Category Archives: general

BBB: Must-know trends for Black Friday 2025 — small business edition

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Black Friday is quickly approaching, offering a valuable opportunity to connect with customers in meaningful ways. As you begin planning your holiday marketing, taking a look at last year’s trends and performance can spark stronger ideas and help you shape campaigns that truly resonate this season. What you’ll learn: • Key shopping and spending trends shaping Black Friday 2025 • How changing consumer behaviors can guide your sales strategy • Practical ways to use data and technology to boost efficiency and customer satisfaction this holiday season Because Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, it also offers small business owners the chance to generate a good amount of revenue BBB provides the following stats from 2024 to help plan your 2025 Black Friday strategy. Holiday online shopping surpassed $131 billion in 2024. Between November 1 and December 2, 2024, consumers spent $131. 5 billion online, up 9% from 2023. Mobile shopping made up over 50% of those sales. Consumers are spreading out their purchases across the full holiday season. Start advertising early and maintain consistent deals to capture both early planners and last-minute buyers. Remember the males. Seventy-three percent of men say that Black Friday is a great day for deals, compared to 67% of women. When people think of Black Friday shopping, most assume females will be the ones to take full advantage of getting up and heading out to save a few bucks. 73% of men stated that if presented with the right deal, they could be convinced to shop Black Friday deals compared to 67% of women. Shoppers are starting earlier than ever. 92% of consumers begin researching deals before the holiday season, and nearly half track discounts using wish lists or price alerts. Build anticipation with early teasers, email campaigns, and wish list features so potential customers include your products in their research phase. Brick-and-mortar retail is expected to grow to approximately $28. 3 trillion by 2030. Brick-and-mortar retail is expected to increase to over $28. 3 trillion by 2030. Even as online shopping grows, in-person retail remains a dominant force. Strengthening your in-store experience through excellent customer service, local promotions, and seamless integration with online options-can help you capture a larger share of the spending that still happens face-to-face. Gift cards ranked as the most popular planned purchase. Gift card purchases continue to rise, with 46% of baby boomers naming them as their top planned holiday purchase. This marks a shift toward flexible, practical gifting options that allow recipients to choose their own items which reflects consumers’ focus on value and convenience amid economic uncertainty. Offering branded or customizable gift cards can boost end-of-year sales, attract new customers, and encourage repeat visits after the holidays. Consider promoting gift cards as an easy, stress-free option for last-minute shoppers both in-store and online. Cyber Monday is forecasted to outperform Black Friday, with revenues forecasted to exceed 13 billion. While many businesses plan to include online sales as part of their Black Friday marketing strategies, Cyber Monday is, again, expected to outperform Black Friday sales. This is because Cyber Monday has earned its reputation for online holiday deals. However, with more shoppers still choosing to make online purchases this holiday season, the right deal could convince your audience to purchase on Black Friday instead of Cyber Monday, so you must perform the right research to see what your competitors are planning. Instead of focusing all your efforts on a single day, plan promotions that span the entire weekend or even the full week to keep momentum going. AI chatbots save retailers over 5, 000 hours of customer support time during November. Online retailers using AI-powered chatbots save over 5, 000 hours of customer support time during November alone: the equivalent of 213 workdays. These virtual assistants help manage the surge in inquiries during peak shopping periods like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Integrating AI chatbots can significantly reduce staff workload while improving response times and customer satisfaction. Automating routine questions frees your team to focus on complex issues and high-value interactions-helping your business maintain service quality during the holiday rush. Mobile purchases accounted for more than half of all online sales. Smartphones drove 55% of online sales on Black Friday in 2024, underscoring the importance of having a mobile-friendly website and checkout process. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re missing out on the majority of online shoppers. Test your pages, checkout forms, and loading times well before the holiday rush. Get ready for Black Friday with more tips from the BBB Black Friday is considered the most important retail day of the year and is a huge opportunity for small businesses to increase their sales and gain new customers. You can take advantage of the right approach and create a profitable holiday. BBB is a nonprofit, business-supported organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Most BBB services to consumers are free of charge. BBB provides objective advice, free BBB Business Profiles on more than 5. 3 million companies, 11, 000 charity reviews, dispute resolution services, alerts and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. Visit bbb. org for more information. BBB Serving Central East Texas was founded in 1985 and serves 19 counties.
https://tylerpaper.com/2025/11/26/bbb-must-know-trends-for-black-friday-2025-small-business-edition/

Thanksgiving turkey recipe 2025: Cook your bird in under an hour

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By Tan Vinh, The Seattle Times SEATTLE Teriyaki chicken is a quick and cheap lunch that’s synonymous with Seattle. One acclaimed local chef, Taichi Kitamura of Eastlake’s Sushi Kappo Tamura, makes a compelling case for elevating that humble poultry dish into a fancy Thanksgiving feast. Teriyaki chicken is only made with dark meat. That rule also applies to turkey teriyaki, since the breast meat will dry out, the chef said. Kitamura offered us a pan-fried turkey breast recipe, too, with a sake-and-butter sauce. He typically fries the turkey breast while the rest of the meat roasts in the oven. All told, the entire turkey was cooked and ready to be eaten in less than an hour. We asked for both recipes and printed them below. Enjoy! Thanksgiving turkey teriyaki Ingredients 2 turkey thighs, deboned 2 turkey wings 2 cups soy sauce 2 cups sake 1 1/4 cups sugar 2 cups water 2 cups hot water 1/3 cup of whiskey (optional) Steps 1. Break down the turkey by chopping it down the middle, cutting off the hindquarters (thighs and drumsticks) and separating the thighs from the drumsticks. 2. Turn the bird over and cut off the breast from the rib cage and then chop the wings that are attached to the breasts. (A turkey has the same anatomy as a chicken, so if you’re more of a visual learner, head to YouTube for step-by-step instructions on breaking down a bird.) 3. Then comes the deboning. Detach the bone by trimming the edge of the meat where it meets the bone. The rest is less labor-intensive. (No need to debone the wings, since they cook faster.) 4. Score the meat with the tip of the knife. 5. For the marinade: In a large mixing bowl, add the hot water and sugar; whisk until all the sugar is dissolved. 6. Add soy sauce, sake, whiskey and water. Let the teriyaki sauce cool before marinating the meat. 7. Marinate the turkey for 12-16 hours in fridge. 8. On Thanksgiving Day, remove the turkey from the marinade. Towel it dry. 9. Lay the meat on a flat rack/grid over a pan, skin side up. A rack or grid over the pan helps keep the turkey from getting soggy from all the fat drippings. The rack helps crisp up the skin, too. 10. Roast the turkey in an oven (preferably a convection oven) preheated to 475 degrees until the temperature of the thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees. If using a conventional oven, heat the oven to 450 degrees. 11. Depending on the size of your turkey and your oven, you may need to use two trays or cook in batches. 12. Cut into 3/4-inch slices and serve. Pan-fried turkey breast Ingredients 2 turkey breasts, deboned 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 stick of butter, cut into 8 pieces 1 1/4 cups sake 1/2 cup soy sauce Salt and black pepper to taste 3 bay leaves 2 tablespoons lemon juice Steps 1. Butterfly the breast meat to an even width of about an inch thick or less. 2. Score the skin with the tip of the knife. 3. Season with salt and pepper. 4. In a large frying pan or skillet, heat vegetable oil. 5. Place the turkey skin side down on medium-high heat, cooking until the skin is golden-brown. 6. The turkey will be too large to cook on one skillet, so cook each breast separately or use two skillets. 7. Turn the turkey and cook the meat until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from the pan. 8. Deglaze the pan with sake. Add the bay leaves, soy sauce, lemon juice and butter. Add the juice from the cooked turkey if there is any. Stir vigorously with a spoon to emulsify. 9. Cut the turkey into 3/4-inch strips. Place on a platter. 10. Pour the sauce over the turkey and serve. ©2025 The Seattle Times. Visit seattletimes. com.
https://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/2025/11/26/thanksgiving-turkey-under-an-hour/

Witkoff To Moscow. Zelenskyy Is Wary. A Phone Call Leaks. A Peace Plan Coalesces. What Exactly Is Going On With Ukraine?

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The White House’s lead envoy is heading to Russia for a sixth time. Ukraine fears a peace that heavily favors Moscow. A leaked phone call shows the US envoy advising a Kremlin official on how to sweet talk the White House. And Russia’s invasion — now in its 46th month — has pushed Ukraine’s beleaguered armed forces closer to the breaking point. There’s a lot that happened in the six days since a US-drafted peace proposal first leaked not to mention the circumstances under which it was drafted. The 28-point plan jolted what until recently had been sputtering efforts to halt the Russian war, something that Trump had pledged to do within 24 hours of taking office in January. Here’s what you need to know as of November 26, as diplomats and negotiators from Washington, Moscow, Kyiv, and many other European capitals wrangle over details over a concrete, and controversial plan. The Main Sticking Points? After the US plan leaked, and then was given to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader sent his chief of staff and other officials to Geneva for urgent talks with US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Zelenskyy reportedly was blindsided by the plan, which echoed most of the hard-line positions that Russia has held before the invasion. The Geneva talks, however, produced an “updated and refined” framework a reworked 19-point plan — that would deliver a “sustainable and just peace,” both the White House and Zelenskyy’s office said. But Zelenskyy’s comments suggested the thorniest issues might still be on the table. That includes the fate of a chunk of the Donetsk region that the Kremlin has been hellbent on seizing. Moscow has repeatedly said it must control all of Donetsk, one of five Ukrainian regions Putin baselessly claims are Russian. Ceding land that Ukraine’s forces have kept out of Russia’s clutches, at great cost, would be a massive concession by Kyiv and could have political repercussions for Zelenskyy. Other pitfalls include the Kremlin’s insistence that Ukraine be forever barred from joining NATO and a potential cap on the size of Kyiv’s military. The US draft would require Ukraine to “enshrine in its constitution that it will not join NATO” and the alliance to formalize a pledge that Ukraine will never be admitted. That approach may be unpalatable for Ukraine, which wants freedom to choose its geopolitical partners and currently has its NATO aspirations codified in its constitution. Ukraine also wants to be able to defend itself from any potential future Russian attack. In previous negotiations, Russia called for Ukraine’s military to be under 100, 000 personnel. The initial US draft would cap it at 600, 000. A European counterproposal would raise that to 800, 000 “in peacetime.” Several top Republican senators have criticized the initial US plan, including former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “A deal that rewards aggression wouldn’t be worth the paper it’s written on. America isn’t a neutral arbiter, and we shouldn’t act like one,” he said in a post to X. Sixth Time’s A Charm? A real estate developer with no diplomatic background, Steve Witkoff is the man tapped by Trump to lead efforts to find an end to Russia’s war. He’s met with Putin five times already, traveling to Moscow on his private jet. Some of Witkoff’s prior actions have raised alarm bells to outside observers, who fear he is being manipulated or that he misunderstands the war’s deeply intractable historical contours. Witkoff has relied on translators provided by the Kremlin for his conversations with Putin and other officials, rather than using translators authorized by the US Embassy. After Witkoff’s last meeting with Putin in August, US and European officials said the envoy misunderstood the geography of Ukrainian territory Putin was claiming. Representative Don Bacon, a Republican who has criticized the Trump administration’s engagement with Russia, called for Witkoff to be fired. Sending Witkoff back to Moscow, a visit Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov confirmed would happen next week, is a sign that the White House is eager to cement some or all of the points that were set in Geneva and Abu Dhabi. Another wild-card: Trump mentioned his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, might accompany Witkoff, something neither Ushakov nor Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on. Kushner was reportedly present for previously undisclosed US meeting involving Witkoff and Russian who is also not a diplomat but who has played a starring, unconventional role in negotiations with the Americans: Kirill Dmitriev. Wait, A Leaked Phone Call? In late October, Dmitriev, a sharp-tongued, Harvard-trained businessman who heads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, traveled to Miami, Florida. He met with Republican Representative Anna Luna, giving her what he said were undisclosed Russian files on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He also gave her a box of chocolates and a book of Putin quotes. Dmitriev had been blacklisted in 2022, along with other Russian officials, in punishment for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Trump’s Treasury secretary has called him a “Kremlin propagandist.” It later emerged that Dmitriev, who was given an exemption by US authorities to travel, had secret meetings with Witkoff and Kushner while in Miami- reportedly leaving some White House and State Department officials in the dark. After news of the US proposal emerged last week, several US senators said that Rubio told them the draft was Russian in nature, influenced by a Russian, though Dmitriev was not named. Rubio, who was in Geneva, insisted it was a US draft. On November 25, not long before Trump announced Witkoff would travel to Moscow, Bloomberg News published a transcript of what it said was telephone call between Witkoff and Ushakov, held about two weeks before Witkoff met Dmitriev in Miami. According to the transcript, Witkoff advised Ushakov on how to charm Trump on a possible peace deal. “I would make the call and just reiterate that you congratulate the president on this achievement, that you supported it, you supported it, that you respect that he is a man of peace and you’re just, you’re really glad to have seen it happen. So I would say that,” Witkoff was quoted as saying. “I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere,” Witkoff reportedly said. Bloomberg did not say how it obtained the recording, which was likely made by US intelligence agencies who routinely monitor and eavesdrop on foreign officials’ conversations. RFE/RL could not independent verify the transcript. Trump partially confirmed the fact of the call, though not its content, saying “He’s got to sell this to Ukraine. He’s going to sell Ukraine to Russia. That’s what a dealmaker does.” Ushakov also appeared to confirm the fact of the call, telling a Russian state TV reporter that the call was leaked to undermine the backchannel negotiations. “It is unlikely that such a leak could have come from the participants in the conversation,” he was quoted as saying. RFE/RL Russia/Ukraine editor Steven Gutterman contributed to this report.
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-witkoff-dmitriev-peace-ushakov/33606177.html

Jannik Sinner’s ‘attractive’ new girlfriend Laila Hasanovic sparks strange comments from Rennae Stubbs & co-host

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Rennae Stubbs recently discussed Jannik Sinner and his girlfriend Laila Hasanovic on her podcast, which she co-hosts with Caitlin Thompson, the founder of tennis media company Racquet. Stubbs was all praise for Hasanovic’s looks, while Thompson said she isn’t too familiar with the Danish model and influencer, to which the former issued a rather quirky response. Rumors of Sinner and Hasanovic’s romance surfaced earlier this year, but for months, both the Italian and Dane neither confirmed nor denied their speculated relationship. However, following his title triumph at the 2025 Vienna Open, where Hasanovic was in attendance, Sinner very subtly made it clear that he is indeed in a romantic relationship with the Dane. Thanks for the submission! On a recently-released episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, former women’s doubles No. 1 and Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs touched on the good times Jannik Sinner is currently enjoying both on and off the tennis court. The Italian ended the year as the World No. 2 and also defeated year-end No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz to become a two-time ATP Finals champion, following which he jetted off to the Maldives. “He’s having a lot of fun. He’s enjoying his team and clearly he’s off to the Maldives. He’s got a very attractive new girlfriend,” Stubbs said. (from 5: 40) Subsequently, Stubbs’ podcast co-host Caitlin Thompson chimed in, claiming she hasn’t even seen the Danish model and influencer so far. “No comment. I don’t know. I don’t know who it is. I haven’t seen her,” Thompson responded. Next, Stubbs playfully suggested that Hasanovic isn’t Thompson’s type, saying: “I don’t think she’s your type.” Jannik Sinner and Laila Hasanovic spotted in Denmark after Italian’s incredible ending to 2025 tennis season Recent reports stemming from Denmark claimed that Jannik Sinner and Laila Hasanovic spent time together in the country’s capital Copenhagen not long after the Italian won the ATP Finals for the second year in a row. Based on the reports, the lovebirds explored Kongens Nytorv’s famed Christmas market and experienced the city’s nightlife at a club later on as well. On the tennis front, the World No. 2 and four-time Major champion is set to begin his preparations for the upcoming 2026 tennis season soon. He took the bold decision to withdraw from Italy’s Davis Cup Finals team earlier this year to give himself more time for rest and recovery before getting his preseason underway for the 2026 Australian Open. Jannik Sinner is slated to defend his Australian Open crown for the second straight year come January and this time around, there’s every chance that Laila Hasanovic will join the Italian in Melbourne.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/news-jannik-sinner-s-attractive-new-girlfriend-laila-hasanovic-sparks-strange-comments-rennae-stubbs-co-host

Navy sailor dies while rescuing children from high surf in Hawaii

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A Navy sailor died in Hawaii while rescuing two children who were struggling to swim in the ocean, officials said Monday. The sailor was identified by the Kauai Police Department as Master-at-Arms 1st Class Jeffrey Diaz, 47. His wife Keyonna Fairley told CBS affiliate HawaiiNewsNow that he was swimming in Kauai’s Waiapua’a Bay with their two sons. The bay is on the grounds of the Pacific Missile Range Facility, where Diaz was stationed. Diaz and the boys were in the water when the younger child was pulled out by a strong wave, Fairley told HawaiiNewsNow. Fairley told the affiliate that Diaz instructed the older child to swim back to shore, then went out to rescue his younger son. “From what my son said, he was in the middle of the ocean and his dad was swimming with one arm trying to get him to safety,” Fairley told HawaiiNewsNow. “Then he got on his dad’s back and swam for a little bit and then my son said that Jeff told him, ‘Ok bub, you’re going to have to get off my back. I’m going to drown. I want you to go. I want you to swim. Don’t stop. You got this. Don’t give up. I love you.’ That was the last words he heard from his dad.” Fairley and the police said both children made it safely back to shore. First responders received a report of a swimmer in distress at around 3 p. m. local time. Responders recovered Diaz from the ocean and began lifesaving efforts. He was then transported to the Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. An autopsy is pending, police said. “The Kaua’i Police Department extends its condolences to the family and loved ones of Master-at-Arms 1st Class Jeffrey Diaz during this difficult time,” police said in a statement. Fairley told HawaiiNewsNow that the family has been on Kauai for three months and that Diaz planned to retire from the military after this deployment.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/navy-sailor-drowns-hawaii-waiapuaa-bay-jeffrey-diaz/

This city has the smoothest roads in the Bay Area. Where does your city rank?

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Which city has the best-maintained roads in the Bay Area? The wealthy Marin County suburb of Larkspur lays claim to that title, according to a new report from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, a regional agency overseeing local transit systems. The city with the most potholes and bumpy streets? Vallejo, the only community in the region where road conditions are considered “poor,” according to the report. Overall, the transit agency found that the Bay Area’s 44, 000 miles of local roads are wearing down, with the typical stretch of roadway likely needing repairs soon. The report assigned each of the 110 cities and counties in the region a score on a 100-point scale. For the tenth year in a row, the Bay Area’s roads registered an average of 67, considered “fair.” “The good news is our cities and counties are continuing to hold the line against major deterioration,” the commission’s chair, Sue Noack, also the mayor of Pleasant Hill, said in a statement. “But the bad news is we’re still just as far away from bringing the regional average into the ‘very good’ range as we were a decade ago.” Affluent cities tend to rank higher in the report, with Larkspur, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Orinda and Hillsborough all scoring over 80, considered “very good.” That’s not always the case, however. As recently as 2017, Larkspur’s roads were rated “poor” in the annual roads report. But that changed with the city’s passage of two sales tax measures to help rehabilitate its 65 miles of streets. “When the community supported a sales tax measure in November 2017, the (city council) promised that the first thing it would do was fix the roads,” Larkspur City Manager Dan Schwarz said in an email. “It took five years to completely rehabilitate the system. The City is committed to maintaining this important asset. Our goal now is to make it hard to believe Larkspur ever had poor-quality roads.” Some funding for local roads also comes from the state and federal government, though they spend more on highway systems. Vallejo, with among the highest poverty rates in the Bay Area, ranked last with a score of 44. “Years of underfunding in the City of Vallejo has led to significant deterioration of city roads,” the Solano County Civil Grand Jury wrote in a report this year. To upgrade the crumbling streets, Vallejo voters approved a sales tax in 2022 to raise an estimated $18 million annually, with the majority of funds going toward road repairs. Vallejo officials did not respond to a request for comment on the city’s road maintenance efforts. Cities just above Vallejo in the rankings include wealthier communities such as Berkeley and Millbrae, as well as places with higher poverty rates, such as Richmond and Pittsburg revealing that healthier tax bases don’t necessarily translate to better roads. Of the Bay Area’s three largest cities, Oakland came in last with a score of 58, rating its roads as “at risk.” Despite the low score, city officials said they have made progress in fixing Oakland’s notorious pothole-filled streets in recent years, thanks to voter-approved bond measures that contribute to about $45 million a year for road maintenance. Earlier this year, the Alameda County Civil Grand Jury found that over a recent 18-month span, the city filled as many potholes around 85, 000 as it repaired in a 10-year span between 2008 and 2018. “We also know there’s more work ahead, especially on residential streets, which have historically received less maintenance than major corridors,” the Oakland Department of Transportation said in a statement. San Jose ranked above Oakland, with a score of 73, considered “good.” San Francisco scored a 75. Officials in San Jose said the city has maintained or repaved about 10% of its sprawling 4, 469 miles of local streets each year over the past eight years. They attributed the progress in part to a sales tax measure Santa Clara County voters approved in 2016, which has since raised $440 million for local roads across the South Bay. “Huge thank you to the city teams who have repaved over 60% of our roads since 2019 considering we’re the biggest city in Northern California, that’s quite a feat,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement. More money could soon be available for road repairs. In November 2026, voters in the Bay Area’s five largest counties will decide on a massive transportation bond to raise about $1 billion annually aimed at bailing out the region’s struggling public transit agencies. If approved, about a third of the money would be available for flexible transportation spending, including targeted road repairs, with most of those funds going to Santa Clara County, according to Emily Loper, a senior vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council, which is backing the bond measure. As part of an agreement to secure Santa Clara County officials’ support for the measure, the county would receive an expected $264 million in flexible funding. San Mateo County would see $50 million, Contra Costa County $26 million, and Alameda County $10 million. All of San Francisco’s funding would go to public transit. “I do expect a significant amount to go to roadway repairs,” the Bay Area Council’s Loper said.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/26/bay-area-roads-potholes-repairs/

Rush Hour 4 Is Happening: Here’s What Trump Has To Do With It

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Rush Hour 4 has moved from years of uncertainty to active development, driven in part by a request from President Donald Trump that reignited studio interest in the long-running franchise. Paramount is now set to distribute the film. The project brings together returning stars, a controversial director and a studio system reshaped by new ownership. A Franchise Revived Through Presidential Influence Reports state that Paramount agreed to distribute Rush Hour 4 after Trump personally asked the studio to revive the series. According to Semafor, it played a role in the decision to push the project forward. Trump’s involvement has added an unexpected political thread to a film franchise previously known only as a comedic action series. Brett Ratner will return to direct the fourth instalment after a prolonged absence from feature films. His last major release was the 2014 action film Hercules, led by Dwayne Johnson. Ratner’s career slowed in 2017 following allegations connected to the #MeToo movement, though he has remained active through other projects. His relationship with the Trump family strengthened during the production of Melania, a documentary about the former First Lady. Amazon reportedly paid £31. 5 million (approximately $40 million) for the rights to release that project. This connection placed Ratner in proximity to the administration during a period in which Rush Hour 4 was being reconsidered. Paramount’s Role and the Film’s New Structure Paramount’s involvement in Rush Hour 4 is limited to distribution, with the studio being paid a flat fee to release the film theatrically. It will not be responsible for the cost of production or marketing, making the arrangement lower risk than a traditional studio-funded release. Warner Bros., through its New Line label, released the original Rush Hour in 1998 and the sequels in 2001 and 2007. Under the new agreement, Warner Bros. will receive first-dollar gross, meaning it will collect a percentage of box office revenue before costs are repaid. Multiple distributors were approached after Warner Bros. allowed the producers and Ratner to explore new partners. Many reportedly declined due to Ratner’s involvement, which made Paramount’s agreement more unusual given the broader industry reluctance. A Legacy of Commercial Success The franchise has been a substantial box office performer. The first Rush Hour, centred on two police officers teaming up to rescue a diplomat’s daughter, earned £192 million (approximately $244 million) worldwide. The sequels strengthened the franchise with £273 million (approximately $347 million) for Rush Hour 2 and £203 million (approximately $258 million) for Rush Hour 3. These successes came during a period when comedy-driven action films were dominant in cinemas. Since then, comedies have declined significantly at the box office, raising questions about how Rush Hour 4 will perform in a market that now favours large-scale franchise films and major action releases. Jackie Chan, whose physicality shaped the tone of the earlier films, is now 71. Chris Tucker has not led a film since Rush Hour 3 in 2007. Studio Ambitions and Trump’s Connection to Paramount Leadership Paramount’s chairman and CEO, David Ellison, is the son of Larry Ellison, known for being one of Trump’s most prominent financial supporters. Trump has publicly praised Ellison’s leadership, adding another layer of connection between the former President and the film’s development. The timeline for Rush Hour 4 remains unclear, but its path to production has already set it apart from its predecessors, shaped by political influence, shifting studio priorities and the return of key figures not seen together on a major film in more than a decade.
https://www.ibtimes.com/rush-hour-4-happening-heres-what-trump-has-do-it-3791383

City’s newest teen room opens at McMillan Park

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A ribbon‑cutting ceremony was hosted on Tuesday to unveil the newest teen room at McMillan Park, 343 Goos St. The space will serve as a safe place for teens to socialize and “be kids for a change,” said Mayor Marshall Simien, Jr. It is designed exclusively for teens, and features amenities including a video gaming area, pool table bean bags and a radical paint job. Councilman Donal Fondel, District B, said the center will help the community collectively raise the children and teens. “It takes a village around here to raise children and the community center has always been that center,” he said. “We really need these types of things done in the community.” It marked the second teen‑dedicated space opened by the city in recent years. In March 2024, the city introduced its first teen room at the Donald Ray Stevens Recreation Center at Goosport Park, 1619 Cessford St. The openings reflected the city’s commitment to providing safe spaces where children of all ages could gather, learn, and play, Simien said. Assistant Director of Recreation and Parks Hannah Veazey said the teen room at Goosport Park has been a big hit with, and she believes this center’s position will be able to help even more teens, as it is close to a housing complex and a preschool. “There’s a lot more foot traffic that’s gonna come in,” she said. “Young kids already come over here . so I’m trying to catch their older siblings. Citadel Financial Controller Paige Manuel said the company was built on the principle of making a positive impact on the world, and that has to start in the community. After discussions, they identified that the city needs a place for teens to feel safe, “just exist and not get into trouble.” Citadel provided $15,000 for the initial contribution, and intends to contribute a total of $25,000.
https://americanpress.com/2025/11/26/citys-newest-teen-room-opens-at-mcmillan-park/

Is Walmart’s $549 M1 MacBook Air too good to be true?

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If you’re shopping for a MacBook this holiday season, you’ll find a few deals to save a few bucks, sometimes up to $250. But there’s one laptop for sale by a prominent retailer that looks like a deal that’s too good to be true: A MacBook Air for sale by Walmart for $549. The Walmart MacBook Air isn’t a refurbished or used product-it’s a brand new laptop, the lowest-priced new Apple laptop you can find, in fact. It’s unclear what partnership it has with Apple, but Walmart has exclusively sold the M1 MacBook Air since 2004, when it first announced its $699 price tag. The price has been cut several times since then. The lowest-priced MacBook at the Apple Store is the $999 MacBook Air, which you can find at third-party retailers such as Amazon for $749. But at $200 less than even that sale price, that $549 price tag for a brand-new MacBook Air is unprecedented and hard to resist, especially at a time when it feels like prices are going up for everything. There’s got to be a catch, right? After all, it seems like a deal that’s too good to be true. Well, to say there’s a “catch” implies that there’s deception going on here, and that’s really not the case. (Though we take issue with the use of the label “Latest model” here.) But several compromises are made for a product at this price, compromises that you might be okay with, depending on your use case. Let’s take a look at what you’re getting in the $549 Walmart MacBook Air. Foundry A five-year-old chip The Walmart MacBook Air is the 2020 MacBook Air. It has the same components, down to the heart of the laptop, the M1 chip. The M1 chip made a thunderous debut five years ago, blowing away its Intel predecessors with its huge performance gains. The most current M-series chip is the M5, but it has yet to debut in the MacBook Air-the current MacBook Air has an M4 chip. Compared to the M1, the M4 is 74 percent faster in multi-core tasks and 56 percent faster in single-core performance. Maybe you just read that previous paragraph and looked at the chart and thought, “Multi-core, single-core, blah blah blah. Can’t this guy speak plain English?” Let’s put it this way: The M1 chip offers a vast speed improvement over any Intel-based MacBook Air and many Intel-based MacBook Pro models. The M1 chip is noticeably slower than the M4 in the current MacBook Air. So, is the Walmart MacBook Air a bad deal from a processing speed standpoint? It depends. If you do a lot of tasks where you have to wait for the processor to do its thing-edit a lot of audio or videos, work on extremely detailed graphics, programming, etc.-the M1 MacBook Air takes longer to do those tasks than the M4 MacBook Air. However, if your primary tasks involve internet access, communications, writing, basic media work, and other productivity tasks, then the Walmart MacBook Air will be fine. With these tasks, the difference between an M1 and an M4 is harder to notice. It has only 8GB of unified memory The Walmart MacBook Air comes with 8GB of unified memory (RAM), and it cannot be customized with more, nor can you add more memory down the road. If all you plan to do is use the laptop for Safari, FaceTime, Mail, YouTube, and basic productivity tasks, 8GB is fine. But if you constantly do demanding work on your Mac, then 8GB isn’t enough. It’ll drive you crazy. Apple now includes 16GB of memory as its base configuration in current Macs, which was previously a $200 upgrade. There isn’t anything you can’t do with 8GB of RAM, but some Apple Intelligence tasks may take longer to run. Currently, 8GB is the minimum required for Apple Intelligence, so it’s possible that some future features will require 16GB of RAM. A five-year-old display The Walmart MacBook Air has a 13. 3-inch Retina display, while the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air has a 13. 6-inch Liquid Retina display-the M4 laptop’s display has much smaller bezels around the display, giving it more usable screen space. The resolutions are basically the same, though the M4 Air’s screen has a higher maximum brightness (500 nits vs 400 nits). Apple The M4 Air’s display is better than the M1 Air’s, but the Walmart Air’s screen is still very good and perfectly acceptable for everyday use. But if your work as a visual element to it, you’ll appreciate the M4 Air’s display. An old design The Walmart MacBook Air features the wedge-shaped design that was introduced in 2008. Apple got rid of the design when it released the M2 MacBook Air, going with a more modern look and feel. If you long for the wedge design, the Walmart Air is the only way to go. The current 13-inch MacBook Air design is about the same size as the previous one. The Walmart Air, at its thickest point, is bigger than the current air, but it also has a shorter depth and the same length. It’s also a tiny bit heavier. Should you buy the Walmart MacBook Air? If you need to buy a laptop now, here’s what I would tell someone who asked me whether they should buy the M1 MacBook Air: If you’re looking for a Chromebook-like Mac laptop, the Walmart Air is a great machine that will serve you well, especially for such a low price. However, if you’re going to be using your Mac for more creative applications, you should get something more powerful. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an M4 MacBook Air; it can be an M2 or M3 Air, but make sure you get at least 16GB of unified memory. Another thing to consider is that Apple is reportedly going to release a low-cost MacBook early next year. According to rumors, it will likely use a version of the iPhone’s A19 Pro chip, which is technically faster than the M1, but not by much. It may also sport a design similar to the current MacBook lineup, and a display that’s slightly larger than the M1 Air’s. If you’re in no rush to buy, consider waiting to see what this new laptop is all about.
https://www.macworld.com/article/2986234/is-walmarts-549-m1-macbook-air-too-good-to-be-true.html

Dell Stock Jumps as Q3 Earnings Beat Expectations Despite Revenue Miss

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TLDR Dell reported Q3 earnings of $2. 59 per share, beating estimates, but revenue of $27. 01 billion missed expectations Company increased AI server revenue forecast to $25 billion for fiscal 2026, up from $20 billion Q4 revenue guidance of $31. 5 billion exceeded analyst estimates of $27. 59 billion by nearly $4 billion AI server backlog grew to $18. 4 billion with $12. 3 billion in new orders David Kennedy appointed permanent CFO as Dell raises full-year revenue outlook Dell Technologies posted mixed third-quarter results that left investors focused on the future rather than the present. The company missed revenue targets but delivered a forecast that sent shares climbing 5% in extended trading. Revenue reached $27. 01 billion, falling short of the $27. 13 billion analysts expected. Earnings per share of $2. 59 beat the $2. 47 consensus estimate. Net income climbed to $1. 54 billion from $1. 17 billion a year earlier. Dell Technologies Inc., DELL The real story emerged in Dell’s guidance. The company expects fourth-quarter revenue of roughly $31. 5 billion. That’s nearly $4 billion above Wall Street’s $27. 59 billion estimate. AI Infrastructure Drives Growth Dell’s AI server business is firing on all cylinders. The company now projects $25 billion in AI server revenue for fiscal 2026. That’s a $5 billion increase from its previous $20 billion forecast. Third-quarter AI server shipments hit $5. 6 billion. The backlog swelled to $18. 4 billion, powered by $12. 3 billion in fresh orders. Dell expects to move $9. 4 billion worth of AI servers in Q4 alone. Major customers include xAI, CoreWeave, the U. S. Department of Energy, and G42. A November deal with Iren to supply Nvidia GB300 systems for Microsoft wasn’t included in the Q4 forecast. Infrastructure Solutions Group revenue reached $14. 11 billion, matching estimates. Server and networking sales jumped 37% year-over-year to $10. 1 billion. PC Business Continues Decline The traditional computer business tells a different story. Client Solutions Group revenue of $12. 48 billion grew just 3% and missed the $12. 65 billion estimate. Commercial PC and laptop sales dropped 7% from last year. Consumers and businesses aren’t rushing to upgrade existing machines. The weak demand persists across the personal computer market. Cost Pressures Mount Rising memory chip prices threaten margins. DRAM and NAND costs are climbing faster than Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke has ever seen. “We’re in a very unique time. We have not seen costs move at the rate we’ve seen,” Clarke told analysts. The company may need to pass some costs to customers but will try to minimize the impact. Strong demand gives Dell pricing leverage. When orders exceed supply, sellers gain negotiating power. Dell appointed David Kennedy as permanent CFO. The company raised full-year revenue guidance to between $111. 2 billion and $112. 2 billion. Previous expectations ranged from $105 billion to $109 billion. The company returned $1. 6 billion to shareholders through buybacks and dividends. Fourth-quarter earnings per share are forecast at $3. 50, above the $3. 21 estimate.
https://blockonomi.com/dell-stock-jumps-as-q3-earnings-beat-expectations-despite-revenue-miss/