nice ph 777 login app By Jennifer Allen Between cooking, cleaning and hosting, the familiar hustle of the holiday season can sometimes feel more hectic than heartwarming. But what if there were a way to embrace the season while leaving the chaos behind? Holiday cruises make all of this possible, offering the perfect getaway that can be tailored to any vibe – blending festive traditions with the excitement of travel. Imagine sipping hot chocolate in the background of the Northern Lights, exploring sun-drenched islands or maybe enjoying a festive dinner on the sea. Whether looking for family-friendly fun, romance for two or peaceful solo travel, holiday cruises deliver a unique celebration unlike any other. Do you want to skip the stress of the season but don’t want to miss out on the holiday cheer? Rest assured, among the most well-known cruise lines, most of them host elaborate holiday festivities that transform their ships into winter wonderlands complete with decorations, entertainment and activities fit for Santa Claus himself. Instead of buying gifts, stressing over what to cook or bake and cleaning over the holidays, Michelle Price of Honest and Truly prefers a holiday cruise for her family. “The ship takes care of everything, from making the beds in the morning to prepping our meals throughout the day. And they have various fun activities to keep us busy,” she says. From towering Christmas trees in the atrium to twinkling lights on every railing, cruises at this time of year are very creative with their festive splendor. Cruises will also complement their aesthetics to match entertainment, including tree-lighting ceremonies, live caroling and holiday movie nights under the stars. Depending on the cruise, you can expect a robust calendar of events with activities like ugly sweater parties, holiday trivia, Santa appearances and even onboard Christmas markets. The holiday wouldn’t feel complete without the food to match, and cruise lines deliver. You can enjoy lavish holiday dinners complete with everything, from the traditional turkey to international Christmas dishes. Some cruises even offer themed buffets with everything, from a turkey carving station to hot and creamy chowders , holiday cocktails, gingerbread-making workshops and seasonal dessert tastings to add fun to the feasts. Cruises cater to various travelers and take the guesswork out of planning a holiday. Unlike a traditional vacation where you are responsible for your own itinerary, cruises do the hard work for you by planning destinations, offering a wide variety of on-board activities and providing varied experiences that appeal to all. A 2024 survey by Expedia Cruises concluded that 82% of travelers who have cruised before say they would do it again. Traveling with the whole family can often feel like an exercise in logistics that leaves you more stressed than you were before your holiday. Holiday cruises simplify this, offering multigenerational activities, family-friendly dining options and flexible accommodations. The Disney Cruise Line, which includes the Very Merrytime Cruises for the holiday season, is popular for offering exciting kid-centric activities like themed crafts, holiday scavenger hunts and character meet-and-greets. These endless options paired with the kids’ or teens’ clubs keep younger travelers entertained while giving their parents peace of mind. When traveling with older family members, consider reaching out to the cruise ahead of time to find out what accessible options they offer. Cruise lines can sometimes accommodate requests that might be better suited for older folks like avoiding stairs or long walks to reach their room. Couples can rediscover their magic on holiday cruises that offer intimate moments and tailored experiences. The Romantic Cruises by Princess Cruises stand out because of their private balcony dining and couples’ activities like wine tastings or cooking classes to make hors d’oeuvres . However, many holiday cruises offer specialty experiences like date-night-worthy restaurants, sunset strolls on the deck and shared excursions that are sure to create lasting memories. For couples looking to rest and relax, holiday cruises can provide serene spaces, spa suites and infinity verandas that are perfect for unwinding together. Cruises provide the perfect atmosphere for singles to mingle and enjoy the holiday season with company. Social events like trivia nights, dance parties and holiday mixers encourage connection and camaraderie. Certain cruises, like the Norwegian Cruise Line and the Virgin Voyages’ Holiday Cruises, cater specifically to solo travelers. These cruises include adult-only entertainment, curated activities and a vibrant nightlife. Rest assured, these cruises provide plenty of holiday entertainment and seasonal activities that ensure you enjoy yourself while staying close to your holiday traditions. With over 323 cruise ships currently in operation serving 36 million passengers this year alone, according to photoAiD , how do you choose if you’re a first-time cruiser ? Start by confirming that the cruise is appropriate for the needs of your traveling group. Often, experiences that are tailored for a specific group, whether kids or couples, will be described in the cruise line’s name – take for instance, the Disney Cruise Line. You can also check out the on-board activities available to make sure that there are plenty of options for your company. Next, consider your budget. Holiday cruises make luxury accessible without breaking the bank, with options as low as $300 for shorter voyages. Cruises will often provide all-inclusive packages that bundle accommodations, dining, entertainment and travel into a single cost-effective experience. The Carnival Cruise line remains a favorite for budget-conscious travelers because of its fun festivities and great dining options. However, even high-end experiences, like the MSC Cruises’ Yacht Club, which includes amenities like private pools, lounges and butler services come at a fraction of the cost of traditional luxury resorts. Lastly, ask yourself what holiday vibe you’re going for. Are you dreaming of a sunny tropical Christmas or perhaps frosty landscapes? Either way, with thousands of options in December alone, as cataloged by CruiseBooking.com , there’s a cruise waiting for you. The Norwegian Cruise Line’s Caribbean Cruises stop at destinations like the Great Stirrup Cay, while Hurtigruten’s Arctic Expeditions sail through breathtaking fjords and snowy landscapes. Holiday cruises offer a unique way to celebrate the season that’s a guaranteed hit without breaking the bank. Consider leaving behind the stress of hosting and planning; step aboard a ship where every detail has been curated to bring enjoyment and relaxation. With the holidays calling, will you answer with a ticket to set sail? Jennifer Allen is a retired professional chef and long-time writer. Her writing appears in dozens of publications, and she has two cookbooks, “Keto Soup Cookbook” and “Keto Diabetic Cookbook and Meal Plan.” These days, she’s busy in the kitchen, developing recipes for various publications and traveling, and you can find all her best recipes at Cook What You Love .By BILL BARROW, Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors . He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners . He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian , would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015 . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” ___ Former Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report.Cruise into this holiday season with a non-traditional vacation

Black Friday is officially over, and we've rounded up the best deals you can still find! Many deals at retailers like Target , Best Buy , Amazon , and Walmart are already sold out, but you can still find some great deals on tech, video games, and more. Here are our picks for the best Black Friday deals still available for Saturday, November 30: Meta Quest 3S VR Headset with Batman: Arkham Shadow Bonus $75 Amazon Credit Amazon has the Meta Quest 3S VR Headset with Batman: Arkham Shadow for $299 today. You'll even get a bonus $75 Amazon credit with your purchase! This headset is perfect if you're just entering the VR space, and it's equipped with everything you need to experience all the latest games out there. In our 9/10 review , we stated, "Raw processing power, full-color passthrough, and snappy Touch Plus controllers make the Quest 3S a fantastic standalone VR headset that also brings entry-level mixed-reality gaming to the masses for – arguably – the very first time." The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $30 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is only $30 today at Walmart. This Switch deal still hasn't sold out, and it's easily one of the best still available. The secrets of the Zonai tribe are revealed, and you'll discover new areas to explore in the skies above and depths below. If there's one game you should pick up this weekend, Tears of the Kingdom is it. Astro Bot for $49.99 Astro Bot is on sale for the first time since launch, and there has never been a better time to pick up one of the PlayStation 5's best games . Building off Astro's Playroom, Astro Bot features many new abilities and bosses to fight, with over 300 bots to rescue across the galaxy. You'll find planets modeled after beloved PlayStation games like Ape Escape and Uncharted, and even surprise third-party bots like Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil 2 . Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $154 The best Black Friday AirPods deal is still available. This second generation of Apple AirPods packs in a few new features, with a major one being the switch from Lightning to USB-C. Additionally, you'll find a speaker on the case to help you locate it if needed. While the AirPods 4 have ANC features, the AirPods 2 are the best wireless earbuds you can buy from Apple. If you just recently picked up a new iPhone, this is the perfect accessory for you. Alan Wake II Deluxe Edition for $49.99 Alan Wake II didn't get a physical release at launch last year, but Remedy has fixed that as of last month with the Alan Wake II Deluxe Edition. Today, you can save $30 off the Deluxe Edition physical copy, which bundles in Alan Wake II and its two expansions, Night Springs and The Lake House. If you're a fan of survival horror, this is one of the best games available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. PlayStation Console Deals Are Now Live There are plenty of PS5 console bundles on sale today, making this the best time of the year to pick up a new console. You can purchase a PlayStation 5 Digital Edition for $374.99, saving $25 and scoring a free game at no extra cost. Or, you can opt for the PlayStation 5 Disc Console, which is priced at $424.99. Sony also has the PlayStation VR 2 on sale today, with the Horizon Call of the Mountain Bundle priced at $349.99 at Best Buy. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $39.99 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was one of 2024's biggest games, continuing the story from 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake. Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII begin their journey outside Midgar, meeting characters like Yuffie, Vincent, and Cid alongside the way. This experience offers well over 100 hours of content, with 36 sidequests and a main story over 40 hours long. Plus, there are dozens of minigames to discover. This is by far one of the best games you can get for under $40. Stellar Blade for $49.99 This Black Friday, Stellar Blade is on sale for the first time since launch. This action game from Shift Up has been one of the most popular games of the year. Just a few weeks ago, new Nier: Automata DLC was released, which included new outfits inspired by A2, 2B, and Emil. In our 7/10 review , we stated "Stellar Blade stands out as a gorgeous and well-crafted action game with very impressive strengths and very clear weaknesses." Metaphor: ReFantazio for $49.99 Metaphor: ReFantazio is the latest game from Persona 3, 4, and 5 Director Katsura Hashino and the team at Atlus' Studio Zero. For the first time since launch, you can score the game at a discount , saving $20 post Black Friday. In our 9/10 review , we stated, "Refining the Atlus RPG formula of weaving tough turn-based combat into compelling social sim mechanics, Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn’t just send a powerful message across its political drama, it becomes a beautiful expression of the real impact storytelling can have on all of us." Star Wars Outlaws for $39.99 Star Wars Outlaws released in late August, and it's already $30 off for Black Friday. Protagonist Kay Vass stars in a journey across the galaxy where she must take down a crime boss and unite thieves and criminals alike. While there were some issues at launch, Ubisoft has remedied those for the most part with the recent 1.40 update. This is the lowest price we've seen yet for the game, and it's one of our favorite deals still live after Black Friday. iPad (10th Generation) for $249.99 The iPad can be an incredibly useful device if you're needing something bigger than a phone, and this is our pick from this year's iPad discounts . Powered by the A14 Bionic, you can sketch, create presentations, and watch content all day long, with up to 10 hours of battery life supported. The 10th Generation iPad includes support for Touch ID, Apple Pencil, Magic Keyboard Folio, and more. Final Fantasy XVI for $24.99 One of the biggest 2023 games has hit a new all-time low price! Final Fantasy XVI follows Clive Rosfield on his journey to avenge his brother. For the first time in the Final Fantasy series, you can become a summon, known as Eikons in this world. With spectacular boss battles and an engaging story, Final Fantasy XVI is an excellent time, especially for $24.99. Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.UCF coach Gus Malzahn reportedly resigning to take Florida State OC job

Rocket League Reveals Plans for Frosty Fest 2024

With Trump on the way, advocates look to states to pick up medical debt fightBecause of the career choices that I made in life, the professional and personal circles that I run around in tend to be composed of those who would rather have a piece of wood as president over Donald Trump. Not a nice piece of curly maple or a beautiful spalted oak – the kind that would typically be made into toothpicks or ground down to put into low-quality parmesan to prevent it from clumping. I remember in 2016 when Trump beat Hillary Clinton to win his first term how many of those around me reacted so extremely. Some were appalled and disgusted. Most were deeply concerned and anxious about the damage Trump could do to our country. We had many discussions where I attempted to argue that the impact that Trump’s presidency would have on the average American would likely be negligible. I argued that they were being excessively apocalyptic and fearful. As predicted, life went on. Unless you insisted on waiting with bated breath to be appalled by the next outrageous thing that Trump said on Twitter or on the podium, everyday life just didn’t change much for the vast majority of people. The extent to which what happens in the capital affects us is sometimes significantly inflated by our own expectations and emotional responses. Similarly to Trump’s recent campaign, in 2016 he also ran on being tough on immigration. Despite his promises, all of the many illegals that I know continued their peacefully illegal lives undisturbed – some even visited their families in Mexico, only to once again very gracefully cha-cha their way past the best efforts of the Border Patrol. Forgive my abuse of anecdotal evidence, I can’t help myself. For what it’s worth, Obama deported many more people than Trump. On the other hand, it would be a departure from reality to claim that federal politics play no significant role in our lives. If it wasn’t for Trump, we would still have nationwide access to abortion, among other things. Those living in states with heavy restrictions on abortion can go to another state to undergo the procedure. It’s an annoyance and an unnecessary burden that no woman should have to shoulder, but it’s a temporary one. Some court decision or some act of Congress will inevitably reestablish universal access to abortion. In the meantime, even Republican states are gradually restoring abortion rights. Currently, one of the most prominent sources of outrage with respect to the next Trump administration stems from the choices that he’s making in staffing his cabinet and other positions. What sort of havoc will Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wreak as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services? Will all of our teeth fall out simultaneously after he removes the fluoride from the water? Only time will tell. Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon is another bold choice by our future president. He’s completely unqualified and wants to remove women from positions of combat, being the chivalrous gentleman that he is. Will his appointment have any impact at all on our lives? Related Articles Opinion Columnists | Elon Musk gets it: America’s legal immigration process need to change Opinion Columnists | Susan Shelley: The mundane reality of UFOs Opinion Columnists | Larry Wilson: On climate change, Trump is no King Canute Opinion Columnists | Blame Schwarzenegger for ‘terminating’ affordable housing in California Opinion Columnists | Every Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for free markets and private property All this is to say that it’s not unreasonable to be concerned for the future of our country when we have a president who attempted to undermine the democratic process. But this constant obsession about what is going on in government is counterproductive to our health and wellbeing. The vast majority of the time, what politicians decide to do has very little appreciable impact on us, particularly when compared to everything else that is going on in our lives. It makes it so much more perplexing that many allow their mental lives to be disproportionately consumed by the poor decisions of the government. There are countless stories out there of individuals shunning their loved ones for simply supporting one candidate or another. Many are now considering refusing to attend the same holiday gatherings as their brothers or sisters, all over silly political disagreements. This is a time to appreciate your loved ones despite whatever flaws you believe them to have, so retire the pitchfork and relax a little bit. Rafael Perez is a columnist for the Southern California News Group. He is a doctoral candidate in philosophy at the University of Rochester. You can reach him at rafaelperezocregister@gmail.com.

Matt Eberflus Sends 'Heartfelt' Thanks to Bears, Fans in Message After FiringFormer President Jimmy Carter, the longest-lived president in U.S. history, died at his home, his family and the Carter Center confirmed Sunday. He was 100. Carter, a Democrat, served as president for one term from 1977 to 1981. He’s also well-known for his humanitarian work after leaving the White House, including for Habitat for Humanity and peace deal negotiations. Remembered for his quick rise in national politics and dedication to world conflict resolution in the decades after he left office, Carter’s years in the White House marked a transition from the Watergate era to the Reagan conservatism of the 1980s. He oversaw major changes to the U.S. government during a time of high inflation, high interest rates, unemployment, and international instability, including the Iran hostage crisis. The former peanut farmer was also one of four presidents to win the Nobel Peace Prize, cited for decades advancing “peaceful solutions” to international conflict and advancing human rights, democracy, and social and economic development. “The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices,” Carter said during his acceptance speech in 2002. “God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace.” Carter, whose full name is James Earl Carter, Jr., was born on Oct. 1, 1924, in the small farming town of Plains, Georgia. The future politician was raised in the nearby community of Archery by his father, James Earl Carter, Sr., a farmer and businessman, and by his mother, Lillian Gordy Carter, a registered nurse. After attending public school in Plains, Carter spent his college years at Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology before earning a science degree in 1946 from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The same year, he married Rosalynn Smith, a union that lasted until she died in 2023. He soon entered the Navy, serving as a submariner in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and rising to the rank of lieutenant. Admiral Hyman Rickover chose him for the nuclear submarine program before assigning Carter to Schenectady, New York. He completed graduate work at Union College in reactor technology and nuclear physics. This proved pivotal for the future peanut farmer, as he soon became the senior officer of the pre-commissioning crew on the Seawolf, the second nuclear submarine. Carter served as a naval officer for seven years until his father died from pancreatic cancer in 1953, prompting a move back to Plains, where he took over the family business, Carter Farms. He and his wife also operated Carter’s Warehouse, a farm supply and general-purpose seed company. He first ran for governor in 1966, losing in the primary to Ellis Arnall and Lester Maddox, but won the 1970 gubernatorial election. As Georgia’s 76th governor, Carter declared in his inaugural address that “the time for racial discrimination is over” while also emphasizing the importance of ecology and government efficiency. The Democratic National Committee selected him to be the campaign chairman for the 1974 congressional and gubernatorial elections, which saw Democrats expand their majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives in the wake of the Watergate scandal. He announced his presidential campaign on Dec. 12, 1974, and was nominated on the first ballot at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, choosing former Sen. Walter F. Mondale (D-Minn.) as his running mate. During the 1976 presidential election, he pitched himself as a reformer “untainted” by Washington politics, striking a contrast with former President Gerald Ford, who faced mounting scrutiny for pardoning his predecessor during the Watergate fallout. Carter also presided over the new Departments of Energy and Education, instituting new programs in both agencies. He also signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, doubling the size of the national park system and tripling its wilderness areas. Two notable achievements during his presidency were the Camp David Agreement in 1978, establishing amity between Egypt and Israel, and the Panama Canal treaties in 1977, returning control of the canal to Panama in 1999. Carter also established full diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, following in the footsteps of his predecessors. In 1979, he negotiated the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union in an effort to reduce the manufacturing of strategic nuclear weapons. However, his presidency also hit roadblocks, as the country was bedeviled by rising energy costs and unemployment, historically high levels of inflation, soaring interest rates, and tensions with international politics. Efforts to reduce the increasing inflation and interest rates resulted in a short recession, further swamping Carter’s administration. He withdrew the SALT II treaty after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Yet one of the central flashpoints for the end of Carter’s time in the White House was the Iran Hostage Crisis when Iranian militants kidnapped 52 American diplomats and citizens from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. With the Carter Center, he helped with conflict mediation in countries and regions around the world, including Ethiopia (1989), North Korea (1994), Liberia (1994), Haiti (1994), Sudan (1999), Uganda (1999), Venezuela (2002-2003), Colombia (2008), and the Middle East (2003-present). The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Carter the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his “decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” He and his wife volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for one week every year until 2020. Rosalynn Carter died in 2023 at the age of 96. “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished. She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me,” Carter said in a statement after her death. He entered hospice care on Feb. 18, 2023, and remained there until his death. The former president had been diagnosed with skin cancer in 2015 that soon spread to his liver and brain, but after receiving treatment, the cancer went into remission. He is survived by his four children, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. President Joe Biden accepted a request to deliver Carter’s eulogy when he visited the former president during hospice care in 2023.

Former President Jimmy Carter, honored more widely for his humanitarian work around the globe after his presidency than for his White House tenure during a tumultuous time, has died. He was 100. "Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia," the Carter Center confirmed on Sunday. The Nobel Peace Prize-winner died at his home in Plains, Georgia, the Carter Center announced. In November 2023, his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, also passed away in the modest house they built together in 1961, when he had taken over his father's peanut warehouse business and was only beginning to consider a political career. In February 2023, he had announced he was ending medical intervention and moving to hospice care. Jason Carter had visited his grandparents at the time of the announcement and said "They are at peace and – as always – their home is full of love," he posted on Twitter. At peace, perhaps, but still political: The former president vowed he wanted to cast a ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. After serving a single term in the White House, Jimmy Carter became one of the most durable figures in modern American politics. Evicted from the White House at age 56, he would hold the status of former president longer than anyone in U.S. history, and in 2019 he surpassed George H. W. Bush as the nation's oldest living ex-president. Carter remained remarkably active in charitable causes through a series of health challenges during his final years, including a bout with brain cancer in 2015. He was admitted to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta in November 2019 for a procedure to relieve pressure on his brain , a consequence of bleeding that followed a series of falls. A few months earlier, in May, he had undergone surgery after breaking his hip. In the White House from 1977 to 1981, Carter negotiated the landmark Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt, transferred the Panama Canal to Panamanian ownership, dramatically expanded public lands in Alaska and established formal diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. But the 39th president governed at a time of soaring inflation and gasoline shortages, and his failure to secure the release of Americans held hostage by Iran helped cost him the second term he sought. “He’s never going to be ranked as a great president; he’s middling as a president,” said historian Douglas Brinkley, author of a 1998 book on Carter, "The Unfinished Presidency." “But as an American figure, he’s a giant.” After losing his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan, and until well into his 90s, Carter continued working as an observer of elections in developing countries, building houses through the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity and teaching Sunday school at the tiny Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, his hometown. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, 22 years after he left the White House. "I can't deny that I was a better ex-president than I was a president," he said with a wry laugh at a breakfast with reporters in Washington in 2005. "My former boss was humiliated when he lost in 1980; he felt he let himself and the American people down," David Rubenstein, a young White House staffer for Carter who became founder of the Carlyle Group and a billionaire philanthropist, told USA TODAY in an interview in 2019. "For a long time, he was basically the symbol of a weak president and a terrible person. And today, 40-some years later, he's seen as a very incredible person who has had many good things he did, though he didn't get reelected," Rubenstein said. Peanut farms and nuclear subs James Earl Carter Jr. was born on Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains to Earl Carter, a peanut warehouser who had served in the Georgia Legislature, and “Miss Lillian” Carter, a registered nurse and formidable figure who joined the Peace Corps when she was in her 60s. He grew up on a peanut farm in Plains, then graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. In the years after World War II, he served in the Navy's submarine service in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. After doing graduate work in nuclear physics, he became a pioneer in the introduction of nuclear power in submarines. When his father died in 1953, Carter resigned his naval commission and took over operation of the family peanut farms with Rosalynn, his hometown sweetheart. After a rough early patch, the business flourished, and Carter became increasingly active in community affairs and politics. During two terms in the Georgia state Senate, he gained a reputation as an independent voice who attacked wasteful government practices and helped repeal laws designed to discourage Black Americans from voting. But in 1966, he lost a race for governor to segregationist Lester Maddox in an election that analysts said reflected a Southern backlash against national civil rights legislation enacted in 1964 and 1965. In a second bid for governor in 1970, Carter minimized his appearances before Black audiences and won endorsements from some segregationists. After he was elected, though, Carter declared that the era of segregation in Georgia was over, and he was hailed as a symbol of a new, more inclusive South. Still, he was an unlikely presidential contender. When he launched his bid for the 1976 Democratic nomination, the former one-term governor was so obscure outside the Peach State that “Jimmy who?” became a campaign trope. He perfected the meticulous cultivation of voters in Iowa, and his unexpected victory in the opening presidential caucuses there provided a launching pad that long-shot contenders tried to emulate for decades. The Watergate scandal boosted Carter's prospects. In the aftermath of President Richard Nixon’s decision to resign in 1974 rather than be impeached, Carter pitched himself to voters as an outsider who would reject Washington’s unsavory ways. “I’ll never lie to you,” he told them. In 1976, he narrowly defeated President Gerald Ford, whose campaign was damaged by verbal missteps and by controversy over his decision to pardon Nixon. Four years later, Carter would be ousted himself. He faced a damaging challenge for the Democratic nomination from the left by Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy and then a landslide defeat in the general election from the right by Reagan. The former California governor tapped into discontent with Carter’s leadership. “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Reagan asked voters in the iconic closing of their only campaign debate. Presidential achievements eclipsed? Carter’s defenders argue that he was a better president than generally recognized. "I think that he is the most underappreciated modern president that we've had," said Stuart Eizenstat, a veteran Washington official and ambassador who was Carter’s chief domestic policy adviser in the White House. "The reason for that is the lingering memories of his presidency are negative ones – gasoline lines, high interest rates and inflation, the Iran hostage crisis, the Desert One failed rescue effort – and those totally obscure a really remarkable set of accomplishments both at home and abroad, which in many ways didn't materialize until after he left office." Eizenstat, author of "President Carter: The White House Years," published in 2018, said Carter's policies and appointments laid the groundwork for a stronger economy, energy independence, environmental protection, business innovation in transportation and more. On foreign policy, Carter painstakingly negotiated the 1978 Camp David Accords, a historic agreement between Israel's Menachem Begin and Egypt's Anwar Sadat that led to a formal peace treaty between the two countries the next year. Jimmy Carter: The media has been harder on Trump than predecessors But he stumbled when he came to the politics of the job. Despite having the advantage of a solidly Democratic Congress, many of his legislative proposals, including a consumer protection bill, stalled. The no-backroom-deals approach that helped him win the White House contributed to his difficulties in actually governing once he got there. He was mocked for charging members of Congress for their breakfast when invited to meet with him at the White House and for eliminating alcohol from most evening events. He was seen by some, then and later, as prickly and sanctimonious. Meanwhile, unemployment rose, interest rates for home mortgages climbed into double digits and Americans found themselves waiting in lines to buy gas in an oil crisis created by OPEC, the powerful international energy cartel. In a speech to the nation in July 1979, Carter described a “crisis of confidence" among the American people. Although he never said the word, it became short-handed as his “malaise” speech. "He lacked the political and managerial skills needed to make best use of the office he held," said Robert McClure, a political scientist at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Damaged by the hostage crisis Most damaging of all was the Iranian hostage crisis. Carter had agreed to allow Iran's deposed shah, a former U.S. ally who was living in exile, to receive cancer treatment in the United States. In protest, Iranian Islamist radicals overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans captive. The confrontation, which began on Nov. 4, 1979, would end only as Reagan was being inaugurated 444 days later. Carter chose diplomacy and economic sanctions over military action. He halted oil imports from Iran and froze Iranian assets in the U.S. He severed diplomatic relations with Iran and imposed a full economic embargo on the country. Finally, he approved a top-secret military mission to free the hostages, but it ended in catastrophe. Three helicopters developed engine trouble in a remote staging area in the Iranian desert, forcing the mission to be aborted. Eight U.S. troops were killed when a helicopter and a plane collided while forces were being withdrawn. It all added to the impression that Carter was out of his depth. "The hostage crisis left a bitter taste in voters' mouths, which Carter was never able to overcome," said Stephen Hess, a Brookings Institution scholar who worked on Carter's transition team when he was president-elect. On the day of Reagan's inauguration, Jan. 20, 1981, Iran agreed to accept $8 billion in frozen assets and a promise by the U.S. to lift trade sanctions in exchange for the release of the hostages. Minutes after Carter's successor took the oath of office, the hostages were freed. Finally, a Nobel Peace Prize Carter left the White House, but he didn’t retire. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter established the Carter Center in Atlanta, their home base for decades as they worked on global health and democracy. He helped negotiate an end to the long civil war in Nicaragua between the Contra rebels and the Sandinistas. He met with North Korean leaders to try to end its nuclear weapons program. He mediated conflicts in Ethiopia, Liberia, Haiti, Bosnia, Sudan, Uganda and Venezuela. He led dozens of delegations of international observers to various countries to help assure elections were free and fair. For decades, the Carter Center also led an international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, a devastating tropical ailment that in 1986 afflicted an estimated 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia. In 2020, it was on the verge of eradication; just 27 cases were reported in six African countries. For a week each year, the Carters volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, a charitable group that renovates and builds homes for poor people around the world. He also wrote more than 30 books – controversial ones on the Palestinian territories and the Middle East and less controversial ones on Christmas memories and fly-fishing. He published a collection of his poems and a collection of his paintings. Again and again, he returned to writing about the lessons and demands of his Christian faith. Poking at the president: Carter pokes fun at Trump in speech at Liberty University Carter, who attended Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017, at times criticized the 45th president. In June 2019, at a Carter Center conference in suburban Virginia, he questioned the legitimacy of Trump's election, citing allegations of Russian interference that were later called into question. Trump responded at a news conference by calling Carter a "nice man, terrible president." But there were also times when Carter reached out to Trump. On the 40th anniversary of the normalization of U.S.-China relations, in 2019, he sent Trump a letter offering advice on managing that relationship. Carter said the phone conversation that followed was the first time the two men had spoken. On hiring: Carter calls Trump's decision to hire Bolton 'a disaster for our country' Together for charity: 5 living ex-presidents to headline hurricane relief concert In 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that supporters thought he had deserved years earlier, when it had been presented to Begin and Sadat. The Nobel committee honored Carter "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights and to promote economic and social development." "The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices," Carter said in accepting the prestigious award. "God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make these changes – and we must." Friendly skies: Jimmy Carter shakes hands of every passenger on his flight When he left the White House, Carter moved back home to Plains. Unlike most other modern presidents, he didn't choose to make money by delivering high-priced speeches or serving on corporate boards. But he did regularly speak to hundreds of visitors who would gather for his Sunday school class at Maranatha Baptist Church. In November 2019, he told those gathered that he didn't fear death. "It's incompatible for any Christian not to believe in life after death," Carter, then 95, told them, although he acknowledged he had wrestled with doubts throughout his life. In his prayers, he said, "I didn't ask God to let me live, but I just asked God to give me a proper attitude toward death. And I found that I was absolutely and completely at ease with death." In July 2021, he and his wife hosted a 75th anniversary party in Plains attended by about 300 friends, family members and fellow pols, among them Bill and Hillary Clinton. Carter, his fragility apparent, made a point of greeting the guests at each table for what many of them assumed would be the last time they saw him. "He was not a self-promoter in the White House or afterwards, and I think that hurt, because it leaves all the sour tastes from the failures and didn't allow the positives to shine through," Eizenstat said. When Eizenstat visited Carter in Plains in 2018, Carter told his former aide he was comfortable with letting history judge. Historic photo: George H.W. Bush, George W. and Laura Bush, the Clintons, the Obamas and Melania Trump huddle for a picture As he approached his 90th birthday, Carter mused about his legacy in an interview with USA TODAY. "One is peace," he said. "I kept peace when I was president and I try to promote peace between other people and us, and between countries that were potentially at war, between Israel and Egypt for instance. And human rights. ... I think human rights and peace are the two things I'd like to be remembered for – as well as being a good grandfather." C ontributing: Richard Benedetto

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