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Published 1:51 pm Tuesday, November 26, 2024 By Jan Griffey NATCHEZ—Bulk materials pickup, a new service offered by the City of Natchez garbage collection vendor that residents pay for in their monthly garbage fee, has left some residents confused about how it works. Natchez resident Barbara Winkworth said she made several calls to different people and agencies to no avail. “It was put out in your paper sometime back that it was going to happen, but apparently, when myself and a couple of others wanted more information, like what we could put out there, no one seemed to know anything about it,” Winkworth said. “I started by calling the phone number on the garbage bins, but they told me I could not get that information from them and told me to call the water company. I called the water company, and they had no idea what I was talking about,” she said. “No one seemed to know anything about it. Everybody is frustrated because we have a garage full of things we would like to put out there, but we don’t know when the pick up is and what they will pick up.” Others described having similar experiences to Winkworth’s on social media. Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said he had not received phone calls about bulk materials pick up. However, he said he would happily explain how the process works. Bulk materials collection Meridian Waste, which the city contracts for garbage collection services, provides curbside collection of up to eight cubic yards of bulk materials twice monthly. Recently, Meridian Waste purchased ADSI — Arrow Disposal Services Inc. — which held the city’s garbage collection contract. However, the managers and others who worked for ADSI now work for Meridian Waste. What is collected? Bulk landscaping materials include large limbs and piles of tree trimmings that are too heavy to be collected by hand. Limbs must be cut six feet or less long and no more than 8 inches in diameter. This service is intended for tree limbs too large for the city’s regular twice-weekly trash collection. Meridian Waste will continue to collect small piles — up to two cubic yards — of bagged or bundled yard waste each week on your regular garbage pick-up days. White goods are refrigerators, washers, dryers and other household appliances or furniture. All items placed for collection must be drained of freon and tagged accordingly. If they are not drained of freon and tagged as such, the item will not be collected. Construction debris—waste materials from do-it-yourself renovation projects—must be placed in tied contractor-grade bags and set curbside for collection. Each collection is limited to four bags. Pickup guidelines This service is for bulk waste generated through routine landscaping or do-it-yourself projects. For residents who hire a contractor or tree service, the vendor must haul away those materials. Bulk materials may be placed at the curb up to one week before regularly scheduled service. Bulk materials will be picked up only during your scheduled service week. Once your zone is serviced, the bulk crew will not return to that zone until two weeks later. Bulk waste materials should be neatly piled at least two feet from utility poles, low-hanging trees, fences, gas and water meters, fire hydrants, mailboxes, sprinkler heads, and any other obstacles preventing collection. Do not block sidewalks or the view of oncoming traffic with your pile of bulk waste materials. Small bundles of yard waste and bagged leaves will continue to be collected by Meridian Waste rear-load crews each week during your normal trash pickup. Bulk collections are limited to 8 total yards per resident every other week. That equals an area 8 feet by 9 feet and 3 feet high. When are bulk materials picked up? Bulk materials collection is available on alternating weeks, depending on when your garbage is collected. For the month of December, if your garbage is collected on Mondays and Thursdays, your bulk materials pickup dates are Dec. 2 through 6, Dec. 16 through 20, and Dec. 30 through Jan. 3. For the month of December, if your garbage is collected on Tuesdays and Fridays, your bulk materials pickup dates are Dec. 9 through 13 and Dec. 23 through 27. For the month of January, if your garbage is collected on Mondays and Thursdays, your bulk materials pickup dates are Jan. 13 through 17 and Jan. 27 through 31. For the month of January, if your garbage is collected on Tuesdays and Fridays, your bulk materials pickup dates are Jan. 6 through 10 and Jan. 20 through 24. Bulk materials pickups will continue on alternating weeks according to this schedule. While the bulk collection crew may pick up items any day of the designated week per zone, residents must have bulk materials out for pickup by 7 a.m. on Mondays of the designated pick-up week. If you have any complaints or questions, please call the mayor’s office “We are very grateful to be contracted with Meridian Waste for our trash collection services. Since adding the bulk materials pickup, everything to our knowledge has been going very well,” Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said. “We understand that some situations may arise from time to time, and we are happy to help anyone who calls our office. Looking back on our call log for the last several weeks, we don’t show any complaints that have not been attended to. And, in fact, the complaints have been too few to raise any concerns,” he said. The phone number to the mayor’s office is 601-445-7555. “We are happy to help anyone. We don’t want our citizens to be inconvenienced, and we certainly don’t want bulk items left on our streets for any length of time,” Gibson said.WASHINGTON — Jimmy Carter, the earnest Georgia peanut farmer who as U.S. president struggled with a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis but brokered peace between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, has died, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Sunday. He was 100. A Democrat, he served as president from January 1977 to January 1981 after defeating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford in the 1976 U.S. election. Carter was swept from office four years later in an electoral landslide as voters embraced Republican challenger Ronald Reagan, the former actor and California governor. ADVERTISEMENT Carter lived longer after his term in office than any other U.S. president. Along the way, he earned a reputation as a better former president than he was a president -- a status he readily acknowledged. His one-term presidency was marked by the highs of the 1978 Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, bringing some stability to the Middle East. But it was dogged by an economy in recession, persistent unpopularity and the embarrassment of the Iran hostage crisis that consumed his final 444 days in office. In recent years, Carter had experienced several health issues including melanoma that spread to his liver and brain. Carter decided to receive hospice care in February 2023 instead of undergoing additional medical intervention. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, died on Nov. 19, 2023, at age 96. He looked frail when he attended her memorial service and funeral in a wheelchair. Carter left office profoundly unpopular but worked energetically for decades on humanitarian causes. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 in recognition of his "untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." Carter had been a centrist as governor of Georgia with populist tendencies when he moved into the White House as the 39th U.S. president. He was a Washington outsider at a time when America was still reeling from the Watergate scandal that led Republican Richard Nixon to resign as president in 1974 and elevated Ford from vice president. "I'm Jimmy Carter and I'm running for president. I will never lie to you," Carter promised with an ear-to-ear smile. Asked to assess his presidency, Carter said in a 1991 documentary: "The biggest failure we had was a political failure. I never was able to convince the American people that I was a forceful and strong leader." ADVERTISEMENT Despite his difficulties in office, Carter had few rivals for accomplishments as a former president. He gained global acclaim as a tireless human rights advocate, a voice for the disenfranchised and a leader in the fight against hunger and poverty, winning the respect that eluded him in the White House. Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts to promote human rights and resolve conflicts around the world, from Ethiopia and Eritrea to Bosnia and Haiti. His Carter Center in Atlanta sent international election-monitoring delegations to polls around the world. A Southern Baptist Sunday school teacher since his teens, Carter brought a strong sense of morality to the presidency, speaking openly about his religious faith. He also sought to take some pomp out of an increasingly imperial presidency - walking, rather than riding in a limousine, in his 1977 inauguration parade. The Middle East was the focus of Carter's foreign policy. The 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, based on the 1978 Camp David Accords, ended a state of war between the two neighbors. Carter brought Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland for talks. Later, as the accords seemed to be unraveling, Carter saved the day by flying to Cairo and Jerusalem for personal shuttle diplomacy. The treaty provided for Israeli withdrawal from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the establishment of diplomatic relations. Begin and Sadat each won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1978. By the 1980 election, the overriding issues were double-digit inflation, interest rates that exceeded 20% and soaring gas prices, as well as the Iran hostage crisis that brought humiliation to America. These issues marred Carter's presidency and undermined his chances of winning a second term. ADVERTISEMENT On Nov. 4, 1979, revolutionaries devoted to Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seized the Americans present and demanded the return of the ousted shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was backed by the United States and was being treated in a U.S. hospital. The American public initially rallied behind Carter. But his support faded in April 1980 when a commando raid failed to rescue the hostages, with eight U.S. soldiers killed in an aircraft accident in the Iranian desert. Carter's final ignominy was that Iran held the 52 hostages until minutes after Reagan took his oath of office on Jan. 20, 1981, to replace Carter, then released the planes carrying them to freedom. In another crisis, Carter protested the former Soviet Union's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan by boycotting the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. He also asked the U.S. Senate to defer consideration of a major nuclear arms accord with Moscow. Unswayed, the Soviets remained in Afghanistan for a decade. Carter won narrow Senate approval in 1978 of a treaty to transfer the Panama Canal to the control of Panama despite critics who argued the waterway was vital to American security. He also completed negotiations on full U.S. ties with China. Carter created two new U.S. Cabinet departments -- education and energy. Amid high gas prices, he said America's "energy crisis" was "the moral equivalent of war" and urged the country to embrace conservation. "Ours is the most wasteful nation on earth," he told Americans in 1977. ADVERTISEMENT In 1979, Carter delivered what became known as his "malaise" speech to the nation, although he never used that word. "After listening to the American people I have been reminded again that all the legislation in the world can't fix what's wrong with America," he said in his televised address. "The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America." As president, the strait-laced Carter was embarrassed by the behavior of his hard-drinking younger brother, Billy Carter, who had boasted: "I got a red neck, white socks, and Blue Ribbon beer." Jimmy Carter withstood a challenge from Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination but was politically diminished heading into his general election battle against a vigorous Republican adversary. Reagan, the conservative who projected an image of strength, kept Carter off balance during their debates before the November 1980 election. Reagan dismissively told Carter, "There you go again," when the Republican challenger felt the president had misrepresented Reagan's views during one debate. ADVERTISEMENT Carter lost the 1980 election to Reagan, who won 44 of the 50 states and amassed an Electoral College landslide. James Earl Carter Jr. was born on Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, one of four children of a farmer and shopkeeper. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946, served in the nuclear submarine program and left to manage the family peanut farming business. He married his wife, Rosalynn, in 1946, a union he called "the most important thing in my life." They had three sons and a daughter. Carter became a millionaire, a Georgia state legislator and Georgia's governor from 1971 to 1975. He mounted an underdog bid for the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination, and out-hustled his rivals for the right to face Ford in the general election. With Walter Mondale as his vice presidential running mate, Carter was given a boost by a major Ford gaffe during one of their debates. Ford said that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration," despite decades of just such domination. Carter edged Ford in the election, even though Ford actually won more states -- 27 to Carter's 23. Not all of Carter's post-presidential work was appreciated. Former President George W. Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush, both Republicans, were said to have been displeased by Carter's freelance diplomacy in Iraq and elsewhere. ADVERTISEMENT In 2004, Carter called the Iraq war launched in 2003 by the younger Bush one of the most "gross and damaging mistakes our nation ever made." He called George W. Bush's administration "the worst in history" and said Vice President Dick Cheney was "a disaster for our country." In 2019, Carter questioned Republican Donald Trump's legitimacy as president, saying "he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf." Trump responded by calling Carter "a terrible president." Carter also made trips to communist North Korea. A 1994 visit defused a nuclear crisis, as President Kim Il Sung agreed to freeze his nuclear program in exchange for resumed dialog with the United States. That led to a deal in which North Korea, in return for aid, promised not to restart its nuclear reactor or reprocess the plant's spent fuel. But Carter irked Democratic President Bill Clinton's administration by announcing the deal with North Korea's leader without first checking with Washington. In 2010, Carter won the release of an American sentenced to eight years hard labor for illegally entering North Korea. Carter wrote more than two dozen books, ranging from a presidential memoir to a children's book and poetry, as well as works about religious faith and diplomacy. His book "Faith: A Journey for All," was published in 2018. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .
Qatar tribune Smitha Vishveshwara Reeling from a divisive and turbulent election season, many of us seek spaces of solace, light, unity and worship as we turn toward the winter holidays. The cosmos and its reflection within us harbor such spaces. By viewing and embracing scientific insights through the lens of humanity, you form a connection with your place in the universe. And when you do so, a window opens into the sacred space of our profoundly united existence. Earlier this year, a celestial event cast its splendor along a belt traversing our nation — the total solar eclipse. During totality, day turned to night. The sun’s corona blazed around its darkened disc. A moment so visceral, unwitting animals could palpably feel it. Transcending age, walks of life, race and politics, the eclipse brought millions together in a communion of cosmic wonder. In my family of three generations, some drove from Illinois to Indiana, while others traveled from India in time for the event. Our shared experience formed immediate bonds with hitherto unknown friends. As a scientist, the eclipse also offered me spectacular links to two modern revolutionary branches of physics that have completely changed our perception of nature: relativity and quantum physics. As my late black hole physicist father would delight in sharing, a solar eclipse was needed to demonstrate the bending of light around the sun, sealing predictions of Albert Einstein’s relativity in 1919. As for the quantum revolution, its technological marvels are part of our daily lives: lasers, semiconducting circuit elements, MRI machines, and more. A practicing quantum physicist, I rejoice at the unity of our common quest. Scholars come together from across the world to the United States, collaborating, learning, mentoring. Just as my parents did — my mother, a biophysicist — half a century ago. During the eclipse, I felt a heightened awe for the phenomenon that sparked this revolution. Humans and stars radiate light in the same way. An ever-present miracle on Earth — we are all perfectly glowing beings in our unhindered outpouring! What is this universal light? “Blackbody radiation,” as physicists call it, is the common pattern of light that emanates from stars, heated metal, the universe and you and me. We are all effulgent blackbodies. Our radiation pattern depends only on the body’s intrinsic temperature. For a star, it peaks in the visible range and depending on its temperature, appears anything from red to blue in the rainbow spectrum. For mammals, reflecting a similar body temperature across species, the radiation peaks in the infrared. Through an infrared camera, we can perceive our glowing warmth. Our Earth, too, is nearly a blackbody. Save for the atmosphere — a thin veneer trapping heat and balancing a temperature range that sustains life. A delicate balance that we humans can disrupt by pumping this veneer with emissions. Quantum physics grew from contemplating this universal pattern. Understanding it required re-envisioning light not as a wave, but as a bundle of energy, a photon. This seed gave way to mind-boggling notions and theories that explain so much of the world, starting with our current description of the atom. Today, quantum science thrives splendidly across the globe. Looking ahead, the U.S. National Quantum Initiative passed as an act of Congress with bipartisan support, meaning that throughout 2025, the world will celebrate a United Nations International Year, commemorating a century of quantum science and its wonders. The seed that gave birth to all this brings alive a luminous sacred space. The universe, the stars, humans — all mirroring one another in radiance. A sacred space of awe and care as you might find in nature — lying in a pine forest, walking by a mountain range, immersing in the ocean’s infinity. Or in an act of worship — praying together beneath a spire or dome, meditating in a sanctum, dancing in spiritual ecstasy, feeding a child, creating patterns of colored chalk powder to be blown away by the wind. We are here as but one burst in space and time. Contemplating our mortality, do we not hold the sacred all the more precious? In the afterglow of Thanksgiving — a relatively new holiday, in cosmic terms — I invite you into this space. An invocation that can bring joy, universal love and gratitude. A contemplation that comes as a prayer. On the veneer of the Earth, just as the celestial sphere is riddled with a billion blazing stars, we form a human galaxy of glowing beings. Nodes of an interconnected complex web. Connecting in the smiles of strangers passing by, in our exchanges, our altercations included, in a shoulder to rest on in moments of deep pain, in a shared meal, in an embrace. The stretches of darkness grow longer in the winter, and we kindle fires. We illuminate our festivities with clusters of light. In all this, each of us carries within ourselves a burnishing lamp. Each of us is a radiant, glowing being. (Smitha Vishveshwara is a professor of physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Public Voices Fellow with the OpEd Project.) Copy 22/12/2024 10None
Ruby Edwards, Chairwoman of the OCSD Board of Trustees, has once again gifted students in District 6. On Dec. 17, she surprised students at Edisto Primary, Mellichamp, and Sheridan Elementary Schools with Christmas presents. Edwards and her community partners—Paragon Builders, Bowleggin Consulting LLC, Accent Consulting Group, Paragon Development, and Orangeburg County Councilwoman Deloris Frazier— treated OCSD students to gift cards. Mellichamp Elementary School Principal, Dr. Latoya Glen, expressed appreciation for the kindness shown to Mellichamp. "We are incredibly thankful to Chair Edwards and her generous partners for bringing such joy to our students during this magical season,” she said. “We are truly blessed to have dedicated leaders and community partners who give so selflessly to uplift our Champions at Mellichamp." During the presentations, Edwards encouraged the students and celebrated the role of community partners in the event. “We feel incredibly lucky to bring happiness to some of OCSD's children during this wonderful time of year,” Chair Edwards exclaimed. “This is my seventh annual Christmas celebration in District Six, and just the look of joy on one student’s face makes all the effort worthwhile!” Meanwhile, during their Dec. 17 holiday celebration, the Orangeburg County School District’s (OCSD) Communication and Technology Division members donated coats, hats, socks, and toys to the Orangeburg Salvation Army. Rather than exchanging gifts among colleagues, members of the department were encouraged to purchase items that could bring comfort and joy to local families in need. “Our work as a school district doesn’t stop at the classroom,” said Dr. Erica S. Taylor, Assistant Superintendent of Communications, Business & Community Partnerships. “This initiative reminds us all that it’s better to give than to receive. By stepping outside of ourselves and giving to others, we not only bring smiles to families but strengthen the bond between our district and the community we proudly serve.” Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants snapped a franchise-record 10-game losing streak and ended the Indianapolis Colts' slim playoff hopes Sunday as Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and ran for another in a 45-33 victory. New York earned its first home win of the season and it no longer has control of the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.
Jimmy Roca first picked up a guitar when he was 10. Now 36 and a professional musician, he credits Dave Matthews for his ultimate career choice. Roca participated in chorus and band in school and said he was interested in playing drums, but he started on the acoustic guitar after hearing some Matthews songs. "I started on the acoustic, all thanks to Dave," Roca said. "I eventually got myself an electric and did a lot of that too." If you follow live music on the Grand Strand, you might have caught Roca at various venues, including regular weekly gigs at LuLu’s North Myrtle Beach (Fridays) and Travinia at The Market Common (Wednesdays). He’s also a regular feature at venues on the MarshWalk in Murrells Inlet and more. "I'm down in Pawleys sometimes and Little River sometimes – and everywhere in between," he said. Roca is slated to appear at Dead Dog Saloon on Dec. 2 from 6-9:30 p.m. Originally from Staten Island, N.Y., Roca also lived in the Pocono Mountains. Because this was a rural area, Roca said he couldn’t do the things he did in Staten Island, like walking over to a friend’s house. "I'd come home and just play guitar every day," Roca said. "Toward the end of high school, I was in some bands and that’s pretty much all I wanted to do at that point." After a brief stint in college, Roca went to live with some friends in Philadelphia and continued to play in bands. He said he bounced around the country and eventually moved to Arizona. "I was getting into stupid things, and that whole move was to get away from everything," Roca said. He spent 10 years in Arizona and worked for a time tinting windows at a Ford dealership until he began to meet musicians at open mics and shows. "I started doing music full time – whether that was with bands or studio sessions and things like that. Ever since then, I never looked back. The last regular job I had was in 2016 or 2017," he said. Roca moved to Myrtle Beach with his girlfriend in February 2020. Despite coming to the area on the cusp of the pandemic and, as he said, "right before everything got all weird for a little while," Roca carved out a respectable niche for himself as a solo musician. He’s like a modern one-man band. "It's kind of like you’re seeing a three-piece, but it's just me doing it," he said. "I do all of my looping live. I don’t play to any backing tracks. I'm building a song from scratch every time I play it. Then even with all of that, I still think my voice is my strength." For more information, visit www.jimmyroca.com . You don’t have to be a registered guest at Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort in Pawleys Island to enjoy a meal at Coastal Dish, a casual restaurant on the property. Open seven days a week with a full breakfast buffet, happy hour and diverse dinner offerings, your dining options are covered. Don’t feel like cooking Thanksgiving dinner? Enjoy a Thanksgiving buffet at Coastal Dish on Nov. 28 from noon to 4 p.m. Chow down on roasted turkey with stuffing and all the trimmings and have your fill of Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese and much more. Leave room for pumpkin or apple pie. The feast is $35 for adults, $18 for children. Call 843-235-5516 for reservations. Check out www.litchfieldbeach.com/food-and-beverage for more. Up your wreath-making game at Hobcaw Barony on Dec. 3 from 1-3 p.m. with horticulturist Patricia Mishoe. In this workshop, you will first travel through the woods to gather berries, greenery and other accents to create your masterpiece. At Bellefield Plantation stables, various stations will include grapevine wreath creation, bow making, fragrance, spray painting and more. Enjoy warm apple cider and holiday tunes. It’s $40 per person and reservations are required. Find out more at www.hobcawbarony.org . HAMMOCK COAST HAPPENINGS: NOVEMBER 27 EDITION 2024 Roger Yale Covering November 27-December 3 LOCAL MUSICIAN IS IN THE LOOP Jimmy Roca first picked up a guitar when he was ten. Now 36 and a professional musician, he credits Dave Matthews for his ultimate career choice. Roca participated in chorus and band in school and said he was interested in playing drums, but he started on the acoustic guitar after hearing some Matthews songs. “I started on the acoustic, all thanks to Dave,” Roca Said. “I eventually got myself an electric and did a lot of that too.” If you follow live music on the Grand Strand, you might have caught Roca at various venues including regular weekly gigs at LuLu’s North Myrtle Beach (Fridays) and Travinia at The Market Common (Wednesdays). He’s also a regular feature at venues on the MarshWalk in Murrells Inlet and more. “I’m down in Pawleys sometimes and Little River sometimes – and everywhere in between,” he said. Roca is slated to appear at Dead Dog Saloon on December 2 from 6 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Originally from Staten Island, N.Y., Roca also lived in the Pocono Mountains. Because this was a rural area, Roca said he couldn’t do the things he did in Staten Island like walking over to a friend’s house, for instance. “I’d come home and just play guitar every day,” Roca said. “Toward the end of high school, I was in some bands and that’s pretty much all I wanted to do at that point.” After a brief stint in college, Roca went to live with some friends in Philadelphia and continued to play in bands. He said he bounced around the country and eventually moved to Arizona. “I was getting into stupid things, and that whole move was to get away from everything,” Roca said. He spent 10 years in Arizona and worked for a time tinting windows at a Ford Dealership until he began to meet musicians at open mics and shows. “I started doing music full time – whether that was with bands or studio sessions and things like that. Ever since then, I never looked back. The last regular job I had was in 2016 or 2017,” he said. Roca moved to Myrtle Beach with his girlfriend in February 2020. Despite coming to the area on the cusp of the pandemic and as he said, “right before everything got all weird for a little while,” Roca carved out a respectable niche for himself as a solo musician. He’s like a modern day one-man-band. “It’s kind of like you’re seeing a three-piece, but it’s just me doing it,” he said. “I do all of my looping live. I don’t play to any backing tracks. I’m building a song from scratch every time I play it. Then even with all of that, I still think my voice is my strength.” For more information, visit www.jimmyroca.com . GOBBLE-GOBBLE IN PAWLEYS ISLAND You don’t have to be a registered guest at Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort in Pawleys Island to enjoy a meal at Coastal Dish, a casual restaurant on the property. Open seven days a week with a full breakfast buffet, happy hour and diverse dinner options, your dining options are covered. Don’t feel like cooking Thanksgiving dinner? Enjoy a Thanksgiving buffet at Coastal Dish on November 28 from noon to 4 p.m. Chow down on roasted turkey with stuffing and all the trimmings and have your fill of Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese and much more. Leave room for pumpkin or apple pie. The feast is $35 for adults, $18 for children. Call (843) 235-5516 for reservations. Check out www.litchfieldbeach.com/food-and-beverage for more. YULETIDE DAZZLE IN MURRELLS INLET Starting on November 29, the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk will be transformed into a dazzling nocturnal yuletide dreamscape as the Wonderland of Lights returns for the third year. This walk-through event features thousands of lights, Christmas songs, photo ops including a candy cane arch, gingerbread house, a giant Christmas ornament and so much more – including a 20-foot LED Christmas tree at the end of Veteran’s Pier. At Santa’s Village, there’s plenty for the kids to do , including a petting zoo, barrel cart rides visits with Santa and more. Artists and vendors will be on hand on Saturdays as well. Stop in for a meal or a cocktail at one of the eight MarshWalk restaurants and enjoy live music. Admission is free. Some children’s activities will be available for additional fees. The Wonderland of Lights display runs through December 31. Light show starts at the top of the hour from 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. Santa’s Village will be open Fridays – Sundays from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. through December 22. For details, visit www.marshwalk.com or check out www.facebook.com/MarshWalkMI for updates. THE ART OF THE WREATH Up your wreath-making game at Hobcaw Barony on December 3 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. with horticulturist Patricia Mishoe. In this workshop, you will first travel through the woods to gather berries, greenery and other accents to create your masterpiece. At Bellefield Plantation stables, various stations will include grapevine wreath creation, bow making, fragrance, spray painting and more. Enjoy warm apple cider and holiday tunes. It’s $40 per person and reservations are required. Find out more at www.hobcawbarony.org .EDMONTON — Leaders of the Prairie provinces are urging Canada to act on American concerns over illegal cross-border traffic of people and drugs to stave off the looming threat of 25 per cent tariffs. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Tuesday that Canada must do better to address the concerns of its largest trading partner. Incoming U.S. president Donald Trump promised Monday to impose the tariffs on his first day in office in January. He said he would keep the tariffs in place until Canada and Mexico stop illegal border crossings and prevent drugs such as fentanyl from entering the U.S. Kinew said 25 per cent tariffs would mean a recession for his province and that Canada needs to show the new U.S. administration it's serious about security and tackling the drug crisis. He said it begins with Canada’s pledge to NATO allies to spend two per cent of its gross domestic product on defence by 2032. "First and foremost, (it’s about) hitting that target of two per cent spending on defence,” said Kinew. “That gets us in the game just to be taken seriously as a security partner with the U.S. If we don't do it, it's going to become a trade problem." In a video posted to social media, Alberta's premier said Canada needs to reach its pledged commitment on defence. "If their trade partners are looking to be free riders on American security interests, that's also going to harm the relationship," Smith said, adding, "You also have to take seriously the asylum seekers." Smith added in another post that the incoming Trump administration has "valid concerns related to illegal activities" at the border. The U.S. is Alberta’s largest trading partner, with $188 billion in bilateral trade in 2023. Last year, energy products accounted for more than 80 per cent of that trade, or about $134 billion. Smith said the vast majority of Alberta's energy exports to the U.S. are "delivered through secure and safe pipelines," which "do not in any way contribute to these illegal activities." In Saskatchewan, Moe said he understands Trump’s position on border security. “As Canadians, we can all benefit from additional border security stopping the flow of illegal drugs and migrants across our borders,” he said in a social media post. He said his province plans to use all levers at its disposal to stop the tariffs and will approach the U.S. directly. Moe added the proposed tariffs would hurt Saskatchewan’s export-based economy and drive up prices on both sides of the border. Speaking to CTV early Tuesday, Moe said his government would represent Saskatchewan interests alongside the federal government, fellow premiers "and on our own when necessary." "We have a strong relationship with a number of the administration that President Trump has appointed," Moe said. In 2023, Saskatchewan’s exports to the U.S. amounted to almost $27 billion after hitting a record high of $29 billion in 2022. Its top exports include crude oil, potash and canola. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has convened an emergency meeting for Wednesday with the country's premiers to discuss the tariffs. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024. — With files from Jeremy Simes in Regina and Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press
KyKy Tandy scored a season-high 21 points that included a key 3-pointer in a late second-half surge as Florida Atlantic roared back to beat Oklahoma State 86-78 on Thursday in the opening round of the Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C. Florida Atlantic (4-2) advances to play Drake in the semifinal round on Friday while the Cowboys square off against Miami in the consolation semifinal contest, also Friday. Oklahoma State led by as many as 10 points in the first half before securing a five-point advantage at halftime. The Owls surged back and moved in front with four and a half minutes to play. It was part of an 11-1 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Tandy that made it 75-68 with 2:41 remaining. Ken Evans added 14 points for Florida Atlantic, with Leland Walker hitting for 13 and Tre Carroll scoring 11. The Owls went 35-of-49 from the free throw line as the teams combined for 56 fouls in the game, 33 by Oklahoma State. Khalil Brantley led Oklahoma State (3-1) with 16 points while Robert Jennings added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Cowboys, who hit one field goal over a 10-minute stretch of the second half while having three players foul out. The Owls were up by as many as seven points in the early minutes and by 13-10 after a layup by Carroll at the 11:32 mark of the first half. Oklahoma State leapfrogged to the front on Abou Ousmane's layup off a Brantley steal, fell behind again on a 3-pointer by Evans and then responded on a 3-pointer by Jennings to take a 17-16 lead. From there, the Cowboys stoked their advantage to double digits when Jamyron Keller canned a shot from beyond the arc with five minutes to play in the half. Florida Atlantic got a layup and a monster dunk from Matas Vokietaitis and a pair of free throws from Walker in a 6-2 run to end the half to pull within 39-34 at the break. Jennings and Ousmane tallied seven points apiece for Oklahoma State over the first 20 minutes, as the Cowboys led despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor in the half. Carroll and Vokietaitis scored seven points apiece to pace the Owls, who committed 11 turnovers that translated to seven points for Oklahoma State before halftime. --Field Level Media
Year after year, small businesses are challenged to apply new technologies to keep up with their competitors – both large and small. In no area is this more relevant today than in the application of artificial intelligence. According to a new analysis released by the U.S. Census Bureau in December 2024, while the largest enterprises have clearly led the way, even the smallest businesses (with one to four employees) have increasingly been using AI tools at relatively high rates. Implementing AI used to require sophisticated programming that most small businesses couldn’t afford and couldn’t easily understand. That has changed dramatically over the past two years. AI is now more accessible than ever before. To discuss how small businesses can take advantage of this technology application in 2025, Digital Journal sat down with Pam Cronin, owner of Pam Ann Marketing , who consults with small businesses regarding their understanding and adoption of AI technologies. Digital Journal: What led to such a dramatic increase in AI accessibility? Pam Cronin: In November of 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, which would become the pivot point for making AI accessible to small businesses. Initially, early adopters were mostly limited to the “techy” types, but now the awareness of not only the existence of ChatGPT but also its ease of use has drawn the attention of small business owners. As a digital marketing agency owner, I get to speak to a wide variety of business owners. In 2023, I don’t recall any of them mentioning AI or ChatGPT. But this year, just about all of my clients have mentioned it in one way or another. The current level of AI awareness among small business owners is palpable. DJ: How are small businesses currently using AI? Cronin: Despite near-total awareness of AI, adoption levels vary. Only a few of my clients have incorporated ChatGPT or similar AI tools into their business operations. The most common use case I see is small businesses using these tools to help with marketing tasks such as drafting social media posts, coming up with ideas for content marketing, and planning and/or writing website content. (Though, as an SEO consultant, I need to constantly discourage them from publishing content fully written by AI as that will not serve their search engine optimization goals well). DJ: What else should small business owners be using AI for? Cronin: Everything! In addition to marketing, AI can greatly help streamline tasks related to accounting, operations, project management, customer service, and more. Essentially, any process that is fairly simple yet time-consuming should be considered as a use case for AI. DJ: How does the implementation process work? Cronin: Interestingly, many of the things that people perceive as “AI” are actually automation. Automation tools like Make.com and Zapier enable things to happen “automagically” even without AI. I’ve been using Zapier to automate portions of my business for ten years now (since 2014), creating automations for anything that requires tedious tasks. For example, my most complex and effective automation is for client onboarding. Taking on a new client requires setup tasks in about seven different places – Quickbooks for billing, Teamwork for project management, Slack for project communications, Google Drive for file storage, etc. This used to take 1 to 2 hours to do manually, but now happens automatically with no human interaction at all. Although this automation does not use AI, when tasks complete themselves without a single mouse click, it’s easy to see why people perceive it as an “artificial” person doing the work. This perception is actually becoming more accurate as automation platforms like Zapier are adding AI tools, and AI tools are adding automation “agents” to perform tasks for users. Essentially, these two worlds are colliding and becoming one: AI-powered automation. This is what small business owners should be thinking about implementing in 2025. DJ: What AI tools do you expect to become popular in 2025? Cronin: For AI-powered automation, Zapier and Make.com will continue to increase in popularity as they incorporate more AI tool integrations and solidify themselves as the most accessible way for small businesses to implement AI in 2025. However, what will really upend the AI world in 2025 is AI agents. “Agentic AI” is a term with search volume that is skyrocketing month over month right now. Automation platforms, even when integrated with AI tools, do not incorporate any decision-making other than basic “if this, then that” filters that select one routine over another. An AI “agent” can make decisions and act autonomously, which goes far beyond the abilities of AI-powered automation. Right now, agentic AIs are mostly custom-coded, which is not accessible for small businesses, but 2025 will be the year that user-friendly agentic AI platforms hit the market. Anthropic, the company behind the popular Claude AI chatbot, already released an agentic AI feature they call “Computer Use” which can control a computer to complete tasks in the same way a human does. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, will be launching their agentic AI product called “Operator” early in 2025, and of course – Google, Microsoft, and others won’t be far behind with their own versions as well. DJ: Will AI and automation replace employees? Cronin: Not for small businesses. Unlike enterprise-level corporations, where a single person might be employed only to handle tedious tasks, small business employees wear many hats and have responsibilities requiring human brainpower and interaction. Small business owners should view AI and automation not as employee replacement, but as employee enhancement. When used to relieve talented employees of tedious tasks, the business owner gets better results, employees get to spend more time on work they love, and the company becomes stronger and more effective. 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.BALTIMORE (AP) — Toby Nnadozie had 20 points in Coppin State's 68-60 victory against Navy on Saturday. Nnadozie added three steals for the Eagles (1-12). Jonathan Dunn scored 13 points while going 4 of 13 from the floor, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and 4 for 6 from the line and added eight rebounds. Julius Ellerbe had 11 points and shot 3 for 9 (1 for 4 from 3-point range) and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line. The Eagles snapped a 12-game skid. The Midshipmen (3-9) were led in scoring by Austin Benigni, who finished with 23 points. Jinwoo Kim added 13 points and three steals for Navy. Jordan Pennick finished with 10 points. Coppin State took the lead with 3:38 to go in the first half and never looked back. The score was 28-22 at halftime, with Dunn racking up eight points. Coppin State outscored Navy in the second half by two points, with Nnadozie scoring a team-high 13 points after halftime. Coppin State plays Saturday against Georgetown on the road, and Navy visits William & Mary on Sunday. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by and data from . The Associated Press
Sacramento State knocks off Air Force 63-61
Donald Trump will be crowned king of America and the uncrowned king of the world, in 2025. All eyes and ears will be on him. He loves astonishing everyone. However, America and the world, will be in a volatile churn. The biggest challenge before Trump will be to end the Ukraine and Gaza wars. There is too much casual talk about World War 3, without realising its perils. Never before, post-World War 2, have we been so close to another global conflagration. In 1962, during the Cuban crisis, there were two nuclear powers, America and Russia. Today, there are myriad players like China, North Korea, India, Pakistan and possibly Iran and Saudi Arabia. Ending wars Nukes are not marbles to play with. A nuclear war could pulverise this planet. Trump must play peacemaker. He may kiss, hug or scold Putin and Zelensky. But, he must make them holster their guns, to win global credibility. Yet, hopes should be pragmatic. Trump has to manage the quartet of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Perhaps Dale Carnegie’s axiom may work, “Win friends and influence people.” Wars will devour moneys. America will spend $ 895 billion on defence. NATO will spend $ 1.47 trillion on armaments. Russia has allocated $ 125 billion on defence. Sadly, wars boost business. Companies manufacturing armaments grew between 18% to 49% in Russia, Japan, Turkey and Israel. The world has ample money to fight. What it lacks is the leadership to stop the fights. France, Great Britain and Germany will wobble with unstable governments, weak growth and immigration. The Middle East will balance adroitly between American security and Chinese infrastructure investments. Sudan has 10 million displaced citizens. A brutal famine awaits. Syria will be unstable. Modi needs a vibrant agenda after his Parliamentary losses. Pakistan will struggle. Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand will prosper, away from global conflicts. Bangladesh will fester. Gargantuan task: Inflation Taming inflation will be the gargantuan task for global leaders. Prices of flour, rice, oil and sugar, have spiralled 7% to 15% in grocery shops in Asia and Africa. The poor eat less. If inflation is tamed, interest rates may fall. Then consumers may spend in restaurants and buy cars. Wars will strangle global GDP growth to about three%. America’s could grow by about 2.5%, Europe will struggle with about 1.5%. Britain will crawl at 1.2%. Many western economies are mired in a 2% to 3% growth-trap. They should innovate. America will tighten its borders to choke immigration. Trump may fly some immigrants back home. However, protectionist policies may backfire due to resultant higher local labour costs. Then, American products will become uncompetitive. Trump’s planned tariff-wars, to sideline China may flounder. China is the world’s factory. It invests in technologies, ports and railways in Middle East and Africa. Developing nations should create more jobs. They suffer 10% -15% unemployment. Hence, the desperate attempts to migrate. A happy man does not leave home. India will shine with 6%. Oil prices will hover at $ 75 per barrel. Prices may rise if the wars end. Gold prices will stabilise around $ 2,900 per ounce if political sanity prevails. Stock markets will be volatile. Electric vehicles (EVs) will get traction, but high prices may depress demand. Corporations will debate how to harness artificial intelligence (AI). Digitisation will gallop. It will also reduce jobs and kill customer service. If you have a complaint about your refrigerator or bank, you press buttons, hear recorded messages. But no salesperson talks. Wind and solar energy will contribute to around 17% of electricity consumed. Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, is lowering production of maize and soya. Astronauts may talk on 4G phones, on the next mission to the moon. Drones will carry waste down, from Mount Everest. Marvellous! Expect to pay more for OTT streaming or accept commercial breaks. Tom Cruise will enthral in a new Mission Impossible sequel. Scientists may discover a one-jab Corona viruse vaccine and even a cancer vaccine. In 2025, our best hopes are to avoid a world war end the infernos in Ukraine and Gaza, tame inflation and create jobs. These are humble expectations. Hunger, poverty and inequalities continue; we can tackle them, only if we remove the Damocles’ sword of a world war. My soulmate Patricia says we will not celebrate New Year. She is commiserating with the families of over one million soldiers and civilians perished in the Ukraine and Gaza wars. “Hopefully, we will celebrate the cease-fires in 2025,” says Patricia. Good girl. That’s why I adore her. rkaneja@anejamanagement.com (The author was the managing director of Unilever Tanzania.)Large language overkill: How SLMs can beat their bigger, resource-intensive cousins
