okebet facebook

Elon Musk claimed that Jeff Bezos urged people to sell Tesla and SpaceX stock, predicting Donald Trump's election loss. Bezos responded by firmly denying the allegations, calling them “100% not true” in a rare X post. The ongoing feud between the billionaires continues to grab headlines. Tesla CEO Elon Musk was one of Donald Trump’s most vocal and visible supporters during the run-up to the U.S. presidential election. Following Trump’s victory, Musk was appointed head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency. Musk has now accused fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos of stating that Trump would lose the election, allegedly causing the stocks of Tesla and SpaceX to plummet. Jeff Bezos refuted these claims in his first X post since November 6, when he had broken a four-month silence to congratulate Trump. “Nope. 100% not true,” wrote the Amazon founder in response to Musk’s allegations.NASSAU, Bahamas — Justin Thomas was long off the tee and made a few long putts on the back nine to overtake Scottie Scheffler with a 6-under 66 and build a one-shot lead Saturday over golf's best player going into the final round of the Hero World Challenge. Thomas is trying out a 46-inch driver — a little more than an inch longer than normal — that he previously used for practice at home to gain speed and length. He blasted a 361-yard drive to 8 feet on the par-4 seventh hole and led the field in driving distance. But it was a few long putts that put him ahead of Scheffler, who had a 69. Thomas was on the verge of falling two shots behind when he made an 18-foot par putt on the par-3 12th hole. On the reachable par-4 14th, he was in a nasty spot in a sandy area and could only splash it out to nearly 50 feet. He made that one for a most unlikely birdie, while behind him Scheffler muffed a chip on the 13th hole and made his lone bogey of a windy day. People are also reading... Scheffler never caught up to him, missing birdie chances on the reachable 14th and the par-5 15th. Thomas hit his approach to 3 feet for birdie on the 16th after a 343-yard drive. Scheffler made an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th to close within one. Scheffler missed birdie chances on the last two holes from the 10-foot and 15-foot range, while Thomas missed an 8-foot birdie attempt at the last. "I had a stretch at 13, 14, 15 where I felt like I lost a shot or two there, but outside of that I did a lot of really good things today," Scheffler said. Thomas hasn't won since the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, and a victory at Albany Golf Club wouldn't count as an official win. But the two-time major champion has made steady progress toward getting his game back in order. "I'm driving it great. I've had a lot of confidence with it," Thomas said of his longer driver. "I feel like I've been able to put myself in some pretty good spots going into the green. I'm still not taking advantage of some of them as much as I would like, but that's golf and we're always going to say that." Thomas was at 17-under 199 and will be in the final group Sunday with Scheffler, who is trying to end his spectacular season with a ninth title. Tom Kim put himself in the mix, which he might not have imagined Thursday when he was 3 over through six holes of the holiday tournament. Kim got back in the game with a 65 on Friday, and then followed with 12 birdies for a 62. He had a shot at the course record — Rickie Fowler shot 61 in the final round when he won at Albany in 2017 — until Kim found a bunker and took two shots to reach the green in making a double bogey on the par-3 17th. Even so, he was only two shots behind. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68) was four back. "Feel like I've been seeing signs of improvement, which is what you want and that's all I can do," Thomas said. "I can't control everybody else or what's going on, I've just got to keep playing as good as I possibly can and hope that it's enough come Sunday." Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Military Armored Vehicles And Counter Ied Vehicle Market Driven by Demand for Immersive Technologies Across Industries

Rosie O’Donnell announced in a recent video that she has face “herpes,” and complained about allegedly being “taunted” by the MAGA movement. Ultimately, O’Donnell said she believes her cold sores are stress-induced due to her fear of UFOs. “Look what I have on my lip,” O’Donnell began in a video posted to her TikTok account on Friday. “Everybody’s been saying, ‘You have herpes, you’ve had herpes all this time,’ and I never have had a cold sore in my life, and now I have a cold sore.” Watch Below: O’Donnell went on to say that she doesn’t believe her cold sore is from sun exposure, because she has been wearing sunscreen. “Now, I did sit in the sun yesterday, but I had sunscreen on, so, I don’t know. I will let you know tomorrow if I do, in fact, have herpes,” she said. The Sleepless in Seattle actress then complained about “some of the taunting from the MAGA people in the last couple of weeks.” “Hasn’t it been fun, ladies and gentlemen, to be standing in direct opposition to everything he is and represents?” O’Donnell concluded in her video rant. In a follow-up video posted to her TikTok account on Sunday, O’Donnell informed her 2.5 million followers that she does, in fact, have a cold sore on her face. “Yup, everybody, it’s a cold sore,” O’Donnell said, adding, “Stress can do horrible things.” Watch Below: sunday #coldsores #ufosighting #ufos #insurrectionists #unitedhealthcare #stress #art #daneldon ♬ original sound – Rosie ODonnell To those who might be asking, “Why are you stressed?” O’Donnell answered, “A lot of reasons,” but specifically cited alleged UFO sightings as the likely cause of her newfound affliction. In recent months, O’Donnell has also been on a rampage over President-elect Donald Trump, pushing for the abolishment of the Electoral College following the 45th and soon-to-be 47th president’s landslide victory in the 2024 election. Amusingly, however, even if the Electoral College were to be eliminated, it wouldn’t have made a difference in the 2024 presidential election, given that Trump also won the popular vote. In October, O’Donnell promulgated a wild conspiracy theory spread by radical leftists, falsely stating that shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks’ bullet did not strike Trump in the ear during the first assassination attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo , and on Instagram .Midwest city's real estate market is in crisis as billionaire sells off homes and crime soars By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 19:19 GMT, 7 December 2024 | Updated: 19:22 GMT, 7 December 2024 e-mail 25 View comments Chicago 's luxury real estate market has been in spiraling decline since 2021 and a billionaire is the latest to sell his home for a dramatic loss amid soaring crime . A trend of decline across the Midwest city has hit luxury condos the hardest, as wealthy billionaires like Citadel CEO Ken Griffin sold a portion of his penthouse at a 44 per cent loss of $15 million last month. The hedge-fund manager had paid more than $34 million for the entire 37th and 38th floors of the condo tower No.9 Walton in 2017 and sold them last month for $9 million and $10 million respectively. Griffin was quick to blame 'failed political leadership in Illinois ', taking a stab at Democratic Govenor JB Pritzker for the rising crime and declining real-estate values. 'The decline in value of Chicago real estate is representative of the failed political leadership in Illinois which is a loss ultimately borne by the people of the state,' he said, weeks after shelling out $45million for an 150million-year-old set of fossils . Some 28 per cent less of the windy-city's homes sell for more than $4 million and the median sale price dropping from $5 million to $4.625 million. The median price of Chicago's condos above $1 million dropped 9.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2024 from the same period in 2021, according to a report by brokerage @properties . A trend of decline across the Midwest city of Chicago's real estate market has hit luxury condos the hardest, as wealthy billionaires like Citadel CEO Ken Griffin sold a portion of his penthouse at a 44 per cent loss of $15 million last month Chicago experienced 28 per cent fewer of the windy-city's homes selling for more than $4 million Griffin was quick to blame 'failed political leadership in Illinois', taking a stab at Democratic Govenor JB Pritzker for the rising crime and declining real-estate values In comparison, prices for high-end single-family homes above the $1 million mark rose 14 per cent in the same time frame. As many wealthy sellers are looking for where to place blame, real-estate agents say the beginnings of the downward spiral stem from 2020. The year was the peak of the pandemic, Chicago was in lockdown and many big cities were the center of protests and violence related to the murder of George Floyd . The summer of 2020 saw clashes between protestors and police, mass lootings that caused stores to be boarded up, and a general sense of unrest in the city. However, unlike big cities like New York or San Francisco, Chicago never bounced back, and its crime rates have remained high. Although murders in Chicago have declined by 26 percent, overall crime in the city has climbed 36 percent year-to-date compared with the same period in 2020 , the WSJ reported. As interest rates soar and crime continues to coast, 'the high-end downtown luxury market has definitely taken a big hit,' said Nancy Tasson of Jameson Sotheby's International Realty. Tasson, who also worked on Griffin's penthouse sale, told the Wall Street Journal : 'Once [the social unrest] happened, we couldn’t recover from it.' As many wealthy sellers are looking for where to place blame, real-estate agents say the beginnings of the downward spiral stem from 2020 as protests related to the murder of George Floyd The alarming crime rates have also deterred businesses like Citadel as Griffen cited crime as one of the major factors in this decision to move the company from Chicago to Miami in 2022 As interest rates soar and crime continues to coast, 'the high-end downtown luxury market has definitely taken a big hit,' said Nancy Tasson of Jameson Sotheby's International Realty As the violence erupted, many suburbanites who had plans to downsize to the downtown quickly shifted toward different areas. Compass real-estate agent Jeff Lowe said one of the city's major losses is empty nesters who move from the suburbs to Florida but keep a place in the city. 'People used to sell their giant mansions out there and then they would buy an apartment in the city and a place in Arizona or Florida,' he told WSJ. 'What happened during the pandemic was they started skipping the downtown part.' The alarming crime rates have also deterred businesses like Citadel as Griffen cited crime as one of the major factors into this decision to move the company from Chicago to Miami in 2022. The hedge-fund manager said that, among other incidents, one of his colleagues was robbed at gunpoint while getting a coffee. Citadel was one major corporation out of many to relocate from Chicago around the same time, including Boeing, Caterpillar and Tyson Foods, reported WSJ. However, Griffin's quickness to blame crime has also been challenged as real-estate insiders say crime can't be the sole blame. They said the record $58.75 million he paid was 'far higher than anything Chicago had seen before', reported WSJ. Part of the problem, said Ames, is that Chicago doesn't attract international buyers that have built condo markets in cities like New York or Miami. She added that Midwest buyers tend to keep their distance from outrageously lavish spending: 'Our market is not flashy. It's not like Beverly Hills' Condos, however, felt the brunt of buyers' safety concerns as many high-end buildings resorted to slashing asking prices to draw people in. In November, a condo at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago sold for $1.025 million, 43 per cent less than the $1.8 million the seller paid for it in 2000 The median price of Chicago's condos above $1 million dropped 9.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2024 from the same period in 2021, according to a report by brokerage @properties According to real-estate agent Jennifer Ames of Engel & Völkers Chicago, Griffin 'overpaid', and Chicago developed Jim Letchinger said: 'It's unlikely he would have found anybody to pay him anything close to what he spent.' Letchinger added that while such buyers are more common in New York or Palm Beach, 'we don't see them in Chicago very often.' 'He just wanted to sell. And quite frankly, if he sold for $5 million or $10 million less or more, it doesn't make any difference to him.' Local agents told the outlet that his 'highly visible selloff' will only worsen the perception of values across the market. Condos, however, felt the brunt of buyers' safety concerns as many high-end buildings resorted to slashing asking prices to draw people in. In November, a condo at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago sold for $1.025 million, 43 per cent less than the $1.8 million the seller paid for it in 2000. At Letchinger's latest condo project, One Chicago, roughly 35 per cent of the building's 77 units remained unsold after five years of sales. Letchinger told WSJ: 'It started with a bang. We had 19 or 20 sales in the first four or five weeks. Then, we didn't see anybody for a year and a half. There was a point in time where we didn't know if we'd ever sell another condo.' Prices of some of the condos were slashed by 20 percent, and some were rented out. Part of the problem, said Ames, is that Chicago doesn't attract international buyers that have built condo markets in cities like New York or Miami. She added that Midwest buyers tend to keep their distance from outrageously lavish spending: 'Our market is not flashy. It's not like Beverly Hills.' Hope for condo sales, however, has emerged as sales have begun to pick up in the last few months. Letchinger told WSJ that he sold 18 units at One Chicago in the last four months. 'I think we're starting to find the bottom,' said Lowe. 'Prices have come down enough that I think people are seeing real value.' New York Illinois Chicago Florida Share or comment on this article: Midwest city's real estate market is in crisis as billionaire sells off homes and crime soars e-mail Add commentAn archbishop's knock formally restores Notre Dame to life as winds howl and heads of state look on

NNPCL’s Plan To Establish Five LNG Plants In Ajaokuta Excites Akpoti-Uduaghan

Advertisement 2 This advertisement has not loaded yet.

Seibert misses an extra point late as the Commanders lose their 3rd in a row, 34-26 to the CowboysMicro Mobile Data Center Market: Growth to $21.34B by 2031, 19.3% CAGR1. A mini inflatable tube guy because there is *no way* they can look at this little dude and not giggle. If they're feeling extra goofy, imitating him is ~encouraged.~ Promising review: "Got this as a toy for my 7-year-old. She loves it. It's compact and is fun to watch wave around. Very similar to its full-sized big bro. Great product!" — Christell Get it from Amazon for $8.58 . 2. A screaming goat so they can express all their feelings by pressing it and letting it do the screaming for them. Needless to say, there will be a loooottt of laughing caused by this little guy. Promising review: "Hilarious and irritating — my kid loves it. It's funny, loud and cute. Great for goat lovers. As described. Great gift for people who think screaming goats are funny." — E. Hurtt Get it from Amazon for $8.18 . 3. Some dehydrated water for the times when they are packing light but know they are bound to get thirsty. Instead of carrying a heavy jug of water, they can just carry this little can and fill it with water to rehydrate it whenever they need! Promising review: "Gave this for a Christmas gift to a relative...he is still speechless...from laughing! He shows it to everyone he knows. I would give this 10 stars if possible ...yeah, a bit pricey for an empty can but more fun than giving a pair of socks for sure!" — B burton Get it from Amazon for $12.99 . 4. An anti-stress desktop punching bag so they can take out all their rage against Kevin, the office pain-in-the-butt, in a safe and controlled manner that won't end with a trip to HR. Promising review: "I bought this as a white elephant gift for Christmas in the office. I anticipated it to be thin, flimsy, and cheap. However, it was just the opposite. My coworker has it suctionned to her glass wall and people use it all the time. The suction is strong, and the item itself feels very sturdy. I was pleasantly surprised, and it was one of the favorite gifts of the day." — Vicki McClain Get it from Amazon for $23.95+ (available in two colors). 5. A giant waffle...blanket for anyone who eats waffles on the daily and has been known to scream "leggo my Eggo" if anyone tries to take a bite. Now they can finally live out their dreams of being fully surrounded by a delicious breakfast food. Promising review: "My grandson loves this waffle lightweight throw. He got up and made sure everyone could see it. Well made. Not too heavy, just right for watching TV on a cooler night. This is the third unique one I purchased. Now all three grandsons have one, each being different. Love it." — becky spinks Get it from Amazon for $22.99+ (available in five sizes and five styles). 6. A toilet timer to help them remember there is a whole world outside of the bathroom and they shouldn't be sitting on the commode until their legs are numb. Promising review: "It was a great Father's Day gift! My 3-year-old loves playing with it. I'm not sure my husband actually uses it for its intended purpose because he still takes forever! :D" – katherine viens Get it from Amazon for $16.99 . 7. And some no-rip toilet paper that'll leave them flustered and confused when they do finally decide bathroom time is over only to realize they are stuck there a little bit longer. Be warned, once you mess with someone in their most vulnerable state, you'll certainly be in the middle of an ongoing prank war. Promising review: "I pulled this prank on my partner and it was hilarious. It really doesn't rip hahaha." — Austin C. Get it from Amazon for $13.99 . 8. And! A talking toilet paper holder so you can really scare the 💩 outta them (thankfully they're on the toilet so there won't be any mess). Record whatever message you'd like them to hear when they go to pull the paper. And they can reuse it on the prankee of their choice. It's the gift that keeps on giving. Promising review: "This thing is awesome. I don’t know how something so simple can bring so much joy in my life. Just a tip if you’re going to get this, don’t keep it on the toilet paper roll all the time. Just do it every once in a while. That way they don’t know it’s coming. The other great news is you can remind your children to wipe their butt all the way every single time they go to the bathroom." — Ecow Get it from Amazon for $15.95 . 9. A container of nothing , perfect for someone who already has everything. Or for those people who always say "nothing" when asked what they want. Now you can finally grant their wishes! Promising review: "Got a few of these for Christmas. A few people said they wanted nothing, so that's just what I got them, NOTHING. LOL. We did buy them real gifts, but they loved their nothing. Everyone who received one thought it was funny. I suggest getting this for anyone who asks for nothing. The reading part on the nothing is funny too, strongly suggest this!! Worth the laughs!!" — CatsMeow Get it from Amazon for $14.99 . 10. A dinosaur eating gnomes figurine to show them how you really feel about their extensive gnome collection in their front yard. Promising review: "I keep this on the sideboard in the dining room. I feel that’s the proper place for it considering. I get more compliments and chuckles and looks of pure merriment every time someone sees it. And it’s every time, regardless of whether they’ve seen it before. My favorite thing in the house." — Margaret W. Get it from Amazon for $27.99+ (available in two sizes). 11. A bottle of "headlight fluid" that'll confuse all the car novices who barely even know how to fill their car up with gas. They're sure to experience a rollercoaster of emotions when they open this up — from being concerned that they've never replaced the fluid before to utter disbelief when they find out this isn't real. Note: this is just an empty bottle, because no, headlights don't need fluid. Promising review: "This will definitely make for some laughs at Christmas. It looks just like something you might buy at an auto parts store...until you think about what it really is. Ha ha ha." — teri Get it from Amazon for $14.99 . 12. A ridiculous yodelling pickle if you wanna give them the perfect ammo to irritate anyone and everyone in their life. Promising review: "This pickle rocks!!! Well, actually, this pickle yodels, and I don't care how many times you listen, you can't help but laugh, or smile, or both. I really believe every single person on planet earth needs to own one of these precious pickles." — Ken C. Get it from Amazon for $14.99 . 13. A Bob Ross Chia Pet that kinda speaks for itself. Plant and art lovers will rejoice at this completely unique gift. Go get them a Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia! Includes the themed pottery planter, plastic drip tray, and chia seed packets for three plantings. Promising review: "Ummm... this is a Bob Ross Chia... don't even think... just order. Bought this for our white elephant family Christmas exchange. Who wouldn't want this???" — SaraB Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (available in 10 other variations). 14. A pair of Fish flip-flops so they can up their slides game to this sweet pair that looks like a fish is swallowing their whole foot. They do always say they're a trendsetter.... Promising review: "These are some of the ugliest awesome slides I have ever had the privilege of wearing...total headturners that everyone loves, and they are surprisingly squishy and comfortable too. Love them!" — Brian Get them from Amazon for $23.99 (available in sizes 5 women/3 men—16 women/15 men and 13 colors). 15. A tin with a pair of emergency underpants , which is perfect to have on hand while they open up all these hilarious gifts as a backup in case they do in fact pee themselves from laughing so hard. Promising review: "Hey! If you're on the fence about getting this gag gift...GET IT!!! Today is my husband's birthday and he couldn't stop laughing when he opened this! Our kids kept referring to it as the 'man diaper' while laughing...BUT keep in mind that this gag gift is NOT geared only toward a man! This was worth every penny and my husband sent me a photo to make me laugh now! Apparently he carried it on him as he headed out the door LOL. He hasn't opened it...so I am unaware of how they would actually fit him. However, the purpose it was purchased for, did not let me down." — CB Get it from Amazon for $7.95 . 16. A mini violin so they can join Mr. Krabs' tiny orchestra that plays the perfect pity party soundtrack. This comes with the mini violin, stand, bow, and case. Promising review: "It looked exactly like my real violin! But a mini version. Such specific details for such a small instrument!!! It uses ACTUAL wood, little metal strings, and real pegs!!!!!!!! It has a little case that is a pretty velvet red and black color. The bow is real wood also, but the actual bow hair is plastic. If you replace the plastic bow hair with horse hair, and apply rosin, THE LITTLE VIOLIN CAN REALLY WORK!" — Michelle Get it from Amazon for $10.99+ (available in four sizes). 17. A prank box with a spider that'll jump out when they open it. You can either use on its own or filled with a gift card, candy, or other small treat. Let's just say it may take them a little while to ever trust a box you hand to them again. Promising review: "We witnessed a good jump! My 14-year-old is not afraid of anything, well maybe except for the spiders. He got this box today as a Christmas gift. He opened it, totally freaked out, instantly jumped back, put his hand to the heart and started hyperventilating. After he pulled himself together, he said, 'You got me!!!' And believe me it is hard to 'get' him nowadays! We videotaped it. It was worth every dime!!!" — Elena Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in two sizes). 18. A fake power outlet sticker so they can stick up on a wall in an airport, restaurant, or other public place. Then, sit back and watch unassuming patrons who desperately want to charge their phones try to plug in just to realize they've been tricked! Reviewers say these are removable, but to be careful if you want to pull them off a wall as they are stickers and may cause damage. Promising review: "I was able to trick my stepson into using one for his dresser so he can plug his Alexa into it. I told him you gotta make sure it goes on straight and wait for it to grow a box. Over the course of four days he came to me and said it's not growing. So I told him hmm maybe you have to water it like a plant. So sure enough he waters it (only a little bit). He did that for a week. Then I started to put more around the house and tricked my wife and friends who came over :D Great gag item." — Shawns211 Get a pack of 12 from Amazon for $6.98 . 19. And some voice-activated prank stickers they can place on their coffee maker, TV, and so much more to trick their guests into wondering why "make me some coffee" isn't magically dispensing a much-needed hot beverage!!! The pack also includes some that say "motion activated." Promising review: "We have put these things on flower pots, weed eaters, a shovel, etc....Yes, they are juvenile, but always get a smile when seen. I do not condone vandalism, but I have seen a few of these stickers on 'non-automatic' paper towel dispensers, in a few gas station bathrooms. The thought of someone talking to a paper towel dispenser, in public, makes me giggle." — Amazon Customer Get a pack of 50 from Amazon for $8.99 . 20. A classic snake-in-a-can to scare the bejesus out of them when they think you're just giving them a savory snack to go with all the candy in their stocking. Promising review: "My 6-year-old loved it and then my wife took it to the high school she teaches at and all the teens thought it was funny and played with it. Broad age gap for fun ." — Welsey Fraser Get it from Amazon for $7.99 . 21. A pack of 10 tiny hands so they can shock friends and family by reaching out to grab stuff with these little ~unsettling~ hands. The set comes with five right-handed and five left-handed finger hands. Promising review: "We’re a silly family, so when my mom mentioned wanting these, I got them for her birthday. She had a bad day yesterday, so I gave them to her a few days early to cheer her up. Her face lit up as she threw her head back in genuine laughter. She immediately went to the garage to find a wooden stick to attach the hands to each end. She uses it as a scepter and orders the household about like peasants. When we complain, she holds the tiny hand up for silence. She uses it to pet our faces while we sleep. The cat has declared the Hand her arch nemesis. It's been 24 hours now, and I regret everything." — Nesha Get a set of 10 from Amazon for $7.99 . 22. A coffee mug they'll get countless laughs out of when they hand their guests a beverage and watch as the words are slowly revealed with every sip. When the cup is empty, they may even burst out with a "mwahaha" to really seal in the dramatics. This mug is dishwasher- and microwave-safe. Promising review: "I love this mug. Served coffee to my BF in it and got a laugh out of his reaction when he got to the bottom. He had a good laugh, too. It’s also a fun mug to drink out of on those rough work days where you just kind of wish you had been poisoned, rather than sitting on another useless, never-ending conference call. Good quality. Fun gag gift. Great mug for your own personal arsenal." — R Redick Get it from Amazon for $13.98 . 23. A pair of glowing lightsaber chopsticks because no matter how much everyone tells them to, they ~still~ haven't grown out of playing with your food, and now they actually have an excuse. They have eight different color modes! BuzzFeed Shopping writer Emma Lord says, "As you can see from the above GIF, I bought these for myself, and I love them to pieces. TBH, I use them as decor every bit as much as I use them to eat. Sometimes I just keep them in my work area to light them up during the day to feel fancy. They toggle back and forth between a bunch of different colors, like red, blue, yellow, purple, and multicolor, so you can either make them match *or* have a red and blue one together and bring ~balance~ to the Force." Promising review: "The chopsticks are very durable, and the glow is bright. They're a bit bigger that I expected — but very pleased nonetheless with the product because it serves the purpose and is entertaining for kids, right up to adult Star Wars nerds. It also made the perfect gift for my fellow Star Wars nerds. I've been too busy playing with them rather than using them to eat food — but hopefully that will eventually happen before the batteries need changing." — Anthony Get it from Amazon for $12.97 . 24. A set of Porta Potty shot glasses that are straight up disgusting but also so fun. Let's just hope they don't think too much about it while they're using them. Promising review : "They are a pair of shot glasses in the shape of Porta Potties so it got the expected laugh and enjoyment when picked at the White Elephant office party. They were 'stolen' a couple of times, so they turned out to be quite popular. Pick a pair for your next gag gift party...they will be a hit!" — Thor Get a set of two from Amazon for $9.99 . 25. A hard-boiled egg holder worthy of royalty because why would they wanna eat their eggs like a peasant when they could dress 'em up as knights and have an army waiting to serve? And it comes equipped with a spoon, so they truly will have everything they need basically handed to them on a silver platter. Promising review : "I bought this for my wife's birthday and she absolutely loved it! She loves whimsy and this really struck a chord with her. I put a soft-boiled egg in it and she was grinning the entire time she was eating it. As far as being 'practical'; well, what can I say, but it beats chasing a soft-boiled egg around a slick dinner plate." — UrbanDad Get it from Amazon for $13.90 . 26. A silicone crab utensil holder perfect for when they're ~in a pinch~ and need somewhere to put their spoon that doesn't end with their delicious soup all over the counter. Promising review : "Probably the coolest holder I have ever seen. Bought it for my wife and she loves it and thinks it's cute. I laugh when I look at it, just cool as all! Hangs on all of our pots and pans, and stays cool. Easy to clean and looks awesome. A great addition to any kitchen. Works great, does exactly what it is intended to do!" — Logan E. Get it from Amazon for $13.95 . 27. A stress-relieving Dammit doll so they can relieve their anger without actually causing any harm or destruction. Everyone is gonna want to get their hands on this guy so they can take out all their frustrations in an ~appropriate~ manner. The Dammit Doll comes with a little poem: "Whenever things don't go so well, and you want to hit the wall and yell, here's a little dammit doll that you can't do without. Just grasp it firmly by the legs and find a place to slam it. And as you whack the stuffing out, yell 'dammit!' 'dammit!' 'dammit!'" Promising review : "This doll is amazing! Not only did it help me through holiday shopping, it helped me survive election commercials! It's small enough to take anywhere you might experience stress: your job, grocery store, dentist, Department of Motor Vehicles, parent/teacher conferences, and waiting in line to vote! It fits right into my purse, so I can quickly grab it when someone drives too slow in front of me or when I get pulled over for my right tail-light out. I love that it fits nicely on the nightstand to conveniently grab when hubby snores! I can't think of a better gift for friends, teachers, or people you purposely annoy. And it's VERY VERY durable! I use it at least 25 times a day, and the seams are just fine! " — William Imand Get a random patterned version from Amazon for $13.59+ (available in multi-packs). 28. Socks with magnetic hands to make sure their socks always have a ~pair.~ Tell me why this inanimate object holding hands is one of the cutest freakin' things ever?! Promising review: "I bought these socks for a couple that stand next to each other all the time. It was a very cute gift and they loved it the hands actually clasp by the magnet to each other if they stand close enough." — Michelle F. Get two pairs from Amazon for $14.98 (available in three color combos). The reviews used in this post have been edited for length and clarity.

NoneATHENS, Ohio (AP) — Jackson Paveletzke scored 23 points as Ohio beat Morehead State 88-76 on Saturday night. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — Jackson Paveletzke scored 23 points as Ohio beat Morehead State 88-76 on Saturday night. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — Jackson Paveletzke scored 23 points as Ohio beat Morehead State 88-76 on Saturday night. Paveletzke also contributed eight rebounds for the Bobcats (4-5). Elmore James scored 16 points, shooting 6 for 8, including 2 for 4 from beyond the arc. AJ Clayton went 5 of 10 from the field (2 for 7 from 3-point range) to finish with 14 points. The Eagles (3-6) were led in scoring by Tyler Brelsford, who finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. Jalen Breazeale added 13 points for Morehead State. Kade Ruegsegger also had 12 points, six rebounds and three steals. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. Advertisement

Spurs travel to Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday reeling from a disappointing home loss to Ipswich before the international break. The club’s problems have multiplied during the past fortnight with midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur handed a seven-match domestic ban on Monday and Cristian Romero (toe) joining a lengthy list of absentees. However, Postecoglou remains bullish about Tottenham’s progress and acutely aware of the scrutiny set to come his way if they stay 10th. “Christmas is a joyous occasion, irrespective, and I think it should be celebrated. If we’re still 10th then people won’t be happy, I won’t be happy, but we might not be 10th,” Postecoglou pointed out before nine games in 30 days. “Certainly for us I think it’s a significant period because you look at those games and we’ve got the league where we’ve got to improve our position and a couple of important European fixtures that can set us up for the back half of the year, also a Carabao Cup quarter-final. “At the end of that period we could be in a decent position for a strong second half of the year, so for us it is an important period. “You know there’s no more international breaks, so the full focus is here. You can build some momentum through that, or if things don’t go well you could get yourself into a bit of a grind. Ready for #MCITOT 👊 Go behind the scenes of training ahead of our trip to Manchester 🎥⤵️ pic.twitter.com/4jFZTCIwSz — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 22, 2024 “Of course if we had beaten Ipswich, we’d be third and I reckon this press conference would be much different wouldn’t it? “I’m not going to let my life be dictated by one result, I’m sorry. I take a wider perspective on these things because I know how fickle it can be, but we need to address our position for sure. “And if we’re 10th at Christmas, yeah it won’t be great. There’d be a lot of scrutiny and probably a lot of scrutiny around me, which is fair enough, but that’s not where I plan for us to be.” Tottenham’s immediate efforts to move up the table will require them ending City’s two-year unbeaten home run in the Premier League. The champions have lost their last four matches in all competitions, but have some key personnel back for Saturday’s clash and will aim to toast Pep Guardiola’s new contract with a victory. Postecoglou was pleased to see Guardiola commit to a further two seasons in England, adding: “I love the fact that there’s a massive target out there that can seem insurmountable. “I look at it the other way. I go, ‘imagine if you knock him off, that’d be something’. “I’m at the stage of my life where I’d rather have the chance of knocking him off than missing that opportunity. “When greatness is around, you want to be around it. And hopefully it challenges you to be like that as well.” Saturday’s fixture will be Postecoglou’s 50th league game in charge of Spurs and he knows what is required to bring up three figures. A post shared by Premier League (@premierleague) “No European football, significant player turnover, change of playing style. Where did I think we’d be after 50 games? God knows. “It could have been a whole lot worse, but when you look at it in the current prism of we’re 10th, you’re going ‘it doesn’t look good’ and I understand that and we have to improve that. “But over the 50 games, I think there’s enough there that shows we are progressing as a team and we are developing into the team we want. “The key is the next 50 games, if they can be in totality better than the first 50? First, that means I’m here but second, I think we’ll be in a good space.”President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, known as AKD, outlined the plans of his Government to rescue the crisis-ridden and slow growing economy in delivering the President’s Address at the opening of the 10th Parliament last week1. In a short speech like this, one cannot give all the micro details of his plan. Hence, by outlining the main policy parameters, he treated his audience to the vision by which his Government is guided in the next five years to deliver prosperity to Sri Lankans. AKD’s forte lies in delivering speeches freely out of his mind instead of reading a prepared text. In his maiden speech at Parliament as the President of the Republic, he spoke for long 55 minutes occasionally looking at the sketch of his speech to pick only the key points. Otherwise, it was a free flow of his mind. In development policy designing and management, there are further steps to be taken by AKD Government. The vision should be converted to a plan, plan broken into projects, projects divided into programs, programs to be represented by implementation units. These units should be given targets with a timeframe. On the other side of implementation, there should be continuous monitoring, progress reviewing, and trouble shooting if there are impediments in the plan implementation. These two machineries should be put in place immediately and they should naturally be under AKD himself to provide the necessary authority and leadership for change management. Without this, the vision will be a talk only devoid of action. James Carville, the political advisor to Bill Clinton is said to have coined in 1992 the phrase, ‘It is the Economy Stupid’, to belittle Clinton’s opposite, George HW Bush, on his ignorance of the ground realities in the ailing US economy2. The underlying connotation was that both the US economy and its chief economic manager were stupid. This soon became the Clinton campaign slogan, and it was successful in denying a second term for the incumbent President. AKD’s chief contender, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe or RW too tried to belittle his two main contenders on a similar ground. RW is reported to have publicly ridiculed AKD as well as Sajith Premadasa that neither one was experienced in running a crisis-hit economy unlike him. In his view, they both had run away from responsibility when the country needed a leader to bring order to the emerging anarchic state. In this context, RW maintained that only he stepped forward to take responsibility and only he had an experienced team to do so3. In the Parliamentary election campaign, RW asked the voters not to send inexperienced people to Parliament and reiterated that only his team has the necessary experience4. The results of both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections showed that RW had failed to convince the voters on this point, like the economy stupid slogan of the Clinton campaign. AKD, in his President’s address, disproved his critics. However, after the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, it is the economy stupid that is going to loom over Sri Lanka making it AKD’s biggest challenge. Like any economic policy program, AKD’s program too has plus as well as minus points. With the unmatched super popularity which AKD has got from the people across the country today, it is natural for his fans to overvalue plus points and gloss over the shortcomings. Such analysis is guided by pure emotional affiliations, and it is injurious to both AKD and the country. The overassessment of his program will not give him an opportunity to correct himself. The country will suffer because of the unintended consequences of his policies. As a result, when, on a later date, the weaknesses are realised, it will be too late to reverse the policies and cut the long-term costs to the economy. Such a fate served on the former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa when he sought to convert the country’s agriculture to organic farming overnight. This daring and obviously destructive attempt was praised by those who were around Gotabaya and, as a result, neither he nor his policy advisors got an opportunity to stop it in time to avoid the long-term damage done to Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector. AKD should not fall into this trap just by listening to people who praise him. Hence, this article will critically review AKD’s policy statement. AKD’s policy vision is based on inclusive development which solicits participation of citizens in all the regions, all ethnicities, all faiths, and all lingual groups. The mandate he has got is from all these diverse parties. But he admitted that there are citizens who have not voted for him, or the candidates fielded by his political alliance. AKD and his Government accept that for a vibrant democracy – a necessity for sustainable development, there should be a multiparty system. It requires the recognition and appreciation of diverse views. This is the foundation of society being promoted under his rule. But for people to participate in development activities, there should also be the observance of the Rule of Law. AKD proudly announced that there should be no one who is above the law and all are under the law. In my view, this rule should be applied to the Executive President as well. A recent example of a President flouting this rule relates to RW who was found guilty by the Supreme Court for violating the Constitution by not holding the local government elections in time5. But RW, instead of observing the Rule of Law, defended his decision not to hold the local government elections implying that he would not obey the Supreme Court’s judgment6. This is a dangerous path for democratic inclusive development. Hence, AKD should not permit anyone to ridicule judicial judgments under his rule. When this precedent is established, it will be observed by future generations as Sri Lanka’s moral and ethical foundation for societal development. It is an essential requirement for inclusive development. Connected to this is his ‘clean Sri Lanka’ program which has gone beyond the environmental aspects of cleaning. It calls for an attitudinal and behavioural change in Sri Lankan people, on one side, and changing the behaviour of Parliamentarians, on the other. In the past, especially during the previous RW regime, Parliament became a place which did not give the best example of behaviour, accountability, and moral ethics to Sri Lankan people. On one occasion, RW speaking in Parliament said that there was no local government election and therefore there was no question of postponing the elections7. When the Supreme Court ordered that the local government elections should be conducted in terms of the prevailing laws, a government party legislator proposed that privileges of Parliament have been breached by an interim order of the Supreme Court8. These are only two glaring instances of immoral and unethical behaviour. These are clear cases of the non-observance of the accountability principle by legislators but there are many more. AKD stressed that Parliament cannot continue to act like this, and it should be brought under the supervision of the public eye. Regarding the behaviour of people, he said that the current ethos and norms should be changed to build a responsible society that appreciates each other. These are what economists call the defects in the institutional structure of the country. They have been branded as destructive institutions and they should necessarily be changed into inclusive institutions if Sri Lanka is to prevent itself from being a failed nation9. AKD also justified, quite correctly, the decision of his Government to go along with the prevailing Extended Fund Facility or EFF from IMF and the associated debt restructuring program. He said that the depth of the economic issue facing Sri Lanka does not leave room for making even the slightest mistake by the Government. It will be fatal to the economic life. Hence, to bring order to the chaos-stricken economy and maintain the trust and confidence of the international community, the Government has decided to be within the parameters set by IMF. He said that the third review of EFF is under way and will be completed by 22 November. This was done as expected10. Debt restructuring with bilateral creditors and commercial creditors, mainly the International Sovereign Bond or ISB holders, will be completed as agreed with them previously by end-December 2024. These are significant achievements with respect to IMF facility contrary to the suspicions of the critics of the AKD Government. However, the external debt restructuring without a significant haircut will leave a massive external sector gap of about $ 17 billion by 2027 as projected by IMF in May 2024 based on the estimated foreign inflows and outflow. It will simply pass the obligation onto the future generations. To avoid another debt crisis and free the future generations of the likely burden falling on them, AKD Government should increase the net foreign inflows in 2025 and beyond through an improvement in the export of goods and services to about $ 45 billion by 2030 as targeted by the Export Development Board11. This is an ambitious target but should necessarily be attained. Proceeding with IMF will help Sri Lanka to tackle the issues in the nominal side of the macroeconomy. That is made up of the inflation, exchange rate, balance of payments, and the government budget. But the development of the real side of the macroeconomy, that is, the production of goods and services, is outside this IMF program. The real sector development will allow Sri Lanka to deliver prosperity to people, improve their living standards, generate employment, and repay external debt by facilitating the earning of foreign exchange through the export of goods and services. For this, a separate plan is necessary. I have presented this case earlier in a separate article12. AKD has recognised this fact. He has proposed to take some immediate measures, known as picking low-hanging fruits, and initiating programs to create a turning point in Sri Lanka’s economy. As low-hanging fruits, he has identified five key areas. They are, information and communication technology or ICT, tourism, use of harbour services, agriculture, and fisheries. These five sectors will help Sri Lanka to increase the incomes of the people, generate employment, and promote consumption which is at a low ebb now. However, given the scale of the foreign funding needed to finance the external financing gap in the immediate future, all these five sectors will not help AKD to generate sufficient foreign exchange income to meet the requirements. They are also medium-term developments rather than quickly pickable fruits. Also, a sector like tourism, though AKD expects to increase the number to 4 million per annum generating a tourism income of $ 8 billion in the next 3-4 years, has two issues to be solved immediately. One is the limited carrying capacity with the available hotel, airport, and transport facilities. These represent investments to be achieved in the medium term rather than immediately. Hence, if Sri Lanka starts investing in these infrastructure facilities immediately, it can attain observable results only after about five years. The second is the low domestic value addition in the tourism sector. To maintain tourists, Sri Lanka should import fuel to power their transportation and electricity generation, vehicles, and above all, foods and beverages. In addition, road and airport expansion also involve foreign exchange expenditure. In these circumstances, the domestic value addition will be only the profits of the hotels, salaries paid to local employees, and purchase of utilities from the domestic market. Hence, out of the $ 8 billion earned as gross income, the net domestic value addition is projected to be about $ 2-3 billion. ICT sector also faces the problem of quick market access and lack of talented personnel. Market access can be achieved through comprehensive economic cooperation agreements with buyer countries on one side, and partnering with seller countries, on the other. In this case, renegotiating the abandoned Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement or ETCA with India should be done by AKD government as a matter of priority. Partnership with Indian ICT firms will provide quick market access to Sri Lankan ICT developers. However, a caveat in ICT sector is the advancements in artificial intelligence or AI which will take over many of the routine and programming jobs from human workers. Developed countries attempt at resolving this issue by evolving with AI13. Without an AI base, Sri Lanka cannot do this. As a turning point, AKD is planning to rely on the development of a digital economy to improve the efficiency and hence, the productivity, in the economy, and the introduction of new technology to Sri Lanka increase its value addition. These are worthwhile medium-term goals to be pursued by the country to make it a rich country in the long run. However, that alone will not help the country due to the scanty natural resource base in the country. Sri Lanka’s only available resource is the brain power of its people. This sector faces two issues which AKD has not recognised in his plan. One is the fast ageing of the Sri Lanka’s population. According to the projections by Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific or ESCAP, Sri Lanka is fast ageing with a median age of 33 in 2025 rising to 40 by 205014. This is a fast increase since 1960 when the median age stood at 18. With an ever-rising low number of young people, Sri Lanka is fast losing its demographic dividend. The second is the increased migration of the professionals in the country which has accelerated during the last three years. The loss of trained professionals is an impediment for Sri Lanka to attain a sustained economic growth. AKD should lay foundation for converting this brain drain to a brain gain. Overall, AKD’s policy statement is comprehensive, well-designed, and quickly implementable. He has not gone for a long-term dream like converting Sri Lanka to rich country by 2048 as was done by RW. His dream was limited only to words without action. In contrast, AKD has tried to tackle immediate as well as medium-term issues. This represents a visionary dream. As argued above, this dream should be converted to an action plan which should be monitored continuously to ensure rapid progress and resolve issues. 1An English translation is available at: https://pmd.gov.lk/news/the-full-speech-delivered-by-president-anura-kumara-dissanayake-at-the-inauguration-of-the-first-session-of-the-tenth-parliament/ 2https://politicaldictionary.com/words/its-the-economy-stupid/ 3https://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/Why-Ranil-is-so-Confident-of-Winning-the-Presidential-Election/172-291758 4https://economynext.com/sri-lankas-former-president-calls-for-experienced-members-to-be-sent-to-parliament-184036/ 5https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/sri-lanka-top-court-finds-president-wickremesinghe-guilty-of-unlawful-conduct-over-election-delay/articleshow/112716801.cms 6https://www.instagram.com/colombogazette/reel/C_Fq1EtOqaE/ 7https://citizen.lk/article/watch-there-is-no-election-to-be-postponed-ranil-tells-parliament 8https://ceylontoday.lk/2023/03/08/dolawatte-raises-privileges-issue-over-court-order/ 9This issue has been treated in detail here: https://www.ft.lk/columns/What-can-AKD-and-also-SP-and-RW-learn-from-Economics-Nobel-Laureates-in-2024/4-768187 10https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2024/11/23/pr24435-imf-team-reaches-staff-level-agreement-with-sri-lanka 11https://www.ft.lk/top-story/EDB-targets-45-b-export-revenue-by-2030-amid-economic-overhaul/26-769471#:~:text=EDB%20targets%20%24%2045%20b%20export%20revenue%20by%202030%20amid%20economic%20overhaul,-Thursday%2C%2021%20November&text=Sri%20Lanka%20has%20set%20its,within%20the%20next%20five%20years. 12https://www.ft.lk/columns/AKD-s-top-priority-should-be-to-appease-a-population-boiling-from-within/4-767000 13https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIL5pVqFceA 14https://www.population-trends-asiapacific.org/data/LKA

BERLIN (AP) — Harry Kane scored a hat trick including two penalties for Bayern Munich to beat Augsburg 3-0 in the Bundesliga on Friday. The win stretched Bayern’s lead to eight points ahead of the rest of the 11th round, and Kane took his goals tally to a league-leading 14. The England forward is the fastest player to reach 50 goals in the Bundesliga in what was his 43rd game. However, coach Vincent Kompany should be concerned by his team’s ongoing difficulty of scoring in matches it dominates. Bayern previously defeated St. Pauli and Benfica only 1-0. Kompany’s team had to wait until stoppage time before Kane sealed the result with his second penalty. Two minutes later, Kane scored with a header after controlling Leon Goretzka's cross with his first touch for a flattering scoreline. Bayern had possession and chances, but the visitors defended resolutely with Augsburg goalkeeper Nediljko Labrović denying Kane, then twice Jamal Musiala to keep the game scoreless at halftime. Bayern counterpart Manuel Neuer, who overcame a rib injury to start, had little to do at the other end. Musiala, Goretzka and Michael Olise all went close after the break. Labrović and the Augsburg defense held on. Then Mads Pedersen was penalized for handball following a VAR review and Kane duly broke the deadlock in the 63rd. Bayern continued as before with 80% possession, but had to wait for Keven Schlotterbeck to be penalized through VAR for a foul on Kane. Kane sealed the result in the third minute of stoppage time and there was still time for him to grab another. It’s Bayern’s seventh consecutive win without conceding a goal since it conceded four at Barcelona (4-1) on Oct. 23 in the Champions League. Bayern next hosts Paris Saint-Germain in that competition on Tuesday, then Borussia Dortmund away in the Bundesliga next weekend, before defending champion Bayer Leverkusen visits in the third round of the German Cup. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerNone