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How to Restore and Modernize Antique Lamps for the Holidays 12-09-2024 08:56 PM CET | Industry, Real Estate & Construction Press release from: ABNewswire Kirks Lane Lamp Parts Co. offers the perfect solution to modernize your antique lamps for the holiday season. With over 4,000 decorative and functional items, they provide high-quality lamp parts, wholesale lamp supplies, and expert guidance to help you refresh your lamps. Update shades, add decorative finishes, and incorporate holiday accents for a festive touch. Transform your lighting with Kirks Lane's affordable and stylish options for a unique holiday look. Bristol, PA - The holiday season is the perfect time to add a personal, festive touch to your home, and what better way to do so than by restoring and modernizing your antique lamps? Kirks Lane Lamp Parts Co., a leading supplier of lamp parts, offers a wide range of lamp parts and wholesale lamp supplies [ https://kirkslane.com/ ] that can help you breathe new life into your classic lighting fixtures, making them the centerpiece of your holiday decor. Give Your Antique Lamps a Festive Makeover Antique lamps can be transformed into stunning modern pieces with just a few key updates. Whether you're preparing for Christmas, New Year's, or any holiday gathering, here are some creative ideas to restore and modernize your lamps using Kirks Lane's high-quality parts: * Update the Shade: One of the easiest ways to refresh an antique lamp is by changing the shade. Choose from a variety of decorative options in elegant fabrics or metallic finishes to give your lamp a fresh, festive look for the holidays. * Add Decorative Finishes: Incorporate decorative elements such as custom bases, finials, or trim to enhance your lamp's overall design. Kirks Lane offers a vast selection of lamp parts to help you achieve a modern, eye-catching style. * Opt for a New Color Scheme: A fresh coat of paint or a new finish on the lamp's base can completely transform its appearance. Consider metallic tones like gold or silver for a luxurious, holiday-inspired vibe. * Incorporate Holiday Accents: Add small holiday-themed embellishments, such as sparkling crystals, garlands, or beads, around the lamp's body or shade. These touches will bring the holiday spirit to your home while maintaining the lamp's original charm. * Modernize the Lighting: Upgrade the bulb to energy-efficient LED options that provide a warm, inviting glow. New, innovative lighting technology can help modernize an old fixture while saving on energy costs. Why Choose Kirks Lane? For over 40 years, Kirks Lane Lamp Parts Co. has been providing premium lamp parts and lighting accessories to customers across the United States. With a catalog of over 4,000 items, including wholesale lamp supplies and specialty components, their expert team is dedicated to helping you restore and modernize your lamps with precision and care. Their products offer the perfect blend of style, durability, and affordability, ensuring that your lamp looks stunning for the holidays and beyond. About Kirks Lane Lamp Parts Co. Founded in 1973, Kirks Lane Lamp Parts Co. has established itself as a trusted supplier of lamp parts, offering a vast selection of high-quality, decorative, and functional items. From lamp shades to lamp bases, their extensive inventory and outstanding customer service make them the go-to resource for all your lamp restoration and customization needs. Transform your antique lamps into festive works of art with the help of Kirks Lane Lamp Parts Co. Visit https://kirkslane.com/ to browse their lamp parts catalog and start restoring your lamps today! Media Contact Company Name: Kirks Lane Lamp Parts Co Contact Person: Raymond DeSimone Email:Send Email [ https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=how-to-restore-and-modernize-antique-lamps-for-the-holidays ] Address:2541 Pearl Buck Road City: Bristol State: PA 19007 Country: United States Website: https://kirkslane.com/ This release was published on openPR.

The tech entrepreneur and close adviser to Donald Trump has taken a stunning new public step in his support for the far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), publishing a supportive guest opinion piece for the country’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper that has prompted the commentary editor to resign in protest. The commentary piece in German was launched online on Saturday ahead of being published on Sunday in the flagship paper of the Axel Springer media group, which also owns the US politics news site Politico. Musk uses populist and personal language to try to deny AfD’s extremist bent and the piece expands on his post on the social media platform X that he owns, on which he last week claimed that “only the AfD can save Germany”. Translated, Musk’s piece said: “The portrayal of the AfD as rightwing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has classified the AfD at the national level as a suspected extremism case since 2021. Shortly after the piece was published online, the editor of the opinion section, Eva Marie Kogel, used the US tech mogul’s own platform on X that she had submitted her resignation. “I always enjoyed heading the opinion department at Welt and Wams. Today a text by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. Yesterday I submitted my resignation after printing,” she posted. She included a link to the Musk commentary article. The AfD has a strong anti-immigration stance and, like incoming president Donald Trump in relation to the US, is calling for mass deportations from Germany. Earlier in December, Musk not only posted in favor of AfD but the party’s hard line on immigration appeared to resonate with the incoming US vice-president, JD Vance, MSNBC . Senior Welt Group weighed in on Saturday. “Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression. This includes dealing with polarising positions and classifying them journalistically,” the newspaper’s editor-in-chief designate, Jan Philipp Burgard, and Ulf Poschardt, who takes over as publisher on 1 January, told Reuters. They said discussion about Musk’s piece, which had about 340 comments several hours after it was published, was “very revealing”. Underneath Musk’s commentary, the newspaper published a response by Burgard. “Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally false,” he wrote, referencing the AfD’s desire to leave the European Union and seek rapprochement with Russia as well as appease China. The AfD backing from Musk, who also defended his right to weigh in on German politics due to his “significant investments”, comes as Germans are set to vote on 23 February after a coalition government led by the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, late this fall. The AfD is running second in opinion polls and might be able to thwart either a centre-right or centre-left majority, but Germany’s mainstream, more centrist parties have pledged to shun any support from the AfD at the national level.Brookfield Renewable Announces Renewal of Normal Course Issuer Bids

When my rolling suitcase didn't come around the airport carousel with everyone else's bags following an international trip, I knew something was up. But I didn't panic, because I'd stashed a highly sophisticated tracking device inside. With a few taps on my iPhone , I could see that my luggage apparently decided to spend an extra day in Paris (not fair!). I've come to rely on Apple AirTags for all the things I want to keep tabs on -- I even took advantage of the current deal to buy another four-pack of AirTags for just $70 . Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money . Until just a few years ago, this would have seemed straight out of a spy movie. The Apple AirTag in my suitcase uses an ingenious method of tracking itself, detecting its location from nearby iPhones and using them to anonymously piggyback the coordinates to a secure server where I could look it up on my iPhone. Instead of wondering if my belongings were strewn across a tarmac or stuck on an abandoned luggage cart, I could see in almost real time that my suitcase was still chilling at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. I was able to calmly tell the airline my bag didn't make the flight, and it made arrangements to have it delivered to me a few days later. Apple AirTags are all about peace of mind By itself, an AirTag isn't much. A 1.26-inch smooth round puck that looks like a glossy white breath mint, it sinks to the bottom of a bag or dangles from a key chain (with a compatible key ring , sold separately). It's meant to disappear. Activating the AirTag was a simple process of pairing with my iPhone. And then, because it obviously doesn't really do anything out of the box, I forgot about it. But the next time I couldn't find my keys? Sorcery. My iPhone didn't just tell me they were somewhere nearby -- it walked me directly to them, thanks to the AirTag's built-in Ultra Wideband chip. Suddenly all that time I'd spent retracing my steps and overturning couch cushions in the past felt like ancient history. Now I have AirTags in or attached to every significant item I'd want to keep track of: My everyday laptop bag, my camera backpack, the suitcase I use most when traveling, my key chain, my car and a smaller sling bag I take on walks. I can pull up the Find My app on any of my Apple devices (or sign in to iCloud on any web browser) and see where my items are and the last time the AirTags registered their locations. Clip an AirTag onto a bag or bury it in the depths. AirTags aren't just for my everyday items. People I know in the movie business tell me that AirTags are tossed into nearly every bag and Pelican crate, not solely to ensure that the valuable equipment inside doesn't walk away but to quickly differentiate equipment amid similar looking containers. Some of my friends also attach AirTags to their pets' collars (though some experts say there are better ways to track pets ). AirTags are also useful for things that you want to keep close by Being able to detect my luggage a continent away provided a sense of relief, to be sure. But at the local level, my AirTags will also trigger an alert when I get too far away from them. For example, if I accidentally forget my camera bag in the car when I stop somewhere for lunch, a Find My notification appears telling me I've left it behind. It works the same for newer AirPods models as well. Sharing is now a big part of AirTag tracking My family has two cars, but it turned out to be inconvenient to pair the AirTag in the car my wife drives to her iPhone (and the one in my car to my iPhone). To guard against unwanted tracking, an AirTag will notify nearby iPhones of its existence, which means that whenever I drove my wife's car without her in it, I got a notification that an AirTag was traveling with me. (If the owner is near the AirTag, the alert does not appear.) As of iOS 17, AirTags are shareable, though. I shared my AirTag with her, and she with me, so regardless which car I'm driving, I can find it more easily in a crowded parking lot. Share an AirTag's location with someone you trust. A new feature coming to AirTags with iOS 18.2, currently in beta , is the ability to temporarily share an AirTag's location with someone I trust. In my luggage example above, if the suitcase was in the airport with me, but the airport's staff hadn't yet been able to locate it (not uncommon during peak travel times), I could share its location with an attendant who could quickly retrieve it from areas inaccessible to the public. The only minor annoyance about AirTags An AirTag includes Bluetooth, the U1 Ultra Wideband chip and an NFC chip to share basic details when it's in Lost Mode. That's all powered by a CR2032 coin cell battery, which in my experience lasts roughly a year before I need to replace it. I get notified when a battery is starting to get low, although there's no gauge to see how much is left until it goes into the red. And it's easy to change batteries. But my small fleet of AirTags means I need to swap multiple ones each year. I buy them in packs of 20 that I slowly work through. The CR2032 battery in an AirTag can easily be replaced. Why AirTags make great gifts Apple AirTags consistently appear in our Best Gift Guides because you can always find another use for one. They're often reduced in price when sold in packs of four. And there's an ever-growing ecosystem of ways to mount them , from sturdy vaults that adhere to a car to discrete fabric holders that will keep your favorite classic bomber jacket from flying away. Whenever I show someone how I use AirTags on a bag or keychain, I kind of wish I had a pocket of AirTags to hand out because someone sees how it works, they're sold. For even more gift ideas, here are CNET's picks for the best AirTag accessories of 2024 and our picks for the best giftable tech .Alabama sophomore running back Justice Haynes entered the transfer portal and could be headed home to Georgia. Haynes played in all 12 games as part of a timeshare with co-starter Jam Miller for the Crimson Tide in 2024 and was third on the team in rushing with 448 yards and tied for second with seven TDs. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Cardlytics reports that card-linked cash-back offers represent a strategic stocking stuffer for smart shoppers navigating the expensive holiday landscape. Click for more. Holiday spending hacks: How to unwrap savings without sacrificing festive cheer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s personal attorney, has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to , and block the distribution of 13 others. Siri has reportedly been weighing in on which candidates will fill key positions in , which Kennedy has been tapped to lead by President-elect Donald Trump. A partner at law firm Siri & Glimstad, the attorney also represented Kennedy, a prominent vaccine skeptic, during his Siri has long battled against the widespread prevalence of vaccines, though he recently said he did not wish to block access to those who want to get their shots. “ — it’s America, a free country,” he told Arizona legislators last year while speaking about his concerns about the polio vaccine. In 2022, Siri filed a petition on behalf of one of his clients, the , a nonprofit founded by Del Bigtree, another close Kennedy ally. In documents obtained by ABC News, Siri called on the FDA to “ for infants, toddlers, and children until a properly controlled and properly powered double-blind trial of sufficient duration is conducted to assess the safety of this product.” , which essentially eliminated the disease in the United States, is recommended for children, with three doses offering at least 99% protection against severe disease, including paralysis, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The agency noted that the best way to avoid the return of the virus is by way of vaccination. Siri is also representing ICAN in its bid to force the FDA to “pause distribution” of 13 other vaccines — including combination products that cover tetanus, diphtheria and hepatitis A — until their makers disclose additional details about aluminum. The ingredient to a small increase in asthma cases, according to the New York Times. Earlier this week, Trump said he and Kennedy are mulling . In 1998, a British doctor published research suggesting autism specifically the inoculation against mumps, measles and rubella. He was later banned from practicing medicine in the U.K. and his research, found to be critically flawed, was subsequently retracted. Since then, hundreds of studies have ruled ©2024 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Addison O'Grady scored 12 points and No. 24 Iowa defeated Purdue 84-63 on Sunday in a game in which only two players reached double figures in scoring. O'Grady made 4 of 7 shots and 4 of 6 free throws for the Hawkeyes (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten). Iowa's balanced scoring was so thorough that five players scored nine points and one had eight. Among that group, Sydney Affolter had nine points, seven rebounds and six assists. Ava Heiden had nine points and eight rebounds. Destini Lombard had 12 points for Purdue (7-6, 0-2). Iowa shot 67% in the first quarter, seven players scored, and the Hawkeyes led 27-13. Iowa outscored the Boilermakers 15-3 over the final 4 1/2 minutes of the second quarter to take a 50-32 lead at the half. Five players scored in that run. In the third quarter, the Hawkeyes again dominated the final few minutes, outscoring Purdue 11-0 over the final 3 1/2 minutes. The Hawkeyes made 6 of their last 8 shots in the fourth quarter. Coming up, Iowa has a road game against Penn State on Wednesday and a home game against No. 8 Maryland on Jan. 5. Purdue will be at No. 19 Michigan State on Wednesday.

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The undefeated Vernon Panthers will look to ground some northern birds in the semifinals at the 2024 Tsumura Basketball Invitational Girls High School Basketball tournament in the Fraser Valley. The Panthers will face the Duchess Park Condors of Prince George at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13. Dave Tetreault's crew advanced to the Select 16 semifinals by freezing the South Delta Sun Devils 63-54 in a Thursday quarterfinal. The Sun Devils led 14-1 before the Panthers got going, tying the game at the half, then taking their own 13-point lead late in the third quarter. But South Delta clawed back to pull ahead 54-52, only to see the Panthers end the game on an 11-0 run. Paige Leahy led VSS with 19 points, Chloe Collins added 15, and Adie Janke had 14. Collins and Janke nailed key three-point shots in the final quarter for the Cats. The Panthers will next face the smothering defence of the Condors, who defeated Langley's Walnut Grove Gators 88-27 in their quarterfinal. Duchess Park held the Gators to just 11 first-half points. In the Super 16 bracket, the Kelowna Owls were bounced from the championship side, falling 62-56 to Langley's Brookswood Bobcats. The Owls held Grade 10 phee-nom Jordyn Nohn to just 17 points. Nohr erupted for 52 points in the Bobcats' opening round game. Mavleen Chahal led the Owls with 25 points while Ava Thiessen scored all 12 of her points from the three-point line. On the consolation side, the Okanagan Mission Huskies of Kelowna evened their tournament record at 1-1 with a 56-50 win over the Sa-Hali Sabres of Kamloops. The Huskies face the Semiahmoo Thunderbirds of Surrey at 11:45 a.m. The Owls will take on the Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers of Surrey at 4:30 p.m. For schedule and scores, .UConn, football coach Jim Mora agree to contract extension through 2028

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Richmond residents have reported more than $33 million in losses due to fraud so far this year. And Richmond RCMP say vulnerable groups are being targeted, including seniors, international students and new immigrants. There have been 990 cases reported to police so far in 2024. In 2023, there were 945 cases with a loss of more than $34 million. Among the most concerning trends are money mule schemes, which are increasingly targeting international students and individuals new to Canada, explained Richmond RCMP. Criminals use tactics such as false job offers, romance scams and threats to recruit individuals to unknowingly participate in money laundering activities. A money mule is someone who transfers stolen funds on behalf of criminals, often under the guise of a job offer, personal favour or investment opportunity. Victims may be asked to open bank accounts in their own names or use their personal accounts to move money, unknowingly becoming part of illegal activities. Sgt. Dave Au with the Richmond RCMP Economic Crime Unit said they are seeing an increase in money mule recruitment, particularly among international students. “These individuals are often tricked into believing they are helping someone or earning a legitimate income," said Au. "What they don’t realize is that this makes them complicit in money laundering.” Richmond RCMP’s Economic Crime Unit (ECU) is comprised of investigators who specialize in combating complex financial crimes, including cryptocurrency fraud and emerging threats like deepfake technology. Their collaborative work across jurisdictions aims to ensure victims receive justice and fraudsters face consequences. The top fraud categories of 2024 were investment scams, crypto scams, phone scams and romance scams Fraudsters continue to exploit trust and fear, with tactics evolving to include digital platforms and social engineering. Read more about common scams on the BC RCMP website . Richmond RCMP’s ECU, Community Engagement Team (CET) and volunteers have been working to prevent fraud through public outreach efforts: This summer, officers and volunteers set up fraud prevention booths at the Richmond Night Market and conducted local presentations, engaging with thousands of residents to raise awareness. On Oct. 27, the ECU engaged with more than 1,000 shoppers at T&T Market, sharing fraud prevention pamphlets in multiple languages. CET and ECU are conducting fraud awareness presentations in seniors centres and with community groups, focusing on scams targeting vulnerable residents. These efforts are ongoing, and aim to educate the public, encourage reporting and empower the community to recognize and avoid scams. Verify offers: Be skeptical of unsolicited job offers, which should never require the use of your personal bank account to transfer money. Don’t share financial information: Never provide banking details to someone you’ve only met online or through unsolicited messages. Be cautious of cryptocurrency requests: Legitimate agencies will never ask for payment in cryptocurrency or gift cards. Report suspicious activity: If you suspect fraud, report it to the Richmond RCMP's non-emergency line at 604-278-1212 or to your police of jurisdiction. Richmond RCMP urges all residents to report suspected fraud, even if no money has been lost. Reporting fraud helps disrupt criminal networks and prevents further victimization. To learn more about protecting yourself and your loved ones from fraud, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website . Got an opinion on this story or any others in Richmond? Send us a letter or email your thoughts or story tips to [email protected] . To stay updated on Richmond news, sign up for our daily headline newsletter . Words missing in article? Your adblocker might be preventing hyperlinked text from appearing.Unwrap the latest AI features with Amazon Fire TabletsShaq Barrett retired in July after signing with Dolphins in March. Now, he wants to play again.Nvidia's stock dips after China opens probe of the AI chip company for violating anti-monopoly laws

(BPT) - Tech gifts are consistently some of the most popular presents to give and receive during the holidays. In fact, according to the annual Consumer Technology Holiday Purchase Patterns report , a record 233 million U.S. adults (89%) will buy tech products during the 2024 holiday season. But with so many devices out there, it can be hard to decide on the perfect option for the loved one on your list. A tablet like the new Fire HD 8 from Amazon offers the versatility of an all-in-one device, with access to streaming, gaming, video chatting, reading or writing all at your fingertips. Fire HD 8 also features a vibrant 8-inch HD display and lightweight, portable design, for high-quality entertainment on the go. Plus, Fire HD 8 comes with three new AI features that can help you get the most out of your tablet experience. Check them out below and learn how they can help you with daily tasks this holiday season and beyond. 1. Meet your personal writing assistant Do you struggle with writing a heartfelt message or finessing a tricky email? Fear not! Writing Assist is here to help. Writing Assist works as part of your Fire tablet's device keyboard and compatible apps, including email, Word documents and social media. In just a few taps, you can transform your writing from good to great. Try Writing Assist's pre-set styles to turn a simple email into a professionally written note. Or, you can ask Writing Assist for grammar suggestions to make your writing more concise, or elaborate on your ideas. You can even "emojify" your writing to add more fun and personality. 2. Learn more in less time Say goodbye to scrolling through pages of information. The new Webpage Summaries feature allows you to learn pertinent information as quickly as possible. Available on the Silk browser on Fire tablets, Webpage Summaries provides quick insights on web articles. In a matter of seconds, this feature will distill the key points in an article or on a webpage into a clear, concise summary of what you need to know. 3. Get creative with your device wallpaper With Wallpaper Creator, you can easily add a touch of creative flair and customization to your tablet's home screen. You can choose from one of the curated prompts to get started on creating a unique background. Or, if you're ready to let your imagination run wild, type a description of what you'd like to see. For example, you can ask for an image of a tiger swimming underwater or a watercolor-style image of a desert landscape in space. Wallpaper Creator will then turn your vision into a reality, delivering a high-resolution image that you can use as your tablet's wallpaper. Celebrate an AI-powered holiday season Writing Assist, Webpage Summaries, and Wallpaper Creator are now available on Amazon's new Fire HD 8 and other compatible Fire tablet devices, including the latest Fire HD 10 and Fire Max 11 tablets. To learn more, or to order a new Fire tablet this gift-giving season, visit Amazon.com .Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time

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As Israel advances on a Syrian buffer zone, it sees peril and opportunityUnwrap the latest AI features with Amazon Fire TabletsArticle content British Columbians will be saving less than many other Canadians with the federal government’s GST/HST tax break. The holiday relief from federal sales tax, announced Thursday, applies to the GST or HST on grocery items, restaurant meals, some alcoholic beverages, children’s clothing and toys, print newspapers and Christmas trees from Dec. 14 to Feb. 15. The tax break is expected to save Canadians about $1.6 billion over two months. But British Columbians — who pay five per cent GST and seven per cent provincial sales tax at the till — are going to be saving only the GST on qualifying items while still paying the PST. Meanwhile, consumers in the five provinces that have an HST will save 13 or 15 per cent on their purchases. The harmonized sales tax, or HST, is collected by the federal government, which then sends the provincial share to the respective provincial governments. It would be up to the B.C. government to remove its PST if it chooses to do so. Postmedia News reached out to Premier David Eby’s office to ask if the province plans to cut the PST over the holidays, but did not receive a response. In a news release outlining the savings, the federal Finance Department said a family in B.C. who spent $2,000 on qualifying items would save about $100 over the two months. But a family in Ontario that spent $2,000 on the same basket of goods would get about $260 in savings, more than double the B.C. tax break, because Ontario has a 13 per cent HST. “The issue with the HST is that it would have been very difficult to only charge the provincial component,” said Steeve Mongrain, an economics professor at Simon Fraser University. Instead, Ottawa would likely strike a deal with provinces with HST. “In Ontario, for example, I don’t know what agreement they have. Would the federal government absorb and remit the provincial share to the province, or is the province willing to join in and face the fiscal burden of giving up the tax (revenue)?” New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt appeared surprised by the federal announcement, telling CBC News the tax cut could cost her province $62 million in revenue. She said she expected Ottawa to “help keep us whole.” Carson Binda, B.C. director with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said he believes the federal government will need to reimburse at least some of the provinces for lost HST revenue after examining its tax agreements with them. But B.C. would likely not be reimbursed if it removed its PST. “That’s a problem because B.C. is the epicentre of the affordability crisis,” he said. Five provinces in Canada use the HST — Ontario, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. B.C. adopted the single-tax HST in 2010, but reverted to separate GST and PST three years later after a thin majority voted to scrap the HST in a binding provincewide referendum in 2011. Binda said B.C.’s large deficit may have “eroded the province’s ability to be flexible to match the federal tax cut. Fiscal irresponsibility has consequences.” He would rather have seen the federal government make permanent tax cuts, or halt expected tax increases, like the carbon tax increase. “Tax cuts, not just temporary holidays, are the solution,” he said. “This is a Band-Aid.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced Ottawa will be distributing a $250 cheque next spring to every Canadian who earned less than $150,000 a year. The rebate is expected to be distributed to 18.7 million Canadians before the next election. The rebate makes better sense than the temporary GST/HST tax break, said Mongrain. The tax break is difficult for retailers — who have to adjust till programming, among other things — and opens the door to tax evasion by shady businesses who may mislabel items. The selection of items that qualify for the tax break also seems arbitrary, he said. “Garments are fine, but not things exclusively for sports. Beer under seven per cent is exempted, but not if it’s more than that. Wine is, but not spirits. I’d love to have been in that room when they were trying to decide what’s exempted.” Many items that will receive a GST break are already exempt from B.C.’s PST, including books, newspapers, children’s clothing, child car seats and basic groceries, including restaurant meals, while others, like artificial Christmas trees and toys, are not. The B.C. government has promised a $1,000 tax cut for the average family every year, starting with a direct rebate next year. Greg Wilson, B.C. director of government relations for the Retail Council of Canada, said news of the tax holiday is generally positive because retail sales have been “a bit soft” in B.C. While numbers have been flat or slightly up in terms of dollar amounts, the number of transactions is down. “If consumers have more money in their pockets, we look at that as a positive,” he said. But the two-month GST exemption will create extra work for retailers, who must either take off the GST on all applicable items in the next three weeks, or pay the company that manages their point of sale system to do it, not just once, but twice, when GST needs to be added again in February. Large retailers typically schedule price changes months in advance, so the tax break will be a scramble at an already a busy time. “But if consumers have more money to spend, how can retailers be upset?” he said. Wilson said there will also be some quirks to work out, similar to those that already exist around PST exemptions. Food merchants will need to figure out which foods are snacks and which are staples, while liquor retailers will need to examine the alcohol content of individual types and brands of beer to see if they exceed seven per cent. “There’s a lot of nuance,” he said. “It will be hard for small businesses that will need to do this themselves.” Wilson said he would have preferred to tax cuts with a lasting impact. He also wondered if people would delay their Christmas shopping to avoid paying GST on some items and risk not being able to find them in stock after Dec. 15. Mongrain said consumers will welcome the tax break during the holiday season, but he thinks the GST/HST break is more a political move than efficient economics. He said he’d have preferred seeing two rounds of the $250 rebate instead. “This looks like a great thing, but what is it going to accomplish versus just sending a cheque to people?” chchan@postmedia.com gluymes@postmedia.com

NBA hand out suspensions after fracas in PhoenixWith technical prowess and considerable style, Marta danced around two sliding defenders, outwitted a goalkeeper and calmly scored as another player rushed forward in desperation to stop her. It was more Marta Magic. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

The Browns may be without one of their key offensive players for the rest of Sunday afternoon. Running back Jerome Ford is questionable to return with an ankle injury. Ford went down on a play that eventually didn’t count because of a holding penalty midway through the second quarter. Ford was shown on the CBS broadcast walking gingerly back to the locker room. Ford entered Sunday’s game leading the Browns with 543 rushing yards. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson subsequently tossed an interception to end that Browns possession. He has now thrown just one touchdown and 10 interceptions in 14 career appearances. The Browns and Dolphins are tied 3-3 late in the second quarter.ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. He was 100 years old . The Carter Center said the 39th president died Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023, lived most of their lives. A moderate Democrat, Carter ran for president in 1976 as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad grin, effusive Baptist faith and technocratic plans for efficient government. His promise to never 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 said. Carter’s victory over Republican Gerald Ford, whose fortunes fell after pardoning Nixon, came amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over race, women’s rights and America’s role in the world. His achievements included brokering Mideast peace by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David for 13 days in 1978. But his coalition splintered under double-digit inflation and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His negotiations ultimately brought all the hostages home alive, but in a final insult, Iran didn’t release them until the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who had trounced him in the 1980 election. Humbled and back home in Georgia, Carter said his faith demanded that he keep doing whatever he could, for as long as he could, to try to make a difference. He and Rosalynn co-founded The Carter Center in 1982 and spent the next 40 years traveling the world as peacemakers, human rights advocates and champions of democracy and public health. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter helped ease nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiate cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, the center had monitored at least 113 elections around the world. Carter was determined to eradicate guinea worm infections as one of many health initiatives. Swinging hammers into their 90s, the Carters built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The common observation that he was better as an ex-president rankled Carter. His allies were pleased that he lived long enough to see biographers and historians revisit his presidency and declare it more impactful than many understood at the time. Propelled in 1976 by voters in Iowa and then across the South, Carter ran a no-frills campaign. Americans were captivated by the earnest engineer, and while an election-year Playboy interview drew snickers when he said he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times,” voters tired of political cynicism found it endearing. The first family set an informal tone in the White House, carrying their own luggage, trying to silence the Marine Band’s traditional “Hail to the Chief" and enrolling daughter, Amy, in public schools. Carter was lampooned for wearing a cardigan and urging Americans to turn down their thermostats. But Carter set the stage for an economic revival and sharply reduced America's dependence on foreign oil by deregulating the energy industry along with airlines, trains and trucking. He established the departments of Energy and Education, appointed record numbers of women and nonwhites to federal posts, preserved millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness and pardoned most Vietnam draft evaders. Emphasizing human rights , he ended most support for military dictators and took on bribery by multinational corporations by signing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He persuaded the Senate to ratify the Panama Canal treaties and normalized relations with China, an outgrowth of Nixon’s outreach to Beijing. But crippling turns in foreign affairs took their toll. When OPEC hiked crude prices, making drivers line up for gasoline as inflation spiked to 11%, Carter tried to encourage Americans to overcome “a crisis of confidence.” Many voters lost confidence in Carter instead after the infamous address that media dubbed his “malaise" speech, even though he never used that word. After Carter reluctantly agreed to admit the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979. Negotiations to quickly free the hostages broke down, and then eight Americans died when a top-secret military rescue attempt failed. Carter also had to reverse course on the SALT II nuclear arms treaty after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Though historians would later credit Carter's diplomatic efforts for hastening the end of the Cold war, Republicans labeled his soft power weak. Reagan’s “make America great again” appeals resonated, and he beat Carter in all but six states. Born Oct. 1, 1924, James Earl Carter Jr. married fellow Plains native Rosalynn Smith in 1946, the year he graduated from the Naval Academy. He brought his young family back to Plains after his father died, abandoning his Navy career, and they soon turned their ambitions to politics . Carter reached the state Senate in 1962. After rural white and Black voters elected him governor in 1970, he drew national attention by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Carter published more than 30 books and remained influential as his center turned its democracy advocacy onto U.S. politics, monitoring an audit of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis, Carter said he felt “perfectly at ease with whatever comes.” “I’ve had a wonderful life,” he said. “I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” ___ Contributors include former AP staffer Alex Sanz in Atlanta. Bill Barrow, The Associated Press