Josh Brown Unveils The 'Degen Dow,' A Basket Of 30 Retail Darlings Spanning All 'Major Degen Food Groups'According to a report from the Entertainment Software Association, video games are the number one requested holiday gift for kids. AUSTIN, Texas - The big holiday gift this year isn't a traditional toy off a shelf. According to a report from the Entertainment Software Association, video games are the number one requested holiday gift for kids. The games are not just for boys. The ESA survey indicates 67% of girls are asking for video-game related gifts. "When we ask kids what they want. Nearly half of them still say they want a console. So, if you don't have the switch, Xbox or PlayStation at home, they want that. But a shocking number want Game Pass subscriptions," said Aubrey Quinn, a Senior Vice President with ESA. ESA has a Holiday Guide website that provides additional information for parents. Video games are not your traditional toy off the shelf for the holidays. There are a few things to know about video games, like having ratings similar to movies and TV shows. "The good news for parents is that the Entertainment Software Rating board, or ESRB, has been rating video games for over 30 years. So, if your kid asks for a specific game, I say look at the ESRP age rating of that game. Also, good news for parents. Over 80% of video games are rated EA for everyone. EA ten plus or T 14. The small minority of games are rated M for mature. A shopper carries a Sony PlayStation 5 and controller inside a Best Buy store on Black Friday in Pinole, California, US, on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. Economists will be paying close attention to Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales to get a sense of cons The ESRP Rating symbol is located on two places on a game box: the front and the back. "And if your kid wants to download the game directly to their device or to their phone, those games are also on all the digital or these ratings are on all the digital storefronts," said Quinn. The devices that play the games all come with parental blocking capabilities. The features can also limit how much time games can be played on the devices. "I depend on parental controls in my own house, so every device you can play video games on allows you to set time limits as well as time of day limits. You can limit the games the kids can see by those ESRB age ratings. You also can limit or entirely block in-game purchases. You can limit or entirely block player to player communication. And so, figure out what rules are right for your family in your house with video games, and then let the parental controls help you enforce those rules at home," said Quinn. The parental controls are designed for parents who are not tech-savvy. For how to control different gaming systems, click here. "It is really easy to set up parental controls, and it's also really easy to manage them. They're all connected to an app that you can put on your phone. And so as soon as you've set up those controls on your device, you can have the app on your phone. And so, when my daughter wants more time, if she wants to request a specific game, I just get an alert. It's like getting a text message pops up right on my phone and I can accept. I usually decline. I think it more time today. She doesn't get the game, but everything comes to my phone. It's password or pin protected, and I also get weekly updates about how much time she's spending. So, there's so much information and it's really so easy. If you can use a smartphone, you can use the parental controls," said Quinn. ESA provided links to information about the video game industry and advice on talking with kids about video gaming: The Source: Information from an interview conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski and from a surveyfb777 app 。

Buffalo Bills activate All-Pro star Matt Milano in huge boost as he prepares to play his first game in 14 months

Judith Graham | (TNS) KFF Health News Carolyn Dickens, 76, was sitting at her dining room table, struggling to catch her breath as her physician looked on with concern. “What’s going on with your breathing?” asked Peter Gliatto, director of Mount Sinai’s Visiting Doctors Program. “I don’t know,” she answered, so softly it was hard to hear. “Going from here to the bathroom or the door, I get really winded. I don’t know when it’s going to be my last breath.” Dickens, a lung cancer survivor, lives in central Harlem, barely getting by. She has serious lung disease and high blood pressure and suffers regular fainting spells. In the past year, she’s fallen several times and dropped to 85 pounds, a dangerously low weight. And she lives alone, without any help — a highly perilous situation. This is almost surely an undercount, since the data is from more than a dozen years ago. It’s a population whose numbers far exceed those living in nursing homes — about 1.2 million — and yet it receives much less attention from policymakers, legislators, and academics who study aging. Consider some eye-opening statistics about completely homebound seniors from a study published in 2020 in JAMA Internal Medicine : Nearly 40% have five or more chronic medical conditions, such as heart or lung disease. Almost 30% are believed to have “probable dementia.” Seventy-seven percent have difficulty with at least one daily task such as bathing or dressing. Almost 40% live by themselves. That “on my own” status magnifies these individuals’ already considerable vulnerability, something that became acutely obvious during the covid-19 outbreak, when the number of sick and disabled seniors confined to their homes doubled. “People who are homebound, like other individuals who are seriously ill, rely on other people for so much,” said Katherine Ornstein, director of the Center for Equity in Aging at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. “If they don’t have someone there with them, they’re at risk of not having food, not having access to health care, not living in a safe environment.” Related Articles Health | Weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy are all the rage. Are they safe for kids? Health | US life expectancy gap widens to 20 years among groups, researchers found Health | Biden says healthy women help US prosperity as he highlights White House initiative on their health Health | Rural governments often fail to communicate with residents who aren’t proficient in English Health | Who gets obesity drugs covered by insurance? In North Carolina, it helps if you’re on Medicaid Research has shown that older homebound adults are less likely to receive regular primary care than other seniors. They’re also more likely to end up in the hospital with medical crises that might have been prevented if someone had been checking on them. To better understand the experiences of these seniors, I accompanied Gliatto on some home visits in New York City. Mount Sinai’s Visiting Doctors Program, established in 1995, is one of the oldest in the nation. Only 12% of older U.S. adults who rarely or never leave home have access to this kind of home-based primary care. Gliatto and his staff — seven part-time doctors, three nurse practitioners, two nurses, two social workers, and three administrative staffers — serve about 1,000 patients in Manhattan each year. These patients have complicated needs and require high levels of assistance. In recent years, Gliatto has had to cut staff as Mount Sinai has reduced its financial contribution to the program. It doesn’t turn a profit, because reimbursement for services is low and expenses are high. First, Gliatto stopped in to see Sandra Pettway, 79, who never married or had children and has lived by herself in a two-bedroom Harlem apartment for 30 years. Pettway has severe spinal problems and back pain, as well as Type 2 diabetes and depression. She has difficulty moving around and rarely leaves her apartment. “Since the pandemic, it’s been awfully lonely,” she told me. When I asked who checks in on her, Pettway mentioned her next-door neighbor. There’s no one else she sees regularly. Pettway told the doctor she was increasingly apprehensive about an upcoming spinal surgery. He reassured her that Medicare would cover in-home nursing care, aides, and physical therapy services. “Someone will be with you, at least for six weeks,” he said. Left unsaid: Afterward, she would be on her own. (The surgery in April went well, Gliatto reported later.) The doctor listened carefully as Pettway talked about her memory lapses. “I can remember when I was a year old, but I can’t remember 10 minutes ago,” she said. He told her that he thought she was managing well but that he would arrange testing if there was further evidence of cognitive decline. For now, he said, he’s not particularly worried about her ability to manage on her own. Several blocks away, Gliatto visited Dickens, who has lived in her one-bedroom Harlem apartment for 31 years. Dickens told me she hasn’t seen other people regularly since her sister, who used to help her out, had a stroke. Most of the neighbors she knew well have died. Her only other close relative is a niece in the Bronx whom she sees about once a month. Dickens worked with special-education students for decades in New York City’s public schools. Now she lives on a small pension and Social Security — too much to qualify for Medicaid. (Medicaid, the program for low-income people, will pay for aides in the home. Medicare, which covers people over age 65, does not.) Like Pettway, she has only a small fixed income, so she can’t afford in-home help. Every Friday, God’s Love We Deliver, an organization that prepares medically tailored meals for sick people, delivers a week’s worth of frozen breakfasts and dinners that Dickens reheats in the microwave. She almost never goes out. When she has energy, she tries to do a bit of cleaning. Without the ongoing attention from Gliatto, Dickens doesn’t know what she’d do. “Having to get up and go out, you know, putting on your clothes, it’s a task,” she said. “And I have the fear of falling.” The next day, Gliatto visited Marianne Gluck Morrison, 73, a former survey researcher for New York City’s personnel department, in her cluttered Greenwich Village apartment. Morrison, who doesn’t have any siblings or children, was widowed in 2010 and has lived alone since. Morrison said she’d been feeling dizzy over the past few weeks, and Gliatto gave her a basic neurological exam, asking her to follow his fingers with her eyes and touch her fingers to her nose. “I think your problem is with your ear, not your brain,” he told her, describing symptoms of vertigo. Because she had severe wounds on her feet related to Type 2 diabetes, Morrison had been getting home health care for several weeks through Medicare. But those services — help from aides, nurses, and physical therapists — were due to expire in two weeks. “I don’t know what I’ll do then, probably just spend a lot of time in bed,” Morrison told me. Among her other medical conditions: congestive heart failure, osteoarthritis, an irregular heartbeat, chronic kidney disease, and depression. Morrison hasn’t left her apartment since November 2023, when she returned home after a hospitalization and several months at a rehabilitation center. Climbing the three steps that lead up into her apartment building is simply too hard. “It’s hard to be by myself so much of the time. It’s lonely,” she told me. “I would love to have people see me in the house. But at this point, because of the clutter, I can’t do it.” When I asked Morrison who she feels she can count on, she listed Gliatto and a mental health therapist from Henry Street Settlement, a social services organization. She has one close friend she speaks with on the phone most nights. “The problem is I’ve lost eight to nine friends in the last 15 years,” she said, sighing heavily. “They’ve died or moved away.” Bruce Leff, director of the Center for Transformative Geriatric Research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, is a leading advocate of home-based medical care. “It’s kind of amazing how people find ways to get by,” he said when I asked him about homebound older adults who live alone. “There’s a significant degree of frailty and vulnerability, but there is also substantial resilience.” With the rapid expansion of the aging population in the years ahead, Leff is convinced that more kinds of care will move into the home, everything from rehab services to palliative care to hospital-level services. “It will simply be impossible to build enough hospitals and health facilities to meet the demand from an aging population,” he said. But that will be challenging for homebound older adults who are on their own. Without on-site family caregivers, there may be no one around to help manage this home-based care. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Iraq’s Kurdistan Region aims to deepen ties with Iran under new consul general

Alberta is not entitled to half of CPP fund, says chief actuaryOver half of Canadian businesses regret recent software purchases according to a new survey. Yet a significant 69 percent still plan to increase their software spending in 2025, highlighting a growing reliance on technology to drive growth and efficiency. This is according to a survey from the firm Capterra . Technological advancements, particularly in areas like generative AI, have emerged as the most influential external factor shaping business goals, with 59 percent of Canadian companies citing it as a key driver. This influence surpasses even the pressures of competition and labour market challenges, highlighting a clear shift in strategic priorities (by 53 percent and 40 percent of Canadian professionals, respectively). The survey indicates that businesses anticipate growth, with 82 percent of decision-makers expecting increased revenue, there’s a noticeable alignment between business expansion and tech investments. Companies are focusing on software that supports scalability and operational performance, with learning management, business intelligence, and IT support tools leading the charge. Over the past 12 months, Canadian businesses have invested heavily in software that supports employee development, collaboration, and learning—all essential capabilities for a growing company. The most widely adopted software type was learning management (55 percent), followed by business intelligence (BI) software (54 percent), and help desk and IT support (53 percent). The journey has potential hurdles. For example, a significant 56 percent of decision-makers report regretting at least one tech purchase in the past 18 months. Security concerns, data management, and compatibility issues are among the primary challenges they face. Many of these issues can be avoided by being mindful of key challenges associated with purchasing software. Canadian businesses say the top three challenges they face in buying software include security concerns (48 percent), data management (35 percent), and compatibility with existing systems (35 percent). Among software buyers who expressed dissatisfaction with a purchase, 36 percent report that this stems from the software being more expensive than expected. Beyond the subscription cost, businesses should consider the total cost of ownership, which may include fees for implementation, customization, data migration, user training, or customer support. Another 34 percent of regretful buyers cited difficulties with training and onboarding, and 31% cited poor technical support. This demonstrates the need for businesses to set clear expectations for customer support requirements with potential vendors early on in the evaluation process. Additionally, the importance of vendor reputation and comprehensive customer support has become increasingly evident, as businesses strive to avoid buyer’s regret. Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.Landmark lawsuit brought on behalf of thousands of survivors of child sexual abuse images and videos (CSAM) traded on Apple platforms CUPERTINO, Calif. , Dec. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This weekend, a class action lawsuit was filed against Apple on behalf of thousands of survivors of child sexual abuse for knowingly allowing the storage of images and videos documenting their abuse on iCloud and the company's defectively designed products. The lawsuit alleges that Apple has known about this content for years, but has refused to act to detect or remove it, despite developing advanced technology to do so. The plaintiffs are being represented by Marsh Law Firm. Additionally, Heat Initiative is providing some support for this lawsuit as part of the organization's broader Ignite program , which provides legal and advocacy support for victims of child sexual abuse through referrals, research, and funding to empower them to use their voices and hold technology companies accountable. The images and videos of the plaintiffs' childhood sexual abuse, which have been stored thousands of times, would have been identified and removed had Apple implemented its 2021 "CSAM Detection" technology. However, Apple terminated the program after its announcement. Other leading technology providers have been proactively detecting and reporting illegal child sex abuse images and videos for more than a decade. Apple's belated efforts, and subsequent cancellation, leave it among the very few major platforms that do not engage in proactive detection and removal. The full complaint, as well as a fact sheet and other supporting materials, can be found HERE . "The knowledge that images of my abuse are still out there is a never-ending nightmare – Apple could have stopped this, but has chosen not to act," said Jane Doe , a plaintiff in the lawsuit. "Apple has the technology to stop this from continuing, yet they knowingly turn a blind eye. This isn't just about my story – it's about standing up for every survivor who deserves safety and dignity. Apple has a responsibility to protect us, and I'm here to demand that they fulfill it." "Today, thousands of brave survivors are coming forward to demand accountability from one of the most successful technology companies on the planet. Apple has not only rejected helping these victims, it has advertised the fact that it does not detect child sex abuse material on its platform or devices thereby exponentially increasing the ongoing harm caused to these victims," said Margaret E. Mabie , Partner at Marsh Law Firm, representing the plaintiffs. "Our clients have endured unimaginable abuse, and yet Apple's top executives continue to ignore their pleas, fully aware that this illegal contraband remains on their platform. By abandoning their state-of-the-art detection program without offering an alternative, Apple has chosen to prioritize its own corporate agenda over the lives and dignity of survivors. This lawsuit is a call for justice and a demand for Apple to finally take responsibility and protect these victims." "Apple wants people to think they are the 'responsible' tech company, and this lawsuit demonstrates clearly that, on this issue, they are not," said Sarah Gardner , Founder and CEO of the Heat Initiative, an organization dedicated to encouraging leading technology companies to combat child sex abuse on their platforms. "The plaintiffs and countless other survivors of child sexual abuse are forced to relive the worst moments imaginable because Apple refuses to implement common sense practices that are standard across the tech industry. They will argue that this is a privacy issue, but they are failing to acknowledge the privacy and basic humanity of the children being raped and sexually assaulted in the videos and images Apple stores on iCloud." In August 2021 , Apple announced it would implement a new "CSAM Detection" feature, which would have identified known child sexual abuse material in iCloud using NeuralHash, a type of hashing technology that Apple developed. However, after the program was announced, Apple executives reversed their decision and ultimately killed the implementation of the program . At the same time, in 2023, five major tech companies collectively reported more than 32 million pieces of child sexual abuse images and videos on their platforms– Apple reported only 267 . The lawsuit is seeking injunctive relief for Apple to implement basic child safety measures on behalf of the plaintiffs. The claim of negligence and failing to fulfill their duty of care resulting in harms to the plaintiffs stems from two main factors: Marsh Law Firm focuses its legal practice exclusively on representing survivors of sexual abuse and online exploitation. They are a survivor-focused, trauma-informed, and justice-oriented law firm that advocates for clients both in and out of the courtroom to secure justice and hold perpetrators and the institutions that enable abuse accountable. Heat Initiative is a collective effort of concerned child safety experts and advocates encouraging leading technology companies to combat child sexual abuse on their platforms. Heat Initiative sees a future where children's safety is at the forefront of any existing and future technological developments. The Heat Initiative's Ignite program catalyzes impact litigation to hold technology companies accountable to their duty to prevent and address the sexual exploitation of children on their platforms. Contact: press@heatinitiative.org View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apple-sued-for-knowingly-hosting-child-sexual-abuse-material-on-its-products-failing-to-protect-survivors-302325571.html SOURCE Heat Initiative

MUMBAI: The combined market valuation of six of the top-10 most valued firms surged Rs 2.03 lakh crore last week as the Indian stock market ended with gains. In the trading session from December 2 to December 6, Nifty closed at 24,677 with a gain of 2.27 per cent or 546 points and Sensex closed at 81,709 with a gain of 2.39 per cent or 1,906 points. This was the third consecutive week when the stock market closed in the green. Among the top 10, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Infosys, Reliance Industries, and State Bank of India (SBI) were gainers, while Bharti Airtel, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), ITC, and Hindustan Unilever were laggards. The market capitalisation of TCS surged by Rs 62,574 crore to Rs 16,08,782 crore. The market valuation of HDFC Bank jumped Rs 45,338 crore to Rs 14,19,270 crore. Infosys added Rs 26,885 crore taking its market cap to Rs 7,98,560 crore and the market capitalisation of Reliance Industries surged by Rs 26,185 crore to Rs 17,75,176 crore. The market capitalisation of SBI soared by Rs 22,311 crore to Rs 7,71,087 crore. ICICI Bank added Rs 19,821 crore to its market capitalisation to Rs 9,37,545 crore. On the other hand, the market capitalisation of Bharti Airtel declined by Rs 16,720 crore to Rs 9,10,005 crore. The market valuation of ITC went lower by Rs 7,256 crore to Rs 5,89,572 crore and the market capitalisation of Hindustan Unilever declined by Rs 2,843.01 crore to Rs 5,83,673.71 crore. LIC's market cap declined by Rs 1,265 crore to Rs 6,21,937.02 crore. On Friday, the stock market ended with a marginal loss. Sensex and Nifty declined by 56 points and 30 points, respectively.

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Marcus Johnson scored 20 points as Bowling Green beat Aquinas (Michigan) 87-62 on Monday. Johnson went 8 of 10 from the field (3 for 5 from 3-point range) for the Falcons (5-7). Derrick Butler scored 18 points and added five rebounds. Jamai Felt had 13 points and shot 5 of 6 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line. Jadakiss Lewis led the Saints in scoring, finishing with 15 points and two steals. Caden Pokorzynski added 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Bowling Green led 43-25 at halftime, with Johnson racking up 15 points. Butler scored a team-high 13 points after intermission. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Trump transition says Cabinet picks, appointees were targeted by bomb threats, swatting attacks