A VAN-lifer has revealed how he bought a used white Citreon van on Facebook Marketplace and moved in. Harry Gilbert, 24, packed in his busy London life in exchange for a home on wheels to save thousands on rent. The Isle of Man native was living in Putney, London, when he started working remotely and decided to take the plunge. . He told The Sun: "I started working remote and thought there's no point me being here." So he packed his bags, moved home, and bought a Citroen Relay 06 on Facebook Marketplace for £1,600. Over the course of a year, Harry built the bed and cupboards from scratch but used flatpack furniture for the rest of his home. READ MORE ON MOTORS He shared the process via YouTube, and TikTok where he's racked up 198,000 followers. Harry also installed a gaming PC in his van, this is an internet satellite known as a Starlink, along with solar panels to enable him to work remotely. The van is also equipped with a stove, fridge and a toilet/seating area. In total, his tiny-home cost £10,000. Most read in Motors Harry spends around £1,000 a month - £400 on cash withdrawals, £220 on fuel, £200 on groceries and £180 on internet/subscriptions. He brings in £1,200 from work. The TikTokker says he's now completed nine months of vanlife and visited 12 different countries. He said: "For me, it's just a different way of living. "I know people talk about the rat race - but times are changing and a lot of people work remotely now. "People can get so sucked up in it [London life] they kind of forget it [van life] is possible. Harry believes people should take advantage of working remotely and that freedom is "the best thing". He said: "I get to go where I want, do what I want, work when I want. So, I think that's rich in itself." But the TikToker admitted he does struggle - one downside, he claimed, is loneliness. He explained: "For the first couple of weeks travelling around Europe I didn't really have much contact with people. "I was kind of by myself the whole time and there were times when that was very challenging. "I don't really do many touristy things, or go to any touristy places, I like to distance myself and go to to places that not many tourists go." Harry doesn't really plan his routes but uses an app called Park 4 Night to pick a nice spot for the night. Another downside is "bad weather", he says. The TikToker recalled the night that led him to consider whether van life was for him. During the early hours of the morning, on a stormy night on the Isle of Man, Harry's Starlink flew off the van roof and smashed against the ground. Feeling tired and unwell, Harry got up to retrieve the pieces. He added: "That was probably the only time I have debated van life." On the other hand, there are many pros to van life. He explained: "You can book a holiday and it not be nice but you're stuck there because you booked the holiday. "But with a van, you can go somewhere and if you aren't feeling it or don't really like it, you can just drive somewhere else. "You can also visit more places, it really is the freedom of it." READ MORE SUN STORIES Harry isn't thinking too deeply into the future just yet but hopes to find somewhere off-grid to live in. His plan for now is just to "go with the flow".A judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women's volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. The ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to compete in the Mountain West Conference women's championship opening this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes in a lawsuit filed by nine current players against the Mountain West Conference challenging the league's policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans woman volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player's name because she has not commented publicly on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Crews' ruling referred to the athlete as an "alleged transgender" player and noted that no defendant disputed that the San Jose State roster includes a transgender woman player. San Jose State will "continue to support its student-athletes and reject discrimination in all forms," the university said in a statement, confirming that all its student-athletes are eligible to participate under NCAA and conference rules. "We are gratified that the Court rejected an eleventh-hour attempt to change those rules. Our team looks forward to competing in the Mountain West volleyball tournament this week." The conference did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The players filed a notice for emergency appeal with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Crews said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a loss in league standings. He also refused a request to re-seed the tournament without the forfeited losses. The judge said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 -– making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season's awareness of her reported identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a major election year. Crews' ruling also said injunctions are meant to prevent harm, but in this case, he argued, the harm has already occurred. The games have been forfeited, the tournament has been seeded, the teams have made travel plans and the participants have confirmed they're playing. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. Colorado State is seeded first and San Jose State, second. The teams split their regular-season matches and both get byes into Friday's semifinals. San Jose State will play the winner of Wednesday's match between Utah State and Boise State — teams that both forfeited matches to SJSU during the regular season. Boise State associate athletic director Chris Kutz declined to comment on whether the Broncos would play SJSU if they won their first-round tournament game. Utah State officials did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The conference tournament winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. San Jose State coach Todd Kress, whose team has not competed in the national tournament since 2001, has said his team has been getting "messages of hate" and that has taken a toll on his players. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official conference standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada's players stated they "refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes," without elaborating. Nevada did not qualify for the conference tournament. The nine current players and others now suing the Mountain West Conference, the California State University Board of Trustees and others include San Jose State senior setter and co-captain Brooke Slusser. The teammate Slusser says is transgender hits the volleyball with more force than others on the team, raising fear during practices of suffering concussions from a head hit, the complaint says. The Independent Council on Women's Sports is funding a separate lawsuit against the NCAA for allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports. Both lawsuits claim the landmark 1972 federal antidiscrimination law known as Title IX prohibits transgender women in women's sports. Title IX prohibits sexual discrimination in federally funded education; Slusser is a plaintiff in both lawsuits. Several circuit courts have used a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to conclude that discriminating against someone based on their transgender status or sexual orientation is sex-based discrimination, Crews wrote. That means case law does not prove the "likelihood of success" needed to grant an injunction. An NCAA policy that subjects transgender participation to the rules of sports governing bodies took effect this academic year. USA Volleyball says a trans woman must suppress testosterone for 12 months before competing. The NCAA has not flagged any issues with San Jose State. The Republican governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming have made public statements in support of the team cancellations, citing fairness in women's sports. President-elect Donald Trump likewise has spoken out against allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports. Crews was a magistrate judge in Colorado's U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him as a federal judge in January.
Airports and highways are expected to be jam-packed during Thanksgiving week, a holiday period likely to end with another record day for air travel in the United States. AAA predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday, most of them by car. However, travelers could be impacted by ongoing weather challenges and those flying to their destinations could be grounded by delays brought on by airline staffing shortages and an airport service workers strike . Here's the latest: U.S. airlines are preparing for a Thanksgiving holiday rush, and so are the U.S. Postal Service, United Parcel Service and FedEx. Shipping companies will deliver about 2.2 billion packages to homes and businesses across the U.S. from Thanksgiving to Dec. 31, said Satish Jindel, a shipping and logistics expert and president of ShipMatrix. That’s down from 2.3 billion packages last year. Because the shopping period is a week shorter than in 2023, consumers are shopping further ahead of Black Friday and more purchases are taking place in physical stores, he said. The number of holiday package shipments grew 27% in 2020 and by more than 3% the following year during the pandemic. The numbers have been falling since then, with a projected decline of about 6% this holiday season. Looking to de-stress while waiting for your flight? Many airports have a fleet of therapy dogs — designated fidos and puppers that are eager to receive pets and snuggles from weary travelers. Rules and schedules vary from airport to airport, but the group AirportTherapyDogs uses online crowdsourcing to share the locations of therapy dogs across its various social media accounts. Today, Gracie, a toy Australian shepherd, and Budge, an English bulldog, wandered the concourses at Denver International Airport, and an American Staffordshire Terrier named Hugo greeted travelers at Punta Gorda Airport in Florida. Some airports even feature other therapy pals. San Francisco International Airport’s fleet of animals includes a Flemish Giant rabbit and a hypoallergenic pig. “We cannot live on the wages that we are being paid,” ABM cabin cleaner Priscilla Hoyle said at a rally earlier Monday. “I can honestly say it’s hard every single day with my children, working a full-time job but having to look my kids in the eyes and sit there and say, ‘I don’t know if we’re going to have a home today.’” Timothy Lowe II, a wheelchair attendant, said he has to figure out where to spend the night because he doesn’t make enough for a deposit on a home. “We just want to be able to have everything that’s a necessity paid for by the job that hired us to do a great job so they can make billions,” he said. ABM said it is “committed to addressing concerns swiftly” and that there are avenues for employees to communicate issues, including a national hotline and a “general open door policy for managers at our worksite.” Employees of ABM and Prospect Airport Services cast ballots Friday to authorize the work stoppage at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a hub for American Airlines. They described living paycheck to paycheck while performing jobs that keep planes running on schedule. Most of them earn $12.50 to $19 an hour, union officials said. Rev. Glencie Rhedrick of Charlotte Clergy Coalition for Justice said those workers should make $22 to $25 an hour. The strike is expected to last 24 hours. Several hundred workers participated in the work stoppage. Forty-four fights have been canceled today and nearly 1,900 were delayed by midday on the East Coast, according to FlightAware . According to the organization’s cheekily named MiseryMap , San Francisco International Airport is having the most hiccups right now, with 53 delays and three cancellations between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. EST. While that might sound like a lot of delays, they might not be so bad compared to last Friday when the airport suffered 671 delays and 69 cancellations. In an apparent effort to reduce the headaches caused by airport line cutting, American Airlines has rolled out boarding technology that alerts gate agents with an audible sound if a passenger tries to scan a ticket ahead of their assigned group. This new software won’t accept a boarding pass before the group it’s assigned to is called, so customers who get to the gate prematurely will be asked to go back and wait their turn. As of Wednesday, the airline announced, the technology is now being used in more than 100 U.S. airports that American flies out of. The official expansion arrives after successful tests in three of these locations — Albuquerque International Sunport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Tucson International Airport. ▶ Read more about American Airlines’ new boarding technology Travel can be stressful in the best of times. Now add in the high-level anxiety that seems to be baked into every holiday season and it’s clear travelers could use some help calming frazzled nerves. Here are a few ways to make your holiday journey a little less stressful: 1. Make a checklist of what you need to do and what you need to bring 2. Carry your comfort with you — think noise-canceling headphones, cozy clothes, snacks and extra medication 3. Stay hydrated 4. Keep up to date on delays, gate changes and cancellations with your airline’s app ▶ Read more tips about staying grounded during holiday travel Thanksgiving Day takes place late this year, with the fourth Thursday of November falling on Nov. 28. That shortens the traditional shopping season and changes the rhythm of holiday travel. With more time before the holiday , people tend to spread out their outbound travel over more days, but everyone returns at the same time, said Andrew Watterson, the chief operating officer of Southwest Airlines . “A late Thanksgiving leads to a big crush at the end,” Watterson said. “The Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving are usually very busy with Thanksgiving this late.” Airlines did a relatively good job of handling holiday crowds last year, when the weather was mild in most of the country. Fewer than 400 U.S. flights were canceled during Thanksgiving week in 2023 — about one out of every 450 flights. So far in 2024, airlines have canceled about 1.3% of all flights. Drivers should know that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons will be the worst times to travel by car, but it should be smooth sailing on freeways come Thanksgiving Day, according to transportation analytics company INRIX. On the return home, the best travel times for motorists are before 1 p.m. on Sunday, and before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on Monday, the company said. In metropolitan areas like Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, “traffic is expected to be more than double what it typically is on a normal day,” INRIX transportation analyst Bob Pishue said. Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker said last week that he expects his agency to use special measures at some facilities to deal with an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers. In the past, those facilities have included airports in New York City and Florida. “If we are short on staff, we will slow traffic as needed to keep the system safe,” Whitaker said. The FAA has long struggled with a shortage of controllers that airline officials expect will last for years, despite the agency’s lofty hiring goals. 5. Auto club and insurance company AAA predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday. Most of them will travel by car. 6. Drivers should get a slight break on gas prices . The nationwide average price for gasoline was $3.06 a gallon on Sunday, down from $3.27 at this time last year. 7. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 18.3 million people at U.S. airports during the same seven-day stretch. That would be 6% more than during the corresponding days last year but fit a pattern set throughout 2024. 8. The TSA predicts that 3 million people will pass through airport security checkpoints on Sunday; more than that could break the record of 3.01 million set on the Sunday after the July Fourth holiday. Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be the next busiest air travel days of Thanksgiving week. ▶ Read more about Thanksgiving travel across the U.S. Workers who clean airplanes, remove trash and help with wheelchairs at Charlotte’s airport, one of the nation’s busiest, went on strike Monday to demand higher wages. The Service Employees International Union announced the strike in a statement early Monday, saying the workers would demand “an end to poverty wages and respect on the job during the holiday travel season.” The strike was expected to last 24 hours, said union spokesperson Sean Keady. Employees of ABM and Prospect Airport Services cast ballots Friday to authorize the work stoppage at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a hub for American Airlines. The two companies contract with American, one of the world’s biggest carriers, to provide services such as cleaning airplane interiors, removing trash and escorting passengers in wheelchairs. ▶ Read more about the Charlotte airport workers’ strike Parts of the Midwest and East Coast can expect to see heavy rain into Thanksgiving, and there’s potential for snow in Northeastern states. A storm last week brought rain to New York and New Jersey, where wildfires have raged in recent weeks, and heavy snow to northeastern Pennsylvania. The precipitation was expected to help ease drought conditions after an exceptionally dry fall. Heavy snow fell in northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Pocono Mountains. Higher elevations reported up to 17 inches (43 centimeters), with lesser accumulations in valley cities including Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. Around 35,000 customers in 10 counties were still without power, down from 80,000 a day ago. In the Catskills region of New York, nearly 10,000 people remained without power Sunday morning, two days after a storm dumped heavy snow on parts of the region. Precipitation in West Virginia helped put a dent in the state’s worst drought in at least two decades and boosted ski resorts as they prepare to open in the weeks ahead. ▶ Read more about Thanksgiving week weather forecasts Two people died in the Pacific Northwest after a rapidly intensifying “ bomb cyclone ” hit the West Coast last Tuesday, bringing fierce winds that toppled trees and power lines and damaged homes and cars. Hundreds of thousands lost electricity in Washington state before powerful gusts and record rains moved into Northern California. Forecasters said the risk of flooding and mudslides remained as the region will get more rain starting Sunday. But the latest storm won’t be as intense as last week’s atmospheric river , a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows over land. “However, there’s still threats, smaller threats, and not as significant in terms of magnitude, that are still going to exist across the West Coast for the next two or three days,” weather service forecaster Rich Otto said. As the rain moves east throughout the week, Otto said, there’s a potential for heavy snowfall at higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, as well as portions of Utah and Colorado. California’s Mammoth Mountain, which received 2 feet (0.6 meters) of fresh snow in the recent storm, could get another 4 feet (1.2 meters) before the newest system clears out Wednesday, the resort said. Another round of wintry weather could complicate travel leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, according to forecasts across the U.S., while California and Washington state continue to recover from storm damage and power outages. In California, where two people were found dead in floodwaters on Saturday, authorities braced for more rain while grappling with flooding and small landslides from a previous storm . Here’s a look at some of the regional forecasts: 9. Sierra Nevada: The National Weather Service office issued a winter storm warning through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at higher elevations and wind gusts potentially reaching 55 mph (88 kph). Total snowfall of roughly 4 feet (1.2 meters) was forecast, with the heaviest accumulations expected Monday and Tuesday. 10. Midwest and Great Lakes: The Midwest and Great Lakes regions will see rain and snow Monday and the East Coast will be the most impacted on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, forecasters said. 11. East Coast: A low pressure system is forecast to bring rain to the Southeast early Thursday before heading to the Northeast. Areas from Boston to New York could see rain and breezy conditions, with snowfall possible in parts of northern New Hampshire, northern Maine and the Adirondacks. If the system tracks further inland, there could be less snow and more rain in the mountains, forecasters said. ▶ Read more about Thanksgiving week weather forecastsMatein Khalid I wrote a column on Vornado (VNO) as a buy at 18 in Sep’22 as it was slammed by the pandemic, its debt load and the Fed’s draconian rate hikes. So VNO’s price ascribed a $450 a square foot value to its prime Manhattan office/Fifth Ave retail portfolio even though its occupancy rate was 91% as the pandemic raged. To help my Dubai friends grasp that deep value discount in VNO, I wrote a post titled buying Manhattan at Karama prices at $18. After initially rising to $26 by February 2023, VNO was slammed by the depositor run and Fed bailout in Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic on investor angst on their bond portfolio after Powell raised the Fed funds rate from 0.5%-5.5%. A regional banking crisis could have escalated into systemic contagion, a no-no for Uncle Sam since regional banks owned 70% of all US CRE loans. So a Fed bailout of SVB and First Republic was inevitable while Powell’s tight money pivot led to a plunge in both inflation and interest rates by summer 2024. VNO rose from a cycle low of 14 to almost 44 now. Moral of the story, making big money in real estate means getting both the brick and mortar and interest rate cycle right. My friends who bought VNO at 18 have made an almost 150% profit on their capital in 2 years with near zero transaction cost. Sure beats flipping houses and praying for the greater fool theory to work in your favour in a notoriously illiquid speculative asset class. The REIT Index has underperformed the S&P 500 goosed by Mag-7. However, despite the goldilocks economy, there is valuation froth in the SPX at 23X. While higher transaction volumes, lower inflation and US Treasury bond yields tell me that it is now the time to rotate into real estate on the NYSE. Mr. Market is whispering to me that the pandemic/banking/tight money/remote work/telecommuting blues for CRE is now over and it is time to go deal hunting for discounted brick and mortar property on Wall Street. I love fundamentalists property analysts though not the beirdo-weirdos who operated from caves in Afghanistan. 67 I believe owning the right REITs will be a money making strategy in the coming US real estate cycles, even if my VNO trade idea was a roller coaster in the first half of 2023. I have made no secret about my fascination with industrial and data center REITs, segments that have rewarded patient investors with 10-20X multiples of their capital in the past two decades. In 2024, the first Baby Boomer turned 79 and the biggest/richest generation in American history with 74 million members are now prime candidates for senior housing demand. Yet there is a supply squeeze in this segment due to Uncle Jay’s tight money and Uncle Joe’s long permit/construction lead times. Data center REITs are priced to perfection and Prologis is the only industrial I like at the right price. New York office is still a winner but I will not touch San Fran with a barge pole, go COLD turkey! Also published on Medium .
The Kmart product changing the game for cooking on the road
The NHL will fine the Dallas Stars for violating CBA rules by holding an optional practice during the league's holiday break, a league source told ESPN on Sunday. The NHL and NHLPA agreed upon rules stipulate that all teams must be completely dark between December 24 and 26. However Stars coach Peter DeBoer revealed on Friday ahead of a game against the Minnesota Wild that several Stars players were at the rink on Thursday, Dec. 26. "I was at the rink yesterday," DeBoer told reporters on Friday. "We had an optional, and of course the young guys all show up for the optional like, you know, they're supposed to do." The NHL launched an investigation after DeBoer's comments. According to sources, the Stars fully cooperated with the investigation. Editor's Picks Six super logical NHL trades, including Provorov, Gourde, Boeser on the move 1d Rachel Doerrie Marchment hit in face by puck, taken to hospital 1h NHL trade tiers Big Board: Kreider, Rossi, Provorov among players generating buzz 17d Greg Wyshynski The NHL reminded teams in a memo on December 23 of the rules, including that teams are not allowed to travel nor offer players ice during the break. There is some recent precedent. In 2022, the Toronto Maple Leafs were fined $100,000 for having players travel on December 26 for a game in St Louis on December 27. The Philadelphia Flyers had a similar infraction in 2015, where they were also fined. The league sees this as a competitive disadvantage as teams that play on December 27 are expected to travel the morning of the game. Such a fine typically goes toward the NHL Foundation. The NHL also institutes a trade freeze over the holidays, which was lifted at 12:01 am on December 28. The NHL source said it was unclear whether the Stars had been notified yet on Sunday afternoon. Dallas plays the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night.Jay-Z and Diddy friendship timeline: From rap collaborations to assault allegationsTransport has traditionally propelled economic growth and connected nations. Yet, as a formidable contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for nearly a quarter of energy-related emissions worldwide, the transport sector now finds itself at a crossroads. According to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), inland transport contributes more than 72% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in the transport sector, with 69% stemming from road transport. Aviation is responsible for approximately 2.4% of total anthropogenic emissions of CO2 on an annual basis, whereas estimated total emissions from maritime transport correspond to 2–3%. Against this background, and for the first time ever, the three United Nations organizations responsible for transport – the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Maritime Organization (IMO) and UNECE – came together at COP29 with aligned visions to reduce the impact of their respective sectors on climate change. While civil aviation, inland and maritime transport face distinct challenges and solutions to reduce GHG emissions, they share a common ambition to transition to low- or zero-carbon fuels technologies and infrastructure, and to reshape transport as a pillar of sustainable development and environmental responsibility. “Alongside ICAO and IMO, UNECE has a long-standing commitment to advance decarbonization across every mode of transport, as well as to support our Member States in achieving this ambitious goal,” reminded UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean. “This year, UNECE’s Inland Transport Committee adopted its Decarbonization Strategy, setting an ambitious path towards net-zero emissions by 2050. This path will require transformative policy shifts, groundbreaking technological innovations, and the seamless integration of sustainable practices at all levels of governance.” The UNECE Strategy on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Inland Transport sets out the mission of the UNECE Inland Transport Committee (ITC) to assist its member States and Contracting Parties to 61 UN legal instruments under its purview in achieving the aspirational goal of net zero GHG emissions from inland transport by 2050, through enhanced regulatory support, intergovernmental policy dialogue, and increased coordination and partnership among all relevant stakeholders. The event at COP29 highlighted the recent progress made by UNECE, ICAO and IMO in addressing the impact of their transport sectors on climate change, as well as showcased how their Member States and key stakeholders are contributing to actions necessary to achieve carbon neutrality. Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General of ICAO, pointed out that significant progress has been made and that strong political will can be seen worldwide to achieve the net-zero goal by 2050. ICAO now faces a great challenge to finance this ambitious transition. “Achieving net zero carbon emissions requires adequate financial resources,” Mr. Salazar noted. “The international aviation sector will require an investment of approximately USD 3.2 trillion between now and 2050 for cleaner energy transition.” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez recalled that international shipping carries more than 80% of international trade and has already improved its energy efficiency performance by over 20% since the first IMO climate regulations came into force. “I wish to highlight just one aspect which I think is key in achieving ambitious strategies in all transport modes – the need for abundant, safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable fuels and energy sources,” Mr. Dominguez noted. “Both IMO and ICAO aim at carbon pricing and are also looking to strengthen our interaction with UNECE, particularly on programmes which involve multi-modal transport, including maritime, and the green and digital development of the Middle Corridor trade route.” Source: UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe)
Netflix 's spy thriller, Black Doves , premiered on December 5 to a largely positive reception. Interestingly, it was renewed for a second season ahead of the first season premiere. The show stars Keira Knightley , Ben Whishaw, and Sarah Lancashire and work on the second installment is already underway. Here's what you can expect from the upcoming season. 'Black Doves' Season 2: Potential plot and character developments The first season ended with shocking revelations about the murder of Helen's (Knightley) lover Jason (Andrew Koji) and his real identity as an MI5 Agent. The finale also featured a nail-biting showdown between Helen and Trent, the son of crime family head Alex Clark (Tracey Ullman). However, it's still unclear how they'll affect Season 2's plot. Showrunner Joe Barton has teased deeper entanglements for Helen in the spy world as her husband Wallace's (Andrew Buchan) political career progresses. 'Black Doves' Season 2: Cast and character returns The second season of Black Doves will likely see most main cast members return. This includes Whishaw as Sam, Lancashire as Reed, Omari Douglas as Michael, Ella Lily Hyland as Williams, Gabrielle Creevy as Eleanor, Isabella Wei as Kai-Ming and Kathryn Hunter as Lenny. Showrunner Barton has also teased possible new alliances and conflicts among these characters in the next season. The possibilities for supporting characters Speaking about the supporting characters, Barton said, "You could definitely see them [Williams, Eleanor and Kai-Ming] forming a little group..." "Kai-Ming would have to stop being a heroin addict party girl, probably," he added. "Maybe they could start their own little assassin agency working out of their canal boat. I'd like to see that." 'Black Doves' Season 2: Release date and production status The release date remains unannounced by Netflix. Notably, the first season was part of a rare two-season order from Netflix. Barton earlier told Deadline , "It's a different kind of pressure now. When you do a show you are always wanting it to do well to get a second season but now they've already let us come back the pressure is about hoping it does well to reward that faith."'Was Sulking In The Toilet...': Temba Bavuma On Missing Out Kagiso Rabada & Marco Jansen's WTC Final Sealing PartnershipYou Bet fans complain as iconic show fronted by Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern returns with missing feature
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Get ready for the ultimate fan experience! The Flyers are preparing to host the 46th annual Flyers Charities Carnival. The event turns the Wells Fargo Center into an all-out amusement park. Fans will get a chance to interact with players while enjoying rides, games, and other attractions. That is happening on February 26th. Ahead of the big event, the first wave of player "Sign & Snaps" go on sale today. They include a picture and two autographs with the Flyers player of your choice. Ordering them ahead ensures fans that they will be able to meet their favorite team member at the carnival. Also on sale today, people can take home a piece of everyone's favorite monster, Gritty. The Gritty Calendar is back, with proceeds benefitting Flyers Charities. The orange fluff-ball is here to tell us all about it.TOURMALINE AND TOPAZ ANNOUNCE $242 MILLION BOUGHT DEAL SECONDARY OFFERING OF TOPAZ COMMON SHARESJay-Z and Diddy friendship timeline: From rap collaborations to assault allegations
Shopify Inc. Cl A stock rises Monday, outperforms market
The co-hosts of Fox & Friends Weekend were faced with a tricky job on Sunday morning — navigating the feud that has broken out amongst supporters of President-elect Donald Trump over H-1B visas for highly skilled immigrants, which significantly escalated on Saturday. “America First” acolytes on the far-right want stricter, draconian immigration measures applied to both illegal and legal migrants when Trump takes office in January. Among the loudest voices pushing this argument are far-right activist Laura Loomer , and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon . In contrast, the Silicon Valley “tech bro” contingent led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy , which backed his election, wants better legal immigration routes such as the H-1B program to fill skills gaps in key sectors such as engineering, science, and technology. Yesterday afternoon, the president-elect came out in support of Musk and the latter argument, saying he had always been a “believer” in the program and had employees at his properties in the country on H-1B visas. During the campaign and in his first term he had been against it , so the about-face has confused some of his core supporters. This schism in MAGAworld, before Trump even re-enters the White House, is awkward leaving Fox News tip-toeing through something of a minefield, as Mediaite reported. Co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy noted that the president-elect coming out in favor of the H-1B visa “left a lot of people confused.” Trying to rationalize support for skilled worker visas, her colleague Charlie Hurt remarked: “The idea of having a program that allows an Elon Musk to come into the country, I don’t think anybody has a problem with that, and certainly Donald Trump doesn’t have a problem with that. The problem with the program is that it’s been so abused and turned into a system where it is designed for big tech employers to get, maybe not cheap labor, but cheaper labor.” Will Cain, who co-hosted with the two, added: “We’re not an algorithm. We’re not a company. We are a country. We’re a nation. We are a people. And that purpose of that nation is to serve Americans.” Campos-Duffy then suggested that tech CEOs such as Musk might have to pay American tech workers more attractive wages and pay themselves a little less if the talent pool was smaller through a more restrictive immigration policy. “If you limit those visas and only bring in the Elon Musks and the really exceptional people, what you’re going to see is that there’s a tighter market and the wages will have to be — you’ll have to pay wages that young math students like my son-in-law, who is married and has to support a family, would want to be part of,” she said. “And that may mean, guys, guess what? Fox News alert! It may mean that big tech bosses make a little less money and they have to pay their workers a little better. I think all of us would be okay with that.” Sounding remarkably Campos-Duffy added that the federal government should invest in educational opportunities in underserved communities to train the next generation to take the jobs currently being filled by skilled immigrants. As deft as the presenters might have tried to be in tackling what is a thorny issue, Steve Bannon was having none of it. The former Trump adviser and host of the WarRoom podcast took to the social media platform Gettr, and referencing the Mediaite article, wrote: “Stop with the ‘Tip-Toe’...” “Choose a Side: Either Stand with American Citizen Workers or with Globalist Elitist Tech Oligarchs Who Feast on Foreign Indentured Servants ...Simple.”
British wife of ousted Syrian leader Assad ‘not welcome in the UK’, Lammy says
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Netflix continues to express confidence that its streaming platform is prepared to handle the massive audiences expected for a pair of Christmas Day NFL games along with the start of its live coverage of the World Wrestling Entertainment's "Raw" next month. Concerns were raised after users experienced issues with buffering and low quality feeds during the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match last month. Netflix has exclusive rights to stream NFL games on Christmas Day between the Kansas City Chiefs at the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Houston Texans. Beyonce is scheduled to perform during halftime of the Ravens-Texans game, which could create more server traffic Netflix must take into account. It's a major test after the company reported an average global live audience of 108 million viewers for Paul's victory over Tyson in Arlington, Texas. Downdetector.com , which tracks service outages, announced that there were 90,000 issues reported at one point. "It was a big number, but you don't know, and you can't learn these things until you do them, so you take a big swing," Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria told Front Office Sports. "Our teams and our engineers are amazing, moved super quickly, and stabilized it, and many of the members had it back up and running pretty quickly. But we learn from these things. "We've all obviously done a lot of stuff to learn and get ready for the NFL and Beyonce, and so we're totally ready and excited for WWE." WWE president Nick Khan told FOS that Raw's tone and content will not change as it moves to the streaming service, with its first event of 2025 scheduled for Jan. 6. "There's some online chatter about, ‘oh, it's going to be R-rated, or for us old folks, X-rated.' That's definitely not happening," Khan said. "It's family-friendly, multi-generational, advertiser-friendly programming. It's going to stay that way. I would look for more global flair, especially as the relationship continues to develop." --Field Level MediaHair removal, in any capacity, is not typically an enjoyable experience. Traditional removal methods come with irritation, tedium, and temporary fixes that require constant repeats — waxing or shaving means regular waxes and shaves. Laser hair removal technology is a breakthrough, but it also comes with side effects of its own like pain and discomfort. Plus, you have to visit a clinic every time you want that done. Ulike offers a unique technology, called IPL, that uses light to target melanin or pigment in the hair to disrupt its growth cycle. Over time, it helps prevent hair regrowth without damaging the skin. If you want to give it a try, now’s a great time because Ulike is offering some excellent Black Friday and Cyber Week discounts. Let’s discuss. Get up to $140 off Air X and Air 3 from Ulike For Black Friday, Ulike is offering some incredible deals on its IPL hair removal systems. To get the deals, you just have to use the promo code AFFBLCM at checkout. That brings the price of Ulike’s Air X and Air 3 down to: — $189 $329 57% off — $289 $429 32% off The Ulike Air X will deliver up to 94% hair reduction in just two weeks of continuous use. Meanwhile, the Air 3 takes slightly longer, offering 93% hair reduction in four weeks. You’ll see visible results before then, of course. Here’s how it works: Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) targets the melanin or pigment inside hair follicles. The light interrupts the hair’s growth cycle, causing it to go back thinner and slower. Over time, it will stunt hair growth altogether. Within weeks one to four you conduct regular timed sessions to remove the hair. Beyond that, from weeks five to twelve, you only need minimal touch-ups. The biggest thing to note about the process is that it is most effective with lighter skin tones and darker hair colors. Ulike Holiday Gift Boxes make great presents You can always order the Ulike hair removal devices separately if you prefer. But for the holidays, there is a gift box option, as well, that includes accessories. In the box, you get the purple Ulike Air 10, two tubes of Aloe Vera gel, IPL goggles for eye protection, a prep razor, a travel case for bringing the device with you anywhere, and more. It’s a great gift idea for those fashionable people in your life who want to get rid of unsightly body hair. We all know someone. Come on, make their day. Normally $419, you can save $120 on that holiday gift set, bringing the price down to a cool $299.
NEW YORK — When Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. circled up aboard the president-elect’s plane over some McDonalds burgers and fries recently, Donald Trump Jr. was seated in the center of that power foursome. The central spot occupied by Trump’s eldest son, as captured in a photo widely shared online, reflects how Trump Jr. has become a prominent player in his father’s political orbit and a potential heir to his Make America Great Again movement. For the son of a president-elect, Trump has already had an outsized impact on the next White House. He lobbied hard for the former president to choose his good friend, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, to be his running mate. “I exerted 10,000% of my political capital,” Trump Jr. said of his effort in an interview with Tucker Carlson on the night of the election. “I may get a favor from my father in like, 2076. I used it all.” As an honorary chair of the Republican president-elect’s transition team, Trump Jr. is part of a core group of people deciding who will fill top jobs in the next White House, and his imprint is clear. Trump Jr. pushed in particular for roles for former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, whom the president-elect has chosen to be director of national intelligence, and Kennedy, who is in line to lead Health and Human Services. Another close ally, Sergio Gor, will be running the personnel office. He and Trump Jr. run a publishing company, Winning Team Publishing, which has published two of the former president’s books. The younger Trump has said he has no plans to join his father’s administration in the way his younger sister Ivanka Trump did during the first Trump term. His brother Eric is also an honorary chair of the transition but hasn’t been as much of a political player. Eric’s wife Lara has been more involved, serving as co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Trump Jr. is expected to continue to be a vocal supporter of his father and his agenda and has made it clear he wants to be an influential voice from the outside, according to a person familiar with his thinking who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning. The president-elect’s style — brash, indelicate and pugilistic — is distilled in his son. Donald Trump Jr. often takes a more aggressive tack than his father, in his calls for disrupting government as usual, in the way he dives into the culture wars with gusto and in his enthusiasm for trolling. “He’s probably the best embodiment of the take-no-crap attitude of the Republican Party,” said Scott Jennings, a Republican political strategist. Trump Jr.’s attitude and the way he communicates don’t make him sound like a regular political figure, Jennings said, and that’s part of the appeal. “I think that’s one thing about the Trumps that is probably broadly true but certainly for him: They just don’t participate in the normal political pablum that sort of pre-Trump politicians were schooled in or trained to do.” The 46-year-old is fluent in the online world of conservative politics and attuned to cultural issues that catch on with the MAGA faithful. The posts on Trump’s X account, where he has more than 13 million followers, are often peppered with exclamation points and emojis. On Instagram, he is a prolific poster of conservative memes. He flexes between interviews on established media outlets like Fox News and an array of podcasts influential among young conservatives, and he hosts his own twice a week, “Triggered With Don Jr.” During the campaign, he pushed for the former president to make appearances on podcasts as part of an effort to reach young men, including the popular Joe Rogan podcast. Trump Jr.’s aggressive style has particular appeal with younger men. “I think that’s one of the reasons a lot of these young men like it because that’s how they talk,” Jennings said. Trump Jr. has said he has no plans to run for office himself, but he’s been working to cultivate the next generation of his father’s movement, boosting like-minded, communication-savvy Republicans. Beyond his political activity, the father of five also serves as executive vice president at the Trump organization’s main family business, has launched a new crypto platform and recently announced he’s joining a venture capital firm that invests in conservative-focused businesses. In an earlier time, Trump Jr. appeared with his father on “The Apprentice,” the reality show that helped propel the billionaire’s first presidential campaign. When Donald Trump launched his White House bid in 2015 and faced skepticism from swaths of the Republican Party, Trump Jr.’s outreach helped his father win more support, especially among conservatives who saw someone who espoused their views and as an avid hunter and fisherman who is a staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. He’s been increasingly visible in Republican politics since then, campaigning not just for his father but for like-minded candidates. He was a backer of Vance in his 2022 Ohio Senate race, nudging his father to do the same, and this year threw his support heavily behind successful Republican Senate candidates Jim Banks in Indiana, Bernie Moreno in Ohio and Tim Sheehy in Montana. Trump helped broker a relationship with Kennedy as the Democrat-turned-independent suspended his presidential campaign, working to bring him into the MAGA fold and endorse his father. He floated the idea of Kennedy joining the administration early, saying in an interview with conservative host Glenn Beck that “I loved the idea,” of Kennedy joining a Trump White House. “I love the idea of giving him some sort of role in some sort of major three-letter entity or whatever it may be and let him blow it up,” Trump Jr. said, a reference to the many initials for government agencies. The two hit it off, and Trump Jr., an avid outdoorsman, shared images on social media in October of a day he spent with Kennedy enjoying the latter’s favored hobby: falconry. The choice of anti-vaccine activist Kennedy to run the nation’s public health agencies is sure to draw tough scrutiny during confirmation proceedings in the Senate, even with a Republican majority, Trump Jr., in a recent interview on Fox News, acknowledged some of his father’s choices will face pushback. “They are going to be actual disrupters,” he said. “That’s what the American people want.”
