LONDON (AP) — West Ham players showed their support for seriously injured teammate Michail Antonio before and during their Premier League home win against Wolverhampton on Monday, two days after his car crash. The players warmed up in “Antonio 9” jerseys and walked on to the field in tops adorning his name. The club will put the walk-out tops up for auction along with every match jersey worn against Wolves, with the proceeds going to medical charities and matched by the club’s board. West Ham fans stood in London Stadium and applauded for Antonio in the ninth, and when captain Jarrod Bowen scored the 2-1 winner in the second half, he approached supporters behind the goal carrying an Antonio jersey. “To share that moment, he's not here with us but I'm sure (Antonio) was watching and the fans, you heard them,” Bowen told broadcaster Sky Sports. “An emotional couple of days.” Before the game, Bowen said, “Everyone loves Mic, he is a big character. “He is not just a teammate, he is a friend and has been for many years. A dad as well to beautiful children. It is one of those things where life is bigger than football. The main thing is Mic is safe and well and here to tell the story. Saturday was a really difficult time. He is a warrior and a fighter, he always has been, and I know he will be back stronger for this." Antonio, a 34-year-old Jamaica international, was recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery on what West Ham described as a “lower limb fracture.” He was involved in a one-car incident outside London on Saturday, after which he was hospitalized and kept under close supervision. He wished the team well by video before the match. Antonio has made more than 300 appearances for West Ham since joining the club from Nottingham Forest in 2015, and played in all 14 games this season before the incident. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerFrench Lawmakers Vote To Oust Prime Minister In The First Successful No-Confidence Vote Since 1962
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Christmas week began on a positive note on Wall Street as big tech names led the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq higher on a day that was thinly traded. Share Market View All Nifty Gainers View All Company Value Change %Change The tech-heavy index ended 1% higher, while the S&P 500 gained 0.7% led by gains in Nvidia, Broadcom, Alphabet and Meta. The Dow Jones ended above the flat line but underperformed its peers. US markets will shut early on Tuesday due to Christmas Eve and will remain shut on Wednesday due to Christmas. Treasury 10-year yields advanced six basis points to 4.59%. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.3%. Earlier on Monday, stocks lost steam momentarily after data showed consumer confidence unexpectedly sank for the first time in three months on concerns about the outlook for the economy. “The economic outlook is deteriorating,” said Neil Dutta at Renaissance Macro Research. “This was true before the Fed’s December confab and remains true. The risk of the Fed flip-flopping is quite high.” The S&P 500 is on its way to record a stellar annual return and back-to-back years of more than 20% gains. The index has risen about 25% since the end of 2023, with the top seven biggest technology stocks accounting for more than half of the advance. “Last week’s action should mark the end of the recent pullback and allow a ‘Santa Claus Rally’,” said Jonathan Krinsky at BTIG. “We do think a deeper correction early in ’25 is likely, albeit from a new all-time high.” Whether or not the gauge will be able to stage a “Santa Claus Rally,” that continues to be a barometer of investors’ optimism into the new year. That seven-day period includes the last five trading days of the old year and the first two of the new one. A positive “Santa Claus Rally” has preceded a 10.4% average annual gain for the S&P 500 since World War II, as well as a 74% frequency of advance, according to Sam Stovall at CFRA. However, a decline in this seven-day period saw the gauge post an average annual increase of only 5.7%, posting a gain just 32% of the time. To Morgan Stanley’s Michael Wilson, negative breadth — when falling shares outnumber those that are rising — may not matter as much for high-quality stock indexes with robust price momentum. (With Inputs From Agencies.)In Blake Lively ’s bombshell sexual harassment complaint against Justin Baldoni , the fixers are now part of the problem. On top of the laundry list of accused misconduct on the set of the film “ It Ends with Us ,” Lively’s surprise weekend filing against her director and costar Baldoni lays bare a show business process that’s meant to operate in the shadows – the hiring of expensive crisis communications experts to sway opinion and uplift clients. Attorneys for Lively obtained numerous text messages between Baldoni’s personal rep Jennifer Abel and the crisis team he retained this summer, led by Melissa Nathan. Documents and texts said Baldoni did so to prepare for a scenario where Lively would come forward with accusations from the set, as well as narratives that key cast members were distancing themselves from Baldoni during the promotion of the Sony Pictures release. The exchanges reveal candid – or “cringeworthy,” as one competing crisis expert told Variety – efforts to counter Lively by enlisting friendly journalists and allegedly hiring a digital whiz to fabricate and amplify unflattering content about her. Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman blasted the claims and supporting documents, like text messages and a multi-page strategy, as “cherry-picked” to build a narrative that forgoes crucial context and, in what would be important for Baldoni in this case, inaction in coming after Lively. While the complaint is under investigation by Freedman, the attorney said he is confident the full picture will reveal “nothing untoward happened” when it comes to Lively and Baldoni’s team — and that “reputation management,” as its commonly referred to in the digital lives of celebrities, is routine for countless public personalities. This weekend, Abel addressed the Lively complaint in a private Facebook group for PR and marketing professionals. The post, verified by Variety , said that texts and documents obtained did not intend to smear the actress. “No negative press was ever facilitated, no social combat plan, although we were prepared for it, as it’s our job to be ready for any scenario, but we didn’t have to implement anything, because the internet was doing the work for us,” Abel wrote. In a statement, Freedman added that Nathan “operated as any other crisis management firm would when hired by a client experiencing threats by two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources,” referring to Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds. “The standard scenario planning TAG PR drafted proved unnecessary as audiences found Lively’s own actions, interviews and marketing during the promotional tour distasteful, and responded organically to that which the media themselves picked up on.” Some power players were dismayed by the tough tactics being floated by Abel and Nathan to “smear” Lively. Nathan pitched a four-month battle plan with a $175,000 price tag to “start threads of theories” on platforms like Reddit and TikTok in Baldoni’s favor, and to create “social fan engagement to go back and forth with any negative accounts, helping to change [sic] narrative and stay on track,” Lively’s complaint said. There was also the contracting of Jed Wallace, operator of a firm called Street Relations. One source described him as a “Ray Donovan” type fixer employed by powerful people. Freedman, who knows Wallace well, said he would not describe him as a fixer but rather someone with deep resources for unusual circumstances (he knows how to get a chopper for medical evacuation in remote parts of Italy, for instance). Lively’s complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department said Wallace weaponized “a digital army around the country from New York to Los Angeles to create, seed, and promote content that appeared to be authentic.” While the suit does not specify which stories might have targeted Lively, numerous unflattering pieces about the actress were resurfaced during the press tour for “It Ends with Us.” They included problematic past comments about the trans community (using the phrase “trannies”), and an attempted lifestyle brand launch in which Lively promoted the “allure” of an Antebellum South aesthetic . Most importantly, Nathan stressed in early days, these efforts would be “untraceable.” Not anymore. “It’s quite common for crisis people to be reactive, to monitor and respond to situations,” said one veteran media broker who has hired crisis firms on behalf of clients. “But to stage this entire campaign? To put this in writing?” The source added that “fix-it shops usually employ some cyber warriors who come in to manage chatter, but it’s an unwritten code that you will not hire companies or social media agitators to go out and script a new narrative.” Crisis PR is common in many sectors for individuals, corporations and political parties. What has industry insiders aghast over this conflict is the nature of the correspondence. “You know we can bury anyone,” Nathan wrote to Abel in a February text cited in the complaint, ironically in an exchange about how she could not put such things in writing to Baldoni. The quote wound up in a New York Times headline. In an early Monday statement, Freedman said it was “ironic that the New York Times, through their effort to ‘uncover’ an insidious PR effort, played directly into the hands of Lively’s own dubious PR tactics by publishing leaked personal text exchanges that lack critical context – the very same tactics she’s accusing the firm of implementing.” Some PR pros were empathetic to Abel and Nathan, given the unusual disclosure of private texts and documents which were likely subject to nondisclosure agreements. “There are two smear campaigns going on here,” said one top studio executive. “One against Lively, and one against the PR people. It doesn’t mean that Jen Abel and Melissa Nathan didn’t do anything wrong, but who sold them out? There’s a code you don’t breach.” Another industry figure frequently involved in high profile conflicts said, “That’s crisis PR talk, right? Everybody talks like that. Everybody loves to talk a big game.” The severity of the proposed campaign against Lively has led to some questions about how actionable these kinds of services could be in court. “I think people might see what Baldoni did as at least unfair, if not harmful or possibly illegal in terms of further harassment or retaliation,” said Ryan Baker, co-founding partner of legal firm Waymaker LLP. “It puts this under a little more scrutiny, because all of these things clearly happened in a dynamic where Lively and Baldoni are going back and forth.” Yet another highly sought after PR guru, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the sensational nature of the complaint is distracting from an industry reality. “These days, all PR is crisis PR,” they said.
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For those trying to come to terms with a particularly tumultuous election year full of deep divisions, ideological invective and personal insults, guidance can come from a historical figure whose insights into American politics still prove useful. As I chronicle in my new book, “ ,” Will Rogers stood as perhaps the most influential commentator on public affairs in the United States a century ago. Born in Oklahoma, he had risen to fame as a cowboy humorist in vaudeville, the Ziegfeld Follies, Broadway shows and silent movies, and he earned public acclaim with his shrewd, folksy and witty observations on American life and values. By the 1920s, this led to Rogers wrote for over 300 newspapers, a stream of magazine articles and essays, and steady appearances on the national lecture circuit. He hosted and had . Rogers became the most beloved figure in America until his death in 1935. As I discovered in my research, a flood of eulogies appeared in newspapers and magazines following his passing. Typical was this one appearing in the Minneapolis Journal: “We all loved Will Rogers ... . Poets we have had, and philosophers, and humorists of note; but not one among them all so endeared to the heart of the whole people. None was ever mourned with such genuine grief, none will be so missed from our common life.” Especially fascinated by the nation’s politics, Rogers often trained his humor on its foibles and achievements alike. Three touchstones guided his commentary: a genial skepticism about politics as usual, a belief that politics must be subsumed within a broader perspective on life and, above all, an insistence that political discussants honor a code of civility. Rogers got most of his laughs from skeptical jabs at the system. He gleefully skewered the “bunk” of American politics, his favorite word for politicians’ shameless hypocrisy, bombastic rhetoric, inflated egos and shady deal-making. Both Democrats and Republicans stood guilty of peddling bunk. “You know, the more you read and observe about this politics thing, you’ve got to admit that each party is worse than the other,” Rogers said. “It is getting so that a Republican promise is not much more to be depended on than a Democratic one. And that has always been considered the lowest form of collateral in the world.” The Oklahoman poked fun at the political system’s grandiose rituals and fumbling institutions. He wrote of a that took three weeks and 103 ballots to nominate a nonentity: “In number of population the convention is holding its own. The deaths from old age among the delegates is about offset by the birthrate.” Rogers pilloried governmental ineptness in Washington, D.C. One year, when Congress reconvened after a round of egregious bickering and inaction, he joked, “Let us all pray: Oh Lord, give us strength to bear that which is about to be inflicted upon us. Be merciful with them, Oh Lord, for they know not what they do.” He claimed a simple approach: “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” Yet Rogers insisted that political disputation should be kept in perspective. He urged his fellow citizens to avoid politicizing every public issue and instead concentrate on more meaningful endeavors – family, friends, community and work. Despite the dire warnings of political zealots, he said, “There is no less sickness, no less Earthquakes, no less Progress, no less inventions, no less morality, no less Christianity under one (president) than the other.” But for Rogers, the ultimate guarantee of stability came from the mass of workaday American citizens seeking commonsense solutions to public problems. What Rogers called the “Big Honest Majority” lived simply and worked hard, wanted a good life for their families and pursued their own version of happiness. The average citizen, Rogers believed, had solid judgment and “was not simple minded enough to believe that EVERYTHING is right and doesn’t appear to be cuckoo enough to believe that EVERYTHING is wrong.” Finally, Rogers urged an approach to politics that was critical yet charitable, principled yet magnanimous. A connoisseur of civility, he insisted that political disputants were opponents, not enemies, and that contrary viewpoints deserved respect. The humorist set the example: “I haven’t got it in for anybody or anything.” Even as he pilloried politicians’ shortcomings, he never made it personal. Despite their faults, Rogers wrote, “the Rascals, when you meet ’em face to face and know ’em, they are mighty nice fellows.” He declared famously, “I’ve joked about every prominent man in my time but I never met a man I didn’t like.” Determinedly nonpartisan throughout most of his career, he leaned toward the party of Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression while jesting, “I don’t belong to any organized political faith; I’m a Democrat.” The cowboy humorist saw politics as an endeavor for genial discussion, not a blood sport. Rogers’ political axioms of healthy skepticism, perspicacity and civility remain useful guides for surviving even the most sordid electioneering. So when you hear overwrought partisans lamenting “the end of democracy” or “we won’t have a country left anymore,” take a deep breath and consider Will Rogers’ calmer, wiser approach to presidential elections a century ago. Remember his conclusion that America won’t be ruined “no matter who is elected, so the Politicians will have to wait four more years to tell us who will ruin us then.” Then you can adopt his sage advice that when dealing with a political adversary, “don’t disagree with him looking at him; walk around behind him and see the way he’s looking.”DSI Tyres, a leader in the tyre industry, along with its affiliated companies, has been recognized at several prestigious award ceremonies, including the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM), the Export Awards by the National Chamber of Exporters (NCE), and the Dragons of Asia Awards. At the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards 2024, regarded as Sri Lanka’s most prestigious and competitive brand recognition event, DSI Tyres received the ‘Agile Brand of the Year’ (Merit Award). This accolade was awarded for the company’s ability to adapt to rapidly changing market and social dynamics while adopting innovative and effective business strategies. DSI Tyres also achieved its first international recognition by winning the Black Dragon Award for the ‘Best Brand Building or Awareness Campaign’ at the 24th Dragons of Asia Awards, honouring their impactful marketing and communication initiatives."Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.