The San Francisco 49ers will unleash rookie star Isaac Guerendo as their starting running back in the crucial Week 14 clash against the Chicago Bears , with belief in him sky-high. Plagued by injuries throughout the season, the 49ers have had to cope without their top-two running backs Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell. McCaffrey made a comeback from Achilles tendonitis in Week 10 but was placed on IR after a PCL injury sustained in the Week 13 clash against the Buffalo Bills . Mitchell's season ended before it started due to a hamstring injury in August, paving the way for Jordan Mason to step up. Mason impressed with 789 yards and three touchdowns but has now joined the injury list post-Buffalo. With Mason out, Guerendo, a fourth-round draft pick (129th overall) from Louisville, is ready to take centre stage. He's already turned heads with his performances this season and is drawing comparisons to ex-49ers star Raheem Mostert, who topped the NFL in rushing touchdowns last year. Patrick Mahomes legacy clear to see as Kansas City Chiefs chase history Christian McCaffrey shares emotional message after being ruled out for rest of season "We have all the belief in Isaac, I mean the speed of him," offensive lineman Colton McKivitz said to Mirror Sport. "We saw in Seattle, him and (Jordan) Mason were both going at it. So to have Guerendo, a young physical back, kinda reminds us a lot of Raheem (Mostert). "Runs kind of upright like him and has the getaway speed, and that's really nice to have just because he hits it. Take away the thinking and let him run, that's fun to block for." Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was also impressed by Guerendo during that game in Seattle, stating: "He's played a big part for us this season already, with the game in Seattle. He's had a lot of big runs for us. We are all-in with him." The rookie has chalked up 246 rushing yards this season, but 99 of those were gained during a standout game against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6. Guerendo was then restricted to just one carry the following week against the Kansas City Chiefs, but scored his first NFL touchdown in Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys. Guerendo exceeded 100 scrimmage yards that game with 85 on carries and 17 in the air, and he scored his second touchdown last week after stepping in for the injured McCaffrey and Mason. The 49ers are 5-7 and need to triumph over the Bears on Sunday to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, but the entire locker room is confident Guerendo can demonstrate his ability through the final five weeks. "We all fully support Isaac, he started before Christian got back and got rolling a little bit," said tight end Jake Tonges. "Had some good games, played really well in the Cowboys game especially. I think he's got all the ability to do it, and I'm excited to see him go out there and do it. We are fully behind him and going to be playing hard for him."
Will The U.S. Ban TikTok? Here's The Latest—And What We KnowCOSTA RICA (AFP) – On a beach in Costa Rica, as fishermen land the day’s catch, two women are hard at work on a slimy sea bass skin, rubbing, scraping, washing and tanning the hide to turn it into leather. Two years ago, both Mauren Castro, 41, and Marta Sosa, 70, were stay-at-home mums dependent on their fishermen husbands to provide for their families of four and six. Today, they are part of the all-female Piel Marina (Marine Skin) cooperative, which turns fish skins that used to be discarded at sea into sustainable fashion. For generations, fishing was the economic mainstay in Costa de Pajaros, a village situated about 100 kilometres west of the capital San Jose. But fishermen say that regulations aimed at making stocks more sustainable, which this year included a complete ban on fishing between May and July, have made it harder to live off the sea. Earrings and keychains made with fish skin by working women from the Piel Marina cooperative at the Costa de Pájaros beach in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. PHOTO: AFP ABOVE & BELOW: A fisherman carries fish at the Costa de Pájaros beach; and fish skins that will be used for the production of earrings and key rings. PHOTO: AFP PHOTO: AFP Enter the NGO MarViva, which helped train 15 women to establish themselves as seafront tanners two years ago. The women were skeptical at first about the sartorial possibilities of fish skins. “We said ‘how can a skin, which is something that gets smelly, which is waste, be the raw material for women to be able to get ahead’”? Castro, 41, told AFP . But over time they honed their trade and are helping supplementing their families’ meagre incomes. Wearing blue rubber gloves and white t-shirts bearing the words Piel Marina, Sosa and Castro show how a skin rescued from a filleted sea bass can become a pair of earrings, a necklace or even a handbag. First they rub the skin gently between their fingers to remove the scales and any remaining flesh. “Then we take it and wash it with soap, as if we were washing clothes. Then we dye it with glycerin and alcohol and natural dye, and then we dry it,” Sosa explained. The dyeing process takes four days, with another four needed for the leather to dry in the sun to produce a fabric that is soft and pliable but strong. Crucially, it no longer smells of fish and has the advantage of being waterproof. The women are not only tanners, but have also become jewellery designers who sell colourful earrings and necklaces on Instagram and Facebook. A pair of earrings in the shape of a butterfly costs the equivalent of about USD7. The women also sell some of the leather to small-scale textile producers in Puntarenas, the main port on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. Costa Rica is just the latest country to catch onto the potential of fish tanning, an age-old practise among Indigenous peoples from Alaska to Scandanavia to Asia. While salmon skins were traditionally used by the Ainu people in Japan and the Inuit in northern Canada to make boots and clothes, and on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya they now use the local tilapia delicacy to make handbags. On the Internet, fish leather bags sell for hundreds of dollars. One of the first big-name fashion designers to get hooked on the skins was former Dior creative director John Galliano, who sported an Atlantic salmon skin jacket and fish leather bag in his 2002 collections. For the moment, the women of the Piel Marina cooperative are glad to have a job that gets them away from domestic chores and provides them with a small income. But they dream of the day when the leather they make by hand on the beach struts the global stage.
SHELTON, Conn. , Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- William Raveis , the Inman -awarded Top Brokerage in the U.S. (2023), and the number one privately held real estate company in the Northeast, Florida , and South Carolina is proud to announce the strategic partnership with Town & Country Real Estate (T&C), a luxury brokerage serving the East End of Long Island , New York since 2005. The T&C offices will be joining forces with William Raveis' growing network of over 140 offices, and 4,500 agents from Maine to Florida . Likewise, the award-winning brokerage, William Raveis , gains a foothold within the Hamptons and The North Fork luxury real estate. T&C's founder, Judi Desiderio (CEO) and Janet Hummel (Managing Partner) will stay on as partners along with more than 150 T&C sales agents. "We're delighted to welcome Town & Country to our family company," said William, "Bill" Raveis, Jr. adding, "I've gotten to know Judi and Janet over these many months and found our business model, family culture, and entrepreneurial approach to helping the agents aligns beautifully." This year, William Raveis celebrates 50 years in business, with Bill Raveis at the helm, sons Chris and Ryan Raveis as co-presidents, and strong management support, they are on a trajectory for growth, making company acquisitions in top luxury markets along the East Coast. Chris Raveis comments, "T&C's stellar reputation for luxury service resonates with clients in the Hamptons and will elsewhere in our footprint." Judi Desiderio agrees, "Our trademark has always been our ability to pivot to the needs of buyers, sellers, and renters. This expansion through the Raveis footprint gives our associates the single best opportunity to grow their businesses and service their clients in a unique way bolstered by superior technology and support. Which is why we're excited to grow our business throughout the luxury Triangle—New York City, The Hamptons, Palm Beach , and Westchester County. Stronger together, the possibilities are endless with William Raveis ." Bill Raveis is confident in their mission. "Our expertise in luxury marketing and providing full-service offerings through William Raveis Mortgage and Insurance helps navigate the complexities of buying, selling, and renting properties. In addition, every agent and client benefits from our robust referral network spanning the East Coast". The company is aggressively pursuing growth opportunities with future acquisitions in the pipeline across the Florida and Southern regions as well as in the Northeast marketplace over the coming months. Learn more at raveis.com or visit the team at their new William Raveis Long Island offices in Bridgehampton, Greenport, East Hampton , Mattituck, Montauk, Southampton, and Westhampton Beach. About William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage, and Insurance ... William Raveis is the number one privately held real estate brokerage in the Northeast, Florida , and South Carolina providing integrated real estate services to customers and clients for over 50 years. Selected as the Top Brokerage 2023 by Inman, the voice of REALTORS® and industry news, the company ranks among the nation's top independent and publicly traded brokerages for sales volume and units sold. In addition to its specialized Residential, Relocation, and Luxury Properties divisions, William Raveis has full-service, top-tier Mortgage and Insurance Companies. About Town & Country Real Estate ... Hamptons and North Fork real estate markets are the main topics of conversation across the East End of Long Island with global interest. With decades of experience, Town & Country Real Estate is renowned for its local expertise and market insights delivered by a professional team of over 150 sales agents. Under the leadership of its founder & CEO, Judi Desiderio and T&C Managing Partner Janet Hummel, the firm is prominently featured in New York and national media outlets showcasing their magnificent portfolio of properties throughout the Eastern End of Long Island and expansive regional knowledge and insight. SOURCE William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & InsuranceOklahoma Democrats mourn Fred Harris, former US senator and presidential candidate
OpenAI has just made interacting with its star AI chatbot, ChatGPT, as easy as picking up the phone or sending a text. No longer confined to a web browser or app, users in the US can now dial 1-800-CHATGPT (1-800-242-8478) to engage in a spoken conversation with the AI. For those outside the US or preferring text-based interaction, ChatGPT can also be reached via WhatsApp by messaging the same number. This move marks a significant step towards making AI more accessible and integrated into our daily lives. My First Phone Call with ChatGPT As someone who has been following the development of AI language models with great interest, I couldn’t resist trying out this new feature. Dialing the number, I was greeted by a surprisingly natural-sounding voice, clearly synthesized but with a friendly and engaging tone. I started with a simple question, “What’s the weather like in San Francisco today?” The response was immediate and accurate, providing details on temperature, wind conditions, and even a suggestion to bring an umbrella due to the chance of rain. Intrigued, I moved on to more complex questions, asking for summaries of recent news events and even philosophical discussions on the nature of consciousness. While the responses were generally impressive, I did notice some limitations. Occasionally, the system seemed to struggle with understanding the nuances of my questions, leading to slightly off-topic answers. However, this is to be expected with any AI system still under development. Why Phone Calls and WhatsApp? The choice of phone calls and WhatsApp as new interfaces for ChatGPT is a strategic one. Here’s why: Limitations and Future Potential While the launch of phone calls and WhatsApp access to ChatGPT is exciting, it’s important to acknowledge the current limitations: Despite these limitations, the potential of this technology is immense. Imagine a future where you can: The Rise of Conversational AI OpenAI’s move to integrate ChatGPT with phone calls and WhatsApp is part of a broader trend towards conversational AI. As AI language models become more sophisticated, we can expect to see them increasingly integrated into our daily lives through various channels. This raises important questions about the future of human-computer interaction and the role of AI in society. OpenAI’s decision to make ChatGPT available through phone calls and WhatsApp is a bold move that pushes the boundaries of AI accessibility. While the technology is still in its early stages, it has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with AI and access information. As conversational AI continues to evolve, we can expect even more innovative applications that will transform our lives in ways we can only imagine.
World No.1 chess player Magnus Carlsen feels that the ongoing World Chess Championship 2024 has reached a point where India’s D Gukesh is no more a favourite. Gukesh, who won FIDE Candidates 2024 at the age of 17 and helped India win a historic gold medal at the 45th Olympiad, was seen as a clear favourite going into the World Chess Championship 2024 against reigning champion Ding Liren of China. Ding, 32, had not won a classical chess game since January 2024 before the Championship began on 25 November at the Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore but stunned the world with a victory in Game 1 before losing to Gukesh in Game 3. The other seven matches so far have ended in a draw and the scores are tied at 4.5-4.5. The 14-game series has five more games left and will resume with Game 10 on Saturday (7 December). “We have finally arrived at a point where Gukesh is not a favourite in this match anymore. We have a pure 50-50 match at this point,” Carlsen said on the Take Take Take app while reviewing the Game 9. Carlsen, a five-time world champion, has been quite critical of the standard of chess played so far at the World Chess Championship 2024. The 34-year-old Norwegian also analysed Gukesh’s game and felt that the Indian Grandmaster is not doing enough in the Championship to secure a win. “If Gukesh had been more vigilant or more accurate, he could have put Ding under pressure here,” Carlsen said analysing a move in Game 9. “This is what he’s done wrong. When Ding has little time, he has sort of forced Ding to play well.” “It is easier to say in hindsight, but I think Gukesh could have done a little better to keep the tension in a position that is objectively drawn, but at the moment not completely equal. I think he made it a little too easy for Ding.”
Number of Black students at Harvard Law drops by over half after SCOTUS rulingCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes continues to build great chemistry with his tight end — just not the one you might think. Mahomes threw two touchdown passes to Noah Gray for the second straight week as the Kansas City Chiefs held off the Carolina Panthers 30-27 on Sunday. A week after losing at Buffalo, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (10-1) maintained their position atop the AFC. Mahomes completed a 35-yard touchdown strike to Gray on the game’s opening possession and found him again for an 11-yard TD in the second quarter. Gray has four touchdown catches in the last two weeks — twice as many as nine-time Pro Bowler Travis Kelce has all season — and has become a weapon in the passing game for the Chiefs, who lost top wide receiver Rashee Rice to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Kelce was still a factor Sunday with a team-high six catches for 62 yards, although the four-time All-Pro looked dejected after dropping one easy pass. Kelce has 62 receptions for 507 yards this season, while Gray has 26 catches for 249 yards. But Gray's development is a good sign for the Chiefs — and he's on the same page with Mahomes. On his second TD, Gray said Mahomes “gave me the answer to the test there” before the play. “He told me what coverage it was pre-snap," said Gray, who had four receptions for 66 yards. “That’s just the blessing you have of playing with a quarterback like that. Offensive line did a great job blocking that up and the receivers did a great job running their routes to pop me open. Really just a group effort right there on that touchdown.” Gray said that's nothing new. “Pat’s preparation, his leadership is just something that I’m fortunate enough to play alongside,” Gray said. "I love it. It gets me motivated every time we go out there for a long drive. Having a leader like that, that prepares every single week in-and out, knows defenses, knows the game plans. “I’m just fortunate enough to play alongside a guy like that.” Mahomes completed 27 of 37 passes for 269 yards and three TDs, and he knew what to do on the second TD to Gray. “It's not just me, it's the quarterback coaches and the players, we go through certain checks you get to versus certain coverages,” Mahomes said. “I was able to see by the way they lined up they were getting into their cover-zero look. I alerted the guys to make sure they saw what I saw and I gave the check at the line of scrimmage.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Escalation in Sambhal: Violence Erupts During Mosque Survey
Global Permit Management Software Market Size, Share and Forecast By Key Players-Fund Accounting Solution Technologies, MyGov, CityGrows, Azteca Systems, CSDC
NSW’s new intercity trains look shiny and smell fresh – but speeds remain stuck in the 20th century
A few young women in U.S. buck the trends by joining the ranks of Catholic nuns