Armstrong. “When Willie Collum took the job, he spoke about being open and transparent and I do agree with that,” said Goodwin. “I think it’s good for the public to see how officials come to the kind of decisions they come to. “But maybe the day before the game isn’t the ideal place for that! “The club have just asked for some detail and clarification on one or two things over the weekend, particularly why the tackle of Vicko Sevelj wasn’t looked at. “That needs to be at least an on-field review.” And Goodwin is adamant that there is no sense of sour grapes from the Tangerines, emphasising that he has no problem with the spot-kick that ultimately and the penalty was awarded following a VAR check. Bruce Anderson made no mistake from 12 yards, cancelling out Sam Dalby’s opener. “I don’t have an issue with the Kilmarnock penalty,” he added. “There’s definite contact from the boot of Odada and, while it is in the soft category, I’d be a bit of a hypocrite if I complained about that after getting a similarly soft one on Kevin Holt against St Mirren. “It was a poor decision (by Odada) and rash in the moment, but there are a couple of other decisions that weren’t even looked at – and we found that strange.”Munni Saha briefly held, released on conditionBiden proposes Medicare and Medicaid cover costly weight-loss drugs for millions of obese Americans
4 easy, comforting bean dishes for fallHunter tenants have laid bare the harsh reality of trying to rent after alarming statistics revealed the lack of affordable homes in the region. Login or signup to continue reading The Herald reported this week that no suburbs in the Hunter were considered affordable to rent on the average wage, according to new data from the National Shelter-SGS Economics and Planning Rental Affordability Index. Ella Rose said she considers herself lucky having secured a one-bedroom apartment in Adamstown for $330 a week. But the 24-year-old has been given a 90-day eviction notice, and the median rent price of a one-bedroom apartment in Newcastle is $565. She is looking to team-up with a friend and secure a two-bedroom rental. The National Shelter-SGS Economics and Planning data was based on the average regional salary of $89,977, which as a part-time worker and full-time student, Ms Rose does not earn. "It has been really disheartening," she said. "And I think a lot of people my age are feeling that. "I've got a lot of friends who've had to move out of rentals or even back in with parents because of cost." Her first rental from 2021 was $320 a week, and the same house is now being rented for $500. On top of the cost, Ms Rose said the competition for rentals is another challenge, especially with a dog. She estimates she has applied for more than 200 rentals in the past three years. "Last year I had to couch surf for three months between family and friends while I was looking for a rental," she said. The thought of buying a house is even further out of reach for Ms Rose. Her family bought a home in Mayfield for $220,000 in 2006, sold it for $508,000 in 2020 and it is now estimated to be worth $840,000. 'When I was growing up as a kid, math was my best subject," she said. "So, I kind of planned how much I would have to save and what kind of age I would be hoping to get a mortgage but the amount that has gone up is crazy. "My only friends who I know who have been able to get mortgages, it's because they've lived at home the whole time and then tried to get a house know without renting or their parents help them get that mortgage." Mir Asad Ali is also working part-time and renting a room in a four-bedroom share house in Fletcher. He recently moved from Muswellbrook and when he began looking for a two-bedroom rental to share with a friend, the prices were around $700 to $800 a week. "It was really, really expensive," Mr Ali said. "I lived in Sydney and it makes sense there, but when it comes to regional and rural areas it's shocking at how quickly the prices went up." Mr Ali is originally from Pakistan, where his wife still lives. He hopes for her to move over, but does not think he will be able to afford a private rental. "I was so depressed looking at the prices," he said. "I don't want her to have to live in a share house. And also if you don't have a reference, there's a high chance your application will get rejected "Living in a shared house, we have a mutual agreement but it's not with a real estate agent so there's no reference." National Shelter is urging the NSW government to provide more social housing to accommodate low-income people, and restore the social housing safety net to 5 per cent of all housing stock by 2027, working towards a goal of 10 per cent of all housing by 2040. The organisation said urgent action was also needed to wind back the short term rental market. Shelter NSW principal policy officer Cathryn Callaghan said local councils had levers they could use to improve housing access, including affordable housing contribution schemes. Newcastle council has just placed its scheme on public exhibition. The scheme proposes to add affordable housing provisions to the Newcastle Local Environmental Plan 2012, which will enable a condition of consent for new residential and mixed-use developments to make contributions towards affordable housing, where a new development is greater than 540 square metres or benefiting from zoning uplift. Contributions will be in the form of a financial subsidy, a dedication of land or completed dwellings to City of Newcastle and would be managed by a community housing provider and used to maintain, build, and develop affordable housing. Affordable housing is available to support very low to and moderate income households experiencing housing stress, which occurs where housing costs are greater than 30 per cent of gross household income after other basic living costs. Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020. 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Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Sonic the Hedgehog film co-writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller to talk about everything Sonic the Hedgehog 3 . We’ve already published stories from this interview about Big the Cat’s almost-cameo in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Casey and Miller’s dreams of making a The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker film , but I had so much fun chatting with them it only seemed write to publish the full transcript of our Sonic banter. Pat Casey: I mean I don't even know if the sketch is still online. I don't even remember who it was, but my next door neighbor was a costume-maker and she was working on these sketches. IGN: You said you had prosthetics and everything? PC: Yeah, it was almost like 20 years ago, but they had a makeup artist and they gave me the nose and the ears and they were like, ‘Can you do a Waluigi impression?’ I was like, ‘I don't know. I don't remember what he talks like’" So then I went and checked out some videos and I was like, "Yeah, I could do..." I mean it was just kind of like, ‘WAAAH,’ something like that. Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much for that delightful... just completely unrelated to Sonic, but still sort of tangentially related to video games of our childhood story. Josh Miller: I wonder if that's even findable. PC: Dude, it was like... the early 2000s, man. I don't know what has become of it. Okay, so Pat, you clearly have a video game history and Josh, I'm guessing you might as well. Tell me a little bit about your video game history and especially your past flirtations with the Sonic franchise. JM: I guess it was fortuitous in a way for us to, if we're going to do any video game thing to wind up on Sonic, we're both of the Sega Genesis era and I would say Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is probably the game I played the most growing up. PC: Me, too. I have a little brother and we would trade off, but most of the time I would make him play Tails when we were really trying to beat the game. JM: Because most two-player games it was like you played and then once you died you would hand the controller and your friend or sibling would play until they died. So it's like Sonic 2, it was kind of, not that it was the first game to do it, but it was certainly the first game I really had on a home console that was really easy and fun to play with two people simultaneously. I think that was- PC: You got to use real teamwork because when you're fighting a boss, it's Sonic's job to stay alive and it's Tails' job to just fling his corpse at the bad guy over and over again and die as many times as it takes. JM: It was great for if you had a younger sibling that they could be Tails and it was not as complicated for them to play. PC: Maybe we should explore that in the movie sometime, the fact that Tails is immortal. So did you two end up playing Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 when those games came out? JM: We did, just not, it was more an age thing. We just didn't play them as much. I mean, I never owned a Dreamcast though, so anytime I was playing it had to now be at a friend's place. The Xbox was kind of my console of that era. PC: The first time I played Sonic Adventure was actually, I had a friend from Japan and he got the Dreamcast early before I came out here. So I played Sonic Adventure in Japanese and I had no idea. I could not follow the story. I just knew I was running away from a whale. There was all sorts of great stuff going on. Later I played the English version. I was like, ‘Oh, this all makes sense.’ JM: Oh, yeah. I mean I remember visiting, I mean we both live in LA now, we're from Minnesota, but I was visiting a friend in college who lived out here and they had the Dreamcast and I remember my mind kind of being blown by what 3D Sonic games looked like, but I guess that's how older people felt when they saw the Genesis games. I do remember my mom walking in the room for Sonic 1 and 2 and just kind of being like, ‘How can you even tell what's going on?’ PC: Like, ‘This isn't like the games I played when I was a kid. This isn’t backgammon. Whatever happened to Shoots and Ladders?’ Did either of you have any core memories from playing Sonic that made it into any of the films, but especially Sonic 3? PC: When we were writing the first Sonic, we were actually on a really tight deadline kind of for no reason. So we didn't really even have a chance to be like, ‘Oh wait, let's go play the games and then think of the story.’ We had to come up with the story immediately. So it was sort of like- JM: It was all sense memories. PC: The core memories is all that made it into the movie. It was like, there's rings, there's emeralds. That's all we were working with. JM: You've got to go through a loop. I mean, maybe that's a good example. It's funny because that's such a rudimentary thing, but I feel like it was always like, ‘How can we get them to go through a loop de loop? I feel like we got to get that loop de loop back in there.’ PC: But we figured that was a good way to know if something was important was like, ‘Is this something that we just remember all these decades later?’ Like the things that we remember, that's the important part. It's sort of like, Lynyrd Skynyrd never wrote down the lyrics of their songs when they were writing . If they couldn't remember them, then they weren't good enough. JM: Like Pat's saying, we were the Lynyrd Skynyrd of screenwriting. But also on the very first movie, too, it was kind of like the marching orders were a bit different from where the franchise has evolved. Sega wanted to view it as almost a prequel to what was happening with Sonic before we got to him in Sonic 1. PC: For Sonic 3, then, it was sort of like, what are the important parts of the Shadow story from Sonic Adventure 2, which is really, what did we already remember moreso than going back and playing? Yeah, Shadow being an edgy Sonic with jet-powered shoes. PC: Jet shoes we never explain in the movie. But we wanted to get him on the motorcycle, give him guns, the iconic imagery. Even though, why does he need a gun? Why did he ever need one? I understand that the story is a little bit darker this time around. I mean specifically because Shadow is involved. Is that correct? JM: Yes. I mean, I know the internet wondered if this one was going to be PG-13. I think our producers and Jeff Fowler felt pretty confident the whole time that they could somehow do it justice and still have it be PG. But yeah, I mean from the get-go the conversations were like, ‘Well, this is the movie where a little girl is going to die.’ PC: We're certainly walking it right up to the edge of PG-13. But yeah, I mean it's like we're, I guess, four years into this franchise, three movies in, so it's like the franchise continues to grow up and our original audience is growing up. The kids who were little kids for the first one are a little older now. It’s a little along the lines of how Harry Potter grew along with the kids, even though our CG guys don't have to go through puberty if we don't want them to. We have control over that. So I know that Dragon Ball was a huge influence on Sonic the Hedgehog, and I heard it had an influence on the films too. Can you talk about that, or any other non-Sonic influences you used? PC: It is true. The Chaos Emeralds and going supersonic, all these concepts were introduced to America in the Sonic games, but the Dragon Ball manga was already out in Japan. So it's like Sonic was parodying Dragon Ball even at that time. But it's like we in America experienced it first in Sonic before Dragon Ball hit. So the influence has always been there. I mean, we talked about Dragon Ball in the writer's room on Sonic 1 even. JM: But I mean, there's, trying to remember. I feel like I remember Jeff [Fowler, director] saying at some point that we're going to be in Tokyo and Shadow's going to get on a motorcycle. So he is like, ‘Well, we've got to do the Akira motorcycle slide.’ It's amazing. I found a YouTube video, so I hope somebody updates it now that Sonic 3's out, but somebody put together every TV show and movie that does the Akira Slide and it's long. It's kind of amazing. PC: There's all sorts of references that we don't even know about, that we don't write in necessarily ‘And then they hit this pose from that thing.’ But there's all these pose and shot homages throughout all the movies, and there are probably a bunch that Josh and I don't even catch. JM: I'm sure it'll be the same for 3... I feel like when 2 came out, a bunch of websites like, ‘All the Easter Eggs in Sonic 2,’ and I'm looking at it, I'm like, ‘Oh, I didn't even know about that one.’ So over the course of the films, first we just had Sonic and then we got Tails and Knuckles. Now we have Shadow, and I'm not going to spoil it for our audience who hasn't seen it yet, but I understand there is another character that is introduced at the end of this film potentially setting up more films to come. How do you two decide this progression? The Sonic cast is big! PC: It's certainly not only the two of us deciding. JM: That's above our pay grade. PC: It’s a group discussion, but I think with Sonic 1, pretty early on, once we realized Tails wasn't going to be a main character, we were like, ‘Let's do the teaser with Tails. Let's make him our Nick Fury.’ When we were working on Sonic 2, we were like, ‘Who are we going to do at the end of this movie?’ And immediately Toby Ascher [producer] was just like, ‘It's going to be Shadow.’ JM: It’s got to be Shadow. And that I think is very much that the creative Powers That Be on the franchise are kind of trying to gauge what they sense the hierarchy is of who fans are most excited about next. That's who we'll do next. PC: I'll say that the next character is one that we've been wanting to get in there. We know that there's a great public demand, so I hope when you see the movie later, I hope you're happy. Are there any obscure deep cut characters that you're like, ‘Dang, I wish we could find a way to sneak this person in?’ I know everybody's clamoring for Big the Cat. JM: Oh, yeah. I mean that's what we always say. That's our joke response. That's not even entirely a joke because it's so easy to imagine just kind of like a random joke you could use with him. PC : In one draft of Sonic 2, we actually, when they're going through the snowy mountains to the cave, we had a bit, because Sonic 2 was sort of an Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones, it's a trope that at some point a skeleton pops out at you and scares you. So we were going to do that, but with a skeleton of a, I would say, a Big the Cat, not necessarily- JM: Not necessarily the Big the Cat. PC: But we ended up cutting it. It didn't make any sense. The Sonic franchise over the years has been this magnet for all sorts of weird silly ideas over the years. But then you're also telling a story that has a little bit of emotional weight to it. How do you balance those two things to keep it just from being a humorous reference fest and make sure that there's a little bit of gravity to Sonic the Hedgehog? JM: I do remember there was a phase where we were kind of all worried like, ‘Oh, is this too dark?’ But that was because we were really just trying to crack the Shadow story, and once you start dropping Sonic and Tails and especially Donut Lord in there, then if anything we're like, ‘Oh, we got to make sure that we aren't undermining the seriousness of Shadow's storyline with how silly the rest of the movie is.’ PC: And well, Doctor Robotnik is always going to be very silly too. We found some good pathos for him in this one as well. But yeah, I mean it is about just finding that character. Like, that was the hardest thing in creating this whole franchise was kind of figuring out what Sonic's deal was in the first movie, and what was going to make people connect to him as a person and not just a silly animal, and finding that need for family, and the themes of loneliness and family carrying through all these films. And now kind of the hitting upon the theme also of loss and revenge. Well, you mentioned Doctor Robotnik, so tell me about writing for Jim Carrey, especially now that you're writing not just for one Jim Carrey, but a second Jim Carrey playing off the first one. JM: Much like we're from the Genesis generation, we're from the rise of Jim Carrey generation and the Ace Ventura years. So just the fact that we have done three movies that he's in is kind of mind-boggling to us and it's super fun, because when we wrote the first one, we didn't know that Jim was going to be Robotnik, so that was its own thing. But with the sequels now, it's so fun because we kind of compare it to... you want him to take whatever you wrote and find something even better to do. That's why you cast Jim Carrey. So we almost view it as like you're putting him in a playground or something and what can we design? What can this scene be to let him go bananas and do his Jim Carrey thing? PC: We're trying to give him a comic premise and roll out a box of toys for him. Him playing two characters in the same scene together so often, I mean, it was really interesting to watch how he did it even on set, because he would have to sort of build both performances at the same time, but he can only do one at a time because it took hours to get into his Gerald makeup, so he would do one side of it, and then come back the next day and do the other side, and it ends up cutting together so seamlessly. It's crazy. JM: We just saw it, I guess this is the third time we've seen it. We saw it yesterday in 4DX, which was great. But yeah, the more I see it, the more I just marvel at how complicated some of the routines he came up for himself to be playing off himself. That's normally the kind of thing that you have those two actors there rehearsing and honing these bits, but it was just like, nope, it was all in his head that he had to figure out. PC: I'm campaigning Jim Carrey, Best Supporting Actor nomination. I understand there’s been a significant amount of improv done by the actors, and I was curious how you felt about that as writers, but it sounds like at least with Jim Carrey, you're like, ‘Yeah, that's what he does. This is great.’ JM: Yeah, I mean, the truth is, if the improv's good, you always welcome it. It's only a problem if it's bad. Fortunately, I think this is a good enough creative team that if someone does a bad improv, it's not like Jeff's going to put it in the movie. I mean, with Ben Schwartz, Adam Pally, people who it's like that's their whole bread and butter is improv. PC: James Marsden is an underrated improviser. JM: Yeah. I think Jury Duty showed his skills off to the world for the first time. PC: And if an actor comes up with a great line and it makes the movie, we're always happy to take credit for other people. This is close to my heart because the memory I have of Sonic Adventure 2 is the Chao Garden. I lost it when I saw the trailer of the cast in the Chao Garden, which is now basically the Chuck E. Cheese of the Sonic world, I guess. Tell me about adapting that. How did you come to this? Are Chao even real in this world, or are they... what's happening? JM: You never know. Who knows how many sequels they'll end up doing? I think part of the logic was that Jeff has no immediate plans for the Chaos to really be in, and we already had that set piece, because that's a real type of restaurant that Jeff had encountered while promoting, I think, Sonic 2 in Tokyo. So we just thought- PC: We thought it would be funny, yeah, that this is a place where Sonic and the other critters can go without a disguise because they just blend in. I mean, obviously in real life, would that work? Would people think they're people in giant plush costumes? Perhaps not. But with the suspension of disbelief with film, you can believe it. It's like, ‘Oh, we'll have a theme restaurant.’ And it's like, ‘Of course it should be a Chao Garden.’ PC: It could be based on the real Chao. JM: Indeed. But yeah, I think in the context of this movie, Jeff just thought it would be a funny, funny nod to the Chaos and fans love or love-hate relationship with Chaos, I suppose, depending on- Who hates Chao? Who's doing that? JM: People with no soul. PC: I tell you what, Josh, last night watching the movie, I realized they cut out a shot that we saw in an early cut that was, I thought was the funniest shot in the movie. It’s of the Chao, like on fire. JM: Oh, you're right. Every time I watch it, I just, my brain puts it in the movie. PC: We have to confront the team about this. What happened to that shot of the Chao getting killed? JM: Maybe that's what was going to push us to PG-13. It'd be like, ‘You can't have a Chao on fire. Kids are going to run out of the theater screaming.’ Before the Sonic trilogy came out, there was a lot of talk, at least in video game spaces, about the fact that video game movies were sort of cursed to be not very good. I think that's largely been broken in recent years, not just by the Sonic movies, but we've had Detective Pikachu, there's been several other really solid video game films. And you two have been a big part of that, having these fairly successful, very enjoyable video game movies. Are there any other video games that you would want to adapt someday as films since this has clearly gone very well for you? JM: I feel like unfortunately we can't actually answer your question because there's going to be a couple of things we're trying to get going next year. Are there any that you're not working on at all that you can say? PC: I was going to say, we've already written a script for It Takes Two, which hopefully we'll get some good news on moving forward in the next year. JM: What's an old game that we're probably not going to adapt, that still would've been fun? PC: We've talked about Golden Axe. Golden Axe was another good Genesis multiplayer game. JM: A Boy and His Blob. PC: Oh yeah, that could work. Or the 7-Up game about the dot having a platforming adventure. [Cool Spot] JM: I think another easy one I think we can answer because the movie's already happening and we're already not doing it would be a Zelda. I remember always when we played Wind Waker, we were always like, man, I mean, it would probably be weird if they made a Zelda movie to start with Wind Waker versus the more classic Hyrule. But we both loved Wind Waker and it's so cinematic. Yeah. So after they make this Zelda movie, I guess we're putting it out there in the world, maybe we can do a Wind Waker spin-off. Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
AKRON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 21, 2024-- Myers Industries Inc. (NYSE: MYE), a leading manufacturer of a wide range of polymer and metal products and distributor for the tire, wheel and under-vehicle service industry (the “Company” or “Myers”), today announced that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) has appointed Aaron M. Schapper as the Company’s new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2025. Mr. Schapper will succeed Dave Basque, who has been serving as Myers’ Interim President and CEO since September 9, 2024, and who will return to his role as Vice President, Special Projects. Mr. Schapper will also join the Board in January. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121687085/en/ Aaron Schapper (Photo: Business Wire) Mr. Schapper brings to Myers significant experience leading global industrial businesses. For the past eight years, he has served in a variety of senior leadership roles at Valmont Industries Inc. (NYSE: VMI), a leading manufacturer and global provider of equipment and technology solutions for infrastructure and agriculture markets. During his tenure at Valmont, Mr. Schapper led each of its business divisions and served as Chief Strategy Officer and Group President of Agriculture from July 2023 through May 2024. Previously, Mr. Schapper served as Valmont’s Group President of Infrastructure and Group President of Utility Support Structures. Prior to Valmont, Mr. Schapper served as General Manager at Orbit Irrigation Products Inc., based in Shanghai, China. “We are excited to welcome Aaron to Myers,” said F. Jack Liebau Jr., Chairman of the Board. “His appointment is the result of a comprehensive search process that attracted many outstanding candidates, and we are pleased that Aaron has agreed to join Myers to lead our next phase of growth. Throughout his career, Aaron has demonstrated his ability to build and manage high performing businesses, which makes him the ideal leader to drive our business forward.” Mr. Liebau continued, “I also want to thank Dave Basque for his leadership as Interim President and CEO and his continued dedication to the Company during this time of transition.” Mr. Schapper commented, “I am grateful to be named Myers’ President and Chief Executive Officer at this important inflection point for the Company. I am confident we can accelerate Myers’ ongoing transformation, further hone our strategic focus, capitalize on demand recovery and growth opportunities, and capture productivity and efficiency gains throughout the organization.” About Aaron Schapper Aaron Schapper, age 51, has served as Group President of Agriculture and Chief Strategy Officer of Valmont Industries Inc. (NYSE: VMI), a global leader that provides vital infrastructure and advances agricultural productivity while driving innovation through technology, since July 2023. Previously, Mr. Schapper served as Valmont’s Group President of Infrastructure from February 2020 to July 2023 where he was able to lead significant growth and profitability in Valmont’s largest segment. Prior to that, Mr. Schapper was the Group President of Utility Support Structures from October 2016 to February 2020. Prior to Valmont, from 2007 to 2020, he served as General Manager of Orbit Irrigation Products Inc., based in Shanghai, where he was responsible for acquisitions and the establishment of the company's green-field manufacturing sites in Ningbo, China, and Taipei, Taiwan. From 2002 to 2007, Mr. Schapper served as a design and manufacturing engineer at Orbit Irrigation USA. Mr. Schapper has two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Utah, in Mechanical Engineering and Mandarin Chinese, and a joint MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. About Myers Industries Myers Industries Inc., based in Akron, Ohio, is a manufacturer of sustainable plastic and metal products for industrial, agricultural, automotive, commercial, and consumer markets. The Company is also the largest distributor of tools, equipment and supplies for the tire, wheel, and under-vehicle service industry in the United States. Visit www.myersindustries.com to learn more. Caution on Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this release include contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including information regarding the Company’s financial outlook, future plans, objectives, business prospects and anticipated financial performance. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "will," "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "plan," or variations of these words, or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on the Company’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, these statements inherently involve a wide range of inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. The Company’s actual actions, results, and financial condition may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Specific factors that could cause such a difference on our business, financial position, results of operations and/or liquidity include, without limitation, raw material availability, increases in raw material costs, or other production costs; risks associated with our strategic growth initiatives or the failure to achieve the anticipated benefits of such initiatives; unanticipated downturn in business relationships with customers or their purchases; competitive pressures on sales and pricing; changes in the markets for the Company’s business segments; changes in trends and demands in the markets in which the Company competes; operational problems at our manufacturing facilities or unexpected failures at those facilities; future economic and financial conditions in the United States and around the world; inability of the Company to meet future capital requirements; claims, litigation and regulatory actions against the Company; changes in laws and regulations affecting the Company; unforeseen events, including natural disasters, unusual or severe weather events and patterns, public health crises, geopolitical crises, and other catastrophic events; and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including without limitation, the risk factors disclosed in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. Given these factors, as well as other variables that may affect our operating results, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements, assume that past financial performance will be a reliable indicator of future performance, nor use historical trends to anticipate results or trends in future periods. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date thereof. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or intention to provide updates to the forward-looking statements and the estimates and assumptions associated with them. M-INV View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121687085/en/ Meghan Beringer, Senior Director Investor Relations, 252-536-5651 KEYWORD: OHIO UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING TRUCKING TRANSPORT GENERAL AUTOMOTIVE RETAIL LOGISTICS/SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT PACKAGING CHEMICALS/PLASTICS SOURCE: Myers Industries, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/21/2024 04:00 PM/DISC: 11/21/2024 04:00 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121687085/enThose who watched the video may be forgiven for thinking ghosts are real. Before their eyes was the familiar face of the late former Indonesian dictator Suharto , seated at a desk against a yellow background, wearing a traditional black kopiah hat and a batik shirt. Flanked by the flags of Indonesia and his party, Golkar, Suharto urged his listeners to vote for Golkar representatives in the upcoming elections. There was just one problem: the video came out in January 2024, a month before the presidential election that had as its frontrunner, Suharto’s former son-in-law and general, Prabowo Subianto, and Suharto died 16 years ago, in January 2008. Racking up over 4.7 million views as of December 22, the video was a “deepfake,” where technology was used to mimic the appearance and voice of the late dictator. It was shared by Erwin Aksa, the deputy general chair of Golkar, on X (formerly Twitter). Aksa clarified in the video caption that it was made using artificial intelligence technology, or AI. After exhorting viewers to elect the “right representatives,” Aksa said: “This video was made using AI technology to remind us how important our votes are in general elections which will determine the future so that the hopes of the Indonesian people are realised and prosperous.” Must Read What can the Philippines learn from how AI was used in Indonesia’s 2024 election? In neighboring Malaysia, the fast and affordable Internet connections available there allow citizens to consume online content at faster rates than ever before, including short videos like TikTok reels. This helped shape elections as well. The rise of the Malaysian Islamist Party (PAS) in the 2022 general election, the party that won the most seats (49 out of 222) in parliament, could be largely attributed to PAS’ mastery of TikTok , according to experts. Elections galore 2024 has been a remarkable year for elections , and particularly for elections in Asia. We’ve seen voters in Taiwan, Bangladesh, South Korea, Iran, Japan, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan head to the polls, in many cases, resulting in changes of government or at least significant losses by the incumbents. If that does happen, long-running policies or plans for the future may be shelved, as the country either adjusts to a new government with different priorities, or the incumbents revise their policies to appeal to more voters before they get thrown out of power. With such high stakes, it is important that elections are kept free and fair, and voters have all the necessary information before they make up their minds. But if AI technology can be misused, generate misinformation and manipulate the voters, could elections be tipped one way or the other by nefarious actors, people who may not even reside in the country? We shine a spotlight of how AI, social media and electoral politics have already become enmeshed and entrenched in two recent elections in Malaysia and Indonesia. Internet-savvy countries Indonesia is a massive country in Southeast Asia, with a population of over 278 million, but it also has a high level of internet penetration. According to Indonesian site Antara News , citing the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association in January 2024, said that Internet penetration had reached 79.5%. With this figure reaching even higher levels among the younger generations (Generation Z from 19 to 27 years old had over 87% ), and the fact that Indonesia recorded the most number of TikTok users in the world in July 2024, surpassing the United States, it seems likely that Internet videos will remain an indelible element of future elections. Indonesia eventually elected Prabowo Subianto , defense minister and chair of Gerindra as the next president. But Golkar improved its own performance , gaining 15.3% of the vote as opposed to 12.3 in 2019, remaining the second-largest party in the legislature. Perhaps the AI video helped them on their way. In Malaysia, the use of the Internet has become far more widespread. “The environment has changed completely,” said James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania, about modern social media. Thanks to upgraded Internet access and cheaper telecommunications technology, more people in Malaysia have access to social media than ever before. “For example, you can get unlimited broadband for your mobile phone in Malaysia, the cost is about 25 ringgit (US$6) a month,” he said. And what do the people use their high-speed Internet connections for? Getting online and sharing content one may have found elsewhere, without being too concerned about its authenticity. Lessons from Indonesia The Republic of Indonesia is somewhat overlooked when democratic elections are discussed, but it happens to be the world’s third-largest democracy , after India and the United States of America. With a GDP of US$1.37 trillion (2023), and a formidable military , Indonesia is one of the most significant countries in the Southeast Asia region. It is also a major diplomatic power in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and arguably in the greater Asia Pacific region. With its prominent position, elections in Indonesia therefore have significant impact on the region and the wider world. Hundreds of people run for elected office to help shape Indonesia’s destiny. One such person is Anindya Shabrina, 29, a legal affairs specialist who joined Indonesia’s Labour Party and ran as a candidate in the February 2024 elections. Describing herself as politically active since she was a student, Anindya decided to join the Labour Party, attracted to its left-leaning stance and open approach to recruitment. “Traditionally, young people who can compete in electoral politics here are mostly from political or wealthy families, but in the Labor Party, anyone can run.” Despite her parents’ concerns, they gave their full support to Anindya’s bid to stand for a seat on the Regional People’s Representative Council of East Java, in an ultimately unsuccessful effort. And perhaps they were right to be concerned. Anindya called the experience “incredibly challenging”, citing the financial disparity between herself and her more established opponents, who could promise tangible monetary assistance while she could only expound on her proposals. Anindya said that during the course of her campaign, she had come across several instances of AI-generated video clips used to support candidates, including the Suharto video. Even her own party got involved, although they decided to stop following concerns raised by creative industry workers. However, there was another, far nastier hurdle she faced. Anonymous online detractors leveled personal attacks and harsh criticism at her, and she even faced attacks from supposed political allies who objected to her even taking part in the election. “There have been attempts to cancel me, including spreading strange rumors, and an anarchist group even created a poster calling for violence against me.” When asked if she thinks AI technology would have made the situation worse, Anindya had zero doubt. “Especially for women,” she added, raising the possibility of using AI to create fake nude images. This is not an unfounded fear, with women politicians in other countries being harassed, insulted and attacked online. During the rule of right-wing Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, there was a surge of online gendered attacks , particularly on social media networks like Facebook. Lower barrier to entry Manipulated or edited photographs have been around for decades. Soviet Union dictator Josef Stalin had photos edited when the people in them drew his ire. In the computer age, Photoshop became a common tool, and was quickly used to transform photos for political purposes. Behold this picture of Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate in the 2008 election, edited to look as though she was toting a gun and wearing a bikini. But although Photoshop was widely available, anyone who intended to create digitally-manipulated images with the programme had to have some skills in the first place. In contrast, using an open AI program has a much lower barrier to entry. As Benjamin Ang explained, “AI opens up the capability to more people in Photoshop.” Previously, one needed skills in Photoshop or video and audio editing. But now, such skills are practically not needed because all the tools are available to the public, even if they don’t understand the language of their target audience. Ang is a Senior Fellow of the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and the Head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security. In his concurrent role as Head of Digital Impact Research, Ang is very familiar with the development of AI, and its widespread use in society, including in the political arena. Ang shed some light on just how and why AI has come about by leaps and bounds within the last few years, going from science-fiction and the mostly theoretical realm to widespread, everyday use. Calling it a “hockey-stick” effect, where progress is flat for a long time before it suddenly shoots up, Ang pointed to two other factors for the rapid development of AI. The first is the development of computer chips to the point where processing power is fast enough to handle the demands of AI. The second, Ang pointed out, is there has been roughly two decades of social media use where people have uploaded a staggering amount of personal information online. This, he said, allowed programmers to feed such information into data sets to train machine learning algorithms. Speed and ease Ang also highlighted that AI has made the speed of generating such content much faster. “Something which would have taken you an hour or several hours to do in Photoshop, or maybe a day to do video or audio editing can now be done in seconds. And because it can be done in seconds, you can keep on iterating it. You do it once, you can see ‘is it working’? You can do it again and again until you can really refine it, at a scale that has never before happened.” Roy Lee, an Assistant Professor of Information Systems Technology and Design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, agrees. “Modern AI tools are designed with user-friendly interfaces and require minimal technical expertise. Unlike complex software like Photoshop, which demands specialised skills, AI platforms often offer intuitive prompts and automated features, enabling average users to generate high-quality content effortlessly.” The role of social media While AI has come on by leaps and bounds, its combination with social media is like setting an open flame to touchpaper; you get fireworks. Chin elaborated on the rise of the Malaysian Islamist Party (PAS) in the 2022 general election. The key to their victory, in his view, was their mastery of using TikTok to win the hearts and minds of voters. The party backed influencers who created “very slick, professionally-run” videos that in combination with their popular religious messaging, created a “powerful machine.” But what about AI-generated videos? As in Indonesia, Chin foresees the same thing happening in Malaysia. While such content is currently “simple stuff,” using cartoon figures and the like, he has no doubt that come the next election cycle, political parties will be investing their resources in creating such content. “If you speak to all the political parties in the old days, a major portion of [their] money goes to ground campaigning, paying campaign workers, setting up booths, holding night ceramahs (night rallies). If you talk to them now, right, most of them said that they’re going to shift the bulk of those resources now towards social media.” Chin also believes that in the wrong hands, misleading content created by AI will be very effective, especially once high-quality videos start being produced in earnest. He pointed out that such content did not need to be entirely faked or created out of whole cloth. Perhaps an existing video could be edited to add a few words, or redact them, to produce a misleading message. And if it’s uploaded to TikTok, with its notoriously short attention span? “I doubt very much that the ordinary voter would be able to tell the difference.” What can be done? Indonesia has taken a few tentative steps to address the problem. About a week after the presidential election in February 2024, then-President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo signed legislation that requires digital platforms to pay media outlets that provide them with content. While it does not directly tackle the misuse of AI content, it could help to ensure digital platforms are more circumspect about the kind of content they share. In September 2024, the Jakarta Globe reported that Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology was preparing to issue new regulations to establish “clear guidelines” for the use of AI technology in Indonesia. Deputy Minister Nezar Patria said it would be carefully studied, and require consultation with the “AI development ecosystem.” The existing circular, issued on a temporary basis by the ministry, merely outlines “ethical guidelines” for the use of AI, including “respecting human rights” and the “need for transparency.” However, despite the change in presidential administrations, Nezar was re-appointed to his post by the new president, Prabowo, who took over in October 2024. There is some hope that Indonesia will continue to work on creating AI regulations. Meanwhile in September 2024, Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation introduced the National Guidelines on AI Governance and Ethics, which seek to support safe and responsible AI development. Singapore looks ahead However, Indonesia and Malaysia’s neighbor Singapore is not waiting around, and has already introduced and passed legislation specifically governing the use of AI-generated content in an election, with one eye on its own upcoming general election. The city-state has recently gone through a rare leadership change, just its third in its near-60-year history. The new prime minister, Lawrence Wong, took over in May 2024. Unlike leaders of other countries, such as Japan, Wong did not call for snap elections soon after being sworn in. He must call for a new general election by November 2025, which leaves quite some time. He has time to see a new bill being introduced in parliament to directly address the issue of misleading, manipulated content. In October 2024, Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo played a “deepfaked,” AI-generated video of herself in parliament. The virtual Teo said : “It only took one person one hour to create this, using easily accessible software that anyone can use right now from the Internet. Imagine if someone produced realistic deepfakes, depicting Members of this House saying or doing something we did not actually say or do, and disseminated it. Such technology will only improve, and deepfakes may become even more realistic, convincing, and easy to make.” The bill, which was passed by Singapore’s parliament, is a very narrowly-targeted one. It prohibits the publication of online content that “realistically depicts a candidate saying or doing something [they] did not.” It covers misinformation from both AI-generated content and non-AI techniques used to create content, such as Photoshop or audio dubbing. However, the law only kicks in when the Writ of Election is issued to the close of the polls, which means it is only active for Singapore’s election season. It doesn’t matter whether the content boosts or denigrates a candidate; both are prohibited. Reposting or sharing such content is also not allowed. Measures include asking the users to take down the content, or forcing the social media site to disable access to Singaporean users. Punishments include fines for up to S$1,000 (US$760) or jail for up to a year, and up to S$1 million (US$760,000) in fines for a social media service that does not comply. Harsh? Effective? It remains to be seen. Lee called the legislation a “commendable step,” but said the main challenge depends on its execution. “Social media companies will need to regulate and investigate digitally manipulated content swiftly when requested to take down such content. Given the vast amount of content they handle daily, this poses a significant challenge in terms of scalability and response time.” Cross-border content could also happen, and getting users to take down misleading content who are not in the country could take some time. To Lee, strengthening collaboration between regulators and social media platforms is important to ensure “comprehensive protection.” Beyond governments But what else can be done, if not through government legislation? According to Lee, enhancing public awareness and media literacy is also crucial. “Educating citizens on identifying manipulated content empowers them to critically assess information,” he said. And in what may be an illustration of the old adage, “set a thief to catch a thief,” Lee shared that AI solutions can also be used to detect misinformation on social media platforms, and other platforms with user-generated content. He believes fostering partnerships between academia and industry to continuously improve such tools could significantly reduce the spread of misinformation. Chin is more skeptical. He pointed out that for such AI-generated misinformation, the content is likely to be shared to you by a trusted individual, like a friend or family member. Chin also feels that Singapore’s attempt to tackle AI-generated misinformation may not be easily replicated in other countries. “It’s a small city state, it’s much easier to handle. But for countries like Malaysia, I think, is increasingly becoming difficult. Even for Singapore, right, I think it will be very difficult in the coming years because of new platforms like Starlink, which allows you to link directly to the satellite. So whatever filters you put in at the platform level, the ISP level, even that can be bypassed with new technology.” – Rappler.com Sulaiman Daud is a 2024 #FactsMatter fellow of Rappler. He is a writer and editor at Mothership , Singapore’s youth-focused digital news platform . Must Read How AI was used in 2024 elections: Voice and chatbot clones, drafting speeches, emails
Labour MP for Cardiff West, Alex Barros-Curtis, said warnings should have been “amber or red”, as Mr Reed told MPs that more flooding is “likely”. Hundreds of homes were left under water, roads were turned into rivers and winds of more than 80mph were recorded across parts of the UK. More than 130 flood warnings and 160 alerts remained in place across the UK on Monday. In the Commons on Monday, Mr Barros-Curtis asked: “Can I ask that the Secretary of State speak to his Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) colleagues to carefully look into the role of the Met Office here? “It is clear that their response was slow and that there was a clear underestimation of the impact of Storm Bert. “They put it yellow rather than amber or red. Our constituents have been let down by this incompetence before, and it cannot keep happening.” Mr Reed said: “In most parts of the countries that were affected, warnings were given with adequate time for people to prepare and I would encourage people to sign up on the Defra website, or the Environment Agency website for warnings and alerts if they live in an area that could be affected by flooding. “I’m aware of the particular concern that he mentions regarding the Met Office, and I will indeed be speaking to colleagues in DSIT as they review the circumstances of that and look at how the situation can be improved for future events of this kind.” During his update to the House, the Environment Secretary said that more flooding this week is “likely” but its impact “should be less severe” than has been seen. He said: “Around 28,000 properties are being protected by Environment Agency flood defences. “Unfortunately, an estimated 107 properties have flooded across England, principally from river and surface water flooding.” He added: “The Environment Agency and local responders have also been busy protecting properties elsewhere in England, including flooding from the River Teme in Tenbury Wells where around 40 properties have flooded. “The river has now peaked and local responders will be focusing on the lower reaches of rivers over the next few days.” He further stated: “Further flooding is sadly likely over the next few days as water levels rise in slower flowing rivers such as the Severn and the Ouse. “The Environment Agency anticipates that any impacts should be less severe than we have seen in recent days.” Mr Reed also described the flood defences they inherited from the previous government as being “in the worst condition on record following years of underinvestment”. He added: “Over 3,000 of our key flood defences are below an acceptable standard. “That is why we are investing £2.4 billion over the next two years to build and maintain flood defences.” Elsewhere in the session, Labour MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana, was among the MPs to call for a legal duty on fire services to respond to flooding. She said: “I want to express my solidarity and thanks to all of our emergency services, including firefighters on the front line. “Extreme weather events are on the rise and becoming ever more frequent due to climate change, highlighting the urgent need for proper funding and resources. “England is the only part of the UK without a statutory duty for flooding, leaving fire services underfunded and under-resourced to respond effectively. This must change, as the FBU (Fire Brigades Union) has long called for.” “When will the Government finally provide a statutory duty for Fire and Rescue authorities to respond to flooding incidents in England?” Mr Reed replied: “The fire and rescue authorities have the powers to intervene, but she’s quite right to point out there’s not a duty, and officials in my department, working with the Home Office, will review that to see that that remains appropriate.” Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire Greg Smith said some communities in his constituency are flooding “for the first time in decades” as he accused the Government of wanting to “concrete over the countryside”. He said: “That is a result of some of the big infrastructure we are seeing being built, particularly HS2 where they will concrete over a field completely, it seems, unaware that that will have a knock-on effect to farmland next door. “So will the Secretary of State commit to working with the Transport Secretary (Louise Haigh) and I also suggest the Deputy Prime Minister (Angela Rayner) given their plans to concrete over the countryside to ensure that where construction takes place proper, and I really mean proper, flood mitigation measures are put into place.” Mr Reed replied: “This needs to operate across Government, and we will have those conversations and ensure that measures are put in place to support communities as much as is possible from the more severe weather events that we’re seeing as a result of climate change.”
Cash and cash equivalents at €13.9 million, as of September 30, 2024. Revenues of €1.3 million for the first nine months of 2024. On July 18, 2024, Inventiva issued royalty certificates for an amount of €20.1 million. Considering the receipt of €94.1 million in gross proceeds from the closing of the first part of the first tranche of the equity raise announced on October 14, 2024 2 and the receipt of the $10 million milestone payment under the amended license and collaboration agreement with CTTQ on November 18, 2024, the Company estimates that its cash, cash equivalents and deposits would enable it to finance its operations until the end of the second quarter of 2025 3 . Daix (France), New York City, (New York, United States), November 21, 2024 – Inventiva (Euronext Paris and Nasdaq: IVA) (the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of oral small molecule therapies for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (“MASH”), also known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (“NASH”), and other diseases with significant unmet medical needs, today reported its cash position as of September 30, 2024 and its revenues for the first nine months of 2024. Cash and cash equivalents As of September 30, 2024, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents amounted to €13.9 million, compared to cash and cash equivalents at €26.9 million, short-term deposit 4 at €0.01 million, and long-term deposit 5 at €9.0 million as of December 31, 2023. Net cash used in operating activities amounted to (€64.2) million in the first nine months of 2024, compared to (€69.0) million for the same period in 2023 down by 7.0%. R&D expenses, mainly driven by the development of lanifibranor in MASH/NASH, for the first nine months of 2024 amounted to €71.7 million and were down 10.0% compared to the €79.6 million for the first nine months of 2023. The decrease in R&D expenses over the period is primarily due to the temporary voluntary pause in the recruitment of patients in the NATiV3 Phase 3 clinical trial of lanifibranor in MASH/NASH (“NATiV3") following the Suspected Unexpected Serious Adverse Reaction (“SUSAR”) previously reported in the first quarter of 2024 and, to a lesser extent, due to the completion of the LEGEND Phase 2a combination trial with lanifibranor and empagliflozin in patients with MASH/NASH and type 2 diabetes (“T2D”). R&D expenses have started to increase as expected in the second half of 2024 following the restart of patient recruitment in NATiV3, as well as the planned clinical development activities and related costs associated with the NATiV3 for the second half of 2024. Net cash generated from investing activities for the first nine months of 2024 amounted to €8.7 million, compared to (€3.5) million used for the same period in 2023. The change is mostly due to the variation in term deposits between both periods. Net cash generated from financing activities for the first nine months of 2024 amounted to €42.3 million compared to €30.2 million in the same period in 2023. The change is due to (i) the second tranche of €25 million drawn in January 2024 under the unsecured loan agreement granted by the European Investment Bank (“EIB”) with the issue of 3,144,654 warrants to the EIB, and (ii) the issuance on July 18, 2024, of royalty certificates (the “2024 Royalty Certificates”) subscribed by Samsara BioCapital, and existing shareholders BVF Partners, NEA, Sofinnova, and Yiheng, for an amount of €20.1 million. The 2024 Royalty Certificates give the holders thereof the right to an annual payment of royalties equal to 3% of the potential future net sales of lanifibranor, if any, in the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom over a 14-year term from the date of their issuance 6 . Over the first nine months of 2024, the Company did not record any exchange rate effect on cash and cash equivalents, compared to a negative exchange rate effect of (€0.7) million for the same period in 2023, due to the evolution of the EUR/USD exchange rate. Financial information after closing the accounts On October 14, 2024, the Company announced a multi-tranche equity financing (the “Equity Raise”) of up to €348 million from both new and existing investors 2 . The Company closed the first part of the first tranche of the Equity Raise on October 17, 2024, and issued 34,600,507 new ordinary shares (the “T1 New Shares”) at a price of €1.35 per T1 New Share, and 35,399,481 prefunded warrants to purchase ordinary shares in the Company at an exercise price of €0.01 and a subscription price of €1.34 per new ordinary share and received €94.1 million in gross proceeds (net proceeds approximately €86.6 million). The second part of the first tranche and the second and third tranches of the Equity Raise remain subject to satisfaction of specified conditions, and in particular shareholder approval. On October 14, 2024, the Company also announced that it had amended its license and collaboration agreement with Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical (Guangzhou) CO., LTD. (“CTTQ”). Pursuant to the amendment, if the Company receives commitments from investors to subscribe to an equity raise, in two or three tranches, prior to December 31, 2024, for an aggregate amount of at least €180 million, CTTQ shall pay to the Company (i) $10 million within 30 days of settlement-delivery of the new shares and prefunded warrants in the first tranche of the Equity Raise, (ii) $10 million upon the completion of the second tranche of the Equity Raise and (iii) $10 million upon the publication by the Company of positive topline data announcing that any key primary endpoint or key secondary endpoint of the NATiV3 trial, with any dosage regimen tested in the trial, have been met. Under the terms of the Amendment, the total amount of milestone payments remains unchanged, while the royalties that Inventiva is eligible to receive have been reduced to the low single digits. The signing of the Equity Raise satisfied the condition of receiving commitments for an aggregate amount of at least €180 million and the closing of the first part of the first tranche of the Equity Raise satisfied the condition (i) above. Subsequently, on November 18, 2024, the Company received the first milestone payment of $10 million from CTTQ pursuant to this amendment. Considering its current cost structure and forecasted expenditures and including (i) the receipt of €94.1 million in gross proceeds from the closing of the first part of the first tranche of the Equity Raise, and (ii) the first milestone of $10 million (gross proceeds) received under the amendment to the licensing agreement with CTTQ, the Company estimates that its cash, cash equivalents and deposits would enable it to finance its operations until the end of the second quarter of 2025 2 . The Company currently expects that the conditions for the closing of the second part of the first tranche of the Equity Raise will be satisfied in December 2024. Considering its current cost structure and forecasted expenditures, the Company estimates that the anticipated receipt of the proceeds (a gross amount of €21.4 million) from the second part of the first tranche of the Equity Raise announced on October 14, 2024 would be sufficient to extend the Company’s ability to finance its operations until middle of the third quarter of 2025. Revenues The Company’s revenues for the first nine months of 2024 amounted to €1.3 million, as compared to €1.9 million for the same period in 2023. *** Next key milestones expected Randomization of the last patient of the NATiV3 Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating lanifibranor in MASH/MASH – expected in the first half 2025 following the anticipated end of screening targeted for the end of the year 2024 Topline results of NATiV3 – expected in the second half of 2026 Upcoming shareholders meeting Shareholders general meeting – December 11, 2024 Upcoming investor conference participation 43 rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference – January 13-16, 2025 – San Francisco 13th edition of Degroof Petercam’s virtual healthcare conference – January 21-24, 2025 Upcoming scientific conference participation MASH-TAG – January 9-12, 2025 – Park City Next financial results publication Full-Year 2024 Revenues and cash and cash equivalents : Thursday, February 13, 2025 (after U.S. market close) About Inventiva Inventiva is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of oral small molecule therapies for the treatment of patients with MASH/NASH and other diseases with significant unmet medical need. The Company benefits from a strong expertise and experience in the domain of compounds targeting nuclear receptors, transcription factors and epigenetic modulation. Inventiva is currently advancing one clinical candidate and has a pipeline of two preclinical programs. Inventiva’s lead product candidate, lanifibranor, is currently in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial, NATiV3, for the treatment of adult patients with MASH/NASH, a common and progressive chronic liver disease. Inventiva’s pipeline also includes odiparcil, a drug candidate for the treatment of adult MPS VI patients. As part of Inventiva’s decision to focus clinical efforts on the development of lanifibranor, it suspended its clinical efforts relating to odiparcil and is reviewing available options with respect to its potential further development. Inventiva is also in the process of selecting a candidate for its Hippo signaling pathway program. The Company has a scientific team of approximately 90 people with deep expertise in the fields of biology, medicinal and computational chemistry, pharmacokinetics and pharmacology, and clinical development. It owns an extensive library of approximately 240,000 pharmacologically relevant molecules, approximately 60% of which are proprietary, as well as a wholly-owned research and development facility. Inventiva is a public company listed on compartment B of the regulated market of Euronext Paris (ticker: IVA, ISIN: FR0013233012) and on the Nasdaq Global Market in the United States (ticker: IVA). www.inventivapharma.com Contacts Important Notice This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release are forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, unaudited financial information, forecasts and estimates with respect to Inventiva’s cash resources, the anticipated proceeds from the Equity Raise, completion and timing of the Equity Raise, the satisfaction in part or full of the conditions precedent to closing of the various tranches of the Equity Raise and the timing thereof, and the exercise by the investors of the warrants and pre-funded warrants issued in connection with the Equity Raise, Inventiva’s expectations regarding its collaboration agreement with CTTQ, including the achievement of specified milestones thereunder, forecasts and estimates with respect to Inventiva’s pre-clinical programs and clinical trials, including design, protocol, duration, timing, recruitment costs, screening and enrollment for those trials, including the ongoing NATiV3 Phase 3 clinical trial with lanifibranor in MASH/NASH, the clinical development of and regulatory plans and pathway for lanifibranor, clinical trial data releases and publications, the information, insights and impacts that may be gathered from clinical trials, the potential therapeutic benefits of Inventiva’s product candidates, including lanifibranor, potential regulatory submissions, approvals and commercialization, Inventiva’s pipeline and preclinical and clinical development plans, the potential development of and regulatory pathway for odiparcil, future activities, expectations, plans, growth and prospects of Inventiva and its partners, and business and regulatory strategy, the potential commercialization of lanifibranor and achievement of any sales related thereto, potential payment of royalties and anticipated future performance. Certain of these statements, forecasts and estimates can be recognized by the use of words such as, without limitation, “believes”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “intends”, “plans”, “seeks”, “estimates”, “may”, “will”, “would”, “could”, “might”, “should”, “designed”, “hopefully”, “target”, “potential”, “opportunity”, “possible”, “aim”, and “continue” and similar expressions. Such statements are not historical facts but rather are statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management's beliefs. These statements reflect such views and assumptions prevailing as of the date of the statements and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause future results, performance, or future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Actual events are difficult to predict and may depend upon factors that are beyond Inventiva's control. There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline product candidates that the clinical trial results will be available on their anticipated timeline, that future clinical trials will be initiated as anticipated, that product candidates will receive the necessary regulatory approvals, or that any of the anticipated milestones by Inventiva or its partners will be reached on their expected timeline, or at all. Future results may turn out to be materially different from the anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements, forecasts and estimates, due to a number of factors, including that interim data or data from any interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials may not be predictive of future trial results, the recommendation of the DMC may not be indicative of a potential marketing approval, Inventiva cannot provide assurance on the impacts of the Suspected Unexpected Serious Adverse Reaction (SUSAR) on enrollment or the ultimate impact on the results or timing of the NATiV3 trial or regulatory matters with respect thereto, that Inventiva is a clinical-stage company with no approved products and no historical product revenues, Inventiva has incurred significant losses since inception, Inventiva has a limited operating history and has never generated any revenue from product sales, Inventiva will require additional capital to finance its operations, in the absence of which, Inventiva may be required to significantly curtail, delay or discontinue one or more of its research or development programs or be unable to expand its operations or otherwise capitalize on its business opportunities and may be unable to continue as a going concern, Inventiva’s ability to obtain financing and to enter into potential transactions and Inventiva’s ability to satisfy in part or full the conditions precedent for additional tranches of the Equity Raise and the conditions with respect to CTTQ, and whether and to what extent the Warrants may be exercised and by which holders, Inventiva's future success is dependent on the successful clinical development, regulatory approval and subsequent commercialization of current and any future product candidates, preclinical studies or earlier clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of future results and the results of Inventiva's and its partners’ clinical trials may not support Inventiva's and its partners’ product candidate claims, Inventiva's expectations with respect to its clinical trials may prove to be wrong and regulatory authorities may require holds and/or amendments to Inventiva’s clinical trials, Inventiva’s expectations with respect to the clinical development plan for lanifibranor for the treatment of MASH/NASH may not be realized and may not support the approval of a New Drug Application, Inventiva and its partners may encounter substantial delays beyond expectations in their clinical trials or fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of applicable regulatory authorities, the ability of Inventiva and its partners to recruit and retain patients in clinical studies, enrollment and retention of patients in clinical trials is an expensive and time-consuming process and could be made more difficult or rendered impossible by multiple factors outside Inventiva's and its partners’ control, Inventiva's product candidates may cause adverse drug reactions or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, or limit their commercial potential, Inventiva faces substantial competition and Inventiva’s and its partners' business, and preclinical studies and clinical development programs and timelines, its financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by geopolitical events, such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and related sanctions, impacts and potential impacts on the initiation, enrollment and completion of Inventiva’s and its partners’ clinical trials on anticipated timelines and the state of war between Israel and Hamas and the related risk of a larger conflict, health epidemics, and macroeconomic conditions, including global inflation, rising interest rates, uncertain financial markets and disruptions in banking systems. Given these risks and uncertainties, no representations are made as to the accuracy or fairness of such forward-looking statements, forecasts, and estimates. Furthermore, forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates only speak as of the date of this press release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. Please refer to the Universal Registration Document for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers on April 3, 2024, as amended on October 14, 2024, the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on April 3, 2024, and the Half-Year Report for the six months ended June 30, 2024 on Form 6-K filed with the SEC on October 15, 2024 for other risks and uncertainties affecting Inventiva, including those described under the caption “Risk Factors”, and in future filings with the SEC. Other risks and uncertainties of which Inventiva is not currently aware may also affect its forward-looking statements and may cause actual results and the timing of events to differ materially from those anticipated. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release. Except as required by law, Inventiva has no intention and is under no obligation to update or review the forward-looking statements referred to above. Consequently, Inventiva accepts no liability for any consequences arising from the use of any of the above statements. 1 Non-audited financial information. 2 Press release of October 14, 2024 3 This estimate is based on the Company’s current business plan and excludes any potential milestones payable to or by the Company and any additional expenditures related to the potential continued development of the odiparcil program or resulting from the potential in licensing or acquisition of additional product candidates or technologies, or any associated development the Company may pursue. The Company may have based this estimate on assumptions that are incorrect, and the Company may end up using its resources sooner than anticipated. 4 Short-term deposits were included in the category “other current assets” in the IFRS consolidated statement of financial position and were considered by the Company as liquid and easily available. 5 The long-term deposit had a two year-term, was accessible prior to the expiration of the term with a notice period of 31 days and was considered as liquid by the Company. 6 Press release of July 18, 2024 Attachment Inventiva - PR - Q3 2024 CA Cash - EN - 11 21 2024 - Final
( MENAFN - EIN Presswire) 2024 Employee Incentive Day! 2023 Employee Incentive Day! Terry Moving & Storage awarded Best Movers in Lake Forest The incentive day aligns with the company's values, underscoring the importance of recognizing team members who work tirelessly behind the scenes. LAKE FOREST, CA, UNITED STATES, November 30, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- Terry Moving & Storage recently celebrated its dedicated team in a big way, hosting an Employee Incentive Day that gave away thousands of dollars in prizes, including a 75" flat-screen smart TV, BBQ grill, premium tool sets, portable speakers, and more. The event was a resounding success, designed to thank employees for their hard work and commitment throughout the year. “From navigating tight schedules to braving all kinds of weather-whether it's a local move or one that spans the country-our employees give 110% every day,” said founder Mark Terry.“They're the backbone of everything we do, from coordinating logistics and packing to driving and managing storage . This event was our way of showing just how much we value their dedication.” The incentive day aligns with the company's values, underscoring the importance of recognizing team members who work tirelessly behind the scenes. Whether it's the office staff handling scheduling and accounting, the movers who pack and transport belongings, or the drivers crossing state lines to deliver on promises, every team member plays a vital role. Terry Moving & Storage chose the end of the year to celebrate its employees because it's a natural time to reflect on achievements and prepare for the year ahead. In an industry where challenges can range from last-minute moves to extreme weather conditions, recognizing hard work is more than just a kind gesture-it's a necessity for cultivating a positive workplace culture. “Employee appreciation isn't just about the prizes, though they certainly add excitement. It's about saying, 'We see you. We value you.' And there's no better time to say that than as the year winds down and we prepare for a fresh start,” added Terry. The event featured fun activities, a catered lunch, and a prize raffle that kept spirits high. Employees shared their excitement and gratitude for the event, noting the sense of camaraderie it fostered. Terry Moving & Storage employees are known for going above and beyond to make moves seamless for their customers. Whether managing a local apartment move or transporting a family's belongings across state lines, their attention to detail and dedication ensures customers feel supported every step of the way. The company's leadership believes that this same level of care should be reflected in how employees are treated. As one employee noted during the event,“It's great to feel appreciated, especially when you know how much effort everyone puts in daily.” For more information, visit Terrymovingoc . About Terry Moving & Storage Terry Moving & Storage is a full-service moving company based in Orange County, CA, specializing in residential and commercial moves, packing services, and secure storage solutions. With a customer-first approach and a commitment to excellence, Terry Moving & Storage continues to set the bar in the moving industry. Mark Terry Terry Moving & Storage +1 949-587-9490 email us here Visit us on social media: Facebook X YouTube Other Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above. MENAFN30112024003118003196ID1108942038 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
NoneGretchen McKay | (TNS) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Beans are kind of like the your best friend from high school — nearly forgotten but always ready to step back into the limelight and help out an old pal when needed. As gorgeously (and tantalizingly) demonstrated in Rancho Gordo’s new cookbook, “The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans” (Ten Speed, $35), beans are indeed a magical fruit, though not in the way you heard as a kid. Classified as both a vegetable and a plant-based protein in the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, beans and other legumes can be the ingredient you build an entire vegetarian or veggie-forward meal around. Or, they can help an economical cook stretch a dish twice as far with nutritious calories. A healthful and shelf-staple plant food — they last for years when dried — beans have been among a home cook’s most reliable pantry items for a very long time. (Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are thought to have been grown in Mexico more than 7,000 years ago.) That’s why, for some, they’re often something of an afterthought, especially if the only time you ate them as a kid was when your mom tossed kidney beans into a pot of beef chili or made baked beans (with brown sugar and bacon, please!) for a family cookout. Related Articles Restaurants Food and Drink | 5 budget-friendly Thanksgiving dinner ideas Restaurants Food and Drink | The future of Thanksgiving is takeout and hosts couldn’t be happier Restaurants Food and Drink | A starry Thanksgiving: Recipes beloved by Donna Kelce, Eric Stonestreet, Taylor Swift Restaurants Food and Drink | Pie crust 101: How tos from longtime instructor Restaurants Food and Drink | Why cranberry sauce is America’s least favorite Thanksgiving dish – and 5 creative ways to use it Vegetarians have always appreciated their versatility and nutritional punch, and because they’re cheap, they also were quite popular during the Great Depression and World War II as C rations. Sales also peaked during the coronavirus pandemic, when shoppers stockpiled long-lasting pantry essentials. It wasn’t until Rancho Gordo, a California-based bean company, trotted out its branded packages of colorful heirloom beans that the plant began to take on cult status among some shoppers. Unlike the bean varieties commonly found in even the smallest grocery stores, heirloom beans are mostly forgotten varieties that were developed on a small scale for certain characteristics, with seeds from the best crops passed down through the generations. The result is beans that are fresher and more colorful than mass-produced beans, and come in different shapes and sizes. They also have a more complex and intense flavor, fans say. “The Bean Book” dishes up dozens of different ways to cook Rancho Gordo’s 50 heirloom bean varieties, which include red-streaked cranberry beans, mint-green flageolets, black and classic garbanzos and (my favorite) vaquero — which wear the same black-and-white spots as a Holstein cow. Other gotta-try varieties (if just for the name) include eye of the goat, European Soldier, Jacob’s Cattle and Good Mother Stallard, a purple bean with cream-colored flecks. “The very good news is that you have to work extra hard to mess up a pot of beans, and it’s not difficult to make an excellent pot,” Steve Sando writes in the book’s foreword. “The even better news is that you become a better cook with each pot you make.” Not convinced? Here are five reasons to jump on the bean bandwagon: Even the smallest grocery store will have a selection of dried and canned beans. Common varieties include black, cannellini (white kidney), Great Northern, pinto, navy, kidney, Lima and garbanzo (chickpea) beans. Even when they’re not on sale, beans are a bargain at the supermarket. Many varieties cost less than $1 a can, and dried beans are an economical way to build a menu. I paid $1.25 for a one-pound bag of cranberry beans, a smooth and velvety bean with a slightly nutty flavor, at my local grocery store. Rancho Gordo’s heirloom beans cost substantially more. (They run $6.25-$7.50 for a one-pound bag, with free shipping on orders over $50.) But they are sold within a year of harvest, which makes them more flavorful and tender. A bag also comes with cooking instructions and recipe suggestions, and the quality is outstanding. Plus, after cooking their beans with aromatics, “you are left with essentially free soup,” Sando writes in the cookbook. “If you drain properly cooked and seasoned beans, the liquid you are left with is delicious.” Beans are a great source of plant-based protein and both soluble and insoluble fiber, and they include essential minerals like iron, magnesium and potassium. If you’re watching your weight or following a particular diet, beans are naturally free of fat, sodium and cholesterol and are rich in complex carbohydrates. They also contain antioxidants and folate. And if you’re vegan or vegetarian, most types of dry beans are rich sources of iron. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating 1-3 cups of legumes, including beans, per week Dry beans have to be soaked overnight, but cooking them is easy. They can be cooked on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, in the pressure cooker and in the oven. Canned beans are even easier — just rinse and drain, and they’re ready to go. Beans can be used in so many different dishes. They can be made into soup, salad or dips, top nachos, add some heft to a casserole or be mashed into the makings of a veggie burger. You also can add them to brownies and other baked goods, toss them with pasta, add them to chili or a rice bowl or stuff them into a taco or burrito. Check out these four recipes: PG tested This light and creamy vegetarian soup benefits from a surprising garnish, roasted shiitake mushrooms, which taste exactly like bacon. For soup 1/4 cup olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 1 medium carrot, scrubbed and chopped 6 garlic cloves, finely grated or pressed 2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 cups vegetable broth 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed For bacon 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, caps cut into 1/8 -inch slices 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt To finish Plant-based milk Chili oil, for drizzling Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make soup: In large pot, heat oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are fragrant and tender, 8-10 minutes. Add vegetable stock and beans, increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, 12-14 minutes. Meanwhile, make the bacon: Spread shiitake mushrooms into a single layer on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Bake until browned and crispy, 18-20 minutes, rotating pan front to back and tossing mushrooms with a spatula halfway through. Let cool in pan; mushrooms will continue to crisp as they cool. To finish, add some milk to the soup and use an immersion blender to puree it in the pot, or puree in a blender. (Cover lid with a clean kitchen towel.) Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Divide soup among bowls and top with shiitake bacon. Garnish with thyme sprigs and a drizzle of chili oil. Serves 4-6. — “Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking” by Joe Yonan PG tested Velvety cranberry beans simmered with tomato and the punch of red wine vinegar are a perfect match for a soft bed of cheesy polenta. This is a filling, stick-to-your-ribs dish perfect for fall. 1/4 cup olive oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes, juice reserved 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth 4 fresh sage leaves Salt and pepper 4 cups cooked Lamon or cranberry beans 2 cups uncooked polenta 6 ounces pancetta, diced Chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving In large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and red wine vinegar. In a small bowl, dissolve tomato paste in the broth and add to pan. Stir in sage and season with salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, 15-20 minutes. Add beans to tomato sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare polenta according to package instructions. Place pancetta in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pancetta is brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper towel to drain. To serve, spoon polenta into serving dishes. Ladle the beans over the polenta and top with the pancetta. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with grated Parmesan. Serves 6. — “The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans” by Steve Sando PG tested Beans and seafood might seen like an unusual pairing, but in this recipe, mild white beans take on a lot of flavor from clams. Spanish chorizo adds a nice contrast. 4 cups cooked white beans, bean broth reserved 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 white onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1/2 cup finely chopped Spanish-style cured chorizo 2 plum tomatoes, chopped 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 pounds small clams, scrubbed well Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish Country-style bread and butter, for serving In large pot, heat beans in their broth over medium-low heat. In large lidded saucepan, warm olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic and salt and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chorizo and cook gently until some of the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and wine and cook to allow the flavors to mingle, 5-6 minutes. Increase heat to medium and add clams. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Uncover the pan and cook until all of the clams open, another few minutes. Remove pan from heat, then remove and discard any clams that failed to open. Add clam mixture to the bean pot and stir very gently until well mixed. Simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to mingle but not get mushy. Ladle into large, shallow bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Set out a large bowl for discarded shells and encourage guests to eat with their fingers. Pass plenty of good bread and creamy butter at the table Serves 4-6. — “The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans, from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen” by Steve Sando with Julia Newberry PG tested So easy to pull together for your next party! 1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Juice and zest of 1 lemon 1 small garlic clove, minced Generous pinch of salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 or 3 tablespoons water, if needed 2 fresh basil leaves, chopped, optional 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves chopped, optional In a food processor, pulse cannellini beans, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt and several grinds of pepper until combined. If it’s too thick, slowly add the water with the food processor running until it is smooth and creamy. Blend in the basil and/or rosemary, if using Serve with veggies, pita or bruschetta. Makes 1 1/2 cups — Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette ©2024 PG Publishing Co. 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