Article content Re: Joseph Charbonneau’s letter (Nov. 22) on the costly and unsanitary grocery bag program forced upon us by our municipal leaders. I was recently down in the USA, down there they put your groceries in clean sanitary plastic bags at no charge and if you buy a drink in a restaurant or movie theatre etc., you get a plastic straw that doesn’t go soggy and become useless before you’ve finished your drink. The studies are clear that plastic waste from North America is not polluting the oceans and killing sea turtles. We need a return to common sense at all levels of government in Canada. Stamp of disapproval Here we go again with the CUPW going on strike during the busy Christmas period. The union may have found their niche. Shut things down, shout their bravado and wait until the government orders them back to work and get a union-friendly arbitration decision that gives them most of what they want. Canada Post is unable to afford these people as it is. The post office needs a new sustainable model. They get the job done Like them or not, leaders like Donald Trump and Javier Milei, of Argentina, know what it takes to get a country on its feet. It means getting rid of wasteful spending and outrageously bloated government bureaucracy. It means stopping woke virtue signalling, political correctness and gaslighting. It also means calling out biased mainstream media. Short-term gain, then pain So, Trudeau is going to pause the GST on select goods and give us back some of our money. This is good news. Only wish it was longer than eight weeks with a permanent reduction in GST. This pause will cost the government $1.7 billion. Given that business taxes are passed on to consumers, the government has only one major revenue stream and that’s us taxpayers. So where do you think this $1.7-billion revenue loss is going to come from? You guessed it, all us taxpayers. Do you have an opinion on the news of the day? or emailNo. 6 Notre Dame and No. 19 Army are set to revive their rivalry Saturday evening as they clash inside New York's Yankee Stadium. This will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2016, and just the fourth since the turn of the century. This will be the first time that both hold a spot in the College Football Playoff rankings and the first that both are ranked in the AP Top 25 poll entering a matchup since 1958. That's good news for Army: the Black Knights walked out of South Bend, Indiana with a 14-2 win on Oct. 11, 1958. That was Army's last win in the series. Notre Dame has ripped off 15-straight victories in the interim years -- the longest win streak in the rivalry's history. The Irish hold a 39-8-4 advantage in the all-time series. As the rankings may suggest, there are plenty of stakes in this game. Notre Dame likely needs to finish the year undefeated if it wants to feel good about its College Football Playoff standing, given that the Irish don't have a conference championship to play for in the postseason. Army, on the other hand, has already secured its spot in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game, but the Black Knights can establish themselves as a serious threat for more with a win against Notre Dame. Follow along with LIVE updates from Notre Dame's game vs. Army How to watch Notre Dame vs. Army live Date : Saturday, Nov. 23 | Time : 7 p.m. ET Location : Yankee Stadium -- Bronx, New York TV: NBC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free) Notre Dame vs. Army: Need to know Notre Dame is on a tear: Remember when Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois ? The Fighting Irish have done everything they can to put that low point in the rearview mirror. They have ripped off eight straight wins since, most of which have come in dominant fashion. In fact, Notre Dame has outscored its opponents by 32.3 points per game during its current run, which is its best points-per-game differential over an eight-game span since 1977 when Joe Montana was quarterbacking the Irish. Their only real test came on Sept. 28, when they eked out a 31-24 win against Louisville . Every win since has come by at least two possessions and Notre Dame has held seven of its last eight opponents under 20 points. Army on the brink of history: Army is in the midst of a truly special season. The Black Knights have steadily climbed the rankings and now they have a chance to start 10-0 for the first time in program history. It's not going to be easy, obviously. Army has lost 28-straight games against top-10 opponents, with its last such win coming in 1963 against Penn State . This is also a real "prove it" opportunity for Army, which can cement itself as a legitimate College Football Playoff contender with the win. The Black Knights don't have the best résumé otherwise, even if they are undefeated. All of their opponents to this point boast a combined record of 27-53. Army has just one win against an opponent with a record above .500 and it allowed a season-high 28 points in that game. Points could come at a premium: Army currently ranks fourth in the American Athletic Conference with 35.2 points per game. Notre Dame's 38 points per game are good for 11th in the nation. Given that, one might expect a high-scoring affair in New York. That is, until you consider Army and Notre Dame field two of the best defenses in the FBS. The Black Knights currently rank second nationally -- just .03 points behind Ohio State for first place -- while surrendering 10.33 points per game. Notre Dame and its 11.4 points allowed per game are not far behind in third place. Both teams also rank top 10 nationally in total defense. Notre Dame vs. Army prediction, picks Army has enjoyed a great year thus far, and the Black Knights are a good team. But we've already seen a similar game play out this year when Notre Dame beat Navy 51-14. Now, Army looks like a more complete team than Navy did at any point. The same issues should arise for the Black Knights, though. Simply put: Notre Dame has a significant size advantage in the trenches. The Irish also have the athletes to cover the edges and erase a lot of what Army's triple option tries to accomplish to compensate for the size disparity. So long as Notre Dame can stick to its assignments and not get wrapped up in any motion, this should be a comfortable win. Pick: Notre Dame -14.5 (-110) All sports betting odds via DraftKings Sportsbook . Check out the latest DraftKings promo code to get in the game. SportsLine's proven computer model is calling for five outright upsets in Week 13 of college football . Visit SportsLine now to see them all , plus get spread picks for every game from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times.wild queen casino 。

Morgan State hopes for end to recent skid with visit to Minnesota

NPFL: Ikorodu City, Heartland maintain unbeaten run

Title: "Controversy Erupts as Elderly Woman Sets Mountain Ablaze While Collecting Plastic Bottles: Incites Debate on Environment and Responsibility"The year 2004 also saw the birth of YouTube, a platform that would revolutionize how we consume and create content. Suddenly, anyone with a camera and an internet connection could share their ideas, talents, and stories with a global audience. From viral videos to educational tutorials, YouTube became a hub of creativity and community, paving the way for a new generation of influencers and content creators.World number one Luke Humphries continued his bid for back-to-back World Championship titles after easing through to the last 16. While there was high drama in Alexandra Palace on the first day back after the Christmas break, where Damon Heta threw a nine-dart finish, Humphries enjoyed a serene evening. He beat Nick Kenny 4-0 to set up a mouth-watering fourth-round meeting with two-time champion Peter Wright. THE WORLD NUMBER ONE KICKS ON! Luke Humphries comfortably books his spot in the Last 16 with a 4-0 whitewash victory over Nick Kenny, averaging 98.59! 📺 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) Kenny was unable to produce the form that saw him beat Raymond van Barneveld in the previous round and Humphries did not need to be anywhere near his best. “It was one of those games I didn’t want to take for granted,” he said. “I expected a tough game and I wasn’t firing, I felt there is so much more to give, I felt there was more to come out of me. “I didn’t want to give anyone an inch because they can take a mile. “I’m not going to give up this world title without a fight, I wasn’t at my best but when someone pushes me I know I can come up with the goods.” Earlier in the day Heta set the tournament alight on its resumption with a stunning nine-dart finish before bowing out. The Australian, seeded ninth, achieved darting perfection in the second set of his match with Luke Woodhouse to earn a cool £60,000 payday. However, his joy was short-lived as Woodhouse won a thrilling battle 4-3, having trailed 3-1. HEROIC HETA HITS THE NINE! 🔥 UNBELIEVABLE SCENES! 🤯 Damon Heta lands the second nine-darter of the tournament to raise the roof at Alexandra Palace! — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) Heta was millimetres away from throwing a nine-darter in the previous round when he missed the double 12, but he made no mistake this time in the first match after the Christmas break. Heta’s feat was the second time a nine-darter has been thrown in the 2025 tournament and the 16th of all time at the World Championship, following Christian Kist’s effort before Christmas. As well as landing the Australian a hefty payday, it also saw a lucky fan in Ally Pally win a £60,000, with £60,000 also being donated to Prostate Cancer UK. There were several other titanic battles, none better than Gerwyn Price’s sudden-death leg victory over Joe Cullen. Price looked like he was going to have an easy night when he coasted into a 3-0 lead, but Cullen hit back to send it to a decider, which went all the way. Cullen landed a ‘Big Fish’ 170 checkout to send the tie to a sudden-death leg on his throw but Price hit some big numbers to steal victory. “That was tough, I just wanted to get over the winning line,” he said during his on-stage interview. PRICE WINS A THRILLER! That might just be the game of the tournament so far! 💥 Gerwyn Price manages to break the Rockstars throw in the final leg of the game, and beats Joe Cullen 4-3 and books his place in the Last 16! 📺 — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) “He kept coming back, the crowd were way behind him. “I thought I was going to lose, but I kept in there right to the end and got the win. “He played some good darts at the right times. I put myself in that position, I got myself out of it and I’m still in.” Seventh seed Jonny Clayton also battled to victory after squandering a 3-0 lead against Daryl Gurney. Gurney then had six darts to send the decider to a tiebreaker but lost his nerve and Clayton stole a 4-3 win. Stephen Bunting and Peter Wright, who was suffering from a chest infection, enjoyed much more safe passages with routine wins over Madars Razma and Jermaine Wattimena respectively.

Adam Shakir: Presenting Comprehensive ENT Care at Milton KeynesThe St. Mary Medical Center Emergency Department, an extension of the hospital in Hobart that's part of the broader Powers Health network, is now offering 24/7 emergency care at 3800 St. Mary Drive. “Due to tremendous support and growth at our Valparaiso facility, we are expanding our services at this location to serve our community,” said Janice Ryba, the CEO of St. Mary Medical Center. “This expansion demonstrates Powers Health’s continued commitment to offer convenient, high-quality care with advanced technology and services.” The 8,000-square-foot emergency department has 11 patient rooms, including two trauma rooms, two triage rooms for immediate assessment and treatment rooms with critical care monitoring equipment. It offers stroke telehealth, an ambulance bay with direct access to patient rooms, a dedicated EMS entry, a digital X-ray room, laboratory services, a hazardous materials decontamination room and direct assess to imaging diagnostics like CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds. Any ER patients that need to be admitted into the hospital can be transported to St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart. Any patients who need medical care for non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses can visit Powers Health Immediate Care at 1451 W. Morthland Drive in Valparaiso.Needham & Company LLC Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) Stock

The wave of mergers and acquisitions in Hebei Province also highlights the growing importance of regulatory compliance and risk management in the banking industry. As financial institutions face increasing regulatory scrutiny and pressure to meet stringent compliance requirements, many smaller banks have opted to join forces with larger entities that have the resources and capabilities to navigate complex regulatory landscapes.A look at how some of Trump's picks to lead health agencies could help carry out Kennedy's overhaul Donald Trump's health team picks include a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All could play pivotal roles in fulfilling an agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans’ health, from health care and medicines to food safety and science research. In line to be Trump's health secretary is anti-vaccine organizer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He says his task is to “reorganize” federal health agencies. They employ 80,000 scientists, researchers, doctors and other officials, and effect Americans’ daily lives. Trump raced to pick many Cabinet posts. He took more time to settle on a treasury secretary WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump launched a blitz of picks for his Cabinet, but he took his time settling on billionaire investor Scott Bessent as his choice for treasury secretary. The Republican not only wanted someone who jibes with him, but an official who can execute his economic vision and look straight out of central casting while doing so. With his Yale University education and pedigree trading for Soros Fund Management before establishing his own funds, Bessent will be tasked with a delicate balancing act. Trump expects him to help reset the global trade order, enable trillions of dollars in tax cuts, ensure inflation stays in check, manage a ballooning national debt and still keep the financial markets confident. Israeli strikes in central Beirut kill at least 20 as diplomats push for a cease-fire BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanese officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 20 people and injured dozens in central Beirut, as the once-rare attacks on the heart of Lebanon’s capital continue without warning. Diplomats are scrambling to broker a cease-fire but say obstacles still remain. The current proposal calls for a two-month cease-fire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon in the months of fighting that have turned into all-out war. Voters rejected historic election reforms across the US, despite more than $100M push JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Election reform advocates had hoped for a big year at the ballot box. That's because a historic number of states were considering initiatives for ranked choice voting or to end partisan primaries. Instead, voters dealt them big losses in the November elections. Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and South Dakota all rejected proposed changes to their voting systems. In Alaska, a proposal to repeal ranked choice voting appears to have narrowly fallen short. The losses in many states came even though election reform supporters raised more than $100 million, easily outpacing opponents. Supporters say they aren't giving up but plan to retool their efforts. The week that upped the stakes of the Ukraine war KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — This past week has seen the most significant escalation in hostilities Ukraine has witnessed since Russia's full-scale invasion and marks a new chapter in the nearly three-year war. It began with U.S. President Joe Biden reversing a longstanding policy by granting Kyiv permission to deploy American longer-range missiles inside Russian territory and ended with Moscow striking Ukraine with a new experimental ballistic weapon that has alarmed the international community and heightened fears of further escalation. US reels from rain and snow as second round of bad weather approaches for Thanksgiving week WINDSOR, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. is reeling from snow and rain while preparing for another bout of bad weather ahead of Thanksgiving that could disrupt holiday travel. California is bracing for more snow and rain while still grappling with some flooding and small landslides from a previous storm. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for California's Sierra Nevada through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at high elevations. Parts of the Northeast and Appalachia are also starting the weekend with heavy precipitation. Meanwhile thousands remain without power in the Seattle area after a “bomb cyclone” storm system roared ashore the West Coast earlier in the week, killing two people. Even with access to blockbuster obesity drugs, some people don't lose weight Most people taking popular drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight have shed significant pounds. But obesity experts say that roughly 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not see robust results with the new medications. The response to the drugs varies from person to person and can depend on genetics, hormones and differences in how the brain regulates energy. Undiagnosed medical conditions and some drugs can prevent weight loss. Experts say it can take experimentation to help so-called nonresponders find results. Fighting between armed sectarian groups in restive northwestern Pakistan kills at least 37 people PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A senior Pakistani police officer says fighting between armed sectarian groups in the country's restive northwest has killed at least 37 people. The overnight violence was the latest to rock Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and comes days after a deadly gun ambush killed 42 people. The officer said Saturday that armed men torched shops, houses and government property overnight. Gunfire is ongoing between rival tribes. Although Sunnis and Shiites generally live together peacefully in Pakistan, tensions remain in some areas, especially Kurram. Hydrate. Make lists. Leave yourself time. And other tips for reducing holiday travel stress Travel, especially during the holiday season, can be stressful. But following some tips from the pros as you prepare for a trip can make for a smoother, less anxious experience. One expert traveler suggests making a list a week before you go of things you need to do and pack. Cross off each item as you complete it during the week. Another tip is to carry your comfort zone with you. That could mean noise-canceling headphones, playlists meant to soothe airport travelers, entertainment and snacks from home. Carry a change of clothes and a phone charger in case of delays. Stay hydrated. Leave extra time. And know your airline's rules. Downloading the airline's app can help with that. Andy Murray will coach Novak Djokovic through the Australian Open Recently retired Andy Murray will team up with Novak Djokovic, working with him as a coach through the Australian Open in January. Murray’s representatives put out statements from both players on Saturday. Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam champion who has spent more weeks at No. 1 than any other player in tennis history. Murray won three major trophies and two Olympic singles gold medals who finished 2016 atop the ATP rankings. He retired as a player after the Paris Summer Games in August.

One of the biggest debates in business-focused GenAI is how best to monetize it, and there is not a definitive answer. Considering the future, McKinsey pricing guru James D. Wilton —one of the world’s leading experts on SaaS pricing. Wilton has dedicated more than 12 years to helping startups and fast-growing companies capture more of the value they create through pricing strategy transformations. Wilton is currently the Managing Partner and Founder of Monevate , the premier pricing and monetization consulting firm for SaaS and tech companies. Wilton has written a book titled Capturing Value , where he shares insights on emerging trends in GenAI pricing. In the book, Wilton writes: “In the pricing space, we see many companies moving to a hybrid pricing model, which is partly traditional subscription and partly usage-based pricing. I would suggest that, for the front-end GenAI solutions at least, that’s where the answer resides.” As to how business units and individuals should respond, Wilton recommends: “My hot take at this time is that a usage-tiered user model is a great path forward for the GenAI Front-End User Applications.” How might this system work in practice? According to Wilton: “A model like this would charge a different amount per month for a user based on the usage level of that user. For example, a customer who uses a GenAI product below a certain usage threshold might be able to do so for free.” After this point: “Once the user has exceeded that usage threshold, they may start paying a low monthly fee (e.g., $5 to $10). When they exceed another higher usage threshold, the monthly fee may increase to $20. And so on and so on. The number of tiers will be dependent on the number of different usage-based user personas.” The book sets out several benefits of such a system. In summary, these are: According to Wilton: “Because you are scaling the price by usage, users with very low usage need not pay much, if anything. This means you can have a tier where a new user can build familiarity with the GenAI technology and understand the value without having to pay a lot. This would dramatically increase adoption of the technology, which should be a major goal.” Wilton finds: “We don’t have to worry about the low-price entry tier putting us in a precarious position with our margins because price scales with usage. As soon as a low price/free user uses the product regularly enough to cross a usage threshold, they will be bumped into the next tier by the gating usage metric, and their subscription fee will rise to (I hope) cover the costs. The higher tiers can in turn cover the costs of high usage levels.” Wilton pontificates: “While GenAI usage doesn’t scale well with value at a micro level (i.e., do customers really get more value for 32 queries than for 31?), it does at a macro level (they are sure they get more value for a hundred queries than they do for five). Users know they are not going to have to pay more unless their usage really increases by a step change. Individual queries are not monetized, and so they are not going to worry to the same extent about whether each individual query is valuable before submitting. And if they do increase their usage by such a step change, they will likely agree that the value has increased materially, and so they likely wouldn’t object to paying extra.” Summing up the benefits, Wilton considers: “It really is a case of the ‘best of both worlds’ across user-based and usage-based pricing. We’re still early in our GenAI journey, and it will be interesting to see what models become the ‘go to’ as the market dynamics evolve. Until then, I’ll be championing usage-tiered user license models.” Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.As the global community continues to grapple with the pressing challenges of climate change and environmental degradation, incidents like this serve as a stark reminder of the interconnectedness of human actions and their impact on the natural world. It is crucial for individuals, communities, and governments to work together to find sustainable solutions that balance economic needs with ecological preservation.10 tips from experts to help you change your relationship with money in 2025

Pakistan rejects new US sanctions on its missile programme as 'discriminatory'UNC-Greensboro 105, Va.-Lynchburg 50Renowned Chinese director Zhang Jizhong's company has recently been ordered to pay a hefty fine of 5 million yuan (approximately $770,000) by a court in Beijing. The fine stems from a dispute with his ex-wife, who has filed for compulsory enforcement of the judgment.

Back in December of last year, we told you how the state of Texas, along with conservative media outlets The Federalist and The Daily Wire filed suit against the U.S. State Department . Why? Well the State Department funded the Global Engagement Center (GEC), an agency that sought to censor and bankrupt conservative outlets. As we wrote at the time: The suit asks that the State Department's actions be declared illegal and 'to permanently bar it from developing, promoting, or encouraging others to use technology to de-amplify, shadow ban, or restrict 'the lawful speech of the American press and Americans.' Our initial reaction can be summed up in one word: BOOM. The Left figured out a while ago they can align themselves with corporations and NGOs (we use that term loosely) to circumvent the pesky First Amendment and silence conservative outlets. Now we find the proposed short-term funding bill currently before Congress would continue to fund the GEC for a year: 🚨BREAKING: The short-term funding bill to avert a government shutdown includes a one-year extension on the State Department's Global Engagement Center — the agency me and @mtaibbi reported has funded speech suppression efforts and is being sued by the Federalist and Daily Wire pic.twitter.com/fWYaTzVepL No. Absolutely not. Ugh That's putting it mildly. Please don’t sign that bill, @MarshaBlackburn @AndyOgles @BillHagertyTN (and @DrMarkGreen4TN just to be sure!). Let the next Congress handle this.. shut this one down. Shut it all down. Don't pass the bill and let the gov shutdown. Hopefully that'll help prevent the Biden admin and deep state folks from continuing their shenanigans of thwarting Trump's agenda. Use this as an opportunity to do something useful! GOP show some backbone! @VivekGRamaswamy ... This! Show some backbone! Absolutely no. The Global Engagement Center should be immediately shut down, ordered to preserve ALL documents, and criminal investigations into all of its employees should begin on Day 1. Yes. In their abominable omnibus, Republicans are set to fund the illegal government censorship cartel that is attempting to shut down and destroy conservative news outlets like @FDRLST and @realDailyWire . This is unforgivable insanity. What on earth is going on? @elonmusk ... https://t.co/Zntf4bG4Db This is unforgivable. No words https://t.co/RBBb0sFics None. This is inexcusable. No Republican should vote for this bill as it’s currently written. If you’re thinking of voting for it, answer this: Aside from you getting home for Christmas on time, why would you vote for it? Our side just won the election, stop letting Dems run you over. https://t.co/M1AqkFAdNg Absolutely inexcusable. Who is the constituency for this, who put it in there? And if a bill need garbage like this to get enough votes, @SpeakerJohnson , maybe it's not worth passing. Ruin Members' Christmases, not the nation's future. https://t.co/1itZSGCqir This bill cannot pass.