NoneThe Intel Arc B580 graphics card has finally released It's gotten positive attention due to its price and performance This could bring back the budget PC market The Intel Arc B580 graphics card has finally been released after months of rumors, leaks, and reports about its prospective specs, and so far the reviews of this $250 budget card have been extremely positive. According to reviews, the Intel card boasts higher performance than both the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 while also coming in at a lower price. While the aforementioned reports had already stated this was the case, official benchmarks from these reviews have all but confirmed it as fact. Not only is this promising news in its own right, as Intel is offering excellent graphics cards for an even better price point which allows budget-minded gamers an affordable option for their PC without sacrificing performance. But it also heralds an even bigger change in the tech market — the rejuvenation of the budget PC. How budget PCs can make their return Building the best budget PC , especially a budget gaming rig, is not only the realm of those who cannot afford a premium desktop, but also a long-honored tradition among hobbyists. Finding PC components under a certain price that still offers a cost-effective value is a challenge with tangible results. We prove this with our own guides on building a budget machine , including one for less than $800 . However, in recent years the two major manufacturers of graphics cards — AMD and Nvidia — have been investing less and less in budget cards, which in turn has negatively impacted the cheap PC build. But with Intel’s Arc B580, there’s finally more competition in the market as the tech giant proves that impressive performance can come with a reasonable price tag. The best-case scenario is that Intel’s continued presence in the budget graphics card market will encourage (and even force) Team Green and Team Red to keep competing with it by releasing their own cheaper cards. This would in turn help to bolster the cheap PC market, which is a boon for many buyers and hobbyists. In the end, it turns out that Intel's decision not to give up on desktop graphics cards after the Battlemage line was its best decision, as the tech giant clearly has a hit niche on its hands. Especially considering the current and possible future market for tech. I've never taken Intel's GPU competition seriously, but the Arc B580 has left me no choice Intel Battlemage GPU spotted in benchmark – chill out, PC gamers, there’s no need to panic over that leaked B580 core count Intel’s next-gen Arc B580 spotted, backing up rumors of a December launch for Battlemage GPUs
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Ottawa ringette team loses club support for naming itself 'The Boobies'What Pam Bondi, Trump's new AG pick, has said about investigating DOJ prosecutorsHAVERFORD – Haverford High didn’t need any extra motivation heading into its Thanksgiving clash with Upper Darby, but coach Luke Dougherty decided to add a spark by inviting one of the program’s all-time greats to address the team earlier in the week. Jack Donaghy, the 2015 Daily Times Player of the Year, shared his insights on the importance of the storied rivalry. Donaghy, who threw for a then-program record 5,296 yards during his illustrious career – a record broken by Jake Ruane in 2018 – was instrumental in leading the Fords to the Central League title his senior year. In a winner-take-all showdown with Upper Darby in 2015, Donaghy delivered a legendary performance with 307 passing yards, five touchdowns through the air and two more rushing scores, including a dramatic 19-yard run to the end zone with 18 seconds left to secure the victory. “Jack’s in town so he was gracious enough to come in and talk about the 2015 season and all of the prep work that goes into a rivalry game,” Dougherty said after practice Monday night. “He just reminded these guys what a big one it is, and they were excited to hear from him. Jack’s like a celebrity to them.” Nine years later, junior running back Liam Taylor is on the brink of making history of his own. With 2,741 rushing yards this season, Taylor is only 92 yards shy of breaking the Delaware County single-season rushing record, held by Abu Kamara of Interboro (2,832) since 2022. More significantly, a win on Thanksgiving would give Haverford a share of the Central League championship alongside Springfield and Strath Haven. “Obviously, this game is huge. This year it’s for the Central League, you know?” Taylor said. “Especially after the loss to North Penn (in the District 1 Class 6A tournament), we’re all focused to go out there and take our anger out and end the season with a big win.” Another key motivator for the Fords is their desire for redemption against Upper Darby after last season’s stinging loss. In that matchup, then-junior Jaylen Johnson led the Royals to a 16-15 victory in a battle of one-win teams. Johnson was unstoppable, rushing for 108 yards on 15 carries, scoring two touchdowns and converting a pair of two-point runs to earn Offensive MVP honors. Last season, Taylor was the Fords’ starting quarterback, and against UD he completed 6 of 11 passes for 109 yards and a 43-yard touchdown pass. He also ran for 70 yards and a score. After a decade without a win in the rivalry, Upper Darby has taken two of the last three meetings. Thursday’s game marks the 102nd edition of the series. “It’s definitely really special. The rivalry has been going on for over 100 years,” Taylor said. “This is our game, you know? Every single Haverford team before us has this game in common. And it’s the goal to win this game every year. Obviously, as a team you always have other goals, but this is the biggest one. And it’s even bigger for us because it’s for the Central League championship.” This season, both programs have taken significant strides forward. Haverford has seen a dramatic turnaround, going from 1-9 last year to 10-2. Upper Darby, while it failed to qualify for districts, has improved to 5-5 and closed the regular season with consecutive wins over Harriton and Lower Merion. The Royals will face the Fords after a month-long layoff since their last game. The Fords had hoped to push their playoff run past the second round, but fell to North Penn. Rather than dwell on the loss, they quickly shifted their focus to the Thanksgiving showdown. “Wins and losses aside, this group ... they love football,” Dougherty said. “This is like an easy sell to them because, one, the tradition of the game is amazing. Two, I think when we went out and practiced for the first time after the North Penn loss, we felt like we shot ourselves in the foot on both sides of the ball and on special teams, so these guys were like, let’s fix the mistakes and make sure we don’t make similar mistakes on Thanksgiving. That was their mindset pretty quickly. They bounced back. They were hurt by the North Penn loss, but motivated knowing that they’ve got one more ... and it’s a big one.” Whereas Taylor, with over 30 touchdowns, has been the Fords’ offensive superstar, senior defensive end Jake Lisicki has been a game-changer on the other side of the ball. Lisicki ranks among Pennsylvania’s top pass rushers with 15 sacks, which is a Haverford single-season record. He’s also tallied 39 tackles, forced two fumbles and snagged an interception. “I guess I’ve never been a guy who has played just one position. I played safety before and I switched positions coming into this season,” Lisicki said. “Once I knew I would be a defensive end for this year, I really knew what I had to do to hone in on and work on to become a better player.” On offense, Lisicki contributes as a blocking tight end, anchoring the edge for the run game. Lisicki has committed to Marist College. “It’s been great to be part of that group on offense,” he said. “I think most receivers might tell you they want to pass more, but I think it’s fun running the ball. I just like blocking people.” Dougherty knows that without players like Lisicki setting blocks, Taylor wouldn’t be knocking on the door of breaking the county’s rushing record. “He’s so physical, so long, and he’s a weight room kid. There’s a reason why he’s going to play Division I football, and it’s because he’s got all the ability in the world,” Dougherty said. “We were hard on him as a junior because we saw that potential. He worked hard in the weight room in the offseason and it’s really showed. He’s just an awesome kid and we’re really going to miss him next year.” The opening kickoff is set for 10 a.m. at A.G. Cornog Field. The Fords lead the series against the Royals with a 50-45-6 record. “Upper Darby has done a great job this year. They have great athletes over there,” Dougherty said. “We’re just excited to play a physical rivalry game that’s existed for over 100 years. It’s pretty cool to say that and get to be a part of it, too.”
The announcement by Science Minister Judith Collins this week that half of New Zealand's sole fund for fundamental science will now go to research with economic benefits – with social sciences and the humanities no longer supported – came as a shock to many. Perhaps it shouldn't have. The signs have been there for a while. In August, Collins spoke at the 30th anniversary celebration of the Marsden Fund. Her insistence on economic impact worried many in the room because this fund was meant to support pure – not applied – research. Her statement that "we must endeavour to invest our money in areas that we believe have the best chance of showing a return on investment" may not seem extraordinary. Indeed, for most government research funding – including through the Endeavour Programmes, Smart Ideas funding, the Crown Research Institutes or the Health Research Council – the purpose of research is important. But this is explicitly not what the Marsden Fund was set up to do. Former National Party minister Simon Upton quoted his own words from 30 years ago at the anniversary event: For the first time, the government has made funding available for research, not on the basis that the research will be useful, though it may be, or that it will solve an urgent problem, although it could do, but on the basis of its ingenuity and the likelihood of generating some first-class science. A bipartisan history The Marsden Fund was set up to underpin the generation of knowledge in our university and science systems. In its latest allocation last month, the fund invested NZ$$75.82 million to support 113 projects. But the funded projects represent only 10% of the applications received (12% for the shorter fast-start grants). These low success rates mean many good ideas miss out. The proposed change is massive: the issues with expecting research to deliver predetermined outcomes – referred to in science policy terms as "picking winners" – have been discussed for a long time. If...
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Hezbollah Bombards Haifa; Israelis Flee Homes | Huge Attack Near Beirut Airport Ahead Of TruceNEW YORK (AP) — Walmart's sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are revaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The changes announced by the world's biggest retailer followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The risk associated with some of programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches -- the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President -- are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the November survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated at Pew called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI," Glasgow said. "The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Last fiscal year, Walmart said it spent more than $13 billion on minority, women or veteran-owned good and service suppliers. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America's top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart's announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart's need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company no longer has explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer's ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart." Walmart's announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” He said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have “record participation” of more than 1,400 companies in 2025." Alexandra Olson And Cathy Bussewitz, The Associated Press
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