Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund, Inc. November 2024 Monthly UpdateAmericans made $3.6 billion in charitable donations this week — a double-digit increase of 16% from Giving Tuesday 2023’s total of $3.1 billion, according to The GivingTuesday Data Commons , the group that tracks the data. And more people than ever — 36.1 million — donated to a charity that day, up 7% from last year. Add this to the mix: Giving by individuals is predicted to increase by 2.6% in 2024 and by 3.4% in 2025, surpassing previous annual average giving bumps, according to research from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. That feels good. As we slide into December, many of us who bypassed the much-hyped Giving Tuesday, me included, are focusing on making charitable contributions by year-end to reduce taxes or simply revel in that holiday spirit of giving. For me, and I suspect lots of you, giving is really more about your heart than a tax strategy. People have similar motivations for giving, according to Fidelity Charitable’s research : making a difference, giving back to their community, and faith are aspects of financial giving donors find most rewarding. For Shannon Bonney, 26, that’s the case. Last year, she became a member of Many Hands , a nonprofit philanthropic “giving circle” with a membership of around 275 women. The collective giving organization supports nonprofits in the Washington, D.C., area focused on women, children, and families in socioeconomic need. Members under 35 make an annual gift of $300. Older donors contribute a minimum annual gift of $1,000. Donating through a giving circle , where individuals, often women, pool their funds and their decision-making to make grants, is the hottest trend in philanthropy. Per a report from Philanthropy Together, the number of giving circles and the number of people who are part of one tripled between 2007 and 2016 — and then tripled again between 2016 and 2023. There are now more than 4,000 giving circles across the country with 370,000 members. Among them, they gave away more than $3 billion over a five-year period ending in 2023. “I chose a giving circle because it’s the most effective way to pool money with people and then get that in a lump sum to the organization,” Bonney said. “It’s a lot more impactful to have your money be part of tens of thousands of dollars that are going to that group.” The amount of giving per member varies by giving circle. Some circles set a lower giving level that can range from $200 to $500 annually. Others opt to set it higher, say, $5,000 to $25,000 a year. (The Giving Compass site has a Giving Circle search tool to find ones near you focused on missions of interest). Read more: Wondering what to do with your tax refund? 5 ways to spend it wisely Most of us don’t know much about nitty-gritty tax strategies that could make our donations more financially impactful. To write off donations, your total tax deductions need to exceed the standard deduction to be worthwhile. For 2024, the standard deduction is $14,600 for single filers and $29,200 for married couples filing jointly. The tax deduction is a lure for most Americans, with retirees marginally less likely than others to say it’s important to their giving decision. One way to exceed that standard deduction threshold is to bunch together your contributions and give two years' worth of deductions in one year, so your total giving will be high enough to allow you to itemize. “This can be extremely effective for gifting in years of higher-than-normal income — for example, if you sold a business or real estate, received a large bonus payout, exercised stock options, or sold and diversified a concentrated low-basis stock position,” Brandon O’Neill, a certified financial planner and charitable planning consultant at Fidelity Charitable, told Yahoo Finance. Another tax-saving strategy is making a charitable donation of stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds you've held for more than a year. This is a way to avoid owing capital gains taxes on their profits. You might also consider a donor-advised fund (DAF), which is available from financial services firms like Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard. There could be minimum amounts to open an account and to give to an individual charity along with annual administrative fees. When you make a contribution of cash, stocks, mutual funds, or ETFs to a DAF, you immediately receive a tax deduction, provided you itemize. You can then invest the money for growth that is tax-free until you choose which charities you want to donate to. These funds are going mainstream but are still under-the-radar for many Americans. “A DAF is a simple, tax-effective way to dedicate money to charitable giving,” O’Neill said. “You can think about DAFs almost like a 529 or IRA for charitable giving because they allow you to strategize your giving.” Read more: Is GoFundMe tax deductible? What donors and beneficiaries should know. If you’re aged 701⁄2 or older, a qualified charitable distribution from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is another consideration. You make this distribution directly to a charity, reducing the amount of your taxable IRA that is subject to Required Minimum Distributions starting at age 73. You can't deduct the qualified charitable distribution, but the money won't be considered taxable income to you. Have a question about retirement? Personal finances? Anything career-related? Click here to drop Kerry Hannon a note. “The year-end retirement account balance is key to retirees because their required minimum distribution is based on that balance,” Ed Slott, a certified public accountant in New York and an expert on IRAs, previously told Yahoo Finance. “Your RMD is your best asset to give to charity.” This year you can donate up to $105,000 total to one or more charities directly from a taxable IRA. “You are getting it out at zero tax and giving it to a charity, something you would've done anyway,” Slott said. “Plus, if you do it correctly, with the timing of it, it can offset your RMD.” Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist, and the author of 14 books, including " In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in The New World of Work" and "Never Too Old To Get Rich." Follow her on Bluesky: Click here for the latest personal finance news to help you with investing, paying off debt, buying a home, retirement, and more Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo FinanceBeirut: Syrian rebels announced they had gained full control over the key city of Homs early on Sunday after only a day of fighting, leaving President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule dangling by a thread as insurgents marched on the capital, Damascus. Thousands of Homs residents poured onto the streets after the army withdrew from the central city, dancing and chanting “Assad is gone, Homs is free” and “Long live Syria and down with Bashar al-Assad”. A giant portrait of Bashar al-Assad sits on a building in Damascus. Credit: AP Rebels fired guns into the air in celebration, and youths tore down posters of the Syrian president, whose territorial control has collapsed in a dizzying week-long retreat by the military. The fall of Homs gives the insurgents control over Syria’s strategic heartland and a key highway crossroads, severing Damascus from the coastal region that is the stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect and where his Russian allies have a naval base and air base. Homs’ capture is also a powerful symbol of the rebel movement’s dramatic comeback in the 13-year-old conflict. Swaths of Homs were destroyed by gruelling siege warfare between the rebels and the army years ago. The fighting ground down the insurgents, who were forced out. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the main rebel leader, called the capture of Homs a historic moment and urged fighters not to harm “those who drop their arms”. Syrian opposition fighters on a seized Syrian air force fighter plane at the Hama military airport on Friday. Credit: AP Rebels freed thousands of detainees from the city prison. Security forces left quickly after burning their documents. Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghani said in a statement early on Sunday that operations continued to “completely liberate” the countryside around Damascus and rebel forces were looking towards the capital. In one suburb, a statue of Assad’s father, the late former president Hafez al-Assad, was toppled and torn apart. The Syrian army said it was reinforcing around Damascus, and state television reported on Saturday that Assad remained in the city. People arrive at the Jordanian side of the border as others wait in their cars on Saturday, after a ban on crossings into Syria. Credit: Getty Images The lightning rebel advance suggests Assad’s government could fall within the next week, US and other Western officials said. Since the rebels’ sweep into Aleppo a week ago , government defences have crumbled at a dizzying speed as insurgents seized a string of major cities and rose in places where the rebellion had long seemed over. The twin threats to Damascus and the strategically vital city of Homs now pose an existential danger to the Assad dynasty’s five-decade reign over Syria and the continued influence in the country of its main regional backer, Iran. The rebels’ moves around Damascus, reported by an opposition war monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of the southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is backed by Russia and Iran, but both are bogged down in separate conflicts. Credit: Saudi Press Agency/AP The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaeda and is considered a terrorist organisation by the US and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad’s government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian Army. The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition”. Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, Pedersen said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad’s chief international backer, said he felt “sorry for the Syrian people”. In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria’s border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the city were shuttered, a resident told the Associated Press, and those still open had run out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle [in Damascus] or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018 when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a years-long siege. The UN said it was moving non-critical staff outside the country as a precaution. Assad rumours Syria’s state media denied social media rumours that Assad had left the country, saying the president was performing his duties in Damascus. Assad has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad’s forces, has been weakened by a year-long conflict with Israel. Iran has had its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that the US should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. A Syrian opposition fighter holds a rocket launcher in front of the provincial government office. Credit: AP Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on implementing a 2015 UN resolution calling for a Syrian-led political process would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with UN-supervised elections. Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pedersen, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha summit on Saturday to discuss the situation. No details were immediately available. The insurgents’ march Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were also marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he said. An insurgent commander, Hassan Abdul Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani. Credit: Al Jazeera HTS controls much of north-west Syria and, in 2017, set up a “salvation government” to run daily affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaeda, ditching hardline officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. Syria’s military, meanwhile, sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, Syria’s third-largest, as insurgents approached its outskirts. The shock offensive began on November 27, during which rebel fighters captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth-largest city. Opposition activists on Friday said insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites that had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra, including the main Baath City, activists said. The Syrian Observatory said government troops had withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces and were sending reinforcements to Homs, where a battle loomed. If the insurgents were to capture Homs, they would cut the link between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where the president enjoys wide support. The army said in a statement that it had carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists”. The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area”, apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since the conflict broke out in March 2011. Diplomacy in Doha The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is the main backer of the rebels. Qatar’s top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticised Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there was a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity”. He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. AP, Reuters Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter .Police issue tips to bank users against ATM fraudsters
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What Did Billy Ray Cyrus Say About Beyonce’s Snub at CMA Awards 2024?WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Rep. Matt Gaetz said Friday that he will not be returning to Congress after withdrawing his name from consideration to be attorney general under President-elect Donald Trump amid growing allegations of sexual misconduct. “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, adding that he has “some other goals in life that I’m eager to pursue with my wife and my family.” The announcement comes a day after Gaetz, a Florida Republican, stepped aside from the Cabinet nomination process amid growing fallout from federal and House Ethics investigations that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. The 42-year-old has vehemently denied the allegations against him. Gaetz's nomination as attorney general had stunned many career lawyers inside the Justice Department, but reflected Trump's desire to place a loyalist in a department he has marked for retribution following the criminal cases against him. Hours after Gaetz withdrew, Trump nominated Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, who would come to the job with years of legal work under her belt and that other trait Trump prizes above all: loyalty. It's unclear what's next for Gaetz, who is no longer a member of the House. He surprised colleagues by resigning from Congress the same day that Trump nominated him for attorney general. Some speculated he could still be sworn into office for another two-year term on Jan. 3, given that he had just won reelection earlier this month. But Gaetz, who has been in state and national politics for 14 years, said he's done with Congress. “I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress," he said.
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Composer-Turned-Director Arjun Janya Teams Up With Toronto Based VFX Studio MARZ for '45'The Toulouse vs Ulster live stream will see the Irish side trying to cause a major upset when they take on the defending champions at Stade-Ernest Wallon. Below we have all the information on how to watch Toulouse vs Ulster from anywhere, with details on worldwide TV channels, broadcasters and live streams on TV screens, laptops, tablets and mobiles. Event date: Sunday, December 8 Kick-off: 3.15pm GMT / 10.15am ET / 7.15am PT France TV (France) Use NordVPN to watch from anywhere Toulouse head into the European Champions Cup as heavy favorites and it’s easy to see why. The French side clinched a sixth European Champions Cup trophy last season and won the Top 14 for the 23rd time. That impressive form has carried over to this season as they sit top of the table after winning eight of their first 11 games. They also possess a hugely talented squad that includes Antoine Dupont, currently the best player in world rugby. It’s an extremely tough European opener for Ulster who less than 12 months ago suffered a bruising 48-24 defeat to Toulouse in Belfast. They’re also not in the best of form having lost their last two games in the United Rugby Championship. However, coach Richie Murphy will be able to call upon the returning Ireland squad members such as Stuart McCloskey, Iain Henderson, Tom O’Toole and Cormac Izuchukwu. Here's where to watch a Toulouse vs Ulster live stream online and catch the European Rugby Champions Cup 2024/25 action from anywhere. FREE Toulouse vs Ulster live stream broadcasters Toulouse vs Ulster live stream will be available to watch for FREE on France TV in France. France TV – French-language Use a VPN to watch Toulouse vs Ulster for free on your usual French streaming service above if you are away from home. Use a VPN to watch any Toulouse vs Ulster stream NordVPN – try it risk-free for 30 days Use NordVPN to watch your usual Toulouse vs Ulster live stream from abroad. We test all the providers and we rate Nord as the best VPN . There's 24/7 support available, a money-back guarantee and, best of all, there's currently over 70% off with this deal. How to watch Toulouse vs Ulster live streams in the US You can watch a Toulouse vs Ulster live stream on FloRugby in the US, with the streaming service set to show every game of the European Rugby Champions Cup. Plans start from $29.99 a month, or you can opt for the $150 annual subscription. French viewer traveling in the US? Don't worry, you can still watch Toulouse vs Ulster for free on France TV, you'll just need to use a VPN – we'd suggest NordVPN . How to watch Toulouse vs Ulster live streams in the UK In the UK, the Toulouse vs Ulster live stream and all of the European Rugby Champions Cup games will be shown on Premier Sports . A subscription costs £15.99 per month, but if you're willing to commit to a year you'll pay £131.88, which works out at £10.99 each month. Premier Sports also holds the rights to the Challenge Cup, Top 14 and United Rugby Championship, La Liga and Coppa Italia. Traveling in the UK from France? You can still access your usual France TV free stream by using a VPN – our favorite is NordVPN . How to watch Toulouse vs Ulster live streams in Australia Fans based in Australia can watch Toulouse vs Ulster live streams on EPCR TV , which costs €49.99 for a season pass that will let you watch every European Rugby Champions Cup game live. Not at home right now? Using a streaming VPN can help you to access your normal service – our top choice is NordVPN . Watch Toulouse vs Ulster live streams in the rest of the world New Zealand Sky Sport is the 2024/25 European Rugby Champions Cup TV rights holder in New Zealand. You can access Sky Sport through satellite TV, or get a live stream with the Sky Sport Now subscription service starting at $29.99 per week. Away from New Zealand on holiday? Using a streaming VPN can help you to access your normal service – we recommend NordVPN . Canada FloRugby has the rights to the European Rugby Champions Cup in Canada. South Africa The European Rugby Champions Cup is being shown on SuperSport in South Africa. Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, & Netherlands Viaplay has the rights to the European Rugby Champions Cup in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Netherlands. Rest of the world The European Rugby Champions Cup is being shown on EPCR TV in every country where the competition hasn't been picked up by a broadcaster. Yes, if you're in France! French viewers can tune into France TV to watch Toulouse vs Ulster live stream for free. Action kicks off at 4.15pm local time. Not in France right now but still want to watch? See above to find out how a good VPN like NordVPN can help you to access your usual service even when traveling abroad. Of course, most broadcasters have streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or via your phone's browser. You can also stay up-to-date with all things European Rugby Champions Cup on the official ERCC social media channels on YouTube ( @ChampionsCup ) and Instagram ( @EuropeanRugbyChmapionsCup ). We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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From Pride employee resource groups to a recurring wave of rainbow logos each June, LGBTQ+-friendly workplaces can feel more like the rule than the exception in 2024. Yet, while corporate leaders pat themselves on the back, many queer employees across Canada are still quietly navigating challenging workplace dynamics tied to their sexual orientations and gender identities. For these employees, true equity and inclusivity goes beyond gender-neutral bathrooms and company-sponsored Pride events. It means addressing deeper, often overlooked issues that remain largely invisible to those outside the LGBTQ+ community. It’s an issue that Nate Shalev, an inclusivity speaker and adviser based in Brooklyn, N.Y., feels strongly about. They posted about some of those barriers in a LinkedIn post, where they are ranked as one of the U.S. and Canada’s Top LGBTQIA+ Voices. “When I was told I would have to travel for work, my immediate reaction would be panic,” they wrote. “I was concerned about booking travel with my legal name and risking my team calling me by a name I no longer use, getting through TSA as a trans person with my dignity intact ... [and] navigating queer and transphobia at hotels or in taxis, or anywhere, in front of my co-workers.” Through their consultancy, Revel Impact, Shalev draws on past experiences with “really bad bosses” to help build more inclusive workplaces, educating companies on the barriers their LGBTQ+ team members may be facing – on top of simply getting their jobs done. Barriers like: “Is the conference you asked me to go to safe? What about that client meeting? The whole team is going for a happy hour, but this bar isn’t LGBTQ-friendly. Should I leave? Would that make me look like I wasn’t a part of the team?” Shalev says these sorts of concerns are routinely dismissed or there’s no clear channel through which to handle them since they don’t rise to a legal level of discrimination, despite having negative affects. While most organizations in North America have anti-discrimination policies in place, Ottawa-based talent and brand specialist Lindsay Moorcroft says that doesn’t necessarily mean those policies are sufficient. “Unless you’re building your programs and policies with the [affected] people in the room, there’s always the possibility for something to be forgotten,” Moorcroft says, reflecting on a previous job at a small startup where she was the only out queer employee. “Pronouns weren’t being asked in meetings. They weren’t shared in e-mail signatures. There was no option to even talk about that. So then it’s like, do I want to be the person who brings it up?” she says. For Kaitlin Geiger-Bardswich, a communications and advocacy director in Ottawa, the risk of speaking up paid off. Although she works for a national non-profit she calls “progressive” and “feminist,” bereavement leave didn’t include pregnancy loss until she advocated for it after experiencing a miscarriage herself. “Even if it’s not a miscarriage, when a fertility treatment doesn’t work, when an embryo transfer doesn’t work, there is that grief,” she says. Fertility issues aren’t specific to the LGBTQ+ community, but “gay couples, by definition, typically need to access fertility treatment of some kind,” as Geiger-Bardswich says. “So it’s more likely that if you have gay employees who are interested in parenting, they’re going to have to navigate this.” According to Fertility Matters Canada , more than half of Canadian employers don’t provide fertility benefits, including drugs and treatment costs. And only seven provinces provide public funding to cover partial costs of fertility treatment. In Geiger-Bardswich’s case, she and her wife relied on limited OHIP coverage when trying to conceive, while paying thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for medication and donor sperm. She says she was grateful to have flexibility in her work hours, which made it easier to attend doctor’s appointments throughout the in-vitro fertilization process without fear of repercussions. Flexible work arrangements, including remote work, can also benefit transgender employees who are transitioning or who are repeatedly misgendered at the office, says Shalev. Geiger-Bardswich notes that as anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric increases around the world, it adds another layer of concern for queer Canadians. She points to Italy’s push to remove non-biological parents from birth certificates as an example. “I hope that’s not going to happen in Canada,” she says. “But with how things are happening around the world, there is nervousness around the legal benefits and legal situations for parents like us.” So, what can workplaces do to achieve real, meaningful inclusivity? Shalev says it’s about taking a pro-active, rather than reactive, approach. This could look like ensuring there’s space for preferred names on all applications, forms and other communications. Before international trips, a systematic pretravel questionnaire might allow queer employees to request extra security, a travel companion, a NEXUS membership or a car service to make the experience safer and smoother, Shalev says. “It doesn’t have to feel complicated. Actively create spaces for these conversations to happen. Ask folks what they need,” says Shalev, noting that this has been more difficult in recent years with LGBTQ+ issues growing increasingly politicized. “Because queer issues have been politicized so much, there’s this sense that it’s a taboo topic. That’s a big shift I’ve seen, versus it just being inclusion work and wanting to support colleagues. Trans folks aren’t politics. We’re people.” One organization that appears to be embracing a pro-active approach is Moorcroft’s current employer, ecobee, a home automation company headquartered in Toronto. The company’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offerings include an LGBTQ+ allyship group, a private social channel for LGBTQ+ employees and a policy-focused working group. Most importantly, Moorcroft says, a variety of voices are in these rooms alongside her, including those of senior leadership. “DEI means nothing if the top of the company is not supporting it, and it’s not in their [budget],” she says. Every organization has different needs and resources, which is why Shalev says, “It’s not one-size-fits-all.” Pride at Work Canada and Great Place to Work provide toolkits for organizations looking to improve inclusion, with strategies ranging from collecting data on employee demographics to administering queer mentorship programs. While certain measures may seem niche, “LGBTQ+ inclusion benefits us all,” Shalev says. “When I do workshops, of course I know there are other queer folks in the room. But then there are the parents of trans kids, or somebody with a partner who’s trans. Our workplaces are microcosms of our larger society, and if we create better workplaces, we can also create better communities and [and better] worlds.” Interested in more perspectives about women in the workplace? Find all stories on The Globe Women’s Collective hub here , and subscribe to the new Women and Work newsletter here . Have feedback? 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North Texas saw its losing streak hit five last week, when the Mean Green fell to East Carolina. UNT got off to a great start before collapsing in the second half of a 40-28 loss. The Mean Green gave up 31 straight points after taking a 21-0 lead. The loss dropped UNT to 5-6 on the season heading into a game at Temple on Saturday. It shapes up to be one of the more consequential games in recent program history. The Mean Green are 5-6 and have fallen toward the bottom of the American Athletic Conference standings at 2-5. A win over the Owls would make UNT bowl eligible for the first time in two seasons under Eric Morris. A loss would send the Mean Green into the offseason on their longest slide since losing six straight in 2021. Before we turn our attention to UNT’s showdown with Temple, it’s time for What We Learned, our weekly look back at the Mean Green’s last game and where the team stands. No quit in this team! 🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/5DldLdl0ig The Mean Green were hoping a switch at defensive coordinator would spark a turnaround in the final two weeks of the regular season. UNT coach Eric Morris fired Matt Caponi and elevated linebackers coach Brian Odom to replace him on an interim basis following a loss to UTSA on Nov. 15. The Mean Green had allowed at least 45 points three times in what was a four-game losing streak at that point. UNT showed some signs of improvement under Odom. “Our guys had a spark, were energized and inspired,” Morris said. That energy didn’t make a big enough difference when it came to the bottom line. UNT played well early and allowed just seven points in the first half. ECU broke free with 33 points after the break. UNT has struggled to stop the run all year, an issue Morris has pointed to repeatedly. The Mean Green were allowing 201.4 yards per game heading into the day. UNT didn’t fair any better against ECU and allowed 255 yards and three touchdowns. The Pirates scored the second touchdown during their 31-0 run when UNT seemingly had Rahjai Harris stopped near the line of scrimmage. He wiggled free from a scrum with the help of offensive lineman Jimarion McCrimon and raced 39 yards to the end zone. “We were amped up early,” defensive lineman Terrell Dawkins said. “We couldn’t finish it out.” If there is anything Chandler Morris has shown during his winding college career it’s that he’s tough both physically and mentally. Those traits helped him during his journey from Oklahoma to TCU and finally UNT. He’s dealt with a series of injuries while adjusting to new teams and coaches along the way. The former Highland Park standout displayed those abilities again after a tough couple of weeks. Morris threw four interceptions and just one touchdown over the course of two games heading into UNT’s game at ECU. He bounced back in a big way while throwing for 266 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions against the Pirates. Morris also rushed for 39 yards. Morris’ stat line would have been even better had it not been for a few drops by UNT’s receivers. “Chandler played well enough and made some nice throws,” Eric Morris said. “We had some drive-killers where we didn’t catch the football.” No team in the country has attempted to convert on fourth down more than UNT, which has gone for it 41 times. The Mean Green have benefitted plenty of times from the approach. UNT converted all four of its attempts in a win over Wyoming early in the season. Those conversions helped extend three scoring drives that helped the Mean Green roll to a 44-17 win. UNT has converted just one of its last nine attempts over the course of its last two games and didn’t cash in on any of its four tries against ECU. The Mean Green went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 46 in the third quarter. Makenzie McGill II was stuffed for a 1-yard loss. ECU cashed in with a field goal.BOSTON , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The China Fund, Inc. (NYSE: CHN) (the "Fund") announced today that the Fund's annual stockholder meeting (the "Meeting") will be scheduled for Thursday, March 13, 2025 , via a virtual forum at 11:00 a.m. ET . Stockholders of record as of January 15, 2025 will be entitled to notice of, and to attend and vote at, the Meeting. The notice for the Meeting will be mailed to shareholders on or about February 10, 2025 . The Fund is a closed-end management investment company with the objective of seeking long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in equity securities (i) of companies for which the principal securities trading market is in the People's Republic of China (" China "), or (ii) of companies for which the principal securities trading market is outside of China , or constituting direct equity investments in companies organized outside of China , that in both cases derive at least 50% of their revenues from goods and services sold or produced, or have at least 50% of their assets, in China . While the Fund is permitted to invest in direct equity investments of companies organized in China , it presently holds no such investments. Shares of the Fund are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CHN". The Fund's investment manager is Matthews International Capital Management, LLC. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. 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