New pro-European coalition approved in Romania amid period of political turmoilWERFEN EXPANDS HEMOSTASIS AND ACUTE CARE DIAGNOSTICS TECHNOLOGY CENTER IN BEDFORD, MA
Adelaide, Dec 6: Ravichandran Ashwin was preferred over Washington Sundar for the second Test here because the Indian team management reckoned the senior off-spinner would be more effective on the Adelaide Oval surface, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Friday. Also, Ashwin’s record in pink-ball Tests helped him pip Ravindra Jadeja and Sundar in the playing XI. Australia dominated the opening day’s play and reached 86/1 at stumps after bowling out India for 180 in their first innings, making a strong comeback following the 295-run hammering they received at the hands of the visitors in the series opener at Perth. “Yeah, Washy hasn’t put a foot wrong since he’s come into the fold, halfway through that New Zealand series... I guess the thinking going into the last Test, we wanted to strengthen the batting,” ten Doeschate said at the post-day press conference. “And given what we saw of Nitish in the first Test, we kind of thought we’d go with what we perceived to be the guys bowling the best spin at the moment. And we feel Ash is more likely to get wickets in these conditions.” “When you get the confidence of Nitish batting at 7, it doesn’t really matter with Ash batting at 8. And that was the thinking. Not much to choose between them. And we just thought that Ash would be slightly more effective on this wicket,” he added. Australia will enter the second day trailing by only 94 runs and with nine wickets in hand, but ten Doeschate felt India can still turn things around and will draw inspiration form their remarkable comeback in the Perth Test. “I know that the scores look like there is a big gap between the two teams but we still feel we are in the game and with a few tweaks tomorrow (Saturday), we can get back in the game,” India’s assistant coach told the media. “This team doesn’t need the coaches to go into the dressing room and say we need to fight. The guys understand that implicitly and it’s obviously a very proud team who wants to come here and do well. “We feel slightly behind the game now but there certainly won’t be any letting up and certainly won’t be any surrendering. There certainly is a little bit of swing and a little bit of seam still there. So we’re pretty confident we can still turn it around.” He added, “At Perth, we got bowled out for 150 and still we got back into that game. This is a proud team and the players want to come here and do well. We may be slightly behind in the game now but there certainly won’t be any surrendering.” He was asked if playing less matches with pink ball had something to do with the performance of the team on Friday. “I just think it’s the nature of it. If you’re going to bring the pink ball into it, it’s obviously great for the crowds. It’s a little bit different for the players and we try to use the week as best we can to help them to adapt to the small differences. “I don’t think there are huge differences and I certainly don’t think there’s anything to read into about how the guys performed today. He added that things happen a bit faster with the pink ball. “Things happen in clumps, we lost wickets in clumps, which we wanted to avoid. I also thought that Mitchell’s (Starc) stock ball was very good and there are lessons to be learnt from that first innings. We will look at how we can play better in the second innings.” The assistant coach was full of praise for 21-year-old all-rounder Reddy, who stood out with his solid knock on the first day and dragged India to 180. “We are so chuffed with him. From the prep week in Perth, where he looked like he still needed to figure things out, the way he worked in Perth and the game plans he implemented in Perth, to get crucial runs there, I think to get us to 150 in that first game was amazing. “Just the way he’s gone about his work here. It’s obviously the first pink ball game he’s playing in. There’s still a little bit of work to do. He’s very raw. But for a young kid, a 21-year-old, to come out like that and play three innings of the quality he has, it’s super exciting. “There’s obviously a chat about Washy not playing. But he’s done everything a young player could do in a very short space of time. And we think he’s got a very high ceiling.” Ten Doeschate said India will look to go all out in the first session of the second day. “I think we’ll go as hard as we can in the morning but be slightly conscious of what the rest of the day looks like and what we need to do to get back into the game.”COMMENT: Next Zifa president must possess essential qualitiesIt turns out, leaving the bright lights of London for a bit more space and affordable housing doesn't have to mean worse public transport options. If you're looking to relocate, why not try this town, known as British Hollywood, which has arguably better transport links than London itself. The Night Tube is not the only service to provide trains right through the night into and out of Central London, as there are a handful of National Rail services which run right through the night including on weekdays. These trains continue into the Home Counties too meaning that whilst Londoners have to scramble for the last Tube at midnight or endure a lengthy Night Bus journey, those in selected towns well out into the suburbs are nicely whisked away and tucked into bed before others even hit Zone 2. And one such lucky town is Borehamwood. Home to Albert Square and the former Big Brother house, the Hertfordshire town of Borehamwood also benefits from being in Zone 6, despite being outside of London meaning cheap fares and Oyster are a big bonus. Trains stop here throughout the night whilst making their journey from the capital to St Albans and Bedford. It's only 23 minutes from St Pancras. Trains run roughly every 15 to 60 minutes (although there is a gap between 2am and 6am on Sunday morning). There is also a number 107 Bus service through the town from New Barnet onto to Edgware and the number 292 bus service going into North West London. The town is known as 'British Hollywood' because of the amount of film studios that were built there during the 20th century. While many of these studios are now no longer use, Borehamwood is still the home of Elstree Studios, where Strictly Come Dancing , The Chase, and Pointless are filmed. Many famous films and TV shows have been made there, including the Star Wars movies, the Indiana Jones series, and the TV series Big Brother. BBC Elstree is also located nearby in Borehamwood, and is the filming location of EastEnders . Five minutes from the station, the entire square has been built in the kind of details necessary to convince an HD audience. These are no empty facades, but real buildings with depth. Unfortunately there are no public tours of the Eastenders Sets. Borehamwood is currently undergoing a substantial housing transformation which has seen hundreds of new homes built over the last five years. According to RightMove, house prices in Borehamwood have an overall average of £532,277 over the last year. Overall, the historical sold prices in Borehamwood over the last year were 7% down on the previous year and 1% down on the 2021 peak of £538,492. But Borehamwood actually has a long history, with evidence of human habitation dating back to the Iron Age. During the Roman period, the town was an important center of pottery production, and it remained a small rural settlement for many centuries. Today, Borehamwood is home to Boreham Wood F.C., Arsenal Ladies and Watford F.C. Reserves who play their home games at Meadow Park. It is a thriving town with a population of around 31,000 people. Want more from MyLondon? Sign up to our daily newsletters for all the latest and greatest from across London here.Logan Paul Agrees to Boxing Fight With One of The Sport's Biggest Characters
10 best Ticket to Ride maps and variantsLuigi Nicholas Mangione, the alleged shooter of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, evaded police law enforcement following the shooting on Dec . 4. As there are many questions surrounding Mangione, one thing that has come up in his social media posts and talk with friends is that he played his share of games, including Among Us , the popular social deduction game that became a sensation during the pandemic, according to a report from NBC News on Tuesday. There is some attempt to connect the alleged assassination with the game that involved players killing each other, however, that connection is a bit silly. Among Us, a cartoon-styled social deduction party game, became popular with streamers and was played by millions worldwide during the COVID lockdown. A fellow student at the University of Pennsylvania told NBC News that Mangione was part of a group that played games together, and one of the games they played was Among Us. The individual found it "ironic" that Mangione was the suspect in the shooting of Brian Thompson considering the content of the game. "I just found it extremely ironic that, you know, we were in this game and there could actually be a true killer among us," Alejandro Romero told NBC News. The official Among Us X account posted on Tuesday what seemed to be a response to the report that simply said, "Um..." um Among Us is a social deduction game where players have to identify imposters before they kill their crewmates on a virtual spaceship. The game supports four to 10 people, with players taking the role of crew members while one or two players play as a parasitic shape-shifting alien that needs to kill and sabotage the actions of the crew. Social deduction games are not new, with some tabletop versions going back to the 1980s . Among Us came out in 2018 with minimal fanfare, but it was around September 2020 when the game garnered a huge following after prominent Twitch streamers began playing the game. On Oct. 20, 2020, US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar, Democrats from New York and Minnesota, respectively, played the game on stream with prominent Twitch celebs racking up 439,000 concurrent viewers , which was the third-highest single stream of all time for the streaming platform. A month later, a report said the game had more than half a billion users . As people dig through Mangione's past to uncover his possible motivations for the alleged shooting, there have been more glimpses of his gaming habits. In the yearbook for Gilman School, where Mangione was valedictorian, he was named as being the " Best at Pick-up Lines " and mentioned that he played Smash Bros., the Nintendo mascot fighting game, although which version was not specified. He also mentioned the fighting game Tekken and hero shooter Overwatch in another rant, as reported by the Daily Mail . It appears the 26-year-old man simply did the typical activities that most young people did while growing up. Mangione is currently in custody in Pennsylvania after being apprehended by law enforcement on Monday after receiving a tip from a customer at a McDonald's . Has been denied bail by a judge and is waiting to see if he will be extradited to New York where he will face charges for the crime. In his first public words since a five-day search ended with his arrest at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania, Mangione emerged from a patrol car shouting about an "insult to the intelligence of the American people" while deputies pushed him inside a courthouse.Championing Aviation Safety: Riadel Manzano Advocates for Better Support for Aircraft MechanicsStanley just launched two new colors for its tumblers, but you won’t find them at on its website. Instead, you can only find them at one other major retailer. Dick’s Sporting Goods is exclusively selling two new colors as part of Stanley’s New Frequency Collection. Stanley fans can now buy their tumblers in Periwinkle Shimmer and Rose Petal Shimmer , both for $45. Don’t sit on this buy. New color drops mean the tumblers will go very fast. The new colors are cool tones of rose and periwinkle which “bring a fresh energy inspired by the motion and flow of your days,” Dick’s Sporting Goods’ website says. The tumbler uses its popular vacuum-wall insulation to keep beverages ice-cold for a long time. The FlowState lid features a rotating cover with three different positions: A straw opening that stops splashes, a drink opening and a full-cover top for when you want to keep the drink secure. The tumbler includes a comfort-grip handle that makes it easier to easy. It has a narrow base that fits into most standard car cup holders. More shopping Tory Burch Ella tote $150 in Semi Annual Sale: Extra 25% off select bags Dec. 26, 2024, 2:21p.m. Walmart last-minute gifts: Xbox on sale, available for Christmas Eve pickup Dec. 24, 2024, 1:36p.m. Get UGG Tasman slipper deals as part of Nordstrom Half-Yearly sale Dec. 24, 2024, 11:28a.m. Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale includes waterproof duffel bag under $120 Dec. 21, 2024, 6:00a.m. Nordstrom Rack’s Clear the Rack now live for members: Get 25% off clearance Dec. 20, 2024, 2:54p.m. Kaylee Remington is the shopping and entertainment commerce reporter and metro reporter for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. Read her work online. Generative AI was used to help produce an initial draft of this story, based on information from Dick’s Sporting Goods, which was reviewed and edited by cleveland.com staff.
x YouTube Video Listen to our archived episodes: Pandora | LibSyn | YouTube Support the show: Patreon | PayPal: 1x or monthly | Square Cash * David Waldman counts the days until our next big national funding crisis . Crises more than two weeks off seem like science fiction, don’t they? Won’t we have solved it with AI by then? AI might be a lousy search engine , but it will argue with you as well as any idiot. “Giving a woman an orgasm on purpose is gay” is not AI, but an actual idiot’s opinion . AI also could never have predicted what really motivated economically anxious Republicans in the election. President Joe Biden will hopefully prioritize KITM staff pardons, but Liz Cheney and Anthony Fauci are probably next in line . The " Deny, Defend, Depose " shooter is still at large, flashing his dashing Gyllenhaalian smile while cleverly changing his backpack color, number of coat pockets, and means of transportation to elude the authorities, while ballads are sung of his exploits . We are reminded that it’s unseemly to pattern one’s social movement on the acts of law breakers. Now someone else at United Healthcare will need to sign off on hundreds of millions in ransomware payments . Devout breeder Elon Musk isn’t quite a devout Christian but is ok with you worshiping him . Elon sits at the right hand of Trump, because he outbid all of the other saviors . Musk spent $20 million on a fake “RBG” PAC, because the only thing more important than control to Elon is trolling . Trump’s working on the budget as well, helping weed out any funding not going to an Elon Musk venture , even if it means firing Louis DeJoy . Instead of a gold standard, perhaps we can base our economy on pump and dumping meme stocks ? Hawk Tuah ! House Republicans blocked release of the Matt Gaetz ethics report, because they can . Democratic Representative Sean Casten might still force them to release it, though.Cong Centenary Celebrations: This Is Not Time For Despair; We Must Fight With Unity, Says Kharge
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 1:00 p.m. EST
The yearning for Uranus: A far-out world with a tale to tellNoneALBANY, N.Y. — Christian Brothers Academy will honor and celebrate former head coach David Doemel ’71 with a special court dedication ceremony on Friday, Dec. 27, at 6:30 p.m. in the Ned McGraw Gymnasium, before the start of the Holiday Basketball Tournament Varsity game. “Christian Brothers Academy has been honored to have David Doemel ’71 as part of its faculty and coaching staff for more than 40 years,” wrote a spokesperson for the CBA athletic department, via press release, on Thursday. “Coach Doemel ’71 has played an integral role in the success of Christian Brothers Academy for over half acentury. His positive impact on thousands of students, players, and families will forever be remembered;and will have a presence in CBA history as one of our winningest coaches.” Doemel finished his varsity basketball career with 415 victories, seven Section 2 titles, and the only basketball State Championship in school history. In addition, with 248 varsity baseball victories, Doemel is second only to JimPedlow ’60 in career baseball wins. No one in the history of CBA has more combined victories at all levels than Dave Doemel. CBA will unveil the name of the basketball court; which will be known as ‘The Dave Doemel ’71 Court’, in front of Dave’s family, friends, colleagues, former students, alumni, and the entire CBA community. The celebration will continue with a reception in the CBA cafeteria, post-ceremony. The Brothers are 2-1 in 2024-25 under new, first-year head coach and program alum Galal Cancer. They’ll take on Chaminade (0-2) at 7 p.m., marking a second straight matchup against a New York Catholic High School League opponent.
Debunking false claims about US drone sightings | Fact check roundup
GOTHENBURG, Sweden , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Stena RoRo has taken delivery of E-Flexer No. 12 - in a series of 15 vessels - from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). The ship is the Guillaume de Normandie and is long-term chartered to the French shipping company Brittany Ferries. In April next year, the ship will enter service on the Portsmouth - Caen route, replacing the Normandie, which has sailed the route since 1992. This is the fifth of five ordered E-Flexer vessels for the Brittany Ferries fleet. Just as with four of the five E-Flexer ships that Stena RoRo has delivered to Brittany Ferries, the vessel will be powered by multi-fuel engines as well as the market's largest battery-hybrid package of 12 MWh. With these batteries, the ship will be able to operate in and out of port solely on battery power and even maneuver when docking and undocking without using the ship's diesel engines. This is a unique technical solution that provides significantly lower CO2 emissions for the ship. The E-Flexer concept has been continuously developed in line with future environmental requirements, and through its technical design and high degree of innovation, it can fulfill and exceed both existing and future international requirements. The Guillaume de Normandie is also equipped with a shore connection with an output of 8 MW for high-speed charging of the batteries, which also enables a completely fossil-free stay when in port. With the installed battery capacity, the vessel can operate at speeds of up to 17.5 knots on batteries alone. The ship's engines can be powered by marine diesel (MGO), liquefied natural gas (LNG), biodiesel or biogas. In addition, the PTI/PTO system with the Battery Power function can be used for propulsion at sea or maneuvering in port. The system is scalable, which means that in the future, the Guillaume de Normandie can operate entirely on batteries or with a combination of the different fuels. The ship's modern interior (designed by Figura Arkitekter AB) has been especially created for the current route and with clear influences from Normandy. The ship is certified for 1300 passengers along with 2410 lane meters of cargo, whereof 176 lane meters for personal cars. The E-Flexer series is based on a basic concept with vessels larger than most existing RoPax ferries and features a highly flexible design. Each ship is tailored to customers' needs, both commercially and technically. An optimized design of the hull, propellers and rudders along with opportunities to incorporate new environmentally friendly technology contribute to the E-Flexer vessels being at the absolute forefront in terms of sustainability and performance as well as cost and energy efficiency. "It is with great satisfaction and pride that we have now taken delivery of the twelfth E-Flexer vessel in the series," says Stena RoRo AB Managing Director Per Westling . "Within the framework of the E-Flexer concept, there has been continuous technical development and we can offer our customers flexible and future-proof propulsion systems that by a wide margin meet both today's and future environmental requirements. The large battery hybrid system we installed on the Guillaume de Normandie means that the ship can operate optimally, in step with regulatory developments, or in accordance with the operator's own policies." The Guillaume de Normandie is chartered to Brittany Ferries for 10 years. The total of five E-Flexer ships ordered by Brittany Ferries are renewing and modernizing the company's current fleet of cargo and passenger ships. The first ferry, the Galicia , was delivered in the autumn of 2020, the second in November 2021 , the third in December 2023 . The Saint-Malo was delivered in October 2024 , which is the fourth vessel in the series, and the Guillaume de Normandie in December 2024 , the fifth and final ship. Stena RoRo currently has 15 confirmed orders at CMI Jinling, Weihai shipyard for E-Flexer vessels, as well as two orders for New Max RoRo vessels. Twelve vessels have now been delivered. Stena E-Flexer orders: 1. Stena Line : Stena Line network in the Irish Sea; delivered in 2019 2. Stena Line ; Stena Line's network in the Irish Sea, delivered in 2020 3. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network; delivered in 2020 Long-term charter agreement 4. Stena Line : Stena Line network in the Irish Sea; delivered in 2021 5. DFDS; DFDS network; delivered in 2021 Long-term charter agreement 6. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network; delivery 2021 Long-term charter agreement; LNG operation 7. Stena Line ; Stena Line network, delivered from the shipyard in May 2022 Extended version 8. Stena Line ; Stena Line's network, delivered from the shipyard in September 2022 Extended version 9. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network; delivered in December 2022 Long-term charter agreement, LNG operation 10. Marine Atlantic; Marine Atlantic network, delivered in February 2024 Long charter agreement; LNG operation with battery-hybrid installation 11. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network, delivered in 2024 Long charter agreement; LNG operation with battery-hybrid installation 12. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network, delivered in 2024 Long charter agreement; LNG operation with battery-hybrid installation 13. Corsica Linea, Corsica Linea network, delivery 2026 LNG operation with battery-hybrid installation 14. Attica Group, delivery April 2027 Methanol-ready, battery-hybrid installation 15. Attica Group, delivery August 2027 Methanol-ready, battery-hybrid installation E-Flexer No. 12 specifications for Brittany Ferries: Length: 194.7 m Draught: 6.5 m Beam: 27.8 m Capacity: 1300 passengers and 2410 lane meters, of which 176 lane meters are intended for automobiles Passenger cabins: 222 distributed over four decks Speed: 23 knots (17.5 on batteries only Photos: CMJS Shipyard Captions: For more information, please contact: Per Westling , Managing Director, Stena RoRo AB Tel: +46 31 855154; +46 704 85 51 54 Email: [email protected] Since 1977, Stena RoRo has led development of new marine RoRo, cargo and passenger concepts. We provide custom-built vessels, as well as standardized RoRo and RoPax vessels. The company leases about fifteen vessels to operators worldwide, both other Stena companies and third parties. Stena RoRo specializes above all in using its technical expertise for the design and production of new vessels and the conversion and technical operation of existing vessels in order to deliver tailor-made transport solutions to its customers. We call this "Stenability". Since 2013, we have had responsibility for the design and completion of Mercy Ships' new hospital vessel the Global Mercy – the world's largest civilian hospital ship. The ship was delivered in 2021. www.stenaroro.com Brittany Ferries is a French ferry company and tour operator based in Roscoff, France . The company was founded by an agricultural cooperative in Breton for exporting vegetables to the UK. The first ferry voyage was from Roscoff to Plymoth on January 2, 1972 , the day after the UK joined the EEC – the European Economic Community, the predecessor to the EU. The cargo consisted of artichokes and cauliflower. The company quickly expanded with more ships and routes when it became clear that the biggest market was British tourists who wanted to explore Brittany and later Normandy as well. Brittany Ferries presently operates 14 routes connecting France , Great Britain , Spain and Ireland . In a normal year, the company has sales of approximately 450 million Euros and transports approximately 2.5 million passengers and 205,000 freight units. The company is still largely owned by French farmers, supported by the regions of Brittany and Normandy, and prides itself on being the largest employer of seafarers in France . www.brittanyferries.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/r/stena-roro-takes-delivery-of-the-battery-hybrid-vessel-guillaume-de-normandie,c4086104 The following files are available for download:
Stock indexes drifted to a mixed finish on Wall Street Thursday, as some heavyweight technology and communications sector stocks offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1% after spending the day wavering between small gains and losses. The tiny loss ended the benchmark index's three-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%. Trading volume was lighter than usual as U.S. markets reopened following the Christmas holiday. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, slipped 0.2%. Meta Platforms fell 0.7%, and Amazon and Netflix each fell 0.9%. Tesla was among the biggest decliners in the S&P 500, finishing 1.8% lower. Some tech companies fared better. Chip company Broadcom rose 2.4%, Micron Technology added 0.6% and Adobe gained 0.5%. Health care stocks were a bright spot. CVS Health rose 1.5% and Walgreens Boots Alliance added 5.3% for the biggest gain among S&P 500 stocks. Several retailers also gained ground. Target rose 3%, Ross Stores added 2.3%, Best Buy rose 2.9% and Dollar Tree gained 3.8%. Traders are watching to see whether retailers have a strong holiday season. The day after Christmas traditionally ranks among the top 10 biggest shopping days of the year, as consumers go online or rush to stores to cash in gift cards and raid bargain bins. U.S.-listed shares in Honda and Nissan rose 4.1% and 16.4%, respectively. The Japanese automakers announced earlier this week that the two companies are in talks to combine. All told, the S&P 500 fell 2.45 points to 6,037.59. The Dow added 28.77 points to 43,325.80. The Nasdaq fell 10.77 points to close at 20,020.36. Wall Street got a labor market update. U.S. applications for unemployment benefits held steady last week , though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years, the Labor Department reported. Treasury yields mostly fell in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 4.58% from 4.59% late Tuesday. Major European markets were closed, as well as Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. Trading was expected to be subdued this week with a thin slate of economic data on the calendar. Still, U.S. markets have historically gotten a boost at year’s end despite lower trading volumes. The last five trading days of each year, plus the first two in the new year, have brought an average gain of 1.3% since 1950. So far this month, the U.S. stock market has lost some of its gains since President-elect Donald Trump’s win on Election Day, which raised hopes for faster economic growth and more lax regulations that would boost corporate profits. Worries have risen that Trump’s preference for tariffs and other policies could lead to higher inflation , a bigger U.S. government debt and difficulties for global trade. Even so, the U.S. market remains on pace to deliver strong returns for 2024. The benchmark S&P 500 is up 26.6% so far this year and remains near its most recent all-time high it set earlier this month — its latest of 57 record highs this year. Wall Street has several economic reports to look forward to next week, including updates on pending home sales and home prices, a report on U.S. construction spending and snapshots of manufacturing activity. AP Business Writers Elaine Kurtenbach and Matt Ott contributed.Was Luigi Mangione Missing Before Brian Thompson Shooting? What We Know
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NoneRichard Drury Thesis Silvercrest Asset Management ( NASDAQ: SAMG ) is a wealth management firm with an excellent track record of retaining clients and growing their assets under management. Lately, they are targeting a new global equity strategy that is potentially going to Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
When Nathan Hecht ran for the Texas Supreme Court in 1988, no Republican had ever been elected to the state’s highest civil court. His election foreshadowed a coming transformation of the court, civil legal procedure and Texas itself. Hecht is the longest tenured Supreme Court justice in Texas history. He won six reelections and led the court as chief justice for more than a decade. He heard more than 2,700 oral arguments, authored 7,000 pages of opinions, and retires now not because he’s had enough, but because state law requires him to. Late on a Friday afternoon, just two weeks before he hung up his robe, he was still in his office, his mind mired in the work that was left to be done. “This is always a really busy time for us, because the opinions are mounting up to be talked about,” he said. “It’ll be busy next week.” Hecht began as a dissenter on a divided court, his conservative positions on abortion, school finance and property rights putting him at odds with the Democratic majority and some moderate Republicans. But as Texas Republicans began dominating up and down the ballot, his minority voice became mainstream on one of the country’s most conservative high courts. In his administration of the court, Hecht has been a fierce advocate for the poor, pushing for more Legal Aid funding, bail reform and lowering the barriers to accessing the justice system. RELATED COVERAGE Texas man whose execution was halted in shaken baby case is again stopped from testifying SpaceX wants to make Starbase a new Texas city. Here’s how it could happen Republican-led states are rolling out plans that could aid Trump’s mass deportation effort “If justice were food, too many would be starving,” Hecht told lawmakers in 2017. “If it were housing, too many would be homeless. If it were medicine, too many would be sick.” Hecht’s departure leaves a vacancy that Gov. Greg Abbott , a former justice himself, will get to fill. He may elevate a current justice or appoint someone new directly to the chief justice role. Whoever ends up in the top spot will have to run for reelection in 2026. In his typical understated manner, so at odds with the bombast of the other branches of government, Hecht told The Texas Tribune that serving on the court has been the honor of his life. “I have gotten to participate not only in a lot of decisions shaping the jurisprudence of the state, but also in trying to improve the administration of the court system so that it works better and fosters public trust and confidence,” he said. “So I feel good about the past,” he said. “And I feel good about the future.” A ‘sea change’ Born in Clovis, New Mexico, Hecht studied philosophy at Yale before getting his law degree from Southern Methodist University. He clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and returned to Texas, where his reputation preceded him. As a young lawyer, Tom Phillips, a former chief justice and now a partner at Baker Botts, reached out to a Dallas law firm that had promised to hire him the next chance they got. “I called them a few months later and said, ‘So I assume you never got a vacancy,’” Phillips recalls. “And they said, ‘Well, we did, but we had a chance to hire Nathan Hecht, so you’ll understand why we went ahead and did that.’” Hecht was appointed to the district court in 1981 and quickly made a name for himself, pushing the court to modernize their stenography practices and taking the unusual step of writing opinions as a trial judge. He was elected to the court of appeals in 1986, and ran for Texas Supreme Court two years later. This race came at a low point for Texas’ judiciary, after a string of scandals, ethics investigations, eyebrow-raising rulings and national news coverage made several sitting Supreme Court justices household names — and not in a good way. Seeing an opportunity, Hecht challenged one of the incumbents, a Democrat who’d been called out in a damning 60 Minutes segment for friendly relationships with lawyers who both funded his campaigns and argued before the court. Hecht teamed up with Phillips and Eugene Cook, two Republicans who had recently been appointed to the court, and asked voters to “Clean the Slate in ’88,” separating themselves from the Democrats by promising to only accept small donations. “Party politics were changing in the state at the same time, but the broader issue on our court at the time was to ensure that judges were following the law,” Hecht said. “That was a driving issue.” Since Phillips and Cook were incumbents, Hecht was the only one who had to take on a sitting Supreme Court justice. And he won. “It really was a sea change in Texas political history,” Phillips said. “He was the first person ever to do that in a down ballot race, to defeat a Democrat as a Republican.” Political changes Republican dominance swept through the Supreme Court as swiftly as it did Texas writ large. The last Democrat would be elected to the court in 1994, just six years after the first Republican. But even among Bush-era Republicans filling the bench, Hecht’s conservatism stood out. In 2000, he wrote a dissent disagreeing with the majority ruling that allowed teens in Texas to get abortions with a judge’s approval if their parents wouldn’t consent, and a few years earlier, ruled in favor of wealthy school districts that wanted to use local taxes to supplement state funds. His pro-business bent stood out next to the court’s history of approving high dollar payouts for plaintiffs. Alex Winslow, the executive director of Texas Watch, a consumer advocacy group, told the New York Times in 2005 that Hecht was “the godfather of the conservative judicial movement in Texas.” “Extremist would be an appropriate description,” Winslow said. “He’s the philosophical leader of the right-wing fringe.” The only other justice who regularly staked out such a conservative position, according to the New York Times, was Priscilla Owen, who President George W. Bush appointed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2005. Hecht and Owen, who now goes by her maiden name, Richmond, wed in 2022 . Wallace Jefferson, Hecht’s predecessor as chief justice, said Hecht’s sharp intellect and philosophical approach to the law improved the court’s opinions, even when he ultimately didn’t side with the majority. “He was a formidable adversary,” said Jefferson, now a partner at Alexander Dubose & Jefferson. “You knew that you would have to bring your best approach and analysis to overcome Nathan’s approach and analysis ... You had to come prepared and Nathan set the standard for that.” Hecht briefly became a national figure in 2005 when he helped Bush’s efforts to confirm Harriet Miers to the U.S. Supreme Court. As her longtime friend, Hecht gave more than 120 interviews to bolster Miers’ conservative credentials, jokingly calling himself the “PR office for the White House,” Texas Monthly reported at the time . This advocacy work raised ethical questions that Hecht fought for years, starting with a reprimand from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Hecht got that overturned. The Texas Ethics Commission then fined him $29,000 for not reporting the discount he got on the legal fees he paid challenging the reprimand. He appealed that fine and the case stretched until 2016 , when he ultimately paid $1,000. Hecht has largely stayed out of the limelight in the decades since, letting his opinions speak for themselves and wading into the political fray mostly to advocate for court reforms. While Democrats have tried to pin unpopular COVID and abortion rulings on the justices in recent elections, Republicans continue to easily win these down-ballot races. Hecht is aware of the perception this one-party dominance creates, and has advocated for Texas to turn away from partisan judicial elections. In his 2023 state of the judiciary address , Hecht warned that growing political divisions were threatening the “judicial independence essential to the rule of law,” pointing to comments by both Democratic politicians and former President Donald Trump. But in an interview, Hecht stressed that most of the cases the Texas Supreme Court considers never make headlines, and are far from the politics that dominate Austin and Washington. “There’s no Republican side to an oil and gas case. There’s no Democrat side to a custody hearing,” he said. “That’s the bread and butter of what we do, and that’s not partisan.” Hecht’s reforms Unlike its federal counterpart, the Texas Supreme Court is often a temporary port of call on a judge’s journey. Many, like Abbott, Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett , leave for higher office. Others, like Owen and 5th Circuit Judge Don Willett, leave for higher courts. Most, like Phillips, leave for higher pay in private practice. But Hecht stayed. “I didn’t plan it like this,” Hecht said. “I just kept getting re-elected.” Hecht had been considering retirement in 2013, when Jefferson, the chief justice who replaced Phillips, announced he would be stepping down. “He wanted me to consider being his successor,” Hecht said. “So I did, and here I am. I didn’t say, ‘Let’s spend 43 years on the bench,’ but one thing led to another.” In 2013, Hecht was sworn in as chief justice by then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, another great dissenter whose views later became the majority. While the Texas Supreme Court’s political makeup has changed largely without Hecht’s input, the inner workings of the court have been under his purview. And that, many court watchers say, is where his greatest legacy lies. Hecht ushered in an era of modernization, both to the technology and the rules that govern justice in Texas. He led a push to simplify the appellate rules, removing many of the trapdoors and procedural quirks that led to important cases being decided on technicalities. The court scaled back how long cases could drag on by limiting discovery, including how long a deposition can go. And he ensured every case was decided before the term ended, like the U.S. Supreme Court. “I think people generally don’t understand the impact the rules can have on the equitable resolution of disputes, but they’re enormous,” Jefferson said. “Nathan recognized that at an early juncture in his career.” Hecht pushed Texas to adopt e-filing before many other states, which proved prescient when COVID hit. Hecht, who was then president of the national Conference of Chief Justices, was able to help advise other states as they took their systems online. Hecht also dedicated himself to improving poor Texan’s access to the justice system, pushing the Legislature to appropriate more funding for Legal Aid and reducing the barriers to getting meaningful legal resolutions. He helped usher through a rule change that would allow paraprofessionals to handle some legal matters like estate planning, uncontested divorces and consumer debt cases, without a lawyer’s supervision. “Some people call it the justice gap. I call it the justice chasm,” Hecht said. “Because it’s just a huge gulf between the people that need legal help and the ability to provide it.” Hecht said he’s glad this has been taken up as a bipartisan issue, and he’s hopeful that the same attention will be paid even after he leaves the court. “No judge wants to give his life’s energy to a work that mocks the justice that he’s trying to provide,” he said. “For the judiciary, this is an important issue, because when the promise of equal justice under law is denied because you’re too poor, there’s no such thing as equal justice under the law.” What comes next Despite the sudden departure of their longtime leader, the Texas Supreme Court will return in January to finish out its term, which ends in April. Among the typical parsing of medical malpractice provisions, oil and gas leases, divorce settlements and sovereign immunity protections, the high court has a number of more attention-grabbing cases on its docket this year. Earlier this year, the court heard oral arguments about the Department of Family and Protective Services’ oversight of immigration detention facilities, and in mid-January, they’ll consider Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to subpoena Annunciation House, an El Paso nonprofit that serves migrants. They’ll also hear arguments over Southern Methodist University’s efforts to cut ties with the regional governing body of the United Methodist Church. Other cases will be added to the schedule before April. Phillips, who has argued numerous cases before the Texas Supreme Court since leaving the bench, said Hecht’s loss will be felt, but he expects the court to continue apace. “It’s not a situation like it might have been at some point in the past where if one justice left, nobody would know what to do next,” he said. “It’s an extremely qualified court.” As for Hecht, he’s tried to put off thinking too much about what comes next for him. He still has opinions to write and work to finish. He knows he wants to stay active in efforts to improve court administration nationally and in Texas, and he’s threatened his colleagues with writing a tell-all book, just to keep them on their toes. But beyond that, he’s waiting for the reality of retirement to sink in before he decides on his next steps. “We’ve got 3,200 judges in Texas, plus adjuncts and associate judges and others,” he said. “I really think it’s such a strong bench, and I am proud to have been a part of it. I look forward to helping where I can.” ___ This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.On paper, Luigi Mangione had it all: wealth, intellect, athleticism, good looks. But the child of a prominent Maryland family may have spurned it all in a spasm of violence, in a killing that has mesmerized Americans. The 26-year-old was arrested Monday and charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, a health insurance chief executive and father of two who was gunned down in Manhattan last week by someone who, evidence suggests, has endured his own debilitating health crises and grew angry with the privatized US medical system. The cold-blooded killing has laid bare the deep frustration many Americans feel toward the country's labyrinthine health care system: while many have condemned the shooting, others have praised Mangione as a hero. It has also prompted considerable interest in how a young engineer with an Ivy League education could have gone off the rails to commit murder. News of his capture at a Pennsylvania McDonald's triggered an explosion of online activity, with Mangione quickly amassing new followers on social media as citizen sleuths and US media tried to understand who he is. As Americans have looked for clues about a political ideology or potential motive, a photo on his X account (formerly Twitter) includes an X-ray of an apparently injured spine. Mangione lived in Hawaii in 2022 and, according to his former roommate R.J. Martin, suffered from back pain, and was hoping to strengthen his back. After a surfing lesson, Mangione was "in bed for about a week" because of the pain, Martin told CNN. Earlier this year, Martin said, Mangione confirmed he'd had back surgery and sent him photos of the X-rays. Police said the suspect carried a hand-written manifesto of grievances in which he slammed America's "most expensive health care system in the world." "He was writing a lot about his disdain for corporate America and in particular the health care industry," New York police chief detective Joseph Kenny told ABC. According to CNN, a document recovered when Mangione was arrested included the phrase "these parasites had it coming." Meanwhile, memes and jokes proliferated, many riffing on his first name and comparing him to the "Mario Bros." video game character Luigi. Many expressed at least partial sympathy, having had their own harrowing experiences with the US health care system. "Godspeed. Please know that we all hear you," wrote one user on Facebook. Mangione hails from the Baltimore area. His wealthy Italian-American family owns local businesses, including the Hayfields Country Club, according to local outlet the Baltimore Banner, and cousin Nino Mangione is a Maryland state delegate. A standout student, Luigi graduated at the top of his high school class in 2016. A former student who knew Mangione at the elite Gilman School told AFP the suspect struck him as "a normal guy, nice kid." "There was nothing about him that was off, at least from my perception," the person said. Mangione attended the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, where he completed both a bachelor's and master's degree in computer science by 2020, according to a university spokesperson. While at Penn, Mangione co-led a group of 60 undergraduates who collaborated on video game projects, as noted in a now-deleted university webpage. On Instagram Mangione shared snapshots of his travels, and shirtless images of himself flaunting a six-pack. X users have scoured Mangione's posts for potential motives. His header photo includes an X-ray of a spine with bolts attached. Finding a political ideology that fits neatly onto the right-left divide has proved elusive, though he had written a review of Ted Kaczynski's manifesto on online site Goodreads, calling it "prescient." Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, carried out multiple bombings in the United States from 1978 to 1995, in a campaign he said was aimed at halting the advance of modern society and technology. Mangione has also linked approvingly to posts criticizing secularism as a harmful consequence of Christianity's decline, and retweeted posts on the impact mobile phones and social media have on mental health. ia/abo-mlm/nro
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