49ers’ Shanahan expects Jake Moody to be his kicker into the future
Fluence Energy, Inc. Reports Record Performance in 2024 and Initiates 2025 GuidanceGov. Maura Healey asked, the Legislature delivered. Healey called on the Legislature, which had failed to complete work on two key pieces of legislation during a messy, late-summer end to formal lawmaking, to return to work to tie off a massive jobs package and energy reform proposal that the first-term Democrat argued were critical to making Massachusetts more competitive amid skyrocketing costs of living. But just don’t call the move political pressure. “I didn’t see it as pressure at all because I knew that there was a strong shared interest and commitment on the part of both the House and the Senate to get this legislation done,” Healey told the Herald this past week by phone as she was traveling in Washington, D.C. “While we ran out of time at the end of formal session, we all knew there were ways to continue to work together and get this done.” Hindsight could be 20-20 for the governor. Top Democratic leaders had just finished pointing fingers at each other and trading blame over whose fault it really was that the policy-packed $4 billion economic development and climate bills had succumbed to inter-chamber disagreements during the early morning hours of Aug. 1. Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, the House’s top budget writer and lead negotiator on the jobs bill, did not mince words that morning. “There was just no engagement. We kept trying and trying and trying and just ran against brick walls. And eventually, we had to stop running into the brick wall. So here we are,” the North End Democrat told bleary-eyed reporters after a 23-hour marathon session. Senate President Karen Spilka chalked up the chaotic end to the “complex” nature of the jobs and climate bills. “You can make blame, but that gets us nowhere. I believe that these are complex bills. They take a lot of time and energy, and I’m proud of the Senate (for) rolling up their sleeves and working hard,” the Ashland Democrat said later that same day. Just 32 hours later, Healey publicly flexed her political muscles on the Legislature for one of the first times to push the two chambers back to work amid a chorus of disappointment from on and off Beacon Hill. In a statement sent the afternoon of Aug. 2, Healey said the jobs bill was “absolutely essential” for economic growth. Several days later she would add the climate bill to her fall legislative wish list. “To that end, I am imploring the Senate and House to return as soon as possible and work together with me and my team to get this done. The people of Massachusetts deserve it and are counting on us,” she said in the Aug. 2 statement. House Speaker Ron Mariano and Spilka agreed in less than two hours to return to work sometime during the five-month stretch between the start of August and the end of session in December when lawmakers typically focus on their reelections and then go on break from major business. And because they did, Healey inked her signature just over three months later to both the economic development and climate bills — though she said she’s “not claiming any credit for helping folks come to an agreement .” The governor said administration officials and top lawmakers were in the middle of “ongoing discussions” as formal business was winding down for the year at the end of July. “My expectation and understanding was that we were going to continue to talk and try to work on things even though the formal session had closed,” she told the Herald. “I wasn’t surprised when they came back and ... my position was, we always were at the ready to continue to work on things to get this done and signed up.” It could be the last time Healey has to deal with the pesky July deadline that quickly creeps up on lawmakers during the second year of their two-year session. Mariano and Spilka have said they are willing to rework the major due date that was first implemented in the 1990s to prevent legislators from passing policies after voters decide their political fate on Election Day. “I think it is time that we sort of reassess the difficulties that we had this year and ways that we can maybe improve and not have a repeat performance that necessitates us going to the end of the year,” Mariano said earlier this month. ©2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at bostonherald.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC."Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.
Oscar returns to Sao Paulo after 14 years on 3-year dealLITCHFIELD – A fiscally beleaguered Region 20 Board of Education is facing an increasing deficit in its $41.5 million budget for 2024-25, a shortfall that now stands at a projected $2.3 million as the board gears up to seek a cash infusion of $1.9 million in a referendum Dec. 3. The school board, grappling with a deficit since early July, received the latest bad news during its meeting Thursday at Lakeview High School. It came from Acting Superintendent Kristen Della Volpe and the board’s financial consultant, Thomas Ariola. Despite clamping down on discretionary spending, the board continues to face a stubborn deficit, Ariola said, one that is now higher than the projected shortfall of $2.1 million reported in July. “This is getting hard now and you are going to have to look at making cuts,” Ariola told the board. “The budget has some very large concerns, but there are ways to shave (the deficit) down to make it more reasonable.” After discussion, the board directed Della Volpe to develop a list of potential cuts for it to consider, though a dollar figure was not included in the request. Earlier in the meeting, Della Volpe said she was prepared to offer $307,000 in potential reductions. The updated shortfall, Ariola said, was identified after a “deep dive” into the budget and with help from school board member Scott Pottbecker of Morris, who works as a chief financial officer for a private school in Massachusetts. “Can we afford to wait?” Pottbecker asked regarding the prospect of making cuts. “The position we’re in isn’t going to get better. I believe we should empower (Della Volpe) to do the job of reducing the deficit.” Alternatives to cutting spending, Della Volpe said, could include rolling the deficit into the board’s budget for 2025-26 or seeking from Litchfield, Warren, Morris and Goshen a one-time tax assessment that would erase the shortfall. “We need to be prudent, get in there and do it as efficiently as possible,” school board member Matthew Terzian of Litchfield said in support of budget cuts. NEWS OF THE UPDATED DEFICIT comes as the board prepares for a referendum that will ask for $1.9 million in bonding to pay off Litchfield’s $1.8 million in existing education debt as called for in the plan that approved creation of the Region 20 district. The balance of the $1.9 million would cover fees associated with securing bonding. Bonding, if approved, would allow the board to recoup nearly $1.2 million in two payments already made to Litchfield and the remaining $700,000 due in July 2025. Without the bonding, the board could face a cash-flow problem in late winter or early spring, Ariola has advised. According to the update provided by Ariola, the review of the budget identified projected shortfalls that include $820,847 for unbudgeted noncertified staff positions, $415,340 for unbudgeted certified staff positions and $372,695 in tuition for students needing out-of-district services. There also is a projected $326,800 deficit for legal fees associated with formation of Region 20, and for central office transition, special education, technology operations and insurance. Bus transportation, meanwhile, faces a projected $324,286 deficit. That $1,416,000 line item in the budget should be $1,711,600, Ariola noted. An unanticipated increase in fuel of 20 cents per gallon and an increase in special-education transportation round out the shortfall. The review did identify a projected $330,000 surplus in pension costs and projected $143,168 savings in utilities, custodial supplies and maintenance. WARREN FIRST SELECTMAN GREGORY LACAVA will serve as moderator of a public informational meeting Tuesday that will give residents a chance to learn about the Region 20 school board $1.9 million bonding request that voters will consider Dec. 3. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at Warren Woods. Warren’s three board representatives, Tiffany Parkhouse, Ashley Westfall and Robert DeLayo, will participate in the discussion and take questions. Contact John McKenna at jmckenna33 @ optonline.net.
Mexico Fears Loss of US-Canada Trade, Scrambles to Replace Chinese PartsGerman auto supplier Bosch to cut 5,500 jobs in further sign of auto industry woes
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. Trump criticized Biden’s decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole, arguing that it was senseless and insulted the families of their victims. Biden said converting their punishments to life imprisonment was consistent with the moratorium imposed on federal executions in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. “Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country,” he wrote on his social media site. “When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are further devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!” Presidents historically have no involvement in dictating or recommending the punishments that federal prosecutors seek for defendants in criminal cases, though Trump has long sought more direct control over the Justice Department's operations. The president-elect wrote that he would direct the department to pursue the death penalty “as soon as I am inaugurated,” but was vague on what specific actions he may take and said they would be in cases of “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters.” He highlighted the cases of two men who were on federal death row for slaying a woman and a girl, had admitted to killing more and had their sentences commuted by Biden. On the campaign trail, Trump often called for expanding the federal death penalty — including for those who kill police officers, those convicted of drug and human trafficking, and migrants who kill U.S. citizens. “Trump has been fairly consistent in wanting to sort of say that he thinks the death penalty is an important tool and he wants to use it,” said Douglas Berman, an expert on sentencing at Ohio State University’s law school. “But whether practically any of that can happen, either under existing law or other laws, is a heavy lift.” Berman said Trump’s statement at this point seems to be just a response to Biden’s commutation. “I’m inclined to think it’s still in sort of more the rhetoric phase. Just, ‘don’t worry. The new sheriff is coming. I like the death penalty,’” he said. Most Americans have historically supported the death penalty for people convicted of murder, according to decades of annual polling by Gallup, but support has declined over the past few decades. About half of Americans were in favor in an October poll, while roughly 7 in 10 Americans backed capital punishment for murderers in 2007. Before Biden's commutation, there were 40 federal death row inmates compared with more than 2,000 who have been sentenced to death by states. Story continues below video “The reality is all of these crimes are typically handled by the states,” Berman said. A question is whether the Trump administration would try to take over some state murder cases, such as those related to drug trafficking or smuggling. He could also attempt to take cases from states that have abolished the death penalty. Berman said Trump's statement, along with some recent actions by states, may present an effort to get the Supreme Court to reconsider a precedent that considers the death penalty disproportionate punishment for rape. “That would literally take decades to unfold. It’s not something that is going to happen overnight,” Berman said. Before one of Trump's rallies on Aug. 20, his prepared remarks released to the media said he would announce he would ask for the death penalty for child rapists and child traffickers. But Trump never delivered the line. One of the men Trump highlighted on Tuesday was ex-Marine Jorge Avila Torrez, who was sentenced to death for killing a sailor in Virginia and later pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbing of an 8-year-old and a 9-year-old girl in a suburban Chicago park several years before. The other man, Thomas Steven Sanders, was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and slaying of a 12-year-old girl in Louisiana, days after shooting the girl's mother in a wildlife park in Arizona. Court records show he admitted to both killings. Some families of victims expressed anger with Biden's decision, but the president had faced pressure from advocacy groups urging him to make it more difficult for Trump to increase the use of capital punishment for federal inmates. The ACLU and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops were some of the groups that applauded the decision. Biden left three federal inmates to face execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. _______ Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Michelle L. Price and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.BROCKTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 22, 2024-- HarborOne Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: HONE), the holding company for HarborOne Bank announced today that Inez Friedman-Boyce has been named to the Top 50 Women Leaders in Banking by Women We Admire. The award recognizes Friedman-Boyce’s valuable contributions to the field of banking, expertise and strong commitment to the ethical practices to the sector. Friedman- Boyce serves as EVP, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary for HarborOne Bank and Chief Legal Officer for HarborOne Bancorp, Inc. In this role, she oversees HarborOne’s Legal and Compliance functions, including providing strategic legal advice to the board and management; managing SEC reporting and corporate governance; negotiating contractual relationships; handling regulatory applications and examinations; and managing litigation and other disputes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241122357104/en/ Inez Friedman-Boyce named to the Top 50 Women Leaders in Banking (Photo: Business Wire) As part of her responsibility, Friedman-Boyce oversees HarborOne’s Community Reinvestment Act program, through which HarborOne has earned multiple, consecutive “Outstanding” ratings from federal and state regulators, a designation reserved for the small group of banks that most effectively meet the credit needs of their local communities. She believes that community service is central to both community banking and shareholder value, and she is committed to improving the lives of people in the communities that HarborOne serves. She is the president and co-chair of Lawyers for Civil Rights, a legal engine for racial equity and social justice in Greater Boston and the Gateway Cities of Massachusetts. She also serves on the boards of OneGoal Massachusetts and the Providence Performing Arts Center. “Friedman-Boyce has played an instrumental role in the growth and success of HarborOne Bank,” said Joseph F. Casey, President & CEO HarborOne Bank. “Her dedication, expertise and guidance has been steadfast and on behalf of the leadership team and Board of Directors of HarborOne, I wanted to extend my sincere congratulations for this well-deserved recognition.” Friedman-Boyce joined HarborOne in 2019 after 25 years in private legal practice, including 15 years at Goodwin Procter, where she was a partner in the Financial Institutions and Litigation groups. During her years in private practice, she was a trusted advisor to corporate boards and management in the banking, financial services, and financial technology industries. She is also a sought-after industry expert, contributing as an author, commentator, panelist, and moderator for numerous publications and organizations. She holds a B.A. from Amherst College and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where she graduated with honors. About HarborOne Bancorp, Inc. HarborOne Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for HarborOne Bank, a Massachusetts-chartered trust company. HarborOne Bank serves the financial needs of consumers, businesses, and municipalities throughout Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island through a network of 29 full-service banking centers located in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and commercial lending offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. HarborOne Bank also provides a range of educational resources through “HarborOne U,” with free digital content, webinars, and recordings for small business and personal financial education. HarborOne Mortgage, LLC, a subsidiary of HarborOne Bank, provides mortgage lending services throughout New England and other states. About Women We Admire: Women We Admire provides news and information on today's women leaders in business, entertainment, sports, motherhood, medicine, law, and many other fields. Women We Admire covers a broad range of topics and areas of interest aimed at recognizing the achievements of exceptional women while inspiring others to aim high and continue their journey towards reaching their full potential. Women We Admire and its affiliates circulate its content to over 34,000 individuals and businesses. Category: All Releases View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241122357104/en/ CONTACT: Media: Jennifer White, FVP Community & Public Relations JlWhite@HarborOne.Com 508.895.1338 | 617.610.0123 KEYWORD: MASSACHUSETTS UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONSUMER WOMEN LEGAL FINANCE BANKING ACCOUNTING SOURCE: HarborOne Bancorp, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/22/2024 12:17 PM/DISC: 11/22/2024 12:15 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241122357104/enIan Poulter has revealed he and his Majesticks colleagues have already started looking at their potential future LIV Golf replacements. Poulter is one of LIV's original stars, having competed in every event on the breakaway circuit since its formation at Centurion Club back in June 2022. In that time the Englishman has co-captained the Majesticks, working alongside his former European Ryder Cup teammates, Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson. There is no doubt Poulter, Westwood and Stenson are all closer to the end of their careers than the start, but heading into 2025 their roster remains unchanged, with Sam Horsfield once again making up the squad. Poulter is more than aware however that one day he will need to step aside, and it appears his franchise already have a plan in place to bring through new blood into the team. Asked about the possibility of one day stepping aside as a player, the Englishman told Sports Illustrated : "At some stage it's inevitable. "It will naturally happen, I think. We're trying personally for it not to happen as quick as some might want. But, you know, we've earmarked within the world golf system a platform to kind of work out who would be a good fit within our team, who would be an A ranked player, B ranked player, C, D and E. "And really try and look at what options could be available to us and at what time they would be available to us. So, behind-the-scenes that work is already being done." At the end of every LIV season, the breakaway league's transfer window opens, allowing teams to alter their rosters." For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US . The Majesticks will do no business this time around, but are more than ready to delve into the market as early as this time next year. "It's not for public knowledge of who sits on the A, B, C, D and E list but internally we have been thinking about it," the European stalwart added. "The team have been thinking about it and again James [Dunkley] and Ollie [Banks] are doing what they need to do to be able to, you know, keep that in mind with how things are going to progress over the next 12, 24 [and] 36 months." Poulter's 2024 season came to end in September, where the Majesticks finished ninth in the Team Championship. Individually, the former PGA Tour player's campaign came to an end a week earlier at LIV , having finished 37th in the season-long standings, directly behind Westwood and Stenson. Poulter ended his campaign with his best performance of the year, ending the event in fifth, finishing five shots behind champion, Jon Rahm.
LSU outlasts UCF 109-102 in triple-OT affairBig Things first appeared in Australia in the 1960s, beginning with the Big Scotsman (1962) in Medindie, South Australia, the Big Banana (1964) in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, and the Big Murray Cod (1968) in Tocumwal, NSW. These structures were inspired by earlier North American examples, such as Lucy the Elephant (1882) in New Jersey, and several big doughnuts in California . While they differed in subject matter, all aimed to attract the attention of passing motorists: in the 1950s–1960s, private car ownership had soared and highway construction spread. Towns and regions across Australia, New Zealand and North America used oversized landmarks to get travellers to stop, take a photo and hopefully spend money at local businesses. As awareness of these giant landmarks grew, so did the desire of other communities to have their own. Within a few decades, Australia’s Big Things had become a beloved fixture of road trips and summer holidays. A big cultural impact My research shows the number of Big Things being constructed in Australia hit an initial peak in the 1980s before experiencing a temporary decline. By the 2000s, however, towns as far afield as Tully in Queensland ( Big Golden Gumboot ), Cressy in Tasmania ( Big Trout ), and Exmouth in Western Australia ( Big Prawn ) were reviving the tradition. Soon, Big Things became firmly entrenched in Australian popular culture: featuring on limited edition Redheads matchboxes (2010), and on sets of Australia Post stamps (2007 and 2023). But some of the older structures experienced declining popularity: the Big Wool Bales in Hamilton, Victoria (closed 2020), Victoria’s Giant Gippsland Earth Worm in Bass (closed 2020) and the Big Cask Wine in Mourquong, NSW (closed 2012), survive only in holiday photos and people’s memories. Icons like Larry the Lobster (Kingston, SA), the Big Prawn (Ballina, NSW), and the Big Pineapple (Nambour, Queensland) have battled changes in ownership , threat of demolition , and closure . Read more: Australia's ‘big’ problem – what to do with our ageing super-sized statues? Despite these challenges, and debates over heritage conservation, construction of these giant landmarks has not slowed. The Big Bogan was erected in 2015 in Nyngan, NSW, by community members who were eager to encourage visitors to the area. A local progress association in the small town of Thallon in Queensland unveiled William the Big Wombat in 2018, also with the aim to bring attention to the area. Similar hopes were held for the Big Watermelon erected in 2018 (Chinchilla, Queensland), and the Big Tractor (Carnamah, WA) which opened this year . Through my research, I spoke with many people involved with projects such as these, and they said they’d selected objects that were iconic to their area. This could be a product they specialise in, a local native animal, or, in the case of the Big Bogan, a joke based on the name of nearby Bogan River. Most builders openly acknowledge their primary motivation is to promote the region, attract tourist dollars and investment, and revive towns that have seen better days. But do Big Things actually achieve these goals? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. An economic return? Local economies are complex, as are the reasons people choose to visit. Many Big Things are constructed on the sides of highways that connect Australia’s numerous regional towns. People who stop for photos may not set out with the goal of visiting that Big Thing – it may simply be convenient to take a break there while on the way somewhere else. And if people do stop, it doesn’t guarantee they will spend more than the cost of filling up their car with petrol, if that. Over the years, tourism researchers have developed several different models for calculating the impact of rural and regional tourism on local economies. However, none of these approaches has proven to be universally effective. Most scholars agree tourists aren’t likely to travel long distances for any one reason . They will consider a range of factors including food and accommodation, and the closeness of numerous attractions. In other words: building a Big Thing won’t guarantee a sustained increase in tourism to the area on its own. Communities should factor this in when considering erection of a Big Thing, especially given the cost of construction. The Big Mango in Bowen reportedly cost $A90,000 when it was built in 2002, while the organisers of the Big Tractor in Carnamah raised more than $600,000 to cover its price tag. The spread of social media and easy access to media outlets via the internet offers communities another reason to build Big Things, however. Australians are not the only ones fascinated by Big Things, and when a new one is unveiled — or an existing one goes “missing”, as the Big Mango did in 2014 — it is often covered by the press and then shared online. These giant landmarks are also highly “Instagrammable”: a 2015 survey revealed that six of Australia’s 20 most Instagrammed tourist attractions were Big Things. This sort of coverage doesn’t necessarily guarantee the long-term revival of a town’s economy. But it can help to remind people of the town’s existence, and it gives locals a memorable image on which to build.
Daily Post Nigeria Bishop T.D. Jakes suffers health scare after Sunday sermon Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport News Bishop T.D. Jakes suffers health scare after Sunday sermon Published on November 24, 2024 By Ifreke Inyang Bishop T.D. Jakes, the founder of the Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas, had to receive medical attention after his sermon on Sunday. This was confirmed in an official statement from the church. The statement claimed that Jakes “experienced a slight health incident” after preaching for one hour. It read: “During today’s service, Bishop T.D. Jakes experienced a slight health incident and received immediate medical attention following his powerful hour-long message. “Bishop Jakes is stable and under the care of medical professionals. The entire Potter’s House family is grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, and support from the community. Thank you for your understanding and continued prayers.” Related Topics: Bishop T.D. Jakes Don't Miss Northern group praises Senate for stepping down confirmation of NWDC board You may like Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media Ltd
Yoshida Yasei’s “Override” easily took the top position in the Niconico VOCALOID SONGS TOP20 of 2024, announced by Billboard Japan on December 6. The song, which came out in November 2023, generated buzz thanks to its MAD or remix videos. Billboard Japan talked to Yoshida Yasei about how he felt about the success of the song. See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news What led to “Override” racking up the views it did and becoming such a massive hit? Yoshida Yasei: Of all the songs I’ve released so far, “Override” had the fastest growth immediately after release. I thought that it had the potential to surpass “Laughin’,” which was my most famous song at the time. Then the number of plays started rising even faster at the start of this year, from around January 7. I was looking at the analytics info on Niconico and YouTube, and thinking, “Huh? Something’s going on here.” So you started to notice the memes. Yoshida Yasei: From around December, people started to create “Override” music remix videos, so I had this feeling that a derivative work boom might be coming on. The sudden increase in the number of remix videos at the start of the year caused the number of plays to rocket upward, and the buzz became a reality. After that, “Override” took the top position in the Niconico VOCALOID SONGS TOP20 for the first half of 2024, announced on June 7, and then in the Niconico VOCALOID SONGS TOP20 for 2024. Honestly, how did that make you feel? Yoshida Yasei: I was very happy. It felt like my song had become part of the culture. I thought that, given the amount of growth, this was a song that would live on in Vocaloid history. You know how on X (formerly Twitter), there are those posts that are like “Do you know this song?” and they have images of famous songs from each year? I was excited by the idea that “Override” would be used on one of those posts. It would be an honor to have one of my own songs included among all the distinguished famous songs on those lists. Looking at the lyrics, there’s a line that goes “It seems that a life of struggle, taking it to your very limits, is even crazier than what I’d imagined.” This feels, to me, like a very direct expression of frantic frustration. Yoshida Yasei: I made “Override” last October, over a year after leaving my previous work. At the time, I was truly desperate. “Override” was a song created by the physical embodiment of desperation. But, after the release, the song became a hit and I experienced being able to make a living from music. That gave me this tremendous sense of stability. The creation process was impulsive, so I didn’t really struggle with the melody that much. On the other hand, I did have to think deeply when I was writing the lyrics. Because of that, I have a lot of emotional investment in the song. So you worked through the difficult progress of writing the lyrics, but than people focused on the catchy melody and the distinctive choreography of the animated music video. They started meme-ing off them, which generated buzz. How does that make you feel? Yoshida Yasei: When I first started out as a Vocaloid producer, I wanted to make songs that led to the creation of a lot of derivative works and music video remixes. So, setting aside the issue of whether or not people’s creations matched the lyrics, I was happy about the whole phenomenon. I was watching like, “Huh, so this is another way things become popular. That’s pretty interesting.” The title “Override” is an IT term that refers to disregarding settings, properties, and the like and using different ones instead, right? Yoshida Yasei: Right. Once I’d decided on the title “Override,” I wrote lyrics that matched that aesthetic. Back when I was writing programs, I had this vague feeling that “life is all functions.” A function? Yoshida Yasei: Yes. A function is a system where you input something and the system outputs something else. In our lives, it’s like our birth supplies the input conditions and our death is the output of the function. Everything that happens in our lives—every event and every outcome—are a series of causes and effects. There are a countless number of these functions, chained together, so each person is like a program. I think some of those functions work against us. For example, your cultural capital differs depending on whether or not you were born in Tokyo. There are also functions that block access to things because of your bad luck. That’s where the concept of “Override” comes from. Overriding is like using a function with the same name to perform completely different operations. I think you can override these programs if you make enough of an effort, though. I see. Yoshida Yasei: I moved to Tokyo from Hokkaido last June. “Override” has the frantic frustration that I felt before I came to Tokyo and before “Override” became a hit. Living out in countryside, you face this downward spiral of “I don’t have access to this and I don’t have access to that.” By coming to Tokyo, I wanted to break this cycle. In other words, I wanted to overwrite the function that said “Input: You live in the countryside → Output: You have no access” with one that said “Input: You live in Tokyo → Output: You have access.” But, to be honest, when I had just moved, I was still in the same desperate situation I had been in before moving. You uploaded “Override” last November, and then the number of plays started skyrocketing. Although it did take a little time after coming Tokyo, it feels like you really did “override” your life. Yoshida Yasei: Indeed. Perhaps I overrode my fate. The chorus to “Override” has a very distinctive choreography that has quite a visual impact, so there are tons of people copying it. Where did that choreography come from? Yoshida Yasei: From the start, I had this mental image of meme-like movement, so I talked with illustrator Sisia, going into a lot of detail about what I wanted, like “I want an illustration like this” or “I want to keep this material separate from that material.” Sisia worked on the illustrations without knowing what the completed video would be like. I provided a lot of detail about the little jokes to be included and the way the art should look, and I’m really thankful about what wonderful illustrations they created. It sounds like you had a perfect balance of lyrical urgency and humor, which is what led to “Override” becoming the hit it’s become. Yoshida Yasei: Tongue-in-cheek memes were just right for balancing out the barbed lyrics, making it more joke-like. The music itself also has a light feel, but the sharp lyrics fit in smoothly. I feel like there was just this miraculous balance of different elements. I don’t think “Override” would have had the same feel if it were missing the memes or if the melody were different. Another thing that stood out is that after you uploaded the song, both in the comments on your own video and on X (formerly Twitter), you were actively encouraging people to make derivative works. Yoshida Yasei: I simply wanted there to be more derivative works, so I provided materials people could use and I shared works they made. It also felt a little like an experiment: “What would happen if a creator were actively involved in derivative works?” Ultimately, that generated buzz, and, like when the song broke the record for consecutive weeks in the charts, I was like “Oh, so this is how the story turns out.” As always, I looked at the whole thing from a third person perspective (laughs). 2024 was a year of overriding for you yourself, and it’s also the year in which “Override” carved its name in the Vocaloid charts. How do you feel looking back on this past year, in which “Override” led to so much creation? Yoshida Yasei: I experienced a lot of things this year that I’d never even imagined before. It was a year of major change for me. I was even surprised about how making new connections and meeting new people changed. So I really haven’t fully gotten my head around this year of tremendous change. In 2025, I hope to look back on my social media and photographs and gradually make some order out of all of it. — This interview by Mio Komachi first appeared on Billboard JapanNo. 2 Ohio State takes control in the 2nd half and runs over No. 5 Indiana 38-15 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Will Howard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, TreVeyon Henderson ran for a score and No. 2 Ohio State beat previously undefeated No. 5 Indiana 38-15. All Ohio State has to do now is beat Michigan at home next Saturday and it will earn a return to the Big Ten championship game for the first time since 2020 and get a rematch with No. 1 Oregon. The Ducks beat Ohio State 32-31 in a wild one back on Oct. 12. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. 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