jilibet games

jilibet games ‘Would be wise’: Political science expert reveals what PM should do to get into Trump’s good booksA male was killed in an apparent shooting on South Eutaw Street Saturday afternoon, Baltimore Police said. Central District patrol officers responded to the unit block of South Eutaw Street around 2 p.m. for a report of a shooting, police said. Officers located an unidentified male suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Medics transported the victim to an area hospital where he later died. As of Friday morning, the city had recorded 183 homicides, compared with 239 at this time in 2023. Homicide detectives ask anyone with information to contact them at 410-396-2100 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup.

Which concerns are real for Celtics amid their first rough patch?CLEVELAND, Ohio — Aaron Judge became the 17th American Leaguer to win the Most Valuable Player award multiple times, scoring a unanimous victory Thursday according to voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Judge, who also won the award in 2022, swept all 30 first-place votes, while Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. was the unanimous choice for second place and Yankees right fielder Juan Soto was third among BBWAA ballots. Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani swept all 30 votes for MVP in the National League, marking the second straight season both MVP winners were unanimous. Ohtani, who authored baseball’s first 50/50 season, wins his third overall MVP and becomes the second player to win the honor in both leagues, joining Frank Robinson. More Guardians coverage Guardians deal from a position of depth in trading away experienced reliever (Podcast) Guardians, loaded with relievers, go against character in Eli Morgan trade: Paul Hoynes Lefties Tarik Skubal, Chris Sale win Cy Young awards; Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase third Who are The 40 Most Influential People in Cleveland Sports when it comes to fan happiness? See our list and how we ranked them.Traveling this holiday season? 10 things the TSA wants you to know

News that President-elect Donald Trump’s team wants to hack away at the forbidding tangle of U.S. bank regulation is welcome in the abstract. In practice, though, much will depend on the details. The goal should be simplifying financial oversight more broadly — not just defanging a tough watchdog. No doubt, the current system is unwieldy. At the federal level — excluding an array of separate state regulators — three entities oversee banks, two supervise markets, one aims to protect consumers and another defends against financial crimes. Many large institutions must submit to all of them. Senior managers of an average bank today spend some 42 percent of their time on compliance-related tasks. Worse, such fragmentation at times allows risks to fall through the cracks. Much of this system was designed decades ago for a simpler world. One glaring example is the separation of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. One was established 90 years ago to protect investors in securities such as stocks and bonds; the other was created 50 years ago to oversee commodities markets and related futures and options contracts. Today, when many financial companies trade in both markets, the two supervisors often overlap and don’t always properly communicate. In 2011, after the chaotic bankruptcy of derivatives broker MF Global Holdings Ltd., a congressional postmortem detailed how the commissions failed to coordinate their approach to the company’s deteriorating finances and disagreed about where to safeguard its customers’ money. Such bifurcation is anomalous by global standards, and policymakers have been talking about combining the two for decades. In a familiar tale, however, politics has taken precedence over common sense: The House Committee on Agriculture has been loath to cede its oversight of the CFTC, which attracts hefty campaign donations from financial companies. (The SEC is under the House Financial Services Committee.) If Trump wants a relatively clear-cut reform, this would be a good place to start. Merging the two commissions would help streamline the rules, reduce compliance costs and ease cooperation with regulators overseas. It would be an ambitious change but not a radical one: Both a former CFTC commissioner and a current SEC commissioner have endorsed the idea. Reforming banking oversight would be less straightforward. It’s true that the U.S. has too many regulators — including the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. — in addition to state banking authorities. But this morass defies easy fixes; simply folding the FDIC into the Treasury Department, as the Trump team is considering, will likely create more problems than it solves. A better approach would be to create a single prudential authority charged with protecting the financial system. The new body could be overseen by a board that includes representatives from the Fed, the Treasury and the FDIC, while doing away with the OCC entirely. Ideally it would also oversee nonbank companies, such as asset managers, that play a significant role in the system. Such a regulator could focus more on essential risks than on box-checking exercises or turf wars. It would be less susceptible to influence by the companies it oversees and could (in theory) allow for streamlined compliance. It would also make clear where the buck stops when things go wrong. Such far-reaching reforms would require political skill and sustained effort, which were not hallmarks of Trump’s previous term. The ambition is laudable all the same. In regulation as in life, simplicity is a virtue. — Bloomberg News

Many compliant taxpayers have expressed their frustration with the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) for insisting that the Return of Income for the year of assessment 2023/2024 be filed as an electronic return (e-return). It is perplexing why such a requirement is being enforced in a country such as ours where computer skills are woefully lacking. In many other countries the taxpayer is entitled to submit a return either electronically or by hard copy (paper). The choice should be with the taxpayer and not the IRD. In some countries, any tax refunds to individuals are inevitably delayed for those who submit manual returns compared to those who submit e-returns. This incentivises the taxpayer to embrace technology. But here, it is forced down the taxpayer’s throat. A fundamental principle must be that tax compliance should not result in the taxpayer having to incur additional cost or physical/mental stress in fulfilling their civic obligation of paying their income tax. Many senior citizens are not computer savvy enough to navigate through complex returns or do not have access to a laptop or other paraphernalia needed to upload supporting documents. Therefore, many individual taxpayers who struggle to complete their returns by themselves are now forced to engage the services of a professional tax consultant or accountant to submit their returns. This is an additional cost that taxpayers should not be burdened with. We understand that the IRD reluctantly accepted hard copy (paper) returns from some senior citizen who insisted they could not submit an e-return. The IRD should concentrate on getting more people liable to pay tax to do so, thus widening the tax net instead of penalizing those who settle their dues but may delay submitting their return for the above mentioned reasons. The Inland Revenue Act provides penalties for failure to file a return on time and for criminal proceedings as well as issuing default assessments where necessary. It has often been said, with good reason, that the IRD bullies people who pay their taxes and submit their returns and does little to tackle blatant evasion which is rampant. We have been told that taxpayers who receive interest income from fixed deposits are required to enter a significant amount of information into the e-return, which is tedious and unnecessary, particularly if the taxpayer can submit or upload a certificate from the deposit taker confirming the interest received and the advance income tax deducted at source. As in other countries, it is up to the IRD and the deposit taking institutions to devise a compliant digital platform that will enable such information to be uploaded to the IRD’s Random Access Management Information System (RAMIS). IRD invested hugely in setting up RAMIS but was unable to utilize it effectively over many years. The banks and other deposit, too, have not played their part in this because many banks are not issuing certificates to their customers that disclose all the information required by the IRD. Time was when a blanket 15 percent withholding tax (WHT) was imposed at source on interest and dividend income with no further liability thereafter. This undoubtedly imposed hardship on those not liable for income tax in obtaining notoriously slow refunds from the department and was an advantage to high income earners. Nevertheless, like PAYE (Pay As You Earn) tax, it was an easy collection method for IRD. After the November deadline for submitting the annual return for 2023/24 passed, the IRD issued a circular extending the deadline for submitting tax returns for that year until December 7. The circular cites the difficulties taxpayers encountered last week due to the inclement weather that prevailed in the country. No mention has been made of the RAMIS system being more or less inaccessible in the days leading to the deadline, as it could not deal with too many taxpayers trying to access the system at the same time! The circular also mentions that IRD officials will offer special support until December 6, 2024, for those who visit the department for technical assistance to submit their return online. This is most welcome. According to currently available information, about a million taxpayers are registered with the IRD. This seems insufficient, considering that more than eight million are employed, and the income threshold for paying income tax is Rs. 100,000 monthly. It will be interesting to know as to how many of the million have submitted their tax returns by the due date or will do so in the next few days and weeks. Undoubtedly, people need to be tax-compliant, but it is also necessary for the IRD to make the process easy for taxpayers to make payments and submit their annual income tax returns. The IRD currently does not accept cheques for settling tax obligations. A taxpayer must make a direct bank transfer or settle his/her dues through a banker’s pay order. This imposes an unfair added cost on tax payers as well as the inconvenience of having to visit the bank for this purpose. This requirement clearly is intended to ensure that tax cheques do not bounce. But the department is empowered to impose penalties on those whose cheques are dishonoured. Why impose additional burdens on taxpayers accustomed to meet their obligations by writing a cheque instead of visiting a bank and paying for the issue of a banker’s pay order? The bottom line is that the IRD must be more taxpayer friendly than it is at present. Printing platitudes like “Thank you for paying your taxes” on its stationary is just not enough. Honest taxpayers with files on record must not be bullied, as is often done at present, and burdens like the compulsory online payment requirement now imposed as well as the ‘no cheques’ rule must done away with. Also, the department must take note of the resentment of people who pay taxes long seeing those who do not getting away Scott free.11 states sue three largest institutional investors for anticompetitive trade practices

A male was killed in an apparent shooting on South Eutaw Street Saturday afternoon, Baltimore Police said. Central District patrol officers responded to the unit block of South Eutaw Street around 2 p.m. for a report of a shooting, police said. Officers located an unidentified male suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Medics transported the victim to an area hospital where he later died. As of Friday morning, the city had recorded 183 homicides, compared with 239 at this time in 2023. Homicide detectives ask anyone with information to contact them at 410-396-2100 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup.Pentagon announces new aid package of almost $1 billion for Ukraine

AP News Summary at 1:51 p.m. ESTEveryone wants a place to call home, and a group of parents who have adult daughters with special needs is fundraising in hopes of unlocking the door to a future for their aging children. Peterborough resident Jane Bischoff, founder and chairperson of Our Daughters’ Home, has banded together with others who have the common goal of purchasing a home that their seven daughters can make their own. But they need the community’s support to help make it happen. This holiday season, Our Daughters’ Home is inviting the community to help create a safe and supportive future for women with developmental disabilities by donating to the cause. In partnership with Habitat For Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region, Our Daughters’ Home is appealing for support as it is working to fund a duplex to be built on Sophia Street in Peterborough’s East City, scheduled for completion in December 2025. “Our hope for the campaign is to reduce the mortgage for the girls,” Bischoff told kawarthaNOW. “The home will cost approximately $1 million to build and we’d like to try and raise as much money as we can towards that purchase price. We don’t want to leave our daughters with a huge mortgage when we are gone.” Our Daughters’ Home was formed in July 2023 by a group of parents and the non-profit organization is dedicated to building permanent, inclusive housing for their seven adult daughters, who are currently either living at home with their parents or in group homes. “Our daughters are aging, and so are we,” Bischoff said in a media release. “There are no appropriate public housing options for them, so we’re taking action to ensure their futures are secure. This is more than a home — it’s about giving them safety, independence, and a chance to thrive.” Once the duplex is built and the seven girls have moved in, the parents envision them living there happily with 24/7 staff. Some women have higher needs than others, Bischoff noted. Her own daughter Jenny is diagnosed with moderate autism. “My vision is for my daughter to always be social because she loves to interact with people,” Bischoff said. “If I keeled over the day after she moved in, I could rest assured that Jenny would be taken care of for the rest of her life, without worrying about relatives stepping up to the plate.” Bischoff, a 67-year-old nutritionist, hopes to still be actively involved with Jenny when the move is completed. She expects she would still like to take her daughter out maybe weekly, whatever works best for them. “As for the rest of the girls in Ontario whose parents are in the same boat as I am, I would like to provide a template or contact network of some sort so that no parent ever has to worry about what will happen to their daughter as they get older,” Bischoff said. “It’s a terrible feeling to think that you have nowhere to turn to. Someone told me the wait time to get into a mixed group home is 20 to 30 years. We don’t have time for that.” The need for a safe and supportive living environment for the seven women is urgent, according to Our Daughters’ Home. Women with developmental disabilities are at least five times more likely to experience sexual assault than those without disabilities. Those living in mixed-group or institutionalized settings face even greater risks, often at the hands of caregivers or others in positions of trust. “These statistics highlight the critical importance of creating safe, community-integrated housing like Our Daughters’ Home, where residents are protected and supported,” the group said. To make a donation and receive a tax receipt, visit and designate the gift to go to the “Our Daughters’ Home – Sophia Street Build” fund. If a tax receipt isn’t required, e-transfers can be directly sent to Our Daughters’ Home at . Once their vision comes to life, Bischoff said, “I’m sure all the parents will be there (at their daughters’ new home) on a regular basis, and there will be guilt for a while at having done this. But it will be peace of mind for myself, for Jenny, and the rest of my family. This is the legacy that I hope to leave.” For more information about Our Daughters’ Home, visit .Egyptian Stock Exchange Ends Week in Decline Amid Mixed Trading Activity

Attorneys for Fox Corp. asked a Delaware judge Friday to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit seeking to hold current and former company officials personally liable for the financial fallout stemming from Fox News reports regarding alleged vote rigging in the 2020 election. Five New York City public employee pension funds, along with Oregon’s public employee retirement fund, allege that former chairman Rupert Murdoch and other Fox Corp. leaders deliberately turned a blind eye to liability risks posed by reporting false claims of vote rigging by election technology companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic USA. Smartmatic is suing Fox News for defamation in New York, alleging damages of $2.7 billion. It recently settled a lawsuit in the District of Columbia against One America News Network, another conservative outlet, over reports of vote fraud. Dominion also filed several defamation lawsuits against those who spread conspiracy theories blaming its election equipment for Donald Trump’s loss in 2020. Last year, Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion in Delaware for $787 million. The shareholder plaintiffs also allege that Fox corporate leaders ignored “red flags” about liability arising from a 2017 report suggesting that Seth Rich , a Democratic National Committee staffer, may have been killed because he had leaked Democratic party emails to Wikileaks during the 2016 presidential campaign. Rich, 27, was shot in 2016 in Washington, D.C., in what authorities have said was an attempted robbery. Fox News retracted the Seth Rich story a week after its initial broadcast, but Rich’s parents sued the network for falsely portraying their son as a criminal and traitor. Fox News settled the lawsuit in 2020 for “millions of dollars,” shortly before program hosts Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity were to be deposed, according to the shareholder lawsuit. Joel Friedlander, an attorney for the institutional shareholders, argued that Fox officials waited until the company’s reporting about Rich became a national scandal before addressing the issue. Similarly, according to the shareholders, corporate officials, including Rupert Murdoch and his son, CEO Lachlan Murdoch, allowed Fox News to continue broadcasting false narratives about the 2020 election, despite internal communications suggesting that they knew there was no evidence to support the conspiracy theories. “The Murdochs could have minimized future monetary exposure, but they chose not to,” Friedlander said. Instead, he argued, they engaged in “bad-faith decision making” with other defendants in a profit-driven effort to retain viewers and remain in Trump’s good graces. “Decisions were made at the highest level to promote pro-Trump conspiracy theories without editorial control,” Friedlander said. Defense attorneys argue that the case should be dismissed because the plaintiffs filed their lawsuit without first demanding that the Fox Corp. board take action, as required under Delaware law. They say the plaintiffs also failed to demonstrate that a pre-suit demand on the Fox board would have been futile because at least half of the directors face a substantial likelihood of liability or are not independent of someone who does. Beyond the “demand futility” issue, defense attorneys also argue that allegations that Fox officials breached their fiduciary duties fail to meet the pleading standards under Delaware and therefore should be dismissed. Defense attorney William Savitt argued, for example, that neither the Rich settlement, which he described as “immaterial,” nor the allegedly defamatory statements about Dominion and Smartmatic constitute red flags putting directors on notice about the risk of defamation liability. Nor do they demonstrate that directors acted in bad faith or that Fox “utterly failed” to implement and monitor a system to report and mitigate legal risks, including defamation liability risk, according to the defendants. Savitt noted that the Rich article was promptly retracted, and that the settlement included no admission of liability. The Dominion and Smartmatic statements, meanwhile, gave rise themselves to the currently liability issues and therefore can not serve as red flags about future liability risks, according to the defendants. “A ‘red flag’ must be what the term commonly implies — warning of a risk of a liability-causing event that allows the directors to take action to avert the event, not notice that a liability-causing event has already occurred,” defense attorneys wrote in their motion to dismiss. Defense attorneys also say there are no factual allegations to support claims that Fox officials condoned illegal conduct in pursuit of corporate profits, or that they deliberately ignored their oversight responsibilities. They note that a “bad outcome” is not sufficient to demonstrate “bad faith.” Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster is expected to rule within 90 days.

Is Realty Income a Millionaire-Maker Stock?Creepy Video Captures Dozens of News Broadcasts Airing Same Word-for-Word Attack on So-Called 'Misinformation'BEIRUT — Insurgents’ stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the gates of the capital and that government forces had abandoned the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The capture of Homs is a major victory for insurgents, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama , as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said Homs falling into rebel hands would be a game-changer. The rebels’ moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. For the first time in the country’s long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. 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-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. 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 rapid rebel gains, coupled with the lack of support from Assad’s erstwhile allies, posed the most serious threat to his rule since the start of the war. The U.N.’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, he 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 feels “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 capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran 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 yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine . Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad’s forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and 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 U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. In a statement issued late Saturday, the participants affirmed their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to the end of military activity and protect civilians.” They also agreed on the importance of strengthening international efforts to increase aid to the Syrian people. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-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 marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day 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-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama , the country’s fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites 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. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces. The Syrian army said in a statement that it 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 conflict broke out in March 2011. The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar’s top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized 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 is 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.

President-elect Trump and First Lady Elonia celebrate Thanksgiving at Mar a LagoLUCERNE, Switzerland—Would you trust an “AI Jesus” with your innermost thoughts and troubles? Researchers and religious leaders on Wednesday released findings from a two-month experiment through art in a Catholic chapel in Switzerland, where an avatar of “Jesus” on a computer screen—tucked into a confessional—took questions by visitors on faith, morality and modern-day woes, and offered responses based on Scripture. The idea, said the chapel’s theological assistant, was to recognize the growing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in human lives, even when it comes to religion, and explore the limits of human trust in a machine. After the two-month run of the “Deus in Machina” exhibit at St. Peter’s Chapel starting in late August, some 900 conversations from visitors—some came more than once—were transcribed anonymously. Those behind the project said it was largely a success: Visitors often came out moved or deep in thought, and found it easy to use. A small sign invited visitors to enter a confessional—chosen for its intimacy—and below a lattice screen across which penitent believers would usually speak with a priest, a green light signaled the visitor’s turn to speak, and a red one came on when “AI Jesus” on a computer screen on the other side was responding. Often, a lag time was needed to wait for the response—a testament to the technical complexities. After exiting, nearly 300 visitors filled out questionnaires that informed the report released Wednesday. Of love, war, suffering and solitude Philipp Haslbauer, an IT specialist at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts who pulled together the technical side of the project, said the AI responsible for taking the role of “AI Jesus” and generating responses was GPT-4o by OpenAI, and an open-source version of the company’s Whisper was used for speech comprehension. An AI video generator from Heygen was used to produce voice and video from a real person, he said. Haslbauer said no specific safeguards were used “because we observed GPT-4o to respond fairly well to controversial topics.” Visitors broached many topics, including true love, the afterlife, feelings of solitude, war and suffering in the world, the existence of God, plus issues like sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Church or its position on homosexuality. Most visitors described themselves as Christians, though agnostics, atheists, Muslims, Buddhists and Taoists took part too, according to a recap of the project released by the Catholic parish of Lucerne. About one-third were German speakers, but “AI Jesus”—which is conversant in about 100 languages—also had conversations in languages like Chinese, English, French, Hungarian, Italian, Russian and Spanish. ‘Work of the Devil’? “What was really interesting [was] to see that the people really talked with him in a serious way. They didn’t come to make jokes,” said chapel theologian Marco Schmid, who spearheaded the project. Most visitors were aged 40 to 70, and more Catholics respondents found the experience stimulating than did Protestants, the report showed. Schmid was quick to point out that the “AI Jesus”—billed as a “Jesus-like” persona—was an artistic experiment to get people thinking about the intersection between the digital and the divine, not substitute for human interaction or sacramental confessions with a priest, nor was it intended to save pastoral resources. “For the people it was clear that it was a computer...It was clear it was not a confession,” Schmid said. “He wasn’t programmed to give absolutions or prayers. At the end, it was more summary of the conversation.” The Catholic Church from the Vatican on down has been wrestling with the challenges—and possible opportunities—presented by the explosion in public interest in AI since generative artificial intelligence captured the world’s attention two years ago when OpenAI’s ChatGPT made its debut. The Vatican has appointed a friar from a medieval Franciscan order as its top expert on AI, and a Lutheran church in Bavaria served up sermons delivered by a chatbot last year. Pope Francis, in his annual peace message for this year, pushed for an international treaty to ensure the ethical use of AI technology. Chatbots like ChatGPT are powered by algorithmic models trained on vast pools of text and other data to mimic speech and generate seemingly unique and human-like responses. Haslbauer is sensitive to public reaction and has noted chatter on social media saying the project is “blasphemous” or the “work of the devil.” “If you read comments on the internet about it, some are very negative—which is scary,” Haslbauer, whose long-haired look featured as a basis for the image of the virtual Jesus. In a demonstration of the technology in the chapel, Haslbauer queried “AI Jesus” about its message for a troubled world, and about whether AI could be helpful as a way for people to find God. “All knowledge and wisdom ultimately come from God,” the chatbot said in a soothing voice, after a pause to respond, and the image briefly crackled. “If used wisely, AI can indeed be a tool to explore the wonders of creation, deepen our understanding of Scripture, and foster connections among people.” “Yet it remains essential to seek God with all your heart and soul beyond any technology,” it added. Good side, and downsides Kenneth Cukier, a journalist, author and expert with the US-based nonprofit group called “AI and Faith,” said if “AI Jesus” helps people connect deeper to themselves and the world, it “has to be a good thing.” “It will lead to better individuals and a better world,” he said. “However—and there’s a big however—this does feel a little bit infantile, and pardon my pun, machine-like.” “The risk is that it pulls people, ultimately, farther away from that which is more meaningful, deeper and authentic in spirituality,” said Cukier, co-author of “Big Data: A Revolution that Will Transform How We Work, Live and Think.” For Schmid, the exhibit was a pilot project—and he doesn’t foresee a second coming of “AI Jesus” anytime soon. “For us, it was also clear it was just a limited time that we will expose this Jesus,” he said, adding that any return would need to be done after deeper thought. “We are discussing ... how we could revive him again,” he said, noting interest from parishes, schoolteachers, researchers and others as the project got media attention in Switzerland and beyond. “They all are interested and would like to have this ‘AI Jesus’. So we have now a little bit to reflect on how we want to continue.”

When you're undergoing fertility treatments, it can affect every part of your life and well-being — and it's something more women than ever are doing. According to one 2023 survey from the Pew Research Center , 42 percent of adults have undergone fertility treatments or know someone who has. (And that doesn't account for egg freezing .) But while the physical symptoms are commonly known and often talked about, the effects on mental and emotional health remain much more taboo. Yet the psychological impacts are equally, if not more, powerful than their physiological counterparts. We spoke with top experts (and real women who have been through the fertility treatment ringer) to learn how and why IUI, IVF, and egg freezing affect your mental health — and how to best handle this uniquely stressful time. Emily Heilman , MA, LCSW, BCD, PMH-C is a psychotherapist specializing in women's reproductive mental health and the founder of Flourish Counseling . Joshua Klein , MD, FACOG, is a board-certified subspecialist in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, and the chief clinical officer and cofounder of Extend Fertility . Why Do Fertility Treatments Affect Mental Health? No matter whether it's IUI, IVF , or egg freezing , it's important to underscore that emotional impacts are normal. There's a very clear physical cause and effect at play. In the case of egg freezing and IVF, "We're overriding normal biology that allows women to only grow one egg at a time. To do that, we have to bring in hormones from outside the body," explains Joshua Klein, MD. "There's estrogen and progesterone circulating at levels that are five, 10, even 20 times higher than what occurs during a normal menstrual cycle. There's no doubt that those hormones have a connection to the brain." More specifically, it's not just the intense amount of hormones that matter, but the rate at which they spike and drop. The abrupt change of going from low to high over the course of about a week, then having a retrieval and crashing back down to normal a few days later, is what really throws people, says Dr. Klein. The first part — the prep for egg retrieval (be it with egg freezing or IVF) — features an abrupt spike in estrogen. "This is associated with hypersensitivity, when every emotion is heightened. There's also a general sense of heaviness, both physically and mentally," Dr. Klein explains. Post-retrieval, there's a massive drop in progesterone, which can lead to a slew of negative emotions including feeling deeply moody, depressed , and anxious, he says. Worth noting: during IUI, there's a similar pattern at play, but it's not quite as intense. This is because the amount of medication used is much lower, since the goal isn't to get the body to hyperovulate, per Dr. Klein. In the case of IVF, if there's an immediate embryo transfer that does result in a pregnancy, then the progesterone won't plummet. But if the transfer fails, then you're dealing with the physical effects, coupled with the psychological impact of not being pregnant, Dr. Klein says. The Emotional Impact Can't Be Overstated Moving through these treatments can be traumatic for many people, says Emily Heilman, MA, LCSW. "There's the psychological impact, the financial , the physical, the relational, it really is so pervasive in every area of life." As Kate*, who underwent egg freezing last year, puts it: "It's just . . . a lot. They tell you not to be stressed out because that will affect your body, but it's such a stressful experience. I get so annoyed when people say 'just freeze your eggs.' They're not considering the mental and the physical and the financial aspects." Heilman is quick to note that people's background also plays an important role. It's not uncommon for the person undergoing fertility treatment to have a pre-existing mental health and/or trauma history, she says. Now, they're in the midst of one of the most important and influential life experiences one can have — building a family. Whether going this route was anticipated or not, the "before" has to be factored in when you talk about moving through these treatments. The past often exacerbates what's happening in the present, Heilman explains. As for how all of this manifests? You name the emotion, it's probably on the list. "Some of the symptoms that most often show up are anxiety, depression, irritability, mood swings. Coupled with that is a loss of control, social isolation, financial strain, and strain on relationships with partners, family, and friends," Heilman says. So yeah, it's a lot. Egg Freezing Comes With Some Unique Nuances While we're adding egg freezing into this broader category of fertility treatment, both experts were quick to note that there are some key differentiating factors about the process and its impact. "When someone is electively freezing their eggs for fertility preservation, they're making the choice to be there. And that can feel empowering, like they're taking control and advocating for themselves and their future," Heilman says. "There's also this future orientation, in that they're not actively trying to get pregnant, but rather doing it like an insurance policy." Kate echoes these sentiments: "It was a very empowering feeling, especially because I paid for this all on my own. I spent around $20,000 all in. Taking control in this way did give me a sense of empowerment." On the flip side, women who are freezing their eggs are sometimes single, and as such don't have the built-in support system of a partner, notes Dr. Klein. (Of course, there are partnered women going through egg freezing and single women undergoing IUI and IVF.) On top of that, women freezing their eggs are often younger and/or may not have had the same kind of medical experiences as women dealing with infertility, says Dr. Klein. He points out that for women undergoing IVF, there's sometimes a history of other conditions and/or surgeries or treatments. It can be a jolt to the system for these younger, and generally healthy, egg-freezing patients to suddenly be poked and prodded, Dr. Klein says. How to Cope with Mental Health Challenges During Fertility Treatments So, how do you handle this wild emotional roller coaster? Heilman says she thinks about coping mechanisms through a three-part lens, noting that there should be biological, psychological, and social strategies at play. Here's what she and Dr. Klein suggest — plus helpful advice from women who have been through it. This is admittedly a bit tricky, because there are exercise restrictions and you likely will have to modify your normal routine, but there are ways you can still be physically active, says Dr. Klein. Caroline*, who has undergone four rounds of IVF medication and eight embryo transfers, underscores how important this is. "When I couldn't go for a run or ride the Peloton, I'd just walk. I'd take my dog for these monster walks around our neighborhood and get fresh air and get my body moving. That was tremendously helpful for my mental health," she says, adding that it helped her feel calmer and less anxious. There's so much that's out of your control when undergoing fertility treatments (like, everything). It's why Heilman says it's imperative to focus on and really think about what is in your control and will help set you up to feel as good as possible. Tune into your body; if you know that having coffee after noon keeps you up at night, then don't drink it, she says. Eat food that feels nourishing for you, and drink water. Prioritize sleep as much as possible; it's a tremendous protective factor when it comes to mental health , Heilman says. Kate focused on doing all of the above during her egg freezing journey. "I really listened to my body. If it was 2:00 on a Tuesday and I felt tired, I'd lay down and take a nap," she says. This may just be the biggest one on the list. Be it a partner, a friend, or a family member, everyone needs at least one person to lean on during this time. Kate says her boyfriend was invaluable (particularly when it came to alleviating her stress around giving herself injections). She also had a friend who checked in daily. Caroline echoes a similar feeling. "I started to get to a point where I was really struggling with the lack of control [when things weren't working]," she says. "My husband helped me realize that even though we couldn't control the situation, there were still other options, and we had so much to be grateful for. He'd bring me back down when I got really worked up." Heilman adds that fertility support groups are also hugely beneficial. "It's a shared identification and alleviates the social isolation. You feel less alone because everyone is speaking the same language." This one is pretty personal. For some, holding the experience close to the chest feels more comfortable; Kate chose not to share what she was going through, with the exception of a few close friends. Caroline, on the other hand, found that it helped to talk about her experience in real time. "There's a lot of weird behavior when you're going through these treatments," she says. "I'd have to give myself shots at night. So if someone wanted to make dinner plans, I'd say 'sure, but I have to be home by 8:00 to give myself an injection,' or ask if we could do dinner at my house. It alleviates the secrecy, which can be another added level of stress," she says. "And I've also found that people show up in more meaningful ways when they know what's up. The more you let people in, the more they can be supportive." Social media can be a great place for connection and community — or for anxiety-inducing comparison . For many people, it's both. "I found a lot of comfort in hearing about other women's journeys and stories. But I also got jealous or annoyed when people would say they had no symptoms and got 20 eggs," Kate says. Her tip: stay away from all of the "what to do and what not to do" content because that only added to the stress and overwhelmed her. Heilman also encourages setting boundaries around how much content you consume. Pausing on fertility treatments when experiencing difficulties can be refreshing. Caroline (who has had two successful pregnancies over the course of all her IVF treatments) says that she was ready to put things on hold right before she got pregnant both times. "Taking a break is not giving up. It can be a good thing. When we felt like we were running into a wall, we really got comfortable with the idea of pause. If that transfer didn't work, we were going to take a beat and just enjoy life for six months. We even planned a whole trip in our heads. That let me breathe a little easier," she says. Kate, whose egg freezing journey didn't go the way she had hoped (she was never able to do a retrieval), says she's been coping with the outcome by simply taking a step back from it all. "As soon as I got the call that I wasn't going to be able to do the retrieval, my boyfriend and I went away for the weekend," she says. "I had that glass of wine I'd been wanting to have. I really let myself feel my feelings. But as far as going back to the doctor and making another game plan, I just stepped away. It was too overwhelming." When in doubt, call on the pros. Talk therapy is hugely beneficial during any life experience, but particularly one like this, Heilman says. Medication (for example, anxiety meds) can also be useful. And while you can go to your GP for a prescription, this might be the time to seek out a provider who really specializes in this arena; for example, in Heilman's practice, the psychiatrists who can prescribe medication are also midwives. Dr. Klein says he urges patients to enlist the help of a mental health provider who understands the context of what they're going through. Finally, Heilman notes that somatic training is a very effective treatment approach in these types of scenarios, particularly if you feel like your stress and anxiety are manifesting physiologically. "There are lots of different options for therapies, and they're all good. It's about finding what feels right for you," she says. Melanie Rud is a freelance beauty and lifestyle writer and editor based in Chicago. Along with her work for PS, she also writes for Byrdie, InStyle, Real Simple, Women's Health, and more.

Share Tweet Share Share Email Avalanche’s recent price predictions indicate that AVAX is set for an upswing, having recently climbed by 102.5% to $43. This remarkable increase has been fueled by a significant rise in its Total Value Locked (TVL). Conversely, BlockDAG (BDAG), focusing on utility, has rapidly become a presale phenomenon, collecting over $158.5 million in a short shift. The value of BlockDAG (BDAG) has surged by 2240% since its first presale batch. Experts now estimate that BDAG could achieve a price of $30 by 2030, promising substantial potential returns and solidifying its position as a leading crypto for future growth. Positive Price Movements Forecasted for Avalanche After Significant Surge Avalanche (AVAX) serves as a blockchain infrastructure for decentralized apps and enterprise solutions. Recent predictions have spotlighted notable price increases, particularly after AVAX reached $43, recovering impressively from its lowest prices this year. This growth is linked to an increase in Total Value Locked (TVL), now at $1.4 billion, along with strategic partnerships. Analysts suggest that AVAX’s positive trajectory might sustain if it maintains these strong fundamentals. Despite these promising aspects, Avalanche faces hurdles with the centralization of its staking power, prompting concerns about its commitment to decentralization. Moreover, the swift price ascent raises fears of potential volatility that could affect its immediate stability. BlockDAG Set to Reach $30 by 2030: Promising Future Returns BlockDAG has captivated the cryptocurrency community by reaching an impressive milestone, raising over $158.5 million in its presale. With over 16.9 billion BDAG coins sold and prices rising from $0.001 to $0.0234 in the latest batch, early participants have seen a significant 2240% increase. Experts now foresee BDAG reaching $30 by 2030, suggesting a promising future return. Adding to this excitement, BlockDAG has recently enhanced its dashboard with a 5-tier bonus system that rewards users generously for using the code BDAG250 at checkout. The first purchase results in a 150% bonus, with the second offering 170%. Subsequent purchases unveil hidden “mystery boxes,” adding to the thrill and benefits for users. For those seeking cost-effective crypto opportunities, BlockDAG’s competitive price makes it a prime choice among cryptocurrencies currently. With the BDAG250 bonus ending on January 8, 2025, and rising demand for BDAG coins, the ongoing presale is expected to sell out soon. Now is the perfect time to engage with BDAG to benefit before prices potentially rise. Evaluating BlockDAG vs. Avalanche for Sustained Growth Avalanche and BlockDAG continue to make significant advances in the cryptocurrency market, securing their positions as leading cryptos to monitor this year. Their unique capabilities offer distinct advantages. Here’s how they stack up in terms of offering long-term growth: Technology and Scalability: Avalanche relies on a multi-chain architecture to enhance scalability, but this approach could face hurdles due to centralization among validators. In contrast, BlockDAG’s use of directed acyclic graph (DAG) and proof of work (PoW) technology supports the processing of transactions concurrently, providing faster, more secure, and scalable solutions. This positions BlockDAG as a more comprehensive blockchain technology. Growth Potential: Avalanche shows promise with its positive market projections; however, its history indicates considerable price fluctuations and sensitivity to market changes. Conversely, the success of BlockDAG’s presale, which garnered over $158.5 million and witnessed a 2240% increase in pricing, indicates solid confidence from the market and hints at significant potential for future growth. Community and Accessibility: Avalanche’s ecosystem is bolstered by its validator model, but this structure has raised issues concerning decentralization, possibly restricting wider user involvement. On the other hand, BlockDAG enhances user access and engagement through its presale structure and a rewarding 5-tier bonus system, which encourages ongoing participation. Summing Up the Future of Crypto Opportunities While Avalanche’s pricing trajectory is on an upward path with AVAX achieving a 102.5% rebound this year, BlockDAG has clearly set a high benchmark with a $158.5 million presale and a 2240% increase since its first batch. Additionally, BlockDAG’s impending 5-tier bonus expiration and the projection of its unit reaching $30 position it as an essential crypto presale coin to consider now. With a current price of $0.0234 per unit, BDAG is on the brink of another price escalation, marking an optimal time to engage with this burgeoning crypto entity. Presale: https://purchase.blockdag.network Website: https://blockdag.network Telegram: https://t.me/blockDAGnetworkOfficial Discord: https://discord.gg/Q7BxghMVyu Related Items: BlockDAG , press release Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you Crypto Users Are Growing Worldwide: Why Plus Wallet is Becoming a Go-To Solution for Asset Management El Salvador’s Bitcoin Reserves Explode in Value—Find Out Why Plus Wallet Is the Crypto Wallet Everyone’s Talking About! Chainlink (LINK) vs Lightchain AI—Who Will Dominate the Blockchain Future? Comments