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From wealth and success to murder suspect, the life of Luigi Mangione took a hard turn
NEW YORK (AP) — Edmonton Oilers forward Jeff Skinner has been fined $2,000 for embellishment during a recent game against the New York Rangers, the NHL said Monday. Skinner was issued a warning after a diving/embellishment incident in an Oct. 22 game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the league said. His second citation, which triggered the fine, came in the second period of a 6-2 victory over the Rangers on Nov. 23. Skinner was being followed by Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller as he had the puck along the boards in the New York zone. Skinner lost his footing and the puck despite minimal contact from Miller. The Oilers forward looked toward the referee as he got up but no penalty call was made on the play. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
NoneCBC is restoring its live New Year’s Eve celebration. A year after the national broadcaster cancelled the 2024 countdown due to “financial pressures,” it says the special event is back on the TV schedule to mark the dawn of 2025. Festivities begin Dec. 31 with the one-hour “22 Minutes New Year’s Eve Pregame Special,” a satirical reflection on the events of 2024 with the cast of the political comedy series “This Hour Has 22 Minutes.” It will be followed by “Canada Live! Countdown 2025,” a special hosted by news anchor Adrienne Arsenault and singer Jann Arden broadcasting live from Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, and anchor Ian Hanomansing and comedian Ali Hassan at Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Garden. A representative for the CBC says the coast-to-coast show will feature reporters at more than a dozen community events across the country while a countdown to the new year will take place in each of the six time zones. Throughout the seven-and-a-half-hour program, “many Canadian celebrity guests” will appear in live and pre-taped messages. “Canada Live! Countdown 2025” begins at 8 p.m. ET on CBC News Network and CBC Gem with CBC-TV and CBC Radio picking up the feed at 9 p.m. in local markets. Last year, the CBC replaced its live New Year’s Eve programming with a taped Just For Laughs special hosted by comedian Mae Martin. That left Canadians without a homegrown countdown on any of the major networks, which sparked blowback on social media from some viewers. The CBC began its annual specials in 2017 to mark Canada’s sesquicentennial year. Some of the more recent broadcasts were hosted by comedian Rick Mercer and featured fireworks and musical performances in key cities. But when CBC paused those plans last year, it said the show had become “increasingly expensive to produce.” The decision to sideline the program was made shortly after members of Parliament summoned outgoing CBC president Catherine Tait to testify about job cuts and her refusal to rule out bonuses for CBC executives.The city of Arlington’s success in securing corporate headquarters continued this week when Texas Trust Credit Union announced it will move its south Arlington headquarters to the 124,000-square-foot Skymark Tower, a building at 1531 N. Cooper St. that it recently purchased. Arlington City Council voted 9-0 Tuesday to approve a tax abatement agreement between the city and Texas Trust Credit Union to make the move possible. Under the agreement, Texas Trust Credit Union will receive a 75% tax abatement on the increased property value for 10 years, conditional upon meeting specific improvement and employment conditions by the end of 2025, the city said. Get Arlington news that matters. Sign up for local stories in your inbox every Thursday. Texas Trust Credit Union CEO Jim Minge said that the move will offer two major benefits to the company. “One is visibility. The new location has just tremendous improvement in visibility for our Texas Trust name in the metroplex. That’s one of the reasons we love the site so much,” Minge said. “The second is it allows us to have a long-term home. Where we are currently, we could see running out of our ability to grow in the next five years or so.” Minge said Skymark Tower offered more space and also room to grow. “We were looking for something that would allow us room to grow and then also have some land to be able to potentially build a second building in the future,” Minge said. “The site we found there on Cooper at I-30 does that tremendously.” Minge said that among the changes to the building will be new signage. Pinnacle Bank, which currently has its name on the tower, is moving out at the end of this year, Minge said. “Pinnacle Bank’s name will be coming off the tower, and we’ll be adding Texas Trust on.” He said the top of the building will be repainted blue. “It’s currently kind of that faded pink,” Minge said. He said the building is a bit distressed and hasn’t seen much money spent on it in the last five years. “So we’re going to give it an exterior facelift, better lighting, some new paint, probably some new window tint. We’re also going to spend money on the inside with the new lobby. We’re having to redo the entire air conditioning system, elevators — lots of deferred maintenance, but it is such a great building, and it is an icon in Arlington. That’s why we’re excited to be there and we’re gonna make it, we’re gonna make it beautiful again.” Minge said the credit union owns the two buildings it occupies in south Arlington, and the company has a plan for their futures. “What we’ll do is transition, and we’ll get some lease tenants in this space that we’re currently in,” Minge said. “Then, probably, we’ll try to sell the two buildings we’re currently in in the next couple of years.” The city also believes the move is a benefit. “We are excited about the impact this partnership will have on the city of Arlington and Texas Trust Credit Union,” said Josh Mejia, economic development specialist for the city. Founded in 1936, Texas Trust Credit Union committed to creating 175 jobs by mid-2026. The company said it plans to move employees into the building in 12-18 months and become the building’s main occupier. The city said the Skymark Tower project will involve more than $15 million in enhancements. “From the outset, we’ll see significant capital investment in a well-known building site, growth in the company’s employee base, and the initiation of Class A development that will attract more corporations to our community. We are proud to partner with Texas Trust Credit Union, a great steward of our community,” Mejia said. The credit union bought the tower out of bankruptcy in June for $8.7 million. “The city of Arlington is thrilled to support Texas Trust Credit Union’s strategic expansion at the key I-30 and Cooper St. intersection,” Gus Garcia, director of economic development for the city, said in a statement. “This project not only signifies a major investment in Arlington but also introduces at least 175 jobs, boosting our city’s prominence as a central hub in the DFW metroplex and attracting transformative redevelopment and corporate relocations. We eagerly anticipate Texas Trust becoming a landmark in our community as they embark on this significant growth phase.” To receive the tax abatements, the city said Texas Trust has to spend at least $15 million on building improvements and occupy the building by Jan. 1, 2026. According to the Dallas Business Journal , Texas Trust Credit Union had net income of $2.7 million this year as of Sept. 30, according to filings with the National Credit Union Administration, as well as $2.02 billion in assets and 136,176 members. The Business Journal reported that Silver Star Properties REIT Inc. previously owned Skymark Tower, citing deed documents. It said the building’s largest tenant, U.S. Energy Development Corp., is leaving at the end of the year for a new headquarters near the Fort Worth Stockyards. Related Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism . 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You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by Lance Murray, Arlington Report November 21, 2024Indiana aims to run its winning streak to five games Friday night when Nebraska welcomes the Hoosiers to Lincoln, Neb. Indiana (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten) has lost the past three meetings with Nebraska after winning seven straight. The Hoosiers are led by center Oumar Ballo, a transfer from Arizona who averages 13.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, and forward Malik Reneau (team-best 15.5 points and 6.4 rebounds). Reneau, according to Indiana, is one of five major-conference players to average at least 10 points per game with a field goal percentage of at least 60 and 80 percent from the free-throw line. Off Indiana's 82-67 home win over Minnesota on Monday, head coach Mike Woodson said there are things to work on going forward. "When you get a team down 15, 20 points, you got to remember how you got them down and continue to do the same things that got you the lead," said Woodson, "and I don't think we did that coming down the stretch." Nebraska's best win this season was over then-No. 14 Creighton in an in-state battle last month. But the Cornhuskers (6-2, 0-1) haven't played a very difficult schedule, and were blown out 89-52 by current No. 21 Michigan State on the road last weekend. The Spartans became the first team in 25 games to make more than 50 percent of their shots against Nebraska, so improved defense will be key for the Huskers. Nebraska was also outrebounded 48-19. "That hadn't been us all year, and that was the disappointing thing," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "The physicality of the game in this league ... we're going to see it every night. I've been pleased with how they've responded, but we'll see how they step up to the challenge Friday night." If Nebraska can turn things around on offense, it is 38-2 under Hoiberg when scoring at least 80 points, including 4-0 this season. Brice Williams is Nebraska's leading scorer at 17.5 points per game. Connor Essegian adds 13.0 ppg and shoots 42.6 percent from 3-point range. --Field Level Media
Their ages vary. But a conspicuous handful of filmmaking lions in winter, or let’s say late autumn, have given us new reasons to be grateful for their work over the decades — even for the work that didn’t quite work. Which, yes, sounds like ingratitude. But do we even want more conventional or better-behaved work from talents such as Francis Ford Coppola? Even if we’re talking about “Megalopolis” ? If Clint Eastwood’s “Juror #2” gave audiences a less morally complicated courtroom drama, would that have mattered, given Warner Bros.’ butt-headed decision to plop it in less than three dozen movie theaters in the U.S.? Coppola is 85. Eastwood is 94. Paul Schrader, whose latest film “Oh, Canada” arrives this week and is well worth seeking out, is a mere 78. Based on the 2021 Russell Banks novel “Foregone,” “Oh, Canada” is the story of a documentary filmmaker, played by Richard Gere, being interviewed near the end of his cancer-shrouded final days. In the Montreal home he shares with his wife and creative partner, played by Uma Thurman, he consents to the interview by two former students of his. Gere’s character, Leonard Fife, has no little contempt for these two, whom he calls “Mr. and Mrs. Ken Burns of Canada” with subtle disdain. As we learn over the artful dodges and layers of past and present, events imagined and/or real, Fife treats the interview as a final confession from a guarded and deceptive soul. He’s also a hero to everyone in the room, famous for his anti-Vietnam war political activism, and for the Frederick Wiseman-like inflection of his own films’ interview techniques. The real-life filmmaker name-checked in “Oh, Canada” is documentarian Errol Morris, whose straight-to-the-lens framing of interview subjects was made possible by his Interrotron device. In Schrader’s adaptation, Fife doesn’t want the nominal director (Michael Imperioli, a nicely finessed embodiment of a second-rate talent with first-rate airs) in his eyeline. Rather, as he struggles with hazy, self-incriminating memories of affairs, marriages, one-offs with a friend’s wife and a tense, brief reunion with the son he never knew, Fife wants only his wife, Emma — his former Goddard College student — in this metaphoric confessional. Schrader and his editor Benjamin Rodriguez Jr. treat the memories as on-screen flashbacks spanning from 1968 to 2023. At times, Gere and Thurman appear as their decades-young selves, without any attempt to de-age them, digitally or otherwise. (Thank god, I kind of hate that stuff in any circumstance.) In other sequences from Fife’s past, Jacob Elordi portrays Fife, with sly and convincing behavioral details linking his performance to Gere’s persona. We hear frequent voiceovers spoken by Gere about having ruined his life by age 24, at least spiritually or morally. Banks’ novel is no less devoted to a dying man’s addled but ardent attempt to come clean and own up to what has terrified him the most in the mess and joy of living: Honesty. Love. Commitment. There are elements of “Oh, Canada” that soften Banks’ conception of Fife, from the parentage of Fife’s abandoned son to the specific qualities of Gere’s performance. It has been 44 years since Gere teamed with Schrader on “American Gigolo,” a movie made by a very different filmmaker with very different preoccupations of hetero male hollowness. It’s also clearly the same director at work, I think. And Gere remains a unique camera object, with a stunning mastery of filling a close-up with an unblinking stillness conveying feelings easier left behind. The musical score is pretty watery, and with Schrader you always get a few lines of tortured rhetoric interrupting the good stuff. In the end, “Oh, Canada” has an extraordinarily simple idea at its core: That of a man with a movie camera, most of his life, now on the other side of the lens. Not easy. “I can’t tell the truth unless that camera’s on!” he barks at one point. I don’t think the line from the novel made it into Schrader’s script, but it too sums up this lion-in-winter feeling of truth without triumphal Hollywood catharsis. The interview, Banks wrote, is one’s man’s “last chance to stop lying.” It’s also a “final prayer,” dramatized by the Calvinist-to-the-bone filmmaker who made sure to include that phrase in his latest devotion to final prayers and missions of redemption. “Oh, Canada” — 3 stars (out of 4) No MPA rating (some language and sexual material) Running time: 1:34 How to watch: Opens in theaters Dec. 13, running 1in Chicago Dec. 13-19 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St.; siskelfilmcenter.org Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.
Romanian nationalist Calin Georgescu has surprised observers by likely topping the first round of the country’s presidential election, according to provisional results. With more than 80 percent of ballots counted, in the early hours of Monday Georgescu, who has gained traction for his anti-Ukraine war stance, holds 22.1 percent of the vote, narrowly ahead of sitting Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who follows with just over 22 percent. Georgescu, an ultra-religious and nationalist figure, has campaigned on reducing Romania’s reliance on imports and boosting domestic food and energy production. He has been a vocal critic of Bucharest’s role in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, arguing that NATO and the EU do not represent Romanian interests and suggesting that the war is being manipulated by American military companies. The shock result has upended expectations, as Elena Lasconi – billed as a ‘reformer’ – was initially predicted to make it into the runoff, but now trails at 15.3 percent. Far-right candidate George Simion, also considered a strong contender, lags behind with 14.8 percent support. The final composition of the runoff is still uncertain as further ballots are counted. Georgescu’s views have struck a chord with a significant portion of the electorate, but have also drawn heavy criticism, particularly for his past support of Romania’s 20th-century fascist Legionary Movement. A relative political outsider, he has leveraged social media platforms like TikTok to rally voters, capitalizing on dissatisfaction with the political establishment. He has garnered a sizable following, particularly among those disillusioned with the current government’s foreign policy. Voter turnout for the election was 52.5 percent, slightly higher than in the 2019 presidential race. The second round of voting is scheduled for December 8, following Romania’s parliamentary elections next Sunday.
Jane Moore brands her chore allocation on I’m A Celebrity ‘ageist and sexist’For the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter , with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that's the richest in baseball history. It comes almost exactly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers forked out a princely sum of $700 million on a 10-year, heavily deferred deal for two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. They are believed to be the two richest contracts in pro sports history. The way it's going, a contract approaching $1 billion doesn't seem out of the question. But several factors are working against it — at least in the near future. There's reason to believe the megadeals for Ohtani and Soto are unicorns in the baseball world. Both players are uniquely talented, surely, but both also had unusual circumstances propelling their value into the stratosphere. Ohtani is the greatest two-way player in baseball history, capable of improving any team on both sides of the ball. He's also the rare baseball player who has true international appeal . His every move ( like his unexpected marriage announcement ) is followed closely in his native Japan, adding another 125 million potential fans who buy merchandise, watch him play and help fill the Dodgers' coffers. Then there's Soto — a four-time All-Star and on-base machine who won a World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. The X-factor for him is he became a free agent at the prime age of 26, which is extremely hard to do under current MLB rules. Players have to be in the big leagues for six years before testing free agency. The precocious Soto debuted at 19 with the Nats, making him part of a rare group of players who reached the highest level of professional baseball as a teenager. That accelerated his free agency timeline. It's rare for players to debut that young, and rarer still for them to develop into stars and test the open market the first chance they get. Two recent examples are Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, who both reached free agency in 2019. Machado signed a free-agent record $300 million contract with San Diego, and Harper overtook him days later with a $330 million contract to join the Phillies. Most players debut in the big leagues from ages 22 to 26, which means free agency comes in their late 20s or early 30s. A typical example is Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is one of this generation's great players but didn't hit the market until he was 30. Judge played three seasons of college baseball for Fresno State before getting drafted by the Yankees in 2013 at age 21 — already two years older than Soto was when he made his MLB debut. It took a few years for the budding superstar to reach the majors, and he was 25 when he had his breakout season in 2018, smashing 52 homers to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors. By the time he reached free agency after the 2022 season, he had already passed age 30. It's a major factor that led to him signing a $360 million, nine-year deal with the Yankees, which seems downright reasonable these days after the Ohtani and Soto deals. Two major trends are colliding that will make it harder for guys like Soto to hit free agency in their mid 20s. First, MLB teams have been more likely in recent years to take college players early in the draft, betting on more experienced talents. Just 10 high school players were drafted among the top 30 picks in the 2024 draft . Second, teams are more eager to lock up young, premium talent on long-term deals very early in their careers, well before they hit free agency. Sometimes before they even reach the majors. Since Soto, just two players have debuted in MLB before their 20th birthday — Elvis Luciano and Junior Caminero. Luciano hasn't been back to the majors since his 2019 cup of coffee. Caminero is now 21 and has only played in 50 big league games. Among those that debuted at 20: Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a $340 million, 14-year deal with San Diego in 2021, years before reaching the open market. Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio got an $82 million, eight-year deal before even reaching the big leagues. Young stars Corbin Carroll ($111 million, eight years with Arizona), Bobby Witt Jr. ($288 million, 11 years with Kansas City) and Julio Rodriguez ($209.3 million, 12 years with Seattle) also got massive guarantees early in their 20s to forgo an early free agency. The exception and wild card: Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be a 26-year-old free agent next offseason. Guerrero hasn't been as consistent in his young career as Soto, but a standout 2025 season could position him to threaten Soto's deal. More likely is that the player to pass Soto isn't in the majors yet — and might not even be in pro baseball. When 25-year-old Alex Rodriguez signed his record $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas in 2001, it took over a decade for another player to match that total, when Albert Pujols got $240 million over 10 years from the Angels in 2012. For many players, passing up life-changing money in their early or mid 20s is too enticing, even if it means that they might not maximize their value on the free agent market later in their careers. Soto was determined to test the market. He famously turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer to stay with the Washington Nationals in 2022, betting that he could make even more as a free agent. Not many players would turn down that kind of cash. Then again, that's what makes Soto so unique. And it's also why his $765 million deal could be the industry standard for some time. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
A hard-right populist, Calin Georgescu, known for his anti-European Union and anti-NATO views, has unexpectedly surged into the lead in Romania's presidential race. With 98% of ballots counted, the 62-year-old garnered nearly 23% of the vote, surpassing centre-left Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who holds around 20%. Elena Lasconi, representing the centre-right, trails in third with nearly 19%, while far-right leader George Simion stands at 14%. Partial results suggest Georgescu, who only had 5% support in pre-election opinion polls, will face off against Ciolacu in a run-off vote on December 8. Initially, exit polls pointed to a Ciolacu lead, with Lasconi in second, indicating an election central to economic concerns and rising living costs. Running independently, Georgescu significantly leveraged social media platforms like TikTok to connect with voters, in stark contrast to mainstream media, which largely overlooked him. A former member of the right-wing Alliance for Uniting Romanians party, Georgescu has called for halting aid to Ukraine and condemned Romania's involvement in NATO's missile defense initiatives. Georgescu's controversial remarks, including support for WWII-era leader Ion Antonescu, who allied with Adolf Hitler, have prompted further scrutiny. Following the election results, Georgescu described them as a 'cry for peace' from the public, emphasizing the magnitude of their collective voice. Meanwhile, Romania's government continues to stand by Ukraine, supporting it with military resources amid its ongoing conflict with Russia and accommodating NATO's defensive installations. (With inputs from agencies.)
Members were required to debate and vote on the issue before December 17 MLAs were debating whether to approve Windsor Framework arrangements on Tuesday night Stormont’s backing of post-Brexit arrangements laid out in the Windsor Framework is “an important step forward”, NI Secretary of State Hilary Benn has said. It comes after the Assembly approved articles 5-10 of the document following a marathon debate at Stormont on Tuesday.
Water woes boil over in New Jersey’s capital, with revelation of monitoring lapseState legislators, union officials discuss priorities ahead of 2025 legislative session
Say you picked up a shiny new TV this holiday season. You unbox it like a kid at Christmas and prepare yourself to binge-watch Squid Game 2 . You think to yourself, "This is 2024. TV technology is sizzling, and it's going to look amazing no matter what." So you plug it in and don't take one look at the default settings. Big mistake. I've been guilty of it. And I'm okay with that because it's widely accepted that the majority of consumers neglect to alter the most basic settings when setting up their TVs. Even if your TV is a few years old, you may have never modified its defaults. Also: The best Samsung TVs of 2024: Expert tested For Samsung TVs , in particular, you can change a few settings to improve your viewing experience and make a dystopian survival thriller look that much more appealing. Following are six tips for doing just that. 1. Turn off Eco Mode Pretty much all TVs now come with a form of "Eco Mode" turned on by default. Eco Mode is designed to limit power usage by attenuating the TV's brightness and reducing its contrast level. A recent study found that enabling Eco Mode saves as little as $7 a year on your electric bill. (That's literally less than two cents per day.) Whether "eco" is short for economy or ecology , that's not a significant saving, and there are myriad ways to more effectively reduce your carbon footprint. Also: I changed these 5 TV settings to lower my electric bill. Here's why they work To disable Eco Mode, click the gear button on your Samsung remote to access the settings. Then follow this path: All Settings > General and Privacy > Power and Energy Saving > Energy Saving Solution. Lastly, toggle Energy Saving Solution off. 2. Turn off Brightness Optimization While you've already navigated to Power and Energy Saving, go ahead and disable Brightness Optimization by toggling it off as well. Many TVs now come with optical sensors that can detect how bright your room is and how warm or cold that light may be. Then, the TV adjusts automatically, supposedly optimizing brightness and color temperature based on that data. This isn't always reliable, and the feature might end up giving you worse results, especially in a room where illumination may change, like on a sunny day with big clouds darkening the sky. 3. Choose a Picture Mode designed for film I find that Movie, Cinema, or Filmmaker modes are generally best because they aim to provide the most accurate and faithful representation of the content creator's vision. Also, by reducing unnecessary image processing, these modes minimize the risk of introducing artifacts and other image quality issues. Go to All Settings > Picture Mode. Then flip through these three options (Movie, Cinema, or Filmmaker) to find your favorite. Also: Samsung Frame TV 2024 vs. 2023: Comparing the key differences The default Standard mode tends to yield a cooler or bluer color temperature. TVs often come with a Vivid mode, which Samsung calls Dynamic mode. I'd advise staying away from that, as both Dynamic and Sports modes can make colors look too intense, with the whole picture having a harsh radiance. These modes are more commonly used by retailers when setting up display TVs, as the colors will pop more vibrantly in storefronts. 4. Adjust Brightness levels to suit your eyes Finding an ideal brightness level will depend on what kind of content you're watching. While HDR (high dynamic range) is steadily becoming more prevalent, decades of film are still limited to SDR (standard dynamic range). However, you can easily adjust your brightness levels for both scenarios. For SDR, open any app, such as Prime, and don't start playing a video yet. Now go to All Settings > Picture > Expert Settings > Brightness (Note that on certain Samsung models, this is found under Picture Setup.) Move the sliders to find the sweet spot (in your opinion) for SDR brightness. Also: The 30+ best Cyber Monday Samsung deals still available 2024 To adjust HDR brightness, you'll first need to find a video displayed in high dynamic range. Going to YouTube TV is a quick way to ensure you are watching HDR content because many of its videos are labeled with short descriptions indicating their type. Alternatively, you can simply search for "HDR video." The brightness level you choose is a matter of personal preference, but you will see a distinction when viewing both technologies (SDR/HDR). HDR looks best to me with the brightness maxed out. You might find that SDR looks ideal when set at a lower level. 5. Experiment with Local Dimming Another setting that impacts brightness levels is Local Dimming, which is available on Samsung TVs in three options. Go to All Settings > Picture > Expert Settings > Local Dimming. Experiment with this by sampling Low, Standard, and High to see which one suits you best. Set to Low, Local Dimming provides less halo and blooming around bright objects on dark backgrounds. On Samsung TVs, my preference is High because it keeps flashpoints bright without surrounding images with a halo. Now that you've modified Local Dimming, you might want to go back and check your brightness levels on both SDR and HDR content to see if they're satisfactory. 6. Turn off Motion Smoothing for cinematic viewing Most movies are (and always have been) filmed at 24 frames per second. The purpose of Motion Smoothing is to interpolate images in footage shot at 24 FPS in order to reduce blur and juddering. This can be beneficial when watching sports because live television is shot at 30 FPS. Another common default feature, however, is Motion Smoothing, which has earned the reputation of giving TVs a "soap opera effect." By that description alone, you probably get the idea. I think of it as glossy vs. matte in photographic prints, with glossy describing the soap opera effect, which resembles a live broadcast. While I'm always aiming for an immersive viewing experience, I don't need to feel like I'm on the set with the actors and crew shooting the scene. Also: The best Samsung deals available right now Go to All Settings > Picture > Expert Settings > Picture Clarity Settings (Note that on Samsung TVs, Motion Smoothing is called Picture Clarity or Auto Motion Plus.) From here, you can entirely turn Picture Clarity (Motion Smoothing) off or choose Custom Settings. There, you can adjust the sliders for Blur Reduction and Judder Reduction, which you might opt to increase if watching a soccer match or playing a video game. For conventional (filmic) aesthetics, though, turning off Motion Smoothing is the way to go. If you get a new Samsung TV this Christmas, congratulations! Now, take a few minutes to maximize its potential. If you have an older model, you can still treat yourself to a better-looking picture with a few clicks of the remote. Why I pick this ultraportable Lenovo tablet over the iPad Air for multimedia consumption I tested the new Kindle Scribe for two weeks, and it beat my ReMarkable in several ways One of the best QLED TVs I've tested isn't made by Samsung or Hisense These Beyerdynamic earbuds delivered glorious sound for any kind of music I playedA lucky Oz Lotto player has won an entire jackpot but is yet to claim their . or signup to continue reading The , 1, 29, 20, 23, 34, 46, 39 with the supplementary numbers 42, 43, 24, were drawn on December 10. Oz Lotto officials know the winning ticket was bought in South Australia at an SA Lotteries outlet in the state's Mid-North Region. "If the elusive player had registered their ticket to The Lott Members Club, officials from The Lott would have reached out to them tonight to confirm the life-changing news," the Lott said. "Instead, the ticket was unregistered, so officials are eagerly waiting for the ticketholder to check their entry and make contact to start the prize claim process." The jackpot is the second-biggest win to land in South Australia in 2024 after an Adelaide man pocketed a $150 million Powerball prize in May. "We can't wait for them to discover this winning news! Just imagine how $50 million might change your plans for Christmas and the year ahead," the Lott spokesperson Matt Hart said. "There are 50 million reasons why all South Australian players who had an entry in tonight's draw should check their tickets as soon as possible. "If you discover you're holding the division one winning entry, hold on tight to that ticket and phone 131 868 as soon as possible so that we can start the prize claim process!" Anna Houlahan reports on crime and social issues affecting regional and remote Australia in her role as national crime reporter at Australian Community Media (ACM). She was ACM’s Trainee of the Year in 2023 and, aside from reporting on crime, has travelled the country as a journalist for Explore Travel Magazine. Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au Anna Houlahan reports on crime and social issues affecting regional and remote Australia in her role as national crime reporter at Australian Community Media (ACM). She was ACM’s Trainee of the Year in 2023 and, aside from reporting on crime, has travelled the country as a journalist for Explore Travel Magazine. 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Donald Trump ’s decision to pick Kash Patel to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation has set off alarm bells in Washington due to Patel’s fondness for conspiracy theories and his limited experience in leadership and law enforcement. An ardent supporter of the president-elect, Kashyap “Kash” Patel — a lawyer who once worked as a federal prosecutor — has been tapped to replace Christopher Wray atop the FBI . Here are five things to know about the 44-year-old, who has signaled he wants to help dish out Trump’s revenge against his political opponents. A Trump Cheerleader As with Trump’s other Cabinet picks, Patel’s fealty to the president-elect appears to have been key to securing the job. During Trump’s criminal trial in New York, Patel was among a group of supporters who accompanied him to the courthouse, telling reporters that the soon-to-be convicted felon was the victim of an “unconstitutional circus.” Patel’s breakthrough in Trump world came in tandem with his work to discredit the FBI ’s investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. As an aide to former House Intelligence Committee Chair and Trump ally Devin Nunes, Patel helped author a report that detailed what it said were errors the Justice Department made in obtaining a warrant to track a former Trump campaign adviser. Patel also held several roles in Trump’s first administration, serving as an adviser on the National Security Council and as chief of staff to the acting secretary of defense. Patel remained close after Trump left office in January 2021. Patel was even subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury in connection with the Justice Department’s probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents. A ‘Middling’ Public Defender Patel has said he worked for about nine years as a public defender in Florida. A New York Times piece cites colleagues who recalled him as a “middling performer with a deep animosity toward the Justice Department prosecutors he found himself up against.” He went on to work as a terrorism prosecutor at the Justice Department and has repeatedly claimed he was the “lead prosecutor” in the government’s pursuit of the perpetrators of the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. Another New York Times article suggests Patel was a junior staff member at the time. Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe has warned that Patel is out of his depth, citing his lack of management and law enforcement experience. “The fact that Kash Patel is profoundly unqualified for this job is not even like a matter for debate,” McCabe said Saturday on CNN . Promises Media: ‘We’re Going To Come After You’ Patel’s notoriety stems in part from a series of brash claims he made during interviews with right-wing media. Patel has said he wants to upend the FBI — cracking down on leaks to the media and overhauling intelligence-gathering operations — and even vowed to shut down the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters on Day 1 to replace it as a museum for the “deep state,” the MAGA-land buzzword for government bureaucracy. Trump has promised “ retribution ” on his return to the White House, and Patel appears to have taken the vow to heart. In a 2023 interview with Steve Bannon, Trump’s former adviser, Patel talked about having “all-American patriots top to bottom” in the FBI before making an ominous warning. “We will go out and find the conspirators not just in government, but in the media,” he said. “Yes, we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.” “We’re going to come after you,” Patel continues. “Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’ll figure that out. But yeah, we’re putting you all on notice.” His Books Name His Targets Patel’s obsession with the “deep state” and conspiracy theories is best illustrated in his own writing. Don't let this be the end of the free press. The free press is under attack — and America's future hangs in the balance. As other newsrooms bow to political pressure, HuffPost is not backing down. Would you help us keep our news free for all? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. In his 2023 book “Government Gangsters,” Patel eyes a “comprehensive housecleaning” of the Justice Department, and even lists officials and former officials on his blacklist — including Attorney General Merrick Garland, but also many members of the first Trump administration. Patel is also the author of a children’s book called “The Plot Against the King,” which calls Trump “King Donald.” Kash himself plays a wizard who thwarts the plans of a barely disguised Hillary Clinton. Sells “K$H” Branded Merch Just like Trump — whose merchandise includes $100,000 watches and $10,000 guitars — Patel is no stranger to the power of branding. Shortly after Trump left office, Patel launched “Fight with Kash,” an organization that funds defamation lawsuits and sells socks and other clothing emblazoned with the “K$H” logo. Trump’s FBI Director, displaying some of the products he has for sale. Related From Our Partner"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?" Thanks for your interest in Kalkine Media's content! To continue reading, please log in to your account or create your free account with us.
CS Northridge 89, Utah Tech 79
Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the U.S.
