Jared Birchall, Elon Musk’s money manager and the head of his family office, is listed as the chief executive officer. Jehn Balajadia, a longtime Musk aide who has worked at SpaceX and the Boring Co., is named as an official contact. Related Articles But they’re not connected to Musk’s new technology venture, or the political operation that’s endeared him to Donald Trump. Instead, they’re tied to the billionaire’s new Montessori school outside Bastrop, Texas, called Ad Astra, according to documents filed with state authorities and obtained via a Texas Public Information Act request. The world’s richest person oversees an overlapping empire of six companies — or seven, if you include his political action committee. Alongside rockets, electric cars, brain implants, social media and the next Trump administration, he is increasingly focused on education, spanning preschool to college. One part of his endeavor was revealed last year, when Bloomberg News reported that his foundation had set aside roughly $100 million to create a technology-focused primary and secondary school in Austin, with eventual plans for a university. An additional $137 million in cash and stock was allotted last year, according to the most recent tax filing for the Musk Foundation. Ad Astra is closer to fruition. The state documents show Texas authorities issued an initial permit last month, clearing the way for the center to operate with as many as 21 pupils. Ad Astra’s website says it’s “currently open to all children ages 3 to 9.” The school’s account on X includes job postings for an assistant teacher for preschool and kindergarten and an assistant teacher for students ages 6 to 9. To run the school, Ad Astra is partnering with a company that has experience with billionaires: Xplor Education, which developed Hala Kahiki Montessori school in Lanai, Hawaii, the island 98% owned by Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison. Ad Astra sits on a highway outside Bastrop, a bedroom community about 30 miles from Austin and part of a region that’s home to several of Musk’s businesses. On a visit during a recent weekday morning, there was a single Toyota Prius in the parking lot and no one answered the door at the white building with a gray metal roof. The school’s main entrance was blocked by a gate, and there was no sign of any children on the grounds. But what information there is about Ad Astra makes it sound like a fairly typical, if high-end, Montessori preschool. The proposed schedule includes “thematic, STEM-based activities and projects” as well as outdoor play and nap time. A sample snack calendar features carrots and hummus. While Birchall’s and Balajadia’s names appear in the application, it isn’t clear that they’ll have substantive roles at the school once it’s operational. Musk, Birchall and Balajadia didn’t respond to emailed questions. A phone call and email to the school went unanswered. Access to high quality, affordable childcare is a huge issue for working parents across the country, and tends to be an especially vexing problem in rural areas like Bastrop. Many families live in “childcare deserts” where there is either not a facility or there isn’t an available slot. Opening Ad Astra gives Musk a chance to showcase his vision for education, and his support for the hands-on learning and problem solving that are a hallmark of his industrial companies. His public comments about learning frequently overlap with cultural concerns popular among conservatives and the Make America Great Again crowd, often focusing on what he sees as young minds being indoctrinated by teachers spewing left-wing propaganda. He has railed against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and in August posted that “a lot of schools are teaching white boys to hate themselves.” Musk’s educational interests dovetail with his new role as Trump’s “first buddy.” The billionaire has pitched a role for himself that he — and now the incoming Trump administration — call “DOGE,” or the Department of Government Efficiency. Though it’s not an actual department, DOGE now posts on X, the social media platform that Musk owns. “The Department of Education spent over $1 billion promoting DEI in America’s schools,” the account posted Dec. 12. Back in Texas, Bastrop is quickly becoming a key Musk point of interest. The Boring Co., his tunneling venture, is based in an unincorporated area there. Across the road, SpaceX produces Starlink satellites at a 500,000-square-foot (46,000-square-meter) facility. Nearby, X is constructing a building for trust and safety workers. Musk employees, as well as the general public, can grab snacks at the Boring Bodega, a convenience store housed within Musk’s Hyperloop Plaza, which also contains a bar, candy shop and hair salon. Ad Astra is just a five-minute drive away. It seems to have been designed with the children of Musk’s employees — if not Musk’s own offspring — in mind. Musk has fathered at least 12 children, six of them in the last five years. “Ad Astra’s mission is to foster curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking in the next generation of problem solvers and builders,” reads the school’s website. A job posting on the website of the Montessori Institute of North Texas says “While their parents support the breakthroughs that expand the realm of human possibility, their children will grow into the next generation of innovators in a way that only authentic Montessori can provide.” The school has hired an executive director, according to documents Bloomberg obtained from Texas Health and Human Services. Ad Astra is located on 40 acres of land, according to the documents, which said a 4,000-square-foot house would be remodeled for the preschool. It isn’t uncommon for entrepreneurs to take an interest in education, according to Bill Gormley, a professor emeritus at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University who studies early childhood education. Charles Butt, the chairman of the Texas-based H-E-B grocery chain, has made public education a focus of his philanthropy. Along with other business and community leaders, Butt founded “Raise Your Hand Texas,” which advocates on school funding, teacher workforce and retention issues and fully funding pre-kindergarten. “Musk is not the only entrepreneur to recognize the value of preschool for Texas workers,” Gormley said. “A lot of politicians and business people get enthusiastic about education in general — and preschool in particular — because they salivate at the prospect of a better workforce.” Musk spent much of October actively campaigning for Trump’s presidential effort, becoming the most prolific donor of the election cycle. He poured at least $274 million into political groups in 2024, including $238 million to America PAC, the political action committee he founded. While the vast majority of money raised by America PAC came from Musk himself, it also had support from other donors. Betsy DeVos, who served as education secretary in Trump’s first term, donated $250,000, federal filings show. The Department of Education is already in the new administration’s cross hairs. Trump campaigned on the idea of disbanding the department and dismantling diversity initiatives, and he has also taken aim at transgender rights. “Rather than indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material, which is what we’re doing now, our schools must be totally refocused to prepare our children to succeed in the world of work,” Trump wrote in Agenda 47, his campaign platform. Musk has three children with the musician Grimes and three with Shivon Zilis, who in the past was actively involved at Neuralink, his brain machine interface company. All are under the age of five. Musk took X, his son with Grimes, with him on a recent trip to Capitol Hill. After his visit, he shared a graphic that showed the growth of administrators in America’s public schools since 2000. Musk is a fan of hands-on education. During a Tesla earnings call in 2018, he talked about the need for more electricians as the electric-car maker scaled up the energy side of its business. On the Joe Rogan podcast in 2020, Musk said that “too many smart people go into finance and law.” “I have a lot of respect for people who work with their hands and we need electricians and plumbers and carpenters,” Musk said while campaigning for Trump in Pennsylvania in October. “That’s a lot more important than having incremental political science majors.” Ad Astra’s website says the cost of tuition will be initially subsidized, but in future years “tuition will be in line with local private schools that include an extended day program.” “I do think we need significant reform in education,” Musk said at a separate Trump campaign event. “The priority should be to teach kids skills that they will find useful later in life, and to leave any sort of social propaganda out of the classroom.” ©2024 Bloomberg News. Visit at bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.slot fortune gems jili games online 。

PRINCESS Kate's star-studded Christmas carol concert has started - as she emphasises the "importance of empathy" in a message of hope. The Princess of Wales called for people to "slow down and reflect on the deeper things that connect us all" and turn to "love, not fear" as she opened the televised service. The fourth annual Together at Christmas concert was filmed at Westminster Abbey earlier this month, with husband Prince William and children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and six-year-old Prince Louis in attendance. It will feature performances by Paloma Faith, jazz singer Gregory Porter, singer-songwriter JP Cooper, alongside the Soul Sanctuary Choir, and new singing talent Olivia Dean. Olympic cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy, who revealed he has terminal prostrate cancer in recent weeks, lit a candle, as did wife of late rugby league star Rob Burrow, who died in June following a battle with motor neurone disease. Readings will also be given by actors Richard E Grant, Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery, and Sophie Okonedo, as well as Olympic swimming gold medallist Adam Peaty. However, Kate, 42, is understood to have refused to invite scandal-hit royal Prince Andrew to the bash. The Prince and Princess of Wales are reportedly not keen to have the disgraced Duke of York at their public events - and rejected a proposal to have him seated behind a pillar, it is claimed. Meanwhile, earlier today Kate gave a sweet message after sharing behind-the-scenes footage from the concert. In a video she could be seen beaming as she greeted children in an unseen montage . PRINCE Louis told mum Kate "we're looking out for each other In a heartfelt video shared on social media of the carol service , Kate beams down at Prince Louis, six, who appears to reassure her. Lip Reader Nicola Hickling told The Sun the young Prince is saying: "We're looking out for each other." Watch the adorable moment here . A post from the Waleses' Instagram today said: "This service reflects upon the importance of love and empathy, and how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives. "Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this year’s celebrations." It comes after Kate began easing back into public duties after announcing she was cancer-free in September. She officially returned to work last month when she joined William for the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington, London . Then earlier this month she met Qatar's Royal Family during a two-day state visit to the UK. Her heartfelt message was included in a letter handed out to every guest during the concert on December 6, before being shared as a video clip ahead of the Christmas Eve broadcast. It played as a voice over at the beginning of ITV's coverage this evening. Kate said: "Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year, it is a time for presents, tinsel and mince pies, but it's also a time to slow down and reflect on the deeper things that connect us all. "It is when we stop and take ourselves away from the pressures of daily life, that we find the space to live our lives with an open heart, with love, kindness and forgiveness, so much of what the Christmas spirit is all about. "The Christmas story encourages us to consider the experiences and feelings of others. It also reflects our own vulnerabilities and reminds us of the importance of giving and receiving empathy, as well as just how much we need each other in spite of our differences. Above all else, it encourages us to turn to love, not fear." Kate continued: "The love that we show ourselves and the love we show others. "Love that listens with empathy, love that is kind and understanding, love that is forgiving, and love that brings joy and hope. "It is love which is the greatest gift we can receive, not just at Christmas but every day of our lives." The service is featuring a narration by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald - known for films Trainspotting and No Country for Old Men. It will also "feature three special community films which bring to life the stories of people and organisations who have inspired, counselled and comforted others in their times of need". Kensington Palace said: "In each of the films, the groups are seen receiving letters from the princess inviting them to attend – and in the case of the Sankofa Songsters sing at – the service at Westminster Abbey." The films will showcase the Worcestershire Gingerbread Group, Go Beyond and intergenerational choir the Sankofa Songsters. The first highlights a single mum based in Worcestershire, who set up the group to tackle loneliness. Go Beyond sees six young carers, aged between eight and 13, who "go above and beyond every day to show empathy and support to their families". Sankofa Songsters features an intergenerational choir which brings together care home residents and their young friends. Kensington Palace said the choir has "enhanced the lives of everyone, strengthening relationships between all ages by spreading kindness and love, with members aged from two to 100". Kate reached out to grieving Lady Gabriella Windsor, 43 - daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent - for help in planning the concert. The princess made contact over the summer after Lady Gabriella's husband Thomas Kingston, 45, died in February. She went on to play a major role in putting on the service. One of Lady Gabriella’s personal touches was helping to engage youth charity Restore the Music, who played to guests as they queued to enter the service. Polly Moore, CEO of Restore the Music, said: "Lady Gabriella is incredibly passionate about music and helping young people find their voice. "She has been an ambassador for us for the past five years and often attends our events. When she messaged to ask if I would be interested I said, 'Are you kidding, of course!' "She was incredibly approachable and a brilliant sounding board in the planning process. She’s the most wonderful person. I’m extremely grateful to her." Lady Gabriella also helped select singer Gregory Porter and pianist Rosey Chan to perform a specially-composed lyrical piece that was played alongside a poem read by Ms Okonedo. Jan 16 : Kate is admitted to the London Clinic for abdominal surgery Jan 17 : Kensington Palace announce the princess underwent surgery Jan 18 : William spends time at Kate's bedside Jan 23 : The princess' hospital stay passes one week Jan 29 : Kate leaves hospital Feb 27: Prince William pulls out of service last-minute due to 'personal matter', sparking wave of unfounded conspiracy theories about Kate’s health Mar 4: Princess pictured in the car with mum Carole on the Windsor estate Mar 10 : Royal posts a sweet snap of her and the kids for Mother's Day – then fans started spotting flaws, and massive agencies put out 'kill notice' on photo Mar 11: Kate admits she edited photo, and is snapped in car with William Mar 16: Royal fans spot the princess at farm shop near Windsor Mar 17: Onlookers see Kate watching her youngsters playing sport Mar 18: The Sun exclusively published video of Kate and Wills from two days prior Mar 22: Kate bravely reveals in an emotional video that she was given a shock cancer diagnosis April 29: Kate and William mark 13th anniversary releasing unseen wedding photos June 8: Kate does not attend Colonel's Review but letter she penned to Irish Guards reveals she said: "I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon" June 14: Kensington Palace announces the princess will attend the King's Birthday Parade June 15: Kate beams as she joins her family at the annual Trooping the Colour event July 14: The royal attends Wimbledon with sister Pippa and Princess Charlotte to hand out trophies to players July 15: Kate shares a touching photo of Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis watching England in the Euro 2024 final August 11: She joins a bearded Prince William in a video to congratulate Team GB in the Olympics September 9: Kate reveals her treatment for cancer has finished

Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Cumbie knows how to pull off a bowl game upset. Flash back to the 2004 Holiday Bowl, when Cumbie threw for 520 yards to lead No. 23 Texas Tech to a 45-31 win over Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch and No. 4 California. Twenty years later, Cumbie hopes to engineer another postseason surprise as Louisiana Tech (5-7) is a prohibitive underdog against No. 22 Army (11-2) in the Independence Bowl on Saturday in Shreveport, La. The Bulldogs weren't supposed to be a part of this game. They are a replacement for Marshall (10-3), which withdrew because of the exodus of at least 25 players through the transfer portal. Enter Louisiana Tech, which adds local flavor as Shreveport is an hour drive from the Bulldogs' campus in Ruston. Cumbie said that the seniors were especially excited after they had left campus for the holiday break figuring their college careers were over. "The first guys we got on the phone with were the seniors," Cumbie said. "They thought it was like a prank call. They thought we were jacking with them." Louisiana Tech is dealing with 16 portal losses, including several linemen from a defense which allowed 301.9 yards per game, the best mark in Conference USA. Defensive lineman David Blay, who led the Bulldogs in sacks (6.5) and tackles for a loss (10.5), has committed to Miami. Offensively, Louisiana Tech averages just 3.0 yards per carry. The Bulldogs rely more on Evan Bullock, who has thrown for 1,932 yards and 14 touchdowns with just two interceptions. Army has an opportunity to finish the season on a positive note after surrendering the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy in a deflating 31-13 loss to Navy on Dec. 14. It's also a chance for Bryson Daily to rebound as he threw three interceptions against Navy after tossing just one previously in the regular season. Daily, who finished sixth in voting for the Heisman Trophy, is the bell cow in Army's rush-heavy triple-option offense. He has carried for 1,532 yards and 29 touchdowns and has also thrown for nine scores. Army will be without its second-best running threat, Kanye Udoh, who announced his transfer to Arizona State hours after the Navy game, prompting Black Knights coach Jeff Monken to call the transfer landscape "off the rails." "I don't think it's healthy to have a transfer portal window open during the season," Monken said. Udoh rushed for 1,117 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. If Army can handle Louisiana Tech, it will finish with 12 wins, which would be the most in a season in program history, even if it didn't get the one it wanted the most. "Anytime you get your butt whipped, you want to get back out there and prove that's not who we are," Monken said. This will be Louisiana Tech's first bowl appearance since 2020 and its sixth time in the Independence Bowl, where it has a 3-2 record. Army was last in a bowl game in 2021, and this is its second appearance in the Independence Bowl. In its first appearance, it lost to Auburn 32-29 in 1996. Army and Louisiana Tech have met twice before, with the Black Knights winning both matchups in 2008 and 2013. --Field Level MediaJournalist Andrew Pierce shared his delight at remaining with GB News amidst a significant shake-up at the channel. The political commentator, who co-presents Britain's Newsroom on weekdays alongside former LBC presenter Beverley Turner, took to Twitter to express his contentment at staying put during a substantial clear-out. He tweeted: "Delighted with @beverleyturner to be part of @GBNEWS team which is now beating @SkyNews week in week out. And they said @gbnews wouldn't last." Andrew has come through a major overhaul at GB News unscathed, unlike Mark Dolan and Isabel Webster, who were let go. The reshuffle also impacted ex-Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, whose show was cut from four days a week to two. In a video posted on Friday, Mark revealed he was dismissed "in minutes" but thanked his former employers for their "nice" handling of the situation. Breakfast host Isabel has yet to make a statement regarding her departure; however, her co-host Eamonn Holmes responded to the news on social media with the words: "Bye my girl x." Ellie Costello is poised to join Eamonn as the new face of the Breakfast programme from Monday to Wednesday, while Stephen Dixon will cover Thursday and Friday. Ben Leo is set to fill Mark's weekend slot. The broadcaster announced the changes on Wednesday, stating that the updated line-up of presenters "will allow us to build on success with a renewed focus and ambition." Ben Briscoe, Head of Programming and Talent at GB News, said: "2024 has been a truly fantastic year for us. Not only are we regularly beating the other established news channels, but we are also making inroads against the big public service broadcaster terrestrial channels. Our initiatives will allow us to build on this success with a renewed focus and ambition." A source disclosed to MailOnline the alleged "real reasons" behind the disappearance of certain presenters from GB News, claiming that Isabel was considered "too woke and not on message" leading to her falling out of favour, while Mark's exit was attributed to "viewing figures not being good". It was noted that Mark's Saturday programme was up against Strictly Come Dancing.Soren’s aced the politics, it is governance he needs to improve Will Hemant Soren turn out to be a cat with nine political lives? Jharkhand has returned him to office, a rare CM on bail. Soren’s had a tumultuous stint since his 2019 win – among the first CMs to get private sector help to fly back his state’s migrants to Ranchi, using Twitter to have three-way conversations with migrant groups and destination-state CMs. By Sep 2022, he was forced into a waiting game over EC’s opinion on Soren’s “disqualifi cation” in connection with an office-of-profit case. By Jan 2024, he was in ED custody, arrested in a PMLA case. Soren’s a nonconformist CM and won again on the strength of his party’s politics, and a state tradition of resistance. Jharkhand’s CMship has always been torrid – since 2000, seven politicians have served as CM 13 times, and there’ve been three central rule periods. Soren must use some of his political savvy and administrative calibre to improve people’s lives. Jharkhand still has 30% of its population multidimensionally poor. It has among the country’s worst electricity crises despite it being home to over 140 coal mines and seven thermal plants – almost all power is sent outside the state. Its per capita income, among India’s lowest, is almost 300% less than Goa’s, the richest on per capita income. The problem with Jharkhand, and to a lesser extent twin state Chhattisgarh, is that the very issues that crippled the state at inception endure – progress is painfully slow as much on education and health as in jobs, or income generation. Smaller states were carved out ostensibly to better manage their governance. But that’s been proved otherwise. Jharkhand’s miners – 7.5L formally employed and 30L informal workers – are trapped in their work with no improvement in circumstance. Companies are rich, netas are rich, the people and the govt poor. The two tribal land laws that protect Chotanagpur and Santhal Pargana regions ensure no land transfer. But protection of tribal autonomy cannot mean a state failing the people. For, tribals do not even have the money for input costs of farming their land. Surely, schemes to support agriculture by tribals are a no-brainer. Cooperatives among tribal communities have been mooted for self-sufficiency. The Supreme Court has said legislative power to tax mineral rights vests with the states, that royalty paid on minerals was not a tax. But, question is, will the state spend funds thus generated on its people?

Blundstone has a dressier version of its classic Chelsea boots — I've been wearing them for years, and they're just as durable and comfortable as the originals"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.

Apple MacBook Air Powered By M4 Chip Might Launch Before iPhone SE 4, Here's When You Can Expect It To DebutDuring Intel’s long stretch of breakthroughs in the 1990s and early 2000s, it released new, faster chips every 1 to 2 years. It was an incredible feat, and rapidly swept us into the internet age. OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, was moving at a similar speed early on. A new, wildly improved model every 1-2 years. But recently the company has been releasing a new model every 3 to 4 months Additionally, its latest models, o1 and o3, are new animals. They don’t instantly output an answer based on training data. These ponder, consider, review, calculate, and then give an answer. You could say this type of AI is the first truly “thinking” one. Thinking AIs are new and rough around the edges. But they’re already making incredible progress. OpenAI’s o1 recently scored 133 on Mensa Norway’s IQ test. Source: TrackingAI Now, it’s important to realize that this IQ test is probably in o1’s training data, meaning it should technically know the answers. But you can see just how large of an improvement the new o1 models (in yellow) are over previous ones. In an offline IQ test, created specifically to test AI, OpenAI’s o1 Pro scored a 110. And those answers were not in the training data (you can see all the IQ results here ). Recently, the brand new o3 model scored 2,727 on Codeforces, a competitive coding test. That places it as the 175th-best competitive coder on the planet. Incredible. These breakthroughs are a big deal. We are about to enter a stage of major disruption. Soon these models will be smart enough to handle complex tasks, and they will begin to compete for coding and some other white-collar jobs. It’s a disturbing idea, but seems inevitable based on current trends. For now, these thinking models are expensive, slow, and limited in availability. But as they come down in price, speed up, and the market begins to understand how to utilize them, things are going to get weird for a while. The Snowball Each new model helps train and build the next model. As the models become smarter, this creates a compounding effect. And of course, new breakthrough techniques are being discovered by hundreds of worldwide teams researching AI. Some are kept secret, but many are being shared in research papers and through open-source code. The NVIDIA GPUs used to build these models are also rapidly advancing. As the latest hardware is deployed in massive data centers, the pace of acceleration will only increase. In other words, we’re about to enter a very disruptive period. Investment and Economic Implications Companies that wisely employ these new AI technologies will see a productivity boost unlike anything we’ve ever seen in centuries. Likewise, individuals who learn to harness these tools will become super-productive. Companies and people who refuse to adopt this new tech, however, may find themselves falling behind. Ultimately AI will lead to far higher productivity, and eventually, growth. But the adoption period will be challenging. Some white-collar teams will require less employees, and the disruption this causes will be no small matter. In many ways, it reminds me of the Industrial Revolution, when new manufacturing tech changed the entire world’s economy. The old way of crafting items by hand with skill and artistry became a rare curiosity. As investors, we must be keenly aware of what’s coming. Picking stocks which make excellent use of AI will be crucial. In 2025, we’ll be devoting plenty of attention to AI, so stay tuned. And if you haven’t yet, do check out Jim Rickards’ new book, MoneyGPT: AI and the Threat to the Global Economy. I hope you all are having an excellent Christmas and Holiday season.

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis is slated make his season debut Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers following offseason ankle surgery. The 7-foot-2 Latvian center was upgraded from probable to available about an 90 minutes before tipoff, though Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said how much he'd play was to be determined. Veteran center Al Horford, who has started 14 of the Celtics 17 games this season, is out Monday with an illness. Fellow big man Luke Kornet is also sitting out as he continues to deal with hamstring tightness. “He has worked hard, he's in good shape. We'll put him in position to be healthy and be successful and do what's best for the team,” Mazzulla said. “He's been pretty consistent, just based on his work ethic and what he's done to get to this point.” Porzingis had surgery to fix a tear in the tissue that holds the ankle tendons in place. The issue limited him to seven playoff games during the Celtics' NBA championship run last season. Boston is 14-3 this season, but has missed his presence on the inside, with teams routinely outscoring the defending champions in the paint. Mazzulla acknowledged that how Porzingis plays on the offensive end, particularly how he operates sometimes out of the high and low post, will force some adjustment from how the team has played this season without him on the floor. “I think last year we had an opportunity to see how teams were guarding him,” Mazzulla said. "That'll take a little bit of time to figure out what the coverages are, just get used to that spacing. That'll take some time. ... Then we'll figure out how we go from there." The original window for Porzingis' return following surgery was five to six months. But Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said before the season that they didn't want to hold to a specific timeline because of the uniqueness of the injury. Porzingis injured his ankle in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks and missed the next two games. He returned for Game 5, contributing five points and one rebound in 16 minutes as the Celtics beat Dallas 106-88 to clinch their record 18th title. Porzingis averaged 20 points and seven rebounds in 57 games for last season. He signed a $60 million, two-year extension with Boston in the summer of 2023 after the Celtics acquired him in a trade with Washington. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nbaBruce Willis' family shares special holiday moments, hoping for a Christmas miracle

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Middle East latest: Israel expels patients from a hospital in Gaza