
By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron, the Houston-based energy company that exemplified the worst in American corporate fraud and greed after it went bankrupt in 2001. If its return is comedic, some former employees who lost everything in Enron’s collapse aren’t laughing. “It’s a pretty sick joke and it disparages the people that did work there. And why would you want to even bring it back up again?” said former Enron employee Diana Peters, who represented workers in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what to know about the history of Enron and the purported effort to bring it back. Once the nation’s seventh-largest company, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2, 2001, after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions of dollars in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The energy company’s collapse put more than 5,000 people out of work, wiped out more than $2 billion in employee pensions and rendered $60 billion in Enron stock worthless. Its aftershocks were felt throughout the energy sector. Twenty-four Enron executives , including former CEO Jeffrey Skilling , were eventually convicted for their roles in the fraud. Enron founder Ken Lay’s convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease following his 2006 trial. On Monday — the 23rd anniversary of the bankruptcy filing — a company representing itself as Enron announced in a news release that it was relaunching as a “company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis.” It also posted a video on social media, advertised on at least one Houston billboard and a took out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle In the minute-long video that was full of generic corporate jargon, the company talks about “growth” and “rebirth.” It ends with the words, “We’re back. Can we talk?” Enron’s new website features a company store, where various items featuring the brand’s tilted “E” logo are for sale, including a $118 hoodie. In an email, company spokesperson Will Chabot said the new Enron was not doing any interviews yet, but that “We’ll have more to share soon.” Signs point to the comeback being a joke. In the “terms of use and conditions of sale” on the company’s website, it says “the information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.” Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show that College Company, an Arkansas-based LLC, owns the Enron trademark. The co-founder of College Company is Connor Gaydos, who helped create a joke conspiracy theory that claims all birds are actually surveillance drones for the government. Peters said that since learning about the “relaunch” of Enron, she has spoken with several other former employees and they are also upset by it. She said the apparent stunt was “in poor taste.” “If it’s a joke, it’s rude, extremely rude. And I hope that they realize it and apologize to all of the Enron employees,” Peters said. Peters, who is 74 years old, said she is still working in information technology because “I lost everything in Enron, and so my Social Security doesn’t always take care of things I need done.” “Enron’s downfall taught us critical lessons about corporate ethics, accountability, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Enron’s legacy was the employees in the trenches. Leave Enron buried,” she said. Follow Juan A. Lozano on X at https://x.com/juanlozano70Social Micro-Savings Groups: Collective Efforts to Achieve Financial Dreams
Rams prepare for primetime Eagles game as NFC West heats upSalesforce Q3 Earnings: Revenue Beat, EPS Miss, Free Cash Flow Up 30%, AI Driving 'Groundbreaking Transformation' And MoreNSW Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News. A mainstream primary school in Sydney’s northwest surged ahead of academically selective and elite private institutions to achieve some of the best NAPLAN results in the state. Non-selective Oakhill Drive Public School in Castle Hill leapfrogged multiple public schools with academically selective opportunity classes and some of the state’s most expensive private schools into the top 20, ranking 16th in this year’s NAPLAN results for Year 5 students . It was also a marked improvement from their still competitive results in 2023, jumping from 42nd in the state. The school’s outstanding results are attributable to a marked improvement in their reading, writing, spelling, and grammar results. The Daily Telegraph’s analysis of the state’s highest performing schools in this year’s NAPLAN has revealed the most improved primary and high schools, and the top performing mainstream schools that outperformed both academically selective and elite private institutions. Every school’s performance has been analysed by averaging Year 5 and Year 9 students’ reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy results in the 2024 NAPLAN. Year 5 students at mainstream, non-selective schools St Ives North Public School, Cherrybrook Public School, Beaumont Road Public School in Killara, Bronte Public School, and Carlingford West Public School made the top 40 in NSW against some selective schools and many expensive private colleges. St Ives North Public School is one of the highest achieving mainstream primary schools in this year’s NAPLAN. Oakhill Drive Public School, Knox Grammar School in Wahroonga and Redeemer Baptist School in North Parramatta were among the most improved, jumping between 18 and 35 places into the top 30 primary schools across NSW. The top 40 secondary schools in the Year 9 rankings were all fully or partially academically selective public high schools, or elite private colleges. But a number of mainstream public high schools still outperformed some academically selective and many expensive private schools – with single sex education evidently still paying dividends for some despite declining demand for the concept. Willoughby Girls High School was the best performing public high school in the state, ranking 44th in NSW, followed by Cherrybrook Technology High School in 71st and Killara High School taking out the 74th spot. Willoughby Girls High School was the top performing mainstream high school in the state. Out of the top 10 highest achieving mainstream public high schools, five of them were single sex girls schools – Willoughby Girls, Northern Beaches Secondary College Mackellar Girls Campus, Riverside Girls in Gladesville, Burwood Girls and Strathfield Girls. The 10th best was Epping Boys High School, with coeducational schools taking out the remaining spots. The analysis reveals many public high schools and some cheaper private schools yielded stronger results than the state’s most exclusive colleges. Year 5 students at nine mainstream public schools outperformed those paying $33,012 a year at Newington College in Stanmore and $36,800 a year at The King’s School in North Parramatta, which came 58th and 59th in the state respectively. Mainstream primary schools North Ryde Public School and Kellyville Public School also outclassed elite private schools including Barker College, SCEGGS Redlands and Presbyterian Ladies College, which have Year 5 fees ranging from $31,740 to to $39,300. Al-Faisal College Campbelltown, which came 11th in the state with fees of just over $2100 per year, outperformed many private primary schools charging more five times as much in fees. Mainstream public high school Willoughby Girls also outclassed elite secondary colleges including Loreto Kirribilli, SCEGGS Redlands, Barker College, Newington, Shore, Kambala, The King’s School and Cranbrook School. TOP 10 NON-SELECTIVE PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS Oakhill Drive Public School Castle Hill – 16 St Ives North Public School – 29 Cherrybrook Public School – 33 Beaumont Road Public School Killara – 35 Bronte Public School – 38 Carlingford West Public School – 40 Epping West Public School – 46 John Purchase Public School Cherrybrook – 48 Excelsior Public School Castle Hill – 49 Eastwood Public School – 60 MOST IMPROVED PRIMARY SCHOOLS Oakhill Drive Public School Castle Hill – 42 to 16 Knox Grammar School Wahroonga – 33 to 15 Redeemer Baptist School North Parramatta – 60 to 25 Ironbark Ridge Public School Rouse Hill – 81 to 22 TOP 10 NON-SELECTIVE PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS Willoughby Girls High School – 44 Cherrybrook Technology High School – 71 Killara High School – 74 Northern Beaches Secondary College Mackellar Girls Campus – 76 Carlingford High School – 82 Riverside Girls High School Gladesville – 83 Burwood Girls High School – 92 Strathfield Girls High School – 113 Crestwood High School – 116 Epping Boys High School – 118 MOST IMPROVED HIGH SCHOOLS Conservatorium High School – 15 to 5 SCEGGS Darlinghurst – 33 to 25 Parramatta High School – 43 to 33 Santa Sabina College – 72 to 39 Pacific Hills Christian School – 120 to 72 Strathfield Girls High School – 126 to 113 More Coverage NAPLAN results reveal top schools in NSW Eliza Barr Top performing schools reveal secret to success Eliza Barr Originally published as NSW’s most improved schools revealed in NAPLAN rankings Join the conversation Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout More related stories NSW Full list: NAPLAN results for every NSW primary school We’ve crunched the numbers and can reveal how every NSW primary school performed on their 2024 NAPLAN results. SEE HOW YOUR SCHOOL PERFORMED HERE. Read more NSW Cops arrest two men over alleged $1.4m school building frauds The two men – who The Daily Telegraph understands are related – were arrested on Wednesday morning as police seized electronics, $42,400 cash, a ballistics vest, and luxury watches. Read more
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Mariah Keopple and Alexandra Labelle scored their first goals of the season and the Montreal Victoire edged the Minnesota Frost 3-2 on Saturday. Marie-Philip Poulin's goal almost six minutes into the second period was the difference as she converted a 2-on-1 from Laura Stacey and Jennifer Gardiner and Montreal (2-2-0-1), which went 0 for 3 on the power play, won its third straight while handing Minnesota (3-1-1-1) its first regulation loss of the season. Despite having the better control of the action from the start Montreal fell behind 1-0 near the middle of the first period when Claire Thompson and Taylor Heise set up Britta Curl-Salemme for her third goal of the season. But in the last five minutes of the period Keopple scored on a pass from Claire Dalton, and Labelle banged in a rebound of her initial shot. Minnesota pulled into a tie at just 3:17 into the second period when Brooke McQuigge picked up her first goal during a scramble in front of the Montreal goal. Barely 2 1/2 minutes later the Victoire were back on top on Poulin's second goal of the season and Ann-Renee Desbiens, who made 22 saves, made that stand up. Maddie Rooney made 22 saves for Minnesota, which went 0-1 on the power play. Boston plays at Montreal on Monday. The Frost are home against Boston on Thursday. AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockeySan Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and top backup Jordan Mason are being placed on injured reserve. McCaffrey left the snowy field in Buffalo on Sunday night after a 5-yard gain that was preceded by him heading to the sideline in apparent pain at the end of an 18-yard run. McCaffrey was diagnosed with a posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee and did not play in the second half. The 49ers also lost Jordan Mason, who emerged in a starting role with McCaffrey out the first two months of the season, to an ankle injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Mason has a high-ankle sprain, which typically requires a recovery window of 4-6 weeks. Those moves push rookie Isaac Guerendo into the RB1 spot. He scored the team's only touchdown at Buffalo. The IR slots in San Francisco are manned by multiple starters, including wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Mason had a team-leading 789 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. Being placed on IR means he's not eligible to play until the regular-season finale at Arizona. McCaffrey had 53 yards on seven carries on Sunday night and caught two passes for 14 yards before exiting. He was playing in just his fourth game of the season after missing the first eight because of Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year last season, when he led the league with 2,023 yards from scrimmage: a league-leading 1,459 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns plus 67 catches for 564 yards and seven scores. McCaffrey hasn't scored a touchdown in his four appearances this season. He has rushed for 202 yards on 50 carries and caught 15 passes for 146 yards. "It was frustrating," Shanahan said after the game. "He had a great week of practice and I could feel his urgency and stuff and thought he came out great, looking really good, and it looked like he just got his shoestring there. ... I hurt for him, and tough for our team not having him." The 49ers (5-7) played without defensive end Nick Bosa (oblique) and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) in the 35-10 loss. San Francisco has lost three in a row heading into next Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears (4-8) in Santa Clara, Calif. San Francisco resides two games behind the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks (7-5) with five games remaining on the schedule. Seattle and San Francisco split their season series. --Field Level Media
NoneOn the first chill, semi-wintery day in late November, I hobbled with a friend to my local café for a latte and a muffin. My thoughts move towards how many years or—more direly—months are left for me to still be able to make this walk. I know I should just take the walk without reflecting about how much time I have left. I ought to try to live with the pleasure and pain of the moment and forget about reflecting on mortality and the future. However, for me it is very difficult to do—my mind won’t allow for it. Those thoughts rarely leave me at this point in my life. I also find myself flooded with all sorts of images and thoughts beyond my harping on how ephemeral life is. Past experiences keep on reappearing; images from my Bronx boyhood—far from an idyll with too many uneasy moments but nothing resembling a nightmare—sometimes emerge. I remember playing punchball in the mostly concrete backyard of my apartment house and stickball and football in the local park and later, awkwardly and with little pleasure, sitting at night on benches and cars and flirting with teenage girls from the neighborhood. Nothing dramatic occurred—just quotidian activities that I then gave little thought to. But these images from the past have resurfaced, including every face and name that spent two years attending the same classes in junior high with me. I knew few intimate details about most of my classmates, and I haven’t seen them for years, but they oddly and vividly turn up in my memories at this late date. I have a hard time figuring out why I recall those times with such exactitude. Possibly, I am trying to stop time and return to the past—a less complex, more innocent era, especially from this vantage point. Or in some unconscious manner, do I see the resurrection of these memories as providing some revelation about those adolescent years that has eluded me? On the next day, I go for breakfast with another friend, we talk about how dark the Trumpian political future looks (one of the few hopes I have is that he will make a mess of the economy and alienate his constituency), and then we shift abruptly into chatter about professional basketball and the fate of the Knicks. The latter is a subject that doesn’t weigh us down in any way, for it is pure escape with almost no effect on our lives. But thinking about and losing oneself in sports and films—though the latter is a passion that often demands a more subtle response than merely rooting for the Knicks—offers relief from my normal dark thoughts about the self and the world. Sitting in this café, I notice that most of the other customers are in their 20s and 30s—NYU students, people who do tech work or have Wall Street jobs—and I both envy and feel some despair about the years that they have ahead of them. The future seems bound by environmental disasters and a rise of right-wing populism that will endanger democracy and constrict culture (e.g., banning books, restricting abortion). Of course, history turns in unpredictable ways, and an age of social democracy may arrive where modest reforms may allow us to live in more equitable and just times. But, at the moment, everything looks bleak.
CULTURAL ROUND-UP 2024None
Trump urges judge to dismiss hush money case due to election victoryFORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Mustapha Amzil scored 14 points as New Mexico beat Colorado State 76-68 on Saturday. Amzil added five rebounds for the Lobos (10-3, 2-0 Mountain West Conference). Donovan Dent added 14 points while going 7 of 16 from the field while they also had six assists. C.J. Noland had 11 points and finished 5 of 7 from the field. Nique Clifford led the way for the Rams (7-6, 1-1) with 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson added 13 points and nine rebounds for Colorado State. Kyan Evans also had 10 points. New Mexico took the lead with 8:53 to go in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 41-25 at halftime, with Filip Borovicanin racking up 10 points. New Mexico was outscored by Colorado State in the second half by eight points, with Amzil scoring a team-high six points in the final half. Both teams next play Tuesday. New Mexico visits Fresno State and Colorado State goes on the road to play San Jose State. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .