BirSaNN

Live Performance Title: Dino Merlin feat. Ivana Banfić - Godinama 03.12.2022. LIVE Arena Varaždin Signer Name: Dino Merlin Live Performance Location: - Official YouTube Link: Your Opinion About the Track (Music Video): 10.5

Loot boxes in games are designed to entice players and are often paid with real-world money. According to new research published today in the peer-reviewed journal Addiction Research & Theory, gamers who purchase 'loot boxes' are up to two times more inclined to bet. According to the findings based on more than 1,600 adults in Canada, they are also more likely to have a gambling problem than players who do not acquire these 'virtual' treasure chests. According to the authors, the findings call into question the hypothesis that psychological factors cause the link between gambling and loot boxes, which are outlawed in several countries, like Belgium, and are being considered for legislation in many others around the world. Their research shows that the link between these video game characteristics and gambling persists even after controlling for childhood neglect, depression, and other recognised risk factors for gambling. TN Ordinance Banning Online Gambling Challenged in Madras High Court The authors say their findings have potential implications for policymakers and for healthcare. They are calling for more research into the benefit of harm minimization features, with some online platforms having already implemented these - such as telling players the odds of winning when they buy a loot box. "Findings indicate that loot box purchasing represents an important marker of risk for gambling and problem gambling among people who play video games," says Sophie Coelho, a PhD student at York University, Toronto. "The persistent associations we observed between loot box purchasing and gambling may provide preliminary support for the role of loot boxes as a 'gateway' to gambling and eventually problem gambling. Government Said to Plan Regulation of All Real-Money Online Games "Loot boxes may prime people to gamble and increase susceptibility to problem gambling." Loot boxes are designed to entice players and are often paid with real-world money. They contain a random array of virtual things like weapons or new characters and are mostly controlled, unlike online gambling. There is already evidence of a correlation between treasure box purchases and gambling, as well as compulsive gambling. What is unknown is whether this occurs as a result of recognised psychological risk factors for gambling. The authors examined the previous year's loot box purchases among 1,189 students from five Canadian institutions and 499 individuals recruited from an online crowdsourcing platform and an online polling/survey site for this study. All participants, aged 18 and above answered an online questionnaire on their video gaming and addictive behaviours, as well as their mental health and other issues. The study considered more psychological risk variables for gambling than earlier research. These included emotional turmoil, impulsive behaviour when agitated, and negative childhood events such as abuse and neglect. According to the findings, a comparable number (17 percent) of students and community members purchased loot boxes, with an average spend of $90.63 (roughly Rs. 7,500) and $240.94 (roughly Rs. 20,000), respectively. In both participation groups, the majority identified as male. Over a quarter (28 percent) of students who purchased loot boxes reported gambling in the previous year, compared to 19 percent of non-purchasers. More than half (57 percent) of community adults who bought them gambled, as did 38 percent of non-purchasers. Students who reported riskier loot box purchasing patterns (example, purchasing more loot boxes) were more likely to have a problem with gambling. This was not the case for community members, which the researchers attribute to limited sample size. Adverse childhood experiences were consistently associated with an increased likelihood of past-year gambling and greater problem gambling among all psychological risk factors. The authors say this may suggest that people with troubled upbringings have a heightened vulnerability to developing gambling problems. They add: "This may be compounded by engaging with gambling-like features embedded in video games, such as loot boxes." Although the scientific team did adjust "for a large range of transdiagnostic psychological variables", they state, however, that one of the limitations of their study is that they did not account for every single psychological, sociodemographic, or gaming- or gambling-related confounder of associations between loot box purchasing and gambling - of which some "undoubtedly exist". link: https://www.gadgets360.com/games/news/gamers-loot-boxes-betting-gambling-real-world-money-psychological-factors-research-3578889

Just a day after Apple revealed the best apps of 2022, Google decided to do the same with Google Play revealing the top apps of this year. Considering how 2022 is almost coming to an end, the stats serve as a nice understanding of what apps topped the charts. Now, do know that this is not the list of nominees but the list of winners. There are some obvious winners on the list of Google Play's best apps of 2022, but we are not going to keep you waiting. These Are the Best Android Apps and Games of 2022, According to the Google Play Store We are going to start off with the best apps that you can look at below: Best overall: Dream by Wombo Users' choice: BeReal Best for Fun: PetStar | Honorable mentions: DanceFitMe, NoteIt Widget Best for Personal Growth: Breathwrk | Honorable mentions: Duolingo ABC, Gym Log & Workouts, Ukulele by Yousician Best Everyday Essentials: Plant Parent | Honorable mentions: Book Morning Routine Waking Up, Daily Diary, Sleep Tracker Best Hidden Gems: Recover Athletics| Honorable mentions: Linktree, Little Lunches, Wamble Best Apps for Good: The Stigma App |Honorable mentions: Sleep Fruits, Zario Best for Wear: Todoist Best for Tablets: Pocket Best for Chromebooks: BandLab For mobile gamers, Google Play has also announced the best games of 2022, and you can check them below: Best overall: Apex Legends Mobile Users' Choice: Apex Legends Mobile Best Multiplayer: Dislyte | Honorable mentions: Apex Legends Mobile, Catalyst Black, Diablo Immortal, Rocket League Sideswipe Best Pick Up & Play: Angry Birds Journey | Honorable mentions: Gun & Dungeons, Hook 2, Hyde and Seek, Quadline Best Indies: Dicey Dungeons | Honorable mentions: Dungeons of Dreadrock, Knotwords, One Hand Clapping, Phobie Best Story: Papers, Please | Honorable mentions: Deemo II, Inua - A Store in Ice and Time, The Secret of Cat Island, Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion Best Ongoing: Genshin Impact | Honorable mentions: Candy Crush Saga, Garena Free Fire, Pokémon GO, Roblox Best on Play Pass: Very Little Nightmares | Honorable mentions: Bridge Constructor, Final Fantasy VII, Linelight, Path of Giants Best for Tablets: Tower of Fantasy | Honorable mentions: Angry Birds Journey, Catalyst Black, Diablo Immortal, Papers, Please Best Game for Chromebook: Roblox That's not all, Google Play has revealed the top-selling audiobooks as well as books, and some names do not surprise us. Top-Selling Books Fire & Blood by George RR Martin It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover Fairy Tale by Stephen King I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sara J. Maas Top-selling Audiobooks I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy Fairy Tale by Stephen King Fire & Blood by George RR Martin Atomic Habits by James Clear It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover Which app, game, or book is your favorite on the Google Play Store? Let us know in the comments below. link: https://wccftech.com/google-play-reveals-best-apps-games-books-and-audio-books-of-2022/

Pre-orders for AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 7900 XTX & RX 7900 XT graphics cards have opened up in China and it looks like custom cards would be just as expensive as NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 40 line. Chinese Retailers Open Up Pre-Orders For AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX & RX 7900 XT Custom Graphics Cards, Cost Up To $1600 US According to ITHome, sellers in China on po[CENSORED]r outlets such as Taobao, have started opening up pre-sale activities for the custom AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX & RX 7900 XT graphics cards. One such seller has listed down the prices of the PowerColor Radeon RX 7900 series graphics cards and well, you can have a look at them for yourself: PowerColor Radeon RX 7900 XTX Red Devil: 11399 RMB ($1622 US) PowerColor Radeon RX 7900 XT Hellhound: 9788 RMB ($1393 US) PowerColor Radeon RX 7900 XT Hellhound: 8688 RMB ($1236 US) Now while these are pre-order prices, one should know that almost very similar reports by other outlets. Some have reported that the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX & RX 7900 XT supply will be very limited in China but there are also reports that the Chinese markets will only get AIB cards during launch while other regions will get reference models in addition to custom designs. Sapphire and PowerColor are trying their best to supply Asian markets with custom designs on launch (13th of December) but how well that goes remains to be seen. Coming to the listed prices, the PowerColor Radeon RX 7900 XTX Red Devil at $1622 US is asking a $622 US premium over the reference model and a $230 US over the Hellhound variant. That's very steep in terms of pricing. Even the Hellhound at a $393 US premium over the reference model will be a big price difference to pay. The RX 7900 XT Hellhound at $1236 US is asking for over $300 US premium over the $899 US MSRP. The Chinese market does have additional taxes added to the price so that should be considered here too. Considering the lack of reference models in the Asian market, some sellers have even put the cards up for even higher prices than the custom models. One retail outlet has the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX listed for 12999 RMB ($1850 US) and the 7900 XT listed for 999 RMB $1425 US). Earlier, there were reports that the AMD RDNA 3 supply would be similar to or better than GeForce RTX 40 series cards from NVIDIA but it looks like this may not be true for all markets across the globe. The AMD Radeon RX 7900 series graphics cards launch two weeks later for $999 US & $899 US, respectively. AMD Radeon RX 7900 Series "Official" Specifications: link: https://wccftech.com/custom-amd-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-rx-7900-xt-graphics-cards-to-cost-up-to-1600-usd-in-china/

Nickname: @BirSaNN Video author: Birsan Asanovic Name of the game: CS 1.6 Link video: Rate this video 1-10: 10/7

Cat’s in the cradle Great news for fans of Paradox Interactive's medieval drama simulator: a new free update just dropped. The new 1.8.0 update, entitled "Robe", has added several new features to the game, as well as several tweaks and bug fixes. As is tradition for Crusader Kings 3 patches, these changes range from necessary and useful gameplay changes to downright hilarious bug fixes. The new patch brings with it a range of new features, including the ability to save and load Custom Rulers, the addition of new and unique illustrations for all of the game's Tenets, a rework of the bookmark screen, and 17 new Custom Faith icons for the game's religions. However, as you'll soon see, there's a lot more to unpack when it comes to this latest update. Crusader Kings 3 is a narrative-heavy strategy game set in the middle ages where players take on the roles of prominent rulers and live out their lives at the top of the feudal pyramid as strategy meets RPG. The lives of Crusader Kings 3 characters are famously engaging, dramatic, and, sometimes, just a little silly. Simply put, it's one of the best PC strategy games out there, though it is also available on the Xbox Series X|S and the PS5. You're not my real dad In addition to the new features, there have also been some tweaks to gameplay balance. The most heart-breaking of these is the way in which Paradox has made it easier for players to disinherit children who are bastards or who have disputed heritage. In fact, it’s now “free” according to the Paradox Forum(opens in new tab). Medieval politics is a cutthroat world, so this sort of callously bad parenting is to be expected. However, even amongst the ruthless maneuvering of the medieval elite, this course of action is seen as a bit much. Indeed, you will suffer a “global opinion penalty” if you decide to disown your poor, unsuspecting children. It would seem that even for the most cold-hearted tyrant of the middle ages, disowning your kids is not a good look. link: https://www.techradar.com/news/crusader-kings-3-patch-lets-you-neglect-your-children-more-efficiently

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1 is here, and that means a new battle pass filled with 100+ rewards is waiting to be unlocked to the fullest between now and the end of the season. This season's battle pass comes with some hallmarks of the game, namely several stylish original characters, as well as some major new crossovers--this time featuring heroes from two other po[CENSORED]r video games. Here we'll be sharing images of every single item in the battle pass so you can check it out while your update downloads, while you're away from your favorite platform, or so you can judge whether it's worth your V-Bucks. The biggest character in the Chapter 4 Season 1 battle pass is a matter of opinion, but there are a few likely candidates. The Doomslayer, from id Software's Doom series, finally makes his long-awaited debut, as does Geralt of Rivia, the lead hero of The Witcher games, books, and the Netflix TV series, though the Fortnite skin looks like it's a collaboration that uses CD Projekt Red's particular depiction of the hero. For lore hounds, Geno makes his long-awaited debut. The apparent true leader of the Imagined Order, Geno is a character who brings major story ramifications with him, even as we can't definitively say what those are right now. The IO and The Seven have long been at odds, and with The Paradigm maybe decommissioned for the foreseeable future, Geno's side may strike while their foes are shorthanded. There are also several original Fortnite characters making their debuts, including another character in a proud line of Epic-made "goth girls," and a guy who really seems excited about the new motorcycles arriving on the island this season. For a complete look at this seasons skins, emotes, back bling, pickaxes, trails, and more, check right here. link: https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/fortnite-chapter-4-season-1-battle-pass-all-skins-emotes-and-other-cosmetics/2900-4492/#16

Developers are hoping to make the game's big PvP wars more accessible to everyone. Amazon's MMO New World(opens in new tab) enables players to create and join companies—basically the same thing as guilds—which confer various benefits to members: Money, access to services, that sort of thing. As with most player-run videogame organizations, they almost immediately resulted in trouble. Players who weren't part of large companies were largely excluded(opens in new tab) from the game's ballyhooed PvP wars, while those who were in the club quickly set about screwing each other(opens in new tab) out of huge amounts of gold. Another, less overt company-related problem has also been causing headaches, and it's not the sort of thing you'd associate with videogames: The scourge of shell companies. In the real world, a shell company is one that exists entirely on paper and often for nefarious purposes like tax evasion or money laundering. In New World, well, it's basically the same thing, and it's been a problem for a long time. "There seems to be a serious issue with shell companies on our server," redditor IYELLVALHALLA(opens in new tab) wrote back in May. "That is: a company that makes other small companies with 5 or so members so that they can hold multiple territories and have different siege times. So no other companies can split their forces to even have a chance in taking those territories." "They don't only lead the wars but the whole server," EasternWolverine348 said in reply. "On my server, 2-3 big companies own everything under shell companies. The only territories that are somewhat taken care of are WW and EF. These are the only territories with some buffs (1 or 2 ) the others are only hale and hearty. These companies don't care about invasion, don't pay taxes, don't upgrade the towns just the fort. They also make it that everything is super pricy on the market by buying the whole thing and putting it back for a lot more." In its newest update(opens in new tab), Amazon Game Studios said it's finally making some changes to tackle the problem. "The first one we're doing is a 'company leave cooldown'," game designer Rachel Barnum said. "So for 72 hours after you leave a company, you won't be able to participate in any territory control activities with another company ... We want to prevent that. It's not really how we intended that gameplay to be made." Developers are also placing a limit on the number of mercenaries companies can hire to join their efforts, so that companies will be forced to do their own heavy lifting. And to ensure that the same people aren't hogging all the fun, accounts will also be limited to one offensive and one defensive war per day, per game world. "Our goal is to allow more people to participate in war, and not to have a small group of people be able to control multiple, multiple territories," creative director David Verfaillie said. "Hopefully these make meaningful changes, and if not, we'll make some more." Today's update also touches on changes coming to crafting and town projects, and offers a look at the New World development roadmap for 2023, which you can see below. link: https://www.pcgamer.com/new-world-is-finally-cracking-down-on-shell-companies/

Happy Birthday Bro 🎉 🎊 🎆

• Name: @BirSaNN • Time & Date: 01:27 / 12/05/2022 • Screenshot:https://imgur.com/a/GmAtAYL

It is unfair for unions to "disrupt people's lives" with public-sector strikes at Christmas, Conservative chairman Nadhim Zahawi has said. He said plans were in place to draft in the military to drive ambulances and secure borders if walkouts went ahead. Mr Zahawi also told the BBC Russian President Vladimir Putin "wants to see" strikes, but unions criticised this. Thousands of workers from various industries are set to strike this month in disputes over pay and conditions. Some unions say pay should match the cost of living, which is increasing at its fastest rate in 40 years, largely as a result of rising food and energy prices. Some of the most high-profile strikes have been called by unions representing workers in the NHS, the railways and the Royal Mail. Why are prices rising so quickly? Why are so many workers going on strike? Which workers are allowed to go on strike? Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will strike over two days this month, in what is set to be their biggest walkout in the NHS's history. Elsewhere, rail strikes will be held across four 48-hour periods in December and January, leaving passengers facing severe disruption to Christmas travel. In an interview on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Mr Zahawi was asked what the government was doing to end the strikes. The minister said President Putin's war in Ukraine - which has sent energy costs soaring - was the main driver of rising prices and pressure on pay. He suggested some of the pay rises demanded would further stroke inflation - which is the increase in the price of something over time - which would "hurt the most vulnerable". The government has repeatedly urged unions and employers to negotiate settlements and halt strike action, saying it can not afford pay rises to cover inflation. But unions say workers have faced real-terms cuts to pay over many years and deserve a fair deal that reflects the current cost of living. 'Rethink and reflect' When asked what the government would do to help the public deal with the impact of the strikes, Mr Zahawi said "we are operationalising contingency plans". Those plans include training about 2,000 military personnel and civil servants to support a range of services - including the Border Force at airports and ports - in the event of strike action. The government is also planning for the potential deployment of military personnel to roles including ambulance driving and firefighting. "It's unfair, in my view, for the unions to really damage and disrupt people's lives and livelihoods at Christmas," Mr Zahawi told Laura Kuenssberg. "They should rethink and reflect on this because that is exactly what Putin wants to see. Let's not divide, let's come together." Opposition parties say the government is deflecting the blame for the strikes after refusing to give workers a fair pay rise. "It is ludicrous and insulting to suggest Vladimir Putin is responsible for nurses going on strike," said Cabinet Office spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, Christine Jardine. "The responsibility lies firmly with this Conservative government's shambolic failure to find a solution." Pat Cullen, general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing union, said using Russia's war in Ukraine as a justification for a real-terms pay cut for nurses was "a new low for this government". "The public does not believe this kind of rhetoric and wants ministers to address our dispute," he said. The shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said there was a compromise to be had on teachers' pay. The government has offered teachers pay awards of between 5% and 8.9%, depending on their position, but education workers say this is nowhere near enough to address a real-terms pay cut and the impact of inflation running at more than 10%. Pressed on where the compromise should be reached, Ms Phillipson told the programme: "It's often somewhere in the middle and that's why it's a process of negotiation about pay but also about terms and conditions." Ms Phillipson said important decisions were not being taken "because of the chaos that we've seen" at the heart of government this year. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who took office about a month ago, is grappling with an economic crisis and a recession predicted to last at least a year. His party's ratings in the polls have slumped well below those of Labour, whose candidate won a by-election in Chester with a large majority earlier this week. The 13.6% swing from Conservatives to Labour in the Chester by-election would be enough for Labour to form a government if the result was replicated in a national poll. When asked about the result, Mr Zahawi said there was "no shying away from the fact that the internal challenges of the Conservative party has probably led to the gap in the polls". He said the party was undertaking "a rebuilding exercise" after a period of turmoil under former Prime Minister Liz Truss, who resigned over the instability caused by her mini-budget. link: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-63851251

A parasite that can alter animal behavior is changing the habits of infected wolves in Yellowstone, increasing aggression and goading them into taking greater risks. Wolves infected with behavior-altering parasites are more likely to become pack leaders, or abandon their packs altogether, according to an analysis of more than 200 gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that Toxoplasma gondii, a single-celled parasite, pulls on the puppet strings of its hosts, goading them into pursuing risky behaviors. "We identified a substantial increase in the odds of dispersal and of becoming a pack leader, both risky behaviors," in wolves that showed signs of T. gondii infection in their blood, the authors wrote in the study, published online Nov. 24 in the journal Communications Biology(opens in new tab). "These two life history behaviors represent some of the most important decisions a wolf can make in its lifetime and may have dramatic impacts on gray wolf fitness, distribution" and the overall rate of births and deaths within a po[CENSORED]tion, the scientists reported. Toxoplasmosis — the disease caused by a T. gondii infection — is everywhere. While T. gondii can only sexually reproduce and complete its life cycle in felids (members of the cat family), it is perfectly at home in any warm-blooded host — including about 33% of all humans and more than 10% of the U.S. po[CENSORED]tion. A healthy immune system is usually enough to keep the disease’s symptoms at bay, and people who are not immunocompromised seldom experience anything more daunting than minor flu-like symptoms during acute infection. But T. gondii can have a lasting impact; a handful of studies have found that chronic infection can lead to increased testosterone levels and behavioral changes in humans. Related: The weird tale of a larger-than-life wolf that outran the law, almost And we're not alone. Rodents infected with the parasite produce a surplus of testosterone and are less afraid of cats, Live Science previously reported. Hyenas with toxoplasmosis are more likely to tussle with African lions, according to a 2021 study published in Nature Communications(opens in new tab);(opens in new tab) and chimpanzees carrying T. gondii are unafraid of leopards, their natural predators, scientists reported in 2016 in the journal Current Biology(opens in new tab). Yellowstone's gray wolves became acquainted with T. gondii by wandering the same volcanic wilderness as infected cougars (Puma concolor) and eating feline feces, according to the new study. The researchers examined nearly three decades’ worth of data on wolves that had been captured, released and monitored at Yellowstone. They discovered that infected wolves were more likely than uninfected wolves to engage in risky behaviors, such as abandoning their families to start new packs, and were twice as likely to assert themselves as pack leaders, which often entailed picking perilous fights with other would-be top dogs. But toxoplasmosis is not all glory, independence and power struggles. Pregnant wolves suffering acute infection can miscarry a litter, and wolves that are unafraid of a fight are more likely to suffer fatal injuries. The study authors also raised the possibility that infected wolves put the entire pack at risk by fearlessly leading fellow wolves into cougar territory where they too may become infected. "This study demonstrates how community-level interactions can affect individual behavior and could potentially scale up to group-level decision-making," the authors wrote. "Incorporating the implications of parasite infections into future wildlife research is vital to understanding the impacts of parasites on individuals, groups, po[CENSORED]tions, and ecosystem processes." link: https://www.livescience.com/mind-controlled-wolves-toxoplasma-gondii

After a lonely childhood and two less than perfect marriages, Virginia Lynch was still hoping to find her soulmate. Then a man called Alan invited her for a drink … Paula Cocozza @CocozzaPaula Sun 4 Dec 2022 14.00 GMT Virginia Lynch’s second husband liked to stay at home, so she went alone to bridge nights and concerts. At 72, on one of these solo excursions, she met the love of her life. For months, Lynch, who is now 87, had enjoyed chamber music concerts at a school near where they lived in Kent. Among the regulars was a couple. The woman, who was very beautiful, had Alzheimer’s. Lynch and the couple never spoke. “But I watched them and made up a story about the man in my head,” she says. In April 2007, Lynch went to a concert in London. In the interval, she spotted the man, Alan, two rows in front. “I was feeling quite cheerful and extrovert, and I went up and said: ‘Oh, hi! What are you doing here?’ He smiled – he had the most extraordinary smile – and asked me to have a drink with him … Everything suddenly came alive. I came alive.” After the performance, Alan waited for her. They went to a pub, then he walked her to the station. “I remember saying to myself for days afterwards, ‘I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it.’” “He pounded me with emails,” Lynch says. They knew nothing about each other, or about their marriages. Alan’s wife was by then in the late stages of Alzheimer’s, unable to feed herself or speak; Lynch’s husband seemed happy in his own company. Lynch and Alan soon became close; she felt that she had found her soulmate. After his wife died, she and Alan married, in 2010. “I had never been in a relationship with somebody who just enclosed me with love. It was the most wonderful healing experience,” she says. She especially loved Alan’s “extraordinary ability to know what I was feeling”. Loneliness had been the overwhelming experience of Lynch’s childhood. The second of three children, she felt unvalued. “I longed to be loved by my mother. But my mother didn’t want me around,” she explains in her memoir, The Cloak. At 13, she went to boarding school. At 19, she joined a choir and fell for the conductor. They married and had five children, one of whom died as a baby. Lynch came to regard her first marriage as oppressive, and applied for a divorce when she was 52. But why the fixation on a “love of her life”? Lynch starts to sing. “Some enchanted evening … da da dum … You will see a stranger across a crowded room. That’s the sort of romantic thing I’ve had in my head all my life. I was such a mixed-up girl. I was always looking for a person to impress my mother.” In her 30s, Lynch became interested in psychoanalysis and after experiencing the benefits herself, trained as a psychotherapist and analytical psychologist. She describes Carl Jung’s idea of individuation as “the overwhelming passion” of her life. “What it means is individual development,” she says. “We’ve all got a golden string going through our lives. And you don’t ever get to the end of it.” She and Alan were on holiday in Switzerland when she realised something was wrong. She consulted him on “some ordinary thing”, and was struck by “a quality missing in our interchange”. Alan, who died in 2018. Alan, who died in 2018. Alan didn’t appear to know how she was feeling. “He was just like an ordinary person,” she says. On their return to England, Alan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. “So the last years with him, I loved him. But of course I became a carer.” Alan died in 2018. But Lynch still feels herself enfolded in Alan’s love. “And I still want that love,” she says. In Dorset, where she now lives, she has new friends and hobbies, and is chair of the local u3a organisation. “I’m a much more contented person than I would have been without Alan,” she says. “Before I met him, I always had this sort of shaky feeling that nobody really cared what happened to me. Since we met, I haven’t had that feeling. He gave me something that was really missing. He gave me this feeling that I was lovable.” link: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/dec/04/a-new-start-after-60-i-met-the-love-of-my-life-at-72-and-suddenly-came-alive

The fighting in Ukraine has been slowing down and this will likely continue in the coming winter months, US intelligence agencies believe. However, there has been no evidence of fading resistance on the part of Ukrainian forces, US director of intelligence Avril Haines said. She said both sides would try to "refit, resupply and reconstitute" for any counter-offensive in the spring. It follows Russian attacks on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure. The war in Ukraine is now in its ninth month but Russia has lost more than half the land it seized. Ms Haines told a defence forum in California that most of the fighting is currently around the Bakhmut and Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. She said fighting had slowed down following Russia's withdrawal of troops from the west of the Kherson region last month. "We're seeing a kind of a reduced tempo already of the conflict... and we expect that's likely to be what we see in the coming months," she said. She said both Ukraine and Russian militaries would be looking to prepare for any counter-offensive after the winter. "But we actually have a fair amount of scepticism as to whether or not the Russians will be, in fact, prepared to do that," she said. "I think more optimistically for the Ukrainians in that time frame." Ukraine's Zelensky calls Russian oil cap 'weak' Ukraine war: Can we expect peace talks to begin? Oil price cap will hit Putin immediately, says US Ms Haines said US intelligence believes Russian President Vladimir Putin does not have a full picture at this stage of just how challenged his military are. "We see shortages of ammunition, for morale, supply issues, logistics, a whole series of concerns that they're facing." However, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) painted a different picture in a daily review, questioning whether the freezing conditions could permit "a higher pace of operations as winter sets in". The institute cited comments by Serhiy Haidai, Ukraine's regional governor in Luhansk, who observed that the weather in the eastern Donbas region was changing as winter conditions set in. Previously, the ISW had asserted that operations in the Donbas were unlikely to slow down as freezing conditions created "the most optimal times of year for mechanised manoeuvre warfare". Meanwhile on Saturday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky described a price cap set by his Western allies on Russian oil exports as "weak" and said it was not "serious" enough to damage the Russian economy. The cap, due to come into force on Monday, is aimed at stopping countries paying more than $60 (£48) for a barrel of seaborne Russian crude oil. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow had prepared for the move but would not sell its oil under the cap. At a virtual meeting on Sunday, a group of the world's top oil-producing countries is expected to stick to its oil output targets. At their last ministerial session in October, the Opec+ group - made up of countries including Russia and the United Arab Emirates - agreed to reduce output by two million barrels per day from November in a bid to help boost oil prices. The move angered the United States and other Western nations with Washington accusing the group of siding with Russia. Since October, oil prices have declined due to slower global growth and higher interest rates. Opec sources say the group is likely to approve a policy rollover. Meanwhile, Ukraine's security service said the government in Kyiv is imposing sanctions against 10 senior Orthodox Church figures it accuses of having supported Russia's invasion. The sanctions, which will freeze their assets for five years, are the latest moves by the Ukrainian government against religious groups seen as potentially subversive. link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63849268

The show highlighted the artwork of Moroccan designers Fatima Al-Zahra Al-Idrisi Al-Filali. Rabat - Marrakech hosted on Saturday a fashion show debuting the iconic Moroccan caftan inspired by Morocco-Jewish cultural heritage. The show highlighted the artwork of Moroccan designers Fatima Al-Zahra Al-Idrisi Al-Filali. The event was co-organized by Morocco’s NGO, Escoffier Pupils Association, and the Oriental Fashion Shows Foundation, an international fashion show dedicated to highlighting Eastern culture. Commenting on the event, organizers said in a statement that the “most important features of these performances are their exclusive celebration, for the first time, of one of the basic features that make up the Moroccan-Jewish cultural.” The designer expressed her delight to display her art at the event celebrating the Morocco-Jewish heritage. The fashion show is part of the activities of the “Escovie Disciples - Morocco” forum that began on December 1 in Marrakech. A number of high-profile figures attended the event including chef Guillaume Gomez and former Ambassador of France to Morocco Philippe Faure. Other prominent figures at the event included international chefs, pastry makers, and other actors from the tourism sector. Founded in 1954 in Ville Neuve-Loube, the International Association of Escoffier Students, the association is a non-profit organization focused on promoting culinary art in honor of the late French chef Augustine Escoffier. Morocco joined the association in 2020. The association now has more than 40,000 students in more than 38 countries and is the largest gastronomy association in the world. Read Also: Morocco Fashion Week Opens with Impressive, Stunning Designs link: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/12/352809/marrakech-hosts-fashion-show-celebrating-moroccan-jewish-cultural-heritage

Nick Movie: Missing Time: January 20, 2023 Netflix / Amazon / HBO?: ? Duration of the movie: 2h Trailer:

Live Performance Title: The Weeknd & Ariana Grande – Save Your Tears (Live on The 2021 iHeart Radio Music Awards) Signer Name: The Weeknd & Ariana Grande Live Performance Location: - Official YouTube Link: Your Opinion About the Track (Music Video): 10/9

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