PARIS, Dec 24 — Beloved British animated couple Wallace and Gromit are returning to screens in their first feature-length film in 20 years for a typically mad-cap adventure that spotlights the dangers of technology in the wrong hands. Vengeance Most Fowl will air on the BBC on Christmas Day for the first time before being made available on the Netflix platform from January 3 worldwide. Inventor and director Nick Park has returned to the technology theme that he explored in his 1993 Oscar-winning hit The Wrong Trousers , but updated to take into account the advent of artificial intelligence (AI). The tale centres on tea and cheese-loving Wallace’s latest invention: an “intelligent” robotic gnome called Norbot, which helps around the house and garden, threatening to replace the ever-loyal Gromit, who takes pride in the daily tasks of life. “Wallace is completely deluded and obsessed, whereas Gromit represents the human touch,” Park told AFP in a pre-release interview. “He likes doing his gardening. It’s not about just seeing an end result, it’s the act of doing that is enjoyable. “I love the fact that we have technology. We have to just sometimes ask: is it always enhancing our lives and our relationships, or is it somehow diminishing them in some way?” ‘Real humans’ Park has shown loyalty to the idea of “doing” throughout his four-decade career and still insists on real-world modelling to create Wallace and Gromit instead of resorting to computerised imagery. At his Aardman Animations studio — makers of other hits including Chicken Run and Shaun the Sheep — films are shot frame-by-frame, with clay models slowly moved and altered in a technique known as “stop motion” that dates back to the dawn of cinema. At their fastest rate, the 200-person production team for Vengeance Most Fowl produced two minutes of film per week. “Everything’s made by real human beings and that hopefully shines off the screen,” Park said. The limitations actually spur creativity, he insists, and are a core part of the franchise’s appeal. “With CGI (computer-generated imagery) I guess you are tempted to just use it to the full. You’ve got everything at your disposal,” he said. “Whereas I think if you don’t have that, you tend to be more creative with what little you’ve got.” The film sees the return of the villainous penguin Feathers McGraw from The Wrong Trousers , which won an Oscar for best short animated film. Feathers McGraw is blank-faced throughout, but his on-screen menace is always obvious — often to comical effect — while a full range of emotions are expressed, as ever, through the legendary eyebrows of Gromit. “Very small nuanced movements can say a lot,” Park said. One small change to listen out for in the new film is Wallace’s new voice after the death of English actor Peter Sallis, who had played him since his debut in 1989. Sallis has been replaced by Ben Whitehead, an English voice artist and actor who collaborated with Park on the last full-length Wallace and Gromit film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit , released in 2005. — AFPPension industry share services will kick off soon – PenComGarrett's comments about his future add wrinkle to Browns' worst season since 0-16 in 2017
McNeese St. 76, Illinois St. 68Kingsview Wealth Management LLC Boosts Position in Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (NASDAQ:VXUS)
Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in MetLife, Inc. ( NYSE:MET – Free Report ) by 14.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 502 shares during the quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in MetLife were worth $322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of MetLife by 244.4% during the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in MetLife by 131.9% during the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its stake in shares of MetLife by 374.3% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of MetLife during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of MetLife by 177.3% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. 89.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. MetLife Stock Performance NYSE:MET opened at $88.20 on Friday. MetLife, Inc. has a 1 year low of $63.02 and a 1 year high of $89.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.57. The company has a market capitalization of $61.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.05. MetLife Dividend Announcement Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MET shares. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on MetLife from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded MetLife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on MetLife from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $86.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of MetLife from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $88.62. Read Our Latest Analysis on MetLife About MetLife ( Free Report ) MetLife, Inc, a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through six segments: Retirement and Income Solutions; Group Benefits; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short-and long-term disability, individual disability, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and general and separate account, and synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, as well as private floating rate funding agreements. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for MetLife Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MetLife and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Stock market today: Wall Street’s rally stalls as Nasdaq pulls back from its recordGovernment demands 'immediate, mandatory' housing plans from councils to build 1.5m homesEAST CAROLINA (4-1) LaBeaux 1-3 0-0 3, Walker 6-12 8-9 20, R.Felton 8-19 1-1 20, Hayes 0-6 3-4 3, Riley 4-11 1-1 9, Farell 4-7 0-0 12, Woodard 3-4 0-0 6, Soumaoro 2-2 0-0 5, Malonga 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 28-66 13-15 78. JACKSONVILLE ST. (4-1) Brigham 3-4 5-7 11, Nicholson 2-3 0-0 4, Cotton 5-9 2-2 15, Franklin 2-5 0-0 5, Pierre 4-10 7-11 16, Ituka 5-10 6-8 18, Houge 6-11 3-3 15, Niagu 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 28-53 23-31 86. Halftime_East Carolina 39-37. 3-Point Goals_East Carolina 9-27 (Farell 4-6, R.Felton 3-10, Soumaoro 1-1, LaBeaux 1-2, Woodard 0-1, Riley 0-2, Walker 0-2, Hayes 0-3), Jacksonville St. 7-15 (Cotton 3-3, Ituka 2-6, Pierre 1-2, Franklin 1-3, Houge 0-1). Fouled Out_LaBeaux, Riley, Woodard. Rebounds_East Carolina 29 (Walker, R.Felton 7), Jacksonville St. 33 (Brigham, Pierre, Houge 6). Assists_East Carolina 9 (Hayes 4), Jacksonville St. 13 (Pierre 6). Total Fouls_East Carolina 21, Jacksonville St. 13.
Port spending $3M to kill controversial Coronado Cays RV resort projectThe Social Security Administration revealed the 2025 cost-of-living adjustment last month. Thus, a 2.5% increase will be given to recipients starting in January; this equates to about $48 per month for the typical retiree and about $39 per month for the typical disabled worker. The lower COLA has disappointed many Americans, even though any additional money can help them get by. In addition to being much lower than the 8.7% and 5.9% increases from 2023 and 2022, respectively, it is also marginally below the 2.83% average for the previous ten years. A more moderate COLA does have one significant benefit, though, and it will probably have a greater impact on your retirement than a little higher raise. The positive aspect of lower Social Security COLAs The purpose of the COLA is to assist Social Security benefits in keeping pace with increasing expenses over time. Changes to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) serve as its basis. In the third quarter of every year, the Social Security Administration averages the CPI-W figures. The percentage difference will be the COLA for the following year if the average is higher than the average for the same period the year before. That’s why we witnessed record-breaking adjustments in 2022 and 2023: recipients may anticipate a bigger COLA the following year when inflation is on the rise. A higher-than-average COLA of 5.9% was the result of prices starting to increase in 2021. Beginning in 2023, beneficiaries will receive an 8.7% COLA after the CPI peaked in June 2022 with a 12-month percentage change of 9.1%. A lower COLA is positive because it means inflation is slowing. In October 2024, the CPI’s 12-month percentage change was only 2.6%, compared to 3.2% in October 2023 and 7.7% in October 2022. In general, retirees’ budgets will be more affected by lower prices than by somewhat bigger monthly payments. Therefore, even though a lower COLA could initially appear like a letdown, there is a bright side: daily costs are gradually getting cheaper than they were in previous years. Think about how the COLA affects your retirement strategy. The cost of living adjustment (COLA) isn’t meant to significantly enhance your overall financial status, even if it can give you a little additional money every month. Once more, even a greater raise might not result in additional discretionary income because higher COLAs are just meant to offset rising consumer costs. To enhance your financial well-being in retirement, you might need to adopt a more proactive strategy. You can increase your nest egg without being as dependent on Social Security by, for instance, finding a passive income source. You can also consider moving to a smaller home or going back to work part-time if you can afford it. Although many SSA beneficiaries may be dissatisfied with the new 2.5% COLA boost for next year , the good news is that it indicates a change in inflation. A lesser change is more beneficial than it might appear, and lower costs will probably have an even greater effect on your finances than the COLA. How can you stay up to date with Social Security benefit information? There are several methods to stay up to date on the most recent Social Security data via SSA.gov:
The PGA Tour is making the most sweeping changes to its eligibility in more than 40 years by eliminating 25 tour cards, along with shrinking the size of its fields. The all-exempt tour had been in place since 1983, meaning the top 125 players from the official money list — now the FedEx Cup standings — kept a full PGA Tour card the following season. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings."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?" Thanks for your interest in Kalkine Media's content! To continue reading, please log in to your account or create your free account with us.
By David French (Reuters) -Upbound Group said on Thursday it reached agreement on a $460 million cash-and-stock deal for Brigit, a financial technology company that has been backed by investors including the venture capital firms of actor Ashton Kutcher and basketball star Kevin Durant. The move, confirming a Reuters story from earlier on Thursday, will help Upbound expand its product offerings to credit-poor consumers and give it access to Brigit’s data modeling and technology platform, allowing it to create more accurate customer financial profiles. Brigit provides financial services including cash advances and credit-profile building through its subscription-based digital app. It currently has nearly 2 million monthly active customers, according to a statement announcing the agreement. Under terms of the deal, Upbound is paying $325 million at a closing date forecast for the first quarter of 2025, of which 75% is in cash and the rest in stock. There are further cash payments due over two years, some of which are dependent on Brigit achieving performance targets. Upbound Chief Executive Mitch Fadel told Reuters the Brigit acquisition would immediately contribute to its business because the app is already profitable, but also in the ways it can interact with its customers. With only 10% overlap between the two companies’ customer bases, he said, there was significant opportunity for cross-selling. “When you have more products, you can create more lifetime customers, especially when you are helping to build their credit and access a greater array of financial products,” Fadel said. Plano, Texas-based Upbound, whose brands include Rent-A-Center and Acima, offers consumers with low credit scores help to buy products, including furniture, electronics, and other home goods, through so-called lease-to-own agreements. Brigit’s founders, Zuben Mathews and Hamel Kothari, will continue to run Brigit as a segment within Upbound, and Brigit will retain its existing branding, the statement said. “By combining forces with Upbound, we can accelerate our impact and better serve the millions of Americans who have been historically underserved by traditional financial institutions,” Mathews said. (Reporting by David French in New York; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Bill Berkrot) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );
NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of ASP Isotopes Inc. (NASDAQ: ASPI) between October 30, 2024 and November 26, 2024, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”), of the important February 3, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased ASP Isotopes securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the ASP Isotopes class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=32062 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than February 3, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, during the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) ASP Isotopes overstated the potential effectiveness of its enrichment technology; (2) ASP Isotopes overstated the development potential of its high assay low-enriched uranium facility; (3) ASP Isotopes overstated ASP Isotopes’ nuclear fuels operating segment results; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants’ positive statements about ASP Isotopes’ business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the ASP Isotopes class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=32062 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ------------------------------- Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.comSaaSQL Transforms Non-Profit Fundraising with AI-Powered SolutionsThe military's tradition of tracking Santa Claus on his gravity-defying sweep across the globe will carry on this Christmas Eve, even if the U.S. government shuts down , officials said Friday. Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about Santa’s location. Millions more follow online — in nine languages — as St. Nick swoops along the earth's meridians. “We fully expect for Santa to take flight on Dec. 24 and NORAD will track him," the U.S.-Canadian agency said in a statement. On any other night, NORAD is scanning the heavens for potential threats , such as last year's Chinese spy balloon . But on Christmas Eve, volunteers in Colorado Springs, Colorado, are fielding questions like, “When is Santa coming to my house?” and, “Am I on the naughty or nice list?” The endeavor is supported by local and corporate sponsors, who also help shield the tradition from Washington dysfunction. Bob Sommers, 63, a civilian contractor and NORAD volunteer, told The Associated Press that there are "screams and giggles and laughter” when families call in, usually on speakerphone. Sommers often says on the call that everyone must be asleep before Santa arrives, prompting parents to say, "Do you hear what he said? We got to go to bed early." NORAD's annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War , predating ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey classics . Here's how it began and why the phones keep ringing. It started with a child's accidental phone call in 1955. The Colorado Springs newspaper printed a Sears advertisement that encouraged children to call Santa, listing a phone number. A boy called. But he reached the Continental Air Defense Command, now NORAD, a joint U.S. and Canadian effort to spot potential enemy attacks. Tensions were growing with the Soviet Union, along with anxieties about nuclear war. Air Force Col. Harry W. Shoup picked up an emergency-only “red phone” and was greeted by a tiny voice that began to recite a Christmas wish list. “He went on a little bit, and he takes a breath, then says, ‘Hey, you’re not Santa,’” Shoup told The Associated Press in 1999. Realizing an explanation would be lost on the youngster, Shoup summoned a deep, jolly voice and replied, “Ho, ho, ho! Yes, I am Santa Claus. Have you been a good boy?” Shoup said he learned from the boy's mother that Sears mistakenly printed the top-secret number. He hung up, but the phone soon rang again with a young girl reciting her Christmas list. Fifty calls a day followed, he said. In the pre-digital age, the agency used a 60-by-80-foot (18-by-24-meter) plexiglass map of North America to track unidentified objects. A staff member jokingly drew Santa and his sleigh over the North Pole. The tradition was born. “Note to the kiddies,” began an AP story from Colorado Springs on Dec. 23, 1955. “Santa Claus Friday was assured safe passage into the United States by the Continental Air Defense Command.” In a likely reference to the Soviets, the article noted that Santa was guarded against possible attack from "those who do not believe in Christmas.” Some grinchy journalists have nitpicked Shoup's story, questioning whether a misprint or a misdial prompted the boy's call. In 2014, tech news site Gizmodo cited an International News Service story from Dec. 1, 1955, about a child's call to Shoup. Published in the Pasadena Independent, the article said the child reversed two digits in the Sears number. "When a childish voice asked COC commander Col. Harry Shoup, if there was a Santa Claus at the North Pole, he answered much more roughly than he should — considering the season: ‘There may be a guy called Santa Claus at the North Pole, but he’s not the one I worry about coming from that direction,'" Shoup said in the brief piece. In 2015, The Atlantic magazine doubted the flood of calls to the secret line, while noting that Shoup had a flair for public relations. Phone calls aside, Shoup was indeed media savvy. In 1986, he told the Scripps Howard News Service that he recognized an opportunity when a staff member drew Santa on the glass map in 1955. A lieutenant colonel promised to have it erased. But Shoup said, “You leave it right there,” and summoned public affairs. Shoup wanted to boost morale for the troops and public alike. “Why, it made the military look good — like we’re not all a bunch of snobs who don’t care about Santa Claus,” he said. Shoup died in 2009. His children told the StoryCorps podcast in 2014 that it was a misprinted Sears ad that prompted the phone calls. “And later in life he got letters from all over the world,” said Terri Van Keuren, a daughter. "People saying ‘Thank you, Colonel, for having, you know, this sense of humor.’” NORAD's tradition is one of the few modern additions to the centuries-old Santa story that have endured, according to Gerry Bowler, a Canadian historian who spoke to the AP in 2010. Ad campaigns or movies try to “kidnap” Santa for commercial purposes, said Bowler, who wrote “Santa Claus: A Biography.” NORAD, by contrast, takes an essential element of Santa's story and views it through a technological lens. In a recent interview with the AP, Air Force Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham explained that NORAD radars in Alaska and Canada — known as the northern warning system — are the first to detect Santa. He leaves the North Pole and typically heads for the international dateline in the Pacific Ocean. From there he moves west, following the night. “That's when the satellite systems we use to track and identify targets of interest every single day start to kick in,” Cunningham said. “A probably little-known fact is that Rudolph’s nose that glows red emanates a lot of heat. And so those satellites track (Santa) through that heat source.” NORAD has an app and website, www.noradsanta.org , that will track Santa on Christmas Eve from 4 a.m. to midnight, mountain standard time. People can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to ask live operators about Santa’s location from 6 a.m. to midnight, mountain time.
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Cisco Systems, Inc. ( NASDAQ: CSCO ) Barclays 22nd Annual Global Technology Conference December 12, 2024 2:35 PM ET Company Participants Chuck Robbins - Chairman and CEO Conference Call Participants Tim Long - Barclays Bank Unidentified Company Representative Good morning, everybody and welcome to Barclays' 22nd Annual Global Technology Conference. It's a real pleasure to be here with you all this morning and it is my distinct privilege to be interviewing Chuck Robbins, the Chairman and CEO of Cisco. Chuck, welcome. It's great that you're with us. Chuck Robbins Thank you. It's great to be here. Unidentified Company Representative Thank you very much. And I know you all know Chuck and are probably very familiar with his resume, but I might just spend a moment just to run through because there's some points in the resume that are going to sort of be relevant to the conversation. So Chuck was born in Grayson, Georgia. He went -- he achieved a bachelor of mathematics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He started his career as an application developer at the North Carolina National Bank, which is now a part of what is Bank of America. He did a number of roles, Wellfleet Communications, Ascend Communications before he joined Cisco in 1997. He then did a number of very senior roles inside of Cisco, which culminated in 2015 when Cisco announced that the CEO and Chairman, John Chambers, would be stepping down and that Chuck would be his successor. Chuck was then elected to Chairman of the Board in 2017 and has really been sort of understood to be transformative in terms of the software, the services, cyber and innovative technologies. He wears a number of different hats outside of his being the CEO of Cisco. He's also the Chairman of the BusinessLaghman's Sao Valley Lacks Access To Telecom Services
The violent reign of notorious 1960s gangsters the Krays has been highlighted at Westminster to argue against plans to throw out hereditary peers from the Lords. The London underworld activities of Ronnie and Reggie were recounted in Parliament by Lord Hamilton of Epsom as he warned that legislation proposed by the Government to reform the upper chamber treated appointed members as “good” and those there by right of birth as “bad”. Taking issue with this, the Conservative former minister delved back into history to highlight the connection between the infamous twins and Lord Boothby, a former MP who was among the first to be made a life peer following a change in the law in 1958. Lord Hamilton also made reference to the long-running affair between Boothby and Dorothy Macmillan, the wife of the then Conservative prime minister Harold Macmillan. He went on to point to the jailing of one-time life peers Lord Kagan and Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare as he branded the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill “very, very facile”. The legislation, which has been through the Commons, will abolish the 92 seats reserved for bloodline members. The Bill delivers on a promise in Labour’s election manifesto and has been promoted as the first step in a process of reform amid ongoing concerns over the size of the House. Opponents claim it will push appointments even further into the hands of the Prime Minister of the day, with no curb on numbers. Referring to George Orwell’s allegorical novel, Lord Hamilton said: “I think this Bill, which is bit odd, must have been drafted by somebody who had just read Animal Farm because for some reason the House has been divided between life peers who are good and hereditary peers who are bad.” He added: “So is there something superior about appointed peers over elected hereditary peers? I think not, I think the reverse is true.” Highlighting the introduction of life peerages in 1958, Lord Hamilton said: “Probably the most memorable name of the life peers brought into the House at that stage was Lord Boothby. “Now Lord Boothby’s claim to fame was that he had actually slept with the prime minister’s wife. “This completely kyboshed the advice I used to give to people who wanted to be life peers in this place. I used to say to them ‘Whatever else you do, make sure you don’t sleep with the prime minister’s wife’. “But Lord Boothby was rather more exotic than just that. He was actually photographed enjoying a drink in a Soho club with the Kray twins. “Now most of you are too young to remember anything about the Kray twins but they were actually a very, very sinister couple of mobsters, who were the nearest thing we had to the mafia in this country and they ran a protection racket that was absolutely ruthless. “They tortured very large numbers of people and one of them was so psychotic that he actually rather enjoyed doing it. “It took some time for the legal authorities to catch up with the Kray twins but they did eventually end up in prison and I think both of them died there. “Lord Boothby was lucky because he didn’t end up in prison. “But on the other hand, Lord Kagan did.” The Lithuanian refugee and textile magnate was a friend of then prime minister Harold Wilson and was made a life peer in 1976. However, Kagan was subsequently found guilty of fraud and jailed in 1980. Stripped of his knighthood, Kagan’s peerage could not be removed and following his release he returned to the House of Lords and became a campaigner for penal reform until his death in 1995. Lord Hamilton also highlighted the case of the best-selling author and former Tory MP Lord Archer, who was jailed in 2001 after being found guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice. The peer said: “I am just pointing this out because quite clearly it is wrong to say that all life peers are criminal convicts ... but the damage one or two do is very, very great to the House and people outside cannot understand why people who are supposed to be writing the laws cannot actually uphold them themselves and are actually outside the law. “So when we come to say that hereditary peers are bad and life peers are good that doesn’t apply in every case.” Criticising the legislation that would see the removal of hereditary peers, Lord Hamilton warned about the loss of expertise. He said: “It seems to be an extremely negative way of planning the future of this House and holding the Government to account. “We will be looking at this Bill with very great intensity ... I think that this is a very, very facile Bill and needs exploring in very great depth.”Creditors approve proposed $32.5B deal with tobacco giants
