lol646

NoneHow we treat our children and most vulnerable populations is a key metric of our society’s health and future well-being. Do you believe this? On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, the feast of Holy Innocents. It is the great “nails-on-the-chalkboard” day of Christmastide. In the midst of all the celebration of Christ’s birth, there is a whole day dedicated to remembering the slaughter of innocent children. A day to remind us of King Herod’s terrible decree of infanticide recorded in St. Matthew’s gospel 2:16-18. A massacre of infant boys age 2 and under in order for Herod to eliminate the perceived threat to his throne. The goal was to put Christ to death even then. We are rightfully appalled at this historical event. Yet, how are we doing today? We may not have a decree of infanticide to navigate, but we do have other ills regarding our children and most vulnerable do we not? Let’s get controversial. A key issue in this past election was abortion. When do you believe human life begins? When do you believe a child is alive? What constitutes personhood? Do the rights of the pregnant person outweigh the rights of the fetus? When should life be protected at all costs? No matter where you stand on these questions, could we not commit to a Missoula-wide dialogue about these foundational questions regarding human life? Follow the science. Bring in the ethicists. Invite the philosophers, theologians, mothers and doctors. It is 2025 AD, we can do this. The unfortunate reality is that questions about human life have been co-opted for political purposes. We’ve been divided up against our will. Yet, these are vital questions to answer to know how to navigate our modern life together. Do not let politics rip the fabric of our common humanity. Let’s then talk about the children and youth among us. How are we doing there? Jonathan Haidt’s popular work The Anxious Generation convincingly shows that since the early 2010s there has been a significant increase in anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide rates among adolescents, particularly among teenage girls. There is a decreased amount of time our youth spend having face-to-face conversations and lack “soft skills” for the workforce. And social media, video games, and pornography have all become increasing addictions among those in their most formative years. With the wholesale adoption of smart phones and social media platforms, have we not done a great disservice to our future? To those who will one day have the levers of power in all spheres of society? Have we not tacitly given a decree of death by technology. Techno-cide shall we call it? Yet, it begs the 15 Bitcoin question: What are we to do? Well, how did the Christ-child escape Herod’s decree? God appeared to his people in dreams. There is a way out. God’s kingdom is the dream of a fully flourishing humanity. Shalom from the youngest to the oldest. Jesus came to bring this kingdom that moves not according to the power plays of the elite, but the dreams of the humble willing to follow Jesus no matter the cost. What if we dreamed about a non-polarized, non-politicized conversation about human life? What if we dreamed about simple yet effective regulations for smart phones among teens? What about no smartphones before high school, no social media before 16, phone-free schools, and more unsupervised play and childhood independence? As we remember Holy Innocents today, reflect on how we treat our children, youth, and most vulnerable populations as a society and what that says about our future and well-being. And reflect on Jesus Christ, hunted at birth, and his desire for all to know love, forgiveness, and Shalom forever and ever. Amen. Rev. Austin Britton is Missionary Deacon of the Diocese of the Rocky Mountains (ACNA). He can be reached at Pastorbritton12@yahoo.com . Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!lol646 。

NHL fines Edmonton Oilers forward Jeff Skinner $2,000 for embellishment

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has a broken left fibula and is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks.Teen boy charged with stabbing another teen after Sydney crashPutin apologizes for 'tragic incident' but stops short of saying Azerbaijani plane was shot down MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people. He stopped short of acknowledging that Moscow was responsible. The Kremlin said that air defense systems were firing near Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, to deflect a Ukrainian drone strike as the plane attempted to land on Wednesday. Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev “for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace.” The Kremlin also says Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are jointly investigating the crash site near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. Israel detains the director of one of northern Gaza's last functioning hospitals, Palestinians say DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza's Health Ministry says Israel’s army has detained the director of one of northern Gaza's last functioning hospitals. The announcement on Saturday came after health officials said Israeli troops stormed the hospital on Friday and forced many staff and patients outside and told them to strip in winter weather. Israel’s army didn’t respond to questions about the hospital director. It denied it had entered or set fire to the complex but acknowledged it had ordered people outside. It said it was conducting operations against Hamas in the area. The military repeated claims that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan Hospital, which officials there have denied. Israeli airstrikes hit a Yemen airport as a jet with hundreds onboard was landing, UN official says UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The top U.N. humanitarian official in Yemen says Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s main airport as a civilian Airbus 320 with hundreds of passengers on board was landing this week. He says a U.N. delegation led by the head of the World Health Organization was waiting to leave on Thursday as two Israeli airstrikes hit the airport in the capital of Sanaa. Julien Harneis told U.N. reporters on Friday that the most frightening thing about the airstrikes wasn’t the effect on him and about 15 others in the VIP lounge at the international airport. Rather, it was the destruction of the airport control tower as a Yemenia Airways plane was taxiing in after touching down. Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes office President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. Trump's request Friday came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court. Oral arguments are scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The brief said Trump opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.” Bloodied Ukrainian troops risk losing more hard-won land in Kursk to Russia KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied by daily combat losses and demoralized by the rising risk of defeat in Kursk. Some want to stay in the region at all costs. Others question the value of having gone in at all. Battles are so intense that commanders are unable to evacuate their dead. Lags in communication and poorly timed operations have cost lives and commanders say they have little way to counterattack. The overstretched Ukrainians have lost more than 40% of the territory they won in the lightning incursion that seized much of Kursk in August. Winning ticket for $1.22 billion lottery jackpot sold in California, Mega Millions says At least one Mega Millions player has plenty of dough to ring in the New Year after drawing the winning number. After three months without anyone winning the top prize in the lottery, a ticket worth an estimated $1.22 billion was sold in California for the drawing Friday night. The California Lottery said the winning ticket was sold at Circle K (Sunshine Food and Gas) on Rhonda Rd. in Cottonwood. The winning ticket matched the white balls 3, 7, 37, 49, 55 and the gold Mega Ball 6. The identity of the winner or winners was not immediately known. The estimated jackpot was the fifth-highest ever for Mega Millions. US to send $1.25 billion in weapons to Ukraine, pushing to get aid out before Biden leaves office WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say the United States is expected to announce it will send another $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. It's part of a push by the Biden administration to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on Jan. 20. Officials say the large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds. The officials say they expect the announcement will be made on Monday. They spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who instituted economic reforms, cremated in New Delhi NEW DELHI (AP) — Manmohan Singh, the former Indian prime minister widely regarded as the architect of the country’s economic reform program, has been cremated after a state funeral. The veteran leader, who was also credited for a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, died late Thursday at age 92. Singh’s body was taken Saturday to the headquarters of his Congress party in New Delhi, where party leaders and activists paid tributes to him and chanted “Manmohan Singh lives forever.” Later, his body was transported to a crematorium ground for his last rites as soldiers beat drums. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh was prime minister for 10 years until 2014. Sweden embarks on a sober search for more cemetery space in case of war GOTHENBURG, Sweden (AP) — Burial associations in Sweden are looking to acquire enough land for something they hope they’ll never have to do. And that's to bury thousands of people in the event of war. The search follows new crisis preparedness guidelines from the country's civil defense agency and the military. The issue is seen in a new light after Russia's invasion of Ukraine led formerly neutral Sweden to join NATO. Sweden and Finland sent out updated civil preparedness guides in November with instructions on how to survive in war. The guides are similar to those in Denmark and Norway, though they don't mention Russia by name. Olivia Hussey, star of the 1968 film 'Romeo and Juliet,' dies at 73 LONDON (AP) — Olivia Hussey, the actor who starred as a teenage Juliet in the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet,” has died, her family said on social media. She was 73. Hussey died on Friday, “peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones,” a statement posted to her Instagram account said. Hussey was 15 when director Franco Zeffirelli cast her in his adaptation of the William Shakespeare tragedy. “Romeo and Juliet” won two Oscars and Hussey won a Golden Globe for best new actress for her part as Juliet, opposite British actor Leonard Whiting. Decades later, the pair brought a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures over nude scenes in the film they said they were coerced to perform. The case was dismissed by a Los Angeles County judge in 2023.

Great Elm Group, Inc. 7.25% Notes due 2027 ( NASDAQ:GEGGL – Get Free Report ) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,000 shares, a decline of 34.4% from the November 30th total of 6,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days. Great Elm Group, Inc. 7.25% Notes due 2027 Stock Up 0.3 % Shares of GEGGL stock opened at $23.96 on Friday. Great Elm Group, Inc. 7.25% Notes due 2027 has a 12 month low of $20.75 and a 12 month high of $25.50. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.51. Great Elm Group, Inc. 7.25% Notes due 2027 Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 15th will be paid a $0.4531 dividend. This represents a $1.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.56%. This is a positive change from Great Elm Group, Inc. 7.25% Notes due 2027’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. About Great Elm Group, Inc. 7.25% Notes due 2027 the great elm capital management (“gecm”) investment team has deep experience investing in leveraged middle market companies. the gecm team has deployed more than $17 billion into credit investments in more than 550 issuers across 20+ jurisdictions over its 14-year history under mast capital management, llc (“mast”). See Also Receive News & Ratings for Great Elm Group Inc. 7.25% Notes due 2027 Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Great Elm Group Inc. 7.25% Notes due 2027 and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Great Elm Group, Inc. 7.25% Notes due 2027 (NASDAQ:GEGGL) Short Interest Update'Quite good': Crypto boss eats banana art he bought for $6.2M

The 2024 Lakowe Lakes Golf Club Championship, which will be played on December 7 and 8, will feature over 100 payers in a 36-hole contest, the organisers have announced. The event, considered the pinnacle of the year’s golfing activities at Lakowe Lakes, will be hosted at the estate’s world-class 18-hole championship course, providing a spectacular backdrop for intense competition and camaraderie among the club’s members. The golf manager at Lakowe Lakes Golf and Country Estate, Femi Olagbenro, expressed his excitement about the upcoming championship. “The club championship is the highlight of our golfing calendar,” Olagbenro said. Related News Golf: Custodian Classic begins today “We are proud to showcase the immense talent within our club and offer a platform for our golfers to compete at the highest level. This year, we are expecting a record turnout, with over 100 participants across various categories, including men, women, and veterans.” The championship promises thrilling matches in each of the categories, where champions will be crowned in the men, women, and veterans divisions. In addition to the competition, guests will enjoy different activities, social gatherings, and a chance to network with fellow golfers, sponsors, and VIPs.Cash-strapped Birmingham City Council have paid £141.7million into their pensions over the past year (Image: Getty) Sign up to our free email newsletter to receive the latest breaking news and daily roundups More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show me See Our Privacy Notice See Our Privacy Notice × Group 28 Sign up to our free email newsletter to receive the latest breaking news and daily roundups Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice Nearly a quarter of council tax income in England is being funnelled into substantial pension schemes, with the typical household contributing £230 annually to council employees' retirement funds. Reports from The Times indicate that local councils have, on average, invested £5 billion into the Local Government Pension Scheme over the past year, which represents about 23.5 per cent of council tax revenue. A Freedom of Information request revealed that out of those councils that responded, 14 paid more than half of their council tax takings into pension pots. Out of England's 317 councils, 254 provided responses to the inquiry. Birmingham City Council, despite having to declare effective bankruptcy last year, was the second-highest contributor to pension funds, paying £141.7 million. This comes at a time when the average council worker's salary is nearly £40,000 a year, significantly higher than the national average. Councils have spent close to £7 billion on pensions in the past year, in stark contrast to the £2.2 billion allocated for emergency housing and just £1.1 billion for libraries, culture, heritage, and tourism. Pensions expert Tom McPhail from Lang Cat commented on the issue, stating: "In the context of today's economy and the decline of private sector pensions, it is extremely difficult to justify the continued generosity of the local authority scheme.", reports the Express . He highlighted the disparity between the lessening generosity of private pensions and the local government scheme, which has "just sailed blithely on regardless", supported by taxpayer subsidies for their retirements. . Hampshire County Council topped the list of pension spenders, contributing £281million, equivalent to £4,658 per staff member, to cover three years of payments. The scheme's generous terms provide members with a proportion of their final or average salary, depending on their length of service. Those with long careers in local government can typically expect around half of their final or average salary. Councils contribute an additional 20% of staff pay to the scheme, far exceeding the 4.5% average in the private sector, while employees themselves contribute around 5% of their salary. John O'Connell, CEO of the TaxPayers' Alliance, urged reform, stating: "These gold-plated pension schemes should be closed, with public sector benefits brought into line with those of the private sector." A Local Government Association spokesperson countered: "The pension scheme can help encourage people to develop a career in local government." "With pay often lower in local government than comparable private sector roles, the scheme can mitigate that while helping public sector workers avoid needing welfare benefits in retirement." Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Follow CambridgeLive Facebook X (Twitter) More On Politics

HMRC warns 'you need to check this' to avoid 'large tax bill'Top Samsung Galaxy Deals of 2025: Save Big on the Latest Smartphones

Removing Gaps in the Gaming Industry to Ensure Inclusion for the Deaf