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Forget all your troubles, forget all your cares: Petula Clark’s 20 best songs – ranked!
Thu, 02 Jan 2025 13:39:32 GMT
Sixty years after Downtown made her the second British woman to top the US charts, we rate the best of Clark’s exhilarating, perfectly enunciated pop
The span of Petula Clark’s career is extraordinary: she made her radio debut at the height of the blitz and essayed an impressive cover of Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy in her 80s. But Cut Copy Me is the pick of her latter-day recordings, an authentically creepy bit of Auto-Tune-heavy late-night psychodrama, the last thing you’d expect her to make.
Continue reading...Intense workouts like Solidcore and SLT are booming, one $43 class at a time. Are they making women stronger or feeding Ozempic-era expectations for thin bodies?
It’s lunchtime on a Wednesday and I am in a dark room, shaking intensely. My forearms are propped up on a big black machine called a “Sweatlana”. Like five other quaking women beside me, I am furiously plank-crunching, attempting to move the machine’s carriage forwards and backwards using only the force of my abs.
“Come on team!” bellows a high-energy instructor over the booming music, urging us all to get “comfortable with discomfort”. Our trembles, she says, are a sign of reaching “second-stage muscle failure” which is not, as it sounds, fatal, but, apparently, a state to aspire to if we want to get stronger.
Continue reading...Whether you’re a beginner runner, a 5k faithful or a track star, our expert-picked running trainers, from Adidas and Asics to Hoka, will help you beat your PBs
‘How does anyone do this?” I thought as I hobbled home from my first run, a pair of threadbare Converse biting into my heels. It took me a while to connect the dots. Maybe I was just prone to shin splints? Perhaps your calves were supposed to burn with every stride? Or – lightbulb moment – could it be that these post-jog aches and pains were a symptom of my wildly inappropriate footwear?
As with millions of rookie runners before me, my problems melted away when I bought myself a pair of proper running shoes. Fifteen years and countless pairs later, I know just how much difference they can make. However, this isn’t a simple case of one size fits all.
Continue reading...How do you reset your wardrobe for the new year? Our fashion guru reveals her hardworking heroes for January
The bar for shopping recommendations is high at this point of the year. No one has the appetite – or the funds – for shopping for the sake of it in January. Don’t know about you but, frankly, I never want to see another nick-nack. And having overindulged throughout the festive season, I have the sparkle equivalent of a hangover. Just thinking about sequins makes me feel nauseous.
So, if I’m going to buy something, or suggest you do, at the dawn of the new year then it is with good reason. Investments in keeping your new year fitness resolutions are worth making because those are promises to yourself. Small treats are sometimes necessary to get you through the darkest days of winter. And, it’s never too early to look for the pieces that will shift your wardrobe into a 2025 vibe: the sooner you start wearing them, the more wear you get out of them. Here are my very best sober, no-sparkle January finds.
Continue reading...You might have noticed that everyone has recently become a bit obsessed with blood sugar, or glucose. Wellness firms such as Zoe in the UK – as well as Nutrisense, Levels and Signos – claim to offer insights into how our bodies process food based on monitoring our blood glucose, among other things. But many researchers have begun to question the science behind this. In this episode from July, Ian Sample talks to the philosopher Julian Baggini, the University of Oxford academic dietician Dr Nicola Guess, and Zoe’s chief scientist the King’s College London nutrition expert Prof Sarah Berry to find out what we know about blood glucose levels and our health, and whether the science is nailed down on personalised nutrition
Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod
Continue reading...The 47-year-old multimillionaire spends $2m a year on staying youthful and, in a new documentary, he explains why we should be following his lead
Bryan Johnson, the biohacking centimillionaire who made a fortune selling payment apps, knows what his biggest online skeptics have been saying about him ever since he went viral in January 2023. Critics seized on the way he spends his days eating sludge and a jumble of vitamins and minerals (more than 50 a day) while wired up to devices monitoring his heart rate, brainwaves and erections (because they signal good health), and experimenting with far-out treatments like blood transfusions from his teenage son, all in an effort to slow the ageing process, live longer and, as his motto turned branded campaign says, Don’t Die.
“When I started, people were looking at me like this ‘eccentric, vampire billionaire tech bro drinking his son’s blood’,” says Johnson, on a video call with the Guardian. “I was like, ‘Sure, yes. Also, I’m a professional rejuvenation athlete. I’m creating a new sport and a new way to understand reality. Death is always inevitable, but I’m asking this question: are we the first generation that won’t die?”
Continue reading...The Arizona senator’s prodigious campaign spending in global wine hot spots can’t possibly be related to the campaign she’s not running, says an ethics complaint.
The post In Waning Senate Days, Kyrsten Sinema Screwed Workers and Spent Campaign Cash on Stay at French Castle appeared first on The Intercept.
Ukrainian leader has sought to build bridges with Trump amid fears the president-elect could slow vital military aid once in office. What we know on day 1,045
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed hope that US president-elect Donald Trump’s “unpredictability” can help end the war with Russia. Trump, who takes office on 20 January, has said he will end the nearly three-year conflict in “24 hours” once in power, a claim that has drawn scepticism from Kyiv, which fears it will be forced to give up land for peace. “He’s very strong and unpredictable, and I would really like to see President Trump’s unpredictability apply to Russia. I believe he really wants to end the war,” Zelensky said in an interview aired on Thursday with Ukrainian TV.
The Ukrainian leader has sought to build bridges with Trump and his team since November’s election amid fears the Republican could slow vital US military aid or halt it entirely. Zelenskyy said that Trump could be “decisive” in the war. “He is capable of stopping Putin or, to put it more fairly, help us stop Putin,” he said, “He is able to do this.” Zelenskyy has said that achieving a just peace for Ukraine would mean receiving solid security guarantees from its allies, joining the EU and receiving an invitation to join the Nato alliance, a notion rejected by Moscow.
The Ukrainian military said that it had carried out a high-precision strike on Thursday on a Russian command post in Maryino, in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces hold chunks of territory after a major incursion. Ukrainian forces remain in the Kursk region five months after sending troops across the border, though the Russian military says much of the lost territory has been recaptured. “These strikes disrupt the ability of the Russian Federation to conduct terrorism against innocent Ukrainian civilians,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement via the Telegram messaging app. The Russian military said air defence units had downed four Ukrainian missiles in the region, and the regional governor said the strikes had damaged a high-rise apartment building and other buildings in an adjacent village.
Ukraine has opened a criminal probe into desertion and “abuse of power” after hundreds of soldiers were reported to have fled an army unit partly trained by France, investigators said Thursday. The 155th Mechanised Brigade, dubbed “Anne of Kyiv”, was one of several military groupings formed last year as Ukraine sought to boost preparations for possible new Russian offensives. The unit was to be made up of 4,500 soldiers, with France training roughly half of them and providing equipment. But its development has been beset with problems including what one lawmaker described as poor management.
Gas supplies in Europe were stable with the exception of Moldova, the EU said on Thursday, a day after Russian gas transit via Ukraine stopped. Deliveries of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine pipelines stopped on Wednesday, after Kyiv refused to renew a decades-long arrangement that earned billions of dollars for both countries. Although Russian gas accounted for less than 10 percent of the European Union’s gas imports in 2023 – down from more than 40 percent before Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022 – some of the bloc’s eastern members are still heavily reliant on Russian imports. “The situation is stable with all member States using a mix of regular winter storage and imports from third countries, which provide stable supplies to their consumers”, said Poland, which has just assumed the EU’s rotating presidency.
The cut-off of Russian gas supplies to Moldova’s breakaway Transniestria region, however, has forced the closure of all industrial companies except food producers. The mainly Russian-speaking territory of about 450,000 people, which split from Moldova in the 1990s as the Soviet Union collapsed, has suffered a painful and immediate hit from Wednesday’s cut-off of Russian gas supplies to central and eastern Europe via Ukraine. “All industrial enterprises are idle, with the exception of those engaged in food production – that is, directly ensuring food security for Transdniestria,” Sergei Obolonik, first deputy prime minister of the region, told a local news channel. “The problem is so extensive that if it is not resolved for a long time, we will already have irreversible changes – that is, enterprises will lose their ability to start up.”
Continue reading...A network of locals ready to provide a bed, a lift, or a box of chocolates to tired walkers along the Te Araroa trail has become a lifeline
American hiker Donna Barkley was weeks into walking New Zealand’s longest hiking trail when her strength started to falter. Starting at the northern tip of the country in mid-October, she had trudged south along vast empty coastlines, over farmland and through dense forests thick with mud.
“I have a new definition of muddy – at home we have boot scrapers but after these trails, you need a fire hose,” Barkley tells the Guardian, while taking a rest day in the central North Island.
Continue reading...Pro-Russia Moldovan region suffers major hit after Ukraine ends transit agreement, with only food producers functioning
The shutdown of Russian gas supplies to Moldova’s breakaway Transnistria region has forced the closure of all industrial companies except food producers.
The mainly Russian-speaking territory of about 450,000 people, which split from Moldova in the 1990s as the Soviet Union collapsed, has suffered a painful and immediate hit from Wednesday’s cut-off of Russian gas supplies to central and eastern Europe via Ukraine.
Continue reading...The month-long challenge doesn’t have to be a battle between meat and plant eaters. It’s a great way for people of all persuasions to experiment with new foods and flavours
This article is an extract from the Guardian’s Feast newsletter, featuring exclusive writing from Nigel Slater, Rachel Roddy, Felicity Cloake and more – sign up here to get the full newsletter straight to your inbox every Thursday
I learned something new about Laxmidas Sodha, my grandfather, while spending time with my parents over Christmas. He didn’t have an easy life, but he didn’t make life easy for himself, either. After surviving poverty, the death of his wife during childbirth and being kicked out of Uganda by Idi Amin, he chose not to go to the wedding of his beloved son (my dad) on principle, because my mum’s family ate meat.
Continue reading...You might have noticed that everyone has recently become a bit obsessed with blood sugar, or glucose. Wellness firms such as Zoe in the UK – as well as Nutrisense, Levels and Signos – claim to offer insights into how our bodies process food based on monitoring our blood glucose, among other things. But many researchers have begun to question the science behind this. In this episode from July, Ian Sample talks to the philosopher Julian Baggini, the University of Oxford academic dietician Dr Nicola Guess, and Zoe’s chief scientist the King’s College London nutrition expert Prof Sarah Berry to find out what we know about blood glucose levels and our health, and whether the science is nailed down on personalised nutrition
Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod
Continue reading...Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya is one of six medical workers with the Chicago-based organization MedGlobal who remain in Israeli custody.
The post The Scramble to Find the Gaza Doctor in the White Coat appeared first on The Intercept.
A weekly email from Yotam Ottolenghi, Meera Sodha, Felicity Cloake and Rachel Roddy, featuring the latest recipes and seasonal eating ideas
Each week we’ll send you an exclusive newsletter from our star food writers. We’ll also send you the latest recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi, Nigel Slater, Meera Sodha and all our star cooks, stand-out food features and seasonal eating inspiration, plus restaurant reviews from Grace Dent and Jay Rayner.
Sign up below to start receiving the best of our culinary journalism in one mouth-watering weekly email.
Continue reading...Trump wants a bloodbath for the federal employees, but government workers aren’t the only ones who will suffer.
The post Federal Labor Unions Steel Themselves for Trump and DOGE’s Mass Firings appeared first on The Intercept.
Is there anything you’d like to know about UPFs? The Guardian’s new video podcast, It’s complicated
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have become an everyday part of many people’s diets. From ready meals to breakfast cereals, these foods are engineered for convenience and taste – but at what cost? With growing attention on how ultra-processed foods (UPFs) influence our health, the environment, and even the way we view eating, it’s no wonder there’s so much confusion and curiosity surrounding them.
In our new video podcast on the Guardian’s It’s Complicated YouTube channel, we want to explore what really goes into UPFs and what that means for our wellbeing. What makes a food ‘ultra-processed’ compared to regular processed foods? Are all UPFs inherently unhealthy? How did they become such a dominant part of the food landscape, and what would it mean to cut them out? These are just some of the questions we’re looking to answer — but we really want to hear from you.
Continue reading...Style, with substance: what’s really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved, direct to your inbox every Thursday
Style, with substance: what’s really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved, delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday
Explore all our newsletters: whether you love film, football, fashion or food, we’ve got something for you
Continue reading... |
Imagine a world in which you can do transactions and many other things without having to give your personal information. A world in which you don’t need to rely on banks or governments anymore. Sounds amazing, right? That’s exactly what blockchain technology allows us to do.
It’s like your computer’s hard drive. blockchain is a technology that lets you store data in digital blocks, which are connected together like links in a chain.
Blockchain technology was originally invented in 1991 by two mathematicians, Stuart Haber and W. Scot Stornetta. They first proposed the system to ensure that timestamps could not be tampered with.
A few years later, in 1998, software developer Nick Szabo proposed using a similar kind of technology to secure a digital payments system he called “Bit Gold.” However, this innovation was not adopted until Satoshi Nakamoto claimed to have invented the first Blockchain and Bitcoin.
A blockchain is a distributed database shared between the nodes of a computer network. It saves information in digital format. Many people first heard of blockchain technology when they started to look up information about bitcoin.
Blockchain is used in cryptocurrency systems to ensure secure, decentralized records of transactions.
Blockchain allowed people to guarantee the fidelity and security of a record of data without the need for a third party to ensure accuracy.
To understand how a blockchain works, Consider these basic steps:
Let’s get to know more about the blockchain.
Blockchain records digital information and distributes it across the network without changing it. The information is distributed among many users and stored in an immutable, permanent ledger that can't be changed or destroyed. That's why blockchain is also called "Distributed Ledger Technology" or DLT.
Here’s how it works:
And that’s the beauty of it! The process may seem complicated, but it’s done in minutes with modern technology. And because technology is advancing rapidly, I expect things to move even more quickly than ever.
Even though blockchain is integral to cryptocurrency, it has other applications. For example, blockchain can be used for storing reliable data about transactions. Many people confuse blockchain with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum.
Blockchain already being adopted by some big-name companies, such as Walmart, AIG, Siemens, Pfizer, and Unilever. For example, IBM's Food Trust uses blockchain to track food's journey before reaching its final destination.
Although some of you may consider this practice excessive, food suppliers and manufacturers adhere to the policy of tracing their products because bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella have been found in packaged foods. In addition, there have been isolated cases where dangerous allergens such as peanuts have accidentally been introduced into certain products.
Tracing and identifying the sources of an outbreak is a challenging task that can take months or years. Thanks to the Blockchain, however, companies now know exactly where their food has been—so they can trace its location and prevent future outbreaks.
Blockchain technology allows systems to react much faster in the event of a hazard. It also has many other uses in the modern world.
Blockchain technology is safe, even if it’s public. People can access the technology using an internet connection.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had all your data stored at one place and that one secure place got compromised? Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to prevent your data from leaking out even when the security of your storage systems is compromised?
Blockchain technology provides a way of avoiding this situation by using multiple computers at different locations to store information about transactions. If one computer experiences problems with a transaction, it will not affect the other nodes.
Instead, other nodes will use the correct information to cross-reference your incorrect node. This is called “Decentralization,” meaning all the information is stored in multiple places.
Blockchain guarantees your data's authenticity—not just its accuracy, but also its irreversibility. It can also be used to store data that are difficult to register, like legal contracts, state identifications, or a company's product inventory.
Blockchain has many advantages and disadvantages.
I’ll answer the most frequently asked questions about blockchain in this section.
Blockchain is not a cryptocurrency but a technology that makes cryptocurrencies possible. It's a digital ledger that records every transaction seamlessly.
Yes, blockchain can be theoretically hacked, but it is a complicated task to be achieved. A network of users constantly reviews it, which makes hacking the blockchain difficult.
Coinbase Global is currently the biggest blockchain company in the world. The company runs a commendable infrastructure, services, and technology for the digital currency economy.
Blockchain is a decentralized technology. It’s a chain of distributed ledgers connected with nodes. Each node can be any electronic device. Thus, one owns blockhain.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, which is powered by Blockchain technology while Blockchain is a distributed ledger of cryptocurrency
Generally a database is a collection of data which can be stored and organized using a database management system. The people who have access to the database can view or edit the information stored there. The client-server network architecture is used to implement databases. whereas a blockchain is a growing list of records, called blocks, stored in a distributed system. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, timestamp and transaction information. Modification of data is not allowed due to the design of the blockchain. The technology allows decentralized control and eliminates risks of data modification by other parties.
Blockchain has a wide spectrum of applications and, over the next 5-10 years, we will likely see it being integrated into all sorts of industries. From finance to healthcare, blockchain could revolutionize the way we store and share data. Although there is some hesitation to adopt blockchain systems right now, that won't be the case in 2022-2023 (and even less so in 2026). Once people become more comfortable with the technology and understand how it can work for them, owners, CEOs and entrepreneurs alike will be quick to leverage blockchain technology for their own gain. Hope you like this article if you have any question let me know in the comments section
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A banner 2024 whet the appetites of banks and crypto bros. Now the largest companies are salivating over Trump’s economic policies.
The post Trump’s Tariffs Will Create a Hunger Games Landscape Where the Little Guy Is Guaranteed to Lose appeared first on The Intercept.
President bestows medals upon congressman and ex-congresswoman who led investigation into Capitol attack
Joe Biden has bestowed the second highest civilian medal on the Democratic congressman Bennie Thompson and the Republican former congresswoman Liz Cheney, who led the bipartisan congressional investigation into the deadly 6 January 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol by Donald Trump supporters intent on overturning his election defeat by Biden.
Trump, who takes office again on 20 January after winning November’s election, has said the leaders of that committee, which published its conclusions in December 2022 after a series of high-profile public hearings, should be jailed, not rewarded.
Continue reading...The French president’s failures offer an object lesson in what happens when liberalism is stripped of its morality and values
When Emmanuel Macron was first elected in the spring of 2017, we were told that he was the future of liberal pluralism. The BBC said his victory was “a repudiation of the populist, antiestablishment wave” of that time. He was “the next leader of Europe” according to a Time Magazine cover. The Economist went one further. Its cover asked if he was Europe’s “saviour” and declared that he was mounting a revolution in democratic politics “without pike or pitchfork”.
Seven years later, and Macron’s “peaceful”, “democratic” “revolution” is in ruins, as the president struggles to navigate a political crisis of his own making. In June, he called legislative elections that were unnecessary, lost them, and refused to concede defeat. Over the summer, France went through the second-longest period without a government in its recent history. The resulting Michel Barnier-led government was only able to survive for as long as it did thanks to a compact with the far right, before it crumbled after a vote of no confidence held on 4 December. Although Macron has now named François Bayrou as prime minister, it is unclear how this solves the fundamental problem that both the president and his agenda are widely hated in the country, and broadly opposed in the parliament.
Oliver Haynes is a journalist and the co-host of the Flep24 podcast
Continue reading...To welcome in the New Year, Grace is joined by politician Sadiq Khan. Born in south London, to British Pakistani parents, he is one of eight children and was MP for Tooting before becoming London’s mayor in 2016. Now in his third term, Sadiq and Grace talk about how doughnuts fuel him during elections, the art of screwing up a tuna pasta bake, and where he’d like to take Donald Trump for dinner next time the president-elect is in town.
New episodes of Comfort Eating with Grace Dent will be released every Tuesday
Continue reading...Her most important qualification is being a longtime Trump loyalist — and she’ll carry out his vision to gut the Department of Education.
The post Linda McMahon Has No Education Experience Except Wanting to Defund Public Schools appeared first on The Intercept.
Request was made after Thomas failed to disclose luxury trips by Texas businessman and GOP donor Harlan Crow
A judicial policymaking body on Thursday rejected a request by Democratic lawmakers to refer the conservative US supreme court Justice Clarence Thomas to the Department of Justice to examine claims that he failed to disclose gifts and travel provided by a wealthy benefactor.
The secretary to the US judicial conference, the federal judiciary’s top policymaking body, pointed at amendments Thomas had made to his annual financial disclosure reports for the decision.
Continue reading...The Louisiana Republican blamed “wokeness” in part for police’s failure to stop the New Orleans attack that left 15 dead.
The post Steve Scalise Knows Exactly What Led to the Bourbon Street Attack: DEI Initiatives appeared first on The Intercept.
Our National Care Service will meet the urgent needs of our generation – just as the NHS did when it was created in 1948
Three sentences in Labour’s 1945 manifesto contained a simple but historic promise: “The best health services should be available free for all. Money must no longer be the passport to the best treatment. In the new National Health Service there should be health centres where the people may get the best that modern science can offer, more and better hospitals, and proper conditions for our doctors and nurses.”
In the three years following Labour’s election victory, Nye Bevan fought opposition from the Conservatives, the British Medical Association and from some within his own cabinet to found the NHS. For 76 years, it has provided healthcare free at the point of need, surviving Labour and Conservative governments alike.
Continue reading...Tax experts say IRS whistleblower Charles Littlejohn’s leaks provided a public service — and fear Trump will take retribution.
The post He Leaked Trump’s Tax Returns. Will Biden Protect Him? appeared first on The Intercept.
Ukrainian leader has sought to build bridges with Trump amid fears the president-elect could slow vital military aid once in office. What we know on day 1,045
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed hope that US president-elect Donald Trump’s “unpredictability” can help end the war with Russia. Trump, who takes office on 20 January, has said he will end the nearly three-year conflict in “24 hours” once in power, a claim that has drawn scepticism from Kyiv, which fears it will be forced to give up land for peace. “He’s very strong and unpredictable, and I would really like to see President Trump’s unpredictability apply to Russia. I believe he really wants to end the war,” Zelensky said in an interview aired on Thursday with Ukrainian TV.
The Ukrainian leader has sought to build bridges with Trump and his team since November’s election amid fears the Republican could slow vital US military aid or halt it entirely. Zelenskyy said that Trump could be “decisive” in the war. “He is capable of stopping Putin or, to put it more fairly, help us stop Putin,” he said, “He is able to do this.” Zelenskyy has said that achieving a just peace for Ukraine would mean receiving solid security guarantees from its allies, joining the EU and receiving an invitation to join the Nato alliance, a notion rejected by Moscow.
The Ukrainian military said that it had carried out a high-precision strike on Thursday on a Russian command post in Maryino, in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces hold chunks of territory after a major incursion. Ukrainian forces remain in the Kursk region five months after sending troops across the border, though the Russian military says much of the lost territory has been recaptured. “These strikes disrupt the ability of the Russian Federation to conduct terrorism against innocent Ukrainian civilians,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement via the Telegram messaging app. The Russian military said air defence units had downed four Ukrainian missiles in the region, and the regional governor said the strikes had damaged a high-rise apartment building and other buildings in an adjacent village.
Ukraine has opened a criminal probe into desertion and “abuse of power” after hundreds of soldiers were reported to have fled an army unit partly trained by France, investigators said Thursday. The 155th Mechanised Brigade, dubbed “Anne of Kyiv”, was one of several military groupings formed last year as Ukraine sought to boost preparations for possible new Russian offensives. The unit was to be made up of 4,500 soldiers, with France training roughly half of them and providing equipment. But its development has been beset with problems including what one lawmaker described as poor management.
Gas supplies in Europe were stable with the exception of Moldova, the EU said on Thursday, a day after Russian gas transit via Ukraine stopped. Deliveries of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine pipelines stopped on Wednesday, after Kyiv refused to renew a decades-long arrangement that earned billions of dollars for both countries. Although Russian gas accounted for less than 10 percent of the European Union’s gas imports in 2023 – down from more than 40 percent before Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022 – some of the bloc’s eastern members are still heavily reliant on Russian imports. “The situation is stable with all member States using a mix of regular winter storage and imports from third countries, which provide stable supplies to their consumers”, said Poland, which has just assumed the EU’s rotating presidency.
The cut-off of Russian gas supplies to Moldova’s breakaway Transniestria region, however, has forced the closure of all industrial companies except food producers. The mainly Russian-speaking territory of about 450,000 people, which split from Moldova in the 1990s as the Soviet Union collapsed, has suffered a painful and immediate hit from Wednesday’s cut-off of Russian gas supplies to central and eastern Europe via Ukraine. “All industrial enterprises are idle, with the exception of those engaged in food production – that is, directly ensuring food security for Transdniestria,” Sergei Obolonik, first deputy prime minister of the region, told a local news channel. “The problem is so extensive that if it is not resolved for a long time, we will already have irreversible changes – that is, enterprises will lose their ability to start up.”
Continue reading...But final report on reforms would not emerge until 2028, which health leaders say is kicking crisis ‘into the long grass’
Ministers are to launch a historic independent commission to reform adult social care, as they warned older people could be left without vital help and the NHS overwhelmed unless a “national consensus” was reached on fixing a “failing” system.
The taskforce, to be led by the cross-bench peer Louise Casey, will be charged with developing plans for a new national care service, a Labour election manifesto pledge, in the biggest shake-up to social care in England in decades.
Continue reading...Ruling a blow to Biden administration that had encouraged Federal Communications Commission to pursue goal
A US appeals court ruled on Thursday the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) did not have legal authority to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules.
The decision is a blow to the outgoing Biden administration that had made restoring the open internet rules a priority. Joe Biden signed a 2021 executive order encouraging the FCC to reinstate the rules.
Continue reading...Nazir Afzal and police whistleblower Maggie Oliver say previous lengthy inquiries were not acted upon
A former chief prosecutor and a police whistleblower who uncovered a notorious paedophile gang have hit back at demands from senior Conservatives and the billionaire Elon Musk for a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation.
Nazir Afzal, the ex-chief prosecutor who was central to successful prosecution of the Rochdale grooming gang, said lengthy and expensive inquiries were not acted upon by the previous Conservative government.
Continue reading...The Guardian’s John Harris gives his top book, music and TV recommendations from 2024.
The Lie of the Land: Who Really Cares for the Countryside? – Guy Shrubsole
The Lost Paths: A History of How We Walk From Here to There – Jack Cornish
Continue reading...Edmundo González Urrutia had fled to Spain after Nicolás Maduro declared victory in July elections
Venezuelan authorities have announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of exiled opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who insists he beat President Nicolás Maduro at the polls.
Police published on social media a photo of the previously little-known ex-diplomat with the word “wanted” under the image.
Continue reading...Troubleshooter for four previous prime ministers is charged with saving troubled national care sector
She is the no-nonsense civil servant from Portsmouth who was called upon by four prime ministers to tackle deep-rooted social issues, including rough sleeping, antisocial behaviour, victims’ rights and troubled families.
Now Louise Casey has been tasked by a fifth to chair an independent commission into adult social care. Her mission? Develop a plan to save the sector.
Continue reading...Annual report details gifts given to first family by foreign leaders, most of which are transferred to National Archives
Joe Biden and his family were given tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from foreign leaders in 2023, according to an annual accounting published by the state department on Thursday, with the first lady, Jill Biden, receiving the single most expensive present: a $20,000 diamond from India’s leader.
The 7.5-carat diamond from the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, was easily the most costly gift presented to any member of the first family in 2023, although she also received a brooch valued at $14,063 from the Ukrainian ambassador to the US and a bracelet, brooch and photograph album worth $4,510 from the president and first lady of Egypt.
Continue reading...Clegg was the tech giant’s chief public policy architect when it was facing scrutiny over Cambridge Analytica scandal
Nick Clegg, Britain’s former deputy prime minister and Meta’s current president of global affairs, is leaving the company after six years.
“It truly has been an adventure of a lifetime!” Clegg said in a post on Facebook. “I am proud of the work I have been able to do leading and supporting teams across the company to ensure innovation can go hand in hand with increased transparency and accountability, and with new forms of governance.”
Continue reading...The activist, who received a 2024 MacArthur ‘genius’ grant, reflects on a moment that changed her life – and why she finds hope in sci-fi
When the coronavirus pandemic first broke out, Alice Wong’s disability activism and writings proved prophetic.
As the virus spread, the failings of the US healthcare system – which disabled activists like Wong had long decried – became starkly apparent to the broader public. As grief and horror gripped the country, as hundreds of thousands died of the virus, Wong became one of the most prominent voices calling for stronger social safety nets and emergency assistance.
Continue reading...Graduate pay is falling – and an aggrieved generation could join white-collar workers in supporting Reform UK
What does it mean to have a middle-class, white-collar professional job?
It used to feel like a promise, a guarantee of a life that might not always run smoothly but would at least be stable, verging sometimes even on smug. It probably meant a mortgage, the kind of job title that made people trust you, and a sense – especially for those who were not born into a middle-class life – of having reached safe harbour. You wouldn’t be rich, but you’d be comfortable. Perhaps just as important, given all success is secretly relative, you would know exactly where you stood: never top of the pile, but at least a reassuringly long way off the bottom. But what happens when those layers start collapsing into each other?
Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...Document releases from 2004 show that the Labour cabinet was deeply divided and badly informed on how to handle migration from Europe
Judgments about Tony Blair’s Labour government tend inevitably to focus on the Iraq war. Iraq was traumatic and defining. Britain’s role, driven by Mr Blair, exposed his overly personal system of decision-making. The invasion was a historic and bloody failure, killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and sowing dragon’s teeth. At home, the war devastated Mr Blair’s reputation and drained support from Labour.
The publication this week by the National Archives of Blair government papers under the 20-year rule does nothing to undermine Iraq’s importance in the history of that period. We read, for instance, of the US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage complaining that President George Bush thought he was “on some sort of mission from God” in Iraq, and that Mr Blair needed to give the president “a dose of reality”. But by then, tragically, the damage was long done.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...Dr Gill Reed says the UK has the highest incidence of mesothelioma in the world due to asbestos exposure, while Ed Campbell says underfunding made buildings’ deterioration inevitable. Plus a letter from Colin Porteous
The Guardian’s investigation of underinvestment in public buildings vividly shows its detrimental impact (Revealed: 1.5m children in England studying in unfit school buildings, 27 December). It is therefore heartening that a government spokesperson has stated that “immediate action to remedy the state of disrepair” would be taken.
However, UK building condition surveys and asbestos regulations do not include a measure of the risk of staff and children developing incurable mesothelioma cancer from long-term asbestos exposure in buildings like schools.
Continue reading...Wes Streeting’s 10-year plan has been overtaken by a different package of reforms, writes Prof Gwyn Bevan
Victor Adebowale, the cross-bench peer, raised two concerns about the NHS (Report, 26 December). First, that it risks paralysis while it waits for Wes Streeting’s 10-year plan for reform. Second, long waiting times this year, compared with a similar period in 2009, for diagnostic scans and elective care, and in A&E.
My concern is not that the NHS is paralysed while waiting for the 10-year plan, but that its intentions have been overtaken by the package of NHS reforms of zero tolerance for failure announced on 13 November by the Department of Health and Social Care. That package looks like the regimes of the 2000s: sacking persistently failing managers, sending turnaround teams into struggling hospitals, rewarding the best performers with autonomy, and aiming to reduce waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks.
Continue reading...Party loses overall control of Broxtowe borough council over claims Labour has abandoned traditional values
Twenty councillors at a local authority in Nottinghamshire have quit Labour, saying the party has “abandoned traditional Labour values” under Keir Starmer’s leadership.
The move means Labour has lost overall control of Broxtowe borough council, which it gained in 2023, and those defecting include the council leader, Milan Radulovic, who had been a party member for 42 years.
Continue reading...Former immigration official Abul Rizvi believes the current planning level for partner visas is acting as an ‘illegal’ de facto cap
The Coalition’s proposed cuts to Australia’s permanent migration would require Peter Dutton to legislate to allow a cap on partner visas, a migration expert has warned.
Abul Rizvi, a former deputy secretary of immigration, believes the current planning level for partner visas, introduced by the Coalition and continued by Labor, is acting as an “illegal” de facto cap and would need to be removed.
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Continue reading...This government needs to reverse at least three decades of financial woes, and it needs to show progress before its plan gets Trumped
Economically speaking, it has not been a happy new year for Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves. The Office for National Statistics has revised down the latest quarterly growth figures to zero. The Confederation of British Industry reports its members are planning to cut hiring and output in the first three months of 2025. And the Bank of England has held back from another interest rate cut, forecasting higher inflation and stagnant growth in the coming year.
Yet these are all very short-term indicators. In recent years, the need for governments to focus on immediate crises (Brexit, Covid, inflation, Liz Truss) has allowed us to forget that longer-term economic policies are also possible. But look behind the headlines, and it’s clear that Labour is trying to address some of Britain’s deep economic problems.
Michael Jacobs is professor of political economy at the University of Sheffield and a visiting senior fellow at the thinktank ODI Global
Billionaire ally of Donald Trump also accuses Keir Starmer on X of failing to prosecute child rapists in Oldham
Elon Musk has caused anger by calling for the release of Tommy Robinson and accusing Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute child rapists in Oldham in Greater Manchester.
The billionaire ally of Donald Trump pinned a message at the top of his X feed overnight saying “Free Tommy Robinson!”, tagging the far-right activist who is in jail for contempt of court.
Continue reading...Can a former police officer and a medical student come to any agreement on prisons?
David, 82, Chesterfield
Occupation Retired policeman/journalist/consultant
Continue reading...Ex-security minister says assassination ordered by Trump set off chain of events that led to revolution in Syria
Donald Trump’s decision to sanction the assassination of an elite Iranian commander triggered a chain of events that has revealed Iran as a paper tiger and led to the overthrow of Basher al-Assad, a former UK security minister has said.
Tom Tugendhat, now on the Conservative backbenches and intending to focus on foreign policy, also predicted the Iranian regime would collapse in a few years. He said that if handled properly, Syria could become the economic powerhouse of the Middle East within a decade.
Continue reading...Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi was held without charge for more than 20 years as prison facilitates burst of transfers
A Tunisian national who had become one of Guantánamo Bay’s longest-held detainees has been released from the US military compound, the Pentagon announced on Monday night.
Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi was transferred to his home country after being held without charge since the detention facility opened in January 2002. The 59-year-old appeared in one of the detention centre’s most iconic photographs, showing detainees kneeling in the open-air compound of Camp X-Ray.
Continue reading...PM will have to respond to Climate Change Committee’s recommendations on future emissions cuts with drastic changes in many sectors of economy
Keir Starmer will face a key test of his claims to leadership on the climate early next year, when the UK’s statutory advisers issue their latest advice on future cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.
The independent Climate Change Committee will set out recommendations on the UK’s seventh carbon budget on 26 February. At the core of the budget will be an overall cap on emissions for the years 2038 to 2042, needed to meet the legal obligation of reaching net zero emissions in 2050.
Continue reading...Outrageous drag queens, beloved Strictly dancers and a Gareth Southgate impersonator – all were shot by our fantastic photographers this year
Continue reading...Singer urged Tony Blair not to appoint African co-chair to commission on aid, UK government papers show
The Live Aid campaigner Bob Geldof urged Tony Blair not to appoint an African co-chair to the UK-led organisation working to overhaul international aid to the continent because he thought African leadership was “very weak” on the issue, newly released government documents suggest.
The singer was “scathing about the ability and worthiness of virtually all African leaders” before the establishment in 2004 of Blair’s Commission for Africa, which would produce a report, Our Common Interest, and prompt a landmark pledge by rich nations to boost aid and write off debt.
Continue reading...Newly released files show proposals to divert £2m – earmarked to prevent conflict in Africa – to fund scheme
Tony Blair’s government discussed diverting £2m earmarked to prevent conflict in Africa in order to fund a controversial pilot scheme to process and house asylum-seekers in Tanzania, newly released government files show.
Under the scheme, Britain would have offered Tanzania an extra £4m in aid if it opened an asylum camp to house people claiming to be Somalian refugees while their applications to live in Britain were assessed.
Continue reading...A senior US official said the president needed a ‘dose of reality’ to deal with Iraqi insurgents, documents reveal
Tony Blair’s advisers privately questioned if the US had “proper political control” of military operations in Iraq after a senior US official confided that George W Bush believed he was on a “mission from God” against Iraqi insurgents, newly released documents reveal.
Blair needed to “deliver some difficult messages” to the then US president for a “more measured approach” in April 2004, following a US military operation to suppress a major uprising in the city of Falluja, according to papers released to the National Archives in Kew, west London.
Continue reading...Letter allegedly written by US official shows contradictions in how government handled mysterious health incidents
A leaked letter purportedly written by a senior US military official and published on social media on Monday highlights stark contradictions in the government’s approach to victims of Havana syndrome – a mysterious series of health incidents affecting personnel at embassies and consulates overseas.
The letter, dated 24 March 2024 and signed by air force Brig Gen Shannon O’Harren, reassures victims of the “anomalous health incidents” (AHIs) that the defense department believed that their experiences and symptoms were real while promising them quality healthcare that never came.
Continue reading...In this week’s newsletter: this year’s bestsellers; tried-and-tested waterproof jackets; and heated throws for a cosy January
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Will 2024 really be remembered for brat, brain rot and AI-generated slop? Judging by the Filter recommendations you loved the most, it’s actually been the year of heated blankets, book lights and big coats. An altogether more cuddly vibe.
It makes perfect sense. When times are toxic, you reach for comfort. You’ve already had your fill of Trump, Musk and Baby Reindeer – not to mention rain, rising bills and the relentless horror of global news – so you’re craving a psychological detox. Finding joy in autumn’s best beauty buys and money-saving products that make life easier is a way of giving your mood a hug.
Continue reading...“When you imagine what the FTC is willing and able to do in the service of an authoritarian Trump administration, that takes you to some really terrifying places.”
The post Republicans Said the FTC Was Too Politicized. Now Trump’s FTC Pick Says It Should be Politicized — by Trump. appeared first on The Intercept.
Gabriela Montero asks promoters to cut ties with El Sistema on 2025 Europe tour, after alleged theft of election
One of Venezuela’s most celebrated musicians, the pianist Gabriela Montero, has called on concert halls and music promoters to cut ties with her country’s world-renowned youth orchestra as a result of Nicolás Maduro’s alleged theft of last year’s presidential election.
The Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (SBSOV), which has close ties to Maduro’s administration, is scheduled to perform at some of Europe’s most prestigious classical music venues in January to mark the 50th anniversary of Venezuela’s world-famous music training programme, El Sistema.
Continue reading...Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya is one of six medical workers with the Chicago-based organization MedGlobal who remain in Israeli custody.
The post The Scramble to Find the Gaza Doctor in the White Coat appeared first on The Intercept.
The U.S. political system is owned by corporations despised by the American people. Luigi Mangione is the result.
The post Health Insurance Execs Should Live in Fear of Prison, Not Murder appeared first on The Intercept.
A mysterious group linked to Patagonia has been accused of making what appear to be illegal “straw donor” contributions.
The post Patagonia’s Ties to a Dark-Money Operation Bankrolling Democratic Candidates appeared first on The Intercept.
Biden’s commutations for 37 of 40 people on death row brought relief for the men and their loved ones.
The post “And I Was Surprised”: On Federal Death Row, They Feared Biden Would Set Up Another Trump Killing Spree appeared first on The Intercept.
Trump wants a bloodbath for the federal employees, but government workers aren’t the only ones who will suffer.
The post Federal Labor Unions Steel Themselves for Trump and DOGE’s Mass Firings appeared first on The Intercept.
Everyone from janitors to the Geek Squad could be forced to help the NSA spy — and Democrats barely put up a fight.
The post Top Senator Warns Sweeping New Surveillance Powers Will “Inevitably Be Misused” by Trump appeared first on The Intercept.
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Mark Langdon and Ali Maxwell as Arsenal win at Brentford to cut Liverpool’s lead at the top
Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.
On the podcast today: it’s all quite comfortable for Arsenal at the former fortress Gtech in Brentford. Gabriel Jesus gets back among the goals but with Bukayo Saka out, will Arsenal strengthen in January?
Continue reading...You might have noticed that everyone has recently become a bit obsessed with blood sugar, or glucose. Wellness firms such as Zoe in the UK – as well as Nutrisense, Levels and Signos – claim to offer insights into how our bodies process food based on monitoring our blood glucose, among other things. But many researchers have begun to question the science behind this. In this episode from July, Ian Sample talks to the philosopher Julian Baggini, the University of Oxford academic dietician Dr Nicola Guess, and Zoe’s chief scientist the King’s College London nutrition expert Prof Sarah Berry to find out what we know about blood glucose levels and our health, and whether the science is nailed down on personalised nutrition
Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod
Continue reading...Instead of making grand new year’s resolutions, the smallest steps could lead to a more joyful life, says Oliver Burkeman
Writer Oliver Burkeman was once a master of procrastination. Many years ago Helen Pidd worked at the desk opposite him and would watch him spend the day doing anything but writing, until, with a few hours to go before his deadline, he would finally knuckle down and begin. He says with every new deadline he would swear he would start earlier – but never did.
Now, he says he has managed to finally stop this behaviour with a surprising method – which he calls “standing in the shed”. This he says is, when you have a huge task you are putting off – such as clearing out your shed. The most important thing to do is take a tiny first step. Even imagining yourself doing it, or just going to stand in the messy shed is enough.
Continue reading...The Arizona senator’s prodigious campaign spending in global wine hot spots can’t possibly be related to the campaign she’s not running, says an ethics complaint.
The post In Waning Senate Days, Kyrsten Sinema Screwed Workers and Spent Campaign Cash on Stay at French Castle appeared first on The Intercept.
Biden appears ready to sign the NDAA, despite objections from advocates and some Democrats about an insidious anti-trans rider.
The post Senate Approves Defense Bill Blocking Health Care for Thousands of Trans Youth appeared first on The Intercept.
A newly obtained document sheds light on how the disavowed “excited delirium” diagnosis infiltrated the Rochester Police Department before Prude’s death.
The post What Killed Daniel Prude? The Cops and New York AG Said a Diagnosis That’s Since Been Debunked. appeared first on The Intercept.
“The funds to CJA are critical for building community resilience against climate change threats.”
The post EPA Staffers Demand Biden Release Climate Funds Withheld Over Gaza appeared first on The Intercept.
People line streets to pay tribute to man who steered India through some of its most turbulent economic times
India bade farewell to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, the architect of the country’s economic transformation, with a state funeral in New Delhi, complete with full honours and a 21-gun salute.
Sikh priests chanted hymns as Singh’s flag-draped coffin, strewn with rose petals, was carried on a carriage through the capital, pulled by a ceremonially decorated army truck. Congress party supporters chanted: “As long as the sun and moon remain, your name will remain,” and “Long live Manmohan Singh” as Singh’s body was removed from the headquarters of the left-leaning party, where it had been lying in state.
Continue reading...The internal EU document may strip European foreign ministers of “plausible deniability” in Israeli war crimes in Gaza, experts said.
The post EU Officials Will Claim Ignorance of Israel’s War Crimes. This Leaked Document Shows What They Knew. appeared first on The Intercept.
Biden is running out of time to stop another Trump execution spree.
The post Power of the Pardon appeared first on The Intercept.
In the rapidly advancing landscape of AI technology and innovation, LimeWire emerges as a unique platform in the realm of generative AI tools. This platform not only stands out from the multitude of existing AI tools but also brings a fresh approach to content generation. LimeWire not only empowers users to create AI content but also provides creators with creative ways to share and monetize their creations.
As we explore LimeWire, our aim is to uncover its features, benefits for creators, and the exciting possibilities it offers for AI content generation. This platform presents an opportunity for users to harness the power of AI in image creation, all while enjoying the advantages of a free and accessible service.
Let's unravel the distinctive features that set LimeWire apart in the dynamic landscape of AI-powered tools, understanding how creators can leverage its capabilities to craft unique and engaging AI-generated images.
This revamped LimeWire invites users to register and unleash their creativity by crafting original AI content, which can then be shared and showcased on the LimeWire Studio. Notably, even acclaimed artists and musicians, such as Deadmau5, Soulja Boy, and Sean Kingston, have embraced this platform to publish their content in the form of NFT music, videos, and images.
Beyond providing a space for content creation and sharing, LimeWire introduces monetization models to empower users to earn revenue from their creations. This includes avenues such as earning ad revenue and participating in the burgeoning market of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). As we delve further, we'll explore these monetization strategies in more detail to provide a comprehensive understanding of LimeWire's innovative approach to content creation and distribution.
LimeWire Studio welcomes content creators into its fold, providing a space to craft personalized AI-focused content for sharing with fans and followers. Within this creative hub, every piece of content generated becomes not just a creation but a unique asset—ownable and tradable. Fans have the opportunity to subscribe to creators' pages, immersing themselves in the creative journey and gaining ownership of digital collectibles that hold tradeable value within the LimeWire community. Notably, creators earn a 2.5% royalty each time their content is traded, adding a rewarding element to the creative process.
The platform's flexibility is evident in its content publication options. Creators can choose to share their work freely with the public or opt for a premium subscription model, granting exclusive access to specialized content for subscribers.
As of the present moment, LimeWire focuses on AI Image Generation, offering a spectrum of creative possibilities to its user base. The platform, however, has ambitious plans on the horizon, aiming to broaden its offerings by introducing AI music and video generation tools in the near future. This strategic expansion promises creators even more avenues for expression and engagement with their audience, positioning LimeWire Studio as a dynamic and evolving platform within the realm of AI-powered content creation.
The LimeWire AI image generation tool presents a versatile platform for both the creation and editing of images. Supporting advanced models such as Stable Diffusion 2.1, Stable Diffusion XL, and DALL-E 2, LimeWire offers a sophisticated toolkit for users to delve into the realm of generative AI art.
Much like other tools in the generative AI landscape, LimeWire provides a range of options catering to various levels of complexity in image creation. Users can initiate the creative process with prompts as simple as a few words or opt for more intricate instructions, tailoring the output to their artistic vision.
What sets LimeWire apart is its seamless integration of different AI models and design styles. Users have the flexibility to effortlessly switch between various AI models, exploring diverse design styles such as cinematic, digital art, pixel art, anime, analog film, and more. Each style imparts a distinctive visual identity to the generated AI art, enabling users to explore a broad spectrum of creative possibilities.
The platform also offers additional features, including samplers, allowing users to fine-tune the quality and detail levels of their creations. Customization options and prompt guidance further enhance the user experience, providing a user-friendly interface for both novice and experienced creators.
Excitingly, LimeWire is actively developing its proprietary AI model, signaling ongoing innovation and enhancements to its image generation capabilities. This upcoming addition holds the promise of further expanding the creative horizons for LimeWire users, making it an evolving and dynamic platform within the landscape of AI-driven art and image creation.
Sign Up Now To Get Free Credits
Upon completing your creative endeavor on LimeWire, the platform allows you the option to publish your content. An intriguing feature follows this step: LimeWire automates the process of minting your creation as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT), utilizing either the Polygon or Algorand blockchain. This transformative step imbues your artwork with a unique digital signature, securing its authenticity and ownership in the decentralized realm.
Creators on LimeWire hold the power to decide the accessibility of their NFT creations. By opting for a public release, the content becomes discoverable by anyone, fostering a space for engagement and interaction. Furthermore, this choice opens the avenue for enthusiasts to trade the NFTs, adding a layer of community involvement to the artistic journey.
Alternatively, LimeWire acknowledges the importance of exclusivity. Creators can choose to share their posts exclusively with their premium subscribers. In doing so, the content remains a special offering solely for dedicated fans, creating an intimate and personalized experience within the LimeWire community. This flexibility in sharing options emphasizes LimeWire's commitment to empowering creators with choices in how they connect with their audience and distribute their digital creations.
After creating your content, you can choose to publish the content. It will automatically mint your creation as an NFT on the Polygon or Algorand blockchain. You can also choose whether to make it public or subscriber-only.
If you make it public, anyone can discover your content and even trade the NFTs. If you choose to share the post only with your premium subscribers, it will be exclusive only to your fans.
Additionally, you can earn ad revenue from your content creations as well.
When you publish content on LimeWire, you will receive 70% of all ad revenue from other users who view your images, music, and videos on the platform.
This revenue model will be much more beneficial to designers. You can experiment with the AI image and content generation tools and share your creations while earning a small income on the side.
The revenue you earn from your creations will come in the form of LMWR tokens, LimeWire’s own cryptocurrency.
Your earnings will be paid every month in LMWR, which you can then trade on many popular crypto exchange platforms like Kraken, ByBit, and UniSwap.
You can also use your LMWR tokens to pay for prompts when using LimeWire generative AI tools.
You can sign up to LimeWire to use its AI tools for free. You will receive 10 credits to use and generate up to 20 AI images per day. You will also receive 50% of the ad revenue share. However, you will get more benefits with premium plans.
For $9.99 per month, you will get 1,000 credits per month, up to 2 ,000 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 50% ad revenue share
For $29 per month, you will get 3750 credits per month, up to 7500 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 60% ad revenue share
For $49 per month, you will get 5,000 credits per month, up to 10,000 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 70% ad revenue share
For $99 per month, you will get 11,250 credits per month, up to 2 2,500 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 70% ad revenue share
With all premium plans, you will receive a Pro profile badge, full creation history, faster image generation, and no ads.
Sign Up Now To Get Free Credits
In conclusion, LimeWire emerges as a democratizing force in the creative landscape, providing an inclusive platform where anyone can unleash their artistic potential and effortlessly share their work. With the integration of AI, LimeWire eliminates traditional barriers, empowering designers, musicians, and artists to publish their creations and earn revenue with just a few clicks.
The ongoing commitment of LimeWire to innovation is evident in its plans to enhance generative AI tools with new features and models. The upcoming expansion to include music and video generation tools holds the promise of unlocking even more possibilities for creators. It sparks anticipation about the diverse and innovative ways in which artists will leverage these tools to produce and publish their own unique creations.
For those eager to explore, LimeWire's AI tools are readily accessible for free, providing an opportunity to experiment and delve into the world of generative art. As LimeWire continues to evolve, creators are encouraged to stay tuned for the launch of its forthcoming AI music and video generation tools, promising a future brimming with creative potential and endless artistic exploration
Are you looking for a new graphic design tool? Would you like to read a detailed review of Canva? As it's one of the tools I love using. I am also writing my first ebook using canva and publish it soon on my site you can download it is free. Let's start the review.
Canva has a web version and also a mobile app
Canva is a free graphic design web application that allows you to create invitations, business cards, flyers, lesson plans, banners, and more using professionally designed templates. You can upload your own photos from your computer or from Google Drive, and add them to Canva's templates using a simple drag-and-drop interface. It's like having a basic version of Photoshop that doesn't require Graphic designing knowledge to use. It’s best for nongraphic designers.
Canva is a great tool for small business owners, online entrepreneurs, and marketers who don’t have the time and want to edit quickly.
To create sophisticated graphics, a tool such as Photoshop can is ideal. To use it, you’ll need to learn its hundreds of features, get familiar with the software, and it’s best to have a good background in design, too.
Also running the latest version of Photoshop you need a high-end computer.
So here Canva takes place, with Canva you can do all that with drag-and-drop feature. It’s also easier to use and free. Also an even-more-affordable paid version is available for $12.95 per month.
The product is available in three plans: Free, Pro ($12.99/month per user or $119.99/year for up to 5 people), and Enterprise ($30 per user per month, minimum 25 people).
To get started on Canva, you will need to create an account by providing your email address, Google, Facebook or Apple credentials. You will then choose your account type between student, teacher, small business, large company, non-profit, or personal. Based on your choice of account type, templates will be recommended to you.
You can sign up for a free trial of Canva Pro, or you can start with the free version to get a sense of whether it’s the right graphic design tool for your needs.
When you sign up for an account, Canva will suggest different post types to choose from. Based on the type of account you set up you'll be able to see templates categorized by the following categories: social media posts, documents, presentations, marketing, events, ads, launch your business, build your online brand, etc.
Start by choosing a template for your post or searching for something more specific. Search by social network name to see a list of post types on each network.
Next, you can choose a template. Choose from hundreds of templates that are ready to go, with customizable photos, text, and other elements.
You can start your design by choosing from a variety of ready-made templates, searching for a template matching your needs, or working with a blank template.
Inside the Canva designer, the Elements tab gives you access to lines and shapes, graphics, photos, videos, audio, charts, photo frames, and photo grids.The search box on the Elements tab lets you search everything on Canva.
To begin with, Canva has a large library of elements to choose from. To find them, be specific in your search query. You may also want to search in the following tabs to see various elements separately:
The Photos tab lets you search for and choose from millions of professional stock photos for your templates.
You can replace the photos in our templates to create a new look. This can also make the template more suited to your industry.
You can find photos on other stock photography sites like pexel, pixabay and many more or simply upload your own photos.
When you choose an image, Canva’s photo editing features let you adjust the photo’s settings (brightness, contrast, saturation, etc.), crop, or animate it.
When you subscribe to Canva Pro, you get access to a number of premium features, including the Background Remover. This feature allows you to remove the background from any stock photo in library or any image you upload.
The Text tab lets you add headings, normal text, and graphical text to your design.
When you click on text, you'll see options to adjust the font, font size, color, format, spacing, and text effects (like shadows).
Canva Pro subscribers can choose from a large library of fonts on the Brand Kit or the Styles tab. Enterprise-level controls ensure that visual content remains on-brand, no matter how many people are working on it.
Create an animated image or video by adding audio to capture user’s attention in social news feeds.
If you want to use audio from another stock site or your own audio tracks, you can upload them in the Uploads tab or from the more option.
Want to create your own videos? Choose from thousands of stock video clips. You’ll find videos that range upto 2 minutes
You can upload your own videos as well as videos from other stock sites in the Uploads tab.
Once you have chosen a video, you can use the editing features in Canva to trim the video, flip it, and adjust its transparency.
On the Background tab, you’ll find free stock photos to serve as backgrounds on your designs. Change out the background on a template to give it a more personal touch.
The Styles tab lets you quickly change the look and feel of your template with just a click. And if you have a Canva Pro subscription, you can upload your brand’s custom colors and fonts to ensure designs stay on brand.
If you have a Canva Pro subscription, you’ll have a Logos tab. Here, you can upload variations of your brand logo to use throughout your designs.
With Canva, you can also create your own logos. Note that you cannot trademark a logo with stock content in it.
With Canva, free users can download and share designs to multiple platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Slack and Tumblr.
Canva Pro subscribers can create multiple post formats from one design. For example, you can start by designing an Instagram post, and Canva's Magic Resizer can resize it for other networks, Stories, Reels, and other formats.
Canva Pro subscribers can also use Canva’s Content Planner to post content on eight different accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Slack, and Tumblr.
Canva Pro allows you to work with your team on visual content. Designs can be created inside Canva, and then sent to your team members for approval. Everyone can make comments, edits, revisions, and keep track via the version history.
When it comes to printing your designs, Canva has you covered. With an extensive selection of printing options, they can turn your designs into anything from banners and wall art to mugs and t-shirts.
Canva Print is perfect for any business seeking to make a lasting impression. Create inspiring designs people will want to wear, keep, and share. Hand out custom business cards that leave a lasting impression on customers' minds.
The Canva app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. The Canva app has earned a 4.9 out of five star rating from over 946.3K Apple users and a 4.5 out of five star rating from over 6,996,708 Google users.
In addition to mobile apps, you can use Canva’s integration with other Internet services to add images and text from sources like Google Maps, Emojis, photos from Google Drive and Dropbox, YouTube videos, Flickr photos, Bitmojis, and other popular visual content elements.
In general, Canva is an excellent tool for those who need simple images for projects. If you are a graphic designer with experience, you will find Canva’s platform lacking in customization and advanced features – particularly vectors. But if you have little design experience, you will find Canva easier to use than advanced graphic design tools like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator for most projects. If you have any queries let me know in the comments section.
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Continue reading...Indiana wanted to kill Joseph Corcoran under the cover of darkness, but one journalist slipped in to witness.
The post Indiana’s Midnight Executions Are a Relic of Another Age appeared first on The Intercept.
“I have a fundamental right to be protected by my government, especially in times of war. My children and I deserve to return to the safety of the U.S.”
The post Americans Stuck in Gaza Sue the U.S. for Leaving Them “Trapped in a War Zone” appeared first on The Intercept.
Her most important qualification is being a longtime Trump loyalist — and she’ll carry out his vision to gut the Department of Education.
The post Linda McMahon Has No Education Experience Except Wanting to Defund Public Schools appeared first on The Intercept.
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