circus circus

‘They don’t make it easy’ – Ex-UFC champion explains why Conor McGregor will struggle to leave UFC and fight Jake or Logan PaulM. Jodi Rell, who became Connecticut governor after her predecessor resigned, dies at 78

Miguel Tomley scores 28 to lead Weber State over Pepperdine 68-53 at Arizona Tip-Off

Chinese film about Covid-19 wins Taiwan's top Golden Horse prizesWith his debut novel ‘The Other Side of the Rainbow’ published recently, Niranjan Nayak, an English professor at Puri’s SCS College, embarks on a transformative journey — from the routine life of an academic to the exciting life of a writer. The novel is about a friend’s loving recall of a friendship formed at the college of their dreams a long time ago, a friendship that was cut short by a cruel stroke of fate. The novel transports the reader back to that past in an effort to comprehend what appeared incomprehensible to the actors themselves. A steady and unrelenting focus on the thought processes, delineated through two ‘I’ narrations, Arun’s and Rajiv’s that alternate with each other, lifts the novel from the plane of a light-hearted campus novel to a serious engagement with the labyrinthine alleyways of the mind. The verse with which the prologue opens sets the stage for the excavation of the past. Not an easy task given the failure, as the verse tells us, to see the ‘invisible me’, to hear the ‘tumult in a silent zone.’ The second metaphor is close to George Eliot’s ‘roar which lies on the other side of silence’, suggesting the rationale for the novel’s title, ‘The other side of the rainbow’. To say what cannot be said with the words that the polite society has handed to us and to peek into the abyss is the forte of three categories of truth tellers — the fictionist, the philosopher and the psychologist. But to do these two seemingly impossible tasks of speaking and looking against the grain while not abandoning the grain itself, is the province and forte of the fictionist alone. It involves the writer in fracturing syntax, in forcing words beyond and against their conventional meanings. Nayak doesn’t fracture syntax, but he does the latter in ample measure through his resort to paradox, oxymoron and conundrum. For Arun, beginning and end merge. For Rajiv, destination is not destiny. ‘Life’, said Bertrand Russell, ‘is an uneasy awakening between two sleeps.’ Arun and Rajiv, the two protagonists of Nayak’s tale and those of us who are among their auditors, would tend to agree. They themselves speak in paradoxes and conundrums. Arun and Rajiv are ordinary students who become friends during their four-year residence at Ravenshaw College. One of them – Arun, the son of a ‘pakodawala’ — comes of a dirt-poor family and the other – Rajiv – just a notch above, namely a lower middle class family. Though they share a bond, they seem headed in different, almost opposite, directions. This is thanks as much to their differing social backgrounds as to their different psychological orientations. Arun wants to flee his fatherless and shelter home-ridden past, good grades in examination his only vehicle. Rajiv wants to flee a father-dominated oppressive present, with alcohol as his prop. Arun is mother-fixated and Rajiv is caught in a bitter oedipal struggle. The fact of Arun being intellectually gifted and Rajiv being lackadaisical goes into the mix as well, making them the perfect unlike poles that attract rather than repel. The excruciating tale that the novel tells takes shape from the sweetness of their intertwined lives and the bitterness of their interrupted friendship, with two potentially romantic entanglements — Arun’s with Ruby and Rajiv’s with Saswati, threatening to derail it. Arun’s unrequited feelings for Ruby, a girl his social superior, complicates their friendship, bringing into it a deficit of trust and openness. Rajiv’s words capture the fraught relations quite well: ‘We were three hands of a queer structure that looked like a triangle that didn’t have any corner or meeting point’ (p. 173). Rajiv too cannot bring himself to love Saswati. It takes its toll on both, but more cruelly on Arun. It is painful to read the climax revealingly given the name: ‘A Tree Sheds Its Leaf.’ Does the setting of Ravenshaw College play a part in this sad human drama? Or is it only a mute backcloth? Nayak is clearly not writing a novel to document Ravewnshaw College. But his novel darkly hints at how the lives of its young population are warped by academic competitiveness and snobbery related to status. Arun’s breakdown is ultimately caused by his dark and brooding disposition. But it is exacerbated by family expectations and an uncaring environment, making for a potentially tragic tale. Rajiv survives to not only tell the story of wasted opportunities, broken dreams and shattered hopes but also to give his life some closure by revisiting Arun’s village after thirty years. His chance meeting with Saswati also helps him to heal. Thus a melancholic and disturbing tale is turned into a redemptive one of losing and finding. The novel is a gripping read. (Himansu S. Mohapatra is an academic and translator) Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now. A former Professor of English & noted translator Prev Post

As science continues its evolution, discoveries and technologies can act like a master key that open doors leading to novel advancements. Artificial intelligence is one such key, making innovations possible by solving complex problems, automating tasks and enabling research that would have been impossible, or very time-consuming, without it. Mohammad Hosseini But do we want to do research on all topics, and shall we try the AI master key on every door? To explore this question, let’s consider the use of AI by genomics experts as an example. In recent years, genomics experts have added unbelievable depth to what we know about the world and ourselves. For example, genetics researchers have revealed facts about when certain animals and plants were domesticated. In another example, researchers used DNA from 30,000-year-old permafrost to create fertile samples of a plant called narrow-leafed campion. Importantly, genetic engineering has facilitated extraordinary advances in the treatment of complicated conditions, such as sickle-cell anemia. Thanks to AI, we are witnessing a dramatic increase in the pace and scalability of genomic exploration. But given the risks and possible consequences of AI use in science, should we rush headlong into using AI in all kinds of projects? One relevant example is research on Neanderthals, our closest relatives, who lived about 40,000 years ago. Neanderthals have been studied for several years now through genetic investigation of their fossils and their DNA. Genetic engineering can potentially use ancient DNA and genome editing methods to re-create a Neanderthal or aspects of a Neanderthal’s genetics and physiology. To do this, scientists could start by figuring out the DNA sequence of a Neanderthal by comparing it with the DNA of modern humans, because they are closely related. Then, scientists could use the gene-editing tool known as CRISPR to swap out parts of human DNA with Neanderthal DNA. This process would require a lot of trial and error and might not succeed soon. But based on what we know about genetics, if something is possible, AI can help make it happen faster, cheaper and with less effort. Scientists are excited about these developments because they could facilitate new discoveries and open up many research opportunities in genetic research. With or without AI, research on Neanderthals will proceed. But the extraordinary power of AI could give the final push to these discoveries and facilitate this kind of resurrection. At that point, the scientific community must develop norms and guidelines about how to treat these resurrected beings with dispositions very similar to humans. We would need to carefully consider their rights and well-being almost in the same way as when humans are involved and not as research subjects or artifacts of scientific curiosity. These ethical issues are discussed in more detail in a new paper published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence. A more holistic question to consider is: Should we prioritize the use of resource-intensive AI, researchers’ time and public funds to resurrect extinct beings? Or should we invest these resources into conserving species that are critically endangered today to prevent biodiversity from more degradation? Hosseini is an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He wrote this for The Chicago Tribune . Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!CNBC Daily Open: Holiday-thinned markets cheered by strong Wall Street finish'Ideal choice': Trump aide suggests this controversial state AG could be pick to lead DOJGiants' 10th straight loss showed once again that they need a young QB

Prep Rally | Saturday, November 30No fewer than 20 children killed in Pakistan airstrikes – UN confirmsRetailers coax Black Friday shoppers into stores with big discounts and giveaways NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers in the U.S. have used giveaways and bigger-than expected discounts to reward shoppers who ventured out on Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving still reigns for now as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season even if it’s lost some luster. Analysts reported seeing the biggest crowds at stores that offered real savings. They say many shoppers are being cautious with their discretionary spending despite the easing of inflation. Stores are even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there are five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Online sales figures from Thanksgiving Day gave retailers a reason to remain hopeful for a lucrative end to the year. Southwest Airlines says it is ending cabin service earlier to reduce chance of injury Southwest Airlines is ending its cabin service earlier starting next month. Beginning on Dec. 4, a company spokesperson says flight attendants will begin preparing the cabin for landing at an altitude of 18,000 feet instead of 10,000 feet. The company says it's making the changes to reduce the risk of in-flight turbulence injuries. For passengers, that means they will need to return their seats to an upright position or do other pre-landing procedures earlier than before. While turbulence-related fatalities are quite rare, injuries have piled up over the years. Why your favorite catalogs are smaller this holiday season PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — While retailers hope to go big this holiday season, customers may notice that the catalogs arriving in their mailboxes are smaller. Many of the millions of catalogs getting sent to U.S. homes were scaled down to save on postage and paper. Some gift purveyors are sending out postcards. In a sign of the times, the American Catalog Mailers Association rebranded itself in May as the American Commerce Marketing Association. Despite no longer carrying an extended inventory of goods, industry experts say catalogs help retailers cut through the noise and still hold their own in value because of growing digital advertising costs. Canada's Trudeau says he had an 'excellent conversation' with Trump in Florida after tariffs threat WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he had an “excellent conversation” with Donald Trump in Florida after the president-elect’s threat to impose significant tariffs on two of America’s leading trade partners raised alarms in Ottawa and Mexico City. It's unclear, as Trudeau headed back to Canada on Saturday, whether the conversation had alleviated Trump’s concerns. Trump’s transition team hasn't responded to questions about what the leaders had discussed at their dinner Friday night at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don’t stop what he said was the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders. Trump and Republicans in Congress eye an ambitious 100-day agenda, starting with tax cuts WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans swept to power on Election Day and now control the House, the Senate and the White House, with plans for an ambitious 100-day agenda come January. Their to-do list includes extending tax breaks, cutting social programs, building the border wall to stop immigration and rolling back President Joe Biden's green energy policies. Atop that list is a plan to renew some $4 trillion in expiring tax cuts that were a signature domestic achievement of Republican Donald Trump’s first term as president. It's an issue that may define his return to the White House. The ruble's in a slump. For the Kremlin, that's a two-edged sword Russia’s ruble is sagging against other currencies, complicating the Kremlin’s efforts to keep consumer inflation under control with one hand even as it overheats the economy with spending on the war against Ukraine with the other. Over time a weaker ruble could mean higher prices for imports from China, Russia's main trade partner these days. President Vladimir Putin says things are under control. One wild card is sanctions against a key Russian bank that have disrupted foreign trade payments. If Russia finds a workaround for that, the ruble could regain some of its recent losses. Iceland votes for a new parliament after political disagreements force an early election REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Icelanders are electing a new parliament after disagreements over immigration, energy policy and the economy forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his coalition government and call early elections. This will be Iceland’s sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis devastated the economy of the North Atlantic island nation and ushered in a new era of political instability. Opinion polls suggest the country may be in for another upheaval, with support for the three governing parties plunging. Benediktsson, who was named prime minister in April following the resignation of his predecessor, struggled to hold together the unlikely coalition of his conservative Independence Party with the centrist Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement. Massachusetts lawmakers push for an effort to ban all tobacco sales over time BOSTON (AP) — A handful of Massachusetts lawmakers are hoping to persuade their colleagues to support a proposal that would make the state the first to adopt a ban meant to eliminate the use of tobacco products over time. Other locations have weighed similar “generational tobacco bans.” The bans phase out the use of tobacco products based not just on a person's age but on birth year. Lawmakers plan to file the proposal next year. If approved, the bill would set a date and ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born after that date forever, eventually banning all sales. Vietnam approves $67 billion high-speed railway project between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has approved the construction of a high-speed railway connecting the capital Hanoi in the north with the financial capital of Ho Chi Minh in the south. It is expected to cost $67 billion and will stretch 1,541 kilometers (957 miles). The new train is expected to travel at speeds of up to 350 kph (217 mph), reducing the journey from the current 30 hours to just five hours. The decision was taken by Vietnam’s National Assembly on Saturday. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and Vietnam hopes that the first trains will start operating by 2035. But the country has been beleaguered by delays to its previous infrastructure projects. Inflation rose to 2.3% in Europe. That won't stop the central bank from cutting interest rates FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro currency rose in November — but that likely won’t stop the European Central Bank from cutting interest rates as the prospect of new U.S. tariffs from the incoming Trump administration adds to the gloom over weak growth. The European Union’s harmonized index of consumer prices rose 2.3 percent, up from 2.0% in October, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat. However, worries about growth mean the Dec. 12 ECB meeting is not about whether to cut rates, but by how much. Market buzz says there could be a larger than usual half-point cut in the benchmark rate, currently 3.25%.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Celta Vigo gave 10-man Barcelona a shock by scoring two late goals and snatching a 2-2 draw at home in the Spanish league on Saturday. Barcelona was minutes away from a win to pad its league lead after Raphinha and Lewandowski had put Barcelona in control. But the game dramatically swung after Barcelona defensive midfielder Marc Casadó was sent off with a second booking in the 81st. Moments later Jules Koundé’s poor control of a ball in his area allowed Alfon González to pick his pocket and give the hosts hope in the 84th minute. Celta poured forward at Balaidos Stadium and Hugo Álvarez rifled in the 86th-minute equalizer with Barcelona unable to mark the extra man. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

TORONTO - The Winnipeg Jets had payback on their minds and top spot in the National Hockey League in their final game before the holiday break. The Jets made good on both accounts with a 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs before 18,923 at Scotiabank Arena on Monday. The win avenged a 6-4 home loss to Toronto on Oct. 28, that halted the Jets’ eight-game win streak to begin the season. It also pushed the Jets into first overall. “They don’t hand out awards at Christmas, but obviously, we’re happy,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who enjoyed a three-goal, four-point outing. “It’s good to get a couple of days off, get recharged and get going for the next half of the season.” Surprisingly, the Jets (25-10-1) are only one point ahead of the 36-game pace of 23-9-4 set a year ago. “We’ve been good from top to bottom and we need everybody in this group,” said Kyle O’Connor, who scored the Jets first two goals and helped set up Scheifele for his first of three third-period goals. “I just think our ability to roll over lines and be hungry, and not to be satisfied with anything. We also have taken a day-to-day approach, learning what we can improve on from wins and losses and implementing the adjustments.” Besides defeating the Maple Leafs after what transpired in late October, Scheifele had extra motivation after being left off Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. In the 10 games since Canada’s roster was announced, Scheifele has eight goals and 15 points. “You’re disappointed, but at the end of the day, you just want to play well for your group of guys,” Scheifele said. “There’s always a bit of motivation you can draw from in every game. But it’s just a matter of playing good for the Winnipeg Jets and controlling what I can control.” He also enjoys playing in Toronto, an hour from his hometown of Kitchener. “I love coming to Toronto to have the opportunity to play in front of a lot of friends and family,” Scheifele said. “Being so close to home, I get a little extra excited to play here. “I think the biggest thing is we didn’t play our best when we played them last. We were excited to get another crack at them and how them the game we can play. All in all, it’s a big win for us.” MATTHEWS STILL OUT WITH INJURY While the Jets enter the Christmas break with back-to-back wins, the Maple Leafs dropped their second in a row at home without wounded captain Auston Matthews, out with an upper-body injury. “We just have to clean up some things off the rush, the transition part especially against a team that’s obviously very good with their top line that takes advantage of time and space,” said Maple Leafs centre John Tavares, who scored both Toronto goals. The Maple Leafs have gone 7-4-0 with Matthews on the sidelines this season and 42-23-2 in his career. Toronto was also missing defenceman Chris Tanev, out day-to-day with a lower-body ailment. Tanev missed his first game after skating in the pre-game warm-up. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2024.

Betty White Forever: New stamp will honor the much-beloved 'Golden Girls' actor