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Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador -- As bitcoin reached historic highs, surpassing $100,000 for the first tim e, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele was triumphant on Thursday about his big bet on the cryptocurrency. The adoption of bitcoin — which has been legal tender in the Central American nation since 2021 — never quite matched the president’s enthusiasm, but the value of the government’s reported investment now stands at more than $600 million. Bitcoin has rallied mightily since Donald Trump’s election victory last month, exceeding the $100,000 mark on Wednesday night, just hours after the president-elect said he intends to nominate cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to be the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Just two years ago, bitcoin’s volatile value fell below $17,000. Bitcoin fell back below the $100,000 by Thursday afternoon, sitting just above $99,000 by 3 p.m. E.T. Bukele on Thursday blamed his beleaguered political opposition for causing many Salvadorans to miss out on the bonanza. There were street protests when the Congress made bitcoin legal tender in June 2021, though that move was not the only motivation for the protesters. The tiny Central American country has long used the dollar as currency, but Bukele promised bitcoin would provide new opportunities for El Salvador’s unbanked and cut out money transfer services from the remittances Salvadorans abroad send home. The government offered $30 in bitcoin to those who signed up for digital wallets. Many did so, but quickly cashed out the cryptocurrency. “It’s important to emphasize that not only did the opposition err resoundingly with bitcoin, but rather, differently from other issues (where they have also been wrong), this time their opposition affected many,” Bukele wrote on Facebook. Bukele drew an "impressive” comment from Elon Musk on the social media platform X Thursday. El Salvador’s former Central Bank President Carlos Acevedo pointed out on Thursday that while there has been a gain, it remains an unrealized one until the government’s bitcoin is sold. That said, he credited Bukele’s administration with doing well on the bitcoin move, especially in light of Trump’s election. Acevedo said “the markets’ optimism that a Trump administration will be friendly with the markets and particularly with bitcoin” explained its sustained rally over the past month. But the cryptocurrency’s volatility was a persistent risk, he said. “The average Salvadoran doesn’t use bitcoin, but obviously there are Salvadorans with economic resources who even before had already invested in bitcoin, but it is a small group,” Acevedo said. Esteban Escamilla, a worker in a clothing store in Santa Tecla, outside the capital San Salvador, said he had cashed out the original $30 of bitcoin offered in 2021. “I don’t use bitcoin because I don’t have (money) to invest and speculate with, but I know it has gone up a lot,” he said, recognizing that he would have more money now if he had kept it in bitcoin. Josefa Torres, 45, said as she was doing her grocery shopping that she didn’t have any bitcoin either. “I took out the money and used it for household expenses,” she said. At the conclusion of meetings between the International Monetary Fund and El Salvador’s government in August, the IMF issued a statement that mentioned the country’s bitcoin holdings. “While many of the risks have not yet materialized, there is joint recognition that further efforts are needed to enhance transparency and mitigate potential fiscal and financial stability risks from the Bitcoin project,” the IMf said.
Game ball, three stars, and snap count analysis: Week 12, Eagles at Rams
PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Newly married and sworn as a Naval officer, Jimmy Carter left his tiny hometown in 1946 hoping to climb the ranks and see the world. Less than a decade later, the death of his father and namesake, a merchant farmer and local politician who went by “Mr. Earl,” prompted the submariner and his wife, Rosalynn, to return to the rural life of Plains, Georgia, they thought they’d escaped. The lieutenant never would be an admiral. Instead, he became commander in chief. Years after his presidency ended in humbling defeat, he would add a Nobel Peace Prize, awarded not for his White House accomplishments but “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” The life of James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th and longest-lived U.S. president, ended Sunday at the age of 100 where it began: Plains, the town of 600 that fueled his political rise, welcomed him after his fall and sustained him during 40 years of service that redefined what it means to be a former president. With the stubborn confidence of an engineer and an optimism rooted in his Baptist faith, Carter described his motivations in politics and beyond in the same way: an almost missionary zeal to solve problems and improve lives. Carter was raised amid racism, abject poverty and hard rural living — realities that shaped both his deliberate politics and emphasis on human rights. “He always felt a responsibility to help people,” said Jill Stuckey, a longtime friend of Carter's in Plains. “And when he couldn’t make change wherever he was, he decided he had to go higher.” Carter's path, a mix of happenstance and calculation , pitted moral imperatives against political pragmatism; and it defied typical labels of American politics, especially caricatures of one-term presidents as failures. “We shouldn’t judge presidents by how popular they are in their day. That's a very narrow way of assessing them," Carter biographer Jonathan Alter told the Associated Press. “We should judge them by how they changed the country and the world for the better. On that score, Jimmy Carter is not in the first rank of American presidents, but he stands up quite well.” Later in life, Carter conceded that many Americans, even those too young to remember his tenure, judged him ineffective for failing to contain inflation or interest rates, end the energy crisis or quickly bring home American hostages in Iran. He gained admirers instead for his work at The Carter Center — advocating globally for public health, human rights and democracy since 1982 — and the decades he and Rosalynn wore hardhats and swung hammers with Habitat for Humanity. Yet the common view that he was better after the Oval Office than in it annoyed Carter, and his allies relished him living long enough to see historians reassess his presidency. “He doesn’t quite fit in today’s terms” of a left-right, red-blue scoreboard, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited the former president multiple times during his own White House bid. At various points in his political career, Carter labeled himself “progressive” or “conservative” — sometimes both at once. His most ambitious health care bill failed — perhaps one of his biggest legislative disappointments — because it didn’t go far enough to suit liberals. Republicans, especially after his 1980 defeat, cast him as a left-wing cartoon. It would be easiest to classify Carter as a centrist, Buttigieg said, “but there’s also something radical about the depth of his commitment to looking after those who are left out of society and out of the economy.” Indeed, Carter’s legacy is stitched with complexities, contradictions and evolutions — personal and political. The self-styled peacemaker was a war-trained Naval Academy graduate who promised Democratic challenger Ted Kennedy that he’d “kick his ass.” But he campaigned with a call to treat everyone with “respect and compassion and with love.” Carter vowed to restore America’s virtue after the shame of Vietnam and Watergate, and his technocratic, good-government approach didn't suit Republicans who tagged government itself as the problem. It also sometimes put Carter at odds with fellow Democrats. The result still was a notable legislative record, with wins on the environment, education, and mental health care. He dramatically expanded federally protected lands, began deregulating air travel, railroads and trucking, and he put human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy. As a fiscal hawk, Carter added a relative pittance to the national debt, unlike successors from both parties. Carter nonetheless struggled to make his achievements resonate with the electorate he charmed in 1976. Quoting Bob Dylan and grinning enthusiastically, he had promised voters he would “never tell a lie.” Once in Washington, though, he led like a joyless engineer, insisting his ideas would become reality and he'd be rewarded politically if only he could convince enough people with facts and logic. This served him well at Camp David, where he brokered peace between Israel’s Menachem Begin and Epypt’s Anwar Sadat, an experience that later sparked the idea of The Carter Center in Atlanta. Carter's tenacity helped the center grow to a global force that monitored elections across five continents, enabled his freelance diplomacy and sent public health experts across the developing world. The center’s wins were personal for Carter, who hoped to outlive the last Guinea worm parasite, and nearly did. As president, though, the approach fell short when he urged consumers beleaguered by energy costs to turn down their thermostats. Or when he tried to be the nation’s cheerleader, beseeching Americans to overcome a collective “crisis of confidence.” Republican Ronald Reagan exploited Carter's lecturing tone with a belittling quip in their lone 1980 debate. “There you go again,” the former Hollywood actor said in response to a wonky answer from the sitting president. “The Great Communicator” outpaced Carter in all but six states. Carter later suggested he “tried to do too much, too soon” and mused that he was incompatible with Washington culture: media figures, lobbyists and Georgetown social elites who looked down on the Georgians and their inner circle as “country come to town.” Carter carefully navigated divides on race and class on his way to the Oval Office. Born Oct. 1, 1924 , Carter was raised in the mostly Black community of Archery, just outside Plains, by a progressive mother and white supremacist father. Their home had no running water or electricity but the future president still grew up with the relative advantages of a locally prominent, land-owning family in a system of Jim Crow segregation. He wrote of President Franklin Roosevelt’s towering presence and his family’s Democratic Party roots, but his father soured on FDR, and Jimmy Carter never campaigned or governed as a New Deal liberal. He offered himself as a small-town peanut farmer with an understated style, carrying his own luggage, bunking with supporters during his first presidential campaign and always using his nickname. And he began his political career in a whites-only Democratic Party. As private citizens, he and Rosalynn supported integration as early as the 1950s and believed it inevitable. Carter refused to join the White Citizens Council in Plains and spoke out in his Baptist church against denying Black people access to worship services. “This is not my house; this is not your house,” he said in a churchwide meeting, reminding fellow parishioners their sanctuary belonged to God. Yet as the appointed chairman of Sumter County schools he never pushed to desegregate, thinking it impractical after the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board decision. And while presidential candidate Carter would hail the 1965 Voting Rights Act, signed by fellow Democrat Lyndon Johnson when Carter was a state senator, there is no record of Carter publicly supporting it at the time. Carter overcame a ballot-stuffing opponent to win his legislative seat, then lost the 1966 governor's race to an arch-segregationist. He won four years later by avoiding explicit mentions of race and campaigning to the right of his rival, who he mocked as “Cufflinks Carl” — the insult of an ascendant politician who never saw himself as part the establishment. Carter’s rural and small-town coalition in 1970 would match any victorious Republican electoral map in 2024. Once elected, though, Carter shocked his white conservative supporters — and landed on the cover of Time magazine — by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Before making the jump to Washington, Carter befriended the family of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., whom he’d never sought out as he eyed the governor’s office. Carter lamented his foot-dragging on school integration as a “mistake.” But he also met, conspicuously, with Alabama's segregationist Gov. George Wallace to accept his primary rival's endorsement ahead of the 1976 Democratic convention. “He very shrewdly took advantage of his own Southerness,” said Amber Roessner, a University of Tennessee professor and expert on Carter’s campaigns. A coalition of Black voters and white moderate Democrats ultimately made Carter the last Democratic presidential nominee to sweep the Deep South. Then, just as he did in Georgia, he used his power in office to appoint more non-whites than all his predecessors had, combined. He once acknowledged “the secret shame” of white Americans who didn’t fight segregation. But he also told Alter that doing more would have sacrificed his political viability – and thus everything he accomplished in office and after. King's daughter, Bernice King, described Carter as wisely “strategic” in winning higher offices to enact change. “He was a leader of conscience,” she said in an interview. Rosalynn Carter, who died on Nov. 19 at the age of 96, was identified by both husband and wife as the “more political” of the pair; she sat in on Cabinet meetings and urged him to postpone certain priorities, like pressing the Senate to relinquish control of the Panama Canal. “Let that go until the second term,” she would sometimes say. The president, recalled her former aide Kathy Cade, retorted that he was “going to do what’s right” even if “it might cut short the time I have.” Rosalynn held firm, Cade said: “She’d remind him you have to win to govern.” Carter also was the first president to appoint multiple women as Cabinet officers. Yet by his own telling, his career sprouted from chauvinism in the Carters' early marriage: He did not consult Rosalynn when deciding to move back to Plains in 1953 or before launching his state Senate bid a decade later. Many years later, he called it “inconceivable” that he didn’t confer with the woman he described as his “full partner,” at home, in government and at The Carter Center. “We developed a partnership when we were working in the farm supply business, and it continued when Jimmy got involved in politics,” Rosalynn Carter told AP in 2021. So deep was their trust that when Carter remained tethered to the White House in 1980 as 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, it was Rosalynn who campaigned on her husband’s behalf. “I just loved it,” she said, despite the bitterness of defeat. Fair or not, the label of a disastrous presidency had leading Democrats keep their distance, at least publicly, for many years, but Carter managed to remain relevant, writing books and weighing in on societal challenges. He lamented widening wealth gaps and the influence of money in politics. He voted for democratic socialist Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in 2016, and later declared that America had devolved from fully functioning democracy to “oligarchy.” Yet looking ahead to 2020, with Sanders running again, Carter warned Democrats not to “move to a very liberal program,” lest they help re-elect President Donald Trump. Carter scolded the Republican for his serial lies and threats to democracy, and chided the U.S. establishment for misunderstanding Trump’s populist appeal. He delighted in yearly convocations with Emory University freshmen, often asking them to guess how much he’d raised in his two general election campaigns. “Zero,” he’d gesture with a smile, explaining the public financing system candidates now avoid so they can raise billions. Carter still remained quite practical in partnering with wealthy corporations and foundations to advance Carter Center programs. Carter recognized that economic woes and the Iran crisis doomed his presidency, but offered no apologies for appointing Paul Volcker as the Federal Reserve chairman whose interest rate hikes would not curb inflation until Reagan's presidency. He was proud of getting all the hostages home without starting a shooting war, even though Tehran would not free them until Reagan's Inauguration Day. “Carter didn’t look at it” as a failure, Alter emphasized. “He said, ‘They came home safely.’ And that’s what he wanted.” Well into their 90s, the Carters greeted visitors at Plains’ Maranatha Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday School and where he will have his last funeral before being buried on family property alongside Rosalynn . Carter, who made the congregation’s collection plates in his woodworking shop, still garnered headlines there, calling for women’s rights within religious institutions, many of which, he said, “subjugate” women in church and society. Carter was not one to dwell on regrets. “I am at peace with the accomplishments, regret the unrealized goals and utilize my former political position to enhance everything we do,” he wrote around his 90th birthday. The politician who had supposedly hated Washington politics also enjoyed hosting Democratic presidential contenders as public pilgrimages to Plains became advantageous again. Carter sat with Buttigieg for the final time March 1, 2020, hours before the Indiana mayor ended his campaign and endorsed eventual winner Joe Biden. “He asked me how I thought the campaign was going,” Buttigieg said, recalling that Carter flashed his signature grin and nodded along as the young candidate, born a year after Carter left office, “put the best face” on the walloping he endured the day before in South Carolina. Never breaking his smile, the 95-year-old host fired back, “I think you ought to drop out.” “So matter of fact,” Buttigieg said with a laugh. “It was somehow encouraging.” Carter had lived enough, won plenty and lost enough to take the long view. “He talked a lot about coming from nowhere,” Buttigieg said, not just to attain the presidency but to leverage “all of the instruments you have in life” and “make the world more peaceful.” In his farewell address as president, Carter said as much to the country that had embraced and rejected him. “The struggle for human rights overrides all differences of color, nation or language,” he declared. “Those who hunger for freedom, who thirst for human dignity and who suffer for the sake of justice — they are the patriots of this cause.” Carter pledged to remain engaged with and for them as he returned “home to the South where I was born and raised,” home to Plains, where that young lieutenant had indeed become “a fellow citizen of the world.” —- Bill Barrow, based in Atlanta, has covered national politics including multiple presidential campaigns for the AP since 2012.Jayden Daniels and the offense stalling have the Commanders on a three-game losing streakDaily Post Nigeria Oil production: Nigeria targets 2m barrels per day by December 31 — NNPCL Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport Business Oil production: Nigeria targets 2m barrels per day by December 31 — NNPCL Published on November 25, 2024 By Matthew Atungwu The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, said it is working closely with relevant stakeholders to boost crude oil production to over two million barrels per day, bpd, by the end of 2024. NNPCL Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, made this known in a statement on Monday while debunking reports on production disparity figures supplied by the company and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Company, NUPRC. There were reports earlier alleging that the 1.54 million bpd for September cited by NUPRC was far below the 1.8 million bpd for November cited by NNPCL. However, Soneye said there was no disparity between production given by both stakeholders. The statement further explained that the seeming disparity is a result of the difference in the period of coverage in the reports—whereas the NNPCL figure was the peak production for October 2024, the NUPRC figure was the average production for September 2024. “The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has clarified that there is no discrepancy between its crude oil production figures and those supplied by the regulatory agency, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Company (NUPRC),” the statement read in part. According to the statement, the Chief Executive Officer of NUPRC, Mr. Gbenga Komolafe, confirmed this at the recent 42nd Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists Annual International Conference & Exhibition in Lagos, where he disclosed that Nigeria’s crude oil output, including condensate, increased by 16.56 per cent to 1.8m bpd in October 2024, from 1.54 million bpd in September 2024. Represented by the Executive Commissioner, Development & Production, Enorense Amadasu, the CEO of NUPRC was quoted as saying: “This represents an increase of 253,710 bpd to reach 1.8 million bpd in October, up from 1.54 million bpd in September 2024, representing 16.56 per cent month-on-month rise. NUPRC also confirmed at the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists event that the 1.8m bpd feat pushed Nigeria’s production beyond the 1.5m bpd quota of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). “There is, therefore, no disparity or discrepancy in the production figures by NNPCL and the regulator,” the statement added. Related Topics: NNPCL oil production Don't Miss Nigerian govt excited over GDP growth of 3.46% despite inflationary trends You may like FIRS, Customs, NNPCL, other agencies exceed 2024 revenue target Import licence: NNPCL asks court to strike out Dangote Refinery’s suit Energy group laments high importation of fuel amid NNPCL decision to patronise local refineries Coalition demands probe of alleged N3tn fuel importation fraud by NNPCL, business partners NNPCL vows to hit 2mbpd crude production in Nigeria by December South-South group reacts to Tinubu’s latest appointments in NNPCL Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media Ltd
FARGO — South Prairie-Max and Medina-Pingree-Buchanan both won their first-round matches Thursday during the North Dakota Class B state volleyball tournament at the Fargodome. No. 2-seeded South Prairie-Max earned a 25-14, 25-15, 27-25 victory against Kenmare-Bowbells in the state quarterfinals. No. 3 seed Medina-Pingree-Buchanan scored a 25-15, 25-9, 25-17 win against Central McLean to advance to the state semifinals. South Prairie-Max and Medina-Pingree-Buchanan are slated to play at 5 p.m. Friday in the state semifinals. Langdon Area-Munich and Dickinson Trinity and Fargo Oak Grove and Thompson are slated to play in the other state quarterfinals. Below are scenes from Thursday's opening-round Class B matches (check back at Inforum.com for updates) :Partsol Secures Technology-Enabled Service Subscription with the US Army
Mahayuti's Power Play: BJP to Lead Maharashtra as CM, Ceremony Set for December 5Jayden Daniels and the offense stalling have the Commanders on a three-game losing streakLAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Andrej Jakimovski converted an off-balance layup with 8 seconds left, and Colorado handed No. 2 UConn its second loss in two days at the Maui Invitational, beating the two-time defending national champion 73-72 on Tuesday. A day after a 99-97 overtime loss to Memphis that left Huskies coach Dan Hurley livid about the officiating, UConn (4-2) couldn't shake the unranked Buffaloes (5-1), who shot 62.5% in the second half. With Colorado trailing 72-71 in the closing seconds, Jakimovski drove to his right and absorbed contact from UConn’s Liam McNeeley. He tossed the ball toward the glass and the shot was good as he fell to the floor. Hassan Diarra missed a 3-pointer just ahead of the buzzer for UConn. Elijah Malone and Julian Hammond III scored 16 points each for Colorado, and Jakimovski had 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Huskies led 40-32 at halftime and by nine points early in the second half, but Colorado quickly closed that gap. McNeeley led UConn with 20 points. UConn: Hurley's squad is facing its first adversity in quite a while. The Huskies arrived on Maui with a 17-game winning streak that dated to February. Colorado: The Buffaloes were held to season lows in points (56) and field goal percentage (37%) in a 16-point loss to Michigan State on Monday but shot 51.1% overall and 56.3% (9 of 16) from 3-point range against the Huskies. Hurley called timeout to set up the Huskies' final possession, but the Buffs forced them to take a contested 3. Colorado had a 28-26 rebounding advantage after being out-rebounded 42-29 by Michigan State. Colorado will play the Iowa-Dayton winner in the fifth-place game on Wednesday. UConn will play the loser of that matchup in the seventh-place game. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball .Central 1 reports 2024 third quarter financial results
A day after a 99-97 overtime loss to Memphis that left Huskies coach Dan Hurley livid about the officiating, UConn (4-2) couldn't shake the unranked Buffaloes (5-1), who shot 62.5% in the second half. With Colorado trailing 72-71 in the closing seconds, Jakimovski drove to his right and absorbed contact from UConn’s Liam McNeeley. He tossed the ball toward the glass and the shot was good as he fell to the floor. Hassan Diarra missed a 3-pointer just ahead of the buzzer for UConn. Elijah Malone and Julian Hammond III scored 16 points each for Colorado, and Jakimovski had 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Huskies led 40-32 at halftime and by nine points early in the second half, but Colorado quickly closed that gap. McNeeley led UConn with 20 points. UConn: Hurley's squad is facing its first adversity in quite a while. The Huskies arrived on Maui with a 17-game winning streak that dated to February. Colorado: The Buffaloes were held to season lows in points (56) and field goal percentage (37%) in a 16-point loss to Michigan State on Monday but shot 51.1% overall and 56.3% (9 of 16) from 3-point range against the Huskies. Hurley called timeout to set up the Huskies' final possession, but the Buffs forced them to take a contested 3. Colorado had a 28-26 rebounding advantage after being out-rebounded 42-29 by Michigan State. Colorado will play the Iowa-Dayton winner in the fifth-place game on Wednesday. UConn will play the loser of that matchup in the seventh-place game. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball .ONE of the UK's oldest comic book shops has announced its huge closure sale as an "epic" 43 years of business comes to an end. Mega City Comics was set up by university student Martin Kravetz in 1981. Martin is retiring after 43 years in business , 37 of which were in the same Camden-based shop. The final clearance sale will drop in early January but customers will need to be quick to bag the best bargains, an online statement revealed. Dealers, bulk buyers and re-sellers have also been advised to email in advance if they are interested in bulk orders of 1,000 to 10,000 items. The store hoped to pass on the mantle to a new owner but unfortunately couldn't find one. read more in store closings Despite this, the team at Magic City Comic say they are "happy to discuss" funding with potential last-minute buyers. In fact, at least one other comic book retailer in London has shown interest in the store, Bleeding Cool reports. Authors, editors and artists such as Alan Moore, Jamie Hewlett, Pat Mills, Simon Bisley, Brain Bolland, Gilbert Shelton, Craig Thompson and Matt Wagner have all made guest appearances. And Martin even taught The Walking Dead 's Andrew Lincoln some lessons about the character he would end up playing - Rick Grimes. Most read in Money With a new owner, the store could even hope to regain its King Of Camden honour of excellence in local retailing title, which it first earned in 2010. Posting to social media the store said: "The end of an era! "Mega City Comics was established in 1981, and has been operating from our shop in Camden Town since 1987. "After 43 years (and 37 years in the same shop), Martin, the owner, is taking retirement, and the shop will be closing at the end of Jan 2025. "We had originally hoped to pass on the mantle to a new owner, but a suitable candidate has unfortunately, not been forthcoming (although do read to the end!). "It has been a joyous ride (for Martin, all of his adult life), and we have had some great staff and some great customers (a crazy number who have been here pretty much from the start, and stuck with us throughout). "So it is a bitter sweet event to be closing the doors. "The mail-order/standing order service will be winding up at the end of the year, and final parcels will be going out no later than early Jan 25. "We are not quite finished yet, and we will be going out with an upbeat bang! So if you can make it into the shop over the next two months, there will be some once-in-a-lifetime deals to be had. "The back room back issue stores are being opened up, and the shop is bursting to the seams with comic goodness, ranging all the way back to 1940's Golden Age, through classic Silver and Bronze, and right up to modern day books . "We have always offered up a huge range, but for the final run, there is more on show and available than ever before! "Fine tune those wants lists, raid the piggy bank, and head on in and fill your boots . "The final clearance sale will be launched in early Jan, but we recommend you get in earlier than that, and get your choice pick of everything we have, as there are deals to be had NOW and negotiations to be made! READ MORE SUN STORIES "Dealers, bulk buyers and re-sellers – we will have some clearance offers on excess stock available soon – drop us an email if interested in taking 1,000 plus to 10,000 items. "Wholesale inquiries are by invitation only – you can't just drop in unannounced – but we welcome you registering any interest now."
USDC And CCTP To Launch On Aptos, With Stripe Adding Aptos Support In Crypto ProductsIn today’s fast-paced world, the intersection of finance and technology is crafting unexpected partnerships. One new concern in the gaming industry is the link between Amazon’s stock price (“亚马逊股价”) and the future of cloud gaming. This connection is becoming increasingly significant as Amazon Web Services (AWS) ventures deeper into the gaming sector. Leveraging AWS technology, Amazon is setting the stage for cutting-edge gaming platforms, disrupting traditional paradigms. As more companies integrate AWS into their gaming infrastructure, fluctuations in Amazon’s stock directly impact the growth potential of cloud gaming services. This bold move places Amazon in direct competition with established players like Microsoft and Google in the cloud gaming space. A significant investment in new gaming technologies could drive up Amazon’s stock, encouraging more developers to rely on its cloud services. As streaming becomes the new frontier in gaming, Amazon’s financial performance might influence broader industry standards and practices. This trend poses an intriguing question: Could the future price of Amazon shares stimulate innovations in gaming technology, or is the industry too volatile for any direct correlation? The influence of Amazon’s stock price on the gaming ecosystem is a new narrative in an ever-evolving tale. As companies continue to adapt to cloud-based models, the role that Amazon’s financial health plays in shaping gaming’s future is both a topic of speculation and a voice of innovation. Amazon’s Stock Price: A New Force in Cloud Gaming’s Future? In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, the blending of finance and technology is forging new bonds, especially in the gaming sector. A focal point of exploration is the intriguing link between Amazon’s stock price and the future trajectory of cloud gaming, a relationship that gains prominence as Amazon Web Services (AWS) solidifies its footprint in the gaming world. AWS’s influence in the gaming sector cannot be understated. By harnessing AWS’s sophisticated cloud infrastructure, Amazon is on the path to redefining gaming platforms and challenging conventional norms. This strategic approach positions Amazon in direct rivalry with tech behemoths such as Microsoft and Google within the cloud gaming sphere. As more gaming companies adopt AWS technology, variations in Amazon’s stock valuation are increasingly perceived as barometers of growth potential for cloud gaming services. The Implication of Stock Prices in Gaming Innovation The relationship between Amazon’s financial health and its stock price is pivotal, particularly because substantial investment in gaming technologies has the potential to propel Amazon’s valuation upward. With cloud gaming as the new battleground, Amazon’s performance on the stock market could become an influential factor shaping industry benchmarks and practices. FAQs: The Link Between Stock Prices and Cloud Gaming Q: How does Amazon’s stock price affect cloud gaming? A: Changes in Amazon’s stock price can impact investor confidence, potentially influencing funding and innovation within its cloud gaming initiatives facilitated by AWS. Q: Is Amazon a serious contender in the cloud gaming market? A: Yes, Amazon’s efforts to integrate advanced AWS technologies into gaming depict it as a formidable competitor to Microsoft and Google. Q: Could fluctuations in Amazon’s financial performance alter gaming industry standards? A: Yes, Amazon’s financial health could dictate industry trends, especially with cloud gaming poised as the next major leap in interactive entertainment. Comparative Analysis: Amazon vs. Competitors in Cloud Gaming While Amazon leverages AWS for gaming, it’s essential to compare its progress with other market players. Microsoft, through its Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Google’s Stadia are major competitors offering extensive cloud-based gaming solutions. Unlike Amazon, Microsoft benefits from a longstanding presence in console gaming, while Google focuses on integrating gaming with its vast ecosystem of services. Economic Trends and Predictions for Cloud Gaming As cloud gaming gains traction, economic forecasts suggest a surge in market demand for seamless, real-time gaming experiences. Amazon’s continued investment in AWS-driven gaming solutions could propel the company to the forefront of this predicted growth spurt. Challenges and Limitations Despite these promising prospects, the industry faces hurdles such as latency issues, licensing complexities, and high initial investment costs. Amazon’s adaptability to these challenges will determine its long-term success in the cloud gaming arena. For further insights on Amazon’s technological innovations, visit the main Amazon domain.
In his book published this summer, “The War on Warriors,” Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, described being called up to active duty to guard the streets of Washington, D.C., during the Black Lives Matter protests that followed the police killing of George Floyd. He acknowledged protesters’ First Amendment rights but also seethed at “violent professional agitators” and “armies of armed and violent left-wing extremists” who he said behaved “like twenty-first century hoplites,” referring to a term for well-armed citizen soldiers in ancient Greece. In a recurring theme for the man who might soon lead history’s most powerful military, he fantasized about treating Americans like overseas combatants. “Most of us [National Guard soldiers] wanted to fight back,” Hegseth wrote. “Within ten minutes, I became one of them. As your muscles ache and your eyes fill with sweat and dust, you begin to seek closure with a sense of resolve. We could easily have pushed this line back, snatched the leaders or the loudest protesters in Antifa, and sucked them back behind the lines.” “If this engagement were to occur in Damarra or Kandahar,” Hegseth continued, “we would be home by breakfast.” Hegseth, a Princeton grad who worked as an analyst at Bear Stearns, deployed overseas three times between 2004 and 2012 — to Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan — before becoming a Fox News personality and an advocate for accused and convicted war criminals . As Trump’s pick for Pentagon chief, his nomination faces turbulence in the Senate both for his far-right beliefs and for an allegation of sexual assault made against him , which Hegseth denies, though his attorney has acknowledged a settlement agreement involving paying his accuser not to tell her story publicly. In “The War on Warriors,” Hegseth painted the military as a civilizing force for America’s young men. “Who knows what the untrained and unconstrained world would have made of these alpha males, but the military made great warriors–and now great citizens,” he wrote of two friends, “masculine football-playing studs” who served their country. But he’s also explicit that the military — and therefore America — is under attack from supposed left-wing ideologies, and that the military should fight back against the “woke” tide just as it would a foreign enemy. America, he said, is “in a cold civil war” and under attack by “a confederacy of radicals.” In the book, he dedicated considerable time railing against modern laws of war and called on the United States to rewrite them and “fight by its own rules.” Hegseth’s conception of the American left as the enemy within is the defining theme of “The War on Warriors.” On its surface, the book answers the question, “How did the military allow itself to go woke?” According to Hegseth, the existence of women in combat roles, the presence of transgender people in the military, the requirement that soldiers take the “experimental” COVID-19 vaccine, his perception of affirmative action in military promotions, the renaming of military bases named after Confederate generals, and the military’s efforts to root out violent extremism — an effort that affected him at one point — all flow from the same source. You guessed it: It’s the Marxists in academia, hell-bent on shoving “DEI” and “CRT” — diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory, respectively — down everyone’s throats, along with an “unholy alliance of political ideologues and Pentagon pussies [that] has left our warriors without real defenders in Washington.” The effects are obvious, according to Hegseth’s book. “When I think about my career in uniform, in almost every instance where there has been poor leadership or people in positions they’re not qualified for, it was based on either the reality or the perception of a ‘diversity hire,’” Hegseth wrote. On the other hand, he claimed that woke military bureaucrats have “said Trump supporters are extremists, full stop.” He also linked the supposed push toward progressivism in the military to recruiting troubles. “For the past three years, the Pentagon–across all branches–has embraced the social justice messages of gender equality, racial diversity, climate stupidity, vaccine worship, and the LGBTQA+ alphabet soup in their recruiting pushes,” Hegseth wrote. “Only one problem: there just aren’t enough trannies from Brooklyn or lesbians from San Francisco who want to join the 82nd Airborne.” Hegseth’s view that “woke” ideology is specifically weakening the military — and America overall — is the generic Republican Party position in 2024. It remains to be seen if Trump bans transgender people from the military , bans women from combat roles, or pursues Hegseth’s other ideological battles once in office. Elsewhere in the book, Hegseth described fighting “a war on two fronts” — against both “radical Islamist ideology” abroad and also left-wing “domestic enemies at home.” Just like “an enemy at war,” Hegseth wrote, “The radical Left never stops moving and planning. They do not respect cease-fires, do not abide by the rules of warfare, and do not respect anything except total defeat of their enemy – and then total control.” In the book, he proposed “a frontal assault” to reclaim the military from the left. And he’s quite explicit this isn’t a political difference of opinion: In the military, Hegseth wrote, “The expectation is that we will defend [the Constitution] against all enemies–both foreign and domestic. Not political opponents, but real enemies. (Yes, Marxists are our enemies.)” He added in the next paragraph that the left wants America to turn away from the Constitution and “let America’s dynasty fade away.” “Those who push DEI/CRT ideology,” Hegseth wrote, are not only hypocrites and Marxists but “traitors.” While regular citizens have First Amendment protections for bad ideas, military leaders who seek to retrain soldiers based on those ideas “are guilty of coercive violence against their neighbors,” he argued. “The Constitution is our lodestar,” he added later. “Marxists hate the Constitution. DEI and CRT are Marxist philosophies. Therefore DEI and CRT are enemies of our Constitution – domestic enemies.” Perhaps most notably in a book obsessed with fighting against perceived “domestic enemies,” Hegseth spent a considerable amount of time in “The War on Warriors” criticizing the military’s rules of engagement, and modern international laws of warfare more generally. Military lawyers and limited rules of engagement, he posited, are the real reasons America can’t seem to take its gloves off and win a war. Speaking on his time in Iraq, for example, Hegseth recalled a judge advocate general — or, as Hegseth wrote, “jagoff” — telling his men that they were not allowed to fire on a hypothetical man carrying a rocket-propelled grenade launcher “until that RPG becomes a threat. It must be pointed at you with the intent to fire.” Hegseth told his men to disregard the instruction: “Men, if you see an enemy who you believe is a threat, you engage and destroy the threat. That’s a bullshit rule that’s going to get people killed.” “Our enemies should get bullets, not attorneys,” he wrote later. “The fact that we don’t do what is necessary is the reason wars become endless. Modern wars never end, because we won’t finish them.” Don't let this be the end of the free press. The free press is under attack — and America's future hangs in the balance. 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So what is “necessary” to win modern wars? The likely future defense secretary has an answer — in a chapter called “The Laws of War, for Winners.” In it, Hegseth decried “hopelessly outdated international laws,” which he argued clash with ancient theories of proportionality and just war, particularly when groups like Al Qaeda don’t respect the Geneva Conventions. “If our warriors are forced to follow rules arbitrarily and asked to sacrifice more lives so that international tribunals feel better about themselves, aren’t we just better off winning our wars according to our own rules?! Who cares what other countries think,” he wrote. “The question we have to ask ourselves is, if we are forced to fight, are we going to fight to win? Or will we fight to make leftists feel good – which means not winning and fighting forever.” In the same chapter, he took particular issue with a 2023 update to the Department of Defense’s Law of War Manual — that commanders and other decision-makers must assume people are civilians if there is nothing indicating they are combatants — writing: “In short, this means our troops are going to have to hesitate every time they fire.” “Our boys should not fight by rules written by dignified men in mahogany rooms eighty years ago,” Hegseth wrote. “America should fight by its own rules. And we should fight to win, or not go at all.” Related From Our Partner
PHILANTHROPIST Julia Rausing, who died earlier this year, left an eye-watering £58 million in her will. Julia, who died of cancer aged 63 in April, was the wife of Swedish food packaging titan Hans Kristian Rausing . A trust set up in her name after she died has pledged to donate £100 million to UK charities in the next year, including £10 million to the Royal Opera House , £5 million to The National Gallery and £1 million to Gloucester Cathedral. Figures from the probate office show she left a gross estate of £58,815,688 reduced to £58,518,112 after her bills were paid. In her will, made a month before her death, she asked to be buried in the church at Lasborough, Gloucestershire , wearing her wedding ring, and left her two nieces and nephew, and great nieces and great nephews, £250,000 each. She left £30,000 each to her five god-children. Read more on UK news She left the rest of her estate to Hans, whom she met in 2002 when she was a senior director at auction house Christie’s . In a heartbreaking tribute, Hans, heir to Tetra Pak, said: “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of my beloved wife Julia after an extended illness . “Julia dedicated her life to her family and charitable causes, and she will be missed by all who knew her. “She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy across many charities which we will continue in her name.” Most read in The Sun The couple donated £330million in more than 1,000 grants through the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust which they co-founded in 2014. Their philanthropy included £50million to UK charities. Their charity extended across the health and well-being, welfare and education plus the arts and culture sectors. Julia worked at Christie’s auctioneers before she met Hans. She is survived by her husband, four stepchildren, her sister Lavinia Verney and mother Lady Helen Delves Broughton. One friend told The Independent: “They were palpably in love and affectionate towards each other and were a very touching couple who focused most of their time on how to give away money to those in need. “They were also discreetly social while she also for many years had to battle cancer. “Without a doubt, she was responsible for bringing Hans back from appalling grief and helping him find joy in life again.” Hans’s first wife Eva, mother to his four kids, was found dead wrapped in bedding at the couple’s squalid Belgravia flat in July 2012. He had hidden her body for two months before being charged with delaying her burial and sentenced to ten months’ in prison. A coroner ruled Eva died around May 7 from the effects of cocaine on a damaged heart. READ MORE SUN STORIES At the time she was one of the richest women in Britain . Professor Hans Rausing, Hans’s father, died aged 93 in August 2019.Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. president who led the nation from 1977 to 1981, has died at the age of 100. The Carter Center announced Sunday that his father died at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by family. His death comes about a year after his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, passed away. Despite receiving hospice care at the time, he attended the memorials for Rosalynn while sitting in a wheelchair, covered by a blanket. He was also wheeled outside on Oct. 1 to watch a military flyover in celebration of his 100th birthday. The Carter Center said in February 2023 that the former president and his family decided he would no longer seek medical treatment following several short hospital stays for an undisclosed illness. Carter became the longest-living president in 2019, surpassing George H.W. Bush, who died at age 94 in 2018. Carter also had a long post-presidency, living 43 years following his White House departure. RELATED STORY: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter: A love story for the ages Before becoming president Carter began his adult life in the military, getting a degree at the U.S. Naval Academy, and rose to the rank of lieutenant. He then studied reactor technology and nuclear physics at Union College and served as senior officer of the pre-commissioning crew on a nuclear submarine. Following the death of his father, Carter returned to Georgia to tend to his family's farm and related businesses. During this time, he became a community leader by serving on local boards. He used this experience to elevate him to his first elected office in 1962 in the Georgia Senate. After losing his first gubernatorial election in 1966, he won his second bid in 1970, becoming the state’s 76th governor. As a relative unknown nationally, Carter used the nation’s sour sentiment toward politics to win the Democratic nomination. He then bested sitting president Gerald Ford in November 1976 to win the presidency. Carter battles high inflation, energy crisis With the public eager for a change following the Watergate era, Carter took a more hands-on approach to governing. This, however, meant he became the public face of a number of issues facing the U.S. in the late 1970s, most notably America’s energy crisis. He signed the Department of Energy Organization Act, creating the first new cabinet role in government in over a decade. Carter advocated for alternative energy sources and even installed solar panels on the White House roof. During this time, the public rebuked attempts to ration energy. Amid rising energy costs, inflation soared nearly 9% annually during Carter's presidency. This led to a recession before the 1980 election. Carter also encountered the Iran Hostage Crisis in the final year of his presidency when 52 American citizens were captured. An attempt to rescue the Americans failed in April 1980, resulting in the death of eight service members. With compounding crises, Carter lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan in 1980 as he could only win six states. Carter’s impact after leaving the White House Carter returned to Georgia and opened the Carter Center, which is focused on national and international issues of public policy – namely conflict resolution. Carter and the Center have been involved in a number of international disputes, including in Syria, Israel, Mali and Sudan. The group has also worked to independently monitor elections and prevent elections from becoming violent. Carter and his wife were the most visible advocates for Habitat for Humanity. The organization that helps build and restore homes for low- and middle-income families has benefited from the Carters’ passion for the organization. Habitat for Humanity estimates Carter has worked alongside 104,000 volunteers in 14 countries to build 4,390 houses. “Like other Habitat volunteers, I have learned that our greatest blessings come when we are able to improve the lives of others, and this is especially true when those others are desperately poor or in need,” Carter said in a Q&A on the Habitat for Humanity website. Carter also continued teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown well into his 90s. Attendees would line up for hours, coming from all parts of the U.S., to attend Carter’s classes. Carter is survived by his four children.
