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Ecotoxicology Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth Insight, Report Forecast By 2024-2031 |Docusign Announces Third Quarter Fiscal 2025 Financial ResultsAustin shot 6 of 11 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line for the Pilots (5-8). Austin Rapp scored 15 points while shooting 4 for 6 (2 for 4 from 3-point range) and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line and added eight rebounds. Kelson Gebbers shot 2 for 4 (2 for 3 from 3-point range) and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 10 points. Justin Vander Baan led the Leopards (5-7) in scoring, finishing with 17 points and two steals. Lafayette also got 11 points and four assists from Mark Butler. Alex Chaikin also had 11 points. Portland entered halftime up 31-22. Austin paced the team in scoring in the first half with 12 points. Portland used a 14-3 second-half run to come back from a one-point deficit and take the lead at 55-45 with 8:56 remaining in the half before finishing off the victory. Rapp scored nine second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Three African politicians seeking to head the African Union detailed their plans on Friday for regional security amid conflicts and political coups while strongly advocating for inter-Africa trade among other issues. Raila Odinga of Kenya, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar are seeking to be elected as chairperson for the 55-member state African Union. They participated in a two-hour debate Friday in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in which they all advocated for two permanent seats for African countries in the U.N. Security Council to effectively represent the continent with the youngest population. Odinga said that two permanent seats with veto power were “a must for Africa” and that this was “only fair” since the continent has more than 50 countries. Randriamandrato urged member states to cease the opportunity and “speak with one voice on the choice of who will represent Africa in the UNSC.” The three are seeking to convince most African countries before the February election to succeed African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki, who has served for two terms. The African Union has faced several challenges that include conflict in member countries and political coups that have seen five member states expelled from the union, making regional security a major theme in Friday’s debate. Youssouf said that regional security could be enhanced if the resources for a regional standby force were increased to reduce the overreliance on foreign partnerships for resources. “When there is no unity of purpose among neighboring countries peace will be compromised,” Youseff said. Randriamandrato encouraged countries to take charge of their internal security while cautioning that foreign military bases should be “a thing of the past” because they “could be a source of conflict.” Despite the continent’s young population of 1.3 billion that is set to double by 2050, regional trade has faced challenges that were addressed in the Friday debate. Odinga said that Africa had a “huge domestic market” that it could leverage on for economic transformation by opening up opportunities for trade between African countries. Youssouf proposed a payment compensation system that would ensure countries don’t lose out while trading in different currencies adding, “are we going to have a single currency, why not?” Randriamandrato said that regional economic blocs like the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa had a huge role to play in easing inter-Africa trade. The African Union has several proposed reforms on its structure and leadership aimed at achieving its purpose, and all candidates promised to implement the reforms if elected. Youssouf said that key reforms in the union were facing a funding bottleneck and that “it has to change,” adding that he wouldn’t impose it on member states but would “advocate for it.”
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Sempra Named Among Newsweek's 'Most Responsible Companies' Sempra Logo (PRNewsfoto/Sempra) Sempra Named Among Newsweek's 'Most Responsible Companies' Sempra Logo (PRNewsfoto/Sempra) SAN DIEGO , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra (NYSE: SRE) (BMV: SRE) today announced it has been recognized by Newsweek as one of "America's Most Responsible Companies" for 2025, earning this distinction for the sixth consecutive year. The annual list ranks companies based on their commitment to corporate responsibility in the areas of corporate governance and responsible social and environmental practices. Sempra has been included since the list's inception. "At Sempra, we believe our responsible business practices improve the value of our franchise. By strengthening governance and risk management and improving the safety and resiliency of our business operations, it allows us to better meet the needs and expectations of our customers, while also adding scale to our business," said Lisa Larroque Alexander , senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer for Sempra. "We will continue to approach global energy challenges with an entrepreneurial mindset, steadfast optimism and confidence in our vision of delivering energy with purpose." Newsweek's recognition of Sempra as one of "America's Most Responsible Companies" is based on publicly available key performance indicators derived from the company's Corporate Sustainability Report and an independent survey that asked U.S. citizens about their perception of Sempra's commitment to corporate social responsibility. Details of Sempra's approach to responsible stakeholder engagement and corporate governance can be found in the company's most recent Corporate Sustainability Report, which is available here . In addition to being recognized on Newsweek's America's Most Responsible Companies list, Sempra is included in the FTSE4Good Index and JUST 100 list, has been named one of TIME Magazine's World's Best Companies and one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies , and earned a perfect score on the CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability , among other accolades. About Sempra Sempra (NYSE: SRE ) is a leading North American energy infrastructure company focused on delivering energy to nearly 40 million consumers. As owner of one of the largest energy networks on the continent, Sempra is electrifying and improving the energy resilience of some of the world's most significant economic markets, including California , Texas , Mexico and global energy markets. The company is recognized as a leader in sustainable business practices and for its high-performance culture focused on safety and operational excellence, as demonstrated by Sempra's inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America and in The Wall Street Journal's Best Managed Companies. More information about Sempra is available at sempra.com and on social media @Sempra . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sempra-named-among-newsweeks-most-responsible-companies-302324298.html SOURCE SempraHow to protect your communications through encryptionMOUNT CARMEL TOWNSHIP — A man from Perry, Kansas, attempting to attend a Thursday afternoon high school girls basketball game at the Mount Carmel Area Junior/Senior High School was arrested for allegedly possessing a loaded gun. Chief of Police Brian Hollenbush said Brett Harris Fatool, 42, realized he had the weapon in his coat after twice setting off a metal detector at the entrance to the gym at about 12:30 p.m., 15 minutes before Shikellamy was scheduled to play Mount Carmel in front of the student body.
Not Purdy: 49ers hit Green Bay with backup QB, no Bosa
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Maravai LifeSciences Holdings, Inc. (“Maravai” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: MRVI), a global provider of life science reagents and services to researchers and biotech innovators, announced that Carl Hull will retire from his position as Executive Chairman of the Board and that the Board of Directors has unanimously elected R. Andrew Eckert to succeed him as Chairman of the Board, effective December 5, 2024. Carl Hull founded Maravai in 2014 and served as Chief Executive Officer, assuming the role of Executive Chairman in October 2022. “Leading Maravai has been the single most rewarding experience in my career. I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished together over the past 10 years,” stated Carl Hull. “I extend my sincere thanks to Trey Martin, our CEO, the rest of our leadership team and to the dedicated employees across the world who enthusiastically serve our customers and their communities every day. I am excited about the company’s future prospects and am confident that Maravai has the team, the talent, and the technology to deliver on its long-term objectives.” "On behalf of the entire Board, I thank Carl for his incredible commitment to Maravai since he founded the Company in 2014.” said Constantine (“Dean”) Mihas, Board member and Co-CEO of GTCR. “I congratulate him for his distinguished career and deeply appreciate his vision and unwavering service to building Maravai and positioning the company for long-term success. He has been a model of corporate leadership and integrity in our industry and beyond, and we wish him well in his well-deserved retirement." Mihas continued, “We also want to welcome Andy as our new Chair and Board member. Andy is a healthcare industry veteran with extensive experience as an executive officer of several healthcare companies. He brings deep knowledge of operations, strategic planning, product development and marketing to our Board and has valuable corporate governance insight gained from having served as Chief Executive Officer and Director of publicly held companies. We look forward to leveraging his impressive executive experience to help guide Maravai to achieve significant scale.” “I'm honored to join the Board of Directors at Maravai, a company dedicated to innovation to help our customers improve human health,” said Eckert. “I look forward to contributing to the success and transformative impact of this remarkable organization while concurrently driving long-term shareholder value." About R. Andrew Eckert Mr. Eckert is a Senior Adviser to Permira, a global private equity leader. Prior to Permira, he served as CEO of Zelis, a healthcare payments and cost containment business. Before Zelis, he served as CEO of wound care leader Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (KCI) from 2017 until its sale to 3M in 2019. Prior to joining KCI, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Valence Health, an emerging leader in value-based healthcare, until its sale in 2016. Andy previously served as Chief Executive Officer of TriZetto, a leader in payer information technology (acquired by Cognizant), and as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CRC Health Group, a leading behavioral health treatment provider (acquired by Acadia). Earlier in his career, he was Chief Executive Officer of Eclipsys Corporation from 2005 to 2009, and Chief Executive Officer of SumTotal Systems from 2002 to 2005. Andy began his career at ADAC Laboratories, including four years as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until its sale to Philips Medical Systems in 2000. Andy has served on several corporate boards and is currently the Chairman of Kipu Health, Lead Director at Fortrea (NASDAQ: FTRE), and a Director at Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE: BDX). He was Chairman of Varian Medical Systems for seven years until its acquisition by Siemens Healthineers in 2021. He has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and a Master of Business Administration, both from Stanford University. About Maravai Maravai is a leading life sciences company providing critical products to enable the development of drug therapies, diagnostics, and novel vaccines and to support research on human diseases. Maravai’s companies are leaders in providing products and services in the fields of nucleic acid synthesis and biologics safety testing to many of the world's leading biopharmaceutical, vaccine, diagnostics and cell and gene therapies companies. Forward-looking Statements This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release which are not strictly historical statements constitute forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements related to the expectation that Mr. Eckert will help Maravai achieve scale and drive long-term shareholder value, constitute forward-looking statements identified by words like “plan,” “will,” “expect,” “may,” “anticipate,” or “could” and similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, without limitation, the risks and uncertainties described in greater detail in the “Risk Factors” section of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements, and therefore you should not rely upon them. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views and we do not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect a change in its views or events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof except as required by law. Contact Information: Deb Hart Maravai LifeSciences + 1 858-988-5917 ir@maravai.com
The New Jersey Devils defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 on Thursday night at the Prudential Center, ending their six-game win streak. The Devils put together a stifling defensive effort and beat the Kings at their own game to earn a big two points in the standings. With the win, the Devils improved to 19-10-3, while the Kings fell to 17-9-3. Game Recap: Devils vs. Kings Period One The Devils held the early edge in play, putting some dangerous shots on David Rittich in the first 10 minutes. New Jersey kept the pressure on throughout the period, but as has been the trend, they couldn’t find the back of the net despite outplaying their opponent. The Devils outshot the Kings 9-1 in the first frame. Period Two New Jersey continued to carry play in the first half of the second period, again outshooting the Kings. Paul Cotter took an awkward backward fall over Kevin Fiala , who was down on the ice, which led to a scoring chance for the Kings that Jacob Markstrom defended. Cotter was slow to get up but remained on the bench. The Kings got a fast break, and Alex Turcotte was hooked, resulting in a penalty shot. Turcotte missed the net on his attempt. After the Devils had a two-on-one chance in their own end, the puck went the other way and at 16:41, Jordan Spence scored from distance through Brett Pesce’s legs. Alex Laferriere and Phillip Danault had the assists. The Devils answered right back at 18:56 with a play created by Jack Hughes , who circled the net and fired a shot that deflected in off Ondrej Palat’s stick. Jesper Bratt added a secondary assist. JACK HUGHES, SHOT OUT OF A CANNON, JUST CIRCLED AROUND THE ICE ON THE KINGS pic.twitter.com/TEr3Q4RaNC New Jersey led the shot total 9-8 in the second period. Period Three New Jersey came out strong in the third, forcing turnovers and throwing pucks toward the Los Angeles net. Both teams settled into a very defense-first structure, with a lot of neutral zone traffic that forced dump-ins. Nico Hischier got caught with a high stick, and the Devils were awarded the first power play opportunity for either team. New Jersey got a few shots through to Rittich, but they couldn’t convert. Dawson Mercer was hit in the face with a deflected shot and immediately went down the tunnel. He did not return to the game. The Devils grabbed their first lead of the game with Jack Hughes’ 12 th goal of the season at 12:58. Palat found Hughes in front with a beautiful backhanded-pass through traffic for his second point of the night. Brenden Dillon got on the scoresheet with a secondary assist. Palat returned the favor... JACK HUGHES GOAL pic.twitter.com/vx1eGAWix0 New Jersey was tagged for a tripping penalty with just under four minutes left in the game. After a great save by Markstrom and a clear by Jack Hughes, the Devils broke out. At 17:17, Pesce scored his first goal as a Devil and his first career shorthanded goal. Jack Hughes had the only assist, earning him another three-point night. Hey shorty, how ya doin? pic.twitter.com/6hSL3tbbLY The Kings pulled their goalie, but the Devils closed out a great performance with a deserved victory. The Devils outshot the Kings 26-13 in the win. Takeaways Devils Defense Reigns Supreme The Devils put together an impressive defensive performance and out-dueled one of the best shutdown teams in the NHL. They allowed just 13 total shots against a team that averages over 27 per game. Contrarily, the Kings allow just 24.2 shots per game, the lowest average in the league, and the Devils put 26 on Rittich, successfully scoring three. This came on the heels of another quality defensive effort against the Maple Leafs, when the Devils allowed just 17 total shots by Toronto’s potent offense. It also marked the second consecutive game that the team allowed just one shot in the first period. While New Jersey ultimately fell to the Maple Leafs in overtime, such stifling defense in back-to-back games is a welcome sight for Sheldon Keefe. “A major priority when I was coming here was to get this team to defend, and we’re really starting to figure it out, and it’s been exciting,” said Keefe postgame. New Jersey’s defensive improvements are reflected in the statistics. They’re allowing an average of 2.66 goals per game, which is 6 th fewest in the league. They also have a top 10 penalty kill in the league, operating at 81.3%. The penalty kill, in particular, was huge for the Devils against the Kings. While there weren’t many odd-man situations for either team, New Jersey’s penalty kill came through at a pivotal point in the game and even scored an insurance goal to secure the victory. Jack Hughes also continued his excellent defensive efforts, making a crucial play to clear the zone on the late penalty kill. Not only was he responsible for getting the puck out, but his defense resulted in offense with an assist on Pesce’s shorthanded goal just a few seconds later. It’s encouraging to see the whole team buy into the defensive system and be rewarded for their efforts. Palat Stays Hot Ondrej Palat has flown under the radar for much of the season, but his contributions have shown through in the past few games. He notched the only goal for New Jersey on Tuesday against the Maple Leafs and racked up another goal and an assist against the Kings. He doesn’t play a flashy game, but he consistently wins pucks and makes plays to find Jack Hughes and Bratt in scoring positions. More recently, he has gone to the dangerous areas of the ice and been the beneficiary of great passes from his linemates. While he doesn’t always find himself on the scoresheet, he has complemented his line nicely, and it is good to see him rewarded with some points. Up Next: Devils vs. Blackhawks The Devils look to close off their homestand on a high note when they take on Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon at the Rock. The Blackhawks sit at the bottom of the Central Division with a 9-18-2 record. In their most recent game, they fell just short of a four-goal comeback, losing 5-4 to the New York Islanders. Puck drop is set for 1:00 p.m. on MSGSN, CHSN and NHLN. This article first appeared on Inside The Rink and was syndicated with permission.Sask. HIV rates are worst in Canada, recents stats show
Sean McVay's Rams are on a roll toward the playoffs after 2 big wins in a 5-day stretch
The Tennessee Titans (3-10) next have a home game against the Cincinnati Bengals (5-8) at Nissan Stadium on Sunday. You should head to TV in order to watch this matchup. Watch live NFL games, NFL Network, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Sign up today and watch seven hours of commercial-free football from every NFL game every Sunday. Catch NFL action all season long on Fubo. Watch Thursday Night Football exclusively on Prime Video. Rep your favorite NFL players with officially licensed gear. Head to Fanatics to find jerseys, shirts, hats, and much more. Get tickets for any NFL game this season at StubHub.Vancouver Island First Nation whose ancestors met explorer Capt. Cook sue provinceIt would be fair to say that as voters in last month’s presidential election were giving Republicans control of all three branches of the federal government, they were tacitly rejecting the left-leaning cultural values that California politicians constantly espouse. Republican Donald Trump’s campaign effectively weaponized Vice President Kamala Harris’ California roots in sweeping the battleground states, most notably in an ad featuring a video clip of her advocating sex-change surgery for transexual prison inmates. “Kamala is for they/them. Trump is for you,” the spot concludes. Post-election analysts, including the New York Times, have cited it as the single most effective ad of the campaign. Furthermore, the results also imply that the Harris campaign’s focus on abortion rights, another favorite theme of Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California political figures, didn’t help her. Voters in states that opted for Trump, including neighboring Nevada and Arizona, were primarily driven by economic issues, specifically inflation in living costs during the administration of Harris and President Joe Biden. Whether the administration was actually responsible for inflation is debatable, but also beside the point. When voters are dissatisfied with the status quo, for whatever reason, they often take it out on the party in power at the moment. Harris easily defeated Trump in California, as expected, to claim its 54 electoral votes, but the state was not immune to the issues that brought her downfall elsewhere, particularly the cost of living. California’s families must cope with arguably the highest prices for the necessities of life of any state — such things as housing, gasoline and electric power. Even commodities which should be less expensive in California, such as food, are costly because producing, packaging and selling them reflect the high expenses of suppliers. The cost of living is the major factor in California’s having the nation’s highest rate of functional poverty, 15.4%, as calculated by the Census Bureau. Using a similar methodology, the Public Policy Institute of California calculates that in 2023, 31.1% of Californians are living either in or near poverty. In the aftermath of the election, the Democrats who dominate all branches of state government have suddenly discovered that the cost of living is a burning issue that should be addressed. As the Legislature reconvened this week for its biennial session, its leaders said doing something about living costs will be a high priority. “Our constituents don’t feel the state of California is working for them,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas told colleagues as the session began. “That’s their lived experience in this moment. Our task this session is urgent and clear. We must chart a new path forward, and it begins by focusing on affordability. Related Articles Opinion Columnists | Donald Trump must replace Pete Hegseth with Ron DeSantis Opinion Columnists | Larry Elder: Biden breaks his promise and pardons his son Opinion Columnists | California’s unaccountable homeless industrial complex Opinion Columnists | Unions fight to keep American ports dangerous and inefficient Opinion Columnists | This holiday season, be thankful for the taxpayer protections we have in California “California will always be America’s destination for dreams and opportunities,” he added. “But we need to consider every bill through the lens of Californians who are anxious about affordability. Specifically, we must focus on building more housing and lowering energy costs.” However there’s not a lot that Newsom and legislators can do to materially affect the cost of living. If anything, prices for one vital commodity, gasoline, will likely see a big jump because Newsom’s Air Resources Board has just ordered changes in fuel to lower greenhouse emissions. Republicans have been urging Newsom to set aside the decision, but he has defended it as a necessary element of California’s campaign to reduce hydrocarbon use. Moreover, electric power costs are increasing sharply as utilities bury power transmission lines to reduce their role in wildfires. California’s politicos are talking a good game about inflation, but whether they can and will deliver remains very uncertain. Dan Walters is a CalMatters columnist.Cibus director Prante Gerhard sells $9,579 in stock
Amazon is doubling its investment in Anthropic to $8 billion in a deepened collaboration on artificial intelligence, the companies said Friday. The e-commerce and technology behemoth will remain a minority investor in Anthropic, having pumped an initial $4 billion into the artificial intelligence developer late last year and becoming its primary cloud computing provider. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.ATIF Announces Plan to Change its Nasdaq Ticker Symbol to "ZBAI”
Cost of new drugs ‘do not always justify the benefits’, researchers warnIn what has become a bit of an annual tradition , I sat down with Amazon CTO Werner Vogels at AWS re:Invent this week . Another annual tradition now is that Vogels, who joined Amazon in 2004, publishes a series of predictions for the next year. It’d be easy to think that this year’s predictions are all about AI, but instead, Vogels focuses on how Millennials and Gen Z think about being part of the workforce, nuclear energy, combatting misinformation, open data for disaster preparedness, and the need for intention-driven technology. Unlike his employer, whose keynotes this week focused almost exclusively on AI, Vogels only mentions it three times in his written predictions “ for 2025 and beyond .” And while AI is now a steady drone in the background, he seems to be more preoccupied with how technology in general is shaping the world right now. The next generation of employees “I’ve been very much interested in looking at companies that are interested in solving really hard human problems, really big problems, like economic equality, whether it’s food, health care globally,” he told me. “And with that whole ‘Now Go Build’ documentary series, we’ve raised some of those. But one of the things that I’ve been noticing in the past, let’s say four or five years, is that there is a new generation of workers out there that are actually willing to take a pay cut if they can work for a company that has sustainability in mind — all these issues.” He also said that he has heard from a number of NGOs that there is a massive increase in tech workers who would like to volunteer at these organizations. “Where, in the past — five, ten years ago, you would have to beg for people to come. Now people knock on the door,” he said. “The problem that these companies have is how to manage them. They don’t actually have the people. An organization like Mercy Corps, for example, they only have two people that are in tech, right? Because that money goes to the area [where] they can actually have impact. They don’t go on the tech side....Now, they have an engineer for two weeks. They have all these great ideas that they want to do, and even companies that are coming to them saying: ‘Oh, you can have our products for free.’ But they do not have the people to work on this.” Vogels believes — and I think a lot of people would back him up — that the next generation of workers will also bring this mindset to the companies they work for, and that these companies will have to adapt to them. “That means as employers, if you’re interested in actually hiring the absolute best engineers, you better make sure that you change your company culture to actually be able to attract these people. It’s no longer: do I get the best laptop? Do I get the best screen? Do I get two screens, right? But does my work matter? And that’s a really big shift, because it’s no longer about what’s the salary I’m getting? Because I’m willing to give up some of it if the work I’m doing means something right. And that means that, as an employer, you need to change that as well.” When I asked him if this means that Amazon itself may also have to change its vaunted set of leadership principles (the ones new employee at Amazon basically has to memorize), he noted that “with scale and success comes broad responsibility” — the final of the 16 leadership principles. Amazon, he stressed, also has a whole division focused on Social Responsibility and Impact. Who can you even trust anymore? In that context, he also noted that one of his predictions for next year is about fighting misinformation and — within that context — supporting open source intelligence. “We have rapidly shifted from an era of prolonged news cycles that lasted weeks or months to a constant stream of updates that break at the speed of a click. Social media platforms have become a primary source for disseminating and consuming news, and it’s never been harder to distinguish between what’s true and false,” he writes in his prediction blog post. If technology brought us fake news, “then it’s also our responsibility as technologists to go the other way around to find solutions,” he told me. He believes that solutions like browser sidebars that display relevant context — and maybe academic research — about a given topic, could be helpful, for example. “Elon is really good in time to push the story that media can’t be trusted,” Vogels said. “And since there’s many competing voices, can you trust the Washington Post and The New York Times and LA Times? Can you, or not? I mean, in the past, these used to be the source of truth. There was no discussion. If you were published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine, everybody in Germany would read that and know that that’s the truth. But can we help with technology? Is there a general perception, at least during the US, recent US elections, that the general media can be trusted? At least one candidate is pushing that story very hard. Then we need to make sure that there is context around those stories that demonstrate which ones are telling the truth or not.” “If we look at X and sort of the community notes, I’m not really sure whether the community notes are terribly useful, but [they] should be. And the question is, can we automate these kind of things?” Meanwhile, the organizations doing open-source intelligence work, he said, are often not using the most advanced technology. He believes that locating where an image was taken, for example, should be automated by using image recognition. Similarly, he hopes that access to open data will help NGOs to improve their disaster preparedness by allowing them to build better maps in areas where commercial mapping isn’t financially viable, for example, or by building new real-time data sources for tracking wildfires. Fighting tech addiction Vogels also noted that one of the reasons technology has been such an accelerant for the spread of misinformation is because our devices and apps have become so addictive. “We have tremendous impact with our technology on the lives of people, not only in terms of whether we advocate for what’s the truth, but the amount of time we spend with technology,” he said. Applications today, he said, are essentially built to be sticky and addictive. “We as adults may be able to handle that,” he said (though I’ll interject here that I’m not sure if adults actually can). “You know, if your kid of four years old is sitting in the back of the car, and, you know, in the past, they will be singing or yammering: ‘Are we there? Are we there?’ But [what] parents now do is just give them an iPad. Kids at four or five years old know how to use YouTube, but it also means that they get on a cycle of continuous highs, continuous highs, continuous highs. So the expectation is that these kids, and we already see that, are more prone to other types of addiction later as well, because you need to continuously get this next high whether it’s drugs, food, drinking, sex, or whatever.” People, he believes, are realizing this now and starting to take some action — maybe that’s using a dumb phone or going offline for extended periods. He noted that new regulations in Australia, which seek to ban kids under 16 from using social media, “is a pretty brute force approach, but it does signal a problem,” even if forbidding something to teenagers will make it more appealing, of course. “After all, you know, in the Netherlands [where cannabis has long been tolerated], a lot [fewer] kids continue to smoke weed because it wasn’t cool.” It’s up to technologists to ensure that their applications aren’t addictive — maybe by making the interfaces simpler, for example. “I mean, probably for TechCrunch, if somebody reads one article, you wanted them to read more articles. After all, pageviews equals income. It’s a business. But you know, how addictive do you make your interfaces, right? And yes, of course, as a company, you have a responsibility to shareholders to do that, but I think these days, we also have a social responsibility to make sure that our society is healthy enough in ten, twenty years from now that you can continue to be in business.” The nuclear option This year’s set of predictions is a bit of “all over the place” (Vogels’ words, not mine), and his next one is about the use of nuclear energy. In Vogels’ view, the expansion of nuclear energy and the growth of renewable energy “will lay the groundwork for a future where our energy infrastructure is a catalyst for innovation, not a constraint.” “We know how to do small nuclear,” he told me — referring to the reactors used to power military submarines, for example. “We just never built them because they weren’t commercially interesting. Plus, society didn’t accept them as being [located] somewhere near them. If your submarine will go up in flame, fine, submarine, you chose for that. It’s a different story.” But we’ve now also reached a point where large businesses aren’t allowed to build new facilities near cities like Amsterdam, where Vogels lives, because the energy companies can’t deliver enough electricity to them anymore — not because they can’t generate enough. A few years ago, Vogels told me that he wasn’t ready to retire yet . I don’t get the sense that anything has changed for him. He’s clearly still enjoying his role — even if his predictions this year are a bit darker than usual.
Scoreboard: NAIA Men's and women's wrestling coaches' polls, /PRNewswire/ -- Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: WOOF), a complete partner in pet health and wellness, today announced its third quarter 2024 financial results. In the third quarter of 2024, Petco delivered net revenue of , up 1.2 percent versus prior year. On an as-reported basis, the company's consumables business was up 2.7 percent versus prior year, and services and other business was up 5.0 percent versus prior year. Growth in the company's consumables and services and other businesses was offset by the company's supplies and companion animal business, down 2.8 percent versus prior year. GAAP net loss in the third quarter of 2024 was , or per share, compared to GAAP net loss of , or per share in the prior year, which included a non-cash goodwill impairment charge associated with goodwill originally recorded in 2015. Adjusted Net Income was , or per share , compared to , or per share in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA was compared to in the prior year. "Our third quarter results demonstrate the meaningful progress we're making to strengthen our retail fundamentals to drive sustainable, profitable growth," said , Petco's Chief Executive Officer. "While there is more work to do, our improving results increase our conviction that we are on the right path to position Petco to win long-term. Our entire organization is focused on driving profitability and free cash flow, and I'm confident we're set up for a solid finish to 2024." The company is providing Q4 guidance for revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EPS, in addition to full year interest expense and capital expenditure expectations. For Fiscal Q4 2024, the company expects: For Fiscal 2024 (a 52-week year), the company expects the following: *Assumptions in the guidance include that economic conditions, currency rates and the tax and regulatory landscape remain generally consistent. For fiscal 2024, our guidance anticipates a 26 percent tax rate, and 273 million weighted average diluted share count. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS are non-GAAP financial measures and have not been reconciled to the most comparable GAAP outlook because it is not possible to do so without unreasonable efforts due to the uncertainty and potential variability of reconciling items, which are dependent on future events and often outside of management's control and which could be significant. Because such items cannot be reasonably predicted with the level of precision required, we are unable to provide outlook for the comparable GAAP measures. Forward-looking estimates of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS are made in a manner consistent with the relevant definitions and assumptions noted herein and in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Management will host an earnings conference call on at approximately to discuss the company's financial results. The conference call will be accessible through a live webcast. Interested investors and other individuals can access the webcast, earnings release, and earnings presentation via the company's investor relations page at . A replay of the webcast will be archived on the company's investor relations page through until approximately . Founded in 1965, Petco is a category-defining health and wellness company focused on improving the lives of pets, pet parents and our own Petco partners. We've consistently set new standards in pet care while delivering comprehensive pet wellness products, services and solutions, and creating communities that deepen the pet-pet parent bond. We operate more than 1,500 pet care centers across the U.S., and , which offer merchandise, companion animals, grooming, training and a growing network of on-site veterinary hospitals and mobile veterinary clinics. Our complete pet health and wellness ecosystem is accessible through our pet care centers and digitally at and on the . In tandem with , a life-changing independent nonprofit organization, we work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store adoption events, we've helped find homes for nearly 7 million animals. This earnings release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, concerning expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements that are not statements of historical fact, including, but not limited to, statements regarding our Q4 and full year 2024 guidance, operational reset of our business, our competitive positioning, profitability, cost action plans and associated cost-savings. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believes," "expects," "may," "intends," "will," "shall," "should," "anticipates," "opportunity," "illustrative," or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. Although Petco believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in these statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct or that any forward-looking results will occur or be realized. Nothing contained in this earnings release is, or should be relied upon as, a promise or representation or warranty as to any future matter, including any matter in respect of the operations or business or financial condition of Petco. All forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions about future events that may or may not be correct or necessarily take place and that are by their nature subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are outside the control of Petco. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the potential results or events discussed in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, those identified in this earnings release as well as the following: (i) increased competition (including from multi-channel retailers, mass and grocery retailers, and e-Commerce providers); (ii) reduced consumer demand for our products and/or services; (iii) our reliance on key vendors; (iv) our ability to attract and retain qualified employees; (v) risks arising from statutory, regulatory and/or legal developments; (vi) macroeconomic pressures in the markets in which we operate, including inflation, prevailing interest rates and the impact of tariffs; (vii) failure to effectively manage our costs; (viii) our reliance on our information technology systems; (ix) our ability to prevent or effectively respond to a data privacy or security breach; (x) our ability to effectively manage or integrate strategic ventures, alliances or acquisitions and realize the anticipated benefits of such transactions; (xi) economic or regulatory developments that might affect our ability to provide attractive promotional financing; (xii) business interruptions and other supply chain issues; (xiii) catastrophic events, political tensions, conflicts and wars (such as the ongoing conflicts in and the ), health crises, and pandemics; (xiv) our ability to maintain positive brand perception and recognition; (xv) product safety and quality concerns; (xvi) changes to labor or employment laws or regulations; (xvii) our ability to effectively manage our real estate portfolio; (xviii) constraints in the capital markets or our vendor credit terms; (xix) changes in our credit ratings; (xx) impairments of the carrying value of our goodwill and other intangible assets; (xxi) our ability to successfully implement our operational adjustments, achieve the expected benefits of our cost action plans and drive improved profitability; and (xxii) the other risks, uncertainties and other factors identified under "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in Petco's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The occurrence of any such factors could significantly alter the results set forth in these statements. Petco cautions that the foregoing list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not complete, and forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Petco undertakes no duty to update publicly any such forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law, regulation or other competent legal authority.
