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bookmaker exchange We have seen it many times: the mindless, reflexive recitation of a woke catechism that has no basis in reality. Still, the performance feels different now. In fact, it almost seems as if the oblivious performer has somehow traveled to our time from the recent past. Tuesday on social media platform X, conservative commentator Megyn Kelly excoriated Caitlin Clark of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever for the latter’s “sad” decision to acknowledge her own “white privilege” as the biggest superstar in a league dominated by black players. “Look at this. She’s on the knee all but apologizing for being white and getting attention. The self-flagellation. The ‘oh pls pay attention to the black players who are REALY the ones you want to celebrate,’ ” wrote. “Condescending. Fake. Transparent. Sad,” the longtime journalist and popular conservative podcaster concluded. Look at this. She’s on the knee all but apologizing for being white and getting attention. The self-flagellation. The “oh pls pay attention to the black players who are REALY the ones you want to celebrate.” Condescending. Fake. Transparent. Sad. — Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) appeared Tuesday in Time Magazine, which named her its Athlete of the Year. “I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” she said. The WNBA’s 2024 then elaborated on that false and disgusting core tenet of critical race theory. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that,” she said. Unfortunately, Time’s story also quoted two of peers, both black. Temi Fagbenle, Clark’s teammate on the 2024 Fever and now a member of the expansion Golden State Valkyries, insisted that nothing has changed in the United States since its inception. “America was founded on segregation, and to this day is very much about black and white,” Fagbenle said. Likewise, three-time WNBA MVP A’Ja Wilson attributed Clark’s popularity to skin color. “It doesn’t matter what we all do as black women, we’re still going to be swept underneath the rug,” Wilson compained. “That’s why it boils my blood when people say it’s not about race, because it is.” In some ways, of course, all of these young women qualify as victims of . They have heard that kind of nonsense so often in schools and popular culture that they repeat it uncritically. Does Fagbenle really believe that nothing has changed in America since 1960, let alone the nation’s inception? And does Wilson really believe that she has the power to read others’ hearts with such clarity that the mere denial of race-based motives actually causes her blood to boil? In the days of segregation, many white men did hold positions of authority that they did not earn or deserve. And they held those positions because of sex and skin color. Americans eventually recognized that as wrong. It was equally wrong, however, when Vice President , despite her myriad as a thinker and speaker, was chosen as President Joe Biden’s running mate she is ( ) a black woman, and it was equally wrong when Justice , despite her and near-total ignorance of the Constitution, was chosen for the Supreme Court she is a black woman. Those things happened, too. Far from sweeping black women “underneath the rug,” Americans have elevated some unworthy individuals solely on account of sex and skin color, just as they once did with white men. Wilson’s “swept underneath the rug” comment, therefore, reflected not only a lie, but the opposite of truth. And Clark endorsed that lie — uncritically, mechanically, as if programmed to do so. Kelly, of course, had it right. She did not, however, tell the whole story. President-elect victory in the 2024 election felt like the end of this nonsense. It signaled that the majority of Americans have had enough and now refuse to play the woke racists’ game. Thus, Clark’s “self-flagellation” seemed to belong more to the oppressive atmosphere of 2020, as if Clark either teleported here from the dark recent past or simply ignored the memo that we are not doing this anymore. That alone gives cause for hope. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. .Macron calls Haitian officials 'total morons' over PM sacking

The New York Jets are turning to one of their former general managers to help them find their next GM and head coach. The franchise announced Monday that The 33rd Team, a football media, analytics and consulting group founded by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, will assist team owner Woody Johnson in the searches. Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman, former GM of the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings, will be The 33rd Team's primary representatives in helping find replacements for former coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas. The 33rd Team was founded in 2019 by Tannenbaum as a media and technology company. In their announcement, the Jets said The 33rd Team will help identify and vet GM and coach candidates and coordinate interviews. Douglas was fired last Tuesday , the latest shakeup for a franchise that had Super Bowl aspirations with a healthy Aaron Rodgers at quarterback but has limped to a 3-8 start and appears likely to miss the playoffs for a 14th consecutive year. Phil Savage, a senior football adviser with the Jets since 2019, will serve as the interim general manager for the rest of the season. The firing of Douglas came exactly six weeks after Johnson fired Saleh as coach on Oct. 8 after the Jets were 2-3 to open the season. New York has since gone 1-5 under defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who was tabbed as the interim coach. The Jets are coming off their bye-week break and will host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The franchise has plenty of questions to answer over the next several months, including decisions on their next general manager and coach — and the future of Rodgers. The four-time NFL MVP turns 41 next week, has dealt with leg issues all season and is off to the worst statistical start of his career. Tannenbaum and Spielman will help the Jets find the people to help Johnson and brother Christopher make those key decisions. Johnson took a similar approach in 2015, the last time the Jets hired a general manager and coach in the offseason. Former NFL GMs Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf worked as consultants for the team, which hired Mike Maccagnan as GM and Todd Bowles as coach. Tannenbaum, currently an analyst for ESPN, has first-hand familiarity with Johnson and the franchise. He worked in the Jets' front office for nine years before being promoted to general manager and serving in that role from 2006 to 2012. Tannenbaum helped build the 2009 and 2010 Jets teams that went to the AFC championship game in consecutive seasons under coach Rex Ryan. Ryan, who last coached the Jets in 2014 and also is currently an analyst for ESPN, recently has been lobbying on air for a return to New York's sideline. Tannenbaum also was Miami’s executive vice president of football operations from 2015 to 2018. Spielman served as the Vikings’ general manager from 2012 to 2021 after working as the team’s vice president of player personnel for six years. He was also the Dolphins’ GM in 2004 and served as an adviser last year for the Washington Commanders in their GM and coaching searches. This story has been corrected to show that Spielman was formerly GM of the Minnesota Vikings instead of the Detroit Lions. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLGTA 6 Moon Theory Debunked, New Trailer a No-Show - IGN Daily Fix In today's Daily Fix:Leave it to Grand Theft Auto fans to come up with the craziest theories. The popular "moon theory" was recently debunked, however, as no new GTA 6 trailer has dropped. The theory suggests that Rockstar Games has been leaving hints as to when new trailers will drop via lunar clues in screenshots. One image released last year featured the moon in a particular lunar phase, and (likely coincidentally) the GTA 6 trailer dropped the day the real life moon was in the same phase. Didn't work this time, however. In other news, Black Ops 6 was a huge seller...on PlayStation. PS5 sales made up a whopping 82% of the game's sales, but it did move the needle on Game Pass subscriptions on Xbox and PC. And finally, Black Myth: Wukong developer Game Science is teasing something for the end of the year.

Kraken is one of the top-performing CEXs (centralized exchanges) in the world. This massively popular trading platform enables new and experienced users to buy, sell, and trade +185 cryptocurrencies across 7 fiat currencies. Since its launch, Kraken has pioneered efforts to drive mainstream adoption. As such, demand for Kraken stocks remains high. While Kraken hasn’t officially announced plans to go public, it has been rumored that its executives are considering the decision. If Kraken did announce plans to host an IPO, most analysts agree that it would be met with strong investor support. The company has a proven track record, innovative features, and educational aspects that add to its value. Currently, Kraken remains private, meaning you would need to acquire pre-IPO shares to hold Kraken stock. Here is how you can get your hands on some pre-IPO Kraken shares. What is Kraken? Kraken was first introduced in 2011 by founder Jesse Powell. In September 2013, Kraken officially launched out of San Francisco. Its goal was to provide users with secure and easy Bitcoin and Litecoin trading options. Shortly after its launch, the exchange began to add other popular cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum. In 2021, Kraken expanded its operations further with its mobile trading app. This mobile solution helped propel the CEX into the spotlight. The mobile app and desktop platform included features still new to the crypto market, such as margin trading, staking, advanced ordering, and more. The mobile app streamlined access and simplified the onboarding process, driving user numbers above +10M. Since then, the CEX has continued its pioneering efforts, including the introduction of its in-house wallet that serves 8 popular blockchain networks. The wallet allows users to seamlessly leverage their digital assets across the Kraken ecosystem, enabling users to generate revenue from the security of their wallet. This year, the Kraken NFT (non-fungible token) marketplace officially opened. Notably, users can create, trade, review, and collect digital assets directly using their Kraken wallet via the NFT marketplace, further enhancing security and reducing technical barriers. Kraken's decision to support NFT trading was a smart pivot as the NFT market remains a fast-growing sector. Historical Funding Rounds Summary of Kraken Funding: Funding Rounds Breakdown: Key Investors: Kraken has backing from prominent investors, including RIT Capital Partners, MoneyPartners Group, SBI Group, Hummingbird Ventures, Evolution VC Partners, ADS Ventures, and many more. Funding Data Sourced from Tracxn Why Invest in Kraken? The main reason for investing in Kraken is that it’s a global leader in the competitive CEX market. The firm currently ranks 4th among +3700 competitors, according to Traxn. This dominant position was earned through a combination of providing stability, security, and ease of use. Kraken has international notoriety and services available in 190 countries. The exchange lists $207B in quarterly trading volume and has recently made a pivot towards institutional clientele with the opening of Kraken Institutional, which focuses on helping big businesses enter the digital asset economy. Kraken Smart Acquisitions Another key point that investors shouldn’t neglect is that the Kraken management team is an expert at acquiring firms to expand their operations. For example, in 2016, Kraken purchased NY-based exchanges Coinsetter and Cavirtex. A year later, the exchange acquired a charting software platform called Cryptowatch. In 2019, the firm entered the derivatives trading market with the acquisition of the British exchange Crypto facilities. Each acquisition strengthened the exchange's market positioning and improved consumer confidence. In 2023, the company acquired a Virtual Asset Service Provider license in Spain, Italy, and Ireland, expanding its EU operations and opening the door for more Euro trading activity. Kraken Security Kraken provides enterprise-level security to its users. As part of this approach, the company earned an ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification, demonstrating the platform's commitment to upholding international security standards. Additionally, it's never been successfully hacked, adding to its reputation as a reliable trading option. Interestingly, it was the Kraken Exchange team that figured out who had hacked the FTX exchange, which resulted in billions in losses. It turned out the hacker moved some of the funds from a Kraken wallet to the same wallet in which he stored the stolen FTX funds, allowing investigators to reveal his identity. Kraken Transparency Kraken provides a high level of transparency to the market. The company has a proof of reserves protocol that utilizes third-party auditors to inform the community about the true state of the Exchange's reserves. Additionally, it has built many vital partnerships with dominant banking institutions as part of its regulatory-friendly approach. How to Buy Kraken Pre-IPO Shares The hope remains high that Kraken will go public after a few more private funding rounds. However, no exact date has been given. As such, Kraken remains a privately held company, meaning that you will need to utilize a specialized approach to get access to shares. Here is what you need to consider. 1. Pre-IPO Secondary Marketplace Secondary markets are purpose-built exchanges that connect pre-IPO shareholders with potential investors. These marketplaces can offer these assets because they work closely with employees, early-stage investors, and venture capitalists, which are crucial to the company's pre-IPO growth. Investing in pre-IPO shares for Kraken could open the door for additional ROIs if the company's valuation is less than when its IPO launches. It's common for company valuations to increase following an IPO. As such, it makes sense to add pre-IPO shares to your portfolio before the firm announces plans to go public. Secondary marketplaces have many requirements. Here are some concerns you should be made aware of: Eligibility : Notably, this approach requires you to be an accredited investor, meaning you will have to show at least $1M in liquid assets to qualify. Liquidity : Pre-IPO shares can't be traded like regular shares. They often include some lockup restrictions that prevent you from trading them before the IPO. Some firms have permanent “no sell” clauses that prevent any transfer of the shares following your investment. Linqto is a reputable investment platform that connects accredited investors with pre-IPO shareholders in a secure manner. The network streamlines pre-IPO investing via an easy-to-navigate interface that provides access to all relevant data at a glance. Accredited investors seeking pre-IPO shares in Kraken should consider Linqto. Visit Linqto → 2. Private Equity Firms Private equity firms gain access to pre-IPO shares during investment rounds. They then offer these shares to high-net-worth accredited investors with a commission. Notably, private equity firms are known to have extra stipulations, including blocking the sale of shares for years in some cases. 3. Employee Equity Sales Many consider employee equity sales as the best way to acquire pre-IPO shares in Kraken. This method of acquiring pre-IPO shares requires you to connect with former employees. It's common for companies to issue shares as part of an incentive package. Notably, this profit-sharing method has become more popular, leading to more pre-IPO share opportunities for investors. Private Transactions: there are a lot of hoops you will need to jump through to complete a private pre-IPO transaction, including creating specific legal agreements, conducting valuations, and setting in place any limitations on the transfer of the asset. Brokerage : Brokers will take a lot of the confusion out of the pre-IPO process. These professionals can guide you through each step, ensuring full compliance and avoiding common errors untrained professionals make. There are several risks that you should consider before jumping into the pre-IPO shares investment arena. Here are the top concerns: Liquidity Risk If you are looking for an asset that you can sell right away, pre-IPO shares are not the best option. These investments can include sales and transfer clauses that prevent the transfer of the asset until certain criteria, such as the IPO's completion. It's even common for pre-IPO shares to require you to wait years before gaining the ability to sell your assets. Regulatory Risk of Investing in Kraken Pre-IPO Shares The blockchain market has seen considerable scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers. While the technology is far better understood than in its early days, there are still many lawmakers who see it as a threat to the traditional financial system. As such, you need to always consider how new regulations could affect the value of your pre-IPO shares. Market Risk Purchasing pre-IPO shares in Kraken means that you stand behind the project and its team. The company has secured a reputation for excellence and has previously expressed a desire to go public. However, no concrete data has been provided yet. As such, it's vital to understand that the blockchain market is an active space that experiences strong fluctuations that could result in a different share value between now and any future IPO launch. Valuation of Kraken and Future IPO Kraken earned a valuation of $10B in 2023. The company secured this valuation due to its regulatory-friendly approach, high-security standards, and easy-to-navigate mobile app that includes a plethora of DeFi options. All of these factors have helped Kraken become a go-to exchange for business and personal users. In June 2024, it was reported in Bloomberg that Kraken wanted to secure +100M in funding before it would announce an IPO date, which many expect to be in 2025. If Kraken did move forward with its plans to secure another $100M and then host an IPO, the investor community would support the maneuver. Kraken is a top-performing CEX in a very competitive marketplace. The company has consistently ranked among the top 10 in this sector for a decade, cementing its position as a secure and reliable trading option for business, governments, and personal use. Its IPO would reflect its dominant position and open the door for future growth. Investing in Pre-IPO Kraken Stocks Conclusion Those seeking to invest in pre-IPO shares of Kraken could gain upside exposure. Kraken's ecosystem spans the digital asset industry including support for institutional investors, NFT collectors, crypto traders, and DeFi users. This flexibility, coupled with its strong partnerships, and regulatory certifications, make Kraken a smart addition to most people's portfolios. Before investing in pre-IPO shares of Kraken, you must conduct an in-depth financial analysis of the exchange. Investing in pre-IPO shares carries extra risks that don't exist in a traditional IPO investment scenario, such as lockup periods. Always consult a financial expert before making any pre-IPO stock purchases to ensure that you remain within your risk appetite. For traders who have done their homework and are ready to secure Kraken Pre-IPO shares, there is a lot of upside potential here. Learn about Other Pre-IPO Opportunities Now Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Pre-IPO shares are typically available only to accredited investors and carry significant risk. Always perform thorough due diligence and consult a financial advisor or legal expert before making investment decisions.

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Substitute Sveindís Jonsdottir has scored four second-half goals to put Wolfsburg into the quarter-finals of Women's Champions League with 6-1 thrashing of Roma. Jonsdottir came on in the 66th minute of Wednesday's home match with Wolfsburg leading 2-1 and needing to win by at least a two-goal margin to secure a spot in the knockout stage with one group game to spare. The Iceland forward quickly made sure of that, netting her first just two minutes later and completing a hat-trick by the 89th. She added one more in stoppage time. Alexandra Popp had given the hosts an early lead but Roma equalised in the 56th minute through Valentina Giacinti. Lineth Beerensteyn restored a one-goal advantage nine minutes later. Wolfsburg are second in Group A with nine points from five games, while already qualified eight-time champions Lyon clinched the top spot in the group by routing Galatasaray 6-0 away in Istanbul. Roma are third on six points with newcomer Galatasaray last on zero points. In Group B, Chelsea maintained a perfect record by thrashing Twente 6-1 while Real Madrid won 3-0 away at Celtic. Signe Bruun scored twice for Madrid, netting with a long-distance strike in the first half and adding her second with a close-range header in the second. Chelsea and Madrid had both already clinched quarter-final spots. Chelsea lead the group with 15 points, with Madrid three points behind. The two meet in Madrid next week to decide the group winner. Twente have three points and Celtic none.

At the final rounds of the Iowa High School State Football Playoffs, the Siouxland area schools proved that the true meaning of the sport goes beyond the 48 minutes spent on the gridiron. Whether it was Remsen St. Mary’s and West Lyon clinching a state title, Spirit Lake finishing runner-up or Sergeant Bluff-Luton and Hinton falling in the semifinals, the game means the same no matter the stage or the outcome. Not just to the players, who some may have strapped their helmets for the final time, but to the communities that traveled hours to the UNI-Dome. We see the final scores, the individual record setting performances and the teams walking around with a trophy to be displayed back at their respective schools. But what often goes unnoticed, is the bond and lessons that football offers to these young men, that some are not as fortunate to experience. This thought first came to me when speaking with Spirit Lake quarterback Caden Lundt after the team’s loss to West Lyon in the Class2A title game. Not even 30 minutes after possibly playing his last football game ever, the senior leader was brutally honest about what really mattered to him. “You build a lot of relationships throughout the year with a lot of guys that you didn’t think you were going to be close with,” Lundt said. “Those are sometimes the ones that hurt the most to lose. You think about the people that you didn’t really associate with before football and then during football you just become great friends with them. I have been with friends with [Dylan Stecker and Sam Henrickson] for a while so I will stay friends with them. But I might never interact with some of those people again, and that is what stings.” Henrickson, a fellow senior, backed his friends’ thoughts. “We might never all be together again like that,” Henrickson said. “It just stings a lot thinking you might never hang out with those group of guys once again.” This is what makes sports, more specifically football, so special. At a young age, these kids have learned what it is like to put differences and cliques aside for one common goal, to make all the hard work pay off. All of the 5 a.m. workouts, sacrificing time from families and other sports is all worth it when you and your teammates get to the brightest stage. While Spirit Lake may not have left Cedar Falls with a title, the team did get to experience something the other four Siouxland schools received. Total buy in from their respective communities. Whether the stands at the dome were covered in red, blue, yellow, or orange the team recognized the support by their communities who had been behind them all season. “They keep us going,” Remsen St. Mary’s quarterback Landon Waldschmitt said. “They really do.” “It is a great feeling to kind of get our name on the map,” Remsen St. Mary’s running back Keaton Harpenau said. “Showing this state what Remsen St. Mary football is all about.” Through the community support and the brotherhoods created from the sport, what should not get lost from any team no matter where they finished is the work it takes to perform every week. In one of the most demanding sports there is, kids from the Siouxland area learn each week that in order to achieve anything, you are going to need to put in the work. A lesson that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. Few teams get to experience the highs of a state championships, and the ones that do don’t take it for granted. “We have come so far and this is the right way to end our football careers,” Remsen St. Mary’s senior Collin Homan said. “Everything was worth it,” Waldschmitt said. “I just couldn’t imagine doing it with another group of guys.” “Just to know that they can come together in that moment and to finish it just means a lot that these kids got to do that,” Remsen St. Mary’s head coach Tim Osterman said. “They mean a lot to me, as every group does, but this is really cool that they got to finish this way.” I believe in my first season of covering high school football, I learned what the sport means to those that suit up under the lights of their hometown. The relationships, the triumphs, the defeats and all the hours spent working as a team lead to moments that shape who these young men will become. Fall is a special time in Iowa for many reasons, and I’m not just talking about it being the last few months of tolerable weather conditions. It brings us a sport that communities rally around, owning multiple days of our weekend, and allows students to represent their town with pride and learn what it is like to be a team. No matter the outcome of any game, football brings people together.

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri court on Monday upheld a new state law that bans some gender-affirming health care for minors, a victory for supporters of the ban as a multitude of lawsuits against similar bans in other states continue to play out. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri court on Monday upheld a new state law that bans some gender-affirming health care for minors, a victory for supporters of the ban as a multitude of lawsuits against similar bans in other states continue to play out. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri court on Monday upheld a new state law that bans some gender-affirming health care for minors, a victory for supporters of the ban as a multitude of lawsuits against similar bans in other states continue to play out. Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement that Missouri is the “first state in the nation to successfully defend such a law at the trial court level.” Bailey, who tried to ban minors’ access to gender-affirming health care through rule change but dropped the effort when the law passed, is responsible for defending the legislation in court. “I’m extremely proud of the thousands of hours my office put in to shine a light on the lack of evidence supporting these irreversible procedures,” Bailey said. “We will never stop fighting to ensure Missouri is the safest state in the nation for children.” Every major medical organization, including the American Medical Association, has opposed the bans on gender-affirming care for minors and supported the medical care for youth when administered appropriately. Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Missouri, which are representing the plaintiffs who sued to overturn the law, on Monday said they will appeal the ruling. Missouri is among at least 26 states that have adopted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. Federal judges have struck down the bans in Arkansas and Florida as unconstitutional, though a federal appeals court has stayed the Florida ruling. A judge’s orders is in place temporarily blocking enforcement of the ban in Montana. New Hampshire restrictions are to take effect in January 2025. The Missouri law banned gender-affirming surgeries for children and teenagers under the age of 18, as well as hormones and puberty blockers for minors who had not started those treatments as of August 2023. The law expires in August 2027. These treatments are accepted by major medical groups as evidence-based care that transgender people should be able to access. Most adults still are allowed to access gender-affirming health care under the Missouri law, but Medicaid won’t cover it. The plaintiffs, including family of several teenagers who are transgender, argued the law takes away medically necessary treatments from transgender minors while still allowing other children to access similar surgeries and medications. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Wright County Circuit Court Judge Craig Carter disagreed. In his ruling, the southern Missouri judge wrote that he believes there’s “an almost total lack of consensus as to the medical ethics of adolescent gender dysphoria treatment.” “The evidence at trial showed severe disagreement as to whether adolescent gender dysphoria drug and surgical treatment was ethical at all, and if so, what amount of treatment was ethically allowable,” Carter wrote. Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Missouri in a statement said the ruling signals that “for some, compassion and equal access to health care are still out of reach.” “The court’s findings signal a troubling acceptance of discrimination, ignore an extensive trial record and the voices of transgender Missourians and those who care for them, and deny transgender adolescents and Medicaid beneficiaries from their right to access to evidence-based, effective, and often life-saving medical care,” the organizations said. The states that have passed laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors include: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. Advertisement Advertisement‘End of an era’: What’s next for Matt Gaetz?

Before being elected as the first transgender woman to the US Congress, 34-year-old Sarah McBride said she expected hostility. A harsh national spotlight has fallen swiftly upon her. "They may try to misgender me, they may try to say the wrong name, they will do what we can predictably assume they might do," she told the TransLash podcast last month ahead of her resounding election victory on November 5. "They are going to do that to get a rise out of me and my job will be to not give them the response they want," the Democrat from Delaware explained. Ahead of her arrival in the House of Representatives on January 3, McBride was targeted by a resolution this week from a right-wing Republican colleague that would ban transgender women from women's toilets in the Capitol. "Just because a Congressman wants to wear a mini skirt doesn’t mean he can come into a women’s bathroom," South Carolina firebrand Nancy Mace wrote on social media as she led a highly personal campaign against McBride. House Speaker Mike Johnson, after initially seeking to buy time to debate the issue, came out in support of a ban, saying that all single-sex facilities would be "reserved for individuals of that biological sex." McBride -- who wears knee-length dresses, not miniskirts -- issued a statement saying that she said would respect the rules "even if I disagree with them." "I'm not here to fight about bathrooms," said the politician and activist, who transitioned as a 21-year-old and told her parents on Christmas Day 2011. Donald Trump repeatedly raised transgender issues in the closing stages of his presidential campaign, with aides noting how questions around trans identity struck a nerve with swing voters. Two of the biggest issues -- at the heart of ongoing "culture wars" between conservatives and progressives -- are whether transgender women should be allowed in women's toilets and be admitted in women's sport. Mocking transgender athletes and "woke ideology," Trump promised to get "transgender insanity the hell out of our schools, and we will keep men out of women’s sports." McBride has long been an advocate for trans rights and she helped campaign for a law banning gender discrimination in her home state of Delaware, during which she was publicly called a "freak" and the "devil incarnate". "Listening to that was demeaning and dehumanizing for my child," her mother Sally told The Washington Post in a 2018 profile. "I still have a hard time coping with that." Undeterred, McBride rode the blows and was elected as the first US transgender state senator in 2020. She has been open about her mental health struggles growing up as a boy named Tim and the personal tragedy that has marked her life since, writing a memoir called "Tomorrow Will Be Different" in 2018. "I remember as a child praying in my bed at night that I would wake up the next day and be a girl," she told a TED talk in 2016. She first gathered major public attention with an open letter while a student leader at American University in Washington that announced her transition. She went on to encounter President Joe Biden and his family, also Delaware natives, when she became active in grassroots politics there. After interning at the White House under President Barack Obama, she secured an invitation to speak at the 2016 Democratic Party convention. The White House was also the scene of her first encounter with her late husband, Andrew Cray, a transgender man and LGTBQ+ activist. They married two years later shortly before Cray died from cancer. Knowing the attention she is destined for in the US Congress, she says her aim is to be an effective congresswoman focused on everyday voter priorities such as housing and inflation. But she knows she will be constantly pushed to be a spokeswoman -- and defender -- of the trans community. "I can't do right by the trans community if I'm not being the best member of Congress that I can be for Delaware," she told TransLash. "It's the only way that people will see that trans people can be good doctors, can be good lawyers, good educators, good members of Congress. I can't be there to put out a press release and tweet every time someone says something." adp/bgsConference title games a chance at a banner, bragging rights and, for some, a season-wrecking loss

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November 25, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked trusted source proofread by Nagoya University Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are everywhere in modern life, from smartphones to home lighting. But today's LEDs have a major limitation: when you try to make them brighter by increasing their power, they become less efficient. A team of researchers at Nagoya University in Japan has now found a way to make LEDs brighter while maintaining their efficiency. Their research promises to reduce the cost and environmental impact of LED production while improving performance in applications such as visible light communication and virtual reality (VR) glasses. The study appears in the journal Laser & Photonics Review . "The innovation of this work is a better understanding of the effects of polarization, an intrinsic property of the gallium nitride/indium gallium nitride (GaN/InGaN) layer structure that is needed for light generation," lead researcher Markus Pristovsek said. InGaN LEDs represent the most efficient light source globally, although they typically operate at low power levels. To obtain brighter light, it is necessary to increase their power. However, an increase in power supplied to the LED results in a decrease in its efficiency, a phenomenon known as efficiency droop. One way to overcome efficiency droop is to increase the area of the LED, which gives you more light, but it also means that you need a larger chip. As a result, you get fewer LEDs from a wafer—the thin, flat piece of semiconductor material made from InGaN that serves as the base for the fabrication of LED devices. The result is higher production costs and greater environmental impact. Researchers can reduce the efficiency droop by tilting the InGaN layers and cutting the wafer into different orientations, which alter the resulting crystal's properties. The most important property altered in this manner is known as "polarization." Despite tilted orientations with low polarization being researched for over 15 years, InGaN LEDs made using these orientations have consistently exhibited less than half the efficiency of standard high-polarization LEDs. The study by Pristovsek and Nan Hu at the Center for Integrated Research of Future Electronics (CIRFE) at Nagoya University found that a lower polarization is helpful only if it points in the same direction as that of standard LEDs. Using their findings, they grew LEDs on a cheap sapphire substrate in the so-called (101̅3) orientation, an orientation with lower polarization but in a direction similar to that of standard LEDs. These (101̅3) LEDs show greater efficiency at higher power . This finding suggests innovative ways for manufacturers to develop next-generation LED technologies, such as more efficient and brighter micro-LED displays for mobile devices and large-screen TVs. Higher current density capability could also enable new applications in automotive and specialty industrial lighting, while faster switching speeds could find applications in visible-light communication technologies and VR glasses. "Future research is unlikely to find a better orientation, particularly on the cost-efficient sapphire substrates, because only two tilted directions can be fit to it," Pristovsek said. "However, there are other ways to make (101̅3) LEDs with fewer defects on sapphire and maybe even silicon. But the other orientations achieved on sapphire or silicon so far are worse, because they are either inherently rough, they increase the amount of polarization, or they have the wrong sign of polarization ." More information: Markus Pristovsek et al, How to Make Semi‐Polar InGaN Light Emitting Diodes with High Internal Quantum Efficiency: The Importance of the Internal Field, Laser & Photonics Reviews (2024). DOI: 10.1002/lpor.202400529 Provided by Nagoya UniversityHegseth meets with moderate Sen. Collins as he lobbies for key votes in the Senate

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