V2, Nice effects and the photo is clear to see with the real size

Yes! @WHAT IS GOING ON?

No @xBale36?

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Dodge recently released the first photos of the next-generation Charger, and will fully reveal the new muscle car in just a couple of months. The 2025 Dodge Charger has been shown in pre-production form, and it looks a lot like the Daytona SRT concept. Dodge posted several photos of the next-gen Charger on its social media accounts, giving us a great look at the coupe's front end and body sides. While the new 2025 Charger will be offered with an electric powertrain, it'll also be available with a gas-fed engine, per The Drive. UPDATE 2/2/24: Automotive News reports that the production version of the Charger Daytona SRT concept, which Dodge teased earlier this year, will be fully unveiled on March 5. The same date was confirmed by Motor1; we have reached out to Dodge and will update this story when we have confirmation. The days of V-8-powered Dodge Chargers are gone. However, the muscle car isn't dead. Instead, it'll be returning to roads sometime later this year, and we've now seen what the 2025 Dodge Charger will look like as it nears production. First Look: New Dodge Charger Dodge today unexpectedly released several photos on its social media accounts showing off the next-gen Charger. The brand's posts read: "No cameras or recording devices permitted. Pre-production model shown. Available late 2024." The photos depict what appears to be a gray version (or versions) of the car in what looks like a parking lot. From what we can see, the production car will have similar styling as the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept that debuted back in 2022. The production-intent Charger features an illuminated Fratzog logo between its headlights, which are situated on either side of the "R-Wing." That's the name Dodge gave to the front opening on the concept that was inspired by the tall wing seen on the original 1969 Charger Daytona. The photos also give us a look at the new Charger's body sides and staggered-width tires. We can also see what's either a charge port or possibly a door for the gas-tank filler neck located on the driver's side rear fender. While Dodge has said the new Charger will feature an electric powertrain—as previewed by the Daytona SRT concept, which had all-wheel drive and used an 800-volt architecture—reports online suggest the new muscle car will also be offered with a gas engine, specifically the Hurricane twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six. That was first reported by The Drive, which last year claimed a source connected to a supplier confirmed various details about the production Charger. Now we just have to wait and see what else Dodge is willing to reveal in the coming months. This story was originally published January 12, 2024. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a46363753/2025-dodge-charger-production-first-photos/

Hawa Cissoko (second right) celebrates West Ham’s winner. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters Two shots on target, two goals and one title challenge ripped apart. ­Arsenal were made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal as West Ham pounced on two errors to come from behind and secure an ­impressive 2-1 win in front of a club-record crowd. Alessia Russo gave the Gunners a first-half lead but Steph ­Catley gave away a penalty, which Viviane Asseyi converted, before Hawa ­Cissoko pounced on Manuela Zinsberger’s mistake to give them the lead. “Everybody’s got to be careful of an underdog,” the West Ham mana­ger, Rehanne Skinner, said. “I’m absolutely delighted by the determination, grit and the attitude of the players from start to finish today.” Defeat leaves Arsenal third behind Chelsea and Manchester City, who both won later yesterday against Everton and Leicester respectively. Chelsea are now six points clear of their London rivals. Asked whether his team’s chances were over their mana­ger, Jonas Eidevall, said: “You can’t think like that. You can only think about the things that you can control … We have a lot of league games left to play with teams that are closer in our region of the table as well.” There was a silver lining for the visiting side, with the England captain, Leah Williamson, named in the starting XI – 291 days since ­sus­taining an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Manchester United in April 2023 which led to her missing the World Cup. One small moment during the match served as an acute reminder of what Arsenal and England have been missing. As a high ball began to drop near the touchline Asseyi and Williamson watched it fall and waited. Asseyi was closer and raised her foot but Williamson got there first, ­showing no fear, powering it forward just before the West Ham striker’s foot connected. To study Williamson’s movement and watch her eyes across the course of a match, or the 45 minutes she played here, is to see a reading of the game, a reading of ball movement, an ­understanding of the spaces that are there or will open up that is ­magical. Eidevall said: “She was ready to start a football match. This was a great opportunity for us to do that. She couldn’t play more than a half today, so that was a planned substitution. I think she played very well.” Williamson was one of two changes made to the team that defeated ­Liverpool the previous week, with Catley also starting. Skinner, meanwhile, made one change to the team that beat Bristol City 2-1, with Cissoko forming part of a back three. Arsenal dominated ­possession, as expected, but they struggled to carve out clear chances against a well‑drilled West Ham – whose ­defensive performance was ­epitomised by a stunning last-ditch tackle from Honoka Hayashi to deny Vivianne Miedema who was one‑on‑one with the goalkeeper, Mackenzie Arnold. Their wastefulness proved costly because by the hour West Ham had carved out their first two shots on target, both from Arsenal errors, and both hit the back of the net. First, Catley brought down Riko Ueki, ­conceding a penalty that Asseyi coollyconverted. Then ­Zinsberger punched her ­clearance down into the turf and the ball bounced up for Cissoko to loft over her and in from 18 yards out. It was sloppy from the ­Gunners but a well‑deserved lead for the home team who were clinical when it mattered and fuelled by a ­seemingly possessed Katrina Gorry in the middle. “The only place we’re looking is up, we’re hunting down the next team above us and we’re working hard every week to get points,” ­Skinner said. “We have to approach the next game as if this hasn’t happened.” Leah Williamson made her first start for Arsenal since her anterior cruciate ligament injury in April 2023. Photograph: Mark Leech/Offside/Getty Images https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/feb/04/west-ham-arsenal-wsl-match-report

Seawater contaminated with microplastics, seen here in detail. Photograph: Tunatura/Getty Images/iStockphoto These tiny particles are polluting the planet, including our bodies. How bad for us are they really? Microplastics are everywhere. These tiny pieces of plastic – the usual definition is anything under 5mm in length – are a by-product of the over-production of synthetic polymers, and there is increasing evidence that they are infiltrating the entire ecosystem. A recent study found them in 90% of protein types sampled by researchers, while a study from 2020 found them in fruit and vegetables. Another study, published this year suggests that bottled water could contain up to 100 times the amount of plastic particles previously thought, and some studies have even found microplastics in prenatal human placentas. So is this an unstoppable problem? Are there implications for our health that we are only just beginning to see? And if so, is it already too late to do anything about it? To start with the bad news: yes, the problem is worse than previously thought. “Everyone knew there were microplastics in our sea water and on our beaches, but we’re now finding them in the freshwater system and as far afield as the Arctic,” says Prof Catherine Wilson, an expert in microplastics at the School of Engineering, Cardiff University. “This is raising questions about how they are being transported in the air. We’re also seeing – as we use recycled sludge, a nutrient-rich waste product from sewage treatment, as a fertiliser in agriculture – that microplastics are being recycled in the environment, which may mean they are building up in the soil on farmland.” So how bad are microplastics for humans? There are two clear mechanisms through which microplastics might hurt us: either by chemically disrupting the normal running of our body systems, or by piling up in enough quantities to block our circulatory, respiratory or digestive systems. Increased cancer risk, for instance, is a key concern – but it’s not clear just how worried we should be. “Links to the carcinogenic potential of microplastics and nanoplastics, which are barely visible to the eye even under a powerful microscope, has been demonstrated in vitro [laboratory test-tubes or similar] in human cells and in vivo [in a living body] for animal and plant models,” says Prof Jo Cable, head of division at the School of Biosciences, Cardiff University. “But it’s worth saying that the effects in most of these studies were induced by concentrations of plastic far higher than those detected in the bloodstream in some of the most recent studies.” Similarly, it is not clear whether microplastics are having a significant effect on, for example, the production of immune cells or the appetite, although all these possibilities are a concern. “Further work is needed to determine the effects of this level of exposure – as well as whether microplastics continue accumulating or are eventually expelled from our bodies,” says Cable. “We also need to understand whether better alternatives are possible – for instance, the Plastic Fish project at Cardiff University is investigating whether bio-based plastics and associated additives often marketed as ‘greener’ than traditional plastics are, in fact, healthier for the environment and organisms if and when exposure occurs. Evidence is mounting that they may not be.” What can we do? Unfortunately, this is a societal problem: the sheer ubiquity of microplastics mean there is little chance of avoiding them. Plastics are an essential and often life-saving commodity, but we’ve been using them unsustainably for years, and left a legacy for future generations that could be difficult to tackle. On a global level, we need to shift towards plastic products that are either biodegradable – ie break down naturally – or structurally easier to chemically recycle; and consumers and businesses need to be incentivised to embrace them. It’s not an easy problem to deal with, but as it is likely to affect everyone who swims, eats or breathes, it concerns us all. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/04/should-i-worry-about-microplastics

Honshu the macaque was returned, like the red panda caught in a greengrocer’s but not the lynx shot dead in a caravan park Japanese macaque Honshu at the Highland wildlife park near Kingussie, following his escape on Sunday. Photograph: RZSS/PA After five days of freedom roaming the wilds and back gardens of the Cairngorms, Honshu the Japanese macaque was back with his keepers at the Highland Wildlife Park on Friday, recovering from the tranquilliser dart that finally brought his escapade to an end. Sadly for the fugitive, there was no more contraband bird food, let alone Yorkshire pudding, the back-garden treat that finally led to his recapture. Instead, a spokesperson for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland said, the monkey was back on his normal fare of primate pellets, vegetables and leaves, and none the worse for his adventure. Honshu’s bold escape, after he scaled the perimeter fence of his enclosure last Sunday, may have brought him brief global celebrity, but while Biaza, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, says incidents like this are “very rare”, zoo escapes are perhaps not quite as unusual as one might expect. Even while the world’s media were focused on finding Honshu, for instance, zoo authorities at the opposite end of Britain have been hunting their own missing animal. Dartmoor zoo in Devon confirmed two weeks ago that Malu, a Palawan binturong – a threatened subspecies related to the civet – was missing from his enclosure, amid reports that he had not been seen since Christmas. While the nocturnal animal is not dangerous, according to the zoo, visitors have been advised not to approach him. Earlier in January, a rainbow lorikeet escaped its aviary at Colchester zoo in Essex by hitching a ride on a member of the public as they left the walk-through enclosure; experts have been debating whether it could survive in the wild. Last year in the UK there were escapes of a red panda from Newquay zoo in Cornwall in May (later recaptured at a greengrocer’s after being spotted “ambling” down a street); a 1.2-metre tegu lizard from a Cumbrian petting zoo in June (the public were warned it “can run like a T Rex”), and a pelican from Blackpool zoo in August (blown away after being spooked by a group of seagulls). That same month, an unidentified monkey fled its enclosure in Paignton zoo in Devon (to be later found among the rhinos after visitors to the zoo were put in lockdown), while in September three yellow parrots escaped from the Wild zoological park in the West Midlands (blown out of the grounds by a strong gust of wind). Some animal welfare campaigners suggest there may be many more. “Zoos only have to announce or declare an animal has escaped to the local licensing authority as the animal leaves the perimeter of the zoo,” said Chris Lewis, the captivity research officer at the Born Free Foundation. An animal that gets out of its enclosure but stays within the zoo’s confines need only be recorded internally, he said. “So the number of escapes that actually occur is probably much higher than [we know about].” More serious incidents are not an everyday occurrence, but are far from unknown. Incidents in recent years have included the lynx that escaped Borth zoo in west Wales in 2017 and was later shot dead in a caravan park, and the snow leopard that got out of Dudley zoo the following year, which suffered the same fate. Two brown bears were shot dead at Whipsnade zoo in 2021 after using a fallen tree to get into the neighbouring boar enclosure. Most seriously, keeper Sarah McClay was mauled to death by a Sumatran tiger at a Cumbrian animal park in 2013. That zoo was later heavily fined, and Biaza’s chief executive, Jo Judge, insists that British zoos conform to some of the highest standards in the world and prepare very carefully for the chance escape of an animal. “All [institutions] that have a zoo licence are legally required to have procedures in place to ensure that they prevent escapes where possible, and that they are prepared for dealing with escapes, in those very rare occasions if they do happen,” she said. The procedures included drills four times a year training for escapes of different types of species. “Obviously, it would be very different if a fish escaped from a tank, as opposed to the macaque in this instance, and they have to be prepared for all eventualities.” Depending on the kinds of species they keep, zoos will have staff who are trained in firing tranquilliser darts, and possibly also in firearms, Judge said. “If they have an animal that could be a danger to life, then it’s a legal requirement that they have firearms on site, and that they have people trained to use them. “So although it’s really rare, everyone takes it incredibly seriously.” Regardless of the seriousness of the event, however, every zoo escape represents a failure of some kind, and Samantha Ward, associate professor of zoo animal welfare at Nottingham Trent University, said there would be lessons to be learned from this week’s events. “One of the biggest aspects at the moment for zoo design is incorporating interaction between humans and animals. These days, we’re trying to improve and increase the [ways] that people can feel connected to the animals. This means that you might reduce the amount of fencing or you will have different viewpoints, which then allow a different kind of interaction with the animals within the enclosures. “And I think sometimes it might be that the focus on what the visitors need is maybe [placed] higher than the safety or the security side of things.” As well as enclosure design, there will be questions about the social dynamics in the animal’s enclosure, and whether it has been pushed out from the group; in Honshu’s case, according to the animal park, he will be gradually introduced to the other sub-adult males before being reintroduced to the whole group. Captivity may have called for Honshu the macaque, but sometimes an animal does not only flee a zoo, but thrives. By coincidence, Friday marked the anniversary of the escape from Central Park zoo in New York of Flaco the Eurasian eagle owl. For more than a week after vandals first cut a hole in his enclosure and he escaped, local birders and zoo authorities chased the huge owl around Manhattan, attempting to lure him back. Eventually, however, they realised he had taught himself to hunt for rats, and decided to leave him to it. A year on, Flaco may well be the only Eurasian eagle owl living in the wild in the Americas, but he’s doing just fine – and occasionally popping up on apartment windowsills to peer at the humans within. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/02/brown-bears-and-binturongs-honshu-is-just-the-latest-animal-to-escape-a-uk-zoo

The suppression of pro-Palestinian voices is not fighting anti-Semitism because there is nothing anti-Semitic about opposing genocide. Protesters hold hands locked together during a Jewish Voice for Peace rally for a ceasefire in Gaza on November 3, 2023, in Seattle, US [File: Lindsey Wasson/AP Photo] On December 5, 2023, I joined fellow Jewish university students outside the United States Congress to protest against a resolution conflating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. Our calls to reject the resolution were not heard. Two weeks earlier, a hearing was held where our concerns were yet again ignored; only pro-Israeli witnesses were called to testify. To us, progressive Jews, it appears elected officials who proudly stood by former President Donald Trump after he refused to condemn neo-Nazis and dined with anti-Semites value our voices only when they can tokenise a select few to fulfil their political goals. Conflating anti-Semitism with criticism of a modern apartheid state is dangerous historical revisionism. It ignores the fact that since the conception of Zionism, there has always existed strong and diverse Jewish opposition to it. For decades, progressive Jewish movements have held Zionism to be a dangerous form of nationalism, with some Holocaust survivors openly denouncing Zionist policies. Like countless other Jews, I was brought up to believe in extending solidarity, combating oppression and supremacy, and standing up for the sanctity of human life. The Torah states that all people are made B’tselem Elohim (in the image of God), making each life sacred. The Talmud teaches that saving a single life is to save the whole world, commanding Jews everywhere to fight against the loss of life anywhere. These teachings drive the love I have for my faith and culture … and the heartbreak I feel whenever I see the destruction Zionism has wrought. The Israeli army has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians since October 7, including more than 11,000 children. Of the tens of thousands of bombs dropped on Gaza – one of the most densely po[CENSORED]ted areas in the world – nearly half were “unguided”. Israel has killed Palestinians indiscriminately in illegal attacks on hospitals, United Nations-run school shelters, ambulances, and civilian evacuation routes. Entire neighbourhoods in areas such as Gaza City, with a higher po[CENSORED]tion density than New York City, have been flattened. The Israeli government claims it is fighting to destroy Hamas. Yet, Israeli authorities have long supported strengthening Hamas, facilitating payments to the group and dismissing intelligence reports on a planned attack on southern Israel. By now, it is more than clear that this is not a fight against Hamas, but rather a genocide in the making. Israel is starving millions of civilians, illegally depriving them of food, water, and medical supplies. It is systematically destroying Gaza’s healthcare system, denying the wounded and the sick even the most basic services in an attempt to make survival impossible for millions of Palestinians. Israeli officials openly call for Palestinian civilians’ fates to be “more painful than death” and appeal for the complete destruction of Gaza. The Israeli army has even killed its own people taken hostage by Hamas in a clear indication that there are no “rules of engagement” for Israeli soldiers when it comes to civilians. Israel has sought to obliterate every aspect of the Palestinian nation, including its knowledge and culture. More than 390 educational institutions have been destroyed in Gaza, along with every single university; thousands of students and teachers have been killed. Had this happened in any other country, our universities would have been instantly up in arms, but they remain completely silent about the destruction of Palestine’s education system and the ongoing genocide. Worse still, many universities across the US continue to invest in industries that bolster Israeli military brutality. University presidents often claim to have the safety and best interest of Jewish students, while suppressing condemnations of Israeli violence. But attacking free speech and doxing students does not fight anti-Semitism on campus because there is nothing anti-Semitic about opposing genocide. What is more, university administrations have consistently made it clear that they do not care much about the safety of students with pro-Palestinian attitudes, even if they are Jewish. Just earlier this month, members of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) groups were attacked with what is believed to be an Israeli-made chemical-based weapon while they were peacefully rallying for a ceasefire on campus at Columbia University. At least eight students have since been hospitalised. The university administration chose to blame the victims for what happened, saying their protest was “unsanctioned and violated university policies”. Columbia is one of the many universities fuelling the dangerous, ahistorical conflation of Judaism and Zionism, having banned its chapters of SJP and JVP. These smears and hypocrisy are nothing new. As a student in Washington, DC, I have watched political pundits slander pro-Palestine marches as “breeding grounds” for campus anti-Semitism while claiming the November 14 March for Israel was an event rejecting anti-Semitism. Many of my Palestinian and Arab peers – who have always stood in solidarity with the Jewish community – are continually threatened, harassed, and branded “terrorists” for supporting a humanitarian ceasefire and mourning their loved ones. As a Jewish woman, I have felt nothing but kindness and safety at each Palestinian-led protest I have attended. At the March for Israel, I would not have felt the same, alongside chants of “No Ceasefire!” and featured speakers, like Christian Zionist televangelist John Hagee, who believes “God sent Hitler”. While disagreement will always exist within our community, Zionist nationalism is not the standard, with Jewish Americans now shutting down freeways, occupying offices of elected officials, and chaining themselves to White House gates to demand a ceasefire. In the face of unspeakable violence, Palestinians continue to show resilience and selflessness, and the world owes them solidarity. Proclaiming that the actions of the Israeli government do not represent us is not enough; the grief and rage we feel at the ongoing violence must motivate us to act. In 1965, civil rights activist Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote about the Selma-to-Montgomery March he attended: “Even without words, our march was worship. I felt my legs were praying.” Today, almost 60 years later, we must also embrace protest as a form of prayer because struggling against injustice has long been the norm in our community. As Jewish students, we must refuse to allow our identity to be corrupted to justify crimes against humanity. We must refuse to sit silently while our tax dollars and tuition payments fund genocide in our name, knowing that never again means never again for everyone. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/2/4/we-jewish-students-must-not-be-silent-on-the-genocide-in-gaza

President Joe Biden urges Congress to swiftly pass bill after months of wrangling over immigration and support for Kyiv. The US Senate has proposed a bipartisan package addressing border security and aid for Israel and Ukraine [Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images via AFP] The United States Senate has unveiled a $118bn bipartisan deal that would boost border security and provide wartime aid for Israel and Ukraine. US President Joe Biden and Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate have been pushing to resupply Ukraine with wartime aid but have faced resistance from conservative Republicans who have insisted on measures to tackle illegal immigration at the border with Mexico. The bill announced on Sunday would provide $60bn in aid to Ukraine, whose efforts to push back Russia’s invasion have been hampered by a halt in US shipments of ammunition and missiles. The deal would also provide $14.1bn in military aid to Israel: $2.44bn to address security in the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched dozens of attacks on commercial shipping, and $4.83bn to support partners in Asia where tensions have spiked between China and Taiwan. Under the deal, the president would be granted new powers to immediately expel migrants if authorities become overwhelmed with asylum claims and applications at the border would be subject to quicker and tougher enforcement. Illegal immigration is expected to be a key issue during the presidential election in November, with Republican frontrunner Donald Trump campaigning heavily on claims of an “invasion” from the southern border. Biden on Sunday urged Congress to “swiftly pass” the deal so he could sign it into law, warning Republicans who have expressed alarm about the security of the border that “doing nothing is not an option” “Now we’ve reached an agreement on a bipartisan national security deal that includes the toughest and fairest set of border reforms in decades. I strongly support it,” Biden said in a statement. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would aim to hold a vote on the bill on Wednesday, but the package faces uncertain prospects in both the upper house and the House of Representatives amid scepticism from Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson. “The Senate’s bipartisan agreement is a monumental step towards strengthening America’s national security abroad and along our borders,” Schumer said in a statement. “This is one of the most necessary and important pieces of legislation Congress has put forward in years to ensure America’s future prosperity and security.” In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Johnson, who had previously declared the package “dead on arrival,” said his efforts to involve House Republicans in the Senate deal had been rebuffed and reiterated support for a House package of tough immigration measures. “What we’re saying is, you have to stem the flow,” Johnson said. The package’s support for Israel could also face resistance from some Democrats. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, has called for the removal of $10bn earmarked for offensive weaponry while keeping funds for defensive systems. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/5/us-senate-unveils-118bn-deal-on-border-aid-for-israel-and-ukraine

Nick movie: Hyena Road Time: Samuel Goldwyn Films Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 120mins. Trailer:

Music title: The Weeknd - Save Your Tears (Official Music Video) Signer: The Weeknd Release date: 2021/01/05 Official YouTube link:

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Its base engine is peppy and its rear-drive layout is eager, but squishy dynamics and a middling cabin relegate the Caddy to the segment caboose. The year before a car is expected to be refreshed, there isn't much to do other than nitpick. That's the case with the 2023 Cadillac CT4. The bigger CT5's mid-cycle redo is already public, and it's believed that the CT4 isn't far behind. While we absolutely adored our time with our long-term CT4-V Blackwing, this ain't that—unlike its juiced-up variant, this base CT4 reminds us that Cadillac still has plenty of work to do in the entry-lux space if it wants to be competitive against the segment's capital-S stalwarts. HIGHS: Decent get-up-and-go, RWD remains on offer, no-nonsense infotainment. While upper trims get to play around with a 310-hp turbocharged 2.7-liter inline-four, our test car's midrange Premium Luxury trim sticks with the base engine, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four making 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. That powertrain also includes a 350T badge on the trunk, a number achieved by math so eldritch that few mortals can comprehend it (it involves metric torque output and rounding). Cadillac's deuce is far from the prettiest-sounding engine out there, emitting a thick and sour note as the revs climb, as well as a cold-start volume strong enough to permeate several brick walls, but it thankfully disappears into the background in daily driving situations. But sound quality is subjective. Test results are not, and our evaluation shows some modest performance, although it lags its premier competitor. We recorded a 60-mph sprint of 5.8 seconds, which is adequate vim for getting up to speed and zipping around various calamities. But the four-cylinder Mercedes-Benz C300 makes a meatier 255 horsepower and only needed 5.3 seconds to complete the same task in our hands. The CT4's lighter curb weight (3517 pounds versus the Mercedes's 4044) should do a better job closing the 18-hp, 37-lb-ft gap between the two, but alas. LOWS: Sour engine note, below-average interior, not as dynamically rewarding as the German competition. The CT4's svelte figure doesn't pay off in grip either; with both cars wearing all-season tires, the Cadillac achieved 0.85 g around our 300-foot skidpad, while the C300 managed 0.91 g. That said, the two are within a few feet of each other when stopping from both 70 and 100 mph, which the Caddy managed in 158 and 324 feet, respectively. So, what's the deal? It's all about the driven wheels. The base C300 is an all-wheel-drive affair, while the gang in Detroit is still trotting out rear-drive offerings. That may give the Caddy a disadvantage on paper, but we'll never complain when RWD stays on the menu. It offers a bit more liveliness, especially now, when our Ann Arbor office is inundated by a couple inches of snow. However, we wish the base CT4's handling was more willing; instead of a Mercedes-firm ride with an eager helm, the CT4 feels comparatively wallowy and mushy. That's fine for around-town driving, where comfort takes priority, but there's an obvious performance trade-off. Again, a Blackwing (or even a non-Blackwing V-series), this ain't. You might think that a lower curb weight and a less parasitic driveline would give the CT4 some competitiveness in the fuel-economy arena, and it does. On our 75-mph highway fuel economy test, our CT4 test car managed 33 mpg—although that still trailed the C300's 35-mpg result. If the CT4 isn't too far from the C300 on the performance front, when it comes to interiors, the two may as well be speaking different languages. The Mercedes C-class interior has come a long way, and while plastics are still prevalent, the design language and touch points feel leagues ahead of the CT4. Cadillac's rear seat is a little more cramped for adults than we'd like, and the small infotainment screen—while a dead-simple joy to operate with minimal distraction—comes off as low-rent. We're expecting this to change when the CT4's refresh breaks cover; as with the CT5, we're assuming Cadillac will upgrade to a larger screen and flashier updated software. Or, at least, it really should. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/in-depth-review/a46614522/2023-cadillac-ct4-350t-rwd-test/

Long-lived member of the vulnerable species was coaxed into reproducing by her zookeeper and eventually hatched eight chicks Walnut was hatched in Wisconsin, the chick of two wild cranes brought to the US illegally and later rescued by the International Crane Foundation. Photograph: Chris Crowe/AP A great, but odd, love story has come to an end. Walnut, a white-naped crane and internet celebrity, has died at the age of 42. She is survived by eight chicks, the loving staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, and by Chris Crowe – a human zookeeper whom Walnut regarded as her proxy mate for nearly 20 years. “Walnut was a unique individual with a vivacious personality,” Crowe said in a statement released by the zoo. “I’ll always be grateful for her bond with me.” The tale dates back to the bird’s 2004 arrival at the institute’s campus in Front Royal, Virginia. The chick of two wild cranes who had been brought to the US illegally and were later rescued by the International Crane Foundation, Walnut was hand-raised by people and bonded with her human caretakers. That preference continued when she came to the institute – she showed no interest in breeding and even attacked male crane suitors. But white-naped cranes are considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Fewer than 5,300 remain in their native habitats in Mongolia, Siberia, Korea, Japan and China due to habitat loss, pollution, nest predation and poaching. As the offspring of two wild-caught cranes, Walnut’s genes were not represented in US zoos. So convincing Walnut to breed was regarded as a priority. Crowe, according to a zoo statement, won her over by “observing and mimicking” the institute’s male white-naped cranes’ actions during breeding season. Videos show Crowe offering Walnut food as well as grass and leaves for nest-building materials. When he flaps his arms in front of her, the majestic tall bird flaps excitedly in response and dances in a half-circle with her head bobbing. Once Crowe had gained her trust, he was able to artificially inseminate her using sperm from a male crane. The unique arrangement was very successful and Walnut laid fertilized eggs that eventually hatched eight chicks. The fertilized eggs were given to other white-napped crane pairs who tended to them as their own. Of the eight white-napped cranes currently living at the institute, one is Walnut’s chick and another is her grand-chick. At 42, Walnut nearly tripled the median life expectancy of 15 years for white-naped cranes in human care. She was born in Wisconsin in the summer of 1981 and named after a local restaurant’s po[CENSORED]r walnut pie dessert. Earlier this month, keepers noticed that Walnut wasn’t eating or drinking, even her favorite treats, frozen-thawed mice, peanuts and mealworms, couldn’t spark her appetite. The bird declined and, surrounded by an animal care team, died peacefully, an autopsy revealing the cause of death to be renal failure. “She was always confident in expressing herself, an eager and excellent dancer, and stoic in the face of life’s challenges,” Crowe said. “Walnut’s extraordinary story has helped bring attention to her vulnerable species’ plight. I hope everyone who was touched by her story understands that her species’ survival depends on our ability and desire to protect wetland habitats.”

Iran, Iraq and Syria have strongly condemned the US strikes, saying they will only escalate regional tensions. US military chiefs watch as coffins containing the remains of three soldiers killed in Jordan return to the Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, February 2, 2024 [Alex Brandon/AP Photo] The United States has conducted a wave of air strikes on Iran-aligned targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for an attack that killed American soldiers in Jordan. On Saturday, Iraq said 16 people, including civilians, were killed on its soil, and a monitoring group reported 18 people were killed in Syria. Washington has warned of more strikes to purportedly deter the Iran-backed “axis of resistance” amid Israel’s war on Gaza. In announcing the overnight attacks, US President Joe Biden said: “Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.” Here is how the world reacted to the US action: Iran “The attacks are a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria, international law, and a clear violation of the United Nations Charter,” said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nasser Kanaani. “In addition to an all-out support of the US for four months of relentless and barbaric attacks by the Zionist regime against the residents of Gaza and the West Bank, and military attacks on Yemen and violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, last night’s attacks on Syria and Iraq were another adventurous action and another strategic error by the US government which will have no result but to intensify tensions and instability in the region.” “The attacks merely support the goals of the Zionist regime. Such attacks increasingly involve the US government in the region and overshadow the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza.” Iraq “This aggressive strike will put security in Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss,” the Iraqi government said in a statement, and denied Washington’s claims of coordinating the air raids with Baghdad as “false” and “aimed at misleading international public opinion”. The presence of the US-led military coalition in the region “has become a reason for threatening security and stability in Iraq and a justification for involving Iraq in regional and international conflicts”, read the statement from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s office. “Iraq reiterates its refusal to let the country be an arena for settling scores,” said government spokesperson Basim Alwadi. Yahya Rasool, the Iraqi military spokesperson, said the attacks “constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, undermine the efforts of the Iraqi government, and pose a threat that could lead Iraq and the region into dire consequences”. “The outcomes will have severe implications on the security and stability in Iraq and the surrounding region,” Rasool added. Syria The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the strikes served to “inflame the conflict in the Middle East in an extremely dangerous way” and added to Washington’s “record of violations against Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of its people, proving once again that it is the main source of global instability”. The military said, “The area targeted by the American attacks in eastern Syria is the same area where the Syrian Arab Army is fighting the remnants of the Daesh [ISIL] terrorist organisation, and this confirms that the United States and its military forces are involved and allied with this organisation, and are working to revive it as a field arm for it both in Syria and Iraq by all dirty means.” “The aggression of the American occupation forces at dawn today has no justification other than an attempt to weaken the ability of the Syrian Arab Army and its allies in the field of fighting terrorism, but the army.” Islamic Resistance in Iraq The coalition of US and Israel-opposed armed groups in Iraq, which had “suspended” its attacks earlier this week, said it launched drones at a US base in Erbil. Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed reported from Baghdad that Iraqi groups have also carried out attacks with missiles targeting the al-Tanf military base in Syria which is home to US personnel, as well as the Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq. Hamas “We condemn in the strongest terms the American aggression against Iraq and Syria, and consider it a dangerous escalation, an infringement on the sovereignty of the two Arab countries, and a threat to their security and the stability of the region, in service of the occupation’s expansionist agenda and covering up its horrific crimes against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,” read a statement from Hamas. “The administration of US President Biden bears responsibility for the consequences of this brutal aggression against both Iraq and Syria, which adds fuel to the fire, and we affirm that the region will not witness stability or peace except by stopping the Zionist aggression, crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing against our people in the Gaza Strip, and ending the Zionist-Nazi occupation.” Hezbollah “Hezbollah strongly condemns the blatant American aggression against Iraq and Syria. What the United States of America has done is a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the two countries, an attack on their security and territorial integrity, and a shameless violation of all international and humanitarian laws,” the Lebanese group said in a statement. Russia “It is obvious that the airstrikes are deliberately designed to further inflame the conflict,” said Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. “By attacking, almost without pause, the facilities of allegedly pro-Iranian groups in Iraq and Syria, the United States is purposefully trying to drive the largest countries in the region into conflict.” Russia also called an “urgent” United Nations Security Council meeting over the US strikes. “We just demanded an urgent sitting of the UN Security Council over the threat to peace and safety created by US strikes on Syria and Iraq,” Moscow’s diplomat at the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, said on social media on Saturday. European Union “Everybody should try to avoid that the situation becomes explosive,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. While Borrell did not address the US strikes directly, he repeated a warning that the Middle East “is a boiler that can explode”. He pointed to the war in Gaza, violence along the Israel-Lebanon border, bombings in Iraq and Syria, and attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. “That’s why we call everybody to try to avoid an escalation.” United Kingdom “The UK and US are steadfast allies. We wouldn’t comment on their operations, but we support their right to respond to attacks,” a British government spokesperson said in a statement. “We have long condemned Iran’s destabilising activity throughout the region, including its political, financial and military support to a number of militant groups.” Poland “Iran’s proxies have played with fire for months and years, and it’s now burning them,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels. Poland’s Radoslaw Sikorski was the first EU foreign minister to directly comment on the strikes [Radek Pietruszka/EPA] US House speaker Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives, accused Biden of “placating” Tehran after the strikes, and said that “to promote peace, America must project strength”. Council on American-Islamic Relations “Instead of waging war across the Middle East, the Biden administration should demand an end to the far-right Israeli government’s ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza,” said CAIR’s National Executive Director Nihad Awad. The US has ignored Israel’s “escalating human rights abuses”, maintained its troops in Syria, Iraq and other places “where they are not welcome”, and refused to re-enter the Iranian nuclear deal, Nihad noted. “These latest strikes in Iraq and Syria are just further evidence of the total failure of the president’s Middle East policy. President Biden should change course to protect both American soldiers and people of the region from more violence … Justice and freedom for the Palestinian people – not more bombs – is what can build a more peaceful future for the region.” Analysts Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, questioned the effectiveness of the US bombings. “The aim is to degrade their ability to strike over a longer period of time, albeit at the risk of starting a regional war. This is ultimately a suboptimal strategy. It would be more effective to reduce their interest in striking against the US … The most effective way to shift the interest of these militias is through a ceasefire in Gaza,” said Parsi. “There is no escaping this reality: Nothing in the region is likely to de-escalate unless there is de-escalation in Gaza. Unfortunately, Biden’s approach thus far has been to avoid putting material pressure on Israel for a ceasefire.” Joshua Landis, associate professor and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told Al Jazeera that politicians in Washington are pressuring Biden for a stronger response as the US presidential election looms. “He has to respond, but at the same time he’s made it very clear he does not want to escalate, and that means two things; he can hit Syrians, that’s easy and nobody cares about the Syrian government, but the Americans do care about the Iraqi government.” “America does not want to get ejected from Iraq, particularly not before the elections in November. So, it wants to be strong, but it doesn’t want to kill too many Iraqis.” HA Hellyer, a military analyst at the UK-based think tank Royal United Services Institute, told Al Jazeera, adding that if the US wants to de-escalate and not go to war with Iran, the key to that is Gaza. Washington has “failed to apply any real leverage in order to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, which I think would really diminish the tensions in the region and remove the fuel for this sort of escalation taking place, which is likely to continue over the coming days and weeks and beyond”, he said. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/3/overshadow-gaza-crimes-world-reacts-to-us-attacks-on-iraq-and-syria

Liverpool manager may be more loved at end of his time but no elite coach will come close to emulating 22 years at single club Jürgen Klopp and Arsène Wenger share similarities as leaders but are defined by a divergence of outlook. Composite: Reuters, Shutterstock Arsène Wenger grew up a devout Catholic, attended mass every day and often when it came to confession he had long forgotten the various misdemeanours he had committed over the course of the week. So he started making up sins, just so he would have something to confess. “You’re never completely happy because you never do well enough,” he told the BBC’s Desert Island Discs in 2020. “You feel always a bit guilty because the Catholic religion is like that.” For Wenger, the man and the coach, the endless search for an unachievable perfection would come to define his life. We are reminded that the word “passion” derives from the Latin patior, meaning “suffering”. His passion for football was a Christian passion, the passion of wounded sides and dried blood, of giving something up now (mortal life/time and effort/the opportunity of signing Eden Hazard) in order to assure the greater glories to come (eternal sanctity in the arms of God/fourth place in the Premier League/long-term financial stability and a timely payment of stadium debt). Every defeat was a scar on his heart. Every victory only forestalled the guilt for another week. Jürgen Klopp’s relationship with Christianity was always a little different. A little looser. “Being a Protestant,” he once said, “leaves a few doors open. It’s obviously not that dogmatic.” When he misbehaved as a child, his mother would ask him what God would think and Jürgen would reply that God was probably too busy. The only real imposition his faith made on his football was in restricting his ability to play on Sunday mornings, the start of what would become a lifelong distaste for early kick-off times. Does this explain anything on its own? No, of course not. But Klopp leaves Liverpool and there is shock, anguish, devastation. Fans call up radio phone-in shows and dissolve into tears. Wenger leaves Arsenal before he is shoved out of the door in a stupor of ennui and indifference, gets a valedictory farewell from supporters who quietly admit that it’s probably for the best. “Probably the worst day of my life,” one Liverpool fans sobs on TikTok. “Arsène, thanks for the memories but it’s time to say goodbye,” read the famous banner at the Hawthorns in 2014. As the club Arsène built prepares to host the team that Jürgen built, it’s worth pondering for a moment on why. Klopp has built a huge connection with the Liverpool fans and supporters are devastated by his departure. Photograph: John Powell/Liverpool FC/Getty Images Because on the face of things, the legacies of Wenger and Klopp largely bear comparison with each other. By common consent each belongs in a top-five of all-time Premier League managers alongside Sir Alex Ferguson, José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. We can balance and juggle the merits of a Champions League win against an invincible season, bliss versus beauty, the influence of gegenpressing and throw-in coaches versus the influence of lightning possession football and pasta, whether ’tis nobler to finish runners-up with 97 points (Liverpool 2018-19) or to win with 78 points (Arsenal 1997-98). This part of the exercise belongs largely to the realm of the pub debate, a debate whose very existence underlines the common magnitude of their achievements. And more than this, too: in a way Klopp inherited Wenger’s mantle as English football’s unheeded conscience, the wizened sage telling it the truths it did not want to hear. Just as Wenger railed against the inequities of unfettered spending and was derided as a “specialist in failure” for his trouble, Klopp went out of his way to decry the scourge of state investment and expanding schedules, and was accused of sour grapes for doing so. So they continued to labour in the shadow of a Manchester giant, driven above all by their principles and values, a keen belief that doing something in the right way is as important as doing it in the first place. Why, then, does Klopp leave with garlands being thrown at his feet while Wenger was hustled and screamed towards the exit? To a large extent this is a matter of timing. If Wenger had left in 2005, nine years into his Arsenal reign, he would probably have been remembered even more fondly than he is now. Since leaving the dugout he has wondered aloud whether he stayed too long, whether something fundamental ruptured in the years after the invincible season. He feels – not for the first time – a guilt at the life and relationships he sacrificed in the addictive process of becoming the best manager he could be. So you suspect that when Klopp referred to Wenger as the “football maniac” early in his Liverpool career, he was not being entirely flattering. Wenger teaches us that you have to sacrifice your life for football. Klopp teaches us that actually, no: you don’t. The intensity required to win and keep winning was the intensity that eventually burned him out. Unlike Wenger, who lived ascetically and never went out 48 hours before a game, Klopp is the only Premier League manager who has ever offered this writer one of his cigarettes during an interview. Glory in the next life; glory in this. Perhaps this explains why Klopp is more loved at the end of his time than Wenger was at the end of his. But it also explains why no elite manager will ever come close to emulating Wenger’s 22 years at a single club. For all their similarities as coaches and leaders, what ultimately defines these two great men is a divergence of outlook. For Wenger, faith was an undertaking, a long calvary lined with guilt and suffering. For Klopp, it was a ritual, freely chosen, a way of understanding and connecting with people. Two concepts of the self; two concepts of the world and how best to serve it; two concepts, ultimately, of what it means to love. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/feb/03/jurgen-klopp-arsene-wenger-arsenal-liverpool-football

Overhauling your whole life on 1 January is a noble idea, but slow and steady is the real way to succeed Many of us want to enjoy a healthier new year. Photograph: Mattia/Stocksy United It’s a vicious circle: the end of December sees lots of us making all sorts of outlandish claims as to how we’re going to transform our health in the new year. The plan is meticulously followed for a few days, but it soon gets difficult and we fall off the wagon. Then we experience the guilt-inducing recriminations, making us feel even worse than before we started. It’s a predictable path, says Augusta Gray, a registered nutritionist and content lead at Holland & Barrett, and it feeds into a common toxic behavioural mentality known as “all or nothing”. “If you tend to go on the yo-yo of all-or-nothing, you’re probably going into that festive period overindulging,” she says. “Having that black and white way of thinking can be a really unhealthy relationship with your mind and body.” But it doesn’t have to be this way. Studies show that by making small, incremental steps, we’re more likely to change our behaviour – and stick to new, healthier habits – rather than making grand statements that inevitably fall flat. Here are some simple steps towards slow and steady change to better health in 2024: Gut health is good health Gut health is a great place to start with a little lifestyle shift, says Gray, as what we eat affects the microbiome of trillions of bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract and, in turn, this may impact our immune system and skin. Emerging research also suggests that the microbiota in our gut may influence our moods and appetite (pdf). “The main thing is to ensure you’re eating a really diverse range of plants and plant-based products,” she says. “One study from 2018 found that the groups who reported eating 30 different fruits and veg a week had a more diverse gut microbiota. Think about a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and herbs. Also consider prebiotic fibres, which are found in plants such as chicory root, onion, garlic and asparagus. They’re really good options to make sure you’re getting the right bacteria to feed the probiotics – the probiotics are anything fermented: kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha.” Check in with experts As everybody’s health needs will differ, speaking to an expert at Holland & Barrett can help set you up with the right tools for a healthy lifestyle change. How about a 45-minute online consultation with a qualified nutritionist – available for free this new year (usually £45), and pre-booked through the wellness retail’s website? Or you could seek advice on gut-health supplements or take a look at the new food range that has Plant Points on the labelling to help you tot up your 30-plants-a-week goal. For any serious symptoms or specific medical issues, please see a GP or your local medicinal practitioner. Start small by making sure you’re eating five portions of fruits and vegetables a day. Photograph: Mental Art + Design/Stocksy United Start small, and incremental It’s fine to start even smaller, though. Positioning it behaviourally as adding something to your lifestyle rather than removing something, can make it feel like a little win. “If you’re continuing to eat the same way you were at Christmas,” says Gray, “focus on making sure you’re eating five portions of fruits and vegetables a day or adding in more colours, or having one or two more greens than normal. That’s an easy way to approach it, because that way you’re crowding in the good rather than cutting out the bad.” Incremental steps are another idea to make it sustainable, she adds, but if this is too much, then just focus on one relatively simple task every day, such as drinking lots of water, sleeping well, or getting out and about and walking. “If you’re consistent with that for three or four weeks, then you can continue to build on that.” How to stay motivated “Motivation is kind of the crux of it all,” says Gray. We need to recognise the difference between motivation and willpower, she explains. “Willpower is more about the ability to resist, and motivation is about the desire to act. Our brains are literally wired and set up to create shortcuts because our brains don’t want to think too much and then we create habits which tend to be bad.” Internal v external motivations There are a lot of studies that say internal motivation is going to make you more consistent than external motivation, so sit down and work out why you want to make a change. “If we think about internal motivation for changing the way we eat being ‘because it makes me feel good’ or ‘because I want to live a longer, happier, healthier life’ versus the external ‘because I want to look better/how I think society wants me to’ or ‘the doctor told me I had to’, you’re more likely to be motivated for the long-term and have better outcomes. Writing them out on Post-it notes, explaining why you want to do this in the first place, really checking in, and then sticking these around your house can help, too.” Try sticking up Post-it notes to remind you of your internal motivations for changing your eating habits. Photograph: Studio Marmellata/Stocksy United Make new dopamine-boosting cues If you really want to succeed, trick your brain by setting up new pleasure cues. One brain game you can play, Gray says, is based on studies that show that repeatedly rewarding ourselves in ways that don’t inherently feel like rewards can fool us into believing they are. “If you’re in the habit of having chocolate at 3pm in the afternoon, the ‘trigger’ is the time of day. Going to the kitchen and grabbing a snack is the ‘behaviour’ and you ‘reward’ yourself by satisfying your cravings for something sweet, or taking a break from work. To change to an alternative behaviour, you could have some healthy snacks to hand, go for a walk, or grab your yoga mat. That way you’re satisfying your craving for a snack or getting a break from work – but you’ll need to perform these steps over and over again to make them stick. “You can also intercept ‘boring’ habits with an internal celebration to help associate it with a rewarding feeling or dopamine release.” Be kind to yourself if and when you fail If sticking to a healthy lifestyle was so easy, we’d all be doing it. So accept that you might have a few bad days, but be kind to yourself about it. “A lot of our internal dialogue is so tough on ourselves,” says Gray. “And things like social media and comparison feed into that, so remove it or reduce it if that’s a trigger to feeling bad. “We’re so hard on ourselves, and I can guarantee you no one is thinking the things you’re thinking about yourself. It’s really important to have that slight out-of-body moment and think: ‘I would never speak to my friend like this.’ Tomorrow is another day, so do what you can to start again.” For a science-backed gut-health plan that’s tailored to you, book a free 45-minute online appointment with one of our qualified, professional nutritionists at hollandandbarrett.com. (For a limited time, normally £45) https://www.theguardian.com/the-year-of-your-gut/2024/jan/02/focus-on-internal-motivations-seven-small-sustainable-steps-to-a-healthier-you-in-2024