fc fb777 York Factory First Nation (YFFN) in northern Manitoba has launched its own Cree language learning app called Inineemowin. Developed by a committee of YFFN language experts, HFC Planning and Design, and Vincent Design Inc., the app provides users with an interactive platform to learn the Nation’s stories, words and teachings. “It’s a wonderful resource for the young people,” said YFFN councillor Louisa Constant. “They are loving it at home. There have been so many downloads by the younger generations. It’s wonderful work.” The project began about a year ago with funding from the Heritage Canada’s Indigenous Languages Program. A second phase later this year will expand the content available for users. “York Factory came to Vincent Design in December last year and had this idea, a very loose idea, for an app they wanted for language learning,” said Jordan Dysart, software developer for Vincent Design Inc., an Indigenous-led Winnipeg design creative agency. In the following months the groups met and gathered information and resources to be used in the platform. “The intention with this language app is we really wanted to tie the app and experience to the community, and in this is their work,” said Dysart. “We want to highlight them as a community. York Factory Language Committee is trying to inspire youth and language learners to continue on and provide tools so that it makes it more accessible to learn about history, culture, local stories, and landmarks.” Dysart said each area throughout the western communities that speak Cree have “slight differences” in their dialect. When users launch the app, they will be presented with an illustration of a map which represents the community. Important landmarks and cultural gathering sites throughout the community are highlighted including an explanation or an image with a Cree title and a Cree word describing it. There is also an option for users to play an audio file of the words. The app’s Learning Path takes users through eight modules of lessons that introduce basic grammar and phrases in the context of cultural traditions including spring goose camp, winter carnival and sewing. “(Then) you can explore some of the other features that we’ve created,” Dysart said. “One where you can learn these curated progressions ... in full on phrases of the Cree language. The next category of that learning chapter is something that goes and pulls translations directly from the dictionary that we have saved on the device and it pulls and shuffles a certain amount of words directly from the dictionary.” These words can be chosen by selecting the user’s skill level. And then, if they want to use them again, they can choose to use the audio files to hear the words. Dysart explained these options offer a more diverse learning experience aside from just reading the words. “They can use the audio recognition as well (to test their progress),” he added. The Syllabics section of the app provides users with audio, recorded by the committee, that explains each symbol’s meaning. In addition, Inineemowin provides local Knowledge Keeper’s stories, children’s stories, community stories and historical photographs. Dysart used his own Cree heritage and prior experience with language revitalization initiatives to provide a unique fusion of tradition and technology for the app. His personal connection to the work made the development of the Indigenous language learning app a significant milestone for Vincent Design Inc. “This is an area that’s very important to me,” Dysart said. “I’m a Cree man from northern Manitoba, very close to York Factory. It’s been such a wonderful process and we’re so excited to have this out. There is so many lessons and memories that are drafted in the language and as language develops it develops around the environment that it’s spoken in. Inside jokes or comments around the campfire, if you’re in the Rockies it’s going to be different in the Prairies.” Once the app had been developed, Dysart was able to have a ‘focus group’, which actually consisted of his grandparents, try it out. “It was really cool to see my grandparents playing on the app,” said Dysart adding they were testing the various translations and showed a lot of interest with the differences to their own dialect. The Inineemowin app is available on the App Store or Google Play.

Palantir Technologies Inc PLTR can thank Elon Musk for its 275% year-to-date gain, according to Jim Cramer . What To Know: Palantir, which rallied nearly 50% over just the past month, maybe the only stock outshining Nvidia Corp NVDA this year, Cramer said Tuesday on CNBC’s “Squawk On The Street.” While both companies have recorded significant gains in 2024 driven by their positioning in the AI space, Cramer credits Musk for driving the recent momentum in Palantir shares. “Palantir is up a lot because I believe Musk is going to turn to them and say, ‘The Defense Department, it’s yours ... get rid of all those people,'” Cramer said. President-elect Donald Trump recently announced plans to nominate Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in an effort to curtail government spending. Cramer suggested that DOGE could turn to Palantir for help cutting defense budget spending. He noted that most people don’t realize that some government departments could be cut back substantially. The Tesla CEO could look to Palantir to modernize the Defense Department and reduce reliance on outdated methods of warfare. Palantir is adamant about creating systems that don’t put people in harm’s way, but the Defense Department is stuck in its ways, Cramer said. See Also: Musk, Ramaswamy Should Target TransDigm In Budget Cuts, Short Report Says: ‘Target #1’ For D.O.G.E. Why It Matters : Cramer’s take underscores how influential Musk is expected to be under the incoming Trump administration. It’s worth noting that DOGE wouldn’t actually be able to cut federal spending since it isn’t a real government department, and would need to be created with congressional approval. And Congress authorizes all federal spending, including to the Defense Department. “They like big things. Big expensive programs. Alex [Karp] is not like that,” Cramer said, referring to Palantir’s CEO. “Palantir has the next generation of how we’re going to do cyber warfare and the idea of just hardware, hardware, hardware that is constantly over budget is the kind of thing that I think Musk is really after.” Palantir shares ripped higher at the beginning of November after the company reported strong quarterly results driven by “unrelenting” AI demand. Revenue jumped 30% year-over-year and customer count climbed 39% on continued strength in the U.S. “The growth of our business is accelerating, and our financial performance is exceeding expectations as we meet an unwavering demand for the most advanced artificial intelligence technologies from our U.S. government and commercial customers," Karp said earlier this month. Price Action: Palantir shares were up 0.31% at $64.85 at the time of publication, according to Benzinga Pro . Read Next: Jim Cramer’s Apple Endorsement Sparks ‘Inverse Cramer’ Backlash As Social Media Users Mock His ‘Own It’ Advice Photo: Shutterstock. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Coal and gas-fired power plants will stay open for longer under the coalition's $330 billion nuclear transition plan. Login or signup to continue reading Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged to build seven publicly-owned nuclear power plants across the country, with predictions the first will come online from the mid-to-late 2030s - a timeline rubbished by some experts. Renewables would make up just over half of Australia's energy grid by 2050, with nuclear accounting for just under 40 per cent and the rest a combination of storage and gas, snippets of the plan dropped ahead of its release contend. Labor's plan is to have the grid firmed by just over 80 per cent renewable energy by 2030. This will increase to more than 90 per cent by 2050 with the rest made up of storage and gas. Nuclear energy would provide the "always-on" power to back up renewables and lead to cheaper power bills in the long run, Mr Dutton claimed. But nuclear energy does not offer a good deal for Australia, a report released just ahead of Mr Dutton unveiling his costings found, while postponing coal power station closures would heighten Australia's carbon emissions in the medium term. For the seventh straight year, the GenCost 2024-25 Report found renewable energy sources are the lowest-cost of any new-build electricity-generating technology. Nuclear energy generation would be 1.5 to two times more expensive than large-scale solar, according to the analysis by the national science agency CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator. Energy market operators would also need to establish new connection points to safely supply the national electricity grid, experts have said. The coalition's plan was modelled by Frontier Economics, which cost Labor's transition around $600 billion. Energy Minister Chris Bowen has rubbished this number, saying the government's plan would cost $122 billion, citing a forecast made by the national energy grid operator. "They're making it up as they go along," Mr Bowen told ABC TV of the coalition's costings on Friday. Mr Bowen said preliminary reports of the coalition's plan ahead of Friday's full announcement that nuclear would need fewer transmission lines - therefore bringing down the estimated cost - was incorrect. "I'm not sure how they'll get the nuclear power into the grid, maybe by carrier pigeon if they're going to assert if somehow you'll need less transmission," he said. "They have had to make some very heroic assumptions here and they have had to really stretch the truth to try to get some very dodgy figures." Keeping coal-fired power plants open beyond their lifespan was a threat to energy reliability, with outages and breakdowns happening on a daily basis, Mr Bowen said. "It's a recipe for blackouts to keep ageing coal-fired power stations in the grid for longer," he said. The coalition is pushing for an end to Australia's nuclear ban but has faced opposition from states. Nuclear power doesn't stack up for Australian families or businesses, Fortescue chairman Andrew Forrest said on Friday. "As our national science agency has shown, 'firmed' solar and wind are the cheapest new electricity options for all Australians," he said in a statement. "The cost of electricity generated on a grid dominated by firmed renewable energy in 2030 will be half what you would have to pay if it came from nuclear, CSIRO found." Mr Forrest, who is a big player in the non-fossil fuels energy market, said that without continued action on "low-cost, high-efficiency renewable energy" Australians will be left with "pricier power and crumbling coal stations". "We must never forget - Australia has the best renewable resources in the world," he added. "Seizing these Australian opportunities must be our shared national goal." Australian Associated Press DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. WEEKLY Follow the Newcastle Knights in the NRL? Don't miss your weekly Knights update. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!At last it’s official, the most coveted job in has been filled: , formerly the creative director of Italian label Bottega Veneta, has been named the artistic director of , effective early next year. The 40-year-old, Paris-born designer will oversee creation of all haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections for the house, which was founded by in 1913. Why is overseeing Chanel considered the plum position in global fashion? The brand remains a privately held company in a luxury industry that has experienced a merger mania in recent years. It’s also undeniably at the top of today’s respected houses: Gucci or Louis Vuitton may be hotter or buzzier with the public, but Chanel, which posted supremely healthy 2023 revenues of $19.7 billion, revels in its quiet reputation as the pinnacle of fashion, and that isn’t expected to change anytime soon. Chanel owners Alain and Gérard Wertheimer — whose grandfather, Pierre, went into business with Coco when he purchased 70 percent of her house in 1924 — also have steadfastly refused any notion of selling the brand, bringing on a partner or taking the brand public. The arrangement allows Blazy the freedom to create without having to keep one eye focused on the latest stock price. (If that attitude sounds mercenary, consider some 2022 headlines about shelved movies at Warner Bros.) “Matthieu Blazy is one of the most gifted designers of his generation,” said Chanel’s global executive chairman Alain Wertheimer and global CEO Leena Nair in a joint statement released Thursday. “His vision and talent will reinforce the energy of the brand and our position as a leader in luxury. Under Bruno Pavlovsky’s leadership, we are confident that Matthieu Blazy will continue to shape what’s next and write a new page in Chanel’s creation.” Blazy will report to Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel Fashion and subsidiary Chanel SAS, who likewise extolled the designer’s virtues on Thursday. “I am delighted to welcome Matthieu Blazy,” he said. “I am convinced that he will be able to play with the codes and heritage of the house, through an ongoing dialogue with the studio, our ateliers, and our maisons d’art. His audacious personality, his innovative and powerful approach to creation, as well as his dedication to craftsmanship and beautiful materials, will take Chanel in exciting new directions.” Corporate-speak aside, Blazy is a terrific choice who brings talent, pedigree and gravitas to his new position. His designs for Bottega Veneta undeniably elevated that brand’s visibility and perception among fashion fans and Hollywood alike, with a focus on handwork and a sense of modernity that’s also fluid and accessible. Then again, other than Bottega’s celebrated handbags, who aside than the most diligent students could pinpoint the codes of that house? Chanel will be a bigger stage with a brighter spotlight, and an audience that’s exceedingly well-versed in even the most minute details of its DNA. Yet Blazy, who graduated from La Cambre, a visual-arts school in Brussels, interned for Balenciaga and John Galliano, worked at Maison Margiela and later for Raf Simons at Calvin Klein and Phoebe Philo at Céline, seems more than up to the task. And while it may seem like a minor point, that Blazy was born and raised in Paris brings a wonderful symmetry and sense of that city’s heritage to his appointment. That detail never concerned the German-born Karl Lagerfeld, of course, but the man who oversaw Chanel between 1983 and his death in 2019 was too busy turning the house into the style juggernaut it is today to be concerned about whether his own heritage mattered. Blazy’s predecessor, Virginia Viard, who was Lagerfeld’s studio director before being named his successor, which ended with her departure in early June, was born in Lyon and likewise brought her own French sensibility to the house. Blazy now presents an opportunity for a reset, as a Parisian man at the Parisian house with a reputation and name recognition unlike any other. Of course, these days, does it matter that Blazy is, indeed, a man? It’s unquestionable that the fashion industry overall is facing a dearth of women designers in high-profile roles. That’s a problem that requires a deeper and wider conversation to solve. Chanel’s focus clearly was on the best person for the job, and as someone lucky enough to have interviewed Lagerfeld on several occasions, I can picture him scoffing at the idea that a man shouldn’t helm a house built by a woman. Blazy’s personal and artistic sensibilities also make it clear that, like Lagerfeld and Viard, he will honor the ideas that trailblazing, feminist women made both famous and acceptable for women of the early 20th century. Perhaps most delightfully for Hollywood — which increasingly values red-carpet appearances — Blazy already has established himself as an industry favorite, and surely that will carry over to his new gig. A brief and incomplete rundown of stars Blazy has created red-carpet looks for recently: Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Yeoh, Elle Fanning, Jennifer Lawrence, Pamela Anderson, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, Pedro Pascal, Nicholas Hoult and Jacob Elordi, who stars in Bottega Veneta’s latest campaign — and that list only covers the dressing announcements between October and early December. The latter section of the list also raises another key question: Might Blazy expand the availability of menswear at Chanel? The brand rarely has extended that category beyond one-off looks for Pharrell Williams and a select few others, but Blazy’s talent likewise presents opportunities to play in that arena. And now we’re off to the races, from an attention point of view. The take place Sunday, Jan. 5; the Critics Choice Awards are set for exactly one week later; and Week for the Spring 2025 haute-couture collections is scheduled for Jan. 27-30. When will we see Blazy’s first Chanel design, and will it be on the runway or on a Hollywood star? Those questions will be answered exactly when the house decides, of course, but the anticipation will be at a level unlike any other recent fashion appointments. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter

Pro Picks: Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry go head-to-head in matchup of top 2 rushing leadersMourinho best summed up how quickly a footballer’s career can come and go – Amorim may now have that chat with Rashford

Cutting in line? American Airlines' new boarding tech might stop you at now over 100 airports

To me, mods represent some of the best work happening in video games. I don’t just say this because these additions have allowed me to introduce anime boys to Stardew Valley or put Margaret Thatcher’s grave in Skyrim , but because modding has become a central part of gaming culture and development. In some cases, these fan-made add-ons can make a game playable or introduce vital quality-of-life fixes for major AAA titles . Other times, a mod can change a game so that its romance system, gender markers, or character design options are more inclusive. If you can imagine a change in a game, it’s possible a mod could bring it to life. Modders — who are developers in their own right — have worked on games like Stardew Valley’ s 1.6 update and Starfield . So why don’t they get their due at The Game Awards ? Fan-made work — which modding falls into — used to have an award category at The Game Awards. Called “Best Fan Creation,” this accolade ran from 2014 to 2016. Why does it no longer exist? Polygon reached out to Game Awards creator and host Geoff Keighley and we have yet to hear back from him, but here’s what we do know: Keighley ran into some trouble the final year the award ran. In 2016, Keighley announced the nominations for “Best Fan Creation,” and they included two projects that used Nintendo IP: a Metroid fan project called AM2R and Pokémon Uranium . Initially, fans celebrated the inclusion of these ambitious fan-run projects. However, in the end, Keighley cut both nominations from the final show without giving any comment as to why. Since then, there has been no similar category. Polygon reached out to Nintendo for comment and will update this story when we hear back. The idea that Nintendo intimidated Keighley out of celebrating fan creations isn’t entirely out of the question. The renowned Japanese developer and publisher has cultivated a reputation of being extremely litigious when it comes to fan-made projects and mods of its games. Nintendo’s legal team has issued widespread DMCA takedowns on modding sites and has even taken action against YouTubers who use modded Nintendo games in streams. Looking back, the idea that leadership at Nintendo would let an award show platform fan work does seem almost laughable. But now we’re left with the current unfortunate circumstances. The Game Awards now excludes all the stellar — and completely legal — work that’s happening in the larger game modding scene. Today, we have to make do with the nebulous category of “Best Community Support,” which appears to focus on the community managers of teams rather than the fan communities themselves. There are plenty of developers and publishers that do support modding. Bethesda Softworks doesn’t just approve the use of mods in its games, but has even attempted to monetize modders’ work with the Creation Club . Modding often plays such a central role in the legacy of Bethesda’s games that it’s a running joke within the community that the developers may release rougher games with the understanding that modders will go and fix all the main problems themselves . Bethesda isn’t alone in its support for modding. In the case of Baldur’s Gate 3 — which won the coveted Game of the Year Award in 2023 — the team at Larian Studios updated the game so that it’s as easy to edit and add new content as possible. With Stardew Valley , creator Eric Barone has not only worked to make the game as amenable as possible to modding, but hired some of these creators as developers on his team for later updates. Related: The Game Awards announces Game of the Year 2024 nominees The Game Awards nominations are good, in a tough year for games What happened to these Game Awards reveals? While it might be difficult to navigate which kinds of modding work are or aren’t OK to recognize on a national platform, I think it’ll only get harder for Keighley to ignore the fan-made parts of the game development sphere. The initial buzz of the “ metaverse ” might sound like a dull hum two years after tech CEOs and game developers popularized the term, but user-generated content continues to play a major role in the larger gaming industry. This year, Epic Games tinkered with fan-made Fall Guys maps, and Roblox’s Dress to Impress — while not a fan game — was made for the YouTube-like platform and became a viral hit that brought new audiences to Roblox. User-generated content is pretty trendy right now, but there is also a practical reason to recognize modders: It’s hard work. This year, Barone released the most modder-friendly version of Stardew Valley , and what I witnessed of its modding community was nothing short of incredible. I spoke to people who distributed and shared detailed documentation, teachers who could mentor new developers, and community members who managed Discord servers with hundreds of active users. To me, these kinds of efforts genuinely encapsulate some of the best and brightest work happening in games — something that Keighley seems to be all about. So while I understand why an award category like “Best Legally Sanctioned Fan Made Creation” might be a bit wordy, it would definitely be worth it to give these creators the recognition they deserve. Events Gaming The Game Awards

Workday Announces Fiscal 2025 Third Quarter Financial Results

Kosovo arrests blast suspects, Serbia denies involvement

Jeffrey Fleishman | (TNS) Los Angeles Times The national furor in recent years around banning books on race and gender in public schools is intensifying as President-elect Donald Trump threatens to shut down the Department of Education, emboldening conservatives to end “wokeness” in classrooms. Battles over books in school libraries have become emblematic of the country’s larger culture wars over race, historical revisionism and gender identity. A new report by PEN America found book bans increased by nearly 200% during the 2023-24 school year, including titles on sexuality, substance abuse, depression and other issues students face in an age of accelerating technologies, climate change, toxic politics and fears about the future. Book censorship has shaken and divided school boards, pitted parents against parents, and led to threats against teachers and librarians . It is part of an agenda driven by conservative parental rights groups and politicians who promote charter schools and voucher systems that could weaken public education. The issue goes to the heart not only of what students are taught but how federal and state education policies will affect the nation’s politics after one of the most consequential elections in its history. “It’s not just about taking a book off a shelf,” said Tasslyn Magnusson, an author and teacher from Wisconsin who tracks book censorship across the U.S. “It’s about power and who controls public education. It’s about what kind of America we were and are. We’re trying to define what family is and what America means. That comes down to the stories we tell.” She said she feared Trump’s return to the White House would further incite those calling for book bans: “I don’t have lots of hope. It could get a lot worse.” Over the last year, PEN counted more than 10,000 book bans nationwide that targeted 4,231 unique titles. Most were books dealing with gender, sexuality, race and LGBTQ+ storylines. The most banned title was Jodi Picoult’s “Nineteen Minutes,” about a school shooting that included a short description of date rape. Florida and Iowa — both of which have strict regulations on what students can read — accounted for more than 8,200 bans in the 2023-24 school year. “This crisis is tragic for young people hungry to understand the world they live in and see their identities and experiences reflected in books,” Kasey Meehan, director of PEN’s Freedom to Read Program, said in a statement. “What students can read in schools provides the foundation for their lives.” Trump’s calls to close the Department of Education would need congressional approval, which appears unlikely. Although public schools are largely funded and governed by state and local institutions, the department helps pay to educate students with disabilities, provides about $18 billion in grants for K-12 schools in poor communities and oversees a civil rights branch to protect students from discrimination. But Trump’s election has inspired conservative parental groups, including Moms For Liberty and Parents Defending Education, to strengthen efforts to limit what they see as a liberal conspiracy to indoctrinate children with books and teachings that are perverse, amoral and pornographic. Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, has criticized schools that she says spend too much time on diversity and inclusion when only about one-third of U.S. children are reading at grade level: “We’re talking about public school libraries and content for kids,” Justice told NewsNation after Trump’s victory. “I think it’s very clear that there are certain things that are appropriate for kids, certain things that are appropriate for adults. We’re just getting back to commonsense America.” Trump’s threat to deny federal funding to schools that acknowledge transgender identities could affect curricula and the kinds of books school libraries stock. During his rally at Madison Square Garden in October, Trump — who has has accused schools of promoting sex change operations — said his administration would get “transgender insanity the hell out of our schools.” Vice President-elect JD Vance has accused Democrats of wanting to “put sexually explicit books in toddlers’ libraries.” Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education, told Newsmax that she was excited about Trump’s calls to remake education and “clean up a lot of the mess” he has inherited from the Biden administration. Trump “has centered parental rights back in his platform, which is incredible. He has prioritized knowledge and skill, not identity politics,” she said. “American children deserve better, and it is time for change.” In nominating Linda McMahon to be his secretary of Education, Trump appears to be pushing for more conservative parental control over what is taught and read in classrooms. A former professional wrestling executive, McMahon chairs the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-connected organization that has criticized schools for teaching “racially divisive” theories, notably about slavery and a perspective about the nation’s founding it views as anti-American. “Today’s contentious debates over using classrooms for political activism rather than teaching a complete and accurate account of American history have reinvigorated calls for greater parental and citizen involvement in the curriculum approval process,” the institute’s website says. Culturally divisive issues, including race and LGBTQ+ themes, cost school districts an estimated $3.2 billion during the 2023-24 school year, according to a recent study called “The Costs of Conflict.” The survey — published by the Institute for Democracy, Education and Access at UCLA — found that battles over books and teaching about sexuality and other topics led to increased expenses for legal fees, replacing administrators and teachers who quit, and security, including off-duty plainclothes police officers. “Are we really going to spend our tax dollars on these kinds of things?” asked Magnusson. “After Trump was elected, I saw a bunch of middle-class white ladies like me who were saying, ‘This isn’t America.’ But maybe it is America.” One school superintendent in a Western state told the study’s researchers that his staff was often consumed with correcting misinformation and fulfilling public record requests mainly from hard-line parental rights activists attempting to exploit cultural war issues to discredit the district. “Our staff are spending enormous amounts of time just doing stupid stuff,” the superintendent said. “The fiscal costs to the district are enormous, but [so are] the cultural costs of not standing up to the extremists. If someone doesn’t, then the students and employees lose. ... It’s the worst it’s ever been.” The survey found that 29% of 467 school superintendents interviewed reported that teachers and other staff quit their profession or left their districts “due to culturally divisive conflict.” Censoring books in school libraries grew out of opposition to COVID-19 restrictions. A number of conservative parental groups, including Moms for Liberty, which invited Trump to speak at its national convention in August, turned their attention to lobbying against “liberal indoctrination.” Their protests against what they criticized as progressive teaching on sexuality and race were focused on increasing conservative parental control over a public education system that was struggling at teaching children reading and math. That strategy has led to a national, right-wing effort that is “redefining government power to restrict access to information in our schools,” said Stephana Ferrell, co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project. “This movement to protect the innocence of our children believes if children never read it in a book they won’t have to know about it and can go on to lead harmonious lives. But books teach us cautionary tales. They instruct us. You can’t protect innocence through ignorance.” School districts across the country have removed “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe and “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George Johnson, which are about gender identity and include graphic depictions of sex, along with titles by renowned writers such as Toni Morrison, Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell, Maya Angelou and Flannery O’Connor. Related Articles National Politics | Trump chooses controversial Stanford professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH National Politics | Trump vows tariffs over immigration. What the numbers say about border crossings, drugs and crime National Politics | Trump promised mass deportations. Educators worry fear will keep immigrants’ kids from school National Politics | Trump team says Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal brokered by Biden is actually Trump’s win National Politics | How Trump’s bet on voters electing him managed to silence some of his legal woes Surveys show that most Americans do not favor censorship. The Florida Freedom to Read Project and similar organizations around the country have called for thorough public reviews of challenged books to prevent one scene or passage from being taken out of context. Moderate and liberal parents groups over the last two years have also become more active in school board politics. They have supported school board candidates who have defeated those backed by Moms for Liberty in Texas, Florida and other states. “People say the pendulum will swing back,” said Ferrell. But, she said, conservatives want to “stop the pendulum from swinging back.” Picoult is accustomed to conservatives attempting to censor her. Her books have been banned in schools in more than 30 states. Published in 2007, “Nineteen Minutes” explores the lives of characters, including a girl who was raped, in a town leading up to a school shooting and its aftermath. “Having the most banned book in the country is not a badge of honor. It’s a call for alarm,” said Picoult, whose books have sold more than 40 million copies. “My book, and the 10,000 others that have been pulled off school library shelves this year, give kids a tool to deal with an increasingly divided and difficult world. These book banners aren’t helping children. They are harming them.” ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Janel Drozd grew up wanting to be a nurse. Circumstances when she was younger diverted her toward a career in transportation, so when she got the chance to go back to school for nursing, Drozd, of Griffith, got right on it. She proudly counted herself among some 300 candidates who crossed the dais Saturday during Purdue Northwest’s Fall graduation ceremony December 14. On Monday, she started the first day of her new career as a neuro nurse at a local hospital. “My grandmother who raised me had several health issues, so I was always interested in working in healthcare because of her,” Drozd said. “My grandmother was epileptic, and my great-grandmother passed away from a ruptured brain aneurysm, so anything neuro really interests me.” Soon-to-be graduates file into Purdue Northwest’s afternoon commencement ceremony in Hammond on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune) Keynote speaker Wayne Breitzke, a 2009 graduate and founder of Valparaiso-based marketing firm WeCreate Media, told the graduates that rather than give them questionable advice, he wanted to share three mindset shifts that propelled him to where he is today. One was that asking what you’re getting from a job is not the right question. “‘What are the salary perks? Will there be free coffee? Can we wear sweatpants? Do we even need pants?’ Yes, you need pants,” he said. “But what I’m getting at is instead of asking what I’m getting, you should be asking ‘What am I becoming?’ No plan has you being average, so be above-average. Have an intensity to win and above-average kindness.” Graduates also can’t predict the future, and that’s true, but the future also looks a lot like the past in a lot of ways, so you can plan for it, according to Breitzke. “Think of the Chicago Bears: ‘This is our year!’ typically becomes, ‘There’s always next year.’ You can’t control the seasons, but you can prepare how to react,” he said. Purdue University Northwest alumnus and founder and CEO of WeCreate Media, Wade Breitzke, performs the keynote speech during the school’s Fall commencement ceremony in Hammond on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune) Finally, everyone has a gift, and your imagination is a preview to what’s possible. “You know how you tell someone a great idea, and they kind of tell you, ‘I don’t see it?’ That’s because it just wasn’t planted in their brain,” he said. “Your dreams are meant to guide you. Life is going to test your imagination, but life isn’t what happens to you; it’s how you respond.” Since Drozd already graduated from PNW once, she had an idea what school was going to be like, and her nursing program was as tough as she expected. She loved it anyway. “It was also such a wonderful and supportive environment. I can’t say enough good things about it,” she said. Purdue University Northwest chancellor Kenneth C. Holford applauds for students during the school’s afternoon commencement ceremony in Hammond on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune) Terra Morgan, of Park Forest, Illinois, was having fun striking poses with her family after the ceremony. Morgan went back to school to get her bachelor’s in Marketing, digital marketing and sales after serving a stint in the U.S. Navy. “The Navy helped me with structure and being around other people. I had some great teachers,” she said. “I’m going to miss a lot of people.” There were 650 candidates who received degrees this fall, including 463 baccalaureate degrees, 184 master’s degrees and three earning Nursing doctorates, PNW spokesman Kale Wilk said in a release. College of Technology graduate Anthony Vazquez is presented a chancellor medallion by his father, Jose Vazquez, during Purdue Northwest’s afternoon commencement ceremony in Hammond on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune) Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.How to Watch Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Games – Wednesday, November 27

Young men swung to the right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals

Kane hat trick against Augsburg hides Bayern's concerning lack of goalsYoung men swung to the right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals

In Brazil intercity vans circulating the state of Rio de Janeiro will be equipped with facial recognition. The first batch of vehicles will be equipped in January 2025, and implemented gradually across the fleet until October. The measure was published by Detro-RJ, an agency linked to the State Secretariat of Transport and Urban Mobility (Setram). “This type of technology brings more efficiency to the transport operation and is essential to combat the irregular use of benefits,” said Transport Secretary Washington Reis. “We want passengers to have peace of mind to board the vans and have greater safety in their travels, enjoying the discount granted by the state government. The process will be carried out over ten months, without any harm to operators,” he added. Facial recognition will be used to verify proper use of discounts afforded to groups such as the elderly, students, and those with disabilities. The technology is intended to combat fraud such as the use of the transport card by someone other than the holder. Those caught in improper use could have their benefits suspended. The technology was tested in some regulated vans following a joint study by Detro-RJ, Setram and the civil police. In 2016 a decree was published by Rio state that outlined implementation of biometric control for electronic ticketing services. Biometrics are primarily facial and stored on Rio state databases. The decree prohibits the transfer of data – collected by the passenger transport service – to third parties or for its commercialization in any capacity “without the consent of the granting authority.” Improper use of user data is also punishable. Facial recognition is a , with activist groups calling for bans on its use. The decree can be read in full (in Brazilian Portuguese). | | | | |